Happy Gulf of Sidra Day!

DAYS REMAINING: 338

The idea for this entry started off as a tribute to the date of our wedding, August 19. August 19 has been around for a while, I reckoned…surely, it must be a date filled with history, meaning, symbolism, history. Men on the moon, I thought! Great innovations! Earth-shattering revelations of staggering variety!

It's just that, upon further research, August 19 turned out to be less “men on the moon” and more “dogs on the moon.” Well, actually “dogs near the moon.” Dogs, like, adjacent to the moon. And a bunch of really bad shit with the weather.

Let’s review.

In 1934, something called the Soap Box Derby was held for the first time in Dayton, Ohio. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! Such a memorable day it was that it seems odd we would want to make it our anniversary, when so many people would hear the date and immediately respond, "Oh! You mean the date of the first ever Soap Box Derby in Dayton? I still can't believe Robert Turner took the top prize. I had money on Claude Alexander! Well, live and learn."

In 1960, our red enemies The Russians launched Sputnik 5, the fifth best Sputnik ever, right after Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2: The Wrath of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Sputnik 3D, and Sputnik 4: Step Up to the Space.

And just this year, on August 19, Operation Iraqi Freedom ended, and nobody noticed.

The northeast gets nailed by natural disasters a LOT on August 19, most notably by two hurricanes -- the sexy Diane and the utilitarian Bob -- in 1955 and 1991, respectively. I actually remember when Bob threatened the eastern seaboard, and it’s funny to think that my much younger self never would have thought, “Twenty years from today, I’ll be in Iceland getting married to a man. Everyone will be extremely happy for us. Oh, and my grandmother will be there!” I would have sooner believed that I died in the hurricane and woke up in Gay Fantasy Heaven.

Also, August 19 is Bill Clinton's birthday. And while I love him still, it’s hard to celebrate the man who oversaw the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act during his presidency. Technically, he's the reason Eric and I have to get married in Iceland. Your expensive flights across the Atlantic are his fault, America!

August 19 is also the birthday of John Stamos. He never signed anything into law.