Back to Work

...and there's a lot of it to get done. Much is half-finished; just a few touches, and I get a bunch off my plate. Goody.
   Meanwhile, from the Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff Department:


Orphan Annie is no more. I liked the musical, loved the movie (though Harvey Korman would have been a much more interesting choice for Daddy Warbucks), thought the comic strip a little stupid. But she has been around a very, very long time.

A new website that lets you get -- and offer -- all sorts of things for five bucks! Yep, you read that right -- everything from a voiceover to a personalized song to professional evaluations for five measly dollars . The offers tell you about the person's background, as well, so you can pick the best ones. Skip the article, if you like, and go straight to the site: Fiverr.com . An intriguing idea that may well be the  best bargain this year.

The 16-year-old who was attempting to sail around the world, Abby Sunderland, had to be rescued after a storm snapped her boat's mast off. (She's safe; the boat is abandoned and drifting.) Mom and Dad have taken a lot of criticism for letting her go...but they argued that she was perfectly capable of doing it. And besides, her brother had done the same thing at about the same age. (I also notice, though, that the parents were the loudest voices urging that Something Should Be Done when Abby's emergency beacons were activated. Did they pay any part of the rescue effort, I wonder. Yes, I'd do the same thing if one of our girlies was in trouble -- but would I have been as casual about her leaving in the first place?)
    From Abby's blog:
"The captain [of the rescue boat] is a big, friendly, bald guy with a big beard. He speaks English pretty well and he says, 'Is no good to worry about the boat. Is just a boat, you is safe. You should not think about the past.' Which is true, but its hard to keep my mind off everything that's happened."
   I wonder how many 16-year-olds could really handle pressure like this, including the inevitable interviews. Hang in there, kiddo.
   Now it turns out that Dad has signed up for a reality show. Great day in Heaven, what a surprise...

Seven things to do when preparing for an emergency. (I'd add food, canned or bottled juice and water. Maybe even a copy of M.J. Fisher's How to Cook A Wolf.)

An insanely cool bookshelf that doubles as a staircase. (It's in London. Yes, you can have it too, with some planning and design work.)

A (very funny!) retrospective of knitting magazine poses -- i.e., the "Spinnerin Straddle."

And the frugal value of going to a drive-in movie.


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Quote of the Day:


"It takes a certain type of person to be a television star; I didn't have whatever that is. I come across as kind of snobbish and maybe a little too bright. . . . Give me something bizarre to play or put me in a dress and I'm fine."
                  Harvey Korman, 2005