Year of the Rat

Happy Chinese New Year! The celebration begins today, on the occasion of the first new moon of the year, and continues through the Festival of Lanterns on February 15. It is the Year of the Rat, according to the Chinese zodiac. "Rat years are always choppy and appeal mostly to those with a finely-developed sense of economy," notes astrologer Suzanne White. I think that's supposed to mean it could shape up to be a good year if you're thrifty, and a bad year if you're not. But don't quote me on that; I was born under the sign of the Skeptic.