- July 23, 2012 -

What a nice, relaxing weekend! On Saturday I finished my blue Sweater & on Sunday I got the 1st 2 panels of my Mock Cable Afghan completed. I really missed my knitting machine! I'm so out of time that I only have time for it 1 day a week & only for a couple short hours on that day ... then on that day I usually don't even get to it. This weekend though, I decided I wanted to machine knit & that's what I did. I'm glad I did, too. I may put my other projects (crochet & hand knitting) on the back burner & concentrate on this since I enjoy & missed it so much. That'll give me 3 chances during the week instead of just the 1. I hate doing that though, I don't like leaving unfinished projects laying around. I don't know, we'll see.

We got the wall outlet behind the fridge swapped out with a newer GFCI outlet. The old one stopped working. I'm glad it was the outlet & not the fridge. Replacing an outlet is a LOT cheaper than replacing a refrigerator (especially when I was eying the one with the touch screen in the door that you can check news & weather on as you prepare meals)! Just what I need, right? A refrigerator that's worth more than my truck! HA!

Andrew's 26th birthday is tomorrow! I wish I could be with him in Myrtle Beach to celebrate, but I just couldn't afford the fuel right now. Eve was supposed to be out there, but that trip got delayed & she's not going to be there by his birthday tomorrow. Missing it by almost a week.

Anathema:

1: A person or thing accursed; also ; 1 intensely disliked. 2: A solemn ban or curse.

Historically, "anathema" can be considered a 1-word oxymoron. When it 1st appeared in English in 1526, it was used to refer to something accursed. Shortly thereafter, however, people also began to use it to refer to something consecrated to diving use - generally a good thing. Why the contradiction? "Anathema" comes from Greek, where it initially meant "anything devoted" & later "anything devoted to evil." The "consecrated to divine use" sense of "anathema" comes from that earlier Greek sense but isn't common today.

Honda produces 6 millionth Civic in North America (2007):

During the week ending on July 23, 2007, Honda Motor Company Ltd. produces its 6 millionth Civic in North America, according to an article in Automotive News.

Honda's history goes back to 1946, when the engineer Honda Soichiro founded his namesake technical research institute near Hamamatsu in order to produce internal-combustion engines. Incorporated as Honda Motor Company two years later and headquartered in Tokyo, it began producing motorcycles in 1949 and later expanded to automobiles. The first-generation Honda Civic, a subcompact, two-door model, made its debut in July 1972, followed by a three-door version that September. As suggested by its name, Honda saw the Civic as its car for the people; in this way, it was similar to the original "people's car," the Volkswagen Beetle. The Civic was an immediate success in its home country, winning Japan's Car of the Year award for three consecutive years in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Honda began exporting the car to the United States in 1972, and to Canada the following year. In the latter nation, the Civic became the best-selling import car for 28 consecutive months from 1976 to 1978.

The small, fuel-efficient Civic arrived at an opportune time, as the 1972 oil crisis had thrown a wrench in the existing American car market, with its emphasis on big, powerful, gas-guzzling vehicles. Beginning in the 1980s, Honda made the localization of the Civic's production in America a cornerstone of its efforts to expand its U.S. business overall. Honda had begun operations in the United States in 1959 with the establishment of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., the automaker's first overseas subsidiary. In 1986, Honda began making the Civic (it had already started production of the mid-size Accord) at its plant in Marysville, Ohio. The following year, Honda built a second U.S. plant in East Liberty, Ohio, in 1989; its production was largely focused on the Civic.

In 2002, Honda added the Civic to its gasoline-electric hybrid lineup, which began with the Insight in 1999. Within a year, hybrid Civics accounted for some 10 percent of the car's total sales. By July 2007, when the 6 millionth North American Civic rolled off the line, Honda was operating 12 manufacturing plants and employed more than 30,000 people in North America; more than 75 percent of all Honda and Acura (the automaker's higher-end brand) vehicles sold there were produced and assembled locally. In May 2008, on the brink of a growing economic crisis that would send the automotive industry reeling, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced that Civic sales that month (53,299) had shattered the previous monthly record for any car in its lineup.

How fast can a dragonfly fly?

I predict the eventual implosion of the FICO score. It's 1 of the things that caused out last financial crisis. People with high FICO scores - no jobs, no assets, no nothing but a big FICO score - could go get a mortgage with nothing down. That got us into the mortgage mess.

March of the Penguins debuts (2005):

Award-winning photographer Luc Jacquet takes documentary film to new heights -- and depths -- with his first feature film, a stunning insider's look at the life of emperor penguins living in one of the cruelest climates on the planet. The product of more than a year of filming on the Antarctic ice, this Oscar-winning documentary reveals never-before-captured footage of the penguins' underwater life and explores their steadfast quest for monogamy.

On This Day:

"On this day…" is a stylish calendar that lets you view historical events and birth dates on your iPhone and iPod touch.
Browse through hundreds of daily entries and read event-related Wikipedia articles right within "On this day…".
FEATURES
– Display Events, Birth and Death dates
– Quickly select a specific calendar date
– Shake your device to reload the current day
– Open entries in the Articles Wikipedia App or Safari

Stand up:

Today this guideline applies to men & women alike. Even if there's no room to stand - for instance, you're at a restaurant wedged behind a table - gesture getting out of your chair, extend your hand, & say, "Please excuse me for not standing. I'm glad to meet you."

Wear pants, long sleeves, socks, & a hat in wooded areas to protect against mosquitoes, ticks, & poison ivy.

What African river has two countries named after it?
The Niger. The countries are Niger and Nigeria.

What product was advertised in the very first infomercial aired on American television?

Herbalife, a weight-loss supplement. Its first infomercial appeared on the USA Network in 1984, soon after the Federal Communications Commission lifted restrictions limiting TV advertising to 16 minutes per hour and individual ads to two minutes.

When storing paint, mark the paint level, color, & finish on the can. Store the can upside-down to prevent a dried layer of paint when reopening the can.

Which university was founded 1st, 2nd, & 3rd?

A. Bologna

B. Paris

C. Oxford

You can eat 15 delicious little oyster crackers for a snack, & they'll cost you just 60 calories.