Early?

For those readers in the US you will think I am a day early with some ideas for April Fools Day pranks,for most of the rest of the world it will be more timely. If nothing else it will give you an extra day to let the ideas simmer until they produce a truly inspired prank. In some countries the fun only last until noon which would be a great inconvenience. The offering today is from the Museum of Hoaxes where they think of April Fools as an opportunity for misfits and pranksters.
In 1992 it was announced that Richard Nixon was running for president again. His slogan was: "I didn't do anything wrong,and I won't do it again." In 1957 the BBC aired a story on the Swiss spaghetti crop showing peasants plucking strands of pasta from trees. In 1962 Swedish TV (black and white) brought in an expert to describe how to make television appear in color. The expert told viewers to put an old nylon stocking over their TV then move their heads back and forth to align the color spectrum. In 1998 Burger King ran an ad for a left- handed Whopper. In 1996 Taco Bell announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Concerned citizens started calling the National Historic Park in Philadelphia to complain. I hope these have served to inspire you to prankster greatness!

Not Just Fiction

Among my varied reading interests,murder mysteries seem to be a common thread with many of the authors. Although I enjoy being able to figure things out before they are presented,it also is a disappointment and I tend to feel somewhat cheated. It seems as though I am once again veering off track so down to the meat of the subject!
After reading about this real life Murder Club,I find myself wondering if there are other such clubs? The Vidocq Society (pronounced Vee-dock) is an exclusive crime solving organization that meets monthly at the Union League of Philadelphia. The society is named for an 18th century French detective. They apply their collective forensic skills and experience to "cold case" homicides and unsolved deaths. As a public service the professionals and private citizens donate their talents to solve cases officially brought to them.
What a mental challenge it would be to participate in a group solving "cold case"crimes...they also enjoy gourmet meals at their meetings!


Union League of Philadelphia



Courage

This story really touched something in me so I wanted to share it with anyone who might not have seen it.
Two grandfathers competed today in Spain,one from Finland the other from Belgium ages 94 and 95...the event the 100 meter dash! I am not entirely clear if they were racing for a veteran's charity or if it was an event crafted for veterans to compete in,but either way what a spirit lifting story! One can only hope to have the kind of courage and stamina to be able to remain active and alert at that advanced age. I will try to include the link for the video,but they don't always come up like they should,so keep your fingers crossed!

inagist.com/all/317625847550967809/

Unbelievable

For some reason in the last few days I have come across several state laws that are quite amusing and a little hard to believe that they are still on the books. All but one of these I have verified,so I will leave you to puzzle out which one is possibly made up!
In Minnesota it is illegal to cross state lines with a duck on your head...it is also illegal to enter the state with a chicken on your head (I am not sure about either chickens or ducks,but parrots do love to roost on your head). In Atlanta,Georgia it is illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or a street lamp. In Baltimore,Maryland it is illegal to take a lion to the movies. In Zion,Illinois it is illegal to give cats,dogs,or other domesticated animals a lighted cigar. In Los Angeles,CA. it is illegal to bathe two babies at the same time in the same tub. In Alabama it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle. In Alaska it is an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane (even a dead moose would be offensive to anyone it landed on). In Arizona donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs (this is not the only state with this law on the books,who would have thought it was such an extensive problem?). In Washington when two trains come to a crossing neither shall go until the other has passed (is it just me,or does this sound like a weird math problem?) In Utah it is illegal not to drink milk (I wonder if the state pays to relocate people who are lactose intolerant?),it is also an offense to hunt whales which will doubtlessly save many of those endangered inland whales!

Design Flaw?

There may be some drawbacks to being the tallest mammal in the world,the first one that comes to mind about the giraffe is because of their long neck they also have the highest blood pressure of any mammal,2-3x that of a healthy man (I have to insert a mental image here of a blood pressure cuff on a giraffe...where would it go anyway?). As a result of their blood pressure they are easily frightened,or stressed to death. A giraffe can clean its ears with its own tongue (this is a less than appealing talent,though I am sure it comes in handy). Giraffes are always alert for predators so they only sleep a few minutes at a time and average only 30 minutes a day. I never realized that the coat patterns differ not only between the nine subspecies but are unique to each animal. The picture I am using should show some of this difference,at least it seems different from the patterns that I think of as usual. Feeding primarily on acacia leaves giraffes can eat up to 77 lbs a day. The acacia has all the nutrients,except calcium and salt that they need. The leaves also contain a lot of water,allowing them less frequent trips to the watering holes where their predators wait. The way they have to splay their front legs to reach the water leaves them extremely vulnerable. When they do drink they can consume 12 gallons at one setting. Their unique body design also seems to be their Achilles heel.

Family Affair

There are a couple of ways you can think about this story,one is to understand how the parents could get so desperate,another is why couldn't they get help in a more acceptable manner (especially since it happened in Utah,but maybe they were the wrong religion?).
Police arrested a husband and wife robbery team that had their two children (5 and 2 years old) along (being destitute they couldn't very well afford day care). They told police they robbed the bank because they were facing eviction and medical bills. The woman entered the bank and showed the teller a note demanding money,then ran back to the waiting car. When the police searched the vehicle they found the note and hundreds of dollars in cash.

A Study in Irony

A DUI is never a laughing matter though in this case I think at least a smirk would be a tolerable response.
On Christmas Eve of last year around 7:30 pm (a little early to be drunk) a 55 year old Massachusetts man was arrested in Vermont for driving onto the lawn of AA co-founder Bill Wilson's one time home. The house was the birthplace of Wilson,and is now a place of sanctuary where people can come to give thanks for their new lives. The building also hosts several Alcoholics Anonymous meetings every week (maybe he was dropping in for a meeting?). The man told police he thought he was driving into a parking lot. Apparently he didn't get the memo that law enforcement is always on high alert for holidays,or possibly he got the memo but was too drunk to remember?

Directionally Challenged

There have been jokes about men not asking for directions about as long as there have been men. Today's blog should ease the pressure on the men somewhat...unless it was a man that programed this particular GPS.
In January of this year a 67 year old woman left home to pick up a friend at the train station less than 90 miles from her house. She was using her GPS for the trip. Two days and 900 miles later,plus reported missing by her son, she realized she was lost. (What was her first clue?) She crossed 5 international borders,saw road signs in 3 different languages,stopped for gas and took naps,but stated that she continued because she was distracted. I'm not sure if the moral  is to not trust technology exclusively or if there are other factors at work here. I will leave that for everyone to decide on their own.

Monkeying Around

Kenichi Ito,a 29 year old Tokyo man has spent 8 and 1/2 years learning to run on all fours. He has no handicap or physical reason for learning to run this way. His passion developed from his love of monkeys,since his childhood  he had wanted to adopt one of their traits. He decided on running when he noticed how quickly the monkeys could move. From that point on he practiced running like a monkey every day. He walked around his neighborhood and performed household chores on all fours,even adopting a squatting posture while talking to others. In November of 2008 Ito set the world record for running the 100 meters on all fours and has since bested his own record of 18.58 seconds to the current 17.47 seconds. He also practices five other movements on all fours,though I don't think he plans on breaking world records with any of these other movements. It isn't all glamor from his odd sport,he was once mistaken for a wild boar while practicing in the mountains and nearly shot by a hunter.

Ram Charged

Chalk it up to cultural differences,but when I first read about this I was fairly certain it was a joke. I don't know what all Iceland exports,but one item is ram penises. They routinely ship tons (approxamately 50,000 ram lambs to yield 2 tons) of penises to China where the meat is considered a delicacy. I'm not sure how many ways there are to prepare ram penises,but in Asia they are often deep fried. Having never tried this particular dish I am not speaking with any actual knowledge,but would there be enough meat to be worth the bother? Seems to me it would be somewhat like a turkey or chicken neck only without the bones. If there are any authorities on this cuisine please let me know,I have many questions about the ins and outs of penises...if you will pardon the pun!

Don't Tread On Me

Within the last couple of weeks I was involved in a conversation about tread designs on the soles of shoes. Everyone had a favorite design,my favorite tread had stars. Not long after that conversation I came across Atheist Shoes. A man that loved shoes and was always looking for the best in footwear was having coffee with an artist friend who had been painting T shapes onto shoes. He suggested the the T be extended into a crucifix and call them Christian shoes. Their next thought was to put water in the soles so the wearer could walk on water as Jesus had done. Neither of the friends felt good about that idea because of their non-beliefs, instead they came up with Atheist Shoes,which have the phrase "Ich bin Atheist" etched into the soles,so the no-believers can stamp out their non-belief everywhere they tread. Just when you thought you had heard it all!

Look-A-Likes

Today's blog comes from an unbidden thought I had while going about my morning. You may read this and decide I have slipped a cog and it is only a matter of moments before the men in the white coats show up with a special jacket for me to wear. In my defense it has been too stormy so far today to go for a walk,so it is entirely possible that I am not functioning at optimum mental capacity. I can't tell you exactly who I was thinking of at the time, but there was a recognition that people tend to look like their cars. Sure,you have probably heard that people and their dogs tend to share physical resemblances,but have you ever compared people to their cars? Once I started building this mental catalogue it seemed rather obvious to me. Before I went completely hog wild on this thought I paused my thought process to check for information online to see if my idea was validated,and sure enough there it was! I am not the only one with a screw loose! Most of what I found relates more to your vehicle's color,but I think it goes beyond that to include make and model. Please find below a few pictures for you to ponder the similarities.
 

Oh Hail!

Last night the final Jeopardy question was one I knew. What I didn't know up until then was that "Hail To The Chief",the Presidential Anthem, was of Scottish origin. This made me think that out of all the American musicians there must be a choice that could be credited to our own country. So I started compiling a fun little list,please feel free to make your own additions. Some groups had more than one song I thought would work,and as you read through the list I would like you to mentally picture the ceremonial Presidential entrance set to these tunes: ZZ Top "Sharp Dressed Man","I'm Bad,I'm Nationwide","Got Me Under Pressure". Aerosmith "Same Old Song And Dance", "Walk This Way","Back In The Saddle". Tom Petty "I Won't Back Down","Runnin' Down A Dream". Steve Miller Band "Living In The U.S.A.","Fly Like An Eagle". The Eagles "Life In The Fast Lane". I am bringing this brief list to a close with "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen "Born In The U.S.A." Have fun making a list of your own!

DUI Permits

Europe  in many ways is ahead of the US,health care is the first thing that comes to mind and I know there are others,but they aren't really the point of today's blog,so I will spare you the unrelated details. With that thought in mind, an article caught my attention that could be interpreted as either progressive or backward depending on which camp you reside in concerning drunk driving laws. In January of this year Kerry county Ireland legalized drunk driving to allow rural people to drive home from the pub. An independent councillor claimed it would prevent depression and suicide in isolated areas. He also pointed out that there was very little traffic on these country roads and that the lonely country folk needed a social outlet that was denied them due to stricter drunk driving laws. Coincidentally,this same man is also a pub owner. The legal landmark was criticized by Ireland's Road Safety Authority whose spokesman claimed the greatest toll in death and injuries occurred in rural locations. A step forward or a step back...you decide!

Thanking the Little People

Sounds like part of an Oscar acceptance speech doesn't it? Actually in keeping with the St. Patrick's Day spirit, my aim is to honor leprechauns and introduce to those of you who haven't yet heard of them,the Menehune (pronouced meh-neh-HOO-neh). The Menehune are the little people of Hawaii that roam the forests at night. They are shy and small in size,about 2 feet in height,to as small as 6 inches. They are very industrious master builders that accomplish their feats of construction and engineering overnight. They are suggested to be the first settlers of Hawaii,as the Tahitians later reached Hawaii the Menehune were gradually driven north from the Big Island (Hawaii) to Kauai. The Menehune enjoy dancing,singing and archery. Like the little people from St. Valentine's Day they have been known to use magic arrows to pierce the heart of angry people to ignite feelings of love instead. They also enjoy cliff diving so if you hear splashes in the night on the islands,it is possibly a Menehune diving into the ocean.

Cruising

With Carnival Cruise Lines making the news, not once but twice, with less than appealing mechanical difficulties I was prompted to remember my first and only cruise experience,coincidentally also with Carnival. While nothing as disastrous as being dead in the water and waiting to be towed into port,none the less the experience left me with no desire to repeat that type of vacation. There was a minor mechanical problem on the ship,out of 4 elevators only 1 worked,in all fairness I think for a brief time there was a  second elevator running,but as I was able bodied I used the stairs to allow the handicapped less of a wait for on board transportation. People either love cruise trips or really don't care for them. A word of advice if you want to try a cruise,do not try to get a bargain. In the case of cruises you truly get what you pay for. While chatting with folks from  different cruise lines in one of the ports-of-call,we compared notes and I found the Carnival Line to be sorely lacking in several areas. Their food offerings were not nearly as sumptuous,nor were the cabins and oddly enough every other cruise line had a full complement of working elevators. Even without the inconveniences I encountered,cruising just isn't for me. I enjoy setting my own pace and making my own choices when I travel,but people who enjoy the cruise vacation may like it for the very reasons I don't,they don't want to make decisions and choices on their time off.
One final note as long as I am talking about ships...I noticed a ship going by the other day and painted on its side was SANKO,someone didn't do enough research when they named that shipping company!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

It appears that something is amiss with the justice system. Early this morning a 25 year old woman stole a patrol car and led deputies on a high speed chase near Molalla. This was after a 911 call reporting a stabbing at the address where the patrol car was taken. You are probably wondering where the problem is at this point,so without further ado I will tell you. As it happens this same woman did nearly the same thing 3 years ago in the same area,fortunately the stabbing victim was different,after all,how many times should a person get stabbed by the same person? The woman was sentenced to 4 years in prison. So to recap,she got out in less that 4 years,somehow I can't see good behaviour being involved in the early release. Then instead of being restricted from the area of her previous crime,or for that matter receiving some kind of help that she obviously needed,she is simply released into the wild. Sure budgets are a problem,but I am not convinced that there are not other less dangerous ways to cut corners. Not to mention if their budgets work like so many government budgets do,where they have to use it all in order to receive a bigger budget the following year,then our work as taxpayers is truly cut out for us.

How Does That Work?

Happy Pi day! Did you know Albert Einstein was born on pi day? Cats sleep around 70% of their lives...so if they have nine lives would that percentage go up? A person uses approximately 57 sheets of toilet paper per day,what does that tell you? In Tennessee it is against the law to drive a car while sleeping. That doesn't seem very sporting of them! I have actually thought about this one, a female "dude" is a "dudine" (I thought it was dudette). A dentist invented cotton candy,talk about feathering your own nest! You have probably heard that when praying mantis mate the female kills the male? The male can't copulate while its head is attached,so the female initiates sex by ripping his head off. I can see this working with other species! I saved my favorite for last,scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream.

You'll Put Your Eye Out!

This is something that has been gnawing at the back of my mind for nearly a year. It started when I had a conversation with someone wearing white contact lenses. If you have ever been in close contact with someone wearing some of the colors and designs (yes,designs!) that are offered,you will easily relate to what an unsettling experience it can be. At the time I was so taken aback that I was almost speechless. My mind kept telling me not to stare and make the person feel weird. I was too shocked to consider that rather than an unfortunate eye color,or perhaps lack of pigmentation,that I was seeing contact lenses,a color chosen by the wearer. I have no problem with people wearing something unusual for a special event or holiday,but to think of seeing such and unnatural eye color when it is a seemingly ordinary day doesn't seem like a positive way to draw attention to oneself. Never mind what the result might be for the faint of heart!

What Do You Believe?

As a post script to yesterday's blog,and also qualifying as my something new learned for today,any catholic male (note:not person,so there is still apparently sexual prejudice in the church) can be elected pope. My thinking on this is it's an effort to cover their bases just in case Jesus Christ himself showed up they wouldn't be forced to deny him the pope hood. Please note that the contents of today's blog are not meant in any way to be derogatory toward religion,only to expose some of the mysterious aspects of the world we all share.
Today's subject is the popularity of believing in creatures with little or no documentation of their existence. On the North American continent we have Bigfoot,aka Sasquatch. His counterpart,perhaps a distant cousin, resides in the Himalayas,known there as the Yeti. Water monsters are also quite popular,everyone knows Nessie,of Loch Ness fame. Australia has the Bunyip,also a lake monster and Canada supplies their very own Ogopogo,also a water creature,similar to Nessie from what I have found. None of these creatures have been entirely dismissed as myths. As with artistic renderings of Jesus most of the images captured of these creatures have been declared imaginary,but don't give up hope! After all we can't see the air we breath (let's not consider poor air quality at this time).

Pick-a-Pope

This is one of those rare occasions where I almost...almost wish I was still working. We used to bet on everything. Not the standard things most people bet on,like ball games,our bets seemed to vary off the beaten path into less traveled territory. One of our regular running bets was who amongst us was most likely to snap,for the most part we all had a turn at that dubious honor. But I digress,my intended topic is about when rather than who the cardinals will chose to be the next pope. It is every bit as political as any election,maybe more so in some respects. Rather than trying to single out one out of the pack of 115,I would like to bet how long it will take to chose the next pope. The longest papal election took nearly 3 years,but modern conclaves usually take a matter of days since the whole point is a quick decision. I also wouldn't mind betting on whether resigning will become a trend. I believe this was only the second pope to have resigned. I would be reluctant to take a job I had to hold until I died,but I never claimed to be holy!
 Let there be white smoke!

A Royal Pain

I imagine that little girls may still harbor dreams of being a princess,but from the adult point of view,it would be a hard sell for most people. Not only would your life be perpetually  under a microscope,but I for one would get fed up with the paparazzi and commit a less than flattering act.
What I really intended to talk about today is royals giving birth,prompted by Kate's (Duchess of Cambridge) pregnancy. While Kate has been a regular figure since marrying into the royal family,and now the focus is shifting to the unborn child,she still has it better than royals of days gone by. At Versailles,the queen and princesses of royal blood were required to give birth in public to prevent a substitution of the infant. In the days of Marie-Antoinette the birthing could be attended by the general public,but this was later changed so that the viewing was limited to the princes,the Chancellor and the ministers. If I had been given a choice of public birthing or the next royal being born to a sister-in-law,I would have happily ceded the honor. So once again, be careful what you wish for!

Go Ahead and Jump

The TV commercial with a guy jumping on a trampoline has confounded me since I first noticed it. At times commercials can be more entertaining than the shows that they interrupt,and you know when you have viewed a successful ad because you remember what it was for and at times are left with a good feeling for that product. Not so with the guy on the trampoline. Even after seeing it several times I had no idea what the ad was for,I had only picked up more clues that didn't solve the mystery. The man returns a cat to a young girl in the next yard,she starts crying and says,"the cat has been gone a year,how did you find him?" The guy says,"new trampoline". At that point I would start mentally reviewing the commercial to figure out what I missed, and miss them flashing K-Mart on the screen. I had to go to You Tube to find out that it was a K-Mart ad,as I had either missed that part or it didn't stay with me. It is entirely possible that it is some kind of attention deficit on my part,but if it were my advertising dollars I would want even people like myself to at least know who the advertisement was for.
Another interesting,but unrelated trampoline story: Police in Australia apprehended a suspected thief they were chasing when the thief jumped over a fence and landed on a trampoline in the neighboring yard which propelled him back int the waiting policeman's hands. A successful trampoline tale!
 

Little Surfer

Zorro is a two month old surfing pig,he is a mix between a wild boar and domestic pig. He started surfing with his owner when he was 3 weeks old. Apparently pigs really like to swim,I recall another group of pigs that were into diving,their owner had put a diving board up for them and they would dive off it,climb back up and do it over again. My mother used to claim that pigs couldn't swim,that they would cut their own throats with their hooves,but obviously she was all wet. There are several misleading,but fun saying about pigs,drunk as a pig,sweating like a pig,and that is like putting lipstick on a pig. Actually,pigs don't sweat which is why they love the water or mud if water isn't available,they are also prone to sunburn. Another interesting pig fact is they always sleep on their right sides...no idea what that is about. They are very intelligent animals and very clean given the space to be clean.

Coincidental Holidays

St. Patrick's Day is coming this month,a day this is associated with Ireland. But what about Halloween? Do you associate it with Ireland? I don't know if it is my ignorance or if it isn't a well known fact that Halloween is also of Irish descent. It started with the farmers worrying about the sun returning the next summer,so they held a festival on October 31st with a huge bonfire. The next morning a piece of wood,still burning from the bonfire was used to light new fires. Feasts were cooked over the new fires and people dressed in costumes made from animal skins to protect them from bad luck. Children would cut scary faces in hollowed out turnips or potatoes then place candles inside. At that time Halloween was called Samhain Eve,a time when the veil between the living and the dead grew thinner and ghosts would venture into homes for warmth. Food and drink were left on the table overnight for the ghosts.
Though totally unrelated to today's blog,I wanted to mention that another question on Millionaire today was about a previous blog. Remember the one about the couple that escaped on bicycles with the manuscript for what became Curious George? I can only hope if the writers are trolling my blog for material that they will at least invite me to be on the show in exchange for the material!

Strike One!

This was a new one on me,I have no dates or other details with which to find out more about this rumor,but I found it amusing enough to include as today's blog.
There's a myth about Lucky Strike cigarettes having been named because every so often a consumer would have a "lucky strike", finding a marijuana joint in a pack of Lucky Strikes. The story varies on how often the marijuana was included from one joint in every 1,000 cartons to one in every pack. The origin of the myth is unknown,but one claim is Lucky Strike's slogan "It's toasted" fueled the belief.
In reality the slogan "It's toasted" refers to the tobacco being toasted instead of sun-dried.
Another interesting side note is president Ronald Reagan prior to becoming president used to do commercials for Lucky Strike,he was also a smoker...so if his chosen brand was Lucky Strike that would explain a few things!

My mistake!!! It was Chesterfields that Reagan advertised,kind of blows my theory but that's life.

Have a Drink With a Friend

Jenny Brown started a company named Bowser Beer in 2007. Unlike regular beer,Bowser Beer doesn't have hops in it,which are toxic to dogs,what it does contain is meat-broth,malt barley and glucosamine,which is added for joint health. It is available in two flavors Beefy Brown Ale and Cock-a Doodle Brew (chicken flavored) and can be purchased at pet stores in 42 states. There is also a special edition with a Bulldog on the label selling in the pet section of Harrods in London. You may be forced to buy your own brew on sale if you plan on drinking with your canine companion as it sells for $19.99 a 6-pack. Brown also offers custom labels with your dog's photo,name and a family joke or pun.

The Dr. Is In?

It has been a rumor since 1930 that one of the 23 flavors in Dr. Pepper is prune juice,but that is as close as it gets to anything with a hint of nutritional value,and it is a false rumor. As with most sodas the ingredients are nothing healthful. Ingredients are listed in order of amounts contained,so as the list descends so does the amount. The first listed ingredient is carbonated water,that sounds innocent enough,water with carbon dioxide for the fizz,but it is linked to tooth decay,and may interfere with embryonic development. Next comes high fructose corn syrup,side effects include tooth decay,abnormal weight gain,kidney stones,colon cancer and diabetes. #3 is Carmel color,side effects are stomach problems,liver and hyperactivity. #4 is phosphoric acid (not a food) it may lead to calcium loss and cause osteoporosis. It is also a corrosive used to remove rust. #5 natural flavors,another deceptive term as these "flavors" often mask the flavor of harmful naturally derived flavors such as MSG. #6 artificial flavors are often used to mimic another flavor,may cause headaches,nausea and drowsiness. #7 sodium benzoate,a sodium salt and petroleum derivative. May cause asthma,hives and allergic reactions,DNA damage leading to degenerative diseases. #8 caffeine a psychoactive drug,probably the least threatening out of these eight. I also recently read ethylene glycol,the ingredient in antifreeze that is poisonous to pets is included in the 23 flavors.

Out of curiosity,is anyone still drinking soda? I should also mention that the diet sodas are even worse when you tally up their side effects,so grab a different drink!

50/50

Today's blog came as a surprise to me in that I found it in a trivia question asking "what country passed a law in 2005 requiring men to do 50% of the household chores,including childcare and care for elderly family members?" I chose the wrong answer because I automatically rejected Spain from a preconceived notion that the men there were too macho to ever allow a law like that to be passed,let alone enforced. The way it is being implemented is written right into the marriage contract,failure to comply results in loss of rights in the case of a divorce. Up to the time of this law women did the housework almost exclusively even if they worked full time. The public reaction to the law was mixed,some saying things would never change,while others thought it should be an agreement reached between the couples. It seems to be a step in the right direction,but the logistics of monitoring and enforcing may prove to be a tricky venture.
 

Re

The word re means,in the matter of,or when pronounced with the "e" as a long "a" sound it becomes part of the musical scale. With those two definitions in mind there are many words starting with the prefix re that don't make a lot of sense. If you were paying attention to yesterday's blog you will recall one of these words is retired. Pretend you don't know the meaning of the word retired and think of what it might mean...how about using it to describe the act of changing all 4 tires on a vehicle?,or if you woke up in the morning, felt tired and worked all day by the end of the day you would be doubly tired,or retired. Now I would like to ask you to take a moment to consider the following words as workable replacements (hey! replacement could work!) for the word retired,pertaining to having completed your chosen career: refreshed,revamped,retooled,reworked,repurposed,recast,recaptured,receded,recess,recharged,re-created and the list goes on,all better choices than retired when you put aside the idea of retired meaning what it has come to mean. Retired is just one of those words that seem to have been assigned its meaning totally at random. Of course it is also entirely possible that I am the only one that ever thinks about this kind of stuff...if so please disregard!

Marching On

What happens when March comes in like a lamb? Does it follow that it goes out like a lion? In honor of March being Bell Pepper and Broccoli month ,I made Broccoli soup today.
3/1 Refired,Not Retired Day (more on retired, maybe tomorrow)
3/2 Dr. Seuss Day
3/3 What If Cats And Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs? Day
3/4 March Forth-Do Something Day
3/5 Unique Names Day
3/6 Oreo Cookie Day
3/7 National Be Heard Day (What? I can't hear you!)
3/8 Girls Write Now Day
3/9 Get Over It Day
3/10 Save a Day Light Day...Oops I meant Daylight Savings Time Begins.
3/11 Napping Day
3/12 Organize Your Home Office Day
3/13 K-9 Veterans Day
3/14 Pi Day (The one day a year the mathematicians get to go crazy)
3/15 Buzzard Day (also Ides of March,which kind of goes with Buzzard Day)
3/16 Lips Appreciation Day (hard to not say lisp instead of lips)
3/17 St. Patrick's Day (If that is too normal for you feel free to make up your own day,go ahead,it will be fun!)
3/18 Awkward Moments Day
3/19 National Chocolate Carmel Day
3/20 Alien Abduction Day (also Kick Butts Day,so kick some alien butts?)
3/21 Memory Day (If you forget this one,time to seek help)
3/22 As Young As You Feel Day (not fair right after Memory Day!)
3/23 Corn Dog Day
3/24 National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day
3/25 Old New Years Day
3/26 Make Up Your Own Holiday Day (for those of you that already did this on the 17th this is a bonus for you!)
3/27 Viagra Day (Shouldn't this be closer to Valentine's Day?)
3/28 Weed Appreciation Day (not that kind)
3/29 Niagara Falls Runs Dry Day
3/30 Grass Is Always Browner On The Other Side Of The Fence Day
3/31 National "She's Funny That Way" Day
As always,enjoy your month!