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- December 12, 2025
- National Poinsettia Day 2025
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Ah, the poinsettia.
That predominately red and green foliage that makes the Christmas season more special in my mind.
The holidays have made the poinsettia one of those recognizable icons of Christmas in particular ...
I was once sweet on a girl whose family grew and sold them locally.
Now we have National Poinsettia Day each December 12.
The poinsettia initially came to the United States via one Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American botanist and the first US Minister to Mexico.
In 1825, he sent cuttings home to Charleston, South Carolina.
The plant didn't really start becoming popular until the 1920s through the efforts of a California farmer named Paul Ecke Jr.
He developed a grafting technque which caused the seedlings to branch out and they became a marketable item along the roadside flower stands then via marketing and shipping the plants all over.
Now I personally can't see the season going down without the poinsettia making things look more like Christmas.
See Also:
National Poinsettia Day 2024
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- December 11, 2025
- International Mountain Day 2025
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I used to travel up to the Blue Ridge Parkway most weekends. Nowadays I'm pretty much a homebody and don't venture out like I used to.
The vistas of the mountain tops were some of my favorite places. I recall spending hours on end at Craggy Gardens and the Pigsah Range farther South.
I never saw Sasquatch or anything untoward just the birds and other woodland creatures known to me. I was actively pursuing bigfoot at that time, however.
I contained my disappointment and let it all go for the other benefits of hitting the mountain range close to home.
Today is International Mountain Day. It goes down each December 11 and is here to emphasize the importance of mountains. With mountains comprising around 27% of the Earth's topology, conservation is the major thrust of the observance.
See Also:
International Mountain Day 2024
International Mountain Day 2021
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- December 10, 2025
- Michael Clarke Duncan Birth Date 2025
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The late Michael Clarke Duncan was born 12/10/1957. He rose quickly among the thespian fray to become one of my favorite actors ever and I have mourned his loss over the ensuing years since his death at age 54 on September 3, 2012 from respiratory failure secondary to myocardial infarction.
He was born in Chicago and raised by his mother along with sister. He wanted to become a pro football player but opted for acting instead when his mother refused to allow him to play because she feared injury from the sport.
At 6 foot 5 inches he was an imposing figure on the big and small screens playing some of my favorite characters of all time.
I enjoyed his performances on Two and a Half Men, The Green Mile, and Armageddon among others.
However, it was his portrayal of one of God's true miracles, aka John Coffey in The Green Mile which struck my heart and placed him there forever.
Presenting the themes of miracles, redemption, and justice are most certainly difficult acts to follow.
At the time of his death, Duncan was involved with reality television personality Omarosa Manigault of The Apprentice fame (or infamy, depending on your perspective).
Her place in his life was contested by his family during probate and the ensuing mess was the stuff of interpersonal relations legend.
Michael Clarke Duncan was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering a heart attack on July 13, 2012. He was relocated on August 6, 2012 from the intensive care unit but remained hospitalized. On September 3, 2012, while in the hospital, he passed of respiratory failure at 54 years old.
A private funeral was held for Duncan in Los Angeles on On September 10, 2012. There were a lot of big name celebrities in attendence and he was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.
I mourned his loss with many others at that time and later as well.
Rest in peace and happy birthday in Heaven.
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- December 9, 2025
- Christmas Card Day 2025
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My old friend Fred McCurdy passed recently and this is my first Christmas since that day.
He was the local area Santa Claus and I must say he really did strike a stunningly memorable Saint Nicholas with his holiday regalia and knowledge of the toys and such children request while sitting upon his lap.
This is Christmas Card Day.
It is that time when people start mailing holiday greeting cards to one another as a function of the joyous holiday season and it's a reminder to get your stamps, envelopes and greeting cards in order so you can participate.
These days we mail a lot of different Christmas cards during the holdays. The designs and styles are as varied as the people who send them.
I designed one myself in memory of my old friend Fred..
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It's a picture of him in a very iconic pose as Santa Claus and I remember that jolly old elf he portrayed.
Rest in Peace, Fred.
A very Merry Christmas season to the rest of you.
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- December 8, 2025
- John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City
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On this day in 1980 John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City. He died after being shot four times by one Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980. He was returning to his apartment building, the Dakota, in New York City. As Mr Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono arrived home, Chapman called out his name. As Mr Lennon turned, Chapman fired five shots.
Four bullets struck Mr Lennon in the back. Mr Lennon staggered into the building before collapsing. He was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Mark David Chapman, who had previously met Lennon and asked for an autograph that day, was arrested at the scene and was the assassin. He later said he killed Lennon because of the star's fame and for self-glory.
What a selfish unscrupulous immoral moron.
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- December 7, 2025
- Dad was interred on Pearl Harbor Day 2021
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Daddy was interred on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day having passed on December 4, 2001 from just about everything bad smoking for a lifetime can do to you.
He suffered from emphysema, cor pulmonale, empyema thoracis, and bronchopleural fistula. For reasons unknown he miraculously escaped lung cancer. The surgery was his downfall having sped up the end — but without it he would have passed anyway in the same approximate timeframe. Nothing could save him from his cigarette addiction.
We saw December 7th as a fitting day for his funeral given his career in the United States Navy and retirement as an E-9 Nuke Machinist Mate. With daddy it was "The Navy Way" all the way. He saw "the Navy way" as "the right way" and that was all that mattered to him.
He really went down hard trying to stay with us but in the end it became obvious that it simply was not to be. Though I was a grown man of 46 years at the time I cried and cried unashamedly at his passing. We have missed him all these years.
Rest in peace.
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- December 6, 2025
- Happy Birthday Steven Wright
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Steven Wright's humor has always struck me right where the laughter is ...
Steven Alexander Wright was born December 6, 1955 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Lucille "Dolly" Lomano and Alexander K Wright.
He is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and film producer.
He has a presentation which smacks of lethargy which has actually become a trademark of his.
His deadpan delivery includes irony, philosophical and sometimes nonsensical jokes, various rhetorical plays on words, as well as a plethora of one liners alluding to contrived situations.
Life is a bitch ... and then you die.
Wright has ranked high in the annals of comedy with accolades from the Oscar through the Emmy.
Steven Wright
On the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
I have enjoyed his career immensely and today is his Birthday.
See Also:
Staycation Winding Down
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- December 5, 2025
- Repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933
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I stoppped drinking some 30 years back. It was a decision to cease and desist with all recreational drugs and this included tobacco, cigarettes and cigars, marijuana, pharmaceuticals, and of course alcohol. The consequences of this were not NEARLY as severe as I thought they would be.
I pretty much went cold turkey and never had the desire to resume any of it from that time forward. I have always been surprised to hear others speak of their difficulties putting these things down.
The United States went through a period called "prohibition" where the consuming of non medicinal alcohol was forbidden.
As always the crooks had all the liquor they could imbibe and the stupid government was unable to curtail anything toward that end effectively.
The 21st Amendment was ratified on December 5, 1933. This repealed 18th Amendment and ended nationwide Prohibition of alcohol and the governmental incompetence associated with it. This amendment was ratified by state conventions, not state legislatures, and the final state to ratify it was Utah. President Franklin D Roosevelt was the Chief Executive so he proclaimed the 18th Amendment repealed on the day of ratification.
Prohibition appears to have done nothing except cause problems and further promote backward thinking among the voters.
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- December 4, 2025
- National Sock Day 2025
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I recall the day that I was told I was "diabetic". I thought it was the end of the world.
In the vernacular, my condition is formally known as "metabolic syndrome X" which has the exact same ICDM code as diabetes mellitus so no distinction is made between the two conditions because medical people are basically stupid.
One of those things I practice as the result of the findings imposed upon me is the wearing of white socks which I change daily and sometimes more often. This is in conjuction with regular diabetic foot care by a professional.
My hope is not to lose my feet as I have seen others with "diabetes" suffer.
Today is National Sock Day. It is observed since 2016 under the auspices National Day Calendar and Pair of Thieves. to recognize that socks are important to the warmth and padding needed for a diabetic to protect their feet from the trauma imposed by walking and moving about.
There are other aspects others find important but these are not significant in light of my personal needs.
I enjoy my feet and intend to keep them. The white ankle length socks I consistently wear go a long way toward that end as do the deep knee bends I do for circulation.
Happy National Sock Day.
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- December 3, 2025
- National Roof Over Your Head Day 2025
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I recall the day my mother requested permission to build her house in my front yard. Though the request certainly took me back — there was no way I would decline this request.
She had a deed for half of the acreage the next day. Today she dwells in her home, which I respectfully refer to as "Casa Beatrice" and she seems quite content to be there still.
Today is National Roof Over Your Head Day.
Today is a day to think of the homeless. The winter months mark extra difficulty for those without a place to call home. A warm place with running water and peace and quiet.
It is a day to be thankful for having a home. It happens each December 3rd in an effort to create awareness regarding homelessness in the nation. HUD reports that figures from January 2024 revealed an estimated 771,480 homeless citizens at that time.
Being homeless affects everyone. It crosses all racial and ethnic boundaries with some segments of the population being particularly vulnerable such as military veterans, persons with disabilities, families with children, and those who have experienced domestic violence or trauma.
While the complexities of homelessness make it a formidable socioeconomic problem with which to cope the coordinated efforts of government agencies, non profit organizations and the private sector can go far in the provision of help to those in need.
When my mother made a request to live here it was a serious consideration on my part. She has access to assistance when she needs it and all the technology she can utilize on demand. The day she moved in she had 150 megabits of wireless, a 50 inch color television, blueray player, Roku streaming device, and an intel NUC computer fit for a demanding engineer. Her computing needs are comparatively modest.
I hope your mother has similar success with your assets should the need arise. My parents were there for me when I was a child. As an adult I am always happy to be there for my remaining parent. Love crosses any and all boundaries thought to be insurmountable.
Happy National Roof Over Your Head Day.
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- December 2, 2025
- Jonathan Frid RIP
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When I was a kid at Key West I was interested in shooting movies. We would doodie up and play various horror genre entries for a few rolls and all in all it was quite a hoot. My friend the late Chris Gagnon was quite the talented makeup and theatrical guy and I was enthralled by all the rigamarole he incorporated into our productions.
Some of my fondest childhood memories arise from these times.
We typically watched a soap opera of that time called "Dark Shadows" because it was a vampire werewolf witch offering with professional production standards and we were both fans of Jonathan Frid, who portrayed Barnabas Collins, the vampire owner of Collinswood, the estate where the main cast lived.
Oh to go back to those days, see Chris again, and indulge those childhood fantasies once more. Alas, it will never happen.
John Herbert "Jonathan" Frid was born December 2, 1924 at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and died April 14, 2012 at Hamilton, Ontario as the consequences of a fall. He was a Canadian actor, known for having played the aforementioned role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic television soap opera Dark Shadows.
Today is his birthday. Happy birthday in Heaven.
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- December 1, 2025
- Advent 2025
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If you are fairly spiritual or religious, you may embark on a period of reflection and meditation during the month of December.
That period beginning with December 1st is important in the awareness of the lives of we who worship the One True God.
Some of us mark the beginning of the Advent season which is that period of preparation, reflection and religious interactions leading up to Christmas.
Other cultures may view it as the start of winter and a time to reflect on the year just past.
The celebration of Advent is seasonal in most Christian denominations as a time of spiritual consciousness and awaiting both the birth and return of Christ at His second coming. It all begins on the 4th Sunday prior to Christmas aka Advent Sunday. It ends on Christmas Eve. It is a time for spiritual reflection.
The first Sunday of Avent represents Hope. The second Sunday of Avent represents Peace. The third Sunday of Avent represents Joy. The fourth Sunday of Avent represents Love.
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- November 30, 2025
- Computer Security Day 2025
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When you operate a server cluster on an internet node security is a fact of life. I recall my first encounter with people trying to gain undue access and how it caused a gut reaction to prevent all such activity in the future.
Thusly, I became somewhat of an expert in countermeasures and firewalls and now if I choose to exclude you this is what will be. Knowing a little scripting will help things utilize automation so everything doesn't have to be some manual operation.
Today is Computer Security Day.
It goes down yearly each November 30 in an effort to raise public awareness about using computers safely and protecting them from threats.
People are urged to take steps to secure their personal information, such as strong password implementations and multifactor authentication.
I personally find multifactor authentication abhorrent.
So the aim is protecting data systems, networks, and information from theft, damage, and unauthorized access.
To maintain computer security, you should use strong passwords, keep software updated, install antivirus software, and be cautious of phishing scams, suspicious attachments, and public WiFi. This being said I keep wondering why people continually attempt to access my
wireless node when it's a known threat.
Goals are protection, confidentiality, integrity, availability of data.
Utilizing strong passwords, current software revisions, and antivirus packages and awareness of social engineering threats like phishing, malware, and sufficient protected wifi and adequate backups all go far toward maintaining computer security.
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- November 29, 2025
- Modern Blogging and the 21st Century Man
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These days I'm blogging on a platform of my own design which has undergone quite a few tweaks here and there. Nothing too Earth shattering but enough to continually change the presentation to my liking. I typically go for a shorter blog entry and it is my usual policy to include a sketch for illustrative purposes. Sometimes I place a scanned image instead. Sketch or scan, I really just leave it at that along with the verbiage I consider appropriate as I am not going to agonize over the content nor the presentation.
That's why I maintain my css implementation. Tags come. Tags go. Tags evolve.
Quite remotely, this shorter entry thing may be in part due to my abhorrence for the so-called "Microsoft" key on too many keyboards.
I detest all things Microsoft for a long time now. I utilize a mechanical keyboard these days in pursuit of efficient keying.
The beauty of using your own blog platform installation and server are many and include that modicum of control you simply can't get from some high school harry working at Wordpress or Blogger or some other canned multiuser site.
Here, I say what is and is not.
There, they have the final say.
Not having ANY of them spouting off to me.
It has been my experience that Wordpress is the last word in exploits online as well. Even when it's on your own server and public facing network. Perhaps they have improved since those days I mistakenly trusted them — but I would find that hard to believe. Also, I'm not one of these seo would be expert fakers seeking google approval of everything I do, either. As a matter of fact I routinely firewall Google's spiders from my content because they don't add a thing worthwhile and Google likes to envision themselves as this master censor of the world as well.
You may take Mr Sundar Pichai and his entire organization then shove them up your ass sideways if it proves to your liking.
I've been approached regarding interviews and the occasional sketch file request. I've even had requests for bloggers wanting to do a guest post. I respectfully decline all interviews but you can get a sketch file from me if I still have the original and you're polite. I typically am the only one who posts here by design. After all, it is blogofdave.com ...
So happy blogging and if you can get here that means you are not firewalled.
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