~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
September, 12, 2011

★~Today’s Quote: A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin. H.L.Mencken

★~ Video Game Day:

Happy National Video Games Day! I know you’ve all been eagerly awaiting this day, reserving a day off of work to spend quality time with your game controllers.. Wait!  You don’t have game controllers?  That could be a problem but perhaps you can celebrate by having lunch at Chuck E Cheese. Not up to being serenaded by big bears? Well, then just find a kid to wish Happy Video Game too and plan to be better prepared next July when Video Game Day opposed to National Video Game Day rolls around.

★~ Chocolate Mike Shake Day:

Smooth, frothy, rich, and sweet are just a few of the words that describe the chocolate milkshake! Did you know that the first reference to a milkshake appeared in a British newspaper in 1885? The original recipe called for a shot of whiskey!

With or without the whiskey add a Chocolate Milkshake to your Monday and start the week off right. El Morno Friend Nancy Leahey shared this link: Tipsy Triple-Chocolate Shakes and Strawberries.

★~ Harvest Moon:

So called because the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox extends the hours of light into the evening and helps the harvester with the long day’s work.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1954 – Lassie was seen on CBS-TV for the first time. Despite being called “girl” by Tommy Rettig, who starred as Jeff Miller, and Jan Clayton, who starred as Jeff’s mom, Ellen, Lassie was, in reality, a male dog. In fact, there were more than a half-dozen Lassie dogs doing stunts.

♥~ 1959 – NBC-TV launched Bonanza, the first color western on TV. In all, 428 episodes were produced as the show ran through Jan 16, 1973. Michael Landon played Little Joe, Lorne Greene was Ben Cartwright, and Dan Blocker played Hoss.

♥~ 1966 –  Hey, hey we’re the Monkees — and we don’t monkey around…” The theme song from the NBC-TV show, The Monkees, kicked off a fun-filled weekly series on this day in 1966.

♥~ 1966 – The Beatles received a gold record this day for Yellow Submarine.

♥~ 1970 – James Taylor’s first single, Fire and Rain, was released. Taylor scored 14 hits on the music charts in the 1970s and 1980s.

★~Born Today:

♥~  1880 – H.L. (Henry Louis) Mencken  newspaper journalist, critic: Baltimore Sun; author: The Smart Set, American Mercury, The American Language; son of cigarmaker, August Mencken; died January 29, 1956

♥~ 1940 – Linda Gray actress: Dallas, Models, Inc., Melrose Place

♥~ 1952 – Gerry Beckley singer: Grammy Award-winning [1972] group: America: A Horse with No Name, Sister Golden Hair, Tin Man, Ventura Highway, Lonely People, You

★~ Did You Know:

♥~ Sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer and video games.

♥~ The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 40 years old. In 2006, 93 percent of computer game buyers and 83 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.

♥~  The average social gamer is a 43-year-old woman!

♥~ It took the movie industry about 100 years to develop to maturity, but it only took video games 35 years, from the first baby steps of Pong (1972) to the virtual realism of Halo 3 (2007) (and of course, they’re still growing)

♥~  Your kid is not a gamer if they have not shared this fact with you: Surgeons who grew up playing video games make 37 percent fewer mistakes

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On Facebook (El Morno) the subject of James Taylor came up. Certainly an artist whose music contributed to and changed many lives: El Morno friend Stevie shared the following information:

“Taylor speaks of “Fire and Rain” in a 2005 NPR interview with Simon Scott explaining the song was written in three parts. The first part was indeed about Taylor’s friend Suzanne, who died while Taylor was in London working on his first album after being signed to Apple Records. Friends at home concerned that it might distract Taylor from his big break, kept the tragic news from him, and he only found out six months later. The second part details Taylor’s struggle to overcome drug addiction and depression. The third part deals with coming to grips with fame and fortune, looking back at the road that got him there. It includes a reference to James Taylor and The Flying Machine, a band he briefly worked with before his big break with Paul McCartney, Peter Asher, and Apple Records. (Delco Daily Top)

Speaking of contributions, starting tomorrow on El Morno I will be featuring sunrise pictures that are taken by friends and family whenever possible. I would love to include your pictures (with credit, of course), so send them to Katybeth@myoddfamily.com.

Did James Taylor influence your life? If you have a Morno Moment, leave a comment. Odd Loves Company.

I hope you have a most merry Monday!

Kb