SUNDAY FUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021

 

SUNDAY FUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021

IT’S PI DAY - 3.14

GAMES

For about eight years, almost every day I’ve done the “Daily Set Puzzle”  (https://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle)

It is hard to insert images into my Facebook version of the blog, but I do encourage you to try the Set Game.

I do other games.  I do a daily Crossword online (http://puzzles.usatoday.com).  My goal is to get the crossword done in ten minutes!! (I sometimes make that)

I play “Words With Friends” - a scrabble-like game - and others.  (I’m not quite a “gamer”, but somedays I can waste too much time playing games!!)

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NATIONAL WOMEN’S MONTH

This is National Women's Month.  I was reflecting on the changes to female life in the last 100 years. Women generally worked in the home.  But, World War II took a lot of men into military service.  So, women joined the workforce.  And, after WWII when men came home from war (and many of us baby-boomers were born), many women stayed in the workforce.  

To me, the role of women has changed.  Where “women’s jobs” were as secretaries, nurses, or teachers, there has been a steady movement into more professional jobs.  Computing was a male profession but has a lot of women as well.  Of my medical staff, all are female (and only one was a choice I made).  

My mother was an elementary teacher who had to stop teaching (in the 1930s) when she got married (and at that time there were no married teachers!!!).  After my sister and I were born, she became a co-business owner (and pretty much sole manager) of a candy shop (I rode the bus to downtown Cedar Rapids Iowa after morning kindergarten).  Then worked in a department store, and eventually (as the rules changed) back to being a teacher.  

While there are few women CEOs of major companies, there are some.  The number of women in congress is growing (including a female vice president).  

Only one slightly negative comment.  Couples found that the two incomes (hers and his) were nice - and that could mean nicer cars, a nicer house.  So, we have created an economy where it is hard for a single income to compete - and that many women do work (and families have to balance raising the children).  

I’m guessing that many of our children are in that two-income group.  

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NEXT WEDNESDAY IS ST. PATRICK’S DAY.  

And, on St. Patrick’s Day, everybody is Irish!!!

I’ve been to Ireland twice.  My previous campus had a “study-abroad” program with a boarding house in Tralee in West Ireland.  Part of that experience was learning Irish history.  (And, understanding “Man’s inhumanity to fellow man”.)  The English did sponsor Poor Houses (and if a Catholic converted to the Church of Ireland (aka, the Irish version of the Church of England), they got a better treatment.  

There has been some artwork created to commemorate the Great Famine - I remember one where the mother is standing at the bottom of the gangplank while a son with one bag is getting on a ship to the United States - and you can see the angst in the mother as she reaches out to hug him, one-more-time knowing that she will probably never see him again. 

The Irish republic was mostly agrarian while Belfast and Northern Ireland were more industrial with shipbuilding and other industries.  And, thus southern Ireland was Catholic and Northern Ireland was more Protestant (and better trade partners with England).

The potato famine reached its peak in the 1840s.  In the decade of the 1840s, the Irish population was cut in half. Many died from lack of basic food (it seems as potatoes were part of all meals of the day).  Many immigrated to the United States, some to Australia (which for a time was a British penal colony.)  Plus the ongoing religious issue of Protestant versus Catholic. (hmmm - I thought they both were Christian and believed in “Love your neighbor as yourself”).  That even carried over to the United States with various groups opposed to Irish immigrants (like the “Know-Nothing Group”).   

We have become sensitive to ethnic jokes.  Such jokes tend to be unrepresentative of the group being described.  Irish tended to be identified as alcoholics and lazy (as that was the English portrayal).  

Let’s try this joke:

The Irish ship landed in Boston.  The first off the ship gave his name as Patrick Murphy; the second off the ship gave his name as Patrick Murphy, and the third one said “Same Thing” - and his American name became “Sam King”!!  

That campus (Quinnipiac University in Hamden Connecticut) had a president who was of Irish heritage and thus, we “marched” (walked) in the New York City annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.  I taught at QU for 13 years and I think I missed only one parade.  It was partially an alumni event - get the alumni from the New York, New Jersey area together - march in the parade and then have a reception at some major New York hotel.  Quinnipiac generally rented a ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.  

One good thing is that the campus has “luxury coaches” to travel from Hamden Connecticut to New York City (with - the tiny restroom in the rear).  Particularly on the way home - when some people had too much green beer, that was a popular place!!!

(Of course, the image is the Old Me!!!  I was gregarious and tried to wave to all the people on the side watching the parade!!)

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Some additional St. Patrick’s Day information

.1 St. Patrick was born in England - was taken as a slave to Ireland, escaped to England, and came back as a missionary.

.2 There weren’t snakes in Ireland (so St. Patrick couldn’t really cast them into the sea)

.3 St. Patrick used the shamrock plant to illustrate the concept of the Trinity (three leaves - one for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Spirit - and yet on the same stem).

.4 St. Patrick Day parades were first celebrated in America!!

https://www.history.com/news/st-patricks-day-facts

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OTHER DAYS OF INTEREST

March 14 - Pi Day (close enough to 3.14) 

I know some people who make the connection between Pi - and Pie - and so eating the round form of Pie is a good activity.  

I like most pies.  I’d hate to identify one particular pie.  As a kid, somehow Banana Cream Pie became my birthday treat.  Peace and cherry pies are great.  I’m not a native Texa (so, Pecan pie is not one of my favorites).  

March 15 - National Napping Day

Okay on the day after Daylight Savings begins, we get National Napping Day.  (As a mostly retired person, I LOVE naps!!!)

The link says “Napping is actually scientifically proven to be better for you than coffee or energy drinks. So now you can feel less guilty about enjoying this not-so-guilty pleasure.”  (I’ve been substitute teaching and trying to sneak in a nap is a little harder on the job!!!)

March 18 Awkward Moment Days

The link adds this comment “Some things are just better out in the open and Awkward Moments Day on March 18 is your chance to embrace those embarrassing or awkward moments from your past and laugh about them. Remember that time you enthusiastically waved at your friend but soon realized that they were a complete stranger? What about the time when that incy-wincy pebble tripped you in front of all of your classmates?”

I’m sure glad I’ve never had an awkward moment!!!  Oops - that is a huge lie.  I’ve had a lot of awkward (and stupid) moments!!!!)

March 19 National Laugh Day

“Calling all gigglers, cacklers, chortlers, and belly laughers, this is the day you’ve been waiting for. National Let’s Laugh Day is a 24-hour joke-fest on March 19 where we celebrate the uniting force of laughter.”

Reader's Digest had a monthly feature “laughter is the best medicine”   "A happy heart makes the face cheerful."  Proverbs 15:13. 

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WRAP-UP

So - a year of COVID19!!!  In Texas, the vaccination process seems to be working.  I got my second injection of Moderna on Thursday.  The concept as I understand it is (a) if we get COVID it won’t be as bad and (b) it should be harder to catch.  Seemingly the age is down to 50, with teachers, and (maybe) other frontline people (like grocery store employees) in the line now.

Politically there still is a lot of finger-pointing - and questioning - are we opening up the economy enough, are we opening it too much - is the stimulus going to help us?  (And, from my political blogs - if is out of my control - so, I am NOT going to worry, or fret about those issues!!!!)

Blessings upon you!!!  See you soon!!!

Karen