September 16, 2012

While this has not turned out to be the year of serious writing that I had initially envisioned, it has turned out to be a year of serious thinking and growing and learning. Today I have taken a moment to reflect and have learned that too much focus on a single goal can shut out other beautiful possibilities.

I would like to start my writing anew with the goal of learning things and growing things and being more open to chance. With a new entry also comes a new chicken.

Meet 8 week old mixed breed olive-egger, And Waffles. Waffle for short.

June 18, 2012

Today I learned that I am an epic over-thinker. Keep it simple, Luna. simple.

June 17, 2012

Today I learned that some seahorse daddies give birth to over 1,800 little baby seashores in a single pregnancy. Happy Father's Day in deed.

In honor of your Dad you can watch a male seahorse give birth here.

I have learned many amazing things from my father - like how to work hard, how to be a good sport, that volunteering and community should never be overlooked and how to make a perfect rootbeer float.

June 16, 2012

Today I learned the rules of roller derby at the Derby Dollhouse.

One girl on each team wears a star on her helmet - she is called the jammer. Every girl of the opposite team that the jammer manages to lap on the track is worth one jam point. All of the other girls try to get their jammer through while blocking the other team's.

Needless to same their were numerous spills.

Every girl takes a Derby name that she goes by on the track. Jalapeno Businnes was my personal favorite but Carmen Getya, Fleetwood Smack, Estra Jen and Laguna Bitch weren't to shabby either.

June 15, 2012

Today I learned from Kameron Slade, a fifth grader who attends a public school in New York. Kameron won a speech contest and as a reward was to write his own speech and present it to his entire school. After hearing what Kameron had decided to write about he was not allowed to give his speech.

A local news channel allowed him to give his speech on air instead. I feel like we all have something to learn from Kameron.

You can listen to his speech here.

June 14, 2012

Today I learned that perhaps it is best to run errands before eating Korean BBQ, as the lovely meat perfume was so strong on my person that the check-out lady at target questioned the strange sent. She said we made her hungry.

I also learned that according to Google translate the Korean word for Korean BBQ actually means perfume. Apt naming.

June 13, 2012

Today I learned a new style of illustration to apply for a job. Wish me good drawing and good luck.

I also learned that two of my favorite men sat down together recently. Neil Patrick Harris was on The Colbert Report - this was the delightful result:

"But you are also the biggest threat of all...you are a gay person I like. Your threat is that you make being gay seem non-threatening. It's almost as if your happiness does not take mine away."

Almost. Stephen, I love you.

June 12, 2012

Today I learned people can do amazing things with a bonsai and a piece of driftwood. AMAZING things.

Grafting a living tree to a long-dead one is called a Tanuki Bonsai. Over time the living tree will grow into driftwood and the two will become one. Sort of feels like a second chance and good karma.

June 11, 2012

Today I learned that a Canadian production company has announced plans to film a remake of Anne of Green Gables set in modern times. I am not sure whether to be extremely excited or very concerned.

Either way I may have to buy a bottle of cherry cordial and plan a TV date with my kindred spirit/mother to relive the glory days.

I am suddenly filled with the urge to track down the original on blue-ray.

June 10, 2012

Today I learned that I never want to live in Westwood - and that sometimes the grass really is just greener in your own yard. (well, in my case its the weeds, but they are my weeds and I love them none-the-less)

June 9, 2012

Today I learned that treasure hunting can take many different forms - and yield a variety of values.

I also learned the very convenient benefits of having a doctor as a best friend.

June 8, 2012

Today I learned that my life partner/bee wrangling cohort appears to have some sort of unfortunate delayed-reaction bee sting allergy. Swelling has ensued.

Do not try this at home folks.

June 7, 2012

Today I learned that where ever you put the queen bee, all of her royal bee subjects will follow. I learned this was the very fun bee keeper who came to rescue my bees.

The Mrs and I managed to wrangle our bee swarm into an home depot bucket in the middle of the night to pretend them from deciding to take up residence somewhere unfortunate (and to pretend us from any associated unfortunate costs). When they used the magic of craigslist to find a beekeeper in need of some bees to come collect them and give them a good home.

As a result I also learned that my grandmother was an assistant beekeeper as a little girl, where she helped Al the beeman collect honey. How exciting!

It is amazing the new, fun stories you can collect just by rescuing a few insects.

June 6, 2012

Today I learned a little bit about bees, as I came home to find these new friends have taken up residence on my backyard sunshade.

According to some helpful online bee bloggers these bees are swarming - meaning that they are protecting a brand new queen and looking for a new home. They temporarily all swarm together around their queen to keep her safe while they look for a good place to build a new hive.

At this point in their life-cycle they are very full of honey and not likely to sting.

You are quite lovely my dears, but you are not allowed to decide to live at my house. Hopefully I can find a nice beekeeper to take you tomorrow otherwise you gotta go.

Also in memory of the great Ray Bradbury - who died today - I think it is best to learn something from him.

"I don't believe in being serious about anything. I think life is too serious to be taken seriously."

June 5, 2012

Today I learned about Krista and Tatiana Hogan who are 4 year-old twins from British Columbia who are conjoined at the head. What makes these little girls particularly interesting is that they seem to have a thin cord that connects their thalamus' together. The thalamus is the part of the brain that controls sensory input.

Scientists studying the girls believe that this may be the first case every of two people sharing a consciousness. It is hard to know for sure because the girls are too young to communicate their experiences, however, if a funny image is show to one of the girls while the other is turned away, the girl who can not see the image will also laugh. Both researchers and family members have observed the girls working together and helping one another complete tasks and make decisions without any external communication.

I also learned about the golden wheel spider who can curl up its legs and flip/roll/cartwheel away from danger. Click here to watch its awesome acrobatics.

June 4, 2012

I have spent the last week learning a valuable lesson about myself. I think too much and do too little. More doing and less thinking makes for better time management, less stress and more sleeping. Sleep is good.

I see more action verbs in my future.

May 31, 2012

Today I learned that my fruitless plum tree does, in fact, grow fruit. According to the great people of the internet, it grows "ornamental" fruit which can also be eaten or turned into jam - just like real fruit.

Silly me, I thought that the fruitless in the name described a tree that was without fruit. I now know this is incorrect.

But why is this fruit deemed less then the others? Too small? Imperfect? Does it not adhere to the traditional standards of fruit? I dream of a world in which all fruit are treated like fruit and none are fruit less.

May 30, 2012

Today I learned that I really just want to be Arya Stark when I never grow up.

May 29, 2012

Today I learned that 5 people can play one guitar (Gotye covered by Walk Off the Earth) and that 7 people can play one piano - all at the same time. (JayZ covered by CDZA)

The moral of the story is that working together can create fabulous results. (and the internet is full of fun things)

May 28, 2012

Today I learned that dear Ginger Chicken just may be a woman now. 

I am relatively certain that this is her first tiny egg. (It is a little hard to promise because my frizzle Nugget also lays a similar egg but this one looks distinct enough that I believe it may be an original!)

Congrats either way Ginger. You are a delightful chicken.

A little diversity is so much more fun.

May 27, 2012

Today I learned that our newest friend, Tandoori Chicken, has successfully mastered coop life. Today was her first day out free in the yard with her new frienemies. Jerk is just too mean and if things to do not improve she will be in a new home shortly.

I also learned that these birds have no respect for me or my fences.

May 26, 2012

Today I learned what it is like to care for a seven-year-old for an entire day. It is strangely both extremely hard and very easy to imagine doing this every day.

May 25, 2012

Today I learned how to make a friendship bracelet. Yes, this is my first one - I must have missed that day of girl scouts. Sadly enough, despite how easy the young girl in the video made it look, it worked my brain a little.

Someday when I retire and buy goats I perhaps I will need a loom.

May 24, 2012

Today I learned the art of finding sea glass - a delicate process of dedication that I can now safely say is passed from generation to generation. 

Treasure hunting is as much about the adventure and that little heart-flutter of discovery as it is about the used coffee cup full of bounty.

I also learned that getting up at dawn to spend the morning just my mother and I is totally worth breaking my sleeping-in during vacation rules.

May 23, 2012

Today I learned

and

.

May 22, 2012

Today I learned that the Costco Business Warehouse is an even more amazing sort of bulk buying extravaganza that it's standard cousin.

I also learned that cottages at Crystal Cove State Beach are delightfully charming.

May 21, 2012

Today I learned that when you attempt to concentrate on too many things, they are turn out a bit shitty.

May 20, 2012

Today I learned that England is experiencing a bit of an owl problem now that the Harry Potter books and films have reached their end.

Evidently parents thought that getting a nocturnal predatory bird as a pet was a great idea but have since decided that the reality of an owl is a bit less magical than anticipated. They do not deliver the mail or offer solace to small orphaned heroes. They are unfortunately, just birds, who like all living things require a great deal of thought and care to properly thrive.

One owl sanctuary has gone from 6 owls to a record 100. Most are simply being abandoned in the countryside - where they tend to starve - as domesticated animals to not fair well when suddenly dumped alone in the wild.

Perhaps it is best that while we always use our imaginations and dream magical dreams, we refrain from following every whim and teach our children the same editing. They should also be taught that agreeing to care for something is a great honor, responsibility and promise.

May 19, 2012

Today I learned that a wet chicken looks a bit like the world's tiniest dinosaur.

I also learned that perhaps naming my chicken Jerk was a bad idea, as she has taken the moniker a bit too literally. Nugget is being bullied and bloodied and kept from food and water. The chickens are now separated until Nugget is healed-up and well, and the situation is resolved.

Let us all learn to be kind to everyone, even those smaller than us. Or, better yet, learn to think of no one as smaller at all.

May 18, 2012

Today I learned, thanks to my little sister (who I guess is really not-so-little now), exactly what an MBA graduation hood looks like up close.

I also learned the warm feeling of having your family close, both in proximity and otherwise.

May 15, 2012

Today I learned that my mealworm beetles - who live in an open container in my living room because I have been assured repeatedly that they can not fly - can fly. The great mealworm people of the internet say they have been breeding "darkling" beetles for 10 plus years and have never seen this happen. But, I observed the magical feat with my own eyes and have a witness to uphold the accusation.


Either I am doing something very wrong or very right. (Or they were too thirsty and not liking their provided carrot.)


I also learned what it is like to be scolded sternly by your baby sister. I think this means we are really actually truly friends. I am learning that it is quite enjoyable to be friends with your sister.

May 14, 2012

Today I learned that perhaps I have taken on too many things without the proper planning needed to do so in a calm, effect, stress-free manor.

Here's a toast to early mornings and late nights.

May 13, 2012

Today I learned how to draw an astronaut, Jupiter and a llama that looks like a cloud. (or a cloud that looks like a llama? Who decides these things really?)

I also learned that getting older has it's advantages when you have someone right there growing with you.

I would also say that I learned how much I love my mother - but I already knew that.

May 12, 2012

Today I learned about the surinam toad who gives birth to live baby frogs from holes in her back. Seriously - holes in her back. The little fertilized frog eggs stay in pockets in the skin of the mother toads back until the frogs hatch and leave her body.

It is amazing all of the beautiful variety in nature.

You can watch the little frogs be born in this video.

May 11, 2012

Today I learned that personal progress is extremely hard to measure. How can you tell how far you has come when your only judge and your only competition is yourself?

May 10, 2012

Today I learned that warm feeling of a day full of calls and texts and cards and words of love to celebrate that you are here and you are you.

I also learned that - yes - the roast duck at Sam Woo really is as good as I remembered.

May 9, 2012

Today I learned that some words are very hard to put into pictures. How do you illustrate live or life or I or ourselves. What one image can capture those sorts of things. (add in that seven-year-olds with diverse cultural backgrounds who are learning English for the first time are the little brains evaluating said pictures.) Art is a tricky business.

I also learned that the President of the United States has publicly stated his support for gay marriage.

Thank you.

Truly.

"...when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated." - President Obama

May 8, 2012

Today I learned that one of my personal heroes, Maurice Sendak, has died. We will have to continue the wild rumpus without him.

I also learned that North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships. They already had a law in place banning gay marriage but figured they needed to double down with an amendment as well.

There is no need for all the repetition NC, I am already well aware of how threatening I must seem.

May 7, 2012

Today I learned about the assassin bug. I love a good villain perhaps even more than a good hero. A perfect villain is hard to come by but this little bug from Malaysia puts forward a pretty good campaign. These insects attack their prey and liquefy the insides with venom then suck out all the gooey; leaving an empty bug shell. This is not that uncommon in insects, but the assassin bug goes the extra mile and wears all of his meals like corpse armor on his back. Truly the stuff of nightmares.

You can see what he looks like here.

I also learned that my sister has sent me a pre-birthday surprise. The fact that it came early made it all the more unexpected and unbirthday-festive.

May 6, 2012

Today I learned about David Wing-Kovarik who started a Seattle based organization called Families Like Ours. David is being honored as a CNN Hero (you can watch the video and read all about him here. Please do.)

David and his partner Conrad are champions of LGBT adoption and advocates for children in foster care - trying hard to find every child a good home. As a gay family trying to adopt from the foster case system (in which over 100,000 children are currently without families), David was sadden and frustrated by the difficulties they faced. As a result he started Families Like Ours which offers completely free classes and services to anyone who wants to help change a child's life.

Families Like Ours has a 75% successful placement rate which is the highest of any agency.

I would really like to give him a big hug.

"It's unacceptable that families are faced with barriers that are put in their way because of a myth, a misunderstanding, miscommunication ... preventing a child from having a family just because (other people) just don't like what that family looks like."

"That child sitting in foster care year after year after year is not going to their social worker and saying, 'I only want a mom-and-dad home."

May 5, 2012

Today I learned that Jerk Chicken just might live. Everything seems to be healing up shockingly well with no swelling or redness and our visiting people-doctor friend has confirm that the heat we feel around the wound probably is not anything to worry about. She has even laid an egg and is acting very mean (Jerk, not the doctor). All great progress.

Foghorn seems to miss her and comes to visit her in quarantine.

I also learned that the limoncello tort at Cheesecake Factory is quite a beautiful thing. Go get a slice.

May 4, 2012

Today I learned that you can now see the dark side of the moon in full color!

 SPL/Barcroft Media has created a series of geological maps of various planetary bodies surfaces mapped out with a brilliant color code. They look like a wild space-comic complete with a classic battle between science and art. Much more fun than the standard blank and white composite maps I am used to seeing.

You can view the gallery here.

May 3, 2012

Today I learned about The Moth, which is a non-profit organization in New York dedicated to the art of story telling. They welcome everyone from novice to professional to stand up and tell a story, out aloud, at performances held all around the city. You can watch some of them here. All of the stories must be true.

They also have a public radio show that won a Peabody Award - one of the highest honors in journalism - last year. (Stephen Colbert won one this year.)

For someone whose education and work is so extremely visual it is interesting to ponder a different kind of story teller. It also makes me think quite a bit about about what stories I have to tell.

I have not watched all of them but here are the ones I bothered to watch twice: Stephanie Summerville, Dan Savage, Tricia Rose.

Related to storytelling, today I also learned from C.S. Lewis:

"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

May 2, 2012

Our friend Ginger Chicken is now 5 months old. The other chickens are no longer mean to her and let her eat all she wants. She is probably about full size now. The most exciting part is that I am now certain that she is a she. After a string of roosters that had to say goodbye, this is very pleasing to discover.

Today I learned there really is nothing to be afraid of.

May 1, 2012

Today I learned how to perform an emergency backyard chicken surgery. Turns out all you need is a sanitized exacto, super glue, a self-sticking dog bandage and a friend to help. (This continues this weeks theme of somewhat depressing animal posts).

Above you can see poor Jerk Chicken standing next to the horrible that we removed from her crop. I also learned that Jerk is either very tough or possibly does not have a ton of nerve endings in her crop.

It all seems a bit barbaric but we had reached the point where she was guaranteed to die if we did nothing. Hopefully this gives her a chance to keep making pretty eggs and spitefully escaping the chicken yard.

Good luck my dear.

I also learned that I am now too fat for most of my fancy clothes. lovely. I need more fresh air and less stress.

April 30, 2012

Today I learned that this is what a hermit crab looks like inside it's shell. How nice to carry a safe place with you where ever you go.

I also learned that if they get too stressed out their legs will fall off. The condition is permanent and seems quite unfortunate.

April 29, 2012

Today I learned all about impacted crop which can lead to the even less pleasant sour crop. Sometimes a chicken will eat something odd or perhaps too much long grass or a cattail which will result in a blockage between their crop (like a food storage balloon) and their tummy.

This causes everything they eat to get stuck in their crop which expands and expands into a huge silly-looking, puffed-out chest. Unfortunately the chicken is no longer getting any food no matter how much it tries to eat. Also if all that junk sits in there too long it will start to rot and turn sour (see above).

Jerk Chicken has been sent to chicken prison and is forced to undergo what she deems torturous treatment until the situation is remedied. I believe this has cemented her preexisting hatred of me.

And we're back . . .

Apologies to my few but loyal readers for this extended delay. I have had a case of the doldrums compounded by the quite busys and the feeling uninspireds. But, now I am back and I am hoping to remain on course without any further delays.

 This past month or so has not been a complete educational black hole.

I learned all about prion diseases (like Kuru, Scarpie and Mad Cow) which are quite scary but very interesting protein diseases with extremely long incubation periods.

I learned (through watching two close friends become first-time moms) that my own mother is an even bigger hero than I previously gave her credit.

 I learned that my grandmother is a crochet genius, who made me this amazing lego blanket in only three days. You can make one too!

I learned that that an orca whale can kill a great white shark. (true story!)

I learned that my chickens are smarter than me and can escape even when I believe the task impossible. Also, they are great excavators.

And, that while escape is easy, something making in back home can be much more challenging. In that case, evidently a BBQ grill is a good substitute perch. (I told her perhaps this was not the best choice - literally or symbolically.)

And that finding a very small chicken in the dark in the middle of the night is not easy.

I learned that my hard work is appreciated by it's target demographic . . .

I also learned that J.K. Rowling is no longer a billionaire due to all of her charitable donations. All the more reason to love her so.

 And that I am my own worst enemy. This final lesson I seek to remedy. Why can I not be my biggest fan? (besides my mother, of course)

March 18, 2012

Today I learned how to make perfect hard boiled eggs. I know this sounds simple but I have always had a problem getting them just right. But, finally, I have made perfect eggs with easy-peel shells, and solid velvety yolks that are cooked through but not over dried and grey. Yay!

You can learn how here.

Shelly laid a double-yolker on St. Patricks Day - exra good luck perhaps?

March 17, 2012

Today I learned that it is possible to dress a princess completely in fondant and rice krispies and that such a cake will attract the sparkling eyes of little girls all the way across an arcade.

I also learned that newly birthday-ed seven-year-olds (just like any other any-year-olds) just want to know that someone is hearing them.

As a bonus I learned that I am in serious need of some new windshield whippers.

March 16, 2012

Today I learned that there are lady bug babies turning into grown-ups on the side of my garage and that this is what lady bug larvae look like:

Further study revealed that these little ladys, who science calls Coccinellidae, are actually "overwintering" which means that the adult bugs attach themselves to the south side of a building or plant to spend a safe, cozy winter. When the days start to get longer they lay egg, which hatch into larvae. They will lay lots of extra eggs so that their babies will have something to eat when they wake up on the side of my garage. How thoughtful!

Lady bugs will live an impressive 1 to 2 years. I am glad they decided to spend the winter in a spot high enough that the chickens can not notice or reach them. You go girls (and lady boys).

March 15, 2012

Today I learned that having conversations about imperfections and small hurt feelings is not a sign of a bad relationship. On the contary, the fact that you can have conversations and discussions about how you feel and continue on with hugs and smiles and knowledge shows that everything is going quite great.

I hear lots of grown-up little girls talk about wanting fairy tales and I hope they don't miss out on a wonderful, surprise and learning filled life of imperfection, searching for perfection that does not exist (and would probably be a bit boring anyway).

March 14, 2012

Today I learned what dueling banjos sounds like when played on Tesla coils. And it, my friends, is awesome.

You can listen for yourself here.

As a result, I also gained a better understanding of what Tesla coils actually are - which is resonating transponders that produce high voltage, low current, high frequency alternating current electricity. They were invented by Nikola Tesla around 1891. If I am understanding correctly it is a way of creating energy that makes noise and a super-fun light show. And, as we previously learned, could be a great way to talk to aliens.

March 13, 2012

Today I learned that a project that I have been working on for the last eight months has received an initial glowing reception with lots of positive feedback - which could potentially lead to international sales. Time will tell but so far things are looking good.

This is a boost that I have been needing lately and am excited by the possibilities. It also helps me to learn to trust my own aesthetic instincts.

March 12, 2012

Today I learned that the word cuckolding does not mean what I thought it meant. At all. I am glad I never used it in a sentence, as I thought it meant something much more innocent. It does not. I also learned that my new tv service includes channels where one accidentally learns what words like cuckolding mean. It is not the same experience as stumbling on the history channel.

This reminds me of the time my 12-year-old self told my mother that I thought people didn't honk enough and that I wanted to be a horny driver when I drew up.

Learn new words and use them correctly or this too will happen to you.

March 11, 2012

Today I learned that Samurai were expert bowman, using a long, asymmetrical bow called a Yumi which is the largest and most powerful in the world. While most people think of Samurai as renowned swordsmen (which they were), they were considered equally if not more skilled with a bow and arrow. The Yumi uses heavier, more accurate arrows that are guided by the archers thumb rather than two fingers like western long bow.

The bows are handcrafted by artisans today exactly how they were made in the third century out of individually selected pieces of bamboo with just the right flex and balance. It seems the perfect combination of deadly and zen.

March 10, 2010

Today I learned that this video exists and sweet GaGa it is wonderful. Perfect for this weeks National Women's Day, Soomo Publishing rewrote the Lady Gaga song Bad Romance into a parody about Women's suffrage. They re-shot the entire Bad Romance video almost shot for shot and did a pretty amazing job. You are a free bitch baby (literally).

Vo vo votes ah ah
Whoa ah, won’t ta ah
Stop ha, ooo la la
Til we have suffrage!

March 9, 2012

Today I learned that I take criticism as failure rather than a means of growing. If my goal truly is to always be learning and constantly moving positively forward and learning, learning, then this is a lesson that I need to absorb quickly and well. Right now. Criticism needs to be a means of betterment and not a emotional pot hole.

March 8, 2012

Today I learned that the MLA (The Modern Language Association - which college taught me is the holy bible of academic citation) has added "how do I cite a tweet?" to its prodigious style guide.

Here is how to properly cite a tweet in your next research paper/publication:

Takei, George (@GeorgeTakei). “Tomorrow I'm going to violate Leviticus by wearing a cotton/polyester blend. #CherryPickingSins.” 15 March 2011, 8:05 p.m. Tweet.

Also, thank you, George, for allowing me to randomly reference religion, politics and star trek all with a single (perfectly sourced) retweet.

March 7, 2012

Today I learned that our best chance of ever communicating with aliens is through the universal constant of mathematics. One of the best ways to communicate in the language of math would be through wavelengths of light which include visible color.

While my understanding of the actual math and science behind all of this is a bit sad and underwhelming, my inner artist is busy painting mental pictures of having delightful conversations with alien life forms - our words nothing but swirling bright and beautiful color - flashing lights, rainbows and patterns and something called teslas. What colors would you communicate into the unknown?

March 6, 2012

Today I learned that carbonate is CO3 2- (that is big C followed by a big O with a little dangly 3 and a floating 2-). I am helping a special someone studying chemistry for upcoming exams. This has also resulted in my learning that I really don't remember anything at all about chemistry and that I am glad I became an artist.

I also learned that my car seems to have, unfortunately, started down a path of slow but inevitable decline.

March 5, 2012

Today I learned that there is a one-in-three chance that my house will be a TV star. It is a small, simple house but it's urban, church-adjacent location has caught the eye of the powers that be and we are now in the running to be used as a location for an episode of a brand new TV show. I am pretty excited about the prospect and the money is not bad either.

I also learned that Trader Joe's par-baked rolls are absolutely delicious. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside - packaging has never been so perfectly correct.

March 4, 2012

Today I learned that I am going to have to overcome my general aversion to careful planning and excellent time management if I am going to be able to do all of the freelance jobs that I would like to accept.

Even as little as a year ago this level of work and creative commitment would have caused panic but I am only a little nervous and mostly excited. This makes me feel like I have, over time, learned something far more valuable.

As a bonus, today my fiancee learned how to make a modernist fruit bowl out of materials we already own. I guess in our case it is actually a root bowl. Either way, I'm impressed.

March 3, 2012

Today I learned that it is evidently shockingly easy to make your own peanut butter - almost disappointingly so. I had expected a bit more magic and toil. I will perhaps try this one and hold a full scale taste test and price comparison to determine possible benefits of homemade peanut butter.

March 2, 2012

Today I learned about neti pots and humidifiers and that I should have done this all a lot sooner - followed by a second "I told you so." I was at first a bit put off by whole idea of the neti pot. But now I am a believer. It did not hurt like I expected it to and has made a huge difference in my poor sinuses and also helped with my nose bleeds. I will admit that the sensation is quite odd.

Don't worry - I have read the newspaper articles also. You won't get an amoeba in your brain if you follow the directions correctly. It says right on the box: do not use tap water.

March 1, 2012

As it is the start of a brand new month it is once again time to check in with our friend Ginger Chicken who is now two months old and starting look more like a real, albiet very small and fluffy, chicken. (the small will go away with time but the fluffy will always remain)

She has adjusted to life in the coop and has even learned how to climb up the chicken ramp and put herself to bed. She has also learned how to escape the chicken yard - this is less positive, but somewhat entertaining.

Today I learned that veins look blue under your skin because of light absorption not oxygenation or any other stuff people might tell you. Any color you see of any object is actually that wavelength of light reflected back and all other colors being absorbed.

Red light is able to penetrate your skin much further than blue light does. Any blood or blood vessel that is half a millimeter or closer to the surface of your skin will appear red. Any blood vessel that is further in will appear blue because the blue light can not penetrate that far so it bounces right back at your eye making it look blue. Technically you are seeing red also it is just now mixed with the blue that your skin is reflecting. It's like a magic trick!

You can read more about it here.

February 29, 2012

Today I learned what it feels like to have a nose bleed. I have seen them befall others many a time but in all of my 28 years can not recall ever having one. It seemed frightening at first, like some sort of terrible zombie brain rot. But then, most new experiences can be a little scary, so I collected myself, got a tissue, franticly chatted my sister for sympathy, and lived.

I believe a combination of abused sinuses from my recent illness and dry weather had cause this sudden bout of exsanguination. I will be better prepared and react with much less drama in the future.

February 28, 2012

Today I learned (for not the first time, and I am certain not the last) that very special way you can actually taste your memories when you eat something from a certain part of your past that you have not eaten in oh-so-long. For that one bite it's like wooshing through space in a very low-tech time machine.

I also learned how to fry Chinese green onion pancakes and that if you make them too thing they just become strange crackers.

February 27, 2012

Today I learned all of the fun magical things that my new phone can do. Shiny new customizable interface! Colorful shortcuts! Wild wigets! The awe and amazement that is Google music!

I also learned that I had failed to transfer my contacts to my google account like I was supposed to before making the big transition. I am now only able to call the four people who's numbers I actually know by heart: my love, my mom, my grandmother, and my best friend from first grade (who I haven't talked to in years but I haven't been memorizing phone numbers in a very long time either).

So, if you happen to be reading this and know my phone number - I miss you and am lost! Please call or text me so I can find you again.

February 24, 2012

This is all I learned today. I spent the entire day (yes, actually all of it) in bed. As a result of pushing myself to be well sooner than was reasonable I have ended up in this state with a well warranted "I told you so."

It is good to know, however, that you have warm snugly things that will lay about with you as long as you need. Above: cuddle-pugs Olive and Sam and an upside down Lou. Below: Sam by kindle light.

February 23, 2012

Today I learned that Jerk Chicken has become a women - or at least laid her first egg. Great work! She is a French Copper Maran so she lays a pretty dark brown egg. This is my first experience with this breed and thus my first time seeing this color egg in real life. I feel like it should be full of chocolate but alas it is just yolk.

Today I also learned from Dan Savage about The Price of Admission. His words really rang true for me - that none of us are perfect but together we can be better.

"What's beautiful about a long term relationship is that you can be transformative. I pretend everyday that my boyfriend is the lie that I met, when I first met him. And he does the same favor to me. He pretends that I am that better person than I actually am. Even though he knows I'm not. Even though I know he's not.

We then are obligated to live up to the lies we told each other about who we are. We're forced to be better people than we actually are because it is expected of us by each other. And you can, in a long term relationship, really make your lie self become true. If you are smart and you demand it of them and are willing to give it."