madameblogalot

As my son is putting together his Christmas list he mentioned wanting an Ed Hardy shirt. I hadn’t heard of Ed Hardy, so I asked what it is. He said it just has some cool artwork on it. Hm, now I was not expecting the Mona Lisa or Starry Starry Night, but neither was I expecting tattoo art!!

I looked up Ed Hardy clothing and Hardy is a well known tattoo artist. “Don Ed Hardy is known as ‘the godfather of modern tattoo’, for his sophistication, depth and sense of experimentation. California native Don Ed Hardy is recognized around the world for his technical brilliance and mesmerizing imagery. ”

I guess it could have been worse. I guess he could have asked for a tattoo.

Halloween has come and gone. So have the national elections. As the end of the year approaches, we know the holiday season is getting underway and will soon be in full swing! Many folks are already getting their holiday party planning and preparations underway.

Maybe you are one of those people who is looking for some new Holiday Party Ideas this year. Houseguests, planning, cleaning, cooking, meals and gifts can all add up to holiday stress. But with some expert advice and some fun, simple planning tools, your next party can go off without a hitch.

Celebrations.com has an interactive site where you can share your party ideas, recipes and photos. You can also read about the latest and greatest celeb parties on the Platinum Celebrations blog. Get the insider tips on these hot party ideas from the experts who throw them! You can find ideas for holiday parties any time of the year! No matter if you are looking for big ideas for Christmas or Chanukah, Guy Fawkes Night or Sadie Hawkins Day, you are assured some great party ideas for any holiday throughout the year! And as you become the party expert, you can share your ideas too!

No, this is not a post about differing political parties! This last Sunday, my husband brought up some facts about “left brained” people and “right brained” people. He started with a little experiment. He said to clasp our hands together. Then we were to look down and see which thumb was on top. Which ever was on top, the opposite side of our brain is the one we tended to use more. Then he read a list of traits exhibited by the “lefties” and the “righties”. The right brains tend to have great ideas, tend to see the big picture, also get distracted and drop the ball on these great ideas. They seem less organized. They can be perceived by the lefties as being less smart. There were many others that he read, but I knew as he read that he was describing himself. The leftties are the opposite. Like lists, can’t come up with creative ideas, but can take a righties idea and follow through with it. Not as easily distracted. Seen as more organized, etc. The lady next to me asked my husband if he knew what I am. Based on the lists, he knew he is a rightie and I am a leftie. The thumb experiment did not really work for every one, but based on the lists, it was easier to tell which side of the brain one tends to rely on more often.

Living on the Gulf Coast means growing up learning to love to eat seafood. We even joke about being on a “sea” (see) food diet. I have long loved good fish, scallops and especially shrimp. When ever I “see” these foods, I definitely want to continue my “see” (sea) food diet!

I just learned about a great sounding new restaurant. It is a classy looking place only a few miles up the road from me. This fine dining restaurant, The Oceanaire, is designed to look like a sleek 1930s ocean liner and the menu is “Ultra Fresh”. This means that each day, they have fresh sea food flown in from all over the world. The food on your plate tonight might have been swimming in the ocean yesterday! It is caught, shipped in refrigerated transport, put into a special walk in cooler where it will be butchered before being put on the grill, and finally to your plate. The menu selections change daily based on availability to ensure the freshest seafood available.

The atmosphere of the Oceanaire is unique. It’s sleek look coupled with it’s shore line comfort makes it suitable for any occasion. It is especially for lovers of fresh seafood. For some it is the place for fish & chips and a beer. For others, it is their oyster bar. And others come for the 5 lb lobster and champagne. It is the kind of place that satisfies every seafood loving palate. The menu looks amazing! From the Grand Shellfish Platter, to the clam chowder, to the salmon, mahi mahi and the snapper, continuing with the steamed asparagus and baked sweet potato, followed by key lime pie, chocolate caramel brownie or even a root beer float, everything looks temptingly delicious!

The Oceanaire has locations across the country. So if you are thinking of Private Dining San Diego to restaurant corporate events Atlanta the Oceanaire may be just what you are looking for!

I watched part of a show on PBS this afternoon called Hunting the Hidden Dimension. It was very interesting to me. It is about the discovery and use of fractal geometry. I first heard of fractals about four years ago. I can’t remember exactly how I came upon it, but I remember trying to introduce my son to it. (He was in sixth grade and didn’t seem to really get “into” it, though mildly interested.) After watching today’s program, I can’t wait til he gets home so I can ask him if they have or will talk about this in his Geometry and/or engineering design classes.

Fractal Geometry was not really “discovered” until the late 1800’s and not really pursued until about the 1970’s. It is all about self similarity in designs. I guess what I find so intriguing about it all is the way that fractals are expressed in nature. You can see fractals in everything from broccoli and trees and clouds and cacti to coastlines and whole rain forests and the human systems (respiratory, neural, renal and circulatory)! The replication of a tree and its branches can even give a micro-view of the design of the whole forest in which it resides! In the program, of course, the scientists say that natural selection and evolution have hit upon a design that works. I just cannot believe that. To me, the intricate patterning and design that consistently works so efficiently points me to a Creator. I also wonder how tessalations (which I think are pretty much the same thing) and the Fibonacci Curl fit in with fractal geometry. I hope this is going to be taught in the schools at some level. This branch of geometry has already been used for things like measuring coastlines and making mirco-antennas for cell phones!

My husband almost never goes with me on my long work out on Saturdays. Last night we decided it would be fun to go together, so we both got up early and headed out to the pool. We cycled there and back. On the way back, I got a flat rear tire. This has never happened to me before and I was really glad my husband was with me.

He had already prepped my bike with a spare tube, tire tools and a hand pump. He showed me how to get the tire off the bike, how to get the tire off the rim, take out the tube and replace it and get the tire back on the rim. Then we tried to pump it up. That hand pump just would not get the job done. After several minutes with no seeming effect, he looked and found he had some CO2. At this point another cyclist stopped to help us. (Thank You!) He had used the CO2 before and stayed to see how we did with it. It worked and got my tire nearly half full of air, enough to get us home. (At this point a group of cyclists rode by and called out to see if we needed help. Thank you to ya’ll too!)

I replaced the wheel on the bike and we headed back home. This was a really good experience for me and I am so glad it happened when my husband just happened to be along! (THANKS!)

Yesterday, Los Angeles city council voted for a Plastic Bag Tax of .25 cents on every shopper who requests to use plastic bags. If this fails, the council will look at banning plastic bags by 2010.

In 2002, Ireland instituted a similar PlasTax . Consumption of plastic bags went down 90% and litter was drastically reduced. Over $9 million dollars was raised from the tax and put into a “green” fund to help the environment.

The purpose however is not to raise money, but to raise awareness of how much we consume and harm our earth each day without even thinking about it. I like the idea. I know it is hard to get into the habit of bringing shopping bags to the store. I forget at times too, especially if it’s not the grocery store. Each time I go grocery shopping, I am seeing more and more customers bringing their own bags. I do believe every little bit helps and maybe one day our kids will be the ones who live it as a lifestyle.

My son started his driver’s ed. class this week. We have decided to put him in a driving school rather than teach him ourselves. (Pretty funny from a homeschool mom!) But since he is no longer homeschooled, we wanted him to be able to complete the course in the summer during school break.

The owner of the driving school is a track coach at another high school and lots of the kids already know him. This put me a little at ease, knowing he has a good rapport with many kids and is used to working with teens. Of course I have my hesitations as well, but overall we are hoping this is a good experience for our son.

The funny thing is that very many of our friends are teaching their kids to drive rather than sending them to a school. The driving school is a lot more expensive, at least double. But I don’t have to keep up with any paperwork, it is a much quicker course, and I think it will be good for him to drive with some other teachers besides just my husband and myself.

Next Monday, my son will be eligible to go and get his permit.  Beware the student driver!

I just finished reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I had never read this book before, and probably never would have, except that my fifteen year old son read it recently and told me I just had to read it! Well, what good mom could deny that request?

It took me some time to get into the story, and all the way through the book I thought Mr. Dickens a bit too wordy. But I continued, with my son’s encouragement. He assured me it was a good story, one that I was going to appreciate in the end.

I must say that he was right. My son made sure I was “getting” the story by explaining things as I read through the book. The imagery of blood and wine were very strong through the whole story. I was surprised by the graphic nature of the book, for its age. But then, it was a time filled with graphic images. The sacrifice at the end of the story was a surprise for me. One line at the end also caught me and reminded me of Animal Farm (another book my son read this year.) The line alluded to the fact that the oppressed had now become a new kind of oppressor, and I think this falls right in line with the end of Animal Farm, where you cannot tell who is a Man and who is a Pig. I have to say that I do like the story of Two Cities, and think that it could obviously serve as a story of more than just two cities. It is a lesson and warning to all that we need to be aware as we live through the best of times and the worst of times.

I have been struggling to bring this new blog to fruition. I must say that this blog would live forever in anonymity if it were not for the blogmeister Sire. Thanks for all the help and patience with a computer illiterate blogger who may have found herself in over her head!

I am looking forward to what this blog and its new format can bring me. I dedicate this blog to all the wonderful trivia that can be found in this world. I learn so much each day that I have come to find that it is easy to be madameblogalot.