Strange Presidential Coincidences

Because it's President's Week, I thought I'd offer up some of the interesting coincidences between the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy.

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

*1 Note: It is an urban myth that Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy. There is no record of that.

*2 Note: There is no record whether or not Kennedy's secretary warned him.

*3 Note: Booth actually fled to a farm and was killed in a tobacco barn. It might be a stretch to call it a warehouse. But two years after his death, Booth's body was temporarily moved to a warehouse. Also, after the assassination, the government closed the Ford Theatre and turned it into a warehouse.

What do you think? Is there more to it than just mere coincidence?

the random that is mel

• I don't like the sound of clipping toenails. It actually makes my stomach hurt.
• I believe that going commando is not a choice, but a genetic trait.
• I will cry if the right song comes on when I'm in the right mood.
• I believe a good cry is good for the soul. If I haven't cried in a while, I'll watch P.S. I Love You. Works every time.
• Laughter is a mandatory part of my daily life.
• I read my horoscope every day and at the beginning of every month, I read my detailed horoscope at AstrologyZone.com.
• I never buy electronics when mercury is in retrograde.
• I used to drink a minimum of 8 diet sodas a day. I can't remember the last time I ordered one. I still drink coffee in the morning though...
• My favorite flower is a daisy.
• One of the best gifts I ever received was a stocking full of brand new $1 bills because I love the way new money smells.
• Halloween is my favorite holiday. I dress up every year. This year, I'm going as She-Hulk. (yes, I will post pictures)

Hit me with some of your randomness...c'mon! I won't tell...

Random Question Day!

I was trying to think about what I wanted to blog on, but several different ideas came to mind. So, I decided to mash them together and have RANDOM QUESTION DAY. Please answer the following 5 questions, for the good of all mankind. Feel free to add as little or as much detail as you like...I'll answer the questions in the comments too:

1--pirates or ninjas?

2--ever stolen anything from a restaurant?

3--maid service: "Yes, I think it's the ultimate luxury", or "No, I don't want people touching my stuff"?

4--what book did you hate reading the most in high school?

5--what's your best feature/attribute?

Okay, folks...answer away!

Favorite Things

Hey, lookie there--it's my day to blog. Obviously, you can see I'm super-prepared, so I'll be pulling a topic out of my hiney today. haha. So, here's a seriously random list of a few of my favorite things (I could go on and on, but that would be super boring). Please feel free to post your own list of fav things in the comments--the more, the merrier!!

--raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens (okay, I had to say it. LOL)
--warm, chocolately pop tarts, fresh out of the toaster
--the sudden burst of inspiration that makes my story gel on a whole new level
--my family and friends
--jeans that fit perfectly and look fabulous
--no traffic on the highway when driving to work in the morning
--Twitter (this is a totally new fav thing of mine...BTW, you can follow me HERE!)
--finding extra money in my pockets, on the sidewalk, etc
--sushi (yummmmmmmmm)
--watching a super fabulous movie or TV show
--a delish glass of reisling wine
--reading a book that totally draws me in
--writing "the end" on a novel
--making someone laugh, hard
--the words "dude" and "uber"

Okay, your turn. What are a few of your favorite things?

Cranky old writer

Today's post is random rambling about things that drive me nuts, which is why I'm wearing my cranky pants.

1. Lose/loose - get it right people. The two words are NOT interchangeable. When you LOSE weight, you get LOOSE pants. Seriously, that makes me crazy.

I went out for a brisk walk yesterday, and this provided me with #2 and #3.

2. If you have kids, great. But your kids Christmas scooters (there were NINE of them) don't belong all over the sidewalk where I'm trying to keep up a certain pace. Don't you teach your kids the value of their toys? Or was that your way of telling your neighbors "screw you?" And don't pretend like you didn't see them. You were standing in the yard talking with your other slacker friends.

3. Keep your giant, slobbering dogs on a leash. I like dogs, but not when they come running at me. I don't know your dogs. I don't know if they're nice or mean. And I don't want my crotch sniffed, especially when I don't know whose crotch they sniffed last. (That's six degrees of separation even Kevin Bacon would back away from.)

And lastly, YOU KIDS STAY OFF OF MY LAWN. That is all. Now go read a book. Or tell me what makes you cranky?