learn something new every day

Um. Weird. 81:365

2008-03-21T11:55:00.001-05:00

In 1977 when marvel comics issued the first KISS (you know, the band) comic book. The red ink used to print the comic was mixed with each of the band member's blood. Seriously. I'm not lying. Check it out on snopes....

http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/kissblood.asp

Bond. James Bond. 80:365

2008-03-20T11:37:00.000-05:00

One of the hot women used in the Bond movie For Your Eyes Only, was transsexual. As soon as the movie came out and a UK tabloid (New of the World) "outed her" her modeling and acting career was disrupted.

Bachelor. 79:365

2008-03-19T11:32:00.000-05:00

The only president to remain a bachelor throughout his term was James Buchanan (republican, elected 1856). He used his niece as a white house hostess.

can someone catch that giraffe?? 78:365

2008-03-18T11:21:00.001-05:00

Momma giraffes give birth standing up, so the baby (calf) is dropped nearly six feet to the ground onto their head. Welcome to the world little one! On average, the calf is already 6 feet tall when born and weighs 110-120 pounds. Um, ouch!! I guess I'd drop my kid on its head too!

History of underarm hair removal. 77:365

2008-03-17T18:00:00.004-05:00

In the West, underarm hair removal didn't become popular until after the safety razor was invented at the beginning of the 20th century. Around 1915, US magazines started sporting advertisements with women in summer dresses without underarm hair. Underarm shaving became quickly adopted in the United States and Canada...and did not become widespread in Europe until well after WWII.

Many cultures do not find it aesthetically necessary...and I should probably belong to one of those. ;-)

bold face liar or bald face liar? 76:365

2008-03-16T17:51:00.002-05:00

So, my friends were having a conversation about which is correct...calling someone a bold face liar or a bald face liar. So...I decided to look into it.

Taken from Merriam-Webster Online

The truth is this: both are used, and so is barefaced. Bald-faced is the newest term; its first known print appearance dates back only 62 years, to 1943. Bold-faced is some four centuries older than that, dating to 1591. Although you might guess bald-faced developed out of a mishearing of bold-faced, the meanings of the two adjectives are not synonymous. Bold-faced means "bold in manner or conduct; impudent"; bald-faced has the same meaning as barefaced: "open; unconcealed"; and "having or showing a lack of scruples."

Barefaced is one year older than bold-faced; its first print appearance dates to 1590. But the original meaning of barefaced was literal: it meant "having the face uncovered," either "beardless" or "wearing no mask." Not surprisingly, folks using the word barefaced were open to shifting the adjective into the metaphoric realm: barefaced soon came to describe something "unconcealed or open"; and then something "showing or having a lack of scruples."

Interesting. So I guess what we learned here....is to say it however you want to. Mkay?

dimple. 75:365

2008-03-15T17:48:00.001-05:00

The attachment of human muscles to skin is what causes dimples.

Happy Pi Day!! 74:365

2008-03-14T17:31:00.001-05:00

Did you know that if you are in a mathematical pinch (yeah...like that is going to happen)...you can approximate pi with the fraction 22/7. Thus giving us another pi day on July 22.

Because, who doesn't need another excuse to eat pie to celebrate?

luthier 73:365

2008-03-13T00:09:00.000-05:00

Originally uploaded by sungazing

A luthier is someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments.

Spam. 72:365

2008-03-12T11:01:00.002-05:00

Weirdie Mana
Originally uploaded by KnowWonNose

SPAM Jam (formerly known as Cedar River days) is a yearly festival of the popular meat product Spam. It is held in Austin, Minnesota, where Hormel food company produces the meat.

The festival spans from July 1 to July 7 and includes fireworks, parades, games, a carnival, and of course, the mysterious meat itself. Each year, those who enter the city during the festivities are likely to see copious amounts of blue and yellow (the colors of the packaging), and myriad dancing men and women in large SPAM can costumes.

Spam Jam is also celebrated annually in Hawaii during the last week of April.

All this taken directly from the spam jam wiki page.

George Washington 71:365

2008-03-11T10:50:00.000-05:00

George Washington
Originally uploaded by Skyco

George Washington had a dog named Drunkard.

Charity. 70:365

2008-03-10T10:39:00.001-05:00

The average American gives about 3.1% of their income (before taxes) to charity. The people that give the most actually make the least. Households earning under $10,000 a year -- far below the poverty line -- gave 5.2% of their income to charity. That's a larger percentage of their money than any other income group.

statistics from http://www.justgive.org/

How to survive a volcano 69:365

2008-03-09T10:25:00.003-05:00

bits and pieces. 68:365

2008-03-08T10:23:00.003-06:00

The average car contains 15,000 parts.

hexapus? 67:365

2008-03-07T22:29:00.002-06:00

English marine experts have found an octopus with six tentacles. Turns out, it was a birth defect....but has proven that an octopus can indeed have less than 8 tentacles and still be a real octopus.

Here is the link to the story if you are interested in reading up on it.

dr pepper 66:365

2008-03-06T17:45:00.003-06:00

dr pepper
Originally uploaded by jek in the box

Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. The Dublin Dr Pepper, 85 miles west of Waco, still uses pure imperial cane sugar in its product.

Some Guys Have All the Luck 65:365

2008-03-05T08:56:00.002-06:00

Rod Stewart
Originally uploaded by CockneyRebel

Rock legend Rod Stewart briefly had a job digging graves for London's Highgate Graveyard before he became a musician. It only lasted a couple of weeks, but still. A grave digger.

Too bad he didn't dig a grave for his voice. Hehe. Sorry to any Rod fans. I swear I'm joking.

*uncrosses fingers*

Bradbury. 64:365

2008-03-04T12:36:00.003-06:00

Where do we begin?
Originally uploaded by sungazing

I was reading up a bit about Ray Bradbury today and I found out that the powers that be have named an asteroid and a crater on the moon in honor of Mr. Bradbury.

The asteroid is named 9766 Bradbury. The crater is named the "Dandelion Crater" after his book Dandelion Wine.

Cool. He deserves it.

Bravo! Bravo!! 63:365

2008-03-03T12:17:00.001-06:00

On March 3, 1585 the Olympic Theatre (Teatro Olimpico) in Vicenza, Italy designed by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, was inaugurated. This kind of Renaissance structure is the sole survivor of its kind to survive until contemporary times.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! 62:365

2008-03-02T09:38:00.001-06:00

Thanks Jamie for today's entry! Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was born on March 2, 1904. Happy Birthday (even though you are dead.)! :-)

Nebraska. 61:365

2008-03-01T21:57:00.000-06:00

On this day in 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state.

ricin. 60:365

2008-02-29T20:58:00.001-06:00

Did anyone else know what ricin was? It is all over the news today...and I had never even heard of it before.

It is a toxin, that is deadly to humans, that is extracted from the castor bean. More info can be found here, if you want to learn more.

You asleep? 59:365

2008-02-28T20:44:00.000-06:00

Dolphin - a beautiful sight
- a wonderful gift
Originally uploaded by brynmeillion

Did you know that dolphins do not sleep like land mammals? They need to come up for air on a regular basis, so dolphins sleep with only one side of their brain at a time.

Crazy!? One hemisphere of the brain is asleep and one eye closed, while the other side is alert, telling them when to go up for air and watching for any dangers. Cool.

I wish I could sleep like that.

I scream you scream. 58:365

2008-02-27T18:17:00.000-06:00

ICE CREAM!
Originally uploaded by cammom

You ever wonder what the best spoon to use is when eating ice cream? Yeah, me neither. But John Harrison, who is the official ice cream taster for Dreyers Ice Cream, uses a gold spoon because unlike plastic, metal or wood, gold has no aftertaste.

How'd you get that name? 57:365

2008-02-26T16:16:00.000-06:00

Dinosaurs generally are named after a characteristic body feature, after the place where they were found, or after a person involved in the discovery. Usually the name consists of two Greek or Latin words (or combinations); in order, these are the genus (plural, genera) and the species name. For example, the Greek and Latin combination (binomen) Tyrannosaurus rex means "king of the tyrant lizards." Biologists name modern animals exactly the same way.

birthdays 56:365

2008-02-25T14:47:00.000-06:00

Today was one of my little booger's birthday...in honor of him, I decided to see who else shares his day.

1841 - Pierre-Auguste Renoir (artist)
1918 - Bobby Riggs (tennis player)
1935 - Sally Jessy Raphael (talk show host)
1938 - Diane Baker (american actress)
1943 - George Harrison (Beatles lead guitar)
1947 - Doug Yule (from The Velvet Underground)

Telesto 55:365

2008-02-24T23:45:00.004-06:00

Straight from the wiki random link: Wiki Random

In Greek Mythology Telesto or Telestho ("success") was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys.

peace! 54:365

2008-02-23T23:30:00.000-06:00

This is starting to sound
like a bad comic-book plot!
Originally uploaded by sungazing

The peace sign was originally a sign for victory (hence the "V" shape) and didn't become a recognized sign for peace until the 1960s peace movement in the United States. Protesters (aka "hippies") often held the "v sign", palms out, and said the word peace at the same time.

Cool. All in all....peace is the real victory. A natural progression of the "sign" in my eyes.

Environmental impact. 53:365

2008-02-22T23:50:00.003-06:00

bottled water
Originally uploaded by dietrich

So, for the past few months, I have been going back and forth about getting a filter on our tap and stop with the bottled water. You would not believe how many bottles three kids can waste in a day, let alone a week...a month...a year!!?!?

We recycle, at least, but in the back of my head, I just knew that using the tap is a better option. For some reason, the topic of bottled water came up tonight, and I decided to do a little research. What I found, has made up my mind. The next time I get out, I am buying a filter.

I am just going to copy and past this information on environmental impact of the bottled water industry (the impact is much more than the 80% of the bottles in America that DON'T get recycled - out of the 28 billion bottles consumed). Anyway, this site is one of many that are trying to turn people back to the tap....you should check it out in greater detail if you are interested: Tap vs. Bottle. From their site:

there are other, more serious, problems associated with the production and consumption of bottled water. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, Americans bought a total of 31.2 billion liters of water in 2006. The Pacific Institute estimates that producing the bottles for American consumption required more than 17 million barrels of oil, not including the energy for transportation. Bottling the water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide. It took 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water.

Once the bottled water is produced and consumed, the plastic bottle must be disposed of, which results in even more issues for our environment. The Container Recycling Institute reports that 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. Incinerating the used bottles produces toxic byproductsand buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. For those whothink recycling is the answer, almost 40 percent of the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles that were deposited for recycling in the United States in 2004 were actually exported, sometimes to as far away as China, thus adding to the resources used by this product.

So anyone want to join me in cutting back? I know I will still use them from time to time, but this has really opened my eyes. Every little bit helps.

Little red specs of happy. 52:365

2008-02-21T21:11:00.003-06:00

Originally uploaded by sungazing

Middle kid: "Mom, the birds are singing outside. What in the world are they doing in our tree, in the ICE?!?!?!"

Me: "Where else would they be sweetie, we feed them."

Middle kid: "Uhmmm, the SOUTH. Duh."

So, did you know that cardinal birds aren't migratory? I knew we had a ton of them in our tree...but I just thought they were the dumb ones that didn't go off and get warm.

Turns out, most cardinals stick right where they are for the winter. They may fly a little bit further if food supply is low, but for the most part, cardinals find a favorable spot and flock together in the wintertime. They also keep the same mate for life and never travel far from one another.

Good thing. I've enjoyed watching them this winter. We have an upward of 20-25 of the little songbirds in our tree in back every time I look out the window.

The Columbus Eclipse. 51:365

2008-02-20T23:24:00.003-06:00

My brother was talking about this today...and I had no clue what the hell he was talking about. SO I decided to learn that today...in honor of the lunar eclipse this evening.

Columbus left on his fourth voyage, in search of Strait of Malacca to the Indian Ocean, on May 11, 1502. Several things happened over a course of a year (if you want to know more about it go look it up yourself!), but they were unable to travel any further on June 25, 1503 and were beached in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica.

Columbus and his crew were stranded here for over a year. The island's governor thought that Columbus was an ass, and rejected giving them any help and obstructed any rescue efforts to save them.

Desperate to get his crew food, Columbus intimidated the natives by correctly predicting a lunar eclipse for February 29, 1504, (using the Ephemeris of the German astronomer Regiomontanus). This carried them over until help arrived June 29, 1504. Columbus and his men arrived back in Spain in November of that year.

And...a photo of the lunar eclipse tonight....to top off what you learned today.

Elvis is alive [or a new recipe]. 50:365

2008-02-19T10:14:00.002-06:00

Elvis is alive. 178:365
Originally uploaded by sungazing

Have you ever had an Elvis Sandwich? I never knew there was such a thing...but apparently this was one of his favorite meals in the later years of his life...

1. Toast two slices of soft white bread in a toaster.
2. Spread peanut butter on one slice
3. Slice banana on top of the peanut butter and cover with the other piece of toast.
4. Fry the sandwich in a hot skillet with melted butter.
5. Add bacon if you are in the mood.

Um, gross. I'll give anyone who makes and eats this sandwich (and shows me photos to prove it) a custom 8x10 photograph of their choice from my flickr stream. Anyone up for the challenge? Bacon can be optional, but I'd throw in a frame if you did it. I swear.

Etymology of Robot. 49:365

2008-02-18T23:02:00.004-06:00

within your rights to bite the right one.....
Originally uploaded by Extra Super Cutie

Taken directly from wiki:

The word robot was introduced to the public at large by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), which premiered in 1920. The play begins in a factory that makes 'artificial people' - they are called robots, but are closer to the modern idea of androids or even clones, creatures who can be mistaken for humans. They can plainly think for themselves, though they seem happy to serve. At issue is whether the "Robots" are being exploited and, if so, what follows?

However, Karel Čapek himself was not the originator of the word; he wrote a short letter in reference to an article in the Oxford English Dictionary etymology in which he named his brother, painter and writer Josef Čapek, as its actual inventor. In an article in the Czech journal Lidové noviny in 1933, he also explained that he had originally wanted to call the creatures laboři (from Latin labor, work). However, he did not like the word, seeing it as too artificial, and sought advice from his brother Josef, who suggested "roboti".

The word robot comes from the word robota meaning literally serf labor, and, figuratively, "drudgery" or "hard work" in Czech, Slovak and Polish. The origin of the word is the Old Church Slavonic rabota "servitude" ("work" in contemporary Bulgarian and Russian), which in turn comes from the Indo-European root *orbh-. Robot is cognate with the German word Arbeiter (worker).

**edited to add this bitchass video my dear friend extra super cutie put together. Cutest thing EVAR.

lucky star. 48:365

2008-02-17T22:36:00.002-06:00

lucky star. 176:365
Originally uploaded by sungazing

Converse All Stars (one of my all time favorite shoes) were first produced in 1917. Damn. They have been around a long ass time.

Elder Wisdom. 47:365

2008-02-16T22:19:00.001-06:00

I found something this week that I wanted to share with as many people as I could...so I thought I'd use it for today's blog entry. There is this really cool organization called the Elder Wisdom Circle. Here is a description of who they are taken from their site:

"Advice seekers in their teens, 20's and 30's from all over the globe consult the EWC. A widely diverse group of 600 wise volunteers aged 60-105 create our Circle. Elders participate individually from their home computers or collectively at a senior community."

Basically, you write a question...and a elder responds and give you the wisdom that they have on the subject. Cool right?

I mean, at a time where many people disregard anyone's opinion, it is nice to know that such an organization exists. I know I want my grandparents to know that I genuinely care about what they have to say. I care about their life experiences that got them to where they are today. I'd like them to feel like they are passing something from themselves to me...and that I can pass that same wisdom to my kids and eventually grandkids...and on down the line.

I think it is great that this organization is not only giving these seniors an outlet to share their wisdom...but for younger generations to gain from it as well. Happy happy.

So GO! Ask them a question. Learn something new from someone who knows!! I did. :-)

St. Louis 46:365

2008-02-15T23:11:00.000-06:00

Did you tell St. Louis Happy Birthday today!?!??! St. Louis was established on February 15, 1764. On this day, Auguste Chouteau and Pierre Linquest started building a trading post, which they named St. Louis in honor of the patron saint of the reigning French king, Louis XV.

Valentine's Day. 45:365

2008-02-14T21:58:00.003-06:00

Day 45, 2/14/08
Originally uploaded by cortnie dee.

Straight from wiki...because I'm too tired to write it myself....

The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer:

"For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese [choose] his make [mate]."

This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381. (When they were married eight months later, he was 13 or 14, and she was 14.)

Cool. I love Chaucer

Specialty Hearse WHAT!? 44:365

2008-02-13T14:29:00.006-06:00

Specialty Hearse
Originally uploaded by stlrachelknits

So, my lovely friend Rachel (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!), is in Indiana and sees this...this convertible hearse. No kidding, see the photo to the right.

She is so flabbergasted that she has to google it, right? Turns out it a specialty hearse for flowers. Well, I have never heard of a convertible specialty hearse...and we had quite a good laugh at what the people in my town would do with such a thing.

Turns out though (after doing a bit of research myself), there are all types of specialty hearses. I mean, motorcycle ones, Buddhist temple ones, gilded ornament ones, horse drawn ones, trailer ones, even luxury hearses. For real.

And, even scarier than that, they actually have clubs for hearse enthusiasts. Really...people collect them.

Wow....you learn somethin' new every day.

Julie. 43:365

2008-02-12T16:40:00.001-06:00

The name Julie is French...and it means youthful one, soft haired, vivacious. That is me, no? Anyway, I knew all of that. This is what I learned about my name today....the first time the name Julie appeared in a non-French literary work was in the famous tragedy Miss Julie by
Swedish playwright August Strindberg in 1888.

To go along with this little fact about my name...I'll share this song (Julie) by Jens Lekman (whom I found a few weeks ago and fell in love with!). Funny, I believe he is Swedish as well. Here it is...enjoy.

Crouton. 42:365

2008-02-11T18:06:00.000-06:00

From wiki, the word crouton is derived from the French croûte, meaning "crust".

How original.

Vitruvian Man. 41:365

2008-02-10T23:34:00.000-06:00

Leonardo da Vinci's famous drawing the Vitruvian Man (also called the Canon of Proportions) was named such because da Vinci based some aspects of the drawing from ideal human proportions with geometry which was in Book III of the treatise De Architectura by an ancient Roman architect Vitruvius (which was written between 27 and 23 BC).

I've been told... 40:365

2008-02-09T23:54:00.000-06:00

I've been told... 168:365
Originally uploaded by sungazing

I have heard people say "a little bird told me so" from the day I was born. So it never really occurred to me to wonder why the heck people say it until I was taking a photo today for my 365 portrait project.

My friend, Andreas Nilsson and I embarked on the 365 project about the same time. This week, we have given one another seven concepts for the other to do. Today, I had to do my interpretation of "I've been told"

So...I immediately thought of "a little birdie told me" and after posting the photo, started to think about WHY on EARTH did a bird tell me anything?!?!

The origins of the phrase are not exact and there are a few ideas as to where it came from. Some believe it is from the Bible - Ecclesiastes 10:20 "for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter."

Others believe that it is simply a reference to carrier pigeons or other such messenger birds.

So...now you know. Pick which reason you like best and stick to it. :-)

:-)

The Awakening. 39:365

2008-02-08T23:44:00.000-06:00

Not only...but also. 167:365
Originally uploaded by sungazing

Kate Chopin not only paved the way for feminist authors in the 19th century, but also changed my life.

Her book, The Awakening, transformed me in ways I’ll never be able to clearly describe. Well over 100 years after it was written, Chopin clearly portrays what it is like to be a woman (not to mention a mother) that is held to certain expectations. This book made me reevaluate my priorities, stay true to my self, and love the woman I am even though I may not fit in to the "mold" that people expect and want.

On February 8, 1850, Kate Chopin, a woman who as truly made my life better just by having read her, was born. So every year, I plan to celebrate. Today, I placed this book near her star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in her honor. I hope it inspires whomever picks it up.

I registered it with Bookcrossing, and if you haven’t checked out that site…you should. I’ve just only found it and I am going to be obsessed.

I decided that for today, I would try to learn something more about this book...even though I already know quite a bit about it. I managed to find out that on July 6, 1902, the New York Times reported that the Evanston Illinois Public Library had removed the book (among others) from its open shelves because it found it objectionable.

Not surprising. Chopin was far beyond her time.

Happy Birthday to a dear hero.

Eternal Return. 38:365

2008-02-07T23:23:00.000-06:00

Eternal return is the belief that the universe has been recurring and will continue to recur in the exact same way an indescribable number of times.

Taken from wiki "The basic premise is that the universe is limited in extent and contains a finite amount of matter, while time is viewed as being infinite. The universe has no starting or ending state, while the matter comprising it is constantly changing its state. The number of possible changes is finite, and so sooner or later the same state will recur."

This concept has roots in Ancient Egypt and gained attention from the likes of Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer.

It is pretty interesting...if you want to learn a little more about it...check out this wiki page.

Ronald Reagan. 37:365

2008-02-06T23:00:00.000-06:00

Ronald Reagan is the only US president that has been divorced. He was married to actress, Jane Wyman. They married in 1940. Had two girls (one died shortly after birth), and later adopted a son. They were divorced eight years later following arguments over Reagan's political ambitions.

February 6th (1911) is Reagan's birth date.

Shrove Tuesday! 36:365

2008-02-05T23:06:00.000-06:00

Fasnachts
Originally uploaded by robbyredbird

Fasnachts are fatty doughnuts that are commonly served the day before Lent begins. These desserts were normally made as a way to empty the pantry of fat, lard, sugar, butter and other ingredients which were typically forbidden during Lent.

Happy Fat Tuesday! :-)

We come in peace. 35:365

2008-02-04T22:18:00.000-06:00

Did you know that today (February 4, 2008) NASA transmitted the song Across the Universe by The Beatles in the direction of the star Polaris, which is 431 light years from Earth. This is to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this song, the 45th anniversary of the Deep Space Network, and the 50th anniversary of NASA. The date has been deemed Across the Universe Day.

Buddy Holly 34:365

2008-02-03T22:17:00.000-06:00

Buddy Holly
Originally uploaded by gtmcknight

On February 3, 1959 Buddy Holly, a pioneer of rock n' roll, died in a plane crash. Did you know that his last name was actually Holley (spelled with an 'e'), but because of a spelling mistake on a contract, he adopted that spelling for his professional career.

Sort of unrelated, but I always wanted an 'e' after my middle name Ann. Perhaps I should just change it for my professional career. :-)

Rest in peace Buddy.

trap! 33:365

2008-02-02T21:42:00.000-06:00

The Venus Fly Trap is an amazing carnivorous plant that catches and eats its animal prey. The lobes of the plant exhibit rapid plant movement and when it feels its prey, it snaps shut (within .1 seconds!). This plant is so amazing that it can tell the difference between food and other stimulus (such as rain).

If its prey is too small and can escape the small holes, the trap will reopen in 12 hours. If the prey is large enough and is trying to get out, the trap will shut down tighter and the digestion process speeds up.

These plants are very common household plants...they can't be watered with tap water as the salts can kill them. Rain water or distilled water is best. They are perfectly capable of feeding themselves.

Pretty cool. I think I am going to give having one of these a go. I am fascinated by them.

Lashes. 32:365

2008-02-01T21:49:00.000-06:00

invisible. 160:365
Originally uploaded by sungazing

Do you ever wonder how long it would take you to grow all of your eyelashes back if they fell out? Yeah...me either. But, I was googling something about eyes and ran across the answer to that very question!

It takes seven to eight weeks for an eyelash to grow back when they fall or are picked out.

Fascinating. Even more fascinating....I finally managed to get a semi ok macro of my own eye. :-)

Keep those legs closed! 31:365

2008-01-31T21:32:00.000-06:00

On January 31, 1747 the very first venereal diseases clinic opened in London at the London Lock Hospital. The hospital has an interesting history if you want to read more about it....click here.

Pug pug pug. 30:365

2008-01-30T21:35:00.000-06:00

Pepper the black Pug puppy!
Originally uploaded by Evan Agee

Many believe that the word pug comes from an old English word "pugg" which was an affectionate term for playful little devil.

Which, in my opinion, totally describes the breed well. :-)

Romeo! Oh Romeo! 29:365

2008-01-29T21:21:00.000-06:00

Literary tidbits for January 29th....

It is believed that Romeo and Juliet was first performed on January 29, 1595.

The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe was first published on this day in the New York Evening Mirror in 1845.

Robert Frost died on this day in 1963.

Fantasy Island. 28:365

2008-01-28T23:50:00.000-06:00

My hubby and I were talking about the tattoo...yeah...it has been pretty much all anyone who's anyone can talk about. ;-)

Anyway, he was saying that there was a dude on Fantasy Island who was named Tattoo. I didn't know that at all...but I had never watched it. So, I suppose I could say that is what I learned...but I thought I'd dig a tad deeper and find out more about the actor who played Tattoo.

Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize was born in 1943 and raised in Paris. After studying art in college, he headed to the US teaching himself English by watching television. He made a living as an artist and photographer, and then later entered film. After being ditched from Fantasy Island (he was requesting a lot more money, quarreling with producers, etc) he apparently became severely depressed. He committed suicide in 1993 at the age of fifty.

once there was a tree. 27:365

2008-01-27T23:42:00.000-06:00

once there was a tree... 154:365
Originally uploaded by sungazing

In honor of my new tattoo....I thought I'd learn something about the book that it is from. I thought that would be hard, since I know a lot about the book and the author Shel Silverstein already...but...I learned that The Giving Tree has been translated into THIRTY languages.

Amazing...and makes me smile.

tattoo. 26:365

2008-01-26T23:32:00.000-06:00

Me getting my ink!
originally uploaded by stlrachelknits

On January 26th, I learned that I am a badass. I got my first tattoo!!! And it I learned that it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would! But those are technically opinions (as my dear hubby pointed out on one of my earlier posts)....so....want to know the etymology of the word tattoo?? Of course you do!!

Tattoo comes from the Samoan word tatau, meaning to mark or strike twice.

Yeah...I suck. 25:365

2008-01-25T23:11:00.000-06:00

I am going to go ahead and catch myself up...with the point of this blog being to learn 365 new things this year. Well, 366 technically. So if I happen to learn 10 things on one day, and nothing for the next week, it all evens out in the end right? Hehe. I'm changing the dates on my blog so it all flows evenly....and I am going to try keeping up! I swear!

So...thing 25.

I am in love with the new movie Juno. So...I decided to google it a while ago (possibly around the 25, since that is when I got the soundtrack...). Anyway, Juno is actually a goddess in Roman Mythology. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister (and wife...ewww) of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Juventas, Mars, and Vulcan. She was the protector and special counselor of the Roman state.

Cool huh? I want to be named after a goddess, but I most certainly do NOT want to be married to my brother.

Peace Crane. 24:365

2008-01-24T15:28:00.000-06:00

Today, I learned how to make an origami peace crane. Here she is:

Do you want to learn how? You can watch this video on youtube sent to me by my flickr pal Miri Moonsong.

100 People Who Influenced St. Louis 23:365

2008-01-23T13:59:00.000-06:00

I was flipping through St. Louis Magazine, not something I normally read, but I had picked up some local magazines at the library to look for ideas for publishing some of my photos. Anyway, one article (they actually do have articles that don't pertain to the "best of" doctors in St. Louis (that pay to be in there)), caught my eye. It was talking about 100 people who shaped St. Louis.

To be honest, I was too tired to read the whole thing (was saving it for later), but one name & photo managed to catch my attention because I had heard it in passing and never knew who she was. Susan Blow (1843-1916). She was a writer, reformer and lecturer. She opened the country's first successful Kindergarten at the Des Peres School in Carondelet. She ran the school without being paid for 11 years...then spread the idea of kindergarten throughout America.

Cool. I'll have to tell my kindergartener to than Susan Blow today. :-)

Macro. 22:365

2008-01-22T13:30:00.000-06:00

essence.
Originally uploaded by sungazing

I was reading a book I checked out, A comprehensive Guide to Digital Close-Up Photography by John Clements. I didn't stay too interested in it...I wanted to get to my knitting. But, before I closed the book I found out the EXACT definition of macro in terms of fractions and crap. A photograph is considered macro when the equipment used enables a magnification or reproduction ratio of between lifesize (1:1) and ten times lifesize (10:1) If the ration goes beyond 10:1...it is considered micro photography.

Interesting.

Rubber tree. 21:365

2008-01-21T18:48:00.001-06:00

Rubber tree - Seringueira
Originally uploaded by Amethist

What the hell?!?! I had no clue latex came from a tree.

Puppy formula? 20:365

2008-01-20T18:39:00.000-06:00

So, I go to Dickey Bub. Yes, there really is a store called Dickey Bub here in these parts. I needed to pick up some household cleaners (fun). I decided to run by the pet stuff too, because, well I have pets. So anyway, I see puppy formula. So...I guess I am dumb for never thinking of it before....but yeah...today I learned they made actual puppy formula. It is as expensive as baby formula too.

Did you all know that? It had never even crossed my mind. I just assumed one would use like goat milk or something if the puppy's momma couldn't feed it.

Son of a Gun!! 19:365

2008-01-19T00:07:00.000-06:00

Do you ever say the silliest things and then wonder where in the hell they came from? Yeah...well, I just said *son of a gun* and realized how silly it sounded. Want to know where it came from? I did!!

Turns out, it is British naval slang that refers to a child of questionable parentage conceived on the gun deck.

:-)

Cool.

Lounge Lizard 18:365

2008-01-18T21:52:00.000-06:00

Last night, whilst playing cranium with some friends....I learned (after losing a round) what the heck a lounge lizard was. I had never even heard the word. So, since that was last night, I couldn't use it for today. So I thought I'd do a quick dictionary search and do the first word that came up that I didn't know.

weasel word

Do you know what that means?? Taken from Merriam Webster online:

\WEE-zul-WURD\ • noun

: a word used in order to mislead a person or to avoid a straight answer

Example Sentence:

Instead of just saying outright that jobs are going to be cut, the head of the company has taken to using weasel words like "corporate restructuring."

Did you know?

Some people believe that weasels can suck the insides out of an egg without damaging the shell. An egg thus weasel-treated would look fine on the outside, but it would actually be empty and useless. We don't know if weasels can really do that, but the belief that they could caused people to start using "weasel word" to refer to any term intended to give the impression that everything is fine when the speaker is really trying to avoid answering a question, telling the truth, or taking the blame for something.

CSI - Kindergarten Style. 17:365

2008-01-17T15:37:00.000-06:00

Some of you know that I volunteer in my kiddo's kindergarten class once a week. Today, we learned about fingerprints. The kids learned the types of fingerprints there are, got inked and printed, and then looked at their prints with magnifying glasses to see what kind of print they had. After that, they got to make fingerprint drawings. It was pretty cool.

So what did I learn today? My fingerprints fall into the whorl category. Which, in my opinion is the coolest one. :-) Do you know which kind you have??

Insomnia 16:365

2008-01-16T15:24:00.001-06:00

circa 1623. 143:365
Originally uploaded by sungazing

Did you know you can die from insomnia? I didn't. It is a very rare condition called Fatal Familial Insomnia. The gene that is responsible for this condition is only found in 40 families worldwide. Basically, the patient goes into complete sleeplessness, that eventually leads to death.

Man, I thought my insomnia was bad. Methinks it is time to stop complaining.

vignette. 15:365

2008-01-16T09:15:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I learned how to vignette in photoshop. This has been a huge ordeal for the past year or so. I would edit my photos in photoshop (because I like it better), and then I would go to Corel photopaint to add vignetting. It was a major pita. So...yesterday, Extra Super Cutie, taught me to vignette in photoshop. Yeah!! Here is the photo I vignetted...amazing I can do clones, but I didn't know how to vignette.

Oh...and if you don't know what vignetting is, it is often added to a photo to attract your attention the center of the photograph. Basically, it is just darkening up the edges a bit. :-)

Lobotomy. 14:365

2008-01-14T23:11:00.000-06:00

Wow. I never knew what a lobotomy was. I now know, that because of my anxiety disorder...I could have had one of these if I lived way back when, you know like in 1940. Egads. I am not retyping what I learned...because it seriously makes me queasy. Bleh. But if you want to know more about this horrid procedure....be my guest....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobotomy

HSM. 13:365

2008-01-13T11:54:00.000-06:00

Um, the High School Musical Theatrical version? It sucks. I *thought* it would be better than the on ice version, and it probably was. But...it sucked.

That is what I learned last night. Bleh. But my girls were happy. Isn't that what it is all about??

Windy. 12:365

2008-01-12T11:47:00.000-06:00

I learned that Chicago is not just called the Windy City because of wind. There are actually several reasons...including wind, politics, the World's Fair, and their rivalry with Cincinnati.

Want to learn more about it? Go here!!

Red light. 11:365

2008-01-11T21:50:00.000-06:00

You can run red lights whilst driving in a funeral procession. Who knew? I suppose I have never driven in one that I wasn't crying so hard in the passenger seat that I didn't notice the driving part. I actually had to drive in one today, and I felt like I was getting away with something by running the red lights.

Rest in peace Mr. Holt. You were an amazing man.

dogs=love. 10:365

2008-01-10T15:51:00.001-06:00

grooming day. 137:365
Originally uploaded by sungazing

I guess, today was the first day I realized just how much I love dogs. Seriously. I have had a hate - love - hate relationship with dogs since 2002, when I had to put down my childhood friend, Patches. I missed him so much, that it took a long time to let another dog in.

But today, after picking my pups up from the groomer, I really realized how much joy they bring to my life. I totally love them. Today, I realized that I am one of those dog people.

Happiness abound.

The Decemberist Revolt - 9:365

2008-01-09T20:18:00.000-06:00

On December 14, 1825, in Imperial Russia, Russian army officials led 3,000 soldiers in a protest in the Senate Square in St. Petersburg. They were protesting against Nicholas I's assumption of the throne after his older brother Constantine removed himself from the line of succession.

Because this even took place in December, these rebels were referred to as the Decemberists. In 1925, to mark the 100 year anniversary of the event, Senate Square was renamed Decemberists Square.

I wonder if the band the Decemberists, have ever been to Decemberists Square. I'd like to see a photo of that. Instead, I have a painting portraying the event by artist Karl Kolman.

The Decemberists 8:365

2008-01-08T21:01:00.000-06:00

So, anyone who knows me knows that I am too big of a Decemberists fan. They are the jelly to my peanut butter. For real. So, I decided today, I would learn something new about my favorite band. So...this is what I found out today (among other things).

The Decemberists were named both in reference to the Russian Decemberist Revolt (which I think I'll learn about tomorrow) and to the atmosphere associated with the month of December. Sigh. I love them.

I love them so much in fact, I made a video for you. My all time favorite song from them (which is one of those that makes me cry and sigh and smile and all of those wonderful things), Grace Cathedral Hill, along with photos that I took of them at their concert on April 14, 2007. Enjoy it for me. :-)

For Better or For Worse. 7:365

2008-01-07T20:53:00.000-06:00

For Better or For Worse comic strip (by Lynn Johnston) began in September 1979. A signature element in the comic, is that for 28 years, the characters have all "aged" (minus the initial two years).

Chain of Rocks Bridge. 6:365

2008-01-06T17:49:00.000-06:00

The Chain of Rocks Bridge near the north edge of St. Louis, was used in the shooting of the movie Escape from New York in 1981.

Interesting. We just spent the afternoon there today, it was lovely. We originally went looking for eagles. We didn't see any, but certainly didn't leave disappointed. We walked the entire length and back, exchanged hellos with several people, ran, played, and took photos. It was great. If you live in the St. Louis area....you should head over there the next time we get a nice day.

Here are a couple of photos from the day:

Foxtrot! 5:365

2008-01-05T18:27:00.001-06:00

Live first. Think later. 133:365
Originally uploaded by sungazing

The Foxtrot, is a ballroom dance named after its inventor Harry Fox. It premiered in 1914. The Foxtrot was originally danced to ragtime. Huh. Who knew? Here is a video of the Foxtrot:

4:365 You don't want to mispronounce this one!

2008-01-04T14:53:00.001-06:00

Sugar and spice and everything nice.
Originally uploaded by sungazing

Recent DNA analysis confirms that the Shih Tzu is one of the oldest breeds of dog. Originating from China, the Shih Tzu is often called a Chinese/Tibetan Lion Dog.

Because, you know, they so act like a lion. If you'd like to learn more about this precious breed (I don't care what Extra Super Cutie says about them) head on over to this wiki page.

If you'd like to watch the best movie on earth that features some adorable Shih Tzu dogs, check out my favorite movie, Best In Show. Even non-dog people have to love this movie.

learn something new everyday.

2008-01-04T13:05:00.000-06:00

So, we all know the dorky saying that you learn something new everyday. But, it isn't really true is it? Or at least it doesn't seem like I learn something new every day. Maybe thems the breaks for the mundane lifestyle of a stay-at-home-mommy (launderer, chef, professional chocolate milk maker, maid, referee, hairdresser, accountant, etcetera etcetera).

This year, I am setting out to learn something new every single day. It can be silly bits of trivia...all the way to the profound. Wikipedia will most certainly be my friend. Although I am sure I will learn some things from other sources (at least I certainly hope so).

I am starting a bit later than I had hoped. But it is only the fourth. So I'll post four entries today to catch myself up. I also know that that the blog address says 365 and this year there are 366 days. But, I want to keep this up long term, so the non leap years won out. It is impossible to get a decent blog address these days...so I had to include some damn numbers.

Anywho....I hope you enjoy learning new things with me (although you may already know some of what I post). I hope to find things that aren't mainstream knowledge. Quirky, silly, and informational. Yup. I'm cool like that.

3:365 Iraq

2008-01-03T14:41:00.000-06:00

The population of Iraq is 27,499,638 (as of July 2007).

2:365 Lipgloss

2008-01-02T14:16:00.000-06:00

if you stare long enough
Originally uploaded by Extra Super Cutie

In 1932, Max Factor introduced the first commercially available lip gloss called X-Rated (invented by them in 1930). X-Rated was produced until it was retired in 2003.

1:365 The Toothpick.

2008-01-01T13:56:00.000-06:00

toothpicks 3
Originally uploaded by Arkansas ShutterBug

Did you know that Maine is the leading producer of toothpicks in the United States? I didn't.

Want to learn more? Go here.