#2 Son is attending a culinary school. He decided to cook something at home the other day, and here is his secret ingredient when cooking for himself:
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| Secrets, indeed! |
He may end up being a chef and cooking fancy for everyone else, but i think his taste will always be plebeian.
Today is:
Dairokuten-no-Hadaka Matsuri -- Chiba, Japan (around this date; one of Japan's "naked" festivals, as participants wear only a loincloth as they wrestle in the cold, wet mud, bringing luck to the community as they run through the crowds smearing the lucky mud on the onlookers)
Dance of the Secret Places -- Fairy Calendar
Dag van de Revolutie -- Suriname (Day of Liberation and Innovation)
Februaristaking -- Netherlands (commemoration of a strike against the Nazis)
Festival of Ptah -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Inconvenience Yourself™ Day -- enrich your life by looking for ways to make a positive impact on the world, even if it inconveniences you
Kitano Baika-sai (Plum Blossom Festival) -- Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)
Let's All Eat Right Day -- in honor of the birth of Adelle Davis in 1904, an early pioneer in good nutrition
Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival -- University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, US (students from elementary to college from all over the US participate in student performances and attend concerts and clinics in vocal and instrumental jazz performance; through Saturday)
National Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day -- some sites say any nuts will do, some specify peanuts; take your pick
National Clam Chowder Day -- not to be confused with New England Clam Chowder Day, back in January
National Day -- Kuwait
People's Revolution Day/People Power Day -- Philippines
Pistol Patent Day -- Samuel Colt received US Patent #138 for the first pistol on this day in 1836
Quiet Day -- can't find the history behind this one, but mommy wants one!
St. Walburga's Day (Patron of boatmen/mariners/sailors/watermen, harvests; Antwerp, Belgium; Eichstätt, Germany; Gronigen, Netherlands; Oudenarde, Belgium; Plymouth, England; Zutphen, Netherlands; against coughs, dog bites, famine, hydrophobia/rabies, mad dogs, plague, storms)
Soviet Occupation Day -- Georgia
Teal Ribbon Day -- Australia (wear a teal ribbon, raise awareness of ovarian cancer)
Birthdays Today:
Josh Wolff, 1977
Chelsea Handler,1975
Sean Astin, 1971
Tea Leoni, 1966
Carrot Top, 1965
Lee Evans, 1964
Neil Jrdan, 1950
Ric Flair, 1949
Karen Grassle, 1944
George Harrison, 1943
Diane Baker, 1938
Tom Courtenay, 1937
Bob Schieffer, 1937
Sally Jessy Raphael, 1935
"Texas Rose" Bascom, 1922
Bobby Riggs, 1918
Anthony Burgess, 1917
Jim Backus, 1913
Millicent Hammond Fenwick, 1910
Adelle Davis, 1904
Zeppo Marx, 1901
Meher Baba, 1894
Enrico Caruso, 1873
Charles Lang Freer, 1856
Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1841
Xuande, Emperor of China, 1398
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"A Little Night Music"(Musical), 1973
"Toys in the Attic"(Play), 1960
"Wonderful Town"(Musical), 1953
"Your Show of Shows"(TV), 1950
"Natoma"(Herbert Opera), 1911
"Riders to the Sea"(Play), 1904
"Hernani"(Victor Hugo Play), 1830
Today in History:
The First Bank of the United States is chartered, 1791
The German Midiatisation is enacted, taking over 1,000 German sovereign states into about 40 larger entities, 1803
Samuel Colt patents the first revolving barrel multishot firearm, 1836
The first US electric printing press is patented by Thomas Davenport, 1837
Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress, 1870
The US Steel Corp. is organized under J P Morgan, 1901
The Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 sweep Toronto Marlboroughs in 2 games, 1904
Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, 1912
Oregon places a 1 cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax, 1919
Diplomatic relations between Japan and the Soviet Union are established, 1925
Glacier Bay National Monument (now Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve) is established in Alaska, 1925
Francisco Franco becomes General of Spain, 1926
Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. becomes the first holder of a television license from the Federal Radio Commission, 1928
The USS Ranger is launched. It is the first US Navy ship to be built solely as an aircraft carrier, 1933
In occupied Amsterdam, a general strike is declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis, 1941
The first Pan American Games are held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1951
Cassius Clay defeats Sonny Liston, 1964
The first unit of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, the first commercial nuclear power station in Canada, goes online, 1971
President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the first Filipino woman president, 1986
In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Baruch Goldstein opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 more, 1994
In the Irish general election, the Fianna Fáil-led government suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government since the formation of the Irish state, 2011
And #2 Son has been accepted to the culinary school!
First he passed all the math and English tests. In fact, he did better than he thought he would since he gets so nervous taking tests. It's okay, i tried to tell him, it's basic math and you speak English, you'll be fine, but he was concerned.
He aced the interview and while i did edit his essay a little (for a couple of spelling errors and one phrase that just didn't sound very good), his own words brought his passion to life, especially in the interview process.
The semester will start in January. It's a 16-month program and he will come out with an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. Then he can add just over another year and get a second degree that will qualify him to work in management in restaurants and hotels, come up with business plans for his own restaurant (his dream), and even be a casino pit boss if he ever so desires.
In the meantime, he is still in training for management where he works, and he hopes to continue working after he starts school. Because he will be Serve-Safe Certified after his first week in school, he might even get a raise, or help with tuition. While Grandpa's trust fund is there, we do want to get as much other help as possible. No need to waste help that's easily available, after all.
He's on his way to his dream, and we are jumping with joy!
Today is:
Armed Forces Day -- Mozambique; Peru
Banned Websites Awareness Day -- sponsored by the American Association of School Librarians
Black Walnut Festival -- Stockton, MO, US (tours of the world's largest black walnut processing plant, plus parade, crafts, carnival and entertainment; through Saturday)
Constitution Day/Recoronation of King Norodom Sihanouk -- Cambodia
Do Impressions of Famous People Around the Office Day -- again, i wonder about the intentions of those who start these things
Feast of Our Lady of Mercy -- Catholic Christian
Lady of Mercedes Day -- Dominican Republic
La Merce -- Barcelona, Spain
Festival of the Latest Novelties -- an internet generated holiday to celebrate everything from traditional whoopie cushions to some of the more modern and weird novelty gifts out there; a great day for practical jokers
Gallbladder Good Health Day -- seems unsponsored, but there's information about keeping your gallbladder healthy here
Going Forth of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Heritage Day -- South Africa
Independence Day/National Day -- Guinea-Bissau(1973)
Innergize Day -- the day to take time for yourself! always on the day after the equinox, so either the 23rd or 24th, depending on where you live
Mahidol Day -- Thailand (commemorates the passing of Prince Father Mahidol Adulyadej, the "Father of Thai Modern Medicine")
Moose Day -- the day Bullwinkle J. Moose, from Frostbite Falls, MN, US, and his pal Rocky the Flying Squirrel debuted in 1959
National Bluebird of Happiness Day -- US (and no one knows why, but it's supposed to be a day to go spread some happiness)
National Cherries Jubilee Day
National Punctuation Day® -- make sure you are using those punctuation marks correctly! Jeff Rubin can help
National Women's Health and Fitness Day -- www.fitnessday.com
New Caledonia Day -- New Caledonia
Petit Jean Fall Antique Auto Swap Meet -- Morrilton, AR, US (swap meet and the Museum of Automobiles; through Saturday)
Republic Day -- Trinidad and Tobago
Rosh Hashanah -- Judaism (begins this evening; through the evening Sept. 6)
Santa Cruz Day -- Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving -- Pennsylvania Dutch followers of Silesian Reformation theology
St. Gerard's Day (Patron of Hungary)
St. Rupert's Day (Patron of Salzburg, Austria, where it is an official school and government holiday)
Transatlantic Telephone Day -- the first cable across the Atlantic was completed on this day in 1956
World School Milk Day -- UN
Birthdays Today:
Morgan Hamm, 1982
Paul Hamm, 1982
Nia Vardalos, 1962
Kevin Sorbo, 1958
Alan Colmes, 1950
Gordon Clapp, 1948
Phil Hartman, 1948
Linda McCartney, 1941
Jim Henson, 1936
Anthony Newley, 1931
Sheila MacRae, 1924
Jim McKay, 1921
F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896
John Marshall, 1755
Horace Walpole, 1717
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Nevermind"(Album release), 1991
"No More Lonely Nights"(McCartney single release), 1984
"The Love Boat"(TV), 1977
"60 Minutes"(TV), 1968
"Daniel Boone"(TV), 1964
"The Munsters"(TV), 1964
"Love of Life"(TV), 1951
"Once in a Lifetime"(Play), 1930
Today in History:
Prophet Muhammad completes his hijra from Mecca to Medina, 622
The last Emperor of the Komnenian restoration of the Byzantine Empire, Manuel I Komnenos, dies; the empire slips into terminal decline, 1180
The Dutch Republic surrenders New Amsterdam to England, 1664
The first autopsy and coroner's jury verdict is recorded in the state of Maryland, 1657
John Jay is appointed by George Washington as the first Chief Justice of the then six-person Supreme Court, which was instituted by the Federal Judiciary Act passed that same day, 1789
US Attorney General Office is created, 1789
The Northern Daily Times becomes the first provincial daily newspaper in London, 1853
Alexander Dey patents a dial time recorder, 1889
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounces polygamy, 1890
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims Devils Tower in Wyoming as the nation's first National Monument, 1906
Cathay Pacific Airways is founded in Hong Kong, 1946
The Honda Motor Company is founded, 1948
Forest fires black out the sun over portions of Canada and New England, and a Blue moon (in the astronomical sense) is seen as far away as Europe, 1950
Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe, is opened in Barcelona, 1957
President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation, 1957
The United States court of appeals orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, 1962
Swaziland joins the United Nations, 1968
Compu-Serve launches the first consumer internet service, which features the first public electronic mail service, 1979
Periodic Great White Spot observed on Saturn, 1990
Hurricane Rita devastates Beaumont, Texas, southwest Louisiana, and finishing off some of the parts of New Orleans and southeast Louisiana that Katrina missed, 2005
The G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, PA, US, marks the first use of LRAD for crowd control in the US, 2009
Nigeria's government opens two swollen dams and displaces about two million people, 2010
#2 Son wiped his bleary eyes early and got up, got dressed, and we got to our appointment at the Culinary School fifteen minutes early. It helps that the place is just up the highway about a mile. He could bike there if he wanted, or even walk if he had to. Unless we were having one of our monsoon storms, of course.
The place is spectacular, at least to me. State of the art, beautiful kitchens, a bake shop, everything. The students wear full chef uniforms as they would if they were working, so by the time they are, they're used to doing all the work in that type of clothing. They also get their knife and utensil kit provided.
There is a restaurant set-up there, and each student is required to learn how to manage the front and back of a restaurant, proper service, adding up tickets, cost control, what to do on the day your sous chef calls in sick, your line chef is late, and two waitresses just don't show up. They don't want to throw these kids out cold into the very competitive world of running a restaurant.
Ms. Cullen was professional and friendly. She brought us in her office and asked #2 Son the typical questions, such as why he wants to go into culinary arts and about his work experience. She also discussed the curriculum which leads to an Associates Degree in 16 months.
She stressed timeliness, as missing even a minute
of class is not acceptable. The only way to get through what should be a
two year degree in 16 months is to make every minute count.
#2 Son talked about how much he loves cooking. We discussed how i taught cooking at a homeschool co-op, and his father was a sous chef. Ms. Cullen seemed to like that it runs in the family.
We even got to see and meet a couple of the instructors, who are referred to as "Chef" followed by their first name, like Chef Dave and Chef Chris. They are down to earth.
At the end of it all, as we were heading home, i asked him what he likes most about it. He said, and this is an exact quote: "At last, a school where I can grow my hair as long as I want! After all, the rule is if I can get it under the net and hat, I can grow it out!"
Today is
Biographer's Day -- anniversary of the day Boswell met Johnson in 1763
Brown Bag-It Thursday -- it's cheaper and healthier
Calaveras County Fair and Frog Jumping Jubilee -- Calaveras Fairgrounds, Angel's Camp, CA, US (the "Super Bowl" of frog jumping contests; through Sunday)
Frog Jumping Day -- for those of us who don't live in Calaveras County, you can still celebrate Mark Twain's famous story and go play with a frog
Hires Root Beer Day -- pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires created it on this day in 1866
Love a Tree Day -- and read about the love of a tree, in Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree
Middlesex Day -- Middlesex, England (although it is only a postal county now, many celebrate the heritage of what was once the county that included London)
Miles City Bucking Horse Sale -- Miles City, MT, US (a celebration worthy of the city that inspired "Lonesome Dove;" through Saturday)
National Coquilles St. Jacques Day
Sea-Monkey® Day -- as declared by someone who likes these little brine shrimp as pets; for info on keeping Sea Monkeys, check herehttp://www.sea-monkey.com/; for ideas about how to celebrate there is a site about how to worship sea monkeyshttp://www.seamonkeyworship.com/nationalday.html
Sing "Row Row Row Your Boat" in Rounds Day -- but not around me, please, or i might do something drastic
Sneeze Without Embarrassment Day -- because of pollen levels, as declared by Karen Richmond, of Eastport, MI, US
Spaghetti-Os Day -- they were first sold on this day in 1966
St. Brendan the Voyager's Day (Patron of boatmen/mariners/sailors/watermen, travellers, whales; Ardfert, Ireland; Clonfert, Ireland; Kerry, Ireland)
St. Honorius of Amiens' Day (Patron of bakers[especially bakers of communion wafers], cake makers, candlemakers, chandlers, confectioners, florists, flour merchants, oil refiners, pastry chefs; against drought)
St. John of Nepomuk's Day (Patron of bridges, bridge builders, confessors, discretion, good and right confession, running water, silence; Bohemia; Czech Republic; Slovakia; against calumnies, floods, indiscretions, and slander)
Shavuot -- Israel (Pentecost, ends at sunset)
Sudan People's Liberation Army Day -- South Sudan
Teachers' Day -- Malaysia
U.S.Nickel Day -- the first U.S. five-cent nickel was minted on this day in 1866
Wear Purple for Peace Day -- the idea being that until we become a peaceful species, the aliens won't visit
Anniversaries Today:
Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France, marries Marie Antoinette, 1770
Edgar Allen Poe marries his cousin Virginia Clemm, 1836
Birthdays Today:
Megan Fox, 1986
Jim Sturgess, 1981
Tori Spelling, 1973
David Boreanaz, 1971
Gabriela Sabatini, 1970
Tracey Gold, 1969
Janet Jackson, 1966
Olga Korbut, 1955
Debra Winger, 1955
Pierce Brosnan, 1953
Bob Edwards, 1947
Liberace, 1919
Woody Herman, 1913
Henry Fonda, 1905
William Seward, 1801
Today in History:
The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence is re-established as a republic, 1527
Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England, 1532
Samuel Johnson meets his future biographer, James Boswell, in London, 1763
Denmark abolishes slave trade, 1792
The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail, 1843
Charles Elmer Hires invents root beer, 1866
A naval Curtiss aircraft NC-4 commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight, 1919
Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc, 1920
Chaim Weizmann is elected the first President of Israel, 1948
The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between John F Kennedy International Airport (then Idlewild Airport) in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines, 1951
Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser, at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, 1960
China's Cultural Revolution begins, 1966
The Soviet Venera 5 spacecraft lands on Venus, 1969
India annexes Sikkim after the mountain state holds a referendum in which the popular vote is in favour of merging with India, 1975
Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, 1975
The Seville Statement on Violence is adopted by an international meeting of scientists, convened by the Spanish National Commission for UNESCO, in Seville, Spain, 1986
A report by United States' Surgeon General C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine, 1988
Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch to address the US Houses of Congress, 1991
Kuwait permits women's suffrage in a 35-23 National Assembly vote, 2005
"Mom, good news! You and I have an 8am appointment on Wednesday to go to the Culinary School and talk to them! They're going to give us a tour, and let us know what we need to do to enroll, and we should look at the website before we go and get familiar with the courses of study so we know what to ask about." #2 Son can't wait to get started, and even the early hour isn't upsetting him.
Just as he finished telling me this, Little Girl walked in, saying "Abstinence is 99.99% effective!"
"What, not 100%?" Bigger Girl asked from the table where she was brushing up on some math formulas for her final exam tomorrow.
"Remember Jesus?" Little Girl grinned.
"Oh, I've never thought of that!" Bigger Girl looked startled. Then she turned to me and said, "Speaking of religion, I was reading an article the other day about Native Americans, and how their culture and religion are used at sporting events as mascots and sporting rituals. One of them was noting that if they decided to use Christianity as a mascot and celebrate the Lord's Supper as one of their pregame rituals, as a pep rally kind of thing, everyone would be horrified, but when their Native religion is used that way, people try to defend it. Doesn't that make you think?"
Before i could answer, Sweetie walked in with his tube of antibiotic cream and a cotton swab. "Can you help me put this on my scratches?" he asked, with a look that said i couldn't possibly say no.
The other night, during a bad thunderstorm, a big clap of thunder scared his coward cat, Horizon, so much that it jumped off the windowsill and landed, all claws out, right on Sweetie's face. None of the lacerations were deep enough to need stitches (though he did go get his first tetanus shot in years), but a couple of them barely missed his eyes. He has been taking excellent care of making sure we keep them moistened a few times a day with the cream, so it won't scar up so much.
Just as i finished the swabbing with the cream, i felt a nibble at my toe. Time to feed kittens again.
Today is
Carabao Festival -- Pulilan, Philippines (to honor their patron, St. Isidro [St. Isadore the Farmer], hundreds of carabaos [water buffalo] are dressed up and paraded, and eventually blessed in front of the church; through tomorrow)
Cheung Chau Bun Festival -- Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong (coincides with Buddha's Birthday celebration, with the procession on the 17th; celebration through the 18th)
Commemoration Day -- Transdniestria
Dance Like a Chicken Day -- no idea why today, but i'm waiting for wedding season
Drunk Driving Memorial Day -- not sponsored by MADD, or anyone else i can find, but let's all work and pray for the day drunk driving by anyone is just a bad memory
French Fairy Awareness Day -- Fairy Calendar
Gesta de Independencia -- Paraguay
Izumo-taisha Shrine Grand Festival -- Izumo-taisha, Japan (through tomorrow)
Marshmallow Fluff Day -- Mr. Durkee and Mr. Mower announced, on this day in 1920, that they were in business producing this sweet confection
Mars Invictus Festival -- Ancient Roman Calendar
Midnight Sun at North Cape -- Norway (the sun will not set until July 30)
National Buttermilk Biscuit Day
National Unification Day -- Liberia
President Kamuzu Banda's Birthday -- Malawi
Runic Half-Month Ing (expansive energy) commences
Shavuot -- Judaism (Pentecost; begins at sundown, through sundown on the 16th)
"Stars and Stripes Forever" Day -- first public performance this day in 1897
St. Bonifatius' Day (4th Ice Saint)
St. Matthias the Apostle's Day (Patron of carpenters, reformed alcoholics, tailors; Gary, Indiana; Great Falls-Billings, Montana; against alcoholism and smallpox)
Underground America Day -- Malcolm Wells wants us to imagine what our landscapes would look like if more of our buildings were under ground
Anniversaries Today:
Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark marries Mary Donaldson, 2004
Birthdays Today:
Miranda Cosgrove, 1993
Dan Auerbach, 1979
Martine McCutdcheon, 1976
Cate Blanchett, 1969
Danny Wood, 1969
Jose Da Silveira, 1965
Tim Roth, 1961
David Byrne, 1952
Robert Zemechis, 1951
George Lucas, 1944
Jack Bruce, 1943
Bobby Darin, 1936
Laszlo Kovacs, 1933
Otto Klemperer, 1885
Thomas Gainsborough, 1727
Gabrile Daniel Fahrenheit, 1686
Today in History:
Jamestown, Virginia is settled as an English colony, 1607
Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox vaccination, 1796
The Lewis and Clark expedition sets out, 1804
Paraguay gains independence from Spain, 1811
The first edition of the London Illustrated Times is published, 1842
Gail Borden patents her process for condensed milk, 1853
Vaseline, the first petroleum jelly, is marketed, 1878
Lina Medina becomes the world's youngest confirmed mother in medical history at the age of five, 1939
Israel is declared to be an independent state and a provisional government is established; immediately after the declaration, Israel is attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, 1948
Kuwait joins the United Nations, 1963
Skylab, the United States' first space station, is launched, 1973
The Institute for War documents publishes Anne Franks complete diary, 1986
The last episode of Seinfeld airs, with commercials going for $2M per 30 seconds, 1998
