Last night was terribly cold with the wind’s bitter bite perpetuated by the westward flow from the Miami River. As I stood greeting folks inside the expansive Winter Garden of the Schuster Center, the wind sliced through the opened doors. The nice thing about the shooting breeze was that it swirled the smell of Starbucks, located inside the Winter Garden.

I loved listening to the memories shared by folks who had grown up with the Rike’s Store window displays. One lady said she was a girl when the displays opened in 1947 and she is now bringing her great-grandchildren to see the displays, now encased in beautiful display cases designed by Dayton native and professional theatre scenic designer, Adam Koch.

My shift was completed at 7 PM with the start of the Children’s Holiday Parade that began on 2^nd Street, passing directly in front of the Schuster Center. At 7:15 PM, I hurried across Main Street and made a goal of reaching the Chinese buffet by 7:30 PM. It was a big goal but I arrived at 7:31 PM. As I prepared to pay, the owner informed me that they were closing at 8 PM instead of 10 PM. Disappointment!

I walked back toward the temporary bus terminal, moved onto the side streets due to the parade, and grabbed two sandwiches from Arby’s. When I made it to the busing area, I had a four-minute wait. Perfect. I was home by 8:30 PM. I wanted to spend at least three hours organizing my bedroom, but I opted to work at my desk and watch some documentaries until falling asleep.

However, I accomplished 11, 432 steps throughout my day.

On this date in history: (2016) Cuban political leader Fidel Castro, who transformed his country into the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere and became a symbol of the communist revolution in Latin America, died at age 90. (2002) In London the Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap celebrated its 50th anniversary with a royal gala, having opened on November 25, 1952, and this performance being its 20,807th. (1970) On this day in 1970, Japanese novelist Mishima Yukio and four members of his Shield Society, a private army formed to preserve Japan’s martial spirit, seized a military headquarters in Tokyo, and he later committed seppuku. (1963) The United States buried its 35^th President, John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. (1942) Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer chose Los Alamos, New Mexico, as the site of Project Y, which developed the first atomic bomb. (1936) Germany and Japan formed the Anti-Comintern Pact against the Soviet Union. (1914) American baseball player Joe DiMaggio, who was one of the best all-around players in the history of the game, was born. (1863) General Ulysses S. Grant defeated General Braxton Bragg’s Confederate forces in the Battle of Missionary Ridge during the American Civil War. (1846) American temperance advocate Carry Nation, famous for using a hatchet to demolish barrooms, was born. (1277) Nicholas III was elected pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

Make it a great day!