It has come to my attention that some of you out there (waves to the peanut gallery) are disappointed in the shortness of some of my recent entries. Here is a compilation of thoughts for you to enjoy with your Wheaties.

~ Do they even make Wheaties anymore? *dons best old fogey voice* Do the younguns know what I am talking when I say that?

~ I love the fact that Isabella actually has the word eek as part of her everyday vocabulary. It makes me smile every time she says it.

~ NPR's Science Friday had a feature last week on the Six Degrees of Separation Theory. Apparently, some scientists have shown it to be false. Listening to the segement and learning about the actual experiment that led to the theory becoming part of our popular culture, I agree that the actual experiment did not prove much. However, looking at my own set of Six Degrees of Separation, I do not know that I doubt the theory that much. I am a farm girl from Wisconsin. Even without my internet connections, I can make some amazing jumps in just a couple of degrees. It is four degrees from me to Fidel Castro (I know -> J who met -> Che Guevara who was a revolutionary with -> Castro). Three steps from me to Frank Lloyd Wright (I know -> D who met -> Wright. D even got a personal tour of Taliesin from Wright). Four steps from me to Josef Stalin (I -> met Brandoch Peters years ago -> he was married to Svetlana Alliluyeva for a short time she was -> Stalin's daughter). That is only going three or four degrees. Luis and I have consistently been shocked at how many of people we know, even those who are hundreds of miles away, have overlapping circles of acquaintance. I do not care if the theory is perfectly true. Even if it takes 8 or 10 or 12 degrees to connect everyone in the entire world, it is still a fun parlour game. How many degrees is it from you to someone well known? (/start subliminal message/ Comments people, leave comments! I know you are reading, leave a comment! /end subliminal message/)

Part of the NPR segment questioned why people grab on to this theory and love it so much. I think that we love the connection it creates between us and the rest of the world. People love to know how they fit together with others. I think that is why some people enjoy geneology. In some cultures, upon meeting new people, it was or is important to discuss family trees and social acquaintances until a connection is made. Humans like to know how we fit together.

~ Do you listen to NPR? Do you support it? The segments and shows on NPR are both informative and entertaining, and not just for upper class intellectual geeks. Take a listen someday! Support it if you do listen regularly!

~ Cinnamon Raisin Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread is a gift from the gods. I think it is my current favorite bread.

~ iGoogle is fabulous. I love it to bits. One simple webpage for my homepage will show me the news I want, the woot of the day, the current weather, the current moon phase, gives me quick access to my calendar, lets me track my water consumption, gives me a new Spanish word and interesting quotes every day, and provides me with easy links to last week's Whad'Ya Know and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. I *heart* iGoogle. Now if only my google calendar could be downloaded onto my cellphone, I could be a happy camper, at least for the time being.