While she was a student at Amherst Academy, a young Emily Dickinson pressed 424 plant specimens onto 66 pages of an album. This book was her personal herbarium and her fondness for this hobby was reflected in letters to friends, some of whom sent her plants from exotic locales. Harvard’s Houghton Library owns this fragile treasure in addition to some loose specimens and a smaller herbarium of 23 plants. In September, the Harvard University Press published a fascimile edition of the large album. The pages are in full color and at full size. It’s a pricey $125, perhaps for that cross-section of serious Dickinson fans and botanists.

Here are some tidbits on what Pepsi is up to. Their cola packaging graphics will rotate every few weeks as part of their campaign to appear innovative. The Tropicana Essentials juice line will feature omega-3 fatty acids. And new Gatorade AM will appeal to “morning exercisers who want milder flavors” (that has “focus group” written all over it). Oh, and their new Pepsi ad slogan for 2007? “Feel the Pepsi” Yup, you read that right. (AdAge article)

I’ve just discovered the existence of rice dispensers. I suppose it’s tidy but I don’t think we’d get much additional benefit over our scoop and pour from the bag method.

LED Lightbulbs on clearance at ThinkGeek. My future is here though it’s still a little ‘spensive. (thx Matt!)

Operatic parodist Anna Russell, who portrayed Wagner’s Rhine Maidens as “aquatic Andrews Sisters” in her famous Ring Cycle synopsis, died Wednesday at the age of 94. For a musician, keeping tempo is everything. Russell’s sense of comedic timing was her special musical weapon. (NY Times obit)

Pay six bucks admission at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, a little more if you want to rent some tools, and you can keep anything you find. Bob Wehle from Wisconsin took home a 5.47 carat canary yellow diamond a couple weeks ago. Originally under private ownership, the park’s property was turned into a tourist attraction after previous diamond mining ventures came to misfortune. Arkansas bought the land in 1972 and since then over 2 million fortune seekers have tried their luck at spotting a sparkly stone. Hundreds are found every year, but only a handful are over a carat. The 37 acres of diamond bearing soil are plowed about once a month, unscheduled.

The Museum of Glass in Tacoma is presenting Dante’s Inferno in their hot shop ampitheater this and next weekend. “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

Although it appears I will be deprived of the opportunity to list the contents of the official Oscar gift bag in 2007, all is not lost. Today my husband received the Official Target Pharmacy Gift Bag when he went in to fill a prescription at the newly remodeled store in Redmond. How wonderful to have a gift bag right in front of me that I don’t have to spend long hours researching. And all the contents came in a lovely paper bag with the Target logo and genuine string handles. So here, without further ado, are the contents of the Official Target Pharmacy Gift Bag 2006:

• Schick Quattro Razor in Midnight (one razor cartridge included)
• combination coupon book + flip book (featuring Dorito+Tostito+Frito+pretzel girl toting small paper drink umbrella)
• XXL Ziploc Big Bag (2′ x 2.7′ “not recommended for use in microwave”)
• 1 Pledge Multi Surface clean & dust wipe (“when wipe gets dirty or dried out, discard in trash”)
• 2 chewable Maalox Max tablets (wild berry flavor)
• Origin Natural Fish Oil softgels (allergy warning “contains fish ingredients”)
• Slim-Fast Blueberry Muffin Bar (a muffin. shaped like a bar.)
• Clif Builder’s Cocoa Dipped Double Decker Crisp Bar (33% organic ingredients)
• 1 piece Nicorette Fruit Chill gum (“ATTENTION: this sample represents taste only. It is not a drug and will not work like actual Nicorette.”)
• 2 fl oz tube of St Ives Collagen Elastin Advanced Body Moisturizer (I think it smells odd)
• Goody StayPut hair elastics (“52% more hold”!!!)
• 1 packet Emergen-C Super Energy Booster 1000 mg Vitamin C as 7 Mineral Ascorbates 32 Mineral Complexes B Vitamins Tangerine Flavored Fizzy Drink Mix
• Excedrin Tension Headache (Acetaminophen and Caffeine)
• Tylenol PM (Acetaminophen and Diphenhydramine HCI “Warning: drowsiness will occur”)

Disclaimer: GirlHacker’s Random Log is not responsible for any damage incurred as a result of discrepencies between actual bag contents and the above list. contents may vary by event and location. red logo on bag is not to be used for actual target practice.

A pet sitter in Pierce County, WA has been charged with 34 counts of theft. While homeowners were away she allegedly stole blank checks, credit cards, jewelry and guns. Perhaps stowing away identity theft related items is a good idea when you leave on vacation.

Television alert: CNBC’s airing a documentary called “Inside American Airlines: A Week in the Life”. It premiered Wednesday but will be shown again, so check listings. CNBC was given unprecedented access behind the scenes at American Airlines. “CNBC deployed 11 crews at various American bases and locations nationwide, working as many as 14 hours a day, for a week.” They even installed tiny cameras in a cockpit. American did employ PR “minders” to follow the crew around constantly and negotiations for the documentary took many months.