The Times They Are A Changing

Special celebrations and holidays, January 11 to January 20. Frank Sinatra’s Birthday (January 10, 1944) was left off of yesterday’s posting.

January 11

Milk Day (bottled milk delivered in 1935 for the first time)
Secret Pal Day (If you have one, surprise her. If not, get one - it’s about more than gifts)
National Step in a Puddle and Slash Your Friend Day
First Use of Insulin (for human use - 1922)
Amelia Earhart Flight (first woman to fly alone from Hawaii to California)
Alexander Hamilton’s Birthday (1757)
Naomi Judd’s Birthday (1946)
Mary J. Blige’s Birthday (1971)
Toot Toot Tootsie #1 Song (Al Jolson, 1823)
Night and Day #1 Song (Fred Astaire & Leo Reisman, 1933)
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes #1 Song (Perry Como, 1953)

January 12

National Pharmacy Day
Work Harder Day (Do you think your boss made this one up?)
Jack London’s Birthday (1876)
Joe Frazier’s Birthday (1944)
Rush Limbaugh’s Birthday (1951)
Go Away Little Girl #1 Song (Steve Lawrence, 1963)
American Pie #1 Song (Don McLean, 1972)

January 13

Make Your Dreams Come True Day
Poetry Break Day
Blame Someone Else Day
Rubber Ducky Birthday
Mickey Mouse Comic Strip Started (1930)
First Frisbee (Wham-O Company - 1957)
Horatio Alger’s Birthday (1834)
Sophie Tucker’s Birthday (1884)
Black and White #1 Song (Michael Jackson, 1992)
Low #1 Song (Flo Rida & T-Pain, 2008)

January 14

Coming-of-Age Day (Japan, second Monday of January)
National Dress Up Your Pet Day (maybe just do something nice for your pet)
Andy Rooney’s Birthday (1919)
Faye Dunaway’s Birthday (1941)
LL Cool J’s Birthday (1968)
Whispering #1 Song (Paul Whiteman, 1921)
Pennies From Heaven #1 Song (Bing Crosby, 1937)

January 15

First Super Bowl (1967 - Green Bay over Kansas City)
The Pentagon Opened (1943)
Happy Days Premiered (1974)
My Old New Hampshire Home #1 Song (George J. Gaskin, 1899)
Paper Doll #1 Song (Mills Brothers, 1944)
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (The Platters, 1959)

January 16

Hat Day (3rd Friday in January)
National Nothing Day
Psychiatric Technician Day
Hot and Spicy Food International Day
The 18th Amendment was Passed (prohibition - 1919)
Ethel Merman’s Birthday (1909)
Dizzy Dean’s Birthday (1911)
Ronnie Milsap’s Birthday (1944)
Kate Moss’ Birthday (1974)
Irreplaceable #1 Song (Beyonce, 2007)
How Am I Supposed To Live Without You #1 Song (Michael Bolton, 1990)

January 17

Golf Day
Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday (1706)
Sheri Lewis’ Birthday (1934 - we love Lambchops)
PGA (Professional Golfers Association) is formed (1916)
The U.S. Purchases Virgin Islands (1917)
Ann Bronte’s Birthday (1820)
Al Capone’s Birthday (1899)
Muhammed Ali’s Birthday (1942)
Andy Kaufman’s Birthday (1949)
Jim Carrey’s Birthday (1962)
Kid Rock’s Birthday (1971)
Michelle Obama’s Birthday (1964)
Two Hearts #1 Song (Phil Collins, 1989)
I Write The Songs #1 Song (Barry Manilow, 1976

January 18

Thesaurus Day
Winnie the Pooh Day (A.A. Milne’s Birthday - 1882)
Cary Grant’s Birthday (1904)
Kevin Costner’s Birthday (1955)
Jean Stapleton’s Birthday (1923)
Downtown #1 Song (Petula Clark, 1965)
Cry #1 Song (Johnny Ray, 1952)

January 19

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (honoring his birthday on the 3rd Monday in January - 1929)
Popcorn Day
Scrabble Game was Invented (1955)
Robert E. Lee’s Birthday (1807)
Edger Allen Poe’s Birthday (1809)
Janis Joplin’s Birthday (1943)
Dolly Parton’s Birthday (1946)
Ballerina #1 Song (Vaughn Monroe, 1948)
Jeepers Creepers #1 Song (Al Donohue, 1939)

January 20

Cheese Day
Inauguration Day
Penguin Awareness Day
Roller Coaster was Invented (1885)
George Burns’ Birthday (1896)
Buzz Aldrin Jr. Birthday (1930)
Patricia Neal’s Birthday (1926)
Walk Right In #1 Song (The Rooftop Singers, 1963)
I Can Dream Can’t I #1 Song (Andrew Sisters, 1950)

Theirs is something in everyday of January to celebrate. In fact, most days there is more than one thing, so pick and choose to your heart’s content and make every day a special one. Here are a few left over from yesterday’s post - Prune Breakfast Month, National Book Blitz Month, Bread Machine Baking Month, Egg Month, Reaching Your Potential Month, Senior Woman’s Travel Month.

January 1

New Years Day
Betsy Ross’s Birthday (1752)
French New Year (Le Jour de l’an)
Ellis Island Anniversary (opened 1892)
Paul Revere’s Birthday (1735)
Income Tax (the first U.S. income tax in effect, 1862)
Panama Canal (beginning of building it in 1880)
1st Tournament of Roses (Pasadena, CA, 1886)
Chattananooga Choo Choo #1 Song (Glenn Miller,1942)
Sixteen Tons #1 Song (Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1956)
The Sounds of Silence #1 Song (Simon & Garfunkel, 1966)
Time in a Bottle #1 Song (Jim Croce, 1974)

January 2

Drinking Straw was Patented (1888)
Boo Boo Bears Birthday (Yogi’s Buddy)
Run It up the Flagpole and See if Anybody Salutes (throw an idea out and see what people think)
Brooklyn Bridge Construction (1870)
First Picture of the Moon (1839 by Louis Daguerre, France)
First Female White House Staffer (Alice Sanger, 1890)
Oil Reached $100 a Barrel (2008)
Let Me Call You Sweetheart #1 Song (Columbia Male Quartet, 1912)
The Tennessee Waltz #1 Song (Patti Page, 1951)
Are You Lonesome Tonight #1 Song (Elvis Presley, 1961)

January 3

Fruitcake Toss Day (do we need an explanation for this one?)
Festival of Sleep Day (catch a few extra winks)
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Birthday (1892)
Mel Gibson’s Birthday (1956)
First U.S. Free Kindergarten (1876)
“Dragnet” Premiered (1952, TV with Jack Webb)
Alaska Admitted to U.S. (49th state, 1959)
I’m Always Chasing Rainbows #1 Song (Charles Harrison, 1919)
June in January #1 Song (Bing Crosby, 1935)
Your So Vain #1 Song (Carly Simon, 1973)

January 4

Isaac Newton’s Birthday (1642)
Trivia Day
Louis Braille’s Birthday (1809 - the Braille System)
Jakob Grimm’s Birthday (1785 - Grimm’s Fairy Tales)
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes #1 Song (Perry Como, 1953)
I Heard it Through the Grapevine #1 Song (Marvin Gaye, 1969)

January 5

National Bird Day
Diane Keaton’s Birthday (1946)
Robert Duvall’s Birthday (1931)
First Woman Governor Inaugurated (Wyoming - Nellie Ross - 1925)
Golden Gate Bridge (started in 1933)
“Mr. Ed” Debuts (1961)
“All My Children” Debuts (1970)
“The Wiz” Broadway (opened 1975)
Reggie Jackson Hall of Fame (1993)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight #1 Song (The Tokens, 1962)
Mr. Sandman #1 Song (The Chordettes, 1955)

January 6

Bean Day (make some 15 bean soup - yum)
Cuddle Up Day
Dia de Reyes (Mexican holiday) http://familycrafts.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.inside%2Dmexico.com/ReyesMagos.htm%23Dia
Sherlock Holmes Birthday (1887 - author Arthur Conan Doyle)
Joan of Arc’s Birthday (1412)
New Mexico 47th U.S. State (1912)
Tiger Rag #1 Song (Mills Brothers, 1932)
At the Hop #1 Song (Danny & the Juniors, 1958)

January 7

Old Rock Day (time to make your own Pet Rock while listening to “old“ rock n roll music)
Kenny Loggin’s Brithday (1948)
Millard Filmore’s Birthday (1800)
“Flash Gordon” Comic Strip Debut (1934)
First Class U.S. Postage Raised to 5 Cents (1963)
I Will Always Love You #1 Song (Whitney Houston, 1993)
How Deep is Your Love #1 Song (Bee Gees, 1978)

January 8

Bubble Bath Day
Clean Off Your Desk Day
Elvis Presley’s Birthday (1935) (this one’s for you Susan)
David Bowie’s Birthday (1947)
National Man Watcher’s Day
Bobby Fisher Wins U.S. Chess Championship (at age 14, 1958)
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head #1 Song (B.J. Thomas, 1970)
Hello Goodbye #1 Song (Beetles, 1968)

January 9

National Apricot Day
National Static Electricity Day
Crystal Gayle’s Birthday (1951)
Bob Denver’s Birthday (1935)
Richard Nixon’s Birthday (1913)
Isle of Capri #1 Song (Ray Noble, 1935)
The Chipmunk Song #1 Song (Ray Seville, 1959)

January 10

First Meeting of the United Nations (London 1946)
Peculiar People Day (I knew they had a day for me)
Pat Benatar’s Birthday (1953)
George Foreman’s Birthday (1949)
Rod Stewart’s Birthday (1945)
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing #1 Song (Leo Sayer, 1977)
I’m a Believer #1 Song (Monkeys, 1967)

Continued in tomorrow’s post.

In case you haven’t had enough of the holiday season, here are some reasons to celebrate in January.

January is:

* Eye Care Month - It’s a good reminder to get your eyes examined.

* Hot Tea Month - If you like tea, try a new one. Or, better yet start drinking black tea, researchers found that people who had 3 cups each day produced 5 times more germ fighting immunities than those who didn’t. If you are coffee drinker, replace it with black tea.

* National Blood Donor Month - There is normally a blood supply shortage in the winter. Check with your local Red Cross and see if your donation is needed.

* National Brail Literacy Month - It’s a good project for homeschoolers or just a school report, Louis Braille and the braille system of reading and writing.

* National Hobby Month - Because you vowed your were going to make all of those Christmas gifts last year, that’s why. Now you can begin your gift crafts in January.

* National Soup Month - And, in fact, no one could disagree that January is a great month to try some new homemade soup recipes.

* National Staying Healthy Month - Change a small habit that will improve your health. I baby step at a time is the best way to make sure you make good habits and shun bad ones.

* National Thank You Month - Don’t forget to send thank you cards for all the holiday gifts you received. It’s an old fashioned tradition that is just “good manners.”

* Oatmeal Month - Unless you are allergic to oats, it’s a healthy breakfast food with lots of fiber. And let’s not forget oatmeal - raisin cookies, my favorite.

Tomorrow I’ll present a day-by-day account of January’s specific celebratory days.

I’ve seen jobs for mystery shoppers on the internet and even read an article once from a person who did it as part of their income. Normally, I’m just not in love with shopping so hadn’t looked into it other than in a passing interest kind of way. Today, I decided to look into it a little further.

How it Works

You work for a company or agency that sends you to a particular business. You pose as a regular customer and find out certain things for the client. Some of these might be:

* How long does it take to be acknowledged
* How long does it take for someone to help you
* How clean and orderly is the location
* If there are requirements about dress code, signage, etc., are they being followed

You would purchase an item and you would send in your receipts and complete evaluation to the client. Payment and reimbursement is made from between 1 and 8 weeks. You probably will be required to do your mystery shopping on a particular day and time.

Type of Clients

Businesses you might be asked to frequent are restaurants, retails stores, hotels, amusement parks, car dealerships, gas stations, retail stores, to name just a few.

How to Find a Mystery Shopping Company

Knowing there are many scams on the internet is another reason I hadn’t previously looked into this line of work. However, I found a database of “honest” Mystery Shopper Companies. It’s Volition.com. You should always do your own evaluation, regardless. Once you find a company you’d like to work with, you will be asked to complete an application. When you are approved, you can go through that companies data base to see what businesses are in your area.

One rule to always follow, even regarding other internet jobs, is that you should never have to pay in order to work. If you are required to pay some fee for the privilege, then run away quickly. A scam company may also give you some guarantee about how much you will make or required you to pass some shopping class for certification. I mean, who needs to learn how to shop. What you are required to do for these kinds of jobs is not rocket science.

I’d love to hear about anyone’s experience with mystery shopping.

MSN has a page in which you can calculate what your carbon footprint is (http://green.msn.com/tools/calculator.aspx). It’s fun and might get you to think a bit about how you live your life. After taking the test, mine was 5.45 (lower than average). However, it seems there is always something we can do better.

3 things you can do to lower your carbon footprint:

(1) Turn down your thermostat and turn it up in the summer by three degrees. This alone will decrease your carbon monoxide emissions by 1000 pounds per year.

(2) Tire pressure. Make sure your tire pressure is at the proper amount for your vehicle. You can save about 7 cents a mile.

(3) Wash in warm and rinse in cold water. Your clothes will still get clean, but you will save 20 million tons of carbon monoxide from releasing into the air, a year.

Perhaps many of us have not had to think much about economizing lately. Certainly we did when we were younger and didn’t have the security of a good paying job with great benefits. Things change. That’s life, there’s always going to be ups and downs. Now, all of us are dealing with a declining economy that experts say won’t be back to normal any time soon. What are some of the best ways we can, personally, economize to hold onto those few extra dollars for the rainy days that may be coming up?

(1) If you plan your weekly menu ahead of time and go to the grocery store with a list, you aren’t as likely to overspend.

(2) Start eating more healthy. It’s a new year and you’ve been meaning to cut out the junk food anyway. When you buy prepackaged food, you’re paying for the packaging. Purchase head lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, etc. instead of prepackaged salads. It’s not only cheaper and lasts longer in your refrigerator, you are also more likely to add some additional healthful items.

(3) Check out the weekly ads. You may have to go to a couple of stores to get the best deals, but if you plan your trip so that you aren’t going very far out of your way you can save a bunch.

(4) Cheaper meat cuts. Purchase the whole chicken rather than the skinless, boneless pieces. Cut it up yourself, or try some new recipes for roasted chicken. To make it really special stuff it like you would a turkey.

(5) When there is an extra good deal on non-perishable items at the grocery store, stock up. Just make sure that it’s something you would normally eat or it won’t be a savings at all when it just sits in storage.

(6) Store brands. Most store brands are less expensive and usually just as good as the more expensive name brands.

(7) Larger is cheaper. Not always. It used to be true that if you got the 12 pack you paid less than you did for the 6 pack. This is true less and less of the time now. Why are they trying to trick us? Be smart and do the math.

(8) Coupons. If it’s an item you use, clip the coupon and use it. Unfortunately many coupons are for name brand items that sell at a higher price. Sometimes even with the coupon you aren’t getting a deal as you would with a store brand.

English: Merry Christmas
Spanish (Spain, Mexico, South America, Central America, Latin Countries): Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan (Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan’Gung Haw Sun
Danish: Glædelig Jul
Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal
Finnish: Hyvaa joulua
French: Joyeux Noel
Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German: Fröhliche Weihnachten
Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew: Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi: Shub Naya Baras (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Icelandic: Gledileg Jol
Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie
Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Navajo: Merry Keshmish
Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul
Philipines: Maligayan Pasko!
Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese:Feliz Natal
Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit
Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serbian: Hristos se rodi.
Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas
Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym or Z RIZDVOM HRYSTOVYM
Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh: Nadolig Llawen

The new year is almost here. It’s a time of new beginnings for most of us when we make lists of things we want to accomplish in the coming year. Or, may just a list of things we’ve always wanted to try. If writing fiction is one of those things, the best way to start is with a short story. It doesn’t take the commitment of writing a novel, besides there is a great deal to learn. So, if writing a novel is ultimately your goal, beginning with a short story can be thought of as the first lesson, a pre-lesson that will prepare you for longer works of fiction

(1) Getting the idea. If you have a million different ideas swimming around in your head, great. Make a list and choose the one that appeals to you the most. If not, reading the newspaper is an excellent way to find possible scenarios for your first short story.

(2) Building on the idea. What would happen if… and then what if…. Continue with this line of thinking until you have come up with a full plot to your short story.

(3) Write a synopsis. Write a short paragraph or two of what the story is about.

(4) Point of view. Who’s telling the story. Will you use “I” for first person or Mary (person’s name) third person?

(5) Three act play. Divide the story in to three parts, the beginning, the middle and the end. The first part puts your main character in peril from the first sentence. After she’s found her way out of the problem, start the middle section which gives her back story while getting herself into even bigger fixes that she must find her way out of. The end should be a resolution that she (alone) is responsible for with a twist to make the ending more interesting.

(6) Choose a title for your short story. It could be a phrase repeated from someplace in the story or a single word. It can, however, be easier to choose a title after the story is completed. For more details on writing the short story see helium.com/items/1274455-how-to-write-a-story.

We are all about “green” these days. You should be recycling your writing as well. You had a great idea for an article subject and sold it outright or it sits on a network site collecting residual income. Either way, there are several ways to use your long hours of research with one or two new articles. If you have several ideas using the same article information when you begin your article, just start a folder in your computer where you put documents that are ideas and research info you’ve jotted down. If you have the time write both or all three articles at the same time. But, if you don’t have time, the information and ideas are safe for a time when you can get back to them.

1. Write a list of ways you could come at the article from a new angle. Let’s say you completed an article titled, “Best Family Destinations in Florida.” You’ve saved all those great websites you found in your “notebook” folder in your computer. Go back and choose just one of the destinations or 5 best destinations and rewrite the article. Don’t reread your previous article as you want your writing to be fresh and new. You might then come up with a new article, “Packing for a Florida Family Vacation.”

2. If you are rewriting your article with the same idea, start by rewriting the first and last paragraph with a different point of view. Any lists you have should be moved around and added to. See if you can make the article more precise by eliminating any unneeded words in your structure.

3. If the first article was written in third person, change the second article to read as more of an essay in first person. Rewrite lists into paragraphs or change the headings on sections.

What were people eating for Christmas Eve dinner the night before Jesus was born? It’s an interesting question. I did some research and found that they most definitely were eating bread. It’s thought that bread made up 50% of their diet. In case the thought of eating that much bread gives you visions of spare tire rolls around your midsection, consider how much physical labor they did in those days.

In elimination of certain foods, there were no tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or corn. Those all originated in the Americas. With “kashrus” (Jewish dietary law) we know they didn’t eat shellfish, pork or any hunted animal. However, the normal diet of that time in the Middle East probably included: Wheat (bread, unleavened or with a sort of sourdough starter), olive oil, herbs, legumes and dried figs. If they had availability to meat, it was probably mutton, goat or lamb and perhaps chickens, geese, pigeons and ducks. They had milk (and butter) from sheep and goat milk. Perhaps they even had a hard cheese, but it wouldn’t have been a large part of their diet.

They ate herbs and probably vegetables, but were they cultivated or wild? And there was wine, we know that from the bible. That means they had grapes and also fish. Dates and figs were eaten, but dried much of the time for travel or transport. Archeologists have found traces of fruit trees, peaches, pears, pomegranates and apples. They also found walnut, carob, almond and pistachio tree remnants. They used hone and date syrup for sweeteners.

A great new Christmas tradition would be to have a spread of foods that may have been eaten in the Middle East during the time of Jesus.