Public Housing

 Referred to by some as the Presidential Palace the White House is actually just government housing though admittedly more grand than most public housing. Another major difference is the amount spent on decorating since most of the presidents hire decorators to make changes to reflect the first family's style. Thankfully certain areas can't be changed at a whim, the Lincoln Room, the Yellow Room and historical artifacts remain mostly untouched. As of 2019 an allotment of $100,000 is given for each administration though both Reagan and Obama opted to not spend tax dollars and paid for changes from either donations or out of their own pockets. Trump on the other hand spent $1.75 million of federal funds but declined to explain where the money came from and what it was used for.

Space Kitty

 What was done to Felicette in 1963 was nothing short of animal abuse and the poor cat didn't even get the attention of the world like Laika the Soviet space dog did for his trip into space in 1957. Felicette was chosen from 14 other stray cats to go into space on a French rocket 100 miles above the Earth then was parachuted back to the ground with no harm done (physically) and it was all over within 15 minutes. Finally she received her well earned recognition in 2017 when a group raised money to honor the space kitty with her own bronze statue which is located at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. 

Playground Retirement Park

 Have you ever wondered what happens to old playground equipment? It seems like in this time of great waste that it would end up in a landfill or maybe some of it would be recycled and find new life that way but New York City has opened Flushing Meadows Corona Park as a retirement home for well loved concrete playground animals. A NYC Parks Commissioner explained, our hard working civil servants deserve to retire in style and if the next generation still wants to enjoy them that will also be possible. 

 

Overkill

 Just when a person thinks the pumpkin spice plethora of goods is maxed out they bring out more! Now there are several offerings for pets which would be great if they all actually contained pumpkin but only a few do the others are just the spices which aren't always safe for pets, but wait there's more! Along with flavored pet treats and non alcohol pet beer they are also offering pumpkin spice scented trash bags, body wash and what sounds like the worst possible food combo...pumpkin spice avocado oil caviar. Remember the pumpkin shortage several years ago? Could this pumpkin spice marketing push be a way to use the excess pumpkin crops that have been grown since the shortages? Okay, maybe I'm paranoid. 

Pumpkin Spice What?

 Apparently pumpkin spice season is upon us and like other seasons it seems to happen earlier every year. The odd thing is everyone doesn't like pumpkin pie so are the people who are out buying up all these pumpkin spice creations simply programed to want pumpkin spice? Of course pumpkin is considered some what of a superfood but very few of the pumpkin spice products actually contain pumpkin. The following pumpkin spice items are only a few out of a list of 27 items available for a "limited time" during pumpkin spice season. Maybe it is the phrase "limited time" that makes people go wild for pumpkin spice? 

Nitwittery

 Nitwittery means just what it sounds like, stupidity. It also seems like the perfect place to start with some 1930s slang. Flossing wasn't something you did to your teeth it was flirting or showing off. Kaylied up was extreme drunkenness. Next time you're out to eat ask the server for dog's soup, it's likely they won't know that means a glass of water. Off the cob describes someone whose unfashionable or in other words, corny. Everyone will no doubt be able to incorporate nitwittery into their everyday conversations since it seems to be the new normal and speaking of new normal it is an example of a well worn phrase from the current phrase book. 

Extra Mayo

Just when you think you've heard it all along comes a NFL quarterback who signed a lifetime contract with Hellmann's  mayonnaise because he's famous for using it in his coffee instead of a creamer or cream. Different strokes for different folks and all that but doesn't it seem like it would just curdle? and even if it didn't curdle how would oil, egg and salt compliment the taste of coffee? Maybe it's a southern thing? After some further research I found out it started as a joke when he was out with his girlfriend and kind of snowballed from that point and now he is more famous for using mayo in his coffee than he is for his quarterbacking though that could change. 

Leggo my Eggo

 Has anyone noticed that the in Eggo catch phrase "Leggo my Eggo"  if you left off a G that would make it Lego and the interesting part is that Eggos look like the female part of the Legos...okay, maybe not that interesting. In other weird Eggo related news a person can now enjoy the Eggo Brunch in a Jar, a cream liqueur combining the flavors of buttered and toasted Eggo waffles, savory bacon slices and a drizzle of maple syrup. Unlike eggnog Eggo Brunch is available year around in most states or can be ordered online if it isn't found in your state. 

There's a Word for That

Sometimes it's hard to express exactly what you mean without a long explanation though often times there are foreign words that say what you want to convey in one word. For example: when your hair looks worse after a haircut is age-otori (Japanese), utepils is Norwegian for drinking a beer outside, eukonkanto is Finnish for carrying a woman on your back through an obstacle course, and I'll wrap up with one that most people can relate to, fremdscham a German word that means being embarrassed on someone else's behalf. 

  

Plurals

 Some common collective nouns for animals are herd and flock but let's get a little more specific. A group of flamingos is a flamboyance, bears are a sleuth or sloth (not to be confused with the animal sloth), pandas are an embarrassment with polar bears being a celebration, a zeal of zebras, and last but certainly not least is a kindle of kittens and a clowder of cats! 

Hen's Teeth

 How rare are hen's teeth? 80 million years ago chicken had teeth though as they evolved they lost the ability to grow teeth but not the gene that enabled them to grow teeth plus some chickens who are mutants to those earlier birds grow teeth in the shell but are not strong enough to hatch when it comes time. Scientists have isolated the teeth growing gene and turned it back on allowing the embryos to grow teeth which are similar to reptile teeth but prevented them from hatching. They hope the research can be applied to turning on other dormant genes to help when tissue regeneration is needed. 

The Struggle is Real

 It's fascinating to find out that most nursery rhymes were based on fact in one way or another. Today is about Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse problem was real! Most people believe this rhyme was merely a counting aid but there was a big mouse problem at the Exeter Cathedral because the clock parts were lubricated with animal fat which attracted the mice. Finally the presiding bishop hired a carpenter to cut a hole in the clock room door big enough for the bishop's cat to get in and out making the rodent problem more manageable. The hole remains in the door to this day. This was in the 1600s yet Isaac Newton is credited with inventing the first cat door but maybe it was really this unnamed bishop?