gotta love Apple

I've been trying out the new version of Safari for the past couple of weeks, and *I love it!*

They have a beta version out... for both Mac and PCs, so you PC-users can't get all grumpy about not being able to be in on the next cool thing. And best of all... you can download it for free!

So here are a couple of the things that I think are really cool (maybe flashy, but hey, they are cool!):

When you open up Safari, it opens all your "top sites" (the ones you visit most often?) in the background, and you can see them in this really cool gallery.

Then you can just click on the site you want to open.

Supposedly, you can also view your bookmarks this way. I haven't had time (surprised?) to try this out yet. (Or many of the 150 features.)

Anyway, I'm sold.

I think I've posted this before, but here it is again:

beauty

So I was fascinated by this video of a potter decorating a piece with slip. It says it's 8 minutes long, but I didn't see anything after 4 minutes.

It's not at all the kind of ceramic work I used to do, or even the kind of stuff I'm normally attracted to, but I saw something of hers on etsy that I thought was beautiful, and I found the video on her website. If you happen to look at the etsy site, my favorite photo is the one of the bowl upside-down. I love the fact that the pattern continues on the bottom, even though almost no one looking at it would see that.

The potter's name is Grace Sheese.

need a laugh?

Honestly, it took me a while to figure this one out, but here goes:

Here's a close-up, for those of you who can't quite make this out:

Let me know if this made you chuckle. (Maybe I just have a weird sense of humor?)

I must have been living in the Dark Ages

I finally figured out how to do these scheduled posts. I had heard about it, but I hadn't put any effort into trying to find the thing. (And it kind of feels like cheating, you know?) So anyway, now I can be all bloggy like the rest of you! Hah. So there.

I'm taking advantage of toddler napping time to create a (few) post(s) here instead of

• picking up all the toys
  
• starting a load of laundry
  
• thinking about what I'm going to make for dinner hubby is going to make for dinner
  
• reading a good book (what's a book?)

(Sound of sick baby stirring and then crying.) Right, that's why I'm not doing all those things.

an old favorite

I don't know why, but I never get tired of this book:



As a youngster, I loved this story, mainly the part with the dogs all heading for the tree. What is up on top of that tree, anyway? Oh, the anticipation!! I also loved the page with all the dogs asleep, except for one. (What I realize now is that maybe that little dog is asleep, too, just with eyes wide open.... A little scary, but whatever.)

I've been reading it again (a lot) the past 8-12 months, give or take. Mostly because I enjoy it, and it's long enough to be reading for a while. And my little one seems to be fascinated by (the idea of) dogs.

I've been noticing lately that the dogs with hats:

"Do you like my hat?"
"I do not."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."

really provide some comic relief and break up the reading and tie it all together at the same time. Clever.

And I still love that dog party! What a cool dog party! And what's up with that dog that's sleeping up there in the tree in the middle of the party??

excuses, excuses

OK, so I have my reasons. I feel like I've been sick since Valentine's Day (is that possible? maybe not quite that long, but almost). I also have a terrible tendency to bite off these huge chunks and then wonder why I feel like I don't have enough time to sleep. Working full time, having a toddler (who's been sick, too), trying to keep up with the laundry and myriad of other chores, taking a couple of (real) classes and one that's "just for fun," teaching a class. Nuts! That's right.

Oh, that's why I don't have time to go work out.

I'd like to sign on paper

Am I the only person left in the entire universe who doesn't trust those machines that every store (seemingly) asks you to put your signature into? Or, I suppose more to the point, doesn't trust the people who hack into those machines in order to steal your money, identity, and soul....

Every time I go into those stores that have a "please sign on the machine" policy, I politely say, "I'd like to sign on paper." Their eyes glazed over, they point to the machine and say, "You need to sign there." "No, no," I say politely again, "I'd like to sign on paper." They insist (usually) that I must sign on the machine. I insist that I want to sign on a piece of paper.

Sometimes they call for a manager. If it's a store that I shop in often enough, I usually learn the key combination they need to press. Occasionally, after I insist, they go ahead and print the receipt for me to sign as if they knew all along how to do it.

And sometimes, they will ask why I won't just sign on the machine. So I explain:
-you know how there are people that hack into stores' info in order to steal credit card info and stuff?
-well, imagine that they steal not only the credit card info, but also steal your signature
-now, they can put that signature on anything, and how on earth could you prove it wasn't your signature?


PS Thanks to Peevish for kicking my butt, even though she probably has no idea, because as I read her post, I knew I was off that blogroll of hers. Yes, indeed, I have been out of commission for longer than I thought possible.