She Was a Duchess Just Because...Bananas!

Once upon a time in a little village known to the locals as Duke City, there lived a beautiful princess named...wait a second! Who do I think I am? I'm no princess and Albuquerque isn't a "little village" so what the hell am I writing? Perhaps the Duke City's Dark Angel is channeling through me in order to write today's (Monday, August 27) blog. This sounds eerily similar to another author I am aware of who also wrote via a pseudonym: Margaret Wolfe Hungerford.
Today just happens to be a celebration of Ms. Hungerford, er, the Duchess' work, life, and times, and we call today The Duchess Who Wasn't Day. She is best known (although I don't know many people who have actually heard of her) for the line "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" from her book Molly Bawn. Now, being the curious woman that I am, I went to UNM's library and found the ONLY book they have of her work, and guess what! That story is not in there! Big surprise. Anyway, here are some pics:

 Only piece of her work in the library!

 I sneaked a picture just for all of you!

   Yep, engrossing work!

Next on our list is an amazing day known as Banana Lovers Day. Personally, bananas are one of my favorite fruits in all of their varieties! There is truly nothing better than a chocolate-covered frozen banana from the Canfield Fair back in Ohio...man I miss those (but Holiday Hero certainly doesn't miss the googly eyes I get from the guys around me). Anyway, we got some naners today and made a smoothie!

 Pre-smoothie bananas!

Cutting the bananas.

 Ready to blend

Enjoy!

Our friends Dan and Mica were also basking in the banana happiness with these awesome frozen treats:

And they're sugar free!

And finally, I would be remiss to exclude a video that our buddy Space proudly showed to us several years ago concerning bananas. I hope you are freaked out by it as much as I am:

 Yay German techno, you're welcome!

Lastly, today is also Just Because Day. This is the day to go out and do something that you normally wouldn't or maybe wouldn't think of doing. And your reason: just because. Perhaps this is something wild and crazy like skydiving or skinny dipping, or perhaps you might do something nice for someone else just because. I posted on Facebook today that I wished one of my great buddies would be nice enough to bring me a gigantor cup of coffee, and my great friend Doug did just that (complete with every type of sugar available).

 You rock, Doug! 

Also, while walking through the quad of UNM toward the library to retrieve my Duchess book, I witnessed a group of guys walking across a tightly tied bungee rope between two trees. And this, I felt, was a great "just because" moment. Why were they doing it? Just because. What do you think?

I'm not that crazy!

So, that was our day. Hope it was fun!

CS, out.

Women and the Dogs Who Love Them

Do you know where your dog is? If not, he/she is probably tearing something up or pooping on something valuable. If you couldn't guess, today (Sunday, August 26) is beginning with a dog-related holiday. It is National Dog Day, and I couldn't be happier to be celebrating this waggerific holiday because of my awesome pups, Cassidy and Arthur. They are the greatest, and I am extremely lucky to be their adopted doggie mom. Just look at these guys:

 Puppy love

 "You lookin' at me...punk?"

 No more pictures, momma!

 Cass is always attentive

 Even under the couch

Or in front of the TV!

But ours are not the only playful pooches that were celebrated today. A couple of my pals shared their puppy-rific photos:

 From Elisa and her pooped puppy

 Treats for the pups and humans!

 Tasty goodness for good dogs!

Patience is a virtue.

Our friends at I Has a Hotdog also celebrated National Dog Day by their usual array of cute and adorable pups as well as this lovely banner:

I'm not sure why he's at the ballpark, but it's still a lovely picture. Go dogs!

Today is also Women's Equality Day. We are celebrating the day (August 26) in 1920 in which women received the right to vote in the United States via the 19th Amendment. In today's U.S., women assert their strength and power on a daily basis in the business world, at home, and in schools. And there is nothing you men can do to stop us! From Xena Warrior Princess to Buffy Summers, Amelia Earhart to Kathy Reichs, women have proven over and over that we can do, say, and create anything we want! 

Would you wanna mess with her? I didn't think so.

Well, that's it for today.

CS, out.

Second-Hand Romancein the Batty Persuasion

Are you ready for some holidays? Well, too bad because I have a fuckton to tell you about for today (Saturday, August 25), and you are ready to read all about them, right? Damn straight!
First up, we have International Bat Night. This is a global celebration of the winged creatures of the night dedicated to raising awareness about the ecological importance of bats as well as collecting funds for research into a disease called White Nose Syndrome which awakens bats during their hibernation, uses up their stored fat, and causes them to emerge too early during the winter. Over 30 countries are involved, so tonight is the night to join in the celebration for the Year of the Bat (2011-2012).
We don't normally have too many bat sitings around the Albuquerque area (save for those theater screens currently showing the Bat-man), so it might be a bit difficult for us to celebrate. However, our friend Sarah living in NE Ohio apparently had an unwanted house guest for the evening, so she was able to inadvertently celebrate International Bat Day for us! Thanks Sarah!
Next up we celebrate International Cosplay Day. I must thank Justin for bringing this one to our attention as well as defining exactly what it means to "cosplay." I have heard the term many times before but never truly understood what/how to do it. Justin also provided me with a character recommendation that, in my opinion, doesn't quite fit, but I appreciate the suggestion. Here is my (supposed) cosplay character:

Her name Sailor Jupiter, and she possesses powers associated with electricity, plants, and physical strength. I can understand giving me the character for the strength and "muscles of the group" identity but plants? I kill plants. Probably not the super best choice!

While I don't think I will ever be participating in any cosplay sessions, I at least have a starting point if I ever change my mind. Thanks Justin and Julie!

The next two sort of go together: National Kiss and Makeup Day and Romance Awareness Month. Men! Take heed! This is the month in which you are to be romantical with your mate and make them feel super appreciated. Women, you can do the same. If your mate is not treating you well, kick them in the face...
OR...give them the silent treatment (personally, I'm a fan of kicking). If that doesn't work and they still won't say sorry, go back to kicking...OR...withhold something "special" from them until they surrender. Bwahahaha! Thankfully, my Holiday Hero was quite lovely today as we took a nice stroll through Nob Hill, went shopping, and genuinely had a romantic "us" day. No kiss and makeup needed. But perhaps one of our faithful readers has a story they would like to share (please do, we love gossip and juicy details)!

And lastly, we have a holiday that HH and I love to celebrate every day of the year. Today is National Second-Hand Wardrobe Day! Who doesn't love going to a thrift store and finding a gem of a t-shirt (my favorite are the "team" shirts with numbers of the back) or an awesome pair of shoes that look like they've never been worn? Over the past two years, we have developed our bargain-shopping senses and have been able to assemble quite a collection of second-hand wardrobe items! Check out HH's complete thrift store-bought outfit:

Artie photo-bombed!

And thanks to Ivan and Space for their invaluable comments about this amazing outfit! Space wanted to make sure we all knew that some thrift stores sold used "unmentionables". Yeah, that's a good place to end this conversation. Until the morrow!

CS, out!

 

Erupting Waffles and Demoting Planets

"Back already?" you ask. Why yes, I am back again, and today (Friday, August 24) has been quite a day in the holiday worlds of old! So, that being said, let's jump in head first. 
First up, it is National Waffle Day. I must say that one of my favorite breakfast foods is definitely the waffle. It's not as heavy as a pancake, but syrup, fruits, whipped cream, and butter are still viable options for toppings. In the opposite direction, the term "waffle" has also been applied to a certain type of cone used to hold ice cream, and this is the way in which the Holiday Hero and I celebrated today's first holiday. However, we were not the only ones to celebrate the day!

Emilee and her family had the real thing!

We, on the other hand, took a walk around Old Town here in Albuquerque, and ice cream was totally on the agenda! There is a lovely ice cream place called Crave, and they have the most unbelievable flavors like the kind I got: Espresso Chip. Holiday Hero and I both got our desserts in waffle cones thereby officially celebrating this holiday!

Mmm...Rocky Road

 

Our second holiday today is something that lots of people would definitely not consider to be something to celebrate: Pluto Demoted Day. On this day in 2006, Pluto was officially demoted from planet to dwarf planet because it doesn't meet all of the requirements of being a full planet. I must say that we were quite sad.

Damn right, Grandpa!

Strange Music Day is our third holiday today, and it was, unsurprisingly, quite a favored day among our friends. At school, Megan was kind enough to lend me the use of her music storage on her computer so that we could all rock out to some random songs!

 Yes, Cheech and Chong!

Yeah, devil horns!

Additionally, Andrew and Zac were going back and forth on one of today's status updates which such gems as:

Thanks Zac!

And this one:

Thanks Andrew! Apparently, the "most unwanted song" generates quite a bit of action!

I will spare you the others, but this was just a taste of the cavalcade of strange music we were subjected to today! I will remember this, guys.

And last on our list is Vesuvius Day. It marks the historic day in 79 A.D. when Mount Vesuvius exploded and destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii. I think that having a Latin class this semester was helpful in celebrating Vesuvius Day as I with my fellow classmates discussed the day and how we should have tried to sidetrack our instructor by asking him questions about Vesuvius. Unfortunately, we didn't get around to it.

Poor Pompeii...

And that's all we've got for today. Hope your day is awesome!

CS, out!

Valentino Is Riding the Wind

O-M-G! Today is already Thursday, August 23, which means that summer will soon be coming to a close! For me, summer ended this past Monday upon school resuming, but we can still enjoy the sun and whatever kinds of fun you have in it. Knowing this, we can celebrate today's first holiday: Ride the Wind Day. It's the day to remember that no matter what comes up, we still need to be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy the wind! Although I had classes today and the Holiday Hero was at home working on his art project, we were still able to at least walk around outside and enjoy having the sun on our backs, the wind in our hair, and one another in company!

It's a good life motto!

Secondly, and lastly, we celebrate Valentino Day which commemorates the death of the 1920s actor Rudolph Valentino aka Rudolfo Alfonzo Raffaelo Piero Filibert Guglielmi De Valentina D’Antonguolla. He starred in such films as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (quite appropriate for this year as well as the class I'm currently taking about medieval and modern apocalypses), The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik. So, hats off today for this former black-and-white star.

How does he make THAT outfit look good?

And we're out!

Dogs, Fairies, and Angels from Above

Alright people, listen up (or read up, if you prefer)! Today (Wednesday, August 22) we've got some serious celebrating to do, and I intend to document every glorious holiday moment here in this blog. So, are you ready to get down and dirty in the holiday mud pit? I'll assume that's a yes. Let's go!
First up is Be an Angel Day. This holiday was originally created by Jayne Howard Feldman in 1993 and is designed to get people all over the world to perform random acts of kindness. Making the world a better place one day at a time: a noble cause indeed.
I believe that as a Writing 101 instructor I would certainly qualify as an angel! LOL! Although I truly love what I do (most of the time), it can take the strength of the gods to get through some of their papers! I think my job qualifies as angelic behavior. Wouldn't you agree fellow 101 instructors?

Questions?

Our next holiday is Earth Over Shoot Day. From an ecological standpoint, Earth Overshoot Day is the day each year when the earth will exhaust its allowance from Mother Nature. Since the early '90s, the date has been steadily moving backward in the year from October all the way up until this year's date of exhaustion.

Pretty scary.

I'm not sure if this is exactly a day to "celebrate" but we can certainly do our part to save on the Earth's resources by walking rather than driving, having reusable containers (water bottles, food containers, coffee cups), and turning off lights when not using them.
Let's lighten the mood a bit with our next holiday: National Tooth Fairy Day. As kids, most of us are told that loosing our baby teeth isn't such a bad thing because a magical, dentally-inclined creature comes around at night collecting baby teeth in exchange for an unestablished sum of money (my thought: whatever this "creature" can find under the couch cushions). Without this fairy tale, I sincerely believe that kids would feel self-conscious and hurt by the loss of their teeth. Now, I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but most adults know that the Tooth Fairy does not exist. However, if you're a fan of the Santa Clause 3,

Or Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, 

The Tooth Fairy totally exists!

Our friend Mica let me in on the secret that she still has some baby teeth that may have fallen out today, but she was unwilling to explicitly try to remove them (spoil sport)! I guess the Tooth Fairy will simply have to wait for her teeth!

Finally, we have a holiday that comes to us straight out of the High Middle Ages: St. Guinefort Day. Guinefort was a greyhound whose main job was to protect a family living in France. As the legend goes, Guinefort's family went out of the house and left him in charge of protecting the baby sleeping in its crib. While the baby slept, a snake slithered its way into the room and had its fangs set on the baby, but Guinefort had other ideas. The dog chased the snake around the room (knocking the crib over) and finally caught it. He killed the snake clamped within his jaws and was covered in the snake's blood. The parents heard the commotion, came into the room, saw the crib laying on the floor without a baby, and the dog's bloody jowls. Assuming the worst, the father killed the greyhound and realized moments later that the baby was simply laying on the floor unharmed. They also found the snake's corpse. Feeling awful (as they should) for unjustly killing the dog, they buried Guinefort's body and made a small shrine to his memory. The village developed a myth about the dog that it could intercede on behalf of your children if the child is sick. Parents would willingly bring their sick babies out to a grove and leave the child under a tree surrounded by candles. If in the morning, the child was still there and healthy, they would know that St. Guinefort had found the child worthy of saving. However, if the child was missing (presumably taken by wolves) or lie there dead, Guinefort had not felt the need to intercede. Now, while this may sound crazy, many believed this to actually work. Personally, I find this to be the only interesting saint's life out there! So, today I spread the word of St. Guinefort's life and legend. I hope you did as well!

So regal.

And we're done!

CS, out.

Hwaet! Poets and Elders!

And we're back...once again! We only have two celebrations today (Tuesday, August 21), but we can do them right! Our first holiday for the day is Poets' Day. As the former editor-in-chief of YSU's literary magazine The Penguin Review, I feel like poetry and Poets' Day is a close day to my heart. Now, as an Anglo-Saxonist, I need to understand poetry from poets who lived centuries ago. From medieval to modern, I've got it all...

Shout-outs to Phil Brady, Steven Reese, all my medieval friends, and my crews from The Penguin Review!

Second, and lastly, we celebrate Senior Citizen's Day today. In many cultures, the elders of the tribe are honored every day and looked upon as the wisest of the group. In the U.S., we don't always have that few, unfortunately, so today this holiday gives us a chance to honor our elders as they deserve.

Me and my grandfather.

And that's it for today! Enjoy.

CS, out.

Throwing Cupcakes at the Birthday Boy

Hey! It's Monday, August 20, and today is an extremely special day because it is the Holiday Hero's 28th birthday. Although he didn't want to do anything special to celebrate getting one year closer to 30, we first went to see the movie Paranorman with Andy. Before Andy arrived, we had the entire theater to ourselves (perhaps it was because the movie was at 12 noon on a Monday). Adrian was "big pimpin'"

It's good to be king!

 Then, after the movie concluded, I had the boys pose in front of the Hotel Transylvania cut-out (because I'm nice like that). They weren't exactly excited about it:

Priceless.

Later that evening, we decided to head out to the Isotopes game. What an event that turned out to be! After walking to the game with a blanket and picnic, HH had to walk back home because no outside food is allowed in the field (remember that, Andy). I felt so bad, but he insisted on walking. Once he got back, we watched the game and it was the worst game I've seen in a long while (and I'm a Cleveland Browns fans).

 It was $.50 hot dog night. Just look at that face and you'll see if they were worth it!

 Yep, good seats for a shitty game!

By the 7th inning stretch, the 'Topes were down 19-7! We decided to roll/slide down the abandoned hill (previously occupied by children of many ages), and that certainly made the night much more interesting.

After much coercion, HH finally took the plunge!

I didn't need much coxing!

Our second holiday, Cupcake Day, works well with it being Holiday Hero's birthday! Rather than having a birthday cake, we procured cupcakes for the night's festivities. While we had planned to take them into the game with us and have a lovely picnic, the stadium staff had other ideas. So, we ended up having to scarf our cakes at the end of the night. But it was certainly worth the wait!

 Apparently, they wanted half Bieber/half Green Lantern, but the bakery lady wouldn't split up the sets!

Up next we have Discovery Day (Canada). This is a Canadian holiday commemorates the discovery of gold in the Yukon province (specifically Dawson City)  but should not be confused with the Newfoundland and Labrador version of Discovery Day with is celebrated on June 24.

Congratulations Yukon!

Another holiday we celebrate today is National Radio Day. It simply commemorates the invention and use of the radio as a listening medium, so today we listened to the radio (even some commercials) and enjoyed the random babbling of radio personalities throughout Albuquerque!

 One of my favorite stations out here!

I <3 my thrift store boom box!

Lastly, we are celebrating St. Stephen's Day (Hungary). Coming from NE Ohio, we are no strangers to the Hungarian side of things, and HH just happens to be part Hungarian. We actually have a St. Stephen of Hungary church back home, and HH used to play guitar for their Sunday morning masses. So, today we officially celebrate this saint's feast day!

One thing I'll give to Christians: they know how to build beautiful churches!

Well, that's it for today! Hope you had as awesome a day as we did!

CS, out.

Black Cows and Potatoes, Oh Yeah!

Welcome back to the funhouse! The holiday house of fun. We are her once again to rain on your boring parade and tell you about the amazing celebrations that you should be celebrating with us.
First on the list is "Black Cow" Root Beer Float Day. Oh yes, there are types. I'm sure that most, if not all, people will recognize a root beer float when presented with one or at least know the ingredients to an awesome float. The "Black Cow" version is honestly just the regular version but known specifically as a "Black Cow" float in the town of Cripple Creek, Colorado. Frank Wisner, inspired by the moon shadowing the snow on Cow Mountain, decided to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to his root beer and the float was born. Kids of the town began calling it a "Black Cow" simply because of the mountain. Hope you can enjoy a tasty float today!

Yummy!

Our second holiday is Aviation Day. Today we celebrate all things that have to do with being in the air, flying, and just generally airborne stuff. Today we went to Target and took a walk down their remote controlled cars/airplanes/helicopters, and these are the toys we found:

 Unfortunately, we didn't buy them.

Our final holiday today is National Potato Day. For some ungodly reason, we decided to go to the mall (I think it was the Hot Topic sale), and while walking through the food court, we saw this particular food stand:

Um, yeah. I don't think I can eat anywhere that has a happy potato with a face.

Well, that's it for today.

CS, out.