"Mom, I went and registered to vote today. For party, I put independent." Bigger Girl came in from errands.
That's okay, i put costume. Not really, but i wanted to.
"Oh, and I applied online to be part of the Sea Shepherds, you know, those people who try to stop Japanese whaling and shark finning and turtle killing? But they asked if I've been convicted of a felony in the last 10 years, so they have to count me out."
Very funny.
"Well, anyway, I'm fixing a gift basket for my brother to take with him when he leaves. It will have stuff he will need to survive outside of Louisiana, like Tabasco sauce and Tony's seasoning and spicy potato chips. And real coffee. Also, i'm leaving him a note telling him not to follow any yellow brick roads."
Good advice.
"I agree," he said, walking in at that point. "And thanks for the gift basket."
"You're welcome. We'll have to ship more when you run out. You can't live up there without this stuff."
At least my kids know what is important in life. Lots of spice, and decent coffee.
Today is:
Baba Au Rhum Day -- of course, on rum day, bake some cake with the stuff!
Bratwurst Day
Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival -- Bucyrus, OH, US (through the 18th; food and fun celebration of German heritage)
Children's Day -- Paraguay
Daimonji Bonfire -- Mt. Nyoigadake, Kyoto, Japan (spectacular bonfires in the shapes of word pictures on the mountains surrounding the city)
Elvis Presley Day -- can you believe he's been gone 35 years?
Festival of the Minstrels -- Tutbury Castle, UK (middle ages; celebrated with great pomp, as the Duke of Lancaster had decreed that they each year elect a new king of the minstrels)
Fete de l'Independance -- Gabon (National Day)
Harmonic Convergence Day -- modern followers of Maya and Aztec calendars
Joe Miller's Joke Day -- anniversary of the death of English comic actor Joseph Miller in 1738
Kentucky State Fair and World Championship Horse Show -- Louisville, KY, US (if you love horses, it's the place to be since 1904; through the 26th)
Little League 2012 World Series -- South Williamsport, PA, US (through the 26th)
Madonna del Voto Day -- Siena, Italy (a/k/a Palio dell'Assunta, 2nd of the traditional yearly horse races)
Milwaukee Irish Fest -- Milwaukee, WI, US (through sunday; the world's largest Irish music and cultural event outside of the Emerald Isle)
National Airborne Day -- US (honors all Airborne Military)
National Tell a Joke Day -- seems internet generated, probably because of Joe Miller
National Rum Day
Remember What Your Spouse Wore the First Time You Met Day -- internet generated and dangerous!
Restoration of the Republic -- Dominican Republic
Roller Coaster Day -- the first one was patented this day in 1898
Soldiers' Reunion Celebration -- Newton, NC, US (the oldest patriotic event of its kind in the US, honoring all veterans; annually since 1889)
Sour Herring Premiere -- Sweden (by ordinance, the year's supply of sour herring may begin to be sold on the third Thursday in August)
Stay Home With Your Kids Day -- begun by someone who decided, since we have a take them to work day, we should also have a day to just hang around the house with them
St. Roch's Day (Patron of bachelors, dogs, falsely accused people, invalids, surgeons, tile makers; of over 20 cities in Italy as well as Istanbul, Turkey; for relief from pestilence; against cholera, diseased cattle, epidemics, knee problems, plague [Black Death], skin diseases and rashes)
St. Stephen of Hungary's Day (Patron of bricklayers, kings, masons, stonecutters; Hungary; against the death of children)
Xicolatada -- Palau-de-Cerdagne, France (hot chocolate festival)*
Birthdays Today:
Timothy Hutton, 1960
Angela Bassett, 1958
Madonna, 1958
James Cameron, 1954
Kathie Lee Gifford, 1953
Leslie Ann Warren, 1946
Eydie Gorme, 1932
Frank Gifford, 1930
Ann Blyth, 1928
Fess Parker, 1925
Menachem Begin, 1913
George Meany, 1894
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia), 1888
Hongxi Emperor of China, 1378
Today in History:
Henry VIII defeats the French at the Battle of Guinegate/Battle of the Spurs, forcing the French to retreat, 1513
Jack Broughton formulates the earliest code of rules for boxing, 1743
Chang and Eng Bunker, the original "Siamese" twins, arrive in Boston to be exhibited, 1829
U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, 1858
Arica, Peru (now Chile) is devastated by a tsunami which followed a magnitude 8.5 earthquake, 1868
Gold is discovered in the Klondike, at Bonanza Creek, 1896
Edwin Prescott patents the roller coaster, 1898
In Valparaiso, Chile, an 8.6 earthquake followed by fire destroys the city and kills 20,000, 1906
The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks, 1930
Democrats nominate Adlai E. Stevenson as presidential candidate, 1956
Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that still stand today: High-altitude jump, free-fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft, 1960
A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto's stock market, 1989
*Yes, they celebrate a hot chocolate festival in the summer. It all started when the 15th of August was a feast day on which the locals always drank a bit much, and the chocolatier of the town claimed his brew was a good remedy the day after. The original festival on the 15th has ceased, but the hot chocolate is brewed to this day, served at 11am promptly.
When Grandpa, Dr. Born Organized Clean (my opposite, i have to fight to stay clean and organized even to the degree i do), heard that Bigger Girl was going to need a car because #1 Son was moving and taking that one, he came down with a command decision. He dipped into the trust fund he set up for the kids, talked to a neighbor who said he could get a deal on a good used something or other, and in his usual, hyperorganized fashion, had everything well in hand.
So yesterday, she and i set out to pick up the 2006 Ford Escape that only has 55,560 miles on it and was so obviously well maintained it is amazing.
Everything went smoothly on Grandpa's side; of course, the same could not be said for us. Sweetie had agreed to leave us his car to head over to the next town, since it gets so much better gas mileage. Of course he forgot, and we couldn't leave without a trip out to his workplace to trade vehicles.
The transaction itself went smoothly enough once they realized the vehicle would be in my name, to keep the insurance costs down. Yes, i had previously made special trips to get proof of insurance, make sure the trust check got deposited, etc. They sold it to us with a very good 3 year nose to tail warranty, which i'm sure we will not regret. We can take it to any Ford dealer anywhere to get stuff done.
Grandpa is a magician, they had even just changed the oil and put on new tires! And they gave it to us for wholesale (yes, i looked it up, they really did). Never before in my life have i bought a used car that i didn't have to change the oil right away and buy new tires within two months.
Is there anything at all wrong with the car? i can hear the skeptic ask, as it is, after all, used. Well, the sunglasses holder in the roof, the kind where you push on it and it pops open, doesn't just pop open. It falls, as part of what attaches it up there is broken. Big whoop, it goes right back up there again, and Bigger Girl doesn't wear glasses.
Everything else works.
After we got done, she and i were both hungry, so we decided to go to a place i knew and get a quick bite before caravanning back home. The next time i agree to do that, someone shoot me first. The town has changed, not enough that i don't know where i am going, but enough that it is even more frustrating to drive there than here at home. At home, there are traffic lights every two feet which make you crazy but you can get out of major shopping centers and make u-turns occasionally. There they have it set up where you have to go blocks out of your way to get back around to the other side of the boulevard, and no lights where they seem needed, and no way to turn around half the time. Ours is bad enough, theirs is worse,
Or maybe i was just very hungry and got grumpy, i'll have to think about it.
Either way, the upshot is that now everyone in the house has had a turn taking the new wheels for a spin, and she will be able to get to classes and work without having to share with me or her father.
Next up, #2 Son. He gets his learning permit as soon as i can dedicate 5 hours to getting him over there and tested. Then it's 6 months of practice, and i will be back to sharing, which i don't mind.
Step by step, they are growing up.
Today is:
Armed Forces Day -- Poland
Artists in the Park -- Cate Park, Wolfeboro, NH, US (rain or shine, the 33rd annual juried exhibit and sale, along with demonstrations and family entertainment)
Asuncion Foundation Day -- Paraguay
Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary -- Catholic Christian Holy Day of Obligation
Related Observances
Coeur d'Alene Indian Pilgrimage -- Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park, Cataldo, ID, US
Dormition of the Theotokos -- Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Christian
Ferragosto -- Italy (During the Roman Empire, a festival to Diana and a fertility and ripening celebration)
Mother's Day -- Antwerp; Costa Rica
National Acadians Day -- Acadians
Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands -- Tenrife, Spain
Irmandade da Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte Fiesta -- Bahia, Brazil (Festival of the Order of Our Lady of the Good Death)
Festival of the Outremeuse -- Liege, Belgium
Public Holiday or Publicly Observed -- Andorra; Austria; Belgium; Benin; Bosnia; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chile; Colombia; Côte d'Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; East Timor; France; French Guiana; French Polynesia; Gabon; Gambia; Germany; Greece; Guadelupe; Guatemala; Guinea; Holy See; Hungary; Italy; Lebanon; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia; Madagascar; Malta; Martinique; Mauritius; Mayotte; Monaco; New Caledonia; Paraguay; Poland; Portugal; Reunion; Romania; Rwanda; Saint Barthelemy; Saint Martin; Saint Pierre et Miquelon; San Marino; Senegal; Seychelles; Slovenia; Spain; Switzerland; Togo; Vanuatu; Wallis and Fortuna
Best Friend's Day -- sponsored by Thema Martin
Bon/Obon Festival -- Japan (biggest day of the festival in most parts of Japan)
Chauvin Day -- observed on Napoleon's birthday because his is unknown, the day is named for Nicholas Chauvin, whose blind devotion to Napoleon was immortalized in his name's use for absurdly intense attachments to any cause
Constitution Day -- Equatorial Guinea
Eleusinian Mysteries -- Ancient Greek Calendar (through the 18th, dates approximate)
Festival of Vesta -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of the hearth)
Fete Nationale -- Republic of the Congo (National Day/Independence Day)
Fool's Dance -- Japan (part of the Awa Dance Festival)
Independence Day -- India
Liberation Day -- both Koreas
Gwangbokjeol -- South Korea
Jogukhaebangui nal -- North Korea
Maras Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (celebration of the goddess Mara, cognate of Mary)
National Day -- Lichtenstein (a/k/a Liberation Day [1945])
National Failures Day -- some websites say the 16th, and may i suggest a book called "Fail Better", a small quotations book about how failure is just the beginning.
National Lemon Meringue Pie Day
National Mourning Day -- Bangladesh
National Relaxation Day -- sponsored by Sean Moeller of Clio, Michigan; if you call in sick to stay home and relax, blame him
Panama La Vieja Day -- Panama (Founding of Panama City)
Shoro Nagashi Nagasaki -- Nagasaki, Japan (floating lanterns are released into the harbor in honor of the ancestors)
Sproshinki -- Slavic Pagan Calendar (end of the hay harvest festival)
St. Tarcisius' Day (Patron of altar servers, first communicants)
Tuva Republic Day -- Tos-Bulak fields south of Kyzuk, Tuva, Russia (celebration of the Tuva Republic, a Naadam festival of Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, and archery; held by the Tuva people, the closest genetic relatives to the North and South American Native Peoples)
Wafaa El-Nil -- Egypt and Coptic Church ("Fidelity of the Nile", celebration of the annual of Flooding of the Nile)
Anniversaries Today:
Transcontinental US railway is completed at Promontory Point, UT, US, 1870
Panama Canal opens, 1914
Woodstock, 1969
Birthdays Today:
Joe Jonas, 1989
Ben Affleck, 1972
Melinda Gates, 1964
Jimmy Webb, 1946
Linda Ellerbee, 1944
Mike Connors, 1925
Rose Marie, 1925
Huntz Hall, 1919
Oscar Romero, 1917
Julia Child, 1912
Elizabeth Bolden, American Supercentenarian, 1890 (d. 2006)
Ethel Barrymore, 1879
E. Nesbit, 1858
Sir Walter Scott, 1771
Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769
Today in History:
Battle of Roncevaux Pass, the Basques defeat Charles the Great (Charlemagne) and Roland is killed, 778
Macbeth defeats his cousin and rival King Duncan I, who is killed in the battle, and becomes king of Scotland, 1040
Battle of Lumphanan, in which King Macbeth is killed by the forces of Mael Coluim MacDonnchada, 1057
The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia, 1185
The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of
the Three Wise Men, is laid, 1248*
The "Mainz Psalter" is completed, the earliest dated book, 1457
Founding of Panama City, 1519
Jesuit priest St. Francis Xaverius land in Kagoshima, Japan, 1549
Joseph Haydn departs England, never to return, 1795
Country of Liberia is founded by freed American former slaves, 1824
Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1842
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawai'i, is dedicated; it is the oldest continuously used Roman Catholic Cathedral in the US, 1843
San Sebastian Church in Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed, 1891
A male servant of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright sets fire to the living quarters of the architect's Wisconsin home, 1914
The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship Ancon, 1914
Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed in a plane crash, 1935
The birth of stadium rock: The Beatles play Shae Stadium, 1965
President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard, 1971
The "Wow! signal": The Big Ear, a radio telescope operated by Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space, 1977
An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090, 2007
*Yes, we just noted the other day the date of completion in 1880!
Eight children died the first week of August in the US this year, because they were left in hot cars. It's a record for any one week.
When i read that, i was tempted to be angry. Then i realized that, yes, it can happen to any parent, even a very good one.
You get out of the car and start to think about all of the stuff you have to do. You get moving on things, grabbing a briefcase or grocery bags or getting something out of the trunk. Your mind is elsewhere. This is typical of me, i'm generally juggling stuff getting out of the car, wondering how long i will have when i step in the house before the kittens begin to scream for food, thinking about whether i have time to do another load of laundry, going over the menu plan for the week in my head, etc.
Next thing you know, it comes to you with a sickening feeling that you've forgotten something extremely important -- your child, in a car.
That never happened to me, but with my brain going a mile a minute, it could have.
The outside temperature can be in the 60's Fahrenheit, too, so don't think it's only during a heat wave. If the car is directly in the sun, the internal temperature can still get up too high.
All of us have to think, not let ourselves get distracted, pay attention. Remind any parents you know.
Remind "pet parents," too, as pets are equally susceptible. No, leaving the window open a bit doesn't help.
Kids and pets are too important for us not to keep our wits about us. There's plenty of time to menu plan later.
Today is:
Anniversary Day -- Tristan da Cunha
Assumption Eve -- France
Carnival Tuesday -- Granada
Day of Peace between Horus and Set -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Defense Forces Day -- Zimbabwe
Faradda di li candareri (Descent of the Candlesticks) -- Sassari, Sardinia (beginning of the celebration of the Assumption)
Festival for Fortuna Equestris -- Ancient Roman Calendar
Fox Hill Day -- Nassau, Bahamas
Independence Day -- Pakistan(1947)
International Nagging Day -- ignore this one if you have any sense
International Tango Festival and World Championship -- Buenos Aires, Argentina (through the 28th)
La Torta dei Fieschi -- Genoa, Italy
Liberty Tree Day -- Massachusetts, US
Mantoro Lantern Lighting -- Kasuga Taisha, Japan (through tomorrow; 3,000 lanterns light the shrine, and the main hall is open for visitors, with Bugaku and Kagura performed in the apple garden)
National Creamsicle Day
National Navajo Code Talkers Day -- Navajo Nation; US
Oued Ed-Dahab Day -- Morocco; Western Sahara (celebrating the recovery of this area from Spanish occupation in 1979)
Pramuka Day -- Indonesia (Scouting Day)
St. Maximillian Kolbe's Day (Patron of families, imprisoned people, journalists, political prisoners, prisoners, recovering drug addicts, the pro-life movement; against drug addictions)
St. Werenfrid's Day (Patron of vegetable gardeners; Arnheim, Netherlands; Elst, Netherlands; Westervoort, Netherlands; against gout and stiff joints)
Wiffle Ball Day -- the wiffle ball was introduced this day in 1953
Anniversary Today
V-J Day
Birthdays Today
Halle Berry, 1966
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, 1959
Gary Larson, 1950
Danielle, Steel, 1947
Susan Saint James, 1946
Steve Martin, 1945
Lynne Cheney, 1941
David Crosby, 1941
Alice Ghostley, 1926
Russell Baker, 1925
John Ringling North, 1903
Doc Holiday, 1851
H.C. Oersted, 1777
Emperor Hanazono of Japan, 1297
Today in History
The young Emperor Antoku and three sacred treasures are taken by Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan, fleeing to western Japan to escape pursuit by the Minamoto clan, 1183
Kublai Khan's invading fleet disappears in a a typhoon near Japan, 1281
Three years after Gutenberg, the oldest known exactly dated printed book is published, 1457
Queen Elizabeth I refuses sovereignty of the Netherlands, 1585
Great Britain annexes Tristan da Cunha (remotest occupied island), 1816
Second Seminole War ends, with the Seminoles forced from Florida to Oklahoma, 1842
Oregon Territory created, 1848
Magazine "Field and Stream" begins publication, 1873
Construction of Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, is completed, 1880
Japan issues its first patent, for rust-proof paint, 1885
A recording of English composer Arthur Sullivan's The Lost Chord, one of the first recordings of music ever made, is played during a press conference introducing Thomas Edison's phonograph in London, 1888
France begins requiring motor vehicle registration, 1893
The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21, 1901
Mt. Rushmore project first proposed, 1925
United States Social Security Act passes, creating a government pension system for the retired, 1935
British troops are deployed in Northern Ireland, 1969
Longest game in softball history begins, as The Gager's Diner team takes on the Bend'n Elbow Tavern; the game was played to raise money for a new softball field in Monticello, NY, went to 365 innings over two days, and the Gagers won 491-467, 1976
Lech Walesa leads strikes at the Gdansk, Poland shipyards, 1980
Widescale power blackout in the northeast United States and Canada, 2003
As a sponsored event of the IOC, the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games, first ever Youth Olympics for athletes age 14-18, officially starts in Singapore, 2010
Sunday school was the usual fun this week. No wonder Art Linkletter got so much mileage on House Party out of the kids segment, some of what they say is too good. No one could miss with their material.
Timmy was in his usual state. Sitting at story time, he told me his ears didn't work unless he was upside down. So we tried. When i asked him the point of the story while he was right side up, he told me he didn't know. Then he turned upside down, and i asked him how many times we forgive.
"Every time!" he responded.
When asked why, "Because G-d forgives us every time!"
At least he gets it. Even if he has to be upside down. (This is the kid, in my experience, most likely to eclipse them all and become a preacher.)
The real fun, though, came when we took them outside. He tumbled backward off the swing on purpose, yelling "Ouch!" and grinning every single time, until finally one time his shirt went high enough and his britches low enough that Seth yelled, "I see your underwear! It has stars on it!"
This began a litany of little voices saying what they had on their underwear that day, until Seth had the last word when he declared, "I'm not wearing any!"
Ahem. That's enough underwear talk, thank you. lets go watch VeggieTales.
Later, Bigger Girl capped off my evening by coming in from the church service where she is paid to do the Pro-presenter asking, "Why do so many women marry projects? Note to self: Don't get a project, get a puppy!"
Today is:
Anniversary of Snick-Snacker's Right Foot -- Fairy Calendar
Carnival Monday -- Grenada
Day of Battle between Horus and Set; Aset gains the Horns of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Fathers' Day -- Samoa; Tokelau (a public holiday in both countries)
Festival of Aventine Diana / Nemoralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (commemoration of the dedication of her temple; celebrated between now and the 15th, and rededicated as the Festival of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin after Christianization)
Festival of Xocotl Huetzi -- Ancient Aztec Calendar (first fruits of harvest festival; date approximate, but two weeks around the end of August)
Heroes' Day -- Zimbabwe
Independence Day -- Central African Republic
International Left-Hander's Day -- sponsored by Lefthanders International
Lailat al Kadr (Lailat al Qadr) -- Islam (Night of Destiny; begins at sundown, through tomorrow)
Lao Issara -- Laos (Day of the Free Laos)
Lesser Festival of Flora -- Ancient Roman Calendar
National Filet Mignon Day
Obon -- Buddhist (celebration to revere the ancestors; celebrated at different times even within Japan, but usually the biggest dates are in mid-August)
Osaka Castle Takigi-noh -- Osaka Castle, Osaka City, Japan (free Noh performances, through the 16th)
Perseids Meteor Shower peaks
Runic Half Month As begins (the gods)
Skinny Dipping Day -- funny t-shirt: I no longer skinny dip. I chunky dunk!
St. Cassian's Day (Patron of students and teachers; Brixen, Italy; Comacchio, Italy; Imola, Italy; Mexico City, Mexico)
St. Concordia's day (Patron of nursing mothers and wet nurses)
St. Hippolytus' Day (Patron of horses, prison guards/officers/workers; Bibbiena, Italy)
Wall Day -- anniversary of the day in 1961 that the Berlin Wall began going up; observe it by trying to break down a wall or communication barrier somewhere in your own life
Weird Contest Week -- Ocean City, NJ, US (through the 17th; contests include salt water taffy sculpting and wet t-shirt throwing, among others)
Women's Day -- Tunisia
Yukon Discovery Day -- YT, Canada
Birthdays Today
Danny Bonaduce, 1959
Midori Ito, 1969
Dan Fogelberg, 1951
Philippe Petit, 1949
Don Ho, 1930
Pat Harrington, Jr., 1929
Fidel Castro, 1926
George Shearing, 1919
Ben Hogan, 1912
Alfred Hitchcock, 1899
Bert Lahr, 1895
Annie Oakley, 1860
Today in History
The English army under King Henry V lands at the mouth of the Seine River, 1415
Tenochtitlan of the Aztecs is conquered by the Spanish, 1521
Tenbun Hokke Disturbance, in which Buddhist monks from Kyoto's Enryaku Temple set fire to 21 Nichiren temples throughout Kyoto, 1536
John Smith submits the story of Jamestown's first days for publication, 1608
Christiaan Huygens discovers the Martian south polar cap, 1642
Founding of Litchfield, CT, 1651
Marie Antoinette and other French royals are imprisoned by Revolutionaries, 1792
Nat Turner sees the solar eclipse which he interprets as a sign from heaven to begin his ill-fated slave rebellion, 1831
Earthquake in Peru and Ecuador kills 25,000, 1868
Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his "Navigable Balloon", 1889
First production in the UK of stainless steel by Harry Brearley, 1913
Opha Mae Johnson is the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, 1918
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) is established as a public company in Germany, 1918
The first barbed wire fence that would become the Berlin Wall is erected, 1961
The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine to enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York, 1969
Michael Phelps sets the Olympic record for most the gold medals won by an individual in Olympic history, 2008
Yesterday's comment by Stephen Hayes reminded me of a Ziggy comic strip from many years ago (probably when i was in high school, now that i think about it).
Ziggy is standing in a mechanic's shop, with his car behind him, the hood up. One mechanic is back there peering in, and another mechanic stands in the foreground with Ziggy.
The one near him says something like, "Well, of course you're going to have trouble with it if you drive it around all the time!"
The fact is, electronics and computers don't do well with being moved and slung around, or with heat. How and why they keep adding more and more computer and electronic stuff to cars that is just there to break and cost money i do not understand.
Except for the air conditioning and radio, i would prefer to have fewer bells and whistles.
In fact, it was having an old fashioned hand crank window that once helped me rescue my own kids from a locked car.
When putting them in the car seat, my keys fell out of my pocket and i didn't notice. #1 Son, just over 2 years old, and Bigger Girl, still a tiny baby, were safely in the back, so i pushed the locks down on each, closed the doors, and realized, when i reached for them, that the keys were safely on the back seat with the kids. Since i habitually manually locked each door when i closed it, just to be safe, the kids were trapped.
#1 Son had begun, just about a month before, a habit of kicking at the manual handle for the window, which would open it. Not much, but with each kick it would open further. When i kept hearing more road noise, and finding that window always just a bit open, i started watching him, and sure enough, by kicking he could reach the handle and get the window open.
Because i hated the road noise, i had tried to discourage him from doing it by giving him toys and talking to him and such, but try to stop a just over 2-year-old from doing something he wants when he is in the back and you are in front and driving. As i went back over to his side of the car, he looked at me through the window with a mischievous grins and started kicking the handle.
Ah, i thought, i don't have to call someone! With my encouragement, he kicked at the handle over and over until the window was open enough for me to get my arm through and grab the lock. Success!
Meanwhile, every set of automatic locks i've ever had have quit working, or, as in the case of this van, acted nuts by randomly locking and unlocking, as the sensor decides one door isn't closed (even though it is). We used to have a Nissan which would flash the seat belt lock and ding like crazy, in the middle of a drive when your belt was safely on. Nothing they could do, they couldn't find the problem because it was random and it had to be doing it at the time it was in the shop or there was no way to find it.
No wonder my mother gave us that one and had my dad get her a new one.
Give me four wheels that all go in the same direction at the same time, a steering wheel that isn't an arm wrestling match in the making, solid brakes, A/C, radio, and even a stick shift. Keep the rest of the improvements that just cost me to fix, please.
All that electrical stuff and computer stuff just gets in the way of a good trip across town.
Today is:
Aloha Day -- unofficial celebration of the annexation of Hawai'i by the US
Anniversary of Snick-Snacker's Left Foot -- Fairy Calendar
Awa Odori Festival -- Tokushima, Japan (through the 15th; one of Japan's largest dance festivals, Awa-dance is said to be a "fool's dance", and the saying is "It's a fool who dances and a fool who watches, so if both are fools, you may as well dance!")
Don't Wait, Celebrate! Week -- 2nd full week of August each year; because spontaneous and frequent celebrations are good for you
Festival for Hercules Invictus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (through tomorrow; based on an even older Greek celebration of Heracles at the same time of year)
Festival for Venus Vitrix -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Victorius Venus)
Grouse Day/Glorious Twelfth -- England; Scotland (opening of grouse hunting season; because the 12th is a Sunday in 2012, it will actually be celebrated tomorrow)
Her Majesty the Queen's Birthday and National Mother's Day -- Thailand
International Youth Day -- UN
Julienne Fries Day
Lychnapsia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (celebration of the Birthday of Isis, instituted after the conquest of Egypt)
Melon Day -- Turkmenistan (the country that really loves its muskmellons)
Middle Children's Day -- on some sites, listed as Aug. 14; either way, Middle Children deserve a special day!
National Toasted Almond Bar Day
Osirian Mysteries; Feast of the Lights of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate, but this is the date the Romans gave it, so who am i to quibble?)
Palio Del Golfo -- La Speza, Italy (rowing contest)
PC Day -- no, not politically correct, personal computer; IBM introduced theirs this day in 1981
Put Peanuts in Your Coca Cola Day -- and no, i can't figure this one out, but they say don't shake it once you do it; if anyone else wants to experiment with why, let me know the results
Rushbearing -- Forest Chapel, Cheshire, England (ancient tradtion of bringing new rushes, plaited in traditional weaves, to carpet the church and keep it warm)
Solar Alignment with Teotihuacan, City of the Gods -- ancient when the Aztecs found its ruins, this city's ritual cave aligns with the setting sun today and April 29, also the rising and setting dates of the Pleiades
St. Gracilian's Day (Patron of Bassano Romano, Italy)
St. Murtagh's Day (Patron of Killaria, Ireland)
Vinyl Record Day -- celebrating the tremendous cultural influence of records, on the anniversary of the day in 1877 that Edison invented the phonograph
Zaraday a/k/a Zarathud's Day -- Discordianism
Birthdays Today:
Pete Sampras, 1971
Skip Caray, 1939
George Hamilton, 1939
William Goldman, 1931
Alvis Edgar “Buck” Owens, 1929
John Derek, 1926
Michael Kidd, 1915
Jane Wyatt, 1912
Cantinflas, 1911
Joe Besser, 1907
Alfred Lunt, 1892
Cecil B. DeMille, 1881
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson, 1880
Edith Hamilton, 1867
Katharine Lee Bates, 1859
"Diamond Jim" Brady, 1856
Robert Mills, 1781
Thomas Beckwith, 1753
Today in History:
The last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic Dynasty, Cleopatra VII Philopater, allegedly commits suicide by asp bite, BC30
A conjunction of Venus and Jupiter occurs which may have been what the Bible calls the Star of Bethlehem, 3
Crusaders win the Battle of Ascalon, 1099
Juan Ponce de Leon arrives in Puerto Rico, 1508
Praying Indian John Alderman shoots and kills Metacomet, the Wampanoag war chief, ending King Philip's War, 1676
Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his sewing machine, the first one to be practical for home use, 1851
Asaph Hall discovers Deimos, 1877
The last quagga, a subspecies of zebra once plentiful in South Africa, dies at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam, 1883
Hawai'i is annexed by the US, 1898
William Somerset Maugham published "Of Human Bondage", 1915
Alleged date of the first Philadelphia Experiment test on United States Navy ship USS Eldridge, 1943
The Soviet Union detonates its first thermonuclear weapon, 1953
Echo I, the first communications satellite, is launched, 1960
South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games because of its racist policies, 1964
The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise, 1977
The IBM Personal Computer is released, 1981
Canada, Mexico, and the United States announce completion of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 1992
The Oscar class submarine K-141 Kursk of the Russian Navy explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, 2000
Ever since the last time i took the van in, the ABS light has continued to pop off and on frustratingly.
It will go a day, then come on, then not come on for two, then back on again.
Of course, since #1 Son's car has been undergoing repairs, we couldn't have the van down, also, so i've had to wait to go see Kevin and Louis, but i finally bit the bullet and just went.
The light was not on when i pulled in, of course, so i walked into the lobby and got some coffee, then walked up to the desks, telling them i needed some advice.
The symptoms are predictable. There will be nothing. Then the brakes will start to make a thumping noise at times, and soon after, the light pops on.
Young Jake said that the thumping is probably rotors, but with the recent, thorough brake jobs on both front and back, that was unlikely. Louis also told me that if it was rotors, it would happen all of the time, not just occasionally.
The most likely culprit, they still believe, is a wire somewhere. So i let them drive it around to see if they could get the light to come on. It did.
Here's the weird part. The light came on, the mechanic came back, left the engine on, and hoked up the computer. No codes came up.
The light is coming on without setting any codes. At all.
That's not supposed to happen.
They checked the rotors, just to be sure, and we are all good there.
Finally, Kevin came and told me, "This one has me stumped. We once had a lady come in here with a tail light that would work, and then not work. I had my guys spend 5 hours, only charged her for an hour and a half, and we couldn't find a thing. She took it to the dealer, and it finally cost her over $900, plus what she had paid us, to find out when someone put the jack back in the trunk, it was in the wrong spot by about an inch and it had rubbed a hole in the assembly from the inside and shorted a wire."
"We looked up and down the wiring, and can't find any short. The next step would be to get up behind the dash and see if there's a short up in there. Or take it to the dealer."
Except that there aren't any Saturn dealers any more, i noted, i would have to take it to the Chevy place and hope i got someone who knew what they were doing.
"No, but most of their mechanics went to work over at the Chevy dealerships," he noted.
So if i were lucky enough to get one of those assigned to it, they might be able to find it.
"Yes, but I don't want to give up quite yet. You drive it as usual until next Friday. I'm going to be out of town most of next week, and I want to be here since I know what is going on. Come Friday or the Monday after, and I will have them do some more snooping. It's safe to drive until then, there is nothing hydraulically wrong with the vehicle and the brakes and rotors are in great shape."
When i asked him how much i owed him for the just under an hour they had been at it, he grinned and said, "Oh, nothing. Yes, I know we are in this to make money, but sometimes it becomes all about the challenge!"
Somehow, i think the car is daring these guys to figure out what is going on, and i hope they win that dare.
Today is:
Alcatraz Day -- the first prisoners arrived this day in 1934
Bud Billiken Parade -- Chicago, IL, US (second largest parade in the US, begun in 1929)
Cowes Week -- Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK (largest, longest-running, and most prestigious sailing regatta in the world; through the 18th)
Day of Honor for Oddudua -- Santeria religion (cognate of the Roman Catholic St. Clare of Assisi; credited with the creation of humans)
Dog Days end -- yes, supposedly, in this heat
Feast of St. Attracta -- Irish Catholic Saint (founded a hospice and convents, and supposedly slayed a dragon; Patron of Achonry, Ireland; Men of Lugna)
Ferry Fair -- South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland (centuries old fair, around the time of the Burry Man Parade, originally for farmers to find labour for harvest, now for fun)
Fiesta de Santa Clara -- Santa Clara Pueblo, NM, US (Native American celebration of St. Clare of Assisi, their Patron saint, with a corn dance and prayers for rain)
Heroes Day -- Zimbabwe
Independence Day -- Chad
Ingersoll Day
International Federation of Library Associations Annual Conference -- Helsinki, Finland; through the 17th
International Tree Climbing Championship -- Laurelhurst Park, Portland, OR, US (
Mt. Hagan Cultural Show -- Mt. Hagan, Papua New Guinea (one of the biggest cultural shows in Papua New Guinea; through tomorrow)
National Garage Sale Day
National Raspberry Bombe Day or Raspberry Tart Day -- whichever one you like best, or both, if that's the way you roll
National Scrabble Championship -- Orlando, FL, US (through the 15th)
Play in the Sand Day -- as per many internet sites; yeah, like at the beach, nothing like sand in your shorts, i get enough of that on vacation, thank you
Presidential Joke Day**
Son and Daughter Day -- the day to give your son(s) or daughter(s) the gift of time
St. Clare of Assisi's Day -- (Foundress of the Order of Poor Ladies [Poor Clares] Franciscan nuns; Patron of embroiderers, eyes, gilders/gold workers/goldsmiths, good weather, laundry workers, needle workers, telegraphs, telephones, and television writers; Assisi, Italy; Santa Clara Indian Pueblo; against eye disease)***
St. Philomela's Day (Patron of babies, children, desperate causes, forgotten causes, impossible causes, lost causes, orphans, poor people, priests, prisoners, sick people, students, test takers, toddlers, young people; against barrenness, bodily ills, infertility, mental illness, sickness, sterility)
Birthdays Today:
Hulk Hogan, 1953
Arlene Dahl, 1928
Mike Douglas, 1925 (Note: he also died on this date in 2006)
Alex Haley, 1921
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, 1667 (Last of the Medicis)
Today in History:
First day of the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, used my the Maya and other pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, BC3114
Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation, BC2492
Battle of Artemisium, naval battle of the Greco-Persian War, fought at the same time as the Battle of Thermopylae of the same war; Leonidas, King of Sparta, dies in the land battle, BC480*
Papandayan Java volcanic eruption kills 3,000, 1772
Charles Lawrence gives expulsion orders to remove the Acadians from Nova Scotia beginning the Great Upheaval, 1755
The world's first roller rink opens in Newport, RI, 1866
The first civilian prisoners arrive at Alcatraz, 1934
Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil receive a patent for a frequency hopping, spread spectrum communication system that later became the basis for modern technologies in wireless telephones and Wi-Fi, 1942
A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 830, en route from Tokyo to Honolulu, killing one teenager and injuring 15 passengers, 1984
NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history, 2003
*some put the date as Aug. 7, some as Sept. 8
**because presidents have a sense of humor, too, as shown this day in 1984 when Reagan thought the microphone was off and joked about Russia being outlawed
***why tv? because when she became too ill to attend mass at the end of her life, a miraculous image of the service would display on the wall of her room
#1 Son keeps having to delay his move.
First, it was the radiator. You can't drive to Kansas with a leaky radiator. It took Young Jacob over a week to replace it, working on it after his regular job and between thunderstorms. Every time he would get over here, the heavens opened up and you can't put in a new radiator with lightning striking all around your ears.
That is finally done, and he can drive more than a mile without overheating, which is good. We are no longer sharing my van.
We thought he could leave then, but the condenser went out. He was willing to go without it. Then i pointed out the heat wave gripping the country. He conceded that there is that, so next is the condenser. Supposedly it will only take 10 minutes, as it is just held on with a couple of clamps and hoses. We shall see.
Today he is spending the day with his best childhood friend, and if Young Jacob gets the condenser done, he will leave Saturday or Sunday.
Somehow, i am still a bit skeptical.
Today is:
Abbotsford International Airshow -- Abbotsford, BC, Canada ("Canada's National Air-show" and the leading air show in North America, attracting the world's top aeronautical performers; through Sunday)
Banana Split Day
Burry Man Parade -- South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland (a resident is elected to wear the Burry-Man costume and parade through the town so his burrs will collect all the bad luck, to be burned at the end of the day; followed tomorrow by the Ferry Fair)
Capitolfest -- Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY, US (showing rare silent and early films; through the 14th)
Chemistry Set Volcano Day -- beat summer boredom, make a chemistry set volcano!
Constitution Day -- Anguilla
Cranham Feast -- Cranham, Gloucestershire, England (a three day traditional feast and fair that dates back to the 1700's)
Day of Wandering -- Fairy Calendar
Dejada de Santo Domingo de Guzeman -- Managua, Nicaragua
Elvis Week -- Memphis, TN, US (through the 16th)
Feast of San Lorenzo -- San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
Ginza Holiday: Japanese Cultural Festival -- Midwest Buddhist Temple, Chicago, IL, US (experience the traditions of Japan, through Sunday)
Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival -- Grand Targhee Resort, Alta, WY, US (bluegrass music at its finest on a pristine mountainside in the Grand Teton Mountains; through Sunday)
Horse Racing Festival -- Nagchu, Tibet (through the 16th)
Independence Day / National Day -- Ecuador
Janmashtami -- India
Kool-Aid Days -- Hastings, NE, US (3 days of celebrating in the town where Edwin Perkins invented Kool-Aid over 80 years ago)
Lazy Day -- internet generated, since it's so hot, though, make it a lazy day!
Mae West Birthday Gala -- New York, NY, US (through the 17th)
National Duran Duran Appreciation Day -- anniversary of the 1985 near fatal accident of lead singer Simon Le Bon, when his yacht capsized during a race; the band acknowledges the declaration of this day on their website, and many years offer a free download of a song from one of their albums
National Huckleberry Festival -- Trout Creek, MT, US (through the 12th)
National S'mores Day
Opalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar, festival of Ops (date approximate, there were several celebrations of Ops through August and September)
Puck Fair -- Killorglin, Ireland (one of Ireland's 3 oldest fairs, with a wild goat caught and crowned the Puck, and let go on the 3rd day, Aug. 12)
Prison Justice Day -- Canada (prisoners fast and refuse to work in memory of those who have died in prison of murder, suicide, or neglect)
St. Lawrence of Rome's Day (Martyr roasted on a gridiron; Patron of archives and archivists, armories and armourers, brewers, butchers, chefs, comedians, confectioners, cooks, cutlers, deacons, glaziers, laundry workers, librarians and libraries, paupers and the poor, restauranteurs, schoolchildren, seminarians, stained glass workers, students, tanners, vine growers and vintners; of over 25 cities around the world; against fire and lumbago)
Tetonkaha Rendezvous -- Lake Benton, MN, US (come to the Hole in the Mountain County Park where they reenact the fur-trading atmosphere of the 1840s, complete with muzzle-loader contest, tomahawk and knife throwing, log sawing, and more; through Sunday)
Tournament -- Oria, Italy (3 day reenactment of the tournament ordered by Frederick II in 1225; features jousting, processions and ceremonies)
Anniversaries Today
Missouri becomes the 24th US state, 1821
The Smithsonian Institution is chartered, 1846
Birthdays Today
Antonio Banderas, 1960
Rosanna Arquette, 1959
Schim Schimmel, 1954
Ian Anderson, 1947
Bobby Hatfield, 1940
Rocky Colavito, 1933
Jimmy Dean, 1928
Eddie Fisher, 1928
Rhonda Fleming, 1923
Leo Fender, 1909
George Crockett, 1909
Norma Shearer, 1902
Henri Nestle', 1890
Herbert Hoover, 1874
Today in History:
Nineveh is destroyed and Sinsharishkun, King of the Assyrian Empire is killed, BC 612
Temple at Jerusalem is burned, 70
Ferdinand Magellan sets out with 5 ships to circumnavigate the globe, 1519
The foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London is laid, 1675
Word of the US Declaration of Independence reaches London, 1776
Mozart completes "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", 1787
First ascent of Finsteraarhorn, the highest summit of the Bernese Alps, 1829
Candid Camera makes its television debut after being on radio for a year as Candid Microphone, 1948
The Magellan space probe reaches Venus, 1990
The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK – 38.5*C (101.3*F) in Kent; it is the first time the UK has recorded a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 2003
