Amanda and I just finished a 4 hour trip from Washington, DC to our hometown in Pennsylvania. As I sat in the car traveling on a long stretch of highway, I began to wonder what the longest Interstate Highway in the US was. US Interstate Highway System First, I find it important to point out that I am talking about Interstate Highways. Interstate Highways are all roads but roads are not all Interstate Highways. Got it? The Interstate Highway System (also referred to the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways) is a network of highways, freeways, expressways, etc. that stretch across the… Continue Reading
Who Owns The Stolen Bases Record In Baseball?
I like to think that I was pretty fast in high school. You know, Jerry Seinfeld fast. I was on the baseball team and stole a few bases from time to time. It was a pretty difficult task. I mean, you had to make sure you did not get picked off and got a good jump. You also needed to make a good slide if it was close. I told you that because I have a ton of respect for the individual who holds the record for stolen bases in Major League Baseball. As I mentioned before, it’s not an easy task and what Rickey Henderson… Continue Reading
Why Is New York Called The Big Apple?
New York City…the “City That Never Sleeps”, or also referred to as, “The Big Apple”. I understand the city that never sleeps nickname, but why “The Big Apple”? New York is not shaped like an apple and from what I know it doesn’t contain any apple orchards…so where did that nickname come from? Turns out it all comes down to horse racing and jazz music. What do those two things have to do with apples? Let’s start with racing because it has earned more credit between the two. In the 1920′s, people referred to the prizes won during horse racing as apples. Apple was also used… Continue Reading
Why Do Cats Purr?
Cats. Many people own them and some consider them more as a family member than a pet. Having had a cat growing up, the actual question of Why Do Cats Purr, never really occurred to me because it seemed so obvious why they do it. They do it when they are happy and content, right? Well, I sought to find out as many answers as I could to this question, and surprisingly I did find some information that I was not aware of. So, why do cats purr? Here are a few theories that I unturned: The first and most dominant belief is that they… Continue Reading
How Tall Is The Eiffel Tower?
The Answer is: 1,063 feet tall, or 324 meters (taller than the Washington Monument). The Eiffel Tower is the tallest Structure in Paris, France. This structure has made the skyline of Paris and the overall experience of visiting the city everything that it is today. As of 2008, Paris was under a height restriction law, (similar to the one in Washington D.C.) which would not allow for a structure to be built over 37 meters (121 ft). This law protected the skyline everyone has grown to love, allowing for the Tower to stand tall as the focal point of the beautiful cityscape. The only building… Continue Reading
Veggie Burger Recipies
I am not a vegetarian, but I have pretty much stopped purchasing red meat over the past few years. Sometimes I wonder if I would really miss meat all together if I stopped eating it. Although I do admit occasionally indulging in a good old fashion juicy burger, 95% of the time I am very conscious about not eating the red stuff because I know it is not the healthiest thing to consume. I just wish I didn’t crave a good burger sometimes! This has me considering other burger options more seriously. As I said, I am not vegetarian… BUT, my sister is. I have… Continue Reading
How Is Chewing Gum Made?
Chewing gum; it is a substance that we all have tried, and if you’re like me, you love to chew it all of the time. I once asked my great-grandfather how chewing gum was made and I remember him telling me that it came from trees. That was many years ago, and I haven’t really thought about it much until recently. So how is chewing gum made? From what I have discovered, the process has changed a bit from when the treat was first manufactured. Traditional Chewing Gum (Earlier Version) The base ingredient in traditional chewing gum is made from a substance called Chicle (chewed… Continue Reading
What Is Glass Made Of?
Having a craft background, I had an idea as to how glass was made before I started digging around. I knew it had something to do with sand and very high temperatures. I also knew that molten glass was poured into molds and cooled in order to create different shapes/vessels or hand blown like the work of Dale Chihuly. I was correct about the sand part, but what I didn’t know is that sand is not the only thing you need. In order to make glass you should have these basic ingredients: – Fine White Sand – Soda – Lime In addition, I read that other… Continue Reading
How Fireflies Light Up
Ever wonder how lightning bugs (also referred to as fireflies) light up? The other evening when Adam and I were out for our evening walk, we noticed that the lightning bugs were back for yet another summer season, twinkling on and off around us as the sun was setting. It made me start to wonder (as I have periodically throughout my life) how on earth do they light up like that? They truly are one of the coolest creatures on earth. I believe they were put here simply due to the fact that nothing makes a wide stretch of landscape more beautiful than the little twinkles… Continue Reading
Is a Peanut Really a Nut?
A few weeks ago, I was sitting at a baseball game with my husband…doing what I love to do while there: cracking some peanuts and drinking a beer. It was while enjoying this ballgame ritual that the topic of our conversation turned to a question that Adam and I have discussed before. Where exactly do peanuts come from and are they really a nut? I was pretty sure that peanuts come from the ground and not from a tree or bush, but none the less, I really wasn’t sure. Strange to think I didn’t know exactly everything about the cultivation process of something that I eat so often. So,… Continue Reading
Buying a New Car? Cash Back Rebate vs 0% Financing Calculator
So, it appears that you are thinking of buying a new car. Congratulations! Just make sure you can truly afford it by reviewing your budget. Now, knowing that you can afford to buy this new car, you are probably faced with the decision of taking the cash back or financing the car at the dealer for 0%. Most people that can qualify for a 0% rate just immediately assume that it’s the best deal. However, you should review rates that you can get at your local credit union and compare the interest cost to the rebate before making your final decision. For example, I could… Continue Reading
Why Do Men Wear Neckties?
I have always thought that ties were weird. At least weird when looked at all by themselves. Now, if you pair a tie with a suit and everything else debonair in order to complete the attire of a man of “importance”, my perception changes. Yet a tie alone, that long narrow piece of cloth stitched together to form a point at the end, wrapped around one’s neck in a knot…dangling at just the right height by the belly button, very odd indeed. Neckties, however you may perceive them, are a necessary staple in most professional, business, executive, formal, to be taken serious, or perhaps not… Continue Reading