Happy Columbus Day, everyone!  If you’re anything like me, Columbus Day is a holiday that means basically nothing to you except for the fact that you can’t go to the post office or swing by the bank.  Where I live, schools remain open on Columbus Day, so it’s not even a real holiday and probably never has been in my lifetime.  But hey, if you’re in New York City, you can always join the 35,000 marchers in this year’s Columbus Day Parade.

If you’re not in New York, you can do what I’m going to do.  Celebrate Christopher Columbus by watching one of Hollywood director Chris Columbus’s family-friendly movies (he did the first two Harry Potter films, among others).  After the kids go to bed, pop on the flick 1492:  Conquest of Paradise for Ridley Scott’s take on the whole Columbus experience.  Alternately, you could watch the horrible Christopher Columbus:  The Discovery if you want to learn to hate the guy who accidentally put America on the maps of Europe.

You know, his achievement has become pretty commonplace these days, but we should all strive to remember just how hard it is to be the first person to explore something.  After all, even in modern times exploring environments is very risky.  Just ask the first guys to explore Antarctica.

Tags: Christopher Columbus, Columbus Day, Columbus Day 2008, parades, holidays, federal holidays, bank holidays

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