Wandering Road

In case you are wondering why nothing has been posted here in 9 months, it is because I have moved. A couple of years ago I started a website called Trashy Diva Living that was going to be my place for discussing crafts and cooking. I posted to TDL sporadically at best for the first year or so. Recently, I decided to concentrate on my cooking and crafting.  As part of that effort, I revamed TDL and went for a name change - So Very Varied.  Now I’m trying to be more stringent with myself and post there regularly. So Wandering Road will be closing. I’ll still leave the site up, if only because I have plenty of space and still own the domain. But all my posting will be done at So Very Varied. I hope to see you there

In the past couple of years, it has been rare for me to get a new CD that throws me into music mania.  Music mania being when listening to a new cd electrifies my mind, body, and soul to the point of bouncing off the walls.  Music mania often leads to playing the cd repeatedly at loud volumes while dancing around the house (often on couches and chairs).  The joy of discovering great new music just bubbles out me.  It’s weird how emotional I get when I find wonderful music.

Well, today is one of those days!  I picked up a cd by new artist Mika that is titled Life In Cartoon Motion.  This guy is truly amazing!  I would describe him as the reincarnation of Freddie Mercury in vocals and cousin of Scissor Sisters in musical stylings.  Purely infectious pop to get you moving.  I love it love it LOVE IT!

You must go out and buy it now.  Literally, stop reading this boring blog and go buy his cd.  Don’t deny yourself any longer.  Join me in music mania!

Dallas in Bloom

Originally uploaded by RspbrrySwirl.

Strolling through the Arboretum today.

I’ve found a couple of sites recently that offer high quality pics for your desktop.  All kinds of great ways to beautify your desktop.

I’ve been using Mandolux for a couple of months now.  They are a great site for three reasons.  First, they offer their pics in 9 different sizes to fit almost any screen.  Second, all their pics are designed for systems with two screens.  Each theme will have a right screen pic and a left screen pic.  So for those of us with one screen, we can just pick which one we prefer.  Third, they have a large archive of pics dating back to 2002.

The second site is one I discovered today called Desktopography.  All the pics on this site have a nature theme.  But it isn’t your basic flower pic or field of grass.  These are really cool photoshopped pics of nature with beautiful balls of light floating above water, or light emanating from tree branches.  Very scifi/fantasy feel.  They don’t offer their pics in as many sizes (usually just one or two), but you can always resize for your needs.
So many desktop images to choose from.  I love switching out my desktop image every couple of weeks for a new look.  It’s like redecorating without having to move furniture!

The Start of Spring

Originally uploaded by RspbrrySwirl.

The signs of spring are everywhere! Our tulip magnolia is in bloom and the goldfish in our pond are coming to the surface. It is amazing how those goldfish multiply - we counted 26.

On Saturday we got the herb garden for spring. I tilled the dirt (back breaking work even for a small garden) and Bobby planted our herbs and veggies. I’m hoping for an abundance of basil and green onions.

The Start of Spring

Originally uploaded by RspbrrySwirl.

The signs of spring are everywhere! Our tulip magnolia is in bloom and the goldfish in our pond are coming to the surface. It is amazing how those goldfish multiply - we counted 26.

On Saturday we got the herb garden for spring. I tilled the dirt (back breaking work even for a small garden) and Bobby planted our herbs and veggies. I’m hoping for an abundance of basil and green onions.

Somebody created two flow charts explaining the scientific method and the faith method.  I thought it was very funny!  And very true when you look at some of the fundamentalist religions.  I recently read something about a representative in Alabama or Georgia declaring that the earth did not revolve around the sun.  I think we know which flow chart he follows

This is a great story of how some brave passengers and flight crew took down a man who was hijacking an airplane.  Here’s a snippet:

Speaking to the gunman during the hijacking, the pilot realized the man did not speak French. So he used the plane’s public address system to warn the passengers in French of the ploy he was going to try: brake hard upon landing, then speed up abruptly. The idea was to catch the hijacker off balance, and have crew members and men sitting in the front rows of the plane jump on him, the Spanish official said.The pilot also warned women and children to move to the back of the plane in preparation for the subterfuge, the official said.

It worked. The man was standing in the middle aisle when the pilot carried out his maneuver, and he fell to the floor, dropping one of his two 7mm pistols. Flight attendants then threw boiling water from a coffee machine in his face and at his chest, and some 10 people jumped on the man and beat him, the Spanish official said.

Via BoingBoing

(Note: If you read my blog, then you most likely read my husband’s blog, and thus know that we are starting the adoption process.  So I’ll save myself from typing and skip making that post myself.)

I recently came across a great site for parents called Parent Hacks.  I like to think of it as LifeHacker for parenting.  It is a blog created by parents for parents.  Sort of a tips and tricks to parenting site.  It covers topics from making your own cheese crackers from Kraft Singles to a good cream for baby saliva rash to online deals for baby supplies.  A great site to add to your preferred RSS reader (which should be Google Reader, IMHO).

(Note: I went a little link happy in this post!)

I just learned through Lifehacker that the NPR program “Fresh Air” is now available through podcast.  I am so excited!  I love “Fresh Air”.  It is my favorite NPR program.  Unfortunately, I rarely get to listen to it since it is on between 11 and 12 here in Dallas.  Now I’ll get to hear it all the time.  Woohoo!!!!