We have lived in the Atlanta area since 1975, and this winter of 2010-2011 has been most unusual. Some years we don’t get any snow at all. Some years we see only a few flurries. Several years may go by without any snow at all. One year the yellow forsythia bloomed in January. But occasionally we have had a brief winter wonderland. It happened in 1982, and 1993, and...well, I can’t pinpoint the dates, but there have been very few in the last 35 years.
This year, however, everything has been different. This morning we awoke to our fifth snowfall since mid-December. Not as much this time, but who cares? It snowed again!
I’m not going to show you pictures. Most of you already know what snow looks like.
Northerners and Europeans think we are crazy to get so excited over a little of the white stuff, and maybe they’re right.
According to Wikipedia, “White is a shade, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.
“White light can be generated in many ways. The sun is such a source, electric incandescence is another. Modern light sources are fluorescent lamps and light-emitting diodes. An object whose surface reflects back most of the light it receives and does not alter its color will appear white, unless it has very high specular reflection.
“Since white is the extreme end of the visual spectrum (in terms of both hue and shade), and since white objects -- such as clouds, snow and flowers -- appear often in nature, it has frequent symbolism. Human culture has many references to white, often related to purity and cleanness, whilst the high contrast between white and black is often used to represent opposite extremes.”
At least now you know why brides wear white and grooms wear black.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?
A Lady's Life, a faithful reader of this blog, will probably recognize the building in this photo. But how about the rest of you? Care to hazard a guess what it is and where it is?
Mrs. Rhymeswithplague and I visited the place in 1984, on July 2, to be exact. The day before, we had driven up a dormant volcano past snow several feet deep. The day after, we saw millions of flowers blooming their guts out in one of the most beautiful gardens on earth. That’s all the hint you’re going to get.
In other news, my oldest grandson turned 15 today.
Nobody said my posts had to make sense.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Little Engine That Could, on steroids
For a few months back in 1960, I worked as a stenographer/typist in the Fort Worth, Texas, office of the Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe Railroad (GCSF). My superior was a venerable old white-haired gentleman who began every letter he dictated with the words “I beg to advise” and closed with, I kid you not, “your obedient servant.” It drove me crazy at the time, but now it makes me smile.
While employed there, I learned many railroad abbreviations I probably never would have noticed, such as ATSF (Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe), MKT (Missouri, Kansas & Texas, known as the “Katy”), SLSF (St. Louis & San Francisco, or “Frisco” for short), L&N (Louisville & Nashville), NYC (New York Central), PRR (Pennsylvania Railroad), DLW (Delaware & Lackawanna, which later merged with Erie and became ELW, the Erie Lackawanna), and lots more. Anybody out there remember the Milwaukee Road?
Shown below is a photograph that has been called “one of the classic icons of American imagery.” It captures the ceremony marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad across North America over 150 years ago. The joining of the rails linking the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads occurred on May 10, 1869, in Promontory Summit, Utah. CPRR’s “Jupiter” engine is on the left, arriving from the west. UPRR’s engine “No. 119” is on the right, arriving from the East. On the golden Last Spike of the first transcontinental railroad were engraved the words, “May God continue the unity of our Country as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world.”
I learned from Wikipedia that the ceremony took place “after track was laid over a 1,756-mile (2,826-km) gap between Sacramento [California] and Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa in six years by the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad. Although through train service was in operation as of that date, the road was not deemed to have been officially completed until November 6, 1869. A physical connection between Omaha, Nebraska and the statutory Eastern terminus of the Pacific road at Council Bluffs located immediately across the Missouri River was also not finally established until the opening of the UPRR railroad bridge across the river on March 25, 1873, prior to which transfers were made by ferry operated by the Council Bluffs & Nebraska Ferry Company.”
It took thousands of workers to accomplish this great feat.
Well, hold on to your hat. Things have come a long way, baby.
Rube, my eighty-something-year-old neighbor who lives on the hill just above me, likes trains too. Yesterday he sent me the neatest video entitled, “The train that lays its own track.” (5:17).
Yes, you read that correctly. You simply must watch it, all 5:17 of it, to believe it. The human workers are almost superfluous.
The Little Engine That Could, on steroids. Indeed.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it can also make a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and a cherry on top.
I couldn’t help noticing, though, that everything in the video occurs in a straight line and on flat terrain. I hope they’re working on a version 2.0 that can go up and down hills and around the sides of a mountain.
While employed there, I learned many railroad abbreviations I probably never would have noticed, such as ATSF (Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe), MKT (Missouri, Kansas & Texas, known as the “Katy”), SLSF (St. Louis & San Francisco, or “Frisco” for short), L&N (Louisville & Nashville), NYC (New York Central), PRR (Pennsylvania Railroad), DLW (Delaware & Lackawanna, which later merged with Erie and became ELW, the Erie Lackawanna), and lots more. Anybody out there remember the Milwaukee Road?
Shown below is a photograph that has been called “one of the classic icons of American imagery.” It captures the ceremony marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad across North America over 150 years ago. The joining of the rails linking the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads occurred on May 10, 1869, in Promontory Summit, Utah. CPRR’s “Jupiter” engine is on the left, arriving from the west. UPRR’s engine “No. 119” is on the right, arriving from the East. On the golden Last Spike of the first transcontinental railroad were engraved the words, “May God continue the unity of our Country as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world.”
I learned from Wikipedia that the ceremony took place “after track was laid over a 1,756-mile (2,826-km) gap between Sacramento [California] and Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa in six years by the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad. Although through train service was in operation as of that date, the road was not deemed to have been officially completed until November 6, 1869. A physical connection between Omaha, Nebraska and the statutory Eastern terminus of the Pacific road at Council Bluffs located immediately across the Missouri River was also not finally established until the opening of the UPRR railroad bridge across the river on March 25, 1873, prior to which transfers were made by ferry operated by the Council Bluffs & Nebraska Ferry Company.”
It took thousands of workers to accomplish this great feat.
Well, hold on to your hat. Things have come a long way, baby.
Rube, my eighty-something-year-old neighbor who lives on the hill just above me, likes trains too. Yesterday he sent me the neatest video entitled, “The train that lays its own track.” (5:17).
Yes, you read that correctly. You simply must watch it, all 5:17 of it, to believe it. The human workers are almost superfluous.
The Little Engine That Could, on steroids. Indeed.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it can also make a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and a cherry on top.
I couldn’t help noticing, though, that everything in the video occurs in a straight line and on flat terrain. I hope they’re working on a version 2.0 that can go up and down hills and around the sides of a mountain.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Life Lesson #17643
My dad taught me many things, among which are how to make a square knot instead of a granny knot, how to make a bowline on a bight (if I’m not mistaken, that was the one where “the rabbit comes out of the hole, runs around the tree, and goes back into the hole”), how to tie my shoes, and always to let my word be my bond, but the lesson I’m remembering today and am about to share with you is possibly the most important lesson of all: How to Wring Out a Wet Washcloth.
You are probably doing it all wrong.
This is the right way to wring out a wet washcloth:
Step 1: Fold the washcloth in half.
Step 2: Fold it in half again.
Step 3: Fold it in half again.
Step 4: Now pick it up with both hands. The fingers of your right hand should be on top of the washcloth and the thumb beneath it, all pointing away from you. The fingers of your left hand should be on the bottom of the washcloth and the thumb on top of it, all pointing toward you.
Step 5: Close the fingers of your hands around the folded washcloth and, grasping it firmly, twist your hands in opposite directions.
Step 6: If necessary, repeat Step 5.
This method will get more water out of your washcloth than you ever dreamed possible.
Montessori, eat your heart out.
Perhaps one day I will share with you how to conserve on the use of toilet paper.
Nahhhhh.
You are probably doing it all wrong.
This is the right way to wring out a wet washcloth:
Step 1: Fold the washcloth in half.
Step 2: Fold it in half again.
Step 3: Fold it in half again.
Step 4: Now pick it up with both hands. The fingers of your right hand should be on top of the washcloth and the thumb beneath it, all pointing away from you. The fingers of your left hand should be on the bottom of the washcloth and the thumb on top of it, all pointing toward you.
Step 5: Close the fingers of your hands around the folded washcloth and, grasping it firmly, twist your hands in opposite directions.
Step 6: If necessary, repeat Step 5.
This method will get more water out of your washcloth than you ever dreamed possible.
Montessori, eat your heart out.
Perhaps one day I will share with you how to conserve on the use of toilet paper.
Nahhhhh.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Psssst! Wanna see something better than The Game Whose Name Must Not Be Mentioned For Fear Of Copyright Infringement*?
Here, courtesy of the Monty Python troupe, is:
The International Philosophy Bowl
*For readers outside the U.S., the NFL (National Football League) recently copyrighted the words that look a little like Superb Owl. Most fans think this move is ridiculous, as the annual game being played today in Arlington, Texas, will be Superb Owl number 45,
so to speak. I would never be so gauche as to refer to it as the Super Bowel.
The International Philosophy Bowl
*For readers outside the U.S., the NFL (National Football League) recently copyrighted the words that look a little like Superb Owl. Most fans think this move is ridiculous, as the annual game being played today in Arlington, Texas, will be Superb Owl number 45,
so to speak. I would never be so gauche as to refer to it as the Super Bowel.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Senior Moments: The Musical
Pam Peterson, the woman in this video (3:02), is far too young to have experienced personally what she is singing about, but she does an excellent job of describing in song what has become for many of us our normal daily routine.
Here are some notes for viewers outside the USA:
1. “Soldier’s Field” refers to a once-huge football stadium in Chicago. Before it was rebuilt as a smaller venue, it could hold 123,000 spectators.
2. “Whole Foods” is a chain of upscale supermarkets that specializes in supposedly healthful and organically-raised products.
3. “Ginkgo Biloba” is a substance derived from a plant that is thought to improve the memory.
4. “too many ’ludes” refers to Quaalude, a mind-altering drug popular in North America in the sixties and seventies. For the record, I never took any.
If you didn’t understand all the references in the song the first time, go back and watch it again!
P.S. - When adding the Notes, I didn’t watch the video again; I relied on my memory. When I watched the video a second time, I noticed, as will the sharp-eyed and sharp-eared among you, that the Notes had occurred to me in exactly the reverse order they appear in the song’s lyrics. The first thing I remembered was the last thing I had heard, then I remembered the next-to-last thing, and so on. Note 4, which I didn’t add until twelve hours after the first three notes, occurred earliest in the video. This phenomenon (remembering things in reverse order of their occurrence) may not be peculiar to me, but I have modestly decided (and yes, that is a split infinitive) to call it Rhymeswithplague Syndrome.
Here are some notes for viewers outside the USA:
1. “Soldier’s Field” refers to a once-huge football stadium in Chicago. Before it was rebuilt as a smaller venue, it could hold 123,000 spectators.
2. “Whole Foods” is a chain of upscale supermarkets that specializes in supposedly healthful and organically-raised products.
3. “Ginkgo Biloba” is a substance derived from a plant that is thought to improve the memory.
4. “too many ’ludes” refers to Quaalude, a mind-altering drug popular in North America in the sixties and seventies. For the record, I never took any.
If you didn’t understand all the references in the song the first time, go back and watch it again!
P.S. - When adding the Notes, I didn’t watch the video again; I relied on my memory. When I watched the video a second time, I noticed, as will the sharp-eyed and sharp-eared among you, that the Notes had occurred to me in exactly the reverse order they appear in the song’s lyrics. The first thing I remembered was the last thing I had heard, then I remembered the next-to-last thing, and so on. Note 4, which I didn’t add until twelve hours after the first three notes, occurred earliest in the video. This phenomenon (remembering things in reverse order of their occurrence) may not be peculiar to me, but I have modestly decided (and yes, that is a split infinitive) to call it Rhymeswithplague Syndrome.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
And a little child shall lead them...
Click here for one of the best videos I have seen in a long time. (2:38)
If you aren’t (a) smiling broadly, (b) wiping tears from your eyes, or (c) feeling all warm and fuzzy after watching the video, there may be something seriously wrong with you.
I have done my homework on this one.
Two-year-old Danclride (pronounced Dan-sell-ride) Buctot sings “God Will Take Care of You” with his parents, Danny and Catherine Llorong Buctot, on February 27, 2010, during an AY (Adventist Youth) program. Danny and Catherine are from the Philippines, where Danny attended East Visayan Adventist Academy (class of 1995) and Mountain View College (class of 2000). Catherine attended Luna National High School (class of 1997) and Mountain View College (class of 2003). The Buctot family currently lives in Seoul, South Korea, where Danny is a member of the class of 2011 at Sahmyook University. He will receive a Master of Arts in Religion degree later this year.
Danclride turned three on November 5, 2010.
If you aren’t (a) smiling broadly, (b) wiping tears from your eyes, or (c) feeling all warm and fuzzy after watching the video, there may be something seriously wrong with you.
I have done my homework on this one.
Two-year-old Danclride (pronounced Dan-sell-ride) Buctot sings “God Will Take Care of You” with his parents, Danny and Catherine Llorong Buctot, on February 27, 2010, during an AY (Adventist Youth) program. Danny and Catherine are from the Philippines, where Danny attended East Visayan Adventist Academy (class of 1995) and Mountain View College (class of 2000). Catherine attended Luna National High School (class of 1997) and Mountain View College (class of 2003). The Buctot family currently lives in Seoul, South Korea, where Danny is a member of the class of 2011 at Sahmyook University. He will receive a Master of Arts in Religion degree later this year.
Danclride turned three on November 5, 2010.
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