Tuesday, September 29, 2009

In case you love The Lorax...

... and love the Earth, check out the Smithsonian's Online Conference on Climate Change starting today! (You can access it later if you can't experience it LIVE.) If you are on Facebook, you can also become a fan of the Smithsonian. But the interesting part is that people are STILL debating Climate Change. There were "believers" and "non-believers" battling it out on Facebook. But I think everyone agreed that we should all turn off Fox News. Ponder that.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Hope Diamond is NAKED!

Lately, there's been a lot of hoo-ha at work mostly because we've really entered the realm of pop culture. First it was Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Then it was Dan Brown's book, The Lost Symbol.

Now... (we are a bit dramatic with these things)... I give you....


Wait for it. (Building drama.....)







The Hope Diamond. (Naked.)


Yep... we took it out of it's setting, studied it, and will put it in a new setting for a few months. Then return it to it's old setting (so don't freak out. We'll still return to Hope Diamond Classic.) You can read the story here. And if you love hearing little fun facts about the diamond, check out this blog post from Around the Mall. If you like it, put a ring on it.

This is Jeff Post, our curator (on the left) and Cristian Samper, who is the Director at the National Museum of Natural History. Just another day at a very unusual office.

Friday, September 18, 2009

I am so glad Facebook didn't exist when I was in college.

This video is from the Onion, which will freak you out if you are under the age of 25. But you can equally be amused by Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook if your parents are over the age of 45.

Since I'm in my 30s, I'm amused by both.


Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids

All the cool stuff is in San Francisco....

Like this Vintage Fashion Expo that is this weekend. Okay, I know the undergarments weren't all that comfortable back in the day, but you can't deny they had style. The event features 85 dealers of vintage clothing, accessories and textiles with time periods ranging from 1850 to 1980. I would just gobble up all of the 1920's to 1940's stuff.

The event is perfect for costume designers, fashion hounds, and people like me... history nerds who just like to look at the clothes people wore on a regular basis back in the day.

Alas, I'm here on the East Coast.

*Sniff*




Monday, September 14, 2009

Hey, Dan Brown Fans!!!


I know where that is. Heh. heh. heh....

Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol is coming out tomorrow...

Here's a little somethin' somethin' for the Dan Brown fans:


*Sigh*

Story of my life.

Friday, September 4, 2009

I'm bored.

There's nobody here. It's the Friday before a holiday. And I'm certain no one is going to let us out early. So....(click your mouse and move the little ball.)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Weddings traumatize my husband...

Not our wedding, of course. He was fine for that one. But last weekend he was Best Man for his longtime friend, Mindy. He looked great in his tuxedo, made sure Mindy had everything she needed, kept everyone sane and relaxed... but inside he was a mess. He had to make a speech at the reception.

The fact is, my husband is extremely shy in certain situations. It took me awhile to understand that some people are actually built this way. And so... my husband has earned the nickname "Turtle". When he gets into social situations, he hides his head into his shell until all the people go away.

He was nervous about the speech days before he needed to give it, and early on Friday morning I found him nervously searching the internet at 5AM. In the end, I wrote his speech, told him he would be great, and was just as nervous as he was when it came time for him to give it. He said that looking at everyone during the wedding wasn't so bad, but somehow during the reception, they all freakishly multiplied by 10. With his hand shaking uncontrollably, this is the speech he gave. I'm so proud of him... he got through it and didn't pass out.

Here's the speech:

I should start off by saying – I’m not very good at this. I’ve always been the shy one and Mindy has always been the outgoing one ever since we met. But I guess that’s what makes us such good compatible friends. But our common ground has always been history. We are both history fanatics and are constantly looking at the past for all of its quirky little bits that no one else knows.

This is why we are forbidden to be on the same team when we play Trivial Pursuit. It’s amazing we haven’t been banned from the game altogether.

But today is not about the past. It’s about a day in all of its future significance. Out of all of the days that are notable…. the signing of the Declaration of Independence, when the Ravens won the Super Bowl, the day the Grateful Dead first played together, this is the day that will stand out for Bob and Mindy’s family.

Someday, their great-grandchildren will come across an old picture of Grandpa Bob and Grandma Mindy. They will think back the good old days, when things were simple. Housing was affordable. Flying cars weren’t invented yet. Robots didn’t rule the world.

This is the day when Grandpa and Grandma brought all of their friends and family together to celebrate their new marriage.

This is the day when they exchanged rings and promised to be each other’s best friends for the rest of their lives.

This is a day that will be remembered for all the right reasons, because it was a day of a new beginning. The family tree was altered, and it extended to include more people, more possibilities, and definitely, more love.

Congratulations, Mindy and Bob!