Happy Anniversary - Laura has long yearned for a necklace and earrings custom fashioned from white gold and Tahitian black pearls. Smile! - It is now time to smile!
The Tahitian pearl (or black pearl) is an organic gem formed from the black lip oyster.
She found the cost to be prohibitive, however, and such things existed only in fanciful daydreams.
I wished to display my great love for her and directed her to go to a local custom craftsman and have him create the necklace and earrings of her dreams. She protested initially—saying the cost was too great—but I remained steadfast.
It was necessary to endure a lengthy wait, since Tahitian black pearls are very rare, and it took a great deal of searching to find just the right pearls. As you can easily see, it was well worth the wait and expense!
Happy Anniversary, Laura!
Laura produced a delightful anniversary dinner. She made a pasta dish featuring shrimp, minced garlic, grated ginger, red pepper flakes, and lemon extra-virgin olive oil. It was delicious!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Happy Anniversary, Anniversary Dinner, and Smile!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Sunglasses Day and Smile!
Sunglasses Day - Today is Sunglasses Day! Sunglasses are quite possibly the most important fashion accessory of the entire summer season. Humans have been wearing protective eyewear for centuries, but the stylish designs we are accustomed to today are a much more recent invention. Smile! - It is now time to smile!
During the prehistoric era, the Inuit people used walrus ivory to create sun goggles, which blocked out the powerful rays of sun that reflected off the snow and ice.
By the 1700s, doctors were regularly prescribing tinted glasses for vision correction, and by the 1930s the Foster Grant company was selling modern-day sunglasses on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, New Jersey.
On the eve of World War II, a little company called Ray Ban began producing anti-glare sunglasses for pilots. "Aviators" became the first commercially successful sunglasses.
To celebrate Sunglasses Day, pick up a new pair of shades at your local sunglasses store!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
GoPro HD: Pikes Peak 2011 Monster Tajima's World Record and Salmon Fishing in Alaska
GoPro HD: Pikes Peak 2011 Monster Tajima's World Record - If you do nothing else today, you MUST view this video! Be cautioned: You will find yourself perched on the edge of your seat, clutching at anything nearby, becoming one with this incredible world-record-setting race up Pike's Peak, Colorado!
Whew! Now, relax and watch this GoPro video of salmon fishing in Alaska!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Underground Railroad Discovered, Happy Anniversary to Laura, Happy Birthday to Me
Underground Railroad Discovered - Imagine the great surprise with which I viewed the DHS vehicles and personnel when I arrived at my office yesterday morning! Happy Anniversary to Laura - Today is the 13th anniversary of my marriage to Laura. Happy Anniversary to Laura! Happy Birthday to Me - Today is also my birthday! Happy Birthday to Me!
Details were unavailable until mid-morning yesterday, when this brief article appeared in a local newspaper:
Authorities explained to me that they would not share details with me until their investigation had been completed. I noticed a drone helicopter high in the sky over my office, and I quickly entered my office and relaxed with a frosty Diet Pepsi and watched the authorities climbing into a hidden passageway in the storage area of my office.
Yesterday afternoon, this newspaper article appeared:
Apparently, the evidence that elves built the railroad is incontrovertible.
Elves have long been suspected to live in this area—albeit this has never been proven empirically.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Rain!, My Birthday Brunch, and Be Entertained
Rain! - Imagine my surprise when I awakened to the sound of RAIN this morning! Do not the weatherpeople realize summer began last Friday? How can this be? Is it possible Gory Al was wrong? HA! My Birthday Brunch - Tomorrow is my birthday AND our anniversary. Laura chose to regale me with a succulent brunch at Casa Ramos yesterday. Be Entertained! - Enjoy!
It was SO GOOD, I believe I shall regale her with a meal there for our anniversary!
We had a scrumptious appetizer plate of coconut prawns.
I had an entrée of steak fajitas. It was incredible. A hot platter of grilled steak, peppers, and onions sizzled before me.
I produced fajitas with warm flour tortillas. Condiments were fresh salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and shredded cheese.
Laura enjoyed a particularly scrumptious quesadilla.
Friday, June 21, 2013
World Humanist Day, Summer Begins, and Be Entertained!
World Humanist Day - World Humanist Day is a Humanist holiday celebrated annually around the world on the June Solstice. Summer Begins - Summer has arrived! Be Entertained! - Relax and enjoy!
According to the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), the day is a way of spreading awareness of Humanism as a philosophical life stance and means to effect change in the world. It is also seen as a time for Humanists to gather socially and promote the positive values of Humanism.
The holiday developed during the 1980s as several chapters of the American Humanist Association (AHA) began to celebrate it. At the time, the date on which it was celebrated varied from chapter to chapter, with selections such as the founding date of the IHEU, or other significant dates. From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, the AHA and IHEU passed resolutions declaring World Humanist Day to be on the summer solstice.
The manner in which World Humanist Day is celebrated varies considerably among local Humanist groups, reflecting the individuality and non-dogmatism of Humanism as a whole. Whilst the event might be a simple gathering, such as a dinner or picnic, with ample time for both socializing and reflection, the method of celebration is down to the individual Humanists. Some groups actually develop intricate social rituals, music, and proceedings which highlight the metaphoric symbolism of the solstice and the light (knowledge) which brings us out of darkness (ignorance).
Thursday, June 20, 2013
American Eagle Day, The Happiest Man Alive, and Mario Paint Composer
American Eagle Day - Expressing support for designation of June 20, 2011, as "American Eagle Day," and celebrating the recovery and restoration of the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States. The Happiest Man Alive - Is this guy the happiest man alive?
Whereas, on June 20, 1782, the bald eagle was officially designated as the national emblem of the United States by the founding fathers at the Second Continental Congress.
Whereas the bald eagle is the central image of the Great Seal of the United States.
Whereas the image of the bald eagle is displayed in the official seal of many branches and departments of the Federal Government, including:
(1) the Office of the President
(2) the Office of the Vice President
(3) Congress
(4) the Supreme Court
(5) the Department of the Treasury
(6) the Department of Defense
(7) the Department of Justice
(8) the Department of State
(9) the Department of Commerce
(10) the Department of Homeland Security
(11) the Department of Veterans Affairs
(12) the Department of Labor
(13) the Department of Health and Human Services
(14) the Department of Energy
(15) the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(16) the Central Intelligence Agency
(17) the Postal Service
Whereas the bald eagle is an inspiring symbol of:
(1) the spirit of freedom
(2) the democracy of the United States
Mario Paint Composer - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
The least motivational signs ever seen at a marathon!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Juneteenth, Summer Is Almost Here!, and Wow!
Today is Juneteenth - Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States that commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in 42 of the United States. Summer Is Almost Here! - Summer will begin this Friday! We have enjoyed a period of very mild weather. Forecasts for this weekend indicate this will change dramatically. HOT weather will arrive! Wow! - Do not try this at home!
Though Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves' day-to-day lives—particularly in the Confederate States of America.
Texas, as a part of the Confederacy, was resistant to the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1865. June 18 is the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. On June 19, 1865, while standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of "General Order No. 3":
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.
