★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
October 16, 2013

Updated 2014

★~ Today’s Quote:  “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”  ― Rudyard Kipling

 

★~ Dictionary Day (Favorite Word Day) 

Dictionary Day – is also known as Noah Webster’s Birthday, and throughout the English-speaking world, small children placed their dictionary stands by the hearthstone, hoping that Noah himself would magically come down the chimney and leave them a shiny new dictionary (left open to the word “dictionary,” of course). In some places, Dictionary Day is celebrated with bonfires of the past years’ dictionaries, the baking of the traditional aardvark-shaped cookies, and the singing of etymology carols.

No? That didn’t happen in your household? Ok, it didn’t happen in mine, either. In fact, if past years’ Dictionary Days are anything to go by, celebrations will consist entirely of anemic press releases from dictionary publishers trying to make Dictionary Day into a kind of Sweetest Day holiday, pushing the purchase of new dictionaries instead of single roses and greeting cards. It’s not working perhaps we we should expand our thinking about dictionaries. Language is power – we understand that words can move us to tears or laughter, inspire us to great deeds or urge us to mob action. Dictionaries are the democratization of that power, and the more words they contain, the more democratic they are. The dictionary is a gigantic armory and toolbox combined, accessible to all. It reflects our preoccupations, collects our cultural knowledge, and gives us adorable pictures of aardvarks, to boot. And it does all this one word at a time. Now who can deny the dictionary in book form or on line isn’t worthy of celebration?

So if we did want to turn Dictionary Day into a real holiday – or at least one that could compete with the pirates – how could we go about it? The first thing to do would be to take the focus from the container to what’s inside. Change Dictionary Day to Word Day – or better yet, Favorite Word Day – and watch the parties break out! (That might be a slight exaggeration, but at the very least we’d see a hashtag on Twitter.) Lets start right now! What is your favorite word?

★~ Boss’s Day:

Boss’s Day dates back to 1958 when State Farm Insurance employee Patricia Bays Haroski registered the date with the government. Haroski wanted to honor her father (who was also her boss!) for all the advice he gave to her and her siblings throughout their careers. She chose his birthday as the date for this special holiday!

Why not buy your boss a cup of coffee today in celebration of National Boss’s Day!

★~ Liqueur Day:

A liqueur is a strong alcoholic beverage that has been sweetened with herbs, fruits, nuts, cream, or spices. Liqueurs are traditionally served as after-dinner drinks or mixed with coffee.

The word “liqueur” comes from the Latin word “liquifacere,” which means “to dissolve or melt.” As early as 400 BC, the Egyptians and Greeks distilled wine to produce fortified spirits. They sweetened this concoction with cinnamon and honey—a combination that we still use today to create mead. In the thirteenth century, European monks and alchemists perfected the distillation process used to create liqueur. The liquid was primarily used for medicinal purposes.

Today, there are countless types and flavors of liqueur. Some of the most famous include Kahlúa, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Limoncello, Sambuca, and Jägermeister. Below are a few homemade liqueur recipes.

Triple sec (with oranges and sugar)

Drambuie (with fennel, honey and angelica root)

Sambuca (with anise and honey)

Grand Marnier (with cognac and orange zest)

Frangelico (with angelica root, vanilla and hazelnuts)

Kumquat liqueur

Cointreau (with brandy and oranges)

★~ Today in History:

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♥~ 1793 – Queen Marie Antoinette lost her head in a guillotine incident (she had been found guilty of treason) on this day. On the scaffold she accidentally stepped on the executioner’s foot, and her last words were, “Monsieur, I ask your pardon. I did not do it on purpose.”

♥~ 1941– Fry Me Cookie, with a Can of Lard was recorded by theWill Bradley Orchestra on Columbia. Ray McKinley, co-leader of the band, was featured.

♥~ 1955 – Mrs. Jules Lederer made news. She replaced Ruth Crowley as a columnist in 26 newspapers. Mrs. Crowley, a writer of advice to the lovelorn, had died in July of 1955 and was replaced by the woman whose advice column was seen in hundreds of newspapers. She wrote under the famous pen name, Ann Landers.‘Eppie’ Lederer, who died June 22, 2002, was also the twin sister of another advice columnist, Abigail Van Buren.

♥~ 1972 – John C. Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival called it a career … and the group disbanded. Fogerty would continue in a solo career with big hits including, Centerfield and The Old Man Down the Road.

♥~ 2010 – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that while immigrants are welcome in Germany, they must learn the language and accept the country’s cultural norms. “This multicultural approach, saying that we simply live side by side and live happily with each other has failed.Utterly failed.”

♥~ Born Today:

♥~ 1758 – Noah Webster author, lexicographer: Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language; died May 28, 1843

♥~ 1854 –  Oscar Wilde Irish wit, poet and playwright Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born at Dublin, Ireland. At the height of his career he was imprisoned for two years on a morals offense, during which time he wrote “A Ballad of Reading Gaol.” Best known of his plays is The Importance of Being Earnest. “We are all in the gutter,” he wrote in Lady Windermere’s Fan, “but some of us are looking at the stars.” Wilde died at Paris, France, Nov 30, 1900.

♥~ 1925 –  Angela Lansbury Tony Award-winning actress: Mame [1966], Dear World [1969], Gypsy [1975], Sweeney Todd [1979]; Murder, She Wrote, Death on the Nile,Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Harlow, Blue Hawaii, The Manchurian Candidate, The Long Hot Summer, The World of Henry Orient, The Harvey Girls, Picture of Dorian Gray, National Velvet; voice: teapot: Beauty and the Beast

♥~ 1946 – Suzanne Somers (Mahoney) actress: Three’s Company, She’s the Sheriff, Step by Step, American Graffiti, Seduced by Evil

♥~ 1947 – Bob (Robert Hall) Weir (Hall) musician: guitar, singer: group: The Grateful Dead: Touch of Grey, Truckin’; solo: LP: Ace, Heaven Help the Fool

♥~ 1958 – Tim Robbins Academy Award-winning actor: Mystic River [2003]; The Shawshank Redemption, Bull Durham, Short Cuts, Hudsucker Proxy; director: Dead Man Walking, Cradle Will Rock, Queens Supreme

♥~ 1977 –  John Mayer musician: guitar; songwriter, singer: Bigger Than My Body, Your Body Is a Wonderland, Love Song for No One, Back To You, No Such Thing,Comfortable, New Deep, Only Heart

★~Good to Know: 79 Common Mispronunciations 

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Tonight, we are taking our Saucy Aussie to a bar for a little line dancing. Ok, it’s a long story.  I’ll get back to you. Suffice to say we are having FUN.

The Teen Illini game. I threw a pass and we’ll see how it is received. I’ll share more after I hear back from my kid.

The Bug. I went for my first looonnnngggg ride yesterday—ahh the smell of exhaust, the bounce of seat springs, the jar of going over railroad tracks at a reckless 10 miles an hour and feeling wild, and crazy as you scream we are going to die–as the bugs does a wheelie when your teen cuts a corner a little to fast. Have I ever mentioned how much I loathe amusement park rides? Cole is going to invite our Aussie to go on a ride….I assured him she would love it. I can’t wait to hear what a high pitched Aussie accent sounds like. . . yes, I am a little bit evil.

What is your word of the day?

Odd Loves Company!