In the northern hemisphere today is the Winter Solstice. On the dark side it is the longest night and shortest day of the year. On the bright side it only gets sunnier from here through summer with lengths of day steadily increasing. It has been celebrated for many ages and often used for reflection of … Continue reading Winter Solstice
Review – Derren Brown: Secret
Derren Brown is many things, but foremost in his current show at the Cort Theatre is a consummate entertainer. His easy, warm and confident manner comfortably holds the audience in his sway for the entire evening. He can be called a mind reader, mentalist or "psychological illusionist" but at heart he is a magician. Each … Continue reading Review – Derren Brown: Secret
I want my symbols back
Sometimes it is easiest to use a shortcut hand symbol to react to something. The good old thumbs down or thumbs up sign is reputed to go all the way back to the Roman Empire in gladiator contests. Thus it is recognized universally. After Trump used it reflexively during his campaign it became inextricably tied … Continue reading I want my symbols back
National "Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf" Day
If you call someone today and they respond by answering with "What's your favorite color?" they are honoring the National Day. Clearly a marketing ploy by the producers of that classic 2003 Will Farrell Christmas movie "Elf." Be sure to add it to your list of must see seasonal movies like "It's a Wonderful Life" … Continue reading National "Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf" Day
Review – In a Dark Dark House
You have only one week left to catch the Knife Edge Productions performance of Neil LaBute's "In a Dark Dark House" at the A.R.T./New York Theatre at 53rd Street and 10th Avenue. Though it is a difficult subject, I recommend you get there to see it. The script is consistent with Mr. LaBute's reputation as … Continue reading Review – In a Dark Dark House
National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
Chocolate is such a malleable material. You can cover nearly everything in chocolate and today is a day to celebrate it. You can cover candy in chocolate. You can cover peanuts in chocolate. You can even cover peanut butter in chocolate. That is especially delicious. You can cover strawberries in chocolate. You can cover ice … Continue reading National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
Footnotes #19 – The Next Stage
Another visit to the surgeon and more progress. I can begin weaning myself off the compression boot and moving to a cane instead of crutches. Not all at once but steadily as I can tolerate it and immediately at home, which is a relief. He is thrilled with the progress and I start physical therapy … Continue reading Footnotes #19 – The Next Stage
National Cocoa Day
By which we mean Hot Cocoa! That delicious frothy topped warming beverage so loved as winter settles into the Northern Hemisphere. You could order it from your favorite coffee shop, but that can get expensive and requires a special trip. You can buy pre-packaged brands at the supermarket but it often contains chemical stabilizers, flavors … Continue reading National Cocoa Day
National Gingerbread House Day
Today is National Gingerbread House Day - that wholesome family traditional of assembling a dwelling made of gingerbread, icing, candies and especially gumdrops as part of the seasonal festivities. Much of the time this is assembled from a kit but it is still a lot of fun and creativity to assemble the structures, especially for … Continue reading National Gingerbread House Day
National Noodle Ring Day
Some of you may know of the actual source of this National Day. Apparently there is a tradition of making a casserole that includes egg noodles, sometimes vegetables, sometimes canned tuna, in a round shape like a bundt pan or similar. Sounds, um, interesting, but come on, you also thought of that canned American treat … Continue reading National Noodle Ring Day
Grab and go – an entire breakfast in one muffin!
I recently tried a breakfast muffin recipe found on http://www.purewow.com. It is a savory muffin and quite delicious. In the center is a full, peeled, hard-boiled egg (you can use your own method to hard boil instead of the recipe's method, but do be sure to peel it before inserting in the muffin!). In addition … Continue reading Grab and go – an entire breakfast in one muffin!
National Pastry Day
Today is National Pastry Day and I hope you get the chance to celebrate by partaking in a delicious pastry in celebration. I know I will. Mmmm. As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes
Footnotes #18 – Wonderment
The latter half of 2019 has been pretty rotten with the health issues I have faced but I am coming out much stronger now. I am getting around easier and feeling stronger than I have in a very long time. Next week is another visit with the surgeon and hopefully more progress. Now that I … Continue reading Footnotes #18 – Wonderment
National Miner’s Day
It seems almost anyone can name a National Day to hype their product, but today's was declared by Congress. It commemorates the worst mining disaster in US history when 362 coal miners lost their life in Monogah, West Virginia in 1907. One of my full length plays is based on the southwest West Virginia coal … Continue reading National Miner’s Day
National Cookie Day
As noted earlier this week, I no longer bake masses of Christmas Cookies because of my limited New York City kitchen. That doesn't mean I don't continue to collect interesting cookie recipes. When I did the massive bakeoff I always included my two favorites - Snickerdoodles and Ginger Snaps. What if someone combined those into … Continue reading National Cookie Day
National Cookie Cutter Day
As the December holidays speed toward us, it is time to start making preparations. For me that used to mean making a huge numbers of cookies to distribute to family and friends. Before moving to New York City I had houses and kitchens large enough to support the hobby. That scale of operations are not … Continue reading National Cookie Cutter Day
Happy Thanksgiving Day
May you be blessed to find yourself among friends and family and loved ones for this holiday of shared plenty. May you bless others by sharing your bounty. I am blessed. I hope you are also. Oh, and may you not be burdened by political rants as you gather around the table. Pass the mashed … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving Day
National Tie One On Day
No, no, nope. Not what you're thinking. Put down that bottle and shot glass. Today's National Day is all about time to tie on an apron and get cooking for the Thanksgiving Feast tomorrow. Great idea to get your sides and desserts ready in advance so you can focus on the main dishes on the … Continue reading National Tie One On Day
National Cake Day
In the tussle of preference between cake versus pie, I come down squarely on the pie side. So why would I celebrate cake day? Simple, you should try a Piecaken. In a nod to a Turducken (where a boneless chicken is stuffed inside a boneless duck and then stuffed inside a boneless turkey), a Piecaken … Continue reading National Cake Day
Happy Evacuation Day!
One of my favorite New York City holidays has largely been forgotten. During the American Revolution George Washington and his army left the island of Manhattan on November 16, 1776 (which was quaintly celebrated at nearby Fort Tryon Park recently). Through the remainder of the war the city was run by the British and they … Continue reading Happy Evacuation Day!
National Espresso Day
Today is National Espresso Day and boy is it one ofmyfavorites. I do need to be careful as if I drinktoomany of them I get veryhyper and begin talkingveryquickly and runningmywordstogether. The caffeinereally gets to me and sometimes Ijustcan'tstoptalking and then I ..... ..... ..... crashhhhhhh. G'night. As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com … Continue reading National Espresso Day
Footnotes #17 – Irony
Saw my surgeon again yesterday. As I maneuvered into the X-Ray room it was a tight fit and I heard the chair pop on the left side. As I left the room the left rear wheel seemed to skip a couple of times but all held together. The doctor released me from being required to … Continue reading Footnotes #17 – Irony
National Gingerbread Cookie Day
When I saw that National Gingerbread Cookie Day was coming up I dug into my recipe collection and was surprised to find only Gingersnap and not Gingerbread Cookie recipes. So I turned to one of my favorite recipe sources - http://www.foodnetwork.com and found a nice recipe. Here it is, properly attributed. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gingerbread-cookies-101-recipe-1963337 =============== Gingerbread Cookies … Continue reading National Gingerbread Cookie Day
Footnotes #16 – Deliberateness
As I continue to heal I have given a lot of thought to the challenges of getting around with a broken ankle. I can describe it with one word - Deliberateness. Things I used to breeze through, I now need to stop and think about. It has become an everyday habit. I've even become pretty … Continue reading Footnotes #16 – Deliberateness
National Play Monopoly Day
You know what that means - it's the law! Dust off that old board game - regardless what special version you own. Go straight to jail and do not pass Go! and be sure to pay me the rent you owe. Maybe it is time to put down that screen and play a three dimensional … Continue reading National Play Monopoly Day
