Today Is... 📆

[GregRedd]

Good morning!

It’s Thursday, 21 January 2021 (W3/D21)

Today is:

International Sweatpants Day

For those working from home or in lockdown and isolation, it’s the perfect day. You get to wear what you’ve been wearing for the last year anyway, only today you can justify your sartorial choice.

Cooler weather (at least here in Joziburg) would be better to appreciate the comfort and warmth of a good pair of sweatpants, but don’t let the heat stop you from showing your love for the comfy clothing item that has its own day today. Besides, it’s not just about the sweatpants…

The first pair of sweatpants was introduced in the 1920s by Émile Camuset, the founder of Le Coq Sportif. The first sweatpants to be made were simple knitted gray jersey pants that allowed athletes to stretch and run comfortably.

International Sweatpants Day was created to show people that wearing sweatpants doesn’t necessarily have to be embarrassing—after all, why should anyone be embarrassed of being comfortable? Life is too short to be wearing uncomfortable clothing all the time.

International Sweatpants Day is not just about spending the day wearing sweatpants or something equally comfortable, although that is definitely part of the fun involved. International Sweatpants Day is also about giving yourself a break from the often stressful and rushed lives many of us live. Wearing sweatpants means we want to be good to ourselves for a change, put our own comfort before our worries of what other people think of of us. And that’s how we should spend this whole day: being good to ourselves, enjoying our lives without paying attention to what other people think about what we do, wear or say.

So, spoil yourself and have a comfy and carefree Thursday!

[GregRedd]

Good morning!

It’s Friday, 22 January 2021 (W3/D22)

Today is:

Hot Sauce Day

Coming soon after Spicy Foods Day, here’s another celebratory day that I know a good number of MEWbs will appreciate - Hot Sauce Day.

Whether you use it to make Bloody Marys, use it in your cooking, or put it on your foods as a condiment, hot sauces, and their uses, are plentiful. And while there are a huge number of variations and brands of hot sauce available these days, many hot sauce lovers -including some of you I think- make their own.

Hotter peppers—those that are higher on the Scoville scale—are used to make hotter sauces, although pure capsaicin extract and mustard oil can increase the heat of a sauce as well. Ingredients vary by region, as does how hot sauces tend to be.

Habanero, cayenne, jalapeño, and chipotle peppers are commonly used to make hot sauce in America. Habanero and scotch bonnet peppers are favorites for hot sauce in the Caribbean, while chipotles are a favorite to make the sauce in Mexico. Raw chiles are often used instead of hot sauce in Thailand, although Sriracha is a hot sauce made there, and it has become popular around the world.

I mentioned my inability to deal with spicy foods recently, so I have zero knowledge of which hot sauces top the hot parade. What are your favorites? What’s the highest heat you can handle and still enjoy? And what’s the hottest sauce you’ve tried called? (Hot sauce names amuse me).

Whether you opt for a Tabasco, a Sriracha, a locally made craft sauce, or go with your own private recipe and homemade sauce, have a hot and spicy Friday!

[murfle]

I’m sure some of these are expired. I’ll double check by how much before putting stuff back in the fridge. Can always use more bottles!

[SIGSTART]

I was about to say… not my day, but definitely @murfle’s!

[murfle]

I regret nothing!

[GregRedd]

Good morning!

It’s Saturday, 23 January 2021 (W3/D23)

Today is:

World Handwriting Day

Calligraphers of the world, you write!

Another fine day that may be appreciated by many in these parts - Handwriting Day.

With computer keyboards as the new writing method, we often forget the good old pen and paper method. Today you are encouraged to put pen to paper, and show off your skills!

There is no official reason to celebrate Handwriting Day, but it is there so that people can appreciate the art of handwriting. Getting the chance to appreciate the art of handwriting is what this day is all about. In a generation of computers and electronics, it is important not to forget the importance of handwriting and how much we would be relying on this form of communication should technology cease to work!

Handwriting Day was started in 1977 when educators began to feel that the art of handwriting was getting lost as a skill. The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) decided to do something about this, and that is how Handwriting Day came about.

There are already some examples of fine penmanship on the board. Anyone else keen to share a picture or two of their scrawl? Also, curious to know if anyone has ever had their handwriting analysed by a graphologist?

Have a superb Saturday!

[Beo]

Love it

[GregRedd]

Good morning!

It’s Sunday, 24 January 2021 (W3/D24)

Today is:

Peanut Butter Day

Peanut butter’s divisive love-it-or-hate-it nature has been around since before the recipe for peanut butter much as we know it today was patented-yes, I said patented-in 1922 by Joseph Rosefield (who later went on to found the Skippy Peanut Butter brand).

Peanut butter was first introduced to the public at the 1904 Universal Exposition in St. Louis at C.H. Sumner’s concession stand. But it was only in 1922 when, through homogenization, Rosefield was able to keep the peanut oil from separating from the peanut solids.

Since then, we’ve been spreading on our sandwiches, mixing it into our baking, using it in our cooking, and even eating it straight out of the jar as an energy snack.

Whether creamy or chunky, mixed with chocolate spread or with jam, peanut butter deserves a little annual recognition.

Have a nutty and chilled Sunday!

[FarligOpptreden]

I’ll definitely have some today. I have it most days…

[SIGSTART]

There are only two ways to enjoy peanut butter: smooth spread on bread, and as an ice cream flavour.

[Beo]

I thought peanut butter was originally invented/designed as a source of protein to those who had such bad teeth they couldn’t bite or chew meats.

[GregRedd]

Partially. That was Kellogg’s marketed contribution to things. Two others, Edson and Straub, are also credited with creating peanut butter.

However, modern peanut butter, its process of production and the equipment used to make it, can be credited to at least three inventors.

In 1884 Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Canada patented peanut paste, the finished product from milling roasted peanuts between two heated surfaces. In 1895 Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (the creator of Kellogg’s cereal) patented a process for creating peanut butter from raw peanuts. He marketed it as a nutritious protein substitute for people who could hardly chew on solid food. In 1903, Dr. Ambrose Straub of St. Louis, Missouri, patented a peanut-butter-making machine.
Source

I mentioned Rosefield though specifically because he’s the one who figured out how to stop the paste separating from the oil, and created a brand that’s still around today.

[GregRedd]

Good morning!

It’s Monday, 25 January 2021 (W4/D25)

Today is:

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

I kid you not - today is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. Celebrated on the last Monday in January, this popping day allegedly began when a local radio station once inadvertently unwrapped bubble wrapped microphones on air. Listeners loved it, and the tradition stuck.

Bubble Wrap ® was originally formed in 1957 from two shower curtains being sealed together. The inventors, engineers Marc Chavannes and Alfred Fielding, tried to market this as wallpaper. Then they tried to market it as greenhouse insulation. Thankfully for bubble popping appreciators both of these efforts were largely unsuccessful.

Then, in 1960, the inventors established the Sealed Air Corporation, and perfected the Bubble Wrap manufacturing process. A year later the IBM Corporation, sensing an opportunity, became the first major company to use the product to protect their IBM 1401 computers during shipment.

Since, the largely unchanged product has been used to protect countless products in transit and storage in its air-cushioned embrace. And of course, it’s provided thousands of people hours of pointless, yet somehow therapeutic, popping fun.

I hope you don’t need too much Bubble Wrap to get through Monday. Have a great day!

[Beo]

Never understood the fascination of the stuff, all it does for me is make me salivate.

[SIGSTART]

QI confirmed!

QI | The Secret Use Of Bubble Wrap

Also, let me wreck your YouTube recommendations:

{ASMR} Popping Bubble Wrap- 1 Hour Of 1080p HD Peaceful Sounds For Sleep...

[GregRedd]

Good morning!

It’s Tuesday, 26 January 2021 (W4/D26)

Today is:

Spouses Day

Perhaps the most significant of the days of the year that we’ve noted so far - today is Spouses Day.

Dedicated to recognizing spouses, significant others, and partners, today reminds us to take time for our mate. From being thankful for the fulfillment and security of a long-term relationship to the boost of morale and well-being provided by those we share our lives with, there are many reasons to celebrate. This day is a time to show your spouse that you care and appreciate all of the things that they do for you, for the family, and for your home.

Today is not about giving gifts but rather spending time together, enjoying each others company, and simply expressing appreciating for each other.

And while the term “spouse” traditionally refers to a marriage partner, Spouses Day is for all. Whether yours is an official marriage, a common-law marriage, a domestic partnership, a civil union, or simply a long term commitment, acknowledge the significance of your partner.

Spend some quality time with your partner. Maybe take the day off and surprise them with a picnic - even indoors if the weather is kak. Take care of all their errands and chores. Make their favorite foods and treats. Whatever you do, make sure you tell them that you appreciate everything they do for you.

Be good to those around you, and have a great day!

[SIGSTART]

@GregRedd

significant of the days

Very nice

[Beo]

We were without one kid last night so I showed my appreciation then, does that count?

[GregRedd]

Good morning!

It’s Wednesday, 27 January 2021 (W4/D27)

Today is:

Chocolate Cake Day

It’s not just any old Cake Day. It’s the king of cake’s day, the boss of cakes day, the capo dei capi of cakes day. It’s Chocolate Cake Day.

Chocolate cake has been with us just over 150 years, having first come on the scene in 1764, when it was discovered that grinding cocoa beans between heavy stones produced cocoa powder, which could then become chocolate.

60 years would pass before Conrad Van Houten discovered a method by which he could mechanically extract fat from the cacao liquor which produced cacao butter. Long story short, this man is the reason that chocolate is actually affordable, and we all have him to thank for it!

The first verifiable recipe for chocolate cake appeared in Eliza Leslie’s 1847 cookbook. The actual formula, however, wasn’t quite what we’d recognize as a chocolate cake today. Leslie’s recipe called for chopped pieces of chocolate inserted into a plain sponge, instead of adding cocoa powder to the mix itself.

Have a wonderful chocolate cake filled day!

[Wyvern]

Are you saying I can cheat today and have a slice of chocolate cake?