Random Facts

Random Craft Projects I'll Never Get Around To

2012-01-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have a pinterest account I still use good old fashion bookmarks. I've been reading other blog posts where people were suggesting choosing a one word goal or aspiration for this year. This little frame project would be a great idea for this. All it is really is vinyl letters on a picture frame. Maybe it's just that I lovet he frame that was used so much. I'm kind of sick of seeing vinyl letters but this seems like a fresh new take on it. What would your word for 2012 be? My word would probably be awesome.

Random Gift Ideas

2012-01-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

We all have people on our lists where we just don't know what to get them. I also have the same problem when it comes to wedding gifts. I wonder how many people are giving picture frames or candlesticks too. I know that a lot of brides and grooms actually prefer that you shop off the registry but there's no imagination in that. Instead, I love shopping at Red Envelope. I do look for redenvelope promotional codes though. They just have so many random things where I always surprised that no one ever thought of it before like a picnic backpack. That makes perfect sense. If you're really going on a picnic do you want to carry that traditional wicker basket for any amount of time? Where do you go for random gifts?

Random Storage Wars Finds

2012-01-16T19:55:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite Storage War finds were the chicken eyeglasses that Barry found. This definitely has me pulling over every time I see a yard sign for a sale; even though I'm not into the storage auction thing. I just like to watch shows about it. I also love that he immediately knew exactly what they are. I guess chickens attack each other when they see blood. Putting on these rose-color glasses means that they can't recognize it. I can't imagine having to put these glasses on hundreds of chickens but the practice is outdated now.

What's The Most Random Wedding Theme You've Heard Of?

2012-01-11T17:51:00.002-07:00

It used to be that wedding themes were pretty uncommon but now it seems like you can't even have a wedding without one. I was shocked at My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. Basically he comes in really close to the wedding to get the big day back on track. Almost all of them are theme weddings from swamp themes, pirates, or poker. These all sound like four year old birthday parties to me. What is the worst wedding theme you've ever seen or heard of?

What Do Shirataki Noodles Taste Like?

2012-01-09T19:40:00.002-07:00

I found myself wondering this after watching The Nate Show. Nate isn't much of a cook; in fact I always wonder why they even bother having a cooking segment on a show with someone who seems to pretty much hate cooking? I always go to recharge the rechargeable aa batteries or sweep the floor during these segments. Anyways at least twice a celebrity chef has suggested replacing your regular pasta with Shirataki noodles. They are a low carb version with tofu in them. I can't remember the exact calorie count but it was like you could eat a whole plate of pasta for such a small amount of calories. I laughed because you would practically burn calories by chewing the food.

This reminded me of that episode of Mary Tyler Moore where Betty White's character had made a low fat wedding cake and she said something like you could eat the whole thing and starve by the time you were through. Has anyone tried these?

What Was The Best Selling Toy?

2011-12-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

I don't have kids only nephews. So I'm not into what the best-selling toys are every year. However, just as a spectator I always like to be somewhat aware if there's going to be a Tickle Me Elmo fiasco like there was that one year. I checked some lists but it might be too early to see which one actually sold the most. There were lots of predictions and lists. (Yes, an Elmo version was on there) Most of these were from the UK though. Plus, they all had like 10-15 toys on them; which doesn't help to track down the best-selling one. What would you guess that it was for the 2011 Christmas Season?

The Color of the Year for 2012

2011-12-27T18:44:00.001-07:00

I think that this is a fun tradition that Pantone has. Last year's color was a honeysuckle pink tone. This is supposed to influence a lot of decorating choices and fashion lines. The year before it definitely did when it was turquoise. However, I didn't see too much of the honeysuckle; probably because it is so gender specific.

The color of the year for 2012 has already been announced and it is Tangerine Tango. What I thought was so interesting was this article with the executive director. He basically says it was his responsibility to pick a happy and encouraging tone that's a little bold because that's what we need right now. I love that they put that much effort and thought into it. If you have spinal surgery or are hit by the recession sometimes it's the little things that keep you going. I'm sure I would just pick swatches at random which is probably why that isn't my job.

The Best Grilled Cheese

2011-12-15T17:25:00.001-07:00

I have one confession about cooking. I can cook and bake a lot of things. However, I cannot make a grilled cheese sandwich. I burn it every time and rarely does the cheese melt. Every time I cook it I promise myself that this time I'm going to use enough butter and lower heat. I'm going to be patient. This never seems to happen though. So I thought I would like this article. A lot of the sandwiches look delicious but they have ham or even ribs on them. To me that isn't a grilled cheese; it's a sub on white bread. Are you picky about your grilled cheese?

More Random Recipes

2011-12-15T17:20:00.002-07:00

This may be the most random thing I've ever made. It's called deep-dish cookie pie. When I first saw the picture I thought that there was no way that it could possibly be healthy. However, it is at least healthier because of the white bean base. It's another dessert where it was impossible to tell that it was made out of beans.

I left out the sugar and used 100% maple syrup so it wasn't quite as sweet as it should’ve been but I wanted to cut down on the sugar. Who knew that beans, oatmeal, and applesauce could all be so tasty together? It's one of those combinations where you don't tell people what it is until after they've tried it so they don't look at you like "You want me to eat what?"

I wish I could make this and take it to neighbors who might be in a for rent by owner situation but I always end up eating it first. Just make sure they don't have any food allergies because they might not be expecting some of these ingredients. "How was I supposed to know that she was going to put beans in the pie?"

What's Ombre?

2011-12-01T20:33:00.001-07:00

I thought that this answer was going to be pretty simple. They even talk about it on Project Runway. Some designers tried it this season in the pet store challenge. I would've rather have tried to make a dress out of pool fencing.

Anyways ombre is one of my favorite techniques in clothes, decor, nail polish and even hair color. However, when I looked it up to get an exact definition I found out it's actually a card game from the 17th century. Ok when it comes to fashion it's basically when it fades from one colors to the next, such as a shirt that starts out white and ends up navy at the bottom. It's more subtle than tie dye and one of my favorite things.

What Does Your Meal Include?

2011-12-01T20:28:00.003-07:00

I know that there are a few thanksgiving items that are pretty much universal: pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, turkey, and stuffing. However, the side dishes always surprise me when I find out what other people just have to have. Like I know green bean casserole with fried onions is a food that exist; but I have never had it. The same thing goes for sweet potatoes and marshmallows. What side dishes couldn't you live without at Thanksgiving?

What's a White Elephant Gift?

2011-12-01T20:18:00.001-07:00

I'm pretty sure that it's common knowledge that this is a gift exchange/game. However, when I looked up to see the rules of it on Wikipedia I was met with tons of different names for it. These include both Parcel Pass and Christmas Swamp Thing. I think that word should be swap but swamp is somehow cooler.

Whatever you call it I always get confused and practically need someone with Chart Assembler Jobs to explain it. I really want to get a replica of the leg lamp from a Christmas Story. The other interesting thing I found out was that it has to do with the cost of the upkeep of an item. That's what makes it a white elephant even though now we just refer to it as silly presents. So the original term would be like buying someone's kid a horse, because it would cost more to feed the horse over time than your initial investment took. It’s the gift that just keeps on giving.

They Do Exist!

2011-11-16T21:10:00.001-07:00

I was so happy to find out that the secretaries of Juliet are real people. It's so romantic and vintage like Luminox navy seal watches. I wanted to find out after I watched the movies Letters to Juliet. At first, giving people solemn advice sounds like it's the perfect writing job. I can only imagine the kind of stress this would actually be. However, I don't think I could handle everyone else's problems all the time. The pressure would be too much. Also this article doesn't say how much it pays if it pays at all. I'm just so glad that it does exist.

Who Said This?

2011-10-31T20:46:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to track down a quote that might be my new favorite but first I really just need to figure out who said it.

It's "Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid". I've seen this attributed to John Wayne. However, I just can't quite picture him saying this for some reason. However, I hope it's true. Has anyone else heard this quote before?

Decorative Pumpkin Ideas

2011-10-30T20:50:00.000-06:00

Since I live alone I wasn't going to bother really carving pumpkins this year. However, all of a sudden I really started wishing that I had picked up a white pumpkin or winter squash; or that I even knew where to get one of these. I love the idea of nailhead pumpkins. They all have oversized decorative nailheads in random patterns or even to mark your house number. Who knows maybe next they'll come up with tire chain decorative accessories. It looks a lot easier and more chic than your technical pumpkin carving. Plus it's different than your typical painted pumpkin.

Food Doesn't Get Any More Random

2011-10-30T20:47:00.001-06:00

I had a zucchini plant that I needed to do something with before it froze. I had wanted to try some stuffed squash blossoms. It was just too random to actually eat a flower; I had to do it. I used this recipe for stuffed fried squash blossoms.

One of my fears in making weird food is that I'll mess up without knowing it; and hurt my teeth. Then I'll have to go somewhere with discount dental equipment. However, they are amazingly good. My only regret is that this can't be a staple. Stores don't carry squash blossoms usually because they are too delicate and only last for a few hours after they are picked. It was like a fancy, non-spicy version of a jalapeno popper. I may grow zucchini next year just so I can have these again. Have you ever eaten a squash blossom?

More Random Food Recipes

2011-10-16T17:42:00.000-06:00

I've been venturing more into random recipes and it's always something that is going to be either really good or really bad and the only way to figure out which one it is means that I'll just have to try it. This week was a peach, mozzarella, and basil salad. Really the fresh basil makes this salad. Otherwise I would just be wondering why I had cheese and peaches together. It was really yummy, one of the best salads I've had in awhile and it doesn't even use any lettuce.

What Are The Most Common Presents

2011-10-15T17:38:00.001-06:00

According to this article the most common gifts for men last year had anything to do with technology such as ebook readers. I really think this is unfair and that we should focus more on a smaller personalized birthday gift for him. Sure, picking out gifts for guys is hard and not a lot of fun. However, if you have to go buy someone a flat screen TV you're going to spend a lot more than you would on jewelry or clothes like you would for women. I guess the only answer then is just to buy things for the house that you secretly want too as part of a combination present.

What’s the Most Common Letter?

2011-10-14T12:13:00.001-06:00

I found myself wondering this just because I got a new keyboard. The keys are spaced out a little more than I’m used to and this really seems to be throwing me off in a big way. The same thing happened to me when I tried to play guitar; my hands must be smaller than average.

Almost all of my words end up missing the letter a. Of course, now to me at least the letter A certainly feels like it’s the most common one around. However, according to Wikipedia the most common letter in the English language is e, and it’s on a bunch of other websites too. Even the letter t appears in more words than the letter a. It’s a pretty good chart to study if you’re ever going to be on the Wheel Of Fortune.

How Big is a 17" Computer

2011-09-30T15:36:00.002-06:00

At first this question is pretty simple. Plus, I decided to get a "grown up" computer that wasn't even pink. I practically wanted to send out invitationbox.com graduation announcements. However, what I wanted to know is if a 17" laptop is even practical. It just seems like you have to use it at a desk. So then it's not even going to have the advantages of a laptop. Plus, then you're going to be sitting at a desk with what is yes a big laptop, but is probably more expensive and smaller than a desktop. I honestly believe that laptops should be portable. Sure, it really doesn't seem like that big of a difference when compared to my 15.6" laptop. Does anyone have this size of laptop and do you use it at a desk?

Apparently All Food Comes in Yellow

2011-09-16T16:30:00.003-06:00

As soon as I found out about yellow tomatoes it really just looked like they were everywhere. I actually grew a variety of these in my garden. I was expecting them to be about the size of a regular tomato; but they're just slightly bigger than a cherry tomato. However, that could just be my gardening skills. Again, I bought this plant because I love oddly colored food. It's pretty tasty too; I don't find it to be acidic as other tomato varities. This picture also has orange tomatoes which now I must find. Have you ever had yellow tomatoes?

Myburntorange CC Photo

More Oddly Colored Fruit

2011-09-16T16:21:00.002-06:00

This isn't as far out as the yellow watermleon, but it is one of my favorite fruits. I love yellow cherries. Again, these could actually taste different from what I'm used to, but probably I just think they are fun to eat because of the color. I looked it up and it seems like the two varieties of yellow cherries are Queen Anne and Rainier.

Bob008 CC Photo

I Stumped Flickr

2011-09-16T16:17:00.002-06:00

I was looking for a vegetable that I saw in a garden in AZ. It looked just like your normal green bean but it was pink. When I was looking for this on Flickr it just brought up lots of jellybeans and yes those are also quite tasty. I was told they were for drying, not just eating fresh which is probably why they didn't taste good. I'm usually just an internet searching diva but really couldn't come up with anything. I'm great at shopping or finding out how to buy loose diamonds but apparently vegetables aren't my forte. Maybe I'm just looking at it from the wrong angle it could be an oddly colored pinto or something. Has anyone else seen pink beans?

Weird Watermelon

2011-09-16T16:08:00.003-06:00

I know that I've written on here before about square watermelon. However, when I was in Arizona recently I was introduced to something entirely new. It's called yellow watermelon. It's basically just what the name says. It was rather tasty. It's supposed to be sweeter than the pink watermelon but I tasted both of these side by side and didn't really see a big difference. However, I'd probably grow it just because it is so awesome. I like it just because it's a fun color basically. I'd design a house around it including wall colors or an Address Plaque. What about you, did you know that yellow watermelon is actually a thing?

John Loo CC Photo

How Many Times a Week Do Americans Eat Out?

2011-09-16T15:47:00.000-06:00

I was really curious to find this out. I had heard quite a high number on average on some show. I can't remember if it was on Food Revolution or just on Suze Orman. Both of these shows are pretty hard on eating out just because it can be so poor for people's health and wallets. However, I had written down that the show said it was 4-5 times a week. I couldn't find it again on the internet but I wasn't checking on a fancy Tablet or anything. That makes sense if people are going out to eat at work for lunch. However, I really didn't think it was true. I found plenty of people quoting this statistic but no one said where they got it from. Do you think it's fact or fiction and doesn't that number seem quite high?

What Do You Call Auction Buyers?

2011-08-27T21:13:00.000-06:00

It used to be that I didn't have to think a lot about the people who buy storage lockers. However, with the recent rush of weird but fascinating shows that cover this subject it turns out that I do need to find out what this is. I guess I could just keep calling them auction buyers or "Those guys who buy storage lockers on the tv". It was much easier to find the names of the guys who have Cardiovascular Technologist Jobs. However, what I really love is what they call them on Auction Hunters. They call them players, which then makes it sound like a game. However, they aren't happy when some of the auction buyers that are more competitive show up. Well I didn't know that I needed to know this but apparently I did.

What Are Blondies

2011-08-16T11:35:00.002-06:00

I was shocked one day when I was craving blondies instead of brownies. It took me a long time to even think of the name of them. Usually I just want cocoa or chocolate. So I thought this was something that I could easily whip up. However, I was shocked when I looked at the recipe at how unhealthy they are. I always thought that it was at least healthier than a brownie, but apparently it's made entirely from butter and sugar. However, I tried this healthier version which uses bananas instead of a lot of the butter. I did reduce the butter a little bit and added an extra banana which is probably why mine turned out more like banana bread. It was still good but with my variations it definitely didn't taste like a blondie.

What Could We Live Without?

2011-08-16T11:31:00.001-06:00

I read this article a few weeks ago about different brands that will probably disappear in the next year. I was shocked to see how many of these companies are in trouble just because they are names that I've always grown up with. To me the most surprising brand on the list was MySpace. I guess Facebook really did a number on them, but I remember back in the day when they were the entire internet. I also remember when I had to cross Mervyns off my Cyber Monday list and it was just such a weird feeling.

I also can't imagine a world without Corn Pops even thought I don’t eat them. I hope that there will still be the Wal-mart off brand called "Silly Corn" because that's the coolest name for a cereal ever. What brands couldn’t you live without?

What’s a Ticker Tape Parade?

2011-08-08T21:35:00.002-06:00

If I ran the world, there would be a parade every morning. Parades are awesome. It’s almost impossible to be unhappy on a day when you go to a parade. Just try it. We'd have one to celebrate the grand opening of anything even if it was a mange website, or just the fact that a lot of people are having a birthday.

However, it got me wondering, what does "ticker-tape parade" mean. Sure, it's the expression people use to define almost any kind of parade. According to wikipedia it's a parade in a city where people throw shredded paper from tall buildings. This doesn't happen that often anymore, but it really should. I had seen all of the confetti raining down but I had no idea where it was coming from. According to this list, there's only been 3 in new York City since 2000. Two were for the Yankees and one was for the Giants.

What Does a Horseshoe Sandwich Look Like?

2011-08-08T21:31:00.002-06:00

At first this just looks like a plate of fries with nacho cheese on top which would probably be unhealthy enough. However, upon closer inspection of this wikimedia commons public domain pic it's easy to see that it's a horseshoe sandwich. Why anyone would invent or eat it though still remains a mystery.

What's a Horseshoe Sandwich?

2011-08-08T21:27:00.000-06:00

This was something I asked myself as I was flipping past one of the food shows on the Travel Channel. Is it kind of shoe that I can use famous footwear coupons at dropdowndeals with? In fact I think it's the longest I've ever watched the travel channel. So it has bread, some sort of meat like a hamburger, or fried chicken. It can use eggs or hashbrowns. The cool part is that there are French fries on top of it instead of another piece of bread, and then it's drowned in cheese sauce. Also if you want a smaller bite apparently it's called a “Pony Shoe". It started in Springfield, Illinois. Has anyone heard of this sandwich before?

Roller Coaster Facts

2011-07-27T12:24:00.002-06:00

I think it was on Ny Ink where I heard a fact that I just didn't think could possibly be true. The guy from Brooklyn was talking about Coney Island. He said that the rollercoaster had been invented so people could get a feel for what mining was like. I was like "Ummm was there ever a big demand for that?" The little carts would make sense. So this article says that there have been several inceptions of the roller coaster. Apparently there used to be tours of the Pennsylvania countryside in mining carts. It makes me question everything. There's probably an amazing story behind things that we take for granted everyday. I started wondering about how certain companies get logos like Nike or apple bottom. So, really the fact was off quite a bit, but so was my disbelief.

What Happened to Flight of the Conchords?

2011-07-27T11:55:00.000-06:00

I had happily been watching the Flight of the Conchords. I made it through the first two seasons. I had figured out in my head that there would be several more seasons of this show by now. I went to add hopefully seasons 3, 4, and 5 of the show to my Netflix Queue only to discover that there really weren’t any more.

My first thought was that it must have been cancelled because maybe it was one of those really funny, brilliant shows that people didn’t understand. I’ve read through several articles about it and apparently the network wanted to bring it back for a 3rd season…but Bret and Jemaine were happy with the end of Season 2. The wikipedia show alludes that it took too much time to write. This could really be true because not only is it a regular show, there is also a corresponding music video and song with each episode. I can see how that would take up more time than anyone really has, so I’m just glad that there are two seasons of it.

I Never Would've Guessed That

2011-07-09T21:54:00.001-06:00

I've been a fan of Zooey Deschenal for a few years now. I guess because she's a minor star I'd never actually hear her name out loud. I've just been able to recognize her by sight. In my brain I've just been pronouncing it more as Daschnel, and boy was I wrong. I thought it was pretty straightforward like saying xbox live subscription. The preview of The New Girl pronounces it in such a beautiful way. It makes me really envy her name but it’s so amazing it also suits her.

What's a Princess?

2011-07-09T20:01:00.002-06:00

To me this should be a pretty easy definition. However, I was just watching the new show on CNBC called Princess. It seems to be just like "'Til Debt Do Us Part" but it's about just one person who considers herself a princess and she has a lot of financial problems because of it. So they stopped people on the street and asked them what a princess was. Not one person said it was a member of the royal family. Instead, everyone described it as a spoiled brat who needs to grow up who is high maintenance. I think sure it's great to look good or go after diet pills that work. However, I think princess has always been one of my favorite words let's not spoil it; literally.

Random Recipes: Mushroom Burgers

2011-07-05T17:27:00.002-06:00

I can for some reason only eat burgers from restaurants or from a grill. This means I don't eat a lot of red meat at home. However, one day I had a bunch of mushrooms that needed to be eaten, but I wasn't in the mood to taste a mushroom but I can't find the exact recipe again for the mushroom burger I made. I substituted some of the ingredients for bbq sauce so it would still have a smokey flavor. Surprisingly these froze well and tasted pretty good on the George Foreman grill. (I don't know if it's ok to freeze raw mushrooms that will have to be a random fact for another day so check on that before you freeze them).

I think if you try an mushroom or veggie burger expecting it to taste exactly like beef you'll be disappointed. However, if you just want a good meal it can be a fun and cost effective addition. Most recipes use portabella mushrooms but I opted for button ones because that was what I had. By the time I topped my burger with blue cheese, bacon (again I'm not vegetarian just grossed out by most meat), and avocado I really didn't miss beef.

The Weirdest Weird News Story Ever

2011-07-05T17:22:00.002-06:00

This is one of the most random events I've ever read about. It just keeps creeping into my mind like a check city cash advance commercial. A Russian woman wakes up at her own funeral inside of a coffin. Apparently she had suffered a heart attack. However, the shock of waking up in a coffin then prompted more trouble and she passed away again in a hospital. Like how would a family ever recover from that shock or even be able to have another funeral?

What's Grit?

2011-06-20T20:08:00.002-06:00

I really started thinking about the term grit when the Matt Damon movie True Grit came out. Sure, I know what grits are but this is something different. I always thought of as grit as an actual grain of dirt, so it didn't make much sense in the context of someone's character. In today's culture I would assume that it means you are unstoppable, whether you're trying to get a job or find disability insurance.

The dictionary.com definition is:

firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck:

Even though I'm from the west I've only heard this in movies. Has anyone else heard this expression besides just on film?

Artist Facts

2011-06-20T20:04:00.000-06:00

The other day I was watching someone paint and they were all professional with the easel and what have you. I noticed that the artist kept one hand behind his back at all times holding the spare brushes at a perfect angle. He went on like this no matter how long he stood there. Then I vaguely remembered this same posture in cartoons and I couldn’t wait to get home to look it up. As it turns out, this really isn’t a fact at all. I had thought maybe it was for balance, but apparently it’s just how this one guy was standing. Has anyone else noticed artists doing this?

What's the Most Random Gift You've Ever Got?

2011-06-20T20:00:00.003-06:00

Usually I think if I don't know exactly what someone wants I am drawn to cheap gift baskets because there are so many different options. This means that they are likely to fall in love with at least one of the presents. However, as my birthday nears I can't help but think of some of the really random presents I've received throughout the years. Probably the winner is a toy tomahawk that I got from my brother because "It's a gift only a brother would pick out." What's your most random present?

Pawn Stars Facts

2011-06-16T08:10:00.000-06:00

Sometimes the history and origin of items on Pawn Stars is a little bit iffy. Sometimes something looks old but it's really about the same age as psp batteries. I did learn this really cool fact when someone brought in actual buried treasure. The coins had fused together and were in a large clump. The guy was asking $700,000 for this clump of coins, so I guess it really does add to the value a lot. Sometimes things that you think will hurt the price help it. Also, sometimes when you think you are repairing or refinishing an item you're really hurting the value of it. I would have thought the individual coins were worth more. Here’s a quote from the show.

What makes these so valuable is that they are still in clump form.
99% of treasure coins are always reduced down to individual coins and sold off that way.

Should You Turn Off Your Computer?

2011-05-25T16:39:00.001-06:00

I've always heard different things about whether you should leave your computer on or shut it down. According to this article is just depends on your work habits. Apparently it's just a myth that it takes more electricity to boot up then to keep it running constantly. You can't "wear out" your computer by turning it on and off a lot. Well you could, but it would be absolutely outdated by the time it happened. It just depends on how long you are willing to wait to get to work.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Oprah Show Facts

2011-05-25T16:36:00.001-06:00

I wanted to write about something different like sensa weight loss because everyone else was writing about Oprah. I decided to do some Oprah random facts, and I got these straight from the Oprah show site. Here are the two things that really surprised me. There have been over 1.3 million audience members over the years. The fact that I really wanted to track down was, which guest has be on the show the most times? The breakdown is:

Celine Dion for female guests: She's been on the show 27 times.

Chris Rock for male celebrity guest: 25 times

Who has been on the show the most overall? Well I'm pretty sure it's Dr. Phil who's be on 118 times but I couldn't track down that information for sure.

Tell if It's Silver by Smell

2011-05-25T16:33:00.002-06:00

This is a trick that I learned on either a pawn show or a storage show. Sure, I use smell mostly in relation to food which is probably why I should read liponox reviews. However, to use smell to identify silver? Wow I must be so much cooler than I originally thought. There's so many of these around that it's difficult to remember which one I was watching. I found it hilarious that they said to smell silver to tell if it's real. 925 silver shouldn't smell, but if it smells like copper then it's going to be a silver plate. I can just picture walking up to someone at ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif flea market and sniffing their jewelry.

How Was the Liberty Bell Cracked?

2011-05-20T17:48:00.001-06:00

This was something that I'd never though of until an episode of “Kate plus 8”. It was just one of those things that always was. However, Kate kept announcing that it had cracked because it had been rung so hard.

Ever doubtful, I just had to do the research, I always research everything so much that I'd probably spend my time better with a medical assistance program. Turns out that Kate was right, well maybe. Many accounts all collaborate that the large crack it has now happened in the 19th century. One account says it cracked when rung for Chief Justice John Marshall's death, while another one says it was in celebration of George Washington’s birthday. I guess no one really knows why or when, but in a way its imperfection is what made it famous.

Play-Doh Facts

2011-05-17T16:46:00.000-06:00

This was a fact that was generated by the movie "How Do You know?" It's part of an inspiring/sweet story. It's given as a gift to remind Reese Witherspoon that we're all just only one minor adjustment away from making it work. It really got me wondering whether that story was actually true.

According to wikipedia it was originally used as wallpaper cleaner. However, classrooms started using it instead of clay and then it was marketed as play-doh. This isn't the same story that appears in the movie, but I still want to believe the more inspiring version. Now I have to go look for a biography of play-doh.

What’s the Best State to Live In?

2011-05-16T16:46:00.001-06:00

Whenever the best city/state to live in lists come out it's usually a surprise. Then the rest of the article spends tons of time trying to convince you as to why that city/state doesn’t suck as much as you would normally think. It's never New York or California, or the states that a lot of people flock to. I really find it interesting that this was listed as North Dakota. I guess it's because of low taxes. There's also a stable housing market and low unemployment. However, it's also pretty cold. Granted, the opportunity to have enough left over to possibly buy gold bars might make all of that snow worth it. Would you ever change states just because of lower taxes?

Grammar Facts I Didn't Know About

2011-05-10T16:40:00.002-06:00

"I didn't even know that was part of grammar." That was exactly what I thought one day when I stumbled upon a huge criteria vs. criterion debate. I felt like a horrible writer because I didn't even know that criterion is a word. Apparently criterion is singular and criteria is plural. I've been going over them in my head using different sentence examples of micrometers, but I just can't keep it straight. This is such a totally new concept to me that I'm afraid to say either word.

Storage Wars Facts

2011-03-30T18:18:00.001-06:00

Storage Wars is an A&E show about people who bid on storage lockers in the hopes of finding treasure. So look at this Creative Commons photo from we-make-money-not-art and see if you can guess what it is before reading the answer.

Anyone? Anyone? Of course a pipe seemed like the logical choice and I think on the show some people were even pretending to smoke out of it which is especially disgusting when you find out what it actually is. These are ear trumpets. It's basically an old fashion hearing aid.

Other Secrets to Happiness

2011-03-29T18:17:00.000-06:00

This was a secret to happiness that Oprah just couldn't believe. The expert said that the base line for happiness as far as money goes is $75,000 per year. That's the amount of money that will bring you joy. Anything over that, it doesn't seem to matter unless you invest that matter in a good location to live in. I guess it's because that's where your basic needs are going to be met where you can have a house and swing sets. I know they always say that money can't buy happiness, but I would sure like to try that theory out sometime.

How Starbucks Saved My Life Facts

2011-03-24T19:06:00.001-06:00

When I picked up this Michael Gates Gill book I had one question: “How much of a memoir was this?” It was like going from a conference call to coffee. I kept thinking "When does he quit and write a book"? I wanted to know if he still worked there. I've looked online and the closest I could find that said that he still worked there was in 2009. I was just wondering if all of the happiness that he found there could be kept over long term, or if it didn't lead to a book deal. However, that's the cynical side of me. Part of me really hopes that somehow the job is so fulfilling that he's still there. Does anyone know if he still works at Starbucks?

The Secret to Happiness

2011-03-24T19:05:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was one of those Oprah episodes that I desperately hope is true, but it’s very difficult to hunt down actual facts about it. Happiness is very hard to quantify, but yesterday’s show was trying to do exactly that. At the end someone said something like “It comes down to where you live”. In fact, that is a good summary of the ideas of shorter commutes and knowing your neighbors leads to happiness. I think it’s a package deal. They also cited that happiness is 60 percent genetic and 40 percent learned behavior. I still don’t know what the secret is, but surely living somewhere you truly love can’t hurt.

New Age Facts

2011-03-24T19:02:00.001-06:00

Whenever you look at most posts about the law of attraction they talk about the same thing. It usually references the fact that most people who win the lotteries lose all of the money shortly after because they can’t hold the vibration. At first I was so focused on the vibration part that I didn’t stop to think if the other part was true. Do people who win the lottery usually lose their money within a short period of time? I looked it up and saw a bunch of new age stores.

Some were more legitimate with actual names. This Money Central article features people who ended up in debt by hundreds of thousands or even millions. I'd rather read something more concrete like accutane reviews. However, isn’t this a limiting belief that the new age people are always warning about, yet they are setting it up. The underlying message is don’t win the lottery, you’ll lose it all. Isn’t that the exact opposite of the law of attraction? I can’t find actual statistics on this phenomenon.

My New Favorite Word

2011-03-10T15:44:00.001-07:00

I was watching HSN and they were talking about the gems and I thought that they had made up a new word, or even a new gem like they usually do. However, it was such a cool word that I couldn’t resist looking it up. I thought that it was malachite, but instead it is maw-sit-sit. It’s officially my new favorite gem just because of the word. I’m sold on the name alone, even if it does just look a lot like malachite. That's right I will buy anything based on which product has a cooler name whether its a honda generator or a gemstone.

That's Really a Thing?

2011-03-04T15:49:00.002-07:00

I was watching The Nate Show and all of a sudden he mentions laughter yoga. It's one of those things that I can't believe is really a thing. It's a great idea but the laughter seems really forced and even annoying. However, I think if you just start laughing it eventually becomes very genuine. Has anyone else ever been to laughter yoga?

A Little Too Random

2011-03-04T15:39:00.003-07:00

So, I finally ran across a recipe that was too random for even me to try. I was like umm wasn't anyone with management jobs supervising it? The recipe was for a walnut, pear, blue cheese, onion, and vinegar flatbread. However, I decided to modify it a little bit and use honey instead of vinegar. I just left out the onions altogether. For me just the walnuts, pears, and blue cheese was random and daring enough and I really fell in love with it. Maybe I'll be brave enough to try the onions next time.

The Difference Between Gross and Net

2011-03-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting point brought up on Til Debt To Us Part. She said that most people think of how much they make in terms of before taxes and their expenses in terms of before sales taxes as well. So they make more then they think they do and they always think that they are spending less than what they really are. She broke down how much something would actually cost you in net pay, as in what you take home after taxes. So, you can still buy nice houses or a diamond tennis bracelet as long as you really know what you are taking home. This was really eye opening. So how do you think about your money, gross or net?

Random Hair Treatments

2011-02-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

I was looking around for deep conditioning hair treatments: preferably of the cheap and homemade variety. It turns out that almost every single fashion column had one answer: mayo. Some suggested that I wrap my head in saran wrap afterward. The length of time for the mayo treatments was usually around 15 to 20 minutes. The only downside seems to be the smell. Mayo doesn’t really gross me out the way a lot of the commenters complained it did to them. However, I’m always scared of trying almost anything weird to my hair in fear that it will fall out. I don’t know if I’ll be brave enough to try this random beauty treatment. Has anyone out there tried this?

Academy Awards Facts

2011-02-23T18:52:00.001-07:00

I wasn't looking for Academy Award facts. I was just spending my time looking at pretty dresses which is usually the only thing that interests me about the Academy Awards. Usually some of the dresses hurt my stomach or are probably as good as colon cleansers that work for some people. However, somehow Barbra Streisand made one of the list. It also had an interesting fact. Apparently she tied for best Actress with Katharine Hepburn in 1968 at the 41st Academy Awards. The first time this happened the rules said that it was a tie if it was within 3 votes, but now it has to be a true tie. It looks like there are about 6500 votes, so having a tie is somewhat of an amazing feat.

What Does Wackadoodle Mean?

2011-02-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

This was a question that I was asking myself while watching the show The Antonio Treatment. I thought it meant weird or was a fun name for all natural diet pills. Apparently it's slang. However, on the show Antonio uses it to describe crazy situations or ideas. However according to several slang dictionaries it actually is a person who is a crazy as in "That wackadoodle tried to spell it whackadoodle". Yes, I really did try to spell it that way but how was I supposed to know? Technically it's not a word so I can spell it however I want.

Random Inspiration

2011-02-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

If someone knows a lot of random facts or has a random fact app on their iPhone the statistics are pretty high that I will make them be my friends. However, lately I've been more interested by the random things that actually happen to people in everyday life, like when I saw that emo kid on a unicycle. So it's not a random fact but what is the most random thing that you have seen around lately?

Things I've Forgotten

2011-02-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

For months now I've been trying to think of the name for the Southwest style rugs that have risen in popularity. You know the flat woven ones that aren't soft. I've been watching the Nate Berkus show and reading decor blogs and googling furiously trying to figure it out but I usually got sidetrack by looking up the best anti wrinkle cream. I started thinking that maybe there just wasn't a name for it. Then yesterday it appeared in an ad. Kilim...I don't know if I ever knew the name of that before, but it just feels leek something I used to know and then forgot.

Another Random Recipe That's Beyond Yummy

2011-02-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Whenever I have fruit that needs to be eaten at the same time because it's about to take a turn for the worse I just do a simple recipe search. This helps me to see if anyone else has ever put this combination of food together before. So, I had an avocado and a mango that both needed to be eaten. However, I didn't google it for awhile because I thought "Surely, it won't match". So I spent my time doing general web searches for accutane side effects. However, then I tried out this recipe and I will be buying mangos and avocados together a lot more. It's another random recipe that should be disgusting but is surprisingly tasty.

Way To Ruin a Good Thing

2011-02-10T18:48:00.003-07:00

I think that one of the few things that most of humanity has in common is our love for chocolate. Sure, occasionally you'll run across someone who is allergic to it or is on a diet. However, have you ever heard anyone legitimately say that they don't like chocolate? However, since Valentine's Day is coming up here are a few chocolate ideas that just ruin a good thing.

Chocolate Covered Bacon. I would probably try this but I secretly hope that it doesn't taste good because it certainly isn't good for you.

Chocolate Covered Scorpions. I'll pass on this one

I don't have a picture but I also wouldn't eat chocolate covered Peeps because even chocolate can't make those weird marshmallow things taste good.

Chocolate Covered Bacon

Thanks to the following people for the creative commons photos:

Dionhinchcliffe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dionhinchcliffe/5331889464/sizes/m/in/photostream/)

ThisParticularGreg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisparticulargreg/60423311/sizes/m/in/photostream/)

Random Recipes That Should Be Disguisting

2011-02-09T18:39:00.002-07:00

I like to cook, but only if it's pretty random as well as healthy. That's right, nothing I do is normal, even my food. I've had squash sitting on my counter for quite awhile because I never crave it. So I was looking around for recipes and came across some of the most random ideas that were actually edible.

Squash Tacos: I couldn't find the exact recipe I used and all the other versions I could find had way too many ingredients in it. However, just look it up on blackberry phones and find one with black beans in it. This was a vegetarian taco that I made initially just because it looked pretty but it soon became one of my favorites.

Squash Bread: I fell in love with pumpkin bread this last Thanksgiving so it seemed like a good substitute. I may actually buy squash now instead of having it given to me. Granted, it just tastes mostly like yummy bread, but it's one of the few painless ways I've come across to eat squash.

Does anyone else have recipes that should be disgusting but aren't?

When's Single Awareness Day?

2011-02-07T13:10:00.002-07:00

I thought that Single Awareness Day was Valentine's Day. I mean the acronym is (SAD) after all. I guess according to this website it was actually moved to the day after Valentine's so it wasn't buried under all of the emotional baggage. I disagree with this and think that the whole point of it coincides perfectly with Valentine's Day and it gives single people something to celebrate and buy flowers or slipcovers or whatever they really want. Also according to the wikipedia page people wear green instead of red because they are opposite colors, which I find hilarious. That page also says it can be anytime from the 13th through the 15th. However, this Singles Awareness Day will be celebrated on the 14th and wearing whatever color I want.

Favorite Random Valentine’s Picture

2011-02-02T19:04:00.001-07:00

That says it all.
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/3277106453/sizes/m/in/photostream/)

Random Valentine's

2011-02-01T18:59:00.002-07:00

Since I've been running this blog for quite awhile now I've really hit most of the Valentines facts that I could find. However, a quick glance through the wikipedia page showed a pretty cool version of a Valentine. It's in the "pop-ups" section. Apparently there were popular from 1900-1930. One of the "mechanical" cards has a dog with eyes that move back and forth. I would think that would be more appropriate for Halloween. However, it's honestly one of the few Valentine's that I would probably buy just because it is so creepy. I wish it was in HDTV I would watch it all the time.

New Years Resolutions Facts

2011-01-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've never given a lot of thoughts to New Years resolutions just because I knew there was a pretty high failure rate. So, I basically give up trying before it's ever time to start. According to this article 50% of adults in this country will set resolutions and 22% will fail by the first week. That's right, I said the first week. That's more discouraging than I thought but I guess it's inevitable when whole bunches of people are going for something really difficult like weight loss. I could probably keep it if I picked something fun like wearing lots of prom dresses 2011 style. I just think it's unrealistic to set a year long goal. Maybe if we just set 1 month goals a lot more people would be successful.

What's a Scone?

2011-01-18T19:36:00.003-07:00

I have an ongoing debate with basically anyone who is not from the Southwest about what a scone is. They say it looks like this which as far as I can tell is a biscuit with fruit in it:

However, in Utah if you order a scone you will get this in all of its deep fried goodness. Granted, you can also call it fry bread, but you won't end up with a biscuit if you order a scone.

What do scones look like where you are from?

Creative Commons Photos from:

Bloggyboulga(http://www.flickr.com/photos/bloggyboulga/1844800170/sizes/m/in/photostream/)

Navin75 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/navin75/161284227/sizes/m/in/photostream/)

Random Baking Fact

2011-01-18T19:13:00.001-07:00

It was the first time I've ever made muffins and I was so excited to try healthy versions. It was ok that it had like 17 ingredients and I'm used to only using oh say three maximum. My cooking almost acts as good weight loss pills but I really try. So I was proudly spooning the muffins into the tins when I decided to taste the dough. They tasted like fruit biscuits. I forgot the sugar. Turns out sugar is a lot more integral to the baking process then one might originally think. It is also very integral to the "tasting good process" which is a much less touted but equally important process. Oh well I’m just going to say they are a weird version of English scone.

Is Impactful a Word?

2011-01-18T19:10:00.001-07:00

Usually I don't pay a ton of attention when Microsoft Word doesn't know what I'm talking about. I use a lot of words it doesn't know and make up my own that mean weight loss pills that work. Even if they aren't words I think surely they should be. I stopped a little bit on the word "impactful" though. Certainly it’s a word right? The Merriam-Webster dictionary just took me to the word impact. Dictionary.com has "impactful" listed. Then there were a smattering of blogs insisting that it isn't. The Baltimore Sun says that you can use it with quotes around it.

Really Random Fact

2011-01-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

So I got a microwave popcorn popper for Christmas and it didn't have the lid. So I went back to the store and they said "Ok just go find it and we'll exchange it". I went and found the popcorn poppers but it wasn't there. I asked the clerk to look up if the microwave one was in the store. It was. However, 20 minutes of searching by myself couldn't turn it up. My mom called later she found it in a different store. It was next to the microwaves. It's like putting acne serums next to the candy. That has to be the weirdest product placement I’ve ever seen. Do you have any similar stories of random store product placements?

Random Job Facts

2011-01-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Last night on the Suze Orman show she was explaining the concept of having an 8 month emergency fund and that it may really need to stretch beyond that time period. She said that the average time that it takes someone who is out of work to land a new job in this country right now is 1-2 years. That is absolutely terrifying. So, I went and looked it up and couldn't find the statistic anywhere. That doesn't make it any less terrifying.

More Random Job Facts

2011-01-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

While I was looking up how long it takes the average American to find a job I came up with another interesting fact. I found a lot of data describing employee tenure, or how long people stay with the same employers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics rel last fall it was 4.4 years. I was really hoping that it would be a lot longer. The data from previous years that I was looking at seemed to be 3-5 years. That's going to require a lot of business card printing. I really want to stay with the same company for the next 40 years but that really seems next to impossible sometimes

Random Sand Sculptures

2011-01-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

People that carve sand sculptures fascinate me. It's such a finite art form and so much work goes into it. This has been one of my favorite articles of the last few weeks and it really just has a lot of different pretty pictures of these amazing works of art. If I was an artist I would be too temperamental for this. I would want my work to stay around like reaching different levels on psp and saving the game. Sure, it's not hard hitting news but in a way it's inspiring, to put so much work into something without regard for the final end result.

All of Those Facts Down the Drain

2011-01-09T12:40:00.002-07:00

I remember one time watching a documentary about Lewis Black and another comic made a joke about he was always carrying around newspaper clips from 40 years ago that no one cared about except for him. I kind of feel this way. Firefox was giving me problems so I had to create a new user profile and I lost all of these bookmarks that I had been storing up for years. Just years of unwritten random facts just gone. Sure, I was probably never going to get around to writing about them, but it was nice to have them there.

People I Can Never Be Friends With

2011-01-07T20:07:00.001-07:00

I was recently writing about the show Dear Genevieve on HGTV. Let me just start out by saying I love it when I can spell things like pci compliant hosting. Ease of spelling is oddly important to me. I butchered the spelling of her name so badly that not even spell check could give me clues on how to solve this. I tried “Genieve”. I had no idea that it had so many extra letters in it. I’m going to mark this down on my list of “People With Names I Can Never Be Friends With Even If They Are Awesome Because It Would Be Too Awkward”. What names are on your list?

Elementary School Flashback

2011-01-01T14:47:00.001-07:00

I always loved the first and last days of elementary school. The lesson plans were gone and instead there always seemed to be just tons of brain teasers. So, when Yahoo had a collection of all of these brain teasers I was pretty excited. I was also happy to see that most of them are optical illusions because those are the easiest even if it's a household object like kitchen faucets or vases. (Except for magic eye puzzles I’ve never been able to do that). I think the pixelized portraits are the easiest. There’s also several showing the same image with the same color but with different backgrounds and the contrast totally makes it look like a different color.

So That's Your Busy Season?

2010-12-16T12:35:00.002-07:00

I was watching something interesting on Cake Boss. They said their busiest day of the year is December 24th and showed how hectic it is. This surprised me, I would have thought it would be during wedding season. I guess people go out to buy their home baked goods now. It really got me thinking about all of the post men, bakers, and everyone else who is having an unexpected busy season just so we can all enjoy the holidays even though if you're like me you usually complain that you have to wait in a long line.

What Are the Top Christmas Gifts?

2010-12-16T12:32:00.001-07:00

This was something that I was really pondering and came across this article about the top selling Christmas gifts of the last few decades. There really seems to be a trend. Like in the mid 90's and everything before it seems to be presents for kids, toys such as Barbie's or pet rocks. However, after that technology took over and all Apple products started reigning supreme. Most of these look like Christmas presents that people are buying for themselves. Plus, it really shows how the country has become more lavish in it's spending.

Facts That I Hope Aren't True

2010-12-02T12:19:00.002-07:00

I found a lot of interesting facts by watching the Suze Orman Gift Spectactular. They'd have nice little tips about Christmas spending during each commercial break. I think the scariest one is that supposedly 13 million people who charged their gifts last year are still paying for it. This is terribly frightening. I think it's a better idea to just give more thoughtful gifts like picking out the right cigar types or making crafts. I haven't been able to find that number anywhere on the net but even if it isn't true then it is good incentive.

Random Picture of the Day

2010-11-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

When I was searching for a cornucopia photo a lot of random pictures came up including this one. It's really a beautiful shot. It's much better than the wicker basket I was looking for.

Creative Commons Photo from Chefranden

What Does Karaoke Mean?

2010-11-18T12:57:00.002-07:00

This is a fact that I learned from "How I Met Your Mother". Karaoke is Japanese for "empty orchestra". On the show they called this "hauntingly beautiful". I call it "hauntingly confusing" because I don't really know what it means. To me it's as good as meaning something totally random like supplements for weight loss. It should really mean "empty of a trained singer" because the background music is still there. So now that we know what the word itself means, does anyone know what the meaning means?

Qwerty Facts

2010-11-18T12:53:00.002-07:00

I had so much fun typing qwerty that I decided to make an entire post out of it. According to wikipedia:

This started in the 1970s with Christopher Sholes. The first version only had two rows.
This isn't a verified wikipedia fact but apparently the R was moved so the word typewriter could be written from one line. Try it, it works. I wonder if they'd choose a phrase like diet pill reviews now.
The standard qwerty keyboard actually really favors left hand people.
So basically wikipedia and history are both saying that they don't know why the letters are arranged the way they are on a qwerty keyboard but all alternatives always seem to fail.

Who's The World's Fastest Typist?

2010-11-18T12:50:00.001-07:00

I was thinking about this fact because I'm a freelance writer. I could get so much work done if I could just say type 80 words a minute consistently. That's not asking for so much. For some reason I thought it would be a writer wearing a smoking jacket and always looking for cigar deals. He'd use a typewriter on an old oak desk. I guess the world record according to The Guinness Book is Mrs. Barbara Blackburn from Oregon. Her fastest record was 212 wpm. She used a dvorak keyboard. I've been looking at the dvorak layout and I can't see how it would be any easier or faster but I'm stuck in a qwerty frame of mind. Also that's the first time I've typed qwerty and it was fun.

What's a Cornucopia?

2010-11-18T12:39:00.002-07:00

I know that a cornucopia represents a horn of plenty. It is a symbol for Thanksgiving and is usually full of fruits or vegetables. Then today I started thinking "umm what exactly is it made out of?" However, trying to find a Creative Commons Photo to support this wasn't working in my favor. It's used a lot in artwork and even sculpture but it's difficult to actually find the basket.

Horse Racing Facts

2010-11-18T12:35:00.002-07:00

I'll admit right off the bat that I'm not a horse racing expert. I'm not even really interested in it. The only thing that really fascinates me is the names. How exactly do they come up with such wild names? This article says that The Jockey Club makes you submit several names, and each one has to be "unique". I guess all of the good names have already been taken. It also looks like they try to make combinations of the sire and mare. I guess this makes sense or every horse would be named Wins Races. I would go for some really random name like "apply for a credit card". Anyone else know how horses get their funny names?

When is Thanksgiving in Canada?

2010-11-01T16:18:00.003-06:00

I didn't actually ever really think of Canada as having a Thanksgiving until I had a Canadian friend in college. Yes, when other people were partying and finally getting much needed help in drug rehab treatment centers I was like "Ohh they have Thanksgiving in Canada too?" Then, I remembered this again on "How I Met Your Mother" when they were accusing Robin's Thanksgiving of not being a real Thanksgiving. This apparently occurs on the second Monday in October. I think Monday is a much more practical time as far as the work week goes to have Thanksgiving. Then I read this Thanksgiving Canadian menu to see if the food was different. There seems to be slightly more vegetables, as well as beet soup.

When Does Autumn Start?

2010-10-23T16:15:00.001-06:00

This was a question I was recently asking myself because I'm still in summer like weather. The trees are still green. This is totally different than Northern Utah where the fall has come and gone already, although it's still hanging around. I know that technically the Autumnal equinox is in late September. I guess the weather here doesn't read wikipedia.

How Many Calories do Americans Eat per Day?

2010-10-23T16:13:00.001-06:00

This blog post sites a study that the answer is close to 4,000. I find that really difficult to believe in fact I was thinking about it with my face scrunched up so much that now I probably need wrinkle creams that work. Then again, I don't count calories. I guess if you were eating fast food for every single meal every single day it would add up. I really miss the days of my youth when carbs were at the bottom of the food pyramid and everyone was allotted 2,000 calories a day.

Everybody Has a Story

2010-10-23T16:12:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite sections of the news was on CBS a few years ago. It was one of the fluff pieces at the end but it involved the reporter just throwing a map at a dart and then going to the city he hit. Then he would randomly look up someone in the phonebook and go and interview them and get their life story. All that running around was probably a fat burner. You can get so much random information that way. Anyways, this is one of my favorite link parties ever called "How I Met My House". Everyone has a story behind why and how they ended up where they are.

Wedding Myths I Wish Were True

2010-10-21T13:10:00.000-06:00

So I was browsing around Emily Post's site. I was fascinated by the wedding gift tips. Apparently there's a rumor that you have up to a year to send a gift. I haven't heard this rumor, and it's probably a good thing. I just think if anyone waited that long they'd forget. According to Emily Post this isn't true you only have a few months but you should send it before or as close to the wedding as possible. I’d be reluctant to send a gift before just in case the wedding was canceled. I also don't know if you can send non-traditional gifts like muscle building supplements. I'm sure someday when I get married I'll be glad that it’s a myth, but as a frequent gift giver I wish it was acceptable.

Bridal Wedding Etiquette

2010-10-21T13:09:00.001-06:00

This was a random fact that came up on Mad Men last week. I think Pete was the one that said that you say congratulations to the groom and best wishes to the bride. I looked it up and apparently you can also say best wishes to the groom. I have no idea what would happen if you said congratulations to the bride. Really when you think about the meaning behind it, it's quite outdated and a little bit sad. Nonetheless it still seems to be etiquette even today. As for me, I usually just say congratulations to both, I'm a rebel.

Wedding Etiquette from Emily Post

2010-10-21T13:07:00.000-06:00

So I was wondering about wedding etiquette because of last week's episode of Mad Men. I decided that the most reliable source on this would be Emily Post. So as I was reading through the details on the site I came across two things that really made me laugh. First off was the etipedia, which is basically an etiquette encyclopedia. The second was in reference to the phrase second marriage. The site uses "encore weddings". I guess that would make more sense for a vow renewal because the bride and groom have changed. However, I'm definitely not the guide to any sort of etiquette it's up there with advanced Forex training in my brain. I just thought that it was a really lovely if somewhat confusing way of phrasing things.

One of the Best Dating Articles Ever

2010-10-15T15:33:00.002-06:00

Granted, I don't read a lot of dating articles, but when I do I usually cringe. It seems like dating brings up a lot of dilemmas that random facts just can't answer such as "Why isn't he calling?" or "How can I make him stop calling?" (I'm actually really good at that last one.) I have a lot of random knowledge, even about fda approved diet pills, but ask me about dating and I go blank. This article talks about how to tackle five tough topics. I really love that one of the topics is how to say I love you. There are some solid conversation skills in there instead of just playing games or forcing issues.

What's The Most Popular Halloween Candy?

2010-10-15T15:32:00.001-06:00

This is usually the spot where I would tell you the answer. However, after exhaustive research, I still don’t know. This must be one of those unquantifiable questions. A few sites suggested that it is tootsie rolls. This makes sense because you can get it in big bags and it's quite inexpensive, so maybe that one is bought the most. I'd just assume that actual trick or treaters prefer chocolate candy bars but I can't get the hard scientific studies that I so desperately want to back it up.

At What Age Do You Become Grumpy?

2010-10-11T10:16:00.002-06:00

Apparently London researchers just had to find the answer to this question and the answer appears to be 52. This survey really bothered me because it just seemed to rely heavily on stereotypes. I think anyone can be happy at any age as long as they surround themselves with people they love and stay true to themselves even if it's just with something little like nfl t shirts. However, it does show that babies laugh about 300 times a day while senior citizens laugh 2.5 times. I like to think that I will still be giggling when I'm 65. There’s so many things wrong with this survey that I’m now determined to laugh a lot more and mess up the curve.

How Many Sentences are in a Paragraph?

2010-10-11T09:56:00.003-06:00

This seems like one of the basic rules of grammar. However, as an online writer I find it's often one of the most disputed rules. Every company has different rules about what a paragraph is. It's not just like looking up how to get rid of acne where you can get a definite answer. I remember in my elementary school it was 4-6. Other people will argue it's 3-8. This is one of the most difficult parts of writing for me because I love 15 sentence paragraphs. I really love this answer that says that it can be as long as it needs to be to get an idea across, even if it takes 100 sentences. Really that's what a paragraph is but everyone has their own stipulations on it.

Random Costume Ideas

2010-10-05T16:54:00.000-06:00

At every Halloween party there is always that one guy. You don't know exactly what he is until you ask. It's the kind of stuff that no one else would think about such as dressing up as a pillow. Then there are people who dress their dogs up as tacos and you know that it's a taco but you just don't know why their dog is a taco. I dare anyone to make their own costume and go as a cardboard box. It's a really good thing that I don't have kids.