Mailbox use is tightly regulated by the US Postal Service, which is not a surprise, but while I was researching whether or not it is legal for non-postage items to be pushed through our garage mail slot (it appears it is), I noted that they do give a tiny bit of leeway: “Generally, curbside mailboxes are to be used for mail only. However, publishers of newspapers regularly mailed as Periodicals may, on Sundays and national holidays only, place copies of the Sunday or holiday issues in the rural route and highway contract route boxes of subscribers if those copies are removed from the boxes before the next scheduled day of mail delivery.” How considerate of them. (from DO41 PDF file)

A newly designed nickel will be released by 2004 in commemoration of the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis & Clark expedition. Thomas Jefferson, who was instrumental in the “purchase” and expedition, will stay on the front, but the reverse will be changed from the familiar Monticello image to one that evokes the Lewis & Clark history. Fearful of losing the prestige and free advertising afforded by an image of a state landmark on the coin, Virginia politicians made certain that an item was added to the bill guaranteeing the reinstatement of Jefferson’s home in 2006. The bill, signed into law by Bush last week, also dissolves the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee and replaces it with a new Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. I can’t help but wonder if there is an active Lewis & Clark lobby responsible for the nickel design and the Sacagawea dollar coin.

Where’d she go? Blogger blew up on me last night and I lost about an hour of research because I still haven’t learned my lesson to save early, save often. I’ll be back on Monday.

I spotted my first Subaru Baja on the road today and drove recklessly (which for me means going about 5 mph over the speed limit) to catch up for a closer glance. It was dark out so I was unable to ascertain exactly how shocking the yellow paint treatment is (it is available in other colors). I did notice that its license plate was of the commercial plate number sequence, same as my husband’s Ford pickup. Federal agencies have had some fun classifying the Baja. The Environmental Protection Agency has designated it an LDV (light-duty vehicle). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists it as an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) for safety purposes and a truck for fuel economy. California has been notoriously strict about slapping pickups with commercial plates and higher fees. Despite the Baja’s passenger vehicle origins as essentially a sliced open Outback wagon, it’s still got a dinky open bed for hauling cargo, and as far as California is concerned, that makes it a commercial vehicle.

The USDA has released their nutrient database in convenient searchable format for Windows PCs and PDAs. The nutrients for more than 6,000 food items are listed. The database was already available online, but now you can have your own local copy. The PC version has better filtering with support for “not” and filters for various food types, such as sweets, snacks, baby foods. Various name brand products are included. Although the database is representative of the typical American palate, support for non mainstream foods is not entirely lacking. For example a search on “mushrooms” brings up data for “oyster”, “Crimini”, “enoki”, “portabello”, cooked and dried “shiitake.” Wasabi is also listed. I found listings for various game meats (elk, buffalo, and yes, muskrat, squirrel, and raccoon) but nothing under “frog”.

College students have hopped on the foodie bandwagon, digesting their Food TV and chatting online about new places to eat. The NY Times’ Amanda Hesser heads to campus and discovers “Campus Cuisine” a public access cooking show starring a Yale senior, sushi in the dining halls at University of Alabama, organic milk at Oberlin, dining clubs, wine tasting clubs, and restaurant chatrooms. At many colleges there are no shortage of opportunities to educate your palate in nearby cities and with students from different cultures. I remember my second day of college when I discovered that our delivery pizza had herbs in the crust. This was long before the foodie trend swept the nation, but the memory comes back every time I add rosemary to pizza dough.

When visiting homes for sale in the Bay Area, you’ll run across a few that are a little too pristine, a little too sanitized, perfectly appointed, yet devoid of the sellers’ personality. These are the “staged” homes, interior decorated for a faux family to create a warm feeling for prospective buyers facing sticker shock. The founder of this area’s staging industry keeps 8,000 square feet of warehouse space chock full of furniture, art, pillows, lamps, and so on. You’ll find staged houses at all price ranges. Tricks include using smaller furniture and strategic placement to make tiny rooms appear spacious. Bad views are hidden behind beautiful windows treatments or big plants. Although I can usually spot a staged home from the sidewalk through the windows, I have two clear indicators: the closets and cupboards are empty and the bathroom towels are always layered with the top one tied in the middle to form a cute bow-like effect. And often there will be a tea tray in the master bedroom, waiting for its mystery owner to come home and enjoy a steaming cup of Earl Grey while her impossibly perfect children ponder how to dry their hands on the unusable bathroom towels.

Is there a book you remember from childhood, but you don’t know the title or author? Try to Stump the Bookseller with your remembrances of books past. (via Larkfarm)

Baby teeth have valuable stem cells. “Dear Tooth Fairy, Mom sent my bicuspid to a research lab. Do you do cash advances? – Timmy”

HP and Scholastic are sponsoring a Create a Calculator Contest for students. There are three age categories in the K-12 range. The criteria seem remarkably open; students can focus on the look and feel of the calculator or its functionality or a combination. The lack of restrictions allows kids of all types to get involved, as creative types can dream up impossible, fantastic devices and scientific types can create new handy functionality. The variety will certainly make judging interesting and perhaps difficult. (via BrainLog)