Only in Lebanon . . .

That's interesting . . . very interesting . . . so interesting in fact that my city has been noted as having the 2nd most unusual New Year's Tradition (source PAPI International). What is it, you may ask? Well, NY drops a ball, Lancaster and York drop roses - everybody drops something! But my city has the second most unusual drop in the country - Bologna! That's right, bologna! If there's one thing that Lebanon is famous for, it's bologna; not just any old bologna, a 7' long Lebanon Bologna! Good stuff, that.
Who had the 1st most unusual, you may ask? Lebanon was outdone only by another county in Pennsylvania (name, i forget) that drops a stuffed goat! Now that is a bunch of bologna.

Congrats Bloggers!

Congrats to all Bloggers on being People of the Year! Tonight, ABC news dubbed bloggers as one of their "People of the Year" groups. Applause!

New Years Eve History

Here are some important events that were accomplished just before the turn of a new year (some people just had to get in their quota)

- On Dec. 31, 1879: Thomas Edison publicly demonstrated his electric incandescent light in Menlo Park, N.J.

- In 1775: The British repulsed an attack by Continental Army Gens. Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at Quebec. Montgomery was killed.

- In 1862: President Lincoln signed an act admitting West Virginia to the Union.

- In 1897: Brooklyn, N.Y., was on the eve as a separate entity before becoming part of New York City.

- In 1946: President Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.

- In 1961: The Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $12 billion in foreign aid.

- In 1974: Americans were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years.

- In 1978: Taiwanese diplomats struck their colors for the last time from the embassy flagpole in Washington, marking the end of diplomatic relations with the United States.

- In 1985: Singer Rick Nelson, 45, and six other people died in a fire aboard a DC-3 while they were en route to Dallas for a New Year's Eve performance.

- In 1986: Fire killed 97 people in the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three hotel workers later pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the blaze.

- In 1989: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir fired Science Minister Ezer Weizman, accusing him of meeting with officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

- In 1994: Bosnian government officials and Bosnian Serb leaders signed a U.N.-brokered cease-fire agreement; Russian ground forces launched a ferocious assault on the Chechen capital of Grozny.

- In 1997: Michael Kennedy, 39-year-old son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain in Colorado.

- in 1998: Europe's leaders proclaimed a new era as 11 nations merged currencies to create the euro, a shared money they said would boost business, underpin unity and strengthen roles in world affairs.

Happy Kwazmaska!

:sigh: What's up with the world? Can't you say Merry Christmas anymore without being branded as "politically incorrect"? I realize that other people are celebrating other holidays and that not everyone believes in Christmas (thats another story). In fact, one of my co-workers doesn't. Now i'm not saying that we should "enforce" our holiday on others that don't want anything to do with it (but certainly if you know of the true meaning of Christmas, you should be spreading the good news), but this personal encounter of mine just ticked me off. . .

We just got our Christmas tree this past Saturday (late, i know). Finally found a good one that was left at a small family-run farm. The man in charge was very nice - picked the tree up, shook the dead needles off, put it in one of those plastic mesh thingies, and took it to our car. This being done, he departs by saying, "You folks enjoy the holidays now." Enjoy what?! For crying out loud, one would think that you could be safe in saying Merry Christmas at a Christmas tree farm!! Do you really think that someone will be offended because they were actually picking up their Hannakah tree! Really now.

For those of you who are also fed up with people saying "Happy Holidays", I recommend a reply of "Happy Kwazmaska to you too!"

Christmas Lights

Some counselors claim that hanging lights on a Christmas tree is one of the three most stressful situations in relationships? They say the other two danger zones are teaching your mate to drive and wallpapering. With this in mind I present the following to you:

What NOT to Say when Hanging Lights on the Christmas Tree!

"Hello!!! You've got two red lights right next to each other. You're supposed to go yellow, green, red, blue, not yellow, red, red, green, blue..."

"Up a little higher. You can reach it. Go on, try."

"What do you do to these lights when you put them away every year? Tie them in knots?"

"If you're not going to do it right, don't do it at all. Don't just throw them on, like you do the icicles. You're worse than your father."

"Here! Give me that!"

"I don't care if you have found another two strings, I'm done!"

"You've just wound 'em around and around - I thought we agreed it shouldn't look like a spiral this year?"

"Where's the cat?"

"You've got the whole thing on the tree upside down. The electric plug thingie should be down here at the bottom, not up at the top."

Christmas Humor

Every year around Christmas time, it seems that everybody has nothing else to do except try to make the rest of the world groan over their Christmas "jokes" (Dad . . .). You see, all of those poor starving comedians know what time of year it is; everyone is thinking about Christmas, and the only way to get the populous to pay more attention to them than to shopping, Santa, and snowflakes is to start spouting off jokes that fit the mood of the season.

Oh, but don't get the idea that I hate those kind of jokes, in fact, some of them are quite hilarious (it must be that those comedians are trying extra hard). Let me share a couple with you.

The average 40 year old American has heard appoximately 16.3 different versions of the 12 Days of Christmas (source: PAPI International, 2004). Since I'm a homeschooler (yeah!), this one particularly appeals to me . . .

The 12 Days of Homeschool

On the first day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me. . . "Can you homeschool legally?"

On the second day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me . . . "Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the third day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me. . . "Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the fourth day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me . . . "What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the fifth day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me. . . "You are so strange. What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the sixth day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me . . . "Why do you do this? You are so strange. What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the seventh day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me . . . "How long will you homeschool? Why do you do this? You are so strange. What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the eighth day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me . . . "Look at what they're missing. How long will you homeschool? Why do you do this? You are so strange. What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the ninth day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me . . . "I could never do this. Look at what they're missing. How long will you homeschool? Why do you do this? You are so strange. What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the tenth day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me . . . "They'll miss the prom. I could never do this. Look at what they're missing. How long will you homeschool? Why do you do this? You are so strange. What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the eleventh day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me . . . "What about graduation? They'll miss the prom. I could never do this. Look at what they're missing. How long will you homeschool? Why do you do this? You are so strange. What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

On the twelth day of Homeschool my neighbor said to me . . . "Can they go to college? What about graduation? They'll miss the prom. I could never do this. Look at what they're missing. How long will you homeschool? Why do you do this? You are so strange. What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? And can you homeschool legally?"

I'll give you a day to recover from your laughter and give you another good one.