Curmudgeon Day 2011

Stay Home and Do What You Want.

Today is Curmudgeon Day, a holiday which is traditionally celebrated by not going anywhere (especially avoiding the shopping frenzy and the idiots who fuel it) and enjoying activities that make you happy.  For a reasonably complete definition and history of Curmudgeon Day (for you Wikipedia editors), see the Curmudgeon Day category of this blog.

Warning: There can be consequences to not participating in Curmudgeon Day, such as people being injured at Walmarts around the country.  (I remain safe and warm at home, and never go to Walmart.)

Think about the things you enjoy doing, those activities that you would do if you had a little more time.  If you have the luxury of not having to work serving the braindead on this day, stay home and do those things.  Spend time with family, play a game you have not had time to open, work on a creative project you want to accomplish, or just relax.  Take the day, or even the whole holiday weekend, to remember what makes you happy.

For my part, I slept in, then watched Formula 1 practice from Brazil, and now I am writing this blog post before programming a project I have not been able to find time for recently.  Even doing what I love for a living, I still have lots of other things to do on this one day for doing strictly what I want.

Occupy Home!

A Personal History of Thanksgiving

I come by my love of Thanksgiving honestly.

In 1621, the settlers of Plymouth Plantation held what is widely regarded as the First Thanksgiving, under the second Governor of Plymouth Colony, William Bradford.

In 1624, William Bradford had a second son, his first to be born in the new world, also named William Bradford.

In 1651, William Bradford (the younger) had a son, Thomas Bradford.

In 1693, Thomas Bradford and his wife, Anne, had a daughter, Jerusha Bradford.

In 1716, Jerusha Bradford married Hezekah Newcomb.
In 1717, Jerusha Newcomb gave birth to a son, Silas Newcomb.

In 1752, Silas Newcomb and his wife, Submit, had a son, Paul Newcomb.

In 1776, Paul Newcomb and his wife, Martha, had a son, Silas Newcomb.

In 1806, Silas Newcomb (the younger) and his wife, Betsy, had a daughter, Eliza Newcomb.

In 1832, Eliza Newcomb married Jerry Williams Pierce.
In 1844, Eliza Pierce gave birth to a son, Jerry Williams Pierce (II).

In 1872, Jerry Williams Pierce and his wife, Polly, had a daughter, Minnie Sophia Pierce, born here in Michigan (as was every person mentioned hereafter).

In 1899, Minnie Sophia Pierce married Jesse George Wilson.
In 1902, Minnie Wilson gave birth to my grandmother, Mildred Leona Wilson, who compiled all of the information herein prior to the existence of the internet.

In 1926, Mildred Leona Wilson married Manley Russell Seelhoff (my grandfather).
In 1941, Mildred Seelhoff gave birth to Gerald Norman Seelhoff, my father.

As you can see, I descend directly from the founder of our American Thanksgiving, as documented in his journal, Of Plimoth Plantation.  For this, I am also thankful.