I’m Late,  I’m Late,  For a Very Important Date 

Who knew how long it would take to put in a new garbage disposal???  Obviously not me…so I have not completed all the editing needed for today’s big production!!  We will try again tomorrow….

But since you have been so patient….Let me introduce you to the new spokesperson for the NewAmericanCalendar…….drum roll please….

On Second Thought…See you tomorrow!

“You may delay but time will not” – Benjamin Franklin

“Better late than never, but never late is better” – Unknown

Okay Mr. King, Mr. Franklin, and whoever you are.  I get it!!  I’m sorry! 

I know I’m late getting out the info on some days in September…I’ve been busy….I’m surprised someone didn’t throw in “tide and time wait for no man.”

The New American Calendar will have a couple of new features starting 9/20 so we have to catch up today!  So we are going to have a “lightning” round blog today to see how many days we can discuss in ten minutes – Short and sweet – just like…..oops…I almost gave one of tomorrow’s surprises away!!

READY                   SET                          GO!!!

SEPTEMBER  10TH

• 1976  – Plane crash in Yugoslavia kills 176
• 1968 – Guy Ritchie born
• 1949 – Bill O’Reilly born
• 1929 – Arnold Palmer born
• 1918 – Rin Tin Tin born
• 1846 – Elias Howe gets a patent for the sewing machine

RECOMMENDATION

One of the September 10ths of my past was the second worst day of my life.  I’m voting to delete!  What’s your vote?

View This Poll 

SEPTEMBER  12TH

• 2003 – Johnny Cash dies
• 1984 – Swedish singer September is born – Was the month named after her?
• 1981 – Singer Jennifer Hudson is born – See 1609 below…what is going on here?
• 1919 – The German Workers Party welcomes – Adolf Hitler
• 1609 – The Hudson River is discovered by Henry Hudson – coincidence?
• 1575 – Henry Hudson is born – see 1609 &1981 – Freaky

RECOMMENDATION

One of the September 12ths of my past was the worst day of my life.  I’m voting to delete!  What’s your vote?

 View This Poll

SEPTEMBER  15TH

• 2008 – Lehman Brothers files Ch 11 Bankruptcy – largest in US history
• 1998 – WorldCom and MCI merge – I prefer AT&T!
• 1962 – Dina Lohan born – Mom of the Year
• 1961 – Hurricane Carla strikes the coast of Texas – 175 mph winds
• 1947 – Typhoon Kathleen hits Japan killing 1077
• 1945 – Hurricane hits Southern Florida – destroys 386 planes and 25 blimps
• 921 – Saint Ludmila is murdered at the command of her daughter-in-law

RECOMMENDATION

Keep September 15th as is.  Make 9/15 a day of observance for disasters and the women associated with them…What is your vote?

 View This Poll

SEPTEMBER  16TH

• 2007 – Airline crash in Thailand kills 128
• 1992 – Nick Jonas born – good ole Texas boy!
• 1981 – Fan Bingbing born – Chinese actress – I just liked the sound of her name!
• 1978 - Earthquake in Tabas, Iran kills 25,000 people
• 1971 – Amy Poehler born – Save our neighborhood parks Amy!
• 1956 – David Copperfield born – Act like a magician and make yourself disappear!
• 1949 – Ed Begley Jr. born – Mr. Green
• 1940 – Sam Rayburn elected Speaker of the House – Good ole Texas boy!
• 1920 – J.P.Morgan building in NYC bombed – 38 killed; 400 injured
• 1908 - G.M. founded
• 1893 – Oklahoma settlers race to get land in the Cherokee Strip – Boomer Sooners!
• 1782 – Farinelli - an Italian castrato singer died – I think he died in 1717 when his family had him snipped so he could sing and bring in an income…just sayin…

RECOMMENDATION

Keep September 16th as is.  Make 9/16 a day of observance to sing in a falsetto voice.  What is your vote?

View This Poll

SEPTEMBER 17TH

• 1997 – Red Skelton dies – Kids say the darndest things…
• 1983 – Vanessa Williams is the first Black Miss America
• 1948 – John Ritter is born – Three’s Company rules!!
• 1928 - Okeechobee Hurricane hits Florida killing 2500 people – 3rd largest natural disaster in US history
• 1920 – NFL is founded in Canton, Ohio
• 1908 – First airplane fatality recorded – Thomas Selfridge, passenger, dies on a flight with Orville Wright
• 1787 – US Constitution is signed in Philadelphia
• 1630 – Boston, Massachusetts is founded

RECOMMENDATION:

September 17th is also observed as Constitution Day in the United States.  IMO there are many in our great nation that might think that the organization of the NFL on this date is more important than the Constitution.  Take a moment to reflect on the importance that our Constitution has had on our lives, the United States and the world.  Keep 9/17 as is and really observe Constitution Day.  Make it a national holiday and schedule an NFL game featuring the Dallas Cowboys…America’s team!  What is your vote?

 View This Poll

SEPTEMBER 18TH

• 1975 – Patty Hearst arrested – Lizzie?
• 1974 – Hurricane Fifi kills 5,000 people in Honduras
• 1971 – Lance Armstrong born – why else would you watch the Tour de France
• 1939 – Frankie Avalon born – was there any movie better than Beach Blanket Bingo?
• 1900 – Seewoosagur Ramgoolam – the first Prime Minister of Mauritius was born – bet you didn’t know that!
• 1895 – Daniel David Palmer gives the first chiropractic adjustment
• 1870 – First observance of Old Faithful – not named after Bill Clinton by the way…

RECOMMENDATION

Keep 9/18 as is.  Make it an observation for old geysers (geisers?).  We need love to!!   What is your vote?

 View This Poll

SEPTEMBER 19TH

WHOOPEE!!!  LAST TODAY….BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST!

• 1995 – Orville Redenbacher died – popped his last kernel
• 1989 – 171 killed  on plane over Niger due to terrorist bombing
• 1976 – Turkish plane hits mountain killing 155
• 1976 – Alison Sweeney born – You are not the Biggest Loser!
• 1974 – Jimmy Fallon born – You are the Biggest Loser
• 1964 – Trisha Yearwood born – Shame on you Garth Brooks
• 1961 – Betty and Barney Hill witness mysterious craft which tries to abduct them in New Hampshire
• 1957 – US conducts first underground nuclear bomb test – Fire in the hole!
• 1928 – Adam West is born – Zap! Pow! Save us Batman
• 1692 – Giles Corey refuses to plead in Salem witch trials.  Is pressed to death.

RECOMMENDATION

Did you know that 9/19 is also “International Talk Like a Pirate Day?”  Well, did ya matey?   My vote is to keep 9/19 on the calendar but we should change the observance to be:

Eat lite popcorn while dressed as Batman and talking like a pirate day! 

What is your vote?

View This Poll

FOLLOWED BY AN EXPLOSION

Not exactly what you want to hear when informed that the Federal Building has been evacuated due to a bomb scare 30 minutes earlier….but that is how it happened today in downtown Dallas on this….

 SEPTEMBER 14TH!

It is never boring at work these days.  I waited for the sirens to start blaring but all was quiet.  Must have been a building demolition….or…..perhaps…a….tribute….to…

Francis Scott Key for writing the StarSpangeled Banner in 1814!

I think that fact alone should weigh heavily on our decision whether to keep 9/14 or not… But I know you want more so here goes…..

• 1998 – MCI and WorldCom combine in a $37 billion merger – Where are they today???  I love AT&T!
• 1983 –  Amy Winehouse was born….I could ‘crack’ a joke but won’t
• 1971 – Kimberly Williams-Paisley was born….Our family loved her best in ” The 10th Kingdom.”
• 1960 – OPEC was founded – price of a gallon of  gas was about a quarter….
• 1948 – Groundbreaking for UN building in NY…Seemed like a good idea at the time
• 1901 – President William McKinley assassinated – Teddy Roosevelt takes over presidency

And really reaching back into time:

• 1849 – Ivan Pavlov the Russian scientist is born.  He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology for his work in conditional reflexes (Pavlov’s Dog) . This is when someone reacts to a situation rather than using their  critical thinking skills.  For example,  my brother-in–law’s reaction to his Farrah Fawcet poster.  (I think I might be in trouble for that one!)

• 1752 – Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar – Eleven days are skipped as the previous day was 9/2.  See it can be done!  After 257 years it is time again for a change – The New American Calendar (plug, plug)

• 1321 – Dante Alighieri the Italian poet passed away.  He was best known for The Divine Comedy in which he details his journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise – in other words…my drive home from work – Downtown Dallas through the suburbs and then home, sweet, home!

So let’s end September 14th like it started – with a BANG!  Leave a comment telling your story about 9/14 past or present.  Then take a second (time term) to vote in the 9/14 poll below.

 View This Poll

From the title of this post you can see that I always wanted to be a poet….and why I make my living doing something else!

What a great day this was! 

 Cowboys  beat the Buccaneers:    34-21

Had the first Chili of the fall…..and queso too!

Parents came over to watch the game….and brought…..

Rice Krispies Treats….with sprinkles!

Jealous much?

But alas…9/13 hasn’t always been lucky…take a look….

• 2008 – Hurricane Ike hits Gulf Coast of Texas – Galveston, Houston
• 2006 – Ann Richards – Former Governor of Texas died – Known for her speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention saying “Poor George, he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.”  By the way….she was defeated by George Bush in her re-election attempt in 1994…sour grapes????
• 1988 – Hurricane Gilbert – strongest recorded hurricane in western hemisphere
• 1971 – Prison revolt in NY Attica prison leaves 42 dead
• 1917 – Last apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima , Portugal
• 1899 – Henry Bliss is first person killed in auto accident – hit by a cab getting off a street car

But once again…some of the greatest entertainers of our time were born on this date in September and one special icon!

1980  – Ben Savage                                 1965 – Annie Duke

Boy Meets World                                          Poker Player

1951 – Jean Smart                               1948 – Nell Carter

Samantha Who?                                         Gimme a Break!

1925 – Mel Torme (The Velvet Fog)                          1916 – Roald Dahl

 The Christmas Song                                               James and the Giant Peach

                                          And best of all!!!!!

                                        1766 – Samuel Wilson

• Meat packer who shipped meat in barrels to Army marked with initials U.S. 
• Soldiers said the barrels were from U.ncle S.am….and so history was made!

So that’s the story of September 13th.  What’s your story?  Tell us in the comment section and the vote in the poll to determine the fate of 9/13…..Because….”Uncle Sam Wants You” to do it.

MY RECOMMENDATION

Keep September 13th the same but make it a day to honor Rice Krispie Treats…with sprinkles of course…..

Its 9/09/09!

Some of the history of this date is pretty depressing.  It seems like there was disaster after disaster including:

• The first hurricane (Betsy) to cause over $1 Billion dollars in damage hits near New Orleans
• HUD is established
• The first computer bug documented – a moth in the Harvard Mark II computer
• NBC is founded
• Hanapepe Massacre in Kauai – 16 striking sugar cane workers slain in a riot
• And probably the biggest disaster…he said…tongue in cheek….California admitted as the 31st state….

See…Disaster after Disaster after Disaster!!

What doesn’t make sense though is that some of the most amazing talent was born on this day!!  See what I mean??

Henry Thomas                     Adam Sandler                                             

Bob Stoops                                  Hugh Grant

Angela Cartwright                    Tom Wopat

And most important:

Colonel Harland Sanders

I think that the immense talent brought to us on 9/9 in the form of ET the Extraterrestrial, Happy Gilmore, Oklahoma Football, Idiot, Lost in Space, Dukes of Hazard, and Fried Chicken certainly outweighs all the tragedy.  Do you agree?

If you have a special memory of September 9th please share by leaving a comment….then vote in the poll whether to keep, delete or change 9/9 from the New American Calendar.  By the way, is there any numerical significance to 9/9/09?  I haven’t heard of any but I’m sure there is…..

RECOMMENDATION:

Keep September the 9th as a calendar day but make it a special day of observance to fried chicken!  Also, the official colors of 9/9 should be crimson and cream! 

However, I do believe that we learn from every situation and become better for it.  As for the history of this date, I found similarities to many of my family and friends.  Take a look below…you know who you are!!

• 1979 – P!nk is born – Let’s get this party started!!

• 1974 – President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate scandals.    See, liars can be forgiven….

• 1968 – The Beatles perform their last live television performance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  They sang “Hey Jude.”   

Hey jude, dont make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.

• 1966 – Star Trek debuts on NBC

I have never understood the female capacity to avoid a direct answer to any question.
–Spock in ‘This Side of Paradise

• 1932 – Hall of Fame Country singer Patsy Kline is born – that’s Crazy! 

I’m crazy for trying and crazy for crying
And I’m crazy for loving you.

• 1930 – Scotch Tape is introduced by 3M – the beginning of many sticky situations

• 1504 – Michelangelo unveiled his sculpture of  King David in Florence – David is shown comtemplating his battle yet to come with Goliath.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog…my 9/8/09 wasn’t the best.  But you know, there is always hope and with time perhaps, understanding.  Tell me about your September 8th or something important that happened on that date in the past for you.  Don’t forget to leave a comment and then vote in the poll below!

View This Poll

PATRIOT DAY

Remembering the lives lost and heroes created

World Trade Center- New York, NY

Pentagon – Arlington, VA

Airplane Crash Site – Shanksville, PA

RECOMMENDATION

Keep as is as an observation of Patriot Day.  We must not forget the feelings of the day, the people that lost their lives and the loved ones left to grieve.  I seriously considered deleting this day due to the pain it still brings up but we have American lives fighting for us so we must remember why.

Leave a comment below and then vote on the 9/11 poll.  I’d be interested to know what you were doing on 9/11/01 when you heard about the tragedy.  I was listening to the radio driving into the office parking garage and ended up sitting there for an hour.  When I went into the office everyone was listening to their radios or watching the news online.  I ended up having to cancel all meetings that day and we all just watched and listened with absolute unbelief.

View This Poll

Taking a little time to stop and smell the roses…

Look for the next post to come out on Friday, September 11th.  In the mean time….

Relax….Have some coffee….And talk amongst yourselves….

I found several themes in relation to 9/7

• Hand Outs
  • 2008 – US Government takes over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
  • 1979 – Chrysler asks the Government for $1 billion dollars to avoid bankruptcy
  • 1977 – US agrees to give the Panama Canal to Panama after December 31, 1999
  • 1943 – JP Morgan died….coincidence?  I wonder…hmmm…

• For the Guys
  • 1979 – ESPN formed
  • 1963 – Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio
  • 1921 – First Miss America Pageant held

• Survival
  • 1949 – Gloria Gaynor born - I Will Survive
  • 1936 – Buddy Holly born- he didn’t (survive the plane crash that is) but he was a Lubbock, Texas boy
  • 1908 – Michael DeBakey born – We ♥ him
  • 1860 – Grandma Moses born- Picture perfect!  Started painting in her 70s

• It Could Go Either Way
  • 1533 – Queen Elizabeth I was born
    • Never married and was celebrated for her….well..uh……purity
  • Feast of Saint Regina
    • Mother died during child birth
    • Father renounced her
    • Recognized by the Church for her….well..uh……purity
    • She refused to renounce her faith to marry….
    • …. so she was tortured and beheaded and died a Martyr.

Who knew there could be so much intrigue tied to one day.  And just when you think there can’t be any more…let me tell you this mysterious occurence that happened to me and my wife…..

I was outside weed whacking (which I do once a year whether the yard needs it or not) when precious daughter number four comes to me with a message.  Tragically, my wife’s car would not start and she was stuck at the CVS parking lot.  I quickly changed into my super hero outfit (Minute Man…no comments, please) and went to save my damsel in distress.  On the 1.1 mile journey I said to myself, “Self, it’s too bad that my wife couldn’t just turn back the clock to a simpler time when her car would actually run.”  When I arrived to the poor forlorn woman sitting in her immobile transport I asked her to try to start the engine so I could hear what was happening.  Lo and behold, the baby Jeep started right away and purred like a kitten just awakened by the scent of catnip.  Some might think this was a coincidence but was it….or has this blogging community actually started transforming time??????  Ponder that for a while, leave your comments and vote on the September 7th poll!

MY RECOMMENDATION:

Leave September 7th as is….I can’t wait to see what happens next!  I would like to make one change, however.  Since, there seems to be a battle for the fate of women of ….um…purity…let’s make this a special celebration of those women who …..um….aren’t so…..um….pure!

Also, I’m going to check to see if Cher’s If I Could Turn Back Time is on the Songs page.  That’s a good one!

 View This Poll

That’s right.  I know I didn’t post yesterday and it wasn’t even National Procrastination Day.  Not that that would have mattered anyway because I would have put off celebrating it.  So this will be a quick blog so I can get caught up!

Events of interest:

• 1620 – The Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth, England to settle in America – I couldn’t find which cruise line they took but I’m sure the buffet was amazing!
• I also read that Santa Fe is 400 years old but references show dates from 1608-1610!  No matter…it is 0ne of my favorite places – even better now that Christina lives there

And there were a number of funny people born on 9/6…

• 1937:  JoAnne Worley – Is that a chicken joke?  Hilarious on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In
• 1944: Swoosie Kurtz – So funny in Love, Sidney television series
• 1947: Jane Curtin – Cute Conehead during the best years of Saturday Night Live
• 1958: Jeff Foxworthy – Made a fortune from being a redneck

I laughed, I cried…they became a part of me!!

There were a few deaths…Luciano Pavarotti and Ernest Tubbs….but no offense to them I need to get to the odd parts of the day and see if I can feebly relate them to time…the purpose of this blog….

Sitting quietly at the local Starbucks sipping my Venti Decaf Iced Latte when the beautiful wife next to me…leaps out of her chair with quite a panicked look on her face….It seems something had fallen from the ceiling on her….Hope you can see this -

Well...hellooooo

So…like the gentleman I am…I grabbed my Iphone to take a picture…Luckily, there was a man nearby who was kind enough to get rid of the lizard for us!  I figured there had to be some sort of Karma going on here that was somehow tied to the tracking of time….Here is the symbolism I found from Avia Venefica, creator of www.Whats-Your-Sign.com.

“Within the human collective consciousness, lizards are archetypes of:

• Adaptation
• Variation
• Flexibility
• Shrewdness
• Quickness
• Introversion

Lizards win these many of these attributes due to their cold blooded nature….Furthermore, most lizards are gifted with various forms of camouflage, and trickery to allude predators (like detaching their tails if caught by a hungry predator so that the lizard can escape to live another day).”

Oh dear….finally found something about time…

And last but not least….in the evening a praying mantis tried to get inside the house….back to find the symbolism from Avia….

“The mantis comes to us when we need peace, quiet and calm in our lives. Usually the mantis makes an appearance when we’ve flooded our lives with so much business, activity, or chaos that we can no longer hear the still small voice within us because of the external din we’ve created.

 After observing this creature for any length of time you can see why the symbolism of the praying mantis deals with stillness and patience. The mantis takes her time, and lives her life at her own silent pace.”

With that…I am done for blogging today…I’ll catch up tomorrow…September the 7th is going to be funny to write about!!

Comment and Vote…you know the routine…

MY RECOMMENDATION:

Keep September the 6th as is.  Make it an observation of stillness and peace!  Shhhhhh