Today is known as Single’s Awareness Day or what I like to call “Make Single People Feel Like Crap” Day. Since I am single and have been single on every Valentine’s Day since I was born, I have certain traditions for celebrating this day. But since I am striving to try something new every day, I discovered something at Target yesterday that has enhanced my celebration. I discovered Red Velvet Pop Tarts!!!!!
So now, I am sitting here and starting a new tradition. I am eating my Red Velvet Pop Tarts while watching the 1967 film, The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Following this glorious holiday film, I will watch Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho followed with a Ghost Adventures Marathon. Since I highly doubt I will find a man who would enjoy my February 14th traditions as much as I do, I think this is going to be my Single’s Awareness Day celebration tradition for many years to come.
Nationwide, today is Small Business Saturday, a chance for Americans to support their local economy by spending this annual shopping weekend buying gifts at the Mom & Pop shops in their neighborhood.
Yesterday was Black Friday, the reason why I personally hate the winter holiday season. People are lining up, pushing & shoving, trampling over others and for what? To save money on things their loved ones really don’t need? People are rude, there are car accidents galore, and this all comes after a day when we are supposed to be thankful for what we do have. It is pure insanity.
Instead, I like the idea of Small Business Saturday. Not only are you getting gifts for your loved ones but you are also helping your neighbors out by supporting their businesses. And you can actually get better gifts, gifts that have meaning. For example, if I wanted to get my Mom something that could only come from California, from Pasadena or the Altadena area, I would shop for her at Webster’s Fine Stationers on Lake or Vroman’s Bookstore on Colorado (or Foothill).
But one of the great things about living in Los Angeles is all of the thriving small businesses. I have plenty of shopping options up and down Colorado in Old Town Pasadena. There are also great shopping areas in downtown Montrose and Sierra Madre. Or I could head over to the Eagle Rock Block Party happening today in honor of Small Business Saturday (or more details, check out an article in LA Magazine). Or for some gifts with cultural flavor, I could take the Metro to Union Station, cross the street and check out all of the shops on Olvera Street.
So this is my new adventure today. I am going to finish up my holiday shopping by supporting the local businesses in my area. If you would like to do the same, you can click on this link to find out what local businesses in your area are participating in Small Business Saturday.
On Saturday, I took the Metro down to Union Station and headed over to the Dia De Los Muertos celebration on Olvera Street. I have always been told by Los Angeles natives that Olvera is the place to be on The Day of the Dead and they were absolutely correct. The elaborate tributes, the costumes, the make-up, the dancing, the music, the shopping and the food–it was phenomenal.
I am going to let the pictures that I took speak for me, explaining what it was like celebrating Dia De Los Muertos on Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles.
Halloween is by far my absolute favorite holiday but unfortunately, the universe decided it should be my worst Endo day this month. So with very little energy and in a lot of pain, I am still surprised that I managed to get some decorations out. I had so many plans for my holiday decor but I guess I will just have to save the ideas for next year.
But I didn’t want my holiday to be ruined. Despite being in an exorbitant amount of pain, I could still partake in some of my family Halloween traditions.
When I was a kid, my Dad would get all dressed up to take us trick-or-treating. My Mom would stay home to pass out candy and make us a big pot of chili to eat when we came in after a night of walking around in the brisk fall weather (this was in Michigan so we had some chilly Halloween nights). I remember coming inside and sorting through our candy while my Mom prepared a bowl of chili for each of us. Then we would sit in front of the television and watch a Halloween themed movie–like Nightmare on Elm Street, any of the Halloween movies or any of the Friday the 13th movies.
Wanting to keep up with my challenge of trying something new every day as well as family traditions, I decided to find a really good Chili Cheese Hot Dog. Originally I set out to try Slaw Dogs but despite the hours posted on Yelp and on their door, the restaurant was closed when I arrived around 8:30pm.
So through another search on Yelp, I found “Dog Haus,” located on Hill Street in Pasadena. At first I was a little taken aback by the prices. Six dollars for a hot dog seemed extreme. But I was set on a Chili Cheese dog so I couldn’t back out now. I ordered “The Little Leaguer,” a hot dog covered in chili, cheese, onions and fritos. I also included a side of tater tots and a drink. For a person used to spending $1.50 at Costco for a hot dog and drink, this was out of my price range with a total of $13 for my meal. But when I finally received my order and realized I could have fed two people with my order, I didn’t feel quite as bad.
The Little Leaguer was in no way shape or form a little hot dog. With the Sweet Hawaiian bread bun and the massive dog in the middle, that would have been meal enough. But add on what looked like a can of chili, cheese, onions and a bag of fritos and you have got yourself an entire meal. I didn’t really need the order of tater tots.
Overall, it was a good hot dog. It still can’t beat my love for my hometown coney dogs at National Coney Island (it’s a Detroit thing) but it was still a good dog. Just be warned, the portions are much larger than you would imagine.
For those who know me, they know my absolute favorite holiday is Halloween. And today, I found the ultimate inspiration for what I want to do to my house in terms of decorations this year.
Right now, I am teaching my students about lighting. And one of the forms I like to teach them is horror lighting. So I was searching youtube for videos or examples that I could use in my lecture and I found this video. Now I am in full on planning mode. I want to do this in my front yard. (The website for the guy who designed these light shows:
http://www.creativelightingdisplays.com/ )
Today is May 1st, May Day. It is also International Workers’ Day, a celebration of the international labor movement and a holiday for the commemoration of the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago in 1886. Labor Unions, all over the world, are marching, rallying and even striking (at LAX today) on this first day of May. It’s amazing how this one day can contain so many different meanings to so many different cultures, many located right here in the United States.
Aside from the labor unions commemorating International Workers’ Day, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) declared May 1st as “Loyalty Day,” originally called “Americanization Day,” a day set aside for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedom. This started back in the 1920s as a counter to communists and was officially declared a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1958.
For the Latino immigrant population, May 1st is the day for the Great American Boycott, a general strike of undocumented workers and supporters seeking immigration reform legislation. This started in 2006 and is still going strong today, especially in downtown Los Angeles. It was all over the news this morning.
And not to be left out of all of the rallies and demonstrations, the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy LA movements are also planning demonstrations throughout the country. There are four rallies planned just for the Los Angeles area.
But for me, I like to think of May 1st as “May Day,” the festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess of Flowers. A festival where people dance with ribbons around a maypole and a Queen of May is crowned. It is the celebration of Spring time (and fertility). It lets us know that the long days of winter are behind us (though it is ironically raining here in Los Angeles today–our form of winter weather) and the long days of summer are in our future. It’s the whole “April Showers Bring May Flowers” ideal that we were taught as children. No violence, no demonstrating, no anger, no protesting–just ribbons, dancing, celebrating and flowers.
Today is the day that all Singletons loathe. It is yet another day for those in the land of coupledom to celebrate their love for their partners. My response: “Do you really need another day?”
When you are single, the only day you get to celebrate “your love”, specifically for yourself, is on your birthday. Couples get anniversaries galore. The anniversary of their first date, their first kiss, their first . . . horizontal mambo, their first month together, their first holiday together, their first year together, etc.
And you like to throw parties where you invite your singleton friends who have to buy you gifts for your engagement, your bridal shower, your bachelorette party, your wedding, your house warming, your anniversary parties, your baby shower, the birth of your baby, your kids birthdays, your birthday, your spouse’s birthday and Christmas presents for all. What do you have to buy for me? A birthday gift and maybe a Christmas card, which is usually a picture of your “happy family.”
If I were to start throwing parties for my cats, expecting presents, you would all complain. ”They are just pets.” No, they are my family. My furbabies. My children. A catnip mouse would greatly be appreciated on their adoption anniversary and on Christmas. But such a request, celebrating my love for my cats, would be considered “abnormal” and leave me with with a title of the “Crazy Cat Lady.”
So, again, I ask, why do you need another day? Your love for each other is often thrown in the face of others. Especially those who insist on public displays of affection. No one wants to watch you stick your tongue down another person’s throat–especially when you are on bikes, on the boardwalk next to Santa Monica beach. Or making out in the grocery store. And the “It’s a Small World” ride is not very dark, no one wants to see you reach for a “small” world after all. So be considerate. Otherwise, one day, a Singleton, much like myself, may just walk up and push you over or smack you really hard with their purse/basket/whatever.
We don’t need any reminders that we are single. We know. And if you are a family member of a Singleton, ask about their cats or dogs. Stop reminding them that the clock is ticking or that their cousin who is the same age is happily married with a dozen kids. And for God Sake’s, stop sending them the “brag about how wonderful my kid is” Christmas cards. We only mock them. And who knows, maybe one day you will receive a “brag about how wonderful my cats are” letter with your Christmas card. It would talk about all the wonderful things Elvira has figured out how to steal or how good Missy is getting at opening cabinets, even the childproof ones. They both can understand and speak several different languages. And their acrobatics are deserving of a Golden Paw award.
So please, be considerate and compassionate today to those of us who are single. We don’t need any reminders of our “status.”
According to Astrology.com, this is the 2012 Forecasts for Libras:
Year 2012 Overview
Although many have secretly been dreading the arrival of 2012, you’ve personally been looking forward to it. That’s because karmic taskmaster Saturn has been doing a number on your life over the past two-plus years. Relationship lessons have been relentless throughout this time. If you haven’t made important decisions about where to commit – and where to quit – these are your final months to do so. Don’t wait another 30 years to get clear on what you truly want in your relationships. You’ll be in the throes of Saturn’s testing until October, when it moves into your neighboring sign, Scorpio. Consider this your final exam!
Jupiter will be in its fellow Venus-ruled sign of Taurus, making a magical aspect to your stars for a good portion of 2012. Jupiter’s lucky presence in your sector of sexuality, transformation and other people’s money brings every material and emotional resource you could ever want or need. You’ll have no problem attracting the proper support to fund your current or future projects. This is also the year for coming into your true power by transforming all the dead weight of your past. Change looks good on you, Libra. You’ve been shedding layers of karma, and now you’re about to reap the wonders of renewal.
World travel beckons in 2012, so pack your bags! The spring-summer eclipse patterns activate your travel sector in May and June, and Venus is in your travel sector between April and August. During the retrograde phase in May and June, you may want to be lay low or avoid more intricate itineraries. Mars will be spending the entire first half of the year in your sector of sleep, unconscious processes and dreams. This could create some inner turbulence (if not all-out insomnia) if you don’t give yourself enough expressive and physical outlets. As always, it’s about finding balance, Libra.
All I have to say is, Bring it On!! I am so ready for 2012. So far, one day in, it is off to a good start!
