So I knew nothing about this . . .
The myth of “dibs,” the unofficial, controversial but widespread post-snowstorm practice of saving yourself a street-parking space with household junk, is somewhat grand:
An industrious citizen gets out there with a shovel and digs himself a nice, clean rectangle of pavement. And having earned this pace by the sweat of his brow, he’s allowed to reserve that spot `round the clock for several days. It looks something like this:
The reality of dibs is far more shabby. More often than not, the lazy, selfish citizen bucks his car out onto the street, then scurries over to toss some junk on the bare patch of pavement that his car was parked over as the snow fell. He’s done no shovel or broom work at all, yet feels entitled to claim squatter’s rights for up to a week.
Known also as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.