Friday Round Up

Congratualtions to Katherine "Kerry" Close for winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The winning word was URSPRACHE. Here is a definition for ursprache:"a parent language, especially one reconstructed from the evidence of later languages." A. and I were watching the bee last night and had a great time laughing at ourselves trying to spell these words. I will have to investigate this further,but I thought the bee was only open to Americans. The final two spellers were Kerry Close the winner and Finola Mei Hwa Hackett from Alberta, Canada. I remember a few years ago there were children from all over, Canada, Jamaica, etc. Then I thought they changed the rules. Hmmm...

Apparently there are quite a few authors who have not received there royalties. The Author Registry has a list of approximately 300 authors who have money owed to them. The Authors Registry is a not-for-profit corporation created in 1995 by a consortium of U.S. authors' organizations and the primary U.S. literary rights organization: The Authors Guild, The American Society of Journalists & Authors, the Dramatists Guild, and the Association of Authors' Representative. The Registry helps expedite the flow of royalty payments and re-use fees to authors.

A few years ago I started driving myself crazy trying to learn the names of flowers, trees and other plants. I've relaxed a bit, but I still constantly referring to my copy of the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States , which I keep in the car. At times I have wished that I just had some sort of guide that just had everything grouped under colors. This is just what I have been looking for. Now if I could just keep it in the car.

I tend to start on knitting projects in the fall and I usually make a couple of scarfs. They are quick and I can be fairly creative with them. I must say that I am not a fan of Dr. Who, but I think knitting this scarf would be fun.

I came across this very well written blog called Airminded. The blog is about airpower and British society, 1908-1941. The author of the blog includes a lot of books on the subject. I was surprised that quite a few of the topics that he covers actually rung a bell with me. I guess after working at a place for 7 years some of the information must have seeped in through osmosis.

Pasporta Servo is a hospitality service for speakers of the language Esperanto. A directory is published every year that lists host in various countries who permit visitors to stay in their homes for free. The only catch is you have to speak Esperanto. They say that a lot of people have learned Esperanto in order to take advantage of this inexpensive way of traveling. Great idea. (via The Proceedings of the Athanius Kircher Society-what a great blog).

It seems so strange to think this but ever since I started this sugar withdrawal I am in a constant quandry as to what in the world to eat. Especially for lunch. I am trying to not substitute fats for sugar, but that's what I end up doing some of the time. How boring am I? Or am I just lazy? Probably a little of both. That is why I am totally in awe of people like the Vegan Lunchbox author and the Cooking Cute author. That's all I can say. Awe, total, freakin' awe.


"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering." - Saint Augustine