Roll of the Dice

I make lists; all sorts of lists. It’s my way of bringing a little order into an otherwise disorderly life. Thursdays I clean the fridge and freezer. It doesn’t completely eliminate wasted food, but it ensures that nothing is in there long enough to sprout legs and walk away. I write down the food I have left, and I make a weekly menu listing the dishes I’d like to make using them. The items I’ll need to make those dishes go on my shopping list Friday morning. When the same meal gets pushed to the next week again and again, I eventually have to admit I don’t REALLY want to make it. I have some lamb in the freezer I had earmarked for a tagine. The recipe is long and complicated. Chances are the results will be disappointing, especially since by now it probably has freezer burn. What do I really want? That’s easy: mac and cheese!

Cat's Cradle

I’ve been hearing a lot lately about where thermostats are set in the workplace. Apparently there’s a division among the sexes about how cool offices should be in the summer. As I understand it, the heating and cooling in most large offices are calculated by an algorithm that is based on the metabolic rate of men doing desk work, such as filing, reading, sending emails, etc. But most women have a significantly lower metabolic rate than men. (Ever wonder why it’s so much easier for men to lose weight than women?) So if a typical male employee works side-by-side with a typical female in a 71- or 68-degree room, her teeth will chatter and he’ll wonder what she’s complaining about. Compounding the problem is that she’ll probably be wearing a polyester skirt, open-toed sandals and a sleeveless blouse, while he’s in slacks, a dress shirt, jacket and tie.

End of the Road

I joined the Block-of-the-Month class at Quilts Etc. in 2004. I made twelve “Underground Railroad” blocks in 1860’s prints, and finished the quilt with fabric I bought on sale. It doesn’t get out of the closet often, because I can’t stand it. The next year the blocks were odd sizes and shapes, encouraging us to think “Out of the Box.” Those blocks are still in a box somewhere. In 2006 I made the quilt on my bed, with a block representing each state. I made a busy wall hanging with the “Political Threads” blocks in 2007. I finished my “Europe by the Yard” quilt early because we moved to England in 2009. When we moved back in 2012, the class was working on Japanese quilt blocks. Since then we’ve done cowboy-and-Indian blocks in “Dusty Trails,” and “Quilts on Barns.” I’ve enjoyed the “Route 66” classes most of all, but all good things must come to an end.

Santa Monica Pier

What do The Sting, Elmer Gantry, 2012, 1941, Titanic, Cellular, Iron Man, The Net, Speed, Forrest Gump, Hancock, and The Glen Miller Story have in common? The name of today’s block is a dead giveaway. The Santa Monica Pier features prominently in each of these films. It’s also an important element in episodes of Charlie’s Angels, The Mod Squad, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, Star Trek Voyager, Chuck, Castle, Criminal Minds, and Monk. Built in 1909, the pier’s original purpose was to carry sewage pipes beyond the breakers (Don’t worry; the city stopped pumping sewage out to sea during the 1920’s). The pier currently houses an aquarium, a video arcade, an amusement park, and several pubs and restaurants. During the summer months the pier plays host to twilight concerts and movie screenings.  

Road to El Paso

“Humbly submitting our will to the Father brings us the empowerment of God—the power of humility. It is the power to meet life’s adversities, the power of peace, the power of hope, the power of a heart throbbing with a love for and testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ, even the power of redemption. To this end, the Savior is our supreme example of the power of humility and submissiveness. After all, His submitting His will to the Father brought about the greatest, and even the most powerful, event in all of history. Perhaps some of the most sacred words in all the scriptures are simply, ‘Not my will, but thine, be done.’ So we have the thousands, even millions, of throbbing hearts—heroes, I suspect we could say, but perhaps a more appropriate description is merely humble followers of the Savior Jesus Christ. They are just doing their best—one day at a time.” – Richard C. Edgley

Country Cabin

It started as a simple classroom ditty. Mildred Hill and her sister Patty, spinster school teachers, wrote the tune and the original words in the late 1800’s: “Good morning to you, good morning to you. Good morning dear students, good morning to all.” No one really knows who added the words we all sing before the candles on the cake are blown out. But the copyright on Happy Birthday earns about two million dollars a year – split between the publishing company and the Hill family. When the song is performed for profit, such as in a movie or a TV show, royalties are due. A filmmaker producing a documentary about the song recently balked at the $1,500 fee to use it in her movie. She filed a class action suit and produced proof that the song was published in 1922 without a copyright attached. Which means it’s really been in the public domain all this time.