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Entry bubble Groundhog Day

By: Joanne | February 02, 2010 | Category: Fun

groundhog peeking out of it's holeToday is Groundhog Day and like the thousands of people gathered at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, I’m eager to hear if Phil sees his shadow.

According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he doesn’t see his shadow, there will be an early spring. I know it’s just a legend, but like winning the lottery, I dream that he’ll emerge from his burrow, not see his shadow and spring weather will be just around the corner.

Groundhog Day has its origins in an ancient celebration of a point mid-way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. These days it’s still fun to observe tradition, but I prefer to turn to the National Weather Service for weather forecasts. I’m a native Pennsylvanian, so I’ll always have a soft spot for Phil the cuddly groundhog. But when it comes to weather forecasts, I look to the scientists with the climatic data.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: groundhog   joanne   phil   punxsutawney   spring   weather  

 

Entry bubble Tracking Santa 2.0

By: Jess | December 24, 2009 | Category: Fun

Tracking Santa just got easier.

The people at NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known for bringing us the ability to track Santa on his Christmas Eve trek around the world, have added tons more ways to stay up to the minute on Santa's whereabouts.

You can follow Santa's action on Facebook and Twitter. Plus there are pictures of Santa and his elves at NORAD briefings and other activities available on Flickr. And videos of Santa cruising the globe will be on YouTube.

All of the new methods of Santa tracking are in addition to the ability to track him on your phone or by calling (1-877-Hi-NORAD) or e-mailing (noradtracksanta-AT-gmail-DOT-com) the official Santa trackers.

Santa tracking begins at midnight MST (2 a.m. on the East Coast) on Christmas Eve. You can track Santa all through the day and when you see him getting close to you, it's time to leave some milk and cookies (and maybe a carrot for Rudolph) and tuck the kids in to bed.

From the GovGab team, we wish you and yours a happy and safe holiday season.

 

| Post a Comment | View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: christmas   holiday   jess   norad   santa   tracking  

 

Entry bubble The Big Read Initiative

By: Jake | December 07, 2009 | Category: Fun

ReadingIt was so cold last week that I had to dig out the big coat. Winter officially starts in two weeks and for me that means it's reading season. Not that I don't read the rest of the year, it just always seems I read more in the winter. 

Of course the best government resource for books and reading programs is your local public library. The federal government resource I did not know about until last week is The Big Read Initiative. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) started the initiative five years ago in order to restore reading to the center of American culture.

The Big Read Initiative partners local organizations with the NEA to provide citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. You can find local Big Read events in your community and if there isn't one you can access The Big Read book list. You can also keep up with current events on The Big Read blog.

Have you ever participated in a Big Read discussion or a book club?

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: books   nea   reading  

 

Entry bubble National Christmas Tree Lighting Lottery

By: Colleen | November 04, 2009 | Category: Fun

I was in the drugstore two days before Halloween and I was greeted by the melodies of Christmas carols and the shelves were jam packed with holiday merchandise.tree

Once again, Thanksgiving gets the shaft.

Since everyone else is jumping the gun and springing right to the holidays, we here at GovGab are going to follow suit.

The 2009 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on Thursday, Decemer 3rd. The ceremony includes not only the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, but music from the U.S. Marine Corps Band and 56 (one for each state, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia) other smaller trees arranged in a "pathway to peace."

To attend you must enter a ticket lottery- but hurry! You can only apply from November 4th through November 6th!

In preparation for the holidays, remember to be safe.  Check out some tips HERE.

| View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: christmas   holidays   national_christmas_tree   safety  

 

Entry bubble My Halloween Revenge

By: Ginger | October 30, 2009 | Category: Fun

Boy and girl dressed up for HalloweenNormally, I am a law-abiding citizen and not prone to perpetrating Halloween pranks. However, earlier in the week my trainer, Mike, made me do push-ups. He claims he did not get my memo stating my “No Push-Ups Policy”, but when he denied it, he had a shifty look on his face. Anyway, I am very sore. I can't even lift my arm to offer a friendly wave or other friendly gestures. I want some payback. This friendly gal is going to get some revenge by toilet papering Mike's yard on Halloween night.

I like to bring professionalism to everything I do, so I have done my homework and I have come up with a plan:

  • I have hired some of the best toilet papering commandos in my neighborhood .
  • My team has done reconnaissance in Mike's neighborhood. We know where the street lights are located, how to handle the barking dogs, and which neighbors are prone to nosiness.
  • We have identified an escape route should things go south.
  • I have purchased black face paint and selected the perfect black outfit, with matching accessories, for the big event.

The surprise element in my whole plan is the actual papering medium we will use. Now that I have been forced to perform push-ups, I am “strong like bull.” Instead of cheap, wimpy, toilet paper, we will be going hard core and using double rolls of 2-ply!

For those who have been following my blog regularly, you know that I am kidding... or am I? Bwah Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Have a scary, but safe Halloween. The Halloween page on USA.gov features links to Halloween facts, healthy Halloween treats, safety tips, and pumpkin carving tips. For those of you who are interested, here is my Halloween blog from last year and the Halloween blog from 2 years ago by Samantha. Enjoy!

P.S. To Lazy Ghoul, who left this comment last year,

“I live on a hillside in a suburban community, my front door is a good 20 feet above street level. Rather than subject the children to climbing my steps i sit and throw candy to (at) them from my porch. Some kids really get into it. I've learned to judge candy by it's loft to drag ratio and found that Dum Dums get the best range, followed by Tootsie Pops, then Blow Pops...”

I hope to hear from you again. Did you try my suggestion to build a candy catapult with a mouse trap, some duct tape, and a bobby pin? Let me know, because I can think of all kinds of uses for that thing if it works!

| View Comments [9] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: ginger   halloween   halloween_safety   pranks  

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