Ramblings(unless otherwise noted)

It will without a doubt be the one thing that I don't have at the house..right now I would love some salsa..see it works.no salsa here :)

Hats off to the person that made the splint for this baby Ringtail  Possum..awesome job!

A brother and sister duo will be making their first public appearance at the Atlanta Zoo this September. Until then you can see them via webcam at www.zooatlanta.org I'm going to try to get down there during an upcoming business trip so I'll try to get some more pics to post later.

Before I review Bryson's latest I have to admit that I am a huge Bryson fan; so even if he had written on a subject such as the history of wallpaper, I would with hesitation have read it.

For those unfamilier with Bryson, he was born in Des Moines but later moved to England. His earlier books were mostly travel oriented and are not only superb guides but also amusing. Bryson's gift, or his greatest attribute is his ability to make even the most mundane subject interesting and often amusing.

Recently however, his two recent books have not only given the readers a chuckle, but also educated them.

I have a degree in chemistry and probably enough credits for a minor in biology but still learned plenty in The Short History of Nearly Everything. Apparently, I was not alone in my admiration as the book won the Aventis and Descartes awards for best science books of 2005. It was Bryson's vast knowledge of words and his terrific storytelling prowess that made the book enjoyable to even the scientific novice. In my opinion it should be required reading for all high school science classes.

His latest book is entitled At Home: A Short History of Private Life and is written to again educate and entertain. Bryson's inspiration is his 19th century rectory in Norfolk. The rectory has seen generations of families come and go and has been transformed with inventions to not only bring comfort but also to improve life.

The chapters follow the rectory from room to room comparing and contrasting where we have made vast improvements in society and some where we may have sputtered on automatic pilot.

Some of the journals Bryson has rescued from the past show us how different and sometimes how alike we are to our ancestors. In one angrily written entry by a servant, she is complaining of having to endure lobster day after day while the owners get to feast on chicken. Many of the early cookbooks talk of vegetables and fruit that we love today, as distasteful to the palates of the time period.

The one part of the book that I struggled with was his long chapter on servitude. I'm not sure if he was trying to show the differences in classes during the time, but it was a little over the top. In one instant he would be talking about how the servants could be beaten or forced to sleep on dirty cold floors and just as quick considered them lucky to have food and shelter. I think most know that it was not a desirable life to work as a servent and thought that he could have made the point in less print.

For people who have read many of Bryson's work before, there is not quite as much humor as in his travel books, but I think it is because Bryson has assumed a new role as educator. Besides how many jokes can you make about furniture?

Give it a chance and if possible listen to it on audio as Bryson's voice lends itself to superb storytelling.

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This is a public service annoucement:

Don't waste your money on Stephen King's newly released book Blockade Billy.

I thought it was a slam dunk for me King plus baseball equals winner. Sadly this was not the case. I kept waiting for the story to take off, to add some sort of supernatural element, but it just limped along like the aging coach that told the story of a 1957 baseball player named Billy Blakely. Blakely was the last minute option when the big league Titans lost two catchers in one week.

As bad and disappointing of an ending that this story has, the second is even worse.  "Morality" tells the story of a young couple facing money problems. They long to get out of Jersey and move north to Conn. An unfinished yet promising book by the husband gives the couple hope of a bright future. Unfortunately with both working, he has little time for writing. Their problem is instantly solved when a former pastor, whom the woman has been helping recover from a stroke, offers 200k if the couple will help him satisfy a dark wish.

The story started with potential and then just got weird and frankly unbelievable.

If King's name didn't appear on the cover, I would have sworn these stories were written by a C level high school creative writing student.

King you owe me 6.99 and 47 minutes of my life back.

The National Zoo in Washington needs your help in naming their two new twin Andean cubs.  The zoo has narrowed down the choices to four names each with Peruvian roots. If you vote and re-tweet the poll to your followers you might be selected for a special behind the scenes tour of their bear exhibit.

Click here for more info

 I can't believe I hadn't noticed this before. I own this disc and Bride is one of my favorite films.

More zoo babies over here