Greetings Readers,

Further proof that Sparrow is completely useless on his own can be found in the fact he needed to be reminded to go and check the mail on today’s edition of The Diary of a Nobody…He will also need to pay the water bill and it is even money whether or not he remembers to do it before it is shut off.

We did not produce The Thought for the Day on this date one and two years ago, so today we dug one up from November of last year…Lawrence Sanders, writing in the novel The Third Deadly Sin, talks about passion becoming a spectator sport.

Also, Gaylon For Congress went live on Facebook Monday night. We talked about free trade, specifically how the new tariffs America has levied on steel and aluminum imports will do no one any good.

On This Date:
In 1942 – The United States Congress declares war on dreaded Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania on this date in 1942. Despite the fact America has been at war for most of the ensuing years – from Korea to Vietnam to the War on Terror – this was the last time Congress has declared war.

In 1981 – Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros walks Frank Tavares of the New York Mets in the first inning of a game Houston would win 3-0. The walk was the 1,776 of his career, breaking Early Wynn’s all-time major league mark. Ryan would pitch a complete game that night, walking two and striking out ten. He retired with 2,795 career walks, still a ML record.

In 1971 – Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones replaces Three Dog Night’s Joy To The World at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Brown Sugar would spend two weeks at #1 and would also top the charts in Holland, Switzerland and Canada.

Thank you for reading,
Gaylon

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Writing is like anything else, it is best done when one is not too tired. So when the time we usually write The Sunday Bottom Ten came along and we were beat, we decided it was best not to write it because we are never entirely thrilled with what we produce when our brain is not humming on all cylinders. We were too tired to write a Daily Report for Sunday, too. So we finished up today for you.

Sparrow’s hotel jobs are pretty low key and seldom do their events make The Diary of a Nobody but it was pretty busy at Hotel A on graveyard Sunday morning, so we have that to bore you, plus some exciting drivel from the retailer.

In other news, our latest novel Criminals, Courtesans and Constables is almost done, a bit sooner than we thought we’d get to this point. It may sound odd the end of a book catching a writer by surprise but this did. Of course, I knew how I want the book to end, but when it turned up being right around the corner we were somewhat taken aback. It is analogous to walking out of a clearing all of a sudden even though you knew the end of the clearing was there. Oh, there it is. The end of the book is up ahead. 

This is both good and bad. Good because a writer starts writing a book so he can finish it. Bad because a book is your baby and writing the first draft is fun and you hate to see it end.

On This Date:
In 1783 – Man flies for the first time when the hot air balloon is demonstrated publicly for the first time by brothers Josef and Jacques Montgolfier in Annony, France. The flight covered a bit more than a mile and lasted for ten minutes.

In 1911 – The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Boston Braves 26-3 as 13 Reds score runs, a major league record that stood until 1999.

In 1983 – Flashdance…What a Feeling By Irene Cara is number one for the second of six weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100. Cara co-wrote the lyrics with Keith Forsey while the music was composed by Giorgio Moroder. It was the third biggest song of 1983 and was #26 on Billboard’s All-Time Top 100 in 2008.

Many thanks for reading,
Gaylon

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Finally, after one of the longest weeks in human history, Sparrow picks up his lawn mower from the shop in today’s The Diary of a Nobody. Unfortunately, he got it too late in the day to actually mow the lawn, but there’s always tomorrow. Plus, it is a dead sprint at the retailer.

There are two editions of The Thought for the Day for your to enjoy. One year ago Louis L’Amour talked about reading, while two years ago Gore Vidal talked about the importance of being you. Both, of course, feature the usual witless commentary from yours truly you’ve learned to tolerate.

On This Date:
In 1997: Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy at his trial in Denver. He would be executed four years later after abandoning his appeals.

In 1891: Charley “Old Hoss” Radbourn wins his 300th game as the Cincinnati Reds defeat the Boston Beaneaters – now the Atlanta Braves – 10-8. Radbourn is the fourth major leaguer to reach the 300 win mark. Since then 20 other pitchers have joined the club.

In 1982: Deniece Williams is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second and final week with Let’s Hear It for the Boy. It was Williams’ second and final #1 song, following 1978’s Too Much, Too Little, Too Late, a duet with Johnny Mathis.

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Sparrow runs into some technical difficulties while making some Sparrow For Congress videos on The Diary of a Nobody, while neighbor Devon actually mowed his lawn, making Sparrow’s look bad by comparison because his mower is still at the shop.

Today’s Thought for the Day is from November 2017 and features Nero Wolfe, a fictional character created by Rex Stout, talking about stealing a little time for oneself. Regular readers know time is one of our favorite themes at The Thought for the Day.  We all have 24-hours every day, and what we get out of this life largely depends on the work we put into those 24-hours.

On This Date:
In 1495: Scotch whiskey is mentioned in writing for the first time, in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls, an official government publication of government revenues. A monk named John Cor was ordered by King James IV to produce several batches.

In 1975: Nolan Ryan of the California Angels becomes the second major leaguer to pitch four no-hitters, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 1-0. Ryan would retire with seven n0-hitters, which are still a record.

In 1959: The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton moves into the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. It would spend six weeks at #1 and would be Billboard’s #1 single of 1959, despite the fact Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin spent nine weeks at #1. The Battle of New Orleans was also the biggest country song of the year, spending ten weeks on top of the Billboard’s country chart.

Have a good day,
Gaylon

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