Random Rant, among other things.

And now a bit of randomness, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked.   

First, i have to get a rant out of my system, and random day is perfect for it.

The other morning, i was awakened at 4:30am by my phone ringing.  Why was my phone on?  Because i have been called in the middle of the night more than once by a child who needed something, usually help with a broken down vehicle, so i leave my phone on.

This was not one of my children.  It was an unknown number, so as is my wont, i  did not answer and waited to see if it was someone who really did need to get in touch with me.  If it is, s/he will leave a message, i presume.  (That has always worked before, that presumption.)

A message was indeed left, although i only heard it from the middle, because the computer leaving the message did not know not to start the spiel until after the “leave a message” message was finished.

It was a cruise line wanting me to call about booking a vacation, of all things.  At 4:30am.

All right, you knotheads who leave such messages, let me get this message out, and i know you won’t listen but it will make me feel better.

Because i have signed up for the Do Not Call list, and you called me anyway, you are breaking Federal law.  Do you really think i will want to do business with any company that routinely breaks Federal law?  The fact is, i don’t trust you and your cruise vacations as far as i can sail a pirogue down the bayou.  If you were a legitimate company, you would not break Federal law.

And 4:30 am?  Who calls to sell vacations at that time except idiots?  You lose, on both counts.

Now i have that out of my system and i feel a bit better.

As for other random around here, Friend Chris is making plans to move out of state.  Bigger Girl is seriously considering changing her college major (i was wondering when that would happen) and might have a friend to move out with next semester.  Little Girl is on a one week call to her duty station.  #2 Son is in Georgia for his two weeks training a new restaurant crew (which he has to show he can do to move into management).  #1 Son may have found a place to move out to very soon.  Daughter-in-Law Becky had a birthday, and we gave her the gifts early so she could shop on Black Friday.  She got a lot of bargains, from what i understand.

My nest could be empty by the end of January, which is weird.  Not that they will stay gone, even the ones who have already moved out visit several times a week.  No way i’m going to get rid of the extra refrigerator yet.

Today is:

Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha -- Baha'i

Decorate Your Dog Day -- supposedly to get him/her into the holiday spirit; but please, don't

Feast of the Holy Sovereigns -- Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii (in honor of King Kamehama IV and Queen Emma, the founders of the Anglican Church of Hawaii) 

Flag Day -- Kosovo

Giving Tuesday -- after celebrating Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, be part of the international giving movement 

Independence Day -- Albania(1912); East Timor(1975); Mauritania(1960)

Independencia de Panama de Espana -- Panama(Independence from Spain Day, 1821)

Make Your Own Head Day -- meaning an art project model or drawing, in any medium; have fun with this one!

National French Toast Day

Red Planet Day -- on the anniversary of the 1964 liftoff of Mariner 4, the first successful mission to Mars

Republic Day -- Chad; Republic of the Congo

Royal Society Day -- one of the world's oldest scientific academies, established this day in 1660

Runic Half Month of Is begins (stasis)

St. Catherine Laboure's Day -- promulgator of the Miraculous Medal

St. Stephen the Younger's Day` (Patron of coin collectors, numismatists, smelters)

Strange Names Day -- in honor of all the celebrity -- and other -- kids with "unique" names; originally sponsored the last Tuesday in November by Marlar in the Morning at 101QFL in Rockford, IL, US

Birthdays Today:

Ryan Kwanten, 1976

Anna Nicole Smith, 1967

Jon Stewart, 1962

Judd Nelson, 1959

S. Epatha Merkerson, 1952

Ed Harris, 1950

Alexander Godunov, 1949

Paul Shaffer, 1949

Joe Dante, 1946

Randy Newman, 1943

Berry Gordy, Jr., 1929

Claude Lévi-Strauss, 1908

Charles H. Alston, 1907

Brooks Atkinson, 1894

William Blake, 1757

Jean Baptiste Lully, 1632

John Bunyan, 1628

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Look Homeward, Angel"(Play), 1957

"The Grand Ole Opry"(Radio), 1925

Skywriting(as an advertising medium), 1922

Today in History:

Skanderbeg and his forces liberate Kruja in Middle Albania and raise the Albanian flag, 1443

Ferdinand Magellan and his men become the first Europeans to sail from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean, 1520

The Times in London is for the first time printed by automatic, steam powered presses built by the German inventors Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Friedrich Bauer, signaling the beginning of the availability of newspapers to a mass audience, 1814

Ka Lahui: Hawaiian Independence Day - The Kingdom of Hawaii is officially recognized by the United Kingdom and France as an independent nation, 1843

Women vote in a national election for the first time in the New Zealand general election, 1893

US-born Lady Astor becomes the first female member of British Parliament, 1919

Capt Cyril Turner of the RAF gives 1st skywriting exhibition in NYC; Turner spelled out "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200." 47,000 called, 1922

"Hopalong Cassidy" premieres on TV, 1948

The first Polaroid Camera is sold, 1948

Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and Gabon become autonomous republics within the French Community, 1958

The first pulsar star is discovered by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish, 1968

Norway votes against joining the European Union, 1994

Wikileaks releases 250,000 classified documents and sensitive national security information sent by U.S. embassies, 2010

"Hamilton" sets a new record for the most money earned in a week on Broadway - $3.3 million, 2016