Relatively Speaking

 For many years i have maintained the my #2 Son is a born con artist, just like his Grandpa and Uncle J.  Natural born smooth talkers, salesmen extraordinaire, they could all sell eggs to chicken farmers.  In fact, Grandpa once managed to convince the cranky old priest at a local parish to let his college group hold weekly dances that he would organize in the gymnasium by promising the priest a cut of the proceeds (the priest was also notoriously stingy and always looking for ways to rake in more money for the parish).

When i wonder where #2 Son got it, i only have to remember things like the conversation around the table yesterday at our Mother's Day dinner.

Uncle J was talking about many years ago when he was in college.  He was heading home, a fourteen to sixteen hour drive usually, and he made it in just over 8 hours, with only one stop for gas, restroom, and a bite of fast food.

He then told how he was going down the highway on that trip and saw a police officer's lights go on behind him, then disappear as the officer had to turn around to come back up the interstate toward him.  At first, when he saw the lights, he was tempted to get off at the next exit and hurry to go park somewhere, but decided to just wait, and take his medicine if needed.  When he realized the officer was actually after him, he pulled over.

The officer came over and asked for license, registration and insurance, and as my brother got the stuff out the officer said, "Son do you realize you were doing a bit over 90 miles per hour?"

Uncle J, who had actually been doing almost 130mph, responded, "Yes, sir, I know I was doing at least 95, and I shouldn't have been doing that."

The officer further said, seeing his out of state driving license, "Do you realize that doing anything over 25mph above the speed limit means you get taken to jail?"  Note that this was before limits of 70mph were allowed, and it was 60mph there.

My brother then started to get out of the car.  "Whoa, what are you doing, son?" the officer asked.

"I'm going to get out of the car so you can take me to jail, sir.  I know I was breaking the law."

"Now, son, you've been respectful and cooperative, so I'm not going to take you to jail.  I'm going to take care of you and only give you a ticket for doing 24mph over the speed limit.  This way, all you will have to do is pay the ticket and take the class to get it erased from your record if you haven't had any tickets in the last couple of years."

"No, sir, I haven't had any," Uncle J responded, which was true.

The officer gave him the ticket, and told him to be careful, which of course went in one ear and out the other.  In fact, when Grandma, his mother and mine, asked if he had learned his lesson, he said, "No, of course not!  Now I have a radar detector!"

That's where #2 Son gets it.  From the relatives.


Today is

Arlington National Cemetary Day -- US (the first serviceman to be interred here was Private William Henry Christman, on this date in 1964

Aso ote Tala Lei -- Tuvalu (Gospel Day)

Bun Bung Fai (Rocket Festival) -- Yasothon, Thailand (through the 14th, teams compete to build the highest flier, with no regard for safety!)

Celtic Tree Month Huath (hawthorn) commences

Election Day -- Philippines

Fairy King and Queen Jumping Competition -- Fairy Calendar

Garland Day -- Abbotsbury, Dorset, England

King Norodom Sihamoni's Birthday -- Cambodia

Lemuralia -- Ancient Roman Empire (third day)

Leprechaun Day -- spread around the internet, presumably by the little people themselves, as since St. Patrick gets a day, so should they!

National Apple Pie Day

National Fruit Cocktail Day

Pastele Blajinilor -- Moldova (Memory/Parents' Day)

Royal Ploughing Ceremony Holiday -- Thailand

St Julian of Norwich's Day (Author of what is believed to be the first book written by a woman in the English language, Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love, around 1393)

St. Servatus' Day (3rd Ice Saint, Patron for success; against foot problems, lameness, leg problems, mice, rats, rheumatism, vermin)

Women's Check-up Day 2013 -- US (always the Monday after Mother's Day, encouraging women to be proactive about their health



Birthday Today:

Debby Ryan, 1993
Robert Pattinson, 1986
Samantha Morton, 1977
Darius Rucker, 1966
Stephen Colbert, 1964
Dennis Rodman, 1961
Stevie Wonder, 1950
Ritchie Valens, 1941
Harvey Keitel, 1939
Beatrice Arthur, 1923
Joe Louis, 1914
Arthur Sullivan, 1842
Maria Theresa, 1717


Today in History:

The forces of Mary, Queen of Scots, are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother, 1568
A major earthquake in Santiago, Chile, kills 1/3 of the population, 1643
Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England  with eleven ships full of convicts (First Fleet) to establish a penal colony in Australia, 1787
Ecuador  gains its independence from Gran Colombia, 1830
The first performance of Finland's national anthem, 1848
Queen Victoria declares Britain neutral in the US Civil War, 1861
The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia, 1861
Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway, 1880
The Royal Flying Corps (now the Royal Air Force) is established in the United Kingdom, 1912
Igor Sikorsky becomes the first man to pilot a four-engine aircraft, 1913
The first commercial FM radio station in the United States (WDRC-FM) is launched in Bloomfield, Connecticut, 1939
Winston Churchill makes his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons, 1940
The trade mark Velcro is registered, 1958
The Free Speech Movement is born at UC Berkeley, 1960
Dr. Zakir Hussain becomes the third President  of India and the first Muslim President of Indian Union, 1967
Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike, 1989
Johnny Carson makes his last television appearance on Late Show with David Letterman, 1994
A 33 years old British mother Alison Hargreaves, became the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas, 1995
Star Trek: Enterprise broadcasts its final show in the U.S., 2005
Construction of the Calafat-Vidin Bridge between Romania and Bulgaria begins, 2007