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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.

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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.

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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.)

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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. ;)

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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.

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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.

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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!