Is it a holiday or not?

So Wednesday is Groundhog Day, is it a holiday or not? I usually base my answer on this criteria, does it have movies about it? Does it have songs about it? I've never seen a movie about Arbor Day but it gets listed on calenders along with St. Valentines Day and St. Patrick's Day. Songs about Arbor Day? Not that I can recall ( I will give it Trees, a poem by Joyce Kilmer) so I think Arbor Day gets tossed aside as a non holiday. I guess all love songs are ok for Valentine's Day and there was even a movie call Valentines Day, so February 14th stays in the holiday pile. Don't even get me started on St. Patrick's Day, it makes it on all levels. St. Patrick's Day even can be called the high holy days. (notice the s, St. Patrick's Day is a week long celebration along the lines of Mardi Gras) so let's take a look at Groundhog day. Does it have a movie? Yes, Bill Murry at his best, a TV weather man who gets stuck in Punxsutawany PA. (home of "Phil" the official groundhog)and relives groundhog day over and over. Does it have a song? yes, I've never heard it but according to Songfacts, I"ll be gone by Mayday and the accompanying video Groundhog Day received over 2 million views a day after it appeared on youtube. Works for me Groundhog's Day is a holiday. So everyone have a great day and look to see your shadow. I can't wait for Hallmark to read this posting and start putting out Groundhog day cards. I wonder if I will get a royalty?

Happy Birthday Maureen

Happy Birthday Maureen!!!

Today is my sister Maureen's birthday. I won't say how old but last year we had a giant 50th Birthday Bash. This is a photo of Maureen dancing with our mother at the party. Maureen has had a great influence on our family growing up. We went through all the changes in special education over the 60's and 70's. From being taxied to a special class in Revena to finishing from the same high school as John and I (GCHS 3- Holy Names 2, we win). John learned to be tolerant of others as I was inclined to hit first, John would explain to the person and then hit them. Maureen has also been great for her nieces and nephews and now even grand nieces. I'm not going to say growing up with Maureen was easy, we saw way, way too many episodes of the Walton's and she does know when every airing of pro wrestling is on, but I would not have changed it for a million dollars.

So, the reason for today's posting is not just to say happy birthday to Maureen because I forgot to mail her a card (true) but Maureen knows everyone's birthday in the family. I have trouble with my four kids and Sara (I'm getting better thanks to facebook) but because Maureen is the best sister a guy could ask for.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow someplace else

Three days of snow this week and one day added freezing rain just for fun. Now I know that there are people who love the snow, "Look how beautiful it is " but as the season progresses most people start to dislike, nay, hate the snow. We all know this and that's why Mother Nature has a PR Firm working for her. As we head into the winter season we all sing songs of the joys of snow, Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, Baby It's Cold Outside, and even after The Christmas season we have James Taylor singing,
Now the first of December was covered with snow
And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
Now the Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frosting

So you think that winter is the only season that people get tired of, but you'd be wrong. Mother Natures firm is hard at work for all the seasons. You see we are a very fickle creature. Spring is a bit different because we long for it. We even look to the groundhog to tell us what we already knew, that spring is still over a month away. Spring sticks it's head out in March but then come the April rains. So for Spring we dislike it right away so we tell rhymes of spring "April Showers bring May Flowers". Baseball season begins in April so sometimes we forget the so so days with a longing for our youth and a game of pitch and catch. Before you know it Summer has arrived. Now Summer can get hard, and we are warned about it, The dog days of August. So we have a few songs about summer,
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer

Autumn brings the end of summer and the changing of the leaves. How beautiful the woods seem under a canopy of orange, red and yellow. The time for strolls in the park and a light sweater, ah nature at it's best. Before long you are spending every free moment in the yard with a rake and after you rake the leaves from the trees in your yard and bag them and drag them to the street. You spend the next weekend raking the leaves that the wind blew from your neighbors yard because HE doesn't rake his leaves the lazy bastard, so it's bag and drag all over again. The only respite is that the baseball season is having the World Series and Football season has started. Don't think Autumn is without song, Autumn Leaves, Harvest Moon, Forever Autumn to name a few.
By the time winter returns we have been singing Winter Wonderland and White Christmas for weeks and can't wait for it to snow again. That Mother Nature is pretty smart.

Living in the stone age

OK, so it's not the stone age exactly but I have been without cable and Internet for a week now. I am in the process of changing to just Internet service. I am opting out of cable due to the cost somewhat but more because working nights I miss prime time TV. I love TV, I am the television generation. I like dramas, sit coms almost everything they put out. I am turning my TV over to the net. I can see most of the shows that I want on sites like HULU and the network sites themselves. It just seems to be the thing to do for the future. I will get an antenna for my local stations and ta-da, I'm all set.
Living without cable for a week has been OK, I just pop in a dvd and get my fix but life without the net is tragic. The only access is my smart phone which is very limited. I can check up facebook and read this blog but writing the blog is out of the question and any web site that has photos and videos just shuts down the phone. I know that some people live with out the magic of www but they seem to be the same people that don't have a cell phone and don't seem to see the need for one. The other type of people without Internet are the paranoid group. "If I go on the web everyone will get my information". Like some hacker has been waiting just for you to finally join the 21st century. I give a pass to the older generation, my mother thinks she can't call me because she has a land line phone and I only have a cell. I told her it was a phone not a walkie- talkie but she doesn't get it. I use my phone as a watch, I text all the time. The one thing I do the least on my phone is talk.

So please excuse me if the post are a little scarce for the next week or so I am trying to get things back on track as soon as possible. [today's post is courtesy of the public library I need to type quick I'm running out of time]