No-Work Friday

Here's an idea that requires a leap of faith

Are you going to be at work on Friday?

Yeah? Why?

It's Leap Day, an extra day, one more day than we had last year. It comes around every four years, and tell me where it says -- by whose rules, and under what moral philosophy -- that you owe that day to The Man? Your yearly salary hasn't increased, has it? That's the argument of Karl Savage, a high school English teacher from Silver Spring, who leads an international movement called the No Work on Leap Day Revolution. Its slogan is "Seize Back the Day."

I know of this movement because Karl told me about it in an e-mail. For some reason, though, a Google search coughed up no trace of the No Work on Leap Day Revolution or its slogan or Karl. When I telephoned Karl, he cleared it all up: He wants the movement to begin with this column.

Me: I can't write about a movement that doesn't exist.

Karl: It does exist. It just doesn't have a Web site because I don't know how to make one. But after I wrote to you, I started a Facebook group!

Me: So I see. I'm looking at it. You have a few dozen members. Many are teenagers. Some appear to be infants.

Karl: I know. No hip New York people are finding it. That's where you come in.

Me:

Karl: I also made bumper stickers.

Me: Good. How many have you distributed?

Karl: Well, I only made 25. It's all I could afford.