Round Up

November 18, 2009 is International Science Fiction Reshelving Day (ISFRD).

I don't think there is anything better than an apple cider doughnut in the fall. Now I am generally a glazed doughnut person, but these cake style doughnuts are excellent. Doughnut or donut???

I love this scarf.

Why do we use definite articles for some place names?

Cute bowling knights.

Make your own candy bars.

For so long Votivo were my favorite candles. Red Currant is my favorite. I really like the packaging of Linnea's Lights.

100 Best Professors Who Blog.

Things Librarians Fancy.

Looking for a tutorial-tutorialsphere.

If you like me are missing Domino magazine, take a look at Lonny. Lonny is an online shelter magaine. Very nice. I still like to hold a magazine in my hands, but this is still a nice change.

McSweeney's latest issue is all about newspapers.

Watusi cows. Okay, now Lurch the Wonder Watusi.

Author Annie Proulx donated her papers to the New York Public Library. I have said before that I am an author groupie. I think if I ever saw Ms. Proulx's papers I would turn into a giggling, nervous schoolgirl.

According to Country Home, souvenir state plates are HOT right now. I was going to start collecting these a couple of years ago, but then I got swayed by map handkerchiefs and gave up on the plate idea.

I grew up in rural America and my father had huge gardens. What makes produce grow besides water and tender loving care-manure. He would use horse manure for certain gardens, and chicken manure for others. I can remember coming home on the school bus with the windows down and realizing, "Oh yes, Daddy has put chicken manure down for next years crops.". A pungent odor one will never forget. All of this probably has something to do with why I found this article about manure fascinating.


Star Wars according to a 3-year old.


Have a great weekend.

"I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches. " Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Round Up

Love this piano stairs experiment.





Mini items for all of your travel needs.


I was watching some little girls in my neighborhood playing hopscotch a couple of weeks ago, and remembered how much fun that was. I forgot that there are actual rules to hopscotch. Streetplay has some street games that I never heard of (probably because I grew up rural).

Polka dot Aga. I would love to have an Aga, but I think I would have to pass up the dots, maybe a red or black one would do.

If you are a dog lover and have the National Geographic Channel then you must watch Dogtown. Best Friends Animal Society runs this no-kill sanctuary for the nation's abused and abandoned animals. Some of Michael Vicks' dogs have ended up here. Here is the sanctuary's website. I never wanted to live in Utah, but if I did I would definitely see if I could volunteer here. They are doing marvelous work with these animals.

I have always wanted to sleep in a bed nook. I just like nooks, kitchen nooks, window seats, little cubbyholes. There is something so cozy about them. Wonderful spots to settle down with a book. Check out these bed nooks on the blog A Diary of Little Things and Curiosities.

I am a huge fan of Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian mysteries and I just found out that she has a blog, as well as a website with some of her essays. This woman is an incredible writer.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave 10 million dollars to the National Museum of African American History. This newest museum under the Smithsonian umbrella is slated to open in 2015.

Most of you are familiar with actress Debi Mazar. She's been acting forever and you may have seen her in Goodfellas and Entourage (I've never seen these) or in a lot of supporting roles in different television programs (where I have seen her_. Well, she and her Italian born husband have a very popular Internet cooking show called Under the Tuscan Gun. It's a hoot. I am going to make their Limoncello recipe.

Oh no-Ansel Adams in color!!! Why does this make me feel out of sorts? Kind of like when I found out that Lassie was a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love these meringue bones, and so easy to make.

I was a science geek in school and I love all of this science-related decor.

Homemade Candy Corn-home made or not, I used to love this stuff. Now more than a couple and I feel like I am going to swoon. And, Necco Wafers are going all natural.

This woman has been reading a book a day and then blogging about it.

Remember to tune into the documentary The Botany of Desire on your local PBS station tonight (Wednesday 10/28/09) at 8 P.M. If you haven't read Michael Pollan's book of the same name, well, you should.

Ossuaries around the world.

I leave you with Charles Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette in honor of Halloween. This music was also the theme song to Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Have a spooktacular holiday.



"Backward, turn backward,O Time, in your flightmake me a child againjust for to-night!"~Elizabeth Akers Allen

Round Up

This is going to be a short post today.

Rosie the Riveter model still going strong. Also, Rosies-very nice workwear for women.

Very interesting story about the "island of barcodes."

Typology of quotation marks.

Nothing relaxes me more than reading finding aids, and even better, library newsletters. (I know I'm an oddball). ALiNUS (Academic Library Newsletters in the United States) is a directory of academic library newsletters-okay you've got the idea. Hours and hours of fun.

I am such an author groupie. I think if I ever got to meet David Sibley I would turn into a giggly, blushing school girl. He is so amazing. I have owned a copy of his fabulous guide to birds for quite a few years and I am always referring to it. Now, he has a guide to trees. I simply must have a copy of this treasure. Maybe Santa will bring it for me. And he has a BLOG!!!

Google books has every single issue of Life magazine that was ever published.

This sort of thing fascinates me. I am always looking up small towns and checking out the demographics of the town, population and any odd factoid I can find. Monowi, Nebraska is a small town. It has the grand population of 1. That's it 1 person.

77 Ways to build community in our neighborhoods.

On the way to the Kiss & Ride this morning I actually said the words "I reckon" to A. It made me wonder why there isn't a Talk Like a Cowboy Day. Or is there?

Supposedly the latest wedding cake trend is luggage wedding cakes.

I'm crushed. Gourmet Magazine is now being added to the list of defunct magazines.

When I was a teenager I always thought that there was something so romantic about working and living in a fire lookout tower. To be alone in nature, high up in the trees with just books, binoculars and nature seemed like such an adventure.

I stumbled across information indicating that so many of these towers have been closed and have succumbed to the elements and vandals. Wikipedia has a great page of information on lookout towers. I never realized there are/were so many different types. Also, there is a Forest Fire Lookout Tower Association.

I love these velvet pumpkins.

Chanel's library.

I leave you with Jennifer Lopez (yes, J. Lo) because every once in awhile you just have to get loud!!!

Have a fun weekend. (Get Loud!!!)

"You've got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice. " ~Steven D. Woodhull

Round Up

IT'S OCTOBER FINALLY. I AM SO PLEASED.


Marshmallow Test Video-Adorable!!


A very nice sea glass identification deck. I am such a fan of any sort of flash cards as a learning tool.

Historic Bridges of the United States. Wow, my home state of Pennsylvania has 2,263. The only problem I have with this site is that there is not a photograph of each bridge on their statistics page. Now, I only looked at the ones from my home state so perhaps I need to investigate further.

B.B. King has a museum.

For years I have been saying why aren't there dessert vendors out on the streets. I also would say why aren't there vendors promoting healthier goodies. Well, I've seen the healthier goodies vendors, but I haven't seen any dessert wagons. However, I have read about them. I love the Cupcake Truck. I guess my lesson is, when I have an idea act on it. Unfortunately a good idea usually needs financial backing, and that is where I always fall short.

Very nice blog about library history-Library History Buff Blog.

Instructions on how to make your very own Aluminium Foil Deflector Beanie. I think I'll whip one up this weekend. Perhaps I could bring a giant roll of aluminium foil into the office and we could have craft hour.

Some "weird" things held at some of the Yale libraries.

Banned book necklace. Banned Book Bracelet.

YouTube's Poetry Animations.

How to make creamy ice cream with one ingredient.

Buddha pears.

Mmmm, tasty pumpkin vines. Who knew you could eat these?

That's all for this week folks. In honor of Julie Andrews' 74th birthday on October 1st, I leave you with this wonderful woman singing The Loney Goatherd with The Muppets.



"A lot of my life happened in great, wonderful bursts of good fortune, and then I would race to be worthy of it." Julie Andrews

Round Up

Diggin' Glee.

Next week (September 26-October 3, 2009) is Banned Book Week. Here is a list (you have to do some clicking from the selections on the left-hand side) of the frequently challenged books. Read a banned book. Be a devil-read it in public.

Also, here is a very cool interactive map of locations where book banning has occurred.

Oh, my fickle heart. First it was Mario Cuomo. I would go miles to hear him read his grocery list aloud. Then it was Barack Obama. I felt bad cheating on Mario like that, but I just could not help myself. Now my fickle heart has strayed once more. I worry about myself because the men just keep getting younger. If you haven't heard 5th grade orator Dalton Sherman, you really should listen to him. Then you will know why my heart has strayed-again.


It is the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage.

What does an actuary do?

Cushing Academy you should be ashamed. And I mean hang your head down shame. Just looking at the photograph upsets me.

Look at some of the beautiful envelopes from the winners of the Graceful Envelope Contest (click on the names).

These leaf litter toads are incredible. In fact, I find any animal that seamlessly blends into its environment amazing.

Crime Scene Adhesive Bandages.

Excited to find another pen lover-Pen Addict.

Oh, how I would love to have this spooky house. For the past few years I have been going ga-ga over little felt houses. Mahar Dry Goods has nice unusual items.

Ana Serrano's Cartonlandia is the bomb. I can just look at it for hours. I would have looked at it for hours as a kid, and I would still look at it for hours.

I was reading some online recipes the other day and saw an ingredient I had never hear of before-Chia Gel. Of course all I could think of is that soon we will be ienundated with commercials for Chia Pets-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Pets. And yes, Chia Gel is made form Chia seeds. And as you read the article you learn how to make your own chia gel.

And speaking of food-check out the photograph and accompanying recipe for Fig Spread, Pear and Brie Flatbread. I would love to just sit in a large, comfy chair by the fire, reading a good book, something nice to drink by my side, my autumnal tarts lending a nice scent to the air. In comes my butler Asquith with my lunch of Fig Spread, Pear and Brie Flatbreadl. Ahhhh.......

Ferrante and Teicher , The Grand Twins of the Grand Piano, were pianists known for their lighter versions of classical masterpieces. This is elevator music, but great elevator music. My mom and gran loved the duo and I listened to them quite a bit when I was a kid.

Louis Teicher passed away in August of 2008. He was 83. Arthur Ferrante just passed away on September 19th of this year. He was 88. The two met while attending Juillard School of Music in New York. They had a career that spanned 50 years.

I leave you with these two very talented gentlemen playing Autumn Leaves.



Have a great weekend. If you are in the WDC area come to the National Book Festival.


"You can never do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Round Up

I'll get to the round up in a bit. I just need to whine and carry on a bit first.

First of all I love President Carter, absolutely love him. Do I agree with what he said? You bet your boots I do. Do I think he should have said it? Yes and no. With all of the other problems that the current President hs to deal with this comment is just another annoying distration. I know that people don't like to admit it, but this country is all about racism, covert or overt. It's rampant and it always has been. It's changing, but it has light years to go. That awful person who yelled out during President Obama's speech has a record that speaks for what he is. All anyone has to do is look it up.

Yes, I am more sensitive to it because I am a light-skinned black woman (and I could right a book about that), but people need to get their heads out of the sand. There are slights and blatant insensitivites portrayed in the media all of the time. They happen all of the time by the enormous amount of racially retarded people there are in this country.

For example, I watched Venus and Serena win the Doubles competition at the U.S. Open, and their two white opponents that lost made the statement that Venue and Serena are bigger and I believe they added stronger to that as well. That's why they won. And it was the way in which it was stated. You know like the Williams sisters are plow animals. That sort of insensitivity is racism folks. Venus and Serena were nothing but gracious in their remarks about their opponents, but these sorts of "remarks" are made all of the time. (Yes, I know Serena is in big trouble over her behavior in her match with Kim Clijsters). I know you are probably saying, "They didn't mean anything by what they said." That's just it. They did mean something by it.

Just like a certain home magazine that never features anyone other than white families in their pages. In the September issue they feature a biracial family-a white father, 3 daughters and a black mother. Suspiciously absent is a photograph of the black mother. I have been emailing and sending letters to this magazine for a couple of years asking them why they never have any Black, Latino, Asian, GLBT families between their pages. I guess to them this is a start. And yes, I am questioning them on why they don't have a photograph of the mother.

I have been my own one-woman anti-defamation league for years. I am always contacting the media, and complaining about their lack of diversity or their insensitivity in their portrayal of minorities, women, there awful homophobic attitudes and there persistent ageism. I can only do so much though. I am just one person.

I am also sick and tired of people saying that President Obama is black. He is BIRACIAL, BIRACIAL. He has a white mother and a black father. Got it!! If he were black he would not have won the election. It annoys me to hear so-called intelligent people saying that he's black. If we lived in a world where it didn't matter; well then it wouldn't matter. But we aren't living in that world.

Also, President Obama has been in office 9 months. Another thing that folks seem to forget is that he inherited the great,big freakin' mess that 8 years of Republican thugism left us.

And lastly, this is not political, but I am so tired of reading that graphic novels are a genre. They are not a genre, I repeat NOT A GENRE. It's a format. Grrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I am finished. Now to the round up.

I just found out the other day that Sheila Lukins died. She wrote some of my absolute favorite cookbooks, The Silver Palate series. I'm sure that everyone has heard that Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary passed away. Really could anyone rock a pair of bangs better than she could. I am a sucker for 3-part harmony and Peter, Paul and Mary were amazing.

These cool Teslar watches are very interesting.

Look at these storybook houses. They look like Hansel and Gretel should come skipping out of the front doors. at any moment.

Smith Magazine-Home of the 6 word memoir.

Top 10 Agatha Christie novels

Bing vs. Google

Looking for a conference for business or pleasure. Let conferencehound assist you.

OneLook-dictionary search

That's really all I have for this week.

Have a good weekend.

It's a nice cool, rainy day (my favorite) so I leave you with Gene Kelly and Singin' in the Rain. What an amazing talent.



"Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present incaccessible ." Maya Angelou

Round Up

September 11, 2001 Digital Archive.

SCRIBD-social publishing site. Very cool.

This would be nice for Valentines Day-chocolate-scented stamps. (original stamp site is in French)

I saw a photograph of the largest drain hole in the world and became transfixed. It's located at/in the Monticello Dam, which is located in Northern California. Here is the Wikipedia entry. I think the Wikipedia entry is a bit sparse. Hmmmm.....

I was saddened to hear that Reading Rainbow has been cancelled. I was already way too old for this program when it first aired, but I thought it was a great format to interest children in reading. I can't believe that it was on for 26 years.

50 Most Stylish Men of the Last 50 Years. Some of these gents I have never heard of before. When I first started the slideshow, I wondered if they would include a few that I immediately thought of and they did.

Tee-Hee-llama caddy.

September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month.

I've never run into these people, but apparently there are folks who make elaborate lunches to take to work. Most of the folks I know take something to heat in the microwave, or some sort of power bar or less healthy fare. And then there are these extremely creative people who have way too much time on their hands-Insanewiches. These are really so much fun. Wonder how they taste.

I have always been a huge fan of John and Abigail Adams. I devour any information I can find about them. I stumbled across this very well done WGBH forum presentation of a reading of some of their many letters they wrote to each other. If you have an hour give a listen. WARNING: You may want to turn your audio down a bit. I had mine down fairly low and the sound was still booming.

I like Foodzie for the same reason that I like Etsy. The consumer can purchase directly from the artisan.

Normally things like the new Prius commercial would sort of give me the willies, but there is something about the commercial that I just love. I don't know if it's the colors or the happy, bappy music or what, but I love it. Here is a clip on how the Prius Harmony commercial was produced. And ignore some of the ignorant, snarky comments.



List of the geekiest invented languages.

Once upon a time I would have been all over this Praline Bacon. First of all before I became a vegetarian bacon was one of my favorite things. In fact, the smell of bacon can still, after all of these yeares, make me heady. And pralines, candy, anything sweek-I'm your girl. Alas, those days are over. I would love to get a whiff of it though. Here is one recipe, another and another.

I bought my mom a really spiffy can a few months ago. She occasionally needs it when her arthritis is acting up. When I had my first surgery I used a cane for a short period of time. I say short period, because the cane they gave me looked like Winston Churchill should have used it. If I had seen these canes at Elegant Cane I probably would have used my the prescribed amount of time. For some odd reason I can't link to the Elegant Cane Company, but you all know how to search for things. They have very nice canes.

John Lennon's alphabet. The New Yorker's fabulous Book Bench blog has a nice entry about John Lennon and his fascination with the alphabet. Even more reason to love this magical man.

It's cool and rainy and I am loving it.

When I think of the September Song I think of Ol' Blue Eyes himself-Frank Sinatra. I was going to post the YouTube video of him singing September Song, but the embedding has been disabled. (the Internet is raining on my parade today). So if we can't have Frank, why not Sarah? I love Ms. Vaughan's voice, but for this song, nobody does it like Mr. Sinatra.


"I have always felt that the moment when first you wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the 24 hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that .... absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn't, matters not one jot. The possibility is always there." - Monica Baldwin