About Those New Seven Wonders...

Who gets to decide that it's time to revamp the seven wonders of the world? I'm not sure I'm in agreement with this move. When were the first seven first chosen? Which set is better? I'm doing a little research on this, just for you, dear reader. Then we can decide.

The Classic Wonders:

1. The Great Pyramid at Giza
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
5. Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
6. Colossus of Rhodes
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria

Okay, well Herodotus was one of the people who named them, so I'm going to say that gives the Classic Wonders a huge advantage. The list was compiled mostly by the ancient Greeks as sort of a tourists' guide. They didn't call them "wonders," they called them "must-sees." It's unfortunate wording for those of us living in the present day because they've all been destroyed.

During my "research" I discovered that there are several Seven Wonders lists. Some are pretty dumb. One man is responsible for all of them. He too is a travel writer, but he's no Herodotus.

On to the new set:

The Seven Wonders 2.0

1. The Great Wall of China
2. Petra Haha, just kidding.
3. Machu Picchu
4. Christ the Redeemer Statue
5. Chichen Itza
6. The Colosseum
7. The Taj Mahal

8. Whoa, the Great Pyramid only made it to "Honorary Candidate" on this list. Ouch.

I have been to a few of these wonders and I think they're pretty amazing (especially Machu Picchu), but I'm not so sure about the Christ the Redeemer thing. A statue? That's wonderous?!?!

So who wins?
It's hard to judge since I can't see the original wonders. I was going to say that the Christ the Redeemer statue knocked 2.0 out of the running, but there's a statue in the first set too. I think I might call it a draw. The Original Wonders win because of originality and authenticity. The New Wonders win because they have a broader geographical scope, I can go visit them, and most of them are pretty stunning.

P.S. If you're really into categorization of Seven Wonders, check this out.

How Does This Happen?

Every time I make ice, I get one cube like this. Only one (though I make two trays), every time. Over time, the stalagmite shrinks. How/why does this happen? No, there isn't anything dripping from the ceiling of the freezer.

I Heart Scanner

I am a regular reader of Nerve.com, particularly the Scanner section. I feel like I'm friends with the writers at Scanner, particularly Sarah because she's responded to every email I've ever sent (which is only two or three, don't think I'm some crazy fan!) and because she's from Michigan, which makes me feel like I know her. I particularly love her for a line in today's Scanner:

"American beer is shite. Sorry, hipsters, your Pabst Blue Ribbon is little but a punishment for that stupid haircut."

I don't really agree with the American beer is shite comment–a cold Budweiser can be very delicious at times–but I am SO with her on the stupid haircuts. And she's even more obsessed with the dramatic chipmunk than I am.

That's all for today (baby steps). Happy Fourth of July!

Dramatic Chipmunk

Ok, it's all over the web, and it's not even a chipmunk, but I can't stop watching this over and over again (giggling quietly to myself).

Hunh. Who Knew?

It's been ages since I've last posted, so I have some catching up to do, but first let me regale you with this little tidbit of information. Ladies, did you know you have a vestibule? I don't mean in your house (you may or may not; I personally do not), but on you. Kind of in you, actually (but not totally).

I went in today for my annual exam (men: that means I was at the gynecologist) and found myself sitting around the exam room/second waiting room, staring at the posters of cartoonish STDs and diagrams of the female anatomy when I spotted it smack dab in the middle of the vulva: the vestibule. It seems so welcoming, having a vestibule.

Instead of posting a picture of a vagina on my blog for everyone to look at when they visit (if you really want to see it), I've decided to post the definition (this was also brought on by my curiosity about whether this particular meaning of vestibule made it into my pre-installed Mac dictionary, which I'm proud to say it did. Go Mac!). Lo and behold, everyone has a vestibule! Men have three and women have four!

Here's the defintion:
vestibule |ˈvestəˌbyoōl| noun
1 an antechamber, hall, or lobby next to the outer door of a building.
• an enclosed entrance compartment in a railroad car.

2 Anatomy a chamber or channel communicating with or opening into another, in particular
• the central cavity of the labyrinth of the inner ear.
• the part of the mouth outside the teeth.
• the space in the vulva into which both the urethra and vagina open.

So there you have today's great discovery.

I still don't have a job. My dad sent me a link to an article talking about how some people get offered jobs because of their blogs (and some people get turned down because of them). This made me wonder:
a) Does my dad know about and read my blog and was this a not-so-subtle hint to be a little bit more intelligent on it (clearly failing miserably with today's post)? and
b) Do potential employers read my blog?

I think I've managed to remain fairly anonymous on here, so hopefully the answer to both questions is no. Part of me doesn't really care though. This blog is for fun and it doesn't affect my ability to work, so judging me on anything that I've written here is kind of silly (unless it's a positive judgment). Really nothing I do in my free time affects my work and if anything, this blog gives me some writing practice. So there. Hire me. Please. If you're reading this. I'm smart, organized, efficient, and super reliable. I swear.