Put Another Blog on the Fire

It's Thursday, so my TGIF is almost here, hopefully I am nearing the end of this Sinus Hell. I can't wait for fall, the cold snap will be such a welcome change from this sauna by the river. A morning person I am not, so of course I was running late as usual and that only inflames the other drivers into taunting me into a road rage frenzy.

Ahhh, Memphis drivers, we should hold a holiday specifically for you, to honor just how bad you really are... who else could so blatently and talentlessly break every rule of the road and 'give the finger' to your innocent fellow roadsmen? Cutting people off left and right, only to make the next turn and lane hopping like the wind... You know that the other lane is going to come to a halt the minute you change, so why not just sit back and listen to your radio and maybe relax for a moment? Where do you think you are going?

Is there some special destination that I am unaware of where the person who arrives first wins a million dollars? If so, please roll the window down and tell me so I can speed straight ahead of you! Memphis drivers, you have no idea how ridiculous you are, or the reputation that you have gained, or indeed how many lives you endanger on a daily basis... Maybe you do know... and just don't care.

For those of you who have survived the morning commute and/or have had the insane luck of surviving your fellow drivers to arrive at this moment, then you can be lucky enough to learn that today, August 31st, is known oddly enough as National Blog Day. I know, I was as shocked as you. It seems that I am supposed to share with you 5 new blogs that you can discover on your magical journey to higher blog realization, but since I am fairly new to this, I don't know many to share.

Enjoy your day, and please... as Mother always told us, look both ways before crossing the street. Especially if you live in Memphis.

What happened today?

• 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora dies suddenly without children to succeed the throne, ending the Macedonian dynasty
• 1886 - Earthquake kills 100 in Charleston, South Carolina
• 1888 - Mary Ann Nichols is murdered. She is the first of Jack the Ripper's known victims
• 1897 - Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector.
• 1939 - Nazi Germany mounts a staged attack on Gleiwitz radio station, giving them an excuse to attack Poland the following day, starting World War II in Europe.
• 1943 - The USS Harmon, the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for a black person, is commissioned.
• 1963 - Walter Cronkite began his stint as anchor of the "CBS Evening News."
• 1997 - Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in Paris.
• 2005 - A stampede on Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad kills 1,199 people.

Happy Birthday to

1924 - Buddy Hackett, American actor and comedian (d. 2003)
1928 - James Coburn, American actor (d. 2002)
1944 - Roger Dean, British contemporary artist and album cover designer
1945 - Van Morrison, Irish musician
1949 - Richard Gere, American actor
1970 - Deborah Gibson, American singer
1972 - Chris Tucker, American actor



And you as well, if you were lucky to be born on this lovely last day of August... Hello my wonderful sister, Vickie. I need coffee!