I’m in one of those moods today. You know, when it all becomes too much to deal with: wars; acts of terrorism; bridges collapsing; natural disasters; Netanyahu being out of his freakin’ mind; and Putin, Xi, Trump, Musk, and Bobby Kennedy, Jr., all being . . . well . . . all just being themselves.

So I went on a search, and I found a wonderful website that reveals everything that this day, and every other day of the year, is known for. And since it gave me a bit of joy on a gray and rainy afternoon, I absolutely had to share it with you. And awa-a-a-ay we go . . .

Holidays: Unfortunately, not the kind you get to take off from work, but still fun to take note of. There’s “Barnum & Bailey Day” (when life presumably is a circus); “Eat an Eskimo Pie Day” (that should be every day); “National Hot Tub Day” (which I understand is every day in California); and “Piano Day” (the 88th day of the year — which, if your name is Schroeder and you also celebrate Beethoven’s birthday on December 16th while playing a toy piano, makes a weird sort of sense).

There is also, oddly, “National Triglycerides Day” — a day in celebration of unhealthy body fat. Only in America.

And probably the most superfluous holiday of all: “Respect Your Cat Day.” I mean, isn’t that a requisite daily thing for all cat families? We love our dogs, but we must respect our cats, for failing to do so would result in untold horrors. You cat people know what I mean.

Finally, I see that there is something called “Something on a Stick Day” (I assume the Eskimo Pie would fill the bill here); and “Weed Appreciation Day” (for all of you too-lazy-to-clear-out-the-garden folks, or perhaps a few old hippies who still prefer to smoke theirs).

Then there are the week-long holidays, some of which are legitimate, like Holy Week and (this year) part of Ramadan. But you might also want to indulge in my favorite, “Make Mine Chocolate Week” (hurry up — it ends on March 31st this year); “National Second-Hand Shopping Week” (to ease the guilt of all you shopaholics); and, somewhat portentously, “Tsunami Awareness Week” (but only in Alaska and California).

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Famous Anniversaries: A few famous people celebrate their birthdays today, so let’s send good wishes to the multi-talented Reba McEntire, gymnast Bart Conner, actors Vince Vaughn and Julia Stiles, novelist Jayne Ann Krentz, and the amazing Lady Gaga. Out of respect, I have omitted their ages. You’re welcome, birthday guys and gals.

Today is also the anniversary of some famous people’s departures: the writer Virginia Woolf, in 1882 (of whom Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor presumably lived in fear, at least in the movie); President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1969); and Maria von Trapp (♬ “The hills are alive with the sound of music” ♬ ) (1987). And let us not forget — though we’d probably like to — the notorious Tsar Ivan IV of Russia, better known as Ivan the Terrible, who kicked the bucket on this date in 1530. Would it be rude to say “good riddance”?

This Day In History: How many of us are aware that on March 28th, 1854, France and Britain declared war on Russia, in what became known as the Crimean War? Imagine . . . someone actually invaded Russia before Russia had a chance to do it to them. Makes a nice change, especially for the people of 21st-Century Crimea.

Also on this date, the U.S. Salvation Army was officially organized (1895); a 9.2 earthquake hit Alaska (1964); and some changes occurred in Turkey (both in 1930), when the capital city of Angora was renamed Ankara, and Constantinople became Istanbul (as memorialized by songwriters Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon in 1953). (♬ “Why they changed it, I can’t say; people just liked it better that way. ♬)

And Finally: There is a Word of the Day, from . . . who would have guessed . . . Wiktionary. It seems there’s a Wiki for everything. And today’s word — actually a compound word — is a Latin plural noun: lacrimae rerum. I hate to go out on such a sad note, but it means tears of things. I have no idea why it was chosen as the word of the day, or specifically of this day in this year, but I wasn’t consulted. I don’t even know how you would use it in a sentence . . . or why. Do things cry? Ask the folks at Wiktionary, if you can find out who they are.

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Well, this was fun. Certainly more so than yesterday’s headlines, which included an announcement of the passing of Joe Lieberman, and the finding of the bodies of two of the victims of that bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland. See what I mean? Some days, you just don’t want to deal with it.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/28/24