Wednesday, January 31, 2007

It's OK to be a nerd


I more than others freely admit to being a big nerd about science & technology. After reading this article about changing bird migrations, it occurred to me that the creators of eBird.org have a pretty cool website. It's run by the Audubon Society & the Cornell University Ornithology Lab and connects ornithologists with birders from all around the world. I ran across the website a few months ago when I was trying to identify a bird that was visiting our bird feeder (it was a tufted titmouse like in the picture). I signed up just to give my 2 cents to science and to keep track of what birds we have around the house, but after reading the article I feel kind of proud that my contributions may actually contribute to bird research.

I tried to get the kids into it but for some reason they just aren't as excited about it as me and would rather play their Gameboy. Go figure. I hope I turn someone else out there onto the website and make your casual bird feeder watching into a little something more.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

2007 and already disappointed.....

No, not with the year 2007 but it's 2007 and I am already disappointed with the 2008 presidential election. Listening to the news the other day I heard about Hillary Clinton's latest campaign speech. She doesn't get it.... she isn't running against President Bush or the past 7 years! She is running to be president herself. I'm sick of politicians giving speeches and running against someone or an idea or a policy and NEVER EVER getting specific about anything. If she thinks she can just rehash what she doesn't like about President Bush and expect to win an election, she (or anyone else) can forget about my vote. The election is about the next 4 years not the last 7.

Rule #1 for getting my vote...... avoid generalities! Who isn't for the American Family or energy independence? What's your plan? Have a plan for the FUTURE and tell me about it! If you always talk in generalities then how do I know what you would do if elected. At least Dave gets it, I wish more campaigns were run on the issues like his.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Winter in the South

The scene : 11:45PM on January 18th, 2007, West Columbia, South Carolina. Working night shift so I am up all night. The Bruins have beaten the Penguins in an overtime shootout with the winning goal scored by Phil Kessel. I'm getting ready to watch the epic silent film "Metropolis" I saved on the DVR from last week (great film if you have never seen it, great story, lots of modern imagery from the 1920's, picture an early Superman comic from the 20's in silent movie form. It is supposed to have influenced sci-fi films from Flash Gordon to Star Wars). And I am also sitting here in shorts without a shirt because it's DAMN hot!
The thermometer says 36F outside, the thermostat is set at 68F & it's 85F here in the living room! Why is that? We just got another load of seasoned split oak and I have stove cookin'!

Yesterday there was a winter weather advisory. There was a posibility of freezing rain and sleet to start by about midnight Thursday. Of course the 6:00PM news on Wednesday had a full list of school/work delays and cancelations (mind you, not one bit of precipitation had even hit the ground or will for another 6 hours!) Ah the south.... back in New England you didn't even think about checking for delays or cancelations until morning when there was at least 6 inches of snow on the ground. Work was never canceled, just "get here when you can." meaning "be here by noon!" And growing up we never had a 2 hour delayed school start! I mean what's the point? Show up just to have lunch, listen to the teachers say "since nobody is here we can't teach anything new, and then go home? Our schools had a two hour delay. Although as a parent now, I did enjoy the 3 hours the kids were at school today as quiet time, not learning time.

Anyway, enough of my rant. Of the 6 years I've been here, it's snowed twice. Just a few inches, nothing more than that would melt away the next day. Kimberly is from Colorado and knows what a real winter is like too. We both really miss cold snowy winters. Maybe we need to take a trip next year to show the kids what winter is supposed to be like. What are your winters like?

Oh and I had to walk to school everyday, up the biggest hill in the city, in the snow & 20 degrees outside. Both ways. And that's the truth, phhfftt!

Monday, January 15, 2007

And we're off....


"The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful".... A little Jimmy Buffett never hurts in January to warm things up, or at least some gardening, or both. I've been back in a home improvement mood lately and we've been getting the house ship shape. We planted TONS of bulbs; tulips and irises all over the place. Then while picking up a few things at Lowe's the other day I walked through the garden center and saw the first seedlings for sale! and there had ONIONS!! Now we love fresh grown onions. They taste SO much better than anything from a store.
And the get me in an even more springtime mood, the county was giving away free Christmas tree mulch. So, I filled up Col. Mustard and started to get the garden ready! I didn't have all of the raised beds finished yet so I used the mulch for the aisles between the beds. I went through my seeds from years past and found some peas. (The package says to plant them in January here.) I planted both regular English peas (Wando variety) and also some Asian style pea pods along the fence hoping they would climb up. With those in place I figured the onion seedlings would go nicely along the fence next to them. On the opposite side of the fence I have some garlic planted from last fall.
What's left you ask? Well, I need to build 3 more raised beds, fill all 4 with compost, buy some seedlings & seeds for what I don't have, get some more mulch for the paths and some wheat straw for mulch & try to figure out how to make watering more automated.

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Saturday, January 13, 2007

More mental ipod.....

I had another string of random songs fly through my mind the other day at work. I wrote them down envisioning this post. As with my other post they are in the order I started to think of them.... I am also adding some of the thoughts in my head that may have contributed to my mental play list...
  • Life is a Highway - Tom Cochran version, not the new country one..... Just the last song I heard on the radio driving to work.
  • Fat Albert theme - We have a new temp worker who is the spitting image of Fat Albert
  • Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale..... Just thinking about my fave Christmas present, the 25th anniversary DVD of Slap Shot
  • Candyman - Christina Aguilera... I have NO idea how I started singing this one!
  • In the Ghetto/Suspicious Minds - Elvis
  • Raspberry Beret - Prince.... A woman at work was wearing a Prince tour t-shirt. Now that would be a great concert to see.
  • One Particular Harbor - Jimmy Buffett...... I guess just thinking about going home for the day.
I would love to hear what you think about this play list.....