Healing math

I was having a rough day yesterday and feeling quite glum. Thankfully, a friend called and cheered me up with some kind words and a math question. (She's studying to be a teacher.) I'm not sure why, but working on her math question cheered me right up.

Here's the question:

We know that
A pair of suspenders and a pair of socks cost 18 dollars.
A tie and a pair of socks cost 22 dollars.
A tie and a pair of cufflinks cost 25 dollars.
A shirt and a belt cost 37 dollars.
A pair of cufflinks and a shirt cost 33 dollars.
A belt and a pair of socks cost 17 dollars.

Given all this, how much does each item (pair of suspenders, pair of socks, shirt, tie, pair of cufflinks, and belt) cost?

Have fun!

Funny sounds

Funny sounds from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Yes, Virginia, Santa Claus goes to school

This year 115 Santa Clauses attended a three-day workshop at Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School, located in Midland, Michigan. Here, they learned various skills like beard bleaching, sign-language, and the art of responding to children's requests.  Boy, I'd give anything to see a hundred Santas ho-ho-ho-ing with their "little round bellies" shaking like bowls "full of jelly."   

Interested in learning more?  You can find the original photos and article here at the New York Times

5 magical hours

Today's post is brought to you by the number 5.

Last night Baby Norris (and I) slept for 5 hours straight through the night.  Hooray!  Will this performance be repeated tonight?  We'll see....

From trash to art

I often find myself saving plastic containers with the intention of using them for some project later on.  Last week I was introduced to Eric Barclay's artwork (via Foodiggity) and now I'm starting to see containers in a new light.  (Images taken from Eric Barclay's blog.)