The White House State Dining Room can seat up to 140 guests. Before renovations were made and a staircase removed in 1902, the room could only seat 40.
November 9, 2013
November 8, 2013
1936 Chevy Master Deluxe
This is a beautiful car with an interesting history; according to the listing on Streetside Classics, it was purchased new by a woman in California who drove it for 29 yrs., then donated it to a local museum where it was on display for another 20 yrs, protected from the elements and not racking up mileage. In '86, the museum collection was liquidated and the car fully restored.
This is truly one of those "only driven by a little old lady" stories about the sales pitch given by used car dealers
I don't have a clue as to what the value is supposed to be, but the Streetside Classics DFW franchise has it listed for $19,995. That seems more than reasonable for such a classic car. Sure, it's no Shelby Mustang or Corvette, but this car would probably be a great investment at that price.
Now, off to check my Mega Millions number for the drawing earlier tonight. If I won it, I know what one of my first purchases will be...IF the car stays for sale that long, that is. At that price, I doubt it will.
November 7, 2013
Movies Made From SNL Skits
The first Hollywood movie made from a Saturday Night Live skit was The Blues Brothers (1980). Others followed: Wayne's World (1982), Wayne's World 2 (1993), Coneheads (1993), It's Pat (1994), Stuart Saves His Family (1995), A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), Superstar (1999), The Ladies Man (2000) and MacGruber (2010).
They should have stopped after The Blues Brothers.
Bad news: A Night at the Roxbury 2 is in the works, as well as a Waynes World 3
They should have stopped after The Blues Brothers.
Bad news: A Night at the Roxbury 2 is in the works, as well as a Waynes World 3
White Tea For Me
| You Are White Tea |
 You are a gentle person who tends to prefer quiet and contemplation over excitement and action. You have always naturally been lower energy, and you even have slowed down more as you have matured. You like to savor. You look for quality in all aspects of your life. You intuitively understand people and appreciate authentic relationships. Like white tea, you are subtle and unveil yourself slowly. You have a depth that others take time to discover. |
I can't recall ever having white tea; I've tried quite a few other kinds; Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Chai, Green and others and all sorts of herbal teas (properly called Tisanes) but never White. After seeing this quiz yesterday, I put some in my Amazon shopping cart (only six bucks and one of the highest rated) and will complete the purchase when I have enough in total to qualify for free shipping. I probably should sign up for Amazon Prime, but I'm usually in no hurry to receive my items.
As I've mentioned before, sometimes these quizzes are so far off from what and who I am they're absurd, but this one is pretty spot-on for me, esp. the second paragraph.
November 6, 2013
I Ate All Your Halloween Candy
Jimmy Kimmel asked his viewers with children to tell them they had eaten all their Halloween candy and to videotape it.
Hearts: Round Two
Here's my second go-around of playing a hundred games of Hearts (first one here: Half-Hearted); I did a little better this time.
Now, I'm sure this post doesn't interest many - if any - of you reading it, and probably is boring to the rest, just as if I were to post about the dreams I have or what I had for supper, but please cut me some slack...you'd pity me if you knew just how boring my life is otherwise. (nearly as boring as my dreams) A close game of Hearts is about as exciting as it gets for me these days. (well, there ARE my thrilling Skip-Bo sessions)
I think I'll give Hearts a rest for a while, maybe have another go at a hundred games during this upcoming winter when it's too cold to do much else. I'll post about that after I'm done.
Or not. I may just have some sympathy for the pitifully few readers of this pathetic excuse for a blog.
Now, I'm sure this post doesn't interest many - if any - of you reading it, and probably is boring to the rest, just as if I were to post about the dreams I have or what I had for supper, but please cut me some slack...you'd pity me if you knew just how boring my life is otherwise. (nearly as boring as my dreams) A close game of Hearts is about as exciting as it gets for me these days. (well, there ARE my thrilling Skip-Bo sessions)
I think I'll give Hearts a rest for a while, maybe have another go at a hundred games during this upcoming winter when it's too cold to do much else. I'll post about that after I'm done.
Or not. I may just have some sympathy for the pitifully few readers of this pathetic excuse for a blog.
November 5, 2013
Strange Hearts
I've been playing another 100 game set of Hearts (see: Half-Hearted) and just finished a game. It started out with one of my computer opponents "shooting the moon", then I did, then another one did, all in the first three rounds. I had never seen that before and was thinking "What if the fourth player does it, too?"
A little way into the hand it sure looked that way, but I couldn't be sure; the computer game isn't like a real-life Hearts game where you can see who is catching all the tricks. I've sometimes passed up the chance to catch a trick and ruin one of my computer opponent's chances of shooting the moon because I've been so intent upon my own hand I don't pay much attention to which of the others are catching the most tricks.
This time, however, I was being a little more aware because of the extremely rare way the game was playing out. Even though I didn't have to, I caught a trick in the middle of the hand and after it was over, saw that it was indeed going to be the fourth-in-a-row shoot the moon...and that it caused me to lose the game by a single point.
A little way into the hand it sure looked that way, but I couldn't be sure; the computer game isn't like a real-life Hearts game where you can see who is catching all the tricks. I've sometimes passed up the chance to catch a trick and ruin one of my computer opponent's chances of shooting the moon because I've been so intent upon my own hand I don't pay much attention to which of the others are catching the most tricks.
This time, however, I was being a little more aware because of the extremely rare way the game was playing out. Even though I didn't have to, I caught a trick in the middle of the hand and after it was over, saw that it was indeed going to be the fourth-in-a-row shoot the moon...and that it caused me to lose the game by a single point.
November 4, 2013
Shocking Fact
The electric eel can generate about 600 volts of electricity with the record being 650. By contrast, the standard U.S. wall socket is 120 volts.
November 3, 2013
Monk's Phobias
Monk was a comedy-drama detective mystery television series that aired from 2002-2009. I don't think I ever saw an episode of it when it was on in prime time, but recently started watching it in late-night reruns. Monk suffers from obsessive–compulsive personality disorder and while the real-life disorder really shouldn't be laughed at, Monk made it seem hilarious.
Monk seemed to display a new phobia (or two or three or more) in each episode. According to Wiki and fan sites, Monk has 312 fears, some of which are milk, ladybugs, harmonicas, heights, imperfection,claustrophobia, driving, food touching on his plates, messes, frogs, germs, crowds, glaciers and risk, although in one later episode he managed to get a handle on his claustrophobia.
His obsessions were what made for the best comedy,though.
Monk seemed to display a new phobia (or two or three or more) in each episode. According to Wiki and fan sites, Monk has 312 fears, some of which are milk, ladybugs, harmonicas, heights, imperfection,claustrophobia, driving, food touching on his plates, messes, frogs, germs, crowds, glaciers and risk, although in one later episode he managed to get a handle on his claustrophobia.
His obsessions were what made for the best comedy,though.
November 2, 2013
And You Don't Have To
Stick a matchbook in me to make me work!
I used to date a woman who was given a Nintendo from her nephew; after playing the few games she had received with it, I bought one not long after and would take my game cartridges over for her and her roommate to play and we spent many, many hours playing Super Mario Bros. It took weeks, but we finally managed to reach the end of the game. There was elation for a while, then a letdown when we realized the fun had gone out of it. We did find another game that was as much if not more fun than Super Mario Bros, The Punisher, but I managed to beat that game, too.
(If you didn't understand the matchbook reference, you probably never owned one of those Nintendo units. In every one I'd ever seen, after a while the contacts would get bent and it was necessary to put some sort of shim - usually a matchbook - between the top of the cartridge and the unit to make it work. The machine could be opened up and the pins re-aligned, but that fix seldom lasted...come to think of it, neither did the matchbook trick. It was either a design flaw/shoddy workmanship or planned obsolescence. I always figured it was the latter.)
| You Are Super Mario Bros. |
 You have an active imagination, and you are a very creative problem solver. You know that there is more than one way to get things done, and you love figuring out new ways of doing things. You are goal oriented but not competitive. You like to complete tasks, but you also need to have fun along the way. You are compassionate and helpful, but you also value your alone time. You are reserved about expressing your true self. |
I used to date a woman who was given a Nintendo from her nephew; after playing the few games she had received with it, I bought one not long after and would take my game cartridges over for her and her roommate to play and we spent many, many hours playing Super Mario Bros. It took weeks, but we finally managed to reach the end of the game. There was elation for a while, then a letdown when we realized the fun had gone out of it. We did find another game that was as much if not more fun than Super Mario Bros, The Punisher, but I managed to beat that game, too.
(If you didn't understand the matchbook reference, you probably never owned one of those Nintendo units. In every one I'd ever seen, after a while the contacts would get bent and it was necessary to put some sort of shim - usually a matchbook - between the top of the cartridge and the unit to make it work. The machine could be opened up and the pins re-aligned, but that fix seldom lasted...come to think of it, neither did the matchbook trick. It was either a design flaw/shoddy workmanship or planned obsolescence. I always figured it was the latter.)
Texpedition - Amarillo
Nice little video, but more of an advert for The Big Texan at the end of it than informative throughout.
November 1, 2013
Goodbye, iGoogle
As of today, iGoogle is no more. It's no HUGE loss, but I did enjoy my custom Google search page with local weather, news and sports widgets, along with other custom pages. That's OK, I found igHome, a similar replacement.
I just hope they don't do away with Blogger; I doubt they will, but I didn't think they'd do away with Google Reader, either. (which was a bigger hassle to replace)
So, goodbye, iGoogle. Nice knowin' ya.
(as you can see, I have replaced it with the regular Google link)
I just hope they don't do away with Blogger; I doubt they will, but I didn't think they'd do away with Google Reader, either. (which was a bigger hassle to replace)
So, goodbye, iGoogle. Nice knowin' ya.
(as you can see, I have replaced it with the regular Google link)
Ivy Mike
Ivy Mike was the codename given to the first test of a thermonuclear device, in which part of the explosive yield comes from nuclear fusion. It was detonated on November 1, 1952 by the United States on Enewetak, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean, as part of Operation Ivy. The device was the first full test of the Teller-Ulam design, a staged fusion bomb, and was the first successful test of a hydrogen bomb.
October 31, 2013
Halloween Search Engine War!
Bing vs Google! Not sure if it's a "war" but I suspect it's a "one-upsman" type contest. I've almost always enjoyed Google's "doodles" they do for holidays (except when they ignore Veterans Day) and wish they'd do more things like this.
The Bing page has an amusing, interactive tribute to Halloween; move your cursor around the page and click on objects around the room. I won't give too much away, but there are tributes to the movies Poltergeist, Halloween, The Amityville Horror, Friday the 13th, The Shining and Psycho. (Clickable arrows in circles will appear after revealing the things and take you to search results for those classic horror flicks.)
I've begun visiting Bing every day I can; not only do you get points for visits, but also for using the search engine and for clicking around their fantastic interactive page. (if I happen to miss a day, there's the option of cycling back through the previous week's offerings.) I've got quite a few points in my bank, but haven't used any of them yet; most of the redeemable items are entries into contests, usually for some Microsoft product.
Google's tribute isn't movie-related, but has some nifty interactive "games"; the ingredients you put into the witch's bubbling cauldron determines which one you'll go to, with a cool little flashlight-like application that will "scare you", another with a coffin-type "cups" game, a "whack-a-mole", only with hands erupting from a graveyard and others. (but I've already forgotten the rest)
The Bing page has an amusing, interactive tribute to Halloween; move your cursor around the page and click on objects around the room. I won't give too much away, but there are tributes to the movies Poltergeist, Halloween, The Amityville Horror, Friday the 13th, The Shining and Psycho. (Clickable arrows in circles will appear after revealing the things and take you to search results for those classic horror flicks.)
I've begun visiting Bing every day I can; not only do you get points for visits, but also for using the search engine and for clicking around their fantastic interactive page. (if I happen to miss a day, there's the option of cycling back through the previous week's offerings.) I've got quite a few points in my bank, but haven't used any of them yet; most of the redeemable items are entries into contests, usually for some Microsoft product.
Google's tribute isn't movie-related, but has some nifty interactive "games"; the ingredients you put into the witch's bubbling cauldron determines which one you'll go to, with a cool little flashlight-like application that will "scare you", another with a coffin-type "cups" game, a "whack-a-mole", only with hands erupting from a graveyard and others. (but I've already forgotten the rest)
October 30, 2013
Halloween Dictionary
From the 
archives:
Bobbing Apples: What happens when you leave your bra off while running.
Boogieman: Guy who passes time at a stoplight picking his nose.
Coffin: What you do when you get a piece of popcorn stuck in your throat.
Frankenstein: Hot dog and a mug of beer.
Full moon: What your repairman reveals when he bends over to fix your fridge.
Goblin: How you eat the Snickers bars you got for Halloween.
Invisible Man: What a guy becomes when there's housework to be done.
Also, see "Mr. Hyde."
Jack O' Lantern: An Irish Pumpkin.
Jack the Ripper: What Jack does to his lottery tickets after losing each week.
Mummy: Who kisses the boo-boo after you scrape your knee.
Pumpkin Patch: What a pumpkin wears when trying to quit smoking.
Skeleton: Any supermodel.
Vampire Bat: What Dracula hits a baseball with.
Witch: See "Mother-in-Law."
Zombie: What you look like before that first cup of morning coffee.
archives:
Halloween Dictionary
Bobbing Apples: What happens when you leave your bra off while running.
Boogieman: Guy who passes time at a stoplight picking his nose.
Coffin: What you do when you get a piece of popcorn stuck in your throat.
Frankenstein: Hot dog and a mug of beer.
Full moon: What your repairman reveals when he bends over to fix your fridge.
Goblin: How you eat the Snickers bars you got for Halloween.
Invisible Man: What a guy becomes when there's housework to be done.
Also, see "Mr. Hyde."
Jack O' Lantern: An Irish Pumpkin.
Jack the Ripper: What Jack does to his lottery tickets after losing each week.
Mummy: Who kisses the boo-boo after you scrape your knee.
Pumpkin Patch: What a pumpkin wears when trying to quit smoking.
Skeleton: Any supermodel.
Vampire Bat: What Dracula hits a baseball with.
Witch: See "Mother-in-Law."
Zombie: What you look like before that first cup of morning coffee.
October 29, 2013
somnambulism
somnambulism som·nam·bu·lism [som-nam-byuh-liz-uhm, suhm-] noun
Also called: noctambulism, a condition that is characterized by walking while asleep or in a hypnotic trance
I know people who do the same thing, only they're wide awake.
Breaking Bad Halloween
You may have already seen this photo; Aaron Paul posted it to his Twitter account and it's been discussed in several Breaking Bad message boards and other forums. Most people, such as myself, think it's cute and funny but as always is the case, *some* people were offended. "Dressing kids up as drug dealers? Horrible idea! Bad parents!" are the basic complaints. What I'd like to know is this:
Do these same people also complain when parents dress their kids up as Dracula, a witch, a zombie or the like? I asked that very question to someone who was up-in-arms over the photo and they said "But these parents are promoting drug use...and that's not cute! People die every day from using or selling meth!!!" I had to point out to them that vampires bite people, either killing them or, with the bite, sentencing them to an eternity of being a vampire as well, that witches in fairy tales captured and ate children and zombies...well, they just kill and then eat everyone, particularly their brains.
"But that's fiction!" came the reply.
Uh...and Breaking Bad wasn't? Dressing your kids up as characters from a movie or TV show doesn't mean you condone whatever it was the FICTIONAL character did.
Even with all the horrible things the characters in Breaking Bad did, that photo makes me smile. *Some* people just want to go Breaking Butthurt and are more offensive than whatever it is they're protesting.
October 28, 2013
phrenology
phrenology phre·nol·o·gy[fri-nol-uh-jee, fre-]
noun
A psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull.
More about phrenology at Wikipedia.
Phrenology has always interested me (not quite "fascinated"). Seeing the word as today's Word of the Day reminded me of a friend I once had back when MSN Groups were up-and-running. We shared political views, but couldn't have been more different in religion, she being a Wiccan. We were in a chat room once, just the two of us and were discussing our belief systems and I said I wouldn't belittle how she believed, but there were some tenets to paganism that I would never trust, especially in foretelling the future, things such as palm reading.
Well, that upset her and I had to suffer through indignantly told stories of how her grandmother had read palms and how the palms of people she knew had predicted their future - their love life and life span, etc. I didn't say anything until she ran out of steam and then remarked that palm reading was to science as phrenology was to psychology. She was "silent" for a while, nothing being typed and I knew she had opened up another window and was researching the term. After a minute or so, she exited the chat room and that was the end of our cyber-friendship.
Oh well. I was getting tired of all that "Blessed Be!" crap, anyway.
October 27, 2013
Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed
R.I.P. Lou Reed
Note: The following video has an "adult" theme; if you are easily offended by such things, please don't click "Play" on it. There were other videos available, other songs, but this is the one that always comes to mind when I think of Lou Reed.
Note: The following video has an "adult" theme; if you are easily offended by such things, please don't click "Play" on it. There were other videos available, other songs, but this is the one that always comes to mind when I think of Lou Reed.
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