House Hunting

Or is that House Haunting. Tis the season, after all.

We have been looking for a house. Something tres modern, preferably. But this new listing may be one to consider. If the price was just a bit lower; current listing price is $1.75 million.

More information here.

What's the opposite of color blind?

Answer: Tetrachromat---a woman who can see four distinct ranges of color, instead of the three that most of us live with.


Found this at Mirabilis---

"Dr. Neitz, who conducts his research with his wife Maureen, said only women have the potential for super color vision.

That's because the genes for the pigments in green and red cones lie on the X chromosome, and only women have two X chromosomes, creating the opportunity for one type of red cone to be activated on one X chromosome and the other type of red cone on the other one. In a few cases, women may have two distinct green cones on either X chromosome.

But it's unlikely, Dr. Neitz said, that all of the women with four types of color cones will have the potential for superior color vision, because for many, their two red cones will be so close to each other in the wavelengths they detect that they won't see things much differently than a three-color person does.

He estimated that 2 percent to 3 percent of the world's women may have the kind of fourth cone that lies smack between the standard red and green cones, which could give them a colossal range."

Interesting but it gets me not closer to knowing why my husband can NOT tell when I get my hair cut. It does explain other things...like knowing what ties go with what shirts.

Slow Movin' Money

My $5 bill came from Montana. It took 187 Days, 16 hrs, 41 mins. to travel a distance of 942 at an average speed of 5 miles per day.

Now I have to say goodbye to Abe and spend him wisely. I shouldn't be thinking about where to spend him, such that he will travel someplace far away and fast. The rules of Where's George strictly prohibit artificial spending to speed George, Abe, and gang around the country.

This particular $5 bill has a stamped message on it which reads:
See Where I've Been
Track Where I Go Next!
www.wheresgeorge.com

And the message is in red on the back near the left side of DI10724322A series 2003. If you happen to see Abe, say hello for me. Don't send him back.

Monday in My Dull Life

You know life is really dull when the most exciting thing you can do on a Monday is track your money via the internet to see WHERE GEORGE has been.

That's right. Little George on the $5 bill we received in Minnesota can be tracked online.
WHERE's GEORGE at its very own .com
Actually, in the case of my bill, it's Where's Abe?, but no one seems to care.

The site is very slow and almost causes me to lose patience and give up. But I wait.....
The rules for tracking George or Abe are specific. You can't go to the bank get a wad of bills and copy the serial numbers to the WG.com site. Nope. That's cheating. Where's George only wants to know where George goes in an organic, natural course of events. You can't mail George to arelative or friend across the country. That's cheating, too. Unless, I suppose it's the money you are sending to your nephew in Alaska.

Can't wait to see Where George goes from here~!

Visiting Gunther's World

The Minniapolis Science Center is one of the view venues for BodyWorlds.
An amazing exhibit. I spent the first half-hour trying not faint. Breathe! Breathe! In a crowded exhibitions hall, one room after another, people filed by the mannequin-esque figures. The silence of the crowd was noticeable, leading me to wonder if everyone was thinking what I was thinking: These people were once alive. And now they're....plastic.

The bodies are skin-less, posed, and artificial looking. Except they are not artificial and something about them is too real. One body is only muscles on a skeleton; another is only the nerves. In the middle of the rooms are glass cases showing organs, limbs, bones, tumorous ridden stomachs, black lungs, and babies of varying womb-ages. No one speaks, except quietly. In hushed tones they tell each other that Uncle Clinton has the same arthritic knees and Aunt Sally has a new hip just like that one. Most people just stare.

You can't touch, not that many people would probably. The muscles, arteries, and bones are plasticized anyway. The cadavers frozen and sliced look like giant slides of the body. They would feel like glass plates no doubt, too. One slice is a fat man next to a slice of a thin man. Notice the thick layer of FAT around the first man. Like the fat on pig when you buy pork at the story, only thicker.

I was not hungry when I left. I'd show you photos, so you could start a diet this week, but they don't let you take photos. You can buy a DVD. Or a book. The photos online are scant. You can google Body Worlds Gunther and sites pop up but none are worthy of the exhibit. I will find out if it is coming to town and let you know.

Read the original blog on Body Worlds here.

Down Iowa

The Walters home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and rests on an overlook with great view of the Quasqueton river.

Check out the space saving bathroom! Obviously NOT a priority for Mr. Wright. The sink slides over on top of the toilet and frees up space in the bathtub/shower. It is not much bigger than a bathroom on a train. And those are the smalles bathrooms EVER.

At the river's edge is a boat house, also Wright designed. The property is vast and surrounded by woods for lots of privacy. Actually, the whole town of Quasqueton is a pretty private place. Took two phone calls from the highway and roads to find this place.















For views from someone else's trip go here:
http://www.peterbeers.net/interests/flw_rt/Iowa/Cedar_Rock/cedar_rock.htm

Up Iowa

Stopped along the route north in Iowa because we happened to see a sign for the Frank Lloyd Wright house. They have moved the Stockman/Wright house from its original site (white square house). We took the tour, but first we skipped across the street to the little village of Mission Style houses built along a creek. The owners share an idealic park-like setting joining their yards and the view of a waterfall. The homes were designed by like-minded architects in the Mission/Wright style. We found these quite by accident and thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

Minnie-Me in Minneapolis

In the lobby of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minnie-Me poses with minnie art.

Minnie-Me enjoyed a tour of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with current grad-art student, Kelley. In this photo, Minnie-Me is having a close look at the process for print making in the studio.

Everyone Likes Good Manners

I have never used a urinal. Most men, in western societies at least, use urinals all the time. I was unaware until today that there is such a thing as "good urinal manners." However, I played the Urinal Game and got 100% correct.

If I could get one of those attachments for female urination [emiction, miction, micturition, uresis] that allows one to pee standing up, I think I should be able to use the men's room. I do have good urinal manners. No one should mind.

Info on said attachments:
My Sweet Pee
Travel Mate
TM is my personal favorite, though I don't have one and have not tried one. But it comes with accessories--why not accessorize?
Shewee
The Whiz
P-Mate

I have been told that the line-persons for electric companies use a portable device that allows men or women up in the boom carts above the roadways, fixing the wires, to urinate in a comfortable, sanitary, and discreet manner. Why shouldn't we all have such a device available for easing the need to go?

Yisrayl?

Not that anyone could possibly believe someone who actually spells his name Y-I-S-R-A-Y-L, much less after he opens his mouth and predicts nuclear war. Yet, here he is, Yaweh's prophet for our time, saying just that. View the prophet.

End of Summer Cruise?

The perfect way to end a lovely summer: a cruise along the coast (or down the mudy Mississippi to New Orleans--before the hurricanes come) in your own 37' diesel cruiser. And not just ANY cruiser but the very boat that took Gilligan and the Skipper, too, on a "three hour tour." "A three hour tour." There are photos at that link of the S.S. Minnow if you are interested, interior and exterior. The cost for the perfect cruiser is $99,000, asking price. She looks seaworthy.

Caution: there are links to other formidable sailboats and the like. If you're prone to impusle buying, don't even go there.

"A House is Just a Place..."

"A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff." Wise words of a 21st Century philosopher.

The liquid airplane bomb threats reveals that most of us bring our stuff with us. Or at least we try to bring as much stuff with us as possible. The Washington Post examines the modern compulsion to never leave home without "it," concluding that we are a multi-tasking people, unable to be truly free because our attachment to stuff makes us both poor and overburdened.

I notice my own addiction to stuff when I pack the car nearly every time I leave the house: A book bag of books to return to the library, a mini-lunch cooler so my water doesn't boil in the parked car, a bag of medicines to take to my mother to refill her weekly dispenser, another to-do bag with a magazine in case I get stuck someplace, a sketch book and pencils. I like to have a digital camera along, too, but it requires a battery charger, as does my cell phone. If I'm teaching that day, I'll need my Land's End canvas briefcase overflowing with student papers and lecture notes. Invariably I have a meeting that day with a team of people I'm working with on a workshop which necessitates another canvas bag of notebooks and sources. In the back seat is an ever present red Scoth-plaid metal lunch box with wet ones, contact lubricant, nail file, napkins, a straw, a mirror, blush, a headband for "bad hair" afternoons, and anything else I can cram in and still close it.

The Post explains that we are all carrying more stuff, so I guess I'm not alone. The proof is found in the bookbags with wheels now manufactured not just for graduate students with 600 pounds of books, but for the grade school set. Children have actually been injured by their over filled bookbags.

Are we an insecure culture? Do we lack a basic trust in ourselves to make it back home? Home to our stuff?

I've tried this month to cut back on the stuff. I emptied my car, threw all the stuff in a box, and put only the ESSENTIAL stuff in the center console. I'm not even going to say what I think is essential. Trust me, it is. But I still cart those canvas bags for each occassion on the multitasking day ahead.

I have successfully made a habit of tossing out salt and ketchup. Unlike some people (you know who you are) who keep these "food" items lest you starve while your car hangs precipitously over the edge of cliff after you've skidded off the road during an ice storm, not to be found for five days; all because you read a story in the paper about the guy who lived for five days on ketchup and odd fries that were lodged in his seat cushions in an identical situation. I've seen your car parked next to mine, and you, too, could use a little unpacking.

A little advise on what not to carry is here at your finger tips. Good ol' online wiki of information. And other swell links can be found at 43 folders. Let's not stuff ourselves with too many links. Just empty your pockets and your glove compartment. Give it a month. If you need something, take it out of the box and return it to the car or bag. If you don't need it in 30 days, you don't need it. Free at last, free at last.....

Putting it off?

Let's give this a try. Here's an audio file for listening to 10+2*5 Work the Dasy

powered by ODEO
which gives you some of the details for moving through procrastination or just getting your work up and going.

I think I'll suggest it to students who are working on their English essays this semester.

Procrastination is Your Middle Name?

My middle name is Procrastination. I'm the Queen of the Land of Procrastination, in fact. I will put off just about anything, even good things, just because .... I can. My friend Pat C. says, "Never postpone pleasure." I've attempted to follow this advise whenever possible. For an award winning procrastinator, even pleasure is difficult to get started.

Merlin Mann has mastered a few anti-procrastination techniques that should help me. Here is part of what he thinks: "My favorite tonic for procrastination—which I have mentioned in passing previously—is what I call a dash, which is simply a short burst of focused activity during which you force yourself to do nothing but work on the procrastinated item for a very short period of time—perhaps as little as just one minute. By breaking a few tiny pebbles off of your perceived monolith, you end up psyching yourself out of your stupor, as well as making much-needed progress on your overdue project. Neat, huh?"

Mann is the master-mind behind loads of ongoing and completed projects. It is truly difficult to imagine he has ever had trouble with procrastination. But he makes some fine points about moving beyond the obstacle of getting started on dreaded projects, points he can only know via first hand experience. He obviously follows his own advise and has managed to squeeze onto the top one hundred blogs in the world list. No procrastination there.

I have used a similar anti-procrastination process with pretty high success. When I have something on the "to do" list that I want to do but never get 'round to, I make a plan to just do a teeny bit of it., which is often represented by "five." Here's an example: I want to work out and run more everyday. The present level of exercise is ZERO. To go from zip exercise to and hour is not going to happen. But from 0 to 5 mins. is not too difficult. From NO situps to 5 situps is EZ and can be accomplished during one commercial break, if necessary. From 15 pounds to 5 pounds is do-able. To read 5 pages won't take long, or 5 paragraphs. Even planning on starting some project or job in five mins. or five days might work. Pay off could be 5 Hershey's Kisses or five M&M's or five handfulls of popcorn or five hanfulls of M&m's. The take five process usually works for me. After doing five of something I go five more and five more over a period of time.

Like Mann's plan, once the job is started the fear is overcome and continuing on is much less threatening.

Day 3 in Russia

On Day 3 in Russia, B explores St. Petersburg by hydrafoil and wanders into a trendy Russian hookah bar. His journal has been posted.
http://meistertravel.blogspot.com/

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Last night was my first visit to the new Busch Stadium. Very Norman Rockwellish, actually. If he'd painted pictures of families going to the ballpark, it would be walking by the front entrance of the new stadium. Our tickets were fan-double-tastic, thanks to former Mayor S.'s generosity. We sat in section 250, and my seat was directly behind home plate. This section is in the Red Bird Club, so on the way to our seats we walked thru the club with all the good food, including a bakery....ooo la la the chocolate covered strawberries!

I was soaking in the view of the field and the park from my great seat when the folks in the row in front of us arrived. Naturally, an EXTRA extra large fan sat in front of me and felt the need to lean forward most of the game, so that I could only see his XXL back. He was wearing an ESPN polo shirt which had slogans written all over it. Slogans like: "A soft drink and a bag of chips." "Get on with your bad self." There were many more, but I only had seven innings to read them. They left when the Cardinals were down by 6.

Section 250 is a great place to expect foul balls. One man two seats and one row in front of me caught a ball hit by Cinncinati. I ducked every time a ball even looked like it would sail over the net. Not that I had anything to fear. The XXL fan made a perfect body guard. No ball would get by his girth.

I didn't have any of the delish snacks, though B. had a hot dog and two beers and J. got peanuts. I'd eaten four quarts of popcorn at home before I knew we had tickets that afternoon.

Even after Cinncinati's home runs and single hits put them 7 up, we held out hope that the Cardinals would rally. They tried. But like a bad deja vous, they filled all three bases as Pujols stepped up to the bat and ....struck out. We lost 7 to 1.

A lost game cannot dim the lights on my first ever visit, free tickets, free parking, balmy weather, and good company at St. Louis. But I sure won't be able to sit any place else now that I'm totally spoiled by section 250. Unless I get to sit in the green seats where they bring you food. And those party boxes are nice. Oh, and the game isn't bad either.

From Russia With Love

Bill's been to Russia and back again. Check out Where In The World
The journal entries are now a week old. Day 1 is posted; the rest to come day by day. Find out how he survives pickpockets and the trip home uncer tight airline security and more.

What's for Dinner?

Found this site RECIPE MATCHER
They provide a LENGTHY list of groceries and an interactive program to choose which ones you presently have on hand. Click on RECIPES and it pops up with those recipes for which you have ingredients.

It takes about five mins to click on each of the items in your pantry and fridge. I don't know how long it takes for the recipes to appear. I grew weary waiting, so I left the computer. When I returned 24 recipes had appeared. Several look quite good.

The pantry items are saved to your "account" (no cost) and are available for updates before you cook the next meal.

Remember This Guy?

I seem to recall, thinking back to 1979, that the Ayatollah Khomeine was the American Arch Enemy. During my college days at UMR, I had been harassed by Iranian students--lusty dark, swarthy young men, and I thought it was probably a no brainer: Ay. Khomeini was not a nice guy. I didn't know that he sought the destruction of the whole world.

"A passage from the Ayatollah Khomeini, quoted in an 11th-grade Iranian schoolbook, is revealing. 'I am decisively announcing to the whole world that if the world-devourers [i.e., the infidel powers] wish to stand against our religion, we will stand against their whole world and will not cease until the annihilation of all them. Either we all become free, or we will go to the greater freedom which is martyrdom. Either we shake one another's hands in joy at the victory of Islam in the world, or all of us will turn to eternal life and martyrdom. In both cases, victory and success are ours.'"

Today, I bet average folks, especially those born in the 70's and after, have no idea who he is. I hope we remember the pseudo-Islamic terrorists of the 21st century in the same way--which is to say, not at all. Although, some are saying that August 22, 2006 may be a memorable day, etching these monsters in the collective memory of the human race or what's left of it on August 23. This is holy of holy days for the faithful. It's the day Saladin entered Jerusalem in retaliation for the Christian "war" on Islam or Crusades. You remember the Crusades, don't you, from your history classes? Some say the blood in the streets after the Christians invaded Islamic cities was knee high. Others say, it was just a flesh wound, no blood [say, like, Thomas Madden, professor of History at SLU and author of the new book on the subject]. No matter what western Church Historians say about the Crusades, the Islamic memory is what counts--on August 22.

People in the know, probably most world leaders at this point, are aware that Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remembers the Crusades and is not happy. "Ahmadinejad is a strong believer in the Shi’ite tradition of a 12th imam, the so-called “hidden” Imam Mahdi who Allah has miraculously kept alive since his disappearance in 874 AD. As the story goes, Imam Mahdi will return at a time of great global chaos, oppression and bloodshed and usher in an era of (Islamic) justice."

On August 22, 2006, just weeks away, Iran will give its answer to the US and the world concerning Iran's nuclear development. They chose that day specifically--picked it out of a taqiya--a very shallow one (read: hat). Maybe he'll just say, "Well, Ok." But if he's anything like the really scary men who attended classes at US colleges in the 70's, now leading Iran with the benefit of an education from US universities, I think he might not be so agreeable. They are probably not going to use liquids on planes to deliver the message. Not now.

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