10/16/26 - Dictionary Day, Leftovers, and Chocolates On Your Pillow
Friday 10/16/26
Celebrate:
Global Cat Day
National Boss Day
National Cut Up Your Credit Card Day
National Department Store Day
National Dictionary Day
National Learn a Word Day
National Liqueur Day
National Mammography Day
National Sports Day
Steve Jobs Day
World Bread Day
World Food Day
World Spine Day
World Student Day
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National Dictionary Day
Observed on the birthday of Noah Webster (1758), the father of the American dictionary. Webster published his iconic An American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828, which helped codify American English spelling and vocabulary distinct from British English.
Dictionaries Contain "Ghost Words": A "ghost word" is a fake or nonexistent word accidentally published in a dictionary due to a typo or misreading. The most famous example is "Dord", which appeared in the 1934 Webster's New International Dictionary as a synonym for "density"—it was actually a misinterpretation of a slip that read "D or d" (abbreviation for density).
Mountweazels (Copyright Traps): Publishers sometimes deliberately insert fake entries to catch competitors plagiarizing their work. One famous fictitious entry was "Lillian Virginia Mountweazel" in the 1975 New Columbia Encyclopedia, which spawned the term "mountweazel" for decoy entries.
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Some people love Candy Corn. Many don't.
But if you just like the smell, well, you missed it!
Brach’s launched Ode to Candy Corn, a $22 limited-edition fragrance with vanilla, spun sugar, and honey notes.
It sold out twice on their website. Quickly.
One customer asked, “What did you only have ONE available?”
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Workplace lifestyle metrics show compact personal air purifiers and desktop humidifiers ranking high among remote workers and corporate employees. Consumers are investing in clean-air gadgets to boost indoor wellness during cold and flu season.
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Leftovers are a fact of life. Some are better the next day (think chili.)
But some are healthier the next day!!
Pasta!!!
“When pasta cooks, its starch granules absorb water, and [they] swell,” explains Jordan Langhough, a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer in Charlotte, North Carolina. “This process makes it easier for your body to break down the starch quickly and turn it into glucose.”
But then, as your hot pasta cools, something else happens. “When it cools, those starch molecules go through a process called retrogradation: They reorganize into a tighter, more crystalline structure that your digestive enzymes can’t break down as easily,” Langhough says. This new structure that’s formed is called resistant starch—and it is the key to all the potential health benefits you can get from leftover pasta.
Resistant starch acts more like fiber than a carb in the body.
All of this leads to more controlled blood-sugar levels, you feel fuller and maybe longer which leads to weight loss, and lower cholesterol.
By the way, Rice and Potatoes, Beans and Lentils, and Oats develop the same properties.
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Benjamin Moore, the paint people, are out with their 2027 color!
Webster Green, is a dark, elegant, quintessential green. The rich green reflects homeowners’ desire for personal, comfortable, lasting spaces.
The 2027 palette pairs soft neutrals with earthy darks for flexible, character-filled rooms.
They say, “Echoing the past while embracing the present, this established hue breathes personality to the space. Fresh and exciting, yet reassuring, it strikes a balance that is particularly relevant to the way people live today.”
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What is the best position to sleep in???
Some say, left side, which aids in digestion.
Others say sleeping on your front to reduce snoring and sleep apnea.
Side Sleeping?
Pillow between your knees?
Ultimately, there’s no single optimal sleep position. Left-side sleeping might be helpful for reflux or pregnancy, but for most people, the priority should be comfort, spinal support and good-quality sleep – whichever position you can get that in.
And let’s be honest, no matter how carefully you position yourself at bedtime, you’ll probably wake up drooling into your pillow in some completely different pose anyway!
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The sweet little chocolate resting on your luxury hotel pillow didn’t start as a courtesy — it was born from a scandalous 1950s Hollywood affair orchestrated by screen legend Cary Grant.
“The Mayfair was the one of the premiere hotels,” Clark says. “It’s the first one with a rooftop pool and a five-star restaurant … so it had that class.”
Credit: Jack Albin/Archive Photos/Getty
Over the course of many visits, Grant developed a close bond with a hotel manager, who helped the actor dodge crowds by sneaking him through the property’s freight elevator. But as legend has it, during one infamous trip in the early 1950s — while married to his third wife, Betsy Drake — Grant rented out the penthouse suite for a secret romantic rendezvous.
“The lore behind it is that he didn’t leave one chocolate on somebody’s pillowcase,” Clark says. “He left a trail of chocolates from one room to the other, leading to the bedroom.”
“There’s a little bit more risqué history behind it,” she adds. “It could have been a bigger scandal. It could have gone a different direction than the sweet chocolate on the pillow.”
Luckily for the actor, the scheme largely went undetected. What could have become a high-profile scandal only caught the attention of a property manager. The supervisor went on to turn the stunt into a five-star amenity, placing a daily chocolate on guests’ pillows.
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