Holidays
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[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 9, 2009 by admin in Holidays
Saturday, May 9th, 2009Here’s to my mom, your mom, and you, if you’re a mom. We’re enjoying the party. Thanks for having us!
 This captures my mom’s sense of humor pretty well. At Thanksgiving a few years ago, I just said “smile”, and this is what I got. |
I feel sorry for anybody whose mom isn’t as cool as my mom, and I’m sorry to say that this would include most of you. My mom was born a couple of years before the crash of ’29. She jokes on occasion that she might have somehow had something to do with it. She married at 17, converted to Catholicism for my dad, and staying true to her faith and husband, started churning out babies on an annual basis, until she reached the magic number ten, in the form of yours truly. This alone, in my opinion, qualifies one for sainthood. On top of the clearly staggering task of rearing ten kids, she’s endured some other difficulties; she lost her eldest son when he was twenty-two, worked part-time way before that was common, and put her cosmopolitan, arty side second to motherhood for about thirty years. I’m glad to say that when she was in her late forties, she started her second life, going to college and enjoying the things she had denied herself for so many years, which mostly involved collecting art, rare books and manuscripts, and catching up on all the music she didn’t have time to kick back and enjoy while being a working mom. She’s now 82, and in spite of being in constant discomfort due to a couple of health issues, remains on a daily basis one of the most positive people I know. I call her every day just ’cause she’s such a hoot. I wish the whole world could sit down for lunch with her, I think everyone would benefit. Here’s to my mom, and moms everywhere! Thanks for your amazing gift of life!
April Needs Better Holidays
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on April 16, 2009 by admin in Holidays
Thursday, April 16th, 2009Or: Why I refuse to celebrate National Pigs-In-A-Blanket Day
 Charlie and Raymond Looking For 400 Oak Street |
April is probably noteworthy as a month that needs better holidays, if only because Tax Day probably causes more emotional duress than all the others combined. Sure, much like Christmas, Easter is fun for the kids, but tends to be a little exclusionary. So here are some other exciting April holidays for you. Ironically, it’s Autism Awareness Month. I say ironically, because some victims of Autism may not know it’s Autism Awareness Month, but would be able to tell you what day of the week it starts on in the year 2093 . Also of note is Administrative Professionals’ Day, the only holiday I can think of that exists simply because no one wants to be a secretary any more. And although you’d think caring about the Earth would be an ongoing concern, April 22 is Earth Day. Lastly, if you’re really desperate to celebrate something, the The American Farm Bureau Foundation has a list of holidays including everything from National Cheeseball Day (April 17) to National Pigs-In-A-Blanket Day (April 24). Happy Holidays!
What’s So Good About Good Friday?
[ 5 Comments ]Posted on April 10, 2009 by admin in Holidays
Friday, April 10th, 2009Not much, if you were Jesus.
 This image has little to do with the article. It’s amazing how riled up people can get about 3 words though. |
Well not much, if you were Jesus. On the other hand, it’s pretty cool in another way, because it’s one of those rare moments when two world religions have a chance to realize how connected they are, instead of getting into a “my god is better than your god” debate. I say “a chance to realize”, because historically, it’s gone the other way. I find it a little scary that to this day, thirty-seven percent of Americans agree that Jews were responsible for killing Jesus Christ. Wake up kids, Jesus was a Jew. And your precious Easter Dinner? You’re just adding bunnies to the traditional Passover dinner that Jesus himself ate. So let’s all take a minute to remember that if you believe in God, and believe there’s only one God, y’all probably believe in the same God. And for those who haven’t picked their favorite religion yet, please refer to The Big Religion Chart By the way, if you’re Jewish, Christian, Other, Or Agnostic, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Atheists need not apply, you’ve had enough press time lately…
Peeps Got To Represent
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on March 31, 2009 by admin in Holidays
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009Yeah, they’ve got to represent SOMETHING, I’m just not sure what.
 This is what happens when your Peeps don’t represent |
I don’t quite get America’s fascination with Peeps
Easter Traditions: Chocolate And Spanking
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on March 21, 2009 by admin in Holidays
Saturday, March 21st, 2009There’s more to the holiday than chocolate & Jesus, you know.
 Even warmongering puppet presidents love Easter! |
Like many of us, I find Easter a little confusing. God’s son and the saviour of mankind ascends to heaven, and we celebrate by worshipping bunnies, eating chocolate, and hiding candy from the kids? As usual with American holidays, the Germans appear to be the culprit, having smuggled the Easter Bunny into the country via the Dutch in Pennsylvania in the 1700′s. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with the idea of eating chocolate as form of celebration, and it was clever of Jesus to ascend to heaven around Passover so no-one would forget the date, but really – a big bunny that lays eggs? The egg part is easy: early Catholics didn’t eat meat, dairy products or eggs during lent, so there were plenty of eggs to go around. The Protestants probably went the extra mile taunting their nemeses by not only eating eggs, but painting them bright colors in case the Catholics didn’t notice. The bunny part however, is on the one hand obvious, but on the other hand a little light on corroborating evidence. Yes, it’s Springtime, a time of fertility, yadda yadda yadda. However, the first bunny references seem to be the German ones in the 17th century, and how that got so strongly connected with eggs is beyond me. Personally, I might celebrate Easter this year by going to Bermuda and flying a kite. Or Eastern Europe has another fun angle: spanking and wet t-shirt contests. If you’re a little lost yourself regarding how to celebrate, you might try Cracked.com’s Find the God for You quiz. And I just realized I forgot to insert any insidious product links, so why don’t you go buy me a Lindt Easter Bunny