Tuesday Coffee Chat: Where do i go from here?

Rory Bore at Ink Interrupted hosts the Tuesday Coffee Chat, and this week she wants us to discuss:  Finish the sentence.  If I could go anywhere today....

This discussion needs a two pronged approach.  You see, there are places i can go today and be back home tonight in my own bed, and then there are places i can take off to travel to that would take a while to get there and i might not want to come home ever once i did!

If i could go anywhere today that's nearby, i would have a difficult time choosing between running down to NOLA or exploring the downtown area right here.  NOLA has her charms, and a trip to have coffee at Cafe du Monde and go sit in the St. Louis Cathedral and just soak up the atmosphere is always welcome.  Then there's the Aquarium and the Audubon Zoo and, well, if i headed down there to be a "tourist" i might stay a week.

We have some lovely places here, too.  Museums and scenic walks, new green spaces to encourage us to park our cars and get out more, delightful small restaurants.  If i had money and no plans, i could park down at the church very early in the morning and just go, and not come home until evening and still not have seen and done it all.

If i could go anywhere and didn't have to be back by a certain time, you might not see me until next year!  There's lots of travel i want to do, Canada, Alaska, the UK, Australia, New Zealand -- that's enough to be getting on with.

An Alaskan cruise that ends with me going to Canada and touring from one end to the other would be a dream come true.  Cross by ship to England and spend some time there, as well as Scotland, and then head off to the lands of kiwis and koalas, and you've got the trip of several lifetimes.

In reality, give me a day off and i often head to my favorite place, the library.  Even if those far-away destinations are mostly dreams, i can feed my dreams at one of these local book heavens.

Where's the next place you would want to travel?  If you could take off today, where would you go?

Today is:

Anniversary of the 3rd Druk Gyalpo -- Bhutan

Baby Day -- birth anniversary of Dr. Spock

Brothers and Sisters Day/Sibling Appreciation Day -- an internet generated holiday, not to be confused with National Siblings Day on April 10 each year

Carnival Day -- Sint Maarten

Community Day -- M, Spain

Day of Osiris going forth from his mountain -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Door-Banging and Window-Tapping Conference -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)

Flag Day -- Poland

Give Local America -- US (encouraging people to support local charities with the largest crowdfuning event in history) 

Holiday of the Region of Madrid -- Madrid, Spain

International Scurvy Awareness Day -- because yes, some people do still get this disease of Vitamin C deficiency 

King James Bible Day -- marking the publication in 1611 of the King James Version of the Bible

National Education Day -- Indonesia

National Play Your Ukulele Day -- just because it's fun!

National Truffles Day

Roberts Rules of Order Day -- birth anniversary of Henry M. Robert, author of the standard parliamentary guide Robert's Rules of Order

Rowdy Friends Day -- go look up the ones you haven't seen in a while

St. Athanasius the Great's Day

St. Zoe's Day

Teacher's Day -- Bhutan; Iran

Twelfth Day of Ridvan -- Baha'i

World Asthma Day -- International (Global Initiative for Asthma) 

Yom Ha'Atzmaut -- Israel (Independence Day; began sunset yesterday, through sunset today)

Birthdays Today:

Sarah Hughes, 1985

Jenna Von Oy, 1977

David Beckham, 1975

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, 1972

Elizabeth Berridge, 1962

Christine Baranski, 1952

Larry Gatlin, 1949

Lesley Gore, 1946

David Suchet, 1946

Bianca Jagger, 1945

Engelbert Humperdinck, 1936

Roscoe Lee Browne, 1925

Theodore Bikel, 1924

Satyajit Ray, 1921

Dr. Benjamin Spock, 1903

Baron Von Richthofen, 1892

Hedda Hopper, 1885

Henry M. Robert, 1837

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Sunday in the Park with George"(Musical), 1984

"Peter and the Wolf"(Prokofiev Op. 67), 1936

"The Jack Benny Program"(Radio), 1932

Good Housekeeping(Magazine), 1885

"La Bottega del Caffe/The Coffee Shop"(Play), 1750

Authorized King James Version of the Bible(Publication date, by printer Robert Barker), 1611

Today in History:

Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft, 1536

John Knox returns from exile to Scotland  to become the leader of the beginning Scottish Reformation, 1559

Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle, 1568

King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America, 1670

William Herschel discovers 1st binary star, Xi Ursae Majoris, 1780

Charles Fremantle founds the Swan River Colony in Australia, 1829

Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao, 1866

Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time, 1885

Cree and Assiniboine  warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion, 1885

The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium, 1885

Hannibal W Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film, 1887

General Motors  acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware, 1918

Pearl S. Buck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Good Earth, 1938

The world's first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1, makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg, 1952

Tennessee Williams is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1955

The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City, 1969

The 1986 World Exposition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, opens, 1986

The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy, 1998

President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military, 2000

Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless, 2008

Conservationists determine poachers killed the last known rhinoceroses in Mozambique; these poachers worked with game rangers responsible for protecting them, 2013

Don't Stop, You'll Get Left Behind!

This next week will be both long and short.  Short in the sense of only having two days of work before Sweetie and i leave to go to Oklahoma to see Little Girl graduate, long in the sense of having a lot packed into those two days.

Today i work, and Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, comes over for dinner.  Tomorrow is church, plus church for the homeless, and prayer service, and evening Bible study.  

On Monday, the termite inspector comes, then i go work for Ms. S, and Dansig and Horizon have their yearly vet appointment when i get done with work.  

Tuesday i work for Ms. V, and then Sweetie and i go pick up the rental car -- there's no way The Jalopy or Humphrey the Honda could make the distance we have to travel, and while Cicero could do it, she no longer has a working A/C.  No way do you travel through the heat of Texas and Oklahoma without A/C unless you have absolutely no other choice.

The drive will be about 10 hours on Wednesday, Thursday is Family Day at Fort Sill, and Friday is the graduation.  Saturday Little Girl leaves for her advanced training and we drive home so as to be able to be in church on Sunday.

This is one week where the grass is not going to be growing under our feet!

Today is:

Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous -- Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (pre-1963 power and sailing yachts, river parade, and Rum Runners Rendezvous celebration; through tomorrow)

Birthday of Emperor Haili Selassi I -- Rastafari

Flag Day -- Abkhazia

Geneva Arts Fair -- Geneva, IL, US (a juried event that is becoming one of the top such events in the US; through tomorrow)

Gorgeous Grandma Day -- a day to celebrate those who age, date, and mate in style! 

Hot Enough For Ya Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays as the only day on which you may utter these words; any other day, and you will get high fived on the back of the head!;)

Loveladies Fine Art Festival -- Loveladies, NJ, US (juried arts and crafts show, entertainment, food and more; through tomorrow)

Mayan Sun Festival -- honoring Ahau Kin, the sun god, date approximate

National Day of the Cowboy -- US  (celebrating the heritage, and those who still work as cowboys/cowgirls today) 

National Vanilla Ice Cream Day

Neptunalia and Salcia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god and goddess of the ocean and wide seas, celebrates Neptune in his role as god of irrigation)

Plaza Latina Festival -- Nursery Row Park, East Street, London (the biennial Carnaval del Pueblo hosts this mini-festival between the big celebrations on three consecutive Saturdays, with traditional Latin American food, dance, arts and crafts, and kids activities)

Private Eye Day -- internet generated

Remembrance Day -- Papua New Guinea

Renaissance Day -- Oman (celebrates the accession of Qaboos bin Said Al Said, 14th Sultan of Oman)

Revolution Day -- Egypt

St. Apollinaris' Day (Patron against epilepsy, gout; of Aachen, Germany; Burtscheid, Germany; Düsseldorf, Germany; Ravenna, Italy; Remagen, Germany)

St. Bridget of Sweden's Day (Patron of widows; Europe; Sweden)

St. Phocas the Gardener's Day (Patron of agricultural workers, boatmen, farm workers, farmers, field hands, gardeners, husbandmen, mariners, market-gardeners,sailors, watermen)

Warei Shrine Summer Festival -- Warei Shrine, Uwajima City, Japan (through tomorrow, includes "bull-sumo", a non fatal type of bull fighting, where the bulls try to push each other out of the ring)

World Congress of Esperanto -- Nitra, Slovakia; through next Saturday


Anniversaries Today

Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson, 1986
Coronation of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, 1999


Birthdays Today

Daniel Radcliffe, 1989
Michelle Williams, 1980
Omar Epps, 1975
Nomar Garciapara, 1973
Marlon Wayans, 1972
Charisma Carpenter, 1970
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 1967
Eriq La Salle, 1962
Woody Harrelson, 1961
Lamont "ShowBoat" Robinson, 1961
Edie McClurg, 1951
Belinda Montgomery, 1950
Don Imus, 1940
Nicholas Gage, 1939
Ronny Cox, 1938
Anthony M. Kennedy, 1936
Don Drysdale, 1936
Bert Convy, 1933
Arata Isozaki, 1931
Gloria DeHaven, 1925
Amalia Rodrigues, 1920
Harold "Pee Wee" Reese, 1918
Arthur Treacher, 1894
Haile Selassie I, 1892
Raymond Chandler, 1888
Samuel Augustus Maverick, 1803


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha! Ha!"(Single release), 1966
"The Gene Autry Show"(TV), 1950


Today in History

William Austin Burt patents the Typographer, a precursor to the typewriter, 1829
The Province of Canada is created by the Act of Union, 1840
The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, the world's oldest international sport federation, is founded, 1881
The Ford Motor Company sells its first car, 1903
Fox Film buys the patents of the Movietone sound system for recording sound onto film, 1926
Telstar  relays the first publicly transmitted, live trans-Atlantic television program, featuring Walter Cronkite, 1962
The International Whaling Commission decides to end commercial whaling within 4 years, 1982 *
Air Canada Flight 143 runs out of fuel and makes a deadstick landing at Gimli, Manitoba, 1983
Comet Hale-Bopp is discovered, 1995
Cape Verde becomes the 153rd member of the World Trade Organization, 2008
Patent law disputes between Samsung and Apple deadlock as the dispute addresses valuation of each other's patents, 2012


*Don't I wish that had worked!

Where in the World to Go Next? A Tuesday Coffee Chat

Rory Bore at Ink Interrupted hosts the Tuesday Coffee Chat, and this week she asks the question, What journey do you most want to take?   It can be a geographical place, an emotional or spiritual quest, or even a creative pursuit. 

There's a part of me that wants to be a homebody, and a part of me that wants to see the country and then the world.

The part that wants to be a homebody would love to have enough money to repair our very-sadly-in-need-of-many-things home, fix it up so the foundation trouble doesn't matter, the main floor has a restroom, and it would be simple, somewhat minimalistic, and easy to live in.

Unlike the current lived-in-by-a-tornado look it tends to have, i would take a journey toward a home that i could come home to after being on the road, and not have to worry about what went wrong this time.

In fact, if i had enough funds, i'd buy another house, move what i want to keep into it, empty and redo this one, and move back in.  The second house could then be a rental property or one of the children could live in it.

Hey, if i'm going to dream, i might as well dream big, right?

Beyond that, i want to someday get in a small RV or camper or even one of those tiny, build it yourself houses on wheels and just go.  In summer, i'd head to cooler locations, in winter, i'd be where the weather is warm and beautiful.

My itinerary would be based on which friends i wanted to go visit where at what time of year, or what historical sight i wanted to see, or just whatever caught my fancy at the moment.  Maybe once in a while i would ask myself where do i want to go next, throw a dart at a map on the wall, and just head there!

It would be nice to drive to Canada, and Alaska, and lots of points in between, and when i'm tired of driving, take a cruise or two or three and see Europe again.

Yes, i also want to visit Australia and New Zealand.

A life where i could be home when i want, and travel when and where i want, and simply enjoy visiting and getting to know people from anywhere and everywhere i go appeals to me.

Maybe someday i'll get to do some travel beyond Florida every June and going to see my friends on my sanity retreat every September/October.

Until then, i'm going to keep dreaming.

Today is:

Constitution day -- Ukraine

Festival of Terrible Poetry -- according to The Daily Bleed, and since there is some hilarious, if terrible, poetry out there, go find some, and bust a gut

Insurance Awareness Day -- now who do you think invented that!?!

International Body Piercing Day -- on the birthday of James Mark "Jim" Ward, "the granddaddy of the modern body piercing movement" 

International CAPS LOCK DAY -- a parody holiday created by Derek Arnold, a user on Metafilter, in 2000

Mnarja / L-Imnarja Festival begins -- Buskett Gardens, Malta (folk festival for Sts. Peter and Paul, begins this evening and continues through the 29th)

National Ceviche Day

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 Tapioca Day

Paul Bunyan Day -- the tall tale hero of the lumberjacks; celebrated at different times in some parts of the country, but most sites cite this date

Ra goes forth to propitiate the Nun -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Stonewall Rebellion Day -- now seen as the start of the gay liberation movement in 1969

St. Irenaeus' Day (Patron of Mobile, Alabama)

St. Paul's Feast -- Kato Paphos, Cyprus (religious festivities with the archbishop officiating and a procession of the icon of St. Paul through the streets, through tomorrow)

St. Peter's Eve -- English Christian tradition, night of bonfires and continuation of midsummer celebrations

Thanksgiving for Useful Fairies -- Fairy Calendar

Vidovdan (Festival for St. Vitus) -- Eastern Orthodox Christian, based on the traditional Julian Calendar date
     a recognized holiday in Bosnia and Herzegovina


Anniversaries Today:

Harry S. Truman marries Bess Wallace, 1919


Birthdays Today:

Kellie Pickler, 1986
Steve Burton, 1970
Danielle Brisebois, 1969
John Cusack, 1966
Mary Stuart Masterson, 1966
Mark Grace, 1964
John Elway, 1960
Thomas Hampson, 1955
Alice Krige, 1954
Kathy Bates, 1948
Gilda Radner, 1946
Bruce Davison, 1946
Turkan Soray, 1945
Pat Morita, 1932
Mel Brooks, 1926
Maria Goeppert Mayer, 1906
Richard Rodgers, 1902
Clara Louise Maass, 1876
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1712
John Wesley, 1703
Peter Paul Rubens, 1577
Henry VIII, King of England, 1491


Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Nutty Professor(Film), 1996
"Amos 'n' Andy"(TV), 1951
"Quiz Kids"(Radio), 1940


Today in History:

Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul, 1098
Ottomans defeat Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe, 1389
Guadeloupe becomes a French colony, 1635
The coronation of Victoria of the United Kingdom, 1838
The Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique in Paris premieres the ballet Giselle, 1841
The first conformation dog show is held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, 1859
Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo by young Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, the casus belli of World War I, 1914
The Treaty of Versailles is signed in Paris, formally ending World War I, 1919
The Irish Civil War begins with the shelling of the Four Courts in Dublin by Free State forces, 1922
Israel annexes East Jerusalem, 1967
COMECON, as part of the last vestige of the Soviet Bloc, is formally disbanded, followed by the Warsaw pact 3 days later, 1991
Slobodan Milosevic is deported to ICTY to stand trial, 2001
The Republic of Montenegro is admitted as the 192nd Member of the United Nations, 2006
The U.N. reports 10 million people are effected by the worst drought in 60 years, 2011

Getting Close

Preparations to leave town are still underway, and getting more complicated by the moment.

Me leaving town alone is the equivalent, to my Sweetie and kids, to their being left alone on the tundra or in the wilderness to fend for themselves, with no supplies.

The first time i made a trip like this, to Albuquerque several years ago, they called me on average every two hours the first two days of the trip, and a little less after that.

While i try to leave detailed instructions:

Detailed lists, on the refrigerator.

It helps to a degree, but i still get a lot of phone calls.

The other complication is getting everything i'm taking packed and ready.  Because i don't know what ingredients i will or will not find anywhere outside of south Louisiana, i have to bring all the ingredients for gumbo with me.  This entails me having to mentally go through every step, imagine what i would grab from the cabinet or fridge or wherever, and bring it along.

Then there's the fact that i'm the weirdo vegan, so i pack a lot of food for me, because it can be difficult having my strange food preferences in places where the dominant cuisine is much more typical fare, with lots of meat.  Many a restaurant has had nothing on the menu that i would eat but an overpriced, soggy salad and steamed vegetables.  It can get old eating that meal after meal when i'm out a lot.

Today i am working, so when i get home, i have a ton to do so that i can be on the road tomorrow.  Lots of packing, lots of last minute laundry, and plenty of "how will we get along with you not here!" whining.  Yes, they really act that helpless, and they survive.  It makes them tough.

And it makes me grateful to be able to get away for a while, i need it!



Today is:

Agricultural Reform Day -- Sao Tome and Principe

Ask A Stupid Question Day -- teachers wanted to get students asking more questions, so they did, even if the questions were stupid; now, it's a holiday on the last school day of September each year!

Celtic Tree Month Gort begins (Ivy)

Day of Liberation of the Republic of Abkhazia -- Abkhazia (disputed territory on the Black Sea)

Do Something Wacky With A Grandparent Day -- just not the monkey bars, please; old bones don't knit fast enough

Durga Puja -- Hindu (start of the five day celebration of the goddess Durga)

Eleusinian Mysteries -- Ancient Greek Calendar (the Greater Mystery Rites, date approximate; mystery rites of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis, one of the most sacred times of their year)

Independence Day -- Botswana

International Translation Day -- International Federation of Translators

Kokkeisetsu -- Chinatown, Yokohama, Japan (Chinese National Founding Day in the largest Chinatown in Japan; through tomorrow)

Medetrinalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival fruits offer to the goddess of medicine)

Monkey Bars Day -- a day to go see if you can still do tricks on the monkey bars, because the internet wants to kill us and let the machines that would never do anything so silly take over

National Mud Pack Day -- give yourself a facial

National Hot Mulled Cider Day

St. Gregory the Enlightener (or Illuminator; Patron of Armenia)

St. Jerome's Day (Patron of archaeologists, archivists, Biblical scholars, librarians, libraries, school children, students, translators; Saint-Jerome, Quebec)
     also an Apache celebration of Geronimo, the Native American who was named after this saint

World Dairy Expo -- Madison, WI, US ("Designer Dairy" is this year's theme; through Saturday)


Anniversary Today:

Haleakala National Park is established in Maui, Hawaii, 1960


Birthdays Today:

Dominique Moceanu, 1981
Marion Cotillard, 1975
Jenna Elfman, 1971
Crystal Bernard, 1964
Eric Stoltz, 1961
Fran Drescher, 1957
Deborah Allen, 1953
Victoria Tennant, 1953
Marilyn McCoo, 1943
Z.Z. Hill, 1935
Johnny Mathis, 1935
Angie Dickinson, 1931
Elie Wiesel, 1928
W. S. Merwin, 1927
Truman Capote, 1924
Deborah Kerr, 1921
Buddy Rich, 1917
William Wrigley, Jr., 1861
Rumi, 1207


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush(Publication date), 1990
"Murder, She Wrote"(TV), 1984
"Cheers"(TV), 1982
"Love Child"(Single release), 1968
"The Flintstones"(TV), 1960
"Tea and Sympathy"(Play), 1953
"The Red Skelton show"(TV), 1951
"Porgy and Bess"(Opera), 1935
Little Women(Publication date), 1868
"Les pecheurs de perles/The Pearl Fishers"(Bizet opera), 1863
"Die Zauberflote/The Magic Flute"(Mozart opera, K. 620), 1791
The Gutenberg Bible(first section, publication date), 1452


Today in History:

Rambam (Maimonides) authorizes Samuel Ibn Tibbon to translate the Guide of the Perplexed from Arabic into Hebrew, 1199
Anesthetic ether is used for the first time by Dr. William Morton, who extracted a tooth, 1846
German scientist Hermann von Meyer announces the discovery of the first fossil of an archaeopteryx, 1861
The first Portuguese immigrants arrive in Hawai'i, 1878
The world's first commercial hydroelectric power plant begins operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, 1882
Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner, 1901
The first manned rocket plane flight, made by auto maker Fritz von Opel, 1929
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Yemen join the United Nations, 1947
The World Series, featuring the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, is televised for the first time, 1947
The U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus is commissioned as the world's first nuclear reactor powered vessel, 1954
James Dean is killed in a road accident, 1955
Mexican-American labor leader César Chávez founds the United Farm Workers, 1962
James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying segregation, 1962
General Suharto rises to power in Indonesia after an alleged coup by communists, and massacres over a million Indonesian people suspected of belonging to the Communist Party, 1965
BBC Radio 1 is launched and Tony Blackburn presents its first show, 1967
Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation, 1980
The Dalai Lama unveils the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights in Canada's capital city of Ottawa, 1990
The first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat are taken 600 miles south of Tokyo, 2004
The controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, 2005

Ah -- Oh!

Ah, Saturday.  Since i'm not going to the uni football game, a day to relax, putter around the house, and...

What!  What's that?  Four days?  Really, i'm supposed to leave town in 4 days?

Where did the time go?  Don't answer, i know where it goes.  And i'm not ready.  Plus, i have to work the day before i leave, and that's not going to be easy.

Today, i'll have to get some errands done.  MomAndPop Store, which still hasn't opened their new branch so i have to go to the further one, for the seafood i'm bringing, as well as good hot sauces and some local goodies to take as gifts.

BigBoxStore for extra cat litter and paper plates and all the stuff i'll need to leave behind so the house doesn't fall apart while i'm gone.

Of course, it will anyway, i always come home to a mess.  But i can try.

Also, i have to decide what to precook (do i want to have my roux made already? what about stock? frozen, prechopped veggies?) and what to take along.

Bigger Girl is lending me Cicero for the trip, so i know i have plenty of room, since for some reason as i get older i find myself bringing more and more stuff with me when i travel.  This time, i might bring the Vitamix and a few other kitchen tools i didn't have last year.

And coffee.  That's the #1 thing i must remember as far as consumables go, coffee.  After all, even when i'm running away so i don't have to play mommy for a week, mommy just don't go without her "mommy go juice."

This is getting exciting!


Today is:

Aloha Festivals Floral Parade -- Oahu, Hawai'i (part of the larger Aloha Festival celebrations this month and next on all the islands, celebrating native Hawai'ian culture)

Ancestor Appreciation Day -- sponsored by the Ancestor Appreciation Day Association of Ann Arbor, MI, US

Cabrillo Festival -- San Diego, CA, US (reenactment of Cabrillo's landing, a Spanish soldier and sailor encampment, Native Kumeyaay demonstrations, dances, crafts, and food; through tomorrow)

Crush a Can Day -- internet generated, so have fun seeing how many (safe) ways you can crush a can, and how flat you can get it!

Eldon Turkey Festival -- Eldon, MO, US (top producer of turkeys has the top turkey festival in the world)

Everybody's Day Festival -- Thomasville, NC, US (and they do mean there's fun for everybody)

Family Health and Fitness Day USA -- www.fitnessday.com/family/index.htm

Feast of Mashíyyat (Will) -- Baha'i

Fish Amnesty Day (same as National Hunting and Fishing Day)

Fun and Fancy Free Day -- go out and have a great day, in honor of the release on this day in 1947 of the Disney film Fun and Fancy Free

French Community Holiday -- French community of Belgium

Fukuro Matsuri -- Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan (a fun-for-tourists way to learn about Japanese culture, through tomorrow, and next weekend)

Geneva Area Grape Jamboree -- Geneva, OH, US (grapes, wine tasting, entertainment, rides, and food; through tomorrow)

Gettysburg Fall Antique Show -- Gettysburg, PA, US

Hug a Vegetarian Day -- i'm open!

International Rabbit Day -- learn to care for these wonderful pets

(4Sa)Kiwanis Kids' Day -- local clubs sponsor events for kids on the fourth Saturday of September

Love Note Day -- take pen and paper and send that special someone a love note today, the idea of Leona Hamel of QC, Canada

Marion County Country Ham Days -- Marion, KY, US (for those who love ham, and a PIGasus parade, and a Pokey Pig 5k, among other events; through tomorrow)

Meskel -- Ethiopian/Eritrian Orthodox Christian (True Cross Day)

Museum Day -- The Smithsonian has information

National Hunting and Fishing Day -- US

National Milk Chocolate Day

National Public Lands Day -- US (Helping Hands for America's Lands -- a day to volunteer on America's Public Lands)

National Corned Beef Hash Day

R.E.A.D. in America Day -- sponsored by CheeREADing, because Reading helps Everyone Accomplish Dreams

Shut Up and Let Somebody Else Talk Day -- begun by someone with an overly verbose spouse, perhaps?

St. Vincent De Paul's Day (Patron of charitable societies/charitable workers, charities, horses, hospital workers, hospitals, lepers, prisoners, spiritual help, volunteers; Brothers of Charity; Saint Vincent de Paul Societies; Sisters of Charity; Vincentian Service Corps; Madagascar; Richmond, Virginia; for finding lost objects; against leprosy)

Taste of Morgan Hill -- Morgan Hill, CA, US (fine arts, entertainment, and plenty for the kids to do, too; through tomorrow)

Thanksgiving Day for Disappearance of Kelp-Koli Again -- Fairy Calendar

Tri-State Band Festival -- Luverne, MI, US (high school bands from Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa compete in four categories)

*World Tourism Day -- World Tourism Organization


Anniversary Today:

Google is founded, 1998


Birthdays Today:

Avril Lavigne, 1984
Gwyneth Paltrow, 1972
Bello Nock, 1968
Sophia Milos, 1965
Shaun Cassidy, 1958
Mike Schmidt, 1949
Marvin "Meat Loaf" Aday, 1947
Delores Taylor, 1939
Claude Jarman, Jr., 1934
Greg Morris, 1934
Wilford Brimley, 1934
Sada Thompson, 1929
Arthur Penn, 1922
William Conrad, 1920
Jayne Meadows, 1919
Thomas Nast, 1840
Raphael Semmes, 1809
George Muller, 1805
George Cruikshank, 1792
Samuel Adams, 1722


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Tonight Show"(TV), 1954
Strike Up The Band(Film), 1940
"Rip Van Winkle"(Bristow opera), 1855


Today in History:

Severe earthquake in the Gulf of Chili, China; reports of 100,000 killed, 1290
Jesuits founded by Ignatius Loyola, 1540
John Adams negotiates peace terms with Britain, 1779
Constitution submitted to the states for ratification, 1787
Jean-Francois Champollion announces that he has deciphered the Rosetta Stone, 1822
The Stockton and Darlington Railway opens, and begins operation of the world's first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains, 1825
The physics journal Annalen der Physik published Albert Einstein's paper "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?", introducing the equation E=mc²,1905
The first production of a Ford Model T automobile rolls off the line at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan, 1908
First test of a twin engine airplane, in France, 1910
Native American Day is first celebrated, 1916
Democratic National Committee votes to allow female members, 1919
The first Santa Clause Training School opens in Albion, NY, 1937
The Balinese tiger is declared to be an extinct species, 1937
Sierra Leone joins the United Nations, 1961
Richard Stallman announces the GNU project to develop a free Unix-like operating system, 1983
East Timor joins the United Nations, 2002
CNSA astronaut Zhai Zhigang becomes the first Chinese person to perform a spacewalk while flying on Shenzhou 7, 2008
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity discovers direct evidence of a fast-moving stream bed, showing a prior water source on the Red Planet, 2012