odditudes-and-weirdities

Here's the Cornell Lab of Ornithology jigsaw puzzle I recently completed. Although there are 120 bird species in the picture, there are a few cases where, due to sexual dimorphism , they show a picture of both a male and a female, so there are over 120 birds pictured. It's a 1000 piece puzzle. The birds are all indigenous to eastern/central North America, though it's not a complete set.  Some of you have heard this before, so be prepared for a recap. Here are some observations: I don't really have the proper lighting for doing jigsaw puzzles in my apartment. I have those somewhat out-of-date "pig-tail fluorescent" light bulbs, which doesn't exactly emulate natural light all that well. And even during broad daylight my living room doesn't get the sunlight that would be helpful, especially in winter. A couple times I turned a flashlight on some pieces, detected some red or yellow feathering, and quickly found a spot for them. (The flashlight trick waned ...

Holidays today are about the Twilight Zone movie/TV show, root canal procedures, technology, Hostess cupcakes, eating whatever you want, and jigsaw puzzles: Eat What You Want Day Hostess Cupcake Day Jigsaw Puzzle Day National Technology Day Root Canal Appreciation Day Twilight Zone Day Root canal procedures aren't something you want, but if you need one you really are better off getting it. National Technology Day marks the day when India joined the "nuclear club", successfully testing a nuclear missile. (Though I understand it was a breakthrough for India, I do feel a little discomfort in celebrating nuclear proliferation.) I can't say I know why we celebrate Twilight Zone Day today specifically, though it was a popular, groundbreaking, and influential program in its day. CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It's Jigsaw Puzzle Day! This is another holiday for which you used to see internet support ... but sometimes webpages disappear. Since I've always liked jigsaw puzzles , I'll try and keep the idea of this holiday alive even if it'll still be hanging by a thread despite my efforts. I don't know why today was selected for Jigsaw Puzzle Day. Its inventor, John Spilsbury , has an unknown birthday, died in April, and it's unknown exactly when he created the first jigsaw puzzle. I also wasn't able to find any important jigsaw puzzle event in history that's tied to May 11 either.  Somebody thought this was a good day to celebrate them though. So let's celebrate this unique type of puzzle today, preferably by working on a jigsaw puzzle. Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash