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February 8, 2016

Today we celebrate:

Oatmeal Monday - Also known as Meal Monday, this is a day that is celebrated on the second Monday of February by universities in Scotland.  Back in the 17th century university students ate mostly oatmeal which they would make into porridge. They would occasionally be allowed a long weekend to leave in order to go get more oatmeal.  So they had these Meal Mondays about once a month until 1896 when the University of Edinburgh made it an official once a year holiday.

Propose Day - This is the second day of the week before Valentine’s Day.  As you might imagine, this is a day that is big on marriage proposals.

Shrove Monday - This is the Monday before Ash Wednesday and is also known as Collop Monday, Rose Monday, Merry Monday or Hall Monday.  It is a part of the Carnival celebrations that many Christians participate in and even has links to Mardi Gras in America.

Chinese New Year – The year of the monkey begins today and will last until January 28, 2017. Yeah, that is a little shorter than a year which confuses me too, but as long as the Chinese know what's up, who am I to judge. And in case you are wondering, some Chinese years are a little longer than a year so it all evens out somehow.  I did read that the Chinese New Year always falls somewhere between January 21st and February 20th.  Other monkey years were 2004, 1992, 1980, 1968, 1956, 1944, 1932 and 1920.  People born in these years are witty, intelligent, mischievous, curious and clever.  They are generally the practical jokers of the family.

National Kite Flying Day – Let's go fly a kite up to the highest height! I don't know about flying kites in February, but if it's windy enough, I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a try. Assuming you can find a place to run where the snow isn't too deep. Good luck with that in my area. If you live in the south where it's warmer...maybe...it might be easier. If not, just watch Mary Poppins and sing along with the “Let's Go Fly A Kite” song at the end.

Boy Scout Anniversary Day – Founded on this day in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States with several million members and volunteers. I know for sure that today would be a good day to be a Boy Scout because meetings all over the country will feature a big birthday cake.

Laugh And Get Rich Day – The laugh portion of this day needs no explanation. The get rich part does. Apparently, happy people who laugh a lot are more productive people at work and hence, make more money for the company (and for themselves if they work on commission) and if the company does well, the people who work for it do well. People who laugh are also more inclined to remember things and to switch jobs less often than people who do not laugh. So go to work and laugh it up! Did you know that some comedians work as humor consultants for large companies?

Opera Day – I couldn't find the origins of this day, but it doesn't matter. If you like opera, today would be a great day to go see one. If you don't like opera, nothing in the world would drag you to see one no matter what day it is.

National Molasses Bar Day – I use molasses in my baking fairly frequently. Molasses is a sticky syrup that is much like honey in consistency. It is made from sugarcane, carob, grapes, dates, pomegranates or mulberries. It is something that can be used to sweeten food like cookies, cakes, and now, molasses bars.


Clean Out Your Computer Day – This day is always celebrated on the second Monday in February for reasons that escape me. It was started in 2000 by the Institute for Business Technology. It's going to be a big job so you better get started. When you're done, you will probably notice that your computer works faster.

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