What kind of car are you?

You Are a Hybrid

You're the type of person who worries about doing the right thing. You're very conscientious. You care about the world and the effect you have on it. You consider your actions carefully. Doing the right thing makes you feel good. It's who you are, not what you have, that makes you happy. You make rational decisions and think about all aspects of your actions. You don't act rashly.

What Type of Car Are You?

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 322

1. Road trip :: driving
2. Pool hall :: beer
3. Extraordinary :: amazing
4. Jackson :: Brown
5. Heartfelt :: sympathy
6. Wet :: rain
7. Strangle :: murder
8. .com :: bubble
9. Touched :: heartfelt
10. Insipid :: Underdog

see more mutterings here.

Guard swan

Guard swan
Originally uploaded by boliyou.

Today's weather was beautiful for exploring. The Bear and I took a walk, trying to find a nearby lake, and approached a house with a large plastic swan on the yard.

it wasn't until we were about to pass the house, and the swan stood up and hissed at us, that we realized this was not a little plastic lawn ornament.

We were sufficiently intimidated, and headed for home at the Bear's insistence.

Earth Hour 2009

All over the world at 8:30 p.m. local time, people will be shutting off their lights for one hour to recognize Earth Hour. That includes our little corner of the globe.

Interested? Get more information, or sign up, at www.earthhour.org.

Feel the Force Friday

A new weekly feature where I round up my favorite Star Wars-related finds.


photo: Deviant Art

From /film, a Slave Leia My Little Pony


from Neatorama, Star Wars Cantina Theme played on the harp

What's your name's power

Your Name's Power is Perception

Your name's power is that it helps you be perceptive. Your name conveys both wholeness and wisdom. People who meet you can't help but think you are enlightened. You try to live your life with flexibility and insight.

What's Your Name's Power?

Good idea, poor execution

photo: Spiegel Online

I kept quiet when the Pope declared that condoms are not the answer to helping control Africa's AIDS epidemic, "and even increase the problem."

Now Spiegel online reports that a few groups of Facebook users are starting a movement to mail condoms to the Vatican in protest. While I think the desire to send a strong message to the Pope is admirable, I think sending condoms to the Vatican is a mistake. They won't change the Pope's mind, and they'll probably be destroyed, which is nothing but a waste of time and latex.

Instead, they should be sent to AIDS clinics in Africa, on behalf of the Pope. This would have an equally newsworthy impact while getting the message to the Pope and the condoms to the people who will benefit from them.

What internal organ are you?

You Are The Heart

You are very industrious. Working hard makes you feel good. You are powerful and strong. Some people may think you're fragile, but you're not in the least. You are steady and reliable. You keep going no matter what. However, you do tend to react to situations. Stress makes you speed up.

What Internal Organ Are You?

Movie review: Life is Beautiful

This is one of those movies that does a quick about-face halfway through. It begins as a sweet romance about a goofball Italian waiter and the schoolteacher he keeps running into around town. He rescues her from her engagement to a boor. It was a little like watching a Marx Brothers movie.

Second reel, and we find the happy couple living in Mussolini's Italy with their young son. The waiter is Jewish and soon he and their son are sent away to the camps. Mother insists on being sent along with them although she isn't Jewish.

Father convinces the son that the camp is a giant game where they earn points for their work. The first team to earn 1,000 gets a real tank - the boy's favorite toy.

I found Father to be unconvincing and overplayed. The boy's innocence was sweet but unbelievable. I didn't really feel pulled into the movie, although the payoff at the end is ironically entertaining.

Are you MySpace, Facebook or Twitter?

You Are Facebook

You are social, outgoing, and excited to connect to your friends. You are interested in your friends' lives, and you enjoy adding your opinion to the mix. While you enjoy sharing online, you don't want everyone to know your business. You value your privacy. Your life is an open book to those you know but not to strangers.

Are You Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter?

Sheep in the news

As many of my friends know, I think sheep (and lambs in particular) are adorably cute. So if something involving sheep comes up, it immediately gets my attention. For example, this video of "Extreme Shepherding." It's not real, but it's cool.



On the "it really is news side, we have Bruno, the bruiser lamb. Bruno was born 21 pounds. That's three times the normal seven pound weight for a lamb. Because of his unusual size (does that make him a LOUS?), Bruno will not be someone's Easter dinner. His owners want to see how big he'll get. Meanwhile, the Guinness people are on the case to see if he's the biggest lamb, ever.


both stories via Mental Floss

Periodic Table of Cupcakes!

image: Womans Day

This. Is. Awesome. Over at Womans Day, you can click on the "element" for the cupcake recipe. The only thing that would make it more awesome is if you clicked on the link and they handed you a cupcake.

Link via Mental Floss

Design-a-donut

Dunkin' Donuts is having a contest to design the next Dunkin Donut. The winner takes $12,000.

The contest is like a lot of "you build it" flash games out there. I had no idea the variety of Dunkin' Donuts' flavors, toppings and all.

My mental masterpiece was a stick donut with coconut creme filling, topped with chocolate icing, coconut and toasted almonds. Mmmm.

Link

Monday Movie Meme: Eye Candy

Over at the Bumbles Blog, they've listed their favorite eye-candy movie stars. How could I not play along?

Brad Pitt (handsome and hangdog in The Devil's Own)


Harrison Ford (Han Solo. Indie. 'nuff said)


George Clooney (Consistently amazing-looking, as in Intolerable Cruelty)


Mark Harmon (looking very distinguished in Chasing Liberty)


Zac Efron (young but pretty in Hairspray)



Rob Lowe (in Thank You for Smoking. It's the jaw. You can't go wrong with a strong jaw).




and for the guys...
Catherine Zeta-Jones

World TB Day 2009

TB isn't something we hear about very much, but there are 25,000 new cases in the U.S. each year.

From Wikipedia:

"One third of the World population">world's current population has been infected with M. tuberculosis, and new infections occur at a rate of one per second.However, most of these cases will not develop the full-blown disease; asymptomatic, latent infection is most common. About one in ten of these latent infections will eventually progress to active disease, which, if left untreated, kills more than half of its victims. In 2004, mortality and morbidity statistics included 14.6 million chronic active cases, 8.9 million new cases, and 1.6 million deaths, mostly in developing countries. In addition, a rising number of people in the developed world are contracting tuberculosis because their immune systems are compromised by immunosuppressive drugs, substance abuse, or AIDS."

What can we do? Raise awareness. Donate to organizations that are working to eradicate the disease. Donate to organizations that offer treatment. Make sure that we and our loved ones are immunized.

Find out more at www.stoptb.org.

What tropical fruit are you?

You Are an Acai Berry

You are an intense, fascinating person with a very strong personality. You don't shy away from controversy, and you're incredibly independent. You are cultured, knowledgeable, and worldly. You have a deep understanding of things. You are lively and healthy. You believe your body is a temple, and you treat it as such.

What Tropical Fruit Are You?

Evidence of Robin Hood

TYWKIFWDBI reports that scholars at the University of St. Andrews have found documentation of the existence of Robin Hood. While searching through manuscripts from the 15th century, they discovered a snippet that seems to make a contemporary account of the famed Robin. The passage is very short, a mere 23 words, and reads:

""Around this time, according to popular opinion, a certain outlaw named Robin Hood, with his accomplices, infested Sherwood and other law-abiding areas of England with continuous robberies."

A different view of our popular hero, and just in time for the revisionist version of the legend due out in theaters.

Link

Free tomato seeds from Campbells

image: helpgrowyoursoup

Campbells is giving away free seeds - the same seeds they use to grow the tomatoes for their tomato soup. You can also go to their "helpgrowyoursoup" site and click a link to have them donate free tomato seeds to community farms and schools. Campbell is partnering with the FFA (Future Farmers of America) for this project.

Link

Validation

via Kwizgiver

Star Bucks

image: /film

by Mark Brooks

Link

Yahoo's 100 movies to see before you die

Here's the list of 100 Movies that Yahoo! says we should see before we die (in alphabetical order). Have you seen them?

Put the ones you've seen in bold, the ones you liked in italics and the ones you didn't like in strikeout. Add one movie that's not on the list. Tag your friends!

1. 12 Angry Men (1957)
   
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
   
3. The 400 Blows (1959)
   
4. 8 ½ (1963)
   
5. The African Queen (1952)
   
6. Alien (1979)
   
7. All About Eve (1950)
   
8. Annie Hall (1977)
   
9. Apocalypse Now (1979)
   
10. The Battle of Algiers (1967)
    
11. The Bicycle Thief (1948)
    
12. Blade Runner (1982)
    
13. Blazing Saddles (1974)
    
14. Blow Up (1966)
    
15. Blue Velvet (1986)
    
16. Bonnie and Clyde (1966)
    
17. Breathless (1966)
    
18. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    
19. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
    
20. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
    
21. Casablanca (1942)
    
22. Chinatown (1974)
    
23. Citizen Kane (1941)
    
24. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
    
25. Die Hard (1988)
    
26. Do the Right Thing (1989)
    
27. Double Indemnity (1944)
    
28. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
    
29. Duck Soup (1933)
    
30. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    
31. Enter the Dragon (1973)
    
32. The Exorcist (1973)
    
33. Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
    
34. The French Connection (1971)
    
35. The Godfather (1972)
    
36. The Godfather, Part II (1974)
    
37. Goldfinger (1964)
    
38. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1968)
    
39. Goodfellas (1990)
    
40. The Graduate (1967)
    
41. Grand Illusion (1938)
    
42. Groundhog Day (1993)
    
43. A Hard Day's Night (1964)
    
44. In the Mood For Love (2001)
    
45. It Happened One Night (1934)
    
46. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    
47. Jaws (1975)
    
48. King Kong (1934)
    
49. The Lady Eve (1941)
    
50. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    
51. The Lord of the Rings (2001,2002,2003)
    
52. M (1931)
    
53. M*A*S*H (1970)
    
54. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
    
55. The Matrix (1999)
    
56. Modern Times (1936)
    
57. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
    
58. National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
    
59. Network (1976)
    
60. Nosferatu (1922)
    
61. On the Waterfront (1954)
    
62. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
    
63. Paths of Glory (1978)
    
64. Princess Mononoke (1999)
    
65. Psycho (1960)
    
66. Pulp Fiction (1994)
    
67. Raging Bull (1980)
    
68. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
    
69. Raise the Red Lantern (1992)
    
70. Rashomon (1951)
    
71. Rear Window (1954)
    
72. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
    
73. Rocky (1976)
    
74. Roman Holiday (1953)
    
75. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
    
76. Schindler's List (1993)
    
77. The Searchers (1956)
    
78. Seven Samurai (1954)
    
79. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
    
80. The Silence of the Lambs (1994)
    
81. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
    
82. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
    
83. Some Like It Hot (1959)
    
84. The Sound of Music (1965)
    
85. Star Wars (1977)
    
86. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
    
87. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
    
88. The Third Man (1949)
    
89. This is Spinal Tap (1984)
    
90. Titanic (1997)
    
91. To Kill a Mockingbird (1949)
    
92. Toy Story (1995)
    
93. The Usual Suspects (1995)
    
94. Vertigo (1958)
    
95. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
    
96. Wild Strawberries (1957)
    
97. Wings of Desire (1988)
    
98. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
    
99. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
    
100. The World of Apu (1959)
     

ADD: The Philadelphia Story (1940)

POST #2000: Are you going to heaven or hell?

You Are Going to Heaven

You're so saintly you're practically an angel, and there's no other place for you than heaven. You are always concerned with doing the right thing. You consider being a good person a joy... not a burden. You're not perfect, and you don't expect anyone else to be. You are ethical without being sanctimonious about it. You are happy with yourself and the decisions you've made. And that's what's important.

Are You Going to Heaven or Hell?

When half of a duplex is abandoned

photos: Camilo Jose Vergaga

Part of a photoessay from Camden New Jersey, these photos illustrate what happens in poorer neighborhoods when half of a duplex is abandoned. The photo above looks a lot like the place we rented for awhile in Pennsylvania, although the other half of our building wasn't abandoned.

Some of the pictures really are surprising at how tidy one half looks versus how run-down the other half is.

Link via Neatorama

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 321

1. Studio :: Line
   
2. Meetup :: Group
   
3. Ostrich :: Emu
   
4. Jokes :: laughs
   
5. Estranged :: husband
   
6. Random :: thoughts
   
7. Slap :: face
   
8. Hotel room :: sleep
   
9. Inscribe :: watch
   
10. Polar :: bear

see more Mutterings here.

Millennium Falcon papercraft

photo: /film

This version is made out of a Paris metro ticket. I love it!

Link

Typelizer

this blog is written by...

ESTP - The Doers

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.


link

(I think it's funny that the three blogs I write each get a different personality type)

What part of Spring are you?

You Are Chirping Birds

You are a very caring person. You especially feel for innocent beings, like animals and children. You are keyed in to the world and very peaceful. You believe that everyone is connected. You remain focused and in the moment. You are not easily distracted. You have a good memory, especially for things that you hear. You listen carefully.

What Part of Spring Are You?

Pink elephants on parade

photo: BBC

Anyone remember that song from Dumbo?

An extremely rare occurrence, and possibly the first documented case of a pink - probably albino - elephant calf was photographed in Botswana. According to the BBC, the baby is using its mother as shade and may be learning to adapt in order to avoid health problems of the skin and eyes that are associated with albinism.

Link

The far-reaching consequences of the economic downturn

via /film

Smoke monster

photo: Financial Post

An undersea volcano erupted off the coast of Tonga on March 18, blowing steam, ash and water into the air in weird and fascinating shapes.

Link

Signs of Spring: Butterflies at Etsy

I haven't done any Etsy looking in awhile, but to celebrate the first day of Spring, I thought I'd see what butterflies are peeking out.


This by artist Beverly Brown is part of a series of watercolors.


A set of gift tags from FreshLemonBlossoms


Butterfly wing glass pendants by PoPkO

Classic art cake

image: indienutjelly

top layer is Van Gogh's Starry Night
Second layer is Monet's Haystacks
Third layer is Monet's Water Lilies.

via TYWKIWDBI.

USA Sitcom Map

Remember the guy with the Trilogy Meter? Dan Meth is back with a US map of sitcom locations. Pretty spiff.



Link

Furry dinosaurs?

image: BBC

The discovery in China of fossils appearing to have fur or bristles has changed the thinking on scaly dinosaurs.

The BBC reports on the new discovery to be published in the journal Nature. "Previously, experts thought the first feathered dinosaurs appeared about 150 million years ago, but the find suggests feathers evolved much earlier.

This has raised the question of whether many more of the creatures may have been covered with similar bristles, or "dino-fuzz"."

Link

Are you body, mind or spirit?

You Are Spirit

You are resilient, hopeful, and inspiring. You have a lot of emotional, physical, and mental energy. You nurture and nourish yourself. You know that you need fulfillment and downtime if you want to be your best. You stay present in every moment. You don't allow yourself to be distracted or flustered. You appreciate the life you have been given. You embrace all that is beautiful in the world.

Are You Mind, Body, or Spirit?

What's your Celtic animal?

Your Animal is the Goose

You are are a resourceful person who needs a lot of stability in life. You rather save for a rainy day, even if it means on missing out on fun impulses. When you feel secure, you are incredibly creative and artistic. You are also very witty. You like to invest in yourself and for the future. You like to always be learning and gaining skills.

What's Your Celtic Animal?

Behold the Hesperonychus

photo: BBC

BBC reports that the bones of a small meat-eating dinosaur has been identified in Canada. Hesperonychus was the size of a small chicken, bipedal and had sharp, serrated teeth. They could tell all this from six pelvic bones, which is pretty amazing, really.

Link

domestically disabled

image: Anne Taintor

Found Anne Taintor's site via The Gal Herself, and thought that this one fits me to a T. There's got to be one that fits just about everyone.

Link

Monday Movie Meme: War Movies

The Bumbles' weekly movie meme. I've missed the last couple of weeks (shame on me!), but it's too fun to give up entirely. So, here we go.

My favorite war movies (in no particular order):

1. The Civil War (1990) (documentary by Ken Burns)
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
   
3. Star Wars (1977) c'mon, somebody had to say it.
   
4. Pearl Harbor (2001) let me just say that the only part worth watching is the actual attack sequences. But those 10-15 minutes are worth the full price of admission

Play along with the Bumbles.

Added (because I'm so ashamed I forgot, and thank the others who played along for reminding me):
Schindler's List
Uprising
Casablanca
Bridge on the River Kwai
Platoon
Gone with the Wind
Glory

What scent candle should you light?

You Should Light a Berry Candle

You are creative yet down to earth. You have unique tastes, but you aren't snobby or picky. You crave new experiences. You enjoy unusual things even more once you can get your friends into them. You're the type of person who's a trend setter and an innovator. You know what's fated to become popular. You find the world energizing and inspiring. For you, there's nothing like the thrill of discovery.

What Scent Candle Should You Light?

Quit cake

photo: Neatorama

Neil Berrett didn't just quit his job, he went out like a sweetheart, giving his boss his letter of resignation written on a cake.

It reads:

“Dear Mr. Bowers,

During the past three years, my tenure at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has been nothing short of pure excitement, joy and whim.

However, I have decided to spend more time with my family and attend to health issues that have recently arisen. I am proud to have been part of such an outstanding team and I wish this organization only the finest in future endeavors.

Please accept this cake as notification that I am leaving my position with NWT on March 27.

Sincerely,

W. Neil Berrett”

Sweet.

via Neatorama

My nerd score

Actually, not as high as I'd thought it would be.


via Kwizgiver

let them eat cake

photo: Cake Wrecks

Sydney Australia pastry chef Jean Michel Raynaud unveils his chocolate mud-cake Barbie, created to celebrate the doll's 50th anniversary. Yes, cake. That's a six-foot Barbie cake. A chocolate cake. Weighing a couple hundred pounds and sporting about 2,000 Swarovski crystals. And all I can think is, "dayam."

Link

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 320

1. Sunburn :: skin cancer
2. Aquarium :: fish
3. Otter :: ly Amazing
4. Awesome :: God
5. LOL :: LMAO
6. Accordion :: polka
7. Hot Pocket :: pizza
8. Grandstand :: parade
9. Shaved :: hair
10. Upgrade :: improve

see more Mutterings here.

Happy Pi Day!

Found this image and I'm not sure of the attribution, but Pi-shaped pies delight me.

Here it is once again, March 14, or 3.14, Pi Day. Stay in and do some math with someone you love.

On the John Stewart/Jim Cramer back-and-forth

After a week or so of back-and-forthing between Stewart on The Daily Show and Cramer on just about every NBC network and talk show, Cramer finally appeared on The Daily Show last night. It was a surreal experience.

I must admit, I've never seen Cramer's show. I made the mistake of presuming that Cramer's was a serious program, but perhaps not. Stewart's show on Comedy Central is, well, comedy.

Stewart came off as a legitimate journalist, calling Cramer and more, CNBC, on the carpet for bad calls, misleading information and complacency/complicity in the events that created the current market woes.

"I understand that you want to make finance entertaining, but it's not a f*@king game. And when I watch that, I can't tell you how angry that makes me," Stewart told Cramer.

Cramer was defensive and conciliatory. "Don't you want guys like me who have been in it to show the shenanigans? What else can I do?"

Stewart shot back with, "I want desperately for that, but I feel like that's not what we're getting... now to pretend that this was some kind of crazy once-in-a-lifetime tsunami that nobody could have seen coming is disingenuous at best, and criminal at worst."

Cramer was clearly outclassed, constantly apologizing not only for himself, but for CNBC. "We as a network we produce a lot of interviews where there have been people who have not told the truth."

I have to wonder how CNBC feels about Cramer airing those particular opinions on a show that has so blatantly mocked and criticized it. In fact, I kind of wonder whether he'll have a job for long.

Movie review: Rachel getting married

I'm not sure what prompted me to watch this. Perhaps it was surprise that Anne Hathaway - who I find adorable and charming - was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. I'm pretty sure I've read a couple of reviews about the movie this week.

The story involves Kym Buckman coming home from rehab for a few days to participate in her sister's wedding. As you'd expect, there are some strained moments from the beginning. And the strained moments are realistic, complete with the initial attempt at normalcy that eventually breaks down to backhanded jabs and bickering. The film is shot documentary-style with jumpy camera angles and grainy texture. None of it looks like the cover image on the DVD.

Anne Hathaway as Kym gives a fantastic performance. She's the embodiment of how self-centered addictions are. The entire wedding ends up being about her, her addiction and her recovery. You would never link this woman with Ella Enchanted, nor should you.

Debra Winger also turns in a great performance as Kym and Rachel's mother. The moments between her and Kym are some of the best in the movie.

Nevertheless, this was a hard movie to sit through. It seems to drag on forever, and you wonder if it'll ever be over. Just imagine how it would be to live through these couple of days.

One to see: Partly Cloudy

image: Pixar

/Film just let gave a first look Pixar's upcoming film Partly Cloudy. The premise sounds intriguing, and it's hard to beat Pixar's CGI prowess.

Link

What flavor cupcake are you?

You Are a Mint Chocolate Cupcake

You are whimsical and quite quirky. You are unlike any other person you know. You are drawn to similarly offbeat people from all walks of life. You are like a cupcake because you're unique and expressive. You have a refreshing take on the world. You're often surprising... even to yourself.

What Flavor Cupcake Are You?

What one billion dollars looks like

Because a number like that is hard to wrap your mind around.


One million dollars (in hundred-dollar bills).




One billion dollars (in hundred dollar bills)


One trillion dollars (in hundred dollar bills).

Get the picture?

via TYWKIWDBI

Awesome wood turntable

photo: Unplggd

I'd go back to vinyl for this amazing burlwood turntable. Of course, it would have to have kickin' speakers to match. By Joel Scilly.

Link