Happy Pi Day!

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MauEvig
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Happy Pi Day!

Post by MauEvig » Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:06 pm

Happy Pi day!
I'm celebrating by having a slice of pie from Burger King. They are giving away free slices with a purchase. But there are other ways to celebrate. :)
Like baking a pie, buying a pie, eating pizza (which is like a pie but savory) and so many other ways.
But what is this relatively new holiday you might ask? Unlike our traditional holidays that tend to date back to old time ancient traditions, be they celtic or pagan with Christian overtones, this one is a celebration of Math. In particular, the symbol for "Pi" which is used when calculating the circumference of a circle. So perhaps a good way to celebrate this fun if not oddly quirky holiday is to celebrate circles and foods that are circular. Of course I had a whopper, I guess that counts right? :lol: Burgers are round so...I'd say it counts. (Unless you go to Wendy's...but maybe if they have a holiday for calculating the area and perimeter of a square...:lol:). Because 3.14 makes up the first 3 numbers in pi (it's much longer than that, but I'll spare you the entirety of it) March 14th was chosen as the day of the holiday. March is the 3rd month of the year, and the 14th day of March. So...it works.
A little history is that it was first celebrated in 1988, but it wasn't nationally recognized until 1995, and later in 2009 the House of Representatives passed a "non-binding resolution" recognizing it as a holiday. And, it's also on Albert Einstein's birthday, so Happy Birthday Einstein! :)
And the funny thing is, I grew up hating Math. I really did. I was an English major for a reason, and I'm more of a writer and artist than a Mathematician. :lol: Yet there was a certain charm to this holiday that I found some enjoyment in. When I worked at the high school all the math teachers got together to celebrate. I loved the tee shirts they made for the kids because...it had a cat on it. I could argue that cats are great for Pi day as well because they can curl up in a ball and make the shape of a circle. The Math teacher who had the shirts made gave me one. :) She's a fellow cat person so she was really cool to work with. I miss that high school. Sad it didn't work out. But I have fond memories of pi day and seeing all the projects and food made centered around it.
Get it? Centered? It's a circle. Hahahahaha... :lol:
Anyway...aside from this fun quirkily and arguably nerdy holiday, how is everyone? Been a bit busy lately myself. My boyfriend and I went to our first Comic convention last month and I'm trying to survive the last few months of school before Summer break. I'm awaiting my editor for feedback of my book, and I've been doing some art. :)
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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by Andybev01 » Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:17 am

It is also Einstein's birthday.

Coincidence? I think not!

Good on this coast, Mau.
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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by Murfreesboro » Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:15 pm

There've been years when I celebrated Pi Day, but I forgot it yesterday, until my husband reminded me that today is the Ides of March and therefore the anniversary of Julius Caesar's assassination. Then I thought, Oh, right, so yesterday was Pi Day. I think I've been so focused on St Patrick's that I forgot everything else.

Did you have a good time at the convention?

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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by MauEvig » Fri Mar 29, 2024 2:55 pm

Oh yeah the convention was great!
I got to meet the legendary Jim Cummings! That guy is awesome, he's voiced so many cartoons over the years. He's even dubbed himself "The voice of your childhood." And he's right, he's voice Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, The Tazmanian Devil, Darkwing Duck and many others. But I know him best for his voice over as the evil Dr. Robotnik from the SatAM Sonic cartoon. He also voiced Ed from The Lion King and did the second part of the Be Prepared song and dance number when Jeremy Irons (the voice of Scar) threw his voice out after singing "you won't get a sniff without me!" Next time you watch the Lion King, listen for the difference in vocals. With a trained ear you can hear the difference in the voice. I feel like Jim's voice is more dramatic, and the song sounds more dramatic toward the end.
So yeah, he's connected to two of my favorite childhood villains in some shape or another. When I talked to him, he was surprised that Robotnik was my favorite role. He seems to favor Winnie the Pooh though. :) He's a nice guy. But man when I first met him and shook his hand, I immediately froze. But then I came back and got a selfie after getting his autograph.
I got a lot of goodies at the convention as well. Found an old Sonic comic, and plenty of neat souvenirs. I also met some indie artists there, and I picked up a book that I think will be useful for my own writing.

Yeah Pi day could easily be an overlooked holiday.

As for St Patrick's day, I did get my annual shamrock shake. :)
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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by Murfreesboro » Fri Mar 29, 2024 3:26 pm

That sounds like so much fun!

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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by MauEvig » Sat Apr 20, 2024 6:57 pm

Oh yeah, the convention was a ton of fun! So far it's been one of the biggest highlights of the year.
Speaking of which, I can't believe it's flying by so fast already. I'm REALLY looking forward to summer though. I'm taking a couple months off instead of working this year to get some projects done around the house. I guess that's one of the perks of working for a school. The past few years I did some summer gigs like IT and paint crew.
But I'm hoping to study and get my license too. Plus I plan to get the book editing and published and lately I've just been too exhausted to do much of it.
Having the two months off offers me time to get things done. Plus there's tons of cleaning to do.
And if I have time...maaaaaaybe some early Halloween planning. I just need to organize my craft space. I've made some things out of paper mache, I'd like to do that again. But only if I have the time. Some things have to take priority. Lately Halloween has been more on the simple/low key side and last year I mostly just did the Boo Bash and horror movie marathon at the drive in. If we had more trick or treaters, I think I'd feel more inclined to deck the house out more.
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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by Murfreesboro » Sun Apr 21, 2024 10:23 am

My experience with summer projects is that you really have to take the bull by the horns, plan them out, use the days. Because summer gets by so fast!

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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by Andybev01 » Sun Apr 21, 2024 2:59 pm

April 30th is Walspurgisnacht already, halfway to Halloween!
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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by Murfreesboro » Mon Apr 22, 2024 8:03 am

Oh, I have Walpurgisnacht on my radar! Not that I do anything about it, but I do make a mental note.

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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by Andybev01 » Mon Apr 22, 2024 1:24 pm

I'll watch a movie or old TV shows but I don't decorate.
All you that doth my grave pass by,
As you are now so once was I,
As I am now so you must be,
Prepare for death & follow me.

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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by Murfreesboro » Mon Apr 22, 2024 8:39 pm

I'm pretty sure that I would celebrate Walpurgisnacht in preference to Halloween if I lived in Australia. It's a fall holiday down there, and the Halloween spirit is autumnal.

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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by MauEvig » Mon Apr 22, 2024 9:19 pm

Walpurgisnacht huh? I think I've seen that mentioned in other threads. I don't know much about it.
Isn't it the other holiday that's supposed to have a deep connection with the spirit world and life and death?
I guess I'll have to dig around and do some research on it. I don't know much about it.
I likely won't actually do much for it, but it'll be interesting to learn about. The 30th is a week night so not much I will be doing besides working and then chilling at home afterwards.
The 26th however, I'll be celebrating as "Knuckles day" because the new Knuckles spin off series will be premiering. I can't wait. :)
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Re: Happy Pi Day!

Post by Murfreesboro » Tue Apr 23, 2024 8:38 am

Well, May Day is also St Walpurgis' feast day in Germany and other German speaking areas (Catholic ones). She was famous for fighting witchcraft, and somehow the common folk associated the eve of her saint's day with witches, and they would light bonfires to ward off the evil spirits. Sort of like Halloween, the eve of All Saints Day. And both holidays occur around dates that were significant in the old pagan calendar, Beltane (May Day) and Samhain. So, yeah, there are affinities.

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