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Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies. --Gene Hill

Thurs, Aug 26

» Completed Knitting Project: StitchDiva's Bohemian poncho in Berrocco Cotton Twist in the Armani Mix #8448 colorway. I finished it last night and it's beautiful!

» Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow movie soundtrack listening party on AOL. This is streaming audio of the full CD movie soundtrack and is a ton of fun. Reminds me alot of the Indiana Jones movie soundtracks. I can't wait until the movie comes out! The official movie website is beautifully done. Thanks for the tip John B!

Wed, Aug 25

» Mystery of the Biggest Viking Gold Ring: From www.ThisIsYork.co.uk

THE biggest Viking gold ring ever found in the British Isles has been discovered among the belongings of a York man following his death. Mystery surrounds the origins of the 324.6 gram arm ring, which has excited experts, one of whom called the find "fantastic". [more]

» Anglo-Saxon Pendant Is a Gem of a Find for Paul: From ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk 25 August 2004—A gorgeous garnet and gold pendant believed to be around 1,500 years old has been found in Leicestershire. Experts say the shield-shaped gem, just over 2cm long and held in place by a collar and backplate of gold, is a piece of Anglo-Saxon history...

...The garnet, said Angela Care Evans of the British Museum, was cut and polished in the fifth century and mounted on a sword, or other military item. The stone was probably ripped out when the sword was damaged, to be worn as jewellery. [more]

» One of the most adorable photos I've ever seen: Morgan Sickles, 12, shares a moment with her dog "George," a cavalier King Charles spaniel, after they were eliminated by the judge from the Junior Show class at the Marshfield Area Kennel Club Dog Shows at the Central Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. (AP Photo/the Marshfield News-Herald, Casey Riffe) (August 15, 2004)

I love when people look so much like their dogs! What a pair!

» House Rules for Dog Owners:

  1. The dog is not allowed in the house.
  2. Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.
  3. The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.
  4. The dog can get on the old furniture only, but has to stay off the new couch.
  5. Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.
  6. Okay, the dog is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.
  7. The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.
  8. The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only.
  9. The dog can sleep under the covers every night.
  10. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the dog.

I snitched this list from the Cavalier Connection Online Forum.

Tues, Aug 24

» Serious Notice For Dog Owners About Raisin/Grape Poisoning!
Although many dog owners and dog trainers have traditionally used raisins and grapes as treats, RAISINS AND GRAPES IN LARGE QUANTITIES CAN BE LETHAL TO DOGS. As few as a handful of raisins or grapes can make a dog ill; however, of the 10 cases reported to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), each dog ingested between 9 ounces and 2 pounds of grapes or raisins. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center advises not giving grapes or raisins to pets in any amount.

Here are all the articles I've read on the subject so far:

» GOOD news for my little Chester and the other little boy puppies out there!: You may be able to have your little boy neutered with 2 injections rather than going under the knife! Neutersol is the world's first and only FDA-approved sterilization drug for puppies. I've emailed this info to my vet to see if Chester can have the Neutersol rather than the traditional anesthesia and surgery--anything to keep my little baby from going under the knife!

Fri, Aug 20

» Amazing Viking Longship Model with Figures: A magnificent large-scale model of a medieval era Viking longship - complete with crew! And it's only $549.97!

Thurs, Aug 19

» The case of the exploding knitting needle: Paula Lalish, a longtime Marrowstone Island resident returning home from Port Angeles on Aug. 1 in her Ford Aerostar, was quietly knitting a sweater alongside her husband, Greg, as he drove. Suddenly, a sound as loud as a gunshot rang out inside the car. [more]

Thurs, Aug 12

» I started this new knitting project today: StitchDiva's Bohemian poncho in Berrocco Cotton Twist in the Armani Mix #8448 colorway. For now, Stitch_Diva is selling her PDF knitting and crochet patterns via eBay. I've bought this and one crochet pattern from her and I LOVE them. They're very well written and lavishly illustrated with photos and stitch tutorials.

Wed, Aug 11

» Princess shows her face after 1,500 years - From news.telegraph.co.uk: The face of a wealthy Anglo-Saxon woman, equivalent in stature to a modern princess, has been forensically reconstructed using clues from her skull. The woman, who lived in the 6th century, was one of 219 bodies discovered during an archaeological dig at Butler's Field, Lechlade, Glos, in 1985. [more]

Tues, Aug 10

Tudor period» I want their job: Rent a Peseant—Living History with Livestock. "Rent a Peasant is primarily an association of two people. Our remit is to provide an insight into everyday aspects of rural life in the past. Farming is fundamental to our presentations, hence our subtitle Living History with Livestock. Since basic agricultural methods remained little changed from late prehistory to the early industrial period, Rent a Peasant can provide costumed historical interpreters for events spanning the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Medieval and Tudor periods. We then jump to the late Victorians/Edwardians."

Mon, Aug 9

» Koko goes to the dentist: When Koko the gorilla used the American Sign Language gesture for pain and pointed to her mouth, 12 specialists, including three dentists, sprang into action. The result? Her first full medical examination in about 20 years, an extracted tooth and a clean bill of health. [more]

» 30-second Bunnies Theatre: AngryAlien.com is the only place I know of where you can see reenactments of Alien, Tiatanic, The Exorcist and The Shining in 30 seconds acted by Flash-animated bunnies.

Thurs, Aug 5

» Milk and Cookies for geeks - MilkandCookies.com "is an archive of memes for disturbing geeks about: sex machines, pop culture, anti christ religions, humor cults, joke news, open source stuff, security, technology, sarcasm and toilet humor." Great site to see weird/funny TV ads, Flash films and other entertaining/subversive stuff.

» The Office Max "Rubber Band Man" commercial has been nominated for an Emmy! Click the "Audio/Visual Club" link on this Office Max Flash page to see all the ads. For more info on the man behind the character, check out Eddie Steeples' page.

Wed, Aug 4

Nicole Kidman» How some female celebrities would look bald: Surprisingly attractive in some cases, terrifying in others.

Yesterday = Vikings, today = Hollywood-bashing:

» Can Hollywood ever get it right?!?!? From NewsWales.com: King Arthur film an insult to Wales, say historians. “This film is an insult to the Welsh people whose real, provable ancient heritage and culture is once again being attacked and denigrated,” said Alan Wilson today.

Wilson and Blackett, controversial experts on both of the real historical King Arthurs, are challenging filmmaker [Jerry] Bruckheimer. “He has ignored our research and he’s ignored ancient Welsh and British history. In any other country there would be an outcry. The worse thing is that some of the actors who star in the film are saying that the perverted history promoted in the film is the ‘truth’,” added Baram Blackett." [more]

» Historians attack Hollywood "distortions" LONDON (Reuters): Hollywood film studios are guilty of a "grotesque distortion of history" which is destroying Britain's national identity, a newspaper has quoted historians as saying.

The chief executive of English Heritage, the government body responsible for the historic environment, told the Independent on Sunday film-makers' "sloppy" and "formulaic" approach to history had left a generation of children confused. [more]

Tues, Aug 3

All Vikings all day:

» The 2005 Ikea Catalog is online! Great...another distraction so I can waste even more time during the work day...

Propecia anyone?» Finally, an action figure that will please even the most anal-retentive Norse reenactors:his 12-inch Dog Soldiers Viking Action Figure kicks some serious bootay. Aside from the bald spot that is...

Thanks to www.toymania.com for use of the images.

» Strand of Science Saves Viking Hair: Strands of hair from Viking times have been saved by students from the University of Lincoln. The artefacts, which were uncovered at a burial site in Russia, have been handed to the university by the Hull and East Riding Museum. They are said to be unique as many human remains dating back more than 1,000 years to the Viking period have deteriorated over time. [more]

» But it was nice and warm when we got here? Or...did crappy weather drive the Vikings out of Greenland? Check out this article from The Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change:

"The Norse, under Eric the Red, were able to colonize South Greenland at AD 985, according to the Icelandic Sagas, owing to the mild Medieval Warm Period climate with favorable open-ocean conditions...As time progressed, however, the glowing promise of the apex of Medieval warmth gave way to the debilitating reality of the depth of Little Ice Age cold." [more]

Mon, Aug 2

» Latest Knitting project: Tahki, Stacy Charles, Inc. Poncho in white cotton.

Chester's evil twin» New Chester Pics: I added some cute pics from the weekend and today. This pic is the posessed Chester attacking my computer chair.