What Would Jimmy Do?

Since yesterday was Ash Wednesday, I hope wine wasn’t something you gave up for Lent. February 18 — every year — is National Drink Wine Day. Not that you necessarily need an excuse to drink wine, but why pass up a national holiday that seems to encourage you do so?

Wine has been a staple in human culture since its invention around 7000 BC. Some ancient societies enjoyed their wine so much they even worshipped it.

Evidence of ancient wine production has been found in China, the Middle East, and Greece — so it appears that many different cultures discovered the process about the same time. The oldest known winery was found in a cave in Armenia and it’s over 4,000 years old. Barrels of wine have been found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs, and the Ancient Greeks used wine in secret religious ceremonies. 

I did some extensive research and discovered a survey taken to determine how Americans thought about wine and the way they drink it. I’m not sure what they mean, but here’s some of the results:
Red wine is America’s favorite, preferred by 42% of those surveyed.
16% of American’s don’t know anything about the different types of wine.
Less than 10% drink 5+ glasses of wine in one sitting.
74% of Americans agree that 2 glasses of wine is about the right amount
9% have slapped a bag of wine (?????)
3% judge people who drink rosé.
9% say wine gives them the worst hangovers.
3% always cry when they drink wine (?????)
37% have finished a bottle of wine by themselves
9% always buy boxed wine because it is cheap.
42% think a $10 bottle is a nice bottle of wine.
24% think a $15 bottle of wine is a splurge.

Wine is complex — there are more organic compounds in a glass of wine than in your blood. Wine is also good for you — the tannins found in red wine are a powerful antioxidant and have been shown to lower blood pressure and risk of strokes, diabetes, and heart disease. 

Due to their chemical makeup, white wines taste better slightly chilled, whereas reds are better at room temperature. 
Prince Charles owns an Aston Martin powered by wine-based biofuel.
Wine affects men and women differently — due to a difference in stomach enzymes, women are more susceptible to the intoxicating effects of wine.

So, enough talking…. some years ago, Carlo Rossi had some wine commercials on TV in which he always said, “I like to talk about wine, but I’d rather drink it!”
Good advice — Happy National Drink Wine Day.
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So — are you ready to give up caffeine, or wine, or ice-cream for 40 days? How about FaceTime? Giving these things up are hard, but Christians long ago used to give up a whole lot more. Today is Ash Wednesday — it marks the first day of Lent, at least in Western churches. The ashes symbolize penance and the dust from which God made people. When the priest marks your forehead with the ashes, they often say, “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Ash Wednesday is probably most closely associated with Catholicism, but there are many Christian sects that recognize it — including Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and some Baptists. Some Christians, such as Mormons, Evangelicals, and Pentecostal Christians don’t take part in the holy day. 

It is believed that the first Ash Wednesday ceremonies were likely held sometime in the 11th century. Although it’s never mentioned in the Bible, there is a verse in the Book of Daniel that links fasting to ashes. Some scholars believe this is the origin of the Lenten practice. Ash Wednesday didn’t gain mainstream popularity with Christians in the U.S. until the 1970s. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are eco-friendly — they are made from the palms passed out on Palm Sunday the previous year.

As we talked about yesterday, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is normally reserved fro indulgence and revelry. The first day of lent in Iceland, called Öskudagur, is similar to our Halloween. Kids dress up in costumes and tour their neighborhoods singing songs in exchange for candy. 

A trend that supposedly started a few years ago is picking up steam this year because of the corona virus — many parishes have started offering “ashes to go” on Ash Wednesday. Some priests and pastors even position themselves in public places — like street corners, parking lots or metro stations, and will administer ashes to whoever asks to receive them.

But today is the start of Lent, and obviously it’s about much more than ashes — we should use it as a reminder to be humble in the face of mortality……
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Mardi Gras is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French. With Ash Wednesday marking the beginning of Lent, a 40 day period of fasting before Easter, Mardi Gras is the “last hurrah,” with participants indulging in their favorite fatty foods and drinks before giving them up.

I may have mention here before that I had never been in a crowd that I thought I couldn’t get our of if I wanted to — except — Mardi Gras in New Orleans. There were so many people, I absolutely couldn’t move. I had never before, or after, experienced anything like it. 

One of the most famous Mardi Gras celebrations is in New Orleans, but a lot of other places have their own festivals. The first Carnival celebration originated in Nice, France. Rio de Janeiro, Quebec City and Trinidad have famous Mardi Gras Carnivals, as well as Mobile, Alabama and St. Louis, Missouri. So a lot of places around the world celebrate Mardi Gras as the last day of Carnival season, which starts after Christmas, on January 6th (known as Twelfth Night.)

Needless to say, Mardi Gras is in a league of it’s own — with its own rules, language, traditions, etc. The things I’m about to describe are what I observed in New Orleans — I imagine they apply wherever Mardi Grans is celebrated.

You’ll hear laissez les bon temps router (pronounced lay-say le bon tom rio-lay) over and over at Mardi Gras — it’s the official greeting of Mardi Gras and means “let the good times roll” in Cajun French.

New Orleans has been celebrating Fat Tuesday with parades since 1837. The first floats appeared in the parade in 1857. Parades are planned by “Krewes” — organizations that put on parades and/or balls for Mardi Gras/Carnival. They are clubs of sorts, with dues ranging from $20 to thousands of dollars a year. Some krewes have been hosting Mardi Gras parades for years, others have formed more recently — most are named after Roman or Greek mythology. Each parade kicks off with the krew leader. Next comes the king or queen, followed by the maids and dukes, before the rest of the members.

Krewes are also responsible for selecting carnival royalty in New Orleans, such as ‘Rex.’ the king of Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras was ahead of its time in requiring masks…. it is illegal to ride on a float without a mask. Of course these aren’t COVID-style masks — the original purpose of the mask was to get rid of social constraints for the day, allowing people to mingle with whomever they chose.

Each float in a Mardi Gras parade is decorated differently to fit into a central theme, which can be anything from literature to humor. Most krewes start work on the following year’s floats as soon as Fat Tuesday is over. 

Beads were first thrown by Santa during a parade in the early 1900s. It wasn’t until a few decades ago that they became synonymous with flashing. People also throw stuffed animals, toys and other stuff.

The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, gold, and green. Purple signifies justice, gold means power, and green stands for faith. 

King’s Cake, sometimes called the Three Kings Cake, is eaten throughout the world during carnival season. In the US, it is traditionally purple, green, and gold, with a trinket baby-Jesus inside. Whoever gets the baby Jesus is said to have good luck all year.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans will definitely be different in 2021…. but the festivities haven’t been completely cancelled. Fat Tuesday will take place today (February 16.) It won’t be cancelled completely because it’s a religious holiday, but parades and mass gatherings won’t be happening. 
Nonetheless, I’m sure New Orleans, and other places will be hopping — there’s a saying in New Orleans, “We don’t hide crazy, we parade it down the street.”
Laissez les bon temps router — Let the good times roll!!!
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Today is Presidents Day — originally a day to honor the nation’s first president, George Washington. Through the years, both George Washington (born on February 22) and Abraham Lincoln (born on February 12) have come to be honored on the third Monday in February. Today it has supposedly come to be a patriotic observance of all US presidents… although sometimes it seems like it’s more about Presidents Day sales than any kind of patriotic observance. 
It is, however, an official federal holiday —post offices and stock markets are closed, as well as most, if not all, banks. Schools (that are open, are also closed.

I know I’ve mentioned some of the things before, but it’s a good day to learn a few things about our past presidents….
The story about George Washington wooden teeth is a myth. Over the years, he was fitted with false teeth made from ivory, gold and human teeth.
James Madison was the shortest president (5’4”) and Abraham Lincoln was the tallest (6’4”.)
There have been eight left-handed presidents — James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama.
George Washington was the only president unanimously elected — all of the state representatives voted for him.
Martin Van Buren was the only president to speak English as a second language. His first language was Dutch.
Rutherford B. Hayes banned beer, wine or any other type of alcohol at the White House. At official functions, Mrs. Hayes was known as “lemonade Lucy.”
Joe Biden is the oldest president  at 78 years, 61 days

I suppose it should be noted that on this Presidents Day, Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial just completed. While the outcome of the trial was never in doubt, the former President was impeached — twice. That’s certainly a stain on the office we celebrate today.

Today is the first Presidents Day for the new President — he’s got a tough job and I wish him well. One of his predecessors, Harry Truman, said. “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” Good luck to us all….
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Last year at this time, we were still conducting all our traditional February celebrations in the usual way — including Valentine’s Day. As you know, we haven’t, for many, many years, gone out on Valentine’s Day. A long time ago we decided that the restaurants were too crowded, prices were higher, and usually we had to deal with a special (read limited) menu. So we traditionally go out just before, or just after, February 14th.

This year, it’ll the same — but not same. We won’t go out for Valentine’s Day — but — we won’t go out just before, or just after, either. Of course the reason this year is not the crowds, it’s COVID-19.

But one thing will remain the same — my (almost) annual Valentine blog. It’s hard to write something different every year about the same event, even though this year it’ll certainly be different.

I thought this year we might talk a little about the first valentine — it seems kind of appropriate since it was written in a prison — a place most of feel like we’ve been in lately.

The first “valentine” was actually a few lines in a poem, written by Charles, the Duke of Orléans, in 1415, when he was 21 years old. Charles grew up in a grouchy French royal family. He was the nephew of King Charles VI of France —also known as Charles the Mad.
Like most royals of the time, Charle’s marital life was a matter of state — not heart. At age 12, he was married off to his 17-year old cousin and daughter of King Charles VI, Isabela of Valois. (Isabella was already a widow after being first married at age six.)
During the years long French civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians, Charles was captured and imprisioned by the Burgundians. While held prisoner, he penned a poem to his wife…

My very gentle Valentine,
Since for me you were born too soon,
And I for you was born too late.
God forgives him who has estranged
Me from you for the whole year.
I am already sick of love,
My very gentle Valentine.

Doesn’t exactly fall in the “roses are red, violets are blue” category, but given the grim circumstances under which it was written, that’s no surprise.
Charles was imprisoned  for 25 year and was never able to see his wife’s reaction to the letter — She died while Charles was in prison.

So as to not leave you with a depressing story today, I recently read about a study conducted at the University of Rochester that found that men viewed women wearing red or standing in front of a red background as significantly more attractive and sexually desirable than women wearing or standing in front of different colors. Women also felt the same way about men wearing red. The study hypothesized that red also symbolizes confidence, spontaneity, and determination ‚ all important factors in a romantic pursuit. Valentine’s Day has always promoted the fact that red is the color of passion and sexuality… the study seems to confirm that belief. Like they say, follow the science…
Happy Valentine’s Day.
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Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, but today is not only Valentine’s Day Eve — it’s also Galentine’s Day. 

It’s one of those made-up holidays that I never knew existed until recently. In fact, I don’t know very much about it…. apparently today is all about celebrating the unique bond women share with their best gal pals. 

As far as I can tell, Galentine’s Day was invented by Leslie Knope, the fictional mayor of a small town on the TV show Parks and Recreation. The part was played by Amy Poehler. I never watched the show, but the holiday started as one of the character’s many mini holidays. But this one took on a life of its own because the message resonated with women in real life.

I should mention that today (February 13th) is also “mistress Day.” This is the day that cheating men traditionally celebrate Valentine’s Day with their mistresses so their wives won’t be suspicious on the actual holiday. 

So, if in these times you need to find more and more reasons to celebrate, here’s a couple you can add to your list.
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Today is the beginning (Chinese lunar New Year Day) of Chinese New Year, 2021 — the year of the Ox. The year of the Ox begins today (February 12) and lasts until January 30, 2022.

The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animals and the Ox occupies the second position. (The 12 zodiac animals, in order, are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.)

Even though China has officially moved to the Gregorian calendar, like the rest of the world, the lunar calendar is still really important in China. The Chinese still celebrate all traditional holidays as well as days such as the Winter Solstice. Some people still calculate their birthdays and ages according to the lunar calendar, too. 

The Chinese have a saying that there’s no manners and/or etiquette without wine. Obviously, Chinese people love drinking and they always have wine for every ceremony, festival or important dinner. There’s wine for engagement dinners, weddings, birthdays and, obviously, the Spring Festival. When you’re eating with someone older than you, as is the case with New Year’s dinners, you need to follow strict toasting etiquette rules. They include the order of toasts, seating, and how you hold the glass, etc. 

Your benming year is the year of your zodiac animal — and of the 12 year cycle, it the unluckiest for you. So if you were born in the year of the ox, be aware. There are multiple explanations for this. The Chinese believe that children can easily be taken by demons, and your benming year is your rebirth year. During the year, your weapon of defense is the color red. Just as you can decorate your home in red for protection and fortune, you can also wear red clothing. 

People born in the year of the ox have an honest nature and are known for diligence, dependability, strength and determination. Women oxes are traditional, faithful wives, who attach great importance to their children’s education. Male oxes are strongly patriotic, have ideals and ambitions for life, and attach importance to family and work. People of the ox zodiac sign often enjoy great success. Oxes are weakest in their communication skills. They are not good at communicating with others, and even think it is not worthwhile to exchange ideas with others. They are stubborn and stick to their own ways.

This will be the first year  I can remember that we haven’t “eaten out” on Chinese New Year — but the celebration will still be the same…. Always welcome the new morning with a new spirit, smile on your face, love in your heart and good thoughts in your mind.
Happy (Chinese) New Year!!
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Both faithful readers know that for the past few years I have been on a campaign to do away with Super Bowl parties — I suggested Pro-Bowl parties instead. As a reminder, my proposal for change stated that Super Bowl parties are all about the party — no one goes to a Super Bowl party to watch the Super Bowl. Rather than repeat my superb logic here, you can check the February entries of this blog for the past couple of years for the details. 

This year, I am again petitioning for no Super Bowl parties. In fact, I think people should send out invitations with wording something like…. “You are covidly un-invited to a Super Bowl LV party at my house….” of course, besides my solid logic, there’s another reason not to have a party this year — it’s called COVID. Not quite normal — that’s were things are these days, including the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl LV will be played in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Florida. The stadium has a seating capacity of 65,000. This year, the NFL will mix 30,000 cutouts in with about 20,000 (real people) fans.  

So that means that more people will be watching on TV — even more  so than usual. Every Super Bowl Sunday crowds of people gather around TVs and lay out a spread of junk food. However, gathering indoors for four or five hours with people outside your own “bubble” doesn’t exactly meet the CDC recommendations for social distancing. But I’m not sure Super Bowl partying via Zoom is really going to catch on. 

But it’s still the Super Bowl and there’s bound to be some “firsts” or amazing facts that make it special…
• If the Chiefs win, they will become just the eighth team in NFL history to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
• The Buccaneers have only gone to one Super Bowl before — that was in Super Bowl XXXVII. They defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21.
• Tom Brady is making his 10th Super Bowl appearance. The first nine were with the Patriots. He already has six Super Bowl rings — if the Buccaneers win, he will become the first player to ever win seven NFL championships.
• If the Chiefs win, Patrick Mahomet will become the youngest QB in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowls.
• Tampa Bay is the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in their own stadium.
• Tom Brady will be making his third Super Bowl start since turning 40 — he’s 43. No other QB has ever made it to the Super Bowl in his 40s.
• If Tampa Bay wins, Brady will become the only QB other than Payton Manning to win a Super Bowl for multiple franchises.
• The NFL will allow 22,000 fans at the stadium for the game — including 7,500 health care workers vaccinated for COVID-19. All of them will receive free tickets from the league.

So last year I mentioned here that in 2021 I was planning on staying home and watching Super Bowl LV between the Redskins Washington Football Team and the Browns. Ok, I lied about the WFT and Browns, but last year at this time, who would have believed that both of them would make the playoffs? I will be staying home this year and the party’s at our house, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be invited.
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In the spirit of getting ready for Chinese New Year, we get to warm up today by celebrating National Chopsticks Day. Today, people worldwide will celebrate these humble and ancient utensils. Chopsticks were developed about 5,000 years ago in China. 

Originally, chopsticks were used by cooks while preparing food — those tools were probably long enough to reach into hot cooking pots. Sometime later, fuels for cooking became scarce in China and food was prepared in smaller pieces reducing the time needed to cook it. Because of the reduction in the size of the food being cooked, the need for sharp eating instruments faded and shorter chopsticks entered the scene. 

Once these handy eating tools found their way to the dinner table, they spread around the world. Today chopsticks may be made from wood, like bamboo or aspen. Some chopsticks are elaborately carved from jade, ivory, or wood and some are ornately painted with miniature scenes. 

My personal chopsticks are made of titanium — so I guess you could say they’re “high tech.” 
But never pass up a good reason to celebrate — especially in February. Happy Chopsticks Day.
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There’s been a lot of news coverage and talk about extremists lately, and with the upcoming impeachment trial, I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more.

Depending on your view, you may believe that liberals are more likely to become extremists — or — you may believe that conservatives are more likely to become extremists. Actually, political alignment doesn’t seem to make any difference in those developing extremists tendencies. 

Events such as those in Charlottesville in 2017 and the incident at the Capitol on January 6 leads us to wonder what we can do to stop the spread of these extremest ideologies. I certainly don’t have the answer to that question…. from what I’ve read, extremists, especially militant extremists, usually have a mindset that includes nastiness, grudges and excuses. Most extremists strongly endorse statements approving violent acts, such as “killing is justified when it is an act of revenge.” Grudges are often a direct reference to our country, such as “the US is degraded by its COVID pandemic, its alcohol and drug addiction, corruption, of lack of dignified values.” Sometimes the grudge is more general, like “evil has been re-incarnated in the rule of multinational companies.” Although excuses can take several forms, a common feature is justification in people’s own minds of the nasty and violent things they tend to condone. 

As I said, I know very little  about this subject, but one thing I’ve noticed — no matter what their political, religious, racial, etc. position, extremists find it much harder to admit they’re wrong — about anything, even when it’s got nothing to do with politics, religion, etc. Even when confronted with new evidence, they are less likely to admit they might be wrong. 

So — it’s my blog and my opinion, but trying to convince extremists is a waste of time. You may be able to brilliantly argue your point, but that’s all you’ll get out of it… a “won” argument, and probably an alienated relationship.
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