January 9 - Letter Writing Week

Letter Writing Week - This falls in perfectly with project #2 for 2010. I plan on taking some time on the 10th of each month to write actual letters to friends and family. Most of our family and friends are not nearby, and some are (gasp!) not even on Facebook. I know. Shocking...anyway, I thought they might enjoy getting some actual snail mail, and perhaps I may get some letters back from them as well.

May 22 - National Backyard Games Week

Official Site?

According to my (not scientific, nor very extensive) research, National Backyard Games Week is the week in May starting the Monday before through the Monday of Memorial Day.

As a child, I liked to ride my bike around the neighborhood. We also played catch, baseball, basketball, tag, hide and seek, hopscotch and more that I have probably forgotten. The most fun games were the ones we made up. Maybe these games weren't unique to the kids in my neighborhood, I just haven't heard of them anywhere else.

We played a game we called Statue. I forget all the rules, but this was a two-person game. One player was the statue, the other person was the statue-maker. The statue-maker would move the statue's arms, legs, head, etc. into position, usually some bizarre or hilarious pose.

Also we played a game called Ice-Cream Man. There wasn't much to it. Actually, one person would just turn their bicycle upside down so it was upright with the handle bars and the seat on the ground. That person would move the pedals with both hands in a sort of churning motion. The other players would line up and tell the ice cream "man" what flavor they wanted. The ice cream man would then mimic making an ice cream cone and handing it over.

A variation of this game was the Cookie Queen. Actually, I don't remember the rules (if there were any), just that I was always happy when I got to be the Cookie Queen.

We played a game we stole from the Baby-sitter's Club books. In those books, it was called Let's All Come In or something like that. We just called it Hotel. This wasn't so much an outdoor game, but one my siblings and I would play in the basement. This is another make-believe game; one person would run the hotel and the others were the guests. I remember my brother always wanted to be some famous wrestler.

Well, reliving these memories has put a smile on my face. What games did you play when you were young?

Today is also:
International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day)
National Maritime Day

April 1 - Deelybop Day

No, it's not an April Fools joke. Nor is it a real holiday. My coworkers have deemed this and every April First hereafter to be Deelybop Day. Yea, and it shall be so.

You know what deelybops are...those headband things with the deelys on it that bounce and wave with every move.

So celebrate with us...you know you want to!

Unrelated note: major computer issues on the homefront...blogging will be spotty at best.

March 14 - Optimism Month

March is Optimism Month

Those who know me will tell you I'm no Pollyanna or Miss Mary Sunshine.

I think I've always fallen in the middle of the Optimism/Pessimism Scale. I feel that I do tend slightly to optimism and faith in the basic goodness of others. (Stop laughing. I said slightly.) While I tend to be a "glass is half-full" kind of gal, I do need help seeing the silver lining when things go sour. (How many mixed metaphors can I fit in to one sentence?) Prior to composing this post, I took a few (very un-scientific) personality tests, and the results seemed to bear this theory out.

My optimism can come and go, depending on who I'm with and how optimistic they are. My boyfriend can help me see the brighter side when things don't go my way. (Far more often than I would like.) Even though I love my job, I often fall into the rut of longing for Friday to come. Sometimes I feel like I am just wishing away my life by hoping Friday will come faster. When I’m with friends at work who are being negative about the work day (This day is too long! When will it be Friday? When do we get a day off?) I tend to fall in with them and it makes my day longer/worse than I was really experiencing. Lately, especially since planning this post, I've been trying to help them be more positive.

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Fake it till ya make it.

I have a friend who says that all the time. While it may not hold true (or advisable) for all situations, it does work for optimism. Often, I have to make myself see things positively, make myself smile, and make myself have a good attitude. And, more often than not, I end up actually feeling better.

Now, just because I am feeling particularly dorky, here are some optimism quotes I've handpicked for you.

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

-Winston Churchill

"Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!"

-Oscar Wilde

"An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half-empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass is twice the size it needs to be."

"It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right."

"In the long run, the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip."
-Daniel L. Reardon

March 12 - Girl Scout Day

March 12 - Girl Scout Day
Girl Scouts of America official website
Find Girl Scout Cookies near you
Holiday Insights

On this day in 1912, Juliette Gordon Low assembled the first Girl Scout meeting in Savannah, Georgia. Eighteen girls attended. Approximately 73 years later, a cute little blonde girl joined her local Daisy Girl Scout group. OK that little girl was me. And I was kind of cute. Except for the 80s hair.

Anyway, I don't remember much about being a Daisy Girl Scout. I remember that we met at my friend Jackie's house (her mom was the troop leader). I couldn't say what we did during those meetings, but I do remember that Jackie had a bunny rabbit.

After kindergarten, Daisies become Brownie Girl Scouts. I was always jealous of the girls that got the full GS uniform. My parents could only afford to buy me the sash. The sash that I never filled up with badges.

We seemed to do a lot of crafts. We went camping once or twice, nothing too rugged though. Of course, I remember selling the cookies, and going door-to-door with my Dad.

One time, we had to cook a meal at home for our family. My parents took pictures of me as I did this. I think I may still have those pictures somewhere. I remember that we used them on a poster board to show what I cooked for my family.

December 13 - National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month

December - National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month

Elves don't let elves drive drunk.

But seriously. Please be careful and safe this holiday season and throughout the New Year.

December 3 - Recipe Greetings for the Holidays Week

December 1-8 - Recipe Greetings for the Holidays Week

I couldn't find where or how this week-long celebration originated. In that case, you get to hear how I'll be participating this week.

I'm on MySpace, so each day this week (Monday through Friday), I'll be posting a bulletin for all my friends/contacts to see. This bulletin will include a short greeting and a recipe (or a link to a recipe) that I use every year at Christmas.

If you are not on MySpace, or don't like my idea, you could send e-greeting cards with recipes, e-mails, or actual cards or letters to your friends and family. If you don't have any friends or family, you can send me a recipe greeting. I'd be happy to hear from you.

Oh, here is the greeting my friends will see today on MySpace:

"Happy Monday! I hope you are all well and happy. Here is a recipe I make every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just wanted to share with you all!
Original Chex Mix"

November 29 - Electronic Greetings Day

November 29 - Electronic Greetings Day

Talk about a Hallmark-created holiday. Catch up with old friends via e-mail or e-greeting cards today. Want to send someone a Christmas card, but you've lost their address? Send an e-greeting.

If you are on MySpace or another social networking site, say hi through a bulletin to hit all your pals at once. Does that feel a bit cold and remote? Phones are technically electronic, so give 'em a call.