Round Up

Hey,coffee drinkers. There's a new brew in town.

This week I seemed to find a lot of sites concerning words. Like Wordie, which lets you make lists of words -- practical lists, words you love, words you hate, whatever. See who else has listed the same words, add citations and comments, and discuss. Or Take Our Word for It, which is a word-origin zine and so much more. And last, but certainly not least World Wide Words. One could literally spend hours on any of these sites.

The Laundress has tagged me for this meme so here goes:

1. Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog?Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Oh wraps them and loves doing it. I used to wrap everyone in the families gifts, plus all of the gifts we were giving out. Loved it.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colors!

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Yes, every year.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Wreath on the door December 1st and different items throughtout the house the first week in December.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
I don't really have one. I don't eat meat, so probably some side. Maybe mashed potatoes.

7. Favorite Holiday memory? My brother and I waking up going to get my parents on Christmas. Then my dad would run down to the family room and start a fire in the fireplace, turn on the tree lights. Then my parents would lead us down the stairs (they had to we always closed our eyes) and voila-we would then open our eyes and see all of the presents under the tree. After my maternal grandparents moved next door, my mother would call them to come over and then we would all sit around and open our gifts. It was wonderful. It's especially poignant because both of my maternal grandparents are gone now. Oh, how I much I miss them.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Dale McKeever told me in second grade.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Never

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Lights, Icicles,which I am not allowed to put on the tree-I've always been a thrower, bulbs.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
LOVE it.

12. Can you ice skate?No, but love to watch it, and would love to learn

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Not really.

14. What's the most important thing?
Sharing with those you love.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Cookies and homemade candies-fudge, divinity, etc.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Growing up we went caroling, but I haven't done that since I was in high school. I don't think I have any now.

17. What tops your tree?
This scary-ass angel that I keep meaning to replace. I swear her eyes follow me around the room

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving?
Giving. By far. Actually, discomfitted with gifts. (I am not changing a word that the Laundress has here) I have always felt the exact same way.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
I love them all, but it's not Christmas for me unless I hear Nat King Cole sing The Christmas Song.

0. Candy canes, Yuck or Yum?
Yuck

Thanks Laundress. That was fun.

I thought that I was fairly knowledgeable about Geography. I know that I always did well in it in school and I have a general liking of the subject. I also thought I knew where things were in the world. Boy, was I wrong. Take this addictive test and see how well you do. I must, must, must learn where all of the 'stans are and Turkey.

The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library(Kansas)is ranked as the number one library in the state. What is so unsual (to me) is that they mail their holds. Yep, they MAIL them to patron. And they have done this since the 1970's. This service is budgeted for every year and the library says that
patrons love it. (via Superpatron)

In the last couple of weeks author Bebe Moore Campbell and actor Peter Boyle have passed away. I just found out that early this year Eddie (nee Moose) the Jack Russell Terrier from the television program Fraser also passed away. He was 16 years old.

This will probably be my last entry before the holiday. I hope you and your loved ones have a very happy holiday.

"No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood" Francis P. Church, Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus, first published in The New York Sun, 1897

Friday Round Up

So you have heard of the human genome project. How about the music genome project?

In my never-ending quest to locate cool online maps I came across the Yes Map. This is a map of American radio stations that shows the songs they are playing in real-time. One of my favorite magazines is Geist, a Canadian magazine. They include very interesting maps in each issue. Here is a listing of them.

Every few years I go back and re-read all of my favorite Jane Austen books. I'm glad to see these very well written Jane Austen blogs. Here's one, two , and three.

So you all no my chocoholic tendencies. Well, I was at a friends and she gives me a bag of these. Milk chocolate with a white chocolate(which we all know isn't really chocolate, but it's wonderful) filling. I know I don't need to say anymore.

There are times when I am in a self-imposed blog reading marathon I will read all of one kind of blog-food blogs, librarian blogs, etc. I found this very nice academic blog portal that makes my addiction so much easier to manage.

Still not in the Christmas spirit. Here's 24 films to get you to feel Christmasy.

At one time I had a ridiculous amount of cookbooks. I ended up giving a lot of them away so now I am down to just a few. Maybe I'll start collecting again. I could use the best 20 cookbooks of 2006 list as my guide.

Take a look at this very interesting blog on landscape architecture. (thanks Katie)

At first I thought this Datamining blog was not going to be my cup of tea, but I really like it.

Katie also turned me on to Pop Candy. This is probably one of the best pop culture blogs I've read in awhile. (of course that's just my humble opinion).

I have been finding lots of end of year lists, but I am not going to go crazy and keep posting them. I think there are other bloggers who actually compile lists of everything for that year. I think the fantastic fimoculous does this every year if I am not mistaken.

Have a good weekend.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." Anais Nin

Volvelles

I have quite a few small collections of things, but the one that I seem to have the most fun with is my collection of volvelles. Volvelles are also called circular charts, slidable information wheels, information rotating wheels or wheel charts. I think they are a wonderful interway to present information.

I thought I was alone for my love of volvelles until Jessica Helfand came out with her book, Reinventing the Wheel:Volvelles, Equatoria, Planispheres, Fact-Finders, Gestational Charts .. Helfand donated her collection of 371 volvelles to the Yale Arts Library. Here is the finding aid to the collection. (It's in PDF)

Here are some wonderful examples of volvelles from an exhibition at the Grolier Club.

A grammar/punctuation volvelle.

Here is a list of the volvelles I have collected. Maybe I'll be able to reach 300 some day.

1.50 States of the United States (Wonder Bread)
2.101 Civil War Battles with Union & Confederacy, Dates of Battles
3.Care First Blue Cross/Blue Shield Physical Fitness Wheel
4.Citigate Mortgage Payment Calculator
5.Dog Breeds (in Russian)
6.Eating Smart Restaurant Guide
7.Encore Travel Planner
8.Expo 67
9.Fireglass
10.Guide to U.S. Warships (Wonder Bread)
11.Investment Planner
12.John Welsh Grocery Store/Aunt Jane’s Secretary
13.Johnson’s Wax Calendar Wheel (1958-1985) (this is a very tiny metal wheel)
14.Know Your USA and the 48 States (Wonder Bread)
15,Merriman Brothers Speed Indicator
16.Mortgage Payment Calculator
17.Planisphere
18.Pocket Color Wheel
19.Putnam Benefit Calculator
20.Scandinavian Winners of the Nobel Prize
21.Seagate Disc Products for Personal Storage
22.U.S. Pollen Predictor Wheel
23.Warner Swasey Company Pin Drafter
24.Whitsinville Ring Company Diamond Finish Rings Count Inicator
25.Wildlife Spotter
26.Wine and Food Matching Wheel

"No, Watson, this was not done by accident, but by design." Sherlock Holmes