For yesterday, 1/18, in Bizarro, the 6th and I suppose last Waynoratu Nosferamanteau:
The male nosferatu (holding a wineglass of what is presumably blood, and chatting with his young female companion at some sort of vampiric meet-and-greet) seems to be wearing a Canadian toque (= tuque), with pom-pom, to warm his head during the cold dark nights in his coffin (yes, it’s very silly) j(if you’re puzzled by the odd symbols in the cartoon — Wayno says there are 4 in this strip — see this Page)
The nosferamanteau is Nosferatoque = Nosferatu + toque. As for the hat, from NOAD:
noun toque: [a] a woman’s small hat, typically having a narrow, closely turned-up brim. [b] historical a small cap or bonnet having a narrow brim or no brim. [c] Canadian a close-fitting knitted hat, often with a tassel or pom-pom on the crown. [variant of tuque] [d] a tall white hat with a full pouched crown, worn by chefs.
(The heart tattoo with A B O in it, for the blood types A B AB and O, is a nice touch.)
For some reason, the 1/18 Bizarro didn’t come through on my comics feed yesterday, nor is it on Wayno’s Facebook page, but I chased it down on-line.
Meanwhile, my old friend Bonnie Bendon — Benita Bendon Campbell — wrote me yesterday to say that it was her husband Ed Campbell’s birthday, which always reminded her of Ann Daingerfield Zwicky (through whom I met Bonnie, back at the end of the 1950s), because Ann died on 1/17 (back in 1985). And I wrote that it was an excellent day for a birthday; also on that day:
— Thesaurus Day (recognizing Peter Mark Roget’s birthday, 1779)
— A.A. Milne’s birthday, 1882, on which we celebrate Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, and their friends
— and World Snowman Day (because 1 18 looks like a snowman with a broom beside him)
And here I mentioned that the world authority on vir nivis, the snowman, is a friend of mine (and a frequent character on this blog): the cartoonist Bob Eckstein, a man of many parts, embracing not only cartoons and snowmen, but also bookstores, museums, squirrel-foiling, and more. (I am not above talking up my having rubbed elbows with people of accomplishment and renown.)
Then I was onto days and occasions.
Today, 1/19, just Edgar Allen Poe’s birthday, 1809 (and nevermore).
But tomorrow, 1/20!
— most significantly, Martin Luther King Day, Jr. Day: a day to think about how to advance MLK’s generous and ambitious vision for our diverse society, now threatened on many sides
— also Squirrel Appreciation Day (a bit easier for me in January, now that they’ve stopped trying to bury acorns in my flowerpots)
— the feast day of St. Sebastian (the arrow-pierced martyr and now gay icon, often depicted on this blog)
— and, for those who worship in the Grabpussy cult, the inauguration of POTUS 47 (previously 45)