An eclectic blend of a conversational Coffee Klatch with a sense of wonder, discovery, and intellectual playfulness, much like the historical Cabinets of Curiosities that housed rare artifacts, oddities, and treasures.
In this weekly miscellany, each issue opens a drawer to reveal something fascinating, funny, or thought-provoking. It’s part archive, part adventure!
Cabinet Drawer of the Week
It’s been 23 years since Badger Badger Badger came out! 😮
Also called “Badgers” or “Badger x3,” it was first published in September 2003.
This video is iconic, but I remember in 2010 when they came out with a version for the FIFA World Cup, when England was playing.
I downloaded the Flash version of the soccer video that automatically looped. Every time England scored a goal, the score counter went up by one. I let it run for a week or two on a spare computer I had in my office at the time, and when the score got up to 5 digits, it started cutting off the last number.
Word to the Wise
Wordnesia – (kən-ˈflāt) n. a common brain glitch where a familiar, correctly spelled word suddenly appears misspelled,or bizarre.
Ever have that happen? The more you look at the word, the more it looks weird or misspelled?
Thoughts from the Nook
I have recently discovered some videos on YouTube that are calm music, sometimes rain, and different kinds of ambience. Keywords in the video titles are terms like “Dark Academia”, “Rain Ambience”, “Cozy Book Shop”, & “Coffeehouse Ambience.”
Here are a few of my favorites:
Trivia Espresso Shot
Dalmatian spots appear on both the skin and the fur. Puppies are born with pure white fur, but their skin is already pigmented with the black color that will eventually develop in the hair follicles. If you look where the coat is thin, like on the belly or near the mouth, you can see the dark pigmentation of the skin.
Reference Desk
I’ve been bingeing The Traitors and Taskmaster lately, specifically the UK and Australia versions.
The Australian pronunciation of the word “no” is very unusual (in North America) and I find it hard to replicate. It almost sounds like “naur”, where the dipthong is lengthened and ends with a more nasal, fronted, rounded vowel like the German “ü”. To American ears, it can sound like it ends with an R.
The biggest example from what I’ve been watching is Jenny Tian in season two of Taskmaster Australia. It’s so distinctive that someone even made a YouTube video compilation of all the time she says “no.” 😁
Dad Joke Cupboard
What text emoji does a spider use when it’s happy?
::::D
Composer Corner
Gavin Bryars is an English composer. He was born in 1943 in Yorkshire, England. He is known primarily for his compositions in jazz, minimalism, avante-garde, and experimental music.
He started out as a jazz bassist before switching to focus on composing. He studied with George Linstead, Ben Johnston, Cornelius Cardew, and a bit with John Cage.
Some of his most famous works included sampling, where an initial recording is looped and modified, and also aleatoric or indeterminate elements. He also wrote five operas, six string quartets, and many other instrumental pieces.
The Sinking of the Titanic | Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet | After the Requiem
A Man in a Room, Gambling | Farewell to Philosophy | The Fifth Century
Food Holidays This Week
Sun, Jul 19 – National Ice Cream Day, National Horseradish Day, National Daiquiri Day
Mon, Jul 20 – International Cake Day, National Ice Cream Soda Day, National Fortune Cookie Day, National Lollipop Day
Tue, Jul 21 – National Junk Food Day
Wed, Jul 22 – National Penuche Fudge Day
Thu, Jul 23 – National Chili Dog Day, National Vanilla Ice Cream Day, Peanut Butter And Chocolate Day
Fri, Jul 24 – National Tequila Day, National Drive-Thru Day
Sat, Jul 25 – National Hot Fudge Sundae Day, National Wine And Cheese Day
Sun, Jul 26 – National Coffee Milkshake Day, National Bagelfest Day
Puzzle Pause
I always have a jigsaw puzzle going at home. Here’s a photo of the current state of my current puzzle.
Recipe Card
Lemon Squares
Ingredients
1 cup flour
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ cup butter
2 eggs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
Directions
Bake the Crust
Combine first three ingredients and press evenly into 8” or 9” buttered pan.
Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Don’t overbake!
Cool.
Bake the Filling
Combine remaining ingredients and pour over baked crust.
Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes. Cool.
Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.
Voting Brackets
We’re in Round Two of our voting bracket of Favorite Indoor Plants. Round Three begins tomorrow (Monday), with only 16 left.
Our Voting Brackets are open to anyone in the world, and we have a website for it: https://votingbrackets.com/. New rounds begin every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
We have completed more than 160 brackets over the last 7.5 years. Here is a full list of all the results back to the beginning.
The Pfunny Page
Marginalia
“Wait, Master, it might be dangerous…. You go first.”
–Marty Feldman as Igor in Young Frankenstein (1974)
The Index
Today’s curated list: Top 10 Most Popular Succulents
Aloe Vera
Jade Plant
String of Pearls
Panda Plant
Burro’s Tail
Zebra Haworthia
Christmas Cactus
Snake Plant
Echeveria ‘Perle von Nurnberg’
Hens and Chicks
I found 21 online lists of “best or favorite succulents” and averaged them all to make a composite list of the top 100. It’s on my website.
What are your favorite succulents? Feel free to leave a comment.
Next Time in the Klatch
The Traitors
Until next time, stay curious!