For good luck in the upcoming month you should say, "hares, hares, hares" when you go to bed on the last day of the month (any month not just March), and then say "rabbits, rabbits, rabits" as soon as you get up the next morning.
I'm not sure why. Someone just told me.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day, March 27th
Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day
Last year Edgy wasn't happy because I did not include a list of quirky country music titles with my post that noted the existence of Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day. I am not a lover of country music, in fact, my vision of hell is me sitting at a desk with a broken chair in an unconditioned office in Arizona, in July, and having to correct circular reference errors on a neverending pile of useless spreadsheets, while listening to country music. But, since we are quickly approaching (in 41 days) the Day of Edgy, I thought it would be appropriate to concede to his year-old request. So, everyone should go thank Edgy for this cannon of quirky canticles.
I decided to split these titles up into three quirky categories in order to maximize their impact, otherwise, the funniness gets lost, at least for me.
Livestock
"Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer"
"You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd"
"May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose"
Good Love
"It Was An Absolutely Finger Lickin', Grits And Chicken Country Music Love Song"
"She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"
"Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"
"Get Your Biscuits out o' the Oven and Your Buns into Bed"
Love Gone Wrong
"Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye"
"I Gave Her The Ring, and She Gave Me the Finger"
"I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home"
"Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass"
"You're the Hangnail in My Life"
"It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long"
& "I Can See Your Aura and It’s Ugly"
Last year Edgy wasn't happy because I did not include a list of quirky country music titles with my post that noted the existence of Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day. I am not a lover of country music, in fact, my vision of hell is me sitting at a desk with a broken chair in an unconditioned office in Arizona, in July, and having to correct circular reference errors on a neverending pile of useless spreadsheets, while listening to country music. But, since we are quickly approaching (in 41 days) the Day of Edgy, I thought it would be appropriate to concede to his year-old request. So, everyone should go thank Edgy for this cannon of quirky canticles.
I decided to split these titles up into three quirky categories in order to maximize their impact, otherwise, the funniness gets lost, at least for me.
Livestock
"Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer"
"You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd"
"May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose"
Good Love
"It Was An Absolutely Finger Lickin', Grits And Chicken Country Music Love Song"
"She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"
"Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"
"Get Your Biscuits out o' the Oven and Your Buns into Bed"
Love Gone Wrong
"Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye"
"I Gave Her The Ring, and She Gave Me the Finger"
"I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home"
"Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass"
"You're the Hangnail in My Life"
"It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long"
& "I Can See Your Aura and It’s Ugly"
Monday, March 26, 2007
Make Your Own Holiday Day, March 26th
Make Your Own Holiday Day
Have you ever wondered how you could make your own very special holiday? Well, today is Make Your Own Holiday Day . This day only comes once a year, so you should take advantage of this. Really, you can get a lot of mileage out of a day like today. It means that whatever you want everyone around you to celebrate, anything at all, you can do it today, simply by saying, "It's Let's Eat Frog Legs for Breakfast Day!"
If you want to celebrate a Tapas Day, a Trixie Belden Mystery Day, or a Everyone-Wears-Flip-flops-and-Likes-It-Even-if-It's-Snowing-Day, you can!
The possibilities are endless... just don't tell your friends that they can make their own holiday, or you might be eating frog legs for dinner!
Have you ever wondered how you could make your own very special holiday? Well, today is Make Your Own Holiday Day . This day only comes once a year, so you should take advantage of this. Really, you can get a lot of mileage out of a day like today. It means that whatever you want everyone around you to celebrate, anything at all, you can do it today, simply by saying, "It's Let's Eat Frog Legs for Breakfast Day!"
If you want to celebrate a Tapas Day, a Trixie Belden Mystery Day, or a Everyone-Wears-Flip-flops-and-Likes-It-Even-if-It's-Snowing-Day, you can!
The possibilities are endless... just don't tell your friends that they can make their own holiday, or you might be eating frog legs for dinner!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Nice Fragrance Day, March 23rd
Nice Fragrance Day
So, this morning when I packed for my work-related trip to Springdale, Utah, I was not very awake, and it is obvious by what I am finding in my suitcase, and more importantly, what I am not finding in my suitcase.
For example, I did not pack any of these pretty essential items:
Toothbrush,
Toothpaste,
Deodorant,
Underwear, yes, no underwear,
Socks, or
Any type of outerwear like a coat or sweatshirt.
But, I did pack:
Four Books, (for a four day work trip)
Two different kinds of bath salts,
Two kinds of shampoo,
Two kinds of bath soap,
My expensive but favorite scented lotion that I never travel with because I don't want to loose it,
Two DVDs, (This is the weirdest addition. I have never traveled with DVDs.)and
Six pair of pants- for a four day trip
Yeah, I'm an awesome packer.
But, at least I will be as bathed as thoroughly as is humanly possible, and will smell good because all my scents match.
So, this morning when I packed for my work-related trip to Springdale, Utah, I was not very awake, and it is obvious by what I am finding in my suitcase, and more importantly, what I am not finding in my suitcase.
For example, I did not pack any of these pretty essential items:
Toothbrush,
Toothpaste,
Deodorant,
Underwear, yes, no underwear,
Socks, or
Any type of outerwear like a coat or sweatshirt.
But, I did pack:
Four Books, (for a four day work trip)
Two different kinds of bath salts,
Two kinds of shampoo,
Two kinds of bath soap,
My expensive but favorite scented lotion that I never travel with because I don't want to loose it,
Two DVDs, (This is the weirdest addition. I have never traveled with DVDs.)and
Six pair of pants- for a four day trip
Yeah, I'm an awesome packer.
But, at least I will be as bathed as thoroughly as is humanly possible, and will smell good because all my scents match.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
International Goof-off Day, March 22nd
International Goof-off Day
Woot woo! Can we say a pool, and a book, and very white legs... hmmm, maybe not.
How about facial and then a hike to the Emerald Pools, or maybe I should do the hike first and then the facial so I don't clog all the pores that I just unclogged with the sweat that will likely be pouring off of the tip of my nose.
Oh well, even if it's even if all I do to treat myself to four of my five hours of Garrison Keillor while driving down to the southern most parts of Yoootah, I think that today will be quite nice.
Woot woo! Can we say a pool, and a book, and very white legs... hmmm, maybe not.
How about facial and then a hike to the Emerald Pools, or maybe I should do the hike first and then the facial so I don't clog all the pores that I just unclogged with the sweat that will likely be pouring off of the tip of my nose.
Oh well, even if it's even if all I do to treat myself to four of my five hours of Garrison Keillor while driving down to the southern most parts of Yoootah, I think that today will be quite nice.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
3.14 or Pi Day! , March 14th
Pi Day!
Oh my gosh! I almost forgot about Pi Day! Thank goodness that Soccer Dad reminded me or we might have gone all day without recognizing the wonderfulness that is Pi! If you want to go all out, hold your celebration at 1:59 pm, which will mean that you are recognizing the six-digit approximation of Pi: 3.14159.
If you want to send an ecard to someone to share the joy of Pi day, you can check out this site, and this site, and this site.
If you are looking for a book to read about dragons and Pi, I would recommend, Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure .
Wikihow has quite a detailed page about how to celebrate Pi Day, including a link for How to Write an Ode About Math.
If those things don't help you in your search for how to celebrate Pi Day, this site has a lot of links to Pi things. And if you check out this site, and take a survey, you could win a free Pi t-shirt.
And you could always check out last year's Pi Day post. Last year was probably a better post. It has Pi in binary and some other fun links about Pi.
Or just read some Pi poetry, that should make your day great!
Irish American Day, March 14th
Irish American Day
If you have even a little bit of Irish in you, you have a lot in common with 34.5 million Americans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But, if you aren't Irish, don't feel left out, it's only three days until St. Patrick's Day, the day that everyone is Irish.
To learn more about why we celebrate St. Patrick's Day, check out the History Channel's The History of St. Patrick's Day. If after reading/watching all that Irishness, you become despondent and worried that the American version is so commercialized and a far cry from it's religious and historical beginnings in Ireland that we as a nation are all doomed to live soulless existences, then try some Irish soul food... aka potatoes. Check out these authentic Irish recipes, and stay at home and cook and invite all your friends over for an Irish feast. Your soul will be filled to the brim with friendship.
But, you really will miss a little bit of the fun if you aren't a little commercial. After all, we Americans were the ones who put the pinch in the traditions, so, put on a "Kiss Me I'm Irish" or "Erin Go Bragh" button, and go have some fun! (Please wear one for me, I seem to have lost my special blinking one, as well as my Erin Go Bragh wall hangings.) Sad!
If cooking Irish food doesn't sound too appealing, try a parade. There will be plenty around. Even Salt Lake City has one, and on the right day too! It was a fun parade last year, it was cold, and a little odd with all the Scottish bagpipe bands participating, but lots of fun. I highly recommend it.
What ever you do, remember today is the prep day for the real thing, so you can have a half a week of Irish fun!
Happy, Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Jewelry Lovers Day, March 13th
Jewelry Lovers Day
Since aquamarine is the birthstone for March, and because aquamarine is supposed to increase intelligence (always a good thing) and cure laziness (I have had a hard time buckling down and working these past couple of weeks), and also because it is Scorpio's (my sign's) birthstone, I have been wearing my aquamarine ring a lot lately.
Today, while I was up doing a site visit for work, my ring fell off. I got down on the floor and looked. So did everyone else. We couldn't find it anywhere. When after a half an hour of three people looking and no ring, I gave up. I was sad, but not devastated, because while I like my ring, but I know that it is not an expensive ring because the stone is light in color and cloudy and I remember that much from when I was a geology major... for two and a half semesters, a million years ago.
But, it was just weird. No ring anywhere. When I got back into the agency minivan, (it is probably not only worth mentioning that I was driving the agency minivan, but I am going to mention it because I was driving a vehicle that I was not comfortable driving, and am proud of myself for navigating near BYU traffic during lunchtime in a vehicle that I hate driving) to drive back to work, I had a weird thought. Check your clothes, the thought said. I checked my pockets, no ring. So, I started driving down the very steep hill. The nagging thought would not leave. So, I pulled over on the side of the very narrow road and patted myself down. I found the ring tucked into the cuff of my jeans. How it didn't fall out while I was down on my knees for twenty minutes looking for the ring, or when I walked up two flights of stairs on my way to the parking lot, I will never know, but I am glad to have my ring back, because I do like my jewelry.
Anyway, if you like jewelry, but you haven't ever really loved your birthstone, check out this site. There are lots of different stones you can choose for your favorite, based on birth month, zodiac sign, birth day of the week, Tribe of Israel, guardian angel or even apostle.
So, if any of you readers are thinking of buying me jewelry, I am opal for October, aquamarine for Scorpio, and carnelian for Friday. But, probably, garnets and pearls are my favorites.
Raven Legend Day, March 10th
Raven Legend Day
Today is the day the we remember ravens and their importance to the monarchy of England. Charles the Second was told that as long as ravens occupy the Tower of London, the monarchy will remain strong. Now, ravens are kept at the Tower of London with their wings clipped. Kinda makes me think that they don't trust the ravens to be good subjects and stay for the good of the monarchy.
Poor ravens. Even with such a major responsibility on their shoulders they are one of the world's most unappreciated birds. It seems that all the world suffers from corvophobia, and not just because Edgar Allen Poe told us we should. But, we shouldn't be afraid of ravens, they are good birds, they feed people who are lost in the wilderness.
In many cultures ravens are the antithesis of the supposedly innocent white dove. They have are a symbol of the sins of gluttony and thievery. In early Christianity, evil priests were believed to turn into ravens when they died. Being meat eaters, ravens became messengers of death to many cultures. Some cultures believe that ravens can smell the scent of death on a person before they die.
Readers of Greek mythology will remember the story that Apollo turned the raven black when the bird informed him of the unfaithfulness of Coronis.
Aseop wrote about the raven in his fables.
In Norse mythology, Odin carries the title Hrafna-Gud, the God of the Ravens because he can turn himself into a raven. Odin also has two ravens pets named Hugin and Muninn (thought and memory) and the Valkyres sometimes take the shape of ravens.
Native American folklore sets the raven as a trickster figure who created mosquitoes to forever bother mankind when he wasn't allowed to marry a woman.
And in some early Brittish legends the story is told that King Arthur turned into a raven to keep from dying.
Ravens aren't always bad. In fact, according to Welsh mythology, it is better to see them in groups.
And, if you think seeing twelve ravens for joy tomorrow is unlikely, and you still would like some raven-related joy, watch this.
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Today is the day the we remember ravens and their importance to the monarchy of England. Charles the Second was told that as long as ravens occupy the Tower of London, the monarchy will remain strong. Now, ravens are kept at the Tower of London with their wings clipped. Kinda makes me think that they don't trust the ravens to be good subjects and stay for the good of the monarchy.
Poor ravens. Even with such a major responsibility on their shoulders they are one of the world's most unappreciated birds. It seems that all the world suffers from corvophobia, and not just because Edgar Allen Poe told us we should. But, we shouldn't be afraid of ravens, they are good birds, they feed people who are lost in the wilderness.
In many cultures ravens are the antithesis of the supposedly innocent white dove. They have are a symbol of the sins of gluttony and thievery. In early Christianity, evil priests were believed to turn into ravens when they died. Being meat eaters, ravens became messengers of death to many cultures. Some cultures believe that ravens can smell the scent of death on a person before they die.
Readers of Greek mythology will remember the story that Apollo turned the raven black when the bird informed him of the unfaithfulness of Coronis.
Aseop wrote about the raven in his fables.
A Raven saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same beautiful plumage. Supposing that the Swan's splendid white color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars in the neighborhood where he picked up his living, and took up residence in the lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change their color, while through want of food he perished. Change of habit cannot alter Nature. (fairytalescollection.com)
In Norse mythology, Odin carries the title Hrafna-Gud, the God of the Ravens because he can turn himself into a raven. Odin also has two ravens pets named Hugin and Muninn (thought and memory) and the Valkyres sometimes take the shape of ravens.
Native American folklore sets the raven as a trickster figure who created mosquitoes to forever bother mankind when he wasn't allowed to marry a woman.
And in some early Brittish legends the story is told that King Arthur turned into a raven to keep from dying.
Ravens aren't always bad. In fact, according to Welsh mythology, it is better to see them in groups.
One for bad news,
Two for mirth.
Three is a wedding,
Four is a birth.
Five is for riches,
Six is a thief.
Seven, a journey,
Eight is for grief.
Nine is a secret,
Ten is for sorrow.
Eleven is for love,
Twelve - joy for tomorrow.
And, if you think seeing twelve ravens for joy tomorrow is unlikely, and you still would like some raven-related joy, watch this.
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Friday, March 2, 2007
Friday in Lide, March 2nd
Friday in Lide
According to my Forgotten English Calendar of Vanishing Vocabulary and Folklore, Friday in Lide is an old Celtic tradition that takes place on the first Friday in March. Lide is Anglo-Saxon work for March, according to my Forgotten English calendar, but not according to the online Anglo-Saxon dictionary. If you worked in the tin mines in Cornwall, on Friday in Lide you would send your laziest tin worker up to the highest hillock to take a nap. The amount of time that he slept would determine the length of the tin workers' afternoon break for the next twelve months.
Have I ever mentioned that I love Cornish traditions and that I think we should implement more of them in the U.S.? Well except for pasty. It's a bit too dry for my taste.
According to my Forgotten English Calendar of Vanishing Vocabulary and Folklore, Friday in Lide is an old Celtic tradition that takes place on the first Friday in March. Lide is Anglo-Saxon work for March, according to my Forgotten English calendar, but not according to the online Anglo-Saxon dictionary. If you worked in the tin mines in Cornwall, on Friday in Lide you would send your laziest tin worker up to the highest hillock to take a nap. The amount of time that he slept would determine the length of the tin workers' afternoon break for the next twelve months.
Have I ever mentioned that I love Cornish traditions and that I think we should implement more of them in the U.S.? Well except for pasty. It's a bit too dry for my taste.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Alternative Fuel Sources
I like to call myself an environmentalist. Unfortunately, living in Utah County, I can't do much about my feelings for environmental issues, I can't even recycle. Because of the limited environmental resources in my area, I am so excited to share with the internet the latest news about some exciting alternative fuel resources...
And on to our next story:
There are not enough words... wait, I do have some words. Isn't it typical of a politician to expect a win-win solution to fall from the heavens instead of financially supporting solutions that might annoy his constituents because they will have to make a major lifestyle changes? Well, I guess that's just my opinion.
Just what you need when you are out in the woods: Scientists in (we believe) Singapore "soaked a piece of paper in a solution of copper chloride and sandwiched it between strips of magnesium and copper. This sandwich was then laminated between two sheets of transparent plastic. When a drop of urine is added to the paper through a slit in the plastic, a chemical reaction takes place that produces electricity. The prototype battery produced about 1.5 volts, the same as a standard AA battery, and runs for about 90 minutes. Researchers said the power, voltage, and lifetime of the battery can be improved by adjusting the geometry and materials used. Urine contains many ions (electrically charged atoms), which allows the electricity-producing chemical reaction to take place in the urine battery." "A Pee Powered Battery" (Treehugger.com)I actually think this would be a good battery for survival kits. Or, just think of how long you could last on a camping trip with pee powered flashlights. This has got to be the best new idea out there for boy scout troops. My only hesitation would be, how sanitary can they make the pee-application-procedure? And if we utilized this source for say, cars, would there be a pee smell? Because I don't think I could travel very long in a car giving off pee-smelling emissions.
And on to our next story:
A former Canadian defence minister says be believes advanced technology from extraterrestrial civilizations offers the best hope to "save our planet" from the perils of climate change.
Paul Hellyer, 83, is calling for a public disclosure of alien technology obtained during alleged UFO crashes -- such as the mysterious 1947 incident in Roswell, New Mexico -- because he believes alien species can provide humanity with a viable alternative to fossil fuels... "Alien technology the best hope to 'save our planet'," (The Ottawa Citizen)
There are not enough words... wait, I do have some words. Isn't it typical of a politician to expect a win-win solution to fall from the heavens instead of financially supporting solutions that might annoy his constituents because they will have to make a major lifestyle changes? Well, I guess that's just my opinion.
World Book Day, March 1, 2007
World Book Day
It's World Book Day, for the UK anyway, and Spread the Word wants to know which ten books you can't live without. Just ten. It was very hard for me to choose just ten books I could not live without, so I went with the ten books I have read the most, rather than the constantly changing "favorite book" enigma-list.
And, I am adding an additional spin, an idea I got while reading FoxyJ's blog. She was meme tagged, and in her blog, she posted the rules of the meme.
* Find the nearest book to you.
* Name the book and author.
* Turn to page 123.
* Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
* Copy out the next 3 sentences and post to your blog.
* Tag someone else.
I think that this could be an interesting exercise for World Book Day, so here are my ten books that I think that I couldn't live without, with random sentences from page 123, just so you can get a feel for the book.
Persuasion: Jane Austin
The Blue Castle: L.M. Montgomery
Trixie Belden: The Mystery Off Glen Road, Julie Campbell
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
The Haunting of Hill House: Shirley Jackson
Freak the Mighty: Rodman Philbrick
The Love Poems of John Donne: John Donne
Just So Stories: Rudyard Kipling
The Chicago Manual of Style: University of Chicago Press
The Portable Dorothy Parker: Dorothy Parker
Hmmm. Not as interesting as I thought it might be... none of my favorite lines came up. Oh, well! I am not sure what that all says about my reading tastes, but we can still have a happy World Book Day!
It's World Book Day, for the UK anyway, and Spread the Word wants to know which ten books you can't live without. Just ten. It was very hard for me to choose just ten books I could not live without, so I went with the ten books I have read the most, rather than the constantly changing "favorite book" enigma-list.
And, I am adding an additional spin, an idea I got while reading FoxyJ's blog. She was meme tagged, and in her blog, she posted the rules of the meme.
* Find the nearest book to you.
* Name the book and author.
* Turn to page 123.
* Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
* Copy out the next 3 sentences and post to your blog.
* Tag someone else.
I think that this could be an interesting exercise for World Book Day, so here are my ten books that I think that I couldn't live without, with random sentences from page 123, just so you can get a feel for the book.
Persuasion: Jane Austin
"The Crofts must be in Bath! A circumstance to interest her. They were people whom her heart turned to very naturally."
The Blue Castle: L.M. Montgomery
"Six reputable citizens of Deerwood bore Cecilia Gay to her grave in decorous Deerwood cemetery. Among them was Uncle Wellington. The Stirlings all came to the funeral, men and women."
Trixie Belden: The Mystery Off Glen Road, Julie Campbell
"She was sure the dogs had done it. And if they ever even tried to do such a terrible thing again, she knew that the verdict would be a death sentence! Trixie's father came out of the terrace in answer to her call and deftly caught the bundle of papers she tossed to him."
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
"'I cannot commission you to fetch help,' he said; 'but you may help me a little yourself, if you will be so kind.' 'Yes, sir.' 'You have not an umbrella that I can use as a stick?'"
The Haunting of Hill House: Shirley Jackson
"'Tell me,' Luke said politely to Theodora, 'since you are a princess, tell me about the political situation in your country.' 'Very unsettled,' Theodora said. 'I ran away because my father, who is of course the king, insists that I marry Black Michael, who is a pretender to the throne.'"
Freak the Mighty: Rodman Philbrick
"All the old pipes and wires are hanging down, and everywhere underfoot is broken glass the color of smoke. 'I used to wonder exactly what Hell looked like,' he says. 'Now I know.'"
The Love Poems of John Donne: John Donne
"Here let me war; in these arms let me lie;
Here let me parley, batter, bleed, and die.
Thine arms imprison me, and mine arms thee,
Thy heard thy ransom is, take mine for me.
Other men war that they their rest may gain;
But we will rest that we may fight again."
Just So Stories: Rudyard Kipling
"Draw it separate. Draw his tail. If he's standing on his head, the tail will come first."
The Chicago Manual of Style: University of Chicago Press
"Unwanted marks can be whited out at the same time. Reproduction proofs produced by photocomposition may be corrected by changing the computer file and printing out another repro page. This procedure, however, is usually reserved for more extensive changes; to save time and perhaps money, minor corrections should probably be made by the cut-and-paste method."
The Portable Dorothy Parker: Dorothy Parker
"He'll rot in hell, before I'll call him up. You don't have to give me strength, God; I have it myself. If he wanted me, he could get me."
Hmmm. Not as interesting as I thought it might be... none of my favorite lines came up. Oh, well! I am not sure what that all says about my reading tastes, but we can still have a happy World Book Day!