May 4, 2012 - Star Wars Day

May the Fourth be with you!

Celebrate all things Star Wars today—pump up your midi-chlorian count by watching a Star Wars movie or parody, reading a Star Wars book, or playing a Star Wars game. (Note: If you don't know what midi-chlorians are, check out the entry in Wookieepedia.) 

Here are some Star Wars things I like—check them out!

• 
  Weird Al Yankovic's “The Saga Begins.” 

• Star Wars Spoofs are super-short animated movies. Just click various parts of the picture to see them, and after you've seen 'em all, be sure to check out the car stickers, the Behind-the-Scenes feature (found under “Spoof Extras”), and the games! 

• The official Star Wars website has  tons of stuff to read and explore, puzzles to do, games to play, and more!

• 
  The Star Wars Lego site. 

• Hello Kids Star Wars coloring pages.

(By the way, I read that some people are calling the day Intergalactic Star Wars Day!I guess I just hadn't consulted my galactic sources. How very provincial of me!)

(By the way, again, today is also Space Day. Which works very well with Star Wars, thank you very much!) 

I love this clever license plate and mailbox!

Also on this date:

Birthday of Bartolomeo Cristofori, the inventor of the piano 

Greenery Day in Japan 

May 4, 2011 - Greenery Day – Japan

I figure it's time for the world to direct its attention back to Japan, again, and donate a bit more to recovery from the devastating March earthquakes and tsunami.

After all, we are nearing the end of Japan's Golden Week, a string of holidays that includes Showa Day (April 29), Constitution Memorial Day (May 3), and Children's Day (a.k.a. Boy's Day, May 5).

This is a day to commune with nature and to be thankful for its blessings. Even after nature has dished out SUCH a huge disaster, there are plenty of things for which the Japanese people can feel grateful. But it must be so much harder this year than usual to feel appreciation toward Mother Earth!

Still, when nature can't be counted on, perhaps human nature can step in with help. So donate, again, to Japan.

We could all use a Greenery Day to remind us to think of the environment. How about a visit to your local arboretum or botanical garden, a hike in the woods, or a work session in a garden. Don't have a garden? Start one! Or use Google to find a community garden you can work in on a regular basis.

Also...

A friend just reminded me that it is Star Wars Day:

May the Fourth be with you.