Early Signs of Dementia...?

It is almost Friday. I had completely spaced out about the Haiku Buckaroo Two Contest.


And while I have managed to come up with a few e-mail haikus, they don't count if they are not on my blog, and maybe you have missed them so for the sake of true public embarassment, I share them here. (If you don't want to spoil your image of me, please skip to the next blog in your reader!)


I'm so far behind...
Cannot think about contests.
Haiku is too hard!


Okay, so this is
My "Haiku Excuse" entry
Does it qualify?


I'll forward to Les.
She'll understand won't she?
I'm a bad blog-friend ;(


Why even bother?
Jami's better anyway.
Oh, she's not playing?!


Happy Valentine's!
Tired brain going Hai-ku-ckoo.
Why do I do this?

Second Impressions

Conversations Monday morning.

DD2: "Mom, are you going to a party?

"No. I'm going to see someone at the airport."

Later, downstairs...

DD2:"Mom, what are all those things in the bag on the table?"

"Those are some presents for my friend."

DD2: "I knew you were going to a party!"



DH:"You're getting dressed up and putting on make-up to go to the airport?"

"Yes, I want to look nice and make a good impression."

DH: "But she has seen you already."

"Yes, but I was in my usual Mommy outfit and did not do anything to my face when I met her because I didn't know I was going to be seeing her for the first time. And I believe that second impressions are as important as first ones."

DH: "She's not going to recognize you."

The air temperature in the room suddenly drops 10 degrees as I give him one of my I-can't- believe-you-just-said-that stares.

DH "I guess I should not have said that."

"It's okay. Second chances are also important."

DH: "Well, you look very nice sweetheart."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever have a friend who could insult you, question your honesty and integrity to the world and still make you laugh?! I don't know how SMID can write any sort of trip report that would be at all interesting and coherent. For my part it went like...

Jenn showed up at the bagel shop with SMID in tow. After recovering from shock, I hugged her. And then we ate and talked until the waitress threatened to have us evicted because there were 6 groups lined up waiting for our table. Then I took them on a tour of some of my favorite quirky statues and monuments. And we walked and talked and walked and talked. They took a lot of pictures. I mean A LOT.

Then we went to my house for a cup of tea. And we talked. And then we went to the beach and they took a lot of pictures and we talked. And then we went to a restaurant and ate and talked. Then back to the beach and we looked at the stars and talked. And then I took them to Jenn's house and we talked and looked at some photos. And on Monday I met SMID at the airport and we talked until it was time for her to board her plane.

And when I say talked it also included laughing, giggling, teasing, anecdote telling, interrupting, talking over one another, sputtering and snorting laughter, family photo showing, gossiping, complimenting, complaining, a little moaning and bitching, interrogating, guffawing, chuckling, and lots of comments and high praise (at every opportunity and lull in the conversation) for Jenn's new boots (be sure and ask her about them!).

So when you see the photos and are all envious about the wonderful sightseeing tour she had, don't be fooled. It was a gabfest. It could have taken place anywhere. We were so tuned in to one another it is a wonder that any of the photos are in focus! We had a blast (yeah I know, I'm dating myself with that phrase)! I just hope it was worth the jet lag! And AG has earned himself demi-god status in my book.

Okay, now I want trip reports from other blogger meetings. And you can't fool me. Good food, wine, tasteful settings, exotic locations, none of it means anything when it comes to visiting with your friends!

Strangers on the Net...

My second entry into ...


(an inspiration of SMID) !!

(Sung to the tune of Strangers in the Night, apologies to English lyricists Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder)

Strangers on the Net, exchanging emails,
They had never met, but knew such details
Of each others lives and common points of view.

Something in those blogs was so inviting,
And those lovely photos were so exciting,
They started a blog that now is run by two.

Strangers on the Net,
Two busy mothers they were Strangers on the Net,
Up to the moment that they said their first hellos, little did they know,
Amazing Guy would play a part,
A trip to Holland was in the cards.

And

Now they're truly friends, blogging together,
Photos without end, comments about weather.
It gets better yet for Strangers on the Net!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had entirely too much fun!! Have you ever met someone that you felt you had known for ages? That's how I felt when I first met Jenn-in Holland. And that's how I feel about SMID. I was going to meet Jenn for a shopping-and-gossiping afternoon. And she showed up with a friend in tow!! Whee-hee! We had a blast. And she brought along some sunshine, which we haven't seen here in a while. My face hurts from the smiling and giggling we did. And those 2 shutterbugs went crazy on the tour I gave them of my favorite photo ops (it seems we all share a sense of the odd and absurd!) Want to see what we saw? Check out their photoblog in the coming weeks (a pair of those shoes in today's photo are gonna be mine!!).

And of course check out the other links on this fabulous Music Monday!

How Much I Knew about the Red Boots' Road Trip...

Clueless!!

Jenn-in-Holland is full of surprises. So is SMID!! For more surprising words, come play with us here!

Inertia

Inertia is defined as "the tendency of matter to move uniformly at a constant velocity (in a straight line at a constant speed)." Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion talks about inertia more specifically. It states that "A body at rest tends to remain at rest; a body in motions tends to remain in motion at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an outside force."

As I have been trained as a scientist and engineer, I tend to think about life in terms of the various scientific and engineering principles that I have learned. While some folks joke about "gravity" getting them down, I just blame it all on Newton's First Law.

Picture my husband coming home. The kids are fed and homework is done, but they are basically vegging out in front of the TV. The dishes have not been done. Of the 10 household chores on my list, only 3 have been completed and the rest have seen half-hearted attempts which have been interrupted. I am curled up in my reading corner with the light off and a cold towel on my forehead.

"Everything OK?" he asks.

"Yeah. Blame it on Isaac." I reply.

"First Law again?"

"It's what keeps the world spinning."

"Not really."

"I'm not going to argue Physics with you now. Too much inertia."

"I'll put the kids to bed."

This month it has seriously gotten me in its grip. I can't seem to get started on anything. And the fibromyalgia keeps flaring up. I know the most likely cause is the changing weather which plays havoc with my system. It seems the higher the wind velocity, the stronger my headache. And the more it rains, the stiffer my joints. But a part of me also knows that I am in this pattern and it is not going to go away by itself. I have to act, to exert effort, to effect change. And while the scientist part of my brain is analyzing all this, the inertia-laden rest of my body just continues on in its pattern of everyday routine and nothing changes.

So my first step is to fall back on what I know. I find I can blog about physics and science easier than I can about the on-going stresses in my world these days. So I am tempting myself out of my routine by focusing on a few of my favorite topics. I hope, dear readers, that you still find me interesting, and hopefully not too boring. And maybe you can learn a little something as well as have a laugh at my expense. As a bonus, I promise (inspired by the incomparable Leslie) a future blog about the "Physics of Sex".

Want a short lesson on Inertia? Check out this YouTube cartoon (4 1/2 minutes)!

The Geeky Gal is Back

I am a geeky gal. (This should be no surprise readers, see my blog title! Read my profile!) So when one of my favorite bloggers came up with the brilliant plan to set aside a day for reading, I was making big plans. You would not believe the stack of books next to my bed. Just a random sample: Micheal Crichton's "Next", "Dublin" by Edward Rutherfurd , "Planet Earth" (companion book to the BBC/Discover series), "Science and Philosophy" by Alfred North Whitehead (1948), and the one I finally settled on "Ideas and Opinions" a collection of writings by Albert Einstein. I chose the latter because it is a collection of his letters and writings on various subjects and I thought I could read sections at a time and not get too caught up. I forgot about my own tendency to obsess about reading anything I pick up cover-to-cover.

However, the best laid plans...etc. So while I have started this book, and even managed to read for a full hour on the appointed day, I am far from finishing. So this is no real book report. And it is heavy going. Not because of the geek stuff, though the latter chapters about his contributions to science do promise to be too much for the layperson. No, what I am most moved by is the realization that such a great mind and gentle soul were almost trapped and snuffed out by the fanaticism and hatred that was Germany in the 1930's and 40's. It is amazing that he got out. It is horrifying to think of the other great minds and talents that did not. It is moving to read his humility when he was already in his lifetime a revered and lauded personality. It is admirable that he still maintained his strong pacifism when so many of his relations, friends and acquaintances perished at the hands of the Nazis.

I am so humbled by his writings. And while I expected this to be the case when it came to his mind, I am surprised that this is also the case with his heart. He writes with tender emotion and such wisdom that I finish a passage in tears and find I have been holding my breath for far too long. So I share with you here, in his honor, some of my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein himself:

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."

"As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable."

"The Lord God is subtle, but malicious he is not."

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."

"Something deeply hidden had to be behind things."

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."

"I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war."

"Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."

"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."

"Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."

"Humiliation and mental oppression by ignorant and selfish teachers wreak havoc in the youthful mind that can never be undone and often exert a baleful influence on later life."

"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

"The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)

And the best one of all, in my humble opinion:

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."

You gotta admit, the guy gives you a lot to think about!!

Missing...

...in Action
Sorry. It has been hectic. It has been stressful. And to top it off I have only just gotten over a 10-day fibromyalgia headache. Not only did I not feel like moaning about it, but looking at the computer screen only made it worse, so I haven't even been lurking. Reading e-mails was about all I could possibly manage. Replying was often too much. I will soon do so to those of you who sent personal queries about my absence. I am better now. Not 100%, but better.

...all the Fun.
Reading was not much better. And my brain was so fried that I found I could hardly remember what I had just read. The only good side is that I get to catch up on all the lovely book reports about the Day to Read that was the brainstorm of the lovely SMID. I owe her one and feel very jealous that I could not take part. But I am sure there will be a next time.

...the Point.
Blogging is something that had become part of my daily routine. And I had some specific things that are close to my heart that I wanted to write about. But somehow I have gotten sidetracked by, well...Life, that thing that happens while we are busy making other plans. I am hoping that things will settle down a bit soon and I can again address some of my favorite topics like science, astronomy, and various ways to make sense of all the chaos around us!

...Link.
Well actually, many links. Singular Saturday. Soap Opera Sunday. Music Monday. Day to Read. And so many fun memes, awards, interviews, challenges, questions,... (sigh). I need to get back into this, but am afraid I will have to do it slowly. And I have a lot of reading to catch up on!


...all of You.
Thanks for the lovely e-mails. It is nice to be missed but I do feel somewhat guilty for not replying sooner. I feel a bit disconnected and kinda lost, but I am confident that as soon as I start reading and commenting I will also be hearing back from you all.