My Own #GoofOff Day #PersonalDays #Holidays #Fun

Yesterday was National Goof Off Day. Sadly, the first I'd heard of this occurred yesterday morning and due to prior engagements, I was unable to do any goofing off. I have decided to rectify the situation by commandeering today in its stead. This is my personal Goof Off Day. Expect shenanigans.

First Day of #Spring: #VernalEquinox International #DayofHappiness + @DairyQueen #FreeConeDay

At 6:28a EDT this morning, Spring will officially arrive --- though it has seemingly been visiting all Winter as temperatures were consistently 10-20 degrees above normal --- with the Vernal Equinox. While I do not look forward to the allergen explosion, I do appreciate mild weather (and gardening season). So pup and I will get out for a leisurely sojourn this afternoon, after work.

Today is also the United Nations designated International Day of Happiness. Considering it's been shown that Winter can bring on the blues and blahs, it's only appropriate that the arrival of Spring should bring happiness. Expect smiles.

And finally, today is also DQ Free Cone Day! Dairy Queen celebrates its partnership with the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals by giving away a free small soft-serve vanilla cone in exchange for a donation to CMN Hospitals. Valid at participating (non-mall) Dairy Queen and DQ Grill & Chill locations. Limit 1 small cone per customer. Since launching the promotion in 1984, Dairy Queen has raised more than $110 million for CMN Hospitals. If you're near a DQ, pop in, donate to support a good cause and get a free ice cream. Ice cream equals happiness in my book.

All around, looks to be a top notch day. Carpe diem!

#SpringForward? Thank You Mr. Franklin? #DST

This morning, about two hours ago actually, we Spring Forward for Daylight Saving Time (DST). While I appreciate many of the things Ben Franklin did for us, I'm not certain I cotton to this one. (Franklin proposed the concept in 1784, but it was not adopted in modernity until roughly 100 years later.) I suppose as a child it made more of a difference for it to be "light" when I walked to school in the morning year round, but with all the artificial light polluting illuminating the world nowadays it seems more of an anachronism. If only we could return to a simpler time without lights. Wait, that's not right...

An hour "lost", but enlightenment gained? One can hope.

Post-Partypocalpse Zombie Zone #Autopilot

As I partied too much on Mardi Gras yesterday and have yet to actually make it to bed, I'm currently functioning on autopilot (let's hope my software is better than Tesla's which has hit a few bumps recently). I have a short list of things that should be done today, and I will try to get them done, but I don't know how that's going to work. Wish me luck!

The Morning After #Oscars2017 + #MardiGras Prep

Was up late partying and enjoying the movie mania surrounding the Oscars last night. And now, basically have a day's break before the next party... Mardi Gras. So, there's a lot to do today. I'd better get to it. (Surprisingly, there were some good moments at The Academy Awards last night, by the way --- and the crazy mix-up with the Best Picture winner, still processing that one.) Congratulations, to all the winners!

National Something Something Day? Overzealous Marketing Calendar

When did each day of the year get claimed in promotion of some product or other? I enjoy celebrations, I like having fun. However, this whole marketing ploy of claiming a day for carrots, magaritas and chocolate milk has gone a bit overboard. I mean, really? Not that this can't be a fun excuse for an impromptu party, but come on... 

If tomorrow is National Kumquat Day, I'm rolling over and going back to bed. It's just too much! (Sorry, kumquat.)

#PresidentsDay #Milkshakes #FrenchFries #Democracy + @vudufans @LegionFX

My Nostalgia Milkshake Maker is scheduled to arrive today. (Brown needs to get a move on it.) I'm planning to knock out work today, so that pup and I can party this afternoon for the Presidents' Day holiday (officially observed as Washington’s Birthday). We're making milkshakes and Cheerwine floats! (I recently discovered this recipe and figured this was a good excuse to try it out, because I have Cheerwine on hand, of course.)

In the spirit of the day, we're planning to watch the expected wall-to-wall news coverage of all the Presidents' Day protests and counter-protests in regards to the current presidential administration. We may have French fries, too --- though termed "French," this common side dish is all American, and thus perfect for such a patriotic holiday.

I'm also planning to watch Suicide Squad --- I borrowed the Blu-ray --- and the pilot episodes for some new television series, like Legion and Mad Dogs, that I downloaded via Vudu. (I use free pilot episodes to determine which programs to start watching, if any. And Vudu tends to offer the "first episode free" for most debuting television programs.) Our afternoon party should provide for a nice respite, before getting back to the grind tomorrow.

#ValentinesDay: #DoRight #RAOK #Love #Hallmark

In my early twenties, I worked at a Hallmark Gold Crown store for a time (while on leave from university) and I unfortunately worked on Valentine's Day that year. It was not a pleasant experience. Never have I encountered so many grumpy, crass and downright rude people in such a short amount of time. It's really sad that a holiday which is supposed to be about love (and not only romantic love, mind, but love of one's fellow man) seemingly brought out the worse in people. I told myself to never turn out like all the people I witnessed in the Hallmark that day.

Personally, I've never been one to harp on holidays, I don't need an arbitrarily approved date to be nice, give gifts, forgive transgressions or play fair. That said, there's nothing wrong with celebrating Valentine's Day. (One can never have too much love.) It's merely an observation that if you have to get so bent out of shape and overwrought in the quest to impress someone on this one day, then things probably aren't right the other 364. Valentine's Day, if anything, should be an enhancement of bonds, not a catchall panacea for all the crap accumulated throughout the rest of the year. But to each his own.

I try to treat the people about whom I care well every day of the year. Certainly, I fall short of this goal upon occasion; I am human and can be a grumpy cuss at times like anyone else. But I would like to think I succeed much more than I fail. (My family and friends would have to confirm this.) Thus, I don't have any special plans for today. I'm not out running around buying gifts at the last minute, in a harried attempt to make the day special (as an afterthought). No, I plan to go about the day much like I go about each day, with a smile and a wave. As for me and mine, I do know there will be pizza and cake (though sadly, not by the ocean, as I'm landlocked this year). And, that's a pretty good start to one fine day, let me tell you.

Happy Valentine's Day! May the true spirit of this day not elude you (or those whom you encounter).

#GRAMMYs Performances #Talent #Music #Singing #Mondays

I actually watched (most of) the Grammy Awards show last night. I don't like awards shows generally, but I sometimes make an exception for shows which feature live performances. And in this case, I'm happy to have done so, as there were some interesting performances on tap. I appreciate talent. It was a good way to close the week.

But now, it's time to get this week started. Monday...

#NationalPizzaDay: May I Have Some More Please? #Cheese #Quikly #GiftCard

Pizza is one of my four main food groups, along with potatoes (preferably in the form of pomme frites or French fries), rice and ice cream. Hey, this is kosher for a lacto-ovo vegetarian like me. I LOVE cheese! I LOVE bread! Cheese pizza is like "manna from heaven." (I believe this means pizza is very, very delicious.) Take-out, frozen or homemade.

Today is National Pizza Day. In spite of the fact that I think that all of these "holidays" are mere marketing gimmicks, on a day like today where the celebration coincides with my personal tastes, I'll willingly give in and play along. I'll probably have pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Maybe for a snack, too. Like Oliver Twist, I ask, "May I have some more, please?" You can't have too much pizza, right? That's impossible!

I scored a promotional gift card from Domino's in its Quikly giveaway yesterday and I've also got a couple of frozen pies stashed in the freezer. So I have options. I expect it to be a fun day.

UPDATE: It's also apparently National Bagel Day. So now I'm making bagel pizzas (like those Bagel Bites thingies). I admit it, I love a good bagel and schmear, too. (Bagels are bread.)

We've Got the #Oscars2017 Nominations List. Now It's Off to the #Movies!

Almost every year, after the Academy Awards nominations are announced, I gather a list of all the movies which garnered nods and make a point to see as many of them as I can before the Oscars ceremony takes place. Then I fill out my own ballot voting for the pictures that (and people whom) I think should win in each category. I will often host a viewing party (or several parties) to screen nominated films already available on the home video market, and organize treks to the theater with my friends to catch movies still at the box office. Once the awards show airs, I see how my ballot stacks up against the actual award winners. (I will generally host an Oscars party, also, or attend one.) I've been doing this annually since I was about 18. It's a fun way to indulge in my hobby of enjoying the cinema, and one of the reasons why I love having a great home theater setup.

This year marks no exception. The Academy announced the Oscars nominees yesterday morning (live on Good Morning America) and I "printed" a PDF copy of the nominations list along with a ballot. I've got to make plans to get in some serious movie watching in the next few weeks as I've been so busy with other things, I haven't already seen as many films that were nominated as I have in past years. But this will make it fun, as I scramble to watch nominated movies -- such a burden, not ---  each day in order to play catch up. Well, it looks like I'be got my work cutout for me. It's off to the movies!

P.S. Did you catch the Academy's announcement? Here's a list of the nominees:

Best Picture
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester By the Sea
Moonlight

Best Cinematography
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester By the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)
Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Documentary Feature
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
OJ: Made in America
13th

Best Foreign Language Film
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann

Best Actor
Casey Affleck (Manchester By the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Costume Design
Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land

Best Score
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers

Best Original Song
Audition (La La Land)
Can't Stop the Feeling! (Trolls)
City of Stars (La La Land)
The Empty Chair (Jim: The James Foley Story)
How Far I'll Go (Moana)

Best Sound Editing
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully

Best Sound Mixing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours

Best Documentary Short
4.1 Miles
Extremis
Joe's Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets

Best Production Design
Arrival

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail Caesar
La La Land
Passengers

Best Original Screenplay
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester By the Sea
20th Century Women

Best Adapted Screenplay
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight

Best Animated Feature
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life As a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia

Best Animated Short
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Michelle Williams (Manchester By the Sea)

Best Film Editing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight

Best Actress
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Best Director
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester By the Sea)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Best Visual Effects
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad

#Travel Back in Time: #ColonialWilliamsburg #History #AmericanRevolution #EarlyAmericana #ReEnactments

As part of a secondary school field trip years and years ago, my class traveled to the "living history" city of Colonial Williamsburg --- and I loved it! The costumes, the setting, the reenactments, the demonstrations (to this day I still want to take up glass blowing, because of a demo I witnessed there), the houses, all of it was so interesting to me. As I've mentioned previously, I absolutely love the American Revolutionary period of our country's history and visiting Colonial Williamsburg is like being there as the war broke out. I could totally get a job there as one of the docents and be happy as a clam. (Are clams really happy? But, I digress...)

Just the other day, I requested a 2017 Colonial Williamsburg Wall Calendar that is (or was) being offered for free. I do hope I get one. (Because online free offers often get slammed with requests once freebie deal sites get wind of them, any request tends to be hit or miss, of course.) The pictures shown in the sample calendar online were some great shots and instantly transported me back to Colonial Williamsburg. Memories came flooding over, vivid images bubbled to the surface of my mind. If it shows up, this calendar is definitely going on the wall. I think the library is a perfect location considering. Now I'm thinking I'll have to plan a trip and return to Colonial Williamsburg one day.

#GWCRD: George Washington Carver Recognition Day! #Peanuts #SweetPotatoes #STEM #ChildhoodHero

As an asocial geeky little girl, I gravitated toward the life stories of those who used their intelligence and ingenuity to overcome adversity and contribute to society. (I've mentioned my esteem for Ben Franklin in this vein before, but) This day belongs to a man who held particular significance in my juvenile mind. Today is George Washington Carver Recognition Day. Salute!

Born into slavery in the Deep South (Missouri), Carver became an inventor who made lasting contributions to the field botany, in part by promoting alternative crops to cotton that would allow poor farmers to not only provide food for their tables, but also provide products that could improve their quality of life. (Because he spent a good deal of his life at Tuskegee University in Alabama, which is only a hop, skip and a jump away from my native Georgia, I read a children's version of his biography at quite a young age. His extensive use of crops like peanuts --- a mainstay in Georgia's agriculture --- and sweet potatoes, which were very familiar to me as a poor rural Southerner only heightened my interest.) He also took a lead in advocating environmentalism. George Washington Carver was a man ahead of his time. Thank goodness.

Friday = #Movie Night + #Pizza Dinner @PapaJohns @vudufans #StarTrek #UltraViolet

It's a loooooong weekend for me beginning later today, so I've plotted out some fun activities... tonight is Dinner + Movie Night!

I'm planning to watch both Star Trek: Into Darkness and Star Trek: Beyond --- downloaded each UltraViolet Digital Copy from my Vudu library to my media server (basically a custom SmartTV box) yesterday, so the show is ready to go on this evening. While I don't mind streaming movies, I prefer to download a digital copy when I have the option in order to remove any worry about network performance issues. (One would assume) that the likelihood of a service slowdown or complete outage increases around the holidays as a lot off people get time off and use their breaks to binge watch. Nothing ruins the fun like having your movie watching experience disrupted.

I love movies and I love pizza. The two make a great combination. So, of course, pizza is on the menu for Dinner + Movie Night. In preparation, I also cashed out yesterday for a free Papa John's eGift Card reward at My Points that should cover the pizza. As a bonus, there's also a VISA Checkout promotion to get a free pizza later on, when you order a pizza now. (At least a penny of the pizza cost must be charged to your VISA card via said payment service.) This will take care of dinner tonight and another night, perhaps tomorrow. Two (nearly) free pizzas? One can never have too much pizza!

As luck would have it, my free 12-Pack Sparkling Coupons from My Coke Rewards Holiday Catalog are starting to arrive. (I cashed out for the maximum of four free 12-Pack coupons.) So, I'll probably pop by a store at some point later today and pickup beverages. Yes, you heard that right. In addition to free movies --- I received both Star Trek UV DCs for free from different promotions --- and free pizza, throw in some free soda. It's a Freebie Fiesta! Win, win, win!

I'm due to wrap up a client project today before officially starting my holiday break this afternoon, so right now I'm doing a fair imitation of Grumpy Cat. But if I'm feeling in a more generous mood once the day's work is done, I may invite someone special over and turn Dinner + Movie Night into Date Night. Wink, wink. Well, my Friday night is set. What's on tap for you?

DISCLOSURE: This post may include referral link/s.

#Vegeversary What Can I Make with... #ingredients #recipes #pantry to Satisfy My Sweet Tooth?

Ever had a random craving that will not go away until it's satisfied? It happens. (Luckily for me, not often.) I hate it, but what does one do? The body is a strange and wonderful machine with a mind of its own. I try to listen to my body, but sometimes it speaks a foreign language I have yet to learn.

'Tis the season! Winter officially arrives at 5:44a this morning. The Winter Solstice and the Summer Solstice each coincide with an important date in my life.

Yesterday, for whatever reason, I randomly craved sugar. Don't get me wrong, I like sweets perfectly well, but I tend to only eat sweets in spells. Day to day, if you were to find me snacking, it would most likely be on something salty or savory. So while I do eat sweets, I seldom crave them so intensely that I start searching the pantry for them, as I did then. Unfortunately, the cupboard was bare.

Frustrated, I resorted to examining the potential ingredients I had on hand in order to determine what I could make quickly and without hassle. As I have yet to do any grocery shopping this week, I used one of those recipes search engines that seeks matches based upon an ingredients list that one inputs. Out of milk, butter and oil, but with sugar, eggs and a few other sundries, I got a short list of results. I rapidly scanned down the page, until my eyes fell upon a recipe for a simple peanut butter cookie.

Who'd have thought that 1:1:1 egg, sugar and peanut butter would combine into simply the best peanut butter cookie. It was wonderful. Craving satisfied. (I believe in satisfying one's cravings within reason. I don't deny myself, instead opting to use moderation as a guideline. You only live once, why work at making yourself unhappy? There's enough crap in the world as is. Mindful indulgence works to the benefit of your mental health, if not your physical self. Both mental and physical health is needed, so a balance must be struck.) Have a cookie.

FOOTNOTE: I don't eat meat, but this was a natural progression for me, because I didn't desire it. Giving up meat, therefore, was not truly denying myself anything. Today is my vegeversary! I became a lacto/ovo vegetarian by way of a conscious choice to give up meat on 21-12-1989. Having spent more of my life without meat, than with it, at this point, I don't recall what meat tastes like. It has all the appeal of cardboard.

#Live Tonight: @DrinkCheerwine #LegendaryGiveback #CharityConcert w/ #AvettBros

I LOVE music and a good live show is second to none. But unfortunately, in order to attend most live shows one has to go out in public, and well, the public is there. I'm not a big fan of large gatherings. If unavoidable, I deal with them. However, given the opportunity to party at home with a chosen few friends, I'll generally stay at home far from the madding crowds. I make no apologies for being a notorious homebody.

Luckily, the advent of live streaming technology has made it possible for me to "go out" whenever I want, while staying in. Take tonight, for instance, I plan to "attend" a live charity concert without leaving the comfort of my home. I'll have the best seat in the house and I won't have to worry about drunken revelers spilling beer, fights breaking out, or concessions running thin on vegetarian options.

I can simply access the concert live stream and then cast it to the display of choice --- in this case, my 60" Vizio SmartTV HDTV with a multichannel soundbar. It's a fairly simple thing to do with my home theater setup. It doesn't matter if there's only a general web feed of an event, instead of a native media broadcasting app at play, because all the TVs/displays in my home are internet connected SmartTVs. Content (once acquired by my media server) is pretty much shareable across my entire home network. Did I mention that I'm a tech geek?

THE CONCERT BEGINS AT 8:00PM EST.

This evening, I'm "attending" The Legendary Giveback Charity Concert featuring the Avett Brothers and supporting a good cause. It happens to be sponsored by Cheerwine. As a result, Tastemakers (aka Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society fan club members) who helped promote the event could qualify to receive discounted tickets to the actual show or get a link to stream it live online. One guess as to which option I chose (especially considering the venue is far away).

Yep. I've got a web link queued in my media server. I have good food to prepare, Cheerwine in the fridge and cold beer on tap in my Draftmark system. All my somewhat rowdy friends are coming over to party with me. All I need to do now is press play....

Salute to Veterans! My #VeteransDay Routine

As a National Holiday in the United States of America, Veterans Day is generally observed annually on the 11th of November and this year it falls on a Friday (today) marking the start of a long weekend for those who get the day off from work. While television adverts would have you believe that Veterans Days in nothing more than an excuse to launch a furniture sale, let's pause for a moment to recall the purpose of the holiday.

On this day, we as a nation commemorate those who have served in our armed forces and thank them for said service.

In addition to my soul mate, my "twin", who is both a Navy veteran and a police officer, my extended family includes a number of active duty military, military veterans and law enforcement officers (many of whom are also military vets); plus several of my neighbors are military veterans, too --- I am a native Southerner living in the deep South after all --- so this holiday has a great deal of personal meaning. I generally spend the day doing good deeds for all the veterans that I know, and while I try to do this any day of the year, sometimes life sidetracks you with white noise, so it's nice to have a special day to remind us to hug a vet and say...

Thank you for your service. Happy Veterans Day!