Queenkv’s Brainpickings

Aspera ad astra: “To the stars through difficulties.” That’s the state motto for Kansas. It’s also the name a fantastic indie band from Lawrence. Those words resonated with me as I lived and worked in Kansas. Kansas surprised me. For 2 years, I sampled anything the state had to offer. At a Topeka pub, I [...]

Funny, in Kansas – I played Nintendo Wii when it came out. Fally had some rockin’ game nights at her house in Lawrence. Wario Bros ruled! Here in Cali, we kicked it old school with an Atari Game Night at the Davis Public Library. Bring on the 8-Bit Gaming Good Times! It was so cool [...]

This look like a hot new film, especially with Kevin Spacey playing a MIT professor. Paying for college is painful…these math geeks make Vegas poney some financial aid. The new trailer for the film “21″ which is based on the best-selling book “Bringing Down The House” by Ben Mezrich, a fact-based story about a group [...]

Last weekend, we stopped by Local Burger in Lawrence. “We support local farmers, advocate for the humane treatment of animals and workers, recycle right in the dining room, and compost our organic waste, all while serving food that tastes good and is good for you.” – from the Local Burger web site. I had my [...]

A San Francisco-based blog is hosting an Eat Local Challenge for this month. This year, the challenge is in September with an emphasis on canning and preserving the bounty of September for the winter months. During this time, nationwide participants focus on what foods are available in our local foodshed and how we can support [...]

We ended up spreading out our 2 year anniversary over three days. Tasty food, good drinks, Trivia Smackdown and happy memories. We even got a card from Daisy. Mark said one day she asked for the car keys and she came back with our present: a porcelain mug from Starbucks. He said “china” is the [...]

It’s getting hotter in Topeka. i can hear air conditioners humming in other apartments downstairs. Last weekend, Mark and I had a blast at Legends in Kansas City, Kansas. I loved sipping cocktails and beer on the rooftop bar at Dave & Busters. We also watched a fantastic display of fireworks over Hooters. originally uploaded [...]

I found this quiz from Cup of Joe. He is also a Smart American. You Are a Smart American You know a lot about US history, and you’re opinions are probably well informed. Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be. Are You a Dumb American? This morning, I [...]

I managed to survive the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival. I just finished up loading Saturday photo galleries for my work site. I ended up heading to a cafe to upload the first batch of pictures and then finished up the second batch at home. I got a kick out of using my dad’s Canon [...]

Less than 24-hours until my B-Day. Oh yeah. I told Mark I’m torn between keeping it low key. I’m tempted to say let’s not make a big deal since I’m turning 29. When I was a teenager, 29 was old. Now that I’m 28.9-years-old, it seems daunting. I’m entering the beginning of the end of [...]