October 5, 2015

Today we celebrate:

National Storytelling Day - This is a day for celebrating the ancient practice of storytelling.  People have been telling stories for thousands of years.  In the past, it was the primary way that news was spread from region to region because they didn’t have newspapers and books were rare.  We still tell stories to entertain each other and to share news via television news shows.

International Day of No Prostitution - This day was created by Anti-prostitution feminists and is to spread their message of the destructive nature of prostitution to women.  Very few women become prostitutes because they want to.  The overwhelming majority are forced into it by people or circumstances that they cannot escape on their own, and far too many don’t see a way out of their situation.

World Architecture Day - This day is also celebrated on July 1st, but in 1996 it was moved to the first Monday in October by the International Union of Architects.  Not everyone agrees with the change so it is celebrated twice. The theme we are focused on this year is “Architecture, Building, Climate.”  Architects have to be involved in plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because they need to design or remodel environmentally friendly buildings.

International Blessings of the Fishing Fleet Day - I couldn’t find out much about today but it seems to be a coastal celebration around the world where priests bless fishing fleets in the hopes that they will have a productive and safe year for fishing.

National Apple Betty Day – This was something we would have for dessert all the time when I was a kid. I think I need to make it more often for my kids. There's a recipe here that looks pretty good.

World Teachers Day – There are Teacher's Days that are localized and celebrated in different countries at different times (mostly because they are honoring the birth of someone specific to their area), but this is the only Worldwide Teacher's Day. If you know any teachers personally, give them a call today.

Do Something Nice Day – This is a day to be nice to someone without being asked to. This does not count as me asking you to. You need to do it because you want to. This is sometimes called a random act of kindness or paying it forward. Call it what you want, just do it today...as long as you want to.

World Day of Bullying Prevention / Blue Shirt Day - Celebrated on the first Monday in October, this is a day to stomp out bullying. Wear a blue shirt today to show solidarity to those who are being bullied and to spread the news that this behavior needs to stop.

Child Health Day – This is a day dedicated to protecting the health of the children of the United States. It is always celebrated on the first Monday of October.

World Habitat Day – This is also celebrated on the first Monday of October and is for the purpose of reminding the world that habitats are of vital importance whether they are for humans or animals. Many countries in the world have poor habitats for humans and fundraising events are happening today to raise money for poor communities around the world.

To celebrate today, wear a blue shirt and head to the coast to watch priests bless fishing boats.  Then do something nice and take a teacher out for dinner and tell them a story about a woman who was forced to be a prostitute and then escaped that life and became an architect.  Tonight make sure your kids are healthy before you take them out to examine the animal habitats in your backyard.  Then it’s apple betty for dessert.

October 4, 2015

Today we celebrate:

International African Disaspora Day - This is a day to remember the disbursement of African natives to other countries beginning with the slave trade hundreds of years ago and continuing today because of wars, famine, economic necessity, etc.  Other countries have experienced disaspora ( The displacement of natives of a country to numerous other locations when said natives continue to identify themselves as belonging to their original country.).

Kanelbullens Dag (Cinnamon Roll Day) - This is a Swedish celebration that is worthy of being a world wide day, in my opinion.  Melt in your mouth cinnamon buns began to be celebrated with their own day in Sweden when the Swedish Home Baking Council celebrated its’ 40th Anniversary of operations and created this day.  I can smell them already.

National Golf Day - There are several golf days sprinkled throughout the year because people love to golf.  This one seems to be sponsored by the PGA since 1952 and many courses will have special events and direct proceeds to charities.

National Ships-in-Bottles Day - This is a day to appreciate the amazing works of art that Ships in Bottles are.  I have no idea how much patience it takes to painstakingly assemble a ship, piece by piece in a bottle, but I know that I do not possess nearly enough of it.  This day was chosen for the celebration because it is the birthday of the first President of The Ships-In-Bottles Association of America, Jack Hinkley.

eDay - This is a New Zealand day attempting to raise awareness of the dangers of electronic waste to the environment.  We need to stop throwing our electronic devices into landfills and instead recycle them to be made into other electronic devices.  There are chemicals in these devices that are seeping into our groundwater and being ingested by people, animals and plants and they are causing some potentially serious problems that could cost billions of dollars to fix in the future if we don’t stop it now.

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.

World Animal Day - Also celebrated in conjunction with the aforementioned Feast Day, this is a day to take some kind of action on behalf of animals all over the world.  Animals have rights too and we need to be mindful of their welfare.

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 Sunday this year but this is a project that is worth going to work on a Sunday for.

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.

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.

Change A Light Day – Celebrated on the first Sunday in October, this is a day to make a change for the good of the environment. Change at least one of your old light bulbs to one of the new energy efficient light bulbs. Even though they tend to be more expensive than the old bulbs, they will end up saving you money over the long term.

World Communion Day - Celebrated on the first Sunday in October, this is a day for Christians all over the world to come together in faith to remember and affirm Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church.

Country Inn Bed & Breakfast Day – Also celebrated on the first Sunday in October, this is a day to celebrate inns, innkeepers and visitors of Bed & Breakfasts in North America. Some of them celebrate this weekend with special rates so if you happen to be enjoying a B&B today, ask about that.

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 it, changing one of your light bulbs while you are there.  Recycle your electronics instead of throwing them away.  Then, make sure you are not late getting your pets and any other assorted animals you find on the way to church for their blessing and to participate in Communion. Next, have a feast of tacos, cinnamon rolls and vodka for lunch. This afternoon go golfing with a displaced native of Africa before you spend the rest of the day building a ship in a bottle.

October 3, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Mean Girls Appreciation Day - This is a day to celebrate the movie, Mean Girls.  Do you have any good quotes from the movie you can share? How about this one…”That’s why her hair is so big.  It’s full of secrets.”

International Frugal Fun Day - Created by Shel Horowitz, the author of a book about doing things cheaply, this is a day to have fun doing things that are free or very inexpensive.  There are plenty of things you can do that don’t cost anything.  Ride bikes with your family, go for a hike, invite some neighbors over for a potluck, play games with the kids, and that’s just to start you off.

National Virus Appreciation Day – I'm not too sure about this one. Well, I’m sure that it exists, I’m just not sure why.  Perhaps someone can enlighten me about what there is to appreciate regarding viruses of any kind. There are living organisms that we call viruses that make us sick and there are computer viruses that make our computers sick. Either way, I don't appreciate them one little bit.

Butterfly and Hummingbird Day – Now this is a day I can appreciate. Who doesn't love butterflies and hummingbirds. I could watch them flit around all day.  Beautiful and graceful and only around at certain times of the year, see if you can spot one today.

National Caramel Custard Day – I never eat custard, although right now I can't think why. I absolutely love caramel so I'll have to give this a try today.  Here’s a recipe you can try that looks pretty easy

World Temperance Day – I haven’t found out anything about this day other than the fact that it exists and can be found on the calendars of several countries. I can only speculate that this is a day to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. Many of us drink too much anyway, so drink some water instead.  

Look at the Leaves Day - Are the leaves changing near you?  You won’t know unless you look, so take some time to look at the leaves today.  Hopefully they are very colorful where you are and making the trees look beautiful instead of already all sitting on the ground waiting to be raked up.

National Family TV Show Day - This is a day to have some family time.  There are those who believe that it would be a good idea to have this particular day at least once a week.  Sit down with your family and watch a TV show together.  It might spark an important opening to talk about your values on a multitude of issues.

National Techies Day - A hundred years ago a techie would have had a hard time finding a job.  But these days, we can’t go a day without needing a techie to help us with at least one of the multitude of gadgets that we use every day.  Make sure you thank your favorite techie today.

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 Wastewater 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.

To celebrate today, put away the alcohol and go for a frugal bike ride with your family while you look at the colorful leaves and try to find some butterflies and hummingbirds.  Then call a techie to come and clean viruses off your computer while you sit with your family, to watch a tv show about the waterways of the world.  Then make some caramel custard for dessert tonight to eat while you make some cards that have quotes from Mean Girls to give to people.

October 2, 2015

Today we celebrate:

World Farm Animals Day or World Day for Farmed Animals – This day is dedicated to saving farm animals from being raised in deplorable conditions and then being slaughtered for food.  It takes place on or near this day because this is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, a man who stood for non-violence toward animals and people. 

International Day of Non-violence – Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, this is a day to spread the message of non-violence all around the world through educational programs and public awareness.  Again, this day was chosen to honor Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.

Guardian Angels Day – This day has been celebrated for a very long time. In the 16th century, Pope Clement X chose this day for the Feast of the Guardian Angels. On this day we should thank God for the guardian angel that He has given to each of us to inspire us to do good deeds and to protect us from evil and to guide us to God at the moment of our deaths.

Phileas Fogg's Wager Day – On this day in 1872, Phileas Fogg made his famous wager that the book “Around the World in Eighty Days” was based upon. He wagered 20,000 pounds that he could navigate around the world in eighty days. You'll have to check back with me on December 21st to see if he won the wager. Or, I suppose you could just look it up.

National Fried Scallops Day – I love scallops any way I can get them, but fried scallops are particularly delicious, in my opinion.  You can have the small bay scallops or the larger sea scallops.  It’s easier to fry the sea scallops because they are bigger.  Whichever you choose, make sure you don’t overcook them.  They cook up very quickly and if you over do it, they will be tough and not very good.

Lee's National Denim Day – Celebrated on the first Friday in October, this is a day for everyone to work together to fight against breast cancer by wearing jeans to work in exchange for a $5 contribution toward breast cancer research.

National Diversity Day – Also on the first Friday in October, this day was established in 2005 by Leo Parvis, and 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.

Plaidurday - This is the first time I have heard of this one.  It is celebrated on the first Friday in October and is a worldwide celebration of plaid.  It was first celebrated in 2011 and dedicated plaid wearing people eagerly look forward to this day all year.

National Custodial Workers Day – This is a day to recognize the dedicated, hard working people who keep our schools and businesses clean. It is often a thankless and unnoticed job, but we sure notice if it's not done because then we are surrounded by a mess. Make sure you talk to the custodians in your life today and thank them for their hard work.

Name Your Car Day – This is a day to get closer to your car. We depend on our vehicles to reliably get us to wherever we need to go. So we need to treat our cars right and that begins with giving it a really good name. We tend to care for things we name more than we do things we do not name. This is why if you have a farm, you have to be careful to avoid naming the animals you intend to eat.

World No Alcohol Day - I’m not sure if they created it, but the International Council of Nurses certainly endorses the celebration of this day.  Alcohol is a factor in the deaths of 2.5 million people every year.  If people could just show some self control and stop at one drink, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.  But it is an addictive substance and far too many people cannot stop drinking once they start.  So today, take a break from drinking completely.  

World Smile Day – This day is celebrated on the first Friday of October every year. It was created in 1999 by Harvey Ball, the artist who created the smiley face in 1963. He felt that his smiley face symbol was over-commercialized and was losing its intended significance. So he decided that the world needed a reminder that we should smile more often. So today, you should smile at absolutely everyone.

To celebrate today, put on some denim jeans and a plaid shirt, name your car Phileas Fogg and take your guardian angel for a ride to nearby farms to talk to the farmers about improving their living conditions in a non violent manner.  Then find a custodian in an office building or school and give them some fried scallops to thank them for their hard work.  Finally, share a non-alcoholic drink with your diverse group of friends.