Handy Info Re: Expiration Dates

I've been using iGoogle to keep track of the blogs I read regularly, and they let you have other little boxes on your page - one that I keep is the Real Simple Guide, with daily tips. Today's tip was actually one I needed.

"Certain items in your house practically scream "toss me" when their prime has passed. That mysterious extra white layer on the Cheddar? A sure sign it needs to be put out of its misery. Chunky milk? Down the drain it goes.

But what about that jar of olives or Maraschino cherries that has resided in your refrigerator since before the birth of your kindergartner? Or the innumerable nonedibles lurking deep within your cabinets and closets: stockpiled shampoo and toothpaste, seldom-used silver polish? How do you know when their primes have passed?

With help from experts and product manufacturers, Real Simple has compiled a guide to expiration dates." You can read that guide here.

The other helpful little box I keep is the Snopes guide to the latest urban legends.

Colors of Sunset

(all from the same sunset)

Two Days' Dinner

Welcome to 2008

I had planned such a grand entry into the new blogging year. Some profound thoughts on the turning of time, perhaps, or my year-end booklist with reviews of all the outstanding books, along with my blog-a-day plan and promises of future constancy. But unfortunately life caught up with me--or rather I'm still trying catch up with it. I told myself that once the holidays ended I would be able to blog more, but here it is the day after Epiphany: school has started again, I'm planning for college (with all the essays and applications that go with that), and things keep cropping up--nice things, like my first ski trip last week, but time-consuming things nonetheless. So instead of a grand entrance I'm sneaking in the back door to say that yes, I'm still here, and yes, I will blog, but how often and how much I can't say.

But a happy new year to you all!

Not Everybody Loves My New Little Laptop

Interesting article from internet.com about the Asus EEE PC:

The Most Hated Company In the PC Industry: "The source of ire is a tiny laptop called the ASUS Eee PC. This open, flexible, relatively powerful, and very small laptop is notable for one feature above all: It's price. The Eee PC can be had for as little as $299. (Go here to read the reviews -- they're all positive.)"

Actually, I think Asus only broke the barrier - there are other companies with copycat mini-computers at comepetitive prices almost ready to hit the market - among them, Intel's Classmate PC for kids.

My New Year's Resolution

Krakovianka wrote, "It's only when you have a whole, big, fresh year in front of you that big goals have room to fit into the plan."

How true that is. How else would I have mustered the courage to finally tackle something I've been meaning to do for years? My goal for this year (and I'm allowing myself all year) is to learn Linux and have a Linux OS (Ubuntu, maybe?) on my computer instead of Windows. I've already purchased two books and joined two Linux forums.

I like the concept of free quality education such as Ambleside Online, free texts of great classics like Project Gutenberg provides, art and poetry that can be accessed by the public without charge like what CGFA and The Poets' Corner post, open source software (like GIMP, Mozilla and OpenOffice) that does what it does more efficiently - so I feel a natural draw to Linux.

I'm not looking forward to the times ahead where I'm sure I'll be pulling my hair out because I can't figure something out!

New Toy, New Purse

My Christmas present was an Asus EEE mini-laptop. It's a computer the size of a portable DVD player. Which, of course, calls for a new purse to lug it around in. Like The Equuschick says, even though 2008 is the Year of the rat, that's no reason to be a disorganized rat.

I started with a DVD bag from Walmart and sewed on a strap good and tight.



The side pocket (the one you're supposed to keep the DVD disks in) is the perfect size for the mini-laptop:



Which leaves the main compartment for my regular stuff - cell phone, PDA, sunglasses, etc. I threw together an organizer from cloth scraps and tacked it into the bag. I didn't want to actually sew the bag itself because one day we may want to use it for its intended purpose.



The organizer has two parts. There's a center section, padded for the PDA and cell phone, and it's tacked to the two rings on the side of the bag. And there's a flat panel made from an old sheet that folds around the center section. It's tacked to the corners of the bag into the seams so no pinholes were made in the bag itself. It has pockets for credit cards, tea bags, scissors, mirror, sunglasses and stuff. And, as an afterthought, I made a coin purse from a fabric scrap that was too pretty not to use for something.



Now all I have to do is learn Linux and I'm all set!

Funny Music Video

After reading the "fishing as life" metaphor in Izaak Walton's Compleat Angler and hearing more than my share of formula songs designed to tug at the heartstrings combined with a peaceful nature setting on music videos, I especially loved Cletus Take the Reel on comedian Tim Hawkins' website. I love the moving shot of the fishing rod flying through the air. ;)

There's also a music video on the page about homeschooling, done to the tune of The Addams Family.

Here We Come A-Carolling . . .

The Fog