Thursday, January 20, 2011

A few titles for your viewing pleasure

Since it's going to be a while before Spring arrives, and many of us are staying indoors, this is a good time to check out dvds from the library.  We have a wide variety of subjects available, from how to install ceramic tile to how to play a ukulele, and many operas, plays and classic books made into films are just waiting to entertain you.  New titles come in all the time, and here are a few recent arrivals:

Colossal Squid (squid creep me out, but if you're fascinated by gigantic, tentacled sea creatures, go have fun with this one; personally, I prefer Squiddly Diddly, and if you remember this cartoon character, you definitely weren't born yesterday)

National Geographic's Great Migrations (narrated by Alec Baldwin, this amazing series aired recently on the National Geographic Channel, and when you hear the phrase "eye candy," I'm pretty sure this three volume set qualifies)

President's Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office (another National Geographic title, this dvd offers a unique look into the presidency through the lens of Pete Souza, the chief White House photographer for President Obama)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

January blahs...

Let's face it.  January can be a long month.  Sure, a new year has started, and that's pretty exciting, but once the celebrations have ended, there's a whole lotta January left (31 days for pete's sake!).  This kind of situation calls for books that rev up the heart and brain, and I would like to offer two suggestions.

You may not think that subatomic particles are particularly hair-raising, but if you touch a doorknob and get a zap, odds are some hair follicles will wake up.  Want to know more about the "ins and outs" of electrical current but don't want a physics degree to understand it?  Electricity Experiments You Can Do at Home to the rescue!  The beauty of this book is that instead of a dry narrative about electrons, protons, ions, and any other "ons" involved in electrical charges, you'll find a plethora of interesting experiments you can conduct at home ("conduct" - ha!).  Fill long, winter days with sparks and volts - brilliant!

Ok, amperes and voltage may not dispel the January blahs for you, but delivering fierce kicks just might.  Check out Essential Book of Martial Arts Kicks, and get ready to learn how to devastate attackers with the back ghost lift kick, the rear leg drop roundhouse kick, or the 360 spin crescent kick.  And ninja warriors will have nothing on you once you master the hand-on-the-floor side kick.  Learn well, grasshopper.