Leaving town for Brats and Beer...

Actually, I'm going to Milwaukee to visit some long lost relatives and learn more about my family genealogy, as well as meet my sister Stefanie's boyfriend for the first time. It should be a fun little excursion. We're leaving Friday morning and we may see the Wallflowers that night at Milwaukee's Summerfest. We should get back late Sunday, but we're also going to squeeze in a visit to the Miller brewery before we leave. (I'm not sure whether I'll actually get around to having a brat yet.)

On another note, I'm writing this to let everyone know that I probably won't be blogging any new posts here for a while. I've been commissioned for quite some time now to design a website and I really need to buckle down and finish it up. On top of that, I have 2 distance learning courses (Philosophy of the Human Person and Nature of Love) that I have to focus more on. Lastly, it's summer time and I just want to be outside more! Of course, I'm sure I'll still be reading and commenting on others' blogs.

That being said, just for fun, here are some of my recent favorites from my "Fact or Crap" flip calendar (note: these are all "fact", not "crap"):

Yogurt was developed before the days of the refigerator as a way to preserve the benefits of milk.

It is thought that yogurt was invented and used before recorded history. An unrefrigerated cultured yogurt can be eaten safely for several days, and the bacteria promote good intestinal health. Genghis Khan's army ate yogurt as a staple of its diet. In modern times yogurt is refrigerated to keep it safe for weeks at a time.

Shel Silverstein wrote articles for Playboy magazine before becoming a children's author.

For nearly two decades, Shel Silverstein worked as a contributor to Playboy, where several of his cartoons were also published. Later he went on to write the best-selling books A Light in the Attic and The Giving Tree. Silverstein earned a Grammy for Best Country Song for the lyrics he wrote for Johnny Cash's 1969 hit "A Boy Named Sue."

Nearly a quarter of all mammals can fly.

Bats are the largest species (there are 985) of mammal, making up 23% of all known mammals by species. Bats can be found in all climates except extreme desert and polar regions. The smallest bat is the bumblebee bat of Thailand; the largest, the flying fox, has a six-foot wingspan.

Etiquette dictates that it is improper to use the term congratulations when greeting a bride.

While it is perfectly acceptable to say "Congratulations" to a groom, it goes against the rule of etiquette to use the greetings "Congratulations" or "Good luck" with a bride. If you need something proper to say, try "Best wishes."

And this last one I already knew, but it's a good one so I'll post it anyways (plus we just celebrated Independence Day):

Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826.

Ironically enough, the only presidents to have signed the Declaration of Independence both died on its 50th anniversary. Having supported each other in helping create the famous document, they feuded for many years afterward. Adams, seven years Jefferson's senior, had once proclaimed that he would outlive Jefferson. It is said that Adam's last words were "Thomas Jefferson survives," though Jefferson had died a few hours earlier.

Alright then, adios folks!