Thrift + Craft = thriftdeluxe!

I’m at one of those places in life where almost every song seems SIGNIFICANT and MEANINGFUL. Yes, I’m turning into a teenager again. So far my top hits are “No Such Thing” by John Mayer and “Giant Step” as sung by Taj Mahal. If I take notes, I could make a mix CD to commemorate my inner turmoil.

Every once in a while, when I hear that whistle blow, I want to ride the rails! Not as a tramp, though- I want the air-conditioned, bathroom-laden, microwaved-sandwich sellin’ comfort of Amtrak! They have weekly specials and many attractive destinations. And with only 3 different trains, 3 days of travel, and a couple thou, you can get yourself and a buddy from Seattle to Birmingham in a private room with meals included. Amtrak recommends going to Chicago to DC to Birmingham- though I’d like to swing through Louisiana on the City of New Orleans and swing out on the Crescent…

Or maybe I can set my sights lower and take the Empire Builder out to the Wisconsin Dells to see Circusworld and ride the Ducks…

A blog rating tool, Technorati. I may have to investigate their rating methodology- it seems to involve Google- the latest suspect in the “Dark Web Conspiracy” (which boils down to laziness- yes, I’m guilty, too.).

Here are some misc links from El Eduardo:

Mr. Boomba

JList

Peter Payne’s homepage

Sinfest

Chickweed

King Features, where he recommends Baby Blues, Mutts, Pirhana Club, Six Chix and Zits.

An interesting site to explore: Ethnolog, an anthropology blog. Far more actual anthropology than this blog.

Via boingboing, sympathy cards for pornography addicts. Unintentionally (but you never know) hilarious.

Here’s the web version of the story about the male birth control study. It’s no clearer, unfortunately.

Later note: The charming Mr. Setlow pointed out that of course it’s no clearer than the tv report, it’s just a transcript. Here are the things that I wish were clearer: there is ample proof that this method of birth control works, but not only is drug approval a slow process in the US, there are also disincentives for drug companies to shepherd new methods of birth control through the process. One: there are many birth controls to choose from, so you won’t get the same money bonanza as if you focus on a one-of-a-kind drug. Two: Veiled and not-so-veiled threats from anti-birth control groups. And while many of the news items on potential hormonal methods for males focus on men’s supposed squeamishness around taking hormones, none focus on the huge plus side: men would finally be able to control their own fertility on their own terms, with a success and comfort level higher than condoms. I think there are plenty of men out there who don’t want a child or a paternity suit, many who want more assurance than their partner’s word that things are “taken care of.”

The PI reports that a Kent woman sold her baby at Fred Meyer (they really do have everything). The surprising twist? It was the Covington Fred Meyer.

In other news, “Hate Message Scrawled on Large Rock.” This time, the twist is that it’s a complete sentence involving multi-syllabic words. Huh.

Here is a short summary of the festival honoring Saint Sarah , also called Sarah la Kali, in Provence. I have not found this saint listed in any Catholic listings (actually, the only Sarah listed in any compilation of saints is the wife of Abraham, and I didn’t think BC saints were strictly kosher). There is, however, even more to the story, as Sarah and the two Marys voyage from the Holy Land to arrive in France…

Another take on the veneration of Sarah la Kali, with some clearer links to the worship of Astarte and some additional confusion thrown in: there is mention of a Roma Sarah (Sarah la Kali) and a Catholic Sarah, who was “expelled from the church” and “didn’t have a right to canonization”. There also don’t seem to be any records of the worship of Sarah la Kali before the mid 1800s.