April 2019

80s Trend Revivals

As an 80s kid who raised my own kid on The Goonies, Back to the Future and Care Bears, I have to say that the revival of 80s culture and trends doesn't bother me in the slightest. Yesterday I spotted an elderly woman wearing a bright jacket with patterns much like the one I wore in the late 80s/early 90s (to be fair, I'm a Millennial who was born in the early 80s, so I wasn't a teenager until the 90s) and I had to compliment her. It was pretty cool!

Famous Gardens Across The Globe

Honestly when it comes to famous gardens around the world, the best I can do is name our local botanical garden and maybe the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. I'm not that knowledgeable about famous gardens around the world, but I know that most places have them. My own college campus had a famous rose garden, as do many places. Just what is it about roses, anyway? Sure, they're pretty, but they're not lilies. 

Fogon Seattle

I don't know about you, but I crave Mexican on at least a monthly basis. I don't even need a margarita, although I know that's part of the experience for many fans of Mexican food! I'm a sucker for a good enchilada and a fabulous corn cake (it can't be dried out). One of the best places to get Mexican cuisine in Seattle is, of course, Fogon

New Species of Frog Discovered In Madagascar

Every time a new frog species is dicovered, it seems like it's tinier than the last. No wonder it took us so long to find the frog in the first place! Many of these critters are as small as micromachine cars, if not smaller. The newest species found was discovered in Madagascar. Scientists found a total of five different species, but they're all teeny tiny.

Honeycombs

Geek Mom just reviewed the game Honeycombs and I think it looks like such a fun and simple game that I need it for our next family game night! The kids in our family are 13 and 2, which makes it tricky to find something they both will enjoy. Playing outside and playing with worms are pretty much it! So a game like this, which would appeal to a simple toddler as well as a meticulous teen, looks excellent.

All About The Black Hole

Everyone is so excited about the photo of a black hole that was released last night, especially scientist Katie Bouman who made it happen (yes, along with many other contributors, but SHE is the reason we have the photo and you never hear every other scientist in history, who all used other scientists' work and data, being as picked apart as she is! STAHP IT NOW).

Keto Cereal

Friends and family who eat a ketogenic diet often complain about not having any cereal options, and it's a valid complaint. Yes, there are some DIY things you can make on your own, but the worst part about eating low-carb isn't so much finding foods to eat as it is losing the convenience foods that make it easier to eat. That's why it's exciting to find keto cerals like Magic Spoon's low-carb, high protein cereal.

Mammoth And Neanderthal Genetic Similarities

It sounds weird, at first, to hear that neanderthals and mammoths developed similar genetic adaptations, especially when it comes to coping with the cold, but it really makes sense when you think about it. Many mammals would have had to experience heavy adaptations during this time in order to successfully survive those temperatures, after all, and both species lived in the same areas, which would mean they'd need similarities. But genetics themselves?

Give The Gift Of Poetry

Every few days, I have a note to celebrate National Poetry Month in a new way in my planner. Today's note says, "Give someone a poem." This is a fun prompt, but which poem to share, and with whom should I share it? Part of me wants to copy a favorite poem out by hand, which would look really pretty, or even just a favorite stanza (maybe "Goblin Market") and decorate it. Then again, it would be rather meaningful to write a whole new poem to share with someone, too.

Pet Gifts

In honor of my chickens' birthday today (okay, it's really their homecoming day, and YES, I celebrate all my animals' birthdays!), I thought it would be fun to share the types of things we get as gifts for our animal friends. For my chickens, it's not very exciting--they got broccoli slaw for their birthday cake this morning, for example!--but for other pets this can mean really fun things.

Giant Cats Are Coming!

Watch out, the giant cats are coming! They'll stomp your car, squash your house and make the Hellboy demons look pathetic! Okay, that's not very hard to do, but even so, these enormous cats look super funny because they've been manipulated by an artist who has reimagined them as giants. Remember the cats we shared a few weeks ago where you could look at them from under a clear glass table?

Ready Player One

As a geeky Millennial who hid comic books in my math book, drew X-Men and had a Mogwai as my "lovely" as a little kid, you can imagine how excited I was to read Ready Player One. I'd heard great things about it from so many people whose opinions I'd previously trusted (ha!) and read it aloud with my 13-year-old. Holy cow, was it hard to finish. I get loving all of the references; I love it when Supernatural peppers them in, too. But they do it well. This was just, "I know this obscure reference, nyah!" And everyone claps when you know a piece of trivia someone else doesn't? No, dude.

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