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So where is your happy place?
Lincoln | Kennedy |
Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846 | Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946 |
He was elected President in 1860 | He was elected President in 1960 |
His wife lost a child while living in the White House | His wife lost a child while living in the White House |
He was directly concerned with Civil Rights | He was directly concerned with Civil Rights |
Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy who told him not to go to the theater *1 | Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln who told him not to go to Dallas *2 |
Lincoln was shot in the back of the head in the presence of his wife | Kennedy was shot in the back of the head in the presence of his wife |
Lincoln shot in the Ford Theatre | Kennedy shot in a Lincoln, made by Ford |
He was shot on a Friday | He was shot on a Friday |
The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was known by three names, comprised of fifteen letters | The assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was known by three names, comprised of fifteen letters |
Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and fled to a warehouse *3 | Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and fled to a theater |
Booth was killed before being brought to trial | Oswald was killed before being brought to trial |
There were theories that Booth was part of a greater conspiracy | There were theories that Oswald was part of a greater conspiracy |
Lincoln's successor was Andrew Johnson, born in 1808 | Kennedy's successor was Lyndon Johnson, born in 1908 |
However, Washington's birthday has been publicly celebrated since he was in office, before Abraham Lincoln was even born. Much of the debate over the name of the holiday springs from the fact that state's can follow their own holidays how they see fit and many of them chose to also honor Lincoln, calling the celebration President's Day.
In 1968 Congress voted down the motion to make President's Day the official term for the holiday, but a resurgence of the term by advertisers in the 1980s solidified the name in American culture.
But on the books, it's still officially known as Washington's Birthday.
Weird, huh?
Did you guys know today is Umbrella Day? Did you know they made an entire day to celebrate the magical wonders of the...umbrella? No? Neither did I, or probably anyone else in the free world, until I put my google-fu to the test and uncovered this most mysterious of holidays.
Why Umbrella Day? Well, I have no idea. But let's go over how awesome umbrellas are:
--They come in all different colors, so you can accessorize them with your favorite galoshes or rainjacket.
--They protect you from the rain...unless, that is, they get flipped inside out and you curse loudly because the wind is whipping so hard you can't get it fixed and your hair is a huge knotty tangle and you show up to wherever you're going looking like a hot mess.
--Ummmmmmm, I'm kinda running out of reasons why umbrellas are so awesome. Wait! I got one--they come in all shapes and sizes. Need a portable one? They make them small enough to stow in your purse. Want a massive one? You can find big umbrellas too.
So today on February 10, 2010, we salute you, umbrella. *real american heeeeroooooes...* Show your appreciation for an umbrella today--buy it a card. Take it out to lunch. Maybe even drop it an email, just to say you care. Your umbrella is always there for you, unless someone totally steals it or something.
Aaaaanyway, I asked the Fictionistas what I should blog about, and they suggested I do an advice column. What a fantastic idea! I love helping others--it gives me a thrill of joy. There's nothing better than bringing a little glimpse of happiness into someone's life, whether through advice or making matches. The Fictionistas even started me off with a few questions for me to answer. Hooray! So, here we go--advice from yours truly:
Q from Mel: How can you tell if a boy is just trying to be cool or if he's just not that into you?
A: Wow. Good question! Here's what I think--there's a difference of being into you and not digging you at all. Whether he's acting cool, shy, or assertive, if he's into you, he's still going to want to be around you. He'll ask you questions and really listen to the answers. Or you'll find that he's looking at you when you least expect it, like when you're working on an art project, and you glance up, and your eyes lock with his, and then you totally get nervous and drop your paintbrush, and you splatter red paint all over the front of your hot new shirt that is SUPPOSED to make your cleavage look bigger but doesn't seem to be working...uh, that may have happened to me, and I may be painfully wishing that particular guy is into me. Anyway, guys who aren't into you at all won't make lots of direct eye contact. They won't make an effort to get to know you at all. Because they suck.
Q from Chrissy: What does a great relationship require to last after the arrow magic fades?
A: HAH, when I figure that out, I'll let you know. In theory, the stupid handbook I have says that if you have a bunch of compatibility factors, plus some quotients of other stuff, mixed with graphs and charts and some other technological hooey, that you should be an awesome cupid. But I fell asleep reading that crap. Basically, I'm winging it right now. In MY opinion, a great relationship should have compatibility, yes, but there should also be chemistry. That desire to be around the other person and get to know them. Laughs, and fun too!
Q from Gwen: I'm not sure the hero in my book is very good for my heroine. Why do good girls like bad boys so much?
A: Bad boys are so hot, aren't they? There's something irresistable about the idea of attracting a bad boy who is totally wrong for you, someone who finds himself compelled to be around you. I'm not sure why we like them so much, but we sure do. Well, not me--the guy I am in love with is totally awesome and not a bad boy at all, though he's incredibly HOT AND SUPER SMART. By the way, I really want to read your book now, Gwen. haha
And now, I'm opening up the questions for you guys! Anyone have any advice they're seeking about love, friendship, anything at all? Drop a comment in this post, and I'll answer ya! Thanks sooooo much, guys!