July 31 - System Administrator Appreciation Day

Most of us take for granted the daily operation of our computers. But working diligently behind the scenes to make that happen is a group of dedicated, hard working professionals - the System Administrator. Sysadmins as they're often referred, are the one who set up and maintain the servers computers connect to. From laying cable to configuring networks, sysadmins do it all. So today, celebrate and say thanks to all those people who make it possible to do our work every day.

July 29 - Lasagna Day

Apparently Garfield isn't alone in his love of a good lasagna! In fact, the baked layers of noodles, cheese and tomato sauce is one of the most popular choices on restaurant menus worldwide. Lasagna, which actually refers to both the pasta shape and the finished dish, originated in Italy, but has been adopted and adapted by numerous countries. Variations of the dish often include a variety of vegetables and sauces, using everything from turkey to pesto. The one constant tends to be the use Mozzarella cheese as the crowning glory. Check out this recipe for an amazing lasagna from Chef Tyler Florence. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-lasagna-recipe/index.html

July 24 - Cousins Day

The children of our parent's siblings - the cousins. Today is set aside to celebrate your cousins, and in fact yourself. If you have cousins, then you're a cousin too! Those in larger families can have many cousins and sometimes it can be confusing figuring out exactly what your relationship to them is. How many times have you been confronted with "first cousins once removed" and wondered just how that works? Probably quite a few times! Here's an easy way to figure it all out. If you and your relative in question both share the same grandparent, you're first cousins. If your grandparent is your relative's great grandparent, then you're first cousins once removed. If both of you share the same great grandparents then you have the distinction of being second cousins. And so on down the line. No matter how many times you may be "removed", cousins are often the closest to us in age and are the ones with whom we can commiserate during family functions. So today is a perfect time to give your cousin a call or send them an email and let them know just how much you appreciate them.

July 22 - Spoonerism Day

Rear Deeders, hiss and lear. Nope, not a typo but a series of spoonerisms. Phrases, sentences and words with swapped sounds are spoonerisms. And we all experience them from time to time, usually when speaking at speed. Words or letters simply rearrange themselves, often to humourous effect. Named for the Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844-1930), Dean of New College in Oxford, England, whose quick mind often raced ahead of his tongue. The result was often words and sentences with swapped sounds. Here's a couple of examples of his notable spoonerisms: he turned "you missed my history lecture" into "you hissed my mystery lecture" and when he meant to say "is the Dean busy" it came out as "is the bean dizzy".

During the 1930s and 1940s, author F. Chase Taylor, writing under the pseudonym Colonel Stoopnagle, wrote a number of spoonerism fairy tales for the Saturday Evening Post. A couple of titles included, Beeping Sleauty and Goldybear and the Three Locks.

So today when you inadvertently mix up those letters, smile at the tips of the slung and carry on!

July 20 - 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing

"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

40 years ago today, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong spoke those historic words as he stepped onto the moon's surface for the first time. The event was the culmination of more than a decade's worth of work initiated by U.S. President, John F. Kennedy. He had challenged and rallied the U.S. population to become the first nation to land a man on the moon. On July 16, the Saturn V rocket with Apollo 11 perched atop it launched from the Cape Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Four days later, the lunar module carrying astronauts, Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, touched down at Tranquility Base on the surface of the moon. The Eagle had landed! Since that historic day, while the space program has had a number of tremendous successes and horrific failures, the day someone first walked on the moon will stand out as one of mankind's most amazing achievements.

July 17 - Wrong Way Corrigan Day

What could be worse than having a really bad day, complete with a couple of good size mistakes, only to have it memorialized in popular culture! That's exactly what happened to Douglas Corrigan, later nicknamed Wrong Way, in 1938. Corrigan made a transcontinental plane trip from California to New York. He was supposed to return to California on July 17th, but instead ended up in Ireland! He later blamed the error on his navigational equipment and a dense layer of heavy clouds that obscured his landmarks, but the damage was done. From that day forward, the name Wrong Way Corrigan is often applied to anyone who has poor directional abilities. So today take heart. Even when the GPS tells you to go in one direction, and you go the opposite way, you're not alone!

July 15 - Saint Swithin's Day

St. Swithin's Day, if it does rain

Full forty days, it will remain.

St. Swithin's Day, if it be fair

For forty days, t'will rain no more.

As the above rhyme suggests, today is the day to watch the weather because, if it rains on July 15, Saint Swithin's Day, it will be wet and miserable for the next forty days. Luckily, the reverse also applies. The day is named for a Bishop of Winchester, St. Swithin. Legend suggests that as the Bishop lay on his deathbed, he asked to be buried outside, rather than in a cathedral so that he could forevermore enjoy the variety of weather. His wish was granted and he was laid to rest in a simple outdoor grave. However, the Monks of Winchester believed that he deserved a much grander tomb and nine years later, on July 15, 971, they moved his remains to a shrine within the cathedral. Legend says that during the reburial ceremony there was a tremendous rain storm. From that day on it became a popular belief that rain appearing on July 15 signaled rain for the next forty days. Interestingly, a number of attempts have been made to prove the legend, however periods of rain have never been recorded after a rainy July 15! But it certainly can't hurt to watch the skies today.

July 14 - Bastille Day (France)

Vive la France! Today marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille walls in 1789. The Bastille, a fortress-prison, became a symbol for the common people's revolt against the French Royal family. The day marks the beginning of the French Revolution, a ten year period of radical social and political change that resulted in a shift from an absolute monarchy to a government of the people. So today celebrate all things French! Some good bubbly from Champagne, a dinner at your favourite French restaurant, or maybe wearing the colours of France are all great ideas to commemorate today's French independence day.

July 13 - Embrace Your Geekness Day

What is it to be a geek? The dictionary defines a geek as " a computer expert or enthusiast, a term of pride when used as self reference but often considered offensive when used by outsiders." In days past, the "geek" has been the butt of jokes and derision. But in today's super technological age, isn't there a little geek in all of us? We all have our tech toys that we can't get through the day without, so today is a great day to embrace that side of ourselves and celebrate it! Here's a great list featuring the top 20 "geek" movies - and happily many of them are my favourites! http://listverse.com/2008/01/27/top-20-geek-movies-of-all-time/

July 10 - Clerihew Day

What's a clerihew and why the heck are we celebrating it? Named in honour of British writer Edmund Clerihew Bentley's birthday in 1875, a clerihew is a four line rhyming verse similar to a limerick, humerous and biographical in nature. Bentley's first collection of poetry entitled, Biography for Beginners, introduced and popularized the form in 1905. Here's a couple of examples of his early clerihews:

The art of Biography

Is different from Geography.

Geography is about maps,

But Biography is about chaps.

It was a weakness of Voltaire's

To forget to say his prayers,

And one which to his shame

He never overcame.

To celebrate the day, why not try your hand at creating a clerihew of your own. It's harder than it looks!

July 8 - Video Game Day

Remember when Pong was the height of technological wonder? That simple electronic version of ping pong launched an industry producing video games that immerse the player completely in the action. Early games were played on large machines found in video game arcades. Today, the hundreds of video games developed each year for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintedo Wii, or the computer, employ state of the art technologies that provide the player with realistic graphics and sound right in their own home. You can even take your games with you on a variety of hand held portable game systems. Kids and adults are equally attracted to video games and play for fun, education, and even sport. Today might be a great day to invite a few friends around for some video game fun! Here's a list of today's top games: http://www.gamespot.com/games.html?type=top_rated&mode=top&page_type=games&om_act=convert&om_clk=subnav&tag=subnav;top_games

July 7 - Chocolate Day

Mmmmmmmm chocolate! Undoubtably, one of the world's favourite flavours deserves a day all to itself. Derived from South America's cacao tree, chocolate has been enjoyed since about 1100 BC. In fact, the Mayan and Aztec cultures both produced the original version of our well loved drink, hot chocolate. There are a multitude of ways to enjoy chocolate - in cookies and cakes, candies, drinks, even savoury dishes - the list is nearly endless. Needless to say, today you could easily enjoy something chocolate at every meal of the day! In case you need a little inspiration, here's a great recipe from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/brownie-pudding-recipe/index.html

July 4 - Independence Day (US)

While celebrated primarily in the United States, the Fourth of July holiday is recognized throughout the world. The day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The document, signed by representatives of the thirteen colonies of the day, declared independence from British rule. Today, one of the biggest national holidays on the U.S. calendar is celebrated with picnics, parades, hot dogs, baseball games, and of course fireworks. Happy Birthday America!

July 3 - Compliment Your Mirror Day

Mirrors often take the brunt of our frustrations and anger. Think about it. The poor magic mirror that had the misfortune of being owned by the wicked queen in Snow White had nothing but abuse heaped upon it! Broken mirrors bring years of bad luck. Sure, we like to think of mirrors being responsible for showing all our flaws, but in fact they show us just the opposite. Today was set aside to thank your mirror for showing your true and amazing self. Take a minute today and stand in front of a mirror and admire that wonderful person looking back. The mirror really does deserve a compliment!

July 2 - I Forgot Day

Don't feel badly if you can't remember the significance of today - it's actually the point! We're often scratching our heads in frustration, trying to figure out what it is we've forgotten. Was I supposed to be somewhere? What was it I was going to pick up at the store? Who's birthday was it? So today give yourself a break and enjoy saying "I forgot"! In case you've happened to remember some past omission, maybe today gives you a good opportunity to make amends. Ever wonder why we tie a string around a finger to remember something? It's actually a throwback to the days when pieces of cloth or clothing were tied around parts of the body that were painful. The idea was that the cloth would help keep the spirit of life in that part of the body and cure it. A string on the finger was thought to work similarly in keeping a thought to be remembered at a later time. So rather than keeping a string on your finger for a year, it might be a good idea to record today on your calendar - or you'll likely forget again next year!