Author Archives: elise

Feist Counting to 4 on Sesame Street

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Love this song from the Apple ad. Now Feist takes it to Sesame Street. (link)

One, two, three, four monsters walking cross the floor
I love counting, counting to the number four
Are you counting? Counting with me
To one less than five and one more than three

Oh oh oh, counting to four
Oh oh oh, let’s count some more

One, two, three, four penguins that were by the door
I love counting, counting to the number four
I see four here, I see four there
Favorite number, nothing can compare

Oh oh oh, counting to four
Oh oh oh, let’s count some more

One, two, three, four chickens just back from the shore
I love counting, counting to the number four

Oh oh oh, counting to four
Oh oh oh, let’s count some more

One, two, three, four chickens just back from the shore
One, two, three, four penguins that were by the door
One, two, three, four monsters walking cross the floor

Ba ba ba da, ba ba ba ba da da
Ba ba ba da, ba ba ba ba da da

Whoah, counting to four
Oh oh, counting to four
Counting to four, counting to four

Audi marketing, what are you thinking?

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I am the proud owner of an Audi A4 2.8 Quattro, 1999 model. I love my car. I love it so much, give me a few minutes and I’ll likely convince you to buy an A4 as your next car. When I buy another car, it will likely be another Audi A4. That’s why when I read this piece, 2009 Audi A4 makes local debut in the Sacramento Bee, I had to wonder who the heck at Audi is making these types of marketing decisions?

Apparently, Audi had its “North American debut” of its new 2009 A4 in El Dorado Hills last week. Yadayada. Catered by Bistro 33, I like that place, I’m sure the food was great. But what about this part, “Prime Time Boxing provided entertainment, with eight semiprofessional boxing matches announced by professional boxing announcer Michael Buffer”? What? What the heck does boxing have to do with a new car? Especially an A4, which given its compact size is just as much of a girl car as a boy car. They’re trying to appeal to women buyers with boxing matches?

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JK Rowling Gives Commencement Speech at Harvard

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J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling gave the commencement speech at Harvard this year. Harvard Magazine lists the full text of the speech as well as a Quicktime video. Rowling focuses on two themes – failure and imagination. On failure,

So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

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Virtual Fish Pond

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A friend of mine recently put koi pond in his backyard. Lots of work. Lots of anxiety over getting the water chemical balance just right, and keeping wandering egrets, storks, and raccoons from eating his fish.

This version is easier. Click in the pond to feed the fish. No worries about overfeeding them either.

link

Ants, Scale Infestations, and Tanglefoot

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About this time of year in the spring, when the weather warms up, the blooms are off the stone fruit trees, and the new fruit are just beginning to grow, the ants start to stake their claims on the trees. You can see them marching up the trunks and disappearing into the foliage. What are they doing? Most likely building their scale nurseries. The ants nurse and protect the scale insects, which, tapped into the sap of the tree, produce a sweet nectar that the ants love to eat.

You can pick off the scales one by one (they’re squishy underneath their hardened shells, like baby snails, yes eww gross, wear gloves) but unless you tackle the ants, the scales will just come back.

So, what to do?

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The Return of Doctor Who

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Doctor Who fans, season 4 is about to start, at least in the UK. I am completely and unabashedly in love with this show and its star David Tennant. Took an episode or two to recover from the loss of Christopher Eccleston and his sexy, swagger Doctor. Tennant is decidedly more subtle in his performance than Eccleston. But, boy can he act. He skillfully fills the range required by the role. Charming, exuberant, funny, determined, loving, sad, lonely, Tennant can navigate across all of these qualities and emotions within moments. The good Doctor returns for another adventure-filled season and I can’t wait. Billy Piper comes back. Catherine Tate joins the cast. Here’s a review.

Who is your favorite Doctor Who?