Eggs

I don't know what it is about this whole salmonella scare, but I suddenly have a craving for eggs. I rarely eat eggs on their own, but I eat plenty baked into foods. On the news, they keep showing egg dishes and people taking big bites out of said dishes, right after they talk about the millions of recalled eggs and the thousands of people who have gotten sick from the tainted eggs.

Sunny-side-up or over-easy anyone?

The drive-in theater - still alive in the Twin Cities

This past Saturday, I joined a few friends at the Vali-Hi Drive-In. The theater is in Lake Elmo, and is about twenty minutes from downtown Saint Paul. They show three movies, and they charge by the person - eight bucks for the whole evening. They allow pets, and you can bring your own food and drinks. Most people brought grills and had a cook out before the movies started. It's a great atmosphere - friends and neighbors hanging out, sharing food, and tossing around footballs and frisbees. The place was packed. I'm told that they frequently sell out on the weekends.

The first movie, Salt, started around 9:15 PM. The catch of watching a movie outside is that you have to wait until it's dark if you want to actually see what's on the screen. The sound is carried on a radio signal, so you can listen from inside your car, but most folks choose to sit in lawn chairs. A fifteen minute break followed, along with a mad dash to the bathrooms. Inception was next, and wrapped up just shy of 2 AM. Most people left after the second movie, but some stayed around to watch Knight and Day. I left after movie #2, as I had no interest in seeing Knight and Day.

While you can bring your own food, there is a concession stand too. They have all the movie staples, and the prices aren't as ridiculous as regular movie theaters. All in all, it was a great night, and a cheap outing. I will definitely return. Thanks Vali-Hi!

Opening lines

Here are some sweet opening lines to songs. This post will be ongoing - I'll add more as I discover other great opening lines.

"When I think back on all the crap I learned in High School, it's a wonder I can think at all."
- Paul Simon, Kodachrome 

"You PMS like a b****, I would know."
- Katy Perry, Hot N Cold

"I heard that you were drunk and mean down at the Dairy Queen."
- Indigo Girls, Dairy Queen

"All the other girls here are stars, you are the Northern Lights."
- Josh Ritter, Kathleen

"G*d I feel like hell tonight."
- Sheryl Crow, Strong Enough

"You think you're gonna take her away with your money and you cocaine."
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Listen To Her Heart

"You were the first thing that I thought of when I thought I'd drink you off my mind."
- Clint Black, Killin' Time

A second life for trees

So, what happens when trees die? Usually, if they haven't fallen on their own, they are cut down and thrown through a wood-chipper. There is a Minnesota company that has another option. Wood From The Hood is a Minneapolis based company that takes the wood from downed or condemned trees and uses them to make flooring, coaster sets, cribbage boards, picture frames, and cutting boards. They also do custom work and have wood available for projects.

Great site for Star Trek fan art

I have recently stumled upon a great website -
 http://star-trek.tumblr.com/. The blog's description "Hailing frequencies open. Aggregating Star Trek fan news, information, and scifi fun. This is a companion to @star_trek on Twitter."
Many posts include some fantastic fan art in many forms and styles. Some of my favorites:

K is for Klingon by Hado-Land

Old School STAR TREK by ~inneryoung

ST: Ur grain… I ated it by ~KLCarle

 

Star Trek chibis - TNG by ~chibi-inurisu

One guy, two great websites

If you love all things quirky, odd, and geeky, you must check out John Struan's blog Super Punch. He post frequently, so don't be afraid to check back several times each day. He has thousands of posts in his archive as well.

John's other blog is Toycutter, another excellent blog. Toycutter features custom toys and action figures, and some posts even have "how-to" videos.

New art

I just bought two sweet prints from Brian Rubenacker's Etsy shop. He paints mainly dogs, many of which can best be described as whimsical. Anyone would enjoy his Star Wars series:

Brian has lots of prints available and even has some original works for sale. You really need to check out his work. Check out his blog here for updates, commentary, and lots of great original art. He takes commissions too! Oh yeah, these are the two prints I ordered:

Love it!

Running of the nerds

It's the first weekend in July. Here in Minnesota, that means CONvergence! This year's theme: BRING ON THE BAD GUYS, a celebration of the great villans of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Go check it out, or browse the website to learn more and make arrangements for next year.

Connie, the CONvergence mascot

Today's dictionary

The dictionary has managed to keep up with the changing times. Certainly, Dr. Samuel Johnson never could have imagined what his work would become. The traditional dictionary still exists, but it has changed dramatically with the internet. Dictionaries can differ, based on the beliefs of their compilers. Do you include disambiguations of words and pop culture lingo, or not? With culture changing daily, how do you keep up with all of the additions and changes? My favorite new feature is the dictionary websites that have a pronunciation feature. I was an English major, and even I get confused by the upside down letters and odd punctuation marks in a word entry. Now, with a click of the mouse, I can hear what the word sounds like. This is huge!

Do you remember an illustrated dictionary from your childhood? It was always interesting to see what drawing, sketch, or photograph was chosen to accompany entries, and which entries were special enough to have illustrated accompaniments. I can remember a certain photo next to the "eerie" definition that was particularly disturbing. I was always nervous about looking up E and F words, for fear of seeing the green, pig-nosed creature.

On a side note, did you hear about the folks who protested at this year's Scripp's National Spelling Bee? Check out the website of The Spelling Society for their take on the English Language.

Relief from repetitive radio

I have the privilege of living in the Twin Cities Metro area, and as a result, I have access to some phenomenal public radio. We have three public radio stations, 91.1 is news and talk, 99.5 is classical, and my favorite, 89.3 - The Current plays a very eclectic mix of music. Don't live in the Twin Cities? No worries, you can listen to The Current online. You won't be disappointed! And yes, I am a sustaining member of Minnesota Public Radio. Consider becoming a member of your local Public Radio Station - check out the NPR website for more info.

Release the Nerds

So I've been on a bit of a Star Trek kick since last summer. The Next Generation started to air when I was eight, and it was one of the only non-PBS shows that my brother and I were allowed to watch. Last summer, WGN began airing the series late at night. I would record the episodes throughout the week, and watch then all at once come Friday night. Naturally, once I had seen all the episodes of TNG, I was hungry for more. I started up my Netflix account again, and plowed through all seven seasons of Deep Space Nine and Voyager. I am currently in season two of Enterprise and am thoroughly immersed in the world of all things Star Trek. For this post, I decided to include a piece of fan art that I think is pretty sweet. It's the five captains from each Star Trek series.

star trek - 5 by Selene-Moon

Etsy search: clever

Here are some highlights from searching "clever" on Etsy:

Clever Kitty t-shirt from seller cathypeng. Lots of other funky cat designs at her store.

Bright Star Soft Toy from seller FurWillFly. Lots of other wacky soft toys at her store.

Manly Pink Hand Carved Golf Ball by seller GTCarvings. Other carvings at his store.

Dog Butt Floss and other whimsical dental floss holders at fanimal's store.

 

 

Getting Creative

There's a great blog out there where folks share how they creatively used IKEA products and parts in ways other than their intended uses. Some are very clever, and some are super simple. Check out ikea hacker for some great ideas. One of my favorites uses the Grono lamp and used cassette tapes.

Here's the link for the project: Grono Lamp

Listen to this

For the past few months, I have really been enjoying the album North Hills by the group Dawes. Check out their blog here. Their music reminds me of old Neil Young, mainly Harvest Moon era Neil. It's been a long time since I have found an album that I can put on and listen to the entire thing, without skipping. Every track is a winner. It's encouraging to know that there are still folks out there making great music. Thanks Dawes.

Jane would be proud

I bought the second issue of the Sense and Sensibility comics series (out of 5 issues) yesterday. So far, I have loved this rendering of my favorite Jane Austin novel. The series is put out by Marvel Comics. Check it out at your local comic store.

Issue 2

Issue 1

Bath boats

I've been loving these sweet bath boats for a few months now. At nearly 31, I'm a bit old for bath toys, but I hope to give one as a gift to a worthy kid. They are lovingly handmade in Minnesota, so check them out.

No more excuses

My ADHD seems to be getting worse as I get older. I have racked up thousands of "good intentions" - things that I should do, projects I should start, people I should call. I often lie awake at night, unable to sleep because my brain is turning over some idea. Well, I've put off staring this blog for long enough. This is my first post, and so help me, it won't be my last.

Britta