October 4, 2014

Today we celebrate:

Fall Astronomy Day - This is a day to look at the stars.  Check with your local planetarium  or Air and Space type of museum to see if they are having any special activities to celebrate today.  There will be things happening at all hours of the day and night because not all astronomy is based on the stars.  Back in April we had Spring Astronomy Day, this is the fall version of the same thing.  It occurs as closely as possible to the first quarter Moon in the Fall and is intended to facilitate interaction and education between astronomy professionals and enthusiasts and the general public.  http://www.astroleague.org/al/astroday/astrodayform.html

The Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi – The Patron Saint of animals, the environment and a Co-patron Saint of Italy. This is the day after the anniversary of his death in 1226. After growing up wealthy, and converting to a life of poverty and preaching, he began his own religious order which was eventually endorsed by Pope Innocent III in 1210.

Blessing of the Animals Day – This day coincides with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi because of his love for all animals. So take your animals to a local Catholic church for their blessing today.

National Taco Day – A taco is the Mexican version of a sandwich. A tortilla wrapped around a filling of beef, pork or fish. There are countless variations on the taco so feel free to come up with your own.  You don’t need to go by what Taco Bell puts in it and it doesn’t matter if your tortilla is a hard shell or a soft flour or corn tortilla.  You can even make a breakfast taco with eggs and cheese and bacon.  

Improve Your Office Day – On this day, office workers all around the world are required to clean up, organize and decorate in order to make their work environment clean and safe and it wouldn't hurt for it to be healthy either so make sure you use disinfectant on phones, keyboards, mice, desks and anything else people touch regularly. I know it’s a Saturday this year but this is a project that is worth going to work on a Saturday for.

National Diversity Day – Established in 2005 by Leo Parvis, this is a day to celebrate whoever you happen to be no matter what your race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age or nationality. Everyone is special and precious and should be accepted for who they are.  Be as tolerant of other people’s differences as you would like them to be tolerant of yours.

Ten-Four Day – This is the fourth day of the tenth month and is a day of recognition for those radio operators who use the code words “ten-four” instead of the word “yes” on the radio. Do not ask me why radio operators need these code words, I do not have the answer for that.

National Vodka Day – The word comes from the Russian word “voda” which means “water”. This was traditionally a European drink and didn't become popular in the United States until after World War II. It is a very potent drink with a high alcohol volume so be careful when you drink it.

Inter-American Water Day – Celebrated on the First Saturday of October, this is a day to raise awareness of how important water is for life. It was created in 1992 by the Pan American Health Organization, the Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering and the Caribbean Water and Wastapplewater Association.

World Card Making Day – This day is also celebrated on the First Saturday in October. It began in 2006 as a national day but went worldwide shortly after. It is a day for anyone involved in card making, whether you make them at home or you are part of the card making industry, to celebrate the creativity involved.

International Toot Your Flute Day – This is a day to brag, brag, brag. Don't be shy about telling everyone how great you are and all of the awesome, wonderful things you can do! Toot your own flute because no one can do it better since no one knows you like you do.

To celebrate today, all day substitute “ten-four” for “yes” when you talk to people making sure you tell them all about how wonderful you are.  First thing this morning, head to your office to clean and decorate it along with your diverse group of co-workers to whom you will pass out the cards you made thanking them for being different.  Then, watch the sun to tell the time so you can make sure you are not late getting your pets to church for their blessing. Next, have a feast of tacos for dinner and make sure you put water and vodka in any beverage you drink.