8:19AM
History of the Jack O'Lantern
The Irish brought the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern to America. But, the original Jack O'Lantern was not a pumpkin.The Jack O'Lantern legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History. As the story goes, Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil himself. One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree. Once the Devil climbed up the apple tree, Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. The Devil was then unable to get down the tree. Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the Devil down.
Many years later, when Jack finally died, he went to the pearly gates of Heaven and was told by Saint Peter that he was too mean and too cruel and had led a miserable and worthless life on earth. He was not allowed to enter heaven. He then went down to Hell and the Devil. The Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter Hell. Now Jack was scared and had nowhere to go but to wander about forever in the darkness between heaven and hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave as there was no light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell to help him light his way. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed out Turnip, one of his favorite foods which he always carried around with him whenever he could steal one. For that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went with his "Jack O'Lantern".
On all Hallow's eve, the Irish hollowed out Turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. They placed a light in them to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away. These were the original Jack O'Lanterns. In the 1800's a couple of waves of Irish immigrants came to America. The Irish immigrants quickly discovered that Pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out. So they used pumpkins for Jack O'Lanterns.
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I was roaming through the grocery store yesterday. Christmas cards & lights are on the shelves. I know I was griping about this last year, but C'MON!!!!!!!! Can't they at least wait until November???
8:41AM - I'm Slime???
Your Score: CEB: The Helper!
9 Cuddliness, -6 Introversion, 0 Blobbiness
You are a Cuddly / Extraverted / Blobby slime: the Helper! When a spurned lover is crying, when a small child is lost, when an old man is struggling with a heavy package, you're there. Note that you can't actually solve any of these problems. But you'll bounce and sing and do your silly, stupid, profoundly loving best to buoy their spirits and make the world a little slimier.
Kaplipple says: My friend Blibby is a great example of a helper slime. He studies at the university with me, but he's never able to get where he's going. We'll be bouncing down the hall and from behind some door he'll hear a graduate student grumbling to themselves in frustration. I'll tell him, "come on, Blibby! We're going to miss the lecture." But nine times out of ten he'll veer right off, ooze under the door, and start trying to help the poor student out. Blibby gets so excited! One day I heard him calling out, "put in another curly brace! They're so neat!" Another day, "Interversitron the matrix! Now do a t-test. No, wait, a v-test!"
Somehow his inability to actually solve their problems makes his efforts all the slimier. And the students do find him encouraging! Sometimes they even end up solving the problem in their stunned attempts to figure out what the hell he's talking about.
Learn more about helper slimes.
10:51AM
Daily extended (by Astrology.com)
If you are feeling stuck in a rut in your life right now, one of the most effective things you can do is let go of any grudges you've been holding -- it will feel like you just attached one hundred helium balloons to your soul. Holding on to memories of how you were wronged isn't going to make things right again. The only way that can possibly happen is if you find some silver lining in that cloud. Move forward, and leave the wrongdoers in your past where they belong.
Aquarius (January 21 - February 18)
Good day to wear overalls and discuss bean farming with retired people at a diner or family-style restaurant. Or at least, that's a lot more fun than what you'd be doing otherwise.
Current mood: 
amused
4:01PM
Gee....How many entries can I post in one day?....
Due to a problem at work, my only day off is Monday. One of my illustrious co-workers hasn't gotten his new guard license yet & can't work without it. So.......the rest of us get to fill in. Overtime, once again, is the only good thing about this situation.
Groan.
4.7
5.6
2.5
3
contemplative