Manners and Nancy Sinatra

I’m always pleasantly surprised when someone is extra mannerly (which is a little sad, I think. People should just always be polite, right?). It’s the little things in life. I don’t expect Emily Post-style manners, but it’s always nice. These are my top 3 favorite mannerly actions

1)Please and Thank You – Such an easy one, but so often forgotten. I annoyed many a child who didn't say please while I was teaching. The kids learned quickly that, "I'm gonna borrow this pen" will not get you a pen, but it will get you a dirty look.

2)Holding the door –The other day I was walking into work as one of the security guards was walking out and he jumped back (literally) to grab the door for me. It made my morning.

3)Proper Introductions – I think knowing how to do a proper introduction is the classiest of the mannerly actions. There’s something so “fancy cocktail party” about it. Here’s how it should work. Scenario: You and a friend are shopping, you see a person you know but your friend doesn’t. You: Hey Other Person! Great to see you! This is my friend so-and-so. So-and-so, this is Other Person. Other person and I know each other from school/work/outer space/etc. So-and-So and I know each other from grocery store/gym/civil war reenactments/etc. Brief chat. Agree to catch up later. Say goodbye. No one wants to stand there for 10 minutes while you reminisce about your glory days on the water polo team, keep it short.

This is how people feel when they've been properly introduced

This week's hot jam is Sorry 'Bout That by Nancy Sinatra. (She might not have actually been sorry, but at least she said it.) I love Nancy Sinatra because she's so sassy. She's not taking any crap, and you're going to know it. She posed for Playboy at 54, if that's not sassy I don't know what is.

Nerd Books and The Mother Hips

I somewhat unintentionally read 2 extra nerdy books in a row and I really liked them both. (Surprise, surprise.) So this week is a double book review week! Both books are extremely well written, AND written for normal human beings to read, not just science/math people. I promise.

1)      Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 by Michio Kaku

Physics of the Future reads like a science fiction novel, but it's real life. Sort of. Kaku breaks down different scientific advances in 30 year increments. He talks about some serious science, but does it in a totally understandable way. Micro-chipped clothing, virtual doctors, and internet-enabled contact lenses will all play a part in our lives sometime in the next 100 year,s according to Kaku and the 300-some scientists he consulted with.  Most of the ideas in this book blew my mind. Take the space elevator, for example. According to Kaku, in the next 100ish years, society will figure out a way to send an elevator cable made of carbon nanotubes into space where it will hang out unsupported thanks to gravity and the earth's rotation. Then that cable will be used to TRANSPORT HUMANS INTO SPACE. IN AN ELEVATOR.  To quote Liz Lemon, "What the what?!"

2)      Simon: The Genius in my Basement ­­by Alexander Masters

 I had never heard of Simon Norton before I read an article about this book on NPR. He is a British math prodigy who, by all accounts, was headed to greatness (crazy high IQ, college degree at 15, PhD from Cambridge, etc) for his work on simple finite groups, but instead left academia and became a reclusive, possibly crazy, public transportation enthusiast.

Author Alexander Masters (left) with Simon Norton

The book is less about Simon and more about the author's process of writing about Simon. He is quite the character (he eats a lot of canned fish and has a bit of a hoarding problem.) But it also includes lots of information about Simon's work on simple finite groups (which I still don't really understand) including something called The Monster, but it's done with cheeky cartoons and jokes. And even though I didn't get the point behind simple finite groups, I could still somewhat understand and appreciate his work. (It also made me really glad I'm not a mathematician.)

This week's hot jam is Single Spoon by The Mother Hips. I was recently flipping through some Pandora stations I hadn't listened to in awhile (I've been pretty exclusively listening to 60's Oldies Radio) and Single Spoon came on. According to Pandora, I had given it a thumbs up at some point, but I didn't remember it. I'm glad I got to hear it again, because it's great. I like the old-timey feel and it has some great lyrics. I particularly like this part of the chorus: "Single spoon/Are you stupid?/Don't you know/That it takes two/To do the spoon" I love that they refer to spooning like a dance move. I also the verse about a pager. Yes, there is a whole verse about a pager. (To be fair, the song was released in 1996.)

Gardens and Eagle-Eye Cherry

This time last year I was writing about baseball, and I’m tempted to do it again, but I won’t. (But if you’d like to (re)read my opinions on the sport, you can find it here)

Instead this week is going to be all about gardens. It seems appropriate as spring as finally sprung (if you will) and the record-breaking snow is melting here in Anchorage. Granted, planting won’t really start until May, but spring is nevertheless upon us.

Every year I think about starting a container garden on my porch and every year I don’t do it. But this year is going to be different! I’m really going to do it! (So I say now.)

I think there is something really calming about gardens and gardening. The smells, getting dirty, and the methodical work create a sort of calming trifecta for me. (Minus the fairly constant worry of getting stung by a bee.) Not to mention, after days or months of hard work you have something to show for it. Toiling away in the spring brings things like strawberries and fresh herbs and beautiful flowers later in the summer. Well worth it, if you ask me.


I think there is a serious lack of respect for music of the 90’s. Yes, Nirvana, blah blah blah, but there is a whole host of artists that are completely overlooked. Music from the 90’s isn’t old enough to be cool again, and generally doesn’t offend anyone, so it’s played in places like dentist offices and elevators. It’s hard to validate a song that you hear while getting a filling, but I’m up to the challenge. This week’s hot jam is Save Tonight by Eagle-Eye Cherry. Save Tonight was the only real hit for Eagle-Eye Cherry (who is just one guy, not a band, and was actually named Eagle-Eye Cherry by his parents) and I love a one hit wonder. The best part of Save Tonight is one line: There's a log on the fire/And it burns like me for you. Pure genius. It’s such a cheesy line, but so amazing. Of course, I would roll my eyes if a gentleman ever said that to me, but I would appreciate the reference.

This video is super weird, but would you expect anything less from a man legally named Eagle-Eye? It very easily could have been done in a slow jam-style, all bear skin rugs and roaring fires, but it's not even close. In fact, if there was an opposite to slow jam-style this might be it.

Trivia and Herman's Hermits

You know those books of state facts you might have had as a kid? Those were my favorite. I read them cover to cover, filing away weird laws and state flowers. I also had a subscription to a kids' magazine (that I can't remember the name of now) that had a "Weird but True" facts page. I always read it first, memorizing useless tidbits about 6 toed cats and tallest waterfalls. Jeopardy! is my second favorite game show (behind Price is Right). If it's trivial, I want to know it.

In general, my trivial knowledge is not that important. Do I really need to know that cats' whiskers are as wide as their body? Or that you really can stick postage and an address on a coconut and throw it in a mail box? Things like this don't come up that often, but my brain is FILLED with them. I'm sure I'd be at least 10% better at math if I didn't know things like the original Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz had to be replaced because of a reaction to the silver paint.

Buddy Ebsen couldn't cut it

Jack Haley could

I recently started playing pub trivia on Tuesday nights with some friends, so I'm getting more use out of my trivial knowledge, maybe one day we'll win the $50 gift card to the bar!

Team Baby Butt Ginger

This week's hot jam is I'm Into Something Good by Herman's Hermits. Herman's Hermits was one of my favorite bands growing up. (Weird, I know). They are just so...fun. I love that the lead singer, Peter Noone, only sang and clapped, while the rest of the band sang and played instruments. His multitasking skills must have been limited. I really love all those "boy bands" from the early- to mid-60s, they are wholesome and adorable. And you know those boys were gentlemanly. They were buying flowers and saying things like, "May I have this dance?" (And they didn't do things like father 4 children with 4 different women - I'm looking at you, Lil Wayne.)

Lower 48 Special and Miranda Lambert

So I just figured out that I've been writing for a year and I didn't even know it!

Life's been pretty crazy the past few weeks: baptisms, funerals, air travel, car travel, hotels, new jobs, life decisions, etc etc etc. But life's getting back to normal and I'm getting back to my regular schedule.

I had a bit of an extended spring break thanks to some full Alaska Airlines flights, which was nice because it meant spending more time in sunny, (unseasonably) warm weather with my family.

Including this guy- isn't he the cutest?

It also gave me some time to reflect on things I love about the lower 48.

So, the lower 48 special: (It's a little like .38 Special)

(Full disclosure- It's March. In Alaska. It's really cold and gross, so this is pretty much just an ode to summer.)

1) Thunderstorms - I wrote about these before, but I seriously love them. I got to see a couple while I was in TN/IL, and they were good ones - lots of lightning and thunder. There's just something about the drama and the danger, right?

2) Shorts- Everyone knows shorts are better than pants. I just wish I had more of a chance to wear them. Okay, I didn't actually wear shorts while I was on vacation,  mostly because I'm not really sure where my few pairs are. But in theory, I could have been rocking them like nobody's business. It's never really warm enough for shorts in Alaska, even in the summer. Sure, Alaskans might risk it a few days during the summer, but let's be honest, legs that don't see the sun most of the year, don't look very good in shorts.

This was actually last winter. I was going out to get the mail.

3) Warm Nights- I went out for ice cream one night when I was in Nashville. And we sat outside. And I didn’t need a coat. (I had whiskey and pecan ice cream, and it was amazing) Here in Alaska it’s not warm outside at night, even in the summer. In fact, I haven’t lived somewhere with warm nights in a really long time (California doesn’t have warm nights either). There is something so great about being outside after a long, hot day. It might not have been summer, but that didn’t stop me from getting Summer Nights stuck in my head.

4) Steak ‘n Shake- When my sister asked me what I wanted to do while I was in Nashville, my only answer was, “Go to Steak ‘n Shake”. You can’t get Steak n Shake just anywhere, and they have the best fries ever. (They are even better if you get them with cheese). It’s traditional diner food, but so much better. They make their burgers with ground steak rather than regular ground beef, and while they are delicious I prefer the Chili 4-Way, which isn’t actually on the menu. I guess technically it’s a Chili 3-Way with cheese or a Chili 5-Way without onions, either way it’s spaghetti topped with chili and cheese. It’s a delicious comfort food party in your mouth.

Since I spent nearly two weeks in Nashville, it seemed appropriate to pick a country song, so this week's hot jam is Kerosene by Miranda Lambert. I like Miranda because she's sassy, plays her own guitar, and writes (most) of her own songs. The video for this song is kind of dumb, so I suggest listening while you update or facebook status or tweet about how cool I am. Something like that.

crazy week! back to regularly scheduled writing next week.

hopefully.

Iditarod and The Hold Steady

This past weekend marked the end of the Fur Rondy festival. And Fur Rondy goes out with a bang – a 1,000 mile, trans-Alaskan bang – the Iditarod.

The Iditarod started in the 1970s to commemorate the importance of the sled dogs in the history of Alaska. Not only Balto leading the other sled dogs to Nome with the diphtheria serum, but also the dogs used in travel, mail delivery, and as part of scouting teams during World War II. Prior to airplanes and snowmobiles (or snow machines, as they are called here) dog sleds were the way to travel around rural Alaska.

The start of the Iditarod in Anchorage is ceremonial, but so fun. They start on 4^th Avenue in downtown Anchorage and eventually make their way 11 miles across town to the Campbell Airstrip.

The dogs are so excited to get going that they have to hook the sleds up to snow machines or the dogs will take off before it’s their turn.

While I enjoy the festivities of the start downtown, my favorite part is going out to the trail as it winds through Anchorage. You can stand right on the trail and cheer as the teams go by. There is something so amazing about knowing that in 8 or 9 days a good portion of the people and dogs are going to be 1,000 miles away, approximately the same distance as LA to Seattle, and they will have gotten there on foot (relatively speaking).

This week's hot jam is Certain Songs by The Hold Steady. The Hold Steady is a gritty indie-rock band from Minneapolis, and I love all their songs so it was really difficult to pick one to feature this week. But nevertheless, I went with Certain Songs. Lead singer, Craig Finn, has a weird talk-singing style and most of the band looks like mid-level government employees (Franz Nicolay, the former keyboardist, looks more like he should be tying ladies to train tracks) but somehow it works.