sandrewn

January 22nd 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Anastasius of Persia Gaudentius of Novara László Batthyány-Strattmann Laura Vicuna Vincent Pallotti Vincent of Saragossa Vincent, Orontius, and Victor Blessed William Joseph Chaminade January 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Day of Unity of Ukraine (Ukraine) Grandfather's Day (Poland) Observances (click on the day or week for details) Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day Celebration of Life Day National Blonde Brownie Day National Polka Dot Day National Sanctity of Human Life Day Roe vs. Wade Day Fun Observances (2) Hot Sauce Day Turn the heat up in your kitchen or on your dining table by adding hot sauce to everything you eat on January 22, because it is Hot Sauce Day. While the origins of this spicy holiday are unknown, it is clear that the anonymous creators of the day wanted to honor the myriad hot sauces available in kitchens and pantries around the world. The Many Different Types of Hot Sauces Hot sauce is a condiment made by crushing or pureeing raw, cooked, smoked, or pickled chili peppers with spices. Different parts of the world use different kinds of chili peppers as the base for their hot sauces. For example, hot sauces in Mexico are usually made of chipotle or jalapeño peppers, while in Jamaica, scotch bonnet peppers are popularly used to make hot sauces. Other popular chili peppers used in hot sauces include habaneros, Thai chili peppers, green chiles, Sichuan peppers, and bird's eye chili. In some countries, hot sauces are made by crushing the peppers in vinegar, while in other countries, vinegar is replaced by a tomato or carrot based puree. Oil is often used as a way to bring out the flavors and heat of the peppers in many Middle Eastern countries. The Scoville Scale Native to the Americas, chili peppers were spread around the world by Spanish and Portuguese traders. Today, these fruits of the capsicum plant are used for spicing up food and as medicine by people around the world. Chili peppers get their heat from chemical compounds called capsaicinoids. The amount of these compounds in a chili pepper is measured by the Scoville Scale - the higher the rating a pepper has on the scale, the more capsaicinoids it has and the more intense the chili flavor it has. In addition to being used in cooking and baking, chilis are also used as topical medicines for aches and pains and to manufacture pepper spray, a non-lethal form of defensive weapon. How to Celebrate? Add your favorite hot sauce to everything you eat today. Try out new types and brands of hot sauce. If you have never made hot sauce at home, today is the chance to do it. Go to your local farmer's market and pick up a variety of chilis and get started. Did You Know… …that India is the world's largest producer and consumer of chili peppers? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Answer Your Cat's Questions Day Cats, they are inquisitive creatures by nature. Answer all their questions on January 22, Answer All Your Cat’s Questions Day. While it is unclear who created this very original, unofficial holiday, some pet organizations and companies view it as a “purr”fect day to spend some time understanding your feline companion. How to Celebrate? Invite your cat to hang out with you. This may involve bribing her/ him. Try and find out all their burning questions. This may require more bribing. Once you have their questions, try and answer them. We are pretty sure that most of their questions revolve around how adorable they look while trying to destroy the few earthly possessions you have. And if all else fails, just spend time with your cat and let it know that you love them. Spend some time learning about feline behavior. If you don’t have a cat, perhaps it is time to visit your local shelter and adopt a cat so you can participate in this awesome holiday? Did You Know… … that a group of cats is called a clowder, while a group of kittens is known as a kindle? *** On a fishing trip to a remote lake in Northern Quebec, I asked the outfitter, “Do you stay here during the winter?” “No,” he said. “The snow gets too deep. We can’t get supplies in. Like many Canadians, I go south for the winter.” “Oh,” I said. “Where do you go?” “Vermont.” *** As we waited for a bus in the frosty weather, the woman next to me mentioned that she makes a lot of mistakes when texting in the cold. I nodded knowingly. “It’s the early signs of typothermia.” *** Don’t knock the weather. If it didn’t change once in a while, nine tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation. *** According to a news story, if global warming continues, in 20 years the only chance we'll have to see a polar bear is in a zoo. So in other words, nothing is going to change. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

I find it mind boggling that it has taken me over five years to finally read this introduction. In my defense (don't laugh), there was, over a year of self imposed exile. Family and personal health difficulties and now the two year( and probably never ending) Covid Pandemic. Okay, so still no real excuse for a five year delay. Better late, than never??? This intro gives no clue what so ever as to why the title is 'Northern Exposure'. It does set the scene, intro the main characters (thus far) and further illustrates why no young Captain would ever want to posted to this fleet. So now we are ready, thanks for the intro, Mark. Now lets get this show on the road, please! Thanks again, sandrewn

January 21st 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Babinden (Bulgaria, Serbia) Birthday of Princess Ingrid Alexandra (Norway) Christian feast day: Agnes[60] Demiana (Coptic Church) Fructuosus John Yi Yun-il (one of The Korean Martyrs) Meinrad of Einsiedeln January 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Errol Barrow Day (Barbados) Flag Day (Quebec) Grandmother's Day (Poland) Lady of Altagracia Day (Dominican Republic) Lincoln Alexander Day (Canada) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Hugging Day International Playdate Day International Sweatpants Day National Granola Bar Day National Cheesy Socks Day One-Liners Day Own Your Own Home Day Playdate Day Fun Observances Squirrel Appreciation Day January 21 is Squirrel Appreciation Day, a day to acknowledge the role that squirrels play in nature and the environment. It is an unofficial holiday started by North Carolina wildlife rehabilitator Christy McKeown in 2001, as a way to encourage people to put out seeds and nuts for these cute rodents. Almost Everywhere Squirrels are found almost everywhere on Earth. They are native to Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and have been introduced to Australia. In North America, the western and eastern grey squirrels are very common. In Europe, the red squirrel is more common, but its numbers in Great Britain and Ireland are decreasing. The decrease in the red squirrel population is linked to the introduction of the eastern grey squirrel from North America. Found in Different Sizes Squirrels can range anywhere from a few inches to a few feet long. The smallest known squirrel species, the African pygmy squirrel, are on average only about 3 inches (7.62 centimeters) long. The largest squirrels, the Indian giant squirrel, can be as long as is 3 feet (1 meter). A Scurry of Squirrels A group of squirrels is called a dray or a scurry, though the term dray or drey usually refers to a squirrel nest. How to Celebrate? Leave out food in your yard for squirrels, but make sure you research what is considered nutritious food for squirrels. Learn more about squirrels by watching documentaries on the rodents, visiting your local natural history museum or by just observing the squirrels in your yard. Change your desktop and social media profile pictures to an image of a squirrel. Did You Know… …that their front teeth grow at the rate of six inches per year? *** Whoever said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results has obviously never had to reboot a computer. *** Autocorrect can go straight to he’ll. *** Q. What is the biggest lie in the entire universe? A. "I have read and agree to the Terms & Conditions." *** Matt: Hey Dr. Park, this is Matt from the Vascular lab. I have an outpatient here with an external iliac occlusion with cold foot pin and numbness that started 3 days ago. What should I do with her? Hannah: Hi, this is Hannah. I think you have the wrong number, but I Googled it and I’m pretty sure u need to put a stent in her left radial artery. Best of luck, Matt! Matt: Sorry, wrong number Hannah. She ended up actually getting a stent. Took about 3 hours longer for trained medical professionals to figure out what took you 3 minutes. Hannah: Yoooo, yall hiring? *** Daughter: Dad there’s a moth on the outside of the bathroom door. Can you get rid of it? Daughter: Please hurry because I’m going to cry. Daughter: Dad… Daughter: Dad… Dad: Dad is dead. You’re next. Love, Moth *** I was in a couple’s home trying to fix their Internet connection. 
The husband called out to his wife 
in the other room for the computer password. “Start with a capital S, then 123,” she shouted back. We tried S123 several times, but 
it didn’t work. So we called the wife in. As she input the password, she muttered, “I really don’t know what’s so difficult about typing Start123. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Lightning kills an entire football team | The Independent | The Independent *** *** Coffin birth - Wikipedia *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 20th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Armed Forces Day (Mali) Army Day (Laos) Christian feast day: Abadios Blessed Basil Moreau Eustochia Smeralda Calafato Euthymius the Great Fabian Manchán of Lemanaghan Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception Brando Richard Rolle (Church of England) Sebastian Stephen Min Kuk-ka (one of The Korean Martyrs) January 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Heroes' Day (Cape Verde) Inauguration Day, held every four years in odd-numbered years immediately following years divisible by 4, except for the public ceremony when January 20 falls on Sunday (the public ceremony is held the following day; however, the terms of offices still begin on the 20th) (United States of America, not a federal holiday for all government employees but only for those working in the Capital region) Martyrs' Day (Azerbaijan) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Disc Jockey Day National Cheese Lovers Day National Buttercrunch Day Women’s Healthy Weight Day International Day of Acceptance National Camcorder Day Get To know Your Customers Day National Coffee Break Day Take A Walk Outdoors Day Fun Observances Penguin Awareness Day January 20 is Penguin Awareness Day. The day helps raise awareness about the flightless birds whose numbers are dwindling by the day. The day also aims to bring international focus on the conservation of penguin habitats. Southern Hemisphere Natives Penguins are aquatic birds native to the Southern Hemisphere. There are about 20 known species of penguins, the largest of which are the emperor penguins, the lead stars of the documentary, March of the Penguins. The smallest known penguin species are the little penguin found in the coastal areas of Australia and New Zealand. Flightless Birds It is thought that the black and white coloring of the penguins is a camouflage which helps them to hide from underwater predators. While penguins are great at diving and swimming, they cannot fly even though they are considered to be part of the bird family. They use their wings as flippers to move quickly underwater. How to Celebrate? Learn more about these majestic birds and their habitat and try to understand how human activity may be affecting them. If your local zoo has penguins, why not take a trip there to spend some time observing them? Watch movies with penguin characters and documentaries about the lives and habitats of penguins. Did You Know… …that the fastest penguins – the Gentoo – can swim at the speed of 22 miles or 35 kilometers an hour? *** Q: What do you get when you cross a cocker spaniel, a poodle, and a rooster? A: A cockerpoodledoo! *** The Unathletic Camper’s Baseball Glossary Baseball bat: a wooden or 
metal bar that can easily fly out of someone’s hands. Foul ball: a moment when you think, Holy @#$%, I got a hit! Babe Ruth: someone who people tell you was also overweight. Right field: a quiet place where you can sit for long stretches and play with dandelions. Until suddenly you hear a clang and some shouting and immediately understand life is about to get much harder. Fly ball: when the sun drops 
a boulder on your head. Shortstop: a position that 
involves mostly ground balls 
and that you think maybe you can play. Line drive: the reason you can’t play shortstop. Innings: the amount of time 
left before afternoon snack, 
divided by nine. *** Honest Brand Slogans Hallmark: “When you care enough to give a card mass-produced by 
a corporation.” Ritz crackers: “Tiny, edible plates.” CliffsNotes: “They’re still going to know you didn’t read the book.” Gillette: “We’re just going to keep adding blades.” ChapStick: “You’ll misplace it before the tube’s empty.” Hot Pockets: “Every bite is a different temperature.” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn (Just so you know. I practice what I preach. I got my booster shot (3rd shot) two weeks ago.)

January 19th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Bassianus of Lodi Henry of Uppsala Marius, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum Mark of Ephesus (Eastern Orthodox Church) Pontianus of Spoleto Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester January 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Confederate Heroes Day (Texas), and its related observance: Robert E. Lee Day (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi) Feast of Sultán (Sovereignty), first day of the 17th month of the Baháʼí calendar (Baháʼí Faith) (only if Nowruz falls on March 21, otherwise the dates shifts) Husband's Day (Iceland) Kokborok Day (Tripura, India) Theophany / Epiphany (Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy), and its related observances: Timkat, or 20 during Leap Year (Ethiopian Orthodox) Vodici or Baptism of Jesus (North Macedonia) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Popcorn Day National Tin Can Day Museum Selfie Day Artist as Outlaw Day Brew a Potion Day Good Memory Day Gun Appreciation Day Tenderness Toward Existence Day World Quark Day Fun Observances Tin Can Day On January 19 crack open a can of sardines because it's Tin Can Day. While the origins of Tin Can Day are unknown, this unofficial holiday probably wants to honor the humble tin can and to raise awareness about recycling them. A Revolutionary Invention Invented in early 1800 by French inventor Philippe Henri de Girard, the tin can revolutionized the military and the world of exploration – soldiers and explorers could now travel long distances without worrying about food supplies or the shelf life of their food. A Pantry Staple Despite a few early hitches – tin cans were sealed using lead for a number of years causing lead poisoning - tin cans have now become a staple in most pantries. Food preserved in tin cans does not spoil for long durations and can be easily transported. Despite the name, tin cans in use today are not completely made out of tin - they are usually made of steel, steel coated with tin, or aluminum. How to Celebrate? Celebrate Tin Can Day by learning the history of the tin can. Make your meals using canned food only. What about some tin can crafts? Maybe bake a cake in a can or use a can to make a portable phone for your kids? Collect all the tin cans you have and take them to the recycling center. Did You Know… …that in Europe, steel from tin cans and other kind of packaging is the most recycled material? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Popcorn Day January 19 is Popcorn Day, a day to organize an impromptu movie night, just so that you can enjoy a tub or two of crunchy, salty and buttery popcorn. Or, if you have a sweet tooth, treat yourself to some delicious caramel popcorn. The unofficial holiday is also sometimes celebrated on the day of the Super Bowl in the United States, where it is called National Popcorn Day. Popping Corn Popcorn is a snack made by heating corn or maize kernels. When heated – either in a microwave oven or on the stovetop – the hull on the outside of the kernels break or “pop” creating the delicious snack we call popcorn. Long and Varied History Popcorn has a very long and varied history. Historians believe that corn whose kernels could be popped was first cultivated around 5000 B.C.E in Mexico. Archeologists have found evidence of first popcorn maker – a utensil with holes and a handle – dating back to 400 C.E. in Peru. In many indigenous cultures, corn and popcorn were used for religious purposes and decoration. Popular Movie Theater Snack Popcorn became popular in the US around the early 1900s when it was sold on street corners under the name of Pearls. Now a popular movie theater snack, theater owners initially were against serving popcorn in their premises. During the depression, however, popcorn became one of the few luxuries that people could afford forcing theater owners to start selling popcorn. Today, it is a huge part of the movie experience. Popcorn's fortunes fell as VCRs became popular and people started watching films at home. The invention of microwave oven popcorn and home popcorn machines once again brought popcorn into the lives of movie aficionados. Popcorn is also often used for decoration and as packaging material. How to Celebrate? Add popcorn to all your meals today. Start the day with popcorn cereal – add milk, honey or maple syrup to popcorn. Sprinkle some popcorn on your lunch salad instead of croutons. Replace Rice Krispies in Rice Krispie treats with popcorn to make sweet treats for your evening snack. Use crushed popcorn instead of breadcrumbs to coat your breadcrumbed chicken breast for dinner. And end the day with some ice cream topped with chocolate and caramel popcorn. Host a movie night and have a popcorn bar for your guests. May we recommend serving parmesan and bacon popcorn, jalapeño popcorn, curry popcorn, maple-pecan popcorn, cake batter popcorn and chocolate popcorn, in addition to the original butter popcorn? Did You Know… ...that popcorn is the official snack food of the State of Illinois, United States? *** Visiting Annapolis, I noticed several plebes on their hands and knees holding pencils and clipboards. “What are they doing?” I asked our tour guide. “Each year, the upper­classmen ask the freshmen how many bricks it took to finish paving this courtyard,” he said. “So what’s the answer?” my friend asked. The guide replied, “One.” *** A woman at our checkout counter didn’t have enough money to cover her purchase of toilet paper, so I paid the 96 cents. “Thank you,” she said. “I’m going to think of you every time I use this paper.” *** "What's the difference between an optimist and a pessimist?" I asked my husband. He thought for a minute before responding, "An optimist is the guy who created the airplane. A pessimist is the guy who created the parachute." *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 18th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Amy Carmichael (Church of England) Athanasius of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church) Confession of Peter (Eastern Orthodox, some Anglican and Lutheran Churches) Cyril of Alexandria Deicolus Margaret of Hungary Prisca Volusianus of Tours January 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Federal Holiday, United States of America)[20] Royal Thai Armed Forces Day (Thailand) Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18–25) (Christianity) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Winnie the Pooh Day Mahayana New Year National Gourmet Coffee Day National Michigan Day National Peking Duck Day Printing Ink Day Fun Observances Thesaurus Day January 18 is Thesaurus Day. Impress your family and friends with big, complicated, and fancy sounding words to celebrate this lexicographic holiday. The unofficial holiday commemorates the birth anniversary of British lexicographer and physician, Peter Mark Roget, the author of the Roget’s Thesaurus. Storehouse of Words A thesaurus is a book that compiles words grouped by similarity of meaning. The term thesaurus comes from the Greek word, thesauros, meaning treasure or storehouse. Roget's Thesaurus is one of the most widely used reference books in the English language around the world. It was first published in 1852 with 15,000 words. Since then, the book has never gone out of publication. Therapeutic Origins It is believed that Roget worked on making word lists that later became the Roget's Thesaurus as a way to combat with depression and mental illness. Roget is also known for inventing the log slide rule in 1814. The slide rule helps calculate the roots of number very easily. How to Celebrate? Bring out your thesaurus and carry it with you the whole day, using it every time you want to speak with someone. Play a game of Synonym. Did You Know… …that synonym is an antonym of antonym? *** After finishing his meal, my grandfather, a retired Marine captain, asked the waitress for the 15 percent discount the restaurant offered veterans. "Do you need to see my military ID?" he asked. "That's all right," she said. "I know you were in the military. I can tell by your T-shirt." Grandpa's shirt read "Welcome to Gettysburg National Military Park." *** Three dolts are in the forest when they spot a set of tracks. Dolt No. 1 says, "Hey, deer tracks!" Dolt No. 2 says, "No, dog tracks!" Dolt No. 3 says, "You’re both crazy—they’re cow tracks!" They were still arguing when the train hit them. *** Heading down the interstate, our car passed through a huge swarm of gnats so dense that their bodies made popping noises as they hit the windshield. "I can't get over how loud they are," my wife said. "Well, we are hitting them at 65 miles an hour," I pointed out. Her reply left me speechless. "I didn't know bugs could fly that fast." *** Green yolk egg| Green egg: Hens lay eggs with green yolks in Kerala poultry farm, scientists conduct study | Trending & Viral News *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ' ME ' *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 17th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Anthony the Great Blessed Angelo Paoli Blessed Gamelbert of Michaelsbuch Charles Gore (Church of England) Jenaro Sánchez Delgadillo (one of Saints of the Cristero War) Mildgyth Our Lady of Pontmain Sulpitius the Pious January 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) National Day (Menorca, Spain) The opening ceremony of Patras Carnival, celebrated until Clean Monday. (Patras) Observances (click on the day or week for details) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Blue Monday Cable Car Day Michelle Obama’s Birthday National Hot Buttered Rum Day Brew Monday Elementary School Teacher Day Idaho Human Rights Day National Bootlegger’s Day Family Mediation Week Mon Jan 17th, 2022 - Fri Jan 21st, 2022 Fun Observances (3) Benjamin Franklin Day January 17 is celebrated worldwide as Benjamin Franklin Day. Born on this day in 1706 to a soap and candle maker in England, Benjamin Franklin grew up to become one of the most well-known and celebrated Americans in history. Founding Father Ben Franklin was a polymath - someone who is an expert on a variety of different subjects. In addition to being one of America’s founding fathers, Franklin was a prolific inventor, author, printer, politician, diplomat, musician, and postmaster. The fact that he stopped attending school at the age of 10 makes him one of the most impressive person in American and world history. A Widely Read Author Franklin was a Freemason who published several books under the pseudonym, Richard Saunders. One of his most famous works is called Poor Richard's Almanack, an annual almanac that included poems, weather, and astrological information. For the 25 years that it was in publication - the first one came out in 1732—it was the most widely read almanac in the American colonies. On the 100 Dollar Bill The American 100 dollar bill features a picture of Franklin. Because of this, the bills are sometimes also referred to as Benjamins. How to Celebrate? Celebrate this all-round genius by learning more about his life and achievements. Did You Know... …that the concept of Daylight Saving Time (DST) is mistakenly attributed to Benjamin Franklin? It was actually first proposed by George Vernon Hudson in 1895. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kid Inventors' Day January 17 is Kid Inventors’ Day (KID), a day to encourage all the children in your life to think outside the box and invent something. The unofficial holiday commemorates the birthday of all-around genius and kid inventor, Benjamin Franklin, and celebrates kid inventors around the world. It also aims to encourage children to be curious about the world around them and to be creative when solving problems. Benjamin Franklin, Kid Inventor Franklin, one of the most prolific person in history was responsible for inventing the precursor to the swimming flippers at the age of eleven, a year after he stopped going to school. His invention was made for the hands instead of the feet. How to Celebrate? Encourage the kids around you to search for scientific and logical solutions to problems. Get the kids in your life problem-solving toys and games to help them develop critical thinking skills. If a child you know has an idea for a gadget or a game, help them realize their dreams. If you are a teacher, spend the day talking to your students about children who invented things and inspire them to become inventors. Let them know that their idea or invention does not have to be path breaking or revolutionary, it can be something small that solves a real life problem that they or someone they know, face. Did You Know… …that the snowmobile, popsicles, and braille were all invented by children? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ditch New Year's Resolution Day January 17 or Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day is popularly thought to be the day when a large number of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. You have done well for the past couple of weeks. You have stuck to your New Year’s resolutions. But are now ready to give them up. You are busy, you took on too much, that piece of cake just looks so darn good to ignore. Whatever your reason to break your New Year resolutions, you can do it guilt-free on Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day. How to Celebrate? Ditch those resolutions, relax and stop feeling guilty about breaking them. After all, resolutions are meant to be broken. Did You Know… …that according to some studies almost 80% of all people who make New Year’s resolutions abandon them sometime during the year? *** It’s my wife’s birthday tomorrow. Last week, I asked her what she wanted as a present. “Oh, I don’t know,” she said. “Just give me something with diamonds.” That’s why I’m giving her a pack of playing cards. *** Forget about the past, you can't change it. Forget about the future, you can't predict it. Forget about the present, I didn't get you one. *** The Law of Coffee If you sit down to enjoy a hot cup of coffee, then your boss will ask you to do something that will last until the coffee is cold. *** A pair of jumper cables walk into a cafe. The barista sees them and says, “I’m sorry but I’ll have to ask you to leave. I don’t want you starting anything in here.” *** A man walks into a coffee shop carrying a big chunk of asphalt under his arm. At the counter he says, “I’ll take a large latte for myself, please, and one for the road.” *** After a talking sheepdog gets all the sheep in the pen, he reports back to the farmer: “All 40 accounted for.” “But I only have 36 sheep,” says the farmer. “I know,” says the sheepdog. “But I rounded them up.” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 16th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Pope Benjamin (Coptic) Berard of Carbio Blaise (Armenian Apostolic) Fursey Joseph Vaz Honoratus of Arles Pope Marcellus I Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Coptic Church) Titian of Oderzo Eve of Saint Anthony observed with ritual bonfires in San Bartolomé de Pinares January 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) National Religious Freedom Day (United States) Teacher's Day (Myanmar) Teachers' Day (Thailand) Observances (click on the day or week for details) World Religion Day International Hot and Spicy Food Day National Appreciate A Dragon Day National Fig Newton Day Book Publishers Day National Good Teen Day National Without a Scalpel Day Prohibition Remembrance Day Tu BiShvat World Snow Day Fun Observances Nothing Day January 16 is Nothing Day, a day to celebrate, well, nothing. Started by newspaper columnist Harold Pullman Coffin in 1973, the unofficial holiday aims to provide people “with a day where they can just sit without celebrating, observing, or honoring anything." An Un-Event The day is an "un-event", which means that it should not be seen as an event and that one should do nothing to promote it as such. So instead of promoting the day, we will tell you more about nothing. Nothing is an indefinite pronoun that means no thing or not anything. It refers to a person or a thing of no importance, consequence, or interest. Debates Over Nothing History is full of debates between philosophers and writers on the importance and the study of nothing. Some philosophers believe that the study of the nature of nothing is a useless endeavor since there is nothing like nothing - to answer the question, what is nothing, one must find nothing. There is also some disagreement among physicists about the true nature of nothingness in outer space. Many claim that even a true vacuum, devoid of anything is not nothing, because even if it doesn't have any particles of gravity, it contains quantum particles. How to Celebrate? Observe Nothing Day by celebrating nothing. Learn facts about absolutely nothing. Learn more about how the notion of nothingness features in philosophy and science. Watch the Seinfeld episode, The Pitch. In this episode of the popular TV series, George Costanza comes up with the idea of creating a TV show about nothing. Did You Know… …that zero as a number was discovered in India in the 9th century AD? *** For Mother’s Day: My Mom Taught Me … Logic: “If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can’t go to the store with me.” Humor: “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.” Justice: “One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you. Then you’ll see what it’s like!” *** My coworker at the hotel was miserable at his job and was desperately searching for a new one. "Why don’t you work for your mother?" I suggested. He shook his head. "I can’t," he said. "Her company has a very strict policy against hiring relatives." "Who made up that ridiculous rule?" "My mother." *** I was sound asleep when the telephone jarred me awake. "Hi!" It was my peppy mother-in-law. She proceeded to rattle on about the busy day she had ahead and all the things that awaited her the rest of the week. "Mom," I interrupted. "It's five in the morning." "Really? What are you doing up so early?" *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 15th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Arbor Day (Egypt) Armed Forces Day (Nigeria) Army Day (India) Christian feast day: Abeluzius (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church) Arnold Janssen Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (one of Martyr Saints of China) Ita Our Lady of the Poor Macarius of Egypt (Western Christianity) Maurus and Placidus (Order of Saint Benedict) Paul the Hermit January 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Earliest day on which Martin Luther King Jr. Day can fall (the 15th being his birthday), while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in January. (United States) Earliest day on which Sinulog Festival can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday in January. (Philippines) John Chilembwe Day (Malawi) Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea) Ocean Duty Day (Indonesia) Sagichō at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. (Kamakura, Japan) Teacher's Day (Venezuela) Black Christ of Esquipulas day [51] The second day of the sidereal winter solstice festivals in India (see January 14): Thai Pongal, Tamil harvest festival Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Hat Day National Pothole Day Wikipedia Day Martin Luther King's Birthday National Booch Day National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day Fun Observances (3) Strawberry Ice Cream Day January 15 is Strawberry Ice Cream Day. It is an unofficial holiday that celebrates ice cream made with strawberries or added strawberry flavors. ii ii It is believed that the ice cream flavor, which is now popular around the world, was invented in 1813 in the United States by First Lady Dolley Madison, and it was served during her husband, President James Madison’s second inaugural banquet at the White House. Used as Medicine Strawberries, a member of the rose family, were consumed by our ancestors for its medicinal purposes. The ancient Romans thought that the fruit could cure depression, sadness and kidney stones. Modern day studies have shown that strawberries are a good source of Vitamin C and consumption of the fruit can reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in humans. The holiday is also known as National Strawberry Ice Cream Day in the United States. How to Celebrate? I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Strawberry ice cream to be more precise. Here are some ways to honor this hugely popular ice cream: Celebrate the day with strawberry ice cream. Have strawberry ice cream for all your meals during the day. Make your own strawberry ice cream at home. What about adding new flavors like balsamic vinegar and mint to your tried and tested strawberry ice cream recipe? Did You Know… …that botanically, a strawberry is not a fruit at all? Instead, it is a receptacle - the thick part of a stem from which a flower grows. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Soup Swap Day Host a soup swap on the third Saturday of January to celebrate Soup Swap Day. Soup Swap Day is a day to spend quality time with family and friends and share some homemade soup with them to take home. Started in Seattle Started by Knox Gardner and his friend in Seattle, Soup Swap Day became an unofficial holiday celebrated all over the United States in 2006. Today, the holiday is celebrated by soup enthusiasts in many other parts of the world. Healing Broth Soup is often given to people when they are sick or nursing a cold. Chicken soup is especially used for its soothing qualities. It makes sense, broth made from bones and vegetables are very nourishing and easily digested. How to Celebrate? Host a soup swap. Have friends and family bring homemade soup in containers. Make sure everyone brings the same number of soup filled containers as guests. Share soup with everyone – each guest should leave the same amount of soup as they come with. Did You Know… …that the earliest known record of humans eating soup dates back to 20,000 years ago? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bagel and Lox Day Bagel and Lox Day is an unofficial holiday dedicated to the quintessential Jewish American dish made of bagels, cream cheese, and lox or cured salmon. This holiday of unknown origins is also often known as National Bagel Day or Bagel Day. In 2018, Thomas', a division of Bimbo Bakeries USA, decided to move the date of National Bagel Day from February 9 to January 15 to avoid competing with National Pizza Day. Despite this, many people still prefer to celebrate this holiday on the original date of February 9. Ring Shaped Bread Popularized first by Jewish immigrants in New York City, bagels and lox is a classic combination and is a dish usually eaten during breakfast or for brunch. Traditionally from Poland, bagels are ring-shaped bread made out of wheat dough that is first boiled and then baked to give it its distinctive chewy texture. The hole in the middle is thought to make it easier for the bagel to cook as well as easier for bakers to transport and store lots of bagels at one time – all they need to do is to string a rope or thread through the bagel holes. Lox and Schmear The word lox is derived from the Yiddish word for salmon, laks. In the United States, lox is brined and cured salmon that has been sliced very thinly. On a bagel, it is usually served with cream cheese, popularly called schmear, from the German word for spread. How to Celebrate This one’s easy. Just go to your closest deli and get yourself a bagel with cream cheese and lox. Don’t have a deli close to you? Make the sandwich yourself at home – all you’ll need is some cream cheese, a bagel, and some lox. Add a slice of tomato or onion and you have a delicious meal ready! Did You Know… ...that the shape of a bagel – a ring with a hole – is technically called a torus? The word torus comes from the Latin word for cushion. *** A musician friend is always upbeat. But when she developed ringing in one ear, I was concerned it might overwhelm even her. When I asked whether her condition was especially annoying to a musician, she shook her head. “Not really,” she said cheerfully. “The ringing sound is in the key of B flat, so I use it to tune my cello half a tone lower.” *** Q: What happens if you play a county song backwards? A: Your wife returns to you, your dog comes back to life, and you get out of prison. *** I’m driving with this guy, and 
he runs right through a Stop sign. So 
I say, “Hey, that was a Stop sign.” And he says, “I drive like my brother!” A few blocks later, he plows right through a red light. I say, “You just ran a red light.” And he says, “I drive like my brother!” So now we’re coming up on a green light, and he slows down. I’m confused, so I say, “It’s green; why are you slowing down?” He says, “My brother might be coming.” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 14th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Barba'shmin Blessed Devasahayam Pillai (Latin Church) Divina Pastora (Barquisimeto) Eivind Berggrav (Lutheran) Felix of Nola Macrina the Elder Odoric of Pordenone January 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Defender of the Motherland Day (Uzbekistan) Feast of the Ass (Medieval Christianity) Flag Day (Georgia) National Forest Conservation Day (Thailand) Old New Year, and its related observance: Azhyrnykhua (Abkhazia) Yennayer (Berbers) Ratification Day (United States) Revolution and Youth Day (Tunisia) Sidereal winter solstice celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; marking the transition of the Sun to Capricorn, and the first day of the six months Uttarayana period. (see April 14): Magh Bihu (Assam) Maghe Sankranti (Nepal) Maghi (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh) Makar Sankranti (India) The first day of Pongal (Tamil Nadu) Uttarayan (Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Rajasthan) World Logic Day[55] (UNESCO) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Dress Up Your Pet Day International Kite Day National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day Cesarean Section Day Feast of the Ass Day Ratification Day Take a Missionary to Lunch Day Fun Observances Organize Your Home Day January 14 get started early on this year's spring cleaning and organizing on Organize Your Home Day. It may sound like a lot of work, but you will thank us later. Your home will be organized, ready to receive company at a moment’s notice and more importantly, if you keep it up throughout the year, you will have an organized home next year this unofficial holiday rolls by. Beneficial All Year Being organized can balance your life. It can reduce stress and makes you more productive. It can stop you looking for things, of having to buy new things that you don't need. If you make it your way of life today, it can soon become a habit and you will reap the benefits for years to come. How to Celebrate? Get your cleaning supplies out and get scrubbing and organizing. Rope in your family to help you organize, give everyone a task and award them for finishing them. Hold an organizing party, and have friends help you. You can thank them by making them their favorite meal or by helping them organize their home in return. Make an organization itinerary. Attack a room or an area every week and you will have an organized home in no time. Declutter by donating things you don't use anymore. Did You Know… …that cleaning can help burn calories? On average, mopping the floors for an hour will help you lose about 160 calories. *** Spotted on a Laundromat corkboard: “Please keep clothes on while doing laundry.” *** Some people just have a way with words, and other people … oh … not have way. *** The four most beautiful words in our common language: 
I told you so. *** I don’t want to brag, but I do speak pig Latin; I mean, I’m not fluent, but I’m sure if I ever went there, I could get by. *** You’ll never be as lazy as whoever named the fireplace. *** A Canadian psychologist is selling a video that teaches you how to test your dog's IQ. Here’s how it works: If you spend $12.99 for the video, your dog is smarter than you. *** Every novel is a mystery novel if you never finish it. *** The holiday 
season:
a deeply religious 
time that each of us 
observes, in his own way, by going to the 
 mall of his choice. *** Being president is like 
running a cemetery: You’ve got a lot of people under you, and nobody’s listening. ---Bill Clinton *** I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of a national emergency—even if I’m in a Cabinet meeting. —Ronald Reagan *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 13th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Blessed Veronica of Milan Elian Hilary of Poitiers Mungo St. Knut's Day or Tjugondag Knut, the last day of Christmas. (Sweden and Finland) January 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Constitution Day (Mongolia) Democracy Day (Cape Verde) Liberation Day (Togo) Old New Year's Eve (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro, Republic of Srpska, North Macedonia), and its related observances: Malanka (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus) Sidereal winter solstice's eve celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; the last day of the six-month Dakshinayana period (see January 14): Bhogi (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu) Lohri (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh) Uruka (Assam) Stephen Foster Memorial Day (United States) Yennayer (Berbers) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Sticker Day National Rubber Ducky Day Public Radio Broadcasting Day National Peach Melba Day International Skeptics Day National Youth Day Korean American Day National Gluten-Free Day Calennig Healthy Weight, Healthy Look Day Poetry Break Day Fun Observances Make Your Dreams Come True Day January 13 is Make your Dreams Come True Day. If you have been procrastinating on fulfilling your dream, this is your chance to get things right. This unofficial holiday with unknown origins encourages people to be proactive about achieving what they want in life. Dreams That Inspire Dreams are a part of life. We all dream when we sleep, but most of us don't remember them the next day. No matter how big or small, there are some dreams that inspire us and allow us to make our lives better. It is these dreams that Make your Dreams Come True Day celebrates. Dreams that motivate us to do better, encourage us to take on more challenges, and energize us to succeed in our lives - professionally and personally. How to Celebrate? Get started on making your dream come true. Talk to someone who inspires you. Make an inspiration board with images and words relating to your dream. Write down your dream, make a project plan, and create deadlines for you to work towards. Did You Know… …that according to experts, most people on average have a dream every 90 minutes? *** On the phone with my 93-year-old brother in Wisconsin, and I told him I thought it was time he paid someone to shovel snow for him. He suddenly grew indignant. “Why should I pay someone to shovel?” he demanded. “I can get my son to do it. He’s only 70!” *** The other day I got carded at the liquor store. While I was taking out my ID, my old Blockbuster card fell out. The clerk shook his head, said, “Never mind,” and rang me up. *** One of the shortest wills ever written: “Being of sound mind, I spent all the money.” *** Two old guys, Fred and Sam went to the movies. A few minutes after it started, Fred heard Sam rustling around and he seemed to be searching on the floor under his seat. "What are you doing?" asked Fred. Sam, a little grumpy by this time, replied "I had a caramel in my mouth and it dropped out. I can't find it." Fred told him to forget it because it would be too dirty by now. "But I've got to", said Sam, "my teeth are in it!" *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 12th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Aelred of Rievaulx Benedict Biscop Bernard of Corleone Marguerite Bourgeoys Tatiana January 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Memorial Day (Turkmenistan) National Youth Day (India) Prosecutor General's Day (Russia) Zanzibar Revolution Day (Tanzania) Aseggwas Amaziɣ, ⴰⵙⴳⴳⴰⵙ ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ (Algeria) Observances (click on the day or week for details) Kiss a Ginger Day National Pharmacist Day Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day National Curried Chicken Day National Hot Tea Day National Take the Stairs Day National Youth Day Fun Observances Marzipan Day Celebrate marzipan, the sweet, almond-based multi-purpose confectionary on January 12, Marzipan Day. Marzipan is one of those food items that evoke extreme reactions. Love it or hate it, it is one of the most well-known and widely used food item in kitchens and bakeries around the world. Decorating Cakes Made of almond meal and sugar, marzipan is usually used to decorate cakes. Its dough-like consistency makes it an ideal material to make novelty shapes and figures. Some historians believe that marzipan has Arabic roots, while others believe that the Chinese introduced it to the world. Either way, it has now become the mainstay of holiday and wedding celebrations in many parts of the world. How to Celebrate? Make your own marzipan and use it to make treats. If you can’t make your own marzipan, buy pre-made marzipan and shape it. Learn the different ways marzipan is used by people in different cultures. Did You Know... …that the wild varieties of almond are not fit for human consumption? This is because they contain a compound called glycoside amygdalin, which turns into hydrogen cyanide if the seed is crushed or injured. *** I didn't realize how bad of a driver I was until my satnav said, "In 400 feet, do a slight right, stop, and let me out." *** I answered a 911 call at our emergency dispatch center from a woman who said her water broke. "Stay calm," I advised. "Now, how far apart are your contractions?" "No contractions," she said breathlessly. "But my basement is flooding fast." *** When my friend spotted a blind man and his guide dog at a crosswalk, she stopped her car and waved them on. "Uh, Cynthia," I said, "he can't see you." "I know that," she said indignantly. "I'm waving the dog on." *** Movie Quotes—The First Drafts The Godfather: "I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse. Well, he can refuse it, of course. I just know that if someone were to make me an offer like this, I’d jump all over it. But who am I to impose my feelings on someone else?" The Terminator: "I’ll be back. Do you need anything while I’m up?" Dirty Harry: "You’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? I ask myself that every day, and you know what? I feel so very lucky. Loving family, steady work …" Taxi Driver: "You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Sorry, it looked like you were talkin’ to me. My mistake." *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 11th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Children's Day (Tunisia) Christian feast day: Anastasius of Suppentonia (Roman Catholic) Leucius of Brindisi (Roman Catholic) Mary Slessor (Church of England) Paulinus II of Aquileia Pope Hyginus Theodosius the Cenobiarch Thomas of Cori Vitalis of Gaza (Roman Catholic) January 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Eugenio María de Hostos Day (Puerto Rico) Independence Resistance Day (Morocco) Kagami biraki (Japan) National Human Trafficking Awareness Day (United States) Republic Day (Albania) Carmentalia (January 11th and January 15th) (Rome) Prithvi Jayanti (Nepal)[35] Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day Heritage Treasures Day World Sketchnote Day Poetry at Work Day National Milk Day National Hot Toddy Day Fun Observances Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day January 11 is celebrated annually as Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day. Morse code is a way to transmit text through a series of signals. Each character or alphabet in a language is represented by a sequence of dots and dashes. SOS First demonstrated on January 11, 1838 by Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse, Morse code soon became commonly used by the military and the aviation industry worldwide. Until 1999 the distress signal "SOS", or "··· – – – ···" in Morse code, was used to communicate distress by ships and naval vessels around the world. Although it does not stand for anything it has been remembered as "Save Our Souls" or "Save Our Ship". It was replaced by the Global Maritime Distress Safety System in 1999, but is still widely recognised as a distress signal today. How to Celebrate? Learn Morse code. Of course, learn how to spell out your name in Morse code. Don't have time to learn a whole new language? Spend some time on learning more about the role Morse code has played in society. Did You Know… …that the fastest Morse code transmission was achieved by Tarry Turner in 1942? He reached a speed of 35 words per minute. *** The speaker at my bank's drive-through window had been broken for weeks, and we tellers had to resort to miming or writing notes to communicate with our frustrated customers. One day a sweet elderly lady whom I would see every week pulled up to the window, leaned out of her car and smacked the glass in front of my face. "Hope this is bulletproof," she yelled. There had just been a robbery at another bank nearby, so I was touched by her concern. "It is," I yelled back. "Good," she continued, "because someone is going to shoot you if you don't get that speaker fixed." *** 1-800-WasteMyTime It was late in the afternoon, and I was putting the final burnishes on a piece of writing that I was feeling pretty good about. Yes, okay, it was an e-mail, but it was a clever one and I hated to lose it. My cursor had frozen. I tried to shut the computer down, and it seized up altogether. Unsure of what else to do, I yanked the battery out. Unfortunately, Windows had been in the midst of a delicate and crucial undertaking. The next morning, when I turned my computer back on, it informed me that a file had been corrupted and Windows would not load. This was followed by some mysterious lines of code, which I took to be my computer saying "Serves you right, careless pea brain" in its native tongue. More graciously, it offered to repair itself by using the Windows Setup CD. I opened the special drawer where I keep CDs that I have no intention of ever using. There was an IKEA how-to CD, which featured young Swedes assembling kitchen cabinets with nothing but a sardine can key and untrammeled wholesomeness. Mostly, there were CDs of music that my friends are always burning for me, unbidden, because they think I'll enjoy them. But no Windows CD. I was forced to call the computer company's Global Support Center. My call was answered by a woman in some unnamed, far-off land. I find it vexing to make small talk with someone when I don't know what continent they're standing on. Suppose I were to comment on the beautiful weather we've been having when there was a monsoon at the other end of the phone? So I got right to the point. "My computer is telling me a file is corrupted and it wants to fix itself, but I don't have the Windows Setup CD." "So you're having a problem with your Windows Setup CD." She had apparently been dozing and, having come to just as the sentence ended, was attempting to cover for her inattention. I recognized the technique from a thousand breakfast conversations. "We took that rug in weeks ago. Should I call the cleaners?" "No, thanks. I'm good." It quickly became clear that the woman was not a computer technician. Her job was to serve as a gatekeeper, a human shield for the techs, who were off in the back room, or possibly another far-off continent, playing cards and burning CDs for their friends. Her sole duty, as far as I could tell, was to raise global stress levels. To make me disappear, the woman gave me the phone number for Windows' creator, Microsoft. This is like giving someone the phone number for, I don't know, North America. Besides, the CD worked; I just didn't have it. No matter how many times I repeated my story, we came back to the same place. She was unflappable and resolutely polite. When my voice hit a certain decibel, I was passed along, like a hot, irritable potato, to a technician. "You don't have the Windows Setup CD, ma'am, because you don't need it," he explained cheerfully. "Windows came preinstalled on your computer!" "But I do need it." "Yes, but you don't have it." We went on like this for a while. Finally, he offered to walk me through the use of a different CD, one that would erase my entire system. "Of course, you'd lose all your e-mail, your documents, your photos." It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache. "You might be able to recover them, but it would be expensive." He sounded delighted. "And it's not covered by the warranty!" The safe began to seem like a good idea, provided it was full. I hung up the phone and drove my computer to a small, friendly repair place I'd heard about. A smart, helpful man dug out a Windows CD and told me it wouldn't be a problem. An hour later, he called to let me know it was ready. I thanked him, and we chatted about the weather, which was the same outside my window as it was outside his. *** A customer walked into our store looking for Christmas lights. I showed her our top brand, but—wanting to make sure each bulb worked—she asked me to take them out of the box and plug them in. I did, and each one lit up. "Great," she said. I carefully placed the string of lights back in the box. But as I handed them to her, she looked alarmed. "I don't want this box," she said abruptly. "It's been opened." *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 10th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Behnam, Sarah, and the Forty Martyrs (Armenian Apostolic Church)[133] Gregory of Nyssa Leonie Aviat Obadiah (Coptic Church) Peter Orseolo Pope Agatho (Roman Catholic) William Laud (Anglican Communion) William of Donjeon January 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Fête du Vodoun (Benin) Margaret Thatcher Day (Falkland Islands) Majority Rule Day (Bahamas) Observances (click on the day or week for details) Peculiar People Day National Bittersweet Chocolate Day National Houseplant Appreciation Day Fun Observances (2) Cut Your Energy Costs Day Forgot to add being thrifty and eco-friendly to your New Year’s resolution list? Now is your chance to rectify that because January 10 is Cut your Energy Cost Day. Use this day to make changes in your daily life that would reduce your household’s energy consumption and cut down on your monthly energy expenses. How to Celebrate? Turn down the heat and the cooling when you are not home. Switch off all unnecessary lights when you are home. Walk or ride a bike to work – not only is it healthy, you will be saving $$. Carpool or take public transport to work. Take shorter showers to save on water consumption and heating costs. Did You Know… ...that using lids while cooking can reduce energy consumption by as much as 15%? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clean Off Your Desk Day To honor an uncluttered, organized and clean workspace, the second Monday of January is celebrated as the Clean Off Your Desk Day. This unofficial and clearly made-up holiday encourages people to have a clutter-free, clean, and organized workspace. Increase Productivity Productivity experts and scientists agree that a functional workspace is important for having a fulfilling and productive work life. Clean and organized work desks allow workers to focus and to organize and process information. In addition, research shows that those who work within cluttered spaces tend to get frustrated faster than those whose workspaces are organized and clean. How to Celebrate? Clean your desk, of course! Take a few hours to organize all the paperwork that has piled up over the last year and to purge your desk and workspace of things you have no use for anymore. Shred any paperwork with any sensitive or personal information, give away duplicate office supplies, and file away important documents. And while you are at it, organize your PC or laptop desktop as well. Did You Know... ...that the word desk comes from the old Latin word discus meaning platter or plate? *** How To Translate Work Emails I have a question. = I have 18 questions. I’ll look into it. = I’ve already forgotten about it. I tried my best. = I did the bare minimum. Happy to discuss further. = Don’t ask me about this again. No worries. = You really messed up this time. Take care. = This is the last you’ll ever hear from me. Cheers! = I have no respect for you or myself! *** I supervised an employee who had a negative view of everything 
I did. If I took a vacation day, I was “never there.” If I praised someone’s work, it was “too little, too late.” He eventually took another job 
but was fired six months later. Shortly thereafter, he contacted 
me, hoping to return to his old job. “Have you learned anything from this experience?” I asked. “Yes, I should have stayed here,” 
he admitted. “You’re too indecisive to have ever fired me.” *** “Has your son decided what 
he wants to be when he grows up?” 
I asked my friend. “He wants to be a garbageman,” 
he replied. “That’s an unusual ambition to have at such a young age.” “Not really. He thinks that garbagemen work only on Tuesdays.” *** My son was born while I was serving abroad, so he was three 
before we met. When I got home, I decided it was time for a little father-son bonding time. I bought him a 
toy razor and invited him to “shave” with me. In the bathroom, I took 
up my razor and started shaving. 
I looked around to see how my son was doing. His foot was up on the side of the bathtub, and he was 
running the razor up and down 
his leg. So much for male bonding. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

@Palantir Sometimes, one video and two pictures of a mug, can say it all! Original maori haka dance - YouTube

January 9th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Adrian of Canterbury[117] Berhtwald Translation of the Black Nazarene (Manila, Philippines) Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow Julia Chester Emery (Episcopal Church (USA)) Stephen (old calendar Eastern Orthodox) January 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Start of Hōonkō (Nishi Honganji) January 9–16 (Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism) Martyrs' Day (Panama) Non-Resident Indian Day (India) Day of Republika Srpska (Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, result of 2016 Republika Srpska National Day referendum) (note: not celebrated and disputed in wider Bosnia and Herzegovina, having been declared unconstitutional in 2015)[118][119] Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Apricot Day National Balloon Ascension Day Play God Day National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day Fun Observances (2) Static Electricity Day January 9 is Static Electricity Day a day to honor this unexpected, mostly unpleasant, and sometimes hair rising phenomenon. Static electricity occurs due to an accumulation of positive electric charges on an object's surface. Shocks You! It is called static because the charge stays on the surface until it comes into contact with another surface with a negative charge. Static electricity can be created by rubbing an object against another. Some materials like wool and glass are much more likely to have static electricity. Dry human skin and hair also accumulate electric charges. This is why people tend to experience shocks when they touch doorknobs or anything made of metal during the winter time. Triboelectric Series The Triboelectric Series is a list of materials that are ranked by their ability to accumulate positive and negative charges. This shocking holiday is also sometimes called National Static Electricity Day in the United States. How to Celebrate? Learn more about what causes static electricity. Conduct experiments with the kids in your life to show them the causes and effects of static electricity. Learn how to avoid static during the winter months. Did You Know… …that lightning is a natural example of when sparks are discharged due to the buildup of static electricity? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Word Nerd Day Word Nerd Day is celebrated annually on January 9. Love your dictionary? Do you like long, complicated, fancy words? If your answer is yes, then this is the unofficial holiday for you. Learn New Words While the origins of this holiday are unknown, we assume that those who created it wanted word and language nerds to celebrate their expansive vocabulary, and for people to pick up their dictionaries and thesauruses to learn more about the origin, meaning, and usages of words in their language. Smallest Meaningful Unit A word is the smallest unit in a language that conveys a meaning when it is written and spoken by itself. When written, it has white space at its beginning and the end, but not in the middle. When spoken, a word is a form of speech that is uttered as a single unit. How to Celebrate? Are you a word nerd? Be proud of who you are. Use words no less than 7 letters long in all your conversations. Do crosswords and play word puzzles all day long. Spend the day learning about new words and finding occasions to use them. Did You Know… …that according to the Oxford Dictionary, “bookkeeper” is the only word in the English language without any hyphens with three consecutive repeated letters? *** A Woman Shoots Her Husband For Stepping On The Clean Floor... A police officer jumps into his squad car and calls the station. “I have an interesting case here,” he says. “A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she just mopped.” “Have you arrested her?” asks the sergeant. “No, not yet. The floor’s still wet.” *** A Scottish mother visits her 
son in his New York City apartment and asks, “How do you find the Americans, Donald?” “Mother,” says Donald, “they’re such noisy people. One neighbor won’t stop banging his head against the wall, while the other screams and screams all night long.” “Oh, Donald! How do you manage to put up with them?” “What can I do? I just lie in bed quietly, playing my bagpipes.” *** To get my cousin to write to 
her even once, my aunt resorted to 
sending him a check with this note: “Do not cash until you write me a thank-you.” A few weeks later, the check had cleared, yet no message had arrived. So she called him. “I told you not to cash the check until you’d written to thank me,” she complained. “I didn’t cash the check,” he said. “I deposited it.” *** I just went to save today's blog and found myself signed out??????? So I signed back in and found that while the 9th Jan blog was still there, everything after the green jokes was gone!!!!!!! I am not going to try to do one and a half hours work in ten minutes. So that is all for today, sorry. This was the last joke before I tried to sign out. sandrewn

January 8th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Babinden (Belarus, Russia) Christian feast day: Abo of Tiflis Apollinaris Claudius Blessed Eurosia Fabris Gauchito Gil (Folk Catholicism) Gudula Harriet Bedell (Episcopal Church (USA)) Lawrence Giustiniani Lucian of Beauvais Maximus of Pavia Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Roman Catholic Church) Pega (Anglican and Roman Catholic churches) Severinus of Noricum Thorfinn of Hamar January 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Commonwealth Day (Northern Mariana Islands) Earliest day on which Children's Day can fall, while January 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday in January. (Thailand) Typing Day (International observance) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Bubble Bath Day National JoyGerm Day Show & Tell At Work Day National Argyle Day Fun Observances Earth's Rotation Day January 8 is Earth’s Rotation Day. The day commemorates when French Physicist, Leon Foucault, demonstrated the Earth rotates on its axis in 1851. To prove his theory, Foucault suspended a lead-filled brass sphere, now called the Foucault Pendulum from the top of the Pantheon in Paris. He showed that the plane of the swing of the pendulum rotated relative to the Earth’s rotation. You can now see the Foucault Pendulum demonstrating the rotation of the Earth in science museums around the world. How to Celebrate? Visit your local space and science museum to learn more about the Earth’s rotation and what effect it has on humans. If you have kids, what about making a model of the Earth and the Sun with them, so that they can learn more about the Earth’s rotation? Did You Know… ...that the speed of the Earth's rotation can change from day to day and from year to year? *** I said, "I love you so much. I could never live without you." My girlfriend giggled and asked, "Is that you talking or the beer?" I said, "It's me talking to the beer..." *** This man was really lonely, so he posted an ad on a popular website. The ad said, simply: "Wife wanted." He was surprised the next morning to find he had over a hundred replies in his inbox. Unfortunately, they all said the same thing: "You can have mine." *** A husband and wife had been married for 60 years and had no 
secrets except for one: The woman kept in her closet a shoe box that 
she forbade her husband from ever opening. But when she was on her deathbed—and with her blessing—he opened the box and found a 
crocheted doll and $95,000 in cash. “My mother told me that the secret to a happy marriage was to never 
argue,” she explained. “Instead, I should keep quiet and crochet a doll.” Her husband was touched. Only one doll was in the box—that meant she’d been angry with him only once in 60 years. “But what about all this money?” he asked. “Oh,” she said, “that’s the money 
I made from selling the dolls.” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** iii sandrewn

January 7th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian Feast Day: André Bessette (Canada) Canute Lavard Charles of Sezze Felix and Januarius Lucian of Antioch Raymond of Penyafort Synaxis of John the Forerunner & Baptist (Julian Calendar) January 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Christmas (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian Calendar, Rastafari) Christmas in Russia Christmas in Ukraine Remembrance Day of the Dead (Armenia) Distaff Day (medieval Europe) Earliest day on which Plough Monday can fall, while January 13 is the latest; celebrated on Monday after Epiphany (Europe). Nanakusa no sekku (Japan) Pioneer's Day (Liberia) Tricolour day or Festa del Tricolore (Italy) Victory from Genocide Day (Cambodia) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Tempura Day National Bobblehead Day Harlem Globetrotter’s Day I’m Not Going To Take It Anymore Day Fun Observances Old Rock Day January 7 is Old Rock Day. The unofficial holiday encourages people to acknowledge, celebrate, and learn more about old rocks and fossils. A rock is a solid mass made of minerals or mineral-like substances. Used for a variety of purposes throughout the history of humankind - as tools, musical instruments, weapons and for mining - rocks form the outermost layer of Earth. A Peek Into Earth's History While natural processes - volcanic eruptions and erosion - continually help create rocks on Earth, old rocks are especially important to those who study the Earth and its history. Old rocks hold many answers to the mysteries of Earth's formation - they can tell scientists about natural events that played a role in the formation of the rocks and the effects that event had on other life forms in the area. Old rocks can also sometimes hold fossils - the preserved remains of animals, plants and other organisms. These fossils can help scientists find out the kind of flora and fauna that existed in the past and what may have caused them to evolve or go extinct. Finding the Age of Old Rocks Geologists date old rocks using a technique called radiometric dating or radioactive dating. The process involves looking at the decay of radioactive elements available in rocks. The oldest rock of terrestrial origin to be dated using this method is a zircon found in the Jack Hills of Australia. Scientists estimate that the rock could be as old as 4.4 billion years. How to Celebrate? Learn more about the types of old rocks. Pick up a book about fossils and learn how fossils tell us more about the Earth’s past or visit your local natural history museum. Take a walk in the park and collect interestingly shaped rocks. Buy your loved ones some pretty looking rocks. And by rocks, we mean jewels. After all, diamonds are old rocks. Looking for a new hobby? May we suggest collecting rocks? Find rocks boring? Listen instead to music from old rock bands. Did You Know… ...that Petrology is the scientific study of rocks? *** Just because the items in these classified ads are free doesn’t mean they’re worth it: • Free: Piano with matching bench seat, very good condition, all keys work probably • Free: 5 kitchen drawers, all matching naughty pine fronts • Free Vain Screening • Free rent in exchange for elderly woman *** My three-year-old sat in the bathroom with me, watching as I 
removed my dentures and brushed them. After a few minutes, he asked, “Can you take your ears off too?” *** I’m now in high school, so when I ran into my third-grade teacher, I doubted she would remember me. “Hi, Miss Butcher,” I said. “Hi, Eddie,” she replied. “So you do remember me?” I asked. “Sure. You don’t always leave a good impression, but it is a lasting one.” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Sorry, that is all tonite. sandrewn

January 6th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Armed Forces Day (Iraq) Christian Feast day: André Bessette (Roman Catholic Church)[273] January 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Christmas: Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church) Christmas Eve (Russia) Christmas Eve (Ukraine) Christmas Eve (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Christmas Eve (North Macedonia) Epiphany or Three Kings' Day (Western Christianity) or Theophany (Eastern Christianity), and its related observances: Befana Day (Italy) Little Christmas (Ireland) Þrettándinn (Iceland) Pathet Lao Day (Laos) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Cuddle Up Day Apple Tree Day National Shortbread Day Three Kings Day Fun Observances Bean Day January 6 is Bean Day. If your question after hearing this is, why? Well, because beans are healthy – they are rich in proteins and fiber and they taste good. Some believe that this unofficial holiday, which is also known as Nation Bean Day in the United States, was created to commemorate the death anniversary of scientist Gregor Mendel. Known as the Father of Genetics, Mendel experimented on peas to discover the laws of genetic inheritance. Many Varieties Although many people around the world consider peas as part of the beans family, they are not technically beans. Botanists classify peas and snap peas as vegetables. Beans have been consumed by humans since ancient times. They are a natural source of proteins, fibers and vitamins and have a small environmental footprint. Today, there are 40,000 known varieties of beans around the world. Only a few of these are cultivated for human consumption. How to Celebrate? This is easy, have beans for every meal: baked beans for breakfast, red beans and rice for lunch, and bean soup for dinner. For dessert, have jelly beans, even though technically they are not beans. Make bean art. Use different colored beans to make pictures. Did You Know… ...that the leaves of a bean plant tilt towards the Sun in the day and fold up during the night? *** Here's my favorite dad joke, with me as the dad: Every Sunday on the way to church, we would have to stop at a railroad crossing. And each time, I’d tell my 12-year-old daughter, “A train just went by. Know how I can tell? It left its tracks.” I got a moan the first couple of Sundays. After a while, every time we’d pull up to the crossing, all I had to do was look in the rearview mirror and she would smile. My daughter is now a college graduate and lives out of state, but every time I cross those tracks, I think of her. *** My dad was not a jokester, but his fun side did come out once in a while. When I was 12, he took me to a Chicago White Sox game with a group from a local tavern. The game between the Sox and the Indians was in the ninth inning, with the Sox ahead by a run. I was having so much fun, I said, “I hope the Indians tie the game in the ninth.” The die-hard Sox fans we were with were horrified, but not Dad. He started cheering for the Indians to score, even as the men yelled, “Cut it out; you’re a Sox fan!” The Sox ended up winning, everyone was happy, and my dad and I laughed all the way home. I miss him tremendously. *** My father and I were in the snowplow he drove for work when I saw a switch encased in a box. “What’s this for?” I asked. “It’s to turn red lights green,” he replied. As we reached a red light, he pointed to the box. “Try it.” I hit the switch, and it worked—the light turned green! Only much later did I find out that it was his garage-door opener. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 5th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian Feast day: Charles of Mount Argus[274] John Neumann (Catholic Church)[275] Pope Telesphorus[276] Simeon Stylites (Latin Church)[277] January 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (Harbin, China)[278] Joma Shinji (Japan)[279] The Twelfth day of Christmas and the Twelfth Night of Christmas. (Western Christianity)[281] Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Whipped Cream Day Fun Observances Bird Day January 5 is Bird Day, a day to think about birds in captivity and to take action to ensure that birds are not exploited and are treated humanely. The day, started by Born Free U.S.A. and the Avian Welfare Coalition, aims to focus public attention on the fact that almost 12 per cent of bird species around the world are under threat of extinction. How to Celebrate? Read more about bird pet adoptions and laws in your country about adopting exotic birds as pets. Do due diligence when getting an exotic or imported bird as a pet. Use only well-reputed pet stores. Spread the word about humanely caring for exotic pet birds. Change your social media display picture to a picture of your favorite bird. Go bird watching and learn more about the birds indigenous to your area. Did You Know… …that hummingbirds lay the smallest eggs - the size of a pea - among birds? *** A frightened man goes to the secret police and says, “My talking parrot disappeared.” “Why did you come here? Go to the regular police.” “I will. I’m just here to tell you that I disagree with whatever that parrot is going to say.” *** A welsh politician asked the government for information about UFO sightings and if it might fund UFO research. Officials wrote back, “jang vIDa je due luq … ach ghotvam’e’ QI’yaH devolve qaS.” Which means, “The minister will reply in due course. However, this is a non-devolved 
matter,” in Klingon. *** The star of Cake Boss was 
arrested for DWI. Police interrogated him for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. *** Recently I heard the former mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania, 
recount some funny stories about his time in office. One happened while he was running for reelection; he was in a bar and paid for a 
woman’s drink. She thanked him but wondered why a stranger had 
bought her a beer. “I’m running for mayor,” he told her, “and I want your vote.” “You got it,” she said, grabbing her glass. “Anyone’s better than the jerk who’s in there now.” *** Names For Groups You Never Knew A pride of lions, a gaggle of geese … and here’s how we might classify these groups: • A brat of boys • A giggle of girls • A stagger of drunks • A tedium of accountants • A stitch of doctors • A whine of losers • A jerk of politicians *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

@Christopher @purrbaby @chris191070 Guys, I just checked on his page and he stopped by about fours ago. Think positive thoughts and happy New Years to you all. Take care, sandrewn

January 4th 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Christian feast day: Angela of Foligno[260] Elizabeth Ann Seton[261] Ferréol of Uzès[262] Mavilus[263] Pharaildis of Ghent[264] Rigobert[265] January 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) The eleventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas. (Western Christianity)[266] Independence Day (Myanmar), celebrates the independence of Myanmar from the United Kingdom in 1948.[267] Colonial Martyrs Repression Day (Angola)[268] Day of the Martyrs (Democratic Republic of the Congo)[269] Ogoni Day (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People)[270] Tokyo Dome Show: The annual Wrestle Kingdom event run by New Japan Pro-Wrestling[271] World Braille Day[272] Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Spaghetti Day Pop Music Chart Day World Hypnotism Day Fun Observances Trivia Day Here is some trivia for you - January 4 is Trivia Day. The day celebrates information of little value and the individuals who not only remember these bits and pieces of useless information but also enjoy sharing them with others. Latin Term The word trivia comes from the Latin term for the intersection of three paths. In the Middle Ages, the word came to refer to the subjects - rhetoric, grammar, and logic - studied by those who followed the Liberal Arts field. Of Little Importance The modern day usage of the word trivia to mean something of little importance can be traced back to the publishing of the book - Trivialities, Bits of Information of Little Consequence - by British author Logan Pearsall Smith in 1902. Knowing and sharing trivia as a hobby and a pastime, however, did not become popular until the 1960s when the weekly newspaper of Columbia University, the Columbia Daily Spectator, published a trivia game on February 5, 1965. Soon, trivia became a popular game played at parties and at a competitive level. Trivia Day is also sometimes known as National Trivia Day in the United States. How to Celebrate? Gather up some friends and play Trivial Pursuit. Call friends and family and enlighten them with some trivia. Even better, stop random people and start a conversation with “did you know...?” You may even make some friends. Participate in a trivia night or spend the day filling your brains with more random trivia. Did You Know… …that the term factoid, which is now used as a synonym of trivia originally referred to a piece of unreliable information that is accepted as a fact because it is repeated very often? *** My great-aunt looked confused when I told her that my daughter was 18 months old. “Oh,” she said. “I thought she was a year and a half.” “But Aunt Marie," I said, “18 months and a year and a half are the same.” She shrugged. “What do I know? I never had kids.” *** During a high school visit to France, I stayed with a French family. One night, I was unsure what the meat on my dinner plate was, so I pointed to it and asked in my best 11th-grade French: “Qui est-ce?” The family’s expressions told me I needed some tutoring. Instead of asking “What is it?” as I had intended, I’d asked “Who is it?” *** My wife and I run a small restaurant where we often name our specials after our employees—dishes like "Chicken Mickey," after our dishwasher who gave us the recipe, and "Rod's Ribs," after a waiter who had his personal style of barbecue. One evening after rereading the menu, I broke with this tradition and changed the description of the special we had named after our chef. Despite her skills and excellent reputation, somehow I didn't think an entrée named "Salmon Ella" would go over big with our customers. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ddd sandrewn

January 3rd 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Anniversary of the 1966 Coup d'état (Burkina Faso) Christian feast day: Daniel of Padua Genevieve Holy Name of Jesus Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church) Pope Anterus William Passavant (Episcopal Church) January 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Ministry of Religious Affairs Day (Indonesia) Tamaseseri Festival (Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan) The tenth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity) Observances (click on the day or week for details) National Drinking Straw Day Weigh-In Day National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day Humiliation Day Fun Observances (2) Fruitcake Toss Day Fruitcake Toss Day on January 3 is an annual holiday that celebrates fruitcakes - the gift that keeps on giving - by tossing them in an empty space The holidays can be a stressful time and can make the calmest person want to toss something in anger. Well, fear not, collect all that dense, unwanted fruitcake that everyone and their sisters brought to your holiday party and toss them on Fruitcake Toss Day. It is thought that this holiday was first created and celebrated in Manitou Springs, Colorado, in 1995. How to Celebrate? Collect all the fruitcake you can. Find an empty space, and start tossing your fruitcakes. Feeling competitive? Compete for the highest or farthest throw. Fruitcakes are sometimes known as the gift that gives on giving, referring to a practice of re-gifting fruitcakes during the holiday season. So, instead of tossing fruitcakes, why not share them with family, friends, and colleagues? Did You Know… …that fruitcakes that contain alcohol have a long shelf life? Because of this, the fruitcake was the snack of choice for travelers and winter dwellers in the days of no refrigeration. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Festival of Sleep Day Take a break on January 3 or Festival of Sleep Day by sleeping in, taking naps or just staying in bed the whole day long. While the origins of this unofficial holiday are unknown, we assume that the holiday encourages people to catch up on their sleep post-holiday and New Year celebrations. Important Sleep Sleep is one of the most common and important human activity. Sleep allows human bodies to rest, heal, develop and can help memory processing and preservation. Lack of sleep or poor sleep can have multiple negative effects on the human body and mind. How to Celebrate? This one is straightforward. Get into your favorite PJs, crawl into bed and get out only when you want to. They say that clean bed linen and an uncluttered and temperature controlled environment facilitates good sleep. Take stock of your sleeping environment on this day, and fix anything you think may be affecting your sleep. Need more rest? Try Public Sleeping Day in February. Did You Know… …that an irrational fear of sleep is known as Somniphobia? *** A man vacations on a tropical 
island, and the first thing he hears 
is drums. He goes to the beach 
and hears the drums; he eats lunch, he hears the drums; he tries to sleep, he can’t—drums. Finally he storms over to the manager. “I’ve had it! Can’t you stop those drums?” he begs. “No!” says the manager. “It’s very bad if the drums stop.” “Why?” “When the drums stop, the bass solo begins.” *** My flight was delayed in Houston. Since the gate was needed for another flight, our aircraft was backed away from the terminal, and we were directed to a new gate. We all found the new gate, only to discover a third gate had been designated for our plane. Finally, everyone got on board the right plane, and the flight attendant announced: "We apologize for the gate change. This flight is going to Washington, D.C. If your destination is not Washington, D.C., you should deplane at this time." A moment later a red-faced pilot emerged from the cockpit, carrying his bags. "Sorry," he said, "wrong plane." *** I couldn't decide whether to go to Salt Lake City or Denver for vacation, so I called the airlines to get prices. "Airfare to Denver is $300," the cheery salesperson replied. "And what about Salt Lake City?" "We have a really great rate to Salt Lake—$99," she said "But there is a stopover." "Where?" "In Denver," she said. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

January 2nd 2022 - Holidays and Observances (click on the day for details) Ancestry Day (Haiti) Berchtold's Day (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) Carnival Day (Saint Kitts and Nevis) Christian feast day: Basil the Great (Catholic Church and Church of England) Defendens of Thebes Earliest day on which the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is observed, while January 5 is the latest; celebrated on Sunday between January 2 and 5. (Roman Catholic Church, 1960 calendar) Gregory of Nazianzus (Catholic Church) Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe (Lutheran Church) Macarius of Alexandria Seraphim of Sarov (repose) (Eastern Orthodox Church) Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah (Episcopal Church) January 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Nyinlong (Bhutan) The first day of Blacks and Whites' Carnival, celebrated until January 7. (southern Colombia) The first day of the Carnival of Riosucio, celebrated until January 8 every 2 years. (Riosucio) The ninth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity) The second day of New Year (a holiday in Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Mauritius, Montenegro, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine😞 New Year Holiday (Scotland), if it is a Sunday, the day moves to January 3 Kaapse Klopse (Cape Town, South Africa) Victory of Armed Forces Day (Cuba) Observances (click on the day or week for details) World Introvert Day National Cream Puff Day 55 mph Speed Limit Day Happy Mew Year for Cats Day National Personal Trainer Awareness Day Motivation and Inspiration Day Fun Observances (3) Buffet Day Want to hit the buffet table one last time before you start your New Year’s resolution? Then Buffet Day on January 2 is the fun food holiday for you. How to Celebrate? Visit your favorite buffet restaurant for lunch or dinner and try every dish on the buffet table. Just make sure you have time to nap after your meal. Get together with friends to host a buffet lunch or dinner at home. Host a themed potluck buffet where everyone brings a dish or 2 that fits the theme. Here are some ideas: sandwich buffet, salad buffet or a bacon buffet - where all dishes have to have bacon in them. Did You Know… …that the idea of a buffet table originated from an alcoholic beverage serving system in Sweden? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Run It up the Flagpole and See If Anyone Salutes It Day January is the month of new beginnings, so it is only fitting that January 2 is Run It Up The Flagpole And See If Anyone Salutes It Day. The name of the holiday comes from the English language expression, run it up a flagpole and see if anyone salutes it, which means putting new ideas and ventures to test and to see if they gain acceptance and popularity, just like a flag would have respect by people saluting it. Advertising Term It is commonly used in advertising and is a popular phrase in the United States. The day encourages people to be creative and to implement their ideas. How to Celebrate? Have a great idea? Run it by your friends and family to hear what they think. Want a style makeover? This may be the day to do it - ask your closest friends what you think of your new style. Want to start a new business? Go out and do your market research today. Did You Know… …that the world’s highest free-standing flagpole is located in Dushanbe, Tajikistan? Standing at 541 feet (165 meters), the flagpole is known as the Dushanbe Flagpole. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Science Fiction Day Science fiction fans around the world celebrate January 2 as Science Fiction Day. It celebrates science fiction writer Isaac Asimov's official birthday. The day was widely celebrated for the first time in 2012 and is usually known as National Science Fiction Day in the United States. Set in the Future The holiday focuses on a genre of literature that explores the effect of imaginary change through technological innovations, scientific discoveries, natural events and disasters and evolution on people and their relationships. Usually, works of science fiction (sci-fi) are set in the near or distant future, and unlike fantasy, sci-fi tends to stay away from the supernatural and the magical. Part of Popular Culture Many scholars of the genre believe that the first piece of recorded fiction - the Epic of Gilgamesh - was also the first work of science fiction. Others believe that sci-fi became a legitimate genre of fiction during the late 16th and 17th century with the emergence of modern science. Today, science fiction is a well-read genre of literature and a huge part of popular culture also in movies and TV-series. Father of Modern-Day Science Fiction Isaac Asimov is considered to be one of the fathers of modern-day science fiction. A prolific writer, he is thought to have edited and written about 500 books and hundreds of short stories. Considered to be one of the most influential science fiction writers of all times, Asimov is credited with coining the word robotics and for introducing the Three Laws of Robotics. While he grew up in the United States, Asimov was born in Russia sometime between October and January 1920. He officially celebrated his birthday on January 2. How to Celebrate? Read your favorite science fiction authors, watch science fiction movies and hold science fiction themed parties. Attend a short story and book reading that bookstores and libraries hold to showcase the works of classic and new science fiction authors. Encourage young readers in your life to pick up a science fiction book or short story to read. Did You Know… …that Asimov had a fear of flying? According to some sources, he flew on an airplane only twice in his life. In addition to being aviophobic, he was a claustrophiliac - he loved to be in enclosed places. *** Six Dumb Questions Real Lawyers Asked In Court “How many times have you committed suicide?” “Were you alone or by yourself?” “Was it you or your brother who was killed?” “Without saying anything, tell the jury what you did next.” “Was that the same nose you broke as a child?” “Now, doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?” *** If you’re interested in becoming a lawyer, you’ll need a degree. But as these court transcripts reveal, the question is, in what? Attorney: "How was your first marriage terminated?" Witness: "By death." Attorney: "And by whose death was it terminated?" Witness: "Guess." Attorney: "Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?" Witness: "All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight." *** Justice isn't just blind—it's snickering at these real courtroom give-and-takes: Judge (to young witness): Do you know what would happen to you if you told a lie? Witness: Yes. I would go to hell. Judge: Is that all? Witness: Isn't that enough? Q: Isn't it a fact that you have been running around with another woman? A: Yes, it is, but you can't prove it! Q: Have you ever heard about taking the Fifth? A: A fifth of wine? Q: No, the Fifth Amendment. Q: What did your sister die of? A: You would have to ask her. I would be speculating if I told you. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** sandrewn

@sixxone Thanks and the same to you. Please keep in mind these still timely words from the past. Hill Street Blues - 'Let's be careful out there' - YouTube