With the Australian Open in full swing in Melbourne, fans like Girlawhirl watch the matches and wish they could be there enjoying not just the tennis but the summertime weather down under. And while so far during the tournament the temperature has gone a little haywire – almost 100 degrees F one day and then just in the 60s the next, Girlawhirl still wonders what it would be like to attend the grand slam tournament one year...

The images Girlawhirl's seeing from Haiti are overwhelming, upsetting and impossible to get out of her mind. And just like so many people all over the world, she's happy to help in whatever way she can…

When she makes presentations at work, Girlawhirl's all about a power point presentation. Between images, graphs and other kinds of slides she thinks she's pretty good at keeping her audience's attention. And now that's she's discovered a website called theperiodictableofvisualizationtechniques.com she's got so much more ammunition…

Already a devotee of her Brain Age games – specifically the Sudoku options, Girlawhirl's no stranger to her Nintendo DS. In fact, she finds it to be a wonderful travel companion. And as much as she thought she loved her semi-regular Sudoku training, she's completely obsessed with a new game: Cradle of Rome…

Among her stack of holiday gifts was a book that Girlawhirl is already finding indispensible: Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know: Instructions for Life from the Everyday to the Exotic. Full of solutions for irksome situations like changing a flat tire or dealing with a clogged toilet and fun stuff – like how to build an exploding volcano or teach a child to ride a bike…