Moon Phase Widget

Courtesy of Joe's Web Tools

An explanation of Lunar Phases

Countries in the different hemispheres see the Moon from a completely different vantage point from each other. In the northern hemisphere the first quarter looks like a growing D, while in the southern hemisphere it looks like a C. In the northern hemisphere the last quarter looks like a C, while in the southern hemisphere looks like a D. 

A handy memonic device to figure out if the moon is waxing or waning in the Northern Hemisphere is by thinking "DOC" as to the current "shape".
(D first quarter O full Moon C last quarter)

In the Southern Hemisphere it would be "C O D"
(C first quarter O full Moon D last quarter)

Oscar Talk

Without going through each of my picks on the Miramax Oscar Challenge contest, it looks like I did fairly well but probably not enough to win anything. I got the two Best Actor awards correct, as well as some lesser awards, but I'm sure I wasn't close enough to have a chance.  Oh well, I wasn't expecting to win anyway...as I said in the linked post, I hadn't seen any of the movies except for the one short "Paperman". (and I read that the producer of the short was thrown out of the ceremonies for a brief time because, when the award was announced, she threw several paper airplanes from the top balcony)

I didn't watch a single moment of the show, but checking the Drudge Report to see who had won, I decided I wanted to see the "We Saw Her Boobs" song Seth McFarlane did that caused such controversy.  I thought it hilarious.

I am a conservative, but enjoy McFarlane's "Family Guy" as well as "American Dad!" (to a lesser extent)  Both shows poke fun at traditional values but it would be disingenuous to say they only slam conservatives. (that's another post for another time)  I really enjoyed the skit with William Shatner as Captain Kirk calling from the future to tell McFarland he was rapidly ruining the show.  I wouldn't be able to compare any recent hosts with McFarland, but from what I saw, he did a fairly good job.  He wasn't as good as Billy Crystal, but he was much better than the abomination that was David Letterman's performance.

I'm really glad I missed the Best Picture award presentation, the Oscar announced by Michelle Obama.  I have no love for President Obama, but am growing very weary of seeing her mug on the news or anywhere two or more celebrities are gathered together. (It seems I'm not the only one)  I've ranted about this before, but it's sickening how Hollywood and the progressive leftists are in bed together. (I suspect most in the audience were top donors to Obama's campaigns) It's bad enough that far too many movies mock Christianity and conservatives, but to have politics take over the awards show that honors those films (even more than usual)...well, it's just one more reason I'm glad I didn't watch. 

Calling All Ships

Did you know if you want to make a phone call to someone aboard a ship at sea, you'll need to use the global maritime area code "870" ?

Don't Double Dip!

I just noticed an odd thing on this blog's Feedjit counter; someone had multiple hits on the 7-Layer Mexican Dip recipe I had posted quite a few years ago. I've never checked search engines, but that post must be up near the top when people are looking for that particular recipe because it's one of the most-visited posts. (sometimes even more than "gay dwarfs" or "sister's feet".)

I wonder what would cause that? I'm sure they didn't click the post that many times, so it must be some sort of glitch.

Whatever it was, it reminded me of this classic scene from Seinfeld. (the best version didn't allow for embedding, so I had to settle for this one which cuts out the scuffle between George and the other guy. Still funny, though.)