Archives for the ‘Blog Entries.Local’ Category

That’s a lot of work for a name tag.

Author: From https://blog.odonnellweb.com • Apr 29th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

That's a lot of work for a name tag.

15 weeks of classes, 5 or 6 field trips, a final exam, and a practical application (I made a zine) to earn this.

Virginia Master Naturalists name tag



That’s a lot of work for a name tag.

Author: From https://chrisod.weblog.lol • Apr 29th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

That's a lot of work for a name tag.

15 weeks of classes, 5 or 6 field trips, a final exam, and a practical application (I made a zine) to earn this.

Virginia Master Naturalists name tag



A 4,000 Year Old Beer Tab

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Apr 28th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
Researchers at the National Museum of Denmark have interpreted a clay tablet in their collection that records an ancient transaction:
One, which dates back 4,000 years, represents a record of beer being used as a form of payment in the ancient city of Umma, in what is now southern Iraq. It shows beer in various quality and quantities supplied by someone named 'Ayalli'.

It includes a payment of 16 litres of 'high quality beer' and 55 litres of 'ordinary beer', which would have been distributed among a group of workers
Even the earliest civilizations recognized the motivational value of beer.



A 4,000 Year Old Beer Tab

Author: From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Apr 28th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local
Researchers at the National Museum of Denmark have interpreted a clay tablet in their collection that records an ancient transaction:
One, which dates back 4,000 years, represents a record of beer being used as a form of payment in the ancient city of Umma, in what is now southern Iraq. It shows beer in various quality and quantities supplied by someone named 'Ayalli'.

It includes a payment of 16 litres of 'high quality beer' and 55 litres of 'ordinary beer', which would have been distributed among a group of workers
Even the earliest civilizations recognized the motivational value of beer.



Sunday Dreary Sunday

Author: From https://chrisod.org • Apr 26th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Sunday Dreary Sunday

After some much needed rain last night, the temps barely hit 50°F (10°C) today, with the wind making it feel much cooler. I have not left the house today. I haven't really left the computer. I had some much needed vacation research to do. I've booked a campsite for the Little World Series in August. 44 years after my playing days ended, I'm finally making it to the LLWS. We actually visited the museum and the ballpark a few years ago when passing through Williamsport, PA, on the way home from a camping trip. There are pictures, if you are into that sort of thing.

I also have our Florida birding trip this fall mostly sorted. One campground doesn't allow reservations earlier than 179 days before arrival, so I've got a note to do that on the appropriate day. It's a very popular campground on the water in Florida, so I figure it's 50/50 at best that I'll even get a site. The other three places we will be camping are all reserved. I really should buy a spotting scope before that trip. More research to do. More money to spend. If you have opinions on spotting scopes, feel free to share. The contact link is at the bottom of the page.

Yesterday I attended training to become qualified to do bird-friendly yard certifications for the Richmond Audubon Society. In doing the training, I learned I have some work to do with my tiny patch of yard before I can get it certified.

I picked up the new Drivin N Cryin album this week. It's a classic DnC album, mixing rock, country, folk, and punk into a sound that is uniquely theirs. Peter Buck of REM contributes on a couple of songs too, which not surprisingly, feature 80s college rock jangly guitars.

Speaking of music, I finished my review of the 1986 albums that I owned. Stay tuned for 1987, next year!

Only a couple of links this week, but I have finally fixed my link collecting workflow, so hopefully I'll save them more often in the future.

As a Purdue Boilermaker, it pains me to share anything positive about Notre Dame. But 100 years ago Notre Dame students literally beat the KKK out of town.

The average new car payment in the US is $806 a month. That is freaking insane. It also makes me feel a lot better about dropping $10K on repairs on our vehicle last year.

If you are a baseball nerd, this tabletop game looks fun. I'm going to download it and keep a copy in the camper for rainy afternoons.



Sunday Dreary Sunday

Author: From https://blog.odonnellweb.com • Apr 26th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

After some much needed rain last night, the temps barely hit 50°F (10°C) today, with the wind making it feel much cooler. I have not left the house today. I haven’t really left the computer. I had some much needed vacation research to do. I’ve booked a campsite for the Little World Series in August. 44 years after my playing days ended, I’m finally making it to the LLWS. We actually visited the museum and the ballpark a few years ago when passing through Williamsport, PA, on the way home from a camping trip. There are pictures, if you are into that sort of thing.

I also have our Florida birding trip this fall mostly sorted. One campground doesn’t allow reservations earlier than 179 days before arrival, so I’ve got a note to do that on the appropriate day. It’s a very popular campground on the water in Florida, so I figure it’s 50/50 at best that I’ll even get a site. The other three places we will be camping are all reserved. I really should buy a spotting scope before that trip. More research to do. More money to spend. If you have opinions on spotting scopes, feel free to share. The contact link is at the bottom of the page.

Yesterday I attended training to become qualified to do bird-friendly yard certifications for the Richmond Audubon Society. In doing the training, I learned I have some work to do with my tiny patch of yard before I can get it certified.

I picked up the new Drivin N Cryin album this week. It’s a classic DnC album, mixing rock, country, folk, and punk into a sound that is uniquely theirs. Peter Buck of REM contributes on a couple of songs too, which not surprisingly, feature 80s college rock jangly guitars.

Speaking of music, I finished my review of the 1986 albums that I owned. Stay tuned for 1987, next year!

Only a couple of links this week, but I have finally fixed my link collecting workflow, so hopefully I’ll save them more often in the future.

As a Purdue Boilermaker, it pains me to share anything positive about Notre Dame. But 100 years ago Notre Dame students literally beat the KKK out of town.

The average new car payment in the US is $806 a month. That is freaking insane. It also makes me feel a lot better about dropping $10K on repairs on our vehicle last year.

If you are a baseball nerd, this tabletop game looks fun. I’m going to download it and keep a copy in the camper for rainy afternoons.



Sunday Dreary Sunday

Author: From https://blog.odonnellweb.com • Apr 26th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Sunday Dreary Sunday

After some much needed rain last night, the temps barely hit 50°F (10°C) today, with the wind making it feel much cooler. I have not left the house today. I haven't really left the computer. I had some much needed vacation research to do. I've booked a campsite for the Little World Series in August. 44 years after my playing days ended, I'm finally making it to the LLWS. We actually visited the museum and the ballpark a few years ago when passing through Williamsport, PA, on the way home from a camping trip. There are pictures, if you are into that sort of thing.

I also have our Florida birding trip this fall mostly sorted. One campground doesn't allow reservations earlier than 179 days before arrival, so I've got a note to do that on the appropriate day. It's a very popular campground on the water in Florida, so I figure it's 50/50 at best that I'll even get a site. The other three places we will be camping are all reserved. I really should buy a spotting scope before that trip. More research to do. More money to spend. If you have opinions on spotting scopes, feel free to share. The contact link is at the bottom of the page.

Yesterday I attended training to become qualified to do bird-friendly yard certifications for the Richmond Audubon Society. In doing the training, I learned I have some work to do with my tiny patch of yard before I can get it certified.

I picked up the new Drivin N Cryin album this week. It's a classic DnC album, mixing rock, country, folk, and punk into a sound that is uniquely theirs. Peter Buck of REM contributes on a couple of songs too, which not surprisingly, feature 80s college rock jangly guitars.

Speaking of music, I finished my review of the 1986 albums that I owned. Stay tuned for 1987, next year!

Only a couple of links this week, but I have finally fixed my link collecting workflow, so hopefully I'll save them more often in the future.

As a Purdue Boilermaker, it pains me to share anything positive about Notre Dame. But 100 years ago Notre Dame students literally beat the KKK out of town.

The average new car payment in the US is $806 a month. That is freaking insane. It also makes me feel a lot better about dropping $10K on repairs on our vehicle last year.

If you are a baseball nerd, this tabletop game looks fun. I'm going to download it and keep a copy in the camper for rainy afternoons.



Sunday Dreary Sunday

Author: From https://chrisod.weblog.lol • Apr 26th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

Sunday Dreary Sunday

After some much needed rain last night, the temps barely hit 50°F (10°C) today, with the wind making it feel much cooler. I have not left the house today. I haven't really left the computer. I had some much needed vacation research to do. I've booked a campsite for the Little World Series in August. 44 years after my playing days ended, I'm finally making it to the LLWS. We actually visited the museum and the ballpark a few years ago when passing through Williamsport, PA, on the way home from a camping trip. There are pictures, if you are into that sort of thing.

I also have our Florida birding trip this fall mostly sorted. One campground doesn't allow reservations earlier than 179 days before arrival, so I've got a note to do that on the appropriate day. It's a very popular campground on the water in Florida, so I figure it's 50/50 at best that I'll even get a site. The other three places we will be camping are all reserved. I really should buy a spotting scope before that trip. More research to do. More money to spend. If you have opinions on spotting scopes, feel free to share. The contact link is at the bottom of the page.

Yesterday I attended training to become qualified to do bird-friendly yard certifications for the Richmond Audubon Society. In doing the training, I learned I have some work to do with my tiny patch of yard before I can get it certified.

I picked up the new Drivin N Cryin album this week. It's a classic DnC album, mixing rock, country, folk, and punk into a sound that is uniquely theirs. Peter Buck of REM contributes on a couple of songs too, which not surprisingly, feature 80s college rock jangly guitars.

Speaking of music, I finished my review of the 1986 albums that I owned. Stay tuned for 1987, next year!

Only a couple of links this week, but I have finally fixed my link collecting workflow, so hopefully I'll save them more often in the future.

As a Purdue Boilermaker, it pains me to share anything positive about Notre Dame. But 100 years ago Notre Dame students literally beat the KKK out of town.

The average new car payment in the US is $806 a month. That is freaking insane. It also makes me feel a lot better about dropping $10K on repairs on our vehicle last year.

If you are a baseball nerd, this tabletop game looks fun. I'm going to download it and keep a copy in the camper for rainy afternoons.



I’ve been tweaking the CSS for the site

Author: From https://chrisod.org • Apr 24th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

I've been tweaking the CSS for the site

I've spent the morning tweaking CSS for the site. Please let me know if anything is off for you. It all appears to be fine on my desktop and phone.



I’ve been tweaking the CSS for the site

Author: From https://blog.odonnellweb.com • Apr 24th, 2026
   Category: Blog Entries.Local

I've been tweaking the CSS for the site

I've spent the morning tweaking CSS for the site. Please let me know if anything is off for you. It all appears to be fine on my desktop and phone.