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Carol H Tucker
Passionate about knowledge management and organizational development, expert in loan servicing, virtual world denizen and community facilitator, and a DISNEY fan
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beladona Memorial
Be warned:in this very rich environment where you can immerse yourself so completely, your emotions will become engaged -- and not everyone is cognizant of that. Among the many excellent features of SL, there is no auto-return on hearts, so be wary of where your's wanders...
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changes
Today is Thursday, February 11, 2016. It is the second day of Lent and the day before the day before a long holiday weekend for those lucky enough to have President’s Day off in the US. It is the 42nd day of this year and there are only 317 shopping days until Christmas. It is also:
- Be Electrific Day
- Get Out Your Guitar Day
- Grandmother Achievement Day
- National Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
- National Inventors' Day
- National Make a Friend or Make a Friends' Day – oh the difference an apostrophe and an “s” makes!
- National Peppermint Patty Day
- National Shut-in Visitation Day
- Pro Sports Wives Day
- Promise Day
- Satisfied Staying Single Day
- Today is White Shirt Day
On this day in 660 BC, tradition holds the Emperor Jimmu founded Japan and National Foundation Day is a big holiday each year. It is also New Year’s Day for those using the lunisolar calendar rather than the Gregorian.
Quote of the day: “It is never easy to confront life-changing news, especially when you are deeply embroiled in the everyday and the banal, which we always are. They absorb almost everything, make almost everything small, apart from the few events that are so immense that they lay waste to all the everyday trivia around you. Big news is like that and it is not possible to live inside it.” ~ Karl Ove Knausgaard, My Struggle, Book 2
What do you consider the kind of news that would change your life?
My first thought was finding out a loved one had died – I will never ever forget standing in the office at TWSB and the conversation with the doctor about Frank. My second thought went immediately to the opposite – my first granddaughter’s life irrevocably changed when my daughter became pregnant with her second daughter. And then I thought of losing a job – the sudden descent into despair and disorientation or depression if you cannot find other employment or source of income. But lives change on irrevocable choices made every day, neh? You didn’t go for that job interview and a door quietly closes on a future career path. You broke up with that person and another possible future silently vanishes. You didn’t take that route to work and didn’t get into that accident. You played the lottery and won – well okay, that might be more in the line of wishful thinking but it would change lives!
Sometimes it is a little thing that just makes you think hard enough to alter your perspective. I remember standing in the student center and watching as LBJ announced he would not run for President. Now mind you, I had been an active and angry demonstrator, hanging Nam around his neck and flagellating him mercilessly for that war – but at that moment I was not elated, I was shocked that a man who had spent all of his life working for the country had been brought down and his contributions to the Great Society ignored because we all focused on that one issue to the exclusion of everything else. It made me do a lot of research about him and while I still don’t like him or his wheeling and dealing, I now think LBJ has been under-appreciated and was the last president who really understood how to get things done in Congress. And that moment substantially altered the way I have viewed every single politician since.
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ashes to ashes
The middle of the work week and the 41st day of 2016. It is also: - Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent
- National Cream Cheese Brownie Day
- Plimsoll Day
- Teddy Day
- Umbrella Day
- All The News That's Fit To Print Day
In 1258, Baghdad fell to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphateis destroyed, ending an era when the capital city of Baghdad was a center of science, culture, philosophy and invention -- often seen as the Golden Age of Islam. In 1763, the French and Indian War ended with the Treaty of Paris and France cedes Quebec to Great Britain, creating a permanent culture and language rift in Canada.
Speaking of barbarian hordes storm the gates, the results from the New Hampshire primary have rattled the cages of many politicos and journalists, resulting in some pretty strong comments and headlines that don’t even attempt the appearance of objective reporting. Now mind you, I don’t like Trump. I don’t like anything I know about the man’s life nor do I approve of what I have heard him say, and I worry about him seeming to represent the United States. But whether or not I like or agree with him would be irrelevant if I was a journalist. The Fifth Estate is supposed to be reporting what has happened, not tell you what to think about it, neh? I think just reporting his antics without commentary should expose him quite enough without adding the judgmental adjectives to the story.
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Shrove Tuesday
Today is Shrove Tuesday, and Mardi Gras is in full swing until midnight. Always a slight tinge of desperation and determination in trying to get that last one fling in before Lent starts, neh? Today is the 40th day of 2016: - Chocolate Day
- Extraterrestrial Culture Day
- Extraterrestrial Visitor Day
- International Pancake Day
- Mardi Gras! Post on Facebook
- National Bagel Day
- National Develop Alternative Vices Day
- National Toothache Day
- Pizza Pie Day
- P¹czki Day
- Read in the Bathtub Day
- Safer Internet Day
In 474, Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
Hereabouts the weather has been sloppy today – an unholy mix of rain, sleet and snow that caused most schools to delay openings and government offices to offer liberal leave. The traffic as a result was definitely lighter! The mixture has continued during the day and as long as the temperatures are above freezing, there won’t be a problem. Once that mercury falls though, watch out! I have been on the road when everything suddenly was flash-frozen and cars started slip-sliding away.
Just read a story where the Congress refused to even hear the budget drawn up by President Obama, stating that it would undoubtedly “double down on the same failed policies that have led to the worst economic recovery in modern times” and that their time would be more profitably spent looking at other things. Oh, like how to implement even more trickle down economic policies because that is working so well for everyone? But it is the dismissive tone of disrespect that really set me off – like the man or not, lame duck or not, he is the PRESIDENT and the Chief Executive elected by the majority of the people and you really should at least act courteous, neh?
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And it is Monday again
In addition to Monday [complete with hangovers from Super Bowl 50], it is the 39th day of the year and there are 320 shopping days left until Christmas. It is also: - Boy Scouts Day – incorporated in America in 1910
- Clean Out Your Computer Day – time to do some basic maintenance, altho shooting it is not recommended
- Laugh and Get Rich Day – a film made back in 1931pretty much sums it up. Or you can argue what “getting rich” actually means
- National Kite Flying Day – which makes no sense at all since it is March that is so windy and April that is National Kite Month
- National Molasses Bar Day
- Oatmeal Monday
- Opera Day
- Propose Day – do we really have to make Valentine’s Day an entire week? L
- Shrove Monday AKA Collop Monday, Rose Monday, Merry Monday or Hall Monday
- Losar – the Tibetan New Year
- Chinese New Year
- Jules Verne's birthday
In 421 Constantius III became co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire as the Byzantines drift further away from the west.
And that is all I have this Monday morning.....
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and we all scream for ice cream
I guess I should start mentioning what day of the year it is now that January is past and it isn’t obvious anymore. Today is the 37th day of 2016 and you have 322 shopping days until Christmas. It is also:
· Ice Cream for Breakfast day
· International Day of Zero Toleration to Female Genital Mutilation
· International Pisco Sour day
· Lame Duck day
· National Frozen Yogurt day
· Pay-a-compliment day
· Ronald Reagan day – Actor, Governor of California for eight years, President of the US for eight years – I remember him primarily as the front man for conservatives who were peddling “trickle-down economics” as the way that capitalism should work. 21 states in the US recognize his birthday as a day of recognition.
· Take Your Child to the Library day
· Waitangi Day – celebrating the founding of New Zealand in 1840
In 1649, Charles II of England was declared King of Great Britain in Scotland. Wales, Ireland and England were controlled by Cromwell – which kicked off a period in English history that some historians regard as a Puritanical dictatorship complete with near-genocidal results for Roman Catholics in that country. Charles didn’t take the throne until 1658 when Cromwell died, and became known as the “Merry Monarch” as the country relaxed.
Today we learned that the sixth man to walk on the moon 45 years ago started his exploration of infinity and beyond on the anniversary of his lunar landing. To date only 536 people have been in space over the past 77 years, and only 24 have traveled beyond orbiting the earth. Of the twelve who actually walked on the moon, only seven now remain.
I wish the politicians understood just how important it is for humanity's future to keep reaching for the stars….
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4FEB2016
It is Thursday, and most folks are already glancing longingly at the weekend, neh? Today is the 35th day of the year and there are 327 shopping days until Christmas. It is also:
- Liberace Day
- National Create a Vacuum Day
- National Homemade Soup Day
- National Quacker Day
- National Stuffed Mushroom Day
- National Thank a Mailman Day
- Rosa Parks Day
- Torture Abolition Day
- USO Day
- World Cancer Day
- Facebook’s Birthday
The earliest historical event noted is in 211 when the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus died and left the empire to be squabbled over by his two sons.
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8 years ago today....
I announced on Facebook that I had been adopted by a cat
I miss him....
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still winter....
The work week is now half over, at least for those of us who work M – F anyway. And finally, for the first time this morning, I was able to drive to work without Snowzilla impacting the commute as the snow continues to melt rapidly – having the night above freezing [which is really unusual this time of year] has accelerated the melt considerably. But ten days after the snow stopped falling, there are still HUGE blocks of packed snow and ice on corners and sidewalks forcing pedestrians to walk out in the roads. At least they have shrunk enough that you can kinda see around them now, but it is an extremely unsafe situation to say the least.
Today is: - American Painters Day
- Elmo's Birthday – and if you don’t know who Elmo is then all I can say is that you haven’t had a toddler around for at least 25 years. Just for the record? He is 3 ½ years old….
- Four Chaplains Memorial Day
- National Carrot Cake Day
- National Cordova Ice WormDay (( yes ice worms really exist, but fortunately they really are not fifty feet long))
- National Girls and Women in Sports Day
- National Patient Recognition Day
- National Wedding Ring Day
- Take a Cruise Day
- The Day the Music Died
Personally I don’t see why having Barcelona and Provence united is such big deal, but it happened in 1112 because the heads of each state got married to each other – it was his third dynastic marriage actually as he was consolidating his position. Of much more import to me is the fact that in 1913 the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect an income tax. And in 1972 the deadliest snowstorm in history started in Iran -- at least 4,000 people died.
On that note, I think I am ready to daydream about taking that cruise….
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Ground hog day
Yes, here in the US and Canada, we allow stupid little rodents to predict the weather, and we have been doing it since 1887. It may sound a bit silly, but there are those who remark rather sardonically that Punxsutawney Philhas as good a track record as NOAA in predicting the next six weeks…. And FWIIW, Phil has gone on record as stating it will be an early spring this year.
Today is February 2nd and there are 333 days left in the year. It is also: - Imbolc – one of the four Celtic fire festivals, a celebration of light . The Christian church changed it to Candlemas
- African American Coaches Day
- California Kiwifruit Day
- Crepe Day
- Groundhog Day
- Heavenly Hash Day
- Self Renewal Day
- Sled Dog Day
- World Play Your Ukulele Day
- World Wetlands Day
- Ayn Rand Day
- Hedgehogs and Marmots both horn in on the groundhog’s day
In 506, Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of "Roman law" – the basis for many of the legal practices found in the West even today.
Play ball! In 1876, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
And this picture floated across my emails today….
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Today is February 1st and a twelfth of the year is gone already. Don’t know who it was who first commented that “the days are long, but the years are short” but they nailed it. I hung this poem in my kid’s room, but it didn’t stop the passage of time or me concentrating on “stuff” that needed doing at the time….
….
The picture books are put away,
There are no longer games to play,
No goodnight kiss, no prayers to hear...
That all belongs to yesteryear.
My hands, once busy, now are still.
The days are long and hard to fill.
I wish I could go back and do
The little things you asked me to.
~Author Unknown
That ending always grabs me. And so, today is: - Car Insurance Day
- Change Your Password day
- Decorating with Candy day
- GI Joe day
- Hula in the Coola day - so grab that grass skirt, find a lei, set yourself up with coconut or pineapple drinking cups and definitely use a space heater if you are in the grip of winter and dream of tropical sunsets and warm tropical nights…
- National Baked Alaska day
- National Freedom day – commemorating the signing of the 13th amendment to the US constitution by Abraham Lincoln in 1865
- National Serpent day
- Robinson Crusoe day you know, he tried to go back after he got a taste of the real world….
- Spunky Old Broads day
- International Face & Body Art day
In 481, the Vandal king Huneric organizes a conference between Catholic and Arianbishops at Carthage, but shortly afterwards, he started persecuting the Catholics, removing their bishops from office and confiscating church property.
In 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard, the third horrific tragedy for NASA that reminded us venturing into space is dangerous.
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first month over
Today is the last day in January and only 327 shopping days are left until Christmas. It is also:
· Appreciate Your Social Security Check Day
· Backwards Day
· Brandy Alexander Day
· Brussel Sprouts Day
· Hell is Freezing Over Day
· Economist Day
· Inspire Your Heart with Art Day
· National Hot Chocolate Day
· Scotch Tape Day
· World Leprosy Day
· Inspire Your Heart with Art Day
· Street Children Day – We tend to think of 3rd world countries when we hear about these, but in the US, there are plenty of kids who fit the definition. They are under 18, out on the street for their home and/or their livelihood and are not protected or supervised. They have fallen through the cracks of our social care.
· World Leprosy Day
· Amartithi
Seems that papal history is in the news first today as Pope Sylvester I takes the reins of the Catholic Church from Pope Miltiades in 314. While he filled the See of Rome, the concept of papal supremacy was established: "The pope is supreme over all rulers, even the Roman emperor, who owes his crown to the pope and therefore may be deposed by papal decree".
In 1933, on January 30th, Hitler was named the Chancellor of Germany and he took over his office today. The then president Hindenburg isn’t really to blame for this final step in Hitler’s rise – we just don’t know what could’ve kept him from power. I have a history textbook published in 1937 that sees Hitler as the answer for the German nation and lauds his accomplishments
And a final note about culture -- in 1949 daytime TV changed forever as These Are My Children, the first television daytime soap opera is broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago.
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29Jan2016
Today is the last work day of the month. Hereabouts all the businesses are supposed to be opening on time for the first time in a week, but the traffic is really light, so I’m betting a lot of folks just gave up. For one thing, the skies are full of snowflakes again this morning… Flurries they tell us, no accumulation. We’ll probably end up with another foot of snow because I actually didn’t wear boots today! All the area schools are still closed – given how the streets still look, that is not a surprise. Pedestrians are still walking in the roadway, roads still have lanes obstructed, and the melt froze overnight causing some hazardous icy conditions that we all have to deal with. Today is also: - Curmudgeons Day
- Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day
- Freethinkers Day
- National Carnation Day
- National Corn Chip Day
- National Preschool Health and Fitness Day
- National Puzzle Day
- Seeing Eye Dog Day
- Thomas Paine Day
In 661, the Rashidun Caliphateended as the fourth leader Ali ibn Abi Talib was assassinated by a Kharijite.
I was surprised to read that at its height, the Caliphate controlled a vast empire over the largest land area in history, which goes to show just how Euro/western-centric my historical studies were back in the day! I wonder if they are teaching this stuff in schools today, if they have a more global-centric approach to history?
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ain't it the truth!
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delayed opening
After the debacle yesterday where thousands of commuters proved the difference between the roads being passable and ready for commuting, everything opens three hours late again today over fears of the overnight freezing. The higher afternoon temps are melting the huge mounds of snow [altho you can hardly see the difference visually] and the roads are all soaked, which means everything freezes solid overnight. Most schools in the area threw in the towel yesterday and announced they were closed for the week -- smart move since as an ex-school bus driver, I can tell you that there ain't no way a bus could navigate those residential streets the way that they are now! Three lane roads are actually two lanes with the turn lanes and yield lanes still blocked. And two-way streets are pretty much one way with folks playing chicken to get by as commuters get frustrated and start driving angrier and angrier
There are 331 shopping days until Christmas and today is:
- Clashing Clothes day
- Daisy day
- Data Privacy day
- International Fun at Work day
- National Blueberry Pancake day
- National Kazoo day
- Pop Art day
- Rattlesnake Roundup day
- Thank a Plugin Developer day
- Women's Healthy Weight day
- The feast day of Thomas Aquinas
Today in history: In 814 Charlemagne dies of pleurisy in Aachen as the first Holy Roman Emperor [what is the old joke? It was none of those things -- not holy, not Roman and not technically an empire]. He is succeeded by his son Louis the Pious, who kept things together for another generation in its entirety. After he died, its division between Louis's own sons is said to have laid the foundation for the modern states of Germany and France.
Quote of the day: “Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale
So I wonder what kind of day I am going to have if I start the day killing demons in Diablo III then? The folks at work better be polite!
January was a month that reminded us brutally that going to the stars is dangerous. Yesterday was the horrible fire of Apollo 1. And thirty years ago today, the launch of STS-51-L ended in tragedy when Space Shuttle Challenger and crew were lost 73 seconds after liftoff. Crew of STS-51-L: Ellison Onizuka, Mike Smith, Christa McAuliffe, Dick Scobee, Greg Jarvis, Ron McNair, and Judith Resnik.
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back to work....
Schools in the area are still closed, as well as some county offices, but the Federal Gov't announced it was opening at 11AM and we are all getting ourselves back to work -- PBS opens at 10AM this morning.
Today is:
- Auschwitz Liberation day
- National Chocolate Cake day
- Punch the Clock day
- Thomas Crapper day
- Vietman Peace day
- Holocaust Memorial day -- I always think that those claiming it is a hoax just can't believe that humans would really do that
- International Mobile Phone Recycling day
- National Geographic day -- the National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C in 1888. The first issue of the magazine was published nine months later in October
In Rome circa 98, Trajan became Roman emperor and under his rule the Roman Empire would reach its maximum extent.
1967 was a notable year in space exploration. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center. The United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign the Outer Space Treaty banning deployment of nuclear weapons in space, and limiting use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes. As of September 2015, 104 countries are parties to the treaty, while another 24 have signed the treaty but have not completed ratification
One for the #gottaluvit category: I ran across this story back in 2008, and when it popped up in my Facebook "on this day" feed, I had to go and take a look. Yup, this bloke officiallly has bats in his belfry, and he is still fighting the local government to keep the castle standing as of November, but it looks like they will make him tear it down by June unless something happens to stay execution. Surely there has to be a way that he can keep his castle?
And just for the record? The earth is round. Mostly.
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still struggling
Shut up, New York City! So it is taking a while to dig out of the residue Snowzilla left and folks around here got a couple of days off. By keeping most commuters off the roads, the crews have been able to get the snow cleared away much faster and easier, neh? Maryland has done a great job getting to the side streets and residential areas by all accounts, DC is taking full advantage of the diminuation of traffic and is getting things straightened out, but Virginia's burbs seem to be struggling a bit. Looks like we'll all be back to work tomorrow, albeit with a delayed opening
Today is: - International Customs day
- Lotus 1-2-3 day
- National Peanut Brittle day
- Speak Up and Succeed day
- Spouses day
- Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement
The earliest recorded happening of note? In 1500 Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European that we know of to set foot in what will one day become Brazil.
And in 1926, they had no idea just how much this one demonstration would change everyday life...
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aftermath
DC is closed. Seriously -- there aren't any schools open. County, state and federal gov't offices are shuttered. The only people about are the intrepid snow removal folks [who are doing a fanatastic job] and those nuts who think it is fun to go out to the grocery store in this kind of weather even if asked to stay off the roads so the crews can get done what is needed to do.
Today is:
- A Room of One's Own day
- Better Business Communication day
- Bubble Wrap Appreciation day
- Community Manager Appreciation day
- Fluoride day
- Macintosh Computer day
- National Irish Coffee day
- National Opposite day
- Robert Burns day
- Tu B'shuvat
Tired of the Romans yet? In 41, the Roman Senate reluctantly accepted Claudius as Emperor. In other news, in 1858 The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn is played at the marriage of Queen Victoria's daughter and it has been playing at weddings ever since.
The International Space Station noted clear skies last night as Snowzilla leaves the US alone
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the day after Snowzilla
Today features brilliant sunshine and the mercury gets above freezing -- both good things as folks dig out from the winter storm. Of course they are already telling people to stay off the roads tomorrow, which will only work if businesses agree to stay shut down, because if your place of employ is open, you probably feel like you have to go to work, neh? Today is:
- Beer Can Appreciation Day
- Belly Laugh Day
- Child Labor Day
- National "Just Do It" Day
- National Compliment Day
- National Eskimo Pie Patent Day
- National Lobster Thermidor Day
- National Peanut Butter Day
- Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day
- National Bible Sunday
- Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day
- last night was the Full Wolf Moon
In 41, Caligula is assassinated by the Praetorian Guards, who then proclaims his uncle Claudius as Emperor [I, Claudius is a great historical novel, incidentally]. In 1848 James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California, which triggered the gold rush of '49.
Well I do think it is ironic, and I do think that Pluto is the 9th planet and I do think this theoretical construct should be called Planet X and... wait, why are you calling 911?
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still snowing
Today we [well those of us who live in the mid-Atlantic states of the US anyway] are in the middle of the blizzard of 2016. It is also:
· Measure Your Feet Day
· National Handwriting Day
· National Pie Day – not related to March 14th
· National Rhubarb Pie Day
· Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day
· Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day
· Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day
· AFRMA Fancy Rat & Mouse Day
We are still reporting on the Romans. In 393 Theodosius I made his eight year old son Honorius co-emperor. In 1879, the Battle of Rorke's Drift ended, which I mention because ZULU was a great movie ((if you are looking for an old one to enjoy today))
I plan to eat, read, play online, nap, stare out the window and take pictures which I post under #theviewfromthebalcony As long as the power stays on, it's fine albeit a bit lonely and way too quiet without Kula's purring....
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snow
Today is the 4th Friday of the month – nice to start off the year with three paydays! It is also
· Answer Your Cat's Questions Day – I have been thinking about Kula a great deal today, reflecting on how much difference there is in the apartment without him. Yesterday marked the first week anniversary of his death and I can only hope that his question to me is not “why did you do that?”
· Celebration of Life Day
· Come in From the Cold Day
· Dance of the Seven Veils Day
· National Activity Professionals Day
· National Blonde Brownie Day
· National Hot Sauce Day
· National Polka Dot Day
· Roe vs. Wade Day
· Data Innovation Day
In 613, Constantine is crowned as co-emperor by his father at the tender age of eight months.
And Wilbur Scoville would’ve been 151 today….
The entire DC area is hunkered down, awaiting this snow storm, which the Weather Channel is calling “Jonas” but the Twitter hashtag is #Snowzilla, christened thus by the Capital Weather Gang.
Given the level of warnings? If this snow does not turn out to be some epic event, meteorologists sure are going to look dumb! Schools in the area closed in anticipation. The federal government and many businesses closed at noon. Stores were mobbed as folks crowd in to load up on supplies, totally ignoring the advice to be home and off the roads by 1PM.
I’m glad that my apartment building has a garage….
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pre-storm willies
Every time I hear the phrase “throw-back Thursday” I wonder if that means I can toss the day and head straight to Friday…. With 338 shopping days until Christmas, today is:
- Get to Know Your Customer day
- National Granola Bar day
- National Hugging day
- National New England Clam Chowder day
- One--Liners day
- Own Your Own Home day
- Squirrel Appreciation day
- Women's Healthy Weight day
In the news, we take a break from the Romans and learn that in 763 the Battle of Bakhamrabetween Alids and Abbasids near Kufa as part of the Revolt of Muhammad the Pure Soul ends in a decisive Abbasidvictory and contributed to the Islamic Golden Age.
Hereabouts everyone is hunkering down for the coming snow storm. Man, I do not even want to go outside tomorrow, much less Saturday or Sunday! I just hope the power stays on… Hear that PEPCO? You keep things together for us!
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not so wordless Wednesday
If I celebrate Wordless Wednesday, how will you find out what today’s holidays are? - Camcorder day
- National Buttercrunch day
- National Cheese Lovers day
- National Disc Jockey day
- Penguin Awareness day
- Take a Walk Outdoors day
And you wouldn’t know that today is the cusp day between Capricorn and Aquarius, would you? FWIIW, some years folks born on this day are in the former and some are in the latter – it all depends on something called the Dahan– and in 2016 you are a Capricorn. Makes a difference because Capricorn is an earth sign, Aquarius is an air sign [yeah I know it is the water-carrier, but water is not its element] and they are diametrically opposed.
Them thar Romans are in the news again – in 250, Emperor Decius started persecuting the Christians in Rome. Pope Fabian becomes a martyr. In 1265, The first English parliament to include representatives of major town holds opens.
And if I had just posted a picture, this would’ve been it:
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19Jan2016
For those of us lucky enough to be off yesterday, it feels remarkably like Monday. Today really is Tuesday though, and: - Artist as Outlaw day
- Brew a Potion day
- Good Memory day
- National Popcorn day
- New Friends day
- Printing Ink day
- Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks day – the latest one I have heard is something called “oil pulling”. Apparently you swish oil around in your mouth for 20 minutes and spit it out and this leaches impurities out of your system?
- Tenderness Toward Existence day
- Tin Can day
- World Day of Migrants and Refugees
I may rethink this "earliest historical event recorded" meme because I'm getting tired of reading about the Romans! In 379, the then Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius to Augustus, and gives him power over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. In a move that surprised no one, Theodosius then stepped in when Gratian got himself killed and became the last Emperor to rule over both the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire.
And, just for the record, I have NOT been one of those complaining about the unusually warm winter weather….
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a day off
 Flowers in space!
Today is a federal holiday -- gotta luv these three-day weekends – and there are only 341 shopping days left until Christmas. While Mercury is still retrograde for another week, it is also:
· Elementary School Teacher day
· Maintenance day
· Martin Luther King Jr day -- better appreciate your employer giving you a day off with pay as only 37% of them do. Oddly? I thought everyone celebrated federal holidays, especially with schools being closed. Of course, if you work in retail or for a service industry, those rules never seem to apply, neh? And more and more jobs are being created in those sectors….
· National Day of Service
· National Gourmet Coffee day
· National Peking Duck day
· National Sanctity of Human Life [or Pro-life] day – IMNSHO, FWIIW -- this means that you are for viable day care, healthcare, and education for every child because the wellbeing of the future is important
· National Winnie the Pooh day
· Thesaurus day
· National Crowd Feed day – although some think that this should be June 2nd, some have it on MLK day, linking it to the day of service I guess.
@NASAVoyager is 18 hrs 37 mins 23 secs of light-travel time from Earth (2016:018:120000:1L)
The Romans still dominate the news in early history as in 350 [notice that the conventional calendars have dropped “AD” although they all still use “BC” as a matter of course], General Magnentius decides that he would make a better Emperor than Constans.
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the stories we tell
Today is Sunday and tomorrow is a federal holiday here in the US, so Sunday night is actually relaxing instead of getting ready for work tomorrow ((if you are lucky that is)). Today is:
- Ben Franklin Day
- Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral Day
- Cable Car Day
- Customer Service Day
- Ditch New Years Resolutions Day
- Hot-Buttered Rum Day
- Judgment Day
- Kid Inventors' Day
- National Hot Heads Chili Day
- World Religion Day
- World Snow Day
- National Bootleggers Day
- Popeye Day
- Hardware Freedom Day
The marital problems of the Romans are in the news in 38BC as Octavian switches wives and ends up going to war.
When I told the vet that I had never been around a pet that was being put to sleep, she carefully described the process and cautioned me that there were three things that could happen: there may be a bodily reaction, a jerk or convulsion; the pet may defecate or urinate as their organs relax; and cats' eyes will not close. They put a catheter in, I put Kula's bed up on the counter and he stretched out in it, propping his head on the side and just looked at us. I stroked his side and scratched under his chin, and he started purring softly. Then the vet started the injection, he jerked once, and was gone before the plunger was all the way down. The vet listened and gently told me he was gone. I lifted up the limp head and kissed him... and let him go.
I have told the story of Kula's passing a couple of times now as I slowly start coming to terms with Kula being gone. And I found that jerk kept replaying in my mind. There didn't seem to be pain, he wasn't struggling, but his hind legs kicked out and I got to thinking about the end in Watership Down, when El-ahrahah comes to Hazel and recruits him for his Owsla -- and picturing Kula.....
What was that? He suddenly looked and where there had been just a roof was a brightly shining many colored ..... counter? This he had to see! Without thinking he crouched and sprang up to it, then sat still for a minute feeling pretty satisfied with himself, It had been so long since he was able to jump like that. In fact, he stretched and craned his head around, he was feeling rather good, the aches and pains were gone, his coat was gleaming in the light, he could hear and ... he sniffed tentatively ... he could smell.... He glanced back as there was a little tug as he felt a kiss between his ears, and then suddenly the path seemed clear in front of him. He started forward, picking up speed, running for the joy of it. There had to be something to eat, he was starving, and he wanted to have a word with that so-called ceiling cat.... And that is how myths get started as we deal with loss and tell stories to comfort ourselves, neh?
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caturday....
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Today is Friday and there are 344 shopping days until Christmas. It is also: - Humanitarian day
- National Fresh Squeezed Juice day
- National Hat day
- National Strawberry Ice Cream day
- Wikipedia day
- International Fetish day
In 69, Otho seized power in Rome but only stayed emperor for three months before apparently committing suicide. And in 1889, things started going better with Coke.
So which is worse: global warming and rising seas ora new ice age?
Seriously, have you ever even thought about how to go about stealing a road?
Can we control our feelings? How about our thoughts? I was skimming through blog posts and this statement in an entry on emotional intelligencecaught my eye: “After all, the only things we can control in life are our thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and if we can manage those, we can lead….” Dead stop. I agree that we are in control of our behavior – how we choose to react defines us as individuals after all -- but controlling the thoughts and emotions? .
My mind works and works and works [I seriously need an off switch, especially in the wee hours of the morning], at any given moment there are about three to five separate lines of thought randomly darting through the gray matter. Some of the thoughts that rattle around in my skull are definitely unkind and some are downright mean, thank heavens my social filters are in place and those thoughts seldom get articulated! That was one of the worst side effects that Frank had to deal with after his strokes – he lost that social filter and whatever came in his head might very well come out of his mouth without him even realizing it. But I don’t think it made him a bad person that he had those thoughts, or even that he lost the ability to censor them, to me it actually made him seem a better person because he managed them for so long.
Feelings play through me the same way and both of them are part of how I interact with the world around me. Again, I try to manage the reactions that they generate, but I definitely don’t have a poker face and folks around me can usually figure out how I am feeling at any one given time. When something really drastic happens I have a switch that starts what I have called in the past “crisis management mode” [CMM] where I stay calm and rational no matter how acute the crisis until it is over and I can fall apart. I’m not as good at flipping that switch as I used to be – spent way too long in CMM after Frank died and Mom had to be put in a home – but I don’t particularly think of it as being in control of my emotions. I wish that I were, I would eradicate some of those negative feelings [e.g. jealousy and bitterness] immediately. Now I choose not to dwell on those negatives, but I can’t seem to control them popping up like persistent weeds at times.
I never did finish the article.
“By Grabthar’s hammer, by the suns of Worvan,” …. you shall be remembered
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Kula
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grow up
Today is Friday the 13th, I’m pretty sure. Of course the calendar says it is Wednesday, and I do have two more days in the work week. Today is also: - Make Your Dream Come True day – the jackpot is now over $1.5 billion
- National Peach Melba day
- National Rubber Duckyday
- Public Radio Broadcasting day
- National Sticker day
Interesting question: When are you actually an adult?
In Maryland, you can have a job and a learner’s driver permit [with the appropriate permission slips] when you turn 15. At 16, you can legally consent to sex, and/or with your parents’ consent, you can get married. A movie with an adult rating says you have to be 17 to get in and see it. At 18 you can get married, buy your own smokes, enlist in the military and vote. At 21 you can buy booze.
I can’t answer for anyone else, but I know when I exactly when it happened to me. I was 23, in Dr. Michael’s office and got told I was pregnant. I just stared at the doctor for a long moment as suddenly it crashed in, over, on me – all the weight of responsibility, all the understanding, all the duty. By bringing another life into this world, I had made myself accountable for his or her wellbeing and development. That moment changed me immediately and irrevocably. It was my turn to be the adult; the switch had flipped and there was no going back.
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daydreaming believer...
Tuesday is a tough day. Sometimes it is actually the start of the work week, which makes it Monday. Sometimes it is just a second Monday in a long work week.
Today is:
- Curried Chicken day
- Feast of Fabulous Wild Men day
- International Kiss a Ginger day
- National Marzipan day
- National Pharmacist day
- National Poetry at Work day
- Stick to Your New Year's Resolution day
- Work Harder day
- Bean day
In 1528, Gustav I of Sweden was crowned king, which ended the elective monarchy and turned it into a hereditary position. He reigned for 37 years.
So today it was announced the Powerball prize for tomorrow is up to $1.4 BILLION dollars [if you take the 30 year annuity. Cash on the barrelhead is more like $868 million] . With those kind of figures being thrown around, a lot of people are joining what I call “The Hopeless Dreamers’ Club” [I have been a dues paying member for years now] and plunking down their money. The best part of buying a ticket is daydreaming about all the differences that money would make, neh?
Kit and I are supposed to split the pot, so that only will leave me with about $170 million after taxes – still a substantial increase in worth for someone not in the 1%! After consulting with my financial advisor and a lawyer, I would start out by paying off all my bills and yes, I would retire since I am that age and everything else I want to do is going to take a lot of time and attention. There are specific steps I have in mind. [1] I would ask the kids to give me a list of all their obligations: house, student loans, etc. The person who has the highest amount will get enough to pay everything down to zero, and the other three will get the same dollar amount to do with what they wish. [2] Then I would go to the dentist, the eye doctor, the GP and get all the work done that is needed for my health and wellbeing. Having cleaned up the present, I’ll start thinking about the future. [3] Trust funds for both granddaughters so they won’t have to hock their lives for an education. [4] Arrangements to take care of me when I cannot take care of myself so that I do not become a burden to my kids. [5] Sitting down with a couple families that I know are struggling and figuring out what we need to do to change their situation. And then, having taken care of myself and my family the best that I can, I will start tithing 20% annually. I don’t know to whom; that would take a lot of research.
After all that is done, probably after about a year, I’ll think about buying two condos – one in Celebration FL and one hereabouts close to family – and I’ll become a snowbird. Finally, almost two years after being a winner, and assuming that the dibs are still in tune, I am going to travel around the world by plane, train, and boat.
*sighs* They say money can’t buy happiness, and I believe that to be true, but it sure would be nice to be able to enjoy life instead of worrying about getting by. To have that level of security for myself and my family would be awfully nice, neh? How would you spend your winnings?
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ground control to....
Today is Monday. It is also: - Cigarettes are Hazardous to Your Health day
- Learn Your Name in Morse Code day
- Milk day
- National Clean Off Your Desk day
- National Hot Toddy day
- National Human Trafficking Awareness day
- National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend day
- Secret Pal Day
532 BC – a chariot race becomes a quarrel between the Blues and the Greens which escalates into the Nika Riotsin Constantinople. And for those of you trying to win that big Powerball payout? 447 years ago, England became the home of the first recorded lottery
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following the path....
Today is the 10th day of 2016 and there are 349 shopping days until Christmas.
· Baptism of the Lord
· Houseplant Appreciation day
· National Bittersweet Chocolate day
· National Cut Your Energy Costs day
· Peculiar People day
· Save the Eagles day [it may be too late….]
· League of Nations day
· National Sunday Supper day
· No Pants Subway Ride day
· Stephen Foster day
In 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, starting a civil war in Rome, and creating the idiomatic expression that denotes an irrevocable choice.
Those of you who follow me on various social media know that Kula came home yesterday. He is feeling better, but I just feel like we have started down a path that can only lead to one place. You see, Kula is getting up there. He was a rescue cat, and we while are not sure exactly how old he is -- Gem had him for about three years; he has been with me for almost eight -- he is at least 13 or 14 years old. He doesn’t play anymore, spending most of his time, when not socializing, sleeping. His thyroid has stopped working and now his kidneys are failing, and he is losing weight. He will stay on a special diet, but we have to change it from YD to KD, so now he will need medication for his thyroid, and more regular vet visits. Inevitably, one of these visits will cross the line, that line between “this makes sense” and “what are we doing here?” because there is no way to fix what is wrong; no amount of money that I can spend to actually make him well again. And Kula can’t tell me what he wants or how he feels, he can’t tell me when he is weary, he can’t complain if he hurts. At some point? It is I who will have to cross the Rubicon, making the decision that enough is enough -- and then live with it, alone and grieving.
When I left Kula at the vet’s on Friday, I came up against this hard, heartbreaking truth and spent the rest of the day trying to come to terms with it. That night I spent realizing that while I have never thought of him as my “fur child,” I am very attached to Kula. The apartment seemed cold and empty without him, and I felt horribly callous worrying about where to draw the line. Bringing him home was a tremendous relief, but the feeling of having started down a path of no return will not dissipate….
People sure don’t talk much about this aspect of having a pet, do they?
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Only nine days into 2016 and pundits are already predicting economic volatility, catastrophic storms, and polarizing politics. Gee, just makes you so ready to face the next 357 days, neh?
Today is: - Balloon Ascension day
- International Choreographers day
- National Apricot day
- National Word Nerd day -- Did you know that "they" has been chosen as the word of the year for 2015 by the American Dialect Society? And the word chosen as the "most likely to succeed" is "ghosting" [which means breaking up by vanishing, especially in LDRs]
- Play God day -- we have a day for Morgan Freeman and George Burns? If you are interested, there are 11 other actors who took on the Role
- National Cassoulet day -- you know, a casserole made with wine sounds rather good this time of year.
- National Static Electricity day
- Panama's Martyr day -- really not a high point in US history
- Start of Hōonkō (Nishi Honganji) [okay, I had to look this one up too]
In 475, the Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire The picture today is of the sunrise over the Monocacy Aqueduct on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, posted by the Maryland Office of Tourism:
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8Jan2016
Well we made it to Friday, and today is:
- Argyle day [if you have watched Sesame Street, you know that this is one of Bert's very favorite holidays]
- Bubble Bath day
- Earth's Rotation day
- National JoyGerm day
- National Man Watchers' day
- War on Poverty day
- World Typing day
- National English Toffee day
- Midwife's day
- Show and Tell Day at Work
In 307 on this day, Jin Huidi, Chinese Emperor of the Jin dynasty, is poisoned and succeeded by his son Jin Huaidi. And in 1835? The United States national debt is zero for the only time [and for the record? Andrew Jackson was a Democrat]
I never wanted a cat.
Well, let me amend that statement slightly. When I was growing up, I wanted a pet like everyone else. Since my family wasn’t rich enough to keep a horse, I thought a dog or cat would be great – but turns out I am allergic to them and that was the end of that. When my kids were growing up? No pets, other than parakeets, hermit crabs and Siamese fighting fish. Because … allergies.
My daughter ended up with two rescue cats, Siamese, who were sisters. Supposedly Siamese cats would not trigger allergies, and neither of them did. When one became ill, she got Kula to keep the survivor company. Kula was supposed to be Siamese, but we pretty quickly figured out that he wasn’t a pure-bred because he shed all over the place and we were both allergic to him. He was big, unruly, and not good company for another cat – things were relatively peaceful when she had a house, but when she moved into an apartment, he attacked Gem’s little lady very viciously. Kula, it would seem, was destined to be an “only” cat. His front paws had been declawed by his previous owner, then he ended up on the street for a nightmare period in his life before being rescued. With humans he is warm, affectionate, running to greet you when you came in, jumping on your lap when you sat down, giving kitty kisses, head butts, and nose bumps with abandon all the while purring loudly. When Gem decided she had to get rid of him, I couldn’t stand the idea of him being put in a shelter [and possibly put to sleep] and so eight years ago, I ended up with my first cat. It hasn’t been unmitigated joy – lots of allergy meds for one thing. He has bitten me, thrown up all over the carpeting, had a couple medical issues that cost me a bundle, pooped on the floor to leave me a message, woken me up in the wee hours yowling.
But having his furry little body pressed up against me purring, the fact that he likes to be in the same room where I am, having a living soul greet me and CARE that I am home, has brightened my days beyond all measure. As he has aged I have worried about keeping him comfortable, safe, warm and happy because it is my responsibility and need to ensure he has quality of life.
I never wanted a cat -- but I need Kula as much as he needs me.
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7Jan2016
Today is:
- Distaff day [AKA Roc Day] – symbolizes getting back to the everyday worldafter the festivities of Christmastide
- Harlem Globetrotters day
- I’m Not Going to Take it Anymore day [Twisted Sisteranyone?]
- International Programmers’ day
- National Old Rock day
- National Pass Gas day
- National Tempura day
- National Bobblehead day
- Orthodox Christmas – the Eastern and Oriental churches are still using the Julian calendar while the rest of us are using the Gregorian one.
In 1131 Canute Lavard was murdered by his cousin and Denmark was plunged into a three-year civil war as a result.
Quote of the day: “But then one regrets the loss even of one’s worst habits. Perhaps one regrets them the most. They are such an essential part of one’s personality.” ~ Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Grey
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Ephiphany
There are now 360 days left in 2016 and today is: - Apple Tree day
- Bean day
- Cuddle Up day
- Epiphany – and the start of Carnival
- Three Kings day
- National Shortbread day
- National Smith day
- National Take a Poet to Lunch day
- National Take Down the Christmas Tree day
- National Technology Day
- World Day for War Orphans
In 1066 Harold Godwison [AKA Harold I] was crowned the King of England
Every year the Washington Post runs a neologism contest. Amongst this year’s winners was Coffee [noun] defined as “the person upon whom one coughs”.
That was me last week. I tried to avoid the carriers – not an easy task when their office is right next to your’s. I sprayed Lysol liberally, used lots and lots of hand sanitizer, ramped up the Vitamin C intake, and tried to stave it off, but I guess it was inevitable that this week I am the one doing the coughing, sneezing, sniffling. Like everyone else, I get annoyed when people come into the office sick – but what do you say when it is the boss? What do you say when you know that staying home means leave without pay? What do you say when you know the issue is that sick or not, the reports have to get out because other organizations are waiting for them to close their year end? Or someone is waiting to close on a loan? So you draw lines -- no fever, able to stay out of the bathroom, and off to work you go even though you would rather be curled up on the sofa binge-watching something senseless [my go to is American Model marathons] and napping. You know you probably won’t be very productive and that you will be spreading germs, but you are sitting at your desk and doing what you can.
At least the reconcilements are done and the reports are getting there….
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Today is: - the 12th day of Christmas,
- National Bird day [no that does not mean you flip someone off, but actual birds. And not angry ones either. http://www.nationalbirdday.org/index.php]
- and National Whipped Cream day.
In 1066, Edward the Confessor of England dies without an heir. The problems of succession are often said to have led to the Norman Conquest.
In personal history [thank you Facebook]: - 2008 – my mother was settling in at the assisted care facility, Margaret [her cousin’s wife] had taken over managing all of her affairs, and all of her boxes and possessions were moved from our apartment. I packed everything so carefully…. But most of her stuff ended up at the Salvation Army. Someone found an authentic WWI doughboy helmet that belonged to Grandpop Riley. The red maple hope chest that I always loved and coveted was also given to them. and inside was Mom’s engagement ring and about $200 of antique silver dollars. I often regret letting go of both of those things, but I felt Mom would go ballistic if she noticed they were missing, so I let them go. And Mom was never totally convinced that I didn’t keep the helmet….
- 2009 – the cardiologist released me, the ablation performed in December was successful.
So… I have a 2nd bedroom in my apartment. Not that it has any furniture in it – it is used for storage – and the goal is to clear it out completely so that I can downsize to a one bedroom apartment with the subsequent savings in rent costs. Translated that means I have created a Disaster Area full of boxes and “stuff”, as well as some much-needed closet space. This past weekend, rather to my surprise, I went in and actually worked [which actually means I broke down the boxes that were starting to build up and got rid of an old ironing board of my mother’s that I finally replaced] as I put away the Christmas decorations.
It probably was a coincidence that I watched a marathon on Hoarders later in the night, right? As I looked about at what I was holding onto, I found myself wondering what it was that made it so hard to let these things go? Like the people on the show, I find myself saying “but I[or someone] might use/need that one day” or “those are memories you’re trying to get rid of”, as I assign far more value to the objects than they intrinsically possess. Granted sentimentality adds value – and therein lies the catch when it comes to going through a pile of stuff. I often envy those folks on TV who have someone to come in, lay it all out and help them go through it, haul it off for them, then clean the space and put in shelving, etc for storage. What a sweet deal that is to be sure!
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11 pipers piping....
Today is the 11th day of Christmas and there are 362 days left in 2016 [or 355 shopping days until next Christmas, if you prefer] - Thank God It's Monday day[I usually say “OMGIM” but I guess this is a bit more on the positive side]
- Dimpled Chad day[thank Florida for this contribution to our culture]
- Free Flower Basket day
- National Spaghetti day
- National Trivia day
- National Weigh-in day[this one makes sense – all those New Year resolutions kicking in]
- Pop Music Chart day
- Tom Thumb day
- World Braille day
- World Hypnotism day
- Divorce Monday– Seems that lots of folks want to have a completely fresh start for the new year, and this first Monday of January is the day that all the divorce lawyers get the most inquires. No idea how many of those inquiries become actual proceedings though.
In 46 BC, Julius Caesar won the Battle of Ruspina[yeah, I never heard of it either]
The big news over the weekend [at least in the United Sates] was the occupation of an outpost in the Oregon National Wildlife Refuge by a group of angry armed white men who don’t like the federal land management policies and procedures or how they have been applied. The situation has ignited a lot of social media buzz. Should this group face the same measures as protesters and terrorists have? Should the National Guard be deployed [as in Ferguson and Baltimore] or terrorist alerts issued across the world? What is the difference between an unruly mob, armed insurgents, and a militia? Is this group being treated differently because they are white? Or the fact that they are sitting on an out-of-the-way location, show no sign of looting [well they might be hunting illegally] and haven’t shot anyone [yet] enough to differentiate the response? Where is the line between “appropriate action” and “excessive force”? How much is the level of response governed by the fears of difference?
And a very medieval looking map of the observable universe was created: http://www.sciencealert.com/this-is-what-the-entire-universe-looks-like-in-a-single-image. How just like us to put ourselves at the center, neh?
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3JAN2016
There are a couple of things that I do everyday. I greet two people when I get up -- sometimes they even respond. I write in a personal journal, sometimes more and sometimes not much, but always including a quote for the day and the color of the day. And I report on the day's "holidays". For example, today is:
- Festival of Sleep day -- definitely a holiday I can celebrate with naptime
- Humiliation day
- JRR Tolkien day -- please remember to toast the professor at 9PM your time
- National Chocolate Covered Cherry day
- National Drinking Straw day ((unless you are at the zoo or a park where they don't let you have straws because of the animals))
- National Write to Congress day
- Memento Mori or Remember You Die day
- Women Rock! day
In the past I put that information in an IM. After a while, I started tweeting it -- I think I am going to experiment about using a blog post instead, and add the oldest recorded historical happening on this day as well: 1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. Yeah that should be a good way to trigger a blog post. If I have more to say, I'll ramble on a bit. Today I'll just savor the fact that we had TWO WHOLE DAYS off each of the holidays instead of having to scramble back to the workaday world the day after.
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2016
So it is the second day of the new year, and life seems to settle pretty quickly into the routine patterns of the day, and although it is only the ninth day of Christmas [nine ladies dancing], many people will be taking the Christmas decorations down. Today is also:
- 55MPH Speed Limit day
- Fruitcake Toss day
- Happy Mew Year for Cats day
- National Buffet day
- National Cream Puff day
- National Motivation and Inspiration day
- National Personal Trainer Awareness day
- National Run It Up the Flagpole and See Who Salutes day
- National Science Fiction day
- Swiss Cheese day
- Earth at Perihelion
It is a Saturday and there are 364 days left in this new year. No one is worrying about the Mayan calendar anymore, or even thinking about that ancient culture and peoples. In 366BC, the Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire, and we don't talk about that either. In 1860, the discovery of the planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France -- but we don't find out more about the people until Gene Rodenberry started writing about Spock a century later. The International Space Station keeps alive the hope that we will walk among the stars while robots explore the moon and Mars. And there is no GOOGLE doodle to commerate the day.
Life just goes on, one day at a time. May 2016 be a good year for you and yours!
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auld lang syne
There is a quote that I share every year: “An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” ~ Bill Vaughn
As I write this, I am reminded that many people in the world [down under] are already into 2016. I always find that curiously reassuring, as though that means tomorrow will actually come. Some of them are celebrating, some of them are working, some of them just flip over the calendar and go on with life, one day at a time. I look around at the apartment, at the hodgepodge of items in the apartment, at the unfinished projects, at the unpaid bills, at the laundry that never seems to get folded, at the Christmas decorations that will need to be put away, at the detritus of the past year scattered about and wonder what actual difference the changeover to 2016 will make. We often talk about living each day as though it was your last -- great sentiment, but I think it would be really tough to actually DO even though I understand the point of not letting what we call everyday routine get in the way of or totally take over living your life. What we do everyday, day in and day out, IS our life is another way to put it, and tomorrow we will get on with it, neh?
But tonight? Tonight is a time to take a breath, to pause for a moment. Tonight is a night to celebrate, to let the Christmas lights sparkle, to sweep out the old and bring in the new.
May the stars shine at the end of your road!
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here and now
Now and then, I wander into the realm of theology, and as the year winds to a close, one of the things I have been pondering is privilege. The Mystery of Providenceby John Flavel [a Puritan and English Presbyterian clergyman] was published back in the 17th century. According to a blog that I read [http://www.challies.com], what he is trying to accomplish is get his readers to acknowledge the privileges that were theirs simply because of the time and place in which they were born.
It made me stop and think, what privileges do I enjoy because I was born here and now? Because I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA in 1950? My first thought: I was born in a country that mandated public education, in a time when it was enjoying unparalleled prosperity, when science and technology were just starting to take off. My second thought was about economics. My mother, as many mothers did back then, was a homemaker. My father was a steelworker and the only experience we had with unemployment was when the union called a strike. I didn’t know what it was like being hungry, I didn’t have to deal with poor hygiene or lack of medical and dental care, I didn’t have to worry about not having shelter or clothing, I didn’t have to work instead of go to school as a child – which makes me pretty rich compared to most of the world, neh?
I once explained to the President/CEO of C&F, that one reason he was in the position he was in was because he started at a higher rung on the social ladder. I explained that if you have X amount of KSA, it will take you Y distance and it just made sense to me that if you start higher, you will end up higher. He agreed, saying if his mother had stayed with the coal miner who was his father rather than divorcing and going back to live with his grandfather who was a university president, his life course would’ve been much different. Looking back on that conversation, I was explaining the concept of class/economic privilege back around 1990!
But unlike the Calvinists, I don’t believe that the reason I have been given the blessings I received at birth are due to my innate goodness or godliness. Instead I believe that I lucked out. The society I was born into stands on the shoulders of many people from the past, all the way back to and including that brilliant caveman who figured out that cooking food on a fire was a good idea. So no, I don’t believe that the wealthy and upper class folks “deserve” their bounty any more than I do. For some they earned it through work and/or innovation, but I would argue that same KSA wouldn’t have worked out for them nearly as well if they hadn’t just plain lucked out when they were born. Neither they, nor I, are in any way morally superior to a refugee or a homeless person or convict or addict or anyone else. Neither they, nor I, have the right to sit in judgment of them – we haven’t walked in their shoes and can’t imagine the travails of their lives.
Whenever I see the pictures of mayhem, of poverty, of want, of primitive living, the first thought that comes to my mind is not how those people aren’t trying hard enough. Instead I think, “There, but for the grace of God, go I”. And a part of me is a little selfishly relieved that things have turned out the way that they have and another part of me is ashamed that I haven’t done more in my life to make things better for everyone.
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Tick Tock day
“When things are taking their ordinary course, it is hard to remember what matters.” ~ -Marilynne Robinson, Gilead
Back in the day, I kept calendars in which you could write – and yes I had a Franklin Day Planner and I loved it. Keeping a careful calendar was a necessity when Frank was working shift work because Baltimore County’s Police Dept did a 5-3-5-2 rotation and he varied from day to afternoon to night shifts -- I had to keep up with which days were off and which shift he was on next and it got quite complicated at times. Because there was room on each day, I would write something about the day on it and at the end of each calendar there was always a couple blank pages and I would fill them with reflections and noodling about the past year and the year to come. I still have all of them in a box, which as a historian, I fondly delude myself my kids or grandkids will be interested in reading about my life. Just another box in the Disaster Area that will probably be thrown out…. The notebook-sized Franklin Planners with all the meeting notes and notes about the books I was reading and the organizational development trope has already gone to the recycling bin.
All of this is in the way of an intro to my musing about the past year, in case you didn’t realize where I was going with this.
The biggest news of the year is that our little family grew – Lorelei was born in August!
I got to take two vacations this year, which is pretty unusual. The first was in April out to Las Cruses to visit my oldest friend and her husband. This had been planned for the end of 2014, but had to be deferred, but the upshot was that I got to see the desert and mountains in spring for a change. They are great hosts and a very good time was had. The second was an impulsive one – there was a perfect storm of a 25% discount on rooms, expiring reward points [really, a round trip ticket for $11.25?], and the announcement that the Osborne Lights were leaving Hollywood Studios after this year. It was my second solo foray to WDW and it went much better than the first one did – but I went into hock to do it..
2015 saw a big change in my financial picture because I turned 65. The insurance company [both thru Frank’s pension plan and here at work] immediately shifted me over to Medicare, even though I am working full-time and even with the CIGNA Surround coverage, the costs for coverage immediately tripled for me. In addition? The life insurance that I have here at work was immediately reduced by 35%. Nice to know that the bottom lines of the insurance companies is more important that making affordable insurance available for seniors, isn’t it?
Health wise I seem to be doing a bit better. I have lost weight and the blood sugar levels are under better control now. The ankles don’t seem to swell as much and as often, and I have found fitting into shoes easier, but I still cannot wear heels without pain. The MRSA is a fact of life for me, and erupts now and then. And my gums definitely need care, but I haven’t gotten myself to a dentist yet since all the ones that I can find as recommended do not accept insurance. Kula is still on this restricted diet for thyroid condition. He continues to lose weight and has become hard of hearing and sometimes doesn’t seem to see very well. He leaves me little “gifts” on the floor to let me know when he is displeased, but fortunately still uses the litter box to pee in.
Well that is enough about me!
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the workaday world
You get up every morning, remembering to set the alarm for tomorrow. If you have a family, then everyone has to get out the door and on time too, complete with homework, projects, lunches, appropriate weather gear. And then there is the commute – it takes time to get from home to work!
While you are at work, you are in a pecking order and have to remind yourself occasionally that everyone has a boss even if you can’t see who is holding someone accountable. According to HR, you are paid the market value for your position, which has nothing to do with what you know and everything to do with how the organization you are toiling for perceives the value that your knowledge, skills and abilities bring to the bottom line. Sometimes that means you get minimum wage, sometimes more than that. You can only marvel at stories that tell you a CEO in an entertainment business is worth $44 million a year, which means he makes $21,153.85 an hour and wonder what magical acumen, what vital KSA he possesses, that makes him worth so much an hour than a minimum wage worker is worth in a year. Whatever it is, you rather wistfully wish you had some of it as you struggle with productivity and goals and cost cutting regimes on a daily basis. Your manager tells you that you are a vital cog in the wheel, certainly there are severe penalties for not showing up or for being late! And if you are unlucky enough to be permanent part-time? You probably have to deal with no benefits and no leave so that missing a day at work means no pay, so you go to work sick and listen to your co-workers gripe about spreading of germs.
When you get home, after dealing with the evening rush hour, there are chores that await – cleaning, cooking, kid rearing tasks, laundry, bill paying. Hard to remember sometimes that these are the best years of your life, that you should be treasuring the time with your little ones.
You live for the weekends, for two glorious days when you are home. In those two days you pack all the home projects, the chores you cannot get to during the week, family outings, time with each other. But alas, Sunday night comes all too quickly and the alarm has to be set for Monday morning where it all starts all over again. And you worry what will happen when you become too old or too sick to work anymore, or if you are laid off, but you try not to dwell on that.
Now, can you think of a single Presidential candidate or member of Congress who has the slightest comprehension of this world?
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Howdy Doody day
Today is an unusual day. Usually we bustle back to work the day after Christmas, very tired and not focused, Boxing Day not being a national holiday here in the US and here in 2015 we have TWO days off afterwards. What luxury! Well unless you have to work on weekends, that is, then you are at work and probably pretty busy if you are in retail or hospitality.
This will not happen until 2020, so kick back and enjoy! We do get the day after Christmas off in 2016 because Christmas moves to Sunday.
And the attention is starting to turn to the end of the year. The lists have started -- I have been informed by Amazon how much of the Prime music I listened to and by Pandora how many hours that I had their stations playing. The insurance company wanted me to know how much my medical costs impacted their bottom line this year, no doubt to justify the fact that they have moved one of the meds they used to cover to their "tier 4 you pay for it" category.
I have the balcony door open because it is so warm in the apartment and if the rain holds off I'm opening the windows too. Can't remember a time when it was this balmy hereabouts in the mid-Atlantic, the warmest weather seen this time of year since 1933 [and no, smart aleck, I don't remember that heat wave, it was 17 years before I was born]. And it is very humid too -- if the Bermuda high continues pumping all this moisture in the area when the temps turn cold later in the winter, we might be in for some rather spectacular snow storms. 2015 just doesn't seem to want to go out quietly or gracefully, does it?
Haven't given much thought to the coming year at all. Haven't made any New Year's resolutions yet -- prolly will go with the standard ones:
- try to eat healthy,
- exercise more,
- spend less,
- take more time to be with family and friends
- and get the Disaster Area under control.
There is a family vacation planned for the beginning of May -- we are going to WDW with an [almost] three year old and an infant. I'll let you know how that turns out for everyone. Trying to decide who to vote for in November without listening to the clown circus of American politics.
But for today? I am just lollygagging about, enjoying a lazy Sunday in the middle of this busy season.
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Christmas Eve in SL
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Advent Question 24
The last question in the series: What demonstrates to you that you are loved?
Tell me that you love me. Hold me. Laugh with me. Talk with me. Dance with me. Accept me as I am, and then help me be a better version of me. But most importantly? be with me – give me the gift of your time, attention and focus.
Of course bringing me flowers and showering me with gifts is pretty cool too!
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twas the night before Christmas....
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Advent Calendar #23
December 22: Who comforted you today?
I dragged my feet and didn’t post yesterday because I didn’t feel that anyone “comforted me”. And then this quote by Thoreau floated across my emails: “There is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it and no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself.” So where did I find my comfort to keep the sads from overwhelming me? I wrote an email to a friend. I started wrapping the Christmas presents – and found the missing decorations that I had been looking for in the past week! I kept up with the Christmas novena and made my intentions about others not me.
December 23: What’s your favorite way to greet a friend?
With a big, warm hug and an exuberant “I am so glad to see you!”
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