Storm Brewing

First of all, for those of you who wanted to find the Cultural Identity Test from the previous post, I've added the link (sorry). It's actually not quite as silly as the others - give it a whirl.

This morning there is a storm coming our way. Of course, I have a "retreat" for work at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum so I have to drive to Chaska instead of hopping on my handy bus.

*sigh*

One of the things that we are going to try this time is, because the storm warning is for Hennepin but not Ramsey county and we live in Ramsey, a mere three blocks from the river which is the dividing line between the counties, we thought we'd head down to the river and watch the storm from our side ...

I found some interesting tidbits in the Audubon magazine yesterday at work. First of all, there's an octopus who loves to play with a Rubik's cube. Seriously. It's her favorite toy. Read about it here.

Second, there's a guy who does beetle art. We have some beetle art at the library, but this guy's art is for art's sake and not for didactic or illustrative purposes. Take a look at it here. Interesting story.

And finally, from WCCO, a bit of weird news ... there's a 79 year old woman in Fair Oaks, California who teaches adult tap dancing. I guess sometimes people don't read the sign/adverts quite right and they think it's for lap dancing. It's usualy men who are confused. Imagine their surprise when they find a 79 year old woman in charge. I like her response to the men when they call ... "Helen says when men call, she just tells them to bring their daughters over so she can teach them to tap dance. That usually ends the conversation."

Way to go, Helen.

I'm Sticking With the Savant Part

Your result for The Cultural Identity Test...

The Kaffeeklatsch Savant

55% Traditionalism, 74% Knowledge, 71% Diversity, 36% Contemporary and 44% Untraditionalism!

You Scored 36% Kaffeeklatsch Savant, Congratulations!

Hey there, Modern Thinker! At the forefront of your generation, you possess the uncanny ability to ride the waves of untraditionalism that course through our fickle society and remain at the crest! Ever aware of the changing tides of politics and philosophy, you have your own niche and you stick to it. With a healthy disdain for hypocrisy and pretense, you have the temerity to say so, and are well aware of the unpleasant facts that your contemporaries try to brush under the rug. Perhaps you're even something of a cynic!

Not into the latest headlines or 'ground breaking' news? Don't really care about that archaeological discovery in Tibet that suggests Cro-Magnon man had twenty five teeth instead of twenty seven? You find other cultures interesting, but you most likely won't go out of your way to do anything about it. You know where you stand, and that's the bottom line. Well, you aren't alone, and you're actually in some pretty good company. Oscar Wilde, John Simon, Dorothy Parker and George Bernard Shaw were some of the great modern thinkers of their time, and they maintained their positions by steadfastly refusing to succumb to either the preposterous notions of the past or the rambling obsequiousness of trendy and idealistic fads of the day.

Less of an idealist and not so devoted to traditions, there's a good chance your idea of the world is your own and you don't necessarily care about what others think you should be thinking. The past? The future? This is the present, and no amount of planning for the future or lamenting the past will change that. So, you probably have a good idea of where you stand and what makes sense. And then again if nothing makes sense, it's ok, because it probably isn't that important anyways. Apathy towards current affairs can be a good thing often times. After all, are those vicissitudinous ideas the politicians spout all the time really that meaningful? They really just want your vote, and you aren't fooled by all the clever talk.

You were scored as a Modern Thinker because you most consistently chose answers relating to contemporary ideas. Concepts like race, tradition, history, and your heritage don't appear to have all that great an attraction for you, which is just fine, because most of those things don't seem to affect your day to day life. If you can get along without worrying about the traditional mating headgear of the Papu Papu tribe of Eastern Samoa, then that's just one less thing to worry about. And if you do care about such things, then you've managed to find the perfect blend between contemporary ideas and the enriching intellectualism that is so readily available to questing minds.

Another Chance to Vote for Senator

Well, it's not exactly voting ... but the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund has a game posted that allows you to guess who will be seated for the open Senate seat, what day that will happen and, for a "tie" breaker, what color tie he'll be wearing when he's sworn in.

Click here to play the game. You can win a Congressional Directory signed by the seated senator if you guess correctly!

(photo courtesy of Sweet Pea)

Square Root Day

Apparently today is a Square Root Day (3-3-09) which only happens nine times every century. The last one was 2-2-04 and the next will be 4-4-16.

Magic can happen anywhere.

Mozart doesn't care much, however:

In the meantime, this is what I'm doing to maintain a semblance of sanity...

I'm reading about a notorious double agent from WWII:
My book mark is a souvenir from the 50th anniversary of the University of Salamanca choir, which we went to on a family vacation in May 2000. I belonged to the choir during the school year 1979-80 when I was a student there.

This is where we used to practice:
(Gracias, Fede, por el comentario, y saludos a todos)

On the knitting front, the sleeves are coming along nicely after a few false starts:
Actually, I have ripped them out enough that I probably could have five sleeves by now, but I don't, I have two sleeves that will be done relatively soon.

P's psychedelic socks are coming along nicely; this is the second:
And can you believe, that sock I accidentally started in Chile is now done to the toe:
Yesterday I had to go to the LYS to pick up reinforcement thread. Amazing, given my "stash" (which P was trying not to make fun of me about yesterday - thanks for that):
The gal at The Yarnery was asking me if more than one spool was necessary for a pair of socks. I told her no ... she wondered ... asked if I had color issues ... really, it's hard to explain ... but in my defense, I just want to say that I am not quite crazy yet.

If I make a hamburger dress, then maybe you can call me crazy (we all have our limits):


(turns out it's crocheted, but you get my drift)

Diagram Prize Revisited

Ok, so my good friend Sue got Strip and Knit With Style from the library and we had a look; it's an ok book but the title isn't really that strange... (thanks for sharing, Sue).

I still prefer Baboon Metaphysics for the winner.

And today I present to you my first suggestion for the next list: An Anecdotal History of Nematology (J.M.Webster, K.B.Eriksson & D.G.McNamara Editors).

Also, one that was missed in years past: Control of Sex in Fishes (ok, there was no Diagram Prize in 1974, but it could be a contender for a weirdest title ever prize, dontcha think?)

I'll get back to work now...

Happy Monday.