"Nooooooo!"
The wailing sound came from the other room, and #2 Son came running into the kitchen almost howling and in tears.
"Mom, mom, mom! Did you hear! No more Twinkies!!!"
Yes, son, i've heard. The Hostess company is almost bankrupt, and the workers are on strike for more pay. So they may have to shut down. It's the classic standoff, where "the worker is worthy of his hire" and yet the company has to be able to make a profit. In this case, most people don't want to pay much for a prefab cupcake or whatever, so they have to keep prices low while the price of their ingredients goes up, and workers' pay goes up. So how do they balance it, and all those people will be out of work...
"Yeah, there's that, too, but No! More! Twinkies! That's the most important thing!"
Son, i think you can live without Twinkies.
"No, I can't! I don't eat them much around here, but I have to have them when we are on vacation in Florida every year! It's a tradition! I always buy a couple of boxes of Twinkies!"
Well, i have good news. There's a recipe for them, so you can learn to make your own.
"Really!"
Yes, really. And by the way, they were named after Twinkle-Toe Shoes. James Dewar saw that the aluminum pans used by Continental Baking Company (parent of Hostess brands) to make shortcakes for strawberry season were idle for most of the year, and came up with the idea to put filling in the shortcakes for the rest of the year. He came up with the name after seeing a billboard while on a business trip.
Originally they were filled with banana creme, but a shortage of bananas during WWII made them change it.
So if you can't live without them, you can find an online recipe here.
The filling recipe included there is by Todd Wilbur, who wrote Top Secret Recipes. He's one of those people who experiment until they can make clones of name brands. His actual cake recipe is less complicated, calling for 4 stiffly beaten egg whites, a 16-oz box of golden pound cake mix, and 2/3 cup water. Beating the eggs until stiff and then adding the other two ingredients and mixing well, you bake at 325° for 30 minutes.
Well, i guess if Hostess goes belly up, we will have a new Florida ritual. Making Twinkies.
Twinkle on, dude.
Today is:
Birth of the Blues Day -- birth anniversary of W.C. Handy, "Father of the Blues"
Button Day -- internet generated; a day to collect, or reminisce about collecting, buttons
Children in Need Day -- UK and Ireland (telethon begins)
Christchurch Show Day -- Canterbury, NZ
Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival -- Yuma, AZ, US (through Sunday)
Dagur Islenskrar tungu -- Iceland (Icelandic Language Day)
Day of Declaration of Sovereignty / Day of National Rebirth -- Estonia
Famous San Diego Chicken Day -- a day to celebrate anyone who has ever slugged a purple dinosaur
Flag Day/Statia and America Day -- St. Eustatius
Grand Illumination Celebration and Gingerbread House Competition & Display -- Lahaska, PA, US (the holiday fun begins at the Peddler's Village)
Greater Pittsburgh Arts and Crafts Show -- Monroeville, PA, US (through Sunday)
Have a Party with Your Bear Day -- no comment, it's too obvious
Hecate Night -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate; celebrated still by some Wiccans)
Holiday Folk Fair International -- Milwaukee, WI, US (featuring costumes, dancing, entertainment, exhibits, and more from 65 cultures; through Sunday)
Inasa Puppet Festival -- Hamamatsu, Japan (a rarity in Japan, 3 days of performances by professional puppeteers from around Japan)
International Day for Tolerance - UN
National Farm-City Week -- US (through the 22nd)
National Fast Food Day -- why?
Silver Bells in the City -- Lansing, MI, US (the capital city sparkles as the business district lights up for the holidays)
St. Gertrude the Great's Day (Patron of nuns; Naples, Italy; West Indies)
St. Margaret of Scotland's Day (Patron of learning, parents of large families, queens, widows; Scotland; against the death of children)
St. Matthew the Evangelist's Day (Eastern Churches)
Substitute Educators Day -- US
Anniversaries Today:
Oklahoma becomes the 46th US State, 1907
Birthdays Today:
Oksana Baiul, 1977
Lisa Bonet, 1967
Dwight Gooden, 1964
Shigeru Miyamoto, 1952
Daws Butler, 1916
Burgess Meredith, 1908
W.C. Handy, 1873
Tiberius, Roman Emperor, BC42
Today in History:
The second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published, 534
Francisco Pizarro captures the Inca emperor Atahualpa after the victory at Cajamarca, 1532
The first colonial prison is organized, in Nantucket, Massachusetts, 1676
Kentucky becomes the first state to nullify an act of Congress, 1798
The New York Evening Post publishes its first edition, 1801
An earthquake in Missouri causes the Mississippi River to flow backwards, 1811
Missouri trader William Becknell arrives in Santa Fe, New Mexico over a route that became known as the Santa Fe Trail, 1821
Napoleon Guerin of NYC patents a cork life preserver, 1841
Fyodor Dostoevsky is sentenced to death for anti-government activities; sentence is commuted to hard labor, 1849
Amsterdam post office at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal opens, 1856
William Bonwill patents dental mallet to impact gold into cavities, 1875
6,000 Armenians massacred by Turks in Kurdistan, 1894
Arturo Tuscanini begins conducting NY's Metropolitan Opera, 1908
US Federal Reserve System formally opens, 1914
LSD is first synthesized by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland, 1938
UNESCO is founded, 1945
NASA launches Skylab 4 with a crew of three astronauts from Cape Canaveral, Florida for an 84-day mission, 1973
The Hoxne Hoard is discovered by metal detectorist Eric Lawes in Hoxne, Suffolk, 1992
After nearly 18 years of incarceration, the People's Republic of China releases Wei Jingsheng, a pro-democracy dissident, from jail for medical reasons, 1997
"Oh, mom, it was so funny!" Little Girl was laughing almost too hard to speak.
Okay, don't start it and not tell me. What happened.
"Matthew was trying to get out of doing his school work, as usual, asked Mrs. L if he could go get some water. She told him, 'No, Matthew. Now go back to your habitat.'"
Thar Mrs. L has a great, and very dry, sense of humor. She can deliver a line like that.
Speaking of school work, we are learning about the construction of the Vatican and its artwork and history and all that for #2 Son's history project. We are studying alchemy and how it became the basis of modern chemistry for Little Girl's history project.
And when mommy is finished relearning all this stuff while spell checking their papers again and helping them print out the displays and getting it all turned in, she is going to do nothing more challenging than perusing the Reader's Digest for a while.
Sometimes it's fun to be back in school with the kids, but it can be a mental workout. Like when Bigger Girl asks me to read over her essays before she turns them in. One is on the dehumanizing effect of slavery on both the slave and the slave holder. The other is on Andrew Jackson, and her opinions on his presidency. It gets deep, very deep. She is not a surface analysis type of person.
My one question is what do i get for going through school again?
Today is:
American Enterprise Day -- US (a project of Future Business Leaders of America, Phi Beta Lambda Chapter)
America Recycles Day -- US
Beaujolais Nouveau Release -- France
Changeling Restitution Day -- Fairy Calendar (Goblins)
Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium -- German-speaking Community of Belgium
Don't Try To Do Everything At Once Day -- internet generated, and a blow to us multitaskers
Ennead Feast in the House of Ra, Horus, and Osiris -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Fast for an Abundant World Harvest -- sponsored by Oxfam America
George Spelvin Day -- date of first use, in 1886, of this name for an actor playing two roles in one play; George and Georgette Spelvin have since acted in over 10,000 roles on Broadway
Great American Smokeout -- save money and your life, try not to smoke today
Guinness World Records' Day -- celebrating ordinary people who do extraordinary things, go try for a record!
Hijra/Islamic New Year (began at moonrise yesterday, continues until sunset today)
I Love to Write Day -- encouraging everyone to write something; perfect, in the middle of NaNoWriMo
King's Feast / Dynasty Day -- Belgium
National Bundt Pan Day -- yes, really, celebrating the pan itself
National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
National Peace Day -- Cote d'Ivoire
National Philanthropy Day
National Raisin Bran Cereal Day
National Spicy Hermit Christmas Cookie Day
Nativity Fast begins a/k/a Winter Lent (through Dec 24) -- Orthodox Christian
Republic Day -- Turkish Republic of North Cyprus
Republic Proclamation Day -- Brazil
Shichi-Go-San (Shrine Visiting Day)/Seven-Five-Three Festival -- Japan (picturesque festival in which 3-year-old children of either sex, five-year-old boys, and seven-year-old girls go to shrines dressed in their best; guardian spirits are thanked for the health of the children and prayers said for their future to be equally bright)
Sing in Your Car Day -- they need a day for this?
St. Albertus Magnus' Day (Patron of medical technicians, natural sciences, philosophers, schoolchildren, scientists, students, theology students; Cincinnati, Ohio)
St. Leopold's Day (King Leopold III, Patron of dying children, large families, step-parents; Austria)
Leopoldstag/Goose Day -- Austria (the start of the heurigen, the new wine season)
Use Less Stuff Day -- a great idea!
Birthdays Today:
Kevin Eubanks, 1957
Sam Waterston, 1940
Petula Clark, 1932
Ed Asner, 1929
Bill "C.W. McCall" Fries, 1928
Joseph Wapner, 1919
Georgia O'Keeffe, 1887
F. William Herschel, 1738
William Pitt the Elder, 1708
Today in History:
Christopher Columbus notes the first recorded reference to tobacco, 1492
The NY General Assembly permits Jews to omit the phrase "Upon the faith of a Christian" from adjuration oaths, 1727
Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon begin surveying the Mason-Dixon Line between Pennsylvania and Maryland, 1763
The Articles of Confederation are adopted by the Continental Congress, 1777
Georgetown University, the first Catholic college in the US, opens, 1791
Zebulon Pike gets his first sight of Pike's Peak, Colorado, 1806
Isaac Pitman introduces his steno/shorthand system of writing, 1832
Union Major General Sherman burns Atlanta, Georgia, 1864
King C. Gillette patents the Gillette razor blade, 1904
The first telecast of an unscheduled event, a fire, takes place on W2XBT, in NY, 1938
In Columbus, Ohio, Dave Thomas opens the first Wendy's restaurant, 1969
Intel releases world's first commercial single-chip microprocessor, 1971
René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois take power to become the first Quebec government of the 20th century clearly in favour of independence, 1976
The Anglo-Irish Agreement is signed at Hillsborough Castle by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, 1985
An independent State of Palestine is proclaimed by the Palestinian National Council, 1988
The first Fairtrade label, Max Havelaar, is launched in the Netherlands, 1988
Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh, killing an estimated 5000 people and destroyed the world's largest mangrove forest, Sundarbans, 2007
Yes, i believe we did. During what i have heard called "the recent unpleasantness between the States."
Of course, i am speaking of the recent petition by people in the state of Texas asking to secede from the Union.
The last time i checked, we went through this a bit more than a century back, and it was determined after a great deal of bloodshed and suffering that it cannot be done.
Yet Texas, and about 20 other states, have citizens who are asking. Texas is the only one to get enough signatures on their petition to warrant a White House response.
People, i know you may be disappointed that the person you voted for did not win, but this is a bit extreme. Like my friends who believe that economic collapse is inevitable and are planning their escape to either Canada or New Zealand, depending. No, they won't tell me what it is dependent upon.
Probably dependent upon which one will have them, and my guess would be neither. These people may be well educated and rather well off, but they are also slightly cracked.
And in other news, Bigger Girl has informed that that although Girlie Cat has the manners and decorum of a grand Victorian lady, she is actually a communist in her politics.
Coming from a cat, which believes everything in the house is hers simply because she is a cat, this does not surprise me.
Today is:
Children's Day -- India
Day of the Colombian Woman -- Colombia
Equorum Probatio -- Ancient Roman Empire (official cavalry parade of the equites)
International Girls Day -- confidencecoalition.org
Islamic New Year Begins -- at the viewing of the new moon crescent, so exact time/date varies by location
Leftover Trading Day -- internet generated; trade your leftovers for the much more interesting ones in your neighbor's fridge
Loosen up, Lighten Up Day -- to remind us of the benefits of joy and laughter
National Educational Support Professionals Day -- US
National Guacamole Day
National Pickle Day/Pickle Appreciation Day
Operating Room Nurse Day -- US, but feel free to celebrate those dedicated nurses around the world
Readjustment Movement's Day -- Guinea-Bissau
Spirit of NSA Day -- members of the National Speakers Association are encouraged to focus on giving back and mentoring
St. Dubricus' Day (the saint who crowned King Arthur)
St. Lawrence O'Toole's Day (Patron of the Archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland)
Works Getting Into Championships -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)
World Diabetes Day -- UN
Anniversaries Today:
Princess Anne of the UK marries Captain Mark Phillips, 1973
Birthdays Today:
Condoleezza Rice, 1954
Yanni, 1954
Prince Charles, 1948
King Hussein of Jordan, 1935
McLean Stevenson, 1929
Brian Keith, 1921
Veronica Lake, 1919
Barbara Hutton, 1912
Rosemary DeCamp, 1910
Joseph McCarthy, 1909
Dick Powell, 1904
Aaron Copland, 1900
Jawaharlal Nehru, 1889
Claude Monet, 1840
Robert Fulton, 1765
Today in History:
Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca empire, 1533
Samuel Pepys reports on the first blood transfusion (between dogs), 1666
Loius Timothee is hired in Philadelphia to be the first professional librarian in the US, 1732
Captain George Vancouver is the first Englishman to enter San Francisco Bay, 1792
John Mason debuts the first horse-drawn streetcar in NYC, with a route between Prince and 14th on 4th Ave., 1832
Herman Melville publishes "Moby Dick", 1851
The St. Andrews Golf Club, in Yonkers, NY, opens with 6 holes, 1888
New York World reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) began her attempt to surpass fictitious journey of Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg by traveling around world in less than 80 days; She succeeded, finishing the trip in January in 72 days and 6 hours, 1889
Albert Einstein presents his quantum theory of light, 1908
The first airplane flight from the deck of a ship takes place in Norfolk, Virginia, 1910
The BBC begins radio service in the United Kingdom, 1922
The first regular UK singles chart published by the New Musical Express, 1952
NASA launches Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of the Moon, 1969
After German reunification, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland sign a treaty confirming the Oder-Neisse line as the border between Germany and Poland, 1990
The last direct-current electrical distribution system in the United States is shut down in New York City by Con Edison, 2007
Sorting laundry and ironing are two of my least favorite "pastimes."
In fact, i joke that i am allergic to ironing, and i do indeed loathe having to sort laundry for the kids so they can fold and put away their own.
Sorting the socks is a pain, particularly. The girl's socks are so much alike that i usually give up in frustration and make them do it. Jeans are bad enough, and t-shirts, because they wear different sizes and have such different taste aren't so bad, but they both wear the same style of socks.
Sweetie's and #2 Son's are no better, as i have to match them into pairs by how worn they are or are not.
Still, it's not bad enough to need an app for that, although there is one.
Yes, really. The Swiss company Blacksocks offers an iPhone app that uses RFID technology chips to automatically sort the socks.
Thank you, i don't have a smart phone, and i won't be needing an app for that. If they get upset enough about how i sort their socks they can do it themselves.
In other news, Little Girl's finger is not swelling or showing signs of getting a raging infection as i did this past summer, and we are grateful.
Today is:
Deepawali/Deepavali/Diwali/Divali -- Hindu; Jain; Sikh (local dating customs of this Lunar New Year/Festival of Lights can vary)
Ides of November -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also
Epulum Iovis -- Festival of Feronia, Juno, Minerva, and Jupiter
Fortuna Primigenia -- Fortune of the Firstborn
Kindness Day UK
National Indian Pudding Day
National Reread Old Letters and Magazines Day -- internet generated sentimentality
Runic Half Month Nyd begins (necessity)
Shalako Festival -- Hopi and Zuni Native Americans (dates of main festivals vary by area)
Solar Eclipse -- a total solar eclipse will be visible in Australia, New Zealand, the southern Pacific, and southern South America
St. Brice of Tours' Day (Patron against stomach diseases)
St. Homobonus' Day (Patron of business people, cloth workers/garment workers/tailors, cobblers/shoemakers, merchants)
St. Stanislaus Kostka's Day (Patron of aspirants to the Oblates of Saint Joseph, last sacraments; against broken bones)
Tooth Collection Days begin -- Fairy Calendar
World Kindness Day -- promoting a more compassionate world
Birthdays Today:
Monique Coleman, 1980
Jimmy Kimmel, 1967
Whoopi Goldberg, 1955
Chris Noth, 1954
Jean Seberg, 1938
Oskar Werner, 1922
Nathaniel Benchley, 1915
Louis Brandeis, 1856
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850
Today in History:
English king Æthelred II orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St. Brice's Day massacre, 1002
Lady Jane Grey and Bishop Cranmer are accused of high treason, 1553
Patriot revolutionary forces under Col. Ethan Allen attack Montreal, Quebec, defended by British General Guy Carleton, 1775
Benjamin Franklin says, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” 1789
The first US anti-slavery party, the Liberty Party, convenes in New York, 1839
James Braid first sees a demonstration of animal magnetism, which leads him to study the subject and come up with what he later calls hypnosis, 1841
The Denny Party arrives at Alki Point, becoming the first settlers of what would become Seattle, Washington, 1851
The first shipment of canned pineapple leaves Hawai'i, 1895
French cyclist Paul Corny flies the first helicopter, 1907
Russia completes development of the AK-47, one of the first proper assault rifles, 1947
A 150-mph tropical cyclone hits the densely populated Ganges Delta region of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), killing an estimated 500,000 people in one night. This is regarded as the 20th century's worst natural disaster, 1970
Xavier Suarez is sworn in as Miami, Florida's first Cuban-born mayor, 1985
The High Court of Australia rules in Dietrich v The Queen that although there is no absolute right to have publicly funded counsel, in most circumstances a judge should grant any request for an adjournment or stay when an accused is unrepresented, 1992
In a referendum voters in Sweden decide to join the European Union, 1994
"Mom, this kitten stinks!" Little Girl was holding the offending little guy with one hand and her nose with the other.
Well, i'm not sure why. After all, he only plays in the litter box, i noted drily.
"Well, we're going to give him a bath," she said.
Be careful, i told her.
By we, she meant she and Bigger Girl. About ten minutes later, the howls that emerged from upstairs let me know that someone hadn't been quite careful enough.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Little Girl came yelling into the kitchen, blood dripping from her left hand. Yes, she, like all 4 of my kids and my Sweetie, is a Southpaw.
"Well, he doesn't like the blow dryer," she said. "Look! He bit all the way through the nail!"
In fact, part of the nail had come off, and there was swelling under the nail that was left.
Okay, i told her, time to go to the mini ER across the highway.
"Do we have to?" she asked.
Remember me in the hospital? You don't want to end up with an infection. Pasteurella is no fun.
So i dug out her insurance card and off we went. Through the familiar doors and into the waiting area, i smiled at the receptionist and told her it was good to see her again.
"Another emergency?" she asked as she made copies of the insurance card and my ID.
Maybe we should pay rent, i noted, as she laughed and handed me the paperwork.
The doctor agreed that we had done the right thing coming in. "I have a feral cat at my house," he said. "It's crazy, like all cats. That's why people and cats get along so well, we are all crazy."
He was very talkative, and told of a neighbor cat that doesn't like the feral he feeds. "The neighbor's cat bit my leg once because he smelled the feral cat on me. Even I went on the antibiotic as a precaution. Oh, and I'm just going to send it as an e-script so they will have it when you get there."
Discharge instructions were the usual, soak in Epsom salts a few times a day, keep it well swathed in antibiotic cream and take the meds as directed.
For once the pharmacy wasn't too busy. They had just gotten the e-script and it was filled in under 10 minutes. She was quite appalled when she saw the size of the pills she is going to have to swallow. "Those things are huge! I'll choke!" she sputtered.
No, you won't, i told her, you swallow pieces of food bigger than that.
"But these are pills!" she argued. We managed to get one into her anyway, with me coaching her through not leaning her head back in an unnatural position to swallow. That's where people go wrong and choke on pills, you have to swallow just as if it's another bit of food going down.
Back at home, i showed her where the Epsom is, how to mix it, and she put the antibiotic salve and bandage on it herself. "School is not going to be fun, trying to write with my index finger hurting," she noted, and i sympathize.
Little Girl even got to go to the Youth Group meeting at church as usual, that's how quickly it was all over. Now we just have to pray the antibiotic does its job.
Today is:
A&W Rootbeer Mug Day -- see if you can frost your mug like they did
Birth of Baha'u'llah -- Baha'i
Birth of Sun Yat-Sen, Doctors Day, and Cultural Renaissance Day -- Taiwan
Chicken Soup for the Soul Day -- "Changing the world, one story at a time."
Constitution Day -- Azerbaijan
Dia del Cartero -- Mexico (Postman's Day; postal carriers are shown appreciation with small gifts left in mailboxes)
Heir to the Throne Day -- Tuvalu (Prince of Wales' Birthday celebration)
Journee Nationale Maore -- Comoros (Admission to the UN Day)
Khalkeia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of smiths, associated with Hephaestus and Athena; date approximate)
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week -- US (remembering those who have little or nothing during the upcoming holiday celebrations, and making time to share our bounty with them)
National Young Readers' Week -- sponsored by the BookIt! Program
National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day
National Youth Day -- East Timor
St. Emillian's Day (Patron of Spain, finding lost objects)
St. Josaphat's Day (Patron of Edmonton, Alberta; Toronto, Ontario; Ukraine)
Tewa Buffalo Dance -- Native American Tewa of the Tesuque Pueblo rites on the feast day of their Patron, San Diego, to honor Mother Earth, Father Sky, the four directions, and the elements; through the 15th
Triple Crown of Surfing -- Oahu, HI, US (3 separate events, through Dec. 20)
Veterans Day -- US (obs.)
Anniversaries Today:
The Arches National Park established, 1971
Birthdays Today:
Sammy Sosa, 1968
Michael Moorer, 1967
David Schwimmer, 1966
Nadia Comaneci, 1961
Neil Young, 1945
Al Michaels, 1944
Wallace Shawn, 1943
Grace Kelly, 1929
Jo Stafford, 1918
Sun Yat-sen, 1866
Auguste Rodin, 1840
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1815
Today in History:
Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days starting today, 764
Plymouth, England, becomes the first town incorporated by the English Parliament, 1439
Sir James Young Simpson, a British physician, is the first to use chloroform as an anaesthetic, 1847
Jules Leotard performs 1st Flying Trapeze circus act (Paris); he also designed garment that bears his name, 1859
World's Fair in Paris opens, 1900
The first movie stunt: man jumps into Hudson river from a burning balloon, 1910
Norway holds a referendum in favor of monarchy over republic, 1905
Robert Scott's diary and body are found in Antarctica, 1912
Austria becomes a republic, 1918
The first underwater tunnel, the Holland Tunnel connecting NY to NJ opens, 1927
The first photo of whatever is in Loch Ness is taken, 1933
Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia join the United Nations, 1956
Equatorial Guinea joins the United Nations, 1968
The Comoros joins the United Nations, 1975
The NASA space probe Voyager I makes its closest approach to Saturn and takes the first images of its rings, 1980
The Space Shuttle Columbia becomes the first time a manned spacecraft launched into space twice, 1981
Crown Prince Akihito is formally installed as Emperor Akihito of Japan, becoming the 125th Japanese monarch, 1990
Tim Berners-Lee publishes a formal proposal for the World Wide Web, 1990
Shanghai Transrapid sets up a new world speed record (501 kilometres per hour (311 mph)) for commercial railway systems, 2003
The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database is launched on the web and revolutionizes chemical-gene-disease information for research scientists, 2004
The best part of homecoming?
The parade is great. Watching the kids catch beads and trinkets and candy -- yes, they throw stuff from the floats around here, i understand that's illegal in some places, but here, you better be generous with the throws -- is fun.
The bagpipes are fun. In fact, i walk along the route a good bit of the way just to hear them play.
The game was fun because the home team won -- thanks for the good wishes, Stephen, it worked.
The best part, though, was that this year homecoming coincided with the Veterans Day celebrations. As is usual, all veterans and active military were asked to stand and be acknowledged, and the halftime show was centered around a patriotic theme.
Today is Veterans Day, although the actual day off work will be tomorrow. So today, my alarm on my phone is set for two minuted before 11am to remind me.
At 11am today, i will observe the moment of silence in honor of all who have fought in battles so that i can have the freedom to publish this blog, among other things that i'm allowed to do without worry that someone will restrict me.
If you think about it, stop at 11am and imagine what your life would be like without the freedoms we take for granted.
Spend a moment being grateful.
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)
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; Poland
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 Beard and Moustache Championships -- Las Vegas, NV, US (
National Sundae Day
New Year -- Jain
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)
Remembrance Sunday -- England
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)
Snakes and Ladders Tournament -- Mirano, Italy (a real life size snakes and ladders game dating back to the Medici period)
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. Menas of Egypt's Day (Patron of falsely accused people, peddlers, traveling merchants)
Tihar Festival -- Nepal (five day Hindu festival of light, called Deepawali and celebrated in a few days in other regions)
Anniversaries Today:
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
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, 1821
Abigail Smith Adams,1744
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
...about Homecoming weekend?
Everything. The kids are at the hotel, eating pizza and junk food and pestering football players for autographs and visiting the gym and eating huge breakfasts.
There is a parade, and decorations, and it's just plain fun.
What's not so fun this year is that Badlands Blackie, our resident bully/coward cat, has just been diagnosed as diabetic. Plus we have kittens that have to be fed around the clock. So mom is more at home than at the hotel, playing vet tech and bottle feeder.
It's okay, as i will go up there for the parade, then back home to feed everyone again, and Blackie, coward that he is, has not even noticed that twice a day while he is eating i stick that tiny needle in him.
Now if the home team can just win this one, it will be the (almost) perfect weekend.
Today is:
Area Code Day -- US (began 61 years ago today)
Day of Russian Militsiya -- Russia
Dia de la Tradicion -- Argentina (birth anniversary of Jose Hernandez)
Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Beacon Lighting -- Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors, MN, US (memorial for the Edmund Fitzgerald and all who have lost their lives in Great Lakes shipwrecks)
First Cry of Independence Day -- Panama (an official flag day)
Forget-Me-Not Day -- informal day to spend a bit of time with relatives you don't see often
Goddess of Reason's Day (Revolutionary France)
Hari Pahlawan -- Indonesia (Heroes' Day/Warrior's Day)
Lord Mayor's Day -- London, England (obs.)
Los Santos Uprising Day -- Panama
Martini -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (beginning of winter festival that starts on Martinmas Eve)
National Toothpaste Appreciation Day -- not official, but i'm sure the dentifrice industry loves this one
National Vanilla Cupcake Day
Sleep Dangerously Night -- internet generated, a night to switch sides of the bed with your spouse and see who falls out of bed first
St. Andrew Avellino's Day (Patron of apoplexics, for a holy death, stroke victims; Badlato, Naples, and Sicily, Italy; stroke victims; for a holy death; against apoplexy, strokes, and sudden death)
St. Martin's Eve -- Germany; Portugal (Martimas Eve)
USMC Day -- US (includes the Marine Corps Birthday Ball)
Wish-Spoiling Sports Day -- Fairy Calendar (Imps, Gremlins, and grumpy Goblins)
Anniversaries Today:
Debut of Sesame Street, 1969
Debut of Microsoft Windows, 1983
Birthdays Today:
Ellen Pompeo, 1969
MacKenzie Phillips, 1959
Donna Fargo, 1949
Tim Rice, 1944
Russel Means, 1939
Roy Scheider, 1932
Richard Burton, 1925
Jane Froman, 1907
Claude Rains, 1889
Martin Luther, 1483
Today in History:
Rene Descartes has the dreams that inspire his Meditations on First Philosophy, 1619
The Dutch formally cede New Netherlands to the English; it is renamed New York, 1674
France ends forced worship of God, substitute the Goddess of Reason, 1793
The US state of Kentucky outlaws dueling, 1801
Stanley presumes that he has met Livingston in Ujiji, Central Africa, 1871
The first Woman's Christian Temperance Union meeting is held in Boston, 1891
The first Gideon Bible is put in a hotel room, 1908
Hirohito ascends the throne as Emperor of Japan, 1928
The Hope Diamond is donated to the Smithsonian Institution by New York diamond merchant Harry Winston, 1958
The 729-foot-long freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks during a storm on Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew on board, 1975
A 106-car Canadian Pacific freight train carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals from Windsor, Ontario, Canada derails in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada just west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, causing a massive explosion and the largest peacetime evacuation in Canadian history and one of the largest in North American history, 1979
The communist regime of Bulgaria falls, 1989
The "Codex Leicester", the only Leonardo da Vinci manuscript owned in the United States and the only one in the world still in private hands, was sold at auction to Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, who paid $30.8 million, 1994
