Random Things

A collection of random, unrelated stuff today:

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The Perseid meteor shower is this weekend (Sunday night/Monday morning is the peak), and since the moon will be new, it's going to be a great show. I just have to figure out a way to see it. Watching from here probably isn't really workable - the Perseids are in the northeast, which is the direction that we don't have a good view in, unless I go stand out in someone's parking space. It would be easier if the peak were a night earlier; staying up that late when DH has to work the next morning doesn't go that well. Off to the drawing board to come up with a plan. Now that I've got a nifty camera with a bulb setting and a remote, I could (with luck) get a picture of a meteor.

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I mailed the "new" camera back for repair today. Forgot to take out the batteries first. Oops. At least it was the cheap set that came with the camera, and not my good NiMH rechargeables. With any luck, I'll have it back in two weeks.

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Yahoo had a story this morning about fast-food branding and kids. They took identical foods (burgers, milk, fries, carrot sticks), half in McDonalds wrappers, half in similar non-McD's wrappers, and offered it to pre-school age kids. Anywhere from 50-70% of the kids (depending on the food item) thought the McD's wrapper foods tasted better.

That's depressing. Makes me even more determined to keep El Burrito out of the fast-food joints as long as possible ("forever" probably being unfeasible). Sadly, McD's is a sponsor of Sesame Street, which we watch on PBS in the mornings.

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Vince Gill's being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this fall. In my book, that news is almost as good as George Strait being inducted last year. (To which I said, "about #$%# time!). However, realizing that Vince Gill is 50, and George Strait is my dad's age? Makes me feel old for some reason. :)

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Took the new stroller for a drive at the library and mall today. It's sweet - steers well, rolls easily, and fits in the trunk of my car. And we noticed something that my dad and brother will like - it's red and black, aka International Harvester tractor colors. Grandpa will approve. :)

And we bought a few neat books at the library today. It's the "Classics and Oldies" two-day sale, which means lots of books, and no parking space available.

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Sick fish in the aquarium. Just one, and I'm guessing it's just old age. She (I think) spends most of the time resting on the gravel. She was like this about two weeks ago, but rallied for a while. Not sure if she'll recover or not. I doubt it; wish there was a decent way to euthanize a tropical fish, other than sticking the poor girl in the freezer or something.