Your Weekly Antics, Sharks, Dolphins and the Chinese New Year Edition 1/30/25...
- lisaalkap
- Jan 30
- 5 min read
Well kids, here we are at the end of the first month of the new year and quickly rolling on into February. This is the time of year that even the hardiest of New Englanders sometimes let their guard down and start thinking ahead, that perhaps spring is right around the corner. Well of course we do, because every time we turn around meteorologists near and far are freaking out about potential snowflakes heading our way, to batten down the hatches, and prepare to be trapped. So far, nothing. The big storm predicted earlier this week was a dusting. A dusting... I know a few seniors in high school this year who are begging for snow days because for once in their lives they won't have to make them up. So far, we see no snow days in sight. Here's what I've got...
1. Adventures. Some people like to set their goals high. Some have personal goals, physical feats they’d like to accomplish like hiking up a volcano. Some choose academics, others choose to go about their business, do what they need to do and keep themselves alive, I’m in that category kids. I have a hard enough time getting the day to day done never mind planning to climb a mountain or volcano or some other risky activity. It’s a struggle some days just trying to get to my car without falling in my own driveway.
Swimming with sharks. This conversation, like many, came up for who knows what reason. If you were to swim with sharks, would you want to take part in one of those activities when you are in a cage and dropped down in the ocean to see the sharks, or actually swim with them? Not that anyone was asking, but easy question for me to answer…neither. Sharks belong in the ocean; I belong on land. They don’t come up here to bother me, I’m not going down there to bother them. Find me a Grouper or a Manatee, then we're talking, those are my people. I know when to stay in my lane.
Exhibit 1, some fool in a shark cage. Exhibit 2, bet you didn't know that you could also swim with Groupers...
3. Next subject…swim with sharks, hang out in a cage while sharks swim around you, or swim with dolphins? That’s also an easy one. To me, this is the same thing as which circles I swim in socially…not too many to tell you the truth. I’m not wasting my time swimming in the circles of those who’d rather gorge my insides out, if there’s a nice, friendly dolphin around who’d like to hang out with me. I’d prefer a calm wave to happily float upon without having to worry about a 12-foot wave from out of nowhere to take me out. I’m too old for that nonsense. I'm sticking with dolphins. Or groupers. Or manatees. Or all of the above.
4. Here’s something I never knew but am not surprised by…cows have best friends. Research shows that cows form deep friendships and can become stressed when separated from their close companions. They have distinctive social hierarchies and often display affectionate behavior towards their preferred bovine buddies. Cows, dolphins, groupers and manatee's it is.
5. Here’s a fact I bet all cows would wish we spread the word on, ketchup. Bet you didn’t know that way back in 1830, ketchup was used as medicine to treat jaundice, indigestion and other intestinal issues. Here are a few things you should think about next time you go to squirt some ketchup on your burger…first, you’ve probably broken the heart of poor old Gus the cow, because you’re getting ready to eat his best friend Henry, and second, ketchup's initial intention was not to help you enjoy that burger, but to help that upset stomach of yours you’re about to have when the guilt finally hits you for taking Gus’s BFF away. Get it together.
The history of Ketchup. (n.d.). Nerdish: Read. Learn. Grow. https://nerdish.io/topics/the-history-of-ketchup/
6. I’ve been asked several times this week if we are in the midst of a full moon, or if there is one coming. No and no. No full moon this week, the next one isn’t until February 12th. Why is everyone off the rails then? I give up, who knows. The world’s gone mad, we may as well embrace it.
7. No, this does not give you permission to act like an inconsiderate ass to all mankind. You will still be called out on that. If you’re going to be a jerk, do the world a favor and stay home.
8. It may not be an active full moon, but January 29th marked the start of the
Chinese Lunar New Year. They are not one in the same, but full moons and the lunar new year are related. The Lunar New Year begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends with the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the new year which will be February 12th. Some fun facts about Lunar New Year –
wearing red is a sign of good fortune and good luck.
fireworks aren’t just to light up the night sky, but to scare off monsters and evil spirits...I've put a request into management to ask for authorization to carry bottle rockets and sparklers with me when out on home visits...
Handing out red envelopes as gifts is a sign of prosperity. If anyone would like to hand me an envelope full of cash, I’ll take it no matter what color the envelope is – no questions asked.
if you are so inclined to hand out red envelopes of cash, do not do so in increments of 4 because that’s considered bad luck. The pronunciation of 4 in Chinese is similar to the pronunciation of the word used for death…nobody needs that hanging over their heads.
another fun fact - the word "ketchup" comes from the Hokkien Chinese word
kê-tsiap, which refers to a fermented fish sauce.
Another tradition of the Chinese New Year...if you haven’t already cleaned your house, you’re out of luck. You should’ve cleaned up before the holiday, when you had the opportunity to sweep out any and all bad luck that may have been lingering around. In the meantime, you’re going to have to hold yourself back and refrain from pulling out the brooms and vacuums, because to do so you run the risk of sweeping out and vacuuming up all the good luck that’s come your way so far in the New Year. Don't clean. Wait until after February 12th.
I will not be following this good advice given in #9 because of the stove licking dog that lives here. If we don't vacuum at least every other day we'd have a fire hazard.
And last but not least...it's too cold to swim with sharks or dolphins or to visit with our cow friends in a field. Think twice before putting ketchup on your burger and hang tight waiting on the next full moon.
Have a great weekend!
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