This is Week 49 of 2010►Day 339 with 26 days remaining
20 Days until Christmas
Flagstaff Weather:
At Christmas, all roads lead home.
FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Today I broke a Family Christmas Tradition. Every year, for as long as I can remember, my mother would do all the Christmas decorations in one day. She was a lady of style and the thought of neighbors, friends, or the Fuller Brush Man arriving at our house with it only partially decorated was so strong, that we would start about 9am and finish about 3pm. My dad would be outside stringing lights and my mom, brother and I would be inside putting up the decorations and moving a few pieces of furniture so everything would work. There were always a few new decorations, bought the day after Christmas the year before. We only decorated the living room and dining room. As the years went by, there were special guest towels and a candle in the bathroom. She did the same thing when she moved to her independent living apartment. When she moved into the Care Facility, whichever son arrived first, usually me, would help her decorate her room. Today I put up the tree. I had bought a lighted tree a couple of years ago, the day after Christmas. It takes some work to make it look good. In the past I have done that and decorated the living room. This year I took more time with the lighted tree and that was all I did. The tree does look nice, even without decorations. That will come tomorrow. I still have some of our family decorations, now vintage. My brother got the 1950’s Santa head tree topper and the 1960’s angel tree topper complete with a half globe mirror ball that had a small bulb and a plastic disk that made the half-globe mirror twinkle when the bulb got warm. Every year I look for a good tree topper, but have been unsuccessful in finding one that has the simplicity and beauty of either of those family ones. I must say, it doesn’t feel like Christmas yet, but it is getting there.
A few days ago I got two DVD’s from other Focus travelers. The travelers always have a ‘picture party’ after the people have a chance to get their pictures organized. When Ellie started Focus, the picture party was exactly that, everyone brought a stack of prints, passed them around, shared some with everyone. Now, with everyone using digital cameras some people were kind enough to make DVD’s for everyone. Those who were there also copied pictures onto their flash drives. We may be an old-er group of travelers, but we stay up on technology. Wioma has been the one hold out. Up until Malaysia she carried rolls of film with her. She is the one who travels the most. While most of us take one trip a year or maybe two in a year once in a while, Wioma takes a trip every month. She goes on a trip, spends a week or so at home, and is off again. Her husband passed quite a few years ago, they had no kids, and she said she is going to enjoy herself. She has a couple of traveling friends, but none of them can keep up with her all the time. Anyway, Wioma shocked everyone when she had a digital camera on the Malaysia trip. She is now thinking about buying a computer—her first. She is quite an unusual lady. She is fun to travel with and always has some good stories. I took the time today to look thorough the pictures. While we were all on the same trip, we took a lot of different pictures. It was nice to see the trip through two other people’s eyes. I think I’m going to make a couple of new slideshows out of them, as it is much easier to watch them that way instead of downloading the pictures. It will keep me busy, but also gives me a chance to relive the trip.
I really don’t like to shop on the weekend. But I got an email loyalty coupon from World Market that gave me 25% off almost anything in their store. I headed over there, dealt with the traffic and the shoppers and picked up several Christmas gifts. It was worth the trip. They always have unique items that make nice gifts and for me, they were 25% off. When I came out of the store, our clear sky was turning ominous over Mt. Elden. I snapped a few pictures and headed home. No snow in the forecast, but it sure looked like it in the sky.
HOLY MACKEREL: 1929 1st US nudist organization (American League for Physical Culture, NY)
1955 Historic bus boycott begins in Montgomery AL by Rosa Parks
∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 FILM FACTS
►Richard Pryor co-wrote this Western with Mel Brooks; its original title was "Black Bart"
►Kevin Costner starred in this 1989 film based on the novel "Shoeless Joe"
►"Tonight Show" exec. producer who directed "Bedtime for Bonzo" & "Bonzo Goes to College"
►The first film Jimmy Stewart made after serving as a WWII bomber pilot was this holiday classic
►Elizabeth Taylor found passion on a plantation before it was pulverized by pachyderms in this 1954 film
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Skee Ball
☼The game of Skee-Ball was invented in 1909 by J. Dickinson Este in the city of Philadelphia. In 1914, the first Skee-Ball Alleys were sold and distributed to the outdoor amusement industry market by Maurice Piesen.
☼The game originally had a 36-foot lane which was too large for most arcades, and meant that only those who were rather strong could play the game well. In 1928, the size of the alley was reduced by more than half – to 14 feet.
☼The first national Skee-Ball tournament was held in an Atlantic City, New Jersey arcade in 1932.
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
LOS ANGELES - Inspectors in Los Angeles say "Operation Spiderman" ended with the arrest of a German man who allegedly mailed hundreds of live tarantulas to the United States. Sven Koppler, 37, Watchberg, Germany, was picked up shortly after arriving in Los Angeles to meet with an association, the U.S. attorney's office announced Friday. Koppler was charged with violating animal-smuggling laws and ordered to appear in federal court Friday afternoon. Prosecutors said in a written statement that Koppler allegedly twice shipped boxes packed with between 250 and 300 live spiders from Germany to Los Angeles. The discovery of one of the shipments during a routine inspection of international mail sparked the undercover operation dubbed "Operation Spiderman." Postal inspectors and agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service posed as buyers and had Koppel mail them five boxes holding dozens of tarantulas. Among the spiders were several Mexican red-kneed tarantulas, a species that is protected under international law, the statement said.
A LITTLE LAUGH
While hiking in the mountains one day I came across a gorgeous gorge that I thought was an echo canyon. I shouted, "Hello there." But the response sounded to me like, "Hello where?"
I tried again. "How do you do?"
A moment later the report came back sounding like, "How do I do what?"
Baffled and amused I decided to give it the ultimate test. "You're not really an echo canyon, are you?"
The response from the big ditch confirmed my suspicions. "Brilliant deduction, Einstein."
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE
Will return when I find some new ones.
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
1-7: Cookie Cutter Week ¤ Tolerance Week ¤ Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week
1-9: Chanukah (Hanukkah)
5-10: Clerc-Gallaudet Week: to recognize two greats in educating the deaf
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
Bathtub Party Day
Day of the Ninja: Day to honor the feudal Japanese Assassins and Spies: only pop culture, especially Western Pop Culture do ninjas wear black. The historic ninjas were dressed as civilians
Austria: Krampuslauf (the evil St. Nicholas who punishes the bad children)
Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Romania and the UK: Saint Nicholas Eve (in preparation for Saint Nicholas Day)
Haiti: Discovery Day (by Westerners in 1492)
Lebanon: Arbor Day
Thailand: King's Birthday
USSR: Constitution Day (1936)
UN: International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development
United States: Repeal Day (end of Prohibition 1933)
♫ University Fight Songs ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
José Carreras, 64, Spanish opera singer, one of the “Three Tenors”
Joan Didion, 76, author, journalist (The Year of Magical Thinking, The White Album)
1901 Walter Elias Disney, animator (Mickey Mouse)
Chad Mitchell, 74, singer The Marvelous Toy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXlNyeEbP6g
Little Richard, 75, singer, born Richard Penniman
1905 Otto Preminger, Austrian director/producer (Laura, Exodus)
1830 Christina Rossetti, London, poet (Winter Rain, Passing Away)
Calvin Trillin, 75, author (American Stories, Remembering Denny)
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Margaret Cho, 42, actress, comedienne
Frankie Muniz, 25, actor (“Malcolm in the Middle,” My Dog Skip)
ATHLETICS
Pablo Morales, 46, Olympic Gold Medalist: swimmer [1984, 1992]; holds men’s world record for 100 meter butterfly
1870 Bill Pickett, rodeo cowboy: first to bulldog - wrestle a running steer to the ground
Jim Plunkett, 63, football: (Raiders quarterback: Super Bowl: XV, XVIII; Heisman Trophy winner: Stanford [1970]; Patriots Rookie of the Year [1971], 49ers)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1894 Phillip K. Wrigley, corporate executive: Wrigley Gum
POLITICS
1839 George Armstrong Custer, Major General (Union volunteers, of Little Big Horn fame)
1902 [Steve James] Strom Thurmond, Senator-SC
1782 Martin Van Buren, 8th President (1837-41)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1901 Werner Heisenberg, German physicist/discovered uncertainty (Nobel 1932)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Alexandre Dumas, writer (The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo), @ 68 in 1870
Joseph Jefferson "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, of baseball's black sox scandal, heart attack @ 64 in 1951
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer, dies in Vienna, rheumatic fever @ 35 in 1791
Phillis Wheatley, 1st important black poet in America, in childbirth @29 in 1784
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1854 Aaron Allen of Boston patents folding theater chair
1974 "Monty Python's Flying Circus" final episode airs on BBC
ATHLETICS
1908 1st football uniform numerals used (University of Pittsburgh)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1766 London auctioneers Christie's hold their 1st sale
1776 Phi Beta Kappa, 1st American scholastic fraternity (William & Mary College), is founded
1848 President Polk triggers Gold Rush of '49, confirms California gold discovery
1868 1st American bicycle college opens (New York)
1879 1st automatic telephone switching system patented
1893 1st electric car (built in Toronto) could go 15 miles between charges
1955 American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1835 Members of the Georgia Guard will arrest CHEROKEE Principal Chief John Ross at his home. Also arrested in historian John Howard Payne. Payne, the author of the song "Home, Sweet Home", was writing a history of the CHEROKEE people. They are be arrested so they will not be able to attend the "New Echota Treaty" conference.
POLITICS (US)
1831 Former President John Quincy Adams takes his seat as member of House of Representatives
POLITICS (International)
1952 London smog of 1952 - worst smog in London ever, 4,000+ die
1979 Ireland premier Jack Lynch resigns
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1456 Earthquake strikes Naples; about 35,000 die
1932 German physicist Albert Einstein granted a visa
1876 First practical pipe wrench, the fabulous Stillson wrench was patented by D.C. Stillson
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
Richard Pryor co-wrote this Western with Mel Brooks; its original title was "Black Bart"
What is ‘Blazing Saddles’?
Kevin Costner starred in this 1989 film based on the novel "Shoeless Joe"
What was ‘Field of Dreams’?
"Tonight Show" exec. producer who directed "Bedtime for Bonzo" & "Bonzo Goes to College"
Who was (Freddy) De Cordova?
The first film Jimmy Stewart made after serving as a WWII bomber pilot was this holiday classic
What was ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’?
Elizabeth Taylor found passion on a plantation before it was pulverized by pachyderms in this 1954 film
What was ‘Elephant Walk’?
