April 20, 2013

Today we celebrate:

National Pineapple Upside-down Cake Day – This is a fun cake to make but somehow I never manage to make it without it breaking somehow when I flip it over to get it out of the pan.

Look Alike Day – Did you know that you look just like Jennifer Aniston? Really, I swear! I think everyone looks like someone else. I found someone in Texas years ago that looked just like my sister. No one else thought so, but she really did!

Volunteer Recognition Day – This is a day to honor the thousands and thousands of volunteers who spend so much of their time helping others in a myriad of ways every day.

Auctioneers Day – A day to reflect on one of the oldest professions in history and to celebrate its' future. Today we have online and in person auctions to participate in, maybe in a hundred or so years we will be able to participate holographically.

Husband Appreciation Day – Celebrated on the third Saturday of April, this is a day to appreciate your husband if you have one. Do something nice for him today, be extra sweet and maybe make his favorite dinner.

Record Store Day – Also celebrated on the third Saturday of April, this day was created in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave, and Brian Poehner to celebrate the art of music. This day is recognized world wide with musical artists of all kinds participating in special appearances, performances, meeting fans, and special releases of CDs.

 

Spring Astronomy Day – Begun in 1973 by Doug Berger, President of the Astronomical Association of Northern California. The original plan was to set up telescopes in urban locations so people who did not normally get to spend much time looking at the stars could do so on this special day. This day is now sponsored by a variety of astronomical groups and is a day for interaction between regular people and astronomy enthusiasts.

International Marconi Day – At first glance, I thought this was Macaroni Day too, but it is most definitely not. Born on April 25, 1874, Guglielmo Marconi played an enormous role in the invention of wireless telegraphy. In other words, we have radio capability because of him. We celebrate his birthday on a Saturday close to his birthday with amateur radio events going on all over the world.

To celebrate today, keep your ham radio on all day so you don't miss anything. Then volunteer to make a pineapple upside down cake for your husband to enjoy while he looks at the stars through the telescope you found for him at an auction, and listens to his favorite music. You are sure that is your husband, right? You never know, it could be a look alike who is impersonating him to get a piece of cake.

April 19, 2013

Today we celebrate:

National Garlic Day – These seasoning powerhouses do more than keep away the vampires. They have been used to season food for over 6,000 years according to this website: http://www.nationalgarlicday.com/ It has well known and proven health benefits as well as being rich in vitamins and minerals. It also has a great side benefit of helping to get rid of unwanted boyfriends/girlfriends. All you have to do is eat enough of it.

National Day Of Silence – This is a day to take a vow of silence of some kind to take a stand and make a statement against bullying, specifically against bullying the GLBT community. Bullying anyone for any reason is just wrong. You don't have to agree with the choices other people make, or the lifestyles they live, you can even flat out disagree with them, but no one has the right to bully, or persecute anyone for those choices or lifestyles. On this day, if you are a student you are encouraged to inform your teachers ahead of time about your vow of silence but you must know that during classroom instruction time, if a teacher requires you to vocally participate in any way, you must do so. Some teachers, if they know ahead of time, might support your stand, but not all will and so you need to be prepared to suspend your vow of silence during classroom time. http://www.dayofsilence.org/content/getinformation.html

John Parker Day – On this day in 1775, John Parker, a farmer, mechanic, soldier and Captain of the Massachusetts Militia, commanded his men at the famous Battle of Lexington. Although, his men either didn't hear him or they ignored his command to disperse and let the British go through, and someone, either a Militiaman or a British soldier, ignored the command to hold their fire and started the battle with a single gunshot. He is credited with saying, “Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” It is interesting to note that John Parker was sick with Consumption at that time and died a few months later.

National Hanging Out Day – Do you have a clothesline? Well, if not, you might want to hang one up today because this is a day to focus on conserving energy and saving money by hanging out your clothes to dry instead of using a dryer. This day was created by a group called Project Laundry List and they got together with lots of other organizations to promote this day so I'm sure you'll hear about it from other sources as well. http://www.laundrylist.org/programs/education/70-national-hanging-out-day

Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day – On this day in 1995, a truck bomb exploded next to the Alfred P. Murrah federal building killing 168 people, including 19 children, and injuring hundreds more. Two people were responsible, ( I will not name them because I don't want their names to be remembered, it would be far better to remember the names of the victims.) one was executed, and one is serving life in prison.

To celebrate today, make your vow of silence and don't say anything to anyone all day (unless you have to go to school and talk to your teachers). Then, wash your laundry and hang it out to dry. Make sure you do this early so it has plenty of time to dry. Next you can have a silent reenactment of the Battle of Lexington in your backyard, you can be John Parker. For dinner have something with lots of garlic in it.

April 18, 2013

Today we celebrate:

National Animal Crackers Day – Begun in 1902 by the company now known as Nabisco, these crackers were originally called Barnum's Animals.

Newspaper Columnists Day – On this day in 1945, Ernie Pyle was killed. He was a well-known and well-respected newspaper columnist who was covering World War II. He lived with the soldiers, saw what they saw, ate what they ate, felt what they felt, and was killed by a Japanese sniper.

Adult Autism Awareness Day – This is a day to recognize the challenges of adults who live with autism and the difficulties many of them have maintaining employment and independence.

Get To Know Your Customers Day – Yes, you're right! We had this day in January already. However, you will see it again twice more this year because it is celebrated on the third Thursday of every quarter as a reminder to business owners about how important it is to know who your customers are and what their needs might be.

National Golf Day – A golf industry group called We Are Golf created this group after Hurricane Katrina relief efforts helped other sports but excluded help for golf courses and related businesses. Their goal is to convince the world that golf is a sport that is just as important as any other sport.

Pet Owners Independence Day – On this day, you get a day off from work and your pet goes in to the office and does your work for you. Sounds like a deal to me. I wonder what my boss will say when my dog walks in instead of me.

National High Five Day – There are lots of different stories trying to tell the origins of this congratulatory gesture so there is really no way to know who first used it and why but it is definitely a part of our culture now and you see it happening everywhere.

International Amateur Radio Day – On this day in 1925, the International Amateur Radio Union was founded. It has evolved a great deal since that time but is still just as popular.

Poem In Your Pocket Day – Another day to celebrate poetry, this time you need to take a poem you like and keep it in your pocket today so you can pull it out and read it whenever you feel the urge.

Support Teen Literature Day – Teen literature has changed a bit since I was a teen. But I love the books that my daughter reads, I'm usually anxious for her to finish so I can read them next.

National Ask An Atheist Day – Celebrated on the third Thursday of April, this is a day to ask an atheist anything you want about their beliefs, or rather, unbeliefs. They don't wish to be yelled at or chastised or converted, but will gladly participate in a civilized discussion.

To celebrate today, send your pet to work and you can have the day to do all this celebrating. First, grab a box of animal crackers to stick in your pocket because you'll be hungry later. Then find your favorite poem and put that in your pocket too. Next, get on your ham radio and ask everyone for their recommendations for teen books that your teen (or you) might like to read. Next head to the golf course where you can high five everyone who finishes the game. You'll be there a while so I hope you brought the newspaper so you can read all of the columnists' work. Next, head to your favorite store and chat with the owner so he/she has a chance to get to know you. On the way home, try to imagine how difficult it would have been to do all that if you had Autism.

April 17, 2013

Today we celebrate:

National Haiku Poetry Day – Poetry lovers everywhere rejoice! Today is a day to celebrate the Haiku form of poetry. http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/national-haiku-poetry-day/

National Cheeseball Day – My husband loves a good cheeseball to have with his crackers at a party. I'm sure all of you cheese lovers do too.

Blah, Blah, Blah Day – This is a day to do all the things that you have been asked to do but don't remember because you tuned out the asker and didn't really listen when they gave you the list.

International Bat Appreciation Day – Created by http://smileybat.com/holidays/ and sponsored by Bat Conservation International, this is a day to admire everything about bats, including the fact that they eat insects. This day may be changing to November 1^st.

Ellis Island Family History Day – This day was officially proclaimed by the nation's governors “to recognize the achievements and contributions to America by Ellis Island immigrants and their descendents.” This day was first celebrated in 2001 when the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island was opened. http://www.ellisisland.org/Eiinfo/Press_HISTORY_DAY.asp

Ford Mustang Day – On this day in 1964, Henry Ford II unveiled the first Ford Mustang at the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, NY. That same day, they were put up for sale at Ford showrooms around the country and 22,000 were sold. 400,000 were sold within a year.

National Bookmobile Day – Begun in 2010, this is a day to celebrate the contributions of the nation's bookmobiles for people who do not have easy access to books, and the people who make them possible.

Nothing Like A Dame Day – I couldn't find out much information about this day, but it seems to be a day to celebrate the “Dame's” of old black and white movies.

To celebrate today, fire up your old Ford Mustang and head to Ellis Island to tour the History Center. While you're there, see if you can get up into the Statue of Liberty and go all the way to the top (you might need to sweet talk the guards by talking like a Dame.) Then you can see if there are any bats living up there. Let me know, will you please? Use the view from the top to inspire you to write a Haiku poem about the Statue. Then look for a bookmobile on your way home so you can pick up a book for your kids to read while you work on the chore list that you didn't make.