RenoVous

  Mr. Potato Head was first invented in 1949 by George Lerner. Originally the kit had plastic parts to pin on a real potato, but after complaints of rotting vegetables and new government safety regulations, Hasbro started including a plastic body in 1964. On this day in 1952, it was the first toy advertised on TV. Terrifying. Although it had the selling point of looking different every time, as opposed to the fairly limited creations you could make with the plastic body. Did you know - Hasbro used to be the Hassenfeld Brothers.  Herman, Hillel, and Henry were immigrants from Poland who started in the textile business before turning to toys.

  Chappell Roan Demi Moore Simu Liu Simone Biles Kerri Kenney-Silver Greta Lee Florence Pugh Shout-out to Michelle Pfeiffer! Hand and Footprint Ceremony.

 Perhaps you saw the smiley face from space this morning, as this triple conjunction was visible from about 5:30am to sunrise. Another early morning watch to plan for is the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, which will peak in the hours before dawn on May 5 - but they're active from April 15 through May 27, starting around 2am. The chunks of space debris that create these showers are from Halley's Comet. The comet itself is visible from Earth every 72-80 years.  It was last seen in 1986 and will be back around 2061.

 A quick shot just out of town and we're in nature. 4/20 Coffee The pups playing fetch.

  What timing!   My sister and I finished Othello  last night and today is the reason I chose April to start with. Shakespeare was born on this day in 1564.  This is assumed from church records that confirm his baptism on April 26, and it was customary to do so three days after birth. Anyway, I quite liked this one.  Iago was truly a villain, and Desdemona truly an innocent.  But it's Emilia I'm most unhappy with dying.  She was going to leave her awful husband, and I was rooting for it!  The analysis review suggested she was the play's conscience, and that tracks. Which leaves Othello, the fool, "to die upon a kiss."  He no longer deserved that, but it was well written.  I'm just glad he stabbed Iago too. "I bleed, sir, but not kill'd." "I'd have thee live, for in my sense 'tis happiness to die." Which Othello chose for himself.

 Go Planet! I saw a post today that said Captain Planet isn't real, but his enemies are.  The assaults on Gaia, Mother Earth. "I urge everyone to treat every day of the year as Earth Day.  Planet Earth is the only home we shall ever know, yet we are relentlessly harming it." - Dr. Jane Goodall The theme for this year is OUR POWER, OUR PLANET, to unite around renewable energy. With all the new homes and apartments being built, I can't help but wonder why solar panels aren't just incorporated in.  It's all insanely expensive anyway.  And having them spread through a community seems a bit safer to birds than entire fields of them. On an individual level, we can all try to do better.  My biggest failure, I think, is to-go boxes.  So that is my Earth Day Action pledge. Site

  Michael B. Jordan Anna Kendrick Daniella Pineda Ariana DeBose Daisy Edgar-Jones Lily Gladstone Rashida Jones Melanie Lynskey

  After the second World War, in the Soviet Union, a lot of music was banned, especially from the US and UK, but Russian as well. People still wanted to hear those songs though, so bootleggers figured out a way to use the various recording machines that were brought back from Germany as trophies.  They couldn't get their hands on vinyl, so they turned to used x-ray plates. And it came to be known as Bone Music. Here  they have an old recording of Bill Haley & His Comets, as well as some others if you click around. ***** In prehistoric times, tribes used bones to make music as well.  The Aztecs used an instrument called omichicahuaztli , in some cases carved from humerus bones, but often femurs. These would be scraped by smaller bones to produce sounds, a form of idiophone.

We took a roundabout drive in Plumas County, checking out Lake Davis first. Then we popped over by Frenchman Lake, where many little creeks are flowing down the mountain sides. This was a prime area to find Great Basin Violet! The boys have enjoyed the waters.  ^_^

 On this day in 1929, the Cleveland Indians became the first team to play with numbers on the back of their jerseys.  This, of course, would help scorekeepers, broadcasters, and fans identify players on the field. The Yankees were supposed to debut the same day, but their opener was rained out.  Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig wore 3 and 4 respectively, their position in the batting order. But #42 may be the most famous - yesterday was Jackie Robinson Day and every MLB player wore the number.  It is the only fully retired number in the game. It wasn't until 1960 that names were first put on the back, and it was the Chicago White Sox who debuted.  Today, the Yankees are the only team who do not include names. The longest name in MLB history? Christian Encarnacion-Strand of the Reds.

I've made it through Act III, and what a mess Iago has created.  He is often considered one of the most effective villains in literature, a master manipulator. The plot of this is taken in part from Giraldo Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi , but there Iago's motivations are driven by Desdemona's rejection, whereas in the play he just seems to hate Othello.  It's certainly not just about the position he wanted over Cassio, because he nearly had that after setting him up. I'm a little annoyed how easy it was for Iago to goad Othello, but such is the point, I suppose.  Insecurity, vulnerability, and stubborn male perspective. "They are all but stomachs, and we all but food.  They eat us hungerly, and when they are full they belch us." Emilia's husband Iago already treats her like garbage, so she's warning Desdemona that her honeymoon phase may well be over. And it all comes down to a handkerchief. Online Source Summary and Analysis We'll finish up b...

  Colman Domingo Olivia Munn Emma Corrin Bella Ramsey Keke Palmer Isabela Merced Gemma Chan Nicole Scherzinger Heidi Klum