Pizza Day - February 9, 2019

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Pizza Day

Pizza Day, your time to get your pizza eating game on! Yes, you heard correctly! A whole day – 24 happy hours – to celebrate that yummy carb that almost no one can do without! From the humble beginning to today’s gourmet offerings pizza has captured the heart and stomachs of people around the globe. Do you like the traditional cheese and pepperoni? Are you more adventurous and need to show that in your pizza toppings? Now is time to show the world!

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History of Pizza Day

You can say that Pizza Day started in the 10th century in Naples, Italy. This is when records first show the presence of pizza. It started out as a simple flatbread spread with sauce and sprinkled with cheese. I bet the women who most likely made this as a creative snack for their families had no idea the sensation that they had whipped up.

Drive around any American city and I am sure you will be able to find a pizza place on almost every corner. From the chains that boast a perfect pizza exactly like every other one made from any of their stores to the quaint mom and pop restaurants that share their family traditions with us year after year.

Which do you prefer? Personally, I like them both. Sometimes those commercials and funny jingles just get into my mind and make me drive over for a slice!

Pizza made its mark on America in 1905. In New York City, a pizzeria called Lombardi’s created the spark that would light hearts across the country from then until now – and with no conceivable end in sight! Amazingly, they are still in business! If you want to taste that first real pizza to hit American shores, head over to Little Italy in Manhattan and check them out.

AWESOME HISTORIC PHOTOS

Japanese woman looking fabulous in a kimono in 1896.

Word of the Day

safari

MEANING:

noun: An expedition to observe (or, in the past, to hunt) wild animals in their natural habitat.
verb intr.: To go on such an expedition.

USAGE:

“In this vision, the arrival of a wandering tiger becomes a positive event for villagers, an opportunity to offer tourists homestays, or put on small-scale safaris.”
A Tiger’s Tale; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 23, 2017. 

Elvis Presley in his front yard in Memphis, Tennessee.

Idiom of the Day

Sick and Tired

To be angry and bored because something unpleasant has been happening for too long and it can no longer be tolerated.

Example: You've been giving me the same old excuses for months and I'm sick and tired of hearing them!

Similar idiom:  A similar expression with the same meaning is to say 'sick to death'. For example: "I've been treated like dirt for two years now and I'm sick to death of it!"

In 1913, two children were mailed by post and rail. (In other words, someone put a stamp on their kids and sent them to another location.) Soon after, this was outlawed by the parcel post.

This Day in History

1870 - The United States Weather Bureau was authorized by Congress. The bureau is officially known as the National Weather Service (NWS). 

1895 - Volley Ball was invented by W.G. Morgan. 

1932 - America entered the 2-man bobsled competition for the first time at the Olympic Winter Games held at Lake Placid, NY. 

1950 - U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy charged that the State Department was riddled with Communists. This was the beginning of "McCarthyism."

1960 - The first star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star was for Joanne Woodward. 

1962 - Neil Sedaka recorded "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" for the first time. 

1964 - The Beatles made the first of three record-breaking appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show." 73 million people watched the show. It was their American TV debut. 


1969 - The Boeing 747 flew its inaugural flight. 

1971 - The Apollo 14 spacecraft returned to Earth after mankind's third landing on the moon. 


1997 - "The Simpsons" became the longest-running prime-time animated series. "The Flintstones" held the record previously. 




DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, February 9

You are a person who is very committed to what you believe in, and sometimes very stubbornly so! You are a true artist at heart--creative to an extreme, and sometimes nervous if you are not channeling your considerable artistic talent constructively. Compassionate and concerned, you care much about others, but often come across in a detached manner. It is very important that you finish the projects you start, which is not always easy for you, in order to feel content and satisfied. Famous people born today: 

1773 William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States (Whig: March 4-April 4, 1841), born in Charles City, Virginia (d. 1841)

1891 Ronald Colman, English actor (Tale of 2 Cities), born in Richmond, England (d. 1958)

1923 Brendan Behan, Irish author and poet(Borstal Boy, The Hostage), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1964)

1944 Alice Walker, American novelist (Color Purple, Meridian), born in Putnam County, Georgia

1970 Glenn McGrath, Australian cricket fast bowler (124 Tests, 563 wickets @ 21.64)), born in Dubbo, New South Wales

READERS INFO

1.

1964 -

On this day, The Beatles made the first of three record-
breaking appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show." 73 million
people watched the show. It was their American TV debut. 

2.

Dallas South Asian Film Festival 2019

Feb 2019 Dates Unconfirmed | Dallas, TX

AMC Village on Parkway 9|5100 Belt Line Rd

The Dallas South Asian Film Festival showcases independent cinema that promotes and showcases the culture of Southern Asia. Screenings include short, feature-length and documentary films. The festival provides filmmakers with an opportunity to present their work while audiences have a chance to get a taste of South Asian culture and enjoy quality entertainment.

further information: DFW South Asian Film Festival

3.

Winter Jam 2019

Feb 9, 2019 | Little Rock, AR 

Verizon Arena|1 Verizon Arena Way

Winter Jam is a travelling music festival featuring some of the top names in Christian Music. It is the biggest and most popular annual Christian Music tour and has dates in cities across the States. In addition to spirited gospel music covering a variety of genres, the event includes worship and ministry and a Q&A session with select artists.

further information: Winter Jam · Winter Jam Spectacular 2019


Norma Jean (aka Marilyn Monroe) working in a factory in 1944.

Pictures of the day

Abbey of Senanque, located in France, Provence, Vaucluse, Gordes village. An abbey is a Christian monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serve as the spiritual father or mother of the community.

WHITE SHARK IN THAILAND

The young Whale Shark was swimming in the Gulf of Thailand at a popular dive site called Sail Rock near the island of Koh Pha Ngan. The brief encounter was was captured whilst diving the remote reef which the graceful giant was using as cleaning station, a sort of car wash for big fish.

A first class suite on the Titanic before it sank in 1912.

knit, Valentine's Day

"Kiss Me" Candy Dishcloth

knit
thanks, Helen

Super Chunky Swirl Hat

knit
thanks, Eve

Olivia

knit

Knitted Terrarium Hanger
knit

Knotted Cable Stitch

This is worked over a panel of 10 stitches. 10 rows form the pattern.

1st row (RS): (P2, K2) twice, P2.

2nd row: (K2, P2) twice, K2.

3rd row: P2, sl next 4 sts on to cable needle and hold at front of work, K2, sl the 2 P sts back on to needle, take cable needle to back of work, P2 then K2 from cable needle, P2.

4th row: As 2nd row.

5th row: As 1st row.

6th – 9th rows: Rep 4th-5th rows twice.

10th row: As 2nd row.

NOTE: Working knotted cable, 3rd row (A): Purl 2 stitches, slip the next 4 stitches on left-hand needle on to the cable needle and hold at front of work.

A leaning mannequin from an atomic bomb test site in Nevada during the mid-50s.

Crochet Pattern of the Day: Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Coco Crochet Slouchy Hat

Frank Sinatra getting his shave on in 1965.
crochet, Valentine's Day
thanks, Marge

Heart Coin Purse
crochet
thanks, Laura

crochet hooded sweater

crochet

Free Crochet Pattern: Little C's Silly Hand Puppets

crochet

Crochet Textured Cushion

crochet

LOST IN TIME

https://mijocrochet.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/lostintimeeng.pdf

Here we have gal pals Anjelica Huston and Liza Minnelli on a road trip back in 1975. Actress and singer Liza May Minnelli is primarily known for her Academy Award-winning role as Sally Bowles in the 1972 musical film Cabaret. Minnelli is also the daughter of film actress and singer Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli. This photo was taken not long after Anjelica Huston moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley

Israeli Couscous, Eggplant and Tomato Gratin

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016786-israeli-couscous-eggplant-and-tomato-gratin?

Louis Réard, the inventor of bikini, with a model in 1946. Not many people know this, but he named his creation after the Bikini Atoll, which was the site of nuclear weapon tests. But why? He felt his new swimsuit would create an "explosive commercial and cultural reaction."

CROCKPOT RECIPE
thanks, Gail

Creamy Hash Brown Potatoes

A very early (and very creepy) sketch of Mickey Mouse...whoa.

SWEETS ... vegan

Honey-Almond Popcorn (+ At the Drive-In)

A special mask designed to help you focus would make the wearer deaf and limit his or her vision. Why not just go to the library? Right??

ADULT COLORING

Phyllis George of Denton, Texas was first made Miss Texas in 1970, and was then and was crowned Miss America 1971. She was also First Lady of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983. The businesswoman, actress, and former sportscaster. In 1975 she joined the cast of The NFL Today, co-hosting live pregame shows before National Football League games. She was actually one of the first women to secure a prominent role in national television sports coverage.

CRAFTS ... Valentine's Day

thanks, Doris

valentines - colourful bookmarks

The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combine their athleticism with elements of theater and comedy in their routines. The team is incredibly popular, and they play over 450 live events worldwide. To date, they've played more than 26,000 exhibition games in over 122 countries and territories over the past years. Knowing all that information, it's funny to see these professionals in awe of Goldie Hawn showing off her own personal skills with a basketball.

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... Valentine's Day

thanks, Sonja

DIY Animal Envelope VALENTINES!

The world’s first wedding car, cruising down the street in 1903.

PUZZLE

Gazania Sunshine Mix Jigsaw Puzzle

A chill looking California beach party in 1930.

WORD SEARCH

actor agile card change concentrate curse donor

elect evict extra foil foot from glass govern great

island least master person power price recipe relay

remain responsible rope roust series softly stock store survive

table target trade until utmost voice wrench

A police officer and an old fashioned holding cell, circa 1921.

SUDOKU ... very hard

solution:

This whiskey dispenser was often installed in OFFICES in the 1950s

QUOTE

thanks, Patty

A construction worker stands on a beam of building at 40 Wall Street, 1930. Safety precautions? Nah.

A young Pablo Picasso in front of Le Bateau-Lavoir, Montmartre, Paris.

CLEVER

Clean Your Oven With Oranges

Put orange peels in a jar with vinegar, then sprinkle baking soda in the oven and scrub with the solution.

EYE OPENER

Where to Travel in 2019 According to Your Astrological Sign

afar

For astrology adherents, the stars can guide your travels in 2019.

Looking to find the perfect travel adventure in 2019? We asked an astrologist for the very best destination matches, based on your sun sign.

For tens of thousands of years, we humans have looked up to the night sky in hopes that some meaning, some reason for being, might be reflected back to us. For travelers, cosmically checking in means breaking out of our immediate sphere and risking the bumpy metaphorical ride through the asteroid belt to find Jupiter. The largest of the planets, Jupiter represents that which helps us to expand beyond the familiar. Hope, mission, meaning, and purpose are just a few of Jupiter’s astrological themes—and how can we reignite hope, define our mission, clarify meaning, and find our purpose back on Earth? By traveling! Indeed, travel allows us to break free of the familiar and to expand our experience by seeing new places, engaging in different cultures, and entertaining other points of view.

Jupiter spends about a year in each sign due to its 12-year orbit. Significantly for 2019, Jupiter is traveling through its Sagittarius “home” for much of the year, making for more enriched travel experiences. Sagittarius is the partygoer, the student traveling abroad, and the learned, wise philosopher—which, in turn, cosmically encourages us, on our own travels, to more fully enjoy life at the party, search for a more meaningful and sustainable joy as the traveling student, and integrate and share what we have learned in our travels as the wise philosopher. With that in mind, here are some astrologist-sourced destination suggestions for finding the absolute maximum joy in travel in 2019, based on your sun sign:

Capricorns would do well to seek out an isolated ocean escape in 2019; this quiet strip in the Maldives might just do the trick.

Capricorn 
December 22–January 19
You work so hard. And you have been so noble and diligent that it is high time for some reward to flow back to you. You must now attend to your more spiritual and reflective side. Get ye to a mountaintop retreat or isolated ocean cabana (Treebones Resort in Big Sur, California would be a perfect fit), or find your own Walden Pond or sacred cathedral and just sit and breathe. Amid all of the responsibility you have in the world, remember to care for you, too. 

Best months to travel: Travel in March and September.

Group trips suit Aquarians well in 2019: Consider surrounding yourself with like-minded people on an adventure to Machu Picchu.

Aquarius 
January 20–February 18
While the collective IQ of a group generally goes down as more people join it, you, dear Aquarius, have genius and wisdom to add (and receive) in those situations. Tap into the group setting with a trip to Washington, D.C. for a protest or to New York’s Hudson Valley for a group yoga retreat at the Omega Institute. Sometimes it can be a prickly area, I know, but surrounding yourself with like-minded people on an adventure to a spot such as Machu Picchu might just help you make your very own evolutionary leap.
Best months to travel: April and October are the best bets for Aquarius.

Pisces shouldn’t miss out on personal fun during their 2019 professional adventures, like catching the view from the Willis Tower Skydeck in Chicago.

Pisces 
February 19–March 20
Get work to pay for your travel! Wishful thinking, yes, but traveling for work or traveling to gain more mastery in your profession is highly recommended. You may be working more this year, so celebrate it. Give lectures on the opposite coast! Teach seminars in foreign lands! Throw a day or two on either side of the work trip and call it an enrichment program. Plan on at least two to four mini-trips in 2019. And be sure to check out the views while you’re there, whether your business takes you near to the Empire State Building, Willis Tower 

, or Burj Khalifa 

.
Best months to travel: May and November, followed by February and August.

Aries are encouraged to get far away from anything they have ever known in 2019. A trip through the Sahara Desert on camelback, perhaps?

Aries 
March 21–April 19
Do it. Just get out there and go. For Aries, the “where” truly doesn’t matter, as long as it is far, far away from anything you have ever known. If you’ve never left Kansas, get yourself to India. If you travel the globe, try rural Kansas! Perhaps try WWOOFing, wherein you can travel to, and work on, several different farms. Astrologically speaking, you have been undergoing a confrontation with how you define yourself compared to the “demands of the world.” Engage in the greatest personal quest possible, whenever it is possible in 2019, and you may find precisely what you’ve been looking for: yourself.
Best months to travel: June and December to maximize adventure.

Heed the calm-inspiring mantras of surfers and find a Taurus-primed getaway in 2019 that lets you kick back and relax.

Taurus 
April 20–May 20
Take a deep breath and relax; it’s some of the best advice offered by surfers. Bend your knees and feel your feet. As the waves churn, crescendo, calm, and roll back again this year, your best travel experiences in 2019 are those in which the journey lies within. Healing-themed and even shamanic retreats are highly recommended; just be sure to take along someone you trust. Google “shamanic healing retreats” to find what suits your personal journey best.
Best months to travel: January and June are suggested travel months.

The crystal ball for Geminis reveals a 2019 travel calendar filled with friends and clinking glasses.

Gemini 
May 21–June 20
The 2019 crystal ball for Gemini reveals wine glasses clinking and dear friends calling you toward adventure. Surprise offers of magical mystery tours in the Amazon or back roads of the state where you went to college? Island hopping in the Caribbean, perhaps? Comparing the wines of Sonoma and Napa? If you are married, this is the year for a second honeymoon, and if you are not and want to be, travel with friends and perhaps that will lead on a path toward a first honeymoon?
Best months to travel: February and July are your best travel months.

Cancers might set off on that yoga retreat they’ve been eyeing for a perfect 2019 vacation.

Cancer 
June 21–July 22
On the one hand, your greatest adventure lies within the rhythm of daily life, as if simply “being here, now” will offer you the most meaningful journey. On the other, the need to explore other realms is paramount. Perhaps now is the time for that yoga retreat you’ve been eyeing (El Sabanero Eco Lodge in Costa Rica is one good bet), while a voluntourism outing building homes in a third-world country could be meaningful and fun, as well. Travel to better yourself in 2019 because, looking ahead, the cosmic scene in 2020 will require your mastery.
Best months to travel: March and September are best.

The 2019 travel forecast for Leos looks lucky: Consider rolling the dice on a vacation to Monte Carlo.

Leo 
July 23–August 22
Lucky. This really can’t be said for anyone else in quite the same way as it can be for you, Leo; wherever your adventure takes you this year, it’s time to par-tay! Roll the dice because luck is on your side: Monte Carlo or Vegas could easily satisfy. Set out dancing, game-playing, and just letting out a big sigh of relief after a tough year. (But don’t get too wild!)
Best months to travel: Your best travel months are April and October.

A retreat into nature, far from other humans, is highly recommended for Virgos this year.

Virgo 
August 23–September 22
Back to basics this year, Virgo friends—keep it simple and sweet like grandma’s apple pie. In fact, retreats to the farm, the deep woods, the lakeside cabin, or wherever the family reunion is are bound to be rejuvenating and joyous. Silence is your call this year, so remote spots in nature like Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness or anywhere else far away from other humans is highly recommended.
Best months to travel: Your best travel months are May and November.

Libras would do well with lots of close-to-home mini-vacations in 2019.

Libra 
September 23–October 22
Long adventures can teach us so much. We can break out of the routine and truly find what we need for our inner peace and happiness. But fortunate are those who can take many shorter adventures, too. Dear Libra: Can you slip out on an adventure a month? At least four mini-vacations, please? You can see and learn something new each time! Find the best spots 200 miles to the north, south, east, and west of you and set out to discover them.
Best months to travel: Head out in March, June, September, and December.

The stars indicate a good climate for Scorpios to push boundaries and try new things in the year ahead.

Scorpio 
October 23–November 21
Don’t you dare underestimate what you are capable of, Scorpio! Always wanted to skydive, but lacked the gumption? To sail the seven seas, but never had the nerve? This is the year to fall in love with yourself again, so do something you’ve always wanted to do just for you! You know what you have to do more than any astrologer could tell you—go for it in 2019.
Best months to travel: February and August rank tops.

No matter what adventure Sagittarians choose in 2019 (Petra, Jordan, sounds good, doesn’t it?), it’s bound to be a great one.

Sagittarius 
November 22–December 21
Jupiter is your “ruling planet” and maintains its greatest affinity with Sagittarius. As mentioned above, Jupiter is at home in—and at its most powerful—in Sagittarius, for 2019. With this once-in-12-year position in its orbit, 2019 is your best bet for many years to come to claim an adventure at every moment. It’s your choice, so spin the wheel! No matter what you decide on, it is bound to expand your life, broaden your horizons, and open a whole new chapter.
Best months to travel: Go anytime and all of the time; for Sag, there are no rules and no boundaries.