Leaving the stage at London's Barbican, violinist David Garrett, 26, one of the UK's foremost young concert performers, had an accident that every world-class musician must dread: he tripped and landed on his violin

"I was all packed up and ready to go when I slipped," Garrett told the Evening Standard. "People said it was as if I'd trodden on a banana skin. I fell down a flight of steps and on to the case. When I opened it, the violin was in pieces. I couldn't speak and I couldn't get up. I didn't even know if I was hurt – I didn't care. I've had that violin for eight years. It was like losing a friend."

Full story via Arts Journal

Today is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Here are some things that you may not have known about Lincoln: He was the first president to have a beard while in office. And he was the tallest president at six feet, four inches.

He was the first president to be photographed at his inauguration. And in the picture of his second inauguration you can see John Wilkes Booth standing near him.

Lincoln liked animals and he owned a cat, "Bob," a turkey, "Jack," and a dog, "Jib." On the night of his assassination, they found in Lincoln's pockets two pairs of glasses, an ivory and silver pocketknife, a linen handkerchief, a Confederate five-dollar bill, a gold watch fob, and a new leather wallet with a pencil inside of it.

Lincoln was the only president ever to receive a patent. It was for a device that lifted ships over shoals in the water.

He was known for keeping an untidy office and also for his loud and resonant laugh. He admired the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but when Lincoln saw that a campaign document had claimed that he spent his free time reading Plutarch, he began reading Lives.

Many thought that Lincoln was overindulgent as a father and he would let his youngest two boys run and play freely in the Presidential Office.

My site is the number 5 google result for memorable ending for eating peanut butter and jelly sandwhich

I'd say that cookies are a good and "memorable" ending to a PB&J sandwich
(I'd suggest homemade chocolate chip cookies!)

In short, Meg, you should not expect your teachers to look at you once and simply see, in a brief glance, how bright you are. You should not expect them to unerringly spot your talents and know where they might lead you. Some will, and you will be grateful to them for the rest of your life. But others, sadly, can't tell, or don't much care, or are caught up in their own worries and resentments. Then again, the ones who stand in awe of your gifts are not the ones from whom you will ultimately learn the most. The best teachers will occasionally, perhaps more than occasionally, make you feel a bit stupid. From Letters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart pg. 17

Miss Ryan mentioned the Sibelius Violin Concerto this morning.
I LOVE the Sibelius Violin Concerto. It can't be embeded, but you can listen/watch it right here

A Short Story (with pictures!)



Once upon a time, my nephew came over to play at my house.

We built sculptures out of marshmallows and toothpicks.

Then we took pictures of our creations

The End
See photos here

* Develop a knowing smile. It works even better if you can get it with a bit of a twinkle in your eye and an appropriate hand gesture, like holding one knuckle thoughtfully to your lips, or gesturing with your thumb like Dana Carvey used to do during his George Bush Sr. impersonation.

* I thought about putting read a newspaper here—the 15 to 20 minutes a day you spend would be useful time—but you can frankly get just as much value by combining Jay Leno’s monologue with a dose of The Daily Show.

* Drink from a mug. It doesn’t matter what you’re drinking; you just plain look smarter if it’s a mug that you’re drinking it from. Cans are trashy, bottles (unless they’re water bottles!) are worse. For maximum effect, have a picture of some famous intellectual or a college logo on the side.

Read the complete list at I Thought a Think