A short history and explanation of why Pluto is no longer a planet

A short history and explanation of why Pluto is no longer a planet:
From C. G. P. Grey…

Previously from Mr. Grey…

• Leap year explained
• Death to the Penny — A case for killing the United States’ 1-cent coin
• 5 historical misconceptions corrected

Use a Strip of Tape to Help Hang Pictures Perfectly Every Time [Clever Uses]

Brilliant tip...Something that definitely falls into the "Why didn't I think of that" category.

Use a Strip of Tape to Help Hang Pictures Perfectly Every Time [Clever Uses]:
Getting a picture perfectly hung on the wall is already a difficult task, but it's made even harder when the frame requires two screws or nails. To mark the length between the hangers, DIY blog It's Overflowing recommends using a strip of tape so you can measure the distance and drill the holes straight.
Grab a piece of cheap tape (painter's tape or masking tape work fine) and stick the tape between the two holes on a frame. Now you have a good gauge of the distance between the holes. Next, take the tape and stick it on your wall, check to make sure it's straight with a level, and drill your holes. It's an incredibly simple way to ensure your holes are drill right or your nails are in place. Just don't forget our tips for hanging pictures without destroying walls before you start drilling.
Simple DIY: Creating a Window-Pane Mirror | It's Overflowing via Reddit

Yanking a table cloth out from under a stack of wine glasses…with a yo-yo

Yanking a table cloth out from under a stack of wine glasses…with a yo-yo:

(via BuzzFeed)

Mariners fan steals second, earns moment with dad | MLB.com: News

Mariners fan steals second, earns moment with dad | MLB.com: News

If this doesn't reach into your heart and pull some strings, there is something wrong with you.

Like the corner of my mind...

We have all read the posts about the demise of certain things.  One in particular, I enjoyed:

I was thinking about this today as I listened to a song from the past, but I will come back to that.  I recently finished reading "It's So Easy (and other lies" by Duff McKagan, bassist for Guns n' Roses.  GNR was a BIG part of my love of music growing up, so I enjoyed the book, even if it did follow the exact same pattern of every other rock star bio that I have read in the past.  Seriously, they all start out with what they did as a kid, how the band met, and then talk about how much drugs they did.  They get clean, and move on.  They really all follow the same formula...but I digress.

So, I went back and listened to some of my favorite GnR songs from Appetite for Destruction, which is probably the most amazing and complete debut album of any band ever.  I am sure some of you would disagree, but you can start your own blog and talk about it there.  One song in particular that really impacted me was "It's So Easy", which was written by McKagan.  It is a great song, but I remember it more for the amount of "f-words" that littered the song.  As a 7th grader, this kind of stuff sticks with you. :)  I listened to that song, and that song only this morning.

Walking around my house, I noticed that I was humming a different song.  "Nighttrain", which is another great song from the album (who am I kidding, they are all great) was what stuck to my brain.  I realized I hadn't listened to that song in years, but it was the one I was singing to myself.  I thought, "Now, why would that song be the one I am singing?".  Then it hit me...that was the next song on the album after "It's So Easy".  My brain had automatically transitioned from one song to the next because that was the song that played on the cassette that I had. Then I got sad, because I realized that this particular phenomenon is gone forever.  Nobody listens to albums that way anymore...song after song...we all set our iPods to shuffle and move on.  We are no longer conditioned to hear the next song in the album the way it is intended to be.  My kids will never know what that is like.

Part of the reason I enjoy music as much as I do is how immensely personal it is.  Songs invoke feelings and memories.  I can't hear "Welcome to the Jungle" without thinking about blasting my dad's stereo in our tiny living room and worrying that my neighbors were going to complain.  I can't hear "Look What the Cat Dragged In" by Poison without thinking about riding in the back of my mom's minivan on a long road trip with that tape on repeat.  I am so fascinated thinking about how the digital music and the way we consume it will shape the future of music and how it affects people.  I certainly hope that my kids will have emotional ties to music, and I am pretty sure they will.  It is just a matter of them having life-changing experiences while they listen to music.

It is funny how our brains work.  I would be interested to know what songs are tied to your memories.

How to embarrassingly lose a foot race and yet still win the crowd

How to embarrassingly lose a foot race and yet still win the crowd:

(via Tastefully Offensive)

I think we got something here...

About 2 years ago, my family had a dilemma.  We were struggling to find something "athletic" for our daughter to do.  See, her brother has always been a natural athlete.  He played, at one time, baseball, soccer, basketball and football.  He just trasitioned from one to the other with no problems.  our daughter, on the other hand, really struggled with finding a sport. Now, when I say sport, I use that term loosely.  We tried soccer (she HATED it), t-ball (didn't care at all), basketball (tough for a girl to stay focused at her age) and, yes, even cheerleading.  Now, to me, cheering doesn't count as a sport (bring it on) but it was something mildly active where she got out of the house and did something with other people.  She eventually grew tired of it, and we certainly didn't want to deal with the politics of cheerleading for the rest of her life.  So, we thought we were out of options.

Until we found swimming.  We found out there was a small group of swimmers that meets at the high school near our house, and we thought that would be great. Her grandmother was a swimmer, and I was always in the pool growing up, so it seemed like a natural fit.  So, we signed her up.

Let's just say she took to the water like...well, a fish to water.  She loved it.  She enjoyed the people, the swimming, the exercise, pretty much everything about it.  So, we were loving it...and she started doing meets.  We didn't know what to expect with the meets...they can be overwhelming at first, but we stuck it out.  She would swim her three or four events and we would go home.  Her favorite part about swim meets was going to Subway afterwards, which is our "tradition".

Then she started winning...a lot.  I won't say that she was destroying the field, but she was placing in 75% of her events.  And it happened again...and again.  All of the sudden, I am going from "hey, this is a neat hobby" to "she might actually be good at this"!

Her last meet, which is called a "CHAMPS" meet (think of sort of a district meet), was a few weeks ago.  She was competing against some of her strongest competition ever.  There were a million kids there, and it was crazy.  You may recall my previous post about it.  Anyway, she did great.  She won a few of her heats (which is all we ever ask her to do) and we left, knowing that it was a good meet (and yes, we went straight to Subway).

Well, we found out yesterday that she kicked some serious butt.  A first, a fourth, and a fifth place in her division.  So, needless to say that I am extremely proud of her.  Hopefully, she will continue with this attitude and enjoy herself at the same time.  My only goal is to prevent her from burning out on it (which will be tough as she practices 4 nights a week).