Nuts Grains and more,
The Olympus 550 power zoom is my newest toy. I have wanted a small camera that I can carry with me during the day and this model seemed to fit the bill nicely.
It is affordable, has an amazingly powerful zoom and it just right in size, not too small and not too big.
Here is a look at its Macro feature which I am quite pleased with.
Son of a carpenter
A shepherd on a hillside, while over my flock I bide
Oh a cold winter night a band of angels sing
In a dream I heard a voice saying fear not, come rejoice
Its the end of the beginning, praise the new born king
The Kalimba commonly known as an “African Thumb Piano” is an ancient instrument from Africa. In its most simply crafted form it is made from a wooden box and a few tines of flattened metal, but the music it makes is filled with a spirit of beauty and complexity that belies the simplicity of its construction.
The Story of Stuff
A friend of mine sent me a link to a site called storyofstuff.com
http://www.storyofstuff.com/ It will take about 20 minutes of your time, but it is worth it.
The Herald Angel Sings
What if you hosted a blog and nobody came?
Then it would be this one I suppose 
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), an exceptional melodist and brilliant orchestrator, was renowned for his innate sense of detail.
The music of the Nutcracker Ballet was composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Born in the Ural Mountains of Russia, he dedicated his life to music. From 1850 to 1859, he attended the school of Jurisprudence and studied piano. In 1861, he attended classes with the Russian Music Society. In 1862, he entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Beginning in 1866, Tchaikovsky taught at the Moscow Conservatory while composing many of his concertos and symphonies. In 1892, Tchaikovsky composed the Nutcracker.
The Nutcracker was first presented on December 18, 1892, and critics were divided in their assessemnt of the ballet. It has been reported that Tchaikovsky himself did not groove on the idea of adapting the E.T.A. Hoffmann tale either.
Guess he fooled himself with that one. HUndreds of productions of the Nutcracker are performed over the world during the festive holiday season annually.
Not bad considering Tchaikovsky himself felt that the subject was too dark and did not lend itself to scenic presentation.
