It’s not raining here. Not right now. But it looks like it could. And it will. But hey- It’s spring! Yay! Here’s to walking in the rain and feeling it in your bones and loving it!! Have a great day!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Recent stuff on the net and things from my Google Reader starred list. (And when did I begin to use Reader? Well- I'm not quite sure but the first starred item is from April 18, 2007. Uh yeah- the digital closet needed cleaning.)
Chernobyl 27 years later The disaster itself happened April 26, 1986.
Cab drivers meet all kinds. And there are all kinds of cabbies. Here's a great story by a great cabbie from a Sept 2008 post I'd saved.
How about some double-mint stuffed Oreo cookies?
Or how about Reese's Overload (for sure) cake?
Along the food line but not so sweet this time- English Muffin bread. Is there any bread quite as yummy as an English Muffin? I think not.
Alzheimer's prevention? Little Anecdote #1: My friend and cohort Lillian used to try to beat me to the crossword (and here's the thing- she was a lot older than me and I'd let her have first crack, usually). Do crosswords, she'd say. Prevent Alzheimer's. In 2000, I left the US and didn't see her again until the fall of 2005. By which time she no longer knew me and often didn't know what she'd just done. I've wondered since if she knew back in '97 that something was up. That there were things going missing. I still enjoy the crossword. Now if we only knew if Angry Birds or Words With Friends are good for keeping your mind active. The second one maybe. hmmm
Abandoned mansions from around the world. The first one's from Ukraine...which is basically why the article made it into this post (but stuff like this always catches my eye. There's the mansion down in Kentucky, visible from a major highway. The story, as I remember it: Rich Man builds it for his wife. Wife divorces him. Rich Man loses everything and isn't able to finish the 'house'. When I saw it, someone had fenced it and was pasturing cattle on the grounds. Right up to the house. Which truly was magnificent. That pic often comes to mind. How sad we humans can be sometimes.). Ukraine has quite a lot of old fortresses/castles/the likes. Unfortunately, the country has no idea, for the most part, of how to capitalize on this potential wealth of tourist dollars.
"A satirist is a man who discovers unpleasant things about himself and then says them about other people." (Peter McArthur- whoever he is)
and this remodeled saying: "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll buy a funny hat. Talk to a hungry man about fish, and you're a consultant." (Scott Adams this time)
And another- from Mark Twain: "If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything."
One way to figure out what to set the alarm for (this came in a newsletter):
The Best Part of Waking Up...
Chernobyl 27 years later The disaster itself happened April 26, 1986.
Cab drivers meet all kinds. And there are all kinds of cabbies. Here's a great story by a great cabbie from a Sept 2008 post I'd saved.
How about some double-mint stuffed Oreo cookies?
Or how about Reese's Overload (for sure) cake?
Along the food line but not so sweet this time- English Muffin bread. Is there any bread quite as yummy as an English Muffin? I think not.
Alzheimer's prevention? Little Anecdote #1: My friend and cohort Lillian used to try to beat me to the crossword (and here's the thing- she was a lot older than me and I'd let her have first crack, usually). Do crosswords, she'd say. Prevent Alzheimer's. In 2000, I left the US and didn't see her again until the fall of 2005. By which time she no longer knew me and often didn't know what she'd just done. I've wondered since if she knew back in '97 that something was up. That there were things going missing. I still enjoy the crossword. Now if we only knew if Angry Birds or Words With Friends are good for keeping your mind active. The second one maybe. hmmm
Abandoned mansions from around the world. The first one's from Ukraine...which is basically why the article made it into this post (but stuff like this always catches my eye. There's the mansion down in Kentucky, visible from a major highway. The story, as I remember it: Rich Man builds it for his wife. Wife divorces him. Rich Man loses everything and isn't able to finish the 'house'. When I saw it, someone had fenced it and was pasturing cattle on the grounds. Right up to the house. Which truly was magnificent. That pic often comes to mind. How sad we humans can be sometimes.). Ukraine has quite a lot of old fortresses/castles/the likes. Unfortunately, the country has no idea, for the most part, of how to capitalize on this potential wealth of tourist dollars.
"A satirist is a man who discovers unpleasant things about himself and then says them about other people." (Peter McArthur- whoever he is)
and this remodeled saying: "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll buy a funny hat. Talk to a hungry man about fish, and you're a consultant." (Scott Adams this time)
And another- from Mark Twain: "If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything."
One way to figure out what to set the alarm for (this came in a newsletter):
The Best Part of Waking Up...
... Is Sleepyti.me, a Site That Maximizes Restfulness
We all wish for a little more shut-eye, but the truth is sleeping longer isn’t always better.
Let us explain using Sleepyti.me, a barebones website that calculates the optimal time for you to go to bed or wake up depending on your current sleep schedule. But first, a quick science lesson. Sleep is broken up into 90-minute cycles, and it is much easier to wake up at the end of a cycle than in the middle of one. Hence, shortening your beauty sleep to accommodate this cycle actually leaves you feeling more rested. That’s where Sleepyti.me comes in. Tell it when you need to wake up, and it tells you when to fall asleep, counting backward in 90-minute increments. Skeptical? We were too. But in our tests it worked. Sleepyti.me can also work in reverse, helping you set your alarm if you are going to bed right now. In which case, you should probably get off the computer. | ||||
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Last night
Yesterday was a busy day for us...in the afternoon. So, in spite of the fact that I had my cousins' bib numbers and had wanted to keep track of them as they ran the Boston Marathon, I really couldn't. By the time I could check on them via the Marathon's site, they were long done. They both did very well, finishing 1114 and 1632 (out of 23,336 who started, 17,580 who finished- honestly- I have rather a lot of runners on my mom's side of the family- (thankfully, it didn't infect me) and they are good and I knew it but I didn't know they were that good). They're both just barely in their 30's with families- little kids, one has a newborn- so I'm just really glad they are fast, that they are distance runners up to the race. Really glad.
Because by the time the finish line exploded, literally, they were on their way back to the Midwest and their homes with their families still intact.
A family friend was also running. And she's good and I've known it for a long time. She started the race about an hour after my cousins did. So when I finally got to my computer last night, I looked her up on the marathon site and found her. A little pink avatar running towards the city of Boston. Nearly there, actually. I did other stuff. Got ready for bed and thought- Wonder where A is now? I'll just check once more before shutting down for the night. And she was so close. Another 20 min, I thought, and she'll be there! Done! Who wants to go to bed now? I'm gonna watch her cross the line...or at least watch her avatar do that. So I read some other stuff and came back to the site every few minutes. And she was moving along. Had picked up her pace again and was at the Apple Store on the map*. What looked like about 2 1/2 blocks from the line. And then she just stayed there. And a thought flitted through my head- I hope nothing happened, hope she didn't get knocked over or something like that.
20 min later, she was still there. So I hopped onto facebook (love it or hate it, f/b last night was the meeting place, in the end, for all of us wanting to know just where and how A was). Of course, it took no more than a few seconds to realize that, in fact, 'something' had happened.
And from across the ocean, my blood pressure and heart-rate just went right up.
I read what was available online (not a lot) and waited. There was no more thought of going to bed. Should I have not checked once more? I don't know. Truly. But this family goes way back with our family. We were friends as kids; our parents were friends. We did Thanksgiving together- not every year but several times. She and Mom are 2 days apart in age. She came to see me just before I left the States, spent a night with us. We all reconnected. She's more than just an acquaintance, in the end, and knowing that she was in that group of as-yet-unaccounted-for people... I'll admit it- I was afraid for her, for her kids, her grandkids. I was wide awake and waiting, waiting, waiting.
I didn't go to bed. I couldn't. Not then. There was a group of people commenting on f/b posts, trying to find her. The sister of the lady who, with her husband, was at the line waiting for her was 'there', too.
It took hours. I'm not just sure how long, 2 hours anyway, before there was, finally, a peep (on f/b) from her. And it was longer before the people looking for her finally got to her and before her kids were finally able to talk to her. And in the end, her danger was probably more from the toll the race takes on your body and then not being able to take care of those physical needs in a timely way than of actual proximity to the bombs.
From over here, I was impressed with how quickly there were websites up and running to track down people- both runners and spectators. But it's a chilling feeling to go on one of those sites and find a post for your friend made by her son but no news yet.
And really- I cannot comprehend the kind of person who could actually place bombs like that. We are in touch with humanity all the time; we see, maybe more than some, the saddest, the most discouraging things. And yet, this kind of thing- it is monstrous and incomprehensible. Regardless of how you feel about religion, about faith, about those kinds of things- the world really is full of people who couldn't do this kind of thing. But unfortunately, there are a few who apparently can. One article I read today called them cowards. And I would have to agree.
And I'm so glad that, in spite of being on track to finish her fastest marathon yet, she wasn't just a little faster this time.
*Zooming closer, I don't think she was actually quite there yet but that's what it looked like.
Because by the time the finish line exploded, literally, they were on their way back to the Midwest and their homes with their families still intact.
A family friend was also running. And she's good and I've known it for a long time. She started the race about an hour after my cousins did. So when I finally got to my computer last night, I looked her up on the marathon site and found her. A little pink avatar running towards the city of Boston. Nearly there, actually. I did other stuff. Got ready for bed and thought- Wonder where A is now? I'll just check once more before shutting down for the night. And she was so close. Another 20 min, I thought, and she'll be there! Done! Who wants to go to bed now? I'm gonna watch her cross the line...or at least watch her avatar do that. So I read some other stuff and came back to the site every few minutes. And she was moving along. Had picked up her pace again and was at the Apple Store on the map*. What looked like about 2 1/2 blocks from the line. And then she just stayed there. And a thought flitted through my head- I hope nothing happened, hope she didn't get knocked over or something like that.
20 min later, she was still there. So I hopped onto facebook (love it or hate it, f/b last night was the meeting place, in the end, for all of us wanting to know just where and how A was). Of course, it took no more than a few seconds to realize that, in fact, 'something' had happened.
And from across the ocean, my blood pressure and heart-rate just went right up.
I read what was available online (not a lot) and waited. There was no more thought of going to bed. Should I have not checked once more? I don't know. Truly. But this family goes way back with our family. We were friends as kids; our parents were friends. We did Thanksgiving together- not every year but several times. She and Mom are 2 days apart in age. She came to see me just before I left the States, spent a night with us. We all reconnected. She's more than just an acquaintance, in the end, and knowing that she was in that group of as-yet-unaccounted-for people... I'll admit it- I was afraid for her, for her kids, her grandkids. I was wide awake and waiting, waiting, waiting.
I didn't go to bed. I couldn't. Not then. There was a group of people commenting on f/b posts, trying to find her. The sister of the lady who, with her husband, was at the line waiting for her was 'there', too.
It took hours. I'm not just sure how long, 2 hours anyway, before there was, finally, a peep (on f/b) from her. And it was longer before the people looking for her finally got to her and before her kids were finally able to talk to her. And in the end, her danger was probably more from the toll the race takes on your body and then not being able to take care of those physical needs in a timely way than of actual proximity to the bombs.
From over here, I was impressed with how quickly there were websites up and running to track down people- both runners and spectators. But it's a chilling feeling to go on one of those sites and find a post for your friend made by her son but no news yet.
And really- I cannot comprehend the kind of person who could actually place bombs like that. We are in touch with humanity all the time; we see, maybe more than some, the saddest, the most discouraging things. And yet, this kind of thing- it is monstrous and incomprehensible. Regardless of how you feel about religion, about faith, about those kinds of things- the world really is full of people who couldn't do this kind of thing. But unfortunately, there are a few who apparently can. One article I read today called them cowards. And I would have to agree.
And I'm so glad that, in spite of being on track to finish her fastest marathon yet, she wasn't just a little faster this time.
*Zooming closer, I don't think she was actually quite there yet but that's what it looked like.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
stuff and stuff and more stuff. Some of these will make you smile. Some won't.
Ancient Iranian citadel destroyed in a 2003 earthquake (from 360 world cities, so well worth the look- panorama 360 rotation). Wikipedia article about said citadel- Arg-é Bam.
Buchenwald as it was liberated. (series of photos from Life Magazine- Warning- some pretty horrifying pix- I quit partway through. Yes, I have a weak stomach for things like this. I no longer visit war museums or places like the Holodomor museum in Kyiv. I have no quibbles with whether or not those things happened. I don't need to see it to believe or feel the horror of it. I put the link here because of the historic nature of the pix as well as the event and because I think some of you will be interested in seeing them. And because Life Magazine was phenomenal and their website is great.)
Someone mentioned St Louis' "City Museum" recently. Wow! Anyone been there? Reminded me a bit of 'The House on the Rock' in Spring Green, WI. One of my favorite places. on Wikipedia
Collection of photos from the Viet Nam war.
Zip...found alive in a bag of mulch (this is an ongoing story and, I understand, is still being updated. It'll activate your cute receptors, for sure...just not at the start!)
Biscuits and gravy? Yes, Please! These look fab!
What not to give a knitter...and why.
Quirky street art...by a Russian artist.
Why spelling does, after all, matter. Tongues, anywone?
For your inner child...and then invite me over, please. No, I don't want to actually take a trip down that thing- but I want to watch you!
Kids and their favorite toys. (I thought of a certain little girl and a typewriter and could picture her wanting her picture taken with that!)
Someone (that would be you, Kristina! :) ) recently referred to the fact that Google Reader is being discontinued. And, while I was in mourning for awhile, I've now switched (and mostly adjusted) to Feedly. But her comment reminded me that I have a raft of articles starred in Reader. Things I wanted to keep track of, for some reason or other. Sat afternoon when all was quiet, I started wading through them. These are some of them. I'm sure you'll see more. Since I'm enjoying posting links. For now. :)
Buchenwald as it was liberated. (series of photos from Life Magazine- Warning- some pretty horrifying pix- I quit partway through. Yes, I have a weak stomach for things like this. I no longer visit war museums or places like the Holodomor museum in Kyiv. I have no quibbles with whether or not those things happened. I don't need to see it to believe or feel the horror of it. I put the link here because of the historic nature of the pix as well as the event and because I think some of you will be interested in seeing them. And because Life Magazine was phenomenal and their website is great.)
Someone mentioned St Louis' "City Museum" recently. Wow! Anyone been there? Reminded me a bit of 'The House on the Rock' in Spring Green, WI. One of my favorite places. on Wikipedia
Collection of photos from the Viet Nam war.
Zip...found alive in a bag of mulch (this is an ongoing story and, I understand, is still being updated. It'll activate your cute receptors, for sure...just not at the start!)
Biscuits and gravy? Yes, Please! These look fab!
What not to give a knitter...and why.
Quirky street art...by a Russian artist.
Why spelling does, after all, matter. Tongues, anywone?
For your inner child...and then invite me over, please. No, I don't want to actually take a trip down that thing- but I want to watch you!
Kids and their favorite toys. (I thought of a certain little girl and a typewriter and could picture her wanting her picture taken with that!)
Someone (that would be you, Kristina! :) ) recently referred to the fact that Google Reader is being discontinued. And, while I was in mourning for awhile, I've now switched (and mostly adjusted) to Feedly. But her comment reminded me that I have a raft of articles starred in Reader. Things I wanted to keep track of, for some reason or other. Sat afternoon when all was quiet, I started wading through them. These are some of them. I'm sure you'll see more. Since I'm enjoying posting links. For now. :)
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Did you know....
….that a ‘babushka’ is not actually a scarf? It means ‘grandmother’ in Russian, Ukrainian (and possibly other Slavic languages). Interesting that the term made it into this comic strip. I never heard it used in the Midwest but I understand it’s common in Western Canada where there are many Ukrainians.
Monday, April 8, 2013
I've had this post open for umm awhile now- and have been adding a link or 2 each day. So some of them are rather old now. But still good/interesting/funny/scary...
Food for thought about internet use. RAT...had never heard of this before.
and one about cancer survivors
and one about differential gears. (hey hey- Have you thought about your differential gear lately? Yeah- I hadn't either. Not that I have one...)
from Yahoo news- a mama elephant fighting off hyenas to save its baby.
a pretty decent article about Facebook privacy.
and another about F/B privacy. Yes, I have f/b. Yes, I'm careful. Very. Believe me- you need to be careful.
40 years of cell phones...well really, only 30 but...
you like cats? Wild cats, too? How about this one?
tree house envy, kicking right in
ok- does your dog eat peanut butter?
or would you like some pre-Revolutionary War events? Oh. My.
oh- And did you hear about the man who thought he bought a poodle...only it wasn't. It was a....(on steroids).
And in case you were wondering- it's technically spring here, yes it is. But we had another couple of inches of snow this morning (mind you- it did us the courtesy of melting this afternoon). It doesn't exactly feel like spring yet, though. It's been a most unusual winter, that's for sure!
Food for thought about internet use. RAT...had never heard of this before.
and one about cancer survivors
and one about differential gears. (hey hey- Have you thought about your differential gear lately? Yeah- I hadn't either. Not that I have one...)
from Yahoo news- a mama elephant fighting off hyenas to save its baby.
a pretty decent article about Facebook privacy.
and another about F/B privacy. Yes, I have f/b. Yes, I'm careful. Very. Believe me- you need to be careful.
40 years of cell phones...well really, only 30 but...
you like cats? Wild cats, too? How about this one?
tree house envy, kicking right in
ok- does your dog eat peanut butter?
or would you like some pre-Revolutionary War events? Oh. My.
oh- And did you hear about the man who thought he bought a poodle...only it wasn't. It was a....(on steroids).
And in case you were wondering- it's technically spring here, yes it is. But we had another couple of inches of snow this morning (mind you- it did us the courtesy of melting this afternoon). It doesn't exactly feel like spring yet, though. It's been a most unusual winter, that's for sure!
Monday, April 1, 2013
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