~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
May 13th, 2011

★~ Today’s Quote: I believe in luck: how else can you explain the success of those you dislike?  ~Jean Cocteau

★~ Jump Like a Frog Day:

Let me make a leaping assumption: I’m doubtful that you’re going to jump like a frog today. True or false? And if you do jump like a frog, I am pretty sure you won’t say “ribbit, ribbit” while rapidly sticking your tongue in and out trying to catch flies. Am I right?

Or, here is another idea. We could borrow a couple of frogs, pull out the lawn chairs, make popcorn, and applaud whenever a frog jumps. Does anyone have a frog or two we could borrow? I’ll pop the corn. Do you like lots of butter and salt?

Let me be perfectly honest because up until now I have been lying. I have no idea how to celebrate frog jumping day or even why we celebrate it. Mark Twain wrote a short story, “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog.” It’s a tale of two men who placed bets on jumping frogs, and someone must have said, “Lets have a frog jumping day.” There seems to be some festivals organized around this day. One is called the, “Jumping Frog Jubilee.” Let’s just hope they don’t serve frog legs. That would be unkind and unlucky for the frogs.

★~ Today is Friday the 13th.

Check out “Did You Know” down below. I am sure I have written riveting, highly interesting facts about Friday 13th.

★~ Blame someone else day:

If you were not riveted by my Friday the 13th facts, it’s not my fault. Finally, a celebration that makes sense. My mother frequently says, “I’m not saying it’s your fault; I’m saying that I am blaming you.” Your mission today is to blame others. Point your finger and say, “SHE DID IT.” I know you can do it.

Today, my Odd friends go forth and play the blame game. And if you do decide to jump like a frog, please look both ways before jumping! Odd will not take the blame for any reader that is harmed while jumping like a frog on Friday the 13th.

★~ Today in History:

♥~1959 – Velcro was invented in 1959: I think you will find this story “fastener-ating.”  There once was a young, Swiss boy, named Georges de Mestral, whose dog became all matted and sticky after an encounter with the Burdock plant in the Swiss woods.  Now most of us would have just grabbed a Furminator and de-matted our faithful companion while swearing a little at the thistly plant that latched onto to our pants and pups, but not George; he took one look at those needy seed sacs’ burrs and stuck those babies under a microscope, where he noticed that each burr looked like a tiny hook. These hooks were what allowed the plant to cling viciously to his pants and dog’s fur. The inventor was hooked, and Velcro was invented 10 years later.

There were many who said that his idea was dumb and couldn’t be done, but Mestral replied with determination that he would be the one to say so once he’d tried. He stuck to it, day and night, and tackled the thing that couldn’t be done – and he did it! With the help of a weaver from a textile plant in France, Mestral perfected his hook and loop fastener and Velcro was born.

“Velcro”, a combination of the French words “velour” and “crochet,” is used today in hundreds of ways – from fastening toddler shoes to attaching the chambers in artificial hearts.

The lesson that Mestral taught is to take a second look at things that hook you in; don’t believe those who say it “cannot be done”; after all, sticking to something could pay off.

♥~ 1842 – Arthur (Seymour) Sullivan one have of the Gilbert and Sullivan writing team Together the duo wrote14 comic operas, including Trial by Jury (1875), The Mikado (1885), and The Pirates of Penzance (1879)

♥~ 1883- Georgios Nicholas Papanikolaou, who invented the Pap smear.

♥~ 1922 – Bea (Beatrice) Arthur (Bernice Frankel) actress: The Golden Girls, Maude, Mame; died Apr 25, 2009

♥~ 1939 – Harvey Keitel actor: Smoke, Pulp Fiction, Rising Sun, The Piano, Sister Act, Thelma and Louise, Bugsy, The Two Jakes, The Last Temptation of Christ, Death Watch, Blue Collar, Taxi Driver, Mother, Jugs and Speed, Shining Star, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Mean Streets, Holy Smoke, U-571

♥~ 1950 – Stevie Wonder singer, At the tender age of ten, Little Stevie Wonder, as he was called by Berry Gordy at Motown, was discovered singing and playing the harmonica. The child prodigy got a little bigger and in his teen years recorded Fingertips (his first hit) and My Cherie Amour; co-wrote I was Made to Love Her, For Once in My Life and Tears of a Clown. If You Really Love Me was a #1 hit and Stevie was just 20 years old. Stevie Wonder won an Oscar in 1984 (I Just Called to Say I Love You); induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989; and sixteen Grammy Awards.

♥~ 1960 – Julianne Phillips actress: Sisters, Allie & Me, Big Bully, The Only Way Out, Fletch Lives, Odd Jobs, Jealousy

♥~ 1964 – Stephen Colbert actor, producer, writer, TV satirist: The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live,

★~ Did You Know:

♥~ As many as 21 million Americans will change their behavior on Friday the 13th.

♥~ Every month has a 13th but no single year has more than three Friday the 13th’s and on average there are two. 2011 will only have 1 Friday the 13th.

♥~ Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

♥~ Months with a Friday the 13th always begin on a Sunday.

♥~ Infamous murderers Charles Manson, Harold Shipman, Frederick West, Saddam Hussein, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Theodore Bundy, and Jack the Ripper each have 13 letters in their names.

♥~ Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Despite being a superb quarterback (some call him one of the best ever), he got to the Super Bowl just once, in 1985, and was trounced 38-16 by the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana (who wore No. 16 and won all four Super Bowls he played in)

♥~ President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.

♥~ Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.

♥~ Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. “It was bad luck,” Twain later told the friend. “They only had food for 12.”

♥~ In Formula 1, there is no car with the number 13. The number has been removed after two drivers were killed in crashes — both driving cars numbered 13.

♥~ There is no 13th Avenue in San Francisco, instead Funston Avenue is between 12th and 14th Avenues. There is however a 13 Street. It’s covered by the Central Skyway making it one of the darkest and ugliest streets in San Francisco.

♥~ The number 13  might suffer an inferiority complex from following in the tough numerical steps of number 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number — 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

♥~ In a traditional hangman’s noose there are 13 twists of the rope and 13 steps to the gallows

♥~ Folklore remedies for triskaidekaphobia include climbing to the top of a mountain or skyscraper and burning all the socks you own that have holes in them. Another is to stand on your head and eat a piece of gristle.

★~Today’s Silly

A frog goes into a bank and walks up to the window. He can see from the teller’s nameplate that the teller’s name is Patricia Whack. So he says, “Ms. Whack, I’d like to get a loan to buy a yacht and go on a cruise.” Ms. Whack asks how much money he wants to borrow. The frog says around $55,000. Ms. Whack asks the frog his name and he replies “Kermit Jagger, it shouldn’t be a problem, I know the branch manager.” Ms. Whack explains that $55,000 is a large sum of money and that he will need to put up something as collateral against the loan. She asks “do you have anything as collateral?” Kermit says, “Sure, I have this,” and produces a small pewter cricket, about an inch tall. Stunned, Ms. Whack explains that she’ll have to speak with the branch manager and walks into an office at the front of the bank. She finds the branch manager and says: “There’s a frog by the named of Kermit Jagger out there who says he knows you and wants to borrow $55,000. He wants to use this as collateral.” She holds up the small pewter cricket. “Like, what is this thing suppose to be?” So the branch manager looks back at her and says:

ARE you READY?

You’re warned!

“It’s a knick knack, Patti Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man’s a Rolling Stone.”

#

Well..did you jump like a frog today??  I am a bit worn out from all of yesterdays limericking around but I will try to jump a time or two today in honor of the frog but I am not saying ribbit ribbit…I have my limits. Does Friday the 13th worry you  or do you believe the belief is what is unlucky?  If you have a spare minute drop me a comment because Odd Loves Company!