January 28, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Christa McAuliffe Day – On this fateful day in 1986, Christa McAuliffe and six other crew members of the Space Shuttle Challenger died in an explosion shortly after the shuttle launched. She was a teacher who was supposed to be the first teacher in space.  It was a tragedy for the whole country as most of us watched it happening on the television.

National Daisy Day – This is a day to celebrate the beauty and cheerfulness of the daisy. We don't have any daisies blooming here at my house in the frozen tundra of the northeastern United States, so I'll have to content myself by looking at pictures of beautiful daisies.

National Blueberry Pancake Day – One of my favorite breakfasts. Fluffy, soft pancakes filled with blueberries and soaked in maple syrup.

National Kazoo Day – Celebrating 164 years of kazooing. Kazooists are nothing if not flexible so they say you can celebrate today or on the fourth Thursday in January.

Data Privacy Day – This is an international holiday with the purpose of encouraging everyone to think about their data and how important it is to keep it safe and private. Check your privacy settings today.

Fun At Work Day – This is a day to have fun at work. Work is not usually something you think of as fun but it is what you make of it. Find a way to incorporate some fun in your work day today with your co-workers, whether they like it or not, which is part of the fun!

Rattlesnake Roundup Day – Most places no longer round up wild rattlesnakes and this day has become more of a wildlife festival than an event to buy or sell rattlesnakes.  But back in the day, you would have found all sorts of interesting people doing all sorts of very weird things with rattlesnakes that were dead or alive.

Thank A Plugin Developer Day – This is a relatively new day declared by Matt Mullenweg when the WordPress repository passed it's 4,000th plugin. It is now an official WordPress holiday because where would WordPress be without the hard work of it's plugin developers. Celebrations should include looking at the plugins that you use, finding the author's website and contacting them with a message to say thanks for their hard work. You could also choose to donate some money to them to compensate them for their time.

To celebrate today, send your favorite plugin developer a thank you. Then, bring a rubber rattlesnake to work and have some fun fooling your co-workers with it. Liven up the workplace by playing your kazoo for your customers and serving them blueberry pancakes with a daisy centerpiece on the table. Make sure your data is safe before you leave for the day. Tonight tell your kids all about Christa McAuliffe and the rest of the crew of the Challenger.