Monday Melange

Main Entry: mé·lange
Pronunciation: \mā-ˈläⁿzh, -ˈlänj\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, from mesler, meler to mix — more at meddle
Date: 1653
: a mixture often of incongruous elements

Here you go--more fascinating links and tidbits!

(for the first three items, a hat tip to my co-worker, Darren Marlar):
--Today is National French Fries Day. Here are some suggestions on how to celebrate the day. And here are some interesting facts about fries.

What are your favorite french fries? I'm not really particular about mine, but it's hard to beat good old McDonald's fries. Let me know your faves in my comments section!

--Today is also Childhood Memories day. I would blog about some of my favorite childhood memories, but I already did so here.

--Today is also Embrace Your Geekiness Day--so go ahead, watch those old Star Trek or Star Wars DVDs and wear your pocket protector happily. :)

--American Idol's Ryan Seacrest is rich and getting richer.

--Wow, it seems as if everyone is hopping on the Twitter bandwagon...even Queen Elizabeth. Well, the British monarchy. The Queen won't be personally tweeting about what purse she plans to accessorize with today.

"You could really be a Beau Brummell, baby, if you just gave it half a chance..."


Actor James Purefoy as Beau Brummell in the BBC Drama, "This Charming Man"

--To further illustrate my avowal that I'll read the ketchup bottle if nothing else is handy...I've been reading a biography of Beau Brummell that is actually quite fascinating. Did you know that Brummell is credited for creating the man's suit? Well, it didn't look the same circa 18-hundred, but it set the stage for it.

Brummell took hours to get dressed, and he shocked everyone by actually bathing his entire body every day (1800 must've been a pretty smelly time.)

Best of all, Brummell was funny. He had a dry wit that would actually stand up pretty well today.

Sadly, although he was the "ultimate man of style" as the book suggests, his personal life was a mess. He died penniless and insane with syphilis.