Happy birthday, Josef!!!

My best friend’s son turns twenty-one today. It is quite a milestone. I wanted to find other things that turn twenty-one in 2021. This was not as easy as I thought it would be. Twenty years is easy, twenty-one, not so much. But I did find a few interesting lists. I hope these don’t make you feel too old. For some, twenty-one years is young, and for others, it was a lifetime ago.

8 Popular Movies in 2000

• Gladiator
• Erin Brokovich
• Cast Away
• Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
• The Perfect Storm
• X-Men
• Charlie’s Angels

8 TV shows that started in 2000

• Gilmore Girls
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Malcolm in the Middle
• Survivor
• Dora the Explorer
• Jackass
• Boston Public

Top 5 Songs of 2000

• “Breathe” by Faith Hill
• “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas
• “Maria Maria” by Santana featuring The Product G&B
• “I Wanna Know” by Joe
• “Everything You Want” by Vertical Horizon

I have no desire to ever own a fancy car. In fact, my favorite car is a 1995 Honda Civic hatchback. I want my cars to be super-reliable, inexpensive to maintain, and run forever. However, I love seeing unusual and/or expensive cars on the road. The day I saw a Lotus in London was a highlight of my trip.

I was getting pizza in Redmond, Oregon, when I saw an insignia on an unusual car that I didn’t recognize. The symbol was distinct, so it was easy to google. I couldn’t get a picture of it since the car was driving away, but I knew it had a red cross.

A quick search later, and I learned it was an Alfa Romeo. I’d heard of this brand but had never seen one in the wild. The car itself was not remarkable, but the symbol and name have quite a reputation. Here are a few facts about an Italian car you’re not likely to see in America.

• Alfa Romeo is an Italian car famous for racing
• Alfa stands for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili
• The company was founded in 1910 in Milan, Italy
• Fiat now owns Alfa Romeo, and all manufacturing is done in Italy
• From 1995 to 2006, no Alfa Romeo’s were imported to the United States
• A new Alfa Romeo Stelvio costs about $45,000 (about the same as an Audi)
• These cars have been in many movies, most famously, The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman
• Villians have driven these cars in two James Bond films, Octopussy and Quantum of Solace
• Audrey Hepburn drove an Alfa Romeo in the movie Roman Holiday
• The symbols on the logo are a red cross and a serpent eating a man. Both represent the city of Milan where the company started

Welcome to meme Monday.

As I go through the annoyance of moving (and it is annoying), I remind myself that change is good. Once we are done rearranging our world, we will look back and know it was all worth it.

If you are in the muddy middle of a project or life plan, remember that change is good. Keep on keeping on, and when you look back from the other side, you’ll be grateful you didn’t give up.

This post is a PSA.

Despite the desires of Woody Harrelson in Zombieland or any urban myths you may have heard, Twinkies that have expired in 2014 are not edible. You can trust me on this.

Today is Tell an Old Joke Day.

I think you should tell jokes every day. Humor is the best remedy.

In honor of today, I want to share a list that I found on a website for Big Frog 104, a new country radio station in Central New York. I hope they read these on the air because they are oldies but goodies.

• What do you do with a sick boat? Take it to the ‘doc’
• What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear
• What is the definition of a good farmer? A man outstanding in his field
• What did one hat say to another? You stay here. I’ll go on a head
• What’s the best way to carve wood? Whittle by Whittle

Here is one more because I can’t resist a puny joke, and today I can tell them all. Be sure to share.

Tonight is the Buck moon. I will be walking during the full moon because it is on my challenge list. Why is it called a Buck moon? I haven’t looked this up yet, but I’m going to guess it has to do with buck deer. Let’s find out if I’m right.

Yep. I was right. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, “the full Moon in July is called the Buck Moon because the antlers of male deer (bucks) are in full-growth mode at this time.” This full moon is also known as Feather Moulting Moon and Salmon Moon.

I don’t expect to see any bucks on my walk, but I will keep an eye out.

I’m at a friend’s house, and I picked a book off their shelf called Random Illustrated Facts by Mike Lowery. I like these kinds of books, so I thought I would share some of these random facts. And yes, I googled each of these to see if they were true. I don’t trust books of facts any more than I trust the internet. Myths can perpetuate anywhere.

Some random facts:

• Some honey bees quack.
• The average lead pencil can draw a line 35 miles long.
• The word “mortgage” comes from the old French word for death pledge. The idea was that when the debt was paid, the pledge died, not the person (one hopes).
• The best-selling commemorative U.S. stamp is a 29 cent 1993 Elvis stamp.
• Odontophobia is the fear of dentists.

Is your birthday in July? Did you know your birthstone is the ruby?

I’ve never been interested in gemstones, but it was fun to learn about the ruby. I may have to do a series on the birthstones. Rocks are cool.

Ruby facts:

• Ruby is one of four precious gemstones. The other three are emerald, sapphire, and diamond.
• Ruby comes from the Latin word rubens, which means red. While all rubies are red, they vary in color from darkish to pinkish red.
• Rubies are a variety of the mineral corundum. Traces of chromium give it its red color.
• Sapphires are also made from corundum but lack the addition of chromium. 
• The Mohs scale of hardness goes from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest). Diamonds are a 10, and rubies are just below that at 9, meaning they are quite hard.
• While rubies are found all over the world, the finest rubies were mined in Myanmar. These rubies are known as “Burmese Rubies.”
• Rubies were placed on a knight’s armor to protect the warrior.
• Rubies symbolize love, passion, energy, and success.

I often encourage you to watch the videos I share. Today I’m begging you. Watch this short video. It is mind-blowing. I’ll explain why below.

Happy Moon Day.

Humans landed on the Moon for the first time on July 20, 1969. In 2021, this historic event has been overshadowed by news that the Moon wobble will intensify in the 2030s and contribute to major floods.

I’m not going to talk about this prediction. I want to talk about Moon wobble. I read an entire book about the Moon and didn’t learn about Moon wobble. What is it? How do we know the Moon wobbles? What the heck!

Moon wobble is not a new idea. It has been recorded since the 1700s. Here is an explanation of Moon wobble from NASA.

“The moon rotates once on its own axis during each 27-day journey around the Earth. But as the moon makes its elliptical orbit, its velocity varies and alters that synchronicity, causing our perspective of the “light side” to appear at slightly different angles throughout any given month. In short, the moon wobbles.”

This wobble means that throughout the Moon’s orbit, we actually see 59% of the Moon’s surface, instead of the 50% you’d think we would see since the Moon is tidally locked.

Remember up above, when I told you to watch this video? It made me a little queasy, but it is amazing to watch the face of the Moon vary. We don’t notice the wobble when we look at the Moon, but it is quite pronounced.

The scientific term for the Moon wobble is libration, from the Latin for balance scale. (That is where we get Libra, my sign.) When your friends and family talk about the Moon wobble (or you hear about it on a news channel), nod your head and say, “Ah yes, the libration.” Rub your chin at the same time.

So much happens in the universe that we never see. I am glad that I learned something cool about the Moon that I can ponder whenever I go for a walk at night.

Happy Meme Monday.

I like this meme. Part of packing is making decisions. Do I keep this or not? Can I pack this now, or will I need it before we leave? Sigh. So many decisions. 

Now that I have a deadline, decisions are easier. Even if I pack something we want to use, it is only gone for a while, and we’ll get by.  

Being decisive gets easier with practice. Join me in strengthing our decision muscles.

I’m trying hard not to be a flat squirrel.