Tag Archives: celebrating today

Holidays

Buttheads

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Thanks to a no-nonsense older sister, this is how I feel when I see someone smoking.  It’s Great American Smokeout Day and I’m not talking about dinner.   In 1977, the American Cancer Society introduced today’s holiday in an effort to urge smokers to quit smoking.  I’m not a smoker, so I can only imagine how hard quitting can be.  I realize it’s more than a habit.  Anything that makes you stand in the blazing heat sucking fire, must be.  An urge that makes it seem cool to stand, shaking, in weather below zero degrees, is more than a notion. The desire to huddle in a pack trying to avoid precipitation and hail force winds, for a drag, is a bully that is dictating your life and jeopardizing your health.

Three smoking habits I hate, from a non-smoker’s perspective.

  1. When I’m sitting in my car on a nice summer day with the windows down, jamming to my favorite song on the radio and a cool breeze lunges at me carrying the smoke of the person, two cars ahead, who is smoking with the windows down.  Roll your windows up and keep your smoke to yourself.
  2. When I’m trying to zig-zag and hold my breath in order to ditch the polluted air from the smokers who insist on ignoring establishment rules and lights up near an entrance, exit or the front of the parking lot.
  3. When I have to watch my loved ones suffer, battling cancer, dialysis, tumors, and various surgeries because they chose not to quit smoking.

If you’re a smoker, today’s the perfect day to try quitting or to try quitting again.

 HOLIDAY ON MY FRIENDS!!!

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Holidays

When in doubt

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It’s time to venture to the back and celebrate Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day!  What’s lurking in the back of your fridge?  What is that brown gook that spilled down the back wall six months ago?  What is the sauce in that Pyrex dish you swore you would use again? Whatever it is, today is moving day.  Tonight, don’t cook. Eat leftovers and purge.  You have to make room for the holiday feasts.

As a child, I had severe disdain for this chore every time it was assigned to me. The fridge was packed with different plastic tubs of something other than what was on the label, there was always spillage that was hard to scrub out because the temperature of the fridge kept it cool, hard and sticky. There was always at least 3 to 4 condiment bottles of something that had just enough left, so I couldn’t just toss them in the trash.  I hated pulling out the cumbersome shelves and drawers, dueling with them in a sink that was too small for them to fit, and mopping up the spilled dishwater from the floor.  And, as I’d put the food back, wiping the bottom of every jar and reorganizing the arrangement for efficiency and neatness, I knew in my heart a self-cleaning fridge would be invented by the time I had my own house.

But, alas, it seems the self-cleaning fridge of my dreams is still in the works, so today I’ll be celebrating with everyone else. Turn up the music, venture to the back, investigate every jar (when in doubt, throw it out), and…

HOLIDAY ON MY FRIENDS!!! 

P.S. – Yes, the freezer too.

Holidays

LuLu

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This is your invitation to chill.  It’s Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day!  Thanksgiving is right around the corner, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah are down the street and New Year’s is around the block.  Panic Season is upon us.  How many people are coming for Thanksgiving? Who is cooking? What are we cooking? One turkey or two? Are you Black Friday shopping? If so, where? What do you want? What is the game plan? Have you finished holiday shopping? When are the lights going up, etc…? And, then you have to go to work and meet those deadlines too. Tis the season to remember yourself. Celebrate LULU by relaxing, relating, and, releasing.  Prioritize the really important things in life and let the manageable small fires burn until they put themselves out or you have the time.  Everything isn’t urgent.  Don’t let the unimportant rob you of a moment you can’t get back. Chill and…

HOLIDAY ON MY FRIENDS!!!

Holidays

save yourself, save the world

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I’ve taken care of the old, the young, the sick, and the crazy. It’s National Caretaker Appreciation Day.  GOOD caretakers deserve their own day. They deserve their own month (which they have, it’s November). 

I can tell you from experience that being a caretaker is physically and emotionally demanding. Most of us will play the role of caretaker at some point in our lives, whether it’s a child, a parent, another relative, a neighbor, a patient, or friend.  Here’s some advice.

  1. Take care of yourself too. Exercise, mediate, and eat well. If you’re weak,  sick or crazy, you’re no good to the person you’re helping.
  2. Make time for yourself. Take an hour off. Go to the movies, read a book, get a massage, or make origami.  You have needs too, fulfill them.
  3. There are other people in the world. Don’t neglect your other relationships.  Friends, family, those who love and support you will understand if you’re not as available as you once were, but if you forget them all together, they’ll forget you too.  Then 10 years later you’ll have to do that awkward, teary reunion conversation where you agree it was both your faults.
  4. If you aren’t being respected and appreciated, buy a plane ticket and fly your arse home.  Being a caretaker is a heavy load and even though most caretakers are there because their heart is connected to the patient, when it feels like abuse, you should hire a trained professional.  It takes patience and when yours is worn out, you’re not helpful to your patient. Give hugs, kisses, and a peace sign.

Celebrate today by thanking those who have taken care of you. If you’re a caretaker, celebrate yourself.  If it’s necessary, have that awkward teary reunion conversation. Remember save yourself, save the world and…

HOLIDAY ON MY FRIENDS!!!

Holidays

Parliament Funkadelic

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If you’re the kind of person who b-lines for a “HOT NOW” sign, gets excited by Las Vegas lights, or has done recon in the midnight sky for an OPEN sign, you better get ready to celebrate the French Chemist George Claude. It’s Neon Sign Day! Yes, chemistry is responsible for these fun colored, brightly glowing, signs.  Invented in 1911, the first neon sign was used in a Paris Barbershop.  Today, no establishment is visible without a neon light.  A mixture of gasses like neon, argon, helium, xenon, and krypton give the glass signs color. The average life span of a neon sign is 8- 15 years. This makes them a solid investment for most businesses.

You can celebrate by buying a neon sign or you can channel Parliament and get Funkadelic.

HOLIDAY ON MY FRIENDS!!!

Holidays

Expose the Dunce

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I’m not giving you permission to be stupid, but it is Dunce Cap Day! You can view the birth of the Dunce Cap as weird (Scientology weird) or genius in reverse.

Duns Scotus, a medieval scholar, believed cone shaped hats made people smarter.  His theory was that knowledge would flow down from the point of the hat into the brain of the person wearing the hat.   Since most people thought this was a dumb theory, the “Dunce Cap” became synonymous with being dumb. As a result, students worked harder in order to avoid being crowned with the Dunce Cap.  It’s interesting how that worked out.  Celebrate today by learning something new and working very hard not to expose the dunce in you.

HOLIDAY ON MY FRIENDS!!! 

Holidays

Get Lost

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By now, I think we should all agree we’ve been handicapped by technology.  Most of us don’t have 5 phone numbers memorized; 411, 911, your phone number growing up as a child, and your phone number, don’t count.  So that leaves, hopefully, your emergency contact, the last number you memorized before you became dependant on your cell phone, your work number, and unless she is also your emergency contact, your Mama’s number. Let’s not the let the GPS ruin our sense of direction.

It’s Marooned Without a Compass Day! Unless you have a compass app on your cell phone, this isn’t a device most of us carry daily. So, today is dedicated to perfecting your sense of direction.  How well do you know your city, town, state? Do you know which direction you’re driving without looking at the compass in your car?  Turn off the navigation system, get lost and find your way back home.  Pick a friend to visit or a location to meet a friend and get there without Suri or Alexa or Google Maps.  Test your own skills before you become totally dependant on your GPS. Technology isn’t the enemy, but it’s an enabler, so, before you become a full-blown addict, get lost and…

HOLIDAY ON MY FRIENDS!!!

Holidays

MOVE YOUR MONEY

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As I sat down to pay my bills this evening, I realized, I forgot to mention that today is Bank Transfer Day! Contrary to common practice, we are not celebrating robing Peter to pay Paul, by transferring your credit card balance from one card to the next.  Although, if you are trying to reduce your debt, transferring your credit balance to a card with less interest is a good way to go. I caution you that most cards have transfer balance fees and sometimes the fee is so high you should just leave things where they are and pay your bill.  If you’ve been a good customer, you may be able to convince the bank to lower your interest rate.  I’m not a certified financial planner, so back to today’s holiday.

In 2011, Kristen Christian started a campaign urging people to transfer their banking business from “Big Banks” to Credit Unions. Her protest was ignited by the growing amount of maintenance fees being charged by “Big Banks.”  Credit Unions have plenty of benefits, however, Credit Unions are like exclusive clubs you can only join based on where you work, live, and the associations with which you’re affiliated. If you have a family member that loves you or a friend that likes you a lot, they can open an account for you. Celebrate today by examining your banking relationship.  If it’s time for you to take your business elsewhere, find the Credit Union best for you, move your money, and…

HOLIDAY ON MY FRIENDS!!!

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Holidays

Side-Eye

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You should be able to celebrate today without thinking!  It’s National Use Your Common Sense Day!   Why today? Well, it may not be common knowledge, but today is the birthday of film actor Will Rogers, who commonly said, “Common sense ain’t that common.” I’m sure we all know someone who couldn’t celebrate today even if they studied in advance, which, they should have been doing.  You don’t have to be a genius to celebrate, you just have to be common.  Live a common life and have common experiences.  I say we rename today, “Don’t Do Anything Dumb Day.”  Spend today exercising sound practical judgment that doesn’t require any special knowledge, training or skill. I like how Dictionary.com says, “…normal native intelligence.”  I guess that depends on what you’re native to.  Celebrating should come naturally, but if you see someone giving you the side-eye today, you’re probably not celebrating. Have fun and…

HOLIDAY ON MY FRIENDS!!!

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Today’s References: Biography, Dictionary.com