Mad as a Hatter

This past Saturday felt a little mad (as in bonkers).  Remember?  The world was supposed to end? Hello, still here!   While the clock trudged forward to the end of time, I was filling my tea cup with a spirited mimosa at a Mad Hatter Tea Party themed bridal shower.  As I was conspiring along with some wonderfully talented bridemaids and relatives of the bride to pull off such a fabulous event, I began to wonder about a few things: "Isn't the world supposed to end in 2012 (wink,wink)?" and "What is a Mad Hatter?" 

The King from Alice in Wonderland: "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop."
I tried to look up how many end of the world predictions there have been throughout time or even in my own lifetime.  The answer seems to be too many to count.  However, this past failed prediction landed on a Saturday.  Now, I know it was supported by some sort of religious organization, but it was the drinking establishments that prospered.  Any reason to drink, right?  And while we're at it, crank up Britney Spears "Till the world ends".  So what about all this 2012 hype?  Well, it was easier to look up the Mayans and learn that December 21, 2012 marks the end of a 5,125 year cycle in the Mesamerican Long Count Calendar.  It's no surprise that Mayan historians do not equate the end of the world with the end of the calendar cycle.  I mean, imagine creating a 5,000 year plus calendar.  Sounds exhausting right?  They had to give it a rest sometime.

The Cat: "We're all mad here."
So, what is a mad hatter?  Lewis Carroll based Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter character on a common phrase of his time (mid 1800's), "Mad as a Hatter".  As hat makers in this time period would go through the prosess of curing the felt, they would be exposed to toxic levels of mercury vapors.  The mercury poisoning eventually lead to symptoms of muscular tremors, distorted vision, confused speech and hallucinations. 

With my questions answered, I leave you with this quote:
The Mad Hatter: "Have I gone mad?"
Alice Kingsley: "I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers.  But I'll tell you a secret.  All the best people are."