Today Is... 📆

GregRedd · May 24, 2021, 3:33am

It is Monday, 24 May 2021
(W21 | D144 | 221 rem)

International Tiara Day is celebrated on May 24th each year, appropriately on the birthday of Queen Victoria.

Since so many girls and women, and some men too, admire tiaras but there are very few events to which one can appropriately wear one, International Tiara Day was created. It is a day when everyone who wishes can wear a tiara for a day and feel like royalty. After all YOU are special!

You are royalty, each and every one of you, and you deserve to feel like it. No matter what walk of life you come from or what your background is, you definitely deserve to feel like a member of full-fledged nobility, at least for one day of the year.

International Tiara Day is brought to you to remind you that you don’t need an excuse (though now you have one) to sport a sparkly tiara for the day and go out on the town. This Tiara Day, let your inner princess shine!

In 2005 a special event was created to coincide with Barbara Bellissimo’s Seasons of Success - an event that would encourage people everywhere to embrace their inner beauty and wear a tiara. Every person deserves to feel special and adored, and after the success of this event it was decided that it would become an annual event each year. It just so happens to also fall on Queen Victoria’s Birthday!

Women especially are all too often called vain or self-centered when they take a little time to do the things that make them happy. The whole time they’re being told they have to be perfect, if they strive to achieve it they’re told that they’re fake and need to try to be humble. Tiara Day encourages you to throw all that to the side, charge into the world and be proud of who you are, and wear your tiara loud and proud!

One thing that’s emphasized is that the Tiara in question doesn’t need to be a literal tiara, it can just as easily be your own sense of self-worth and pride shining forth as you don’t let anyone walk on you the whole day. Whatever it is, embrace what makes you feel proud, strong, and queenly and flaunt it to the world!

What better way to make a Monday more pleasant than by wearing your tiara to work? Rock on with your regal and royal self, your Highness!

GregRedd · May 25, 2021, 5:31am

Good morning!

It is Tuesday, 25 May 2021
(W21 | D145 | 220 rem)

Today is: Towel Day

DON’T PANIC!! Today is Towel Day - be prepared and everything will be fine.

A tribute to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Towel Day sees fans of the author and the book carrying towels with them to work, to school and as part of their daily activities.

The most important thing that you need to remember in order to celebrate is DON’T PANIC. No matter what the day throws at you, draw comfort from the knowledge that you’re armed with your trusty towel.

Whether you’re a fan of high-tech, circuitry-enhanced towels with more features, bells and whistles than a supercomputer, or if your towel of preference is a simple, old-fashioned fabric hug, all that matters is that your towel never leaves your side.

The Towel Day commemoration was first held 25 May 2001, two weeks after Adams’ death on 11 May of that year.

The importance of the towel was introduced in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy original radio series in 1978. The follow-up book explained the importance of towels in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy universe in Chapter 3, using much of the same wording as the original radio series:

A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.

Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you — daft as a brush, but very very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have “lost.” What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

Hence a phrase that has passed into hitchhiking slang, as in “Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There’s a frood who really knows where his towel is.” (Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; hoopy: really together guy; frood: really amazingly together guy.)

— Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Be safe, carry a towel, don’t panic, and have an totally awesome Towel Day Tuesday!

If you haven’t yet, you really should. Read them now!

Know more:

Wyvern · May 25, 2021, 6:58am

Ironically I have a towel in the car thanks to it being my bounce day

Beo · May 26, 2021, 5:55am

GregRedd · May 26, 2021, 6:21am

That is utterly EPIC!!

GregRedd · May 26, 2021, 6:23am

Good morning!

It is Wednesday, 26 May 2021
(W21 | D146 | 219 rem)

Today is: World Dracula Day

Every May 26th, lovers of literature and vampires alike gather to celebrate the most famous vampire of all – Dracula.

World Dracula Day commemorates the original publication date of Bram Stoker’s Dracula on 26 May, 1897.

Though received well enough by Victorian readers, Stoker did not make much money from it. In 1922, F. W. Murnau’s unauthorized adaptation of the story was released in theaters under the title Nosferatu. Stoker’s widow sued, which renewed interest in the novel.

Widow Stoker subsequently licensed the story to playwright Hamilton Deane. In 1924, this stage adaptation toured England for several years. In 1927, it was revised for Broadway. Bela Lugosi played the title role. In 1931, the play became a movie produced by Universal Studios. Bela Lugosi again played the title role. It was highly successful.

Vampires, or at least the concept and legends, have existed for centuries. Bram Stoker based Dracula on a real live person though – not just a legend.

Prince Vlad III of Wallachia (Romania) was the muse behind’s Stoker’s masterpiece. Vlad earned the nickname “Vlad the Impaler” for the many ways he tortured his opponents and betrayers with impaling being his favorite method.

Stoker’s Dracula attempts to move from Transylvania and finally arrives in a small fishing village named Whitby, England.

To this day, Whitby in northern England hosts multiple events to celebrate Dracula including the famous castle in ruins that is lit up during certain seasons.

Watch a vampire movie or two, or binge a vampire series, as you pay homage to World Dracula Day.

Want series?

True Blood
The Vampire Diaries
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Want classic?

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Interview with the Vampire
Nosferatu the Vampyre

Want comedy?

What We Do in the Shadows
Dark Shadows
The Vampire’s Assistant

Want gore?

30 Days of Night
Queen of the Damned
Dracula Untold

Want action?

Blade
The Lost Boys
Underworld

Arguably the most well-known and iconic monsters, Dracula has inspired writers and horror lovers all over the world. It’s only fitting that there is an entire day dedicated to the Count.

It is Wednesday my Dracula Dudes! Get your fangs on, and have a bloody great day!

murfle · May 26, 2021, 7:01am

“I went to a doctor, all he did was suck blood from my neck. Do not go see Dr. Acula.”

RIP Mitch

DarthMol · May 26, 2021, 11:51am

Want animated series?

Castlevania (Netflix)

Beo · May 26, 2021, 12:08pm

Heck yeah! Watched the first season (back when there was only one), but I think I may revisit this. Very cool series indeed.

DarthMol · May 26, 2021, 12:15pm

The series has wrapped up with season 4 now, so a good time watch it all.

GregRedd · May 26, 2021, 1:29pm

I suppose I should of had a “Want games?” bit in there too…

Want games?

Castlevania

Vampyr

Vampire: The Masquerade

GregRedd · May 27, 2021, 6:47am

Good morning!

It is Thursday, 27 May 2021
(W21 | D147 | 218 rem)

Today is: Sunscreen Day🧴

As Baz Luhrmann once sang “If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.” It’s sage advice! Years of health campaigns have ensured that we all know that sunscreen is very important. In fact, it’s essential to wear and regularly reapply sunscreen when out in the sun.

Sunscreen defends the skin from damaging ultraviolet rays by forming a protective barrier – used properly, sunscreen can help prevent skin cancer. Exposure to the sun damages the skin and can worsen signs of ageing, so wearing sunscreen will also keep your skin looking younger.

Use Sunscreen Day as a reminder to make sure you are properly protecting yourself from the sun, such as by keeping out of the rays at the hottest time of the day (11 am – 2pm), drinking plenty of liquids and, of course, wearing sunscreen!

One of the first known prevention creams for sunburn was actually created in the 1930s by an Australian man known as Milton Blake. This product was the result of a lot of hard work and dedication. In fact, he spent 12 years experimenting in his kitchen until he was able to come up with a formula that worked. And boy did it work! The creams are still around today.

There have been a lot of advancements since then, of course. Franz Greiter, a chemistry student from Switzerland, was not happy with the sun protection products that were on the market. This was especially the case after he ended up with really bad sunburn after climbing Mount Piz, which is located at the Swiss-Austrian border. Because of this, he embarked on a mission to make sun screen better, and this is how SPF came about. The Piz Buin Glacier Cream was created in 1946.

If you are to protect yourself and use sunscreen correctly, you need to make sure that you understand SPF and star ratings. SPF stands for sun protection factor. This is a measure of the amount of UVB – ultraviolet B radiation – protection that you are going to get from the product in question.

SPFs are rated on a scale of 2 to 50+, with the latter offering the strongest level of protection.

For the amount of UVA – ultraviolet A radiation – protection that sunscreen offers, you are going to need to look at the star rating. The more stars, the better protection. These are two of the most critical factors that you need to consider when you are purchasing sunscreen.

Some of the more common myths about sunscreen that people believe today:

Myth 1 – I don’t need to wear sun screen if it is cold or cloudy. If the sun is in the sky, you need to wear sun screen, and the sun is always in the sky!
Myth 2 – My sunscreen is SPF 50 so I don’t need to wear it as much. It does not matter what SPF is associated with your sunscreen, it is only going to last for around two hours, so you still need to re-apply.
Myth 3 – I don’t need to reapply my sunscreen after swimming because it is waterproof. In fact, there is no such thing as waterproof sunscreen. Water resistant, yes, but waterproof, no!
Myth 4 – I don’t need sun screen because I have dark skin. It may be more difficult to see sun damage on dark skin. However, people with dark skin are just as susceptible to sun burn, so you still need to make sure you wear sun screen.

Stay sun-safe! Wear sunscreen!And have a great Thursday!

Beo · May 27, 2021, 7:02am

In winter, okaay…

DarthMol · May 27, 2021, 7:07am

The Southern Hemisphere is a myth

czc · May 27, 2021, 7:09am

Maybe the Cape but the Highveld has awesome sun in Winter.

I don’t think I’ve worn sunscreen in over ten years. The key is not to be English and get lobster red in one day.

GregRedd · May 27, 2021, 7:10am

Yes, in Winter too!

Wyvern · May 27, 2021, 7:12am

Definately! Its when you get burnt the worst, when its cloudy.

GregRedd · May 28, 2021, 4:25am

Good morning!

It is Friday, 28 May 2021
(W21 | D148 | 217 rem)

Today is: International Burger Day

Last week was pizza. This week it’s the turn of everyones other favourite - burgers.

And while the original meat-based hamburger may no longer be the only burger option out there, it’s still the most popular.

Why are burgers so amazing? Well, it’s clever really, it matters not who you are, there will be some form of burger for you. Unlike some popular dishes where you just get what you get, a burger can be designed and created for the person who is eating it.

In a strange way, a burger resembles an art form that you chew. While that last statement may sound crazy, it’s far from it. If you sit back and think about it, whenever you make a burger at home, you have specific ingredients that you like to mix with your patty, and more than this, a burger is one food that welcomes OCD. What do we mean by that? Well, can you honestly say that you don’t freak out if the cheese is in the wrong place?

The truth is, a burger is a universal food; it’s a food that has many forms; it’s a food that brings people together, and ultimately, it’s loved by most.

The invention of the hamburger has been claimed by so many that there’s only one real origin. Hamburg, Germany. No matter who says they invented the hamburger, no one can deny that it was the second-largest city in Germany that was its namesake. While not all types of ‘burgers’ resemble the meat that came out of Hamburg, they all have the roots of their preparation in this noble city.

Hamburgers have come to be a symbol of all that is right in the world in the modern-day. Barbecue’s where families gather, surprise rewards by your boss, a quick bite to eat on your lunch break, or the first date shared with a new potential partner. All of these things can, and often do, include the hamburger in any one of a million of its potential preparations.

It’s time to think big, think outside the box, think of the power of the patty and celebrate Burger Day in style.

It’s Friday. It’s International Burger Day. Can life get any better? Have a great day!

murfle · May 28, 2021, 4:34am

But when’s Hamberder day?

Hamberders!!

DarthMol · May 28, 2021, 6:14am

Love me a good burger!