I wish I was at Comic-Con...playing with Legos

Geek Heaven, aka Comic-Con, is going on right now. Even though there are so many other amazing things to see and do there, I think no other picture has made me wish I was there more than this one:

I'd be all "Yeah, yeah, you go see the True Blood panel or the Star Wars stuff or The Guild signing or all the other stuff, I'll just stay here with the LEGOS!"

photo via GeekMom: San Diego Comic-Con Day One: Star Wars Legos, Ewok Attack!

Friday Fun: Augmented Reality Cinema

I've got my money in hand for when this app comes out...someday. This would be soooo cooool:


Video Link

Website: Augmented Reality Cinema

Crepes for Bastille Day...Yum!

My first crepe!

Today is Bastille Day and GeekMom celebrated by making crepes and posting her recipe on her blog. I read the post and decided that I the Non-Cook (note the capital letters - I mean business) would make crepes for dinner.

Occasionally I get delusions of cooking abilities (especially when I've been reading My Life in France by Julia Child, which I have been lately) and hubby gladly steps aside to let me try my hand (especially on a hot July weeknight).

Later on: These are folded right, but not as browned
(still yummy, though)

Did I mention I've never made crepes before? But I can do pancakes and omelettes, and crepes seem like a cross between the two, so they weren't that different.

They didn't turn out too bad for a first try. I think the best sign was when Hubby and LilGirl both asked for more.

I'll definitely be trying these again. I'm thinking of trying the Nutella and banana ones next time. :)

Badgers Badgers Badgers Badgers...for 10 HOURS!!!

YouTube now allows 10-hour videos. Whatever they intended that for, in practice it seems to mean we'll have lots of stuff like this!



(Hopefully there's a link to mental help at the end of the video)

Original video (much shorter!) is here.

As if I didn't love my Gmail enough...

It just saved me from that embarrassing moment when you realize you forgot to attach the document that was the whole point of sending the email.

I think I turned this on when it first showed up in labs years ago (It "graduated" to everyone's Gmail last year), and I don't think I've needed it until now, but I'm glad it was there when I finally did.

Some Monday cuteness

by Attila Lábodi  

I came across this photo today in the featured photos in Picasa Web Albums (soon to be Google Photos) and had to share. Enjoy! :)

Field of Dreams 2

This is funny! Make sure you watch all the way to the end for a special cameo. :)

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout with Taylor Lautner from Taylor Lautner

It's in the detials

Reality Check Comic Strip, June 21, 2011 on GoComics.com

Ever have one of those typos? I like to think I'm detail-oriented, but I feel like saying so is asking for the cosmic banana peel to trip me up.

Funnily, it does remind me of the sign my daughter made years ago to protest our nightly spelling practice.

It said: "No spling"

Obviously, she didn't get out of practice that night.

This just landed in my yard! #alienattack #irony

I kid you not!

So weird after this morning's post.

What to do if aliens attack today...hey, it could happen!

Happy Fourth of July!

I wanted to post a video of fireworks today, but what I shot came out pretty lame, and what I could find on the internet didn't impress me enough to post, so I decided to go another way. After all, one of my very favorite alien movies is Independence Day (see what I did there?)

So here ya go. Enjoy, and I hope you learn something you can use, too. :)


Video Link

Stay safe tonight, whether you're shooting fireworks or fighting aliens...or both.

UPDATE: This just landed in my yard!

A video game for Jane Austen?

Love it!

via we are large, people

Angry Birds covered by Pomplamoose...cute!

I knew there was a reason I meant to take a different way home

I inched past Memorial Park as the masses descended for tonight's concert.

When farmers play Farmville...

via GoComics

Personally, I just tell myself I'm playing a game called Interlibrary Loan...it's really exciting. Really. Trust me.

Furniture for my (small) dream house

I lurve this furniture. I'd love to put one of those Murphy beds in the guest room, and my daughter likes the desk/bed combos (although she currently has a loft bed with a desk underneath, so she's already half-way there). I think the coffee-table-to-dining-table is extra-special cool. :)



Video Link

My current wallpaper

I have a hard time remembering what I've used as wallpaper before, so I'm going to try to remember to post here when I change it (which is every month or so...I get bored staring at the same old thing). This way I'll have a nice searchable record of past wallpapers.



Shot last week at the Henry Doorly Zoo aquarium.

Anemonemonemones :) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! - It's CC licensed (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike), so feel free to use it, too, if you like it.

Toe socks & flip-flops

Today was "crazy sock day" but LilGirl still wanted to wear flip-flops...

Flickr Find: Get back in your book!

Set on Flickr

We'll remember this when she wants her license

We took LilGirl and one of her friends to Sempeck's for go-carts and laser tag on Saturday. This was her first time driving the go-cart by herself, and it didn't go so well. She crashed in the first turn (steering seems to be beyond her whether it's on a bike, a scooter or a go-cart, apparently) and drove like a little old lady most of the rest of the time.

Eventually she picked up some speed, but in the final turn she crashed into the barricade so hard about a third of the go-cart was on the wrong side of the barricade. LilGirl had to walk to the finish and it took the attendants almost five minutes to get the go-cart unstuck.

It's too bad the pictures came out so blurry (apparently shooting at a distance in low light is the thing that's beyond me) but you get an idea from the picture above.

Somehow, I don't think she'll be the next Danica Patrick, though she might have a future in the demolition derby. ;)

These make me want my own mailbox

Geek Mailbox

Sometimes I think the utilitarianism of the suburban bank of mailboxes mid-block leaves a lot to be desired, especially when I see creative mailboxes like these: The Most Geeky Mailboxes Ever.

via @Etsy

Time for stargazing at your desk

Here's an awesome video of the Milky Way as seen from the plains of South Dakota. If you've spent your whole life in the city, you don't know what you're missing when it comes to stargazing in the middle of nowhere. This will give you an idea. Watch it in HD, fullscreen, in a dark room if you can.


Plains Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

If you're curious, click through to Vimeo, where Randy Halverson gives some details on how he shot the video.

New Blog: Creativity for Happy Endings

My friend *lizzie starr has started a new blog on creativity...

Creativity for Happy Endings

"How will this blog present creativity? Hopefully in a fun and delightful way. I'm gonna start out with a creative alphabet--words and concepts to define, describe and encourage creativity in all of us. And, no, just because I'm an author, it doesn't mean that's the only kind of creativity we'll talk about. I'll have guest bloggers with their own creative outlooks. I'll ask questions and… if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask! If I don't have a clue, we'll find the answers together. (If you build it, he will come.)" 

*lizzie is a great cheerleader who helps keep our local group of writers motivated. Check out the new blog and cheer her on!

Check out Christina Dodd's private stone circle

Author Christina Dodd has a STONE CIRCLE in her backyard. I'm so jealous! 

Check out her Facebook fan page for photos & the story behind it. 

Happy Solstice!

Can't see today's lunar eclipse? YouTube's got you covered!

Info here: YouTube Blog: Watch the lunar eclipse from anywhere

Amanda Huginkiss sighting at Seekerville

Paparazzi photo of Amanda Huginkiss

Fabulously infamous author of over 3000 romance novels, Amanda Huginkiss recently took time out of her busy schedule to interview my friend Sherri Shackelford for Seekerville!!

I was privileged to meet Ms. Huginkiss a couple times, and let me tell you, she was fab-u-lous!! I'm so glad Sherri got the honor to be interviewed by her!! It must have been an amazing experience!!!

Seekerville: Very Special Guest Interview. Amanda Huginkiss interviews Sherri Shackelford

Did I use enough exclamation points? I don't know...WWAHD? (What would Amanda Huginkiss do?)

A Charm-ing Group!

I know I've mentioned before that I belong to a writers group full of awesome, supportive ladies. It certainly bears repeating.

Rainbow Rowell just did a lovely column about our group which ran in yesterday's Omaha World Herald, focusing on some of the ways we support and encourage each other. One of the more tangible signs of support are our charms. The column features Sherri Shackleford's charm bracelet and talks about how we earn charms (mine isn't nearly as full as Sherri's, which tells me I need to get my rear in gear), but the charms are just one of many ways the group inspires me.

At our meeting this weekend, our "Goals Guru" *lizzie starr handed out these little inspirational cards. I've gone mine planted firmly between my keyboard and monitor where I will see it (Where I NEED to see it):

It's not all just trinkets and feel-good stuff. Our members (and sometimes guest speakers) give programs each month on craft, the business of writing, or critiques and brainstorming help. We discuss issues ranging from  changes the publishing industry is facing to challenges in just getting our "button" the chair.

Sometimes life really does get in the way and I genuinely can't make it to a meeting. But there are often meeting days that I wake up feeling blah, tired, and worn down, and don't really want to leave the house (like any other Saturday morning). I consider not going, for maybe half a second, but I always always make myself make the effort to go, no matter how low I feel, because I know that I will come home inspired, energized and ready to burn up the keyboard. Heartland Writers Group is a drug like no other for me. These ladies get me and they never fail to encourage me.

Check out the World-Herald story, and HWG's blog and website! If you're a writer looking for a supportive group, check us out!

Make music with Google's Les Paul doodle today!

Check out today's Google Doodle in honor of Les Paul's birthday (try it at google.com)

(This is just a screenshot, to play go to google.com)

It looks a little grey and odd and, frankly, dull...until you play with it. Then it gets addicting. It'll even let you record your work using that nifty button at the bottom. Here's what I recorded.

Update: The doodle has its own dedicated home page now.

Today in Random Songs That Pop Into My Head:

I haven't heard this one in years, but like a bolt out of the blue, there it was. Stuck. In. My. Head. Thought I'd share the earworm...

Awesome tiny apartment

My friend Cheryl St.John posted a video on her blog recently about a family of three living in a 350 square foot house. It reminded me of this video I found via PC Weenies a couple weeks ago:



I love the idea of small-space living, and although I doubt I'll ever go to the extremes the people in these videos have, I always find an idea or two I can take away from them to use in my life.

Peonies of Doooom!

A week after I planted my peony plant in 2008, we had a horrible storm here in Omaha which tore the plant up so badly I was sure it would die. 

Luckily, it came back nicely the next spring, but about a day after it opened its single bloom, we had a hailstorm which tore it to shreds again. 

The next year it put out two or three blooms and within a day or two, a storm. Flowers, gone.

This year the plant produced four blooms. They've been opening one by one throughout the past week.

The last one bloomed earlier today...

Batten down the hatches.

She makes it so hard to use the computer

Lap dog 1, Laptop 0

Angry bird?

He looks more "pouty" to me. I'm guessing from all the pinfeathers that he's just out of the nest & not too happy about it. We seem to get a lot of those on our deck. Last week it was a young sparrow of some sort, obviously in an awkward "adolescent" phase.

This looks like a wonderful place to curl up with a book

*sigh*

traditional family room design by los angeles interior designer Susan Jay Design

Via houzz

Superbusyday

I had the day off today. What did I do? Let's see...

• We started off with LilGirl's graduation from 5th grade. I can't believe she'll be in middle school in the fall!
• We went out to lunch because, well, graduation!
• We went to Lowes and bought plants.
• Then to Menards for more plants and some blocks and dirt for the front flower bed.
• We swung through Scooters for a little energy boost (mmmm, blended iced coffee!)
• We built up the flower bed and planted the new plants (geraniums, daisies, a climby plant I can't remember the name of and a yellow rose bush)
• We loaded the two dead TVs (which have been in the garage forever) into hubby's truck and he took them to Best Buy for recycling.
• While he was gone, I cleaned the garage to make room for the dead refrigerator.
• I scrubbed every inch of the dead refrigerator.
• I called my dad with a stupid question on how to unhook the water supply from the dead refrigerator.
• I scrubbed all the shelves and drawers from the dead refrigerator.
• I had a burger from Runza for dinner.
• More scrubbing...
• I showered and now I'm going to bed.

It's a good thing I didn't expect my day off to be relaxing because it reaallly wasn't.

Tomorrow I'm going back to work so I can rest a little.

Twitter throwing a wrench in my workflow?

logo via TEIA MG

Mashable: Twitter Users Get New Email Notification Options

This might put a hitch in the way I use favorites on Twitter. I tend to favorite things in less of an "I like this" and more of a "I want to read this later" manner. I send an RSS feed of my favorites to Google Reader which lets me look at things later on so I don't "lose" them in my twitter stream. I may have to re-think that practice as I don't want to unnecessarily contribute to full inboxes...

Do you use favorites (or any other Twitter features) in an unusual manner? Please share!

logo via TEIA MG

Adam Savage. Faraday Cage. Tesla Coils. Doctor Who Theme. Need I say more?

via @thinkgeek

How good is your gadget history?

There's an extra joke here, though you may need to be of a certain age to catch it. Do you see it?

Update: Scroll down for the answer:






























The schools are both named for an early PDA, the Apple Newton.

Milestone

So, this happened on the way home yesterday:


Photo link


Would have posted earlier, but Blogger was down :(

It's A Book!

I picked up the mail Saturday and discovered my brother & his family had sent me a package. Inside was the most awesome. book. ever: It's A Book by Lane Smith.

Here's the book trailer (containing most of the text...hey, it is a children's book*)


Video link

I found a great post on Lane Smith's blog about the evolution of It's A Book.

*Just a note: Even though it is a children's book, it does have the work jackass in it. I notice they left that out of the video. (Maybe they thought that might hurt sales?) It does add to the hilarity of the last line, in my opinion. But then, the book isn't for my kid, it's for me. Your mileage may vary. :)

The other great tragedy of 1912

Photo by Great Beyond

Most people don't know that back in 1912 Hellman's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the "Titanic" was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after New York City.

Mexicans were crazy about the stuff.

The Mexican people were eagerly awaiting delivery and were disconsolate at the loss. So much so that they declared a national day of mourning which they still observe today.

It is known, of course, as...

Sinko de Mayo

(Yes, it's a groaner)

This joke is all over the internet, but I found this particular telling at Urban Dictionary.

As a woman, I can say I have absolutely no interest in this phone

via This is my next

"We don’t know much about what version of Android this will be running, but our source did tell us that the mockups had shopping comparison and calorie counting apps — you know, because every woman watches the pounds. We also heard that “calming” adjective used to describe the wallpaper. "

You know, because I couldn't add those myself (if I wanted them), or change the wallpaper.

And that's not all, wait until you read about the "charm indicator" (oh, if only that name was a joke): HTC Bliss: a Verizon Android phone for women? 

From the comments: "with any luck, this'll be the dumbest thing I read today"

I can only hope so.

I don't need a "women's phone" just a phone. KTHXBAI 

May the Fourth Be With You! #starwarsday [Video]

This one's apparently been around for awhile, but I just discovered it. Super cute!



Video link

I'm a little Thor

You may remember the Little Darth Vader commercial. Here's a parody from Marvel to promote their upcoming movie, Thor.



Twist ending for the win! :-)

Video link

via Hero Complex

And now, the cartwheeling verger...

I almost sure everybody has already seen this, but the video tickles me. My first impression was "How cool! But he's probably not really a verger." I suspected an actor or someone just dressed as a verger. However, The Daily Mail ran a story about the verger and the Abbey's reaction, so I guess he must be the real deal.

[Update: I've just been chastised by my mom: "Why do you think this isn't real? It is a 'thing' for clergy to do cartwheels. The pastor that married Jeff and Erin did cartwheels on Easter at Each service." So there you have it! ;-) ]

The funny thing is, I came across this picture on Flickr, and it's captioned "One day when the time is right, i will cartwheel in the abbey"

By tezzer57

I love the look on his face, and it certainly looks like the same guy :)

And here are the cakes! #royalwedding

Gorgeous!

While the one above looks too good to eat, this one basically just makes me me go "Yum!"
Oh, and it does look nice, too.

Priorities... #royalwedding

By katplum

Overdoing it? #royalwedding

TV, social media on one laptop, livestream on the other,
wedding programme on the ipad

Sick of the royal wedding? Perhaps you're looking for this:

By London Permaculture

3:00 AM! Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? #royalwedding #rw2011

Not quite Westminster Abbey, but the Houses of Parliament "next door"
(These seem to be the only pics I can find that I took in the vicinity)

Anybody else getting up in the wee hours to watch the royal wedding tomorrow? LilGirl claims she's getting up with me, but I'll believe it when I see it. Still, I have a tradition to uphold of staying/getting up to watch the wedding then falling asleep before the ceremony itself starts, and she wants to join in. We'll both be going to bed soon after dinner tonight. At least that's the plan.

When we (I) get up to watch, I'm leaving network TV as my last resort. I'm not fond of tons of inane commentary, so I've got a couple ways I'm going to try watching the wedding on our Roku box, either on YouTube Live or another livestreaming app - unfortunately, I can't be sure they'll work in the morning. At worst, I'll watch the networks on the TV and whatever I can on the computer. I'm trying to stay emotionally flexible on this and not have a meltdown like Frankie Heck did on The Middle last week (I tried to find a clip of that particular scene, but no luck).

via ABC

If you're interested in watching the wedding online and/or following all the social media chatter, Mashable has a good guide of some ways to do both.

Historic royal wedding dresses [Video]

So I'm not a big fan of weddings in general, but I am a HUGE history nerd and an even bigger British history nerd, so I just can't help myself when it comes to historic events like royal weddings (I am sooo going to annoy you all the rest of the week). I came across this video on my friend Cheri La Claire's blog and had to share. These dresses are just gorgeous. I'm very impressed that Princess Charlotte's dress from 1816 not only still exists, but seems to be in such good shape. Enjoy:



Video link

Ninja = a gazelle attacked by a lion?

A supposed ninja has been terrorizing Pitsburgh. I dunno, from the description I don't think this guy is really a ninja. Just sayin'...

"He was like a gazelle that just got attacked by a lion...He got up and fell, and got up and fell. Then he jumped off a cliff." [The witness] reported that he "did not move with the grace typically associated with a ninja" and that he therefore "will not live in fear of the ninja's return."

WTAE news, quoting neighbor Chelsey Cunningham, said the ninja also left behind "like, a fifth of liquor."

via Boing Boing

Hmmm....I just don't....aaargh, ninja attack!...oh, wait, no, nevermind.

When it comes to your writing time, "be ruthless"

photo by Lucia..

I came across this quote at AdviceToWriters over the weekend. When I'm down about having to fight for my writing time (which I don't do very well yet), it makes me feel a little better to know that J.K. Rowling still has to fight for her time, too:

"Be ruthless about protecting writing days, i.e., do not cave in to endless requests to have "essential" and "long overdue" meetings on those days. The funny thing is that, although writing has been my actual job for several years now, I still seem to have to fight for time in which to do it. Some people do not seem to grasp that I still have to sit down in peace and write the books, apparently believing that they pop up like mushrooms without my connivance. I must therefore guard the time allotted to writing as a Hungarian Horntail guards its firstborn egg." - J.K. ROWLING

I Will Read Forever

Yes, it's another video that turns out to be an ad, but I just love the message:



I love the mix of paper books and e-readers in the video. It's how my (and I think a lot of people's) reading happens right now: This one paper, this one electronic, another paper...and so on.

I love ebooks. I love that I don't have to haul a long book with me (War and Peace weighs the same as Winnie The Pooh on my tablet or phone) and the covers don't get torn up in my bag (no matter what I do, that happens). I love that I can make notes and highlight passages and those will be searchable on my device or on the computer next time I need the reference.

But until issues like DRM and the ten bazillion formats we have right now get ironed out, I haven't turned my back on paper completely. But I'm definitely moving steadily in the direction of "all ebooks, all the time": I donated 11 grocery bags of books to my library's book sale this month and then moved the largest bookshelf in the house into my daughter's room because she has more print books than I do now.

These days, if I can only get a book in print, I do my darnedest to get it from the library. All the bookshelves in the house are still full, despite that purge, and I'm not buying any more to accommodate the few stacks that still make up part of that never-ending mess in the basement - more have to go, and no more are coming in until they do. But ebooks get a pass because they only take up virtual space. The virtal-ness of ebooks might be my favorite thing about them. (Don't worry, I still have an entire bookcase of antique books I can open up and inhale the "book smell" from - I think I'll always need that)

How are you doing your reading these days? All paper? All electronic? Or, like me, a mix of both?

Video link

Emily Blunt totally looks like Felicia Day

We watched Gulliver's Travels last night and this hit me midway through the movie:

Via bonika at cheezburger.com

I'm a big Felicia Day fan, but the only other thing I've seen Emily Blunt in was Young Victoria. It wasn't until Princess Mary (played by Blunt) lets her hair down (in many ways) in Guliver's Travels that I noticed the resemblance.

I swear I've known people who name their files this way

It still may be better than "Doc1.doc" "Doc2.doc" "Doc3.doc" I once replaced someone who named her files that way. I spent the first week at that job just opening files to see what they were so I could rename them. I should have realized it was a sign. Turned out to be the worst. job. ever.

I think it's time for Spring Break to be over...

...and so does Quinn :)

I never thought Dork Tower would make me cry... (darn you, @muskrat_john!)

DORK TOWER, Wednesday, April 20, 2011 | Dork Tower (Click through for the larger image)

In case you missed it, my own thoughts on Elisabeth Sladen passing

We'll miss you, Sarah Jane Smith. RIP Elisabeth Sladen #doctorwho

When I was a kid, I wanted to BE Sarah Jane...actually, I still do.

io9 has a great article about Elisabeth's work as Sarah Jane, where they point out "Her death is a huge loss to Doctor Who fans, and to fans of strong female adventure heroes everywhere."

I never consciously thought about Sarah Jane as a "strong female adventure hero," but she was. She probably helped shape me as much as any other woman I watched on TV as a kid. Apparently, Elisabeth was an active influence on how Sarah Jane was written. Without Elisabeth, Sarah Jane would not have been who she was, and I wouldn't be who I am without Sarah Jane. I don't remember watching any other show for hours upon hours like I did with Doctor Who (maybe Scooby Doo? Well, Daphne & Velma are no shrinking violets, either).

One of my favorite episodes from the new Doctor Who series is "School Reunion" where Sarah Jane returned, meeting up with the 10th Doctor, David Tennant:

The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; 

the world was lucky to have Lis. 

- Russell T Davies

Maybe Will & Kate should come down the aisle THIS way...

Remember Jill and Kevin's Wedding Entrance Dance? T-mobile reimagined it for Prince William & Kate Middleton's upcoming nuptials, with look-alikes and all. Very cute and clever.


YouTube - The T-Mobile Royal Wedding

via Mashable

Dr. Who + Snoopy = Awesome!

Loving Snoopy as a Dalek :)



By Ape Lad
via @bonniegrrl

Titanic sank 99 years ago today

I dug through Flickr a bit and came up with these:

WooHoo! More Red Dwarf coming!

Exciting news from Robert Llewellyn's blog:

The LlewBlog - Red Dwarf - Smegtastic: "In November this year we start to record a new series of 6 episodes, presently titled Red Dwarf X. I’m not sure of the Broadcast dates but we finish recording them in early February 2012. I don't know if this is going to be a prequel to the three specials we made in 2009, or the follow on, or if Kryten will have a new turbo boost for his groinal attachment, or if it takes place on the ship, or Starbug, or if the Skutters will have speaking parts or even indeed, if Rimmer will be any less of a smeghead. All this is to come."

Can't wait to watch!

The babies are hatching!

Check out the Eagle Cam in Decorah, IA - one chick hatched this morning, with two more to go.

Decorah Eagles, Ustream.TV

Thanks to my friend and coworker Teri, The Cheeky Librarian, for the heads up!