Cold Music

Today is Ice Cream and Violins Day! Now, at first I thought this was two separate holidays, but as it would happen: It isn't. That made explaining the meaning of this holiday much harder. The celebration is still almost the same thanks to the 'and' between the two, but there is actually no solid explanation that I've found. Only theories. So... here is my theory.

Question: Ice cream is a cold treat, and is a summer favourite (as seen by all the ice cream holidays). So why would we celebrate it in December? A month notorious for it's lack of heat.

Answer: I do not know yet, so let's move on to violins.

Fact: Violins are known for being cued for either one of two things in musical scores made for the silver screen: sharks and sadness.

Other Fact: Ice cream has very little to do with sharks. However, dramatic characters that are sad turn to one of two foods to help ease their weepy pains: Chocolate or Ice Cream.

Less-than-Fact: Chocolate give a warming sensation that causes the eater to be just the slightest bit happier. While Ice cream does the same thing, it doesn't to it to the same extent, especially if it has no chocolate in it.

All of it Put Together: Violins can be said to be known for being a sad instrument, and Ice Cream can be a treat to eat while you are sad. So today must be a day to grab a pint (of ice cream, mind you), crank up the Tchaikovsky, and wallow! What're you waiting for? Get to it!

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle

Quotidian, Festive Occasions: Chronicled

Today is Dictionary Day! This day is tribute to Noah Webster, who is considered to be the Father of the American Dictionary. Allot time from your itinerary and dedicate it to ameliorate your vocabulary. Be careful, though, or you might end up with a sentence that doesn't sound quite right (like the one before this one). Sure, you can use big fancy words, but does the sentence really flow? Simply knowing the meaning of a word doesn't grant you the ability to use it wherever it replaces a shorter word with the same meaning. Spend time learning the history behind a word, and you may find that it's application in the language is actually quite specific. Today's challenge is to add at least one word into your vocabulary that you can use often. My word of choice is: Growlery. It's a word that Charles Dickens apparently coined for a place that one goes when in an ill temper. So it will be a useful word to use whenever I have the mulligrubs.

Thanks for reading!
~Kyle