Monday, October 5, 2009
On this day in 1962, The Beatles released their 1st record Love Me Do… Not to be confused with a rumoured forthcoming release by Britney Spears Love Me – Duh!
On this day in 1984, Sally Ride took part in the 13th space shuttle mission… It was remarkable that a lady traveled that long with only carryon luggage.
A Thinking Man’s History of The Bikini
This is a sensitive topic because some ladies will already perceive an oxymoron in the title. But surely we can take an unbiased look at this popular female garment that’s turned so many heads over the years.
The bikini’s not only the official ladies’ attire of our contemporary spring break. Women in garments resembling this modern day swimwear can be seen in ancient artwork from over 1,700 years ago in Villa Romana del Casale. Although similarly to spring break, if you look closely in the background of these images there’s an excellent chance you’ll see gentlemen holding in their stomachs.
The bikini is held is such high esteem, Sports Illustrated publishes an annual “Swimsuit Issue” in celebration of it. You may find the occasional one piece suit in the issue, but many subscribers consider that “excessive packaging.” The issue’s so popular you’d think other magazines might try one. How about a Scientific American “Swimsuit Issue” with bold articles on fabric composition, bar graphs about waistband stress and pie charts reflecting fastener failures? On the other hand, that theme probably wouldn’t be welcomed by the “readers” of Playboy. Frankly it’s remarkable that they’ve tried a Swimsuit calendar.
One of the more extreme versions of this swimwear involves a skimpy lower half called a “thong.” This piece of fabric resembles an ancient sling shot, used by our ancestors to hunt for food. Let’s refer to that as a thong. As a species we’ve developed so much, we now have effectively bypassed the hunting process for food. We now have edible thongs. Wouldn’t you expect vegetarians and animal lovers alike to be excited about this? Is it only the Alpha male big screen TV sports fans that “get it?”
The bottom line, if you’ll excuse the expression, is that the bikini as a garment is truly magical. Aside from its stunning appearance, it has been know to transform itself. Hang around a swimming pool long enough, and eventually you’ll witness a lady who dives in wearing a two-piece and emerges wearing a one-piece. That’s magical. And hopefully the other half won’t clog the pool filter.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
On this day in 1941, Anne Rice was born. She wrote Interview With A Vampire… Which isn’t so far-fetched considering Barbara Walters interviewed Michael Jackson.
On this day in 1957, Leave It To Beaver debuted on CBS… Back then, if a Cleaver boy came home with a body piercing, it was from a football cleat.
The Perfect Cubicle
If you work in an office environment, chances are you’ve had your own cubicle at some point. Many of us will spend significant time in one of these partitioned workspaces as we undertake our corporate climb to the corner office.
In every desk at every cubicle, there should be a corporate emergency kit, otherwise know as “chocolate.” In case of emergency, open the chocolate drawer and indulge. If there’s no immediate situation to deal with, then it’s a perfect time for a drill. Have some chocolate anyway.
You’ll need to replenish your supply quite often. The good news is that coworkers will often sell large chocolate bars on behalf of their children. The bad news is that this is not the most cost effective way to stock up. Try buying broken bars from a bulk bin. It feels a little like taking in strays. Have you ever wondered what the shelf life of chocolate was? Basically, it will last as long as the shelf, so you’re only limited by space. You may find a deal at a big box store; some club packs of bars have trailer hitches on the side.
If you have access to sunlight, a live plant makes a nice homey decoration. Some people talk to their plants. If you don’t have sunlight, try getting an artificial plant. And lie to it, because it’s not real anyway.
If you don’t want to be bothered by coworkers, simply put on a pair of headphones and you’re now in “stealth” mode. This will inhibit people from starting conversations with you. If you sense someone approaching and believe they’ll try to talk to you, just close your eyes and start punching the air above your head in time to the music. This “rocking out” will often solve the problem of being bothered by chatty coworkers.
If you have a pet, it’s entirely appropriate to display a framed portrait of the little beast, for those moments when you don’t have time to show off your wallet photos. Also, you’ll need to remind your colleagues of when your pet’s birthday is, to avoid the embarrassment of forgetting to get a gift. Post-it notes work wonders for these little reminders.
And finally, as for other knick-knacks, the workplace is the perfect environment to display the type of crafts made by related children in grade school art classes. It shows that no matter how esthetically unpleasing a piece of art is, you’re happy to lovingly show it off at your place of business… If only to keep it out of the sanctuary of your home!
Friday, October 2, 2009
On this day in 1951, Sting was born. He’s been an upstanding solo artist for years… In spite of most of his fans associating him with a Police record.
On this day in 1950, the comic strip Peanuts debuted. When Schroeder played piano, Lucy swooned… Making her a groupie over two decades before Woodstock.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
On this day in 1947, the NHL Pension Society was founded... Apparently it was a breeze after the hassle of setting up the NHL dental care program.
On this day in 1971, Disney World opened – A fantasy land, where you’re greeted by a make-believe character with a high squeaky voice… Some say much like Mike Tyson’s place.
