Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:56:04 GMT
Sunday slurrings
I once sat beside a pond for more than an hour waiting for some people to arrive. They never came, but I did get to see the pond in a lot more detail than I ever thought I would. Carolyn, over at Roundtop Ruminations, has started a new temporary blog chronicling her ability to sit still in nature. She calls it her Sit Spot Journal. You, too, can join the Sit Spot Challenge, and I think most of the readers of this humble blog would appreciate the goals. I’m not sure why they chose the middle of winter to establish their challenge, but they’re the ones in charge, not me.
Lest ye forget, Peg at Orchards Forever (where Peg’s thoughts drop like blossoms) is hosting the next edition of the Festival of the Trees. It’s not too late to submit a link. Her deadline is February 27. She’s looking for posts that deal directly or indirectly with fruit trees or orchards, but she says anything even loosely connected to that theme will be considered. Send your submissions to amberapple (at) gmail (dot) com.
Future hosts are lining up, but there are still plenty of opportunities for you to play host as well. When you think the right time for you is approaching, send me or Dave (bontasaurus (at) yahoo (dot) com) an email. We’ll help you as much as you’d like.
For only the second time this whole winter I filled the bird feeders in backyard suburbia. We have not had the flocks of sparrows and groups of cardinals we have had in the past. Even the dozens of mourning doves that used to hang out in the cypress are missing. The temps have been see-sawing around the old home, and the few birds that survived the big December ice storm must be confused by now. Some mornings I hear cardinals singing, but most mornings are quiet. Once the weather gets itself sorted out, I expect we’ll see things back to normal at the feeders.
If the fates have smiled upon me then I am probably out at Roundrock as you read this. I’ll be fooling with the game cameras, fencings more trees, and maybe even doing a little timber stand management by cutting some crowded trees. Or I may be sitting in one of the comfy chairs and contemplating the universe.
Update: Curses, foiled again! A snow fell in Kansas City late Saturday night, and the weather reports suggested that the snowfall was stronger down Roundrock-way, so we have skipped the trip. I don’t think we would have had any trouble driving down there, until we got to the part where we leave the paved road and drive the two miles over the sometimes-challenging gravel and dirt road. Even then, getting in might not have been a problem. Getting out? Different story. If the temps really do get above freezing as expected today (well above), that challenging road might become impassable. I’m already looking at the long-range forecasts for next weekend.
A year ago I was writing about the lovely Tawny Tussocks. Long may she wave.
Two years ago I was writing about stump water.
What’s Pablo reading now? I’m just finishing a novel called The Assault by Harry Mulisch, considered the Netherlands greatest living author, just in time for tomorrow night’s group discussion of it. The novel begins in the last days of the Nazi occupation there and deals with the life-long consequences of the murder of a collaborator. I’ll pick up The Historian where I had left it after this, but I’m pretty sure another novel obligation will intrude before I get that one finished.
Missouri calendar:
- Flying squirrels begin breeding.
- Skins breed through late March.
Today in Missouri history:
- The Missouri legislature passed a bill on this date in 1859 authorizing a border-guarding military operation to control cross-state ruffian depredations with Kansas. It didn''t help.
- In 1870 the State College of Agriculture and the School of Mines are created by the General Assembly as branches of the University of Missouri.
Posted by: Roundrockjournal Read more Source
Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:29:16 GMT
Black and white all over.
What's black and white and printed all over? Your new dress, that's what!! I am a huge, huge fan of black and white anything because you can play with fun colored accessories without looking like a bag of Skittles threw up on you. Awesome right? Both black and white are great neutrals and if you pair them together correctly you can make a pretty bold statement. Just a word of caution on prints, make sure they are proportionate to your body size. Don't wear a big print if you are small and don't wear a small print if you are big. That's easy to remember right? Go paint the town black and white!!
A pull on A-line tank dress in a great print? Perfect! Bailey 44 'Clean Sweep' Dress , $174 at Nordstrom
Is it the pleats? The print? The matte jersey? Yes, yes it is all of those that make this dress truly fantastic. Matte Jersey Printed Shift Dress, $119 at Liz Claiborne
This is perfectly lovely. BCBG MAXAZRIA Strapless Floral Chiffon Gown, $340 at Nordstrom
This however is not. I don't care who you are or what you look like, never, ever, ever get a dress like this. Ever. Just don't.
Posted by: Ryan Read more Source
Thu, 24 Jan 2008 01:29:39 GMT
Finding your edge
What is your edge?
The Babe of Business is asking that question on her website. We have talked about finding your niche many times and that is going to be your edge. What lets you stand apart from the competitors?
Her first point is about the lowest price. For the small business owners this is usually not an option for an edge. The bigger competition will eat you alive in the price department. However, there is many ways you can have an edge in the marketplace.
Having a niche that is unique is the best way to have an edge. Set yourself apart from the competition.
The other edge you have is customer service. While it may not bring people in the door initially, it will have them coming back.
Remember having a niche and good customer service is your best opportunity to keep an edge on the competition.
Posted by: John Dornoff Read more Source
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:56:57 GMT
Waterless car wash in a bottle
The exterior of my car is rarely clean; I try to keep it just grime-free enough to fly under the radar of anyone who might be tempted to etch "wash me" on the door. I''m doing my part for the environment - a typical professional car wash uses 20 to 45 gallons of water, while a home car wash uses 80 to 140 gallons.
Now there''s a waterless car wash option, and it doesn''t even require that you waste gas driving away from home to use it. Green Earth Waterless Car Wash is a product in a spray bottle. You spray your car with it (car can be dry or wet), and it dissolves dirt automatically without rinsing. A 32 ounce spray bottle costs $23 and will last through 7 to 10 washes. Containing organic soap and surfactants, the product is biodegradeable, free of dyes, fragrance, Paraben and
VOCs.
My question: Can you use it to wash the outside of your house, windows and all?
Via CNET''s VOCs.
Posted by: Sarah Read more Source
Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:04:15 GMT
Happy holidays!
The above image is from the best images of 2007 in Nature this week, and shows neurons expressing different (and seasonal!) fluorescent proteins.
Happy holidays everyone! I hope we are all enjoying time away from the lab. It will probably be quiet around here for the next few days, but things should pick up again after celebrating Newton’s birthday.
Posted by: PhilipJ Read more Source
Sun, 16 Dec 2007 14:17:34 GMT
Bringing a Date to Christmas Parties
It's the holiday season and there are plenty of different parties and functions that you are expected to attend. Do you bring a date or do you go solo (again)? If you've already gone on a few dates with someone that you met online, you can probably gauge whether or not they'd be an appropriate companion at some of this season's functions. But if you're going in blind, it might not be so easy.
Here are some of the holiday things you might be attending this year and the do's and don'ts of bringing an online companion along for the sleigh ride:
- Office parties. In most cases, people only bring their partner to the office party if they have an established relationship (either logn term or marriage). You can probably feel comfortable going solo to this one since you're already used to making small talk with these people.
- Charity events. If you're attending any charity events this holiday season, you probably want to bring a date. The big 'no no' here is bringing anyone along who might be potentially embarassing. If you've got a good feeling about an online match, this is usually a safe couples function even if you're meeting for the first time.
- Friends' get-togethers. This one depends entirely on your preferences and on your friends. If you've gone on a few dates with someone and you're ready for some friends to meet the person, this can be a good excuse. If you like to keep your friends and your dates separate for awhile, go stag instead.
- Family functions. Leave dates home. Unless you're in a serious relationship, you don't need to be bringing family and dating together in one holiday space. That's just asking for trouble.
Question of the Day: Which holiday event are you most likely to take a date to this year?
Posted by: Kathryn Vercillo Read more Source
Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:16:47 GMT
Did You Have A Thanksgiving Date?
Last week, we talked about those people who were planning to spend Thanksgiving alone as well as those people who were going to bring a date to their family Thanksgiving. We even offered up the idea of getting away for a weekend with a Thanksgiving date. But now the holiday is over. Your weekend is done and you've got to deal with a Monday that kicks off the next big push until Christmas week. So what better way to ease into the day than to wax nostalgic about your Thanksgiving weekend?
We want to know what you did for Thanksgiving. Did you have a date? Did you spend the weekend chatting online with strangers who might become something more? Did you take our advice and indulge in a Thanksgiving weekend getaway that turned up some secrets worth sharing? We want to know. You can share in the comments here or add to the conversation happening over at our online social network.
Oh, and one more final, quite important question .... what are you most thankful for now that the weekend is over?
Posted by: Kathryn Vercillo Read more Source
Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:59:36 GMT
The Liberty Dollar and Alternative Currencies
Via
Google Trends, I today learned about the Liberty Dollar, which has been running an alternative currency in the United States and just got Google Trends for reasons unknown.
According to the Google Trends, these dollars are legitimate and not counterfeit. Of course that doesn't mean anyone will actually sell you anything if you attempt to pay in Liberty dollars. (I'd say that calling them legitimate and non-counterfeit only means that they are what they are, and that no one is trying to pass them off as government currency.)
From what I can gather, this company has created gold and silver pieces that they mint themselves and have a suggested "value." However, they say they are not meant to compete with U.S. dollars but instead be sort of a barter money. In other words, just like I can barter my old laptop for the iPod you got at that trade show, you could barter your jeans for some Liberty dollars or vice versa. So the Liberty dollars aren't money, buy they are paper and coins that look like money and you can use them to buy things provided whoever you're buying from has also decided that these papers and coins have value.
Of course, if enough people join the Liberty club and pretend that this money has value, pretty soon it does appear to be a competitor to government money, which may be the reason the U.S. is suspicious of it. Either that or the fact that Google Trends.
It's sort of an interesting situation, and interesting to think about. What if a whole bunch of us decided to pay each other in bananas? And what if more and more people started to say, "I love bananas. I'd rather get paid in bananas than U.S. dollars." And what if your hairdresser said to you, "It's $20 or you can pay me in bananas"? Then what if at some point, almost everyone was paying each other in bananas and hardly anyone was using U.S. dollars and even big retail chains like Target or Wal-Mart started to feel forced to accept bananas as payment in order to satisfy the preferences of their customers? Even though no one has declared bananas to be legal tender, it would be clear that bananas were competing with the U.S. dollar. So what would the government do? Outlaw bananas?
My point is this: at what point does an item that you use to barter for another item become the same as currency? How many people have to accept bananas as payment (or Ron Paul dollars) before it slips from an item of barter to a currency competing with the dollar?
I don't see this as an issue of deep national concern, but perfect for blog posting or discussing with your friends while high as a kite. (Not that I advocate this. Just saying.)
Posted by: Justin McHenry Read more Source
Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:40:28 GMT
The Magic Flute
"The Magic Flute is Kenneth Branagh''s third release this year after As You Like It and Sleuth, completing his most prolific directorial run since the early 1990s," writes the Telegraph''s Tim Robey. "It may well be the best of the three, but dare we ask him to get back to acting now? Plonking Mozart''s phantasmagorical opera down in the trenches of the First World War is vintage Branagh - daring but silly."
"The horrors of Flanders provide a strange but satisfying glue," counters Charlotte O''Sullivan in the Evening Standard. "For the first time ever, the plot made sense to me."
Updated through 12/1.
Posted by: dwhudson Read more Source
Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:32:02 GMT
Solar
Solar is a beautiful short animated film by Ian Wharton and Edward Shires. A tale of the sun, the moon, and two characters who inhabit a planet that relies on day and night perhaps more than it would seem.
(via Dark Roasted Blend)
Posted by: Gerard Read more Source
