The Olympics starts on August 8th at 8PM for a reason. August 8th 2008 is an auspicious date. In Chinese, the number 8 is pronounced “fa” or “ba” (depending on the dialect) which means prosperity. As James Fallows noted in the Atlantic Monthly a year ago, many Chinese couples have been planning weddings for this special 8-8-8 date.

Celebrate and give a boost to your own good luck and prosperity! This is a good day to Celebrate Life!

We will be toasting to prosperity at 8:08PM

The Fourth of July is a nice reminder about our personal independence.

When I talk about independence with my female friends, what we mean is that we are very much OK on our own. I adore my husband, Ray, but I am also an independent woman. I think that is part of what he loves about me.

No matter what our marital or boyfriend status may be at the moment, it is a nice weekend to reflect on the fact that each of us is already complete, by ourselves.

Viva Independence!