Tuesday, January 31, 2012

yes, I probably think this song IS about me.

Vanity. Look, I’m the first to admit I have multiple mirror shots on my facebook, yea it’s that bad, but you know what I don’t care. Mirrors are my friends, they prevent me from looking like a jack ass to the rest of the world. Imagine a world without mirrors, I can’t and that’s why I wondered when did people start t o realize that they could totally check themselves out.
“The first mirrors used by people were most likely pools of dark, still water, or water collected in a primitive vessel of some sort. The earliest manufactured mirrors were pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass. Examples of obsidian mirrors found in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) have been dated to around 6000 BC. Polished stone mirrors from Central and South America date from around 2000 BC onwards. “  I like that even though some people were like omg I can see myself in this, none of them thought to make an awesome better version of it.
Mirrors of polished copper were crafted in Mesopotamia from 4000 BC and in ancient Egypt from around 3000 BC in China, bronze mirrors were manufactured from around 2000 BC, some of the earliest bronze and copper examples being produced by the Qijia culture.”  Most of these metal one though were only used by the super wealthy although I think if you were gonna use anything you should totally just use still water, cheaper and more efficient
Mirrors like we know them today can be credited to awesome glass makers in Venice around the renaissance who coaled glass with tin or mercury.  
So there you have it, vain folks and crafty Italians… either way we all very very thankful.
wanna know more: mirrors

Monday, January 30, 2012

they say that dressing up is harrrd to do....... oh thats not how the song goes?

I love dressing up, even if its just to gallivant around my house while I pretend to go somewhere fancy. I know I'm a sad little girl... but in any case where did the term "dressed to the nines" come from and why does it mean to be super fancy.
I hate these because as it turns out slang is one of the hardest things to pin down. Lame.

One of the theories is that tailors would use 9 yards of fabric to make super awesome suits, so if you were dressed to the nines it meant you had an expensive suit, meaning you were super mega fancies...oOoooOOo... neat

yet another theory marks the saying as only "to the nines" meaning something awesome, think of it as the "cool" of the 1700's. which is when it was first recorded in writing.

so not to clear but I did learn one thing, old timey slang is pretty awesome.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

I always want s'more!

S’mores super traditional campfire treats, and although I’ve never been camping, I’ve been to plenty of lovely bonfires where the s’mores are always the highlight of the evening.
So where did they come from and who was clever enough to place all these yummy items together?
Well it turns out that the first recorded recipe for them can be credited to, wait for it, the girl scouts, crafty lil ladies!! I knew your delicious cookies must have had an equally delicious predecessor. In 1927 in the Girl Scout guide book called "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts" included the recipe for smores which was written by Loretta Scott Crew. Some people think that she was trying to create a variation on the very popular moon pie which originated in 1917 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
I love me some moon pies and s’mores. There you have it hungry little girls and the most delicious treat you could ever make in two minutes.
wanna know more: s'more

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Shoot 'em up cowgirl.

Annie Oakley
I’m a a sucker for westerns, I really do dream of going to a tiny ghost town while on horse back and carrying some awesome ivory plated six shooter at my hip. Yea I know, I know, maybe it’s all the westerns I’ve seen on TCM and the fact that high noon is one of my top 5 favorite movies. But whenever I hear about Annie Oakley super awesome sharp shooter I think, maybe just maybe I could be that bad ass.
But besides her being a sharp shot I don’t know much about her.
Annie Oakley was born in Ohio in 1860 as Phoebe Ann Moses. She’s was one of 8 siblings. Her father passed away from pneumonia.  She began her shooting skills when she was only 9 years old. In order to help her mother pay for the farm where they lived Annie would shoot and trap wild game and then sell them in town for money, she paid for the entire farms mortgage from her shooting skills by the time she was 15.
In 1881 since she was so well known in the area for her shooting skills when marksman Francis E. Butler came to town he challenged people in her town to a shooting completion, Annie was the last to shoot against him. And she totally won, BAM in yo’ face. So she won $100 and a lil more, cause then Mr. Francis Butler started courtin’ her and they got married in 1882.
From there they both joined buffalo bills wild west show. Where she created a name for herself and was awarded the nickname  “little sure shot”
Here’s a clip that Thomas Edison (yea thomas edison!) took of Annie while she was at Buffalo Bills show.

Later in her life she was known for being a strong women’s rights advocated. But here’s where my girl crush with Annie grows, She said:“I would like to see every woman know how to handle [firearms] as naturally as they know how to handle babies.” She was adamant about women learning how to use firearms for sport and protection. Awesome.
She suffered a severe injury from a train wreck where her spine was damaged and so she left the show, but after her recovery she continued shooting. Annie and Butler stayed married until her death in 1926, when Annie died from anemia. He died 18 days later….This sounds like one of those sad lifetime movies where they die from a broken heart. Super sweet. L They never had any children. She continued to shoot right up until her death, her last record was set in 1922 at 60 years old, she shot 100 consecutive clay targets in a row.
And there you have it. An awesome love story and a girl who loved to shoot.
need to know more? : Annie Oakley

Friday, January 27, 2012

blame these for the "does my butt look fat?" question.

Jeans, oh how I love you, staple of my wardrobe. Every girl everywhere who owns a pair of jeans owns at least one pair that just makes her feel like the fucking hottest goddess to ever walk the earth, that’s just how a good pair makes you feel and nothing could ever replace this confidence. That’s how I feel in my cheap forever 21 jeans, I don’t care if they were 12 dollars, they fit me like a glove and I l-o-v-e them for it. So jeans, what’s up with them, did levi really make the first ones?
“The word "jeans" comes from the French phrase bleu de Gênes, literally the blue of Genoa. Jeans fabric, or denim, originated in the French town of Nimes, from which 'denim' (de Nîmes) gets its name.” so pretty much we totally just butchered the delicious french language…haha now I have to say jeaaaans with like a country twang, instead of a sexy geeeenssss like some frenchy mc french.
Levi Strauss started selling “jeans” in 1850s California as worker pants. Originally they were worn super loose by cowboys and workers and were sold as bib-less overalls. Early jeans had the zipper in the front for the gentlemen and on the right side for the ladies… classy. Also did you know James Dean is credited with making jeans popular for teens in the early 50s, his rebel without a cause movie sparked the trend.
So there you have it, mispronounced French and trendy cowboys, thanks for the awesome fashion sense!
Wanna know more: jeans

Thursday, January 26, 2012

spectacles!.

Glasses,
Since I was like 13 I’ve had to wear them, although reluctantly. Once I did, reading and existing were substantially easier. I know a lot of people with glasses and now it doesn’t bother me at all, but I got super curious and wondered who was like, “yea two glass things on my eyes help me see!”
Well turns out that in the 1st century AD there are accounts that people were using large globes filled with water to see bigger text but “The first eyeglasses were made in Italy at about 1286, according to a sermon delivered on February 23, 1306 by the Dominican friar Giordano da Pisa. Giordano's colleague Friar Alessandro della Spina of Pisa (d. 1313) was soon making eyeglasses. The Ancient Chronicle of the Dominican Monastery of St. Catherine in Pisa records: "Eyeglasses, having first been made by someone else, who was unwilling to share them, he made them and shared them with everyone with a cheerful and willing heart." By 1301, there were guild regulations in Venice governing the sale of eyeglasses.
Also did you know Ben Franklin is credited with inventing bi-focals poor guy hay myopia.
So there you have it, blind Italian dudes and reading with snow globes. Thanks for making my reading time a lot easier!

wanna know more: glasses

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

If ghosts made music it would be like this.

Theremins
Late Sunday night as my love and I sat in the cal arts library pondering what movie to watch next as he suggested a scary one, and I being the chicken quickly turned it down, we stumbled upon the Theremin movie, about the guy who invented the Theremin, yes my next question was what the hell is a Theremin.
And thus this post, so you know that scary ass music you hear in old timey scary movies. Yea you do here’s an example.
From the guy who actually invented the instrument.


In any case this thing is pretty awesome its the only musical instrument that can be played without actually touching anything except the air around it. The controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which sense the position of the player's hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other, so it can be played without being touched. The electric signals from the Theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.” Leon Theremin created the instrument in October 1920 in Russian after trying to do research for proximity sensors. Lenin was so impressed by it he sent Theremin on a worldwide tour to show off his newest awesomeness. Although he left the US under weird circumstances, he ended up in Russian working in some prison camp. His instrument stayed and although it only has a niche group of players it’s still pretty awesome.
And there you have it, music for ghosts and Russian work camps. Now I want a Theremin.
want to know more: theremins

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

even baby jesus loved it, I like it on my pancakes.

Tree Sap
from frankincense to maple syrup tree sap is a curious thing. I always wondered why something that comes from a tree could be so delicious, fragrant and malignant. Its so contradictory.
This goes out to the wonderful Abi Nelson-Miller who like me wondered, what the hell is sap?
Tree sap, tree sap is in fact nutrients and minerals that come up from the trees roots after water and carbon dioxide are turned into sugar through some crazy photosynthesis process. It’s kind of like what blood is to humans, it provides nutrient to all the right places on the tree. The only difference is that trees turn the water into a sugary delightful pancake enhancer, while blood well is scary and gross.
Tree sap is usually collected through wounds or openings on trees that occur in extremely hot or cold weather. When it comes to maple syrup, most farms usually bore holes in the trees and collect the sap from maple that way.
Frankincense is also a tree sap that is commonly found on the Boswellia tree and is usually found in climates that are less forgiving to other trees. This sap is collected and used for various things like medicinal purposes or perfumes.
There are however some tree saps that are lame and destructive. Pine tree sap for example is one of the leading causes to mess up your cars paint job, Since most people tend to seek out parking spots under the shade of the tree, Pines usually spray out their sap which when left on your car for a long time eventually bakes with the heat of the sun and becomes a resin that requires a lot of detail work to get off and leaves you car with tons of tiny brownish red spots.
So there you have it, tree blood is delicious and can cure what ails ya and mess up your car in the process...

wanna know more: tree sap

Monday, January 23, 2012

a dodo, a penguin and a flamingo all fly into a ...... wait a minute.

Dodo birds. flightless chubby creatures.
I have an odd fascination with dodo birds, but i know as much about them as anyone with a  third grade education knows. Its extinct, it didn’t fly and well it was kinda dumb.
But really when did they become extinct, were they really dumb, and most importantly were they delicious?
Apparently there aren’t very good accounts of what it looked like, since most artists exaggerated colors and size. And there was no whole skeleton found until very recently. From there scientists concluded that the bird was at least 3 feet tall and weighed roughly at least 50 lbs. that’s huge and kinda scary.
The dodo had no natural enemies on the small island of Mauritius, they only feasted on a bunch of fruits and seeds and that’s what made them extra plump. There are a few accounts that call them greedy birds because they would eat a bunch of seeds and fruit probably to store up for the scarce month, sometimes they even ate rocks! There they lived super happy, and so when humans showed up with pigs and dogs they were curious and thus got eaten. There are accounts that they were so curious towards humans they would come right up to them even when they had clubs in their hands, only to be slaughtered.( Oh no, they were super nice. I would a kept it as a pet! ) Most accounts depict dodo meat as not tasty, except for the breast which was large and tender.  And I bet super moist and delicious. Damn greedy explorers.
Dodos were also responsible for germination of a tree called the tambalacocque, the seeds would only germinate if they passed through the dodos system, so yea the little dodo had to eat the seeds and then pooped ‘em out for the tree to grow, so no dodos, no tree, thankfully every once in a while it could grow without the help of the dodo, so the tree is still around today, the bird, not so much.
The dodo became extinct 175 years after first contact with humans. In 1598 L
So there you have it, overly friendly birds that are stout and chunky… I feel like the dodo bird version of people. Thank goodness I am not extinct..
need to know more : dodos

Sunday, January 22, 2012

because im one of the few people who actually enjoy them.

Commercials.
I remember when I was younger commercials annoyed me to no end. Why were they so long and why did I have to wait to watch full house for another 2 minutes. Now I really don’t care and well a lot of the music from my iPod I got from TV commercials. Yea I totally hit up my shazam app when a catchy lil song comes on.
But who was the first to say I could totally sell stuff though this picture box.
“The first television advertisement was broadcast in the United States on July 1, 1941. The watchmaker Bulova paid $9 for a placement on New York station WNBT before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. The 20-second spot displayed a picture of a clock superimposed on a map of the United States, accompanied by the voice-over "America runs on Bulova time."”
It was pretty cheesy, watch it here:

After this a bunch of others came including some for tide and coca-cola. Also did you know that the invention of the remote control in the 1950s changed the way commercials were placed? Before they were only in the beginning or end of shows, but since people could now freely just change over them, without leaving the comfort of their seats, they started including them mid show so people couldn’t tune away. Clever bastards!
And so there you have it, the dodgers and some clock guy who was smart enough to say I want in on this crazy technology.
want to learn more: commercials

Saturday, January 21, 2012

when actions speak louder than words.

The bird or flipping someone off or giving someone the finger is always hillarious to me. Im not a big fan of using it, id rather just yell out a long stream fuck yous over and over again...but if you’ve driven in L.A. for more than 5 minutes I’m sure you have seen it either being directed towards you or to some unfortunate soul who dared cut someone off way to close. That or you’ve come across the same homeless dude at the bus stop near the corner of Glendale and Fletcher who for some reason always gives traffic the finger as I drive on by, jealous of my daewoo no doubt... Either way this ones for the very inquisitive Liz Salcedo who made me wonder, yea where DID the middle finger suggestion come from.
“In Ancient Greece it was known to insult another person, where the term meant "a male or female  who submits to anal penetration"  It is identified as the digitus impudicus (impudent finger) in Ancient Roman writings and the widespread usage of the finger in many cultures is likely due to the geographical influence of the Roman Empire and Greco-Roman civilization. Another possible origin of this gesture can be found in the first-century Mediterranean world, where extending the finger was one of many methods used to divert the ever-present threat of the evil eye offense.”
Thanks wikipedia 
And there you have it. Birds, fingers and anal sex, wait what.......somehow it all makes sense.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Because I was mad I could not use my glade plug in in Spain.

Plugs.
I’ve only traveled outside the US a few times, to Mexico and Spain. Mexico is not a voltage problem. You buy a blender here chances are you can ship it there and it will be a-okay. But Spain, that thing was a pain to buy adapters especially for my ever so fragile laptop, how the hell do you have round holes for your plugs! WHY!!!....I burned out a night light and a phone charger when there, with a lame adapter. And sleeping in the dark without any form of communication to civilization was not a fun night. And from this moment on that’s what I always wondered why do countries have different sockets. Well wonder no more.
And actually the situation is super complicated but spans back to when Edison was working with DC currents and Tesla was working with AC ones. AC is much better and spread in European cities but prideful as we are America didn’t get the memo that AC is more awesome and by the time we tried to change things it was already to late. Also did you know that before you could plug stuff in everything was wired into your walls!.. craziness!... Harvey Hubbell invented the plug we use for the US. And a bunch of other well meaning folks started doing the same all over the world, hence the bunch of plus syndrome.  But it made using and selling appliances much easier because you didn’t have to hire electricians to your home. By the time it was 1950 we realized maybe we should switch to AC power and change our two pronged plugs but, well screw that it was to late.
 Well meaning companies have tried to lobby for a universal plug, one that when taken anywhere in the world can be used and enjoyed, but since there are at least 12 different kinds of plugs all over the world, most people either want theirs to be the one everyone uses or they’re just like screw you guys that’s to much work so oh well.
The story behind all the different plugs is rather complicated but this site does an awesome job of explaining it. It’s a bit long but I learned tons!
So there you have it. Names for heavy metal bands and plugs that catch fire. All because we cant play nice with other countries.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

emoticon! sounds like a super awesome robot name, but isnt.

Emoticons.
J I love using smiley faces whether they are appropriate or not…some people love them and some people hate them. I personally love mine without noses (aka a dash) but who was the first clever person to notice that a colon and parenthesis could produce some kind of emotion.
I thought it was going to be a difficult task to find its creator, actually it’s not. The modern day emoticon is easy to trace back. In 1982, Scott Fahlman wrote in the Carnegie melon university message board that things that were jokes should be proceeded with J and things that weren’t jokes should be proceeded with L …. And the emoticon was born. Now even microsoft word replaces the colon parenthesis as a smiley or frowny face with a lil picture f an actual smiley, i like it! And chat and text message settings now produce a slew of other emoticons like a kissy face :-* the tongue one :P or the angry one >:-( … hahaha
So whatever your take on emoticons are. Embrace them and love them. Theyve been making emails and texts messages mega girly since 1982! :D

need to know more : emoticons

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

wrinkles in time.

I love bubble baths, and plain baths. It’s like your own personal pool…sure you can’t swim but sitting in warm delicious water while contemplating your day is always amazing. The one thing I know is that I didn’t have a good bath if my fingers didn’t get wrinkly. The longer I sit the more old lady they become, I always wondered why.

While you sit in the bathtub washing the world’s worries away, the dead keratin cells on your hands and feet soak up all of water they can drink. (maybe they had a bit to much alcohol the night before …ahaha get it get it, okay I’ll stop) This absorption causes the surface area of the skin to swell, but the outer layer is super attached to the tissue underneath and so our skin tries to compensate for the increased surface area, and it wrinkles.

So why does this only happen to your lil hands and feet and not the rest of you, ewww imagine if every time you took a shower you came out all pruney…haha well it only happens to your hands and feet because the hands and feet have the thickest layer of dead keratin cells and your other parts are soft and supple and so no wrinkles.
So from bubble baths to prunes..Fascinating. Our bodies are super weird.

need to know more : wrinkles

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

There could never be a more obvious name for a product.

Lipstick.
And while I’ve never been the kind of girl to obsess over it ( I’m more of a sheer gloss kind of gal) I figured it would be almost the same as nail polish, why I have no idea, yea I was totally wrong. So here it is because my very amazing and beautiful lipstick connoisseur , Ms. Gladys Salcedo asked,
Lipstick, where did that come from?
The first women to wear lipstick were ancient Mesopotamian women who would totally crush up semi valuable stones and would use them to decorate their lips. Ancient Egyptians also used lipsticks, but they were made from weird junk like iodine and bromine, which made them sick, lame. Cleopatra was said to use lipstick made from crushed up beetles and ants which gave her a deep red hue. The first time we saw anything close to modern day lipstick was in the Islamic golden age when abulcasis invented solid perfumed rolls for your lips and pressed ‘em in lil molds… In medieval Europe they even banned lipstick cause they said it was the incarnation of Satan and was only for prostitutes. Ooopsies. (Geeze since when did being pretty mean you were a prostitute.)
In 16th century England the queen made it fashionable to wear a super bright red lip and white powdery face.( I will still never understand why looking like a ghost was fashionable and not super scary)  By this time it’s being made from beeswax and stains from plants. Still it was seen as a lower class thing. Most sophisticated women saw it as something totally not classy (dude the queen was wearing it!! You calling her a hoe! Off with your unlipsticked head!)  The first lipstick to be sold commercially comes from Paris France in 1884, before that you totally had to make your own at home.
It didn’t become fashionable and acceptable until recently around 1912. The first swivel lipstick came around in 1923 and still no smear lipstick came along in 1940. The latest change to lipstick has come in the early 90s with lip stain, or liquid color, which seems to last longer.
So there you have it from Crushed Jewels to Prostitutes. Lipstick. Cause the right shade can totally make you look 10 times hotter.
need to know more : lipstick

Monday, January 16, 2012

Pumba from the lion king, died to keep your teeth clean.

Toothbrushes.
"Scrubby scrubby everyday to keep the pearly whites that way!", at least that’s what my pre-k teacher so ingrained in my memory from the start. And so every day I scrubby scrubby, with my trusty toothbrush, but where and who came up with needing your teeth continuously clean, must have been some smart cookie!
Toothbrushes go back as far as 3000 B.C. Ancient civilizations used chew sticks to clean their teeth, they would rub the sticks on their teeth until they were clean. Gross yet awesome, I would have used a vanilla bean stick, mmm but then I would have eaten it. In any case, animal bristle brushes came along around 1498 when the Chinese developed them.They would take boars hair and attach it to a bone handle. Surprisingly boar bristles, (yea from pumba) were used on toothbrushes well into the 1930s! After World War II they replaced the bristles with nylon.
Simple enough, from vanilla beans to pumba. Toothbrushes, because you use it everyday.
need to know more: toothbrushes

Sunday, January 15, 2012

guacamole, a painful endeavor.

Onions,
I hate that my guacamole just doesn’t taste nearly as delicious when I don’t add onions, I just hate chopping them.
Every time I chop one I cry like some 13 year old girl who just finished watching 'the notebook' for the very first time, and I hate it. You’d think by now scientists would have created an onion that doesn’t make you cry, after all there are apples in my grocery store that taste like grapes. yes the almighty grapple... so why can’t you scientists huh?, to busy trying to cure cancer is that it, oh wait........hmm well okay you keep doing that but still help a sister out!...I’m sure it’s possible, let’s try a little harder okay.

So why DO onions make you cry. Here’s a scientific explanation word for word from a science-y government website.

Onions produce the chemical irritant known as syn-propanethial-S-oxide. It stimulates the eyes' lachrymal glands so they release tears. Scientists used to blame the enzyme allinase for the instability of substances in a cut onion. Recent studies from Japan, however, proved that lachrymatory-factor synthase, (a previously undiscovered enzyme) is the culprit (Imani et al, 2002).
The process goes as follows:
  1. Lachrymatory-factor synthase is released into the air when we cut an onion.
  2. The synthase enzyme converts the sulfoxides (amino acids) of the onion into sulfenic acid.
  3. The unstable sulfenic acid rearranges itself into syn-ropanethial-S-oxide.
  4. Syn-propanethial-S-oxide gets into the air and comes in contact with our eyes. The lachrymal glands become irritated and produces the tears!”
Okay so lets simplify in commoner everyday English, onions have a gas in them that is suppose to protect them from  predators, when you kill the onion aka ‘chopping’ it, its like omg someone is trying to murder me and it protects itself by releasing a gas to thwart its enemy aka ‘me’… I always win though, but not without a fight, okay, okay so maybe that’s NOT the literal non-science-y translation, that’s what it feels like sometimes though.
So there you have it, from grapples to murder. Onions, our kitchen foe.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Chocolate milk, because milk was to healthy alone.

Chocolate milk
I remember when I was a kid I would fight other kids for the last chocolate milk pint at school. Victory would be mine, and it usually was. I still love chocolate milk, I’m a sucker for Ovaltine, that’s what my mom would make us and now I can’t imagine cheating on it with Quik or Hershey mix. Unless its strawberry quik, then okay cause that stuff is just as addicting.
Surprisingly, I never wondered who was the first genius to mix milk and chocolate.
Sir Hans Slone was an Irish Physician and collector of objects and curiosities. In fact most of the stuff he had in his collection became the basis for the British Museum. Around the year 1715 Sloan traveled to Jamaica in search of stuff to collect. There he noticed that locals would mix cocoa with water. He was like, that’s kind of gross but okay, and then he’s like this would be awesome with milk. So when he went back to England, he took the cocoa recipe back with him. First, apothecaries sold it as a remedy and medicine for stuff… (mmm if only it would have worked, clearly it’s a medicine for bad days and broken hearts. Chocolates good for that.. ) but closer to the 19th century the Cadbury brothers sold ‘sloanes drinking chocolate’ in little tins. (mmm their chocolate Cadbury eggs are amazing) and TA-DA! yums icy cold chocolate milk!
So there you have it, from English noblemen to awesome jamaicans! Thank you for producing the beverage of my choice.
chocolate milk dude: hans sloane

Friday, January 13, 2012

puttin a ring on it.

The good thing about Facebook is that its most assured the best way to make you feel old in a New York minute, I can’t count the amount of engagement ring pictures I’ve seen in the past few months, so many happy engaged people, seems like everyone is out and about and putting rings on folks. But where did this lovely tradition come from?

Betrothal rings were used during Roman times, but weren't used in the western world until about the 13th century. “The first well-documented use of a diamond ring to signify engagement was by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria in imperial court of Vienna in 1477, upon his betrothal to Mary of Burgundy.

Before the 20th century, other types of betrothal gifts were common. Before the end of the 19th century, the bride-to-be sometimes received a sewing thimble rather than an engagement ring. This practice was particularly common among religious groups that shunned jewelry. Engagement rings didn't become standard in the West until the end of the 19th century, and diamond rings didn't become common until the 1930s. (again could the 30’s be any more classy) I need a time machine ASAP!)  Now, 80% of American women are offered a diamond ring to signify engagement.”

Imagine if your future husband to be presented you with a thimble and was like let’s get married. Frankly I would laugh and say yes. But I know some people who would punch them in the face. Either way you put it, engagement rings carry along with them a lovely sentiment. Love embodied in a material item forever and ever.

From Facebook photos to thimbles, Engagement rings are adorable and sweet. Every girl wants one and the ones that say they don’t, are lying.

Need to know more: Engagement Rings

Thursday, January 12, 2012

sometimes i dont care what i eat.

today this is what i learned, simple enough. Eye opening, but will i still keep drinking non-fat milk even though it has ground cow bones? mmmm cow bones! yes, yes i will. In these cases ignorance is bliss.



stuff you dont know youre eating, prepare yourself!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Shampoo... the most fun word you get to say everyday.

Shampoo.
I’m a shampoo whore, I love it, I love the way it makes my hair smell all super delicious and shiny. But the right shampoo is hard to find. I’ve used cheap 99cent store ones and expensive 29.00 a bottle ones. I like them and I like trying them. I especially like that when im dancing to some cheesy song, say something along the lines of  ‘moves like jagger’, I know I know, don’t judge me, and I fling my hair all over the place I can smell a florally sent that in turn motivates me to dance faster and faster until I’m cracking up at my manic moves. Yes, I know I’m a sad lonely girl sometimes. Wait what was I talking about… oh yea shampoo.
Where did it come from? Well I’m sure people everywhere used soap at first to wash their hair and I was right, but it left your hair all gross and dull looking. The word shampoo is actually derived from a Hindi word ‘champo’ which was actually a form of scalp massage. Shampoo the word and the service of head massage were introduced to Britain by a Bengali entrepreneur named Sake Dean Mahomed. He opened a steam bath in Brighton, England where he offered his “shampoo treatments”
Shampoo for the hair started to shift form the massage to the actual washing of the hair in 1860. The first shampoo that started to use synthetic stuff to clean the hair better was called ‘drene’ and sold in 1930.
So 99 cent shampoos to awesome Hindi head massages. Shampoo is a wondrous thing indeed.
want to know more: shampoo

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

i like my bread like i like my man, hot and fluffy......wait what?...

Sliced bread.
You’re the best thing since sliced bread is a super popular saying, yea I guess sliced bread is awesome, I wish however that not ALL white bread were sliced. Sometimes I want to be a hungry hungry hippo and have a huge slab of bread with butter or have a thick slice to make awesome French toast. Anyhow, I wondered how old sliced bread was and surprisingly it's not very old.
In the early 1900’s people bought giant loaves of bread, yummy white fluffy buttery bread and get this THEY SLICED IT THEMSELVES!.. omg what a travesty, you had to cut your own deliciously thick slices how inconvenient that you had to select your own thickness of bread instead of a preselected skinny slice, savages. Well thankfully all that changed. In 1912 Otto Frederick Rohwedder, from Davenport, Iowa created the first bread slicing machine. People were even dubious about using it because they said it would make the bread go stale faster. A lot of bakers were hesitant to use it and thought it would never catch on. Rohwedder then decided to wrap the bread in wax paper, thus preserving the freshness even when sliced, still haters gonna hate and no one was buying in on the idea.
One of the early bread slicing machines circa 1930.
Little did they know, one baker had faith in this contraption, Frank Bench of Missouri thought this was awesome and on July 7, 1928 “Sliced Kleen Maid Bread." Hit the stores all sliced and fancy. And no surprise he totally made tons of money.
Then in 1930 wonder started mass producing sliced loves and soon enough every home had sliced bread in their bread box…
Housewives everywhere rejoiced and thick sliced bread fanatics world wide were now saddened and felt like hungry hippos cause they had to pile two slices on each side of their sandwiches. But did you know that thickness of bread is different all over the world. In fact in England and Japan they sell "extra thick" "thick" "medium" or "thin"..... (clearly a sign im in the wrong country.) the U.S. only sells one size unless you have a specialty loaf called "texas toast" which is double the thickness of a regular loaf, and the reason I dont buy it because well its associated with texas and nothing awesome ever came from texas. Yea I went there.
So there you have it from incredulous bakers to hungry hippos. The next time someone tells you you’re the best thing since sliced bread, let them know it’s not all that awesome, get all offended and suggest that maybe if given the chance, you would have LOVED to choose the thickness of your slice… or just say thank you.
need to know more? Sliced bread

Monday, January 9, 2012

glowin.

Neon.
Sure it’s a definition for a crazy slew of colors. And people tend to add it to nouns in order to make awesome band name,( I’m looking at you neon indian and neon trees) but neon is actually really cool and I’ve always been fascinated by what makes it glow, but I never even knew what it is or who came up with it. Recently on a drive down santa monica blvd, the old route 66, I noticed tons of awesome neon signs and so it sparked my interest.
Neon is derived from old Geissler tubes which used electric tubes and rarefied gas (which is just gas super below atmospheric pressure) when this was placed in tubes it glowed by it didn’t last very long. However in 1898 Georges Claude (French dude extraordinaire) noticed a long lasting red glow in ones of these tubes, which is what we know as the element Ne… ooo smart! Neon was born! In 1902 he started the ‘air liquide’ company with began creating commercial signs for businesses. One of the first non signs was available for public display in Paris in 1913 and advertised the cinzano vermouth company. The first U.S. sign was actually in display in Los Angeles for the Packard car company in 1923.
When it first became available there were only a handful of colors, but newer patents have created what can only be estimated as 100 colors in modern day neon making.
So there you have it, awesome band name to vibrant colors. Geeze, these French people really peaked in the late 1800s…crazy!
need to know more: neon!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

because prime minister sounds much more awesome than president.

Margaret Thatcher.

Today my lovely boy took me to see the iron lady, a movie based on the life of Margaret Thatcher. I honestly didn’t really know about her except that she was the first lady prime minister. Which is a cool accomplishment in and of its self. (and by the way the movie had her in super cute outfits) The movie was great but it inspired me to look for other information about her. And well she’s pretty much a bad ass.

In her power total personal wealth rose 80% and although there was tons of civil unrest and unemployment shot through the roof, while she was in office, I appreciate her stronghold attitude. She certainly knew that her decisions would piss people off but she knew that she was doing it for the well being of future generations. And although some wouldn’t see it that way, seeing how she was an admirer of the Regan administration. (Which frankly I don’t think are that horrible.) I think she brought new life into a country that otherwise would be sinking right now along like other European countries.

So Margaret, super stylish and general non-shit taker. Perfect. A role model for all women indeed.

want to know more?: maggie is awesome!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

MOLE....yea it soulds like ole, lets all party like a stereotype!

Molé….
Molé, quintessential Mexican food at its finest. To everyone else who hasn’t had this at a thousand weddings and baptisms it’s just that chicken with chocolate dish. It’s quite delicious none the less, but I really know nothing about it either, I’m a horrible Mexican. For shame.
Molé as it turns out DID originate from Puebla. My best friend Karla who happens to be from there can rejoice in this fact. The word ‘Molé’ is derived from an old nahuatl word ‘mulli’ meaning sauce (yea that’s a stretch) Although there has been several other states who try to bill it as their claim to fame, like Oaxaca, Puebla is awesome because they are the only ones who have a specific style linked to their city. Molé Poblano even comes bottled for your tasty satisfaction. There’s also a very interesting story as to how it came to be. Turns out some convent there in the city of Puebla had an unexpected visit from an archbishop. Since they were poor and couldn’t pull together a complete meal super fast. They totally just killed a turkey and threw a bunch of stuff in the pot, spices, day old bread, chocolate…and BAM culinary history.
One fun fact I totally didn’t know is that there are several colors for Molé. I am accustomed to the traditional brown/red one. But apparently there are green and black ones as well. (this would have been an awesome time to go and try some, but alas I don’t know where one can get some, when I do I’ll make sure to post it here) No two Molés are ever alike like all true Mexican dishes; everyone’s mom just makes the best one. Most Molés are based off of a chile sauce and the derivates that span from there are endless some Molés recipes are known to have as many as 40 ingredients!

So there you have it, old Spanish words and crafty nuns = Delicious chickeniness! Yum!
need to know more click here : mole

Friday, January 6, 2012

Kiwis…. A fruit conundrum

I love fruit, I didn’t until recently, I know I’m a weirdo. But one of my all time favorites are kiwis. Tangy green and a super sweet core. Delicious! Although I hate peeling them….ha-ha, if I could hire a full time kiwi peeler I would. thats my conundrum, I love them and would eat them everyday if I could, but since i have to spend time peeling it and yes im that lazy, I only have them ocasionally. Maybe its just me but I don’t remember eating a kiwi until I was like 6 or 7 I remember going to the grocery store and my mom was like what are these brown things? Let’s get some!

And as it turns out, kiwis are a relatively new fruit in the United States. Originally called Chinese gooseberries, where the fruit grows natively they were imported into the states in 1904 but didn’t receive agricultural testing and planting here until 1935. But then commercially they didn’t grow until the 1970’s when a small crop of 1,200 was grown here in California. ( Yay ! California knows how to party……..with KIWIS!)  And it wasn’t until 1984 that they were declared the “it” new fruit which meant that sales were boosting its popularity. Today California is one of the largest kiwi producers in the world.
Also (HERE IS A LIFE CHANGING FACT FOR ME) did you know you DON'T have to peel them to eat them the skin is actually edible and in fact makes kiwi consumption a lot easier. I don’t know about that, but we’ll see.
So kiwis …. bottom line awesome, adorable, and delicious. Super fruit extraordinaire!
need to know more: kiwi info

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Home is where the heart is, if you can find it.

House numbers.
I get lost. A lot. Sometimes my phone lies to me about directions when I look them up in my maps app, it does, I swear, it’s like apple has a secret agenda to get me into the most awkward scary neighborhoods ever. So who came up with this numbers on houses thing and why are they odds and evens on opposite sides?
Well as it turns out, it was the French….wow, I totally wasn’t expecting that, no offense frenchy mc French folks, it’s just well, you know you don’t exactly have the best track record for being productive… but in any case it was 1512 when they decided to give homes numbers in order to be able to locate them easier. They were the ones who came up with this odd/ even scheme that is commonly used.

But did you know that apparently that’s not how they do it all over the world. In some Italian cities red numbers are used for business and blue or black numbers for homes or apartments, yea like that wouldn’t be confusing… so on a single block you can have two “234” one a business and one a home…and even still for some rural English homes, numbers don’t even exist, instead they just name your whole home like “Marcela Manor” ….awesome!
In any case other countries do some more complicated stuff. Like seriously weird things. Interested go here:
So today, grateful that I live somewhere that’s less complicated to get lost in even though I still do…and also  French – 1, other countries – 0 …. This seems like a pretty common sense idea. Glad they can add something to their list of accomplishments. Kudos France!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

because you use it everyday.

You’d think that since the beginning of time as people pooped they  would wipe themselves with well, paper…was I this naïve, clearly because apparently for the longest time people used everything else under the sun except paper. Everything from corn cobs to smooth edges of broken pottery… (seriously)!
The use of toilet paper is officially recorded in 589 AD…. By the Chinese, clever. But even then after they started its use, most people felt that wiping your bottom with paper was gross and inefficient… are you kidding, no, no I’m not….as opposed to corn cobs, yea totally (insert malicious eye roll here) The Chinese even developed perfumed extra soft fabric sheets for the emperor and his family….mmm fresh and fancy.
Commercial toilet paper didn’t become common place in the United States until around 1857, Joseph Gayetty, made sheets of toilet paper and sold it in little bricks. The use of a roll wasn’t seen until around 1883 when a guy named seth wheeler patented it.
Perfect, thank you Chinese, even though your idea was originally met with ridicule, I’m glad you came up with it. S-M-A-R-T!
Need to know more?

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

unexpected tacos, in unexpected locations.

Thai tacos.
Today instead of learning a new fact I opted for doing something new and…
Yes, you read that right, thai tacos, today I tried them for the first time. I had seen them several times upon my visits to “ganda” which just so happens to be in Thai Town. (located on Hollywood Blvd near Harvard St. ) I have been there to have their amazing coconut water and I always see these, along with an eclectic mix of treats that I have no idea what they are but also look equally delicious, but for some reason I felt weird trying them. I just get a little freaked out when I see them… Oh well I thought let’s do it! So I get them along with some delicious fried chicken skins and then take a bite along with Gladys and Lis who accompanied me on this tiny feat. Is it savory is it salty, I didn’t know?  It wasn’t like a typical tortilla and meaty goodness I so closely know. This looked like a cookie of some sorts. Oh sweet baby jesus the anticipation was killing me.

Surprisingly, it was like a fortune cookie with meringue on top and some kind of sugary candy/coconut thing on top of that, that looks like shredded cheese. It was like a strange cookie but yummy. The meringue gave it a sweet eggy taste. The ones that had orange coconut also had cilantro in them, what the … but hey, those were equally tasty. Overall I would totally have them again, so happy I tried them! So lesson learned today, don’t go so long without trying something, you might be missing out on something super delicious.

Monday, January 2, 2012

girly girly nail polish......

I remember being a wee one and watching my mom polish her nails every other day before bed. Always the same deep red. I have always loved nail polishes but recently in my mid twenties I started doing it on a regular basis. I cant stand seeing my nails unpolished now. It’s a cheap fix that lifts your spirits really quick. With some of my favorites being under 5 bucks. Even at my poorest of poor moments I can splurge on a little color. So where did it come from?
I never knew.  I figured at some point some girl was bored enough without TV or radio and just was like this sucks what can I do…I was kind of right. Early nail polishes go as far back as ancient Egypt and china where girls would dye their nails with plant stuff or henna.
Nail enamel was invented in the 1930’s, no not at a world’s fair that would of been awesome (got to love the 30’s so glamorous!)  But in fact it was a French makeup artist Michelle Renard who was hired by two guys who wanted in on the make-up industry. Renard came up with trying to use the new paint recently developed for cars to go on nails, …genius!.... These two guys ended up starting the Revlon company, who in turn would sell the first commercial nail polish in 1932.
Then Hollywood came in and color pictures boosted sales. Girl, you mean all this time their nails were in color!?... Yes, yes they were.

one of my favories, essie. (demure vixen)

Before only reds and pink hues were popular it was cool to match your lipstick to your nail polish, how cute. (I am still a big fan of pinks and reds…yum!) But recently companies have developed new colors to keep up with the times, integrating blues greens and even black. Yea we all went through some awkward Goth black phase. Its also cool to note that in 80 years or so that modern nail polish has been around, the lil recipe is still pretty much the same. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
So there you have it vain Egyptians to chemical car paint changes all for the sake of beautiful nails…


need to know a bit more?
this page can tell you!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

car radios, best descision ever.

I think we take it for granted sometimes, our ability to be able to crank up maroon 5 as we drive down the 101 belting out a tune as equally as awesome as Adam Levine. Certainly he would be proud that "she will be loved" is being sung by a super uncool little Mexican girl with all her heart as the people in the car next to her wonder what song shes singing with so much emphasis and snicker to themselves in superiority, oh wait that's not you? well whatever the song, it never ceases to amaze me that my ipod is connected to a little box and music comes out, its pretty awesome. so who's idea was it? yea I know the radio was invented by Tesla/Marconi (depending on who you ask) but who said I need this in my car ASAP?

Apparently, like all old timey things it started at some worlds fair in 1904 in St. Louis. Picture handle bar mustaches and lots of suspenders. Some dude was doing experimental radio stuff mainly for police use. boring. But the first installed radio can be traced back to 1922 in a Model T. Guess who was taking a road trip? the davenports. a couple? ohhh now its making more sense. some guy didn't want to travel 2000 miles listening to his wife and rather than take a long suicidal trip listening to what Charleston Betty Lou was practicing and what kind of flappery type hat she was planning to buy (by the way I'm only making old timey assumptions.) he said screw that and literally constructed a huge ginormous radio to put in his car called "the dashboard special" pictured below:

Awesome!....This one was just a prototype I suppose. The first real mass produced radios for cars that were integrated into the dash come in 1925 with the airtone 3d , made by the "Radio Auto Distributors" fancy!..
and the world instantly became a better place. Silence became a thing of the past and men everywhere rejoiced that small talk was now eliminated and women rejoiced because now EVERYONE had to hear how "amazing" their voice could be as they sang along...(haha major backfire smarty mr. davenport).

and there you have it folks.
radios, old timey people and maroon 5. I learned a lot.

need to know more?