Wednesday 2/12/25
Celebrate:
Hug Day
International Darwin Day
Lincoln's B-Day
NAACP Day
National Freedom to Marry Day
National Lost Penny Day
National Plum Pudding Day
Paul Bunyan Day
Safety Pup Day
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A Texas-based chip company called Save This Life went under and apparently didn't tell anyone. If you scan one of their chips right now, it's not linked to anything. So there'd be no way to contact you.
The American Animal Hospital Association keeps a central database of all the chip numbers. But pets registered through Save This Life aren't in it anymore.
The good news is your pet's microchip is fine. You just have to re-register it through another company. A few do it for free. Others charge around $20.
Your vet might have your pet's chip number on file, or they can scan it. If you have it written down, you can check it yourself at AAHA.org. But all the bad chips start with one of these two numbers: 991 or 900164.
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Heart-shaped boxes of chocolate have been a thing for over 150 years. Richard Cadbury sold the first one for Valentine's Day in 1868.
Google looked at the top heart-shaped product each state is googling more than other states. They broke it down into five categories . . .
1. Food-related products: Some are normal, like heart-shaped candy in New York. (just cross the border to PA where it's ceramic candy dish) But there's also heart-shaped bagels in North Carolina . . . waffles in Idaho . . . burger buns in New Mexico . . . marshmallows in Florida . . . and Iowa wants heart-shaped taco platters.
2. Craft and party-related items: Nothing too crazy. Heart-shaped boxes and containers in California and Hawaii . . . balloons in Alabama . . . doilies in Colorado . . . and heart-shaped drinking glasses in Wisconsin.
3. Home décor: Heart-shaped furniture is popular in a few states . . . Michigan likes heart-shaped candles . . . Virginia is googling heart-shaped tubs . . . and Montana it looking for heart-shaped inflatable pools.
4. Fashion items: Connecticut wants heart-shaped earrings. Meanwhile, West Virginia wants heart-shaped plugs or "gauges" for their ears.
Also, heart-shaped high heels in Louisiana . . . purses in Illinois . . . and Tennessee is looking for heart-shaped "rings with [the letter] P".
5. Three things didn't fit any of those categories: Heart-shaped lighters in Washington . . . heart-shaped bandages in Nevada . . . and heart-shaped bubble wrap in Wyoming.
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A sad donkey named Eeyore is doing much better after getting a new home on Vancouver Island in Canada. He lived alone his whole life in someone's backyard, and wasn't great with other animals.
A sanctuary called Home for Hooves took him in when his owner passed away. And the woman who runs it wanted to give him something to do, so she tossed a big YOGA BALL in his pen.
He played with it constantly until it popped. But then people on social media started sending more and more yoga balls. He ended up with about 40.
He still plays with them but doesn't need them as much anymore, because he finally bonded with three other rescue donkeys she brought in. She says it's nice to see him finally have a family.
She also renamed him Earl, because "Eeyore" just seemed too depressing.
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In a new poll, 39% of Americans said they plan to celebrate Valentine's Day this year. 45% do NOT plan to celebrate. And 16% are "not sure."
Men are more likely to say they ARE celebrating. And younger adults are most likely to say they aren't sure if they'll have a Valentine this weekend.
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National Make a Friend Day was yesterday. When was the last time YOU made a new one?
A poll last fall found 39% of Americans hadn't made a new friend in over a year.
Someone asked Reddit for advice. And the comment that got the most up votes was to find a place where you'll see potential friends REGULARLY.
In other words, don't expect to meet someone once, immediately hit it off, and become best buds overnight. It takes time.
Find something you're into, and keep going back. It could be a coffee shop, a sewing circle, pickleball, or even church. It just needs to be something you're into, where you'll keep seeing the same people over and over again.
After a while, invite them to do something OUTSIDE the place you know them from. That's how friendships start.
It's half the reason we become friends with coworkers . . . we just see them a lot. But that's happening less now that everyone works from home. So you have to create those scenarios yourself.
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When you're boiling water for pasta, do you start with cold water? Or do you give it a head start and use hot water from the tap? A TikTok mom is going viral after she found out you should never start with hot.
It's more likely to leach lead and chemicals from your pipes, and your water heater. So it's safer to use cold water and wait a few extra minutes for it to boil.
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Bryan Adams was supposed to play a show in Perth, Australia on Sunday night, but it had to be canceled due to a massive FATBERG that was blocking the city's sewer system.
A fatberg is an accumulation of non-biodegradable solids . . . like wet wipes . . . that mix with fat, oil, and grease to create a mass of nastiness that blocks a sewer system.
And yes, "fatberg" is a real word. It's a combination of the words "Fat" and "Iceberg".
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - and kind of absurd) - It's illegal to reincarnate in China without government permission.
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