Uncle P's Furniture

Uncle P's furniture has arrived. Wow.

It was my understanding that we were getting two bookcases, a small table, a couple of chairs, a little computer desk, one chest of drawers, and a couple of miscellaneous things.

The miscellaneous he sent was 3 floor lamps, 2 table lamps, a very snazzy and expensive exercise bike, a coffee table, an end table, a portable gazebo (!), a stereo system with speakers as tall as i am and it's own cabinet, a small vacuum cleaner, an indoor trashcan, and outdoor trashcan, a leather chair, a rolling computer desk chair, and enough cleaning supplies for a small army.

The desk and dresser are huge, much bigger than i expected, too.

The next several days will be spend incorporating these things into the house, and getting rid of a lot that we just don't need now.

#2 Son has claimed the stereo, and is miraculously cleaning his room to prepare for it. He is planning to use the stereo to "blast all of you out of the house!" as he put it. He will also get the dresser, as Little Girl has decided she doesn't want it.

The bookcases are already downstairs, and the "collection" books will go on them. That way, the whole collection will be in one place.

It's looking like we will be getting rid of a couple of the chairs we have, as we will have an overload, unless we can figure a way to gracefully incorporate them into that very oddly shaped room we have down there.

So, some progress on making this place more habitable, despite the leaks and foundation troubles. We have to make it last until the kids are grown and gone at least. It might as well be functional.


Today is:

Aldus Day (Aldus Manutius invented italics)

Aphrodisia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Aphrodite, goddess of love)

Bob Marley Day -- Jamaica

Dump Your Significant Jerk Day (Shame this doesn't work when it is your brother-in-law!)

Four Chaplains' Sunday

Homstrom, Switzerland (celebration of the end of winter in which straw men, symbolizing old man winter, are burned)

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation -- United Nations

Iroquois Mid-Winter Ceremony -- Through the 14th

Lame Duck Day

MOBIUS Awards Day

National Frozen Yogurt Day

Orchid Festival/Tropical Extravaganza, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, London -- through March 6

Otomatsuri -- Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan (fire festival)

Pay-A-Compliment Day

Reggae Day

Rubik-Cube Muddling Championships -- Fairy Calendar

Sami National Day -- Finland and Scandinavia

St. Dorothy's Day (patron of brides, gardeners, florists, newlyweds; against lightning, fire, and thieves.)

Triodion begins -- Orthodox Christian

Waitangi Day -- Maori, New Zealand (treaty with Britain, 1840)


Anniversaries Today:

The College of William and Mary in Virginia is founded by royal charter, 1693
Massachusetts becomes the 6th US State, 1788


Birthdays Today:

Axl Rose, 1962
Natalie Cole, 1950
Bob Marley, 1945
Michael Tucker, 1944
Fabian, 1943
Tom Brokaw, 1940
Mike Farrell, 1939
Francois Truffant, 1932
Rip Torn, 1931
Mamie Van Doren, 1931
Zsa Zsa Gabor, 1919
Mary Leakey, 1913
Ronald Reagan, 1911
Babe Ruth, 1895
Aaron Burr, 1756
Nicolaus II Bernoulli, 1695
Chongzhen, Emperor of China, 1611
Christopher Marlowe, 1564


Today in History:

The United States signs its first treaty, in which France recognizes the US and promises aid, 1778
New Jersey issues the first US railroad charter to John Stevens, 1815
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore, 1819
The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society started a settlement in present-day Liberia, 1820
Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony, 1840
Harper's Weekly publishes the first picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers, 1869
The international arbitration court at The Hague is created when the Netherlands' Senate ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree, 1900
The Young Women's Hebrew Association organizes in NYC, 1902
The "Monopoly" board game goes on sale for the first time, 1935
Turkey holds its first election in which women can vote, 1935
K Elizabeth Ohi becomes the first Japanese-US female lawyer, 1937
Elizabeth II becomes the first Queen regnant of the United Kingdom and several other realms since Queen Victoria, upon the death of her father, George VI, 1952
Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit, 1959
Justice Mary Gaudron is appointed to the High Court of Australia, the first woman to be appointed, 1987
The Round Table Talks start in Poland, thus marking the beginning of overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe, 1989