Most blog posts I saw about this day alluded that area code’s aren’t as culturally relevant as they once were. I  guess these people do not live in upstate New York.

I grew up with a 518 area code and never thought much about it really. Then I moved and now as a resident of Monroe County I have a 585 area code–but I didn’t always. When I first moved here the area code was 716. When it was officially changed I heard quite a lot of complaining from long time residents. After all they had always been 716ers and change is super scary. While others were excited about it, 716 was the area code used in Buffalo, NY and some Rochester area residents liked the idea of a separate number and therefore identity from the Buffalo area.

I had never thought a number could be part of a cultural identity but I have found Western New Yorker’s have a very strong sense of identity–I like that about them.

More recently I have become aware of another local term–”315ers”. I’ve heard area residents say this–like “she’s such a 315er” and didn’t understand what it meant. Then few years ago a friend explained that it was a negative term for someone who lived in the 315 area code. Usually referring to them being a farming community. I have never used this term–nor would I. But it makes we wonder what 315ers call us?

Anyway…in my experience area codes do matter. Whether arbitrary or designed they seem to group people together and create identities real or imagined. So show a little respect for area code.

Still, I believe it. After all Santa is a busy guy and needs those orders in soon,  so he can process them, wrap them and label them all while making many personal appearances throughout the season. But he’s not as low tech as he used to be, apparently e-mail is quite acceptable (maybe even preferred–it is faster and greener than a letter). He’s even set up a few websites so you can submit your list via e-mail including, dearsanta.com and northpole.com. It also looks like he may have a facebook page (or a couple) but doesn’t seem to be taking requests at this time.

But I’ll do Santa one better–I say use my Amazon wish list (or whatever online wish list service you use). I can specify not only what I want, but exactly what I want, and leave notes and details like “in blue please”.  Since I can use the Amazon app on my phone I can also add things the instant I think of them and not have to worry that I might forget about what I really wanted (as if that would happen).

But the best part is how it helps me shop for others. Now when my husband’s family asks me what he wants for Christmas I can tell them exactly what he wants. Since he is very techie I don’t always understand what all the gadgets he wants are. This way he can show me and I can coordinate with his family so we don’t all get him the same thing. I even created a list for my son (who is too little to make his own). It’s not really stuff he wants–but things I have seen and thought “oh that’s so cute” and didn’t want to forget about it,  so I made a note on his wish list.

So Dear Santa,

E-mail was soooo 10 years ago, but don’t worry I have a running list all ready  online any time you want to see it.  Reading all those e-mails can take a long time.  Don’t work too hard, it’s only November 8th. Savor the season, December will be here soon enough.

Sincerely,

Calin

Really?! Shouldn’t this be everyday?

Was that a groan I heard? I suppose many of us take a dim view on clichés. Perhaps it is because we are bored to tears by the same-old rhetoric. Or if someone uses the same clichés all the time, it makes them sound like a broken record and that is likely to drive you up a wall.

But for my two cents, I say who among us doesn’t use clichés and use them often. There may be an understated elegance in the way a common turn of phrase invokes common understanding. Thanks to our shared experiences, these tried and true expressions conjure familiar imagery that portrays a wide range of ideas in just a few words. I’m all for thinking outside the box from time to time but why fix what isn’t broken? When push comes to shove, language is a tool for conveying ideas. So what the hell! I say use clichés without shame if it gets the job done.

Or on the other hand…maybe just today, no need to overdo it.

I actually love epitaphs. Not sure what that says about me, but even as a kid I loved visiting old cemetery’s and reading the messages (often rhyming ones) on old tomb stones.

epitaphs are out of style these days, so it’s unlikely I would have one (not that I really have a choice in the matter–I’ll be dead). But if I was going to have one…might as well have fun with it. So here are my ideas….

“I don’t have to go home, but I can’t stay here”

“Party at my place, don’t be late”

“Now I’m off to the great beyond

I travel with no fear,

so long as there are friends to see

and plenty of food and beer.”

It’s actually an observance created by a romance writer (surprise, surprise). the idea is to encourage couples to find cheap or free ways to express love rather than relying on the over commercialized romance industry. Sorry ladies—no “bling”. Couples are encouraged to leave love notes, whisper sweet nothings, and perhaps the occasional throwing your jacket over a mud puddle fellas (is chivalry dead?).

I guess this stems from the belief that once a love grows old (or married) that the “romance” dies. I don’t think it dies it just metamorphoses into something else. Suddenly little courtesy’s–like letting me stretch out on the couch because I had a rough day, seem terribly sweet and romantic. Still it never it hurts to find new and creative ways to tell that special someone that you love them. I know I never get tired of hearing it, so I guess Matt doesn’t either. So this week I will do just that. Watch out Matt—expect to get swept off your feet…inexpensively.

Happiness Happens Month is a celebration for the incurably optimistic.  I thought at first this was just some benign attempt at cuteness, but then I stumbled upon a website for the Secret Society of Happy People. This seems to be some kind of underground ring of jolly souls bent on world domination. Their mission, to uproot and conquer pessimism by infecting the world with contagious dose of positive thinking. This is a warning for cynics everywhere, if you feel like someone is out to get you…they are.

However since I have made it my mission (for no particular or important reason) to honor as many of these unusual observances as I can, I will here and now confess my own secret happiness. Truth is, the past 10 years have been some of the happiest of my life. I married a wonderful man, moved into my first house, and now we are expecting our first child. So after further examination, it appears my glass isn’t half of anything, it’s actually pretty darn full.

….So there, are you happy now?

I was thinking about it and I realized that there are a lot of weird observances out there–one for almost every day of the year. I’ve written about this before in older posts.  I thought it would be a fun experiment to try to observe as many of these as I can and write about it here on my blog. To my readers (the 4-5 of you–loyal and appreciated), please comment with any ideas of days, months or week observances you think I should try to honor. I will also use my twitter account to document this as well.

April is National Poetry Month, so in honor of this month I have composed this poem about poetry.

Whether a words smith or a Wordsworth

Their craft defines each age

Their rhyme schemes riddle

And children giggle at

Words

Falling

off

the

page.

Alliteration, meter, and onomatopoeia

The tools that earn much praise

The metaphors

We all adore

Oh, let me count the ways

Like Frost on a snowy evening

No two are quite the same

Even Yeats and Keats

Who will never repeat

Have different sounding names

From a narrow fellow in the grass

To a Whitman counting each blade

Shakespeare to Angelou

Shelly to Langston Hughes

They are masters of their trade.

If you can recite Kipling

Familiarize yourself with ancient lore

Know why the cage bird sings

Of cabbages—and kings

Then be a metrophobe nevermore.

This year, 2010, marks the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. That’s the one that allows me vote every November.

Instead of a keynote speaker, this year there was a keynote presentation. Actor Elizabeth Rainer performed “Hear My Voice: Win the Vote”. a vignette about a second generation suffragette and her battle and final success to secure the vote for women. It was an amazing presentation, with so many stories I had never heard before. Like how many of the women were arrested and sent to work houses, where they went on hunger strikes. The guards would force food down their throats through tubes. There was one story about a guard forcing milk down a woman’s nose because she refused to open her mouth (there was a picture on the big screen too—ugh). There were also stories about men attacking the female protesters and even firing gun shots at them. All the stories were accompanied by a video with old photographs of some of the stories and events.

I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to celebrate such an important legacy, and left feeling especially proud to be a woman.

East Utica Greens

Matt even had a Utica Club just to complete the picture. It wasn’t that hard, but it was messy cutting up all the escarole. I think next time I’ll splurge and get the pre-cut escarole.

A co-worker of mine just sent me a recipe for tomato pie too.  So I’ll have to try that next. Utica is coming to Rochester!