Yay, pirates!

As part of their Real Pirates exhibition, the Field Museum is pulling out the stops for International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19) with pirate re-enactors, sword fights, treasure hunts, and more. Can I hear an ahrrrrr?

I'm stealing that P-C.

Toothpaste for Dinner is quite amusing.

I have been told by people that I know that they would rather walk 10 miles home than ever take a bus. And that person lives on a bus route and complains about parking constantly.

Small cities have a public transportation catch 22-- people who have choice won't ride the bus unless is comes more often and goes more places, but they can't afford to expand without more people riding the bus.

Step-dad was able to expand to night service for some routes not too long ago in a smallish city. Took ages to get the funding though from what I remember.

I think his busses are going green this year too.

Our town of 24,000 supports a bus line. It's well used and effective to get around. DH has used it but I haven't yet. We're a bicycle/scooter heavy town, too. Which is surprising in the winter.

Bloodbot draws blood from the brave

If you hate needles when you need to have blood drawn by a doctor, something tells me that having a robot man the needle instead isn't going to rid you of your phobia. Instead, it might just add a fear of robots on top of it.

But that's just what might happens, thanks to the creation of the Bloodbot. It uses a needle and a probe to find a vein, although its accuracy rate is a mere 78%. And who knows what it does when it's inaccurate. Does it miss by a millimeter, or does it tear your forearm off? For our sakes, I hope it's the former.

I have been told by people that I know that they would rather walk 10 miles home than ever take a bus. And that person lives on a bus route and complains about parking constantly.

PDX has brilliant public transport but I live on the edge of snooty and the nearest bus stop is really nowhere near me. It's sad, I should be much more of a public transport than I am. The train that goes to the airport is brilliant though.

What's the last thing that made you smile unexpectedly?

(Nilly's wedding stories aside)

(since that is a given and not unexpected)

I've got public transport issues, but that comes from having to schlep through most of Miami, including some of the most ghetto-y ghettos to get to my First Communion classes with my grandma. Two hours of hell each way. Only thing that made it bearable was the fact that we hit the Main Branch of the Miami Public Library before the return trip, so I'd have large, delicious stacks of books to lug home.

Strangely enough, however, it doesn't twig me in any city where public transport is common, like NYC or San Francisco.

Otherwise though, I'm a control freak who loves her car.