Holidays | J.R. Johnson

Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Fourth for the Force

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, pop culture food, Star Wars Day on May 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

May the 4th be with you!

Star Wars Day- May the 4th Be With You | StarWars.com

Includes info, news and, most importantly, recipes like Blue Milk Pudding, Tauntaun Cookies and Ewok Sushi 🙂

Enjoy!

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*Original Photo by Victor Serban on Unsplash*

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Earth Day: What’s Good

Posted in Holidays, Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, Earth Day 2024, fresh perspectives, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers on April 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Today is work work work but that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about what’s good for the planet. If you are looking for ideas on what to do and how to do it, check out the Earth Day 2024 website or this Earth Day Action Toolkit.

And for ideas on how interacting with nature can help change our perspective, here’s an article by documentary film maker and student of octopi Craig Foster:

Earth Day 2024: ‘Saving the Planet’ Is the Wrong Goal

I was gifted with a new way of seeing the day I got mugged underwater…

Note to self: do not swim with novel shiny things!

As we’re discussing octopi and how they see the world, let me also recommend Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Is it fiction? Maybe!

(And yes, my favorite character was the octopus.)

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Got the Munchies?

Posted in Food and..., Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, AI, inspiration on April 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Maybe AI can help:

Food Mood — Google Arts & Culture

Get inspiration for your next meal and create new recipes mixing influences from two cuisines, generated with the help of Google AI.

I decided to mix Ireland and Sweden. On the face of it, at least, the basic concept of baked salmon and mashed potatoes wasn’t terrible (although the AI-generated image was a little off base).

Or break out the chips. You do you.

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No Fooling

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, ha ha, history on April 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I don’t actually pull April Fool’s jokes, but if you do, or if you’ve just wondered why jokes are a thing on this day and what the ancient Roman festival of Hilaria (great name) has to do with it, here’s an explainer:

April Fools’ Day: Origins, Meaning & Hoaxes | HISTORY

While its exact history is shrouded in mystery, the embrace of April Fools’ Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holiday’s long life.

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Wishing You a Lovely Easter!

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, Thoughts on March 31, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Still Hope for Pi

Posted in Holidays, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #PiDay on March 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

It is once again Pi Day! This one is for my father, who memorized (a whole bunch of digits of) pi back in grade school. It was a feat I never managed to equal, but perhaps with the help of this handy song, there’s still hope!

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My Favorite Things

Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, Thoughts on February 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

For my valentine.

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Lunar New Year

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, genre fiction, inspiration on February 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Happy Year of the Dragon!

2024 is China’s Year of the Dragon

The first day of the Chinese New Year falls on February 10 this year. Also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, the festival marking the advent of spring is widely celebrated in China and several East Asian countries…

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*D is for Dragon. Original photo by Christopher Ritter on Unsplash*

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It’s Come to This (Groundhog Edition)

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #groundhogday #punxsutawneyphil, Groundhog Day, Thoughts, winter on February 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Today is Groundhog Day and despite Phil’s prognostications in Gobbler’s Knob, I find myself hoping for more winter.

I’ve never been a big fan of the cold, but it’s the beginning of February and crazy warm here. Rain is the order of the week. Winterlude, Ottawa’s big celebration of winter, starts today and the Rideau Canal is closed to skaters for safety reasons, and I’m wondering if all the ice sculptures are going to melt.

And so I find myself wishing for more snow and celebrating the winter we have left.

Sorry, Phil!

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