It is now the 11th day of October 2022. Once again, I’ve been reminded of how short and precarious life is. The chorus of Michael McCloud’s “Schooner Wharf Barroom Dog” is “Everyone knows we’re all gonna die, nobody knows the what, when or why.” True enough. If you want to do something, now would be a good time. Sooner is better. October 11 is “You Go Girl” Day, International Day of the Girl Child, International Face Your Fears Day, Kraken Day, National Coming Out Day, National It’s My Party Day, Own Business Day, Southern Food Heritage Day, and National Sausage Pizza Day. Pizza Party? Maybe. On this day in 1138 an earthquake in Aleppo, Syria killed an estimated 230,000. O this day in 1881 David Houston patented roll film for cameras. On this day in 1906 the San Francisco Board of Education orders segregation in separate schools of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean children. I’m betting you didn’t know that. This is the day that the first woman (Alaska Davidson) was appointed as an FBI special investigator. This is the day that JC Penny opened store #1252 in Milford, Delaware becoming the first nationwide company with stores in all 48 states. On this day in 1945 the Chinese civil war began between the government led by Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong’s communist party. This is the day in 1975 that “Saturday Night Live” premiered on NBC. Today’s dead person is Jean Cocteau who was a French writer and poet who died on this day in 1963. Jean observed “One must not mistake majority for truth.” “We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like?” “One should always talk well about oneself. The word spreads around and in the end, no one remembers where it started.” “The joy of youth is to disobey.” “I am a happy man. And I am going to tell you the secret of my happiness. It is quite simple. I love mankind. I love love. I hate hate. I try to understand and accept.” Abide.
