289 - yup, it's Monday alright

Today is the 2nd day of the 42nd week [rather daunting to think there are only ten weeks left in this year, isn't it?], the 16th day of the 10th month, the 289th day of 2023 [I hope you are thinking about Christmas as well as Halloween, because there are only 69 shopping days left], and:

• Birth of the Báb - Observed the first day after the eighth new moon following Naw-Rúz
• Dictionary Day - Noah Webster's birthday 
• Global Cat Day
• International Adjust Your Chair Day
• Lung Health Day
• Multicultural Diversity Day
• National Boss Day
• National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day - I am continually confounded by the absolute mess some people have on their desktop, altho my personal one has a lot of game shortcuts, which I really should tuck away in a folder
• National Cut Up Your Credit Cards Day
• National Department Store Day
• National Dictionary Day
• National Feral Cat Day
• National Learn a Word Day
• National Liqueur Day
• National Sports Day
• Steve Jobs Day - celebrated since 2011
• World Anesthesia Day
• World Food Day
• World Spine Day
• and Voyager 1 is 22h 26m 07s of light travel time from Earth

Quote of the day:

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." 
 ~ Barbara Jordan, American lawyer, educator, and politician [the first black elected to the Texas Senate and the first black woman from the South elected to the US House of Representatives] 

Downtown Baltimore used to be defined by the corner of Howard and Lexington Streets,  where you could stand and see Hochschild's, Hutzler's, Hecht's, and Stewarts.  Even after they opened stores in the suburbs, first in shopping centers, then in malls [where they were the anchors], their main stores were always in the city.  The window displays during the holiday season were legendary, and worth a trip downtown just to see them.  My mother used to get a part-time job every holiday season as a "wrapper" to accommodate those who wanted to have a very glitzy package to present as a gift.

And my kids remember that every Christmas Eve, we had to go to Hutzler's in Westview Mall just to see the talking reindeer, Tinsel and Bow, usually after lunch and before Christmas Eve church services.  Ah the malls during the holiday season, each with at least two department stores as "anchors" and filled almost to capacity with busy shoppers.  Smaller shops had to set their hours to match those of the big guys, and Hecht's in particular was known for opening early and closing very late.  

Boxes and bags from these four were considered hallmarks of luxury and quality - Hutzler's actually sold special gold labels that you could sew into your clothing to show that you had bought it in their store.  I remember how grown-up and fashionable I felt when Grandmom Riley sewed one into my wool cape that I got as a present - and I still wear that cape today.   

I not sure that department stores have the same appeal [not to mention the brand loyalty] these days as they used to, certainly my granddaughters would be hard pressed to name even one store today.  The downtown stores are long gone, and none of the old stores remain anymore, replaced by other names who themselves are fading away.   I am old enough to remember the transition from shopping centers to malls - and how much fun, how great the experience, going to places like Security Square, Golden Ring, White Marsh, Columbia, and Tyson's Corner was.  You could happily spend an entire day just window shopping and browsing!  But now?  Malls are withering away as catalog shopping morphed into online shopping, and as the stores started cutting corners and dispensing with the glitz and glamor, shoppers had even less incentive to show up in person, and the trend seems to be accelerating.  

In other news:

• Yesterday I broke off my key in the mailbox lock.  Googled online about how to get a key out and gave it a try to no avail.  There are two packages inside my box and the management office says it will be Wednesday before I can get in again.  I might try to go down around the time the mail is delivered and see if I can sweet-talk the carrier into giving me my stuff

• Since I was talking to the management office, I asked about the heat being turned on.  First she said that is was already [I flatly contradicted that statement], then that it would be turned on today, then that it will be on by Wednesday.  Fortunately, I have space heaters.  Unfortunately, if I don't remember to turn off the one in the living room before using the microwave, I trip the circuit breaker.  Fortunately [having done that before, you understand.  I was in a real panic the first time it happened years ago, but maintenance responded immediately and showed me], I know where the circuit board is and how to reset it.  

We'll see what happens on Wednesday - stay tuned!

So it is a very Monday-ish Monday, but at least I am working from home!  That means when it is lunchtime, I can stretch out on the couch and relax for a half hour or so, sometimes even taking a cat nap.  At times, Triscuit curls up on me, other times she stretches out on the lounge

I find the short rest [altho it is closer to noon than around 3 PM or so] makes the rest of the day go so much easier, and I am so much more on an even keel.  Although it probably could be improved with the cookies and milk treat....