Today many parts of the world celebrate Hallowe’en, which in our neck of the woods involves children dressed in costumes going door to door and collecting candy.
Check out the site Hallowe’en Customs and Traditions; it explores the history of Hallowe’en and discusses some of the non-traditional ways it is now marked (e.g. by evangelical Christians).
If you’re thinking of sending someone you know an E-card to celebrate the day, try sending something a little different—World Wildlife Federation’s Free Hallowe’en E-Cards.
Posted by Amy as Holidays at 1:05 AM EST
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Some of us don’t mind spiders; some of us find them creepy to the nth degree. I’d guess that all of us, though, are somewhat misinformed about them.
The Spider Myths Site is doing its best to combat that. The website tells us that many commonly-held assumptions about spiders are false, among them the following:
• spiders are insects
• all spiders make webs
• a daddy-longlegs is a kind of spider
I certainly thought those were true. There were many other myths about spiders that are listed and debunked at this website.
Via Information Junk.
Posted by Amy as Science & Nature at 5:05 AM EST
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You still have time to carve a Jack O’Lantern before Hallowe’en. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out any of the following:
• Physics Pumpkins (pumpkins that are carved to display principles of physics, as an imitation of physicists, and other fun stuff) (via Boing Boing)
• learn how to carve a Klingon Pumpkin, ably assisted by a pet cat . . . er, targ (via Quiddity)
• Pumpkin That Looks Like a Big Mac (via Boing Boing)
Once you’ve got your pumpkin ready, you can learn the best way to Keep a Hallowe’en Pumpkin Fresh (via Boing Boing).
Posted by Amy as Holidays at 12:09 PM EST
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I’ve always been a big fan of J.J. Cale, and I’m pleased to learn that he’s releasing a new album on 07 November 2006.
Cale recorded The Road To Escondito in collaboration with Eric Clapton.
Clapton has always recognised the influence Cale’s music has had on him, and at least two of his hits are covers of Cale’s songs (“After Midnight” and “Cocaine”).
Here’s what the promo blurb has to say about the album:
In a true collaboration, Cale and Clapton jointly produced and recorded the album, each playing and singing on the tracks. Cale wrote 11 of the songs, Clapton wrote “Three Little Girls,” John Mayer wrote “Hard To Thrill” and the duo cover the blues classic “Sporting Life Blues.” J.J. Cale’s touring band accompanies them on the album as well as guest musicians including, Taj Mahal, John Mayer, Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II, Albert Lee, Nathan East, Willie Weeks and Steve Jordan.
For a little more on Cale, check out the J.J. Cale Official Website.
Posted by Amy as Music at 8:44 AM EDT
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Jackson Pollack is known for his art work that appears to be child’s play—splotches of colour and lines.
Now you can create your own version of a Jackson Pollack painting.
When you go to this site the page will be blank. Move the mouse over the screen and watch your painting develop. If you want to change colours, click the mouse.
I tried to save mine as a .jpeg, but unfortunately, in this case anyway, ars breva.
Via BookDaddy.
Posted by Amy as Arts & Culture, Fluffy Stuff at 8:34 AM EDT
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If you’re feeling like a few out-of-the ordinary things to do to pass the time, check out The Philosophers’ Magazine Games and Interactive Activities.
This site allows you to take part in numerous quizzes, including the following:
• Do-It-Yourself Deity: you select the attributes you want in a God, and the “Metaphysical Engineers” tell you if the notion of God you have created is consistent with itself and with the universe we live in
• The Philosophical Health Check: this shows us how we may be holding mutually incompatible beliefs
• Shakespeare versus Britney Spears: “what is art? Which artists produce the greatest works of art?”
• Taboo: “Moral judgements, chickens and the yuk-factor. How do you measure up?”; here you rank certain scenarios as moral or immoral; see how others feel about them
These quizzes provide you with feedback on your reasoning and show you the percentage of other test-takers who agree with you.
This is a thought-provoking site; I’ll be going back to do more of the quizzes.
Via Plep.
Posted by Amy as Popular Culture, Ethics, Philosophy at 4:02 AM EDT
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Today in the U.S. it’s “Punk For a Day” Day. I know this because I came across the Bizarre American Holidays web site.
This site lists some of the special days that have been designated in the U.S. You don’t get to take time off work, but someone somewhere considers each day special—for whatever reason.
Here’s are some of the special days:
• National Noodle Ring Day (11 December)
• Blame Someone Else Day (13 August)
• Pop Goes the Weasel Day (14 June)
• Felt Hat Day (15 September)
My husband’s birthday is “Public Sleeping Day.” My birthday is “National Chocolate Covered Anything Day.”
Via my sister!
Posted by Amy as Fluffy Stuff at 4:12 AM EDT
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If you’ve ever felt the need for a truly artistic carved pumpkin, you should check out Ray’s Pumpkin Carving Tutorial.
He gives step-by-step instructions that will help you create a 3-D pumpkin such as the one above or various others (all appropriately freaky).
These are not your garden-variety pumpkins.
Via Ursi’s Blog.
Posted by Amy as Popular Culture, Holidays at 3:26 AM EDT
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I’ve been tagged for a meme called the People Collecting Meme.
It’s an odd name, but here goes.
PLEASE LEAVE THE FOLLOWING IN ALL PEOPLE COLLECTION POSTS
‘Remember that it isn’t always the sensational stuff that writers are looking for, it can just as easily be something that you take for granted like having raised twins or knowing how to grow beetroot. Mind you, if you know how to fly a helicopter or have worked as a film extra, do feel free to let the rest of us know about it.’
Maxine (at Petrona), who tagged me, gives the following explanation:
The above is a rather spooky practice, “people collecting”, in which you are charged to provide five little-known facts about yourself on your blog, so that writers can have some research material.
I agree with Maxine when she says “what are they going to do with the material and who are they anyway?”—but that’s fine—she’s tagged me, and I’m happy to oblige.
Here are the five little-known facts about me:
• I love learning other languages and have a passing acquaintance with Old English, German, and Latin and have reached an intermediate, if rusty, level of Medieval English and French
• it drives me nuts when people mispronounce et cetera (etc.) as “eck” cetera
• I love children—I just don’t want any
• like my paternal grandmother, I sometimes have dreams that predict the future (but unlike her, I can’t tell the difference between them and regular dreams)
• I love going on meditation retreats that are held in silence (including no eye contact)
Apparently I’m to tag three people, so here goes: Berlynn (Politics ‘n’ Poetry), Brenda (Alone On a Boreal Stage), and Tracy (Unmanageable Imaginations).
Posted by Amy as Memes at 1:46 AM EDT
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Here’s a story about Skidboot the dog that’s very heartwarming.
Skidboot seems to have been in the news for several years—appearing on Leno, Letterman, and Oprah—but I’ve managed to not have heard about him before.
If you’ve got 8 minutes, definitely watch this.
Via my mother!
Posted by Amy as Animals at 8:50 AM EDT
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Bert
You scored 77% Organization, 53% abstract, and 50% extroverted!
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Here is why you are Bert.
You are very organized. You almost always know where your belongings are and you prefer things neat. You may even enjoy cleaning and find it therapeutic. Bert is a big neat freak and gets quite annoyed when Ernie makes a big mess.
You are sometimes concrete and sometimes an abstract thinker. Bert is probably a bit more concrete in his bottlecap collecting addiction and his love of the weather. He does show his abstract side when he sings and performs his “Doin’ The Pidgeon” song. You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren’t afraid to explore your dreams and desires… within limits of course.
Bert is probably more introverted, because he spends most of his time either with Ernie or alone. Still he has no problem being around other people in his role as chairman of “The National Association of ‘W’ Lovers.” Like Bert, you probably like to have some time to yourself, but you do appreciate spending time with your friends, and you aren’t scared of social situations.
Take the Your SESAME STREET Persona Test!
Via Edward Champion’s Return of the Reluctant.
Posted by Amy as Fluffy Stuff at 6:16 AM EDT
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This is a slightly different list of influential people: The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived.
USA Today put together this list; here are some of the people it features:
• Santa Claus
• Robin Hood
• Archie Bunker
• Alice In Wonderland
• Bambi
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock
It’s an interesting list.
Via Edward Champion’s Return of the Reluctant.
Posted by Amy as Popular Culture at 11:06 AM EDT
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As an introvert, I’m naturally a big fan of solitude. So I was delighted to find the website Hermitary: Resources and Reflections on Hermits and Solitude.
This site has extensive resources, including a good FAQ that answers such questions such as “What Is a Hermit?,” “Why Does a Person Become a Hermit?,” “What About People Who Live Apart From Society But Seem To Have ‘Problems’?” and much more.
You can check out the thought-provoking blog called Hermit’s Thatch or the wonderful articles, book reviews, links, images/photos, sayings, and much, much more.
There’s also a lovely quotation from Thomas Merton:
Not all men are called to be hermits, but all men need enough silence and solitude in their lives to enable the deep inner voice of their own true self to be heard at least occasionally. … For he cannot go on happily for long, unless he is in contact with the springs of spiritual ilife which are hidden in the depths of this own true soul.
I strongly agree.
Via the bears at onepotmeal.
Posted by Amy as Religion & Spirituality at 5:40 AM EDT
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In anticipation of Hallowe’en, you might like to start thinking about carving pumpkins. Extreme Pumpkins features some non-traditional designs.
As its creator says,
I decided to make a pumpkin carving site that included shocking, funny, and gross pumpkin designs. The concept is about adults having fun during the halloween season.
Well, they’re certainly not your run-of-the-mill pumpkins. If you look at the winners of previous years’ contests, you’ll see such sights as the “moldy skull” pumpkin.
If you’re interested in something other than the traditional pumpkin this year, check out this site.
Via Ursi’s Blog.
Posted by Amy as Unusual, Holidays at 2:30 AM EDT
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Did you know that an otter has up to 40,000 hairs in one square inch of its coat?
I didn’t either. But I learned this and much, much more about otters at Amblonyx Otter Site.
In addition to information about otters, there are photos, links, poems featuring otters, and much more.
Via Information Junk.
Posted by Amy as Animals at 1:37 AM EDT
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Name five things that make you insanely happy for absolutely no fathomable reason:
• hot pink stick-it notes
• windy days
• seeing that my asparagus fern is sending out a new shoot after years of languishing
• the smell of clover
• hearing a meadowlark
Via Head Tale.
Posted by Amy as Memes at 3:40 PM EDT
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I’ve just found a website devoted to recording the different kinds of fashion for women in 16th century Germany. It’s called The Frazzled Frau: Documentation Site For German Women’s Garb.
The site is broken down by decade (beginning in 1490 and ending in 1600). You can also browse by artist renditions (e.g. Durer).
There are also some photos (with commentary) of a gown worn by Mary of Hapsburg.
For another, larger photo of this gown and more discussion of it, you can check out this site.
Via Weblog V2.
Posted by Amy as History, Fashion at 2:20 AM EDT
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Here’s one of the more interesting plants and plant names I’ve come across in a long time: Sand Food.
Unlike most plants, it contains no chlorophyll. It’s a parasite; it lives on the roots of desert plants.
I’m sure this plant would provide a good metaphor for use in some angst-ridden post-modern novel, but I’m not clever enough to create it. If you can, feel free!
Via Reality Carnival.
Posted by Amy as Science & Nature at 2:06 AM EDT
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Here’s a good site that deals with the behind-the-scenes details of Star Trek: Forgotten Trek.
The site covers many, many details; here are a few of them:
• standing sets
• excerpts from the writers guide
• evolution of the Star Fleet uniform
• designing the Borg
• The Lost Voyages—material that was never actually used, such as the following: “Early drafts of Star Trek II featured a Vulcan who kept changing sex, two beautiful young woman who were attracted to older men, and a navigation officer who was part polar bear. “
It’s called Forgotten Trek as “a tribute to those forgotten heroes who created Star Trek–from the Enterprise herself to the uniforms worn by its crew.”
My only quarrel with this site is that it’s not visually easy to read: the font is quite small, it’s white text on a black background, and the lines are squeezed close together. I find I often need to squint.
Via SF Signal.
Posted by Amy as Television & Movies at 2:04 AM EDT
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Who Should Paint You: Salvador Dali
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You’re a complex, intense creature who displays many layers.
There’s no way a traditional portrait could ever capture you!
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Posted by Amy as Fluffy Stuff at 1:33 AM EDT
2 Comments »
SFGate.com has a fascinating artcle about a newly discovered cave in Sequoia National Park: Magical Underground World.
The cave, now named Ursa Minor, was discovered just this past 19 August. Here’s a brief description of it:
a vast cave formed 1 million years ago, a labyrinth that stretches more than 1,000 feet into a mountain and features some of the most beautiful rock formations ever seen.
Millions of crystals along its walls shimmer like diamonds. Translucent mineral “curtains” hang from the ceiling. Flowstones that resemble spilled paint dot the floor. A lake that might be 20 feet deep fills one of the cave’s five known rooms, and passages leading into darkness suggest there is still much more to see.
That almost sounds like something out of Tolkien.
The unhappy part is that it will likely never be open for public viewing; it will be kept for scientific research instead.
Via Information Junk.
Posted by Amy as Science & Nature at 3:03 AM EDT
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I’m a big fan of baroque music, and I’ve found a good site for it: the Baroque Music Page.
This site has a definition of baroque music, bios of many composers from the era (Bach, Corelli, and Handel, to name just a few), a discussion of “authentic” versus “traditional” performances, the difference between the Italian violin bow and the German violin bow—and much more.
Definitely worth a second look!
Posted by Amy as Music, History at 4:54 AM EDT
1 Comment »
Here in Canada, it’s Thanksgiving Day today.
Unlike the American holiday of the same name (which is celebrated in November), Canadians don’t focus on the Pilgrims; instead, the holiday is officially celebrated “For general thanksgiving to Almighty God for the blessings with which the people of Canada have been favoured.”
This hasn’t always been the purpose of Canadian Thanksgiving, however, and it hasn’t always been celebrated on this day. The very interesting page Proclamation and Observance of General Thanksgiving Days and Reasons Therefore gives us a history of Canadian Thanksgiving Days and their purposes.
Here are a few examples of the dates and purposes of previous Thanksgiving holidays:
• 12 August 1802: for God’s mercies
• 21 May 1816: end of war between Great Britain and France
• 06 February 1833: cessation of cholera
• 01 November 1834: end of quarantine of ships at Grosse Isle
• 15 April 1872: for restoration to health of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales
Whatever the reason for the holiday, it’s traditionally celebrated by members of the extended family gathering for a meal. The usual Saskatchewan Thanksgiving meal consists of roast turkey (possibly with cabbage rolls and ham also available), potatoes, gravy, vegetables, salads, cranberries, and bread/buns and butter—with pumpkin pie for dessert.
For a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal, check out Fatfree Vegan Recipes for some possibilities.
Thanksgiving is not just celebrated in Canada and the United States; a visit to Around The World Thanksgiving gives information on similar holidays in such countries as China, India, Africa, and more.
Of course, Thanksgiving isn’t the only time to give thanks. There’s a lovely blog that I noticed a while back: Sarah Fitz’s 10 Things I’m Thankful For Today. She uses her blog to list the many things in her life that she’s grateful for—a terrific spiritual practice, no matter what your faith.
Here are 10 things I’m thankful for:
• my husband
• my family and my husband’s family
• my religion and spiritual teachers
• the fact that I live in a beautiful country, province, and city with full democratic rights and freedoms
• a job that I love
• the Internet
• my education
• my wonderful support network of professionals (doctor, dentist, hair stylist, naturopath, energy worker, veterinarian, mechanic)
• the animals who share our lives
• my health
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, no matter what country you’re from!
Posted by Amy as Holidays at 1:39 AM EDT
2 Comments »
In honour of the Rolling Stones visit to Regina that’s currently taking place, I thought I’d post a link that I found on Mick Jagger’s web site.
He has many interesting links, such as this one: The Empire That Was Russia: The Prokudin-Gorskii Photographic Record Recreated.
Here’s a brief background explaining how the collection came to be:
In the early 1900s [Sergei Mikhailovich] Prokudin-Gorskii formulated an ambitious plan for a photographic survey of the Russian Empire that won the support of Tsar Nicholas II. Between 1909-1912, and again in 1915, he completed surveys of eleven regions, traveling in a specially equipped railroad car provided by the Ministry of Transportation.
Prokudin-Gorskii left Russia in 1918, going first to Norway and England before settling in France. By then, the tsar and his family had been murdered and the empire that Prokudin-Gorskii so carefully documented had been destroyed.
There are photos in the following categories:
• architecture
• ethnic diversity
• transportation
• people at work
There’s lots of interesting browsing here.
Posted by Amy as Photography, History, Travel at 2:02 AM EDT
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Here is a very fun—and instructive—article about phony credentials: Credentialing: It May Not Be The Cat’s Meow.
The author, Steve K.D. Eichel, explains that after too many patients talked to him about other, cheaper professionals who were just as qualified as psychologists, he decided he would get credentials for his cat, Zoe–just to prove a point.
He registered her as Dr. Zoe D. Katze (“katz” is German for cat).
The results are scary:
Dr. Katze’s credentials look impressive. She is certified by three major hypnotherapy associations, having met their “strict training requirements” and having had her background thoroughly reviewed. She holds a Diplomate in psychotherapy from an association that claims to promote the highest standards among psychotherapists.
Definitely read this article, and remember—buyer beware.
Via Weblog V2
Posted by Amy as Consumers at 12:15 PM EDT
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Periodically you’ll see articles appear that lament the decline of civilization as we know it—specifically, the lack of manners.
Here’s one such article: Alaina G. Levine’s An Etiquette Lesson.
She recounts the story of a professional with whom she shared a table in a cafeteria one lunchtime and who horrified her by his table manners. She feels strongly that practising basic etiquette is simply a matter of courtesy to your tablemates, and as a result gives a few tips for people who may not be aware that they’re distressing those they sit with.
Here’s one of her hints: don’t get your fingers full of grease and then wipe them on your pants.
Via In The Middle.
Posted by Amy as Etiquette at 4:07 AM EDT
2 Comments »
Here’s your daily bit of silliness: the Job Predictor.
Here are my results: “Your ideal job is a Monkey Impressionist.”
Well, now I know.
Via Ancarett’s Abode.
Posted by Amy as Fluffy Stuff at 5:52 AM EDT
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October is Women’s History Month in Canada.
I thought about Women’s History Month when the blogger, poet, and political activist at Politics ‘N’ Poetry tagged me for the following meme: the five things feminism has given me.
That’s an interesting question. It’s a valuable one, too; too many people today—women and men—take women’s current status for granted and don’t realise how we had to struggle to get here.
In a way that’s good, because it shows how far we’ve come, but I get very distressed when I hear people sneer at feminism.
If it weren’t for feminism, women wouldn’t be able to own property, vote, hold elected office—just for starters.
We still have so much to work for, too: until there is no wage disparity or violence against women (to list just two) how can anyone say that feminism is pointless or a thing of the past? Or, worse yet, not applicable to them?
Feminism has given so much that it’s hard to keep it to five, but here are my top picks:
• having children is now a choice: I can choose whether to have them at all and if I were to have them, I could choose the time that’s best for me and the children (e.g. after I completed the education that would allow me to support them; after I was mature enough to be a good parent)
• the right to an education
• the right to protection from violence
• the right to tell my own story and to have it heard; no longer will women’s lives or experiences be considered unimportant just because they’re women, and no longer will women have to accept the male version of their lives (nothing against men, but women and men experience the world differently)
• the right to not marry if I didn’t want to (and to not be branded a failure if I didn’t)
There’s also the right to be taken seriously (o.k., I know that makes 6 things–so sue me).
But to see what I mean, check out this excerpt from an article I wrote about fire-fighting that was published in 2000 in the Regina Leader-Post (the source for the original research is an 1884 edition of the Regina Leader-Post):
At 5:00 a.m. in late November 1884, Mrs. Dixie Watson thought she smelled smoke. . . . Mrs. Watson told her husband, but Dixie Watson “was not inclined to pay much attention to what he thought was ‘only the hallucination to which ladies are liable.’”
Humph.
For further reading, here are links to the Wikipedia entry on feminism, the Canadian government website for Status of Women Canada, and the website for the Canadian group the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.
To pass this on, I’ll tag Jackie, Rhett, Cara, Maxine, and Jill.
Posted by Amy as Special Days/Weeks, Memes, Women at 1:30 AM EDT
5 Comments »
There’s something glamorous opera gloves–think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that there’s a site devoted to opera gloves: For The Love of Opera Gloves.
It has a little bit of everything, including an online store where you can buy mugs, barbeque aprons, and tote bags that celebrate the opera glove.
In addition to background information about opera gloves (e.g. the history of them, the etiquette of wearing them), the site also features a mind-boggling number of images:
I have amassed a collection of tens of thousands of images of such luminaries as Audrey Hepburn, Gina Lollobrigida, Marilyn Monroe, Vivien Leigh, Jayne Mansfield, Natalie Wood, Joan Collins, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Rita Hayworth, Morgan Fairchild, Loni Anderson, Pamela Anderson Lee, Shannen Doherty, Deborah Duchene, Phoebe Cates, Famke Janssen, Kate Winslett, Kay Kendall, Carmen Electra, Samantha Fox, Billie Burke, Yvonne De Carlo, Carole Landis, Gypsy Rose Lee, Jane Wyman, Barbara Stanwyck, Dorothy Lamour, Paulette Goddard, Stephanie Beacham, and many, many others wearing - what else? - opera gloves and other long gloves!
There are also links to numerous photos for sale of actresses wearing gloves—especially Audrey Hepburn, of course, but Grace Kelly and others also make appearances.
In addition, there are sketches of historical events (e.g. balls during the Regency period in England) where opera gloves are worn.
Via Information Junk.
Posted by Amy as Clothing at 2:15 AM EDT
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Alan Silverstein has compiled a fun list of phrases: the Canonical List of Fulldeckisms.
As he explains it, this is “a compendium of insults and ‘not all there’ comments from various sources.”
Here are a few choice examples:
• “and Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load.”
• “a mental midget with the IQ of a fencepost.” — Tom Waits
• back burners not fully operating
• cheats when filling out opinion polls
• one Brady short of a Bunch
I’ve always like the phrase “one sandwich short of a picnic.”
Via The Electric Eclectic.
Posted by Amy as Humour at 1:41 AM EDT
2 Comments »
Today is World Vegetarian Day and the beginning of World Vegetarian Month.
The North American Vegetarian Society was the group that started this initiative; here’s what they have to say about it:
For those new to vegetarianism, it serves as an enticement to give meatless fare a try (even for a day) and learn about its many benefits. And, of course, it’s the perfect occasion for vegetarians and those already moving towards plant-based diets to celebrate their healthy, compassionate food choices.
There are lots of resources here for learning about vegetarianism. There are also T-shirts, tote bags, and various cookbooks to order.
They even have suggestions for what non-vegetarians can do to mark the day.
Here’s a list of my favourite vegetarian/vegan cookbooks and links–and don’t forget to check out the blogs in the right sidebar devoted to vegan/vegetarian cooking.
Via Kaji’s Mom.
Posted by Amy as Food, Special Days/Weeks, Vegan & Vegetarian at 9:14 AM EDT
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