Month: August 2018

August 31 National Eat Outside Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

I remember when I was young my mother always telling me to come inside and eat and then I could go back out and play. Today, most mothers have trouble getting their kids to go outside at all! So maybe this day will be a game changer.

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A lot of restaurants now have outside seating, and not just because they lost their roof in a storm. It seems like since we all spend so much time inside, eating has become popular outside. Why not! If the weather is nice it is something we all can enjoy. And if it rains, well… you don’t have to ask the waiter for more water.

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I have to admit, food does taste better outside. I have no idea why. In the old days everybody ate outside, half of the time even if you were inside back then you were still outside. I think the sights, sounds and scents of being outside just make it better.

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And remember when you were a kid eating outside!?! It was more fun because you could make a mess and no one would yell at you. Even as an adult, it’s hard to eat watermelon inside and not be sloppy.  It also generally means a cookout is involved and I only know a few people who don’t like bar-b-que.

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And today, with all the food trucks around, it makes it even better. Well, except for the noise from the generators and the smell of the gas from the trucks and generators. They have become the outside version of the food court in a mall… everyone can get whatever it is they want. (Though the food trucks are generally a good deal better tasting)

How to celebrate – Plan a meal outside today. Have a cook-out. Go to a food truck event.

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August 30th National Frankenstein Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Who is the best know monster of all time? Well, Frankenstein of course! He has been portrayed in so many movies, television shows and books that he has become an icon. He is played scary, funny, sad, happy, you name it and someone has performed it that way.

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We celebrate it today on Mary Wollenstone Shelley’s birthday, August 30th, 1797. she actually wrote Frankenstein in 1818 and my research shows she was in Scotland at the time. She was a novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer and a travel writer but no doubt she is best remember for The Modern Prometheus, the original title of Frankenstein.

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I am curious if she ever made anywhere near  the money others did off of her work. And though I do not know it for sure, I doubt there is any copyright applied to her work anymore.  There have also been stories about her getting the story from a relative who was actually trying to ring the dead back to life.  I don’t know if there is any truth to it or not but it is a wild story to just dream up.

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I also wonder if she had any idea it would become as popular as it did. And would she have taken offense at the way the world has treated her character. We probably will never know… unless, someone is secretly working on bringing her back.

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How to celebrate – Read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Watch a Frankenstein movie. See if you can find any other works of Mary Shelley’s to read.

 

 

August 29th More Herbs, Less Salt Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Finally a day Wellcat.com created that actually is a good idea! True, it isn’t a real holiday but maybe it should be. Eat More Herbs and Use Less Salt Day! It’s good for you and makes sense since this is the time of year we generally harvest our gardens before the cold starts to set it.

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We all know the more salt we eat the worse it is for us. However, a lot of foods are bland and need something to wake up the flavor or we simply won’t eat it. Salt was the first choice and it also preserved food for later consumption. But it makes us fat by retaining water and cause numerous other health issues.

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Now no one is saying not to use salt at all, just use less. There are all sorts of herbs we can add to flavor dishes. Most of them are actually good for us as well. And they are sort of fun to grow, generally not requiring as much attention as say, tomatoes. These herbs can also be preserved so that what we grow over the summer we can use all year long.

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You can taste them ahead of time to see what you like, and don’t like and how much of them to use in a dish. They are often stronger, requiring less, and some may not mix all that well so you will have to experiment a little. That’s part of the fun though and no one can tell you what is right or wrong since it is your taste that makes them work.

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They also brighten up your dish and make it look more tempting. So finally, a day from Wellcat that might actually have meaning and be useful. (And no doubt they stock in companies that sell the seeds to grow your own.)

How to celebrate – Grow your own herbs! (Not weeds of either kind) Test the flavors and figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. No omit salt, just use less of it.

August 28th Race Your Mouse Day

August Holidays

Okay, so I am sort of getting use to useless days, but I guess they can be fun… or at least sort of if you can figure out what it is you’re supposed to do to celebrate them. Or even why they exist at all. Most seem to come from a company called Wellcat.com, which makes a profit on these days but for the life of me, I can’t figure out how.

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I am not downing them, they must be doing well, at least for cats, but what the heck is race your mouse day? I mean, is it a computer thing, do you keep pet mice, do you torture a mouse by letting your cat chase it? No one seems to know… and frankly, I don’t think anyone really cares.

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If it is a computer thing, you can’t win so what’s the point of playing? And if it’s an animal thing it isn’t going to end up pretty however it ends. So just what do you do to celebrate something either impossible or gross?

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So I’ve been thinking about it. What can one do to race a mouse? And why would one even want to race a mouse? Does the mouse know if it wins? Does the mouse care? I think, however, I may have come up with an answer….

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Race Mickey Mouse at Disney! I know he isn’t yours and I know that it will cost you several hundred dollars just to get in and see Mickey. (Maybe Wellcat gets a percentage of that!)  Either way, if you aren’t thrown out of the park afterwards you can at least spend the day enjoying the rides and sights.

How to celebrate – You tell me!?! Go to Disney. Get a life.

August 27th National Just Because Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Today came about because of “Because Day” which is the third Weds of in May. Some one added the word Just to Joseph J. Goodwin’s creation.  But just because it is today, we’ll act like it stands alone. It is a day to celebrate all those things you can do, just because you want to.

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I mean, there is really no good reason for hang gliding. I guess if you silently want to invade a country that might work but with those gliders either being bright red or blue normally I think you might get caught. So if you hang glide, you probably do it just because you can.

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Again, is there really a good reason to walk a tight rope? I guess if you need to get from one place to another in a hurry you might try it but I wouldn’t bet on getting too far. One walks a tight rope just because it’s there and they can, or can’t as the case may be.  Personally, I find it difficult enough to walk on the sidewalk!

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Or how about singing in an opera!?! Yes you get to show off your talent and tell a story that no one understands in America. In a lot of cases, it also allows you to have a profession where you can eat a lot! But you don’t really need to singing outrageously in order to tell a story. So you do it.. just because you can.

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And streaking… well technically this is illegal so you really can’t but, who cares. Those who do, do it just because, they can. So it makes me wonder if you can streak while hang gliding while on a tight rope and singing opera! Well, why not! After all, it’s Just Because Day.

How to celebrate – Do something today, just because you can. (Make sure it’s legal first) Try a food you’ve never had before. Pretend you are someone famous… just because you can.

August 26th National Dog Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

I can never get enough of dogs… I mean I like cats, birds and other pets, but there is just nothing like a dog. They offer love for no reason at all, accept whoever loves them and never, never lie. They become our children that stay home. And they constantly want to please.

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They don’t ask for too much in return. A little food, a little water, maybe a walk or two and some attention… they do not need new dresses, want the latest toy or drive us into the poor house going to college for 12 years. Sadly they don’t live all that long often leaving us sad and lonely.

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Today was created by the National Dog Day Foundation in the attempt to save 10,000 dogs a year from being destroyed. One Dog a Day is their motto, just one. To abuse a dog is being about as low as one can get. Yes they make mistakes, but don’t we all. At least they learn from them!

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It is impossible to look in their eyes and not see love. As humans, we could learn a lot from them. When friends and family let you down or don’t stand by you for whatever reason… dogs don’t care. They will be there for you, with you and help you through some of the roughest times.

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There is a friend waiting for you out there. They need you as much as you need them, they want you as much as you want them. What a joy it is to have a dog. What a joy it is to love a dog. Don’t ever give up on them because they will never give up on you.

How to celebrate – Love your dog. Rescue a dog. You already have a best friend out there, you just need to find them!

August 25th National Kiss And Make Up Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Nothing says you love someone as much as a kiss. Well, maybe not so with the mafia kiss, but most kisses. Sometimes you think it might be fun to fight, just so you can kiss and make up. Personally I would not try that myself but if you want to… don’t blame me. Of course, it is a great way to spread germs and make someone sick, but that does not count today.

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Just think, if Adam and Eve didn’t make up after the apple thing none of us might even be here! Naturally it is better that you know the person you are kissing as well. Otherwise you might be looking at a law suit. And kissing an enemy, as in war, might not be a good idea either. Though if everyone stopped fighting and kissed maybe the world would be a happier place.

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And you have to watch out for those wet, sloppy ones. In some cases they may require a towel and unless you carry one with you at all times this can become  problem. And kissing on the mouth is not always required. A nice kiss on the cheek or the back of a hand can so affection as well.

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No one seems to know who invented today. Personally I believe it was the breath mint people but maybe not. They would have to know ahead of time that you were going to get mad at someone and get their advertisement to you, which you probably weren’t paying any attention to anyway.

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And really, what’s the point at being mad at each other in the first place? Does it ever make anything better!?! We often like to prove our point but lose the war in the mean time. Kissing should not be just when you are making up, it should come all the time so carry some disinfectant and breath mints with you at all times… cause you just never know when you might want to make up with someone.

How to celebrate – Kiss and make up. Lose the anger, no one ever wins anyway. Buy stock in a breath mint company.

August 24th Vesuvius Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

August 24th 79 A.D. Mount Vesuvius erupted killing an estimated 3,360 people. In it’s wake it destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae. (Maybe because no one could spell the names of those cities). The destruction came so fast, or at least so fast for those living in those cities, that people were often frozen in time in it’s wake. (well, frozen may not be the right word)

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I guess back in the day, people did not know that the smoke and lava already spilling from the volcano could get worse, but it did. I think what may be even worse is that people later decided to build near the same spot and when it erupted again in 1631 another 3,500 people were killed.

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I think maybe the message here is, don’t build near a volcano, particularly one that is still active. Volcanoes are not like fires that can be put out if enough water can be put on them, the lava burns everything in its course, even water! So it’s not as though you can have a Volcano Department like a Fire Department.

Lava gushes from a fissure eruption of the Kilauea Volcano in the Leilani Estates near Pahoa, Hawaii

This is not to make light the situation happening in Hawaii now, it is horrible… but, maybe we should learn not to build homes and business around active volcanoes or those that might once again become active.

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Now many islands have been formed by volcanoes. They make wonderful vacation spots in the ocean, surrounded by blue water and generally in mild climates. But what do you think is going to happen to the island above, and the people living there, if it erupts?

How to celebrate – Learn from Mount Vesuvius. Take a tour of an in-active volcano. Do not tempt Mother Nature.

 

August 23rd National Ride The Wind Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

August 23rd National Ride The Wind Day

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Today is not the type of day I thought it would be at all. It is all about human powered flight machines. Hang gliders and bicycle type flying machines allow you to literally, ride the wind. The Gossamer Condor 2 currently holds the record flying at 11 miles per hour and going 2,172 meters in Minter Field, California.

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The article about the Condor 2 does not say how the landing was. So maybe man really can fly… albeit with a little help from Mother Nature and a few well-placed pedals.

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How to celebrate – Learn how to hang glide. Build your own bicycle flying machine. Estimate how long it would take to fly from coast to coast in the U.S. using the Condor 2.

 

August 22nd Be An Angel Day

August Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

This day has a different kind of meaning to me. As you may have guessed, I am a writer… I do more  than blogs. (Whether they are good or not I leave to you) However, I wrote  a manuscript called, “Why The Evergreens Stay Green”. It involves and Angel that once lived on earth and is charged to come back and find a tree willing to have itself turned into a manger for Jesus, without knowing who Jesus actually is.

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I think it is a good story with some meaning to it… sacrifice is often asked of us without knowing who or what will benefit from it. I was asked to turn it into a play for children for Christmas time at a church. The Minister came back and told me they could not do it the way it was written because people cannot be Angels.

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I thought the minister was missing the point, and wrong, so I looked it up and darn if he wasn’t right. According to theology, people cannot become, or ever have been, Angels. People are supposed to be above Angels because they have to learn and accept the Lord, instead being “born” as an Angel and more or less be “forced” into service. (Not the right words but I am not sure how else to state it.)

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But in my world, I feel Angels are better, and something we should all strive to be. As humans, we are flawed. Angels are not. The idea that if you live your life trying to live up to the image of an Angel will make you a better person. If this makes God be mad at me, I am sorry. We should all strive to be better than we are and since we would only have each other to use as an example of how to live our lives, without Angels, I chose to try and live mine like an apprentice Angel, striving to actually become one some day. Today was created by Jayne Howard Feldman in 1993. God bless her.

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How to celebrate – Try to be better today than yesterday. Put others before yourself. Trust in God to lead your way.