So, I started using Twitter to follow some interesting sites and people sometime last year. I think it started with Scott Simon, who has been my favorite NPR host since about forever and is an active Twitter user.
My account has snowballed and now I’m following a motley group that runs the gamut from local businesses to very well-known people (Bill Gates, for instance). I pretty much never tweet (what an odd verb!), but I read at least once a day.
Because I follow this odd assortment of people, I’m forever coming across cool things. Allow me to share a few of my meanderings through the Internet:
The coolest by far: the TED conference. This Scobleizer post, which I got to via someone I follow on Twitter, of course, explains quite a bit about TED and links to both Jamie Oliver’s (yes, the chef) and Blaise Aguera y Arcas’s talks. Aguera Y Arcas showed what they’re building into Bing Maps and it really blew me away (I linked to this talk in the old MMP and I’m re-linking because it’s just that shiny).
One of my favorite sites is instructables.com. Some of ggd things people come up with are just amazing.
On the home front it appears that my water heater may have died. So there goes my plans for my tax refund. Since it’s way over 13 years old I’m doubtful that it’s fixable but I only discovered it not working this weekend so I haven’t had anyone look at it yet. I also have to do some cleaning in my garage before I can have anything done so it looks like I’ll be taking showers at work for a couple days.
Hey, Wile E! Long time, no see. Hope the water heater is just hibernating.
I didn’t get the appeal of Twitter for a long time. Now I just use it for a stream of interesting incoming snippets of information. If you take a look at someone’s profile and look at who they’re following, you start to see the possibilities.
I was supposed to finish cleaning the kitchen. I didn’t. Guess I’ll be up early tomorrow to do that. Woot.
Greatp OP, gt, but I’m with the others who don’t get the appeal of twitter. I looked at it very briefly but just couldn’t see what the fuss was all about. Mind you, I felt that way about farcebook too and I seem to have got caught up in that one.
What have I learned this week? Mainly that I have completely lost my tolerance for drinking red wine. That’s the downside of dieting and having to cut back severely on the alcohol! Let’s just say that the end of Saturday’s date night with 'im indoors was a bit of a blur…
Good Monday morning all - or even Tuesday if that’s what it is where you are.
Excellent OP, GardenTraveler; we seem to have similar histories wrt Twitter, btw. I’m probably not yet as active as you are but do follow a somewhat rag tag group of posters that has grown a bit more now, thanks to you. I don’t tweet much though!
Something cool that I’ve learned this past week comes via Turner Classic Movies, which is one of my very favorite cable channels to watch (for a long time, my cable co. didn’t carry it and I was beyond the moon when they finally offered it on -regular- cable). At any rate, Robert Osborne, the TCM main host, is a terrific font of movie knowledge and trivia; sometimes, I follow up by looking up on Internet Movie Database. TCM has been doing their yearly Oscar lead-in, 31 days of Oscar and it’s also Black History month, so within the past couple of weeks, they’ve shown “Little Cabin in the Sky,” an all-black cast movie made in the 40s and directed by Vincente Minelli. If you’ve never seen this, try to catch it next go around on TCM or wherever. It was originally a stage play on Broadway; Minelli was able to convince a Hollywood studio to back it. It is dated, but it’s a great movie and eye-opening. I -believe- it was Lena Horne’s first film. I’ve enjoyed other movies as well - last weekend they showed two of my favorite movie musicals - South Pacific and Annie Get your Gun. Mitzi Gaynor played Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (which came from James Michener’s book “Tales of the South Pacific” about his time there during WWII) and that was pretty much the role she was best known for.
Hahaha… I’m sure this is all you’ve ever wanted to know (and then some …) about movies! Ah well, I’ve also been cooped up due to the blizzards here for over a week. Time to break loose today, and back to work tomorrow.
I am not, however, enjoying being up this early since I have a breakfast to cater this morning. I’m sure I’ll appreciate the $$ from it, though.
I just woke up from the most horrible dream. I had gotten up to get started on the breakfast and I found that a fire that I had started in our fireplace had gotten out of hand. I got a fire extinguisher and tried to put it out but it kept coming back to life so we called 911 and the fire department came out. I’m a little fuzzy on the rest, but it involved smoke inhalation worries for the dogs and wondering how I was going to still get breakfast made and out of here by 7:30. I’m so glad that it was a dream.
It’s way too early to think of anything I’ve learned lately. Other than the trivia contest thingy in Damon’s had some ridiculously simple/stupid questions. Like the one about what element has the lowest boiling point, and the choices included only one gas. OK, maybe that’s not fair since my little family is science-geeky.
OK, I did learn that the last president to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda before Reagan was LBJ. I thought it was JFK. I assumed LBJ was whisked to Texas. Then again, I never was history-geeky.
So, it’s President’s day. Daughter and I have the day off. Spousal unit just left for work. (another bit of trivia - I’ve gotten people at work to refer to their wives/husbands as spousal units. Ah, the power of my words…) Gotta haul half of my critters to the vet for a 1230 appointment. Gotta haul my dirty laundry downstairs. Oh yes, envy me my exciting day.
I need breakfast. And a shower. And caffeine. It’s such a challenge being me.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffienated but in need of brekkie. I’m thinkin’ a piece of cheesecake with some strawberries on it would be a nutrious way to start the day.
I have discovered the joy and time wastingness of Facebook recently. I’ve said hello to some old friends, found out some of you all’s real names and gotten into (help me!) Farmville and Cafe World. Hours and hours of [del]wastin’ time[/del] entertainment!
I have also discovered the Independent Film Channel. If your local cable provider does not have this channel I suggest you request, nay badger, them to start carryin’ it. Good stuff!
Plans today include gettin’ a haircut and marinatin’ steaks cause tonight is men’s night at church. Oh yeah, some laundry and, of course, workin’ in a nappy poo.
Well that was the suckiest breakfast that I’ve done in a long time. I didn’t want to do it, but the client badgered me into it. I should have said no. Believe me, the next time that somebody wants homemade french toast for 30 people, I will definitely TURN THEM DOWN. All of the food turned out just fine but the problem is that only half of my fancy Jenn-Air stove actually works. So I had two burners on which to prepare about 90 pieces of toast. Not fun and now the front of the stove is a total disaster because of all the egg mixture that has dripped down it, not to mention the floor. :rolleyes:
Ah well, at least I’ve got some time to take a break and clean it all up before starting on lunch.
I learned a whole bunch about Galileo this week from a book I was reading. Some of it was so off the wall that I had to research it. In fact, did you know he had a terrible hernia requiring that he wear a truss? I didn’t think so.
I understand the appeal of twitter but the last thing I need right now is another distraction.
Speaking of, I’d best get to the job ads before the other eleventy billion people out of work do.
I’m showered, shampooed, coiffed (OK, so I combed my hair) and dressed. I’m having some cheddar on italian bread with a side of diet coke - breakfast of champions!!
While I was showering, the water started to feel uncomfortably cool. Our water heater is not dying. Our water heater is not dying. Our water heater is not dying. Our water heater is not dying. Our water heater is not dying. Our water heater is not dying. Our water heater is not dying.
Daughter just came upstairs. Turns out SIL had already showered (he takes loooooong showers) and she got in while I was showering. OK, I feel better.
I’m about to ride over to our mechanic’s - her car needs an oil change and I’ll bring her home after. Then I’ll have some time to kill till noon when I head to the vet. I should be able to get a couple of loads of laundry done. Then clay play afterwards. And maybe some knitting.
Unlike a certain bear, I’m not a slug - I don’t sleep during the day…
