Better Than Wizard's Chess

While I continue to dig out from under a pile of work, please enjoy this brief interlude. And yes, it IS better than Wizard's chess!

My Two Favorite Science Jokes

I have a special place in my heart for science jokes. I could always count on my dad to chuckle along with me. Since I cannot share them with him, I'm giving them to you. Just promise me you'll laugh with me!

Joke 1
Two strands of DNA are talking and one says to the other "Do these genes make me look fat?"

Joke 2
Two Hydrogen atoms were walking down the street.
One atom said, "Hey! I just lost an electron!"
The other atom said "Are you sure?"
The first atom replied, "Yes, I'm positive!"

Are you smiling? Or confused? Do you have a favorite science joke? If so, please share!

Go Wimp Yourself

No really, just go! (Thanks to Travis at 100 Scope Notes for the nudge.)

Debut Picture Book Cover - I'm In!

Over at 100 Scope Notes you'll find directions for creating your own picture book cover. Here's what you do.

1. Go to The Name Generator and click GENERATE NEW NAME. The name that appears is your author name.
2. Go to Picture Book Title Generator and click CREATE TITLE! This is the title of your picture book.
3. Go to FlickrCC and type the last word from your title into the search box followed by the word “drawing”. Click FIND. The first suitable image is your cover.
4. Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Gettin’ creative is encouraged.
5. Post it to your site along with this text.
6. Go to 100 Scope Notes to see the gallery of covers!

And here's my cover ...

Image courtesy of

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70831250@N00/2284892796

S and S and Sea Monsters!

While all the world talks about today's release of the new Dan Brown book, I want to hear about another book released today ... Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

Nope, I haven't read it, but I did read the first chapter online. It begins this way.

The family of Dashwood had been settled in Sussex since before the Alteration, when the waters of the world grew cold and hateful to the sons of man, and darkness moved on the face of the deep.

The Dashwood estate was large, and their residence was at Norland Park, in the dead centre of their property, set back from the shoreline several hundred yards and ringed by torches.

BTW, have you seen the book trailer? And just in case you were wondering, here's how to escape from a giant octopus.

Time Out for Fun! - Scrap Coloring

Have you seen this site? Scrap Coloring offers free online coloring pages for kids. What's different about this site is that it comes with a rich variety of colorful patterns, gradients, fabrics, papers and textures for kids to color with.

I played around with it for a bit and had some fun. I can see some great classroom tie-ins here as well. I selected a background pattern and then colored the chameleon in different ways to try and camouflage it. Kids would enjoy doing this as well. For older kids you could actually discuss and give examples of concealing coloration, disruptive coloration, disguise and mimicry. Then the kids could try to create animals with camouflage in these types of forms.

I also think kids could work with the butterfly and mandala images to experiment with the concept of symmetry.

The number of images available is small (46), but hopefully growing. This one looks to be a lot fun, so take some time to visit and play around. You won't be disappointed.

Rock and Roll Lyrics Like You've Never Read Them

I do love McSweeney's. Today they have me laughing over "thesaurusized" lyrics to rock songs. Here's an excerpt. Can you guess the name of the song?

In the recent past, every one of my dilemmas gave the impression of being so distantly absent.

At the present, it seems as though they're at this time to hang about.

Oh, I accept as true the recent past.

Abruptly, I'm not partially the gentleman I used to exist as.

There's a silhouette suspended on top of me.

Oh, the recent past approached abruptly.

Head on over and check out Rock and Roll, Thesaurusized.

Winston Breen's Puzzle Party - Coming Soon!

Oh how I loved this book. Here's the scoop straight from the Winston Breen web site.

Winston Breen's Puzzle Party

Librarians! Teachers! Booksellers! Parents!
Winston loves to puzzle his friends and classmates, and now he's got some puzzles for you! Solve the puzzles and submit your answers, and you can win...

• A signed copy of Winston Breen's latest puzzling mystery, The Potato Chip Puzzles.
• Or the grand prize: Every single book in G.P. Putnam's Sons Spring 2009 childrens' and young adult catalog plus advance reading copies of numerous Fall 2009 books!

Every day from April 16th to April 22nd, there will be a new puzzle waiting for you on a different blog:

• April 16th: A Patchwork of Books
• April 17th: Fuse #8
• April 18th: Shelf Elf
• April 19th: Books Together
• April 20th: Bookshelves of Doom
• April 21st: Chicken Spaghetti
• April 22nd: Oz and Ends

Go to every blog! Solve every puzzle! Submit your answers by the end of each day to puzzleparty@gmail.com. Every day, one randomly drawn correct answer will win a signed copy of The Potato Chip Puzzles!

And save your answers -- you're going to need them to solve the final puzzle on April 22nd. One randomly drawn person who submits the right answer to that puzzle will win not only The Potato Chip Puzzles but over two dozen other books, courtesy of G.P. Putnam's Sons!

Get ready to start solving! The party begins April 16th!

Snow Day!

Need I say more?

Artfull Bras

Okay, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with children's literature, poetry or teaching, but I just had to share this creative idea for a worthy cause.

Members of Quilters of South Carolina have created one-of-a-kind bras for Breast Cancer Awareness. The exhibit consists of fifty original works of art which are unique, entertaining, humorous, and beautiful to make the public aware of breast cancer, to memorialize those lost to the disease, and to honor survivors.

This exhibit will tour SC until Oct '09 at which time individual Artfull Bras will be auctioned and the proceeds donated to the Best Chance Network, a program to provide care and treatment of uninsured women across the state who are diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer.

Visit the Artfull Bras Project to see these amazing creations. My favorites are Buttons and Bows and Boobs (p. 1) and Look at Them Melons (p. 2). Which one(s) do you love?

Have You Met Señor Calavera?

I should be grading, but right now I'm doing a bit of procrastinating, thanks to Yuyi Morales.

If you have some time, go meet Señor Calavera yourself!

Shakespeare as the Avon Lady?!

If you are a lover of history (like me) and enjoy sarcasm and inventive wit, you need to start reading one of my favorite blogs, The History Bluff. The tag line of this blog is "Making a mess of history." It is one of my regular morning reads and always offers a quick giggle. Today was no exception. Since it has literary connections, I thought you might enjoy it. Here's how it begins:

William Shakespeare is one of the leading dramatists of all time; the first true master of the modern English language - but he was a pioneer in more ways than one. Researchers at The History Bluff have discovered that Shakespeare may well have been the first person to sell cosmetics and perfumes door to door.

Hungry for your own morning giggle? Then get thee to the post entitled William Shakespeare: The Avon Lady.

Charleston Dancing Elves - Family Style

I blame Franki and Mary Lee for this. Say hello to my family. Hubby's elf doesn't appear too often, but my boy is an excellent dancer.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Things I've Done

I got this one from Libby. Play along if you like. All the things I have done are in bold.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (From the top of the main mast, furling sails!)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (Yes, when it was actually allowed.)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (Heavens no! Why would I?)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (does Tai Chi count?)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (Once, and never again!)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (Yes, I was driving!)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury (I've been called, but always dismissed.)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day.

That's 59 out of 100. It seems I've got some work to do, though a few of these I would gladly pass up (like 22, 46, and 97).

Mad Magazine Fold-Ins

While most of my teenage friends were reading Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine (okay, me too!), I had a secret crush on Mad Magazine. Folding the cover was the best part, so I waited until I'd read it all before creasing my magazine. I also didn't want to fold it unless I thought I knew the answer (I usually got it wrong).

Thanks to the New York Times, I've been able to revisit some terrific covers. You can too at Fold-Ins, Past and Present. This is an interactive feature that lets you drag the edge of the magazine cover to fold it and reveal the hidden image and answer to the question at the top of the page. It's brilliant!

**Warning** - Do NOT click that link unless you have some time to kill! (You will find 23 covers, ranging from the 60s to the present.)

Thanks to Neil Gaiman for helping me procrastinate today.

Guess What I Saw Today?!

I am still living 5 years in the past when it comes to cell phone technology. I have a very old phone that I don't often carry, and when I do, it's rarely on. I guess I figure I'm not so important that I need to be reachable every minute of the day. My husband, on the other hand, has a fancy-schmancy phone with a camera and every other imaginable gadget.

While at a conference today I was just a smidgen sorry I didn't have such a phone myself, as prominently displayed at a publisher's table in the exhibit hall was this book.

I think I may have squealed with delight (yes, squealed). I wanted a picture of myself with the display, but alas, no fancy phone. This cover will have to do. (You can read more about the book at Laura's site.)

And here's the funny part. I wanted to tell all the people milling around the stand that I knew the author. Now, we haven't actually met in person, so this may strike some as odd. We have, however, we've commented on each other's blogs, written poetry together, and talked online.

Isn't it amazing how closely this world of online communication can sometimes bring us together? So, to my friend in Minnesota, I hope you get just a small thrill knowing what a big thrill I had seeing your book today.

Why I Love the State Fair

Mischief and mayhem of the animal variety, brand new babies, crazy fun rides, and a few hundred smiles thrown in--all reasons why I love the fair.

Sheep eating chair.

Sheep nuzzling (biting?) William.

Goose eating rope, wagon and anything else he could get his beak on!

Hungry piglets.

Calf at 12 hours old.

One very happy boy.

This is Totally Sara's Fault

You'll notice that picture in the sidebar is um... Miss Rumphius. You haven't seen pictures of me since the China trip, and even then, I wasn't in many of them. So today all I can say is "Sara made me do it!"

Meme Rules
Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair -- just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with your picture.

Sara asked for a comic book pic, but it came out so dark you could barely see me, so I used the colored pencil filter instead.

Another Friday of procrastination at work (literally and figuratively). Now it's YOUR turn!

Romeo & Juliet - The Mental Floss Quiz

Today's lunchtime diversion is this Mental Floss quiz.

While Romeo & Juliet is indeed a masterpiece, it’s lucky for us that not all love stories are so gruesome. The title characters die in the tale (twice!), after all. But the Shakespeare play has remained popular, and the names Romeo and Juliet likely conjure up various images in your mind. Today’s lunchtime quiz looks at how the story and the names of its starcrossed lovers have found their way into movies, music, television, and more.

Sadly, I only scored 8 out of 10. Thank goodness I know my planetary moons, Broadway musicals, and Supertramp! (How's that for eclectic?) Otherwise, it would have been much, much worse.

Creativity Test

Okay, cloudscome made me do it. I'm actually not surprised that our numbers are reversed. Did you see those quilts she made? Have you seen her photos and read her haiku? I only wish I could do that! Here are my results.

Your turn! Go ahead and take the test.