Goodbye, Hello

I've decided to close this blog.  Every so often, there comes the urge to start a fresh blog with no mistakes in it (yet).  This seems like the right time. 

This blog will stay up for the time being (mainly to help jog my faulty memory), but I don't expect to put up any new entries here. 

Instead, you can follow our gardening exploits ;o) and (I'm sure) the occasional tidbits of Real Life on the new blog (which at the moment looks an awful lot like this one): 
A Garden of Coastal Alabama (coastalalabamagarden.blogspot.com/)

And of course I'm still blogging along on a fairly regular basis at a couple of other blogs. 

For crafty this and thats (crochet, knitting, quilting, etc.):
Sew I See!

And for book reviews/reactions (hey, there's a chance someone might care!):
I've Read That


I think that's about it...
Goodbye, old blog; hello, new one!  :o)

P.S.  I've transferred over a few of the most recent blog posts, so it looks like an actual blog, but there's nothing new over there yet.  Maybe by the end of the day...

Amazing Terrarium

"Sealed terrarium still going strong after 40 years."
(There's a photo of the terrarium and its owner.)

I remember Granny L. had a large terrarium when I was a kid...  Those huge glass bottles are so interesting, all on their own-- but to think that a plant can live in one, sealed up, for forty years... It's just amazing!

Thank You, Mr. Internet

Donald and I were talking only yesterday about how much modern technology has changed the world, even in just the past ten or twenty years.  It's amazing-- and it creeps up on you while you're not watching.

(You know, the fact that Penny's "computer book" is now a very real thing-- only it's not nearly so bulky as hers was.  Or the way we take for granted the ability to research any subject at any time on the Internet... and from almost any place, if you have a smart phone, tablet, etc.  As silly as it sounds, it truly is the Information Superhighway.  Then there's the ease of finding and ordering products online.)

You think you've got a grasp on things.  You think you're aware of just how mind-boggling it all is.

And then you stumble upon Not Quite What the Doctor Ordered, a blog devoted entirely to Dr. Pepper copycats...

And your mind is blown all over again!  ;o)

Mr. Pig!  Dr. Good Guy!  Dr. Whatever!  Mr. Sipp!  Dr. Aahh!

I tried to find a similar blog for Mountain Dew copies, but failed.  This and this were the closest things I could find.  (And there seems to be a Wiki page on the subject.  Of course.  I should have known.)

Sad State of Affairs

Here's a blog (in English) for anyone interested in the increasing problems Sweden faces-- the politically incorrect news that is often ignored even in Sweden itself.

Caution: May cause feelings of impotent outrage and disgust with politicians and "journalists" who seek to obfuscate rather than elucidate.

Gosh...

Been browsing Awkward Family Photos (.com) for a laugh.

Found a few:

A Face in the Crowd

Come Together

The Fetal Position 2

...among others.

(There's also an Awkward Family Pet Photos, by the way.)

. . . Don't Even Know What to Say

. . . Is this woman for real?  (Yes, unfortunately, I'm pretty sure she is.)  If there are many more like her out there, no wonder we're headed to hell in a handbasket.  Lady, please, please tell me you don't vote.  (Please?)

Warning:  This might make you angry, fill you with despair for the future of our nation, or just generally ruin a perfectly good Thursday.  Watch at your own risk. 

Ms. Maxy and the Entitlement Mentality

"A Large, Amoral, Brutalised Sub-Culture"

"UK riots 2011:  Liberal dogma has spawned a generation of amoral, uneducated, welfare dependent, brutalised youth."

I have to agree, and unfortunately, we're facing many of the same problems, here.

Worlds Colliding!

(Via James Lileks on Twitter...)

If you're familiar with The Andy Griffith Show and the original Star Trek TV series, maybe you'll appreciate this "worlds colliding" moment.  Apparently, two Star Trek episodes used the "Mayberry" sets when the crew of the Enterprise visited an Earth-like planet.  Check out some stills on this site: Mayberry in Star Trek. 

My favorite is the one where Kirk and some lady are walking right past Floyd's Barber Shop-- with the name right there on the window.  (g)  If only they'd gone in and visited a while with the friendly denizens of Mayberry!

To Be Filed Under "Who Gives a Crap?"

I apologize for being crass, but really, who does think this is a worthy investment?

Your Tax Dollars at Work

Thank goodness we're paying our Fair Share™, 'cause this is important work they're doing with our taxes.  It's a huge relief to know that the federal government is on the cutting edge of such vital research.  Our lives will be infinitely improved by this study, for sure.

Rain & Toothpick Sculptures

We've gotten rain a couple of times this week.  (Hurray!)  And yesterday was even a decent soaker!  (*wild applause*)  There were no little rivulets of water running around the yard, during the rain, as there might normally have been; I guess the ground just slurped it up like a dry sponge, so it never had a chance to puddle up...  We're still many inches behind what's typical for this area at this point in the year, but this is progress.

- - - - - - -

Have you seen this toothpick sculpture of (some) of the landmarks of San Francisco?  The detail is amazing. And if that's not stunning enough, there are multiple tracks for ping-pong balls to roll through the sculpture, too.  (Check out the video at the bottom of the linked page to see them in action.)

"Yes! Its Hurts"

This blog post/photo gave me a laugh.  (g)

It's a sticker found somewhere in Stockholm reading-- in part-- "I ❤ Tattoos" and "Yes! Its Hurts".

Yes, I think that falls under both "bad motto" and "bad grammar". 

Not a Gamer

On a whim, I just played a game of Pacman.  However, I have decided that once was enough.  I can't take the stress.

Seriously, though, computer games / video games stress me out.  Surely I'm not the only one...

Trixie Is Famebus!

Again!  ;o)

She likes to hunt (and pounce on) bugs (real or imaginary?) in the taller grass around the yard.  The only real downside of this method of bug-hunting is the mouthful of icky grass. A small price to pay.

Awww

Have you heard about this?

Deer Stands Guard Over Goose (with live video)

Amusements du Jour

Via an "anonymous" designer:  Clients from Hell
Enjoy the weirdness, rudeness, and/or cluelessness of a certain percentage of the public, as witnessed by those who design for a living.  (Anyone who knows the joy of explaining computery, techy things to decidedly non-techy people might also get a kick out of it.)  Admittedly, some of the snippets deserve a response along the lines of "um, okay... I think you were the odd one in that situation".  But then you have classics like...

• "Isn’t it as simple as putting in a button to select different languages? Just look at Facebook."
• "We want to know for sure who we are dealing with here. After registration, users need to send a copy of their passport or identification to us by mail."
• “How do you spell HTML?”
• "I’m afraid of Facebook, people can find you through it. They could have complaints and I don’t want to be hunted down by the Facebook people."
• "We are on a bit of a rush for this one, I’m going into jail on Tuesday."
• ...and many, many more!  ;o)

Via being alive and on Flickr circa 2008:  What's in Your Bag?
There's no single link for this one.  If you're interested, just go to Flickr and do a "groups" search for "what's in your bag".  You'll find quite a few variations on the theme.  Basically, a person pours out everything in his/her bag/purse, arranges it (neatly or not so neatly, according to taste), and gets it all into a single photograph, which is then put online for the whole world to admire.  I'm not sure when this actually became a "thing"/meme, but I know it's been a few years, at least, since I first heard of it. 

Though looking at such similar photos from so many strangers can get boring after a while, the idea itself is interesting, and you can sometimes get a real sense of a person's life-- or at least his or her sense of style-- based on the little things s/he carries around on a daily basis.  (Also, it's like snooping, but with no guilt. (g))  Of course, then you have people like me who probably don't have anything interesting in their bags at all-- not much to provide a clue to the person's interests in life.  I don't usually carry "fun" things in my purse-- just the basics I need (or think I may need) when I leave the house.  ...Which reminds me that I've never done this myself.  Maybe I will, today.

Musical Resemblance

Do you ever listen to a song and think, "Wow, this really sounds like so-and-so (another band or singer).  I know it's not them, but there is definitely a resemblance!"?

The lead singer (only singer?) for The 88:

...sounds a lot like Rod Stewart to me:



(Maybe not particularly in that song, so much, but just in general.)

Then there's "Change of Heart" by El Perro Del Mar:



...which feels very Fleetwood Mac to me:



(Though "Dreams" may be a better match...)

Agree? Disagree? Don't care one way or t'other? ;o)

"The Deep"

If you haven't already seen this guy-- PES's-- other stop-motion videos, you really ought to give them a look.  (And if it's been a while, some of them are worth a re-watch.)  They're amazing!

How It's Made: Amigurumi

Apparently, this is one of the things that can happen when I wake up (way) too early and can't get back to sleep-- I flood my blog with stop-motion videos.

Organizing the Bookcase

2012 Olympic Logo

"Iran objects to the logo for the 2012 London Olympics."

I can see how someone might object to the logo on the grounds that it is fairly uninspiring (some might even say heinous), design-wise*... but I think you have to go out of your way to see what they see in it.

And honestly, does anyone except for the Iranians themselves really care whether they compete in any given Olympic games?  Actually... I don't care if any country wants to boycott them.  Boycott away!

*It goes nicely with the weird mascots!