There’s a word for everything
It may be the affect of a long winter but geesh, the world has become such a serious place. Not that there aren’t genuinely serious things happening but it does seem that we’ve misplaced our collective sense of humor. Watching the news has become an exercise in masochism. Nothing but doom and gloom and the sky is falling.
Comedy seems to have become so politicized that it’s no longer an escape. Politics have become ironically comical. We need to take a deep breath and lighten up.
And on one of those serious topics, coronavirus ... hello people ... all of the things we should do every year during cold and flu season, you know like wash your hands, don’t cough and sneeze on people, stay home if you’re sick, those things. Do them.
Thanks to Pat McGaughey for this nugget of trivia: The Germans have a word for everything, including for hoarding items during a widespread panic, Hamsterkäufe, with a nod to hamsters who store food in their cheeks.
Cases of bottled water, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and toilet paper seem to be flying off the shelves and into grocery carts here and everywhere. “Hamsterkäufe” is a behavior, where people accumulate food and supplies to prepare for shortages, often creating the shortages in the first place. Kind of like running on a hamster wheel.
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It’s that time of year when we lose an hour, which actually makes no sense since there’s still 24 hours in a day. But it will be daylight later from Sunday forward until Nov. 1. So “spring forward” an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. I wonder if there are actually people who wake up at 2 a.m. and change their clocks to 3 a.m.. I’m guessing most people just make the change when they head to bed on Saturday night. And as a point of trivia, it’s Daylight Saving Time, no “s” on the end of Saving.
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This week’s Things to Do highlights: Thursday, CASA Ray of Hope Luncheon at The Coeur d’Alene Resort, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. www.northidahocasa.org. Also on Thursday, IDFY Lip Sync Battle at the Coeur d’Alene Eagles, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, Ladies Spring Luncheon to benefit Open Arms Real Choices Clinic at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center, 11 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.
Saturday is the annual Wine, Stein & Dine to benefit the Post Falls Education Foundation’s classroom instructional grants, 7-10 p.m. at the Greyhound Park and Event Center. 208-691-4675 or www.pfefwsd.org
The eighth annual Bartenders Ball, 5-9 p.m. Saturday at The Resort Plaza Shops to benefit Help Every Little Paw.
Home on the Range benefits TESH, Inc. Saturday from 5-9:30 p.m. at Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn.
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Happy birthday today Michael Ward, Chris Guggemos, James Steffensen and Jon Newcomb and tomorrow to Natalie Eckstein, Becky Funk, Jim Riley, Amy Tolzmann, Jennifer Harbour (50!), Paula Ryan, Nicole Barnhart (40!), Kelly Lattin, Hallie Gennett, Allison Mehan, Stacy Veach, Carly Hall and Matt Matthews. Friday Billie Dust, Rich Winter and Adam Johnson blow out their candles. On Saturday my much younger sister Janna Scharf, who shares the date with Heidi Rogers, Jaime Jaworski, Todd Gilkey, Wayne Larson, James Barfoot and Julie Sandstrom. Sunday Cyndie Hammond, Lisa Ferguson, Robert Page, Linda Koehler, Joni Morrow, Chelsea MacEntee, Kylie MacEntee and Veronicka Peacock (Sweet 16!) will celebrate. On Monday Karen Roetter, Bob Frazey, Giuliana Palmas-Rogers, Keith Van Slate, Debbie Myles Shawver, Joyce Connolly and Megan Round take another trip around the sun. Nancy Frazey, Mary Akers and Jon Dingman (50!) will blow out the birthday candles on March 10.
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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.