Catching Z's

Today is Public Sleeping Day. This may sound a little odd or hard to celebrate, but I assure you it is quite simple. Today sounds a little dangerous because celebrating it involves two things that most people are afraid of on at least some level: Being in public, and being vulnerable. Keep in mind, however, that 'public' doesn't necessarily mean you have to go and sleep in the middle of a busy intersection or down a dark alley.

Here is a list of places that you can sleep in public with only minor risk:
1) In school
2) At your job
3) While in an automobile (not driving!)
4) On the train.
We are all in one of those places at least once a day I would imagine, and they are fairly safe places to catch some z's.

If you want to take a little more of a risk you could try:
1) A park bench
2) A mall food court
3) A Theatre
4) The public pool
Sleeping in those places, depending on the kind of neighborhood you are in, can vary in results from someone kindly waking you up to you getting mugged.

For the extremists, try:
1) Someone else's lawn (front OR back)
2) On top of a stranger's car
3) On the conveyor belt of an empty grocery store check out isle
4) Sneak inside a police officer's car (also a time saver).
I wish you all a safe and happy nap.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

North Polar

Today is International Polar Bear Day. I'm not sure how official the "international" part of this holiday is, or for that matter any previous or coming holiday with "national" in the name. However, I'm glad that this holiday IS international, as very few nations have polar bears that are indigenous to them. Today is a day to celebrate the existence of this extraordinary animal. Think about how much the world would miss out on if it were to suddenly disappear. For starters, I would wager that Coca-Cola and Klondike bars (pictured here) would be significantly less popular without such an established mascot. (Although Coca-Cola admittedly has quite a few 'mascots'). They are also one of the largest meat-eaters, and very unique in that their habitat is quite different from other bears. I won't go into too much detail, or else I may start sounding like Dwight Schrute. There are options for how to celebrate today: Go to the zoo to see polar bears, have a coke, eat a klondike bar, discuss polar bears as often as possible. You could even get really fancy and do all four. Since today is sunday, I'll have to stick with the latter three, as I simply do not have the time or money for a zoo visit right now. Next time. Maybe.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

I prefer cashews.

Today is National Pistachio Day. This is another one of those self-explanatory holidays that I could tell you how to celebrate, but since that seems obvious to me, I'll instead discuss with you what today means to me. Pistachios are probably among my least favourite nuts, and that's when they are in season. Pistachios are usually harvested in September, which would make February an odd month to choose to celebrate them. I know that pistachios are very popular in China and California, and there are quite a few people who like them here, but there seems to be more who don't. Maybe it's a geographical thing. All that aside, here's something that Pistachios DO have going for them. First of all, there is a pistachio mascot named Moustachio in a recent video came called Left 4 Dead 2. You can find him in the campaign level: Dark Carnival. Here's a picture of him.

He's found on wooden stands, banners, and carnival games all throughout the level, and is even the basis of some in-game achievements. I know that L4D2 is a little gory and mature for some eyes, so be wary if you want to look into it.

If you want a safe, albeit kinda weird, pistachio themed bonus for the day, take a look at this youtube video where a pistachio gives random trivia to a woman at a bar who seems to have recently undergone some relationship trouble. Okay it's more than kinda weird. But perfectly safe to watch with anyone around. As long as you don't mind people asking "What on earth is this?".

Thanks for reading!

~Kyle

Fun on a bun in a gun.

Today is Pistol Patent Day. This refers to Samuel Colt's patenting of the revolver, although I don't know why this day is of importance, as it isn't even his birthday. I'm not sure exactly how to celebrate this holiday. I don't want to own a gun, as I don't trust myself with it yet (I'm a naturally curious person and curiosity and guns usually don't mix). I thought that I might want to look into patenting my OWN pistol, but t turns out that that process takes longer than a day sometimes, and I'm sure that the patent office is flooded with pistol ideas on this particular day. All that aside, I'm substituting for a first grade class today, and... well... celebrating guns around children is one of the least smart things a person could do. And despite what northerners may think of the south, it is also frowned upon. So instead, I'll just think of reasons that I'm glad pistols exist. Sounds easy, right? Not for me. I'm more of a sword kinda guy. It just seems more poetic and gentlemanly to duel with foils rather than glocks. I'm so not into guns, I don't even know for sure if that's how you spell "glocks".

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Con queso.

Today is National Tortilla Chip Day. Today is an exceptionally tastier day than yesterday was, and there are limitless possibilities to the ways to celebrate. Chips and dip, nachos, tortilla soup, or even just eating the chips themselves. This is a very addicting food, indeed. My favorite brand of tortilla chips would have to be Tostito's Hint of Jalepeño. However, they only make those in scoop-chip form these days, and I really enjoyed the traditional triangle over that shape. Nevertheless, there are many, many kinds of tortilla chips and many ways to eat them. So many, in fact, that I could go this whole day by incorporating them into everything I eat. In fact, I have been and will be doing that very thing. Nothing like nachos for breakfast.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Treats for Tricks

Today is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. As you may have guessed, today is a day to include dogs in your celebration. Although, if you were at one time a child with a pet dog, the curiosity of wondering what exactly a dog treat tasted like has overwhelmed you, and now you know what a milkbone's flavor is. I know I was one of those children, and in fact my mother was standing beside me almost daring me to do it while I ate it. I can tell you right now that it is probably much tastier to a dog than it was to me. I will also say, however, that Petco has dog treats that look like people cookies and taste like them too. Sure, it's not Nabisco, and I won't be going out of my way to get Petco's cookies for me instead of some Chips Ahoy, but they are pretty good. Amazingly good if you take into account that they are meant for dogs.

I'm getting side-tracked. Today, appreciate the existence of dog biscuits and all they are good for. Which is almost exclusively giving to dogs after they have done something that you deem as "Good". And you tell them "Good boy/girl!" as you hand them the treat. This is the proper way to bequeath treats upon canines.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Hard to Balance

Today is Be Humble Day. It is a day to keep away from bragging about ourselves or trying to make ourselves sound better than we are. Being humble, as I have recently found, is not how I once thought of it. I once thought that to be humble, you almost have to deny your own talents. If someone asked if I was good at something, in a vain attempt to be humble, I would say "No" even if I was actually gifted in that area. That's not being humble. That's just lying. In fact sometimes, I would use that to get out of work, and if they saw me doing well at the task later, I would say "Well, I was just trying to be humble". No, being humble isn't about that at all. That's being humble for the sake of trying to get people to see how humble you are, which doesn't fit into the logic of what being humble is.

Being humble is knowing your talents, and neither overselling or underselling yourself on them. You shouldn't be out to make yourself look like you are better than what you might really be (you'll get caught pretty fast), and you shouldn't have the false humility of saying "Oh, no I'm no good at that" when you are actually quite decent. It's a very delicate balance, but one of the most rewarding virtues there is, in my opinion. It helps you become honest with both yourself and others, which can really take a lot of stress away from your day-to-day.

Obviously, no one can become perfectly humble in just one day. Today is just a reminder of something we should be working on daily. Pay extra attention to what you say when someone approaches you asking about what you can do or have done, and try to remain humble. It's hard to do, for me especially, because I love telling stories. Sometimes I like to... spice up my life stories to make them more entertaining for the listener. So that's something for me to work on. Try to see if you can find some way to become a little more humble, and work at it daily. And have a great day!

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

To and From

Today is Card Reading Day! It's a day to... well... read cards. I happen to have a box of old cards that are from years ago, dating from early birthdays to my high school graduation. I'll be going through that little bit of nostalgia today in order to celebrate this holiday. There are more ways to celebrate, however. You might send some new cards out, making it easier for others to celebrate. You may want to go back through your week old valentine's day cards to see which ones hint at someone flirting with you and then try asking that person out. I only say that because today is a perfect week after the day, and it seemed almost too coincidental. The last way I can think of to celebrate this day would be to take it very literally and read every card that you see. That is obviously a dangerous way to celebrate. Just try to stay away from Hallmark stores, because if you look in and see all those cards, you'll be there for a while.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Hoodie wha?

Today is Hoodie Hoo Day. A holiday I pretty much had to research, for reasons I am hoping are obvious unless I'm just the only one who thinks that those words together or separate make no sense. Today is a day that celebrators of Hoodie Hoo Day will step out of whatever building they are in at noon, brandish their hands above their head, and yell "HOODIE HOO!" in an effort to scare winter away. I'm assuming this holiday was made in the north, because here in the south, there really isn't much need to scare winter away. It comes late and leaves early. However, I will go outside in about 30 minutes or so to take part in what I can only assume is a grand tradition passed down generations of meteorologists. Better do some stretching first if I'm gonna do any real winter scaring.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Rich and Fresh

Today is Chocolate Mint Day! As all self-proclaimed chocolate connoisseurs will say, mint is one of the best additions to chocolate that has ever been created. It's right up there with peanut butter, real fruit (dipped), and more chocolate. There is a wide array of chocolaty mints and minty chocolates and all of them are being celebrated today. There are Andes Mints, which were among my first chocolate mint concoctions that I have ever eaten, along with the class mint chocolate chip ice cream, and mint chocolate cake. Literally any combination is fair game today. Eat as much of it as you want. On a diet? Not today, it's Chocolate Mint Day. There are even actual chocolate mint mints! I don't know if they do anything for your breath aside from making it smell like dessert, but they probably taste great and you'll eat them like candy because, let's face it, that's what they are. Even Extra Gum has a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream flavoured gum. It's everywhere people. Easy and fun day to celebrate so let's get out there!

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Going and Going and Going

Today is Battery Day, and I'm so pumped about about it! I'm feeling better! Recharged and ready to finally spend a day celebrating a day in the way it was meant to be. Everyone knows what a battery is. If you don't, I would say you've been living under a rock, but ancient Romans had them, too, so there is really no excuse. Batteries play a key part in our day to day lives and I originally planned to give them the day off today, but I can't! I have to use my car's battery to get places. As for my phone, camera, and laptop? ... Yes I could live without them for a day. However, I then got over my sickness and thought "HEY! I just got a whole new re-energized feel for today just like I got new batteries for me!" So I'm going to spend today testing them out. I know for a fact that some people have some work that they wanted me to do, so I'm going to go do it. So today, in honor of all the things batteries help me do, I will be a living battery that helps other people do things! Here I go!

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Getting Snippy

Today is Champion Crab Races Day. Not Championship... Champion. Meaning that the crab itself it a champion. Now, seeing as I am still sickly and when I stand I get slightly dizzy, I can't drive to go see any crabs (much less champion crabs (much less champion crabs that race)) today. Especially since the nearest place with crabs is around 2-3 hours away. Even the hermit crabs at the mall would be risking my health. What I CAN do, however is watch and do a lot of crab related things. I've already watched A few episodes of Deadliest Catch today, and THOSE are some champion crabs if I've ever seen any, and those boats are racing each other along with time itself. I also tried walking like a crab, but that wasn't a good idea in my current state. I did learn that there are crab races at the Disney parks, which means I was so close and yet so far. If any of you have a crab or two, today is the perfect day to first turn them into champion crabs, and then race them! I found absolutely no reason for this holiday's existence, aside from the fun of watching crabs race. So have fun with it!

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Be-friending Oscar

Today is Do a Grouch a Favor Day, a day to do a little something nice for someone in your life that may be a little grouchy sometimes, or even grouchy all the time. I think that everybody notices someone being a bit of a grouch at least a few times a day, so finding one should be no trouble at all. Helping one "un-grouch" may be a little tough, however. Do they need a talk? A pat on the back? A simple candy bar? Everyone has different things that cheer them up. With me being very sick and stuck at home in bed or on a couch, one would think that there isn't much cheering up that I could do. But I have access to the internet, which is a home for some of the grouchiest grouches in the world. I shall be keeping an eye on the level of grouchiness on my social sites today and try to de-grouchify as many as I can. Like a... superhero of sorts. Awaaaaaay!

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Goody Goody

It's National Gumdrop Day! The first day in February about food that is easy for me to come by, and still quite tasty. There are a lot of different gummy candies that are made of the same stuff as gumdrops, but actual gumdrops will always have the very unique and noticeably different texture and taste. The classic gumdrop, in my opinion at least, are the kind with a very light coating of sugar around them (See: Candyland). So since today is dedicated to gumdrops, I will eat the ones that I just so happen to have from recent holidays and vacations. Even though they are fruit flavoured, and usually gumdrops are flavoured in different minty tastes. I prefer the fruit flavour, though. I don't know why this holiday is in February and not December, as I could have made a gingerbread house or some such thing. Oh, well. Time to go eat some candy!

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

A great place for a good conversation.

Today is a day that hardly needs any introduction by me, as I'm sure all of you have been preparing for it for weeks (or possibly trying to avoid it). That's right, it's Ferris Wheel Day! In celebration of the birthday of the ferris wheel inventor: George Washington Gale Ferris. I've looked around, and unfortunately there aren't too many places with a ferris wheel that are open today. No places with a ferris wheel are open, actually. This is a bit of a downer because I have never been on one. Ever. However, I do have fond memories of ferris wheels that range from waiting in line and then giving up after 2 hours, to a more recent time from my trip to England last August. We were doing some last-days-of-being-tourists shopping, and near all the shops was a large ferris wheel that me and my friend Kristin kinda wanted to go on real bad. We were, however, sadly outvoted and we went to an everlasting beach instead. Which is a whole other story for another day. Here are some awesome pictures taken of the ferris wheel with Kristin's amazing camera skills.

If you like whatcha see, then you should probably check out her blog as well!

Today is also National Heart to Heart Day. There were absolutely no helpful things on the web that I could find to help me define exactly what this holiday means. Luckily, it's pretty self-explanatory. It is a day to find someone who you need a talk with (good or bad(or even neutral) and have a nice, long conversation with them about what has been going on in your and their lives. In short, a day to really reconnect with those you may have not had a good talk with in a while, or simply a day to strengthen the bonds of friendships you already have.

Oh, it's also Valentine's Day.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Making a name for myself... after cupcakes.

Today is "Get a Different Name Day", and it's just like what it sounds. A day to simply go by a different moniker than what you have been given at birth. If you've already legally changed your name like Ochocinco did... and then did again, then don't worry because you can still participate. you don't have to go through all that legal mumbo jumbo (and I don't think they'd even bother with it just for a one-day name change). Just pick a name you like and go with it. Try to see how many people you can get to call you by your new name! Make a game out of it! Maybe introduce yourself as something different every day? It's all up to you and your imagination.

Speaking of imagination, today is also Dream Your Sweet Day. There doesn't seem to be very much info online about this day, but from what I saw and already know about dreaming and sweets, today is a day to come up with a new sort of dessert or sweet treat and make it! Or just dream it, if you're cool with leaving it there or maybe don't have the supplies. I went to Target and got some goodies to make my very own culinary creation. They are still cooking in the oven right this very second, so... I can't give you a picture of it now (I still need to decorate them before you see the finished product.) About an hour or two after this initial post, however, I'll put up a nice fancy picture and explanation of what exactly it is. So look forward to that!

Thanks for reading!
~Samuel Rutherford III

Gerber Baby

I just realized I hadn't put up the holiday for Saturday, February 12! It was Plum Pudding Day! In case you are wondering, I have no idea what it's made of, but I found some at an asian restaurant (only place I could find that sold it) and I think it was ... well let's just say it must be an acquired taste. I much prefer the days when my younger brother was a baby and he hated the plum flavoured baby food. Because I'll give you one wild guess which young boy in the house loved it. That's right. This guy. Right here.

Again sorry for the late update, and I will try my best to make sure it doesn't happen again. I was out all day today watching plays and being social (Weird right?). I do greatly appreciate those of you who read this, and I am sorry for being inconsistent.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Don't Cry into a White T-shirt.

Today is yet another double holiday, but these holidays both have greater meaning behind them then what almost any person would think from just reading their names. The first holiday is White T-shirt Day. That seems simple enough to celebrate, and I could simply believe that it's just another odd holiday celebrating something for the sake of celebration. I would be wrong! It was actually started by Bert Christenson as White Shirt Day on February 11, 1948, in commemoration of the day the strike ended at General Motors in 1937. The auto workers' strike sat inside the building rather than picket outside, and supporters of their cause marched outside. To see the full story, Google it. ... just kidding here's a link to the wiki.


The second holiday with unseen meaning is Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day. I'm sure we've all spilled milk at least once. Whether it was a complete fumbling of the jug and the subsequent pouring on your floor, or trying to eat cold cereal on the couch and some milk makes it over the lip of the bowl onto your shirt. However, much like the phrase is not meant to be taken as literally as it sounds, the holiday stands for much more. "Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk" is an idiom that seems unused until someone actually spills milk, and then that one person who is 'that guy' that we all know says it. What it means, though, is that some things are of such small significance in the grand scheme of things, that they should not be allowed to affect you greatly should they not go exactly according to plan. See why someone found a way to shorten that? A milk spill is very easy to clean up. Towel + spill = done. Now, some people have different priorities, so what is milk to you may be silver to someone else. I suppose it also depends on the amount of milk. If milk floods your house, then you may be allowed to cry over it. You decide for yourself what is really worth spending your time crying over, though. Trust me, not crying over spilled milk is a great way to start cleaning up that spilled milk.


Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

We! Make! Holes in teeth!

By Wonka, it's Toothache Day! That's right, February 9th is a day to be more aware of your dental hygiene than usual. Brushing, flossing, swishing, and whatever else you do to keep your pearly whites pearly white. It might also be a good day to stay away from all detrimental foods such as: anything with sugar as a main ingredient. Now, I know that can be hard, believe me. I live for sweets. Every tooth I have is a sweet tooth. But I suppose for the sake of keeping those teeth, I can avoid candies and sweets for just a day. If you want to eat the healthier side of tooth-foods, go with cheese. Cheese has some pretty essential ingredients for putting some good minerals into your teeth. Hey, maybe just go visit your dentist for a surprise check-up!

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Cancelled on account of beautiful weather?

Today is Kite Flying Day, and that itself should more than explain what you are supposed to do this holiday. However, on a 54º semi-cloudy day with absolutely no wind, it has proven quite impossible to fly a kite. I tried. I even tried to see if I couldn't drive around at a nice speed with the kite at the window, but that proved fruitless and quite possibly illegal. So...

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

... Okay that would have been pretty lazy of me, so I guess here a little history behind kites. Kites were actually used to test winds, find people, and send signals way back in the day. Starting in China, moving to India, then to Europe. After a huge "tech-boom" in the early 1900's, they became more of a recreational tool. As we all know, of course, most humans under the age of 10 may not know what a kite is, due to the near extinction of outdoor activities after 1999.

That last part might have been opinionated.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle