The next leap year is 2008. There will be no Feb. 29 until then.

But 2006 gives us something to savor: the leap second.

What did you do with yours?

Technically, it happens without us. The New Year's ball may have dropped at 00:00:00, but world timekeepers at the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service at the Paris Observatory know the world is slowing down as it rotates on its axis.

New Year? It arrived at 00:00:01.

Never fear, leap seconds were introduced to make sure life didn't turn into a badly dubbed Kung-fu movie where the English doesn't match the lips.

This is the first leap second added in seven years, but it may still not be enough to get all the lips to match. So if you still feel a bit off, it's not a leftover hangover. The world shares your problem.

Maybe you just need to be conscious of that extra morsel of time to get back in the flow. Do something with it. Sniff a plumeria. Let a smile linger longer. Go ahead. You might even feel better — for a second.