Thank you, Mr. Hecht!

There's a really fun blog by Timothy Hecht called Agent 54, and he very, very kindly nominated me for a blog award. 

The problem is that when i get nominated, i have to in turn nominate others, and that has not worked out well the last couple of times i've tried to do it.  Since i don't seem to be able to keep up my end of the bargain, i will just thank Timothy for the nomination and answer his questions.

1. Syrup or sprinkles?  Cacao nib sprinkles on my frozen bananas.  What can i say, i try to stick to a mostly raw vegan diet.

2. Do you trust Goats?  Not if they are smiling too much.  My friend Farmer Pickles had a nanny goat that smiled a lot and was always the instigator in any trouble on the farm.

3. Have you been abducted by space Aliens, too?  Not that i know of, but i don't remember much from before age 4, so maybe all the weirdness was implanted before then.

4. Why the heck do you blog?  Danged if i know, it just seemed like a good idea at the time, sort of like getting married and having kids.  Those have mostly worked out, maybe the blogging will, too.

5. Vampires or Zombies?  Vampires to talk to, zombies when you have some frustration you want to work out by beheading something (like when you drive around here).

6. Have you ever ordered a bucket of chicken, all beaks and feet?  Why not?  No, i don't eat meat, or parts.  Besides, some places around here might just take you seriously and give it to you if you asked for it!

7. Do fish know they are wet?  Only after they are caught and are no longer in the water.

8. What was the last book you read?  Finished up The Richest Man in Babylon not long ago, and am currently dividing my time between Discovering Jesus, Awakening to God and Dante's Divine Comedy.

9. Do you use Duct Tape?  Yes, but only if it is purple.  And even though it is disloyal to say it, Gorilla Tape works even better for a few purposes.

10. Do you know from funny?  Well, i know that Agent 54 is funny, isn't that the most important thing?

Thank you again, Timothy!

The last couple of days around here have been good, crazy, and good and crazy.  The kittens are eating BabyCat food already, a form of dry kibble.  It's very unusual for such young ones to be willing to go after kibble.  They are also litter trained and running around the kitchen staying underfoot, just like kittens should.

Tomorrow is Sweetie's birthday, so he and his twin, Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, are going out for their traditional birthday meal today at their favorite TexMex place.  The best part about it is, i don't have to cook a big meal today!


Today is:

Abu Simbel Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (along with Feb. 22, the day when the sunlight fell perfectly on the statues of Ramses, Ra, and Amun at the temple complex)

Blue Ridge Folklife Festival -- Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, Ferrum, VA, US (a large celebration of authentic folkways)

Caps Lock Day -- celebrating life in screaming CAPITALS (i'd include a link to the promo site, but it's rather annoying)

Clean Up the Earth Day -- begun because having only one Earth Day a year doesn't give enough emphasis to the amount of work that needs to be done

Color Day -- a day to consider how color affects your life, health, and world

Eat a Pretzel Day -- unclaimed sponsorship; does anyone else suspect that pretzel makers know how to spread stuff around the internet, too?

Gormanudr -- Old Icelandic Calendar (beginning of "Innards Month," after all the animals have been butchered and fresh innards figure predominantly in the menu, as the rest of the meat has been preserved for winter)

Hogeye Festival -- Elgin, TX, US (Road Hog Car Show, crowning of King Hog and Queen Sowpreme, Cow Patty Bingo, and more!)

International Stuttering Awareness Day -- information here

Jidai Matsuri -- Kyoto, Japan (Festival of the Eras or Festival of the Ages)

Lhabab Duechen -- Buddhism (Descending Day of Lord Buddha)
     a public holiday in Bhutan

Make A Difference Day -- US (Whoopie Goldberg once said that if every American would donate 5 volunteer hours a week, it would be the equivalent of several million full time jobs; whether or not it's strictly accurate, volunteering is a great thing to do no matter where you live.)

National Knee Day -- take care of your knees, and they will take care of you!

National Nut Day -- UK & US (also now celebrated around the world) (launched by Liberation Foods CIC, a fair trade nut company, urging us to celebrate fairly traded nuts and swap out a nut based burger for a meat based meal, at least for today, or grab a handful of nutritious almonds or walnuts or your own favorite mix; if you don't like nuts, you can just choose to go be one, instead)

Pit Bull Awareness Day -- it's not the breed, it's the owner

Romp in the Swamp Fun Walk -- Appleton, WI, US (plus hayrides, face painting, an outdoor movie, animal shows, a campfire with s'mores, and more)

Seeking of King Look Under Your Mattress -- Fairy Calendar

Smart is Cool Day -- and i don't know who started this one, but i'd say someone tired of being made fun of for being a bookworm

St. Mary Salome's Day (Patron of Veroli, Italy)

Xterra Kapalua Trail Run -- Kapalua, Maui, HI, US (extreme trail runs of 5k and 10k; through tomorrow)


Anniversaries Today:

Toastmasters International founded, 1924
The first Metropolitan Opera House in NYC opens, performing Faust, 1883


Birthdays Today:

Sofia Vassilieva, 1992 
Zac Hansen, 1985
John Foreman, 1976 
Spike Jonze, 1969
Carlos Mencia, 1967
Valeria Golino, 1966
Brian Boitano, 1963
Jeff Goldblum, 1952
Deepak Chopra, 1946
Catherine Deveuve, 1943
Jan De Bont, 1943
Annette Funicello, 1942
Tony Roberts, 1939
Derek Jacobi, 1938
Christopher Lloyd, 1938
Timothy Leary, 1920
Joan Fontaine, 1917
Robert Capa, 1913
Curly Howard, 1903
George Beadle, 1903
N. C. Wyeth, 1882
Sarah Bernhardt, 1844
Franz Liszt, 1811


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Me and Bessie"(Musical), 1975
"Take Me Along"(Musical), 1959
"The Far Off Hills"(Play), 1928


Today in History:

The temple of Apollo at Daphne, outside of Antioch, is destroyed in a mysterious fire, 362
Emperor Kanmu relocates Japanese capital to Heiankyo (now Kyoto), 794
Battle of the Southern Fujian Sea, Ming Dynasty wins a victory against the Dutch East India Company, 1633
Princeton University is chartered, 1746
Andre-Jacques Trim becomes the first sky diver, parachuting over Paris from a balloon, 1797
Sam Houston is inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of Texas, 1836
First telegraph line linking US east and west coasts of the US is completed, 1861
First concert performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1881
World's first automobile dealer opens in London, 1897
President Hoover gives the "American system of rugged individualism" speech, 1928
The FBI ambushes Pretty Boy Floyd, 1934
First commercial flight from the mainland to Hawai'i, 1936
Jean-Paul Sartre is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, but turns down the honor, 1964
A Multi-Party Parliamentary Committee selects the design which becomes the new official Flag of Canada, 1964
The Soviet unmanned space mission Venera 9 lands on Venus, 1975Red Dye No. 4 is banned by the US Food and Drug Administration after it
is discovered that it causes tumors in the bladders of dogs, although the dye is still used in Canada, 1976
Tropical Storm Alpha forms in the Atlantic Basin, making the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record with 22 named storms, 2005
A Panama Canal expansion proposal is approved by 77.8% of voters in a National referendum held in Panama, 2006
India launches its first unmanned lunar mission Chandrayaan-1, 2008
North Korea gives the US permission to search for the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War, 2011