I was puzzled as a youngster (and indeed, up until last week) by the title of "Norwegian Wood." The song is moody, and I always pictured a dark forest of young skinny trees, probably related to the photomural in my dentist's office. But no, I read now that it was a dig at the girl's... Continue Reading →
Slice through plastic packaging with tin snips
A great tool for cutting through plastic packaging and also for cutting up credit cards: ordinary tin snips.
The Johanna Troutman Flag
(Part of a series explaining the history behind my Texian Tees. Other entries: the De Zavala Flag; the Burnet Flag; the Gonzales Flag (Old Come and Take It); and the New Orleans Greys Flag. Click here to see and buy the shirts!) A young woman in Georgia made this flag bearing a blue star for a... Continue Reading →
An apple to lure even the fallen: Honeycrisp
The Honeycrisp apple, so I read, took the apple world by storm in the past couple years. And it turns out there's science behind its appeal. A University of Minnesota hybrid that's a little touchy to grow, Honeycrisp was introduced in 1991 but spread slowly at first (the trees take a few years to bear,... Continue Reading →
The Gonzales Flag (Old Come and Take It)
(Part of a series explaining the history behind my Texian Tees. Other entries: the Burnet Flag; the Johanna Troutman Flag; the De Zavala Flag; and the New Orleans Greys Flag. Click here to see and buy the shirts!) Allegedly flown in the first battle of Texas’ revolution against Mexico, in October 1835, the flag depicts... Continue Reading →
Stuff that works: Desk yoga and bedtime meditation
About 3 hours before the end of my work shift, I often get into a weird state that's a combination of antsy and tired. We've just completed the hustle of 4 p.m. deadlines; I've been sitting too long and I'm tense. A few stretches from the book "Yoga for Suits" -- designed for folks wearing... Continue Reading →
The Burnet Flag
(First in a series explaining the history behind my Texian Tees. Coming up: the De Zavala Flag; the Johanna Troutman Flag; the Gonzales Flag (Old Come and Take It); and the New Orleans Greys Flag. Click here to see and buy the shirts!) The first national flag of Texas, approved by President Sam Houston on... Continue Reading →
Brighten your year with a few extra holidays
Today's Valentine's Day, but also the start of the Chinese New Year, one of many holidays I want to adopt. (I'm not Chinese, but then again I'm not a Marine or a mathematician either... in fact few of the holidays below are really mine! Though I'm definitely a Texan, and an Aggie.) Holidays are, simultaneously,... Continue Reading →
Squee! Sold my first pair of earrings!
I've been making earrings as a hobby for about a year now, and this week I built an online store using eCrater and also put one pair of earrings up for auction on eBay -- the red roses at left, packaged in a red velvet bag for Valentine's gift-giving. (Because I've been a journalist too... Continue Reading →
Live every day like a Beatle!
The calendars for 2010 and for 1965 use the same days, and in honor of my coworkers' upcoming Beatle trivia night, I thought it would be fun to design a printable calendar page saying where the Beatles were and what they were doing in February 1965. Here it is: If my evil plan has worked,... Continue Reading →
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