DIANE'S CORNER ...

Celebrate Wonderful Weirdos Day

Nothing’s quite as dull as being normal, boring and average. Celebrate being weird, and celebrate the weirdos in your life on Wonderful Weirdos Day.

Make an effort to be weird by dressing weirdly, doing weird things and encouraging weirdness with your friends and in the workplace!

thanks for the Blast From the Past pics,

Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Elton John performing at Dodgers Stadium, 1975

Joke of the Day

TRAINLOAD CRASH

A truckload of tortoises crashed into a trainload of terrapins.

It was a turtle disaster.

Word of the Day

eustress

MEANING:

noun: A positive, beneficial form of stress.

ETYMOLOGY:

Coined by the endocrinologist Hans Selye (1907-1982). From Greek eu- (good) + stress, from shortening of distress or from Old French estressei (narrowness or oppression), from Latin strictus, from stringere (to bind tight). Earliest documented use: 1950s.

NOTES:

Eustress is happy stress. Some examples of eustress are excitement at starting a new job, an upcoming wedding, etc. In general, mild stress works as eustress, bringing motivation and spurring action. Too much stress results in distress.

USAGE:

“Ann was mired ankle-deep in eustress. If she pulled one foot out of its boot, where would she put that foot while she pulled the other foot to freedom?”
Elizabeth Schaeffer; The Skein; Trafford; 2012.

Idiom of the Day

CHEAP AS CHIPS

When something is inexpensive or good value for money
It doesn’t look it, but our new sofa was (as) cheap as chips!

This Day in History

1776 - The second Continental Congress officially made the term "United States", replacing the previous term "United Colonies."

1850 - California became the 31st state to join the union.

1898 - In Omaha, NE, Tommy Fleming of Eau Claire, WI won the first logrolling championship.

1893 - U.S. President Grover Cleveland's wife, Frances Cleveland, gave birth to a daughter, Esther. It was the first time a president's child was born in the White House.

1904 - Mounted police were used for the first time in the City of New York.

1926 - The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) was created by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA).

1950 - Sal Maglie (New York Giants) pitched a fourth consecutive shutout. Only four other pitchers in the National League had ever accomplished this feat.

1956 - Elvis Presley made his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show "Toast of the Town." He was shot from just the waist up during the performance. Elvis would make a total of three appearances on the show.

1965 - Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched the eighth perfect game in major league baseball history.

1971 - Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings retired from the National Hockey League (NHL).

1986 - Frank Reed was taken hostage in Lebanon by pro-Iranian kidnappers. The director of a private school in Lebanon was released 44 months later.

1994 - The space shuttle Discovery blasted off on an 11-day mission.

1998 - Four tourists who had paid $32,500 each were taken in submarine to view the wreckage of the Titanic. The ship is 2 miles below the Atlantic off Newfoundland.

2009 - The iTunes Music Store reached 8.6 billion songs sold.

thanks, Lillian

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, September 9

Although you are a little hard to read, you are a gentle person with huge stores of compassion as well as many, many moods. As confident as you may seem, you are uncomfortable with criticism and disharmony around you, and you grow to be an expert at smoothing over situations and calming people around you. You possess a wonderful balance between logic and intuition. It may be too easy to fall into ruts, but your innate intuition and ambition will allow you to rise above these periods of inertia. Others find your perspective, ideas, and advice especially unique and irreplaceable. In relationships, you may stay longer than most would in a difficult set-up. You have staying power, however, and this can serve you well. This can also translate literally as a long life and good health overall. Famous people born today:

1754 William Bligh, British naval commander (mutinied against on HMS Bounty), born in Plymouth (probable), England (d. 1817)

1828 Leo Tolstoy [Lev Nikolayevich], Russian novelist (Anna Karenina, War and Peace), born in Yasnaya Polyana, Russia (d. 1910)

1890 Colonel Harland Sanders, American founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, born in Henryville, Indiana (d. 1980)

1923 Clifford "Cliff" Robertson, American actor (Charly, Spider-Man) and spokesman for AT&T, born in La Jolla, California (d. 2011)

1966 Adam Sandler, American actor and comedian (Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Saturday Night Live), born in Brooklyn, New York

1980 Michelle Williams, American actress (Dawson's Creek), born in Kalispell, Montana

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:

OMG was added to dictionaries in 2011, but its first known use was in 1917.

The Scots have a word for that panicky hesitation you get when you can’t remember someone’s name: tartle.

Before Stephen Hillenburg created SpongeBob SquarePants, he taught marine biology.

2.

CELESTIAL EVENT TONIGHT

Neptune at Opposition

The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

3.

Historic Downtown Jersey City Farmers' Market 2019

Apr 29 - Dec 23, 2019 | Jersey City, NJ

Grove PATH Plaza|325 Grove St

hoboken-girl-blog-historic-downtown-jc-farmers-2

The Historic Downtown Farmers' Market keeps on growing and growing. More vendors are popping up yearly to serve you the freshest local produce, baked goods and other delicious fare. From May to December, you can take a stroll through the market to stock up on these goodies before the devastating winter swoops in and reduces you to frequent trips through the drive-thru.

further information: Downtown Jersey City, NJ

4.

Media Dining Under the Stars 2019

May 1 - Sept 27, 2019 | Media, PA

Along West State Street between Jackson and Orange Streets|

W State St & S Olive St

There’s nothing romantic about being stuffed in a dingy restaurant populated with sweaty diners. The City of Love inspires this festival in Media, Pennsylvania, by situating the dinner table under the night sky. Lit by shiny stars rather than wax candles, guests will dine in style with the area’s many restaurants.

further information: Media Dining Under the Stars

5.

Mt. Airy Supper Sessions on the Avenue 2019

Aug 29 - Oct 10, 2019 | Philadelphia, PA

7100 Block of Germantown Avenue|Germantown Ave & W Sedgwick St

Image result for Mt. Airy Supper Sessions on the Avenue 2019 Aug 2019 Dates Unconfirmed | Philadelphia, PA

In the early fall, the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, throws a feast of a festival called the Street Fare. Food establishments and vendors from one of the city’s most historic areas set up for one day on Germantown Avenue, a street and trolley line with an old fashioned eastern American feel. The food is typically of very fine quality, as are the craft beers, wines and cocktails that can be purchased. There is live music with a hip Philly bent, crafts for sale, and an area for kids and families at this flavorful affair.

further information: Home - Mt. Airy

Pictures of the day

Mammillaria spinosissima, also known as the spiny pincushion cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family, Cactaceae, endemic to the central Mexican states of Guerrero and Morelos, where they grow at elevations of approximately 1,600 to 1,900 metres (5,200 to 6,200 ft). The species was described in 1838 by James Forbes, gardener of the Duke of Bedford. Botanist David Hunt collected a specimen in 1971, when he located one near Sierra de Tepoztlan, Mexico. The cylindrical and elongated plants grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in) tall and 10 centimetres (3.9 in) wide. They reach full height after five to ten years. The spines are red-brown or white, with cream-colored radials and pink, funnel-shaped flowers that grow in a ring around the apex of the stem to approximately 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long. It grows low to the ground in solitary or in clusters, and its flowers produce generally bright red berries that are club-shaped, smooth, and juicy. This picture shows an M. spinosissima cactus of the 'rubrispina' ('Super Red') variety.

TWO SWISS GIRLS PERFECTLY RECREATE

HOMER EATING THROUGH NEW ORLEANS