holiday contest!

…no, not from me.  But from a great magazine with a really good website, Faith and Family.  It’s billed as “The magazine and daily blog of Catholic living”, which is pretty accurate.  They have some great bloggers over there that are fun to read.  Both serious and fun topics abound!  I discovered the website first, I don’t know how, then I got the magazine a couple of times in the bookstore.  Both are great, and if they are something you are interested in, please check them out!

As for the contest- they are giving away some really cool items. There are some requirements, so check out this post for details.

time, time, time…

…has really been getting away from me! I have this list of all these things I wanted to post, but they are still in list form.  I have, however, been really productive around the house- making Christmas presents and baking.  Yesterday alone I made pumpkin bread, corn bread, and brownies!  Just because I can!  Today I have to make cookies because my hubby re-enlisted in the Navy today, and we were apparently supposed to feed everyone. Oops.  I blame it on being a new military spouse- there should be a handbook for this stuff!

Anyway, here’s one thing that has been keeping me busy:  I now also blog over at Blue Star Families, under the name of “proud navy spouse” (partly ’cause I haven’t been able to figure out how to get it to say my name- I am new, after all).  Here is a link to my latest post, and look for another one to come soon.

And, just because it’s what I do- here is yet another cool thing I found on the web.  ”Bobby McFerrin makes a keyboard out of people.”  (For those of you who were wondering what he’s been up to…)

 

book review: Diagnosis Critical- The Urgent Threats Confronting Catholic Health Care

I think the title of this book is pretty self explanatory for its content.  It also  states on the back cover: “…an experienced professional delves into bioethical issues to assist everyone in navigating this minefield of moral questions pertaining to the mission of Catholic health care.”

It’s a very detailed book (at least 100 of the pages are devoted to footnotes) which does a good job of exhaustively inspecting the issues involved.  I thought it was a little too technical for what I was expecting, it almost read like a textbook.  That being said, I think it was thorough and readable.  I particularly liked the section where the author compared 2 Catholic health care groups, and how they have dealt with modernization and outside pressure.

I think the message of the book can be summed up by this quote: “It is possible for Catholic hospitals to be both successful businesses and maintain their Catholic identity.”  Evidence in the book shows that not all of them are doing this, but that it is possible.

*Note: This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Diagnosis Critical.  The book was made available free in exchange for an honest review.

both the scientist and the 12-year-old in me love this…

…video which I found from Science Blogs, which I thought was too silly to post on my science blog, and too strange for my Facebook page where my little nephews might see it.  It originally appeared on yet another blog under the label, “You are being shagged by a rare parrot.”  Consider yourself warned, and about to laugh your head off.

Please note that if you click through to the original YouTube link there are some very inappropriate comments, as you can imagine.  But the video itself is just (bizarre) nature in action.

nostalgia…

I was cleaning out my much-neglected RSS feed today and came across this gem on YouTube, but credits go to the Mental Floss blog for digging it up.

It’s Mister Rogers, the episode where he shows you how crayons were made.  Crazy thing is, I swear I remember watching this!  I know it’s highly unlikely that I actually remember something from watching TV roughly 25 years ago, but hey.  I was a HUGE fan.  Knowing me, I watched the episode 20 times or something.

So, here’s the clip:

And, as a bonus, here’s what Mental Floss says is one of their most popular blog posts of all time: 15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever.  (I wonder if the show is on DVD so my kids can watch?…)

Edited to add: I checked and it appears that PBS still airs the majority of episodes.  Since I am mostly unemployed, it appears I have a new show to add to my daily lineup!  The show’s website is here.  PLUS, you CAN buy DVD’s, and this one even comes with a red sweater.  Adorable!

random bits…and indignation

First, I have gotten myself all fired up by writing a quick review of a book I just read.  It was supposed to be about the legend of the origin of the Assateague Island wild ponies, and it was so not.  My review is on LibraryThing.  Consider it a PSA for those who want to know about these ponies and might mistakenly pick up this book thinking it has some useful information.

Second, I have run across some real gems on the web lately and would like to share.

In the category of cool science:

- A woman is pregnant.  Two times, two babies in one womb.  It’s just that they were conceived 2 weeks apart!  Cool huh?

- Here’s a nice post from the Marine Life Encounters Blog. Video and pictures of a recent dive in Bonaire.  So neat.  Particularly the flounder spawning, especially if you have never seen how they swim.

In the category of What Were They Thinking When They Came Up With That Title?:

- I love Discover magazine and their blogs, which dispense science in bite-sized bits for those of us too lazy/too busy/too poor to read journals, but come on.  This title caught my eye (of course!): Jell-O Shots in Adolescence Lead to Gambling Later in Life.  Weird, huh?  Well, all it is is a synopsis of a study showing that rats who consume alcohol at an early age display more risk-prone behavior than those that don’t.  First: DUH, and second: Why not just say that?  The more you make science appear deceptive, the more people don’t understand it, don’t want to fund it, and ignore it at their own peril.  Sigh.

In the category of Yet Another Cool Thing on You Tube that Applies to only a Small Portion of the Population, aka nerds:

- Here is a video of some guys singing.  Trust me, it’s cool.  If I type what it really is, you probably won’t click.  Just give it a chance. 

7 Quick Takes: Sept. 25

Wow, it’s been a while since I updated the blog!  My apologies to my regular reader.

I will do my 7 quick takes courtesy of Jennifer at Conversion Diary, then if I have any other random thoughts I might do TWO posts! Wow!

1 – I now have a job!  Yay!  For those not in the know, I have been searching for a job since May, when I knew I was moving to this area.  Since MAY.  NO BITES.  And I am a TEACHER, people.  A good, experienced one.  Yikes!  Anyway, I now have a part time job in environmental education, which as of this moment, is exactly what I want and need.  Hooray!  (Side note: dealing with the Unemployment Office is decidedly unpleasant.  I recommend against it if at all possible.  As it is, they have told me that “moving to a different state to be with my new husband” is not a good reason to quit a perfectly good job that I already had and too bad that I can’t find a new one.  ARGH!)

2 – My husband and I are still getting settled in our new digs, and one of our missions is to get out more. I mean, you can only play Rock Band so many times (see #3).  And when I saw a commercial for this on TV, I knew I had to go!  I mean, Star Wars – live music – movie props – movie clips: any ONE of those phrases is a reason to get off the couch.

3 – As I documented our longing for Beatles: Rock Band on Facebook, we decided to just get the darn thing.  We are spending money very carefully these days, but we saved for it and ate ramen noodles for 2 weeks.  Just kidding about the noodles!  It’s an awesome game, in case you were wondering.  We are fans of the original Rock Band, but don’t know many of the songs (I believe I’ve mentioned my Manilow handicap before)- and not only do we know almost all the songs here, I find them significantly easier to play on guitar than the original game.  Don’t know if that has to do with the Beatles writing style or something, but we beat the game after only 2-3 playing sessions and only had to take that long because we were tired and needed to get some sleep.

4 – If I was living in my hometown, I would be welcoming fall right now. Here at the beach, it’s still summer weather.  It’s weird.  I really want to get out the jeans and long sleeved t-shirts, but unless I want to swelter it’s no go.

5 – The fall TV season has started! Yay!  I watch *much* less than I used to, now that I have a husband and a life and all, but I still live for Tuesdays (now there are TWO NCIS shows!).  Lately I have also been into Bones and the Biggest Loser.  Unfortunately, all my friends and family have radically different tastes in TV and no 2 of us usually watch the same shows, so if I want to discuss them or squee about some fangirl moment, I have to resort to the internet.

6 – Despite the fact that I haven’t posted in forever, I appear to be running out of things to say!  Those who know me are shocked.  So I will end with a couple funny things I saw on the web recently.  First is this quiz from Mental Floss: Celebrity Baby Name or Computer Virus?  hehe.

7 – I am not a Dan Brown fan- I did read the Da Vinci Code back in the day just out of curiosity, but was unimpressed, and now that I am more aware of his staggeringly uninformed writing style, I am even less impressed.  So, this list of his “20 Worst Sentences” is pretty amusing, whether you have read his books or not.

7 Quick Takes

Aaaaaaand, once again, time for the 7 Quick Takes update, brainchild of Jennifer at Conversion Diary.  Sorry I missed last week, but it was kind of crazy around here.

1 – The last time I did this, I posted that I was scheduled to go on a surprise date with my husband.  It turned out to be awesome! It was dinner and a free outdoor concert, and we had a great time.  Weather was perfect and music was great.  In these days of saving money constantly, it was nice to go to a concert, since neither of us has been to one in a while.  In fact, my last concert may have been TWO YEARS ago when I saw Barry Manilow in Las Vegas.  Wow!  That’s frightening….not the Barry Manilow part, cause I really like him (yes, I know…)- but the two years part!

2 – I am a TV addict.  It’s time to admit it.  This week, though, is especially fun for my addiction.  Wil Wheaton guest starred on Leverage, and there is another very funny new episode of Psych lined up for tonight!

3 – I got replies about THREE jobs this week!  Yay!  Nothing concrete yet, but at least some responses finally.  It’s a sad day in the world when a teacher can’t find a job, you know?

4 – We got a new hermit crab.  I have posted about my hermits (or “hermans” as we say in my family) before- we are a little too attached to them, yes, but they are so cute and interesting!  We “rescued” one from a beach shop where they were being kept in a wire cage with no food or water.  Very sad.  However, this herman is very spry and loves to be held- he is not scared of us at all.  He’s also HUGE- bigger than a golf ball (I can’t think of something that size to compare him to).  I don’t have a pic at the moment but will try and post one soon.

5 – I know a lot of people (OK, mostly my husband) who love to mess around with Google Earth.  I myself am a fan of Google Ocean, because I am a marine science teacher, not enough people realize how little we know about the oceans, and Sylvia Earle, my favorite scientist, was involved in creating it.  Anyway, this guy seems to have spent a little *too* much time with Google Earth…

6 – I found this cool song on another blog I read.  I love Taylor Swift (although not in an obsessive teeny-bopper way like 99% of her apparent fans), and this is a neat composition.

7 – Even though I am not a science teacher anymore (and believe me, it is really strange to say that…even stranger than feeling left out this week as my old colleagues went back to school)- I like to keep up with what those crazy scientists are up to.  And Discover magazine is really good for that.  Here’s an example- a wrap up of science last week in various journals.  (And I can really sympathize with poor Mozart, since I had strep throat 4 times last year before I finally had to get my tonsils out.)

camping: pros and cons, or in other words…why?

I have been thinking a lot about camping lately.  The husband and I enjoy camping but unfortunately only have the time and energy to do it about twice a year.  So, I was thinking about WHY we bother so much to go camping at all.

First, what makes it difficult? Could it possibly be the massive amount of organization required (at least in our family)?  The purchasing of camping-specific food like hot dogs, marshmallows, graham crackers, and mountain pie supplies?  The packing of way too many supplies in case of sun/heat/rain/cold/bears/loud campers next to you?  The bug bites (don’t even get me started…I still have scars from the camping trip 3 weeks ago)?  The expense (although through the amazing use of coupons and gift cards, we managed to buy a 3-person tent and some other supplies for $1.57, woo!)?  Not to mention that camping is so complicated that it seems to justify a Wikipedia entry. (What’s next?  A Wikipedia post about socks?)

And then, what about the good?  S’mores! Campfires!  Nature!  Cute little animals!  S’mores!  Relaxation! Hiking!  S’mores!  Hmm…maybe we should just get a fire pit for the backyard and have s’mores at home….?

As I was googling “camping”, just to see if I could find anything extra interesting for this post, I found this.  And it’s “legit”.  As in, The Oregon Trail is NOT just the name of that awesome game I played on the Apple IIe’s in elementary school when my wagon was a series of green lines on a black screen!  It’s a real trail!  Who knew?

To sum it up, for a laugh, check out what the good folks at Stuff White People Like have to say about camping.

7 quick takes

Yay!  It’s Friday again, time to update the ol’ blog.  Again, this comes to you courtesy of Jennifer at Conversion Diary.  I feel like mine are a little boring this week, so sorry folks! I will try to get a more exciting life going soon.

1 – Yay! It’s Friday!  I have a mystery date with my hubby tonight.  We are going to dinner then….?  I have not been told where Phase II is- exciting!

2 – Went to a workshop/class designed for new military spouses today, which was very informative and I met a lot of great spouses.  Really thankful that I could attend, and for all the volunteers who made it happen.

3 – Our place is *almost* completely organized, huzzah!

4 -I have been struggling with my TV addiction this week….sigh…it’s so hard for me to resist when I am at home with no job.

5 -Hooray for rain- we are having a drought right now in much of the East Coast, and where I live, there has been a good soaking rain/thunderstorm every night this week.

6 -Next week I will be able to get together with some of my friends and family who I haven’t seen since I got married.  I am really looking forward to it and thankful for the opportunity.

7 – I just found out – through Facebook, no less – that John Hughes died!  Yes, that John Hughes – Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, does-Barry-Manilow-know-you’ve-raided-his-wardrobe, THAT John Hughes.  (side note to readers: I am a rather huge Barry Manilow fan, and why yes, that is a bit unusual for a thirtysomething science teacher, and you wanna make something of it?)

So, here’s a bit of my favorite of his, The Breakfast Club (my 2nd favorite is Pretty in Pink)…this one always makes me smile!