As a writer I love a good word puzzle. It keeps me sharp, entertains me, and I usually learn something. My go-to source for these puzzles is the New York Times. I've written before about my Wordle progress (right now I am at a 806 day uninterrupted successful streak). I also enjoy the Mini-Crossword and … Continue reading National Puzzle Day
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🐿️ National Squirrel Appreciation Day: Celebrating the Tiny Acrobats in Our Trees
Tired of my typical snarky, off beat observations and blog posts? Prefer a standard, composed post on a topic? This is why I periodically pass along a blog post created by Artificial Intelligence on a random National Day. Sit back and enjoy a staid and standard blog created by Chat GPT. Illustrations inserted from my … Continue reading 🐿️ National Squirrel Appreciation Day: Celebrating the Tiny Acrobats in Our Trees
National Thesaurus Day
A Thesaurus is a valuable tool for a writer. But look up the word Thesaurus in a Thesaurus and it is difficult to describe briefly. Yes it is an assembly of synonyms and antonyms but there is no other good single other word for the book. They toss around terms like "treasury of words" and … Continue reading National Thesaurus Day
92nd anniversary of the longest gun battle in FBI history (and a link to an original post about a tour of the site)
Today is the 92nd anniversary of the longest shoot-out in FBI history and it all happened not far from on the shores of Lake Weir, Florida. If you are interested in more here is a link to replay of a previous post regarding to tour of the house where it happened. Enjoy! https://walterthinnes.blog/2023/01/20/a-tour-of-the-ma-barker-house/
In Memoriam – Erich von Daniken and his contributions to the decline of critical thinking skills
I am an avid reader of the New York Times Obituary section and I use this series to comment on notable passings, not always in a laudatory manner. Writer Erich von Daniken, writer of several best sellers including "Chariots of the Gods" recently passed away at 90 years old. It posited that space aliens visited … Continue reading In Memoriam – Erich von Daniken and his contributions to the decline of critical thinking skills
In Memoriam – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
I am a Newspaper sort of guy. I grew up reading the Miami Herald and graduated to the New York Times. I still subscribe to the NYT digitally and it is my main source of information. Along the way I lived in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for two years and subscribed to the Post Gazette during that … Continue reading In Memoriam – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
National Trivia Day and a HyperLocal Question
Today is National Trivia Day and trivia suffuses our culture. From Jeopardy! on television to Trivia Nights at your local bar it is everywhere. I'll forego the observation that our society needs to focus more on the bigger issues and less on trivial memorization. Having said that, I will make this personal. Recently I told … Continue reading National Trivia Day and a HyperLocal Question
Personal reflection on Mamdani Inauguration
Yesterday a great deal was made of the inauguration of Zohran Mamadani as the new Mayor of New York City. I follow it with great interest as I recently lived for a quarter of century in that great city. During my time there I had just one opportunity to attend an inaugurations of a New … Continue reading Personal reflection on Mamdani Inauguration
2026
A Sweet Symphony: Celebrating National Chocolate Covered Almonds Day!
Once again I turn to Artificial Intelligence Gemini Generator to create a full blog post about a Nationa Day with my own twist at the end... A Sweet Celebration Awaits! Get ready to mark calendars for a truly delightful occasion! July 8th is National Chocolate Covered Almonds Day, a special moment dedicated to one of … Continue reading A Sweet Symphony: Celebrating National Chocolate Covered Almonds Day!
Bloodletting In these Hills has started rehearsals
In September 2024 my script BLOODLETTING IN THESE HILLS won the Appalachian Playwriting Festival at the Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville, North Carolina. Part of that prize included a production in their 2025 summer season. It is scheduled to be mounted on August 1-3 and 8-10. I've had the pleasure to speaking with the director Elizabeth … Continue reading Bloodletting In these Hills has started rehearsals
National Rocky Road Day
Today is National Rocky Road Day and I have to say, I love them and hate them all at the same time; let me explain. Take this example of a Rocky Road. While it is obviously a road to a wild and lovely destination, it is also a hazard for most motorcyclists. Actually the two … Continue reading National Rocky Road Day
Pete Rose, surprisingly, is Breaking news
My posts are seldom about breaking news but today will be an exception. The MLB commissioner has decided that Pete Rose is no longer a threat to the game and so has taken him off the permanently banned list. Pete Rose, my favorite Cincinnati Reds with whom I have a complicated relationship (https://walterthinnes.blog/2024/10/03/throwback-thursday-in-memoriam-pete-rose-the-dreams-and-the-distractions/), who bet … Continue reading Pete Rose, surprisingly, is Breaking news
National Lost Sock Memorial Day
Today is National Lost Sock Memorial Day. Who knows what exactly is splitting up your beloved foot coverings? Laundry bag? Washing Machine? Dryer? Alien creature socknapping? Hard to know (because if you did, you wouldn't have lost your sock, now would you?). But whatever caused it, the sock is missing and you are left with … Continue reading National Lost Sock Memorial Day
A Very Special Reminder for a Very Special Person
Latest Wordle Score Obsession
Those who know me well and/or regularly read this blog are very familiar with my Wordle obsession. Wordle is a New York Times daily word puzzle that was created during the COVID-19 lockdown. The New York Times bought it and made it available to non subscribers as well. It has steadily added features, most notably … Continue reading Latest Wordle Score Obsession
Throwback Thursday – the 60th Birthday of an American Classic
Sixty years ago today an American Classic was born. The Ford Mustang was an instant hit that captured the youth and vitality of drivers back in the 1960's. I've never owned a Mustang but have driven one that belonged to a close friend of mine many years ago. It was a wonderful experience I remember … Continue reading Throwback Thursday – the 60th Birthday of an American Classic
An Excessively Silly Art Show
Celebrating National Tax Day, I intend to tax your patience. It has been a little more than a year since I started doing my A.I. Mash-ups. These are Images created by an Artificial Intelligence program after I direct it to combine multiple unrelated National Day themes that just happen to occur on the same day. … Continue reading An Excessively Silly Art Show
National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day
And now another installation of my occasional series where I come across a National Day in which I have no expertise nor specific interest and ask the Google Gemini Artificial Intelligence program to write a blog post that I share with you. (editor's note: this took about three seconds and Walter just copied and pasted...) … Continue reading National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day
Back on top with WORDLE!
I'm back on top and it feels so good. As regular readers of this blog know, I play Wordle at the New York Times everyday. Each day one five letter word is selected and the player must guess the word by choosing a word and being informed of which letters are correct, in place, and … Continue reading Back on top with WORDLE!
Only in Florida – Florida Man strikes again, this time in Publix…
I've referenced the FloridaMan meme before in this blog. That happens when an idiot (usually male) from this weird state does something imbecilic or criminal (and usually both) that seems to only happen in Florida. I've taken a recent incident near where I live and amped it up by using an Artificial Intelligence Image Creator. … Continue reading Only in Florida – Florida Man strikes again, this time in Publix…
It’s St. Patrick’s Day Again!
Here we are again at St.Patrick's Day again! The secular holiday that has grown out of the Feast Day of a particular Irish Saint named Patrick. But Americans have translated the day to drink to excess as we often do. Things, including revelers, are often died green and general carousing are encouraged. I do hope … Continue reading It’s St. Patrick’s Day Again!
Spring Forward Today + An A.I. National Day Mashup!
Here we are again. Be sure to lose an hour sleep today by moving your clock forward to accommodate Daylight Savings Time. Politicians have been promising for years to change this, but looks like they will still be arguing about it for a time. Meanwhile it is also time for my occasional series of National … Continue reading Spring Forward Today + An A.I. National Day Mashup!
Today is National Cheese Doodle Day
Today we celebrate the humble Cheese Doodle. Cheesy, crunchy puffs that are basically filled with air so they can't be fattening, right? They are also very addictive as all get out so they are hard to resist. In fact, I'm munching on some as I write this post. The only downside is the pervasive orange … Continue reading Today is National Cheese Doodle Day
February 28 is National Tooth Fairy Day
The above image is an actual police sketch of a confirmed siting of the famous tooth fairy (editor's note: not exactly true). Reports indicate that kiddos today get an average of $5.00 for each and every baby tooth lost from their precious little mouths and deposited under their pillow (editor's note: correction - the tooth … Continue reading February 28 is National Tooth Fairy Day
Walter Thinnes 
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