Friday:
Buy Nothing Day
You’re Welcomegiving Day
Make Your Own Head Day - This is a crafty day. It is very popular in grade schools, and art classes. In class, you can make your own head. Any medium will do. You can use clay, paper mache, draw or sketch your head. Macaroni..left over turkey and mashed potatoes..shopping recipts. You can make a picture with paint, charcoal, or crayon. Be creative and add a hat to your head.
Red Planet Day
Letter Writing Day
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Here’s some leftovers!
-Experts warn that if you normally don’t feed poultry to your dog (or cat), Thanksgiving Day is not the time to start, no matter how cutely he begs. Turkey meat can cause abdominal pain to pets not accustomed to eating such a dish, and most veterinarians will be closed for the holiday.

-A can of whole-berry cranberry sauce contains about 99 cranberries.

-The average person in the U.S. will eat 17 pounds of turkey this year; the average Canadian will eat 9 pounds.

-Because the wild turkey is quick to defend itself and fight against all predators, Ben Franklin wanted it, rather than the bald eagle, to be the symbol of the United States.

-THE TWELVE DAYS OF THANKSGIVING …..
-  On the First Day …..We give thanks for the fresh turkey feast and its hot trimmings.
-  On the Second Day ….. We bless the cold turkey sandwiches, sloshy cranberry sauce, and hard rolls.
-  On the Third Day ….. We praise the turkey pie and vintage mixed veggies.
-  On the Fourth Day ….. We thank the pilgrims for not serving bison that first time, or we’d be celebrating Thanksgiving until April.
-  On the Fifth Day ….. We gobble up cubed bird casserole and pray for a glimpse of a naked turkey carcass.
-  On the Sixth Day ….. We show gratitude (sort of) to the creative cook who slings cashews at the turkey and calls it Oriental.
-  On the Seventh Day ….. We forgive our forefathers and pass the turkey-nugget pizza.
-  On the Eighth Day ….. The word ”vegetarian” keeps popping into our heads.
-  On the Ninth Day ….. We check our hair to make sure we’re not beginning to sprout feathers.
-  On the Tenth Day …..We hope that the wing meat kabobs catch fire under the broiler.
-  On the Eleventh Day ….. We smile over the creamed gizzard because the thigh bones are in sight.
-  On the Twelfth Day …..We apologize for running out of turkey leftovers and everybody says AMEN!
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Plan to hit the stores on Black Friday?  Then take heed of some parking lot intel, from AAA, to be sure that’s all you hit!  Where are you most likely to get into a car accident? Would you believe in a mall parking lot? Parking lots are like the mosh pit of driving. People seem to do whatever they can get away with. Blatantly break the speed limit? Take up two spaces? Ignore the lane markings altogether, and blaze a trail across the empty parking lot? In fact, according to AAA, on a per-mile basis, drivers have more fender benders in parking lots than anywhere else. So, here’s how to handle the parking lot madness, and protect yourself and your car:

First, parking-design expert Marty Worden says that angled spaces along one-way aisles are the safest parking spaces. You have traffic coming at you from only one direction, and you have better sight lines when you’re backing out.

Next, take advantage of the barrier islands. The cement curbs between the rows that keep motorists from cutting across the empty lot. Don’t park in the end space along a barrier island unless there’s an end cap. Otherwise, you’re vulnerable to moving traffic from the side and from the rear. 

People prefer to park near a mall’s main entrance, or the biggest stores. Which means, the faraway fringe parking spaces are usually empty. So, stick to the fringe, where spaces are plentiful, traffic is light, and the risk of collision is minimal.

Finally, pay attention when you get out of your car. Listen for the sound of cars starting up, and watch for the flash of backup lights so you’re not surprised when someone pulls out. Stick to the pedestrian marked paths. Just because the fastest way to get where you’re going is to cut through six aisles of parked cars, doesn’t mean it’s the safest way to go.
Thanks to John Tesh for this information.
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You’ve probably heard of Black Friday . . . which is the day after Thanksgiving, and one of the biggest shopping days of the year. 
And there is Cyber Monday, the first Monday after Thanksgiving . . . and it refers to employees who plan to do their holiday shopping online while they’re at work. 
Overall, 29% of workers say they plan to shop online while on the job. 
Of those people, 43% say they’ll spend more than ONE hour shopping online, 23% will spend more than TWO hours shopping online . . . and 13% will spend more than THREE hours shopping online while at work. 
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You know the saying: you’re only as old as you feel. Turns out there may be more to that cliche than meets the eye: researchers at California’s Buck Institute for Age think they’ve found a way to determine a person’s “real age” by looking at DNA clues called biomarkers. Which would go a long way to helping explain why some people seem to grow old before their time, and some octogenarians seem as healthy as 60-year-olds.

Success could give science a hard-and-fast way to verify the effectiveness of anti-aging therapies, which hasn’t yet been possible, and to scare the crap out of 30-year-olds by telling them they have the body of a 50-year-old, and so on. I suspect that in the end, the research will verify what we already know to be true: those who eat right and exercise live longer than those who don’t. The full article is here.

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Now that all 50 states have released thier quarters, check out the website  for the best and worst quarter designs.
Worst - Idaho with Pennsylvania second!
Best - Alaska - you can see russia on their quarter!
New York didn’t make either list
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Monday 11-24-2008
D.B. Cooper Day
International Aura Awareness Day

Tuesday 11-25-2008
One Month to Christmas
Blasé Day
International Day For the Elimination of Violence Against Women Day
National Parfait Day
St Catherine’s Day (traditionally an Estonian holiday marking the start of winter)
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This guy learned to sing the Star Spangled Banner backwards!
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A company in Japan is now marketing bras that are specially made for men. They come in black, white and pink.(really..for men??? ..this is definately something I can put my support behind!
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Turkey Tips!
How big a turkey should I buy if I’m intending to feed ten people?
You should count on about one pound per person, precooked. This may turn out to be more than necessary, but better safe than without leftovers.

How long can I keep leftover turkey and stuffing in my refrigerator?
You should keep stuffing and gravy for only one to two days. Turkey should be fine for three to four days. If you freeze cooked turkey, it should keep for about four months.
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Even if money’s tight this year, you can still have a great Thanksgiving dinner.  Here are five money-saving tips from Ehow.com to help make sure your table is full, even if your pocketbook isn’t: 
1. Get a Free Turkey.  A lot of supermarkets offer a free turkey if you spend enough money during their promotional period.  Since the shopping period usually lasts for a while, it’s not too hard to qualify.
–If you DON’T qualify and you’re having guests over, ask one of them if they DO.  Since they’re not cooking Thanksgiving dinner at home, they’ll probably be happy to help out. 

2. Let Your Guests Bring Something.  You don’t need to make the whole dinner a pot-luck, but if a guest offers to bring a side dish, say yes.  Ask for things like cranberry sauce or pie, since your guests can buy them pre-made at the store if they want to.

3. Don’t Get Exotic.  Don’t try to do too much with Thanksgiving dinner.  Exotic side dishes usually cost more money and take more time to prepare, but are never as popular as the Thanksgiving standards. 

4. Buy Generic.  Things like mashed potatoes and squash should be made fresh, and if you’re buying boxed stuffing or canned cranberry sauce, brand names aren’t that important.  The difference in taste is subtle, but the difference in price can be significant. 

5. Make Too Much.  A little extra money spent on Thanksgiving will go a long way.  Even if you’re trying to spend less, you should still make too much food.  All those leftovers mean you won’t have pay for dinner or slave over a stove for the rest of the week.
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Set up the pins, clear the lanes and try not to roll a gutter bird.
Cincinnati is warming up for Thanksgiving with its traditional Turkey Bowl, an annual outdoor event using frozen turkeys in place of bowling balls.
Contestants will try to knock down 10 pins Tuesday by sliding rock-hard birds down a lane on the holiday season ice skating rink on downtown’s landmark Fountain Square.
The person with the highest score after three rounds wins $100 cash and WKRP in Cincinnati DVDs including the series’ famous “Turkeys Away” episode.
That’s the one about a station promotion in which live giveaway turkeys are dropped out of a helicopter to their deaths — because the station manager thought turkeys could fly.
The frozen birds used in Turkey Bowl are discarded store turkeys not intended for anyone’s table.
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Saturday (11-22):
Go For a Ride Day
St Cecilia Feast Day, the patron saint of musicians. She is credited with having invented the organ.
–The JFK Assassination, 1963.

Sunday: (11-23):
Flossing Day
National Salesperson’s Day
Sink Day
National Cashew Day
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You know there’s a blog for everything…today - Cupcakes take the cake!
“All Cupcakes, All The Time…Everything you ever wanted to know about cupcakes from true fans, “

How many ways can you make a cupcake look like a turkey(no turkey meat in the cupcake please). items include..marshmallows, candy corn, and creative uses of frosting. Also there are some fall themed cupcakes.
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Mental Floss Magazine, has an article of 10 thanksgiving traditions. From Pardoning the Turkey, to Black Friday. Enjoy it here.

Pumpkin Pie Day
World Hello Day
World Television Day (United Nations)
What Do You Love AboutAmerica? Day
False Confession Day

1877 - Thomas Alva Edison invented the first phonograph, which he called the “talking machine”.  ?? Not sure of date – Vernon Bass of Sarasota, FL, became the world champion oyster eater, eating 684 oysters in 20 minutes.

 1981 - 83-million viewers watched the TV show,

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Can you tell me the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? With Thanksgiving up next week, here’s the story. 

From the Old Farmers Almanac:

Literally and botanically speaking, the two are not related. Both the yam and the sweet potato grow underground and have yellowish-orange flesh, but there the similarity ends. Yams are large, starchy, edible tuberous roots that can grow two to three feet long and weigh as much as 80 pounds. They grow in tropical/subtropical countries and need eight to ten months of warm weather to mature. The two words became entwined in our household vernacular partly through a publicity campaign. Early in this century, sweet-potato promoters attached the word yam to the deep orange, moist-fleshed varieties and left the words sweet potato to the smaller, yellowish, dry-fleshed varieties. Today it is common to find either or both words used in supermarkets, but whichever is used, what’s on sale is the sweet potato.

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News from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during cold and flu season. 

A lot of people think getting a flu shot after November is a waste of time and won’t do much good since cold & flu season is already in full swing. Not true! In fact, it’d still do you some good to get a shot as late as January or February. Since influenza peaks in February or later – and it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective.  

So what about the common cold – if you catch one, does that mean your immune system isn’t up to snuff? Not necessarily. More than 200 viruses can cause a cold – and it would be almost impossible for your immune system to build up a tolerance to every virus you come across. Viruses enter your system through your nose, mouth or eyes.  

How about this misconception that’s been floating around for decades: If you get the flu once, you won’t get it again that season. Well, you may not get the flu from the same virus that infected you the first time, but there’s more than one type of flu virus circulating at any given time.  

Pregnant women shouldn’t get a flu shot. False! Pregnant women are at an increased risk of complications from the flu – so they should definitely get inoculated. By doing so, they’re protecting their baby too, by passing along preventive antibodies. Plus, if a pregnant woman gets a high fever, it can lead to congenital illnesses in their baby. So it’s a very good idea for pregnant women to get a flu shot.  

For those who aren’t sure of the difference between a cold and flu: A cold moves in slowly, usually over a couple of days. The flu comes on super-fast, even overnight. A cold affects you mostly from the neck up, causing sinus congestion, sneezing, and a runny nose. On the flip side, the flu hits mostly from the neck down. With severe aching, tiredness, and a cough. Thanks to John Tesh for this information!

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Great American Smokeout – replace your addiction with something healthy! Good luck! Name Your PC Day National Adoption Day Transgender Day of Remembrance Universal Children’s Day (United Nations observance) Absurdity Day

 Plus we talked about those deer whistles that you put on your car. Do they work?? Split decision! Some swear by them, others, not so much. How about you?