Sadie, Sadie, married lady

This month marks Leap Year, which means we'll have an extra day, Feb. 29. Sometimes this extra calendar day -- which appears every four years -- is called Sadie Hawkins Day. You might recall its an old-fashioned tradition that permitted single women to propose marriage to recalcitrant men. ... At City Hall, it was a Sadie Hawkins Day of sorts, all done San Francisco-style. ... And tradition be damned. ...

Assemblyman Mark Leno stood in the middle of the City Hall rotunda as he officiated over dozens of same-sex marriages. Assessor Mabel Teng was busy at the same task on the steps. Mayor Newsom had been there earlier. It was a tornado of gleeful energy. Ninety-five same-sex couples tied the knot. ... "I keep tearing up as I do this, and I've been doing this for hours," Leno said, as he filled out yet another marriage certificate. "I didn't think it would get to me. What's happening here is so humane. Our opponents will come to learn that." ...

Some are calling Mayor Gavin Newsom courageous for this defiant act of allowing same-sex marriages. Some say he's reckless. ... Down in the City Hall dining area, Molly McKay was dressed in a traditional white wedding gown and was posing for pictures with her friends and her new spouse, Davina Kotulski. ... "Why am I dressed as a bride?" asked Molly. "Because today is the day I could finally marry my wife." ...

At a Union Street bistro, one chap muttered, "The word 'marriage' means a union of a man and a woman -- that's what the dictionary says." ... In Massachusetts, Justice Martha Sosman of the state's high court wrote, "We have a pitched battle over who gets to use the 'm' word." ... To newlywed Molly McKay, there is no argument. "The meanings of words in the dictionary are always changing," she said. "There was a time when marriage could not exist between different races either." ...

I don't really understand how men marrying men and women marrying women undermines society. But then again, I don't live in San Francisco for nothing. ... Certain styles of living may not be my cup of tea -- but that doesn't mean we have to outlaw tea parties. ... Dictating how people should or should not live is far more dangerous than demanding what straight people already have. ... Thursday was a grand day for San Francisco, a great day for Mayor Newsom, and for those who finally got official recognition for what seems to be rather innocuous. But I wouldn't count on a honeymoon outside the county just yet. S.F. is like no other place in the world. ...

"Funny how February, the month of love, is the shortest month," notes Andrea Froncillo, who is "The Love Chef." ... Perhaps not so coincidentally, the people at Mattel announced the break-up of Barbie and Ken, the famously eternal boyfriend & girlfriend dolls. Perhaps Ken had no intention of marrying Barbie after all these years. ... No, Ken was not married to Chuck on Thursday. ... The quick-witted Brian Copeland might have something to say about all this. He appears with Clinton Jackson ... Diane Amos ... Steve Kimbrough and other comics at the 4th annual Bay Area Comedy Benefit for the San Mateo Chapter of the NAACP at the Punch Line, 555 Battery, on Monday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m. It's only 15 bucks at the door. ...

Big things are happening for LUCE these days. The group's song, "Good Day," will be featured in "13 Going On 30," a new movie with Jennifer Garner, star of TV's "Alias." Founder Tom Luce called to say he's thrilled. San Francisco is a tough town for musicians. "It's so expensive," he says. "It's hard to find a way to survive and work at your craft to get good enough. It takes hard work -- yes, I've busted my butt -- but it takes luck. But I'm glad I've always had a good work ethic." ...

Tom doesn't think he's related to the Luce publishing family, as in Henry Luce, founder of Time magazine. "Lots of people these days claim they're related to me," says Tom. ... Now, that's success. ... I mentioned this to Clare Boothe Luce, the granddaughter of Henry and the playwright/congresswoman. Clare wasn't quite sure who Tom is, either. But maybe she could sit in and play the maracas or the tambourine with the group one night. ...

Father William Myers of St. Anne of the Sunset Church is off to Nicaragua this weekend with eight others. They plan to get their hands dirty by helping out at the Hogar de los Niños, the orphanage that Father William and his parish support. There are 183 children at Hogar. "This is their last stop before prostitution, drug addiction and death," says Myers. "We are hoping to complete a well that we started digging last year so the orphanage can have fresh water for the crops and for the kids. The well is very deep. Then again, so is the human spirit." ... Like to help? Call Father William at St. Anne's, 850 Judah St., 94122 ... 665-1600.