I found this on Dr. Zeus' blog and the thread continues

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)

Silky Contour (Oooooo!)

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)

Coffee Oatmeal (kind of crumby)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)

P-Glo (I like it)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Midnight Cat (Yep)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

Jane Cleveland

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)

Glopa

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Black Cosmopolitan (interesting . . .)

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
William Leon

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)

Shalimar Nonpareil (that's it, that's it!)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )

Just Leslie (my mother did not have a middle name)

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)

Stevens Saskatoon (of the Mounties)

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)

Autumn Lupine.

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + "ie" or "y")

Mango Panty

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)

Bagel Beech

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)

The Clay Wind Tour (on the road again)

Fun, geeky stuff

I get a lot of my science news from email newsletters from New Scientist and from the Australian Broadcasting Company's "ABC Science Updates."

Go take a look at the quizzes on ABC's site - which element are you?

Velvet Fog

Happy Birthday to Mel Torme - born September 13, 1925.

I have been working on my calendar for 2008 and noticed that today deserves a mention. Torme was arguably one of the greatest male jazz vocalists of all time, an actor, song writer (collaborator with Bob Wells on "The Christmas Song," as well as being a licensed pilot (thanks, Wiki).

..High risk of rip currents today along the shore of Lake Erie...

For those of us who are on shore, it is a superbly glorious day with temps in the low seventies, sunshine, breezes and clouds. This is a gift from the weather fairies in the midst of what has been a hot and humid summer. I hope it lasts for the weekend.

The rip current image is from NOAA.

Just fiddling around

Rome burns - 64

Escher World

Just thinking about my walk yesterday from my office at Midwestern University. My office is on the third floor of building 1. I walked directly over the pedestrian bridge and wound up on the second floor of building 2. I went down to the first floor of building 2 and walked across the Quad straight onto the third floor of building 3. Ground level did not change. This is one of the wonders of working at a venerable institution where the buildings have been potchked together over the years.

Celebrate Butter Tart Day

I missed recognizing Canada Day (July 1) but did not want Butter Tart Day (July 10) to pass without a mention. Butter tarts are a Canadian delicacy of uncertain derivation. There are also a multitude of different opinions about the proper ingredients - raisins or currents or neither; maple syrup or brown sugar; nuts or plain. I am a purist and prefer them without nuts or raisins.

Here is a link to the discussion, "What makes a great butter tart?" and a recipe from the JoyofBaking.com.