Female Merit Badges

Mary Yaeger is an artist who has created female merit badges depicting feminine rites of passage. They are embroidered 2" diameter patches showing things like putting on make-up, giving birth, breast exams and much more. Take a look - these are really amazing! 

Wienermobile

This is great! By following the Hotdogger Blog you can track where the Wienermobile will be. That way you'll know if it is near you. Once I saw it on 580 near Castro Valley. It was pretty cool! You can also follow the trail of the Wienermobile on Twitter if you are so inclined.

Did you know that the first Wienermobile was built in 1936 at a cost of $5000? In 2008 a Mini Wienermobile was built on a Mini Cooper! Amazing the things you can learn online!

See I told you all that everybody has a blog - even the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. You should feel left out if you don't have one!

Robin, the lonely (and clearly bored) blog mistress

Tabby's Place

Here's another link that I found on The Cat's Meow., (Catster's blog). Tabby's Place is a cat sanctuary in New Jersey. It is a cage-free sanctuary for cats founded by Jonathan Rosenberg in memory of his cat Tabby. Most of the cats have come from shelters and due to special needs such as disease or intractable personalities would have been euthanized. Tabby's Place serves as a hospice, an adoption center and a hospital. Check out the virtual tour - they have a pretty neat living space! I really think this is cool. When I get rich I'm going to start a cat sanctuary!

Top 10 Mistakes by US Presidents

This is an interesting blog series that I've been reading on the Britannica blog. Each post is a short lesson from history on a presidential mistake and includes a lesson for President Obama to learn from his predecessors mistake. Some of the mistakes include:

The Whiskey Rebellion, Hoover's Attack on the Bonus Army, Kennedy's Failure at the Bay of Pigs, and the Vietnam War. If none of these ring a bell for you I'd suggest reading some American history!

Inquiring Minds Want To Know

You may be wondering exactly what it is they want to know. Obviously all the info on what Michelle Obama is wearing. And I can help. You are hereby directed to Mrs. O, an informative blog focusing on the fashion and style of our new first lady. Here you can get a close-up view of her dresses, information on designers and other fascinating first lady facts.

Silent Sunday

A New Government

of the people, by the people, for the people. I've included a link although if you don't know where that phrase is from you probably need more education than I can provide. Wasn't that a cute little introduction? Humor me, say yes.

One of the things that happened when President Obama was inaugurated that you may not be aware of, was the re-launch of a government site. The official White House site was redesigned and updated to include more interactive features and easily accessible information. This is in line with Obama being the most tech-saavy President we've had to date.

Take a look at the site if you haven't already. It's pretty interesting and even includes a White House blog!

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

A Ray of Sunshine

Which is how I like to think of myself. Could be I'm a little delusional. Anyway . . . with the constant talk about how bad the economy is I thought I'd share something I read on the Britannica Blog. This is a post by an economics professor comparing today's economy to the 1980's recession.

I'm certainly not trying to say the economy is in great shape, and I don't think he is either. This is just a little dose of reality for people who are saying we are in a 1930's depression. You can take a look at his post and draw your own conclusions. I really know nothing about economics. My solution for the current crisis is quite simple: print more money (and give a lot of it to me!). I've been told that wouldn't work but I'm not at all convinced. I'm more than willing to be a test case.

Anyway here are some of the figures he shares (check the blog link for the rest):

Prime Rate
1981: 20.5%
2009: 3.25% (Current)

Inflation
1980: 14.8%
2008: 0% (December)

Unemployment Rate
1982: 10.8%
2008: 7.2% (December)

I'd like to point out that in an earlier post I had suggested that everyone work on having a positive attitude in order to improve the economy. Have you all seen Horton Hears a Who? I have (it was pretty good)! Anyway when all the Who's down in Whoville are trying to shout so they'll be heard there is one Who who is not shouting. It is entirely possible that everyone is thinking positive thoughts and there is one lone holdout who is holding things up. I have my suspicions about who it might be but I'm not going to point any fingers so long as things begin to improve.

Robin, the lonely (and economically challenged) blog mistress

Is Your Cat Plotting To Kill You?

FYI: click on the picture above & it will take you to a site where you can take the quiz and find out if your cat is plotting to kill you! And see below post for pictures of my cats!

Oops - I forgot to include this link where you can read what all the stuff means!

Above mentioned cats

First Line Answers

Well I'm a day late with the answers because I wanted to put inauguration stuff. Nobody tried to guess so I guess that means I win! Here are the answers to last week's challenge:

1. Moby Dick
2. The Mists of Avalon
3. Little Women
4. Anna Karenina
5. Pride & Prejudice
6. Their Eyes Were Watching God
7. The Hobbit
8. A Tale of Two Cities
9. Ulysses
10. 1984
11. Don Quixote
12. Out of Africa
13. Cannery Row
14. The Great Gatsby
15. The Color Purple
16. The Grapes of Wrath
17. To Kill a Mockingbird
18. Gone With the Wind
19. Peter Pan
20. The Wind in the Willows

Inauguration Day 2009

Some random information for you:

Where to watch the Inauguration:

• Joint Congressional Committee
  
• Presidential Inaugural Committee
  
• Joost Presents
  
• CNN & Facebook
  
• LiveStation - European Coverage
  

General inauguration information from, where else, Wikipedia.

Miscellaneous stuff:

• Thomas Jefferson was the only president to walk to and from the inaugural, and the first to be inaugurated at the Capitol. (1801)
• The first inaugural ball was held for James Madison. (1809)
• Abraham Lincoln was the first to include African-Americans in his parade. (1865)
• Women were included for the first time in Woodrow Wilson's second inaugural parade. (1917)
• The first president to ride in a car at his inauguration was Warren Harding. (1921)
• Calvin Coolidge's inauguration was the first broadcast on radio. (1925)
  
• The first poet to participate in an official inauguration ceremony was Robert Frost. (Kennedy's, 1961)
• Lyndon Johnson remains the only president to be sworn in by a woman, U.S. District Judge Sarah Hughes. (1963)
• Barack Obama will be our 44th president and his inauguration will be the 56th formal one. Fifteen presidents were elected to a second term, and Roosevelt was elected to a fourth term. (2009)
  

Most Memorable Inaugural Addresses and Quotations:

• George Washington’s first Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789, put the new nation in world historical context: “the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”
• Thomas Jefferson’s first Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801. After a bitter election that resulted in the first transfer of power from one party to another, he tried to unify the young nation, exclaiming, “We are all Federalists; we are all Republicans.”
• Abraham Lincoln’s second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865, during the closing days of the Civil War, called for “malice toward none,” and “charity for all.”
• Franklin Roosevelt’s first Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933, during the depths of the Great Depression, proclaimed, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
• John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961, challenged fellow citizens: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
• Ronald Reagan’s first Inaugural Address, January 20, 1981, pressed a new idea to reverse the growth of big government: “In the present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem.”

from Britannica Blog

Cambridge

Well I wanted to embed this video but it won't let me. Anyway this is about the beginning celebrations to mark Cambridge University's 800th anniversary. 

Cambridge was founded in 1209 and is the 2nd oldest university in the english speaking world. Anyone care to guess the first? It has produced more nobel prize winners than any other university. Some former graduates are Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking and Charles Darwin. Two more fascinating facts: I've been there! I actually walked around and touched the buildings! And I've been to a lecture by one of its most notable graduates, Stephen Hawking! Pretty cool isn't it? 

Silent Sunday

Supernova 1994D in Galaxy NGC 4526

Castro Valley Blog

I've been meaning to share a blog with everyone for a long time & keep forgetting. Hard as it may be to believe, Castro Valley actually has a blog, The Castro Valley Boulevardier. It is written by some guy who walks around CV a lot and is kind of interesting. Especially if you live in Castro Valley or have lived there, or plan to live there, or just have nothing better to do!

Cat fun

This is really cute. Go to this site, turn on your sound & move your mouse around. Have fun!

And here are a few facts about cats for you:

• A domestic cat can sprint at about 31 miles per hour.
  
• Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (compared to human's 6 muscles each). A cat can rotate its ears independently 180 degrees
  
• The hearing of the average cat is at least five times keener than that of a human adult.
  
• Cats can make more than 100 different vocal sounds.   .
  
• One female cat and her offspring, left to breed at will, can produce 420,000 kittens in just seven years.
  
• Almost 10% of a cat's bones are in its tail, and the tail is used to maintain balance.
  
• The domestic cat is the only species able to hold its tail vertically while walking.
  
• Purring does not always indicate that a cat is happy and healthy - some cats will purr loudly when they are terrified or in pain.
  
• A cat will spend nearly 30% of her life grooming herself.
  

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

Rescue Ink

I love this! Rescue Ink is a group of guys dedicated to stopping animal abuse. Take a look at their site. They probably aren't what you are expecting!

First Lines

So here is a challenge for all of you. Following are the first lines from 20 well-known books. List the books. Only one rule: you have to do it without searching online for the answer. The first one to correctly list all the books (or come closer than anyone else) will win fame and fortune by having their name listed on this blog! Pretty exciting isn't it? I'll post the answers next Tuesday.

1. Call me Ishmael.

2. In my time I have been called many things: sister, lover, priestess, wise-woman, queen.

3. “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

4. Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

5. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

6. Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board.

7. In a hole in the ground there lived a . . .

8. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

9. Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.

10. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

11. Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a gentleman lived not long ago, one of those who has a lance and ancient shield on a shelf and keeps a skinny nag and a greyhound for racing.

12. I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills.

13. Lee Chong’s grocery, while not a model of neatness, was a miracle of supply.

14. In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.

15. You better not never tell nobody but God.

16. To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth.

17. When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

18. Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.

19. All children, except one, grow up.

20. The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home.

An Adult English Lesson

I found this on another blog & thought it was pretty funny.

On my 60th birthday, I got a gift certificate from my wife. The certificate paid for a visit to a shaman living on a nearby reservation who was rumored to have a wonderful cure for erectile dysfunction. After being persuaded, I drove to the reservation, handed my ticket to the shaman, and wondered what I was in for.

The old man slowly, methodically produced a potion, handed it to me, and with a grip on my shoulder, warned, "This is powerful medicine and it must be respected. You take only a teaspoonful and then say ‘1-2-3'. When you do that, you will be more manly than you have ever been in your life, and you will be able to perform as long as you want."

I was encouraged. As he walked away, I turned and asked, "How do I stop the medicine from working?"

''Your partner must say '1-2-3-4'," the shaman responded. "But when she does, the medicine will not work again until the next full moon."

I was eager to see if it worked. I went home, showered, shaved, took a spoonful of the medicine, and then invited Cara to join me in the bedroom. When she came in, I took off my clothes and said, "1-2-3!" Immediately, I was the manliest of men. Cara was excited and began throwing off her clothes. And then she asked, "What was the 1-2-3 for?"

And that, boys and girls, is why we should never end our sentences with a preposition.

Silent Sunday

A College Graduate

I think I've mentioned a time or two that I have been taking math classes I needed to finish my BA degree. I started working on my degree quite a number of years ago and have stopped and started over the years. I was going to give you a long explanation of why I wasn't sure I could finish this year but even I was getting confused by it. To make a long story somewhat shorter, I just found out yesterday that the University approved my petition to graduate under the catalog requirements in effect at the time I started. This means that I am currently enrolled in the final class that I need in order to graduate. When I finish this class in March that will be it. I'll be a college graduate. Well actually you have to apply, which I did, and pay money, which I did and then fill out papers which I'll do. But . . . I'll be a college graduate. Later than I'd planned but I did it. I actually cried when I read the email saying it was approved. I really did it! I will have a bachelors degree in history. Pretty cool isn't it?

Robin, the lonely (but educated) blog mistress

Family Celebrity

Check out this article in The Daily Courier from Grants Pass, OR. I'm sure you are all aware that one of our relatives is a city council member in GP. Well it turns out that he was recently elected as council president. I don't know if this position is all prestige or if it carries a high monetary compensation. I'm going to be really nice to him in case it's the latter! I've heard rumors that he is looking ahead to the 2011 California gubernatorial race. This could present a problem for me if Gavin is his opponent. I mean I'm all for family loyalty but Gavin is just so cute!

Anyway, click on the link and you can read about our family politician!

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

I think we should do this

There is a street in Gateshead, Britain where 69 members of one family live. I'm thinking we should all get together & choose a street to live on & start buying houses there. Actually there is a house for sale across the street from me. This could be fun! Just think, every morning on your way to work you could wave to 30-40 members of your family. Ok, maybe it isn't such a good idea. Interesting story though!

FYI - I found this article through StumbleUpon!

Robin, the lonely blog mistress

Very Sad

I just heard tonight that Stacey's bookstore in San Francisco has announced that they will be closing in March. In business since 1923, the growth of on-line bookstores (can we say Amazon) and the declining economy, is forcing them to close. First Cody's, now Stacey's. This is very sad.

Sad for a couple of reasons. Many, many, many years ago I used to work in downtown San Francisco. I hated my job. The only good part of it was going out at lunchtime and browsing in bookstores. There were a good number of new & used bookstores within walking distance of my office. Stacey's was one of them and I spent many lunch hours there looking and occasionally buying. I still have books that I bought there. I think the last time I was at Stacey's was about 2 years ago but it makes me feel like I'm losing something to hear that they are closing.

I admit it - I shop at Amazon. You can find just about anything, it's easy, convenient, no sales tax, cheaper prices. Ok, I'll just say it - I love Amazon. I can spend hours going through the list of recommendations & adding to my wishlist. But I also love bookstores. Online is great but it can't beat browsing, picking up a book to flip through it, finding something you didn't know you wanted (although that happens w/Amazon!) and just being in a building surrounded by books. My personal idea of heaven.

While retail sales over Christmas in stores declined this year, according to this data from Compete, on-line sales increased. I think it was inevitable that physical stores would fail as more people shop on-line. Again, it's easy, convenient, etc., etc. You can buy books, groceries, furniture, pretty much anything you want online. All without leaving your computer.

Life changes whether we want it or not. I don't know that it's good or bad - it just is. But tonight I feel like I'm losing something important. I'm afraid that 20 years from now I'll be saying things like, I remember when there were actual, physical bookstores you could walk into. And it will be ancient history for some people. That's sad.

Robin, the lonely (and sad) blog mistress

A Class Divided

A Class Divided

Go to this site & you can watch the Frontline show about an Iowa schoolteacher who, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in 1968, gave her third-grade students a first-hand experience in the meaning of discrimination.  Jane Elliott divided her class into blue-eyed & brown-eyed groups and told the blue-eyed group they were better people. The next day she told them she'd lied and the brown-eyed group were better than blue-eyed group. 

The last two chapters show the same lesson being taught to a group of adults. It's pretty interesting to watch. 

Funny

This is a funny cartoon - take a look!

Clark Kent, Updated

StumbleUpon

I've read a bunch of stuff about StumbleUpon & finally got around to signing up & trying it. A warning: if you like finding new sites & wandering around the Internet you may become hooked! This is great fun & a little time-consuming! It's pretty easy to use. You sign-up, choose your interests from a list and start stumbling. I installed the toolbar and when I click Stumble, it brings up a new site based on my list of interests. Some are weird, boring or just plain stupid. Others are fascinating and useful. If you like the site you can lick I like it on the toolbar and it saves it on a favorites page for you. Just to whet your appetite, here are a few of the sites I've found.

Sharon b's stitch dictionary
Mysterious Places
Pooktre tree shapers
Phobia guide
UFO casebook
Stop, you're killing me
Petra, lost city of stone
Cliche finder
Poe stories
Grimm's fairy tales (Rapunzel is my favorite)

I could go on and on (and on and on and on!) but I guess you get the idea. Try it - it's fun!!

Robin, the lonely (but not bored) blog mistress

Silent Sunday

This image captures a glimpse of many hundreds of thousands of stars moving about in the globular cluster M13, one of the brightest and best-known globular clusters in the northern sky. This glittering metropolis of stars is easily found in the winter sky in the constellation Hercules and can even be glimpsed with the unaided eye under dark skies.

The Tudors

I'm sure you've all been waiting for the dvd release of Season 2 of The Tudors. I've had my copy pre-ordered since last August. It is currently in Memphis, TN slowly winging its way toward me! Check out Amazon if you'd like your own copy. I'm happy to lend mine once I've watched it however you'll need to sign in blood and leave a $250 deposit.  

While the historical accuracy can leave something to be desired, it is a great series & I'd recommend watching it! Here's a short clip for you.

Cat Brain

Happy New Year!