From John to Kathe, With Love

Irresistible Igor

John, David and Tom absolutely adored the character roles of Dwight Frye such as Fritz, assistant to Dr. Frankenstein (and yes it was Fritz, not "Igor" -- that was another assistant to another Frankenstein) and Renfield, servant of Dracula. We impersonated Frye so often that when Tom was cast as Renfield in a high school production of Dracula, it must have been the easiest part he ever had to rehearse for.

For the Lego fans

Brickipedia!

http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/LEGO_Wiki

Actually, we were looking for information about a Lego beetle we saw on Shakesville*, but it looks like that was a new creation by some Lego fanatic, and not available as a kit.

*http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/12/open-thread_19.html

We Can't Find Our Christmas Card List

So if you are expecting (or would like to get) a card from us, please e-mail us at burtfamily@live.com and give us your current address.

Peas of the Pharaohs

The other day, while looking for something entirely other among the foodstuffs in the back hall, John accidentally spilled a #10 can of dried peas. As he struggled to pick them up, Kathe observed that they were the remnants of a 50-pound bag she had been given in the early 1960s, when she had been running a free-food program rather like Food Not Bombs.

We picked up as many of the peas as we could find and shook the dust off them in a collander before putting them back in. Another quantity were swept up with a dustpan and then thoroughly washed, after which we put them to soak. We plan on having some ancient peas tomorrow or the next night.

But that still left peas to turn up in all manner of places over the rest of the day -- in the kitchen, in the living room, in the car while we were out (they must have been in the folds of John's clothes -- somehow).

Later. Kathe challenged John to guess what interesting object she had found on the stairway. He got it in one.

And just now, as we lay in bed, a dried pea crept out of the covers and leapt onto the floor -- we're pretty sure it wasn't under the mattress....

Is this the last? Watch this space for further developments.

We Want a Sewing Group

Kathe and John would like to join a stitch & bitch group or the like where we could sit and socialize while we work on our respective sweaters. Does anyone have a group they'd like to suggest to us? Does anyone want to join us in forming one?

http://dianabazpottery.blogspot.com/

http://dianabazpottery.blogspot.com/

Very pretty pottery.

Periodic Table of Oregon

Just something funny I stumbled across while looking for something entirely other.

Been There*, Done That**, Didn't Do The Other***

* Portland, where we stayed overnight at the Montavilla Motel.
** Visit with Ash and Tesfaye, and with John's cousin Jean, and go to Excalibur Comics to redeem some credit John had acquired earlier.
*** Visit various other people we would have liked to, only we didn't bring along their phone numbers to let them know we were in town, and get Tes a new Oregon ID card, only we didn't remember to bring the necessary documents (originals only!) to the DMV.
Oh, well, so we're a trifle scatterbrained at times. We still had a good time, and now we have an excuse to go next weekend.

The Case of the Kidnapped Corpse

Good to hear that Rumanians are keeping up with the old traditions, like bodysnatching.

New Zealand Book Council

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_jyXJTlrH0&feature=player_embedded

From Making Light (and thank you very much, Theresa Neilsen Hayden).

The Meaning of Thansgiving

according to Wednesday Addams:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccj2BH25c0I

Thanks are due to Paul Krugman:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/the-meaning-of-thanksgiving/#comments

What to do with that sweater . . .

You know, the one Grandma knitted for you and it's waaay too big . . .

http://pictureisunrelated.com/2009/11/28/the-snuggie-2-0/

Swab a Cheek, Save a Life

Today, while on his way to Bellfountain to assist his ailing father, John saw a woman walking south out of town. He spotted her again later that day, while out shopping for his parents, and noticed the big yellow sign on her back, urging people to register as bone marrow donors.

He stopped and asked her about what she was doing, and learned that she was Jeana Moore, who was walking from Seattle to Los Angeles to publicize the need for marrow donors to save the lives of severely ill people like her granddaughter.

Well, yes, that does sound like a good idea.

We Don't Want the Bacon

"...what we want is a piece of the Rhine."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xusk05UG9s

Fondly remembered from among George Burt's collection of 78s.

LEGO Farm Equipment Pictures 3

LEGO Farm Equipment Pictures 2

LEGO Farm Equipment Pictures

LEGO Farm Equipment

Kathe and John went to the Willamette Valley Ag Expo, because it is fun to look at great big pieces of farm equipment. Besides that, it is also fun to look at teensy pieces of farm equipment made out of LEGOs!

Watching the Tube

First thing in a long time that's tempted us to watch broadcast TV:

http://io9.com/5409972/grafitti-green-lantern-sandman-in-a-gas-mask-its-your-first-smallville-absolute-justice-tease?autoplay=true

We gave up the cable a long time ago (can't get reception in Corvallis without it), and haven't missed it really. It seems that we can get most things we want to watch from the library, and the rest from the video rental places.

The Sad Tuba

A handy sound effect to add when responding to a really embarrassing FAIL: http://www.sadtuba.com

Howdy!

Welcome to our new blog, which we have started so that people who don't want to hear from us don't have to hear from us, while those who do, can.

We'll be posting things we see on the internet or in the newspaper and miscellaneous thoughts (our thoughts are very miscellaneous). Our subject matter will be almost anything, maybe not in the best of taste, but nothing too raunchy. We'll save that for another venue.

Okay, here goes: