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April 30, 2015

Cell Phones vs. Toilets

India has more cell phones than toilets.


April 29, 2015

Praying Mantis Trivia

Males of some praying mantis species cannot copulate while its head is attached.   The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.




I could say something metaphorically about a former girlfriend here, but won't.

Louie Louie - The Kingsmen



April 28, 2015

Burrito Bummer

Odd 404 page on Nerdist, found after clicking a link on Wiki about X Company, a new series on CBC.

Now I want to run down to the nearest Allsups and get one of their burritos.  They're not bad...if you drench them in about a half dozen of the little hot sauce packets.  Like their corn dogs, I always ask when they were made (cooked) because if they're more than six/seven hours old, they turn to nasty mush inside.  I've brought corn dogs home that I could drive a nail with.


April 27, 2015

Eyelash Trivia

An eyelash lives about 150-200 days before it falls off.

Coincidentally enough, that's about how often one of the things gets into an eye and drives me crazy until I get it out.  I've injured several parts of my body, had a few major surgeries, but when my eye has been irritated from something in it, it has driven me nearly mad w/ the pain.

April 25, 2015

April 24, 2015

Pandas Don't Eat Pages


Of course you didn't eat the missing page;  from panda.org:

What do pandas eat?

The simple answers is: bamboo. A Panda's daily menu consists almost entirely of the leaves, stems, and shoots of various bamboo species. Bamboo contains very little nutritional value, so pandas must eat 12-38kg every day to meet their energy needs.

404 page found at: boredpanda.com

I'm seldom bored, even with 404 pages.

April 23, 2015

The Dance Test

You Are Subtle

In love, you are quiet and sweet yet very passionate. You love easily.

You notice the little things that others just pass by. You know how to make the mundane interesting.

Your personality is anything but "vanilla." You're a risk taker, who's up for anything new.


You tend to be more doubting than certain. You can be swayed with the right arguments. 





And my subtle two left feet... both in love and dancing.

April 22, 2015

In the Days of Chicken Little

From the video description on YouTube: Alice Barker was a chorus line dancer during the Harlem Renaissance of the the 1930s and 40s. She danced at clubs such as The Apollo, Cotton Club, and Zanzibar Club, with legends including Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. 

Although she danced in numerous movies, commercials and TV shows, she had never seen any of them, and all of her photographs and memorabilia have been lost over the years. 

With the help of Mark Cantor of http://jazz-on-film.com we finally our hands on three "Soundies" Alice appeared in, and were able to show them to her for the very first time. She had never seen herself in motion in her life!

April 20, 2015

Best Steakhouse in Texas

UPDATED: Link at bottom of post.



I've been to the #1 steakhouse but I wouldn't say it's the best. It's an experience and a unique place, but best?


If you don't want to view the entire video, the winner was The Big Texan in Amarillo. The last time I was there, I took my British friend elle when she was here for one of her visits. We had the multi-meat appetizer and I talked her into trying the "calf fries" (which were about the worst I'd ever had, much worse than the ones I've eaten right off a branding iron stove w/ no salt except for what dripped off me on that long ago hot Texas afternoon) but she wouldn't touch the rattlesnake, which was pretty good.

I took an ex-g/f and her kiddos there once after an evening at Wonderland Amusement Park.  My g/f's little girl was happy with her burger; her mother and I had chicken fried steaks which were good, but not the best I'd ever had. (the best one of those I ever had was at a crossroads cafe near Balko, Oklahoma.)  Her 16 yr. old son sulked the entire time we were there because I wouldn't let him have a try at eating the 72 oz. steak. (he was already angry because we left the park after "only" four hours)  I was doubtful that he'd eat it, but I knew he wouldn't even touch the other things you have to eat, such as the baked potato, the shrimp cocktail and especially not the salad that has to be consumed along with the meat and bread in under an hour.   It certainly wasn't worth risking having to pay $72 if he DIDN'T finish it all in time.

(Her daughter was a sweet little girl, born on Feb. 29th, a Leap Year baby.  She made me regret not having a little girl of my own.  The boy, OTOH, made me glad I didn't have kids, at least having one like him. If he'd been MY child, I'd have sold him to the gypsies for less than $72.)

They have one of the steaks on ice in a display case as you enter and trust me, that's a huge chunk of meat.  Just the weight - 4.5 lbs. - doesn't put the massive size of it in perspective.   If you go to The Big Texan website, you can view a list of those who have successfully completed the challenge; I didn't see the information on the site (I'm sure it's there somewhere) but I once read a 70-ish grandmother scarfed one down and there has been at least one person who ate two!  The site also has webcams that show a real-time view of anyone taking the challenge.

(EDIT to add:  I found the Free 72 oz. Steak Facts page:  the grandmother was 69, the youngest to eat it all was an 11 yr. old boy, and the fastest time by a human was 8 minutes and 52 seconds. I say "human", because a 500-lb Bengal tiger consumed the meat in less than 90 seconds.  They didn't try to make him eat the potato or salad.)

4.5 lbs. of steak.  I haven't had four and a half pounds of steak total in four and a half years!


UPDATE:

Eating champ Molly Schuyler devours 3 72-ounce steaks

April 19, 2015

Sleeping Dolphins

Dolphins sleep with one eye open and shut down half their brain.


April 14, 2015

What's Your Communication Style?

Your Style is Assertive

You believe that communication is all about give and take. You're always trying to strike the right balance.

You have no problem asserting yourself, especially when you feel like you are being ignored. You refrain from being aggressive though.

You believe that you have something to learn from everyone. And you're willing to listen well enough to hear it.


You are good at drawing people out and getting to the heart of the matter. You communicate well and ask the right questions. 


 

April 13, 2015

April 12, 2015

Zeigarnik Effect

Ever get a song stuck in your head and it won't go away?  That's an example of the Zeigarnik Effect, the tendency to experience intrusive thoughts about an objective that was once pursued and left incomplete.

It's been suggested that either letting the song "play" to its conclusion or singing the last few lines will help get it out of your head.

April 10, 2015

Hot 404

So hot it's starting to smoke.


Found at Guinea Farm.

Smoked guinea fowl...sounds delicious.

April 8, 2015

What's Your Ideal Career?

Your Career Type: Artistic

You are expressive, original, and independent.

Your talents lie in your artistic abilities: creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art.

You would make an excellent:

Actor - Art Teacher - Book Editor
Clothes Designer - Comedian - Composer
Dancer - DJ - Graphic Designer
Illustrator - Musician - Sculptor

The worst career options for your are conventional careers, like bank teller or secretary. 



Sounds great, but I have absolutely no musical or artistic talents.  Dancer?  Sure, when they need one that has two left feet.  DJ?  I really don't like constantly loud music.  Clothes designer?  Maybe for Walmart or a thrift store Actor?  Nah, I'm not progressive enough for Hollywood.

They did get it right on bank teller or secretary, although I'd rather be the latter than the former. All that money would be too much temptation and when I worked jobs at the register I seldom had it balance out at the end of the day.  I can type like a big dog , but that would get boring doing it all day and I'd probably tell my boss to stuff it after he...or she...sent me out for a tall, non-fat latte with caramel drizzle and then chewed me out because I forgot to specify it to be 120 degrees just like he/she always has them.

April 7, 2015

All the Live-Long Day

Rail and tie-replacing machine.  Fascinating.

You Don't Know Me, Do You?

Got this rather ironic spam in the junk file folder just now:


Like I said, they don't know me.  I don't think I'm a douche, but I'm definitely a time-waster.  In fact, it's probably one of the things I do best.

This calls for a song, my life story:


April 6, 2015

Trivia That Melts in Your Head

What does M&M stand for?  From Wiki:

Forrest Mars, Sr., son of the founder of the Mars Company Frank C. Mars, copied the idea for the candy in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating chocolate pellets called Smarties, with a hard shell of tempered chocolate surrounding the inside, preventing the candies from melting. The two "Ms" represent the names of Forrest E. Mars Sr., the founder of Newark Company, and Bruce Murrie, son of Hershey Chocolate's president William F. R. Murrie, who had a 20 percent share in the product.


April 5, 2015

Happy Easter!

To my friends and family and all the faithful readers of this blog, I wish you a joyous Easter.


 photo easter_sun_lg_wht_zpsmghxveb0.gif

Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there.
- Clarence W. Hall

 photo tomb_stone_roll_away_md_wht_zps9k7xpcsu.gif

Things the Easter Bunny Taught Me

From the Photobucket archives: 

 photo basket_bunny_lg_wht_zpseam17fni.gif
  1. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. 
  2. Walk softly and carry a big carrot. 
  3. Everyone needs a friend who is all ears. 
  4. There's no such thing as too much candy. 
  5. All work and no play can make you a basket case. 
  6. A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention. 
  7. Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day. 
  8. Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits. 
  9. Some body parts should be floppy. 
  10. Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans. 
  11. Good things come in small sugar-coated packages. 
  12. The grass is greener in someone else's basket. 
  13. An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare. 
  14. To show your true colors you have to come out of the shell. 
  15. The best things in life are still sweet and gooey. 
 photo bunny_deep_knee_bends_lg_wht_zpstefwteki.gif

April 3, 2015

And We All Know

The book is almost always better than the movie.


You Are a Book



You are a deliberate thinker. You don't like to gloss over anything, and details matter to you.

When times get tough, you get philosophical. You never forget the meaning of life.

If you're facing a problem, getting away for a couple days always helps you clear your mind.

You always consider the past, present, and future. You believe every little event shapes your life.


April 1, 2015

April Fool's Day Quotes & Trivia


From the Photobucket archives:

April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four. - Mark Twain

Isn't it appropriate that the month of the tax begins with April Fool's Day and ends with cries of "May Day!"? - Author Unknown

Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever. - Charles Lamb



Many trace the origins of April Fools' Day back to 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII adopted the Gregorian Calendar, effectively moving New Year's Day from the end of March to 1 January.

Though the change was widely publicized, some people didn't get the memo, while others simply didn't want to transition to the new calendar, so they continued to ring in the New Year at the end of March. Those who didn't make the change were mocked for their folly and called "April Fools".

From: 6 Facts You Need To Know About The Holiday's History And Origins