Marked This Day

On this day in 1809, Boston put the kibosh on masquerade balls because they promoted free mingling and loose morals. And America in the 19th Century was not all about free mingling and loose morals. More like restricted, segregated mingling and stringent, tight morals. If limited mingling and strict morals are what you’re after then I understand the whole banning of masques. Have you seen Eyes Wide Shut ? I haven't but I'm pretty sure the basic premise was that things get freaky when masks are involved. Look at horror movies. The killer is usually wearing a mask. Not sure if stabbing people was what Boston was worried about back in 1809, but it would probably classify as “loose morals.” The whole current issue with people dressed in clown masks? Masks can make people a bit nutter. That anonymity can make people believe they can do whatever they please. Not to completely bag on masks. That liberation can be a good thing too. I can think of a few people who need a bit of a masque

Next time you are feeling like you can’t do something, like life is hard, or there are too many obstacles standing in the way of your dreams remember Kitty O’ Neil. Kitty became deaf shortly after her birth. Didn’t stop her. She became a champion diver with Olympic hopes. Until spinal meningitis flared up. On top of that she had two bouts of cancer treatments to deal with. All before she turned 28. No crying. No moping. No woe is me. Instead, Kitty became a Hollywood stunt woman performing for a plethora of hit shows and popular movies. And on this day in 1976 she crushed the land-speed record for female drivers at the Alvord Desert in Oregon. Because people like Kitty O’ Neil are bad-asses. They don’t see problems as things that cannot be overcome. They see obstacles that make them work harder and get better. They live life full speed ahead, only looking in the rearview to see if anybody is gaining on them. This, of course, doesn’t mean that things come easy. Deaf. Spinal meningitis.