Happy handbells

Love this video of extravagant Salvation Army bell ringing. I hope it helped fill the coffers!

Group projects. Shudder.

toothpastefordinner.com

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I love Goetz Alsmann

I love Goetz Alsmann's CD, Winterwunderwelt (Winter Wonderland). It's a combination of Christmas songs you know and traditional German Christmas songs. Done up in lounge-singer style. Here's Lass Uns Froh und Munter Sein. (Let's Be Happy and Cheerful)


Many, many thanks to Julia for posting an Alsmann song on her blog last year. I was hooked. Immediately!

Fisch im Netz

Nice toe-tapping turn for a dreary November day. Fisch im Netz by Herbert Groenemeyer. A great song to belt out while driving!

Poetess Palin

Sarah Palin's Tweets are actually free verse. Who knew?

Classical Cello and Led Zeppelin

Amazingly gorgeous! Cellist Maya Beieser playing Kashmir by Led Zeppelin. Hear the song and a short interview on PRI's The World Global Hit.

Fun with Bach

The Jacques Louissier Trio playing Bach's Gavotte in D Major. In jazz style. Their Brandenburg Concertos CD is excellent!

Thursday morning funnies

From the Oct. 30 edition of The Bugle podcast:

• In reference to Nick Griffin and the British National Party (right wing)
  History does point rather strongly to the idea that right-wing nationalism generally ends in tears. And, quite a lot of tears.

• Cheerleading was voted #3 in the world's top activities by Gender Stereotyping Monthly.

Errant Dog

Great song by Ben Folds, "Errant Dog." Some of the material may offend sensitive ears. If you are such an individual, or if you are in a cube, give it a pass.

Van Full of Anvils

Another very clever song from rathergood.com. There are kittens!

PigSpigot greetings

Wildly funny and often inappropriate user-developed cards at PigSpigot.

ECards and TweetCards are free. Old-school paper are $3.99.

Learning a foreign language as an adult

This hits a little too close to home. From Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of China Essays by Bill Holm. (A very good book from a superb writer.)

When you begin learning a language or try to use a new one, your adult power and resourcefulness slip away, and you sound to yourself, and to others, like a drooling child or an idiot. In a new language, you are first a baby, then a little child; then, if you work hard, a badly educated teenager with a low IQ.

Marketing schmarketing

This makes fun of me and my professional comrades. I like to think that this doesn't pertain to what I do. This makes me snort with laughter.

Thanks to Moe for sending!

First crack at a canvas

I painted this a while back to fill a space above an armoire. I used a pattern from Cressida Bell. It was the first time I painted on a canvas. It was quite fun and very rewarding. The pattern is in a funky style I hadn't previously tried.

Artsy Craftsy

I'm working on a picture that will hang over a couple of bookcases. I didn't find something just right so I thought, "Right, I'll make something myself."

I'm using as inspiration a Mischung (mixture) of a pattern from Jocasta Innes, my painting hero, and a piece I saw in Switzerland. It's meant to be a little rough, a little primitive. Here it is in its very early stage.

Painting gives me such joy!

Sept. 11 -- part 2

An addition to my earlier post about Sept. 11. I drive by this fire station on my way home from work. So many firefighters died that day. Both of my brothers are firefighters. These photographs give me the shivers.

Sept. 11 -- a very bad day

Sept. 11 is black memory for the U.S. This bad-day karma hovers over Chile, too. On this day in 1973, a coup, led by Augusto Pinochet, overthrew democratically elected Salvador Allende (Marxist). During Pinochet's dictatorship, Chile's human rights record was despicable. Thousands were murdered, tortured and 'disappeared.'

From the BBC's this day in history:

1973: President overthrown in Chile coup
President Salvador Allende of Chile, the world's first democratically-elected Marxist head of state, has died in a revolt led by army leaders.

One report says the 64-year-old leader committed suicide rather than surrender to the commanders of the armed forces and the paramilitary police.

Pinochet's obituary. Amnesty International's report on Pinochet.

New MacBook

New & improved!

Dog wisdom

Today's Note from the Universe. This one is especially lovely!

Do you know why dogs are so quick to wag their tails and cats are so quick to purr? Even the ones that have been lonely, abused, and betrayed?

Because, as is true of all animals, they were instilled with the distant awareness that no matter what the world shows them, they're still deeply loved and needed, that their presence alone has made a difference, and that in just the shake of a leg, seemingly without reason or rhyme, everything can FANTASTICALLY change for the better.

As is true of all people, except sometimes they tend to forget.

Purrfectly,
The Universe

Oh yeah, they also instinctively believe in miracles.

The Uncle Sam Interviews: Helen Thomas

Uncle Sam, from Funny or Die, interviews veteran reporter Helen Thomas. I love this very much.

The Uncle Sam Interviews: Helen Thomas - watch more funny videos

Unfortunately for Obama, there are no backsies

His hair is already going white. And he isn't even a year in. And who could blame the guy? (There may be an advertisement at the beginning of the video.)


White House Reveals Obama Is Bipolar, Has Entered Depressive Phase

Uter full of chocolate

The video on this isn't great but you get the gist. Contains one of the best Simpsons lines ever. From Uter, the German kid. If you know German you may also watch this scene in German.



Don't make me run! I'm full of chocolate!

Squashable battery

The squashable battery that fits pretty much any device

Have you ever been in desperate need of an AAA battery (your TV remote control is running out of power) and all you can find in your house are AAs or some other incompatible size of battery? Three designers claim to have the solution.

Posted using ShareThis

Very cool device via wired.co.uk

Knowledge, lovely knowledge

Lovely Note from The Universe!

I don't recommend asking for what you can have, or even for what you can give, nearly as much as I recommend asking for what else you can know.

Because there is always more you can know and knowing it will radically increase all you can have and give.

www.tut.com

The Count from Sesame Street

This is twisted and wrong. I like it very much.

Friday sillies

This is very silly but it made me smile on this loooong Friday afternoon.

Why I love John Hodgman

John Hodgman is one of the funniest people on the planet. He spoke at this year's White House Radio and Television Correspondents' Dinner. His biting, dry wit is beautiful. He refers to Mr. Obama as the first geek President and says, "it's an exciting time to be a nerd." He isn't quite sure what to think of the President's liking of sports, however. When he learned that Mr. Obama was attentive to the March Madness brackets, Hodgman "presumed ... it was some sort of obscure punctuation. I thought he was a typeface nerd. My kind of people." Rather, it's "some sort of sporty flowchart that I don't understand."

Speaking for the assembled, Hodgman says, "We are geeks. We are defined by our passions and enthusiasms but also by our open mindedness. Now is not the time for purity tests."

Flieder!

After a few years dormant, the lilacs in front of my house are blooming. They look beautiful and smell heavenly! The wonderful fragrance floats in the open window. Yet another reason to love spring!

Patriotic Dots

Everthing is jumping on the patriot bandwagon. Including candies. These look rather nasty. But hey, if you eat them you are showing that you are pro America. If you eat the regular kind I guess you're siding with the terrorists.

Welcome to downtown

Downtown Minneapolis looks like it's been bombed. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that people were trapped by the roving bands of street constructioneers. Got in in the morning and couldn't get out in the afternoon.

Changing, again

Although I like the last blog layout, there were some drawbacks. So here I am with a new template. I'll try to stick with it for awhile.

Thank you Bugle, and Mr. West

I love the Hugo Chavez news on The Bugle. Just when you think it couldn't get better, it does. The Bugle now also includes Delonte West updates.

I am not a sports lover so I had not heard of Mr. West, a basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. But thanks to the brilliant Bugle podcast, I have been introduced to the word stylings of Mr. West. He appears at 0:30.

Pyro fun

I think that Blue Rhino, "Spark Something Fun," is making itself a little to alluring to pyromaniacs.

My high school chemistry lab partner was a pyromaniac. He even tried to light the asbestos ring on fire.

Bug on garage

I saw this on the garage and almost smashed it. Look at those wings! They look like peacock feathers. I'm glad I didn't kill it.

Not your stereotypical rock star

I love this Intel ad. Nerd rock star!

Lovely light

The sun is going down and a rainstorm just passed. Lots of shadows and warm light that only comes after rain. One of my favorite types of light.

Well you're not living with me

This ad came in one of those coupon packs you get in the mail. You can do whatever you want lady, but your crabbiness is not living with me.

Cheeky Monkey

Dinner at Cheeky Monkey yesterday. (On Selby near the cathedral.) Quite a tasty treat! Very interesting but non-pretentious menu. The brownies are fabulous and almost the size of your skull.

Happy Birthday Sophie!

Silly, sweet Sophie turns 10 today!

Hints on using Facebook

I love this old-school take on how to use Facebook.

Where's the track?

This is in the hallway at work. It's on a big something or other that looks like a big flat panel. Maybe it's one of those toy race tracks.

Food pig (Pele eating)

My nephew Cale and I timed Pele. He eats in 20 seconds. I think there is no chewing involved. He's like a vacuum.

I bought a little camera

I bought a little camera to keep in my purse. I often see things that are pretty, odd or stupid and want to capture them. For example, I really like the shadows these plants make. There's something about morning shadows that delights me to no end.

The plants are right outside our office suite.

View from my home desk chair

This is the view from my home desk chair. I barely sit down and Pele's in the air and into my lap. 

Sophie the dictator

From the back, Sophie reminds me of the photos you see of dictators addressing their adoring crowds from a balcony high above. All hail Sophie the benevolent dictator!

Signs of spring

The bushes in front of my house are beginning to bloom. Hurray! I love how trees and bushes look all green and fuzzy this time of year.

Sunday follies

With two of my nieces today. This card came up in the Uno Attack game. I thought it meant that you have to swap teeth with the person next to you. I guess it means you need to swap cards.

Katy said she was going to draw a clown for me. I said that was OK as long as it wasn't a scary clown. Nice listening, Katy.

3 Ds and 6Ds

From this week's The Bugle podcast. It's sick but I enjoy it very much.

3 Ds of violence:

• dismantle
• demolish
• detonate

I sent these to EclectChick and she added three more:

• Dismember
• Decapitate
• D-exsanguinate

I love the Ira

I love Ira Glass, host of "This American Life." So smart. So funny. And that laugh. So nerdy and charming. This is a great interview on "The Colbert Report" last week.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Ira Glass
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Gay Marriage Commercial

I went to the show referenced in the interview. It was great! (It runs on radio the weekend of May 2-3.)

Going to see a radio seems like a strange thing to do. But it's such fun. I've seen numerous public radio shows live. Paid for tickets to see public radio shows live. I am just that kind of geek. I've never seen "Prairie Home Companion" live. It would be fun but I'm afraid it would be bluegrass night. That's the kind of music that plays non-stop in my version of hell.

Lovelies from the Walker

I bought these at a silent auction last week. They are from the shop at the Walker so of course they are lovely and a bit on the funky side.

"One to count on"

Friday's Pioneer Press had a great editorial about the Obama's dog, Bo, "One to count on." According to the writer there's been a lot of skuttlebutt (I love that word) about how Bo isn't a rescue dog. There are so many dogs in shelters waiting for homes. Never mind that Malia Obama has allergies that dramatically narrowed the possibilities.

The writer poo-poos the critics and focuses on Bo's role in the family.

His job is to provide unpredictable doggie high jinks for the first family, to put up with whatever silly hats Malia and Sasha try to get him to wear, and to be ready, 24-7, to present a loving, at times slobbering dog face to whichever Obama should need it at that moment.

It's fun to see the family playing with Bo on the lawn. And it's comforting to know that the president and his family have this source of unconditional love and laughter during these particularly trying times.

Mmmm... brunch

A lovely brunch today with the Hs. Eggs with a bit of avocado and Salsa Lisa. [eyes rolling back in head with delight] Homemade and colorful!

Police chase

From the Urban Dictionary:

parade maker

(n). A driver and/or car that goes consistently under the speed limit, causing a backup of 20+ cars, creating frustration and your ability to be where you want to be on time.

Why don't the police hand out tickets for this?

Misc. funny things from my nieces

I was talking to my niece Tori and had one of my frequent, I-can't-remember-what-I-was-going-to-say moments. She replied in a deep, gruff voice, "Think woman, think!"

My niece Katy, while walking by Pele whose tail was wagging, said "Hey, watch where you put that thing."

When her dog Billy got away from her on her walk, Tori ran after him and tackled him in the snow.

We have also adopted new names: Bertie (Tori), Cyril (Katy) and Gussy (me).

Lucidity souffle

Kelsey forwarded this wonderful nasty from Entertainment Weekly on a contestant and judge on American Idol.

Kara ran off the rails and handed her flaming caboose to Paula, whose lucidity souffle further collapsed thanks to some nonsense about "where beauty develops."

What kind of cupcake are you?

Fun quiz on bettycrocker.com. I'm a Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Sweet things, big dreams and a happy-go-lucky spirit. All are represented in Red Velvet Cupcakes; all are reasons these are the ones for you. Keep them to yourself or share with friends.

There's an awful lot of red food coloring! The old-school red food coloring made my brother Mike go batty.

Happy Easter everyone!

Nasty things courtesy of The Bugle

The Bugle is tied for first in my favorite podcasts list. (The other is the BBC News Quiz.) The hosts are well read, extremely clever and sometimes quite nasty. I love them.

I'm that kind of geek that writes down funny things I hear to share with others and perhaps use in day-to-day conversation. Three particularly nasties from recent shows: 

• [An event] sucked me into a hellmouth.
• Another base camp on the mountain of stupid.
• [Person's name] and reality have basically had a divorce.

And from another place:

• Supercollider of stupid Charlie Pierce on Only a Game
  
  

IRA flashback

Looking at the movie reviews this morning I flashed back to reading the newspaper while waiting in the car at my brother's elementary school. The story holding my attention was about Bobby Sands' hunger strike. Sands was in the IRA and in prison for possession of firearms.

"Hunger" is out today in Minneapolis/St. Paul. (I can't not be coincidence that it opens on Good Friday in honor of the Good Friday Agreement.) It's the story of the last six weeks of Sands' hunger strike in 1981. The movie looks compelling and horrifying. One that will leave my head full of questions that don't have immediate answers. (My favorite type of movie.)

If you're interested in the Troubles, Michael Collins and In the Name of the Father are both excellent, based-on-a-true-story glimpses into the madness and desperation in Northern Ireland. They help you understand a bit of the motivation for violence and will push you to empathize, painfully, with those brutalized on both sides. 

On a related note, take a look Chuck and Peg Hoffman's brilliant work with art and reconciliation in places like Northern Ireland. I heard them speak a couple of years ago. Their stories gave me goosebumps.

I love you Strong Bad

I was reminded of Homestar Runner and Strong Bad e-mails. Strong Bad is so horrible he's fabulous. 

Jesus People Movie

This looks painfully funny. The best line in the trailer: "People don't think we know how to have fun. Those people are liberals."

Spring sing-a-long

Spring is here. A perfect time for this little ditty by the talented and twisted Tom Lehrer.

April baby, defined

From the Urban Dictionary. I'm going to start using this ad nauseam.

April 1: april baby

A term coined by lil wayne, meaning a fool. "He's an april baby for thinking he could ever get with someone like her."

Who's the next Minnesota senator?

The election was in November. It's now April and the state of Minnesota still lacks a second senator. Norm Coleman and Al Franken are fighting over votes in the courts. So how can we settle it?

Dogs, cats and diplomats

The G20 Summit starts on Thursday. Lots of chatter about whether it will be successful. It's definitely unwieldy. 20 countries agreeing on something?

I think that tense sessions like this should include animals. I'm serious! I look at my goofy dogs and think, "How could you stay belligerent or cranky if you've just been playing with Sophie or Pele? Who doesn't melt at a puppy or kitten?" What if before a negotiation everyone sat down on the floor and played with some animals? I can't help but think that it would help the situation. It would humanize it. Bring in a little joy and laughter.

I tell the dogs that they would be a helpful and fun addition to like G20, peace talks, etc. But I'd have to come with them. 

Check out the very cool live blog and map on the Telegraph site. 

Loney, Dear

The Current always serves up great music that's new to me. I heard this one today by Loney, Dear (Emil Svanängen). Simply lovely!

How did he get in the tree?

From the TODAY show, video about a puppy who got stuck in a tree.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

And another treat for a cloudy day: Father Guido Sarducci on the Five-Minute University. Oh how I love Fr. Sarducci!

Calm down!

Louis C.K. on Conan O'Brien. We have it great but all we do is complain. We're all such babies.

Strand-up comedy

From today's Urban Dictionary e-mail:

Strand-up comedy
The way one's hair can look first thing in the morning, sticking straight up in all directions. When Bob woke up this morning, his hair looked like a strand-up comedy.

Monday sillies: with kittens!

To brighten your Monday morning. From the goofies at rathergood.com

Expunge that criminal record

Saw this ad and it made me laugh out loud. Well, more accurately, LQTM (laughing quietly to myself -- Demetri Martinism) Found the ad on Alltop -- a great news aggregator site by the way.

Despondex

In my opinion, if you use the phrase, "cool beans," you should be slapped. Not hard. But slapped.

FDA Approves Depressant Drug For The Annoyingly Cheerful

Think/thank ... hmmm...

From tut.com

Have you ever noticed that the only difference between "think" and "thank" is one letter?
I haven't decided what that means, but it's got to be absolutely HUGE.

Tallyho,
The Universe

More than this?

Maybe it's the never-ending winter. Maybe it's my job. Maybe it's the gray day. But this song really resonates today. And Peter Gabriel's voice calms me down.

2 laughs for Wednesday

The Bugle referred to Al-Qaeda as "Everyone's least-favorite independent filmmakers."

This photo from a Tweet by eBeth

Hell

There's a show on TV Land called High School Reunion. For me, a high school reunion is the epitome of hell. Throw in continual small talk, math (story problems, shiver) and country music and it's a big hellfire and damnation party.

Accident Hash: Black Lab

Accident Hash is a favorite* podcast. All sorts of independent bands. A fabulous song from Black Lab, "Perfect Girl". It's the first track after the morning-DJ-type intro (forward to 3:00 to skip it).Accident Hash

*The host can be quite annoying -- calling listeners "home fries" -- but the music is worth it.

5 good things

Five things good about today:

1. Peter Smith's very clever commentary about how to end the Minnesota Senate race: sumo wrestling.
   
   
2. Whad'ya Know now available as a full-length podcast.
3. Heard a lovely call and response between a couple of birds this morning.
   
4. The sun is shining.
   
5. Pele has not chewed on a library book in over a week.

Laika

Another beautiful ditty from Rather Good, the creator of the Fearsome Stomping Kittens and Looking for My Leopard.

In honor of Laika, the first dog in space.

More fun at Bush's expense

What's in the George S. Bush library? I'm not sure where this list came from but thanks to Karen for forwarding!

The George W. Bush Presidential Library is now in the planning stages and accepting donations. We urge you to support this effort because those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
The Library will include:

• The Hurricane Katrina Room, which is still under construction.
• The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you won't be able to remember anything.
• The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don't even have to show up.
• The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they don't let you in.
• The Guantanamo Bay Room, where they don't let you out.
• The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room, which no one has been able to find.
• The National Debt Room, which is huge and has no ceiling.
• The Tax Cut Room, with entry only to the wealthy.
• The Economy Room, which is in the toilet.
• The Iraq War Room; after you complete your first visit, they make you go back for a second, third, fourth, and sometimes fifth visit.
• The Dick Cheney Room, in the famous undisclosed location, complete with shotgun gallery.
• The Gift Shop, where you can buy an election.
• The Decider Room, complete with dart board, magic 8-ball, Ouija board, dice, coins, and straws.

The library will also include many famous quotes by George W. Bush:

• "The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country."
• "If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."
• "Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child."
• "No senior citizen should ever have to choose between prescription drugs and medicine."
• "One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is "to be prepared"."
• "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."
• "We're have the best educated American people in the world."
• "Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it."
• "It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
• "I stand by all the misstatements that I've made."

I know you see the priceless nature of this collection. PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY!
Sincerely,
Jack Abramoff, Co-Chair
G.W. Bush Library Board of Directors

A Super Bowl ad worth the hype

I saw just a few Super Bowl ads yesterday. Mostly ho-hum. CareerBuilder's, however, was brilliant. It was like a British ad. Yes. It was that good.



By Wieden + Kennedy.

Super Bowl Sunday -- what else is there to watch?

Every year I threaten to have friends over for a Jane Austen film festival on Super Bowl Sunday. I'm not a football (American that is) fan and I like to have my little rebellion. Well, another year later and I haven't pulled it together. Oh well.

For those who wish to spend time with the television on Sunday, but want to avoid the football broo-ha-ha, mental_floss to the rescue: What else is on Super Bowl Sunday? Other than the Puppy Bowl, the list isn't exactly the best television has to offer. But the Biography channel's program on Charles Manson could be interesting.

On a completely different note, I'm really like this song from Laith al-Deen. The official video is disabled so take a listen to this one. No need to watch. That would be a waste of time.

Makes me feel smart

I love stories about stupid criminals. It's Schadenfreude along with a bit of superiority. "No matter what, I'd never by that stupid."

From News of the Weird. You can get their daily e-mail which is delightful in a twisted way.

Your Daily Losers
If you're a couple carrying $2.5m worth of cocaine, you might stay on the highway itself rather than driving on the shoulder, and more important, you might anticipate what your cover story's going to be if you get stopped. Like, if you're visiting "cousins," are they the husband's cousins or the wife's? If they're yours, why don't you know their names? When did you last see them (5 yrs ago, or last month)? Thus, Jose and Virginia Melendez and their 21-yr-old daughter are in lockup. Omaha World-Herald

Ummm, sorry about that

My friend Jeannie sent this to me. I don't know where it originated but it's indeed beautiful.

Dear World,

We, the United States of America, your top-quality supplier of the ideals of liberty and democracy, would like to apologize for our 2001-2008 interruption in service.

The technical fault that led to this eight-year service outage has been located and the software responsible was replaced on November 4, 2008.

Early tests of the newly installed program indicate we are now operating correctly and are fully-functional as of January 20, 2009.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the outage. We look forward to providing full service and hope to improve in years to come. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

The United States Of America

Disturbing dance

I am not a fan of liturgical dance (free-form dancing during a worship service). I find it hard not to giggle. I know some people find it very moving and helpful in accentuating the biblical message. I am not one of them.

Here's the brilliantly silly Stephen Colbert with his take on "King of Glory." 

Sophisticated love song

Love can make us act a little crazy and sometimes stupid. The brilliant Hugh Laurie's take:

Proud to be an American

"This Land Is Your Land," is a song that made my teeth hurt. But on Sunday in the We Are One concert, I changed my mind. It fits the tone and hope running through the country. I actually sang along! For the first time in a long time I was proud to be an American.

What a day!

It still doesn't seem real. But it is! The President is Barack Obama. (I love the new White House site!) I'm hoping to see footage of people all over the world celebrating -- just like they did on election night.

This Candorville cartoon was in the Sunday paper. Totally gave me the chills. In a good way. See it larger and/or buy it here.

Elephant pal

This is a beautiful story. One day I'd like to have an animal sanctuary. All sorts of dogs that don't have homes. Mostly Pit Bulls, probably. It will be great.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Silly goodness

More silly goodness from Toothpaste for Dinner.


toothpastefordinner.com

'Cool' doesn't begin to describe it

Via the Color Association, a watch by Nicolas Meiresonne that changes color depending on the time of day. Amazing.

Nicolas explains, “I thought of a bracelet with a color that shows what time it is. Blue/green = morning, yellow/orange = noon , red/purple = evening and night. The colors rotate around the bracelet. The color on top indicates the current “time”. When one colour reaches the top for a second time, 24H have past.”

Another cool personality test

Via the EatonGolden blog. EG is a fabulous interactive firm.

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a Self-Knowing Tree Hugging Believer

Better than a resolution

From Jack Cheng, writing about Buckminster Fuller.

Buckminster Fuller saw each person as an experiment by the universe, and therefore each has important role in the greater story. Fuller believed that it was his responsibility to take on what the Universe called him to do and live as proof of what a single individual was capable of. With this sense of purpose, he was able to approach projects, successes and failures alike with gratitude and patience.

Oooh la la, Twittervision

I'm captivated by Twittervision. It's a world map and as people tweet you get the text, their profile photo and location on the map. The map scrolls around to follow the tweets. It's in real time. It's fun to see little bits of information from people all over the world. Who says the Web makes us less connected?

Focus for 2009

I like the idea of choosing a learning focus for the year. A focus that I wouldn't naturally navigate toward. (I got the idea from Peter Drucker, a big advocate of lifelong learning, who would focus on an area he knew nothing about for something like two or three years.)

For this year I think I'll focus on learning more about Asia. Yes, a bit broad! I'm thinking particularly of China and southeast Asia (e.g., Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam). Not just the wars but what are the cultures and people like? What are the histories? I'm hoping that in addition to being interesting, it will push my brain outside it's western-world focus. I know next to nothing about this area of the world. I'm notoriously distractable so it will be interesting to see if I can stay with this.

Earlier I thought I'd really challenge myself by concentrating on economics or something math related. I am not gifted in these areas and frankly, they freak me out. For longevity's sake it's probably best not to focus on something that makes my stomach seize up.

But for now I need to finish When the Astors Owned New York. It's not about Asia but it's another world -- ueber wealth -- I know nothing about.