Ups and Downs

The last few days have not been easy for #1 Son.

There was phone trouble.  He still does not have a working phone.  Every time i offer to buy him a cheap phone "just for now" that he can give back to me when he gets his working, he declines.

Then there's the ups and downs of moving.  He's tired of being one of those 20-somethings who is still "living in mommy's basement."  (Although we don't technically have a basement, and he is in what used to be the garage, you get the idea.)  He wants to be out on his own.

It seemed perfect when his friend Trent needed new roommates.  The house he was renting is just around the corner, actually walking distance from this house.  He and his other friend Nicky moved in.

Two days later, EnigmaSissy, his cat, spilled a cup of water on his laptop and fried it.  So now he is without a phone or a computer.

Then the landlady, after allowing them to move in, evicted them with only 24 hours to get out.

He spent all day yesterday moving his very heavy furniture back here.

To say he is weary and discouraged would be an understatement.

Yes, i'm going to go get a go-phone and make him use it.  He needs the break.

Today is

Anubis Ceremony -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Dandruff Dance -- Fairy Calendar (Goblins and Gnomes)

Father's Day -- Nicaragua; Poland

Festival of the Purple Void -- only one internet reference, and not explained there, either, but since purple is my favorite color, and a Purple Void sound like something fun to celebrate, i'm including it!

Festivals of Het-Hert and Bast, and Great Feast of the Southern Heavens -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Grand Duke's Birthday & National Day -- Luxembourg

Helen Keller Festival -- Tuscumbia, AL, US (performances of The Miracle Worker, historic tours, other entertainment, a fair, and more; through Sunday)

Kupala -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (Summer Solstice celebration, always on St. John's Eve, as the pagans hid their celebration by naming it "Ivan Kupala", their name for John the Baptist)

Let It Go Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; whatever you are holding on to, just let it go and the day will get better

National Columnists' Day -- on the fourth Tuesday of June each year, set aside some time to thank your favorite newspaper columnists, whether local or syndicated

National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism -- Canada

National Pecan Sandy Day

National Pink Day -- the color or the flower, your choice, because the creator didn't leave a trail explaining it

Pink Flamingo Day -- honoring Don Featherstone, creator of the original pink plastic flamingo lawn ornament; decorate your lawn with at least four pink flamigos, the minimum number needed for a flock 

Poop Out Early Day -- act pooped out, see if you can cut out early; your success at pooping out early may vary

Public Service Day -- UN

SAT Math Day -- birth anniversary of Alan Turing

St. Agrippina (Patron against bacterial diseases and infections, evil spirits, leprosy, storms and thunder; of Mineo, Italy)

St. Ethelreda's Day (Patron of those with neck and throat ailments, widows; University of Cambridge)

St. John's Eve -- start or culmination of many midsummer festivals, including:
     Dragaica Fair -- Buzau, Romania
     Golowan Festival -- Cornwall
     Jaaniohtu -- Estonia   
     Kupala Days begin -- Belarus; Poland; Russia; Ukraine
     Ligo / Lani -- Latvia (pagan midsummer celebration originally dedicated to the god Janis
     Midsummer Eve -- Denmark; Sweden
     Midsummer Festival -- Portugal

St. Joseph Cafasso's Day (Patron of captives, prisoners, prisons, and prison chaplains)

Swedish Days Midsommar Festival -- Geneva, IL, US (celebrating Swedish heritage in the granddaddy of all Illinois festivals with fun for the whole family through Sunday)

Typewriter Day -- patented this day in 1868 by Christopher Latham Sholes

Victory Day -- Estonia

Western Days -- Elgin, TX, US (music, carnival, parade, live music and more; through Saturday)

Windjammer Days -- Boothbay Harbor, ME, US (the premier maritime event on the coast of Maine, with something for everyone; through tomorrow)


Birthdays Today:

Bridget Sloan, 1992
Chellsie Memmel, 1988
Jason Mraz, 1977
Selma Blair, 1972
Louis Van Amstel,1972
Frances McDormand, 1957
Clarence Thomas, 1948
Bryan Brown, 1947
Ted Shackelford, 1946
James Levine, , 1943
Wilma Glodean Rudolph, 1940
June Carter Cash, 1929
Bob Fosse, 1927
Alan Turing, 1912
Edward VIII, King of England, 1894
Alfred Kinsey, 1894
Johannes Gutenberg, 1400 (estimated)
Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar, BC47 (Son of Cleopatra VII and Julius Caesar)


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Batman(Film), 1989
"The Breakfast Club"(Radio), 1933


Today in History:

The world's oldest parliament, the Icelandic Althing, is established, 930
First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan, 1180
First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn, south of Stirling, begins, 1314
The mutinous crew of Henry Hudson's fourth voyage sets Henry, his son and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in what is now Hudson Bay; they are never heard from again, 1611
The French residents of Acadia are given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia, Canada, 1713
Empress Catherine II of Russia grants Jews permission to settle in Kiev, 1794
Christopher Latham Sholes receives a patent for Type-Writer, 1868
The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada, creating the nation's first national park, Banff National Park, 1887
The International Olympic Committee  is founded at the Sorbonne, Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, 1894
The College Board administers the first SAT exam, 1926
Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine plane, 1931
The 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake strikes Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, 1946
The Antarctic Treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent, comes into force, 1961
Title IX of the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 is amended to prohibit sexual discrimination to any educational program receiving federal funds, 1972
Himmy, of Australia, weighs in at domestic cat record 20.7 kg (45 lb) , 1982
Nintendo 64 goes on sale in Japan, 1996
Japan's Iwate prefecture experiences a 6.7 magnitude earthquake, 2011
Nik Wallenda completes a high wire walk across a Little Colorado River Gorge near the Grand Canyon, 2013

And it never did rain.

Because i am a tightwad, i don't use the clothes dryer unless i am desperate.  Instead, i use the back fence, and let the stuff air dry.  If i can't hang things outdoors, i either skip doing a load that day, or i do a smaller load of things i can hang indoors to dry.

So when i woke up yesterday morning to a radar picture of rain moving our way and a prediction of intermittent showers, i skipped laundry.  After all, i thought, i can do it tomorrow before work, and today i have plenty of ironing and a freezer cleaning to keep me busy, as well as the kittens and cooking meals and everything else.

Also, i had to take Kida to the vet to get more advice about her chronic sinusitis.  We are just going to keep her on prednisone and antihistamines for it, as she needs prednisone for her asthma and arthritis anyway.  Unless she has side effects, it should keep her comfortable.

After i got back with her, i did chores and fed kittens, and then decided to tackle the freezer.  As i was getting into the rhythm of it, Little Girl came to me and asked if we could go return her goggles.  We had just bought her new swim goggles the day before her last meet.  Sure enough, even though we got the nice, expensive ones, they leaked, badly.  Knowing she had swim practice later that evening, i dropped what i was doing.

At that moment, i had a feeling of foreboding.  When it came down to it, i didn't want to stop what i was doing, because when i get into a project, and get interrupted and leave the house, it usually doesn't turn out well.

Sure enough, we got to the place where we'd bought the goggles and as i got out and grabbed my sweater (yes, really, even in summer, i get cold everywhere), i felt it snag, snatched it and pushed the door to close.  As i did both of those at the same time, i heard the sickening sound of the doors of Sweetie's vehicle lock, and the click as the door closed.  Drat!

We only have one set of keys to his car.  The door lock is broken and cannot be opened with the keys, they don't turn the lock any more.  The remote lock button doesn't work.  So we just never lock his car.  This means a call to a service that unlocks cars.

Going into the store, which is locally owned and which i had never entered before we bought the goggles the week before, i asked for the number of the door unlocking service.  Then i explained why we had come in, showing them the defect in the goggles and the receipt.

The clerk informed me that they do not do returns or exchanges on defective merchandise.  If you buy it, and it doesn't work or is defective, tough.  Nice policy, right?  Oh, and the owner can't be reached right now, sorry.  The clerk did then call the car unlocking service for me and give them the address, as well as my phone number.  Little Girl and i went outside to wait.

About ten minutes later the phone rang, and i answered.  A voice on the other end said something i couldn't understand, and then the person hung up.  Figuring it was the lock person, i called back right away.  No answer.  A few minutes later, i tried again.  No answer.  A third and fourth attempt also yielded no results.

So i went into another business in the same small shopping center to ask for the number of the lock company.  The nice clerk there gave it to me, and i called.  Explaining what happened, the lady at dispatch said the driver notes were that i didn't answer when he tried to call to say he would be delayed.  At that, i almost lost it, telling her i did answer, he hung up on me, and he now wouldn't answer.  She said she would make a note of it.

Eventually as we waited i got desperate enough to use the restroom that i wandered back into the second shop and asked if they had one i could use.  "Through the double doors in the back and to the right," the nice clerk said, and i went back there to discover the back of the shop was being reconstructed.  The restroom consisted of a door that didn't lock a toilet, places from which a sink and another toilet had been ripped out, and no toilet paper or paper towels or anything.  Being desperate, i used it anyway.

Back outside, we waited and waited, much longer than the time they had originally said it would be.  As i told Little Girl, that's pretty common.  They have to take emergency calls first, such as children locked in cars.  That has happened to me twice, having kids locked in cars with the keys inside, and both times i was blessed, but those are stories for another day.  Eventually the lock guy pulled into the lot and i waved him over.

They are very thorough.  They take down everything except your blood type, so that if the car later proves to have been stolen it's on you, not them.  Ten minutes and $45 later, we were able to get into the car and finally head home.

Home again!  It's all going to get better now, right?  Well, i walk in to screaming kittens and the recycle bin chose that moment to let me know, in no uncertain terms, that the final piece of recyclable straw had been added and it needed to be emptied into the bigger outdoor bin.  As i was emptying it, Sweetie got home, didn't see that i was outside, and locked me out of the house.

So here it is late, i've not gotten the freezer done, not gotten to the ironing, had to have the car unlocked for me, found out a local business doesn't stand behind its merchandise, the kittens are crying, dinner isn't even started, and it never even rained, so i could have done laundry that day.  When Sweetie finally realized it was me out there beating on the door, he let me in and handed me the mail -- bills.

Upon realizing this, i finally had to burst out laughing.  We had leftovers and i made a salad, fed the kittens, and laughed my way through the rest of the evening.

Sometimes so much stuff goes wrong that it's a comedy routine.


Today is

Araw ng Maynila -- Philippines (Manila Day)

Bannockburn Day -- Scotland (decisive battle of the first Scottish War of Independence, led by Robert Bruce)

Burning of the Lamps in Egypt at Sais -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar, a celebration of Isis and Neith (date approximate)

Calcio Fiorentino -- Florence, Italy (reviving 16th century style football in period costumes, through the 28th)

Carabobo Day -- Venezuela (battle commemoration)

Celebration of the Senses -- Wellcat Holidays urges you to enjoy all five (six?) of your senses today

Countryman's Day -- Peru (one of Peru's three Fiestas Patrias Peruanas)

Day of the Caboclo -- Amazonas State, Brazil

Feast of Rahmat (Mercy) -- Baha'i

Flying Saucer Day -- anniversary of Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting, while flying near Mt. Rainier, of 9 metallic, circular objects he could not identify

Fors Fortuna -- Ancient Roman Calendar (rites and festival for the goddess of good luck and fortune)

International Fairy Day/Faerie Day -- day for collectors, believers, and artists to share their love for the little folk

Lost Handkerchief Day -- Fairy Calendar

Museum Comes to Life Day -- another fun and funny day someone came up with

National Columnists' Day -- on the fourth Tuesday of June each year, set aside some time to thank your favorite newspaper columnists, whether local or syndicated

National Creamy Pralines Day

St. John the Baptist's Nativity Day and related Midsummer celebrations (Patron of baptism, bird dealers, converts, children with convulsions, epileptics, farriers, French Canadians, lambs, monastic life, motorways, printers, tailors; against convulsions, epilepsy, hail and hailstorms, and spasms; Patron of over 60 cities and countries around the globe)
    Inti Raymi -- Peru (Incan Sun Festival)
    Jaanipaev -- Estonia
    Jani -- Latvia
    Jónsmessa -- Iceland (feast of St. John the Baptist, considered a magical night when cows can speak, seals take on human form, finding magical stones and herbs is propitious, and rolling naked in the dew is healing.)
    Macau Day -- China (celebrating the defeat of Dutch invasion forces in 1622 and paying homage to St. John as the port's Patron Saint)
    Midsummer Day -- England
    National Holiday -- Quebec, Canada (Sant Jean-Baptiste)
    Saint John the Baptist Day -- Andorra
    Saint Jonas Festival or Jonines -- Lithuania
    San Juan -- CT and GA, Spain
    Surinal -- North Korea
    Zuni Buffalo, Corn, and Comanche Dances -- Zuni Native Americans (for fertility of land and people; Vespers is also observed, as San Juan is their Patron Saint)

Swim a Lap Day -- just for fun!

Swing a Kid Day -- if swimming isn't right for you

Western Days -- Elgin, TX, US (music, carnival, parade, live music and more; through Saturday)

Windjammer Days -- Boothbay Harbor, ME, US (the premier maritime event on the coast of Maine, with something for everyone; through tomorrow)


Anniversary Today:

Eton College is founded by Henry VI, 1441


Birthdays Today:

Sherry Stringfield, 1967
Joe Penny, 1956
Nancy Allen, 1950
Phyllis George, , 1949
Peter Weller, 1947
Mick Fleetwood, 1947
Ellison Shoji Onizuka, 1946
Jeff Beck, 1944
Michele Lee, 1942
Claude Chabrol, 1930
John Anthony Ciardi. 1916
Phil Harris, 1904
Jack Dempsey, 1895
Roy O. Disney, 1893
Ambrose Bierce, 1842
Henry Ward Beecher, 1813


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Catch-22(Film), 1970
"Hopalong Cassidy"(TV), 1949


Today in History:

Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place, 972
A sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion, 1374
John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland; the first European
exploration of the region since the Vikings, 1497
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi founds Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines, 1571
Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1604
The colony of New Jersey is founded, 1664
Kingston, Jamaica is founded, 1692
The Premier Grand Lodge of England, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England), is founded in London, England, 1717
The first republican constitution in France is adopted, 1793
The decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain, the Battle of Carabobo takes place, 1821
First performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français, 1880
The first exhibition of Pablo Picasso's work opens, 1901
Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to get a million dollar contract, 1916
The first airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto begins, 1918
Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Pibulsonggram, the third prime minister, 1939
The Soviet Union makes overland travel between the West with West Berlin impossible, 1948
The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government, 1963
Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud completes his first mission, becoming the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a Payload Specialist, 1985
John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon, in the longest match in professional tennis history, 2010
The last known Pinta Island Tortoise, Lonesome George, is found dead in the Galapagos Islands, 2012

Today is not a good day to blog.

Let's just leave it at that.


Today in History:

Air Force Day, Canada

Festival of the Poets, Japan

Godsall Day (Day of Rest), Southern outer Tibet

Harvest Home Nibbling Contest (Gremlins) -- Fairy Calendar

Hot Dog Day

International Dart Tournament, Alberta, Canada

Moon Festival

Old-Timers Day

National Employee/Boss Exchange Day

National Weiner Schnitzel, Day

Scapegoat Day

Sewing Machine Day

Swap Ideas Day

St. Finian's Day

St. George's Caye Day, Belize

St. Nicholas of Tolentino's Day (patron of sick animals, mariners, holy souls, babies, mothers, and the dying -- talk about a busy Saint!)


Birthdays Today:

Amy Irving, 1953
Joe Perry, 1950
Jose Feliciano, 1945
Charles Kuralt, 1934
Roger Maris, 1934
Arnold Palmer, 1929
Rin Tin Tin, 1918
Fay Wray, 1907
Adele Astaire, 1896
Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890
Ian Fleming, 1888
Isaac Kauffman Funk, 1839
Marie Laveau, 1801


Today in History:

John Smith is elected president of Jamestown, Va., Colony Council, 1608
Nathan Hale answers the call of George Washington for a volunteer spy, 1776
Elias Howe patents the sewing machine, 1846
Lincoln Highway, the first paved coast-to-coast road in the US, opens, 1913