There are more nurse series and novels than I had imagined. The Tiny Pineapple Nurse Book Collection has 276 unique volumes. And I own a few that aren't even on this list, but my collection is in the single digits. Sue Barton is still the best. (via Coudal's MoOM)
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How does a 175 pound bathtub get stolen out of a hotel bathroom? A tub made out of 18 karat gold is missing from Kominato Hotel Mikazuki's shared men's bathroom. They probably don't mind the publicity, but they may prefer to have the $1 million purloined bathtub back.
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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Charles Shaw wines, known to Trader Joe's patrons as "Two Buck Chuck," is celebrating five years of wine for the masses. Three hundred million bottles ago, Fred Franzia set out to make a statement (and more than a couple bucks) that good wine doesn't need to be expensive. Along the way he built a company that owns an estimated 40,000 acres of land, crushing and bottling plants and its own distribution company. Next he's adding a glass plant to make the wine bottles. Surprisingly, all that wine is sold only through Trader Joe's.
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Christopher DeLaurenti spent seven years secretly recording symphony orchestras with a specially constructed vest. Only he didn't turn the vest on for the first downbeat. He waited until intermission to capture the sounds of an orchestra and its hall in repose. Those 50 hours of recorded downtime have been mined for a CD of his favorites, titled "Favorite Intermissions: Music Before and Between Beethoven, Stravinsky, Holst." Amongst the audience murmurs are the warm-up exercises, last minute runs through difficult passages, and instrument tuning that are meant to be ignored but combine into improvisational pieces. I played in a pit orchestra once where we were told not to play any of the score within audience earshot before the show itself began. The music director wanted the audience's ears to be fresh for the very recognizable melodies. (via NY Times)
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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

I'm still glaring at our kitchen tile grout and am always on the lookout for new counter surfaces. shetkaSTONE has popped up in a few articles recently, specifically for their cutely named Counterfit material which is made from old U.S. currency. Their photos on flickr illustrate how this surface looks, first there's the ingredient: shredded cash, here's a final countertop (in a bank!), here's how the material looks, and a close up. It's not the look I want for our kitchen but the idea is fun and green in more ways than one.
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Recently I posted about varying opinions on the projected longevity of San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge. Such an iconic bridge will be preserved as long as possible, but repairs and outright remodeling will of course be necessary. In the case of the Golden Gate its earthquake prone location must be considered. Turns out that $455 million is being spent to retrofit several parts of the structure to help it survive the inevitable Big One. The addition of dampeners, steel plating, and even a rebuild of a viaduct are underway or complete. The work will be done in time for the bridge's 75th anniversary in 2012. Note this critical sentence in the article: "But it will be hard to tell the difference." Such is the nature of landmark preservation, where the engineering is not only about keeping the bridge up but also causing little visual disruption.
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Friday, May 25, 2007

Did you know that Julie Andrews actually sang a song in Princess Diaries 2 (YouTube)? She's staying in one comfy octave and it has some synth-pop schlock (to appeal to the teens I guess), but, hey, she's actually singing!
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Seattle's Jones Soda is aiming furiously at the big-time. They've edged out Coca-Cola for the exclusive soft-drink contract at Qwest Field. To round out their beverage portfolio they are adding their first cola drink and a bottled water. They'll also be rolling out 20-ounce bottles for the stadium sales. All that publicity around the holiday turkey dinner flavor drinks is paying off.
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Thursday, May 24, 2007

7am to 8:30pm, a day in the life of Pike Place Market. The Seattle P.I. is running a series of articles celebrating Pike Place Market's 100th birthday. This one gives you a taste of the sights, sounds, workers, and tourists that make up the eclectic market.
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This makes me furious! 15 goats were shot and killed in the Oakland hills. These goats are hired out to eat up the fire-hazardous plants. And someone just came along and senselessly took their lives.
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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

When Don Hewitt retired from producing "60 Minutes" he still had some tricks up his sleeve in the form of high kicks and falling toy soldiers. The NY Times reports that Hewitt is bringing the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular" to NBC this December (yes, NBC because CBS passed on it). Hewitt has a special fondness for the show, a 75-year-old New York institution which his parents took him to as a boy. He originally planned on a documentary, but instead settled for a one-hour broadcast of the production which will be filmed with nine cameras during November rehearsals.
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I've been involved in 3 home purchases and 2 sales. I've loved my realtors and would use them again. But the real estate business does need to evolve with the Internet. However the holders of the traditional business model refuse to budge. Online brokerage Redfin has had the heart & soul ripped out of its "Sweet Digs" blogs after Northwest Multiple Listings Service threatened to cut off its lifeblood of for-sale listings unless Redfin stopped publishing its reviews of houses on the market. Written by freelancers, these fun, chatty postings detailed their personal reactions and observations of houses they toured. But NWMLS rules prohibit advertising of another broker's listing so they slapped Redfin with a $50,000 fine. Redfin says it has also received complaints about how they add extra information like Zillow's Zestimates alongside listings (think about the real estate listing mash-ups that may never happen!). NWMLS maintains that it is important for listing agents to maintain control over the marketing of their property. As Redfin puts it: "The question at the center of almost every skirmish in the modernization of real estate is who controls the information."
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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The emerging popularity of the old-fashioned kitchen apron has been noted in many newspapers recently. Most mention the influence of "Desperate Housewives" character Bree Van De Kamp and EllynAnne Geisel's apron book. Collectors are gathering up the old styles, many frilly, meant to be worn over dresses. Some collectors actually wear their aprons. Boutiques are stocking retro-chic aprons and there are affordable vintage models to seek out at antique stores. But of course the best ones are those that hold the memories of the women in your family. (and don't forget "tie one on", the apron blog)
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Online diamond retailer Blue Nile is adding fancy-colored diamonds to its repertoire. The company reports that it is doing well with high-end buyers. Seven items with price tags over $100,000 were sold in Q1 this year. Blue Nile's current selection of fancy-colored diamonds include a range of yellows, a couple pinks, and a few light greens. At the very top of the price chart is a 0.55 carat purplish-red for $350,000.
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Monday, May 21, 2007

For the second year, Can't Stop the Serenity is showing Joss Whedon's Serenity all around the world to raise money for the women's rights advocacy group Equality Now. Screenings are held around Joss' birthday, June 23rd. Last years's event raised $65,000.
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Steinway & Sons is certainly a recognizable brand, but will it carry weight beyond the piano bench? The company has decided to "expand the Steinway & Sons brand into the high performance digital sound system market" by partnering with Denmark's Lyngdorf Audio on a Steinway branded music system. The corporate identity is carried over in imposing black lacquer, finished at the Steinway factory in Hamburg. And at $150,000, the system costs more than a D-model concert grand (but at least you don't need to pay for lessons). Stereophile has more luxurious details. (via Luxist)
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Thursday, May 17, 2007

In December 2003 I posted about "the cheese nun" (here), Mother Noëlla Marcellino, who "travels the world promoting biodiversity in cheesemaking and lending her knowledge to fellow cheesemakers." She's planning to be in Seattle later in the week for the Seattle Cheese Festival.
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At Mission Pie in San Francisco, the teen serving up your pie slice and cappucino may have picked the pie's berries and perhaps fed the chicken that laid the eggs for another pie's custard. Only a few months old, the pie cafe is part of the mission of the owners of Pie Ranch, a pie-slice shaped farm in Pescadero. Inner-city students regularly visit Pie Ranch to help with chores, see where food comes (or should come) from, and, of course, learn to make pie. At Mission Pie they learn to serve customers, make cappucino, and, when a new kitchen opens, they'll make more pie. The teens are also learning about nutrition and the benefits of using local food suppliers.
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Wednesday, May 16, 2007

I don't want to discourage our son from having creative thoughts and nonconformist behavior, but although I've been well prepared by friends (you know who you are) to allow him to wear two different colored socks when he wants to, I've drawn the line at two different shoes. One blue sneaker and one brown shoe just doesn't feel right. Especially since the brown shoe is one size smaller and was meant to be replaced by a blue sneaker. You'll wear matching shoes while you're under my roof, kid, unless Stacy & Clinton say it's OK!
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I enjoy flavored water, but I'm having trouble getting used to this idea. PUR Water Filtration System has a new product called "PUR Flavor Options" that lets you add fruit flavor to your filtered water. You stick a flavor cartridge into either a faucet-mount or pitcher filter system and, with the push of a button, the water that flows out is fruit-flavored to your liking. It's an interesting differentiator from plain ol' water filters, but their first three flavors are strawberry, peach and raspberry -- hello, no citrus???, and you have to live with people who like the same flavors -- switching out cartridges can't be as convenient as just adding a splash of juice to the glass yourself.
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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

My cell phone contract expires this summer so I'll soon have to decide whether to buy a new phone. I use my phone, a Motorola E815, primarily to call my husband when one of us is away from a computer, and so I know I can be reached for emergencies. I pay for a data plan which I use to check traffic and sometimes the news, but the web browsing experience isn't great. Once in a while I send a photo to flickr. So I'm paying for the capability of being easily connected to people and the Internet, but I don't really take advantage of it.

There is such a thing as being too connected. I tend to think about work too often. After I became a mom and went back to work full-time, I made an effort to mentally detach when I wasn't at the office. I figured that a smartphone with email access would work against that goal. But after reading a friend's thoughts on being a "Blackberry Dad", I think I could be wrong. You Mon is an old co-worker of mine and his wife is a college friend. So I know he's not that dad who nods mindlessly, staring at his phone, while his kid is prattling on. When it's family time, it's family time. But he's got the same (overboard) work ethic as I do. He says his Treo helps make him a better dad. He knows he's connected and, opposite of what you may expect, that helps him focus on other things when he's not at work. If something critical escalates at the office, he could quickly decide if he needs to handle it and save time later. I know I can be just as distracted wondering what may be going on as I can be by having email and Internet available. If I manage it properly, I can be an even more available mom.
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Monday, May 14, 2007

There are multiple Beethoven and Mozart manuscripts in the music section of the Rare Book Room.
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Igudesman & Joo carry on in the tradition of classical musicians who appropriate their technical skills for the good of melodic comedy (e.g. PDQ Bach, Victor Borge). Witness the piano and violin duo in absurdly choreographed routines that showcase the insanity lying at the heart of the music world: a little housekeeping, hacking Rachmaninoff, and deconstructing Gloria Gaynor. (Rainer Hersch has claimed prior art on the Rachmaninoff trick.)
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Friday, May 11, 2007

I had forgotten that early versions of the Sony Walkman had two headphone jacks so you could share music with a friend. That's how we shared tunes during rest hour at music camp in the early 80's.
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Ongoing local discussion about replacing the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge made me wonder about the life span of the Golden Gate Bridge. That icon of San Francisco and the U.S., could it survive for hundreds of years? It is, after all, a steel object in a notoriously foggy location. But as a beloved symbol, if it did need to be replaced, it would likely be kept as the original design no matter how bridge technology has evolved. Or perhaps we'll be using flying cars and can just keep the bridge preserved and unused after it loses integrity. The S.F. Chronicle had two answers to the life expectancy question. Dale Luehring, a former general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge district general manager said two hundred years. But Kary Witt, the current manager, said "more or less infinite" with proper maintenance.
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Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Bill Clinton clues for a N.Y. Times crossword (with warning by Will Shortz).
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A smattering of trivia from the White House State Dinner for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II...it was the first and probably last white tie event for this Bush administration (Clinton had 3); Itzhak Perlman was the featured after-dinner entertainment; the guest list included a mix of sports personalities & Texans; the menu (photo) was decidedly traditional (spring pea soup, dover sole almondine, saddle of lamb) and was taste-tested by some senators and congressmen a few weeks ago just to get their opinion (the lunch menu featured baby sea bass).
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Monday, May 07, 2007

Anyone living near a highway or even a speedy street knows that the sound of tires on pavement is the primary component of bothersome traffic noise. "Quiet pavement" consisting of rubberized asphalt (from recycled tires) is one solution to the problem. The Federal Highway Administration only recognizes sound walls as an official noise mitigation solution, but it encourages states to create pilot programs to research quiet pavement. California, not surprisingly, has taken on an ambituous study of various pavement solutions over the past several years. Caltrans has tested multiple techniques, sometimes in the same section of a wide highway: grinding the hard asphalt surfaces to reduce tire noise and applying various kinds of rubberized asphalt overlay. The rubberized asphalt produces the best dB reduction overall, but, interestingly, pavement grinding to create a quieter surface texture satisfied the ears of those living nearby. Data showed a difference in the low and high frequencies of the resulting noise for the various methods, which explains the success of the grinding method. Arizona and other statues have been piloting quiet pavement also. With unique climate concerns and driving conditions, it's likely each state will find its own set of best solutions and apply them not on the loudest roads but near the loudest complainers.
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Friday, May 04, 2007

Many small business owners have fought Wal-Mart and failed, but Dan and Mark Loney of Cloverleaf Grocery in Emo, Ontario (population 1,186) are holding their own with a plan that has ticked off the domineering company. The brothers trek over to the U.S., buy merchandise in bulk at Sam's Club (owned by Wal-Mart) and resell it at prices that undercut the nearby Wal-Mart in Fort Frances. Business is great! Because the Loneys refer to Wal-Mart in their advertising, the company's lawyers have sent them a 4 page letter stating that "Wal-Mart has a very strong cause of action against you for unfair competition and passing off." Perhaps they should just refer to having better prices than "our big friendly neighbor in Fort Frances."
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Clyde Friend calls himself "just a common-sense person" and he loves nothing better than to sit on his bulldozer and move earth around on his land near Yakima, WA. Five years ago he was bulldozing an embankment for a new driveway and he unearthed a fabulous find: a forest of petrified wood. Friend had been picking up bits of the ancient wood here and there on his property for the thirty years he has owned it, but he never expected to run across a 15 million year old stand of fossilized trees. And these rare trees are even more unique as they are upright. He's dug up about 200 trees and has sold some specimens to a museum and collectors who have tracked him down but right now he's not selling any more until he regroups and ponders this unexpected treasure trove.
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Thursday, May 03, 2007

Hopefully this will come in handy one day. Starting in July a new Hawaii Superferry catamaran will allow people to island hop without having to board an airplane. Oahu, Kauai, and Maui will be in reach of 866 passengers and 282 cars per trip. Each leg takes about 3 hours and the "Big Island" will be added to the schedule in 2009. In addition to tourism, the local trade is expected to benefit (power outlets are available for refrigerator trucks). There were of course environmental concerns to the ferry addition. The route map shows different paths for whale season.
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Whoops! University of Washington officials are still looking for a commencement speaker. Graduation ceremonies are only five weeks away and their first candidate declined in March. Any takers?
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NBC is bringing Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip back to the Thursday night line-up on May 24th. But after the existing episodes are broadcast, that'll likely be it for the show. And unless Aaron Sorkin managed to sneak him into a remaining storyline (I wouldn't put it past him), Joshua Malina will break his streak of appearing in all Sorkin-credited productions (Malina isn't on the credits list for the upcoming movie "Charlie Wilson's War" either).
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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

It's 31 cent scoop night at Baskin-Robbins today, 5pm-10pm.
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Will it be "the last great suspension bridge built in America?" The Tacoma-Narrows Bridge is nearing completion after five years. With 19,000 miles of cable holding up one mile of asphalt, concrete, and steel the bridge is scheduled to open in July, weather permitting. Cable-stayed designs are the current trend, but the suspension bridge is a classic with the Golden Gate as the icon. Workers have held barbecues on the top of the towers.
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