Category: Random

the special days of July, pt 2

Now we will continue our look at the special days / holidays / observances / celebrations of July.

  • 4 Independence Day — The Fourth of July, the day we celebrate the independence of the United States of America.  This is truly a great country to live in! And to celebrate, we get a day off work, and we grill burgers and hot dogs, and shoot / watch fireworks.  That’s fitting, I think, because the celebration of a great nation should be a great time, and this is one of the best holidays.
  • 4 National Country Music Day — YEE-HAW!  Just kidding.  I don’t have much to say about this, except for a quote about country music by Bob Newhart: I don’t like country music, but I don’t mean to denigrate those who do.  And for the people who like country music, denigrate means “put down”.
  • 4 Sidewalk Egg Frying Day — I’ve got better things to do on July 4th than this.  But here in the South, it’s usually hot enough at this time to do that.
  • 5 Work-a-holics Day — Why would this be after a nationally recognized holiday?  Besides, I reckon a lot of people are taking this day off to create a longer weekend.  Also, there shouldn’t even be a day for this.
  • 6 National Fried Chicken Day — This is a good holiday!  I’m all about some fried yardbird.  And do you know what goes great with it?  Mashed taters, biscuits and gravy, and sweet tea.  You just can’t top that.
  • 6 Build A Scarecrow Day — This “holiday” is always first Sunday in July.  I’m fairly certain I’ll pass on this day, because I don’t have a garden, nor do I have any desire in building a scarecrow.  So why am I even mentioning this day?  So I can include this picture.  🙂
  • 7 Macaroni Day — Who doesn’t like macaroni & cheese?  It’s not just for kids.  Even as an adult, I can still make a meal out of just chicken strips and macaroni & cheese.  Mmm…
  • 7 Chocolate Day — There are just so many options for this day!  Chocolate comes in many forms, and they’re almost all good.  So just let your imagination (and appetite) run wild on this day.  Remember that diets don’t apply on holidays!
  • 7 National Strawberry Sundae Day — I’m all about the food holidays, and I’m not complaining about this particular one at all, but why are there three food holidays on the same day?  I think these should be spread out a little more.
  • 8 Video Games Day — Here is proof that it’s an official holiday!  I think all gamers should take this day off work to play video games all day.  Since this is a day to celebrate video games, we should take note of the benefits they provide to society: improved hand-eye coordination, improved reflexes, exercising your brain (much more than just watching TV, for sure), an escape from the stress of reality, and a lot of fun.  Now go rescue Princess Peach from Bowser, or save the world, or conquer the world, or whatever game it is you like to play.  If you don’t have a game, try this tower defense game — it’s easy and fun yet requires strategy to master.
  • 9 National Sugar Cookie Day — I remember being dared in Kindergarten to eat a sugar cookie with mustard on it.  It totally ruined the cookie, because mustard is horrible tasting (not to mention evil).  Fortunately I made a full recovery from that potentially tragic moment in my early years.
  • 10 Don’t Step on a Bee Day — Is this really a holiday?  What makes this special?  I don’t ever step on bees.  I find it’s generally best to leave stinging insects alone (unless they’re trespassing and you kill them).
  • 10 Teddy Bear Picnic Day — The name says it all, but I checked online just to confirm that this is actually listed as a holiday.  It is.  Check out what one site said about it: “Spend the lunch hour on a blanket under a shade tree with your Teddy Bear.”  I will have to pass on this one…  I have been informed that there is a song that kinda goes along with this: “This is the day the teddy bears have their picnic.”
  • 11 Swimming Pool Day — This would be great, if I had a swimming pool.
  • 11 Cheer up the Lonely Day — If you know someone who is lonely, then you should cheer them up, regardless of whether it’s this day or not.  People need to be happy and to laugh more.  If you can’t be there enough, print out this blog and take it to them.  🙂
  • 11 World Population Day — I reckon this holiday includes everyone in the world, regardless of your ethnic, religious, social, or financial background.  So this should be World Partying Day, where everyone in the world gets off work.  Sounds good to me!
  • 11 Cow Appreciation Day — Some lists have this day on the 15th, but Chick-fil-A is putting it on the 11th, so I’ll include it on both.  Chick-fil-A is offering free food if you dress up like a cow and visit a participating store.  For those of you without a cow costume, they have a few ideas on their website for how you can make do with what you already have.
  • 12 Pecan Pie Day — It seems like this should be in the fall, when you’re more likely to see pecan pies.  But I won’t gripe.  I could eat one any time.
  • 12 Paper Bag Day — Seriously, who approves these holidays?  Is this official?  It’s this day because this is when the paper bag manufacturing machine was patented.  But really, who cares?
  • 13 Barn Day — So if you have a barn, are you supposed to throw a party?  Who comes up with this stuff?
  • 13 Go West Day — Go West, young man!  This meant a lot more when the Old West in the U.S. was mostly undiscovered and unclaimed, and people would go in search of gold.  (There’s gold in them there hills!)
  • 13 National French Fries Day — Finally, a holiday I can support.  That is, the fries part.  I refuse to celebrate the French, given what they stand for (or don’t stand for) these days.  But fries are good.
  • 13 Barbershop Music Appreciation Day — How many of you out there have even heard of Barbershop Music, as in a quartet singing in that style (usually a cappella)?  I had a college roommate who sang in one of those groups, and so I’ve heard a number of CDs in that genre.  Check some out online.  Go ahead, broaden your mind.
  • 13 Embrace Your Geekness Day — I reckon this means I should go hang out in Best Buy for a few hours, then go to a video game arcade-type place.  🙂  Really, though, folks should be themselves every day — that’s the epitome of being cool.
  • 13 Fool’s Paradise Day — Ah, a philosophical dilemma!  If fools are there, is it really paradise?
  • 13 International Puzzle Day — I asked a friend about what to put here, and he suggested this day be devoted to solving the world’s most puzzling issues, like how to understand women.  I’m thinking more than a day should be allocated for that challenge.

This is getting long, so I’m gonna split it up again.   Click here to search for the other entries for July.

the special days of July, pt 1

As we’ve done in previous months, we’re going to look at the special days and holidays of this month.  As usual, this is not a complete list — those can be found elsewhere.  But I guarantee you will not find another list like this one.  This is not a mere list, because we add our own unique commentary and analysis.  In other words, we try to make it more fun.  And you are welcome to add to the discussion in the comments section.

Let’s get started with the month-long celebrations and observances in July:

  • National Blueberry Month — Ah, food is a good way to get things started!  While just a blueberry by itself may not be too exciting, you can eat blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream together for this celebration.
  • National Ice Cream Month — Speaking of ice cream… This is a joyous celebration, indeed!  And it lasts the whole month!  So obviously you should eat as much ice cream as possible.  And remember, diets don’t apply during holidays.  🙂
  • National Hot Dog Month — Another food!  I’m liking July’s holidays, so far.  🙂  Hot dogs don’t get much hype and attention among adults, but they are still good.  You can boil them for a while, or microwave them if you’re in a hurry, but the best way is to grill them until they get burnt on the outside.  It’s also quite acceptable (and tasty) to cover your hot dog in chili or cheese dip (or both).
  • National Anti-Boredom Month — I don’t ever get bored, because I always have stuff to do.  🙂  But for those who occasionally feel bored, let me make a few suggestions.  First, you should visit this blog every day, to keep up with all the new, original randomness.  And you should browse through the archives here (including the comments, which add to the “community” feel).  This blog has been going for over two years, and there’s a lot of funny stuff here.  If you get tired of reading, notice the food-related celebrations this month.  I don’t ever get bored with eating!  And if you get full, play some video games — they’re a lot of fun, plus they sharpen your brain and reflexes and coordination.
  • Unlucky Month for weddings — What?  Don’t be ridiculous.  There’s no need for superstitions and curses and saying something is unlucky.  Weddings, like life, are what you make them to be.  And if something goes wrong during the wedding or the preparation, don’t get all surprised, because it happens to everyone.
  • National Baked Bean Month — Ah, beans, the musical fruit.  I’ve also heard that beans are good for your heart…  🙂
  • National Picnic Month — Picnics are a good time.  I don’t often hear of people going on picnics these days, because everyone is so busy, but it sure makes for a great break if you take it during lunch on a work day.  I like going out to the Arkansas River, at Toad Suck Park, as well as a few other places.  But it seems like every time my wife and I go on a picnic, it’s really windy that day.
  • National Recreation Month — With all the food holidays crammed into July, it’s a good time for an emphasis on recreation.  You may think of recreation as playing sports or going on a hiking / camping type trip, and those things are part of it.  But the official definition says, “Refreshment of one’s mind or body after work through activity that amuses or stimulates; play.”  So that could include video games, too.  🙂

Now let’s look at the week-long observations / celebrations:

  • July 15-21 — Hug Week — This is self-explanatory.

There should be more good weekly celebrations.  I could think of some things.  But I’ll get into that another time.  Now we’ll continue on to the individual day holidays / observations / celebrations:

  • 1 Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day — There’s a lot of potential with this day!  My favorite blend (at the moment) is sweet cream ice cream with crumbled Oreos and graham cracker crumbs in it (from Cold Stone Creamery).  Mmm…  Since this holiday is just one day, you might have to sample several different creative flavors.
  • 1 International Joke Day — On this day, you tell jokes all day.  This is especially fun during what are normally serious business meetings.  To get things started, I’ll tell a joke:  At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings.  Little Johnny, a child in the Kindergarten class, seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs.  Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, Johnny what is the matter?  Little Johnny responded, “I have a pain in my side.  I think I’m going to have a wife.”
  • 2 I Forgot Day — I don’t know what this holiday is supposed to be about (and I’m not going to research it), so let’s look at it this way: this day, you can use “I forgot” as a valid excuse.  Like if someone doesn’t like practical jokes, you can cover their desk with foil or put a mudhole in their cubicle, and then just say you forgot they don’t like practical jokes.
  • 2 World UFO Day — Why do UFOs get a holiday?  It hasn’t even been definitively proven that they exist!
  • 3 Compliment Your Mirror Day — Why would you compliment your mirror?  Perhaps this is someone’s not-so-subtle attempt at creating a holiday where you can compliment yourself as you look in the mirror.  But I’m not complimenting my mirror — I think it has a grudge against me, because it always makes me look worse than I really do.
  • 3 Disobedience Day — This could easily be taken too far, so keep it under control.  That is, don’t do anything illegal.  You may be thinking this takes all the fun out of it, but there are still options.  For example, I’m thinking this day I’ll disobey the teachings of health experts about eating healthy.
  • 3 Stay out of the Sun Day — That means you can’t even walk in to work from your car, so you’ll just have to stay home.  Even if it’s cloudy, you have to stay home, because the sun’s UV rays go through clouds.  You’ll have to find ways to entertain yourself and pass the time inside, like by playing video games, eating, and sleeping.  🙂

Well, this list is getting long, so I’m going to continue it in the next post.   Click here to search for the other entries for July.

How do fireworks work?

Have you ever wondered how certain fireworks can make awesome displays of color and explosion?  There’s actually quite a bit of science behind it.  Basically, the fireworks designers have to figure out how to slow down the chemical reaction and explosion to make them look better.  And the light comes from them cooling down.  I won’t bore you with the technical details.  You can visit this site to get a more detailed explanation.

I’ve dreamed of a job designing fireworks, and I still think it would be fun, but I’d rather learn by trial and experiment rather than all the scientific formulations and stuff…  🙂

fireworks

the ultimate burger

One of our resident food experts here at Buffet o’ Blog was thinking about ways to improve the standard cheeseburger.  Not that it necessarily needs improving, but if you can make it even better, why not?  So here, in layer form, is his masterpiece:

Bun
Cheese
Breaded Chicken Patty
Sauce (BBQ, ranch, ketchup, Miracle Whip, whatever)
Bacon
Burger
Cheese
More Bacon
Sauce
Ham
Cheese
Bun

Maybe we should add another bun in the middle, just for structural support.  I think cheese is the only thing holding it together.  But if it gets much larger, you’d need to unhinge your jaw like a python just to eat it.  (Maybe that would be a good marketing slogan : “So much burger, you’ll have to unhinge your jaw.”)

What do you think?  Is this the ultimate burger, or can you think of something better?