Radio Ravenclaw

03 May 2015

You’re listening to WWRVN, Radio Ravenclaw Good Morning, Ravenclaw, you’re tuned to The Fresh Pot of Coffee! It’s Thursday, so get the recycling ready to go out tonight and meanwhile enjoy the Horoscope. Your Horoscope this week is brought to you by Haumea, the dwarf planet which is visually right near Arcturus at the moment. Arcturus is visible in the morning in this season, just follow the arc of the Big Dipper backward to the Really Bright Star. That’s Arcturus. Wave toward it and you’ll be greeting one of the Solar System’s favorite Trans Neptunian Objects. We used Haumeamancy to generate our predictions this week, so hold on for a stellar-fast ride! Octopodes 10+: “Dwarf planet, one-third the mass of Pluto”. this seems to indicate that you’re headed for a growth spurt. Alert your parents to fire up the crock pot and get yourself out there hiking, running, chopping wood, and carrying water. A growth spurt after about age 13 is all about putting down layers of muscle, so go do the things that your body is perfectly designed for! Get Strong, Stay Strong! Neon Tetras 20+: “Claims of discovery have been disputed and no discovery date or team is official.” My word. This week, Tetras, reinvent yourself! You’re not nailed down, you can rock the identity change. Here’s the thing. you discover yourself, decide what your major themes and minor motifs are then be yourself as hard as you can. thank you, Sir Terry Pratchett. Lions 25+: “Designated a dwarf planet and named after the Hawai’ian goddess of childbirth.” I don’t think it’s your height that could be growing. So, remembering that images of gestation and birth are about all kinds of creativity, it’s time to choose your next creative venture if you haven’t already, to block other creative ventures from happening if you take my meaning, to dedicate yourself to doing it the best you know how. That means swatch for your OWL, commit to writing 5K words/day then editing out 3K of them, or decide on some 25-year-plan goals. Fancy Goldfish 30+: “Its shape has not been directly observed, calculations from its light curve suggest it is an ellipsoid, with its major axis twice as long as its minor”. Well, I think this is clear - no one else can quite focus on you, use that air of mystery to your advantage, be a shapeshifter. Also, sort your Tasks into major and minor then give twice as much heart and love to the Things which are major. Narwals 40+: “Rapid rotation, high density, and high albedo.” OK, it’s going to be a heck of a week, Narwhals, full of high density and rapid rotation, but you will do really well at it and you’re gonna shine! Capybaras 50+: “Its gravity is sufficient for it to have relaxed into hydrostatic equilibrium.” Yeah. I’m with you, Sister Capybaras, a little extra gravity and a relaxed waistband are just about the price we’ve paid for the hydrostatic equilibrium. Would you care for a vodka martini while we wait for the children to grow up? Cougars 55+: “A surface of crystalline water ice”. Incoming diamond jewelry. Act surprised, but cool. Peacocks 60+: “the result of a giant collision, which left Haumea the largest member of a collisional family that includes several large TNOs and Neptune’s two known moons.” First, brace for family drama, and second if we are to be a bit less metaphorical, for the love of all that’s holy, buckle up. We care. Dragons 80+: Your mediation is requested, Ma’am. The Planetary Geologic Society is suing the International Astronomical Union for making decisions on sticking their noses into rock business instead of keeping with the burning gasses. I need some of that Frozen North action - She’s Natalya Arctica, I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network! SECURITY ALERT! SECURITY ALERT! LEVEL ONE! ALL AGENTS! Printers have been identified as a level one threat! They sleep most of the time, but when they break dormancy the best way to subdue them is to swat quickly and repeatedly at any paper that comes out. Printers become loud and angry and begin eating paper. The paper is changed after the printer has eaten it, and can not be trusted. It is not known whether or not the paper itself is a threat, so jump on it! Then, immediately lay on the paper until you know it is safe. There seems to be a great deal of printer unrest this morning, so be very aware, and protect your humans from the dangers of printers! Security Chief Andromeda Good Morning, Common Room, you’re listening to The Fresh Pot of Coffee! It’s the Friday Fondoo Review! Here’s our Fondoo Recipe of the day - today a Very Savory Fondoo [http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bread-Pot-Fondue/Detail.aspx?evt19=1&referringHubId=433]! If your household has fondoo tonight, remember We Want Pictures here in the Common Room because this is Extremely Magical Radio. With pictures. Tonight, we’re going old school: get out your Uno decks! This weekend, the Advanced Studies Team will be on alert to help you with those last-minute thoughts! And now, the weather. • It is snowing where I am. That is all. The Weather Report is brought to us weekly by Wimbledon’s WeatherWorks, guaranteeing excellent weather for your venue since 1877. And now back to the music. Any music. I am rolling my dice… Woo-Hoo! A magical choice indeed! She’s the White Welsh Witch herself, Stevie Nicks! I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network [http://towerradio.libsyn.com/]. Goodnight, Tower! In the great bronze Tower There was a group of ‘Claws and skychairs to be inhabited soon And a picture of- a dragon jumping over the moon And there were three little narwhals decorating the walls And a few NEWTS And many many OWLs and BROOMs There are some Pantheons And a young Trickster God And of course a great many octopodes Goodnight, Tower Goodnight, ‘Claws Goodnight dragon jumping over the moon Goodnight Narwhals Goodnight NEWTs Goodnight to the OWLs and the BROOMs Goodnight Pantheons Goodnight gods Goodnight Octopodes Sorting’s coming soon Thank you, Handdrawnviolist Good Morning! You’ve tuned in to The Fresh Pot of Coffee! It’s Wednesday, April 29th, except in Oceania where it is possibly 2017 by now. Just a few news highlights today - * It’s raining in Devonshire * it is not yet time to plant out your tomato seedlings, the Muggles will be confused when they thrive. * Benjamin Bagby concert in Chicago Friday night! * It has come to the attention of the Ministry that an Anistasis spell was illegally released in 2010 over many portions of the Wizarding World. If you have acquired a pet or familiar since then, watch carefully for signs that this creature could be an Animagus trapped in her or his animal form! Signs include, but are not limited to: vivid dreaming (evidenced by sleep-woofing); hypervigilance; constructing sandwiches out of human food. The Fresh Pot of Coffee is sponsored on Wednesdays by Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes - whether your wakenings are wailsome or wacky, our winsome wares will work out the wants of your workshop. We whizz the werewolf’s whiskers and wow the wildest widgeons! So wax their waffles, wobble their woolies, work up a list of wishes and wants, witches and wizards, and wander to Weaselys’ Wizarding Wheezes. Wednesday is WibblyWobbly Day - 10% discount to all patrons wearing a fez! Oh, dear sweet quaffle, it’s Wednesday, let’s get straight to the music. Taking it classic today, our nerves can’t handle much else - He’s George Gershwin, I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network. Tower, we have another letter from ChrisFixedKitty in Lindisfarne. Chris? Dear Towermates, Hallo, everyone! My apologies for the delay in writing, but the regular postal owl convoy only comes to Lindisfarne once a week. Just as all the books about the history of medieval calligraphy say, this is a back-end-of-nowhere place, easier to reach by sea than by land, which is almost hard to tell from the sea much of the time, it’s so marshy. Yes, I said ‘postal owl convoy’, because lone owls are pretty much flying playtoys in the view of the younger dragons. No wonder poor Skrim was so raggedy when he brought me the directions here. The young ones do seem to understand that brooms sometimes bite back, so to speak, so flying in and out is pretty safe. Although there are a few dragons here that like to sniff all incoming visitors, in-flight, and say ‘hi’ at length. They really need to add a warning about that in the directions. Imagine a flying great Dane the size of a city bus jumping all round you and barking enthusiastic “hihihi!”as you enter a friend’s house. It’s like that, only include in your mental picture that said ginormous beastie has just barged straight up out of the treecover and nearly inhaled you and your broom and the airstream of its leap has flipped your broom over into barrel rolls. Yeah.  I don’t care if Walter is “a graaaate beeg softie, he couldnae love people more, here, have a towel for tha’ slobber. No, he rrrreallllly likes ya!” A warning would have been nice. I have no regrets about having thrown up on him during said barrel rolls. Walter, I mean. I do feel bad about hurling on Mr. C. Be assured that we arrived perfectly safely, although 2 days later than we were expected. So we were met some distance out from camp by one of the search parties, and it probably saved me another day of trying to pinpoint the camp itself. Preep has made several new friends among the drakelings and the preserve workers, but she-- yes, Preep has been confirmed as a she-- is still insistently huddling around the humans’ ankles every night after dinner. What –do- you do with a dragonlet who is afraid of being away from people in the dark? It turns out the usual answer is giving them a week to get over it and putting some magical nightlights around the camp. We’re on day 5. No change yet, fingers crossed. During the day, she seems happy enough here, scampering off after breakfast to play with the other dragons, and I’ve been playing Muggle tourguide around the Lindisfarne ruins and museum. One of the regular tourguides has been taken ill with dragonpox, and I’m already pretty familiar with the history of the place and Muggle vacationing expectations, so I’m going to be filling in for a bit. There’s a lot around here that they really shouldn’t be noticing, so there’s always one behind-the-scene illusionist and one up-front tourguide for every group. It works out pretty well. Some of the illustrations in the museum are like magical portraits, and a few of the monks have senses of humor about the tourists that are positively not helpful to maintaining wizardly secrecy! I expect to return with Skrim guiding me back a few days before the start of term. I should arrive the day before classes start. See everyone again real soon! -CFK Thank you, ChrisFixedKitty. Good Morning, RAVENCLAW!! Welcome to the Common Room for The Fresh Pot of Coffee! It’s Thursday and that means Horoscopes - Find your age, learn your Animal, and let the voices speak. 10+ Octopodes:They still do not expect Duct Tape! Use this to your advantage. We’re not quite sure how, but you still have the element of surprise going for you. 20+ Neon Tetras: The world is waiting for your leadership. This week, show them all how it’s done: hand knit socks and sandals. From strappy pumps to Birkenstocks, we count on you to answer the timeless question of “now I have these great socks, but no one will ever see them.” 25+ Lions:You have not swatched yet!!! Dear Sweet Quaffle go swatch for your OWL!!! 30+ Fancy Goldfish: Run, run, I tell you to the Prefects’ Challenge [http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-tower/3191869] thread. We’re Crafting to the International Space Station! This is your term to knock back at least two miles of yarn. Yes it is. 40+ Narwhals: Project bags? check. Frozen meals? check. May and June schedule made out and on the wall/Google calendar for the family? check. Teacher gifts queue’d? check. You’re ready. 50+ Capybaras: Oh, dear one. It’s April. Almost May. Get another cup of coffee , you’re in for a bit of a bumpy ride. The stars say you’ll be close to caught up in about 10 days, but don’t aim for 100%. 55+ Cougars: There will be excellent … art… on Saturday morning on the green in town. You should go appreciate it. 60+ Peacocks: Today at 3:17 PM local time. They are going to mess up big time. Be there. Catch them in the act. Say nothing and let them blather on. Walk away silently. 80+ Dragons: We hope this met with your approval, Ma’am! Friends and Ravenclaws, the Fresh Pot of Coffee will be taking a term hiatus while we work on our Not-A-NEWT here in the station. This will be our last broadcast until August. We want you to know how much fun it is to serve you here on the airwaves. Keep the music rolling - we’ll leave you with some Serious Wizarding Power: They’re the Wyrd Sisters, I’m GazeboGal, And you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network! [http://towerradio.libsyn.com/] Dear Ravenclaws, This is station manager TindraTieren. I would like to let you know that despite the hiatus that the Fresh Pot of Coffee is taking, Radio Ravenclaw will continue broadcasting. We are constantly seeking fresh content, so if you have suggestions, ideas, or just want to drop us a line, please, let me know. Thank you.

21 April 2015

You’re listening to WWRVN, Radio Ravenclaw. Good Morning, Ravenclaw - you’ve tuned in to The Fresh Pot of Coffee! It looks like a beautifully sunny (or perhaps rainy) day out there, we suggest that it’s an excellent time to hang up some fresh laundry to dry (or get that softening effect of rainwater). What? the weather’s not until tomorrow! It is, in fact, Thursday, so time for your Horoscope! Octopodes (10+): That was really surprising, that thing you did! some of you are ahead on points and some of you lost them, depending on the thing, but you should know that your Surprise Factor just about doubled. This is an excellent way to approach the weekend, as your people have no idea what to expect from you and will be eager to give you permission to do things lest you do Other Things on your own. Ask - they will say yes! Also, i before e. Neon Tetras (20+): That thing that was making you anxious? There’s a right time to worry. In fact, the right time to worry is today from 17:45 to 18:00 local time. Worry as hard as you can. Burn serious calories with the amount of worry. At the stroke of 18:00, let it go. Any worry, concern, or anxiety after that point will have exactly zero effect. Lions (25+): Do your grocery shopping today (don’t forget safety pins) because Friday afternoon there will be an awesome opportunity offered and you want to be in a position to say “Yes!” You might even run a load of laundry tonight. Fancy Goldfish (30+): Sorting is Open [http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/hp-knitting-crochet-house-cup/3182835]! You have been going back and forth. Sign the form, buy the pattern, blow us out of the water. This is your term to Succeed Spectacularly! Narwhals (40+): Your weekend will be less simple, I’m afraid. There is an injustice in need of your tusk. Get a cozy Thursday and Friday evening to build up your spoons, kick butt on Saturday, then you’ll have all of Saturday evening and Sunday to recover and realize that you did a fabulous job and lots of people are going to be happier because you were so brave! Capybaras (50+): Good News: The chocolate stash that you forgot about is in the freezer. Less Good News: You’re gonna have to defrost the freezer. Worth it. Cougars (55+): You have worked very hard this week; you thought no one noticed, but the stars did. You have completely earned an at-home spa day. Salt scrub for your feet, lavender bubble bath, candles, favorite music, clean sheets, new brain-candy novel. Yes. Do it. Peacocks (60+): Public event Friday? You’re going to rock it! The stars suggest keeping your wand handy because there could be opportunities. You know what I mean. Dragons (80+): Do you need a driver this weekend, ma’am? The opening of your new wing will be lovely. The Fresh Pot of Coffee is sponsored on Thursdays by The DecRomancer, a new shop on Diagon Alley specializing in custom fortune-telling and tarot cards, delicious divinatory tea blends, and genuine Viking runestones. All your high-end Divinatory needs in one shop. Personal crystal ball attunements will be handled on Tuesdays by appointment. They’re located next to Flourish and Blott’s, and don’t bother knocking. Now on to your Thursday music, one of our most out-and-proud witches and the Muggles still don’t realize… She’s Bette Midler, I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network [http://towerradio.libsyn.com/]. We have a special message from PICOT (Person In Charge of Testing), Spike: Dropping a note here in your planning thread about some upcoming changes for next term and the term after. These are not just minor tweaks, please take note. First, as of now, we will no longer be accepting OWLs that are proposed based on just time spent crafting. You will no longer be able to propose a specific amount of time with an undetermined amount of crafting resulting from that time. We now will need an estimate of how much will be crafted by pattern, weight, or by yardage. If you require assistance with writing your proposal to fit these guidelines, please see your House’s Advanced Studies thread. Spring 2015 term is the last term that the Care of Magical Creatures: Option 4 (commonly referred to as the Bowtruckle option) will be available. It is still and always has been possible to learn a new craft with any of the other OWL subjects and options (a note that it is a new to you craft is something to put in the Considerations portion of your proposal). Thank you, Spike. Good Morning, Common Room, you’re listening to The Fresh Pot of Coffee! It’s the Friday Fondoo Review! First and Foremost, here’s our Fondoo recipe of the week [http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/02/how-to-make-the-best-cheese-fondue.html] - complete with SCIENCE! It turns out that the white wine is chemically necessary, but it can be the cheapest stuff ever. Also, our kitchen wizard makes excellent observations about Gruyere and Emmentaler cheezes. If your household has fondoo tonight, remember We Want Pictures here in the Common Room. Because Radio. Also, we suggest “Apples to Apples” as your board game winner for tonight. Our Quidditch team is hosting a Broom Basics workshop this weekend. Captain SarahTheEntwife [http://www.ravelry.com/people/SarahTheEntwife] will staff the Broom Maintenance station, BrooklynMomDoc [http://www.ravelry.com/people/BrooklynMomDoc] will teach us all on-the-pitch First Aid, FangAili [http://www.ravelry.com/people/FangAili] and Gipcsoul [http://www.ravelry.com/people/Gipcsoul] are reviewing flying basics, and MrsWingnut [http://www.ravelry.com/people/MrsWingnut] has a quiet little activity on how to fold your own origami Snitch! And now, the weather. * Ocean-going fans are going to be treated to lightning strikes a couple of times per minute for the next several days. * Flooding in Atlantis - no one is likely to notice. * Snow melt in Canada will, as ever, lead to those beautiful vernal pools. Let’s protect the delicate ecosystems which depend on these ephemeral sources of water by observing them without bright lights, sounds, or other interference. Perceptum incognitum spells only, please. * Remember if the clouds are out not to hang up your laundry outdoors, the Muggles will expect it to get wetter, not dryer, and then the Secrecy Statue could be in danger. * Weather wizard Inger Ingersson has published a fascinating new paper explaining how the effects of La Niña can be explained by the weak nuclear force. When asked “What exactly is the weak nuclear force?” Ingersson replied, ”Mumblety mumblety radioactive decay mumblety.” You heard it here first. The Weather Report is brought to us weekly by Wimbledon’s WeatherWorks, guaranteeing excellent weather for your venue since 1877. And now the music. Did someone call for earworms? I believe someone called for earworms, and who am I to deny our fans? He’s Burl Ives, I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network [http://towerradio.libsyn.com/]. Public service announcement: there are some chapeaux that even a Hat Specialist like Martin Freeman cannot wear.  Sorry, Martin. Not this time. Thank you for your attention. This has been your daily Break Month Levity with Martin Freeman, I’m Cyprienne. appearance on The Hobbit panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Good Morning, Common Room, you’re listening to The Fresh Pot of Coffee It’s Monday, so it’s time to Prep With Foxy!Time to consider Advanced Studies If you’re a NEWT student, we know you’re already well on your way to Glorious Victory! The rest of us, it’s time to choose the project which will define our term. Remember: one adult sweater in worsted or smaller weight is a worthy OWL. While we love to be spectacular, we work smarter, not harder. The Advanced Studies Advisory Thread [http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-tower/3154871] is full of people to check your ideas with. They’ll talk you down from the edge, help you polish your proposal, and test your photo-posting skills. Let’s say that I want to make a sweater for myself and a matching sweater for my 8 year old niece and a matching sweater for her doll. I could do that in an OWL for 200 points. Or I could do the sweater for 200 points as an OWL, the child sweater as an Order of the Phoenix Mission for 100 points, and the doll sweater for a class earning 15 points plus yardage bonus. Which path is smarter? Check in the thread, because every case is different - the OWL examiners will see if you have a non-standard speed with your crafting. Also remember: the Order of the Phoenix is an excellent place for a beginning crafter to challenge themselves: teens and pre-teens, you can propose something there which might take an experienced knitter less than six weeks. Make it clear that you’re just starting out and this will be a skill-building Mission as well as project-producing one. Corollary: the Order chiefs do get a bit fussy1 [http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-tower/3101471/39826-39850#fn:1] when experienced crafters see a 12 year old getting permission to do 16 washcloths and want to propose the same thing. Guideline: see how long it took me personally to complete a project like yours, because my own crafting time is my instinctually-available measurement. Swatch Now! While acknowledging that swatches lie, Swatching saves lives [http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-tower/1416099/651-675#653]. Draft your Proposal Now Check into the Advanced Studies thread now! The Fresh Pot of Coffee is sponsored on Mondays by Mrs. Madrigal’s Magical Knitting Emporium. They make many great tools for the crafty Witch or Wizard, including their famous Patented No-Snag, Self-Knitting Needles Now with Advanced Auto-Tinking Technology! Thank you for your continued support and good luck out there. Now back to the music. Screaming is called for. She’s Annie Lennox, I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network [http://towerradio.libsyn.com/]. 1. I can say that, I’m one of them. We have a message from Mama Eagle OmeletsMom: Calling all Ravenclaws! I know you love your House and all of its quirky traditions. Wouldn’t it be nice to share that love with a newly hatched Ravenclaw Eaglet? Why not volunteer to be a Big Eagle? We are looking for mentors for all lineages (see the current lineage chart here [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17ZnBB7xI9j_2yQbsieO6Drv04a3FS4F6PP7Bwzi5jSA/edit#gid=1541052910] if you are not sure which is yours), especially those that have not been represented recently. Students from all years are welcome -- our Little Eagles can benefit from someone who has recently been a First Year as well as someone who has long experience in the ways of Ravenclaw and the House Cup. Please PM me, OmeletsMom, if you are interested in mentoring one of our newest Ravenclaws or if you have questions. Thank you, OmeletsMom. Good morning! You’ve tuned in to The Fresh Pot of Coffee! Sorting is Open until Saturday [http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/hp-knitting-crochet-house-cup/3182835]!Information has leaked to our star reporter AnnieCC [http://www.ravelry.com/people/AnnieCC] that the famous Thaumaturgical researcher Cascadienne [http://www.ravelry.com/people/Cascadienne] will soon make an important announcement. The rumour goes that Casca has a successful prototype of her Poncho of Bee Summoning. Annie will remain poised on the doorstep of the lab for the press release. We here at the radio station are putting a few inches on a group-created project. It’s a Hug Shawl for one of the darling dragon-ladies of the church and we younger gals are putting on an inch and passing it on each Sunday. Question for our viewers: When you participate in a collaborative project, how do you account it in your project pages? Ignore it? Count it? Count it as done when your portion is finished? Make a page for it but keep it hibernating until it’s done? Write to us here at the station, we want to know! The Fresh Pot of Coffee is brought to you on Tuesdays by Geckito’s Garden Exotic Seeds: Are you tired of having a boring vegetable garden? Need to have the most interesting front yard on the block? Try Geckito’s Garden Exotic Seeds! New this year: Super Spaghetti Seeds!” As we say here at the station when contemplating the bounty of a Geckito Garden, “OMG! DIRT!” It’s kind of a “hazelnut, double cream, double stevia” day here at the station, if you know what I mean. Four typos in the previous sentence. So we’re going to fall back on that spectacular Siberian singer/songwriter to signify the start of a silly semester… She’s Natalya Arctica, I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network [http://towerradio.libsyn.com/]!

15 April 2015

You’re listening to WWRVN, Radio Ravenclaw. Congratulations to Gryffindor for winning both the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup! Ravenclaw came in a very close second, followed by Hufflepuff and Slythern. Thank you to all House and House Cup staff for another excellent term. http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/hp-knitting-crochet-house-cup/3180580/1-25#15 That means it is time for Sorting Signups. Sir Hat? Excitement runs through the Great Hall Snakes, Badgers, Eagles and Lions I’m here to sort them all Each of the houses can help you shine But how to know which house is the best? I can tell you they are all mighty fine. Before you place me on your head, Take my advice, and explore the castle Visit each common room, explore their threads. The houses have a lot in common but each also has their unique identity Here are some ideas for you to start on Gryffindors roared with For the Mantel this term, They have Marauder’s Missions, the Knight Bus, Study Halls And of course Chocolate Frog Cards to earn. Hufflepuffs are fiercely loyal it is true With Puffopoly, HuffleTainment, Eye Candy and SWorD there is plenty to do. Ravenclaws in sky chairs soared high With Moonpaths, Convocation, Specialists Studies and Mad Scientists, oh my! Slytherins plotted in their underwater digs With Slytherin Quest, Dueling Club, Hotties and of course Hedwig. As you explore, I’m sure you will find The gems each house has to offer And remember next term you can change your mind. The House Cup has Four Houses Strong We compete for the House Cup But with Yarn, Friends, and more, we all get along! Thank you. Please follow the posted link to sign up for the new term. http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/hp-knitting-crochet-house-cup/3182835/1-25 PorcupineSnuggles has announced that the winner of the Mrs. Lovegood Memorial Mad Scientist of Ravenclaw Tower Award is…. Hypercycloid [http://www.ravelry.com/people/Hypercycloid]!!! Congratulations!!! http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-tower/3104536/76-100#76 [http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-tower/3104536/76-100#76] Head of House PickleMommy has announced staff for the Spring/Summer term: Already announced were Head of House PickleMommy and Head Girl CathyCake. They are supported by Prefects DrusillaWormwood, KayPendragon, LostMoonOfPoosh, and senkatnovo. Mama Eagle OmeletsMom is supported by Auntie Eagle LASH. The All Points Bulletin Team is AnnieCC, electronjam, lsgarner, and 3trees. Advanced Studies consists of Auora, greenheron, Hreow, and matematichica. The Quidditch Captain is SarahTheEntwife, with BrooklymMomDoc, FangAili, Gipcsoul, and MrsWingnut rounding out the team. Convocation Conjurer Bacs will be assisted by elekanahmen. Spreadsheet Sorceress llim is assisted by NoNeinNyet and senkatnovo. Gwenschweitzer will handle Interhouse Activities, while AH77 is the NQFY Ambassador. Tower Reporters akasha111182, Bacs, irreverentyarns, and TindraTieren will keep you all up to date on the latest news. Mad Science Maven PorcupineSnuggles will continue to search the Tower high and low for crazy awesomeness (and awesome craziness), while Candle Mistress Jayannell and Lighters caranam and irreverentyarns keep the lights burning. Mail Mistresses akasha111182, caranam, indigoroses and Tikabelle will keep the owls in order, while Birthday greeters gwenschweitzer and kaypendragon keep a steady supply of cake on hand. Portrait Artist SarahTheEntwife will visually dazzle, Chaplain GazeboGal will calm and comfort. Soprano1 continues as archivist, with SadieLou manning the Madness Meter. IsisOnEarth will maintain the Tower Genealogy, and sugaroni and xamonster will act as floaters. Thank you all for volunteering to help the Tower soar to a House Cup win!!! Hey guys, you know what Martin Freeman’s favorite cupcake filling is? JAM. Thank you for your attention. This has been your daily Break Month Levity with Martin Freeman, I’m Cyprienne. Swinging with the Finkels, movie still Hello! This is Cascadienne, bringing you today’s Delightful Words segment. I have two entries for you today, both from the world of linguistics. First up, we have the phrase hapax legomenon (pronounced HAY-packs le-GOMM-uh-nonn) – Latin for a word or phrase that appears only once in a text, the works of an author, or the written record of a language. While researching today’s words, I found a dailywritingtips.com article on this topic, and it turns out that the epic poem Beowulf has many hapax legomena. One of them is the word orcneas – it seems to be a bit complicated to define exactly what that is, but the long story short is that it’s the plural word for a sort of demon. If you think it sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because J.R.R. Tolkien used it as the basis to create the word “orc” for one of his terrifying Middle Earth creatures. If you’re interested in reading the entire article, check out the podcast notes and transcripts for a link. (The entirety of the article can be found here:http://www.dailywritingtips.com/is-that-a-hapax-legomenon/ [http://www.dailywritingtips.com/is-that-a-hapax-legomenon/]) Next up, we have haplology (pronounced hap-LAWL-uh-gee) – the omission of one of two similar adjacent syllables or sounds in a word, as in the pronunciation “PROB-lee” for the word “probably.” A well-known example to Americans (and to Britons, perhaps?) is the name of a certain anchovy-based condiment, frequently used – at least in my family - to flavor pork chops and Chex Mix:  it’s a sauce with a name spelled Worchestershire, but in my Midwestern-American-variety-English, it becomes WURR-stuh-shurr sauce. I gave up trying to spell it on grocery lists a long time ago.  That example was suggested by Grammar.about.com – if you’d like to see others, there’s a link to the full article in the podcast notes and transcripts. (Haplology article link:http://grammar.about.com/od/fh/g/Haplology.htm [http://grammar.about.com/od/fh/g/Haplology.htm]) This has been Delightful Words with Cascadienne. Thanks for listening, and as a reminder, Professor Flitwick asks that you kindly reshelve your dictionaries in the reference section before leaving the Tower library! Next up: The Fresh Pot of Coffee! The station apologizes for the lack of fresh coffee on Monday and Tuesday. You’ll be pleased to know that the esteemed Doctor of Thaumaturgy Dwayne (Francis) Dierwynt of Puddleby-on-the-marsh will be publishing his latest research, “An Estimation of Entomological Effects of Stale Coffee on Slabs of Marble” in the next issue of Advanced Wizardry. Go, Dr. Dierwynt. The Ministry of Magic has declared it officially Spring, and all employees may wear short sleeves. Station Antarctica has yet to ping back acknowledgement. The 2015 rules for Pet Quidditch have been posted for the season. Humans are banned from using their hands - even to stay on their brooms - and the pets will score 10 points for each 30 second block during which they maintain control of the quaffle. Graduating from the Amateur Pet League, famous Border Collie Mitsy has been selected as second-string Seeker by the Holyhead Harpies. Harpies’ Captain Ginny Weasley told this reporter, “We have every expectation that Mitsy will be a fabulous professional Seeker. She’s fast, maneuverable, and so many snitch-catches happen close to the ground anyway that we feel she has no natural disadvantages.” Mitsy will be paid on the same scale as the other Harpies with her salary going to her own comfortable maintenance and health program, her handler Midge Midwater, and the Holyhead Animal Rescue League shelter. Good luck in your new career, Mitsy! We’ll be cheering for you! The Fresh Pot of Coffee is sponsored on Wednesdays by Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes - whether your wakenings are wailsome or wacky, our winsome wares will work out the wants of your workshop. We whizz the werewolf’s whiskers and wow the wildest widgeons! So wax their waffles, wobble their woolies, work up a list of wishes and wants, witches and wizards, and wander to Weaselys’ Wizarding Wheezes. Wednesday is WibblyWobbly Day - 10% discount to all patrons wearing a fez! Let’s bring you into the work day with some mellow tunes from a magical Muggle - He’s Jimmy Buffet, I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network [http://towerradio.libsyn.com/].

13 April 2015

You’re listening to WWRVN, Radio Ravenclaw. You’ve tuned in to The Fresh Pot of Coffee! It’s Laundry Day, folks. That’s right, just flick and swish your wand in the general direction of your wardrobe with a soft Tergeo and then it’s time to get the binoculars. Watching the Muggles wrestle with huge baskets of wet clothing baffles me every time. They hang them out, then it rains, then they take them in and hang them upinside their houses… We’d like to note that the after-full moon was not enough to wash out Arcturus last night - that kingly little star just kept shining past the moonglow! Today’s debate, folks - if you convert wooly fluff to yarn, does that technically add to your stash in a stashdown? Discuss! Some members of the station staff believe that heating season is over. This member of the station staff does not. Amusement is thin on the ground. In a recent interview, Cornelius Fudge, former Minister of Magic, revealed that he waits until our broadcast before making his own literal Fresh Pot of Coffee. He says that the sympathetic magic of our powerful signal boosts the caffeine in his double-mocha. The Fresh Pot of Coffee is sponsored on Wednesdays by Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes - whether your wakenings are wailsome or wacky, our winsome wares will work out the wants of your workshop. We whizz the werewolf’s whiskers and wow the wildest widgeons! So wax their waffles, wobble their woolies, work up a list of wishes and wants, witches and wizards, and wander to Weaselys’ Wizarding Wheezes. Wednesday is WibblyWobbly Day - 10% discount to all patrons wearing a fez! Now some music to get you through the morning - a new non-human duo making their coffee house debut anywhere that can accommodate juvenile dragons… They’re Mifwyte and Deedlebops! I’m Gazebo Gal and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network. [http://towerradio.libsyn.com/] The “does spinning contribute to or remove from stash?” debate rages on. KayPendragon posits that as long as the fluff is being used for its intended purpose, it is not increasing stash. TiggerishJen feels that spinning is simply an intermediate step on the way to ultimate stash removal. AnnieCC points out that undyed stash has triple the points-earning potential of yarn. Way to think smarter Annie! Oh, you’re all talking about spinning fluff into yarn? Martin Freeman thought you were asking about who had a winning ruff. Well. That’s very different. He’s going to go change, brb. Thank you for your attention. This has been your daily Break Month Levity with Martin Freeman, I’m Cyprienne. Nightwatching, movie still It is time once more for The Fresh Pot of Coffee! Here’s my personal note to all of y’all: when you’re hiding out in the Muggle world, you have to push the button on the coffee maker. Today’s lesson. Yes indeed. Also, an alert for the pen enthusiasts and Narwhals - there is a Narwhal Pen. Skip back to post 33749 in the Common Room. Sock Update: k1, p1, k1, p1, k1… Thursday is Horoscope Day! Octopodes (10+) - the stars say that this is a fabulous week to do that experiment with insects in your fridge. Neon Tetras (20+) - Alert! there is an important piece of paperwork which you forgot about! It is on your desk, but it got wedged under something over on the right-hand side. The stars are pretty insistent about this, so go clean the desk. Lions (25+) - It is exactly the right time to try that designer thing you were thinking about. Was it tea? Shoes? A new knitting pattern? Write back to us here at the station and let us know! Also, Sound Technician Sgiobalta has turned four, which is twenty eight in dog years, and she would like to show you all her zebra toy, in solidarity with her Lion-birthday sisters. Fancy Goldfish (30+) - Driving is on the dangerous side for you this weekend. The augury suggests stocking up on comfort food tonight, get home from work early Friday, and spend the weekend sorting your stash - you will find a surprise in there! if you do have to go out, public transit will be fine, so just hail the Knight Bus. Narwhals (40+) - if you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs… seriously, narwhals, you have earned a nice treat this week. Whether it’s a narwhal pen, your favorite place for dinner, or a quiet hour with headphones and your journal, please tell your subconscious “job well done.” Capybaras (50+) - The tea-leaves predict a sudden relocation to South Carolina. Probably temporary, so don’t put down your wand. Cougars (55+) - out into the garden this weekend! It needs you! Peacocks (60+) - They will be idiots again at 15:23 local time today. Be there with The Look. They will wonder how you always seem to know ahead of time. It will be our little secret. Dragons (80+) - your special order will arrive before tea-time today, ma’am. The Fresh Pot of Coffee is seeking a Thursday sponsor - if your business would like exposure on the most popular feature on magical radio today, reply here! It’s time this morning for our Bill-Paying playlist, so let’s enjoy one of the mellowest Muggles out there - He’s Jimmy Buffet, I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network! [http://towerradio.libsyn.com/]

07 April 2015

You’re listening to WWRVN, Radio Ravenclaw. Martin Freeman is TEAM SURPRISED CAT SURPRISE! It wasn’t a voting option before, but it is as of right now, and he forgot to tag his turn-ins… anyway. CAT, wheeee! Thank you for your attention. This has been your daily Break Month Levity with Martin Freeman, I’m Cyprienne. photo credit: Jay Brooks for Time Out London magazine Voting has begun for the Mad Scientist Award for the Winter 2015 term. Current Head Girl PickleMommy is awarded the Golden Spectacles of Spectacularity for her work in bringing gram positive and gram negative bacteria to knitted life, and for test knitting the Chocolate Frog Mittens. DrusillaWormwood received another set of Spectacles for her work in creating the Chocolate Frog Mittens, and for inviting *another* pantheon into the Tower to possess Tower residents. The list of nominees for this year’s Award is: Bacs for single-handedly writing this term’s Convocation Hypercycloid for her OWL involving blogging her use of antique wheels. And four units of cork guards. Xamonster for her narwhal tiara ec0g33k for creating a… well, I’m really not sure what. But it is fabulously mad. Just go look, okay? kbowman123 for crocheting an entire garden full of sea creatures. In one day. Brooklynmomdoc for fabulously insane amounts of yardage used between classes and advanced studies. Nightgigjo for researching and documenting the traits of the different known breeds of dragons, allowing many ‘Claws to save time on homework turn-ins Craftyshanna heard that a particular tree fluff was “impossible to spin”. Her answer? “Challenge Accepted!” She proved it *could* be spun! Senkatnovo designed and knit a wonderfully mathy shawl. Finally, Tower Personal Trainer TindraTieren started the ball rolling of getting WWRVN on the air. Thank you to all who nominated, and be sure to cast your vote! http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-tower/3104536/26-50 [http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-tower/3104536/26-50] Next up, we have GazeboGal’s with The Fresh Pot of Coffee! Great news is rolling in from Risasukka [http://www.ravelry.com/people/Risasukka], our correspondent in Finland! congratulations on being asked to interview for that program! Also, don’t miss the Giant Break Month Game of Tag in the Great Hall [http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/hp-knitting-crochet-house-cup/3103461]! what else do we do in Break Month? That’s right, it’s time to Prep With Foxy!!This week and through the weekend, our tasks are * Love your Queue make sure the front page of your queue represents projects you really want to make soon and have the materials for! * Love your Stash make sure your physical stash is where you want it and stored in the way that you’ll use it best. Then make sure your Ravelry queue is the way you want. For us at the station, we sort our stash by “WIPs”, “Queue’d Project Yarn”, “Unplanned Sock Yarn” and “Other Unplanned Yarn”. In the “other” bin we do have two sub-category bags: “yarn which would make good mittens” and “special yarn”. I’d like to thank my Stashdown Accountability Partners over the ages for the fact that my stash now mostly fits in four bins! Please reply in the Common Room or phone in to the station to tell us your tips and tricks for taming your stash! Saint Mungo’s has announced the construction of a new hospital wing. Major sponsors include the Dunfries family of Mid-Lothian and the EverBlue Medical Products Corporation. Saint Mungo’s representative Bartholomea Scintillia denies that the generous donation from EverBlue has any relevance to the multi-patient lawsuit going on right now inthe Wizengamot regarding the gentle blue tinge of several consumers of SkeleGro. The Fresh Pot of Coffee is brought to you on Tuesdays by Geckito’s Garden Exotic Seeds: Are you tired of having a boring vegetable garden? Need to have the most interesting front yard on the block? Try Geckito’s Garden Exotic Seeds! New this year: Super Spaghetti Seeds!” As we say here at the station when contemplating the bounty of a Geckito Garden, “OMG! DIRT!” We were lucky enough to get her to drop by LIVE at the studio this morning after her amazing concert last night in Lancaster. She’s unplugged, she’s brilliant, she’s giving us the best taste of her cutting-edge next album! She’s Natalya Arctica, I’m GazeboGal, and you’re listening to Radio Ravenclaw on the Wizarding Wireless Network!