365 Things I've Learned

366th Day

2008-02-18T15:54:00.002-05:00

So, a year ago today I started this blog. And yes, I fell 45 entries/days short of my goal. I really wanted to finish, to make it all the way through a year, but I think it was obvious once Christmas time came around that I was not going to keep up. I don't know what happened exactly; I was busy, but there were many other times throughout the year that I was busy but still kept blogging.
The one thing I can say is that I did not stop learning. There were many times that I thought "Ooh, great blog fact!" but I was just too far behind to bother. Also, I stopped blogging in January, but I did finally get my ass re-enrolled in school, so I kind of feel that the blog served its purpose by filling the gap in time when I was not "officially" learning anything.

I don't know if I will ever finish the last 45 things, or if I will keep posting here or never touch it again; I don't even know if anyone is reading this. Thanks to anyone who has checked in though. I think we came across some interesting things.

You know where to find me.

301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309 ,310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320

2008-01-03T20:17:00.000-05:00

Oh, you thought I was gone, did you? I have not done this blog in TWENTY days, so to make up for it, I learned the names of the 10 provinces of Canada, and their capital cities:

Ontario - Toronto
Quebec - Quebec City
Nova Scotia - Halifax
New Brunswick - Fredericton
Manitoba - Winnipeg
British Columbia - Victoria
Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown
Saskatchewan - Regina
Alberta - Edmonton
Newfoundland and Labrador - St. John's

There are also three territories, with capitals. See ya in six days, fools!!

299, 300

2007-12-14T23:53:00.000-05:00

Thursday I learned about hair follicle drug tests. To do one of these, they take about 50-70 strands of your hair that are about an inch and a half long. The test can detect cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine, and PCP, and it's more effective than urine testing because it picks up drugs that were used at a lower level or longer ago. Traces of the drug get into your hair as it's metabolized. If you don't have much hair on your head, they can use body hair to test as well. This is very random; I'm not on drugs or anything.

Today I learned how to make a caramel pecan pie. I had never made a pie before today. Well, Erica made the crust, but I mixed the other stuff up and put it together. It was really easy--you just melt caramel, milk and butter, then mix it up with some sugar and eggs--and it turned out great. Deeelicious. Here is the recipe, if you are interested.

296, 297, 298

2007-12-12T23:17:00.000-05:00

Monday I learned some beginner tips for painting with acrylics. See here.

Tuesday I learned about oatmeal. Oatmeal is good for you. It can lower your cholesterol and it is high in fiber and complex carbohydrates. Oatmeal will leave you feeling fuller longer during the day. Steel cut oatmeal takes a long time to cook but is extra good for you because it leaves the outside part on, like with brown rice.

Today I learned where you can get your credit report. The three companies that have to give you a free report per year are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. All you have to do is go to the website annualcreditreport.com or call their 800 number or mail in a form, and you can get your free report. You don't have to contact each agency separately, and any other website that is trying to give you a free credit report is not for real and you should watch out. I sound like a commercial here, but I am just trying to tell you what I learned. I don't care if you get a free credit report or not.

291, 292, 293, 294, 295

2007-12-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Tuesday. This is getting ridiculous.

Wednesday I learned the word "tarradiddle" which means a fib or pretentious nonsense. I added the dictionary.com word of the day application to my iGoogle, but I don't really like it that much because most of the words are easy. Tarradiddle was a new one on me though. It would be funny if somebody just made it up and put it on there.

Thursday I learned about charts and graphs in Excel. I didn't learn that much new stuff, but there was some. This will be the last in my Things I Learned at Excel Training blog series, as I am now finished with all of those trainings.

Friday I learned about windshield wiper blades. I had never bought my own before, but now I know that there is a little book thing there that you can look your car up in to see what size to get. Or you could measure them, I guess. I haven't put my new wiper blades on...that will be a blog for another day.

Saturday I learned about the movie Battle Royale, in which a bunch of Japanese high school kids kill each other in ridiculous manners. It is based on the novel of the same name. There is a rad song over the closing credits, which is "Shizuka na Hibi no Kaidan Wo" by Dragon Ash.

Today I learned about Clintonville, specifically what it encompasses and how it came to be.

290

2007-12-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

Today I learned what a sump pump is. I mean, I kind of knew what it did, but I didn't know what it was...if that makes any sense. Like, I didn't know which thing in my basement was a sump pump. But then this morning I heard this crazy loud noise that I thought was coming from outside, and when I went to investigate it I realized it was coming from the basement. So naturally I called my dad, and upon describing a pipe coming out of the wall and going down into a big plastic hole in the ground, we decided that my sump pump was (noisily) running for no apparent reason. It kicked on about 3 times this morning and ran for 10-15 minutes each time. I haven't heard it since I've been home from work. Hopefully my next blog will not be "today I learned how to fix a sump pump that blew up and ruined my whole house."

PS...I just realized that I made a numbering error back on Nov 23 that knocked me back about 50 Learnings. I'm gonna fix that right now; with any luck it won't mess anything up too badly.

289

2007-12-03T22:52:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about altitude sickness. You can get altitude sickness starting at about 8000 feet. Symptoms include headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea/vomiting, and swelling in the extremities. Symptoms will usually subside after you have a day or two to adjust to the altitude. In rare cases you can wind up with pulmonary or cerebral edema (fluid in the lungs or brain). High altitude cerebral edema can kill you. If you go up slowly (1000 feet per day) you won't have a problem.

285, 286, 287, 288

2007-12-02T23:33:00.000-05:00

Thursday I learned that you can set your Amazon wishlist to show you all of your stuff if you're logged in, even the stuff that has already been purchased. So if Christmas or your birthday or whatever is coming up, you can still look at your wishlist and change stuff around without having to see what all has been bought already. That's cool.

Friday I learned about tin foil hats. People wear tin foil hats because they think that aliens (or someone else) is trying to control their brain with signals, or because they think it will protect them from electromagnetic fields and the like. A really well-made foil hat might actually help protect you from some things, but for the most part it does not work (mainly because it doesn't completely enclose your head) and sometimes it might actually help signals get in.

Saturday I learned about eggnog. I was not sure exactly what it in eggnog. It is milk or a blend of milk and cream plus sugar and spices (like cinnamon or nutmeg) and then eggs are added to make it frothy. Eggnog that you buy is usually pasteurized so you don't have to worry about dying from the raw eggs, but if you make it yourself you should heat the eggs slowly to 160 degrees to make sure they're safe.

Today I learned that the Grand Canyon is in Arizona. I always think it's in Colorado, and I know that's wrong, but then I can't remember where it actually is. Bill thought it was Colorado too.

284

2007-11-28T23:57:00.000-05:00

Grr. I actually learned this yesterday, but as usual I forgot it by the time I did my blog. In 8th grade my English class read the book "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie. I knew that it was also sometimes called "Ten Little Indians" but that "Indians" was not P.C. and so they changed it. What I did not know what that the book was originally titled "Ten Little Niggers." Yikes! It was based on the "Ten Little Indians" rhyme which was also originally titled "Ten Little Niggers." You can read the original rhyme here. I can't believe I never heard that until now. I guess some high school was planning to do the play of "And Then There Were None" but had to cancel the production because people had complaints about the racist nature of the original title. That kind of seems like overkill to me, but then again I guess I don't really know what I'm talking about.

283

2007-11-27T23:35:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about advent calendars. Advent calendars began at the start of the 19th century or thereabouts, with the German Lutheran community. I guess that is not surprising, because I always bought my advent calendars from the German Club in high school. Your traditional advent calendar has little doors you can open with either a Christmas picture or a Bible verse behind each set of doors. Mine always have chocolate behind the doors although this apparently is less common and is supposed to be anti-Jesus/pro-Santa Claus. I don't know why Jesus would have had a problem with kids getting a little piece of chocolate every day for a month. In fact my brother and I used to nicely divide up the pieces of chocolate by odd and even days, which seems like something Jesus would have been in favor of.

282

2007-11-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

Today, after many hours of fascinated clicking on Wikipedia, I learned that mice may eat their own tails if they are starving. That's so sad! Don't eat your own tail. Things will get better, mouse...just hang in there.

("If you were a mouse, and you were starving, would you eat yourself?")

280, 281

2007-11-26T00:32:00.000-05:00

Saturday I learned the phrase "mackerel snapper." It is a derogatory term for Catholics, which comes from their abstaining from meat on Fridays. My dad said that he heard this term while growing up Catholic but no one else knew what the hell he was talking about.

Today I learned how to put up the clear plastic stuff that goes on the inside of your windows to help keep the heat in/cold out. This includes cleaning the window frame, applying the tape, applying the plastic sheet, and then blowing it with a hair dryer. I also learned how to take down the blinds in my house. I did not even know that you could take blinds down.

277, 278, 279

2007-11-23T23:16:00.001-05:00

Wednesday I learned that there are 2 different types of allergy tests you can get done. In one type, you get pin-pricked with little particles of different allergens to see which one(s) you react to. In the other, you get these big strips pasted onto your back. The strips have like 20 of the most common allergens on them, and you leave them on for two days (gross) and then get them removed and the doctor sees what things you are allergic to. I do not like the sound of either of these.

Thursday I learned that the wish bone on a turkey is actually called the furcula. It is part of the sternum/clavicle region and it helps support the wings in flight. I like to break the wish bone because I am superstitious about wishes, but I don't like to do it because I am terrified of bones breaking. This year I did not get to break the wish bone, and I also did not get my birthday wish on my birthday cake. This may be a bad year.

Today I learned what sweet potato pie tastes like. It tastes mostly like pumpkin pie, but a lot less gross.

276

2007-11-20T23:32:00.001-05:00

Today I learned where the Westerville BMV is, and how much it costs to renew your license and registration, and that I now can't drive w/o my glasses (damn you, "B" restriction!).

271, 272, 273, 274, 275

2007-11-19T23:09:00.001-05:00

Thursday I learned about the Blue Man Group. The BMG has been around since the 80s. The big sticks that they swing around, "airpoles," are actually boat antennae. Uh, there's a lot more, obviously. I mean, I saw their show at Nationwide, so I experienced them firsthand which is a kind of learning, right? And I skimmed their Wikipedia entry even though it's like really long. It was a fun show.

Friday I learned the history of jumping in Mirror Lake before the OSU-Michigan game. I guess it's really only officially been going on since the 90s. Here is a crappy article on it from The Lantern.

Saturday I learned about rust. God, that's boring. This is like a joke blog entry. But I really did learn about rust. I used this article instead of the Wikipedia entry because the Wikipedia entry had like big long chemical equations and this one is all in normal dumb people words. The reason why rust is a problem is that the iron oxide molecule is bigger than the regular iron molecule, so it puffs up and gets flaky because it doesn't fit in its original space.

Sunday I learned that Are You Afraid of the Dark actually HAS been released on DVD. Waaaant...

Today I learned what a melodica is. It's a keyboard instrument that you blow into as you play. One of Feist's band members last night was playing one of these or something similar to it.

269, 270

2007-11-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I learned the word "fungible." I know I just did a word of the day not too long ago, but I like "fungible." It means easily replaced; interchangeable, flexible.

Today I learned about Gregor Mendel, the pea plant guy. Did you know that his ideas weren't really accepted until like 35 years after he first presented them? And it also is hard for me to believe that he was doing his work less than 150 years ago. 150 years ago does not seem like very long at all, but to think that a.) we really knew nothing about genetics then and b.) Mendel basically discovered genetics just by planting and observing a ton of pea plants is insane to me. Think of all the crazy-high tech, complicated scientific research that goes on these days. This is so rambly. I can't get my point across...it's just that what he was doing seems so simple to produce such amazing results. It seems like that can't happen anymore.

268

2007-11-12T21:24:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about Basic English. Basic English is an actual constructed language that is made up of 850 of the most simple and commonly used English words. It came out in a 1930 book by Charles Kay Ogden, and is used to teach people English quickly or to translate complex books for users in many different countries. There is actually a whole separate Wikipedia written in Simple English, which is a more complex variation of Basic English. It just occurs to me that I should have tried to write this post using nothing but Basic English, but really it's too late for that now.

265, 266, 267

2007-11-11T22:04:00.001-05:00

Friday I learned that Jason Collett will be opening up for the Feist concert in the 18th. I got his album off iTunes but I haven't really had a chance to listen to it yet. Hopefully I can do that tomorrow while I'm working.

Saturday I learned how house numbers are assigned. Like, when you're driving down the road it's not usually like 265 Elm Street, 267, 269, etc. They tend to jump around more. Well, the answer is not super simple and it actually depends on where you live. In some places there is an assigned center of the city or county or whatever and the house number has to do with the distance from that center. Some places, a stretch of road is assigned a number (say 5000) and then house numbers are assigned for their distance along that road (so 5015 and 5045 are closer together than the next neighbor, 5095). Sometimes builders might skip numbers on larger pieces of land in case it gets divided up later. It really varies.

Today I learned about Mormon missionaries. I see them at work kind of regularly and we actually have 2 who volunteer there. This is, like, serious business. They have a schedule that they follow six days a week, specific clothes and nametags to wear, etc. A lot of them have to learn a new language in 2-3 months. They have another missionary who is their companion, and they are never supposed to be apart from their companion throughout the day except for bathroom time. They can write to their parents weekly, but can generally only call home on Christmas and Mother's Day; these missions usually last 18 months to 2 years, and these are college-aged kids. Man alive. I literally could not do something like that without complaining nonstop from start to finish. But, that's because I'm a bad person and I'm going to hell, which should not be surprising to anyone.

264

2007-11-08T19:33:00.000-05:00

Today I learned how to blow my nose. Don't blow too hard, support your back if you're coughing or sneezing. That's great. I will continue to ignore that advice and blow my nose until my brain hurts and I see spots, as I have been doing for the past several days. Seriously, I have weird pains and I smell blood. That's ok, right?

262, 263

2007-11-07T20:34:00.000-05:00

Uh, I thought I did my blog yesterday but I guess not. Yesterday I learned a whole mess of crap about using formulas in Excel. I learned all this at Using Formulas In Excel. I am really stupid with Excel because I never use it, but the trainings through my work are actually somewhat helpful. And I used one of our online training things for the first time; they are pretty decent.

Today I learned about the pound sign (#). Why is it called the pound sign, I wondered. Because it means "pounds," that's why. I honestly did not know that. You can be all, "That girl needs to eat a cheeseburger, she looks like she weighs 80#." No one does that, do they? I mean, I call it the pound sign, but I don't use it for pounds. It means number to me, like, "#5 was the hardest question on the quiz." The Wikipedia article is like really snotty about it; it repeats over and over how only PARTS OF THE US AND CANADA use the term "pound sign" and that no on in the U.K. would ever, ever call it that, okay?

259, 260, 261

2007-11-05T23:10:00.001-05:00

Saturday I learned about the common cold. I learned a lot about it. I don't know what to say. One thing is that you get a cold by getting the germs in your nose or eyes, and then they multiply in the lining of your nose and throat.

Sunday I learned Merriam Webster's word of the day, "fata morgana." Now that is one I had never heard.

Today I learned how to do the money at my job. Uh, I don't know how to describe "doing the money" to those that don't work there, but anyway. I was actually shown last week but I did it today for the first time on my own, so I'm counting it.

258

2007-11-02T19:40:00.001-05:00

Today I learned what a pavlova is. A pavlova is a giant cake-sized meringue that you decorate with whipped cream and fruit. (Side note: my new huge pet peeve is people who write "whip cream." It is not "whip cream." It is cream that has been whipped: whipped cream.) It gets crispy on the outside but stays moist on the inside. The pavlova comes from New Zealand and does not particularly look like something that I would want to eat.

257

2007-11-01T22:54:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about my new Sunday work location. I learned how they do things, where things are, etc. Plus I met a few people. That's boring, I know. Sorry.

256

2007-10-31T23:21:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about shoes tossed over power lines. There is currently a pair hanging over 270 W near the 71ish area. One morning I was thinking to myself, how the hell did those get there? They are RIGHT in the middle of the road. Somebody had to stand smack dab in the middle of 270 and toss those bitches up there till they stuck. Surely said person would get hit by a car. And then a remembered hearing on the news a couple weeks ago that some guy was hit and killed by a car after jumping over the dividing wall right in that area and running out into the road. Could the 2 be connected? Was he running out into the road in order to try and throw a pair of shoes up there? Was he killed for some other reason, and the shoes went up later as a memorial?

So I hit me up some Google, and found out...there is no for-sure answer. Several crime-related theories exist: the shoes signal an area where you can buy drugs; they mark gang territory; they are tossed up to memorialize a fallen homie. A second popular theory is more harmless and, I think, not necessarily exclusive of the other: bullies steal shoes from other kids and fling them up there to be mean. My feeling is that there probably is a sort of accepted meaning in drug/gang culture, but that it's also just a funny and assy thing to do, so kids picked up the habit as well.

255

2007-10-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about the "missed connections" section on Craigslist. OMG, this is so sad. First of all, most of the postings are stuff like "I saw you across the room at Arby's wiping up curly fries. Did you feel it too?" Sad. Secondly, what are the chances that this random person you saw at the grocery store or library (yes, library) or whatever is freaking reading this Craigslist page and is going to recognize themselves? Jeez. And the absolute saddest thing of all is that, about halfway down the first page, I realized that I was totally addicted to reading them in the hope that one of them might be about me: "You: high school age, librarian look, buying an extra side of cole slaw at KFC. Me: intrigued. Please write back."

250, 251, 252, 253, 254

2007-10-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

Thursday I learned that there are different techniques for eating chicken wings. Here's one where you break up the wing and then smash it on the table to get the meat off. Gross. I love the taste of wings but I freaking hate having to tear the nasty meat and vessels and tendons off the bone.

Friday I learned that I could expect to get about $7000 if I sold my car to a private party right now. That is freaking sweet.

Saturday I learned how to do zombie makeup. I found out about a cool technique where you roll up little lines of toilet paper and apply them with liquid latex to make an open wound. I also played around with lipstick and eyeliner to make dead zombie eyes. And I learned that that color hairspray stuff is never, ever worth it. What a mess.

Sunday I learned about sunflowers. 1.) In their bud stage, sunflowers follow the sun; in the morning they face east and turn their faces westward over the course of the day. At night they go back to facing east. That is creepy. 2.) There is like a mathematical model to show the pattern that the seeds grow in the middle of the flower. See here for that.

Today I learned where the Maldives are. I would like to go there on a magical fantasy free vacation.

249

2007-10-24T22:55:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about garbage disposals. I learned that garbage disposals are illegal in most parts of Europe, and they were illegal in NYC until 1997. There was concern that the excess kitchen waste would be too much of a strain on the water/sewage places. That is crazy. I have always had a garbage disposal, and I will put any freaking thing down there that I don't want to look at. What I really want is to see what the food looks like after it is garbage disposaled. That would be cool.

248

2007-10-23T20:01:00.000-05:00

Today I learned how to order office supplies for my work. These library ones are never interesting but always practical. Plus, I get paid to shop online now, while I'm at work. Score.

247

2007-10-22T22:27:00.000-05:00

Today I learned that Meg Rosoff has a new book (What I Was: A Novel) coming out in January. Oooh, exciting. I really liked How I Live Now. I like the cover of the new one too; you can see it on Amazon. I hope it's good.

243, 244, 245, 246

2007-10-21T20:48:00.000-05:00

Thursday I learned about Jonestown. The settlement for the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones, Jonestown was founded in 1974 and was the site of the mass murder-suicide in 1978. 909 people died there. I never heard the whole story, it's crazy. I read the article on Wikipedia. Hard to believe.

Friday I learned that they are opening a Panda Express right next door to Larry's on campus. Yay! I will now be much more excited about going to Larry's all the damn time.

Saturday I learned a way to get around all the traffic on the way to the Pumpkin Show and get there in a tiny fraction of the time it would otherwise take. Technically I just sort of lucked into it, but from here on out I won't have to worry about traffic any more. It also helps to go early, if you're wondering.

Today I learned about fat cells. By the time you finish puberty, you have all the fat cells in your body that you will ever have. When you get fat, you don't get more fat cells; the ones you have just get bigger. I wonder how big they can get.

242

2007-10-17T22:01:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about Teen Read Week. It was started in 1998, and is celebrated during the third week of every October. The goal is to get teens to read despite the bajillion other choices they have when choosing how to spend their free time.

In celebration of Teen Read Week (and also as a holdover from Banned Books Week), I am reading The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. What are you reading?

241

2007-10-16T23:05:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about conjoined twins. I had always heard that conjoined twins form when the embryo doesn't separate fully, but apparently there is also a theory that the twins form after the embryo has already separated; the cells seek out like cells to join to, and sometimes instead of finding cells in the same body, they find cells in the other twin and the two become fused. I know this theory is not as accepted as the first, but I don't know if it's like plausible or if anybody halfway intelligent dismisses it entirely. To me, though, it doesn't seem that likely. I mean, why wouldn't you ever have conjoined twins where, say, the head of one twin is growing out the back of the other? Or what prevents non-identical twins from becoming fused in the same way? Maybe the cells that find each other have to be almost identical--they have to come from the same body part or have the same DNA or whatever. I don't know. I'm not a scientist.

240

2007-10-15T23:34:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about the history of tuberculosis. The earliest signs of TB show up in bison remains from 17,000 years ago. Prehistoric humans, Egyptian mummies, ancient Greeks...tuberculosis has been found in all of them. Before the industrial revolution, people with TB were sometimes thought to be vampires, or to be communing with fairies at night, or being turned into horses by witches. The advent of antibiotics and increased public health awareness (no spitting in public, y'all) were what really turned TB around, although plenty of people still get it.

More on tuberculosis later, I'm sure, as I continue reading The Air We Breathe.

237, 238, 239

2007-10-14T22:29:00.001-05:00

Friday I learned about defacing money. Apparently it is OK to alter or deface currency as long as you then don't try to use it as currency; so, you can punch a hole in a penny and wear it as a necklace, but you can't try to use it as a spending penny after that. See here. I have been giving people wrong info on this topic for a while now, which sucks. My bad.

Saturday I learned about the Mongolian Barbecue, which is neither Mongolian nor barbecue. Apparently this type of restaurant was invented in Taiwan within the last 50 years or so, which is pretty funny. It comes from a style of Japanese cooking; that makes sense if you've ever been to one of those Japanese steakhouses, although I'm sure those aren't particularly authentic either. I went to BD's Mongolian Barbecue on Saturday. It was pretty good, I would go again. I like picking my own stuff.

Today I learned about a variety of different shock sites, after Goatse and Tubgirl both came up in conversation between Bill and I within like 2 minutes of each other (yeah, interesting conversation). I was familiar with both of those two, unfortunately, but not with any of the other ones mentioned in this article. Man, I am so tempted to go and look at each and every one of those sites but I know better. Once you see those things, you can't un-see them.

236

2007-10-11T23:29:00.000-05:00

Today I learned where the police impound lot is (400 W Whittier) and how much it costs to get your car back if the police tow it ($130).

235

2007-10-10T22:36:00.000-05:00

Today I learned who Lawrence E. Hughes is. Every single day on my way to work (or numerous other places) I pass a sign indicating that I am driving on the Lawrence E. Hughes Memorial Highway. But the sign does not tell me who this man might be. So I looked him up (after concocting many dramatic stories in my head about why he might have a highway dedicated in his memory) and found out that he served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1969-1982. It looks like the highway was named in 2004 or thereabouts. Thanks for your service, Larry. I enjoy driving on your roadways.

234

2007-10-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about the history of condoms. From as early as 1000 B.C. until, um, very recently, people were using things like linen sheaths to protect themselves from diseases and pregnancy during sex. A linen sheath? Yikes. The word "rugburn" comes to mind, but whatever. Other old-fashioned condom materials included tortoise-shell, animal guts, leather, and oiled paper. The first rubber condoms were made in the mid 1800s, and latex condoms were made in the '30s. Latex is pretty much the standard now, except in the few places where condoms are banned. Boo, banning condoms. Boo AIDS and accidental babies. Boooo.

230, 231, 232, 233

2007-10-08T21:22:00.000-05:00

This is stupid, but I could never really picture celery growing out of the ground, and I had never seen it. I have seen tons of different vegetables growing in people's gardens, but not celery. So I looked up a picture of it, and yeah...it looks pretty much how you would expect. I hate celery so much.

Coincidentally, at the same time, I learned that Brussels sprouts grown on these crazy tree things that are like 3 or 4 feet tall. What?! I did not know that. I thought they just popped out of the ground like tiny, tiny cabbages. You can go here to see pictures of a bunch of different vegetables, including celery and Brussels sprouts, growing in this dude's garden.

I learned some of the features of the geotagged photos on Flickr, just by playing with them. It's fun to see what pictures other people have taken of stuff right around where you live that you see every day. I spend way too much time on Flickr.

Finally, I learned that the big thrift store down at Cleveland and 161 sells suits and even tuxedo jackets. I don't know why that is surprising to me; I know that most thrift stores sell women's stuff like prom dresses, but I guess I had never seen full suits or thought that anyone would buy a tuxedo and then just donate it to the thrift store.

229

2007-10-04T23:29:00.000-05:00

Today, in true Wikipedia fashion, I started out looking up Korean funeral rituals and ended up learning about the term "going Dutch." I'll not try and recreate that line of thinking lest we all go a little crazy. The term originates from the Dutch custom of paying your own way on a date or outing, but it also came about due to some negative stereotypes about Dutch people being stingy or selfish.

Some other countries refer to going Dutch as "paying Roman style" or "American style." I guess Romans and Americans are also cheap bastards.

There is some interesting info on the Wikipedia page re: the etiquette of going Dutch vs the man paying for a date. Apparently there are some restaurants that have a "ladies' menu" that doesn't have prices on it, so not only does the lady not pay, she doesn't even see how much the meal cost. That is crazy! I wonder if the menu also has pictures instead of words so as not to strain the lady's brain with reading. I mean, I'm all for a free meal, don't get me wrong, but I do think the fairer sex can handle seeing how much our salad (dressing on the side) and cosmo is supposed to cost.

228

2007-10-03T23:08:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about eyeglasses. The first use of corrective lenses dates (possibly) back to the first century, when Nero used an emerald to watch games that were far away. "Reading stones" were made in the 9th century out of glass. The first proper eyeglasses were invented in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. There are some awesome paintings on Wikipedia of dudes from the olden times wearing some jacked up early glasses. Early nerds!

You know, I feel like, what the hell were people doing before they had glasses? At least two out of the like, five people I talk to on a regular basis (the boyfriend and the roommate) are practically nonfunctional without their glasses. People just had to go about their daily lives not being able to see across a room or read something they were holding in their hands. That seems like a real bitch. So thanks, Salvino D'Armate. Way to be an inventor.

227

2007-10-02T22:23:00.001-05:00

Today I learned about the weather in Fort Myers, Florida. The average high temperature is 80 in March and 85 in April. That is even warmer than Ft Lauderdale. Hmmm...I may has spring break after all! I also learned that Fort Myers is near Sanibel, where my parents went on vacation recently. Maybe I can ask them for tips.

I am so obsessed with vacation lately, that's probably not a good thing.

224, 225, 226

2007-10-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

Saturday I learned what a "ruby slipper" is: it's a shot of whiskey topped off with grenadine and dropped into a glass of 7-Up. It is not a glass of water and a shot of grenadine, which is what they gave me at Larry's. That was hilarious.

Sunday I learned that you can do a Priceline-esque hotel room purchase through Skybus. They have some rooms that you can book like normal, but they also have some that they can't tell you what they are until you've booked. You'll know the cost, hotel amenities and location, but that's it. I am too big of a wuss to book a hotel that way. If I was just going to stay there for one, maybe two nights, I might go for it, but for a longer vacation I don't see it happening.

I had something I wanted to do for today but I could not find anything useful on the topic...bad librarian! Instead I learned about "meat pies." I read this book that takes place in Australia, and characters kept eating "pies" all through the book, though I got the impression that they were not the delicious cherry or pecan pies that you or I might expect. Instead they were these, a sort of Hot Pocket meets pot pie convenience food. I uh...kind of want one. Except for that part in the Wikipedia article that talks about tongue roots and blood vessels.

222, 223

2007-09-28T17:54:00.000-05:00

Gah! Why do I keep forgetting about this blog?!

Thursday I learned some stuff about rabies. One interesting things is that, the one episode of Scrubs where Dr. Cox kills a bunch of people by transplanting rabies-infected organs into them? That has really happened. Skunks and raccoons are two of the big rabies carriers in the US. Remember when Matthew's girlfriend Ingrid got rabies and died on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman? That was hilarious.

Today I learned about www.abebooks.com and their "book sleuth," which is where you can post a book if you can't remember the title or author and people will help you figure out what it is. One day I will get around to posting my stupid horror story about the tiger (or whatever it was) and somebody better be able to help me.

220, 221

2007-09-26T22:09:00.001-05:00

Man, I had 2 good ideas for this blog today, but my attention span is not up for it. Instead I learned that the big black birds we saw on the rocks in La Jolla were Great Cormorants. They live in all kinds of different places around the world.

I also learned that chameleons don't really change their color to match their surroundings. They do change color, but they do it in response to their mood of physical state (temperature, health, etc). So, no purple chameleons with orange stripes like you see in the cartoons...unless he's in a purple with orange stripes kind of mood. Or wearing a sweater.

219

2007-09-24T21:42:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about a store called Muji. It's everywhere in Japan, and has stores in Europe, but is just now planning to open 2 stores in the US (in NY). It sounds sort of like Ikea in that it's supposed to be nice, well-designed stuff at a low price, but their big thing is that everything is as simple and neutral as possible. This article gives an example of a typical cutting board with a handle and a groove around it vs a Muji cutting board which would just be a block of wood. It seems like they sell everything from clothes to furniture to housewares. It sounds interesting.

216, 217, 218

2007-09-23T21:56:00.000-05:00

Friday I learned that "balaclava" is another name for a ski mask.

Saturday I learned that "shandy" is a type of beer flavored with/mixed with lemonade (or pop or something of that nature).

Today I learned that the Canon Elph is like the size of a pack of Trident gum. Waaaant. I am looking at new cameras b/c I want to ask for one for Christmas. It will be exciting.

214, 215

2007-09-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I learned that there are like, official levels of security for paper shredders. We got this awesome new shredder at work (nickname: the beast) that shreds CDs (yes, I tried it) and for some reason people keep having me shred stuff; I must clearly be pretty immature if everyone in the office knows how excited I'll get about putting stuff in a shredder. Anyway, ours is very nice and my boss said that it's a high security level; he said it was a level below the CIA level. I guess he was probably joking about that, but there are 6 different security levels for shredders. Ours looks like a level 3 or 4; it makes cool confetti. I have shredded 247 library card applications and a bunch of volunteer apps with private information on them. Also, if you stick your tongue to the outside of the shredder, it stops shredding b/c it knows you have your tongue on there. Yes, I'm sure.

Today I learned that a previous blog on Skybus was wrongers. They announced 4 new cities today, but none of them were Cancun or Nassau. Skybus is now going to be flying to Biloxi, Ft Myers, Chattanooga, and Milwaukee. I think they're flying to way too many places in Florida; I was hoping for something like the SC/Georgia area, or Texas or something. Somewhere I've never been.

213

2007-09-18T22:22:00.000-05:00

Today I learned what a "denier" is, and also other ways to measure textiles.

210, 211, 212

2007-09-17T20:37:00.001-05:00

Saturday I learned that one explanation for why "the clap" is called "the clap" is that guys would clap their wang in between their hands in order to expel pus out of the urethra when they were all grody and infected. Yikes. Grossest thing ever. (Other less terrifying explanations include a shortening of the old French word "clapier" which meant brothel. Yeah. Let's go with that one.)

Sunday I learned why DVDs and CDs always come out on Tuesdays; or, I sort of did. There are a lot of explanations (see here and here): the timing of sales figure releases, slow business on Tuesdays, not having to stock the shelves on a busy weekend night, etc. I think, in the end, that it's all of these reasons combined with the fact that Tuesday has been the release date for many years now and it's just when people know to look for new stuff.

Today I learned that Skybus may start selling tickets to Cancun and Nassau beginning in October. Hmmm. I can has spring break?

209

2007-09-14T23:23:00.000-05:00

Brusha brusha brusha....Today I learned about toothpaste: this is a very informative article even though it is obscenely outdated. Who knew that baking soda doesn't do anything and that Colgate Total is an awesome toothpaste? I'm a fiercely loyal Crest buyer (for...no actual reason) but I may try the Colgate Total. I am so obsessed with toothpaste. I once had someone think I was reenacting the scene from Home Alone where Kevin buys a toothbrush because I was standing in the aisle at WalMart for like 20 minutes all, "Is this one approved by the American Dental Association? I don't see it on the label."

208

2007-09-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

Today I tried to learn about "dewpoints" and "frostpoints" and stuff, but that was confusing. Instead I learned that the singer Mika is younger than me, born in April of '83. Dammit! Quit being younger than me, successful creative people! God. That's just rude.

207

2007-09-12T23:23:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about cabbage. I'm sort of obsessed with cabbage and coleslaw lately. I did not like coleslaw until 2004, when all of a sudden I did like it. Cabbage is very high in vitamin C...maybe I am lacking vitamin C and that's why I think about cabbage all the time? And want to eat copious amounts of KFC or Bob Evans coleslaw? I do not know.

Cabbage is related to broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and some other vegetables that you probably would have figured it was related to. You can make sauerkraut or kimchi with cabbage. You can also make coleslaw. Did I mention coleslaw? Because that comes from cabbage too.

206

2007-09-11T21:31:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about the different types of fillings you can get in your teeth. I do not want to talk about it. You can read here if you really want to.

204, 205

2007-09-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I learned what a "haruspex" is. A haruspex practices haruspicy, or the study of the entrails of dead animals that have been sacrificed. Being a haruspex is an ancient Greek thing. Also, a gross thing.

Today I learned that the population of Columbus is over 700,000. Include the metro area and you'll add a million onto that. That's a lot of people.

203

2007-09-08T22:55:00.000-05:00

OMG, I totally went reference librarian on today's blog. Twice in the past couple of weeks, this guy has come in (once with a younger lady and once with an older lady) to my work to make copies. They speak a little English but speak to each other in a different language. Before I really paid attention I just assumed they were speaking Spanish, but when I tuned in I realized that it definitely wasn't Spanish. At all. It also wasn't Portuguese or any language that kind of sounds like Spanish. It totally started driving me nuts and I HAD to figure out what language these people were speaking.

Well, I had only one real clue to go on...the stuff they were copying was documents from Oaxaca, Mexico. So just now I went to a Wikipedia article on indigenous languages of the Americas. On that page I found a map of Mexico with different regions colored in to show what languages are common in which areas. I then opened up a new tab and went to the Wikipedia article on Oaxaca, Mexico to see where in Mexico that is. I compared the two maps, and the most widespread native language in the Oaxaca area is Zapoteco. Finally, I went to the Wikipedia article on the Zapotec language, where it's confirmed that the majority of Zapotec speakers live in the state of Oaxaca. Woohoo! I feel very smart. Obviously I have no way of confirming that this is the language that my customer speaks (without, um, asking him, but that seems kind of overly nosy), but I think it is a good guess. I think this was some pretty slick librarian work, if I do say so myself. Somebody give me a damn job.

202

2007-09-07T21:37:00.001-05:00

Ok, first of all, do not read this and PLEASE do not click on the links if you are squeamish/super sensitive about tiny baby animals. I have a decent tolerance for hearing about gross things but this one almost puts me over the edge.

Today I learned about balut, which is a Vietnamese delicacy. Balut is a fertilized duck egg where you take the egg, boil it with the baby duck growing inside of it, and then eat the egg and the dead baby duck--beak, bones, tiny feathers and all. It looks like some weird, veiny testicle/eyeball/fetus blob. People might have heard of this because I guess they ate it on Survivor and Fear Factor (I could never watch Fear Factor b/c I was afraid the people would vomit), but I saw it on a travel show or something a year or two ago. For some reason it came up earlier today (why?) and I re-looked it up. This really grosses me out. I know there's nothing wrong with it and eggs and meat in general is all just as gross, but for some reason balut is too much for me. You can read about eating one here.

201

2007-09-06T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about the iPod Touch. I don't know how long people have been talking about it but I only heard about it today. It basically looks like the iPhone except it's just an iPod, not a phone. It does look pretty cool and I like how skinny it is. Jared assures me that it is highly scratch-proof even though it looks fragile to me. They come out on Sept 30, in 8 and 16 GB. I mean, I'm not getting one or anything. They just look neat.

200

2007-09-05T23:45:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about Ferdinand Magellan, mainly that he took 270 people with him on his journey to circumnavigate the globe, and only 18 made it back to Spain alive. Yikes. (Magellan was not one of the 18, by the way.) Also, he took five ships with him initially: Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepcion, Victoria, and Santiago. Three years after they left, only Victoria made it back.

199

2007-09-04T22:47:00.000-05:00

Today I learned that the back seat in the Civic hybrid doesn't fold down, because that's where the battery is. One sentence blog entries suck, but that's all I got.

196, 197, 198

2007-09-03T22:09:00.001-05:00

Saturday I learned the etymology of the word "lollygag," because it is a funny word. Etymonline.com says "dawdle, dally," 1862, lallygag, Amer.Eng., perhaps from dial. lolly "tongue" + gag "deceive, trick." The Word Detective has this to say:

Unfortunately, the origin of "lollygag" is unknown, but there are clues from which we may, perhaps, be able to extrapolate the roots of "lollygag." ("Extrapolate" in this context, by the way, is a fancy word for "guess.")

First up in the batting order of possible "lollygag" clues is "loll," which is a very old word originally meaning "to droop or dangle." We use "loll" today to mean to relax or pass time idly, the sort of behavior that vacations are designed to encourage. There seems to be a plausible connection between this "utterly relaxed" meaning of "loll" and the "wasting time" sense of "lollygag."

Another bit of evidence might be found in the fact that "to loll" also means to let your tongue hang out, and that "lolly" is an English slang term for tongue (quite possibly the source of the name of our friend the lollipop, by the way). Perhaps "lollygagging" arose from the perception that lazy lollygaggers were adept at exercising only one muscle -- their tongues.

Sunday I learned about the Waffle House. How did I learn that? BY GOING THERE. Oh yes, I am a Waffle House virgin no longer. Despite scary numbers of flies and the possibility of getting a breakfast meal completely covered in cheese, I have to say that my food (pecan waffle and a side of bacon) was actually super good. I love waffles and I love pecans. I want all my waffles to have pecans from now on. Um, as for a specific learning, I learned that you pay up at the register and not at your table. That was a funny night. Nice meeting you, Waffle House.

Today I learned about sushi. All I did really was read the article on Wikipedia, but it had a lot of information in it. I learned about the different types, like nigiri-zushi (the blob of rice with a piece of fish sitting on tip of it) versus maki-zushi (rolled sushi). I learned about some things that can go in sushi such as "gobo" which is a type of vegetable and "masago" which is a type of fish egg. I actually do not eat sushi mostly because of the different vegetables like cucumber and raw carrot that are always showing up in there. There is almost no raw vegetable that I like, and cucumber is especially heinous. Other than that it all sounds pretty good.

195

2007-08-31T22:47:00.001-05:00

Today I learned what a "comma heel" is on a shoe. It's...a heel that's shaped like a comma. Well hell, that seems pretty self-explanatory, doesn't it? But I'd never even heard the term before. Basically it looks like you're wearing regular heels and then somebody kicked you from behind and curved them in a bit. Looks kind of stupid, I think.

194

2007-08-30T20:55:00.000-05:00

Today I learned what "Indochina" refers to. It officially only includes Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam but can also generically include Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.

I came across this term while looking at a librarian job posting in San Diego which I want but will never ever apply for because I have no testicles. Figuratively, I mean. Literally I am PACKING HEAT! No, that's gross. I'm sorry.

193

2007-08-29T23:35:00.000-05:00

Today I learned that the IKEA down near Cincinnati will be opening in spring of '08. Eeeeee! Look out, bank account; this is not going to be pretty. (But the furniture will be pretty. So, sooo pretty.)

192

2007-08-28T20:58:00.000-05:00

Today at work I learned some tricks for trying to find specific Cliffs Notes in the catalog. This kid wanted Cliffs Notes for Slaughterhouse-Five and Oedipus Rex but I wasn't sure how to look them up other than to just scroll through the list. Our librarian told me to do a KW search for a word form the title or the author's name and the word "notes." This was very helpful, although it didn't specifically work for Slaughterhouse-Five because we just looked under the word "slaughterhouse" without the "-Five" and the computer is retarded.

I know these library blogs are probably the most boring, but they're actually the most useful to my life so you can just get over it. ;)

191

2007-08-28T09:06:00.000-05:00

Monday I learned that there was a total lunar eclipse early Tuesday morning, and that it was going to be the best in 7 years. There was going to be over an hour of darkness. Unfortunately I did not see any of it because I had to go to bed for work. Grrrr adulthood.

184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190

2007-08-26T21:19:00.000-05:00

Yikes. OK kittens, I've been putting this off but I think the time has finally come. Here for your pleasure is a huge list of things I learned on vacation and in the 2 days since.

1.) Where did the name Shamu come from? According to seaworld.org, "Many stories exist about the origin of Shamu's name. One revolves around the first collected killer whale that was named Namu after a British Columbian town. When SeaWorld welcomed its first killer whale, it was named Shamu, for 'She-Namu.'" That sounds like bull, but whatever.

2.) I learned that blackwater is "a term used for sewage containing fecal matter, in contrast with greywater, which is the waste water from kitchen sink drains, washing machines, and other washings."

3.) Mount Soledad in San Diego is 822 feet high.

4.) I learned that I can live in one of these rad condo things in La Jolla for the low low price of two and a half million dollars. HAHAHA! That's funny. They are pretty sweet though. Why don't I have two and a half million dollars?

5.) I learned that Giverny is this place in France where a ton of impressionist painters, including Monet, lived and worked. They hung out at the Hotel Baudy and painted lots of pictures of haystacks. I saw an exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art: more here.

6.) If you want to avoid stepping on a stingray that's laying on the sand underwater, you should shuffle your feet as you walk. This is especially true in calmer waters.

7.) At the science center I learned about the Horsehead Nebula and how stars form in these nebulae. I watched a cool video on it. Um, I'm like real dumb or whatever, so I don't remember a lot of it, but it was pretty interesting and I did learn some stuff, I promise. You can look here or somewhere similar if you need a simple explanation.

179, 180, 181, 182, 183

2007-08-19T20:31:00.000-05:00

Wednesday I learned how to set a library account to ignore your holds while you're on vacation. I already knew how to do it through the regular catalog/website, but I did not know how to do it at work. Or, I sort of did, but I didn't know how to format the date. Now I know.

Thursday I learned about AC adapters for laptop computers. Ugh. Mine spontaneously burned up on Thursday night, and it was retardedly difficult to find a new one. I found a "universal" adapter at Best Buy that works with over 6,300 models of computer...but not mine. I guess the more common ones are like a circular shaped plug thing, but mine is a big old plug shaped like a house with the roof partially chopped off, and four holes in it. Yeah, I dunno. It's like that one specific model of Toshiba that has such a messed up cord. Anyway, nobody could find it in a store so I'll have to order one online.

Friday I learned some work-related gossip. Oh snap! You'll have to ask me about that one, can't be posting it online.

Saturday I learned that you can buy 2 kinds of pancake mix. Some of it you have to add oil and eggs and water to, and some of it just needs water. Why would you get the kind that needs all that stuff? Isn't it always easier to just add water? Maybe they taste better, although a pancake pretty much just tastes like a pancake, as far as I'm concerned.

Today I learned how to check in and print your boarding pass online when you fly Skybus.

Please excuse these ridiculously delayed entries. My computer's been dead since Thursday so I haven't had much of a chance to post anything. I also won't be able to blog again until at least this coming Friday, because I'll be on vacation until then. But I'm sure I will learn lots of cool things on my trip that you will looooove to hear about. See you then!

178

2007-08-14T23:01:00.000-05:00

Today I learned where the "system restore" thing is on my computer. I always forget where to go to do that and I have to call my dad or look it up or whatever. But this time I will remember it.

177

2007-08-13T22:34:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about circulation policy at OSU, namely who can and cannot come in and check things out. From the OSU site:

Who can check out books?

OSU students, faculty and staff have borrowing privileges, as do patrons who have a valid ID from any OhioLINK school.

If I am not affiliated with OSU, is there any way I can check out books?
If you are an OSU alumni and belong to the alumni association, you have borrowing privileges. You simply need to apply for a Courtesy Card at the Sullivant or Ackerman Libraries Circulation Desks. OSU graduates must belong to the alumni association in order to obtain borrowing privileges.

You can join the Friends of the Library for an annual fee of $45, which will entitle you to a Courtesy Card.

Please inquire at the circulation desk for more information about Courtesy Cards.

175, 176

2007-08-12T22:03:00.000-05:00

1.) There was some discussion today on the meaning of the word "vase," mainly weather when pronounced to rhyme with "face" it means something different than when pronounced to rhyme with "bras." It was suggested that "rhymes-with-bras" refers to a decorative object while "rhymes with face" is just any old thing you stick flowers in. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if it was true. It turns out not to be, though. None of the sources I checked (Wikipedia, the OED, and Merriam-Webster online) says anything other than that they are variant pronunciations. MW actually breaks it down pretty well, while also throwing in "rhymes-with-days" as a third pronuciation (fucking Canadians): US oftenest ˈvās; Canada usually & US also ˈvāz; British usually, Canada also, & US sometimes ˈväz.

2.) I also learned today, kind of, about tides. The Wikipedia article is a freaking 90-page report on the subject, and therefore was not particularly helpful to me since I would have to spend more than 4 seconds reading it. I also checked on Howstuffworks.com. It still does not fully make sense to me with regard to the water actually moving around on the Earth and rising up higher on whatever particular beach you happen to be standing on, but I get that the pull of the moon bulges out the Earth on the sides closest to and farthest away from the moon. This happens, for the most part, twice a day: two high tides and two low tides. Eh. Thinking is hard.

173, 174

2007-08-10T19:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I learned that the word "stanchion" means a vertical support post or beam. Thus, if one were to use this word in reference to those little stands and ropes they use to control lines (think of the ticket line at the Easton movies), one would be wrong. You could argue that the little vertical posts that connect the ropes are stanchions, but they aren't really being used to support anything (such as a porch, a ceiling, or a railing) in the correct sense. So suck on that, snooty post-it writers of the world.

Today I learned that that sound I thought was a mourning dove really is a mourning dove. That might seem like lame learnings to you, but you try looking that shit up on the internet. Googling "woo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo" probably sets of some kind of national security alarm for crazy.

171, 172

2007-08-08T23:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I learned that the bassist currently touring with Nickel Creek is Mark Schatz. He clogs. Awesome.

Today I learned what a "merkin" is. Yeah. Thanks to my roommate for filling me in on that one. We're weird.

170

2007-08-06T22:48:00.000-05:00

Today I learned why barns are red. It was in the Dispatch's "who knew" article where they take interesting reference questions that the library has been asked and puts them in the paper.

Q: Why are barns painted red?

A: Centuries ago, European farmers sealed the wood on their barns with a mixture of linseed oil, milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint -- more of a burnt-orange red than the fire-engine red of today -- that dried and hardened quickly. Two main theories explain how the oil mixture became traditionally red: Either blood, from a recent slaughter, or rust was added. Rust -- plentiful on farms -- acts as a poison to many fungi, including wood-decaying threats such as mold and moss. Red on barns became fashionable in the 1800s, when red paint was the most inexpensive; it remained in favor until whitewash became cheaper.

167, 168, 169

2007-08-05T20:23:00.000-05:00

Friday I learned that generalized itching without a rash can be a symptom of Hodgkin's lymphoma, so now I'm convinced that I have that.

Saturday I learned that season 3 of The Office is coming out on DVD on September 4. Season 3 was kind of disappointing to me, but I will still buy the DVD. They always have good extras. BUT GUESS WHAT ELSE. 30 Rock also comes out on DVD that day! Now that I'm excited about.

Today I learned the recipe for a "brandy Alexander:" 1.5 ounces of brandy, 1 ounce dark creme de cacao, 1 ounce of half and half or heavy cream, and 1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg. Brandy Alexander is also an awesome, awesome song off of Feist's latest CD, The Reminder. Give it a listen.

165, 166

2007-08-02T23:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I learned how bumper cars work. I'm pretty tired, you can look it up yourself if you're curious. I don't remember what all I looked at.

Today I learned about cryptozoology and some awesome imaginary/extinct/super-rare animals that you can learn about here. Some of that shit that sounds totally crazy, you can bet those mofos are or were living out there deep in the jungle our way the hell out in the middle of nowhere, and we're all like "yeah, sure, THAT'S a real thing." But you know some of them are.

164

2007-07-31T22:02:00.000-05:00

Today I learned that McDonalds and some other fast food places in American cities with large Muslim populations offer halal chicken nuggets. That's random, I know, but it's that kind of day.

163

2007-07-30T20:32:00.000-05:00

Today, by request, I looked up the word "pussy." First usage dates from the 1500s as a term of endearment for a girl or woman; 1726 shows a diminutive form of "puss" meaning cat or rabbit. The 1800s is when it first appears as slang for lady parts--"perhaps from O.N. puss 'pocket, pouch' (cf. Low Ger. puse "vulva"), but perhaps instead from the cat word on notion of 'soft, warm, furry thing.'" Eew. Hehe.

I thought I had already looked this up, but I looked up the etymology of "bunny" which overlaps in places.

161, 162

2007-07-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

Saturday I learned what cat scratch fever is...not the song. It's a bacteria that cats (usually kittens) carry in their blood and can transmit to people through scratches. It causes symptoms like fever, headache, pain, and mental alteration, but it is usually mild and resolves itself quickly.

Today I learned about skunks. Skunk spray comes from 2 glands on either side of the anus. The spray can be accurately aimed up to 10 feet away. It can cause skin irritation and temporary blindness, and is strong enough to be smelled from at least a mile away. One time a skunk got run over down by the high school, and I could smell it in my room for at least two nights. Fortunately skunks don't spray that often because they don't "carry" that much spray at a time. It is legal in some states to own a domesticated pet skunk. Ohio is one of those states, as long as you have a permit. There was a skunk in our patio tonight, and Fudgems was shitting his pants over it. If Fudgems is whining like a kindergarten girl, you can bet there's some weird creature in the patio.

160

2007-07-27T23:33:00.000-05:00

Today I learned what German chocolate pie is. It looks kind of like a pecan pie, but it has pecans, chocolate, and coconut in it. Mmmm. Well, I mean, I haven't had any yet, but I bought one. It's gonna be good, I can tell.

159

2007-07-26T20:21:00.000-05:00

Today I learned that the word "factoid" originally meant something that wasn't true. The OED says: "Something that becomes accepted as a fact, although it is not (or may not be) true; spec. an assumption or speculation reported and repeated so often that it is popularly considered true; a simulated or imagined fact." I think most people have come to use it to mean a piece of trivia or like a "mini-fact." That's how I use it.

I also learned this in the book that I'm reading.

158

2007-07-25T18:48:00.000-05:00

Today I learned the word "antimacassar:" a covering to protect the back or arms of furniture. From anti & macassar meaning oil; the antimacassar will keep your greasy hair off the good furniture. I had honestly never heard this word before. It's in the book I'm reading.

157

2007-07-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

Today I learned how to sync a Wiimote, and some other things about setting up a Wii. We got our Wii at work last week and today various people were scheduled to go out in the meeting room and play with it, to get used to how it works. Well I was not one of those people, but I had a free hour so I invited myself out there. I helped get it set up for the first time and demonstrated for some people how to play Wii sports and Wii Play. I felt kind of smart. I know it's not hard, but still. Also, who gets paid to play video games for an hour? It was pretty sweet. I made miis of myself and one other guy I work with, and then other staff members proceeded to make the two of us box for the next hour. I thought it was hilarious.

156

2007-07-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

Um, today I learned a new dirty term but I'm too embarrassed to put it in my blog. Instead I learned about traffic light sensors, which was way more complicated than I had imagined. I accidentally learned extra stuff. Dammit.

152, 153, 154, 155

2007-07-22T17:18:00.000-05:00

Thursday I learned about this thing called Fiddler's Green. It's this imaginary land that sailors talk about, where everything is happy and people continuously dance and play the fiddle. The legend says that you can find the place by putting your oar over your shoulder and then walking inland until people ask you what you're carrying.

Friday I learned about the iPhone. I played with one at the Apple store at Easton. It was pretty cool and easy to figure out. I guess you can buy me one if you really want to.

Saturday I learned that Alan Ruck was 29 when he played Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Jeez, that's old. I knew he and Matthew Broderick were not high school aged when they made that movie, but 29 is pushing it.

Today I learned that "pico de gallo" is Spanish for "rooster's beak." That is crazy, that I never knew that and I never thought to look it up or anything either.

151

2007-07-18T23:48:00.000-05:00

Today I learned a bunch of crap about how to use Excel. It was really basic and really easy, but honestly I did not know how to do most of it. That's one program that I just never use. As an Englilsh major and in my regular life I've never used it on my own so I never learned all the billion things you can do. Today mostly I learned about the basic functions and a lot of stuff about formatting and moving stuff around. It was a pretty good class, especially when we condensed 3.5 hours worth of material into 1.5 hours. That's how I like to do things.

150

2007-07-17T22:10:00.000-05:00

Today I learned that the slang phrase "flip a bitch" means to make a U-turn. I learned this while reading the Wikipedia article on the word "bitch," which is just hilarious in general because it is very serious while the word bitch is very, very funny. Unless you are directing it at me or another girl who you shouldn't be directing it at. Then I will bitch slap you.

149

2007-07-16T20:04:00.000-05:00

Today I learned where 315 goes if you keep driving on it North past 270. I had driven on it north of Powell Road and south of 270, but never the stretch in between. I'm all, "oh there's Mt. Air! I see."

148

2007-07-15T20:28:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about General Tso, more properly known as Zuo Zongtang. He was a Chinese military leader who faught in China's largest civil war, the Taiping Rebellion during the 1850s/60s. The chicken dish was named after him, but no one really knows why. One story is that his wife made it for him once after a battle and he really loved it, but it's more likely that someone just stuck his name on there because they wanted their dish associated with a famous Chinese person.

146, 147

2007-07-14T12:37:00.000-05:00

Friday I learned some trivia about birthday cakes. They became popular in the middle 19th century. Putting the words "happy birthday" on them did not start happening until the "happy birthday to you" song caught on in the early 1900s.

Today I learned about pinhole cameras. This has always been kind of a confusing concept for me, I don't know why. Important things to know are that the hole should be as small as possible, the material that you punch the hole in should be as thin as possible, and that the diameter of the hole should be about 100 times smaller than the distance to whatever you're taking the image on.

145

2007-07-13T00:52:00.000-05:00

Today I tried to learn about the JJ Abrams movie coming out in January. All I got was that it's code named Cloverfield and that, seriously, nobody knows anything. Apparently this Slusho website is connected somehow; one of the characters in the trailer is wearing a Slusho t-shirt. There's also this cool site where you can go to obsess over every tiny detail until they give us more info.

144

2007-07-11T18:15:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about what they are doing with Wyandot Lake. I think I went to Wyandot Lake once, ever. I was kind of too little to do anything good. I do need to go to the zoo still this summer, though.

143

2007-07-10T22:27:00.000-05:00

Today I learned Sunday's M-W word of the day because I am lazy and because I already knew today's word and yesterday's. The word "cavil" means to raise trivial and frivolous objection. Hey, I do that!

142

2007-07-09T22:20:00.000-05:00

Today I learned about drive-in movies, although I got a couple of kind of differing accounts. The basic point is that the drive-in movie was invented in 1933 by Richard Hollingshead. He plopped a projector on the top of his car and started showing movies on either his garage door or a screen that he nailed to some trees. Other people took interest and he started a company. The movies didn't really catch on as a fad/widespread thing until the 50s and 60s, though.

One reason that drive-ins fell off was the growing cost of real estate; the theaters could really only operate at night and during the warm months, and it was just too expensive to keep that big empty plot of land open for that.

You know what I think would be a good idea? They should have drive-ins in big parking lots during the summer. Think about it: over at Easton or somewhere like that, everything shuts down by 10 or 11 at night. Why not have people fill up one of those big lots and show the movie on the side of Macy's or something? The place is just sitting there empty. Might as well use it. I dunno, I'd go.

141

2007-07-08T17:42:00.000-05:00

"What the hell is malt?" I wondered to myself while watching the Food Network.

Well, it comes from grains...the malt process involves letting the grains germinate and then quickly drying them. It can then go in beer or whatever; a byproduct goes into malted milk which makes Whoppers and milk shakes and stuff. I am not a big fan.

140

2007-07-08T00:10:00.000-05:00

Here is the scoop on how they get Elphaba so green for performances of Wicked. Makeup, powder, spray fixatives, green bodysuit...that's crazy.

137, 138, 139

2007-07-06T13:54:00.000-05:00

And for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:

The Broadway production of Wicked opened in October of 2003.

The actors who play Fiyero and Elpie in the natioinal tour of Wicked are engaged (aww!).

The Ohio Theatre opened in 1928 as a movie house.

I'm going to see Wicked tonight, if you couldn't tell. ;)

132, 133, 134, 135, 136

2007-07-05T21:52:00.000-05:00

Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later. I totally slacked off for an entire week and didn't do my blog. I honestly have been very busy/not home much, but I'll admit that I was mostly lazy. The good news is that this long hiatus almost prompted me to just give up on the project entirely, but somehow today I guilted myself into coming back. Anyway, for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday:

The Clash's "Rock the Casbah" was inspired by the ban on rock music in Iran. The Clash is all, "Forget that! Let's rock the casbah!" I agree, boys.

There is a whole list of songs that Clear Channel made up after 9-11 that their radio stations were not supposed to play for a while after the attacks. It seems kind of retarded to me; I mean, off the top of my head, the list includes Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" but not "The Only Living Boy in New York." Stupid.

I learned, um, some things about COTA and how the COTA buses work, but not enough to actually catch the bus I wanted to catch. Still. I know more than I did before.

I learned how far a walk it is from Lane Avenue to Vet's Memorial (4 miles).

One reason why we don't pee while we're sleeping at night is that the body produces an antidiuretic every evening. This keeps the kidneys from producing much urine, so your bladder isn't full until morning. The other reason is that you learn to wake up if your bladder feels full.

More tomorrow.

131

2007-06-28T19:13:00.000-05:00

According to John Krasinski on Letterman: A "greyhound" is vodka and grapefruit juice. I don't like grapefruit juice.

But I do like John Krasinski.

Oh snap!

130

2007-06-27T23:55:00.001-05:00

Today I learned about this thing called "indigo children." This is a kind of New Age term for children who have certain characteristics (sense of entitlement, trouble with authority, thinking outside the box, stubborn, easily frustrated) and who are also believed to have some supernatural-type abilities (ESP, telepathy, extreme longevity). Coincidentally, a lot of these kids are named things like Dusk and Jade. Actual science really has no interest in all this. That community feels like at best kids with these qualities are just a new generation of kids who are kind of spoiled and poorly brought up, and at worst they are kids with Asperger's, autism, or ADHD who are going undiagnosed/untreated.

People are nuts, if you ask me.

129

2007-06-26T23:50:00.000-05:00

Something from the Straight Dope for today. Something I had actually wondered about: why the "U" shaped, open-front seats on toilets in public restrooms? The answer is because people (mostly men, it says, though women always freaking leave drips there too when they get up) drip/splash on the front of the seat there, so the solution is to leave that part of the seat off. Genius, no? Well...no. I mean, it doesn't make that much sense to me. People are still going to drip/splash on the rim of the toilet in that same spot. You still have to look at the drip/splash, and you don't sit on that part of the seat anymore than you sit on the rim of the toilet up there, so...I don't know. I guess they don't have to make sense, I just have to learn 'em.