Hairy Problem

"Hey, mom, have you heard about the Crew of Beard?" #2 Son asked as we chatted after his haircut.  We were waiting for Little Girl to get finished with hers, and she was almost done.

Since the DJ on their favorite radio station has been making everyone who calls in say hello to his beard, i had heard.

You mean those people who are growing a beard for the Saints? was all i said.

"Yes, and I've decided to join them and let my beard grow."

Okay.

"You're good with that?"

Sure, i answered.  After all, i thought but did not say, right now any whiskers you have could be easily taken care of with a good licking from a cat, as the old saying goes.

"Good, I'm glad."

So, this is until the Saints win a game, right? i continued to play along.

"Oh, no, you see, it's until the Saints win a Super Bowl."

A Super Bowl!  That could be years!

"No, no, see, Drew Brees keeps saying to the Beard Nation that it's okay, he's got it under control."

Well, it should be until they win, or Brees retires, whichever comes first, i noted.

"Nope, he says he has our back, it's under control."

Gads, i hope that either they win this year, or the kid holds off on sprouting enough substantial facial hair to make someone look twice until he's out of high school.

The last thing i want to have to do is explain this to his teacher.


Today is:

Chicago International Film Festival -- Chicago, IL, US (oldest competitive international film festival in North America; through the 25th)

General Pulaski Memorial Day -- US (celebrating Casimir Pulaski, "the father of American cavalry")

It's My Party Day -- so go have one!

Meditrinalia/Vinalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (tasting of the year's new wine; in honor of Meditrina, goddess of health/medicine, longevity, and wine, and Bacchus, god of wine)

National Sausage Pizza Day

New York Comic Con -- NY, NY, US (through Sunday)

Old Michaelmas Day -- Celtic Calendar

Revolution Day -- Republic of Macedonia

Sunbeam Sliding Sunday -- Fairy Calendar (only occasionally on a Sunday)

St. Gomar's Day (Patron of childless people, courtiers, cowherds, glove makers, people in difficult marriages, separated spouses, woodcutters; Lier, Belgium; against hernias)

Toronto Ski, Snowboard, and Travel Show -- Toronto, ON, Canada (through Sunday)

Uprising Against Fascism Day -- Macedonia

"You Go Girl!" Day -- in honor of Kathy Sullivan, first American woman to walk in space


Birthdays Today:

Joan Cusack, 1962
Steve Young, 1961
Dawn French, 1957
Elmore Leonard, 1925
Art Blakey, 1919
Jerrome Robbins, 1918
Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884
Henry John Heinz, 1844
George Williams, 1821 (founder, YMCA)


Today in History:

Massive earthquake strikes Aleppo, Syria, 1138
Columbus' ship sites land on the horizon (the Bahamas), 1492
Huldrych Zwingli is killed in battle with the Roman Catholic cantons of Switzerland, 1531
Peter the Great becomes tsar of Russia, 1689
Explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee at the Grinder's Stand Inn, 1809
The first steam powered ferryboat, the Juliana, begins operation, 1811
Australia's oldest university, University of Sidney, is inaugurated, 1852
Dorr Eugene Felt receives a patent for his Comptometer, the first adding machine known to be accurate at all times, 1887
The Great Chicago Fire is finally extinguished, 1871
David Houston patents roll film for cameras, 1881
First female FBI "special investigator", Alaska Davidson, appointed, 1922
With the opening of store # 1252, in Milford, Delaware, J.C. Penney becomes a nationwide company, with stores in all 48 states, 1929
CBS's mechanical color system is the first to be licensed for broadcast by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, 1950
Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years, Vatican II, 1962
NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission, 1968
The NBC sketch comedy/variety show Saturday Night Live debuts with George Carlin as the host and Andy Kaufman, Janis Ian and Billy Preston as guests, 1975
The Mary Rose, a Tudor carrack which sank on July 19 1545, is salvaged from the sea bed of the Solent, off Portsmouth, 1982
The record high of the Dow Jones Industrial Average occurs at 14,198.10 points, 2007