Happy Pi Day, the annual celebration created by relating at least two unrelated subjects, like a Porsche engine in a Prius.

Sure, you can do it, but why? Well, they all start with the letter “p,” that’s why.

There is the number pi, which is defined as the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. This irrational number has been represented by the Greek letter pi since the mid-18th century. Lacking any notable date to celebrate something “nerdy,” the mathematically knowledgeable members of our society, justifiably needing something to party about, commandeered March 14 as astonishingly appropriate. You see, when rounded to two decimal places, pi is 3.14, and today is March 14, a date you can represent as 3.14.

This ratio has been calculated out to roughly 1 trillion places with no end in sight, making the number pretty special and deserving of a day of its own. So, it is reasonable for most of us to stand up and cheer for good old pi. Naturally, there are also those who want to take it a couple of steps further by going further into the number and celebrating at 1:59 p.m.

You see, as it turns out, pi may go on forever. The number continues on to 3.14159 and much farther. So, why not celebrate at 1:59 p.m. on March 14? Then the question becomes, why not get up at 1:59 a.m. since 1:59 p.m. is actually 13:59 military time, almost 14 hours into the day? Yes, it obviously becomes a party looking for a reason to happen.

You must know the key element of the party. Of course, it is pie. Forget the spelling issue, let’s just have a party and eat pie! Blueberry, apple, peach, meat, bacon and egg, banana cream, etc. As far as I know, there are not rules on the kind of pie, just that it is a pie. And then there are T-shirts whose only common denominator is the Greek letter pi. The good news is that the T-shirt makes the mathematically obsessed easy to pick out of a crowd. Watch out for them.

If you don’t care to buy either a pie or a T-shirt, why not consider at least one dozen roses from your favorite East Jefferson Rotarian? The details: $20, four colors, free delivery on April 26, support for community, international and scholarship programs! Easy peasy, as they say. If you don’t have a favorite Rotarian, contact me, I will find you one.

Big Saint Patrick’s Day LMC potluck at the Beach Club this Saturday. Be sure to sign up if you have not already. The corned beef, cabbage and potatoes are provided. Jokes from Steve Gross are painful but provided free of charge. To celebrate the day, I offer this observation from William Butler Yeats, an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. “Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.” Of course, he is referring to the joy he experienced whilst celebrating Pi Day!

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week.

Ned Luce writes this column monthly from his home in Port Ludlow, where he is active in the community. He can be reached at nedluce@sbcglobal.net.