What Would Jimmy Do?

Since I’ve been writing this blog, there are certain subjects that I’ve deliberately avoided. It seems there is enough classified information floating around in public already….
But the news has been full of stories — and speculation — about the “Chinese spy balloon” flying over the United States. 

I’m going to ignore the political and international relations ramifications, but the subject of balloons themselves is interesting and deserving of a blog by me…..
Modern-day “spy” balloons consist of a piece of spying equipment, like a camera, suspended beneath a balloon that floats above a given area, usually carried along by wind currents. Balloons in this day and age usually (possibly) carry radar equipment and and are probably solar powered. The balloons usually operate above 70,000 feet — that’s well above where commercial airlines operate.

If you have an inquisitive mind (like me) you probably wonder why balloons are still used today, what with all the advanced technology, like satellites, readily available. Well, there are probably lots of reasons, but balloons are much cheaper than satellites, much cheaper to launch and if you need to retrieve them — well, that’s easier and cheaper, too.

I remember during the Civil War (no, I wasn’t there) the Union sent soldiers, equipped with binoculars,  up in hot air balloons to gather information about Confederate activity further away. They relayed their information back via morse code or a piece of paper tied to a rock. I did some extensive research on balloons and found that the first recorded use of reconnaissance balloons was at the Battle of Fleurus against Austrian and Dutch troops during the French revolutionary wars. 

So again, trying to not be political or contribute to worsening international relations, what’s the deal with the Chinese balloon? 
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the object is merely a civilian weather observatory blown off course. I guess if you don’t think about that too much, it sounds feasible. But — from what I’ve read, this particular balloon has the ability to maneuver. How much this balloon can maneuver seems important to me — most balloons just go up and down and are at the mercy of the winds. If this balloon can be controlled toward specific destinations, that puts it a step or two above any balloon I’m familiar with. Another thing that doesn’t compute with the Chinese Ministry’s explanation is that this balloon has been “up there” for at least days, maybe months. Weather balloons usually only remain aloft for a number of hours. I also read that the Chinese balloon is roughly the size of three buses — the weather balloons I’ve seen are probably no more than 20 to 30 feet in diameter.

Even though it appears that the Chinese balloon is “controllable,” what if it isn’t? Do wind patterns at different altitudes make it possible to send a balloon over a specific location? At those altitudes, the prevailing winds are west to east. So a balloon launched in China can end up in the United States, but if a balloon is launched in the U.S., it wouldn’t be able to go west (to China.) So it’s possible to choose a specific place to launch a balloon and have a reasonable chance it’ll go over the area of interest. But it’s location certainly can’t be controlled with a lot of accuracy. So what will happen to the Chinese balloon? If it’s not controllable, eventually it’ll come down — somewhere.

There’s no limit to what kind of modern technology you can stick on the bottom of a balloon, whose technology is very old. Just like during the Civil War, the whole point is “higher ground.” Military leaders alway talk about capturing or dominating the higher ground. Higher ground recently has been space, but that’s becoming congested and satellites are vulnerable to attack. So maybe balloons are the high ground of the future. 

Anyhow, it’ll be interesting to see how the Chinese Spy Satellite Story plays out. The good news is that it’s keeping the mass shootings out of the headlines for a few days…..
— 30 —

Well here it is the second of February already and time for my annual Groundhog Day Blog.
On this date every year the townsfolk in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania gather in Gobbler’s Knob to watch as a furry marmot is plucked from his burrow to predict the weather for the rest of the winter.
Some people get confused about what it means if the groundhog sees his shadow — or doesn’t. According to folklore if Phil (the groundhog) does see his shadow (meaning the Sun is shining, I guess) winter will not end early, and we’ll have 6 more weeks of it. If Phil (the groundhog) doesn’t see his shadow (cloudy, I guess) we’ll have an early spring. 

Members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” claim his predictions are 100% accurate. However that claim isn’t 100% accurate. According to sources that track these sorts of things, the accuracy number is more like 39%.
Before Punxsutawney Phil came into vogue, people relied on the Old Farmers’ Almanac for their weather predictions. The Farmers’ Almanac uses a mathematical and astronomical formula to make their long-range weather predictions — not, as they say, folklore. People that are fans of the Almanac say their weather forecasts are accurate 80-85% of the time. So apparently division of opinions exists in weather forecasting as well as politics.
Whether you’re a fan of Phil, or not, over the years he has gained respect and we celebrate a “holiday” that’s stuck around for more than a century.

The date of the celebration coincides with the medieval feast of Candlemas and its pre-Christian predecessor —Imbolc.(Imbolc is also called Saint Brigid’s Day and is a Gaelic traditional festival. It marks the beginning of spring and for Christians it is the feast day of Saint Brigid, Ireland’s patroness saint.)
An old Scottish prophecy ties Candlemas to the weather….
As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and snow
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop

Even though Punxsutawney Phil is the focal point of the oldest and largest annual Groundhog Day celebration, there are other celebrations and other groundhogs….
West Virginia has their own famous groundhog — French Creek Freddie. In case you want to attend sometime, French Creek is between Hacker Valley (Webster Countty) and Buckhannon (Upshur County.) It is the location of the WV Wildlife Center.
So no matter what the weather, spring will officially arrive with the Vernal Equinox on March 20, 2023 at 5.24 pm EST.
— 30 —

Today is not only Groundhog Day, it’s also Candlemas Day…. some proverbs link the day to the weather, much like Groundhog Day. For example: “If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will have another light” and “If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter won’t come again.”

The word Candlemas derives from candela meaning candle — Candlemas is also known as the festival of light. The day is celebrated on February 2 to honor light warding off evil and death and assuring prosperity. It is a Christian festival commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple of Jerusalem and his role as a light to enlighten pagan nations. 

The first written records of this day’s celebration date back to the 5th century. They  narrate the journey Mary and Joseph made to the temple with the infant Jesus. The Church created Candlemas Day to replace pagan cults that placed light at the heart of their rituals. The Romans held torchlight processions in February to purify the Earth at the end of winter. It was also the month of Lupercalia — a festival of purification held in Rome to revive fertility by releasing vital forces. 

Over time, the Lupercalia became more involved with scandalous excess and the Christian community looked on the activities with a disapproving eye. In the year 494, Pope Gelasius I decided to ban this festival and replace it with Candlemas processions and the blessing of candles in churches. The blessed candles serve as a symbol of Jesus Christ, representing his day of induction into Judaism.

For most of us, Christmas ends when we take down out Christmas decorations or have to go back to work, but Candlemas, which comes 40 days after Christmas, is officially the end of Christmas. 
— 30 —

More than fifty years ago, probably on our first date, I first heard about Claire’s sister, Bobbie the Nun. It was a while later, after we were married, that I first met Bobbie. A lot of the world knew her as Sister Janelle, but she was always Bobbie the Nun to me — and — I guess, to most of the people that really knew her.

My first meeting with her was at the “Mother House,” or as I like to call it, “Headquarters,” in Chardon, Ohio. Before our wedding, there was a big party in Cleveland where I met all of Claire’s family — except Bobbie…. she wasn’t able to attend. So after we were married, while visiting family in Cleveland, we went to Chardon to visit Bobbie. I remember her being excited about just about everything and I noticed her enthusiasm just didn’t stop — she was like a little kid just discovering the world. But over the years I realized that she wasn’t discovering the world — she was just more appreciative of the world than anyone I’ve ever known.

After I met Bobbie, we were out of the country for three years and the summer that we returned, we were in the process of buying a house in Vienna. It turns out that Bobbie was teaching at St. Leo’s school in Fairfax — just a few miles from Vienna. During the summer, all the nuns were on retreat, and their residence was empty. We were living in a motel while looking for a house, and Bobbie insisted that we stay in the convent rather than pay for the motel. 
After we were settled in Vienna and Bobbie and the other Nuns returned to St. Leo’s in the fall, we saw quite a lot of her, being only a few miles apart, and it was my first chance to really get to know her. I had never before met anyone like Bobbie — if I made a list of all the unique people I’ve met during my life, she’d be at the top of my list. I’m sure I could fill a book with “Bobbie stories.” 

We often took Bobbie to the Smithsonian Museums in Washington. One of the first times we took her to the Smithsonian, she was totally fascinated by everything. I remember one exhibit about television news and there was an old kinescope of Edward R. Murrow reading the news — we couldn’t get Bobbie away from that exhibit — she had missed that part of American history when she entered the convent. We finally just went on through the museum without her, because she was reading every single word of every exhibit. Anyhow, the museum announced that it was closing and we couldn’t find Bobbie. The guards finally ushered everyone out and we were on the front steps with no Bobbie. We rang the bell and told the guard that we had lost Bobbie and thought she was still in the museum somewhere. The guard took a deep breath and told us to go around to the back door and wait there. We waited by the “loading dock” door for a long time. Finally, the door opened and one of the guards just kind of “put” Bobbie out, with a sigh and looking very annoyed, said, “here!” Of course Bobbie was just happy as could be and thanked the “nice man” for helping her.

Shortly after we started taking Bobbie places after we moved to Vienna, it became apparent that she had no sense of directions, time or distance. Whenever we took her someplace she wanted to go, it was always about 30 minutes away. One of the first times we took her somewhere she had been before, I asked her if she knew how to get there. She said she did — just go around the beltway and then it’s just a little ways. After we got on the beltway, I asked her which exit I should take and she replied, “this one looks right.” Turns out that to Bobbie, all the beltway exits were the same — she was amazed when we told her that they had numbers and names….. We had a lot of interesting adventures following Bobbie’s directions.

Every time we took Bobbie anywhere in the car, even before we got our seat belts buckled, no matter if we were going to the corner store or to Cleveland, she always began the trip with a “destination prayer” — I’m not sure that’s what it was called, but it was a quick prayer that we got to our destination safely. She always ended the prayer with “…. and please protect us from all the crazies.” This went on for a while and one day I said to Bobbie, “Gee, Bobbie, calling people crazies doesn’t seem like a very Christian thing to do.” I don’t remember her responding to that comment, but she was clearly giving it some thought. After that, she always ended the prayer with “…. and please protect us from all the irresponsible drivers.”

Shortly after we moved to West Virginia, Bobbie came down to visit us — she flew into Dulles and we picked her up at the airport. When we got home, and Bobbie opened her suitcase, there was a note in it from the TSA saying that her bag had been searched. Bobbie wasn’t familiar with the TSA and their procedures, so we explained what had happened. Her reaction was typically Bobbie — she said, “Oh my! I’m glad I packed neatly.” And she thought it was so nice of them to leave her a note as to what they’d done.

During her first visit with us here in West Virginia, Bobbie insisted on cleaning the kitchen and decided the coffee pot really needed a good cleaning. So she proceeded to disassemble the coffee pot down to it’s individual parts — there were springs and screws, o-rings, nuts and washers everywhere. I had no idea there were that many parts in a coffee pot. Of course, she couldn’t put it back together — and neither could I. She was very apologetic and just kept saying that she got carried away with her “lust for cleaning.”

As I said before, a book could easily be filled with “Bobbie stories.” I’m about to describe one that I think comes close to defining Bobbie as a person…..
We got married in Virginia and Bobbie wasn’t able to come to the wedding. Several years later, she was visiting us and looking through pictures of our wedding and reception. At one point she commented on the picture of a particular girl and that she was very attractive. I said, “do you know what she does for a living?” “She’s a topless dancer.” Bobbie never flinched, or showed any reaction, she just said, “well, I’m sure that is a God-given talent.” Why should this be one of my favorite Bobbie stories? Bobbie never judged — she accepted everyone for what they were. I’ve been told that she did, on occasion, say negative things about some people, but I honestly never heard her say anything bad about anyone. I’m not sure I can say that about anyone else I know. 

Some of the last times I spent with Bobbie and, unfortunately, some of the few times I was able to have a one-on-one conversation with her was a few years ago when the family had annual picnics in Cleveland. For two or three of those years, amazingly, we were able to get “out of the maddening crowd” and spend some time talking. Those conversations were very meaningful to me and actually changed the way I view some things — I’ll always be grateful for those times with her. 

Religion has always been something that I wrestled with over the years. Turns out that Bobbie the Nun has had the same problem. We talked about a number of subjects, but one, in particular, made a big impression on me and truly changed the way I think about prayer. Here’s kind of how the conversation went…. I know that Catholics, and Bobbie, pray to the various Saints and I asked Bobbie if it was alright to pray directly to God. Bobbie thought about it, and said she thought that was perfectly alright. I wondered maybe if everybody prayed directly to God, he’d be too busy to answer all the prayers. Bobbie pondered that a bit and decided that God could handle it. My next question was did she believe God answered every prayer? Bobbie was pretty sure that He does answer every prayer. I expressed some doubt about that — I was pretty sure that all my prayers hadn’t been answered. That’s when Bobbie said something to me that I’ll never forget and it changed a lot of things in my religious beliefs. She said that God does answer every prayer, and sometimes, for reasons known only to God, His answer is no. That made perfect sense to me and I was a little embarrassed that I hadn’t thought about that on my own. 

So even though I never would have thought it when I first met her, Bobbie the Nun had a big impact on my life and has influenced the way I now think about many things. I came to the conclusion many years ago that religion doesn’t, and will never, make any sense. You can’t logically approach anything about religion — it all boils down to faith. And after meeting Bobbie, I became even more convinced. Faith is very important because it highlights both the importance of something greater than ourselves as well as the relative insignificance of things that many/most of us place value upon. 

When things get tough, it can be easy to lose your way, but having faith means knowing that there is always a reason for everything despite how unpleasant or painful the situation might seem at the time. Bobbie never spoke those words to me, but it exemplifies the way she lived.
Knowing what is important in life and not letting unimportant things be the things that define you is vital for a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. Bobbie did just that.
We know that Heaven will now be sparkling clean, but our world will be an appreciably worse place without her.
— 30 —

A couple of  days ago we all (some of us anyway) celebrated Curmudgeons Day. After thinking about it, I thought I should explain a little about us curmudgeons and why being a curmudgeon isn’t necessarily all bad.

I think that a curmudgeon is basically a pessimist that may have a grumpy outlook because of experience and a realization that the good in the world has been hard-won and is always vulnerable to hare-brained schemes of dreamers and idiots that are everywhere in abundance. I guess a true curmudgeon really doesn’t care whether or not people like him — he’s too old to worry about that — and — his knees hurt. He doesn’t imagine he can change the world. When a new exciting idea comes along, a curmudgeon will wonder about all the disastrous ways it can go wrong — and very often, the curmudgeon turns out to be right.

Motivational speakers, the newest gadgets, diet fads, nutritional supplements, exercise programs and the people that fall for their pitches annoy the curmudgeon because he knows that someone is getting rich off these people, and he wants no part of it.
Of course not everyone should be a curmudgeon — if they were we probably wouldn’t have the wheel, toothbrushes, phones, and other things that have benefited the human race. 

I’ve noticed lately that when I turn on the news, all news is breaking news, everything is an emergency and it must be reported as such to make sure you’re constantly paying attention. That’s another thing that annoys curmudgeons — they take a more methodical, and slower, approach to events.

I’ve watched 60 Minutes for many years and one of my favorites on the program was Andy Rooney. The stories he told often pointed out the absurdity of humankind, and the way he told them helped give a much needed perspective. I think it’s great that some people are grounded enough to point out the obvious absurdities that surround us — Andy Rooney was one of those people… he was a curmudgeon. 

I don’t think a young person can be a curmudgeon. They may be cynical and/or skeptical, but they haven’t lived through enough defeats or suffered enough personal setbacks to be a true curmudgeon. 

So I think the world needs us curmudgeons — if we weren’t around, I’m convinced that our society would careen downhill into chaos very fast.
So I will continue to be a curmudgeon — while I don’t consider myself a churlish old man, I do detest hypocrisy and pretense and I’m compelled to expose these things at every opportunity.
— 30 —

Claire often refers to me as a curmudgeon. When she first started doing that, I thought it was a compliment. But then, after a while, I looked it up…. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a compliment.

Here’s what I found:
Curmudgeon n
1) archaic: a crusty, ill-tempered, churlish old man
2) modern; anyone who hates hypocrisy and pretense and has the temerity to say so; anyone with the habit of pointing out unpleasant facts in an engaging and humorous manner.

I guess that describes me somewhat — maybe it’s not a compliment to be called curmudgeon, but maybe it’s not necessarily bad either. After all, we’d fall prey to every hare-brained scheme going if it weren’t for grumpy old men (and women.) I guess I should mention — since I had to research the subject — women can be curmudgeons — the word describes a unique kind of personality and isn’t limited by the physical attributes of the person. Of course, women aren’t usually labeled curmudgeons — they get categorized as an old spinsters, battle-axes, or old biddys.

But anyhow, today, January 29, is Curmudgeons Day. So you may disagree with all the curmudgeons in your life every other day, but today — on Curmudgeons Day, you should honor them. 

Grumpy characters are interesting and multidimensional. Just think about the Muppets… we love Oscar the Grouch, Statler and Waldorf (the old men who sit in the balcony and mock whatever is happening onstage) and people like Walter Matthau and Andy Rooney.
In fact, this day is observed on January 29th because that’s the birthday of one of America’s most beloved curmudgeons — W.C. Fields.

One thing you have to say about curmudgeons — they understand their unlikeability and they still stay true to themselves. Changing to please others is overrated.
So you can honor us curmudgeons if you choose, but today we’ll raise a glass to our own authentic selves.
— 30 —

Some of you know that I’ve been on a campaign the past few years to do away with Super Bowl parties. I’m not against parties and I’m not against the Super Bowl. I’m just against combining the two.
If you’ve read this blog about this time the last few years, these words are going to sound familiar. It’s a cause I’m serious about and I think it deserves the proper attention. 

Except for a year when COVID was raging, we’ve been invited to a Super Bowl party just about every year. But here’s the deal — I really do like football and I like the Super Bowl, but it’s impossible to watch the game at a Super Bowl party. The last Super Bowl party that we went to we had a good time — we almost always do. But the house was full of people that didn’t come to watch a football game. I’m sure a lot of the people there didn’t know who won — in fact, a few people didn’t even know who was playing. 

So here’s my annual argument against Super Bowl parties…..
If anyone is really interested in watching the game, they don’t go to a Super Bowl party — Super Bowl parties are all about the party. The fact that a football game is being played is just a good excuse to have a party. I propose that there should be no Super Bowl parties. The day of the game, football fans should stay at home and watch the game. Non-fans should do whatever they do on a Sunday.
Instead of Super Bowl parties, we should have Pro-Bowl parties. Here’s why — nobody watches the Pro-Bowl and certainly no one cares who “wins.” So it’s the perfect time to have a party. Gather all your food and drinks and friends and party away. Of course you must have the TV tuned to the Pro-Bowl, but no one will watch it — just like the Super Bowl, except the game doesn’t matter anyhow. This takes away any guilty feeling during the party, that maybe you should at least check out how the game’s going.

I realize this great idea hasn’t caught on yet, but I’m not giving up. Let’s all get behind my movement — it’s the right thing to do.
— 30 —

In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned that this is the Year of the Rabbit in China and the Year of the Cat in Vietnam. I thought it might be interesting to explore why the difference?

Both Vietnamese and Chinese astrology use the zodiac animals to make predictions about a person’s fate, as they believe the zodiac sign influences the personalities, careers, love and fortune of the person born in that year. 

Both zodiacs are different but not in a way that one is superior to the other — they are both rich in culture and tradition and they have been a part of the beliefs and cultures of both countries for centuries. 

It is thought that the Vietnamese zodiac originated from the ancient Chinese zodiac, and that the rabbit sign was replaced by the cat due to the similarity in sound between “Mao” for rabbit in Chinese and “Meo” in Vietnamese, which means cat. 

But here’s a better explanation, I think, of why there is no Year of the Cat in the Chinese zodiac….
Once upon a time, the Jade Emperor announced a grand race to decide which animals would represent each year in the Chinese zodiac. All creatures were invited to participate in this race, and each one was determined to come out on top.
The cat and the rat were the closest of friends and decided to join the race together. The cat was known for his love of sleeping late and getting grumpy when woken up, so the rat promised to make sure that he would be on time by waking him up early.
But on the day of the race, the rat didn’t keep his promise and went off on his own, leaving the cat behind. On his journey, he met the ox, the tiger, the dragon, and many other faster animals. The clever rat then devised a plan.
He convinced the ox to give him a ride, singing him a song on the way to the palace. As they were getting closer to the palace, the ox was thrilled about the possibility of being the first animal of the year, but at the last moment, the rat jumped off his back and arrived at the feet of the emperor before any other animal. 
One by one, the rest of the 12 animals arrived, and lastly, the cat came running into the palace. He was the 13th to arrive and was not chosen for the calendar. Filled with fury, the cat chased after the rat, who he once thought of as a friend. And that’s why the cat is missing from the Chinese zodiac and still chasing the rat to this day. 

The linguistic connection I mentioned above suggests that the Vietnamese calendar was likely adapted from the Chinese one. But there are theories that suggest that the Vietnamese zodiac could have been independently created by ancient Vietnamese people. That theory is supported by the fact that rabbits are not as popular in Vietnam as cats are, which are often kept as pets and considered part of the family. So the cat sign is more relevant and relatable for the Vietnamese people. 
The bottom line is that the cat lost out in the race for the Chinese zodiac — maybe that’s why you don’t see many cats around Chinese restaurants? Just saying……
— 30 —

Here we are in the middle of the Lunar or Chinese New Year celebrations. Of course the Lunar New Year goes by different names in different countries. In Vietnam, the 22nd of January this year wasn’t Chinese New Year — it was Tet. A lot of, maybe most, Americans had never heard of Tet before the Vietnam War. But 55 years ago, the Tet Offensive, which occurred during the Vietnamese New Year holiday in 1968 was a significant event in the war and most of the world became aware of Tet. The Tet Offensive was a simultaneous attack by North Vietnam on five major cities in South Vietnam that resulted in a military defeat for North Vietnam but was a political disaster for the Allied forces and significantly eroded support for the war among the American public and congress. Part of the Tet celebration is setting off firecrackers to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune, but in 1968 I remember the evil spirits being the Viet Kong and the noise much louder than any firecrackers I’d ever heard.

So is the Vietnamese New Year and the Chinese New Year the same — or different? As I often heard in Vietnam, “same, not same.” Both are celebrated on the same day, and both involve celebrations and cultural traditions that are based on the lunar calendar, but they are not the same holiday. The Chinese New Year is specifically associated with Chinese culture, while Tet is associated with Vietnamese culture. 

In most Asian cultures, each lunar year is associated with an animal sign according to the zodiac cycle of twelve years. Even though Vietnam and China have similar zodiac signs (and interpretations) they aren’t the same.
In China, the zodiac animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
In Vietnam the zodiac animals are: Rat, Water Buffalo, Tiger, Cat Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. 
Last year, both China and Vietnam celebrated the Year of the Tiger. This year, the Chinese New Year symbol is the Rabbit, while in Vietnam, it is the Year of the Cat.

While a lot of the traditions for Tet are the same as Chinese New Year, some are a bit different….
Vietnamese New Year, Tet Holiday, or Tet Festival, officially kicks off one week before the Lunar New Year’s Day, when the tradition of praying to the Kitchen God or Ông Táo, is observed. (According to vietnamese belief, each household has a god in the kitchen who protects the family and observes their behavior. On the 23rd day of the last lunar month, the Kitchen God is said to return to heaven on the back of a fish to report to the Jade Emperor. To assist in the journey, Vietnamese families make offerings to the alter and release koi fish into nearby lakes and rivers.)

According to traditional Vietnamese beliefs, it is important to start the new year with fresh, new clothes in order to rid oneself of any bad luck that may have accumulated during the previous year. 

Since the Vietnamese believe that the spirits of ancestors and deceased family members return to visit during the Tet holiday, families prepare offerings on the altar and keep incense lit throughout the holiday to honor and welcome these spirits.

Setting off firecrackers was a longstanding tradition during the Lunar New Year Festival, even during the war. However, due to the risk of fire, firecrackers were banned in Vietnam in the late 1990s. Today, many of the cities and towns now hold coordinated fireworks displays at designated locations. 

Vietnamese believe that the first person to enter a home on Lunar New Year has a significant impact on the host’s fortune for the entire year. So — families and individuals often try to carefully select the first person to enter their home on Lunar New Year. They may choose someone from within their family or a friend who is born under a lucky zodiac sign. If they’re not able to find a suitable individual, some people may even leave their own home before midnight on Lunar New Year’s Eve and then re-enter to ensure that the first person to enter the home is not undesirable. 

It is a longstanding tradition for Vietnamese people to visit pagodas and temples during the Lunar New Year celebration to pay respects to Buddha and the gods. 
A common practice is drawing lots or consulting with fortune-tellers when visiting pagodas and temples. The lots, which are small slips of paper, contain a number or a short paragraph that is believed to predict the individual’s fortune for the coming year. To interpret the message, people often seek the guidance of fortune-tellers, who are usually located at a corner of the pagoda or outside the gates. These fortune-tellers will typically provide an interpretation of the individual’s fortune, including any potential challenges or opportunities to watch out for in the coming year. If an individual is told that their year is likely to be challenging due to their zodiac sign conflicting with the year’s zodiac sign, they may be advised to make additional offerings at the pagoda to seek protection from Buddha.

So whether you’re celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, or the Year of the Cat, or the fact that you’ve given up on your New Year’s Resolutions for 2023 — we’re off and running. Have a good year.
— 30 —

At one of our last golf outings, like always, we sat down to have a few beers after our round. All of us are retired and the beer in the clubhouse had gone up by a quarter a bottle/can. Of course, we did just what we were supposed to do when such a thing happens — we grumbled. Anyhow, the conversation got around to the economy and the cost of gas and other things and everyone started remembering what their salary was when they retired. 

During my working days, I was almost always more interested in the job than the salary, and if I was offered two assignments and one paid more than the other, my decision was usually based on my interest in the job or project more than the salary. 

Anyhow, the subject turned to salaries and how working from home had affected them, etc. I made the statement that anyone worth their salt should be able to work from home or the office — that was a foreign phrase to one of the guys. Someone “worth their salt” was something I’d heard all my life — I just always assumed it meant that someone was a valuable employee and earned their salary. 
So — I figured a little extensive research was in order….

Well, it turns out that I was right, or pretty close to right — in ancient Rome, it was salt and not money that was used for commerce or trading. The soldiers that worked for the Roman empire got a handful of salt as their payment each day. This is where the common saying of “being worth one’s salt” comes from. Soldiers who did a good job were worth the salt they earned. The word salary is derived from the word salt. 

In Roman times, obviously, salt was a valuable commodity and was referred to as “white gold.” The high demand for salt was due to its important use in preserving food, especially meat and fish. The Roman soldiers’ daily or monthly allowance was called “salarium. (“sal” is the Latin word for salt.) This latin root can be found in the French word “salaire” — that eventually made it into the English language as the word “salary.”
Today, we work for a salary, not salt — I guess that’s a good thing unless maybe you’re obsessed with keeping your driveway clear in the winter….
— 30 —