Oh, Dear.

It's never dull in this house.

Sweetie got another jury duty notice a couple of weeks ago.  He was not pleased.  He served for the Federal Court for the first time ever just a few months ago, but this is the District Court that calls him up every two years and hasn't called me up in forever.

(Of course, now that i have pointed that out, i will be called up soon.  Just watch.)

As we got closer to the date, he got more agitated about it.  Sitting there all day and listening to lawyers makes him want to go to sleep and he just knows someday they are not going to dismiss him and he's going to have to go through days and days of it.

Of course, Bigger Girl also had a crisis at that time.  Two crises, actually.  The first was that after she finally got signed up for her courses this semester (for the second time, a computer glitch had erased her first registration) and paid the tuition, the computer sent her an email threatening to drop her if she didn't provide certain documents that the email didn't list.  The college, of course, was closed for the weekend and they wouldn't open until Monday at 1pm.

The second was that she again has a tire that is going flat on Cicero.  She almost always has a tire that is going flat.  So i promised to take Little Girl to school Monday, then take Cicero in for the tire, hoping to get done before work.  That way she could go up to the school at noon to get in line with everyone else who is trying to get in for the semester while i could go to work.

If you want to hear G-d laugh, make some plans.  Especially some complicated plans that rely on timing.

Sunday evening, i came out of our church prayer service to see the truck parked behind me was being given a jump start by the truck next to it.  Once they were done, i got in Humphrey the Honda (Little Girl had taken the Jalopy to work) and, in sympathy or because it was a bug that was catching, Humphrey also refused to start.

Another church member with jumper cables came to the rescue.  The positive terminal was covered with corrosion, so it took several tries, and the owner of the cables told me i had to get it taken care of, it wasn't making a good connection at all even after it started.  We still thought it would be fine for me to make it home.  Then i lost power going up the ramp to the interstate.  Of course, it was at a point with no shoulder and i couldn't stop, i just had to hang on, pray, and get on the highway anyhow.

Two more times, on the interstate in the middle of traffic, all the electrical systems in Humphrey went down -- radio cut off, lights went out, gauges went down to zero -- then came back up.  It all happened in an area where i couldn't get off unless i wanted to just stop on the side of the highway, which i did not just as it was getting dark.  When i finally did manage to get off the interstate i made a call to Bigger Girl to meet me at Kevin and Lenny's shop, praying i could make it that far.  No way could i risk going home and not being able to get Humphrey started again and up to the shop, especially as he kept going down even after i got off the interstate, so Bigger Girl met me and brought me home from there.

Thus Monday morning turned into take Little Girl to school and then drop Sweetie off for jury duty and then go to work, as Bigger Girl's Cicero would have to wait until today.

It all did work out, of course.  Humphrey just needed a new battery and those connector cables that hook up to the battery thoroughly cleaned.  Bigger Girl found out that the threatening email was an empty threat, she is signed up and registered and paid and now has all her books and can quit worrying.

As for jury duty, Sweetie was called in as a potential juror in a civil lawsuit case.  The lady had been rear-ended and was suing because of whiplash and other injuries.  The guy who hit her worked -- get this -- for an insurance company, and was in the company car when it happened!  He and his insurance company attorneys were trying to say she wasn't hurt.  They wanted people on the jury who would believe that the speed of the crash would be a better indicator of whether or not someone was injured than MRIs and CAT scans and her doctor's testimony.

Sweetie told the insurance company attorney that MRIs and other such objective tests don't lie, if they show damage there is damage, and he was dismissed.

And yes, i'm hoping to get Cicero in for her tire today.

It's a good thing Kevin and Lenny like us, and make good coffee.

Today is:

Bad Poetry Day -- Wellcat Holidays suggests you get back at your high school English teacher for making you read all that "good" poetry; get together with friends, write some truly awful stuff, and mail it to him/her!

Long Tan Day a/k/a Vietnam Veterans Day -- Australia

Mail Order Catalog Day -- the first one was published by Montgomery Ward this day in 1872, and was only one page (Do yourself a favor and opt out of the doggone things, save a few trees: www.catalogchoice.org )

National Ice Cream Pie Day

National Science Day -- Thailand

National Soft Ice Cream Day

Parsi New Year/Shahenshahi -- MH, India

Serendipity Day -- and it's here serendipitously! begun by writer Madeleine Kay, it's the day to step out of routine, do something you've always wanted to do, and see what happens

St. Agapitus' Day (Patron of Palestrina, Italy; against colic)

St. Helena's Day (Mother of Constantine the Great; Patron of archaeologists, converts, difficult marriages, divorced people, dyers, empresses, nail smiths, needle makers; Birkirkara, Malta; Helena, MT, US; against fire and thunder)

Toge-Pogling Season begins -- Fairy Calendar (Toges are normally pogled in groups of five or six, depending upon the size and strength of the individual Poge)


Birthdays Today:

Andy Samberg, 1978
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 1970
Christian Slater, 1969
Edward Norton, 1969
Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, 1962
Madeleine Stowe, 1958
Patrick Swayze, 1952
Elayne Boosler, 1952
Martin Mull, 1943
Robert Redford, 1936
Roberto Clemente Walker, 1934
Roman Polanski, 1933
Luc Montagnier, 1932
Rosalynn Carter, 1927
Shelley Winters, 1920
Greta Garbo, 1905
Max Factor, 1904
Meriwether Lewis, 1774
Virginia Dare, 1587 (first English child born in the Americas)


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Private Lives"(Play), 1930
"Iphigénie"(Racine's dramatic tragedy), 1674


Today in History:

Founding of the oldest known Roman temple to Venus, BC293
Rome is occupied and plundered by Visigoths under King Alarik I, 410
Death of Genghis Khan (fell from his horse), 1227
A Portuguese ship drifts ashore in the Japanese province of Higo, 1541
The Boston, Massachusetts Evening Post begins publishing, 1735
Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, 1834
Pierre Janssan discovers helium, 1868
German engineer Karl Jatho allegedly flies his self-made, motored gliding airplane four months before the first flight of the Wright Brothers, 1903.
Mayor of Tokyo Yukio Ozaki presents Washington, D.C. with 2,000 cherry trees, which President Taft decides to plant near the Potomac River, 1909
A Great Fire in Thessaloniki, Greece destroys 32% of the city leaving 70,000 individuals homeless, 1917
19th US Amendment ratified (gives women the vote), 1920
Premier of The Wizard of Oz, 1939
The first commercially produced oral contraceptives are marketed, 1960
James Meredith becomes the first black person to graduate from the University of Mississippi, 1963
Steve Biko is arrested at a police roadblock under the Terrorism Act No 83 of 1967 in King William's Town, South Africa. He would later die of the injuries sustained during this arrest bringing attention to South Africa's apartheid policies, 1977
Massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java, affecting almost 100 million people, 2005
Columbia's Chiribiquete National Park expands to 3 million hectares from 1.2 million hectares, becoming one of the Amazon's largest protected zones, 2013

Now for today's good news.

"Guess what!" Red-Headed Alec called out as he came in from spending a couple of days with friends in another town.  "I passed the driving test!  I can drive now, all legal!"

Good for you! i cheered.

"Yeah, it went great.  While I was taking the driving part of the test, someone took an illegal left turn right in front of me, and I was able to see what they were going to do, and I slowed down and so I didn't hit them.  Then, someone ran a stop sign right in front of me when I didn't have a stop sign at all, and I anticipated that they weren't going to stop, and so I slowed and didn't hit them!

"So then the instructor says, 'Well, I was going to make the test more difficult and take you through a couple of more turns, but you just anticipated two potential accidents and avoided them, so I'd say you've done more than enough.'  And we went back and I got my license!"

That's wonderful, i repeated a couple of times.

A few minutes later, he got a call from his Nana -- the grandmother who adopted him and raised him, and who is now not always in her right mind, but tries when she can remember to.

"Yes, Nana, I passed!" i heard him say.  "Yes, I did great!  How much?  It's only $20 to get the car put in my name if it's a donation?  Wow!  But what about the repairs?  Uh-huh, yeah.  Oh!  Great!  Thank you, Nana!"

"Guess what now!" he grinned.  "The car that my mom is supposed to give me is only going to cost $400 to fix, and only $20 to get it in my name!  So all I need now is more work!"

You will get that, i said.

"Yes, because on the way here I stopped at the McDonald's, and I walked straight in and asked for the manager.  When he came up, I grabbed his hand and said, 'Hello!  My name is Alec White, and I want to work here.  In fact, I'm ready to be put to work this moment if you wanted!  I have filled out the application, and you can call the four-star restaurant where I worked when I lived in that town, and they will tell you that I am a great, hard worker!'  And the manager said, 'Come in Wednesday at 9am for an interview.'  So I'm going to have a job. and then a car, and someday I'm going to get that GED and get into culinary school!  I haven't ever given up on that, and I won't!"

Good news and determination make a good mix.


Today is:

Armistice Day/Poppy Day/Remembrance Day/Veterans Day

Bonza Bottler Day

Constitution Day and King's Birthday -- Bhutan

Day of Remembrance of the Volhvs/Einherjar Feast -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (Norse "Feast of the Fallen")

Death/Duty Day

Fasching/Karneval -- Germany; Netherlands (official beginning of next year's pre-lent celebration starts on 11/11 at 11:11, when the Council of Eleven, in colorful fools caps, meet to plan the upcoming festivities)

Four Ones Day -- it is 11/11, after all

Hollantide Day a/k/a Hallow-tide -- Isle of Mann (season of All Saints, first day of Winter, celebrated in conjunction with Martintide, the Feast of St. Martin of Tours)

Independence Day -- Angola(1975); Poland(1918)

Independence of Cartagena City -- Colombia

Lacplesis -- Latvia (Remembrance Day)

Lunantishees Day -- Ireland (Fairies who guard the blackthorn trees, cutting a branch today, the old calendar's November 1, means bad luck.)

National Sundae Day

Old November Eve -- In the old calendar, this was actually All Hallow's Eve

Origami Day -- Japan

Pepero Day -- South Korea (similar to a Valentine's Day, when couples exchange Pepero brand cookie sticks)

Pocky and Pretz Day -- Japan (see Pepero day, but substitute the Japanese brand cookie sticks)

Republic Day -- Maldives

Singles Day -- China (Guang Gun Jie, literally "bare sticks day", celebrating the single life on the calendar date that has the most 1's)

St. Martin's Day a/k/a St. Martin of Tours's Day (Western), Martinmas (Old England) (Patron of beggars, cavalry, equestrians, geese, horses, innkeepers, Pontifical Swiss Guards, quartermasters, reformed alcoholics, riders, soldiers, tailors, vintners/wine growers and makers; against alcoholism, impoverishment; highly celebrated through Sweden, Switzerland, and the island of St. Martin/St. Maarten and Patron of over 25 diocese, cities, and countries around the world)
     Beggar's Day -- Netherlands (children act as beggars on St. Martin's Day, similar to trick-or-treat in English speaking countries)
     Martinigians -- Sursee, Switzerland (a celebration of the day in front of Town Hall)
     St. Maarten Day -- Sint Maarten

St. Menas of Egypt's Day (Patron of falsely accused people, peddlers, traveling merchants)

Veterans of Foreign Wars Day -- Federated States of Micronesia


Anniversaries Today:

Vietnam Women's Memorial is dedicated, 1993
Route 66 is established by the US Highway System, 1926
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetary is dedicated, 1921
Washington becomes the 42nd US State, 1889


Birthdays Today:

Leonardo DiCaprio, 1974
Peta Wilson, 1970
Calista Flockhart, 1964
Demi Moore, 1962
Marc Summers, 1951
Bibi Andersson, 1935
Jonathan Winters, 1925
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., 1922
Alger Hiss, 1904
Pat O'Brien, 1899
George Patton, 1885
Victor Emmanuel III, 1869
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, 1821
Abigail Smith Adams,1744


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Shadowlands"(Play), 1990An Early Frost(TV movie), 1985
"Prisoner of Second Avenue"(Play), 1971
 "La Plume de Ma Tante"(Revue), 1958
"God Bless America(Song, first public performance)", 1938
"The Tinker's Wedding"(Synge play), 1909
"Society"(Thompson play), 1865


Today in History:

The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Maxentius and Licinius to be Augusti, while rival contender Constantine I is declared Caesar of Britain and Gaul, 308
41 pilgrims land in Massachusetts, sign Mayflower Compact, 1620
Massachusetts passes 1st US compulsory school attendance law, 1647
Gottfried Leibniz demonstrates integral calculus for the first time to find the area under the graph of y = ƒ(x), 1675
The F.H.C. Society, also known as the Flat Hat Club, is formed at Raleigh Tavern, Williamsburg, Virginia, as the first college society in the US, 1750
Chrysanthemums are introduced into England from China, 1790
British and Canadian forces defeat a larger American force, causing the Americans to abandon their Saint Lawrence campaign, 1813
Mary Edward Walker, the 1st Army female surgeon, is awarded the Medal of Honor, 1865
The Victorian Aboriginal Protection Act is enacted in Australia, giving the government control of indigenous people's wages, their terms of employment, where they could live, and of their children, effectively leading to the Stolen Generations, 1869
The 11/11/11 cold wave: Many cities in the U.S. Midwest broke their record highs and lows on the same day as a strong cold front rolled through, 1911
The Tomb of the Unknowns is dedicated by US President Warren G. Harding at Arlington National Cemetery, 1921
Prime Minister Alexandros Papanastasiou proclaims the first recognized Greek Republic, 1924
U.S. Route 66 is established, 1926
Patent number US1781541 is awarded to Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd for their invention, the Einstein refrigerator, 1930
The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia is opened, 1934
Kuwait's National Assembly ratifies the Constitution of Kuwait, 1962
NASA launches Gemini 12, 1966
Antigua and Barbuda joins the United Nations, 1981
The General Synod of the Church of England votes to allow women to become priests, 1992
New Zealand Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is dedicated at the National War Memorial, Wellington, 2004
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II unveils the New Zealand War Memorial in London, United Kingdom, commemorating the loss of soldiers from the New Zealand Army and the British Army, 2006
The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) sets sail on her final voyage to Dubai, 2008

Teen Boy All Over

"Did you know your son went shopping?" Sweetie asked as i walked in from work.

Well, since i was at work, no, i didn't know, i told him.  And which son? i added.

"#2 Son.  He said there's no 'real' food in the house, and went shopping!"

And by that i'm sure he meant...

"Yes, that's what he meant.  There's ice cream and pie in the freezer, and a pizza in the fridge.  What he really meant is 'food that mom doesn't buy!'" Sweetie said, laughing.

Indeed, there was all that, as well as the rapidly disappearing grapes, the salad that gets devoured each night, and a chicken with rice and gravy that has nothing left but a couple of bones to be boiled for stock.

He may eat junk, but he eats good stuff, too.  He knows what the "real" food truly is, even if he sometimes eschews it for those teen boy favorites.

On another note, to any who are worried about safety at Little Girl's school:  The young student who was shot was at his home after school, in a different neighborhood from where the school is located.  By that i mean, unfortunately, a more run-down area, with many people living at or below the poverty level.

The school itself is in a solidly middle class area, right next to the neighborhood pool and a Lutheran Church and one of the community parks.  It's as "safe" as any area can be these days, because really, there is no place that is totally safe.  It's an illusion to think so.

If i thought she were in danger at school, i would keep her home, but the school is in an area that is almost identical to our neighborhood.  The young man was safer at school than at home, in this case.  That's part of what makes it all so sad, too.


Today is:

Belfast Festival At Queen's -- Queen's University, Belfast, Ireland (International arts festival; through Nov. 1)

Biketoberfest -- Daytona Beach, FL, US (last chance to ride before winter, and enjoy concerts and shows, too; through Sunday)

Boss's Day -- either celebrate, or roll your eyes, both are acceptable responses (begun by Patricia Bays Haroski in 1958 in honor of her boss, who was also her father; this date was his birthday)

Chrysanthemum Festival -- Japan ("The Festival of Happiness", various shrines; through Nov. 15)

Clean Your Bug Zapper Day -- internet generated, and we're getting a bit overboard here, aren't we?

Conflict Resolution Day -- the group that started it no longer has the specific date listed, but you can learn more about conflict resolution from them here

Day of Pope John Paul II -- Poland

Dictionary Day / Learn a Word Day -- Noah Webster's birth anniversary

Dress Like A Dork Day -- does someone have it out for us with these "holidays"?

Elephantine Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (several such celebrations of elephants were held around this time of year in Egypt)

Ether Day (first demonstrated use, see History)

Feast of 'Ilm (Knowledge) -- Baha'i

Get Smart About Credit Day -- sponsored by the American Bankers Association

Get to Know Your Customers Day -- third Thursday of every quarter

International Credit Union Day -- World Council of Credit Unions

National Feral Cat Day -- US (sponsored by Alley Cat Allies. with information here also)

National Liqueur Day

Niihama Drum Festival -- Niihama, Japan (three day festival with two ton drum floats)

Preaching of the Lion Sermon -- St. Katherine Cree Church, London, England (Sermon dating back to the 1640's in commemoration of a gift for the poor made by Sir John Gayer, who was delivered from a lion while in Turkey)

Simchat Torah -- Judaism (day to celebrate the reading of the Law; begins at sunset, through sunset tomorrow)

Sennin Musha Gyoretsu -- Tochigi, Japan (procession of 1,000 warriors; through tomorrow)

St. Hedwig's Day (Patron of brides, duchesses, difficult marriages, widows; Bavaria; Berlin, Germany; Gorlitz, Germany; Silesia; against the death of children, jealousy)

Teachers' Day -- Chile

#Toronto Ski, Snowboard, and Travel Show -- Toronto, ON, Canada (Canada's largest show of this type; through Sunday)

World Food Day -- UN


Anniversaries Today:

The first birth control clinic in the US is opened, 1916
Brigham Young University is founded in Provo, Utah, 1875
Girton College, Cambridge is founded, becoming England's first residential college for women, 1869
Zion's Co-Operative Mercantile Institution, America's first department store, opens, 1868
The Collegiate School is established(forerunner of Yale University), 1701, Old Style Date


Birthdays Today:

John Mayer, 1977
Kellie Martin, 1975
Flea, 1962
Tim Robbins, 1958
Melissa Louise Belote, 1956
Barry Corbin, 1940
Bob Weir, 1947
Suzanne Somers, 1946
Gunter Grass, 1927
Angela Lansbury, 1925
William Orville Douglas, 1898
Eugene O'Neill, 1888
David Ben-Gurion, 1886
Oscar Wilde, 1854
Noah Webster, 1758


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Red Mill"(Musical), 1945
"Billy the Kid"(Ballet), 1938
Jane Eyre(Publication date), 1847


Today in History:

Jadwiga (yes, a she) is crowned King of Poland, 1384
Olivier van Noorts' ships reach the Philippines, 1600
George Washington takes Yorktown, 1781
Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, is guillotined, 1793
Sir William Rowan Hamilton comes up with the idea of quaternions, a non-commutative extension of complex numbers, 1843
Dentist William T. Morton demonstrates the effectiveness of ether, 1846
Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" is published, 1847
John Brown leads a raid on Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, 1859
The Cardiff Giant, one of the most famous American hoaxes, is "discovered", 1869
John Harwood takes out a patent on a self-winding watch, 1923
The Disney Company is founded, 1923
Benjamin O. Davis Sr. is named the first African American general in the United States Army, 1940
Fidel Castro is sentenced in Havana to 15 years in prison, 1953
The People's Republic of China detonates its first nuclear weapon, 1964
In response to the October Crisis terrorist kidnapping, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau of Canada invokes the War Measures Act, 1970
Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 1973
Pope John Paul II is elected after the October 1978 Papal conclave, 1978
Wanda Rutkiewicz is the first Pole and the first European woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, 1978
Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 1984
Reinhold Messner becomes the first person to summit all 14 Eight-thousanders, 1986
Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity, is officially inaugurated, 2002
A 1,255lb. portion of the Chelyabinsk meteor is recovered by divers in Russia, 2013

Silly Sunday: Comparisons Work to a Degree

"Mom, mom, mom, mom!"  #2 Son came in very from work very excited.  "Guess what!  I've already been given a twenty-five cent an hour raise for my good work, and they said that within two months i'm going to be a crew chief/trainer, and if I keep doing such good work, they're going to move me into management in 6-8 months!"

Great job! i told him.  But aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself?  What about culinary school?

"Yeah, I still want to do that, but I think it would be great if I had management experience when I went into it."

Remember, too, you still have to get that high school diploma, i reminded him.

"Yes, that's very important.  I'm not going to forget, and neither are they.  In fact, they pay you more if you stay in school and get good grades, so I want the diploma, and some work experience at management, and then go into culinary school later.  I'm not going to skip out on getting my degrees."

Sounds like a good plan, i told him.

This reminds me of a joke.

Tee Boudreaux was in danger of flunkin' out of da high school, so his daddy decide to have a talk wit' him.

"Son," said Boudreaux, "you ought to be ashamed!  You makin' de family look bad!  You need to study and do better, boy!

"Mais, I know dat," Tee hung his head.  "But I don' like to read and study!"

"Shame on you, boy!" Boudreaux said.  "Don' you know dat some people in dis world would love to have de chance to go to school an' learn?  T'ink about Abraham Lincoln.  When he was your age, he would stay up and study half the night by de light from a candle!  He had to walk to school, an' dere weren't no air condition in the class, and sometime he don' have de books he want, so he walk miles to get a book!  An' look at you, you got a bus to school an' air condition an' a good lunch dere an' free books!  You ought to be ashamed you not takin' 'vantage of all dat!"

"Mais, I know dat!" Tee answered.  "But I also know dat by de time Lincoln was your age, he was de President!  Now who's shamin' de family!"


Today is:

Ancient Roman Calendar Celebrations on this date
     Day of Mouring -- leading up to the festival for Hilaria
     Invocation Day of Mars and Saturn
     Tubilustrium -- Ancient Roman Calendar (ceremony to purify the trumpets used in sacred ceremonies)

Cuddly Kitten Day -- because the cats can't let the dogs get all the attention

Dandelion Dance -- Fairy Calendar

Day of Hungarian-Polish Friendship -- Hungary and Poland

Day of the Sea -- Bolivia (Dia del Mar)

Liberty Day -- today in 1775, Patrick Henry said, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”

Lieldienas -- Ancient Latvian Calendar ("Big Days" or "Long Days", four day celebration of spring, each day devoted to a different deity)

National Chip and Dip Day

National Melba Toast Day

National Puppy Day -- encouraging you to adopt a shelter pup today

Near Miss Day -- commemorates the mountain sized asteroid that was a near miss on this day in 1989

Rally for Decency Day -- Commemorates the first Rally for Decency, prompted on this day in 1969 by Jim Morrison

Republic Day -- Pakistan

St. Turibius de Mongrovejo's Day (Patron of Latin American bishops, native rights; Peru)

Toast Day -- supposedly for the invention of Melba toast; a recent article says it takes 6 steps to toast bread "right"; i say if you can't put bread in the toaster and butter it when it comes out and need long sets of instructions, you shouldn't be let loose in society!

World Meteorological Day -- UN


Anniversaries Today:

The University of California is founded in Oakland, California, 1868


Birthdays Today:

Michelle Monaghan, 1976
Keri Russell, 1976
Richard Grieco, 1965
Amanda Plummer, 1957
Chaka Khan, 1953
Louie Anderson, 1953
Roger Bannister, 1929
Wernher Von Braun, 1912
Akira Kurosawa, 1910
Joan Crawford, 1905


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Bold and the Beautiful"(TV), 1987
"Detective Story"(Play), 1950
"Truth or Consequences"(Radio), 1940


Today in History:

Eighteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 1066
The first dated edition of Maimonides "Mishna Torah" published, 1490
George Frideric Handel's oratorio "Messiah" premieres in London, 1743
Patrick Henry delivers his famous speech – "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" – at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, 1775
After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" begin their arduous journey home, 1806
Elisha Otis's first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City, 1857
The Boers and Britain sign a peace accord that ends the First Boer War, 1881
President Benjamin Harrison opens Oklahoma to white settlement starting on April 22, starting a Land Run, 1889
The Wright Brothers apply for a patent on their invention of one of the first successful airplanes, 1903
Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world, 1956
NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States' first two-man space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young), 1965
Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador gives his famous speech appealing to men of the El Salvadoran armed forces to stop killing the Salvadorans, 1980
Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President, 1996
The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji, 2001
In Tokyo, the Metropolitan Government Bureau of Waterworks reports that radioactive iodine in city tap water is two times the recommended level for infants, 2011

What do you want to be?

"Mom, your daughter wants to go ghost hunting and punch a ghost in the face!" Bigger Girl came into the room yelling.

From the other room i heard Little Girl yelling, "It'll work, I know it'll work!" as she ran toward us, laughing.

As i laughed at their fun, i asked Little Girl if she wanted to be a ghost hunter someday.

"Well, I'm not sure," she said.  "More likely, a tattoo artist, but I could hunt ghosts on the side!"

"I know what I want to be doing, at least for the next couple of years," Bigger Girl said.  "Once I'm done with all of my math enough to start taking science courses, I'm going to be preparing to spend time in the Peace Corps.  I'm going to Africa, one way or another.

"After all, mom, you went to Europe, I want to go to Africa.  Europe is too...weird for me."

After a deep breath, i decided to let that comment slide.  She happens to be rather "unique" herself.

"And I'm going to get my degrees, too," Bigger Girl went on.  "The Associates, then Peace Corps, then come back and get the Bachelor's."

Well, i'm glad you are so clear on that, i told her.  Hope you don't run into too much bureaucracy while doing all of this, i added.

Meanwhile, i have run into bureaucracy at every turn just trying to get Little Girl into the regular school system here for a simple high school diploma.  They are fighting me tooth and claw on everything, including accepting the high school work she has already done, because it was at a private school in the next parish over.  That's not supposed to make a difference, but they are wanting to make her take all kinds of tests anyway.

Don't even get me started about what it will take to get her into the art program she wants.  That's a separate issue, and even now i can't get them to tell me anything,  Yet somehow, with no lists, no information, and no clue what type of uniform they require and from where, i'm supposed to have all her school supplies by next Monday.

Bigger Girl interrupted my thoughts on all this to say, "Yes, and I paid my tuition today!  This semester is all me paying for it.  My next two paychecks will cover my books, but tuition is done!  And after that, I can use more of the money Grandpa set aside for each of us.  But I wanted him to know I could at least do some of this myself."

He's going to be very proud of you, i told her.  Now please don't let me forget to pick up the cat food tonight -- Misha and Collins are having their surgery tomorrow so they can do up for adoption on Friday.

"Well, that tells me what they aren't going to ever be -- fathers!" Little Girl had the last word.



Today is:

Anjin Matsuri -- Ito City, Japan (commemorations William Adams (1564-1620), a naturalized British shipwright, called "Anjin Miura" in Japan, a great contributor to the early development of Japanese ship-building industry; through the 10th)

BaBa Day -- Taiwan (ba ba is Mandarin for both "father" and "8-8")

Bonza Bottler Day

Edinburgh International Festival -- Edinburgh, Scotland (one of the world's most exciting venues for opera, dance, theater, classical music and the visual arts; through Sept. 1)

Edmonton Folk Music Festival -- Gallagher Park, Edmonton, AB, Canada (folk music of all kinds and fun for the whole family; through Sunday)

Eid al Fitr -- Islam (celebration of the end of Ramadan; began sundown yesterday, runs through sundown on the 11th, although local dating and official government observances may vary)

Festival for Venus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (sunset to sunset)

Finest Fairy Finals -- Fairy Calendar (Do only the finest fairies take finals? How do the others get a final grade? :D )

Fourteen Holy Helpers' Day (Patrons against diseases)

Great River Tug Fest -- Port Byron, IL, and LeClaire, IA, US (the only tug-of-war across the Mighty Mississippi; festival through Saturday)

Happiness Happens Day -- sponsored by the Secret Society of Happy People, to encourage sharing happiness and discourage parade raining; on the anniversary of their founding in 1997www.sohp.com

Hope Watermelon Festival -- Hope, AK, US (if you've never had Hope watermelons, you've missed the best!  Through Saturday)

Hot August Nights -- Reno, NV, US (celebrate cars and music of the 50's and 60's; through Saturday)

Jersey Battle of Flowers -- Jersey, Channel Islands, UK (two days of floats and family fun)

Kranti Diwas -- Mumbai (former Bombay), India (a/k/a Freedom Day or Quit India Day; anniversary of Gandhi's Quit India speech to the British authorities in 1942)

"Li'l" Margaret's Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival -- Leonardtown, MD, US (bluegrass music, crafts, old time tractors and cars, and home-cooked meals; bring a lawn chair!  through Saturday)

Namesday of the Queen -- Sweden (Queen Sylvia; an official Flag Day)

National Frozen Custard Day

National Hobo Convention -- Britt, IA (held each year since 1900, gathering for migrant workers who are proud to call themselves "hobos" and make a living through working where they choose and travelling where they want; through Sunday)

Odie Day -- Garfield's pal Odie, who first appeared in the strip on this day in 1978

Skowhegan State Fair -- Skowhegan, ME (since 1818, ten days of grand fun; through the 17th)

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, and i love the stuff but can't grow plants to save my life, i'll leave the porch light on for you if you will bring me some!

St. Cyriacus' Day (Patron of the eyes; Altidona, Italy; against diabolical possession, eye disease, and temptations, especially temptations at the time of death)

St. Dominic's Day (Founder of the Dominican Order[Friars]; Patron of astronomers and astronomy, falsely accused people, scientists; Batanes-Babuyanes, Philippines; Bayombong, Philippines; Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo Indian Pueblo; Valletta, Malta)

St. Mary MacKillop's Day (First native-born Australian saint; Patron of Australia; Wagga Wagga, Australia)

The Date To Create -- can't find anything on this one, just listed at a couple of sites, but go have fun creating something!

Wakulima ya Nane Nane -- Tanzania (Peasants' Day/Farmers' Day)


Birthdays Today:

Keith Carradine, 1949
Connie Stevens, 1938
Dustin Hoffman, 1937
Mel Tillis, 1932
Esther Williams, 1923
Rory Calhoun, 1922
Dino De Laurentis, 1919
Matthew Henson, 1866
Emperor Horikawa of Japan, 1079


Today in History:

The Romans destroy the Tower of Antonia, 70
Otto I (The Great) crowned German king, 936
Vijayanagara Empire is rebegun with the crowning of emperor Krishnadeva Raya, 1509
The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on Hven, 1576
John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in search of the Northwest Passage, 1585
The first known ascent (indoors) of a hot-air ballon by Bartolomeu de Gusamao, 1709
Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard become the first to ascend Mont Blanc, 1786
Metal bullet cartridges are patented by Smith and Wesson, 1854
Mimeograph is patented by Thomas Edison, 1876
Wilbur Wright makes the brother's first public flight, at a racecourse in Le Mans, France, 1908
The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire, 1911
The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight, 1929
The United Nations Charter is signed by the United States, the 3rd nation to join, 1945
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, 1967
Richard Nixon announces his resignation as President of the United States, effective the next day, 1974
The lights go on at Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last staduim in the majors to host a night game (which was subsequently rained out!), 1988
Iraq occupies and annexes Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait within a couple of weeks, 1990
Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor, 2000

Just What Kind of Bank Are You Hiring For?

So, i asked, how was the last day of school?

"Well, Mark managed to talk through some of the movie, and it was irritating," Little Girl answered.

"Yeah," #2 Son agreed.  "He's one of those people who repeat the lines, and try to explain what's going on when you just want to watch it for yourself.  The kind of person who can make you hate a movie you loved because they mess it up."

"We all finally had to threaten to lock him out of the room if he wasn't quiet, so he was, and it was okay after that.  Also, we had enough food for an army as usual, but no one would try my cookies except one person!" 
Little Girl had worked hard on those, i was not happy to hear no one wanted to try them.  It's their loss, though, it leaves more for Sweetie, who loves them.

"We got to give each other job interviews, too!" #2 Son picked back up with the narrative.  "We took turns being the interviewer and interviewed person..."

Interviewee? i asked, always ready to supply a new word they might want to use.  Can't help it, i'm a mom.

"Yeah, the interviewee.  We were interviewing each other for a bank teller job, and we had a set of questions to ask, and we were supposed to come up with some of our own."

"That was the fun part," Little Girl said.  "When I was interviewing each of them, my last question was, 'If I make you my most trusted assistant and hire you to be my right hand and minion, will you swear to hate all of my enemies and make sure they die brutal and violent deaths?'  Only one kid actually thought it through and took time to answer that question.  Him I would hire!"

Hm, makes me wonder what kind of bank you are running, i muttered.


Today is

American Red Cross Founder's Day -- established by Clara Barton on this day in 1881

Anastenarides Feast -- Greece (feast to St. Constantine and St. Helen)

Battle of Las Piedras Day -- Uruguay

Circassian Day of Mourning -- Circassians

Día de la Afrocolombianidad -- Columbia (Afro-Colombian Day; commemorates Columbia's abolition of slavery on this date in 1851)

Dia De Las Glorias Navales -- Chile (Navy Day)

European Maritime Day -- European Council (this year's host for the conferences is Malta; through tomorrow)

Festival for Vevodus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of the dead, swamps, and volcanic movements, and sometimes regarded as the king of the Di Manes)

French Open Tennis Tournament -- Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France (part of the Grand Slam of Tennis, annually since 1925; through June 9)

Honvédelem Napja -- Hungary (Day of Patriots and Military)

Independence Day -- Montenegro

"I Need A Patch For That" Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, which notes that since everything else has a patch, why shouldn't you?

Lilies and Roses Day -- London, England (memorial of the death of Henry VI on this day in 1471; held at the Tower of London with representatives of Eton College and King's College, which he founded.)

National Memo Day -- an internet holiday with no known origin, just take a memo

National Strawberries and Cream Day

National Waitstaff Day

Passion Play Day -- the first Oberammergau, Germany, Passion Play was staged this date in 1634

RHS Chelsea Flower Show -- Chelsea, London, England (the world's greatest flower show celebrates its 100th anniversary;through Saturday)

Sister Maria Hummel Day -- birth anniversary of the Franciscan nun and artist

St. Constantine's Day (Greek Orthodox Church; Patron of Greece)

St. Eugene de Mazenod's Day (Patron of dysfunctional families)

St. Helen's Day (Greek Orthodox Church; Patron of Greece)
     St. Helena Day -- St. Helena

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development -- UN


Birthdays Today:

Sarah Ramos, 1991
Ashlie Brillault, 1987
Lisa Edelstein, 1966
Mr. T, 1952
Peggy Cass, 1924
Raymond Burr, 1917
Dennis Day, 1917
Harold Robbins, 1916
Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, 1909
Fats Waller, 1904
Armand Hammer, 1898
Alexander Pope, 1688


Today in History:

Syracuse, Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily, 878
The island of Saint Helena is discovered by the Portuguese navigator João da Nova, 1502
The nobility elect John Sobieski King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, 1674
The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky is instituted in Russia by the empress Catherine I; it would later be discontinued and then reinstated by the Soviet government in 1942 as the Order of Alexander Nevsky, 1725
Mary Campbell is abducted from her home in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War, 1758
Slavery  is abolished in Colombia, South America, 1851
Russia declares an end to the Russian-Circassian War and many Circassians are forced into exile, 1864
French troops invade the Paris Commune and engage its residents in street fighting, 1871
The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton, 1881
The Manchester Ship Canal in England is officially opened by Queen Victoria, 1894
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is founded in Paris, 1904
Charles Lindbergh touches down at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, 1927
Bad weather forces Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, 1932
Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes the first municipality in the United States to fingerprint all of its citizens, 1934
A Soviet station becomes the first scientific research settlement to operate on the drift ice of the Arctic Ocean, 1937
The National War Memorial in Canada is unveiled by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, 1939
Physicist Louis Slotin is fatally irradiated in a criticality incident during an experiment with the Demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1946
The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition – a gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively know as the New York School, 1951
Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, 1972
Democratic Republic of Yemen and North Yemen agree to a unity, merging into Republic of Yemen, 1990
The Ethiopian Civil War ends, 1991
Suharto, Indonesian president of 32 years, resigns, 1998
The clipper Cutty Sark is badly damaged by fire in London, England, 2007
JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket, 2010

Happy Snoopy Dance!

We are doing the Happy Snoopy Dance here; nose up, feet moving!

Today is the last day of school for the semester!

Little Girl baked a treat yesterday for the end of the year party.

This morning, i'm buying a snack to send to go with it.

Don't remind me that they have summer school coming up to make sure they can reach some accelerated academic goals, i already know.  Right now i'm choosing to ignore that and bask in the fact that, for a few weeks anyway, i don't have to do the commute to a school that is in the next parish over.

It's almost as much fun as kissing school good-bye was when i was a kid.

Have a great week, everyone!  After today, i will.


Today is

Accounting Day -- promoting the profession of accounting and finance

Be a Millionaire Day - now we all can go for that

Blue Jeans Day -- Levi Strauss and David Jacobs received the patent for their denim pants with riveted pockets on this day in 1873

Dainty-Four Remembrance Day  -- Fairy Calendar

Discovery Day -- Cayman Islands

Eliza Doolittle Day* -- in honor of Shaw and his famous fictional character, to encourage proper use of one's native language

Emancipation Day -- Florida, US

Festival of Mjollnir -- Ancient Norse Calendar (feast of Thor's Hammer, date approximate)

Flying Solo Day -- Lindberg began his historic flight on this day in 1927

Frigga Blot -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (honoring Frigga)

Grudie Rosnoe -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (ten days of sacrifices to Rod for rain and good harvests)

Herrinfesta Italiana -- Herrin, IL, US (a whole week of celebrating all things Italian, with a Midwest Pasta Sauce Contest, races, music, grape stomp, and more; through Sunday)

Independence Day -- East Timor

Hari Kebangkitan Nasional Indonesia -- Indonesia (Indonesian National Awakening Day)

Mecklenburg Day -- North Carolina, US (commemoration of the signing of a declaration of independence from England by the citizens of Mecklenburg County on this day in 1775)

National Day -- Cameroon

National Geographic Geography Bee -- National Geographic Society Headquarters, Washington, D.C., US (through Tuesday, with the finals aired then)

National Quiche Lorraine Day

Norman Rockwell Day -- his first Saturday Evening Post cover appeared this day in 1916

Pick Strawberries Day

St. Bernadine of Siena's Day (Patron of advertising and advertisers, communications personnel, compulsive gamblers/gambling addicts, public relations work and personnel; Italy; Aquila, Italy; Capri, Italy; Castelspina, Italy; Trevignano, Italy; the diocese of San Bernardino, California; against compulsive gambling, chest, lung, and respiratory problems and hoarseness of the throat)

St. Ives' Day (an honest lawyer; in the Anglican tradition, Patron of abandoned children and orphans, advocates, canon lawyers, judges, lawyers, and notaries; in the Roman Catholic tradition, Patron of Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire, England)

Victoria Day -- Canada

Whit Monday -- Belgium; England; Germany; Iceland; Ireland; Sweden; The Netherlands; Wales

Weights and Measures Day / World Metrology Day -- anniversary of the treaty in 1875 which established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Sevres, France

*"One evening the King will say, "Oh, Liza, old thing,
I want all of England your praises to sing,
Next week on the twentieth of May,
I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day."


Birthdays Today:

Tony Stewart, 1971
Bronson Pinchot, 1959
David Paterson, 1954
Cher, 1946
Joe Cocker, 1944
Stan Mikita, 1940
Anthony Zerbe, 1936
George Gobel, 1919
Jimmy Stewart, 1908
William Fargo, 1818
John Stuart Mill, 1806
Honore de Balzac, 1799
Dolly Madison, 1768


Today in History:

The first Ecumenical Council in the Christian Church, the Council of Nicea, opens, 325
An earthquake kills about 300,000 people in Syria and Antiochia, 526
John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship  Matthew looking for a route to the west, 1497
Cartographer  Abraham Ortelius issues the first modern atlas, 1570
Shakespeare's Sonnets  are first published in London, 1609
Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution, 1802
Otto is named the first modern king of Greece, 1835
HMS Erebus and HMS Terror with 134 men under John Franklin sail from the River Thames in England, beginning a disastrous expedition to find the Northwest Passage in which all hands are lost, 1845
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, 1862
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets, 1873
The Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy is formed, 1882
Krakatoa begins to erupt (the volcano's final and most notable explosion will occur on August 26), 1883
The first public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope, 1891
Cuba gains independence from the United States, 1902
The Saturday Evening Post publishes its first cover with a Norman Rockwell painting ("Boy with Baby Carriage"), 1916
Montreal, Quebec radio station XWA broadcasts the first regularly scheduled radio programming in North America, 1920
By the Treaty of Jedda, the United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1927
At 07:52 Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, on the world's first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, 1927
Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, 1932
In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada, 1980
First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier and Robert Gallo individually, 1983
The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre, 1989
In a second referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a slight majority the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada, 1995
The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and 3 years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976), 2002