First of the Month: August

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar and thanks to some weird kid with a pipe dream, it now has a movie title in “August Rush.” Oh yeah and apparently that Pearl Harbor/40 days 40 nights guy, Josh Harnett also has a movie titled “August.” Using army knifes to scoop out great treats in their fondue sets, the Swiss are celebrating their national holiday today. In the States, people are aware that it is national immunization awareness month, so get your flu shots about 6 months early. But this month is known for other annual events too. Each August, Twinsburg, Ohio, celebrates Twins Day; Sturgis, SD, celebrates a motorcycle rally; and the Pro Football Hall of Fame kicks off the pro football season with some inductions. And sports fans looking for more than the Brett Favre saga in Green Bay: The NFL preseason starts on August 3rd and college football kick off in less than four weeks. Golf’s PGA Championship is scheduled for next weekend and the summer Olympics return to Beijing on 08-08-08. While Slate columnist David plotz says, “August is the Mississippi of the calendar", I disagree. What's not to love when Friendship Day is today; Lazy Day is August 10^th and Be an Angel Day is the 22^nd – which precedes Knife Day by two days and Kiss-and-Make Up Day by three days. And Craig Crawford’s favorite holiday – National Trail Mix Day – concludes the month.

And what would August be without birthdays? A happy birthday shout goes out today to Randy Bachmann Turner Overdrive, who turns the big 57 exactly three days before Pepsi drinking/DuPont splashing/NASCAR driven driver Jeff Gordon turns 37. Ten days later David Crosby Stills and Nash turns 67 the same day romance novelist Danielle Steel turns 61. Look at all that lust and all that love.) And ten days after that we have a triple celebration between “Three Men and a Baby” star Steven Guttenberg, who turns 50; ironman Cal Ripkin Jr., who turns 48; and dummy but funny “Yooper” backer Jeff Daniels, who turns 57. To conclude this month, which ends with the Democratic convention, just before September rolls in the Republican convention, I’d liked us to separate our differences and celebrate the birthdays of Barack Obama, who turns 47 on August 4^th and John McCain, who turns 72 on August 29^th. But not so fast my friends: On August 21st, Mr. Downtown Doctor Girioux -- aka Abe Froman -- turns the big 35, which means he too will be eligible to become the nation's next POTUS.