According to the Roman essayist Plutarch, the Ides of March is a date best known as the day on which Julius Caesar was killed in 44 B. C., after being stabbed by a group of conspirators 23 times. Ever since, the middle of March has carried with it the burden of doom.
According to the gurus at Basketball.org (http://www.basketball.org/march-madness-history/), the term March Madness is a registered trademark held jointly by the NCAA and the Illinois High School Association. The term itself was coined by a writer and essayist named H. V. Porter, who published an essay named March Madness in 1939.
However, I would offer a rebuttal to the traditional definition. This time of year has long held a particular vexation for me, as it begins the annual scourge of dust, and its nasty invisible minions, dust mites. For some reason, dust which does not seem to accumulate much in my house during the winter months falls in avalanche proportions along with the coming of spring. All of a sudden I’m finding strings of cobwebs hanging from the ceilings, and a sudden buildup on nearly every surface; seemingly hours since the last swipe with a dust cloth. And no matter how often I vacuum, the dogs track bits of flotsam and muddy tracks all over the house in a matter of minutes. Sheesh!
I know, it’s stupid. Forgive my peevish whining; I know not how to banish the mites, the ides, nor the madness of March. However, I am not alone in my ranting. Had Plutarch and Porter been writing those essays in these times, no doubt their thoughts would have been published on their blogs too.