Stumped!

I'm having a contest on facebook to determine my next few entries... wish me luck! If you would rather vote here, comment below. Thanks!

Ghosts of Blogging Past

I wanted to see how many categories of blogs I'd written so far, and which ones came up most often. The results?

I have 131 different labels.
'Sandwich' is number 100.
'Eating' and 'Random' are the top two with four repetitions.
Dining, Food, Goose, Internet, Reading, School, and Science all have 3. (You can tell my general interests from this, except maybe Goose. I just live with those).
I have 12 categories that repeat twice: Blog, Facts, Fashion, Geese, History, Pet, Procrastination, Space, Spring Break, Talk, Vacation, and Work Out.
I have no idea how goose came up three times and geese came up twice.
The three labels for this post have not yet been used.

Thanks for reading!

Lack of Pictures

I realize that my earlier blogs had far more pictures than my later ones. This was not done on purpose, I simply stopped adding pictures either due to lack of time or lack of appropriateness. (Not that they were dirty pictures, just that they weren't quite right). However, if you would like to look back and reminisce on images past, (but don't want to read the accompanying ramblings) feel free to visit the album! Here's the site: [website]

For More Randomness...

So much of life, it seems to me, is determined by pure randomness. - Sidney Poitier

I found this quote on Random.org in my internet type meanderings. All kinds of random things can be found! Number generators, quotes, statistics, etc. my interest in randomness started with an observation similar to Poitier's. Whether you believe in fate, chance, predetermined outcomes, statistics, or anything else, it really does seem as if the entire world is random. Yes, there are patterns, but what determines the patterns? It started with a different direction - a random direction - which eventually became the norm. The underground stream that surfaced, then became a river, then a canyon. So much of life is unplanned, and it's wonderful! (Usually...)

Happy Father's Day

I had the option of writing a thankful blog for the great weekend, a thoughtful blog on my Fathers Days gone by, an angry blog about the same, or just a blog. In the end, I decided on thankful, but not effusive.

Thanks to my soon-to-be-father-in-law and his family for one of the best Father's Day's I've had!

Ten Reasons...

I don't paint my nails anymore:

10. I don't have time
9. When I do, I have better things to do
8. I really don't know what color goes on a person my age. I'm past the purple glitter, but not at the 'sand' color age yet.
7. No matter when I went to the bathroom last, I'll need to go again as soon as the last coat is on.
6. Broken nail = ugly, broken nail with splintered polish = gross and tacky.
5. I've never done a 'perfect' manicure - there are always bubbles, random 7-layer coats, and smudges because...
4. I'm severely lacking in patience and the grace to avoid walls/furniture/random stuff that I didn't know was there until my nails were wet.
3. I think all my stuff is over 5 years old... ew.
2. So people who look at them can tell they're real without asking or doubting. (I work hard to keep them!)

and the number one reason is...
1. When else do you get to say "Yeah, they're real. Look!" in public and not get arrested?!?

Work Stuff

Recently, my job has been witness to several changes in staffing. One person that had been around forever simply stopped showing up, another got a better opportunity and left, and a third (the offspring of another very part time employee) also "quit" (the same day that would have meant the end of the line anyway) because of an inability to appear to work on time (usually by more than 15-20 min). So, a new policy has been implemented. Henceforth (which is a really fun word by the way) there is a 'one month rule' for all new employees. Once you have been employed for a month, you get your name. Before that, you are "[distinguishing characteristic] new kid". So far one has passed this rule and one has been exempted (for general agreeableness). I think 'dreadlock new kid' is about to pass the one month line (unfortunately). Any new people, however, better decide which distinguishing mark they want before I do. And yes, I would find this acceptable if applied to me when I'm a newbie. (Just preempting some complaints and arch remarks there).

Friendship Fail

Recently there have been a lot of posts online (or maybe I'm just noticing them more) saying that:

We all have at least 300 friends [online]; but when it comes to needing someone to talk to, how many would actually be there for you? I can guarantee not even 1 of your [online] friends will copy this status. If you would be there for me, set this as your status & see how many of us would be there for you! (I just did for 1 of my friends) Let's try it out & see. Prove me wrong friend.

This is silly.

1. I don't have time to repost this ridiculous message after each and every one of my friends posts it (or something like it). If you have the time and energy to spend doing this, great for you. I have friends that I'd like to talk to in person, on the phone, or at least in a letter (digital or paper). Satisfying every needy networker is not how I want to keep in touch.
2. Furthermore, if my 'cut and paste' response is what you need to validate my friendship, I'm sorry it means so little to you. I know who my friends are and what they'll do for me when I need them.
3. Not all friends are created equal. Some friends will take the first plane across the country to be at your dog's funeral. Some will help you move every year (love you guys, and I'm still sorry for the sore backs but am also eternally grateful...). Some will cheer you up on a bad day. Some won't talk to you for a year, but if you meet up or call, it's like no time at all passed. Some may be physically out of your life, but eternally in your memories, either due to time, distance, or tragedy. Be grateful for all kinds of friends, even the ones that seem absent. They all have a place and a purpose.
4. Finally, if you're that insecure about who your friends are, and feel the need to post 'friendship tests' online, maybe you should take the initiative and call, reach out, drive over, whatever it takes to rekindle the spark. Everyone talks about keeping the love alive in a marriage, but it's just as important in all partnerships, and friendship is one of them. Like a marriage, friendship takes two to tango, and sometimes there are periods of distance, or where one person is the 'giver' and one person is the 'taker' for a while. As long as it's not a permanent state, it's ok, roll with it.

That's my rant and I'm sticking to it.

Time

It's amazing how time works. It's like water in the desert - the more there is, the more you realize you need. There's never really a "flood", just an excess all at once sometimes. The next day, it looks like it never happened. You'd think that with the sudden lack of school, homework, deadlines, reading, classes, errands, and other commitments, I would have more time than King Midas had gold. You'd be wrong. All of a sudden all those "when I have time" projects come rearing up and charging forward like a herd of mustangs followed by a hive of angry bees. Guess there's nothing for it but to take the time given and do what you can - which doesn't always mean filling it! Sometimes just having 'free time' is a perfect use of time.

Sight is an Illusion

I apologize in advance for the lengthy (and highly mumbo-jumboed) blog today, but I ran into this article during my research, and had to share it. I think it's pretty cool that we see in 2D, and perceive in 3D. What do we do during 3D movies? Is our natural ability being enhanced or just messed with? The idea that a fish can escape by looking like it doesn't exist goes way beyond camouflaged and into the just plain freaky.

SEEING WITH THE BRAIN

Illusions in art are essentially phenomena of perception. As neuropsychologist Richard Gregory tells us, the eye and brain combine "to give detailed knowledge of objects beyond the range of probing touch.... Seeing is probably the most sophisticated of all the brain's activities." The brain-that is, the visual cortex-is constantly making perceptual hypotheses on the basis of electrical impulses transmitted to it from the retina, and this process is not under intellectual control.

V S. Ramachandran put it this way: "Our visual experience of the world is based on two-dimensional images: flat patterns of varying light-intensity and color falling on a single plane of cells in the retina.Yet we come to perceive solidity and depth.We can do this because a number of cues about depth are available in the retinal image: shading, perspective, occlusion of one object by another, and stereoscopic disparity. In some mysterious way the brain is able to exploit these cues to recover the three-dimensional shape of objects."

The ability to exploit shading is probably the most primitive of all.To the vertebrate brain (including our own), since there is only one sun in our solar system, the light source is usually from above, and that light source is single. The extreme antiquity of this perceptive cue can be seen in the widespread evolutionary exploitation of countershading in nature: that is why preyed-upon animals such as fish and deer are dark on top and light below-to avoid detection.

*To give credit where it's due, the article is by Michael D. Coe, and is called "Art and Illustration Among the Classic Maya" from the Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University (Vol. 64, 2005, p. 52-62)

Talking To Myself

Why? Because I can. And here's what I had to say:

"Man, I've been staring at a computer screen all day - I'm sick of it! Need to do something else!"
"Ok, so go then. Any ideas what?"
"I wanna go read!"
"On your Nook?"
"Yes."
"So, you're going to take a break from computers by reading on... another computer?"
"It's... different."
"Sure."
"Fine... I'll go write a blog."
"On the computer?"
"Shut up."

Welcome back, Blog!