Soul Food Month

June is the perfect month for Soul Food awareness because it's summer and everyone is ready for some good outdoor cooking. Some of my favorite soul foods are fried chicken, cornbread, and dumplings. Anybody else have a favorite? I'm also a big fan of promotional hot sauce, as long as it doesn't light my mouth on fire. Soul food is equal to greasy-fried goodness, but always remember to have custom napkins nearby to clean the mess.

Fish Are Our Friends, Not Food

Sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), this week is the annual "Fish Are Our Friends, Not Food" celebration. According to the non-profit organization, fish are intelligent creatures that deserve the same respect and care as dogs and cats. Despite evidence to the contrary, they also explain that eating fish is toxic to our systems, given the dirty waters in which they live. No matter, what side you're on, let's give fish a break this week. Put down the custom fishing equipment and eat something else.

Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

Michael Jackson was a superior talent whom we lost too soon. Despite his changing face, odd behvaior, and legal woes, Jackson revolutionized pop music, brought African American talent to prominence on MTV, and entertained millions with the Moonwalk.

Michael started out in the Jackson 5, singing hits like "ABC." He then broke out a solo career of his own, but didn't change the world until the release of the 1982 album "Thriller." The title track "Thriller" was an international sensation that put MTV on the map. The 13-minute long music video was more like a short film, and people hadn't seen anything like it before. Other classics from the Thriller album include "Billie Jean" and "Beat It." Thriller is the best selling album of all-time, with an estimated 50 million sold worldwide.

Jackson followed up Thriller with "Bad" which was released in 1987. Having sold 30 million copies worldwide, it featured such hits as "Man in the Mirror," "Smooth Criminal," and "Bad." Despite evidence to the contrary, Jackson sold plenty of albums in the 1990's when his behavior and antics started getting strage. Jackson's two albums in the 90's sold more than 50 million records combined.

The 2000's were less kind to Jackson who faced legal troubles, bad debts, and increased frailness. He died yesterday of causes still unclear, but related to the heart at the age of 50. The music world truly lost a pioneer and a great talent. He will be missed. To celebrate Jackson's life, I am listening to his records and wearing a promotional glove.

Watermelon Seed Spitting Week

All you loogie-hockers out there finally have a cause for celebration...sort of. This is watermelon seed-spitting week, so if you have seeds to chew on, spit them with pride...kind of. If you're in comfort of your own backyard, it's perfectly fine to spit out watermelon seeds. Go ahead and have a contest to see how far you launch them. But, if you're in a crowded subway station, it's not so appropriate. So, you can celebrate, but make sure you check your surrounding for innocent bystanders. And, watermelons are deliciously juicy, but very messy. Have promotional napkins nearby to clean up.

Take Your Pet to Work Week

Pet Sitter's International has declared this week National Take Your Pet to Work Week. According to them, having your pets around at work can reduce stress and make you a happier person. I understand the destressing part, but I'm not sure having Fido around would make someone more productive. My dogs would just bark incessantly at everyone that passes by, but maybe your pets are more well behaved then mine. As long as your bring your promotional leash and other promotional pet products like toys and bones, your precious pet should bring joy to the office.

National Bathroom Reading Month

Apparently, there is such a thing as the Bathroom Readers' Institute and apparently June is National Bathroom Reading Month. I like that they're promoting literacy and reading, but I'm not sure I agree with the location, though the bathroom is definetely somewhere you can read for a while. So, I guess grab your promo book and promo bookmark, get to the nearest bathroom and read!

Carpenter Ant Awareness Week

Carpenter Ant Awareness Week is not in celebration of an inch-long pest. This isn't about issues related to the carpenter ant community. This is about getting these wood-eating insects out of our houses. Every year, carpenter ants cause millions of dollars of damage to U.S. homes by eating away at home foundations. They often live in damp, dark places so grab a promotional flashlight to inspect your home for these pesky bugs.

National Martini Day

Apparently, today is National Martini Day! Well, sort of. It's debated exactly what day this momentous occasion is actually supposed to occur, but since it's Friday I'm going to talk about it today. And like James Bond, I like mine shaken, not stirred.

According to this martini recipe website the classic recipe for a martini is as follows:

75 ml (or approx 2+ 1/2 oz) Gin

15 ml (or approx 1/4 oz) Dry Vermouth

1 green olive OR a twist of lemon peel

6 ice cubes

Pour all ingredients into a custom martini shaker and serve.

Of course, there are many variations on the traditional martini, as fruity martinis have become particularly popular. Some martinis don't even have gin or dry vermouth, so I don't know how that constitutes the martini name. But, you've always got to have custom bar accessories by your side so you can serve your guests. Cheers!

Antiphospholipid Antibody Awareness Month

Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome is not "zany" in the sense that it's funny. It's actually a serious disease involving the immune system that can lead to catastrophic cardiac problems. The only reason I'm highlighting it here is, 1) for awareness and 2) because I had no idea what it was. And despite being a horrible ailment, it has a zany name. The video above explains more about the disease and the APS Foundation of America.

Awareness must be widespread in order to effectively reach people. Promotional hospitality products are a great start.

Turkey Lover's Month

For no reason at all, June is Turkey Lover's Month! I don't know why it's not in November during Thanksgiving, but turkey is good year round so why not! Maybe, we celebrate Turkey in June so we don't have to wait until the fall to get our turkey fix.

This month is all about turkey recipes and how to enjoy turkey. I can't cook, but I assume that cooking a turkey is a big ordeal so maybe one of those recipes can ease the process. Personally, I love leftover turkey for Turkey BLT's.

Of course, turkey usually isn't served by itself. There's mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, salad, etc. You'll also need some custom logo napkins to clean up the mess. And don't forget, some people enjoy custom wine with dinner.

Stewart's Root Beer Day

This has got to be one of my favorite days of the year, Stewarts Root Beer Day. I can remember the day my father brought home a 4-pack of Stewart's Root Beer and let me have a taste. I thought the bottles were fancy and looked like beer so I felt like a special 6-year-old. The taste of Stewart'sis unique, crisp, refreshening and a whole bunch of other adjectives. I think their orange, lime, and creme sodas are best in class as well.

Stewart's Root Beer was introduced way back in 1924 at a humble drink stand. Today, it's a national brand with a cult following that's been enjoying new and original flavors for over 75 years! I've been trying to quit/cut back on soda but today I'm going to enjoy a Stewart's with my Koozie promo sleeve with pride.

Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Day

Today is the 18th annual Ride to Work Day, in celebration of the people who ride their scooters and promo motorcycles to work. The group behind the day is a non-profit organization that seeks increased motorcycle and scooter ridership across the globe. You can learn more about the motorcycle industry by watching the video above.

National Iced Tea Month

June is National Iced Tea Month! I'm joyous because iced tea is one of my favorite drinks. And I'm not talking about hot tea that comes from a little baggie. I'm talking cold, refreshing, ice-filled tea. I prefer homemade sweetened lemon iced tea, but even if you like unsweetened green tea, I'm celebrating along with you this month. And if you like store-bought iced tea, Snapple apparently offers 14 flavors of iced tea alone.

Ball Point Pen Day!

Did you know that the price of the original modern ball point pen was $12.50 per pen?! And that was in 1945. With inflation, the same pen today would cost $148.02! So let's celebrate Ball Point Pen Day, if for nothing else than that you can buy one today for less than a buck.

Brand name pens were introduced long before 1945, but it wasn't until then that these everyday writing staples became extremely popular. Minor modifications to the original ball point pen, which could have been invented as early as the late 19th century, allowed it to be used for up to two years without replacing the ink. The ink itself also underwent a makeover, with less gloppiness and increased ease of writing. Ball point pens were far superior to fountain pens which had to be reloaded with ink and left smudges.

Today, I am saluting the ball point pen by doing all my writing in ink! Well, except this post...

Upsy-Daisy Day!

Today is Upsy-Daisy Day and I am celebrating! Well, not exactly. It is Monday and I'm a little groggy from a nice weekend that shouldn't have ended

According to upsy-daiserers, you should awake every morning after turning off your alarm clock and feel gleeful and joyous. Whether that means you need a cup of promotional coffee to get you perked, go for it. Or, if you need a long, hot shower while listening to your custom radio, then by all means do it. However you go about it, remember to be happy on this day.

National Accordion Awareness Month

Established in 1989, National Accordion Awareness Month is dedicated to all things accordion. To accordion lovers, this month is all about professing their love of their favorite folded noise-making wind bag. Apparently, the accordion is making a comeback in the United States. While I'm not about to buy one, I applaud the musicians who make the obscure instrument a success.

Fight the Filthy Fly!

Fight the Filthy Fly Month is held in observance of the poor horses and other farm animals that must endure the daily bites of filthy flies. Not only are these unsightly insects annoying, but they can also spread disease. In the hot summer months ahead, many farm animals will be bitten by horse flies and midges, not to mention the dangerous botfly. Farmers have techniques to curb the flies from swarming.

So how can us humans protect ourselves? Well, let's take it one step at a time and start with some promotional sanitizer.

Celebrate Water

In honor of National Rivers Month and this weekend's Take a Kid Fishing Weekend, I dedicate this blog post to Earth's friend water. H2o is such an important element in our lives, and we just take it for granted. That is why we must celebrate our world's bountiful rivers and all that they offer. Buy some lures and go fishing with your child this weekend.