Eyeballs really can pop out of one’s head. But I’m getting ahead of my story.
We have just returned from a six week vacation from winter. Southern California was warm and sunny for 5 of those weeks and we sopped it up. My Puritan DNA was put on hold and, as Agnes Gooch in the movie Auntie Mame declared, “We lived!”
My husband and I decided to rent a furnished apartment from one of the many Irvine Company complexes. We chose the place where hubby suffered a sun burnt tongue. Actually the tongue had a couple of years to heal because we first looked at the model apartments a while ago. How did his tongue get burned you wonder?
The address of the Rental Office was a bit vague. We turned into the Villas, parked, and headed for what we thought was the main office. Quickly we realized our mistake. This was one of the apartment complexes and we needed to go across the street. I got back into the car, expecting to see hubby follow. He wasn’t there. It seems that he was struck dumb, mouth open and tongue hanging, watching the ladies at the pool. “Just wondering where all the men were” was his lame excuse.
Eventually we made it to the correct office and gathered brochures and information. This winter those brochures became reality. We returned to the scene of the sunburn to take possession of our two bedroom fully furnished apartment.
Our Dolce Vita was about to begin. After settling in, we headed for the beach. Driving down PCH (that’s Pacific Coast Highway 1 to you), we dodged three yellow Lamborghinis*. Yellow’s such a flashy color! Actually the laid back hues on the several Jaguars* and Mercedes* were more to my taste. Our modest rental car boasted Oregon plates so those Lamborghinis could just suck it up.
We quickly began to acclimate to the California Lifestyle. Nearly everyday we walked the “Mountains to the Sea” bike/hike trail that runs along the San Diego Creek part of the way to its destinations. How we envied those spandex* clad bikers with their speed bikes and classy helmets. We could only hope to emulate the hikers, joggers, and dog walkers.
Hubby walks a bit slower than I do but usually manages to keep within 50 feet of my lead. He enjoyed our walks but knew he had made it to Nirvana on our last walk. As we neared the end of our daily route we saw a hand-holding couple on roller blades coming towards us. The grey haired, 60+ gentleman looked fit in his head to toe black spandex and helmet. His lovely companion, cum “trophy wife,” was a blond goddess in her equally tight black outfit and Lamborghini stylish head gear. Hand and hand they skated past me and then past hubby.
When a decent interval had passed, I signaled two thumbs up. I dared not turn back; no man wants his wife to see him drooling all over his Nike's*. Unfortunately hubby missed the signal. His eyeballs had popped right out of his head and they were rolling into the Creek bed. Or maybe he was a lot closer than 50 feet… La Dolce Vita indeed.
*Note: Lamborghini, Jaguar, Mercedes, spandex (aka Lycra), and Nike are all registered trademarks of the following companies--in order--Automobili Lamborghini SpA, Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC, Mercedes-Benz USA LLC, INVISTA, and Nike, Inc.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Internet Can Still Be Fun
There remain a number of pleasant surprises on the Internet. It’s not all email, Twitter, Facebook, and GOOGLE. Amazing sites are there for the viewing. Here are some of my favorites.
Starting with ArchNet, the Virtual Library of Archeology http://archnet.asu.edu/ , one can select general information for the lay person interested in historical artifacts and places at http://archnet.asu.edu/resources/Selected_Resources/General%20Information.php . A fun place to begin is the History of Plumbing, http://www.theplumber.com/index.html#history , where you can learn about the plumbing arrangements of the ancients as well as current topics in toilets. Don’t miss the “Historic Explosions” link and the “Attack of the Japanese Toilets”!
Stay with the general audience Archeological sites a bit longer and visit by continent, country, or region. A plethora of interesting links lure you into worlds you have only dreamt about, like The Ancient China site, http://www.crystalinks.com/china.html , The Shrines and Temples of Japan with Buddhist sculpture, http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/japan/japan.html , and The Prehistoric Art of the Pyrenees, http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/app/eng/artprepy.htm .
Literary websites abound. If you have a craving for all things Bard, try the Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet site, http://shakespeare.palomar.edu Here you will find study guides, criticism, timelines, festivals, and fascinating minutiae about Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
Something quite different is to be found at the New York University Medical School’s Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database, http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Main?action=new . Their mission statement explains: “This site, established in 1994 at New York University School of Medicine, is dedicated to providing a resource for scholars, educators, students, patients, and others who are interested in the work of medical humanities. We define the term "medical humanities" broadly to include an interdisciplinary field of humanities (literature, philosophy, ethics, history and religion), social science (anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, sociology), and the arts (literature, theater, film, and visual arts) and their application to medical education and practice. The humanities and arts provide insight into the human condition, suffering, personhood, our responsibility to each other, and offer a historical perspective on medical practice.” This site offers medical student’s annotations on art, film and literature. To date the site features 142 Art 223 Film , and 2470 Literature Annotations for 1534 Authors and 89 artists. At present annotations utilize 138 keywords.
If you’re a mystery fan like me, don’t miss The Cornerstones section of the world’s-best-detective-crime-and-murder-mystery-books.com website, http://www.worlds-best-detective-crime-and-murder-mystery-books.com/cornerstones.html The best of classical mystery writing has been selected. The Cornerstones section covers writers from Poe to the “moderns” who wrote in the 1930s. Access to the Haycraft-Queen Definitive Library of Detective, Crime, and Mystery Fiction: A Reader’s List of Detective Story Cornerstones is available. This site is nirvana for classic mystery fans.
For all you history buffs, you must see Fordham University’s Sourcebooks. My favorites are the Medieval, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/Sbook.html and Ancient History, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.html links, but the “world’s your onion” as far as subjects go. There is a Modern History link http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html as well for those of you who wish to repeat the mistakes of the past.
One of the sites I frequent is Arts and Letters Daily, http://www.aldaily.com/ . The site is owned and operated by The Chronicle of Higher Education and provides book reviews, commentaries, and articles of current interest. The arts, biography, and education are featured. It’s a rare day not to find something to capture your imagination. Links to daily and Sunday newspapers, popular magazines and ezines, and music stations are provided along the left hand column. It’s a must for your Favorites Files!
There are many other websites I visit for fun. If a bit of learning rubs off in the process, that’s all the better. Happy Surfing.
Starting with ArchNet, the Virtual Library of Archeology http://archnet.asu.edu/ , one can select general information for the lay person interested in historical artifacts and places at http://archnet.asu.edu/resources/Selected_Resources/General%20Information.php . A fun place to begin is the History of Plumbing, http://www.theplumber.com/index.html#history , where you can learn about the plumbing arrangements of the ancients as well as current topics in toilets. Don’t miss the “Historic Explosions” link and the “Attack of the Japanese Toilets”!
Stay with the general audience Archeological sites a bit longer and visit by continent, country, or region. A plethora of interesting links lure you into worlds you have only dreamt about, like The Ancient China site, http://www.crystalinks.com/china.html , The Shrines and Temples of Japan with Buddhist sculpture, http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/japan/japan.html , and The Prehistoric Art of the Pyrenees, http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/app/eng/artprepy.htm .
Literary websites abound. If you have a craving for all things Bard, try the Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet site, http://shakespeare.palomar.edu Here you will find study guides, criticism, timelines, festivals, and fascinating minutiae about Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
Something quite different is to be found at the New York University Medical School’s Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database, http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Main?action=new . Their mission statement explains: “This site, established in 1994 at New York University School of Medicine, is dedicated to providing a resource for scholars, educators, students, patients, and others who are interested in the work of medical humanities. We define the term "medical humanities" broadly to include an interdisciplinary field of humanities (literature, philosophy, ethics, history and religion), social science (anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, sociology), and the arts (literature, theater, film, and visual arts) and their application to medical education and practice. The humanities and arts provide insight into the human condition, suffering, personhood, our responsibility to each other, and offer a historical perspective on medical practice.” This site offers medical student’s annotations on art, film and literature. To date the site features 142 Art 223 Film , and 2470 Literature Annotations for 1534 Authors and 89 artists. At present annotations utilize 138 keywords.
If you’re a mystery fan like me, don’t miss The Cornerstones section of the world’s-best-detective-crime-and-murder-mystery-books.com website, http://www.worlds-best-detective-crime-and-murder-mystery-books.com/cornerstones.html The best of classical mystery writing has been selected. The Cornerstones section covers writers from Poe to the “moderns” who wrote in the 1930s. Access to the Haycraft-Queen Definitive Library of Detective, Crime, and Mystery Fiction: A Reader’s List of Detective Story Cornerstones is available. This site is nirvana for classic mystery fans.
For all you history buffs, you must see Fordham University’s Sourcebooks. My favorites are the Medieval, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/Sbook.html and Ancient History, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.html links, but the “world’s your onion” as far as subjects go. There is a Modern History link http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html as well for those of you who wish to repeat the mistakes of the past.
One of the sites I frequent is Arts and Letters Daily, http://www.aldaily.com/ . The site is owned and operated by The Chronicle of Higher Education and provides book reviews, commentaries, and articles of current interest. The arts, biography, and education are featured. It’s a rare day not to find something to capture your imagination. Links to daily and Sunday newspapers, popular magazines and ezines, and music stations are provided along the left hand column. It’s a must for your Favorites Files!
There are many other websites I visit for fun. If a bit of learning rubs off in the process, that’s all the better. Happy Surfing.
Friday, January 01, 2010
Happy New Year from the San Andreas Fault
New Year greetings from the San Andreas Fault in southern California. Some scientific evidence seems to point to a higher incidence of earthquakes when the moon is full and the ground is saturated with water deeply underground. December 31 provided a Full Moon and December 30 provided the rain. It also brought a quake just over the Mexican border, so maybe the geologists have come up with a tectonic rule of thumb.
If you like rules of thumb, there is a fun website that specializes in them. So, start the New Year out with really useful information...I don't know if the full moon/deep water rule is valid, but enjoy the following from Rules of Thumb from http://www.rulesofthumb.org/ accessed 12/30 and 12/31/2009.
1. To succeed against all possible odds, count on at least 1 in 4 things going wrong. In other words, you need a 33 percent margin of safety. If you have to have 30 of something, plan to make 40. Stanley J. Goodman, How to Manage a Turnaround
2. Three out of five people hang up on answering machines. Betty Merritt, Florist, R.R. Springville, Iowa, USA
3. Genuine emotion is always expressed with the entire body. When uncertain of a person's sincerity, watch their shoulders. You should doubt anyone who is speaking with strong emotion and relaxed shoulders. D. Klein, painter, Brooklyn, New York
4. Liars touch and scratch their nose, lean forward, and use words like would not or could not rather than contractions like wouldn't or couldn't. Scott Parker
5. One elephant will provide as much meat as 100 antelopes. Pygmy hunters in the Ituri forest of Zaire, from NOVA
6. When placed in a bowl of water, a fresh egg will sink and lie on its side. An egg that's not fresh but still edible will sink and stand partially erect on its tapered end. A rotten egg will float. David Hechler, writer, Rockport, Texas
7. If you need to locate a stud in a stick-framed wall, remember that most electricians are right handed. Find an outlet, and tap the wall directly to its left. The odds are in your favor that the stud will be there, and you can measure away from it in 16-inch increments to find other studs. Art McAfee, in Fine Homebuilding, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
8. An igloo should be built in an area where the snow is packed just loose enough to make a footprint, but not so loose that a footprint blows away in a high wind. Dennis Eskow, science editor, Popular Mechanics
9. Spraying is fast but is the least durable, rolling on paint is better but, if you want the job to last, the best is the good old paint brush. Dick Gehring, Consultant, NY
10. Water weighs roughly 8 lbs per gallon, as does milk and other similarly watery substances. Craig, University professor
11a. When taking a test: 1.Think long--think wrong. 2. Nine out of ten times, your first answer was the correct answer. 3. When in doubt, pick answer "C." Robert Hastings, Master Chief Petty Officer, United States Coast Guard
11b. When taking a test #2: Don't change your first guess on a multiple choice question when checking over your answers. The first guess is always the best. William H. Smith, Cincinnati, Ohio
Rules about Rules-of-Thumb: Rules-of-thumb help you estimate something quickly. On average, there'll be about two good rules-of-thumb out of the eleven or so proposed on a page. They're the ones which contain or refer to numbers. The rest are tips and sayings that, like fingers, are useful but not for the same reason. Charlie Kufs, Statistician, Willow Grove, Pa, US
If you like rules of thumb, there is a fun website that specializes in them. So, start the New Year out with really useful information...I don't know if the full moon/deep water rule is valid, but enjoy the following from Rules of Thumb from http://www.rulesofthumb.org/ accessed 12/30 and 12/31/2009.
1. To succeed against all possible odds, count on at least 1 in 4 things going wrong. In other words, you need a 33 percent margin of safety. If you have to have 30 of something, plan to make 40. Stanley J. Goodman, How to Manage a Turnaround
2. Three out of five people hang up on answering machines. Betty Merritt, Florist, R.R. Springville, Iowa, USA
3. Genuine emotion is always expressed with the entire body. When uncertain of a person's sincerity, watch their shoulders. You should doubt anyone who is speaking with strong emotion and relaxed shoulders. D. Klein, painter, Brooklyn, New York
4. Liars touch and scratch their nose, lean forward, and use words like would not or could not rather than contractions like wouldn't or couldn't. Scott Parker
5. One elephant will provide as much meat as 100 antelopes. Pygmy hunters in the Ituri forest of Zaire, from NOVA
6. When placed in a bowl of water, a fresh egg will sink and lie on its side. An egg that's not fresh but still edible will sink and stand partially erect on its tapered end. A rotten egg will float. David Hechler, writer, Rockport, Texas
7. If you need to locate a stud in a stick-framed wall, remember that most electricians are right handed. Find an outlet, and tap the wall directly to its left. The odds are in your favor that the stud will be there, and you can measure away from it in 16-inch increments to find other studs. Art McAfee, in Fine Homebuilding, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
8. An igloo should be built in an area where the snow is packed just loose enough to make a footprint, but not so loose that a footprint blows away in a high wind. Dennis Eskow, science editor, Popular Mechanics
9. Spraying is fast but is the least durable, rolling on paint is better but, if you want the job to last, the best is the good old paint brush. Dick Gehring, Consultant, NY
10. Water weighs roughly 8 lbs per gallon, as does milk and other similarly watery substances. Craig, University professor
11a. When taking a test: 1.Think long--think wrong. 2. Nine out of ten times, your first answer was the correct answer. 3. When in doubt, pick answer "C." Robert Hastings, Master Chief Petty Officer, United States Coast Guard
11b. When taking a test #2: Don't change your first guess on a multiple choice question when checking over your answers. The first guess is always the best. William H. Smith, Cincinnati, Ohio
Rules about Rules-of-Thumb: Rules-of-thumb help you estimate something quickly. On average, there'll be about two good rules-of-thumb out of the eleven or so proposed on a page. They're the ones which contain or refer to numbers. The rest are tips and sayings that, like fingers, are useful but not for the same reason. Charlie Kufs, Statistician, Willow Grove, Pa, US
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