Category: Nonfiction

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Wacky Wednesday: September 30

Welcome to the last Wacky Wednesday of September. It’s another fun filled day of strange words and strange holidays. First up we have an adjective coming from the mid-1800s with Greek and New Latin origins. Ulotrichous means belonging to a group of people having woolly or crispy curly hair. Our next word is both a noun and an adjective, Valetudinarian is a person who is unduly anxious about their health or someone who suffers from poor health. This is similar to the term hypochondriac. It stems from the early 18th century and has Latin origins.

We’ll start things off with our usual food related holidays. Today is National Chewing Gum Day and National Hot Mulled Cider Day. Hot mulled cider is a homemade beverage that involves boiling cider and mixing in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and many other spices. Today also has some self-care observances. National Mud Pack Day celebrates the therapeutic clay mixtures used for stress release. The last Wednesday of September is National Women’s Health and Fitness Day. Finally, today is National Love People Day. This might be hard for some people. Lift up and motivate others. That’s all you need to do.

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National Coffee Day

I wanted to take a quick moment to recognize National Coffee Day. I enjoy a great cup of coffee and I work part-time as a barista. I know a thing or two about coffee. I want to encourage everyone to try a new coffee experience today. Maybe that means going to a different coffee shop. Or instead of regular black coffee, try an Americano or a Latte. Try something outside of your comfort zone. It’s never a bad idea to try something new once in a while. 

Here are a couple fun facts about coffee. Coffee beans come from coffee trees that grow cherries. The beans come from the inside of these cherries and are picked and roasted to make coffee. The world’s coffee trees are grown in almost every country located in the Tropics. Some of my personal favorite coffee beans come from Ethiopia and Guatemala. The French Press is the preferred method of brewing coffee by all the smarty-pants experts. Celebrate National Coffee Day however you see fit. Buy a friend a coffee today. Maybe they’ll buy your next coffee too.

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Coffee and Contemplation: World Tourism Day

Today is World Tourism Day. Today is also my birthday. I decided to take a trip to the Grand Canyon for my birthday weekend. The Grand Canyon National Park was free to enter yesterday, September 26. I spent the last couple nights in Williams, AZ about an hour South of the Grand Canyon on historic Route 66. I was told I had been to the canyon when I was young but have no memory of that trip.

This was a fun adventure for me as I’ve never done much for myself on my birthday. I had a nice little road trip. I explored some new places. And I got some great pictures. I’ve shared a few of them below. If you’ve never been, I recommend seeing the Grand Canyon at least once in your life. And all the towns nearby are fun to explore too. For any of you wondering, I turn 34 today. I hope to have another fun adventure next year.