Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother

Who is Queen Elizabeth? I am an American, I am not familiar with the idea of a monarch or a royal family, but I found myself wanting to understand England's Royal Family tree.
So let me break it down:

Standard or Metirc

So I was out for coffee with a friend and we were discussing doing work overseas.
I said I couldn't work  overseas because I think it would be hard to convert everything to the metric system. I am so used to working in ______ system. I drew a complete blank. What the hell is the system we use here in the United States.

I figured it out... its the standard system.

I guess I learned something.

Did you know that country lived there?

So, I know that I may be admitting my ignorance here, but I have to say I learned something today that was a little unpredicted.
I know that with all the situations and confrontations (or lack there of) since 9/11 there is war on terrorist.
So stupid me had no clue where Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan was.
I knew as much as they lived across the globe, but that's about it.

I was looking at a few photos of Budapest, as I had traveled there a few years back and that sparked my curiosity of the Danube River. The Danube River runs through Budapest, separating the Buda side from the Pest side. I knew the river ran through many other countries, however I didn't know which countries or how many. According to my good friend wiki the Danube starts in Germany and runs to Romania. When I looked at the map I realized there was Bulgaria, Turkey and then Iraq. Turkey was right near Greece. I had almost visited Turkey, but was unable due to the length of our trip. I was amazed to see how close all of these foreign countries are to one another. It makes sense now that I think about it, but now I know.

So... that's what I learned... I hope I don't forget.

On a side note, now I am off to a wine tasting for my Alumni. Maybe I will learn a thing or two about wine.

Things Other People Should Learn!!!

So.. right now I am going through some things, as does everyone.
I am reworking my living situation, and it is very tough. About threed days ago I confirmed with the person that I am living with that I am moving out. He did not take this very well, but is dealing with it.

A week ago my lovely sister Jen  went on vacation to Venice, Italy. Anytime she goes on a trip she sends a post card. This trip was no exception. Before she left I had had a talk with her about moving out of my apartment, she was aware that this was a sensitive topic. However, she did find it appropriate to write on the back of the post card, "I hope this reaches you before you move."

Well... the person whom I have not entirely had this conversation with, gets home 3 hours before I do, therefore he usually picks up the mail.


Yes he read it and was infuriated.

Moral to the story... POSTCARDS AREN'T EXACTLY PRIVATE!!! 
I just wish my sister would learn this.

Jackie "Roosevelt" Robinson

So I learned a few things this week... really just two worth mentioning. I guess I had a boring week.

Jackie "Roosevelt" Robinson was the first African American to play in the MLB (major League baseball). But I knew this. What I learned was that he did this in 1947 just 20 years after my grandmother was born. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. (I knew that too), but I learned he lived in Stamford, CT. There are no Dodgers in Brooklyn anymore, they moved to Los Angeles CA.

I also learned that Jackie's middle name is Roosevelt in respect to Theodore Roosevelt who had died just 25 days prior to Jackie's birth.


The second thing I learned this week is completely unrelated, but I still learned it.

-Don't fill the cupcake liners to the top. Cupcake batter rises. My cupcakes were a little disfigured, but still edible, so all in all not bad.

Read anything lately?

So Today I learned that the date is posted when I publish these blogs. So I don't have to put the date as the title of the blog.

I have been reading The Historian and I have to say that my everyday vocabulary enhances the more I read. I don't necessarily learn new words but I do use more complex words in everyday conversation. (Maybe I just think that, but it seems true)

The Historian is great to learn information about Dracula and some historical facts about European history and culture.

- I was reminded that Istanbul is today's name for the city once called Constantinople. Also, that it is currently the 5th largest city in the world.

Over the summer I read Anna Karenina. It was long... very dry and I have learned that I am a bit more feminist then I had initially thought. Now it did take me a third the way through the book to teach me how to properly say Anna Karenina, and I have to say that that is probably my favorite point I learned.

I did learn that Leo Tolstoy did write the book and it was written in Russia. Anna Karenina was actually a series of books and was originally published in a Russian magazine. The only book that wasn't was the last one. Tolstoy and the Publisher could not agree on an ending, so the last book was published with the series.

I guess you can say Anna Karenina was a true 18th century soap opera.

One point I don't understand in the book is its title. The author focused the story on many characters, most notably Levin. Why name it after one character? Plus, it isn't like she was necessarily a good character. I have heard descriptions of her as being a heroine. I can't disagree enough, what heroine kills herself?

So 900 pages later, I now can say I have read the book, but more importantly I can say I wont be reading it again.

October 10,2010 Sunday

I have been looking for a car to replace my Dodge Neon. My Dodge has been good to me, but I feel that its time to have nicer vehicle. So first off, I have to say I am really sorry for any person this weekend that thought some scrawny young girl was trying to break into their car, but really there should be some distinction between the sales lot, vistitor and maintenance lots. Finally I came to the conclusion that if a car has a liscense plate on it, I shouldn't try and open the doors.

This car search has led me to learn many things.
1. CT auto dealerships can charge anything from 0%- 19% APR on auto loans. That to me is just sickening.
2. I learned the difference between a Certified Used Vehicle and a regular one.
                   -Certified means it has a waranty, never been in an accident and can only be certified by a dealership directly with the manufacturer and can NOT be certified by a wholsale delarship.
3. I went to have Autozone check my dodge to make sure it was good to sell and the said I needed a Cam sensor. I learned that the Cam sensor sets the timing of the car and controls the pistins. If the cam sensor is bad, the car will have a tendancy to stall or missfire and that the part is only $27.99.
4. I learned that the Pontiac G-6 convertibles are alot nicer to drive then expected.