Off The Cuff: Day by day, there's a day to mark a day

You probably blinked and didn't notice it, but last Thursday was International Car Free Day, supported by the United Nations and the European Union.

Not in Dubai, though. It will take more than the combined efforts of the UN and the EU to prise a Dubai driver out of his SUV. A hundred million people from 1,500 countries around the globe left their cars at home and used more environmentally friendly forms of transport, such as cycling and walking.

Walking, for the benefit of Dubai residents, is a means of locomotion achieved by alternately putting one foot in front of the other.

But in Dubai, and the rest of the UAE for that matter, International Car Free Day went uncelebrated, unsung and unremembered.

There were no official events to mark this environmental milestone. Instead, it was left to a rag taggle sprinkling of concerned individuals to fly the flag.

Like me. Oh yes, I did my bit. I left my car and took a lift with a colleague instead. Not exactly a wholehearted commitment, I admit. Still, I suppose you could call me a Friend of a Friend of the Earth.

On reflection, it would have been asking for the moon to expect Dubai folk to amputate themselves from their mechanical appendages for a day. Especially with the fag end of summer still broiling away in the 40s.

So we let it go by. This got me wondering how many other milestone days we are missing out on. We all know about the big ones, Mothers' Day, No Smoking Day, World Refugee Day, World AIDS Day and so on. But there must be many more out there waiting in the wings, crying out to be celebrated.

I turned for help to a colleague who is a magnet for trivia, coincidences and junk knowledge. This guy will even tell you what was at the top of the hit parade on the day you were born, if you can contain your curiosity long enough.

He dumped 21 pages of listings on my desk, featuring a mind-boggling catalogue of celebration days. All gleaned from that other font of inconsequential information, the internet.

Plain corny

Not just days, but weeks and months are among the candidates, some of which are worthy, some of which are just plain corny. The cornier ones come from America. Surprise, surprise!

January plays host to Bubble Bath Day on the 8th; Psychiatric Technicians Day on the 16th; Answer Your Cat's Questions Day on the 22nd; and Inane Answering Machine Day on the 30th.

Presumably you could save time and trouble by asking your cat to leave its questions on the machine on Inane Answering Machine Day. The month also sees Cuckoo Dancing Week.

Come March, you should be gearing up for Panic Day on the 6th.

May brings a rich harvest, starting on the 15th with Hug Your Cat Day (while you're at it, tell it to stop asking all those stupid questions). Then there is Mesmerism Day on the 23rd, a truly spellbinding experience I am told.

June would not be complete without Shout "Fudge" at Cobras Day on the 2nd. Answers on a postcard, please.

July 2nd was I Forgot Day. For those who forgot to celebrate it, there will be a replay in 2006. Workaholics Day falls on July 5th, and Anxiety Day is also on the 5th. Good thinking, putting those two on the same day.

September offers my two favourites, the 5th, when we celebrate Blame Someone Else Day. I dare not let that one loose around the office. Then on the 6th there is Fight Procrastination Day. But I'll bet they keep putting that one off until the 7th …

Alexander Lindsay is Leisure Editor, Al Nisr Media.