Occasional Other Stuff

Moving! Please Update Your Links

2009-01-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

This time I didn't talk myself out of it.

I've been posting on 4 different blogs:

Blogging My Books - for my books and reading
Stuff I Made - for my crochet and knitting projects
Occasional Other Stuff - for, well, other stuff
Pirate Bendy - for pure fun and giggles

I've considered combining and reducing my blogs and have always managed to talk myself out of it for various reasons. This time I didn't. Pirate Bendy will remain a separate blog simply because he's too unique to share his blog address.

As of today I have combined the other three blogs into one for everything other that pirate adventures.

Please update your links and feed readers.

The new blog is called "Whimpulsive" because it's one of my very favorite non words. The address is

http://whimpulsive.blogspot.com/

See you at the new site,

SuziQ

Don't take yourself too seriously

2009-01-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

because Morgan Freeman is one of the few people who can pull this off.

more lol celebs!

Howie says Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

Ho Ho Ho and all that crap.
Now take it off my head and let me go back to sleep!

Happy Holidays

2008-12-21T09:42:00.001-08:00

despite the weather. I'm really not fond of snow and ice, but the Christmas lights covered with snow looked pretty cool.

BCS: Beyond Common Sense

2008-12-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

I'm seeing this all over the place, but haven't been able to determine the original source. Nevertheless, it makes me laugh.

BCS Declares Germany Winner of World War II

US Ranked 4th

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants, the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.

"Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking."

Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories--Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted event."

German Chancellor Adolf Hitler said "Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to enhance Germany's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces."

The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2."

Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines.

It's a Weathergasm

2008-12-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

The storm is still over the ocean and it's full on weathergasm mode here.

My prediction . . . about 10 snowflakes.

Usually when they get all goofy days ahead of time it fizzles into nothing more than a few snowflakes that melt in the heat of 14 live news trucks lights on the Sylvan overpass.

Wisdom

2008-11-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the idea that one of the greatest gifts one generation can pass to another is the wisdom it has gained from experience, the Wisdom project, produced with the cooperation from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, seeks to create a record of a multicultural group of pepole who have all made their mark on the world. Presented against the same white space, all of the subjects are removed from their context, which not only democratizes them, but also allows for a clear dialogue to exist between them. In an attempt to create a more profound, honest, and truly revealing portrait of these luminaries, the project encompasses their voices, their physical presence, and the written word. This comprehensive portrayal of such a profound and global group is an index of extraordinary perspectives.

I think I either want this for Christmas or will be giving it as a gift for Christmas (or both).

Here's a trailer (but go here for more www.wisdombook.org/ ):

More here too: http://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/wisdom/

Filmmaker and photographer Andrew Zuckerman thinks hard-won insights should be shared. That’s why he’s releasing The Wisdom Project, a one-hour documentary film and companion book that share the collective experiences of 51 luminaries over age 65, including authors, artists, and world leaders from Willie Nelson to Nelson Mandela.
Inspired by the ancient African concept of ubuntu, which emphasizes human connectedness—I am what I am because of who we all are—Zuckerman set out to gather and communicate the lessons his extraordinary subjects have learned about love, work, the environment, and conflict resolution. “We live in a confusing and fast-changing world,” says the filmmaker. “It’s a great time to look to our elders, to see what they have to say that can help us.”

Special thanks to Lesley for posting this first. Thanks Les !!

Afghan for Amie's baby boy

2008-11-17T06:15:00.001-08:00

Crochet

Yarn - Lion Brand Baby Soft

Color - Pastel Green

An excellent napper

2008-11-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

How many different directions can you point at the same time?

A Pretty Fall Day

2008-10-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Normally in Oregon we get limited time with the leaves looking pretty in the fall. It seems that most years, just about the time the leaves start getting beautiful, we get a nasty rain and wind storm that blows them all off the trees overnight and turns them into road slime.

Luckily this year it's been fairly dry for a couple of weeks. Today we went out for a drive and I took a few pictures.

Let's just get through this together

2008-10-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

OK - so this is really about the election in Canada today, but the nonsense is international and made me laugh anyway. Even if you don't recognize the candidates, you'll recognize the types.

(Shamelessly stolen from Raidergirl3's blog)

Three weeks till November 4th. Let's just get through this together.

So true

2008-10-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

and yet also so annoying.

more music charts

It's Tailgating Season

2008-09-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Next game - 10/4/08

Next tailgate - 10/11/08

"We're not here for the game. The game is nothing. The game is crap. The game makes me sick. The real reason we Americans put up with sports is for this: Behold, the tailgate party. The pinnacle of human achievement. Since the dawn of parking lots, man has sought to fill his gut with food and alcohol in anticipation of watching others exercise."

Homer Simpson
Season 19, Episode 18 Any Given Sundance

What he said, everybody!!

2008-09-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

Craig Ferguson says it all so much better than I could ever hope to :

The Queen of Denial

2008-09-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

It actually worked

2008-08-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend. I went up to Washington for a girls weekend with a couple of friends. The best part was that the friend in Washington thought I was the only one driving up. Little did she know that I was also bringing a mutual friend of ours who had come all the way from Florida to surprise her. Somehow we managed to pull off the surprise. The look on her face was worth all the subterfuge and teensy white lies.

Happy tears are so much better than the other kind.

Along with hours of chatting and laughing we also managed to do some serious sightseeing. Luckily the weather cooperated and the Floridian got to see some of the Pacific Northwest at its best.

From the bridge at Deception Pass

The other side

Mt. Baker

Mt. Baker again

Mt. Rainier

Close up of glaciers on Mt. Rainier

Narada Falls at Mt. Rainier National Park.

Flugtag comes back to Portland

2008-08-03T07:18:00.001-07:00

Flugtag came back to Portland yesterday for the first time since 2004. If you ever have a chance to see this event, you should.

What is Flug (from the website):

Red Bull Flugtag challenges teams of everyday people to build homemade, human-powered flying machines and pilot them off a 30-foot high deck in hopes of achieving flight! Flugtag may mean "flying day" in German, but all these crafts ultimately splash into the waters below. They are judged not only on their flight's distance, but creativity and showmanship as well.

The 'aircraft' and I use that term very loosely were really fun and creative. We didn't stay for the whole event, but watched about 10 'Flights'. Our favorite was the flying Winnebago by team Space Balls which won the people's choice award.

This one looked like a jet made out of giant lego blocks (it flew about as well as lego)

OK - so this is clearly not on of the flying machines, but from where we were watching on the Hawthorne Bridge I was able to get a couple of pictures of the USS Blueback (see OMSI)

Baby Afghan for a Friend's Grandson

2008-08-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Crochet
Yarn Red Heart TLC Baby

Color - Bunny Print

More Aquarium Pictures

2008-07-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

I told you yesterday that I went a little picture taking crazy at the Oregon Coast Aquarium - here are a few more . . . .

Oregon Coast Aquarium - Newport, Oregon

2008-07-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

OK - so I went a little picture taking crazy today at The Oregon Coast Aquarium. We had a great time.

Sand in the City

2008-07-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Yikes - meant to post these last weekend and then forgot.

Sand in the City is an annual sand sculpture event held in Portland's Pioneer Square. For once, I knew ahead of time and was able to take my camera with me so I could stop by after work and get some pictures of the sand sculptures in progress.

Do not miss this

2008-07-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

Click on the picture to get to the website.

Available free online till midnight June 20th. Later will be on itunes and eventually a DVD.

So many quotable lines - just from Act 1:

"Dude, you're NOT my nemesis"

"Captain Hammer, CORPORATE TOOL!"

"It's curtains for you...lacy, gently wafting curtains."

"The world is a mess and I just... need to rule it."

Columbia Gorge

2008-07-15T19:20:00.001-07:00

We were up in Trout Lake this past weekend and decided to play tourist on the way home and take a few pictures. This is Mt. Adams from the Trout Lake School - this is currently the staging area for the firefighters battling the Cold Springs fire - which you can see the early stages of here.

The White Salmon River - that's Husum Falls just under the bridge - lots of whitewater rafters out the day we were there.

Mt. Hood from the north side - it's not the view I'm used to from Portland, the mountain always looks not quite right to me when I'm not looking at the west side of it.

If you look close you can see the remains of a very old wooden log flume from back in the height of the logging days. It's hard to see because I had to have the camera on maximum zoom to get the picture.

Always stop at the historical markers (forever known as hysterical markers in my family). You can learn all kinds of interesting things.

For example - that sometimes it gets a bit windy in the Columbia River Gorge.

Just outside of Stevenson, We saw this bald eagle on it's nest. There must be babies or eggs in there because it didn't stay away from the nest for very long.

Beacon Rock. There's a trail to the top and the views of the gorge are amazing on a clear day. I haven't climbed it in years, but maybe this fall if we can get a clear day that's not too warm.

Just a pretty view of the Columbia River and the west end of the gorge.

Beer is good

2008-07-11T21:54:00.001-07:00

We take our beer seriously here in Portland. July is Oregon Craft Beer Month, culminating with the Oregon Brewers Festival the last weekend of the month. It's easy to plan for future visits. It's always the last full weekend of July.

Turns out that even George Will is onto the importance of beer. His column earlier this week explains how beer is health food.

No beer, no civilization.

The development of civilization depended on urbanization, which depended on beer. To understand why, consult Steven Johnson's marvelous 2006 book, "The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic -- and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World." It is a great scientific detective story about how a horrific cholera outbreak was traced to a particular neighborhood pump for drinking water. And Johnson begins a mind-opening excursion into a related topic this way:

"The search for unpolluted drinking water is as old as civilization itself. As soon as there were mass human settlements, waterborne diseases like dysentery became a crucial population bottleneck. For much of human history, the solution to this chronic public-health issue was not purifying the water supply. The solution was to drink alcohol."

Often the most pure fluid available was alcohol -- in beer and, later, wine -- which has antibacterial properties.

Read the whole column here - I'll see you at the Brewers Festival.

A life has been saved

2008-07-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Once again, earplugs have saved my husband's life.

I'm just sayin'

And yes, I put the earplug in my ear and controlled the urge to shove two of them firmly up his nose.

I deserve a medal.

Thoughts on camping - "not me, not on your life"

2008-07-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

At least Anne Taintor and Celia Rivenbark understand . . .

For years my motto has been “If God had intended for me to camp, he would not have invented hotels”. Celia Rivenbark (whom I adore) has summed up my feelings just perfectly in her column this week. Read it here

The Play's the thing . . .

2008-07-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

This is where we went this past weekend.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.

We saw two plays this trip. One was great - the other not so much.

The Comedy of Errors was entertaining enough, but not nearly as good as the production they did a few years ago. This year’s version was heavily adapted. They changed a lot and turned it into a semi-musical. I’m not a big fan of adaptations like this. I love the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and it’s rare that I don’t enjoy a production, but I like my Shakespeare pretty true to the way it was written. I enjoy seeing the original dialogue but in interesting staging and settings. Julius Caesar with the cast in WWII era dress is powerful. The Winter’s Tale with Bohemia looking like something out of the 1960’s flower power era complete with daisy painted VW bug was fun. The Comedy of Errors turned into Annie Get Your Gun didn’t do it for me.

The next night however, made up for it. Othello was wonderful. Some of my favorite actors from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Acting Company gave great performances. It was well cast and well performed.

Dan Donohue’s Iago was fabulous to watch. His almost hypnotic manipulation of the other characters was an impressive performance.

What do you get . . .

2008-06-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

. . . when you combine :

A tall scratching post
A cat treat on top of the very tall scratching post
A cat who is kind of a goof

You get

Crazy Climbing Monkey Cat

Pfffft!!

2008-06-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Stoopid Mariners

This is the reason you bought this, right?

2008-06-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

You really did buy the roadster because the top of a convertible makes a perfect little hammock like bed for a tired kitty. Didn't you??

It is my preferred place to nap.

I'm an excellent napper.

Graph Jam

2008-06-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

My newest favorite time wasting website:
Graph Jam: Pop Culture for People in Cubicles

This particular example is the one that gets posted simply because The Princess Bride is one of the best movies EVER.

more graph humor and song chart memes

Summer? Someday (maybe)

2008-06-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

I just needed a reminder that there is occasionally blue sky out there. It's been a cold and damp June. We typically say that in Portland, summer doesn't really start till July 5th, but this year it's REALLY not summer yet.

This picture was actually taken in April of 2005 - the same weekend at Cannon Beach that I took the sunset photo in the header. Non Pacific Northwesterners take note - the jackets worn by the people in the photo are typical beachwear for Oregonians.

It was fun to watch this guy - he showed up in the morning and started that watercolor - I really enjoyed watching the progress of the painting throughout the day.

Flickr Photo Meme

2008-06-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

I love how images can say so much. I've been playing with this photo meme this morning. I found it on Sheri's blog. She, in turn found it at Bookpusher. It takes some time, but the results are fun.

The concept:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name - Or online handle.

Here's my resulting mosaic:

Some things just don't fit

2008-06-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

Another blog? Yes, another blog.

I've already got Blogging My Books - which I really try to keep strictly about books and reading.

Then there's The Adventures of Pirate Bendy - which is pure silliness from the viewpoint of a yellow piece of plastic.

Let's not forget Stuff I Made - which has been woefully neglected (mostly becuase I haven't been making stuff).

So where do I put all that other stuff running around in my brain and all those other pictures that don't have a pirate in them?

Here be the place.

Stay tuned

and I'm sure Howie is going to help because "Helpin's what Howie's do best!"

Lap Size Afghan for Susan for the beach house

2008-04-21T17:18:00.001-07:00

Crochet

Yarn Red Heart TLC Lustre

Color - Light Sage

Baby Afghan for Tracy's Baby Boy

2007-04-29T17:58:00.001-07:00

Crochet

Yarn

main color - Lion Brand Baby Soft - Navy

border - Lion Brand Jamie - White

Baby Afghan for a Friend's Granddaughter

2007-01-10T19:27:00.001-08:00

Crochet

Yarn - main color - Lion Brand Baby Soft - Candy Print
- border - Lion Brand Jamie - Pink

Big Sister's Doll Afghan

2006-12-10T12:28:00.001-08:00

Crochet
Yarn - Red Heart TLC Baby
Color - Powder Lilac

This is a doll sized blanket that is going to the Big Sister of the baby boy who got the previous blanket. After all, it's no fun when the new guy in town is getting all the new stuff.

Baby Afghan for Julie's Baby Boy

2006-11-27T19:01:00.001-08:00

Knit
Yarn - Bernat Baby Boucle
Color - Water Slide