Friday, July 31, 2009

Waiting, patiently

Borrowed this from Daryl, I didn't think she'd mind.

This handsome boy was just chillin' in his old, beat up, crusty rusty pick up truck. He wasn't to impressed with my high falutin' phone-camera, either. As you could see, he didn't bat an eye.
Me, MM and MG were very much wishing he was ours, because he just looks like a fella with some character and charm...

Friday Mieography

Sonia Maria Sotomayor was born in the Bronx. Her parents, Juan and Celina, were native Puerto Ricans. They had left Puerto Rico, and met when Celina served in the Women's Army Corps. Juan had a third grade education, and did not speak english. She has one brother, Juan, who is a physician, and university professor at Syracuse.

She grew up in the South Bronx area, where most of the other Puerto Ricans settled, and self identifies herself as a "Nuyorican". She was raised Catholic, and, due to the close proximity to the stadium, she is also a lifelong NY Yankees fan. Her family regularly visited Puerto Rico during the summer.
At eight years old, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. (Insulin dependent). Her father died, when she was nine. After all this happened, she became fluent in English, saying she was inspired by the the Nancy Drew books. She wanted to be a detective, like the character, but her diabetes doctor encouraged her to pick a different career. ( I don't really understand why, one can be a diabetic detective...). Anyhow. She was also inspired by Perry Mason, on the television, so she chose a legal career. She chose this at age ten.
By this time, the family was living in the "projects". Her mother, putting importance on education for her children, saved enough money to buy them the Encyclopedia Britannica. Sonia went to parochial school, for grade school, and graduated valedictorian. Though she was underage, she also worked at a local retail store, and a hospital. She continued with Parochial school for high school. The project they were living in, however, became rife with gang members, crime, and heroin use, and the family was forced to leave, moving to the Northeast bronx. Sonia continued on, she was on the forensics team, and in the student government in high school, and, once again, graduated valedictorian. She won a full scholarship to Princeton.
Going to Princeton, after having being raised in the Bronx, she relates she felt like a visitor landing in a foreign country". She spent long hours at the library, making up for deficiencies in the classics, her writing, and vocabulary. She spent summers there, as well, worked with a professor outside of class, with her strong desire to succeed in college. She became a moderate student activist, and was co-chair of an organization that assisted Puerto Rican students. She also worked in the admissions office, frequently going to high schools to find prospects. She lobbied extensively for the university to hire a Latino professor, and offer classes related to their culture. (There were neither at Princeton, as of yet). Eventually, both of those arrived at Princeton. (it did take a few years..). If she wasn't busy enough, she also ran an after school program for local kids, volunteered as an interpreter for the Latino patients at a nearby psychiatric hospital, and served on numerous committee's at Princeton. Oh yeah. And she went to college. Earning mostly A's, as a history major. As a senior, she was awarded the top award for undergrads. She graduated from Princeton, summa cum laude. Just after graduation, she married her high school sweetheart, Kevin Noonan, a biologist and patent lawyer. Then, she entered Yale Law School on a full scholarship. She became editor of the Yale Law journal, ad a few other publications. She continued her work with organizations for minority students, and kept her grades up. She was awarded her J.D., and admitted to the NY bar in 1980.
Her first job was as an assistant district attorney, prosecuting many caseloads, given no time to be nervous in front of a judge. NYC was completely overburdened with cases at this time. She prosecuted everything from prostitution to murder. She gained a reputation for being driven, prepared, and fair. She and her husband divorced, amicably, while she was doing this job, and she admits that she did, (like most who do that job), suffer burn out from it. She moved on to private practice, joining a practice where her focus was intellectual property litigation, international law, and arbitration. Her clients were mostly international corporations doing business in the U.S. She spent a lot of time tracking down, and suing conterfeiters, mostly Fendi. She also had her own solo practice, run out of her apartment.
And because she needed MORE to do, she also served on numerous boards in NYC, like the Mortgage Agency, and the the Campaign Finance Board, just to name a few.
In 1991, she was recommended to a judicial post. She gained a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, officially. She got unanimous approval for her seat. She was the youngest judge in the Southern District. (not bad for a little girl who loved Perry Mason). She was the first Puerto Rican judge to serve in the federal court. She stayed there until she was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. This time, her nomination hearings were not as smooth. Rush Limbaugh tagged her as a "ultraliberal on a rocket ship to the highest court". The Republicans tried to block her. After a nomination that pended over a year, she was finally confirmed, by a 67-29 vote. Since then, she as heard appeals in more than 3000 cases, and written over 300 opinions.
Now, this mieography is very long, I realize. I have chosen not to make it longer by inserting information about her rulings as a judge, or, politics that she is involved in (much) . I merely chose to do her because I really knew nothing about her, but figured she had to be a strong lady, to even be NOMINATED for a position to the supreme court. I think I was right. After reading lots of material about her, I think she would be a good, fair judge. Let's see what happens, huh?

Thursday, July 30, 2009

I spy, with my little

uh, Nose?

I smell a fire. And not a camp fire.
and my nose, it knows.

Despite years of nursing, and having my olfactory sense burned out by killer things in the hospital, I still have a very keen sense of smell.

There is a fire, somewhere, and no one is reporting it. I can't see it, I don't hear airplanes, and I don't see smoke, either.

But it's out there.
I hate it.

HA! Vindicated! Our local newspaper which usually takes forever to notice anything has FINALLY reported that we are getting smoke from a few different, far away fires, due to wind directional change or some sort of rot like that.
I knew it.

another edit
apparently, one of the local Trash Trucks caught on fire nearby this morning, as well. Interesting....

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Queen Meme Tuesday

1. If you could put thyme in a bottle, what is the first thing that you'd like to do? My Thyme is held hostage in a bottle. The first thing that I'd really like to do is grow it in my back yard so that it wasn't imprisoned anymore. Alas, my back yard is nothing but shade, so my Thyme is stuck, in a bottle...

2. Do eggs really crack or do they merely have a nervous breakdown? All the eggs 'crack up' in my house, because we are all funny, funny yolks. (I mean, uh, folks)

3. Why are you whipping the butter? What did it ever do to you? Just to clarify things, It added inches to my hips, thats what it did.

4. Do your spoons spoon in the drawer? Have you ever noticed? And more importantly, if wooden spoons spoon do they get splinters? Of course my spoons spoon. If they didn't, well the whole drawer would run amok. My wooden spoons are in a crock next to the stove, though, so they are not spooning. Is that cruel?

Why did you close them? I would never close them. I prefer all my windows open...


What did they say to get in hot water? They challenged me to a dish duel, and never dreamt I'd bring the soap. HA! I showed them

8. Is your pot black? Depends on the pot you are referring to.

9. What is the sexiest spice or condiment in your cabinet? What makes it so? I'd have to say that the Cardamom is the sexiest spice I have. It is so because so few people use it, that I find it sexy when some one knows what it is, and how to use it.

10. How much crock is really in your crock pot? My pot is all crocked out right now, it was in heavy weekend rotation with a big pot of carnitas slow cooking...

For other people attempting to dodge the dungeon, click here

Monday, July 27, 2009

Monday Morning Mush

Another fun weekend for us, and we had many things to do.

Our fish tank has been giving us quite a bit of trouble, lately. Turns out we have an 'algae bloom'. Fantastic. The fish don't really care, they will swim in anything....
The best way, apparently to get rid of the algae bloom is to starve the tank of any light. Including sunlight. For 48 hours. So Saturday found us encasing our fish tank in black garbage bags, to deprive it of light. My local fish guru, by the name of Mike, assured me that the fish STILL won't care. They'll think that they are in a storm or some such thing. We get to uncover the tank today, later, and exchange more of the water. I was told that I will have to probably deprive the tank of light a few times, because we have a very strong algae bloom. Good times.
Sunday we went and hung out with some friends at a nearby-ish lake. This time, for the first time, we took the dogs with us, to see what they would do. They did pretty well, for their first outing into a big lake. They swim well, somewhat willingly, but prefer to sit on my lap. In the water. Both of them. Yeah it was interesting.

Just uncovered the fish tank, and the water is surprisingly clear. I still see a tinge of green to it, so, I will probably cycle the water once more, and deprive the light for another day or two, to kill off the evil algae once and for all. To combat it in the future, we are to put live plants in the tank, which will take the nutrients that the algae was using...
After the lake, we had some friends over to the house for carnitas... and some good wine. Fun had by all..

Friday, July 24, 2009

Friday Mieography

How about something lighthearted this week, shall we?

Ethel Hays was born and raised in Billings, Montana, in 1892. She, unlike most young ladies of her era, was able to convince her parents to allow her education. She completed high school there, where she distinguished herself as the illustrator for the school newspaper.
After high school, she attended the Los Angeles School of Art and Design, transferring, eventually, to the Art Students League of New York. She was all set to transfer again, this time to the Academie Julian in Paris, where she had won a scholarship. Unfortunately, WW I derailed her trip. So instead of Paris, she took on the task of teaching the wounded, convalescing soldiers to paint. It was here that she encountered a group of students who preferred to learn cartooning, instead of painting. She determined to learn to do it, herself, and enrolled in the Landon School of Cartooning, a correspondence course. She kept "a couple of lessons ahead", and taught the soldiers as she was learning, herself.
The cartoon experience changed her life, and career. She ended up getting work as a staff illustrator for the Cleveland Press. She quickly began drawing flapper themed satire, including a cartoon called "Flapper Fanny".
She eventually married, but kept cartooning under her maiden name. She also became a mother, and, after her second child, had a hard time keeping up, so Flapper Fanny was turned over to another female cartoonist. She did, however continue to illustrate stories, and numerous books, including Raggedy Ann and Andy books, paperdolls, and coloring books.
She died in New Mexico in 1989.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

anti Thursday?

I've noticed lately, I've been skipping Thursday. Been doing this for a few reasons. I am usually working, or have worked Wednesday night, and I am tired! And I don't want to think of Thursday 13 something or another.

I do it when something comes to me, but that has been dwindling. And, I know, this is my blog, and I don't HAFTA do anything if I don't want to. And no, I don't feel guilt over it.
Its just interesting, that Thursday seems to be the consistent day that I tend to just pass over. Especially because it is one of my favorite week days, as I previously mentioned....
Might as well make Thursday my vacation day, unless, of course, somebody creates another thing I think is fun to play with. The the Queen's Tuesday. Those questions are a riot, so far. I am wondering what on earth she is going to come up with next week. Thinking if I get cheeky enough with her I can go into the dungeon and see what it's all about! :)
See you tomorrow for the Mieography

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

OMG they got you, too?

stop it stop it stop it stop it...

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Tuesdays belong to the Queen

The Mission Impossible Meme
Lift off!


I probably forgot to bring Mustang Man with me. And it would be easy to convince them to take me back for him. I would simply bore them with the really long story of how long it took me to FIND MM in the first place. They would probably turn back around within the hour...

What is the first thing you would write on the board?
"I am a nurse, and I know how to kill you in a manner that no one would suspect it was murder".
but then they would probably shoot me and get it over with

How would you handle it?
ah, well, thats a tough one. We are all entitled to our feelings, and, it is their own blog. I would probably comment, letting them know I found it, and then try to email them to hash out their grievances without the whole blogsphere reading it. But initially? I'd probably be p.o'd and lose my temper...

4. If you had one dollar left in your pocket, what would you spend it on? right now? Air Condtioning.

5. President Obama and the First Lady are coming over for dinner. What do you serve? Grilled Bison burgers with cheese in the middle, mac and cheese, and corn.

6. You walk in on your lover. They are trying on your clothes. What do you do? Raise an eyebrow, snap the bra, and then ask him to take them off so we can sit and talk about what, exactly is going on.

The perfect health for a lifetime. But ONLY if it is for a normal lifetime. I don't want to live longer than everyone else, or forever for that matter. Being healthy is good, if I am healthy, I should have sexual vigor for another 10 years at least, can achieve piece of mind (I hope) and hedonism doesn't really appeal to me, anymore....
to see others that may or may not end up in the Queen's dungeon, go here

Monday, July 20, 2009

Monday Morning Mush

The weekend, it was full of fun and adventure....

Friday night was 'date night'. We like to have those, occasionally. It was a strange date night, because, sadly, we started it at a Rosary for the Dad of one of MM's co workers. From there, sushi at our favorite sushi place, and ended up at K Mart for a few essentials. (K Mart is the only place in this town to go for 'things' when you discover you need them). We never do date night halfway, do we!
Saturday found us picking up Mustang Girl from her six week visit with her Mom. Of course we were both MORE than happy to have her back in our fold. From there, we went to a local lake with our friends, BBQ'd, swam, and hung out. Pretty nice day.
Now, one of the 'essentials' we got at Kame Apart was a pair of clippers. I finally decided that I was going to try and get Angus free of some of his long locks. Enough is enough, its getting hotter, and he needs some relief.
He handles the clippers pretty well. He has SO much hair, that I think its going to take me a week to get to the bottom of it, though. More hair than I even thought he had. Consequently, he also has some mats that were hidden. So, we take off a little more each day, in hopes that I will finally get down to the bottom of his never ending fur. I swear for each swathe I clipper, ten more yards grow back.
Jack, on the other hand, LOVES the clippers. I had not intended on clipping him, but he came over to them, curious, and, the next thing I know he is all sprawled out in front of me, purring, and rolling around while I am clipping him. He was really easy to clip, and is now running around with a very short, uneven hair cut. Yes, I will eventually take pictures.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Friday Mieography

I saw this documentary, earlier in the week. It intrigued me. My mind is still puzzling on it, on the probability of it.

It was called "Ganja Queen"
I am going to tell you her story, via the Mieography, so you can decide for yourself. Maybe, I will even put up a poll on the sidebar, who knows?
Schappelle Corby. She grew up in Australia, on the Gold Coast in Queensland. She was enrolled in a "beauty therapy" course, but her Dad got cancer, and she quit, to help him out, working at the family fish and chip shop.
SHe married a Japanese man, while he was in Australia, working. She spoke to him in Japanese, and, charmed, he asked her out. When he went back to Japan, she went to visit him, and they got married. She worked in Japan, at a traditional Japanese Inn. Away from home, and lonely, she and her husband began to have more arguments, and she left him, to move back home.
Schappelle had gone to Bali many times, on vacation. Her sister, Mercedes, had even married a Balinese man. In October of 2004, She, and some friends and family left for another Bali vacation. Per her usual, she was sure to pack her boogie board, and flippers. Despite the fact that her sister, who was living there with her husband, ran a surf shop in Bali.
In the airport, the Customs agents searched her boogie board bag, and in it, found a 4.2 kg bag of marijuana. (9.3 lbs). The customs agent says that she tried to prevent him from opening that particular compartment. The marijuana was wrapped in a clear plastic bag, that was shaped in the same shape, and thickness of her boogie board. She was, of course, arrested.
Here is where things get interesting, and iffy.
No one ever fingerprinted the bag. As a matter of fact, the bag was freely handled by multiple people, the pot picked at, pulled at, possibly some of it even taken, never to return. The marijuana itself was never tested, to see where it was from, what quality it was, or anything. Schappelle was drug tested, and it was negative. She sat in jail, for five months, awaiting her trial. Her family, not made of money, had to rely on which lawyer they were assigned. Interestingly, a half Balinese, half Aussie business man took interest in her case, and paid for an Australian legal team to come out and help defend her.
IN Australia, at that time, it was becoming known that baggage handlers in the airports were using unsuspecting passengers to courier drugs around the country. This was the defense arguement in Schappelle's case. Three of her traveling companions testified that they had seen her put the flippers in her bag, and that it had contained JUST the flippers, and boogie board.
The defense also found a prisoner, who was waiting for trial in Australia, who stated he overheard a prison conversation between two men about having planted the marijuana in Shappelle's boogie board bag. He was flown to Indonesia to testify. Apparently, there was a mix up, and the marijuana was supposed to never have left Australia. Schappelle's flight to Bali had started in Brisbane, with a layover in Sydney, where it was supposed to be removed. The prosecutors of the case called his testimony hearsay, and pointed out he was awaiting trial in Australia for many offenses. (He was found guilty, and imprisoned).
Meanwhile, the businessman who had taken up her cause gave a public interview, and made statements accusing the prosecution team of seeking bribes to reduce her sentence. (Bringing drugs into Bali can actually get you a death sentence, which many of the Balinese were openly picketing the judges to give her). This scared and infuriated her family, and they cut ties with the businessman.
By the end of her trial, Schappelle had been in jail, in Bali, for seven months. Whenever she was taken from the jail for her trial, she was swarmed by press, fighting to get close to her. The footage looked like a bad mosh pit to me. Add to that, the picketers standing outside, holding up signs calling for her death. Little surprise, she got sick, and also, began having issues with anxiety and depression. At one point, they had to take a week off to give her time to "rest". The circus finally ended, with Schappelle saying this:
"I cannot admit to a crime I did not commit. And to the judges, my life at the moment is in your hands, but I would prefer if my life was in your hearts.... And your Honor, I ask of you to show compassion, to find me innocent, to send me home. Saya tidak bersalah" (I am not guilty in Indonesian).
Then, she had to await her verdict, which was nationally televised in Australia and New Zealand. She was found guilty, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. She is still there, today. She has appealed all she could appeal, and has no legal move left. She has been hospitalized twice for her depression. Her father, meanwhile, has died from his cancer.
There is more to this case, a lot more, actually. But it would take me forever to go through it all. More information has come out, after the fact, involving her family, including one of her half brothers, whom she was traveling with. And about her. Watch the documentary if you have HBO. Then google her. Or, just google her. But the documentary is very good. It really did kind of convince me that she, actually, did not know about the marijuana. I think she's innocent. But that's just me.
The marijuana. It could be a baggage handlers. It could be hers, or her family's. Hell, her bag was unlocked, it could belong to anyone, right?
But 20 years in a Balinese prison. For a big bag of pot. She will be around 48 years old when she gets out.
Thats quite a sentence....

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Oh look, something new

I do like new things. And the Queen cordially invited me to participate in her newly launched (today is the first day of it!) meme. So I went to take a peek, and the questions look pretty fun, so I am going to give it a whirl. Besides. When a Queen makes a request of me, I do my best to please her!

1. You are in court. You are in deep doo-doo. What did you do? ('Cause if you want, I might could talk to the judge and get your sentence reduced to Bloggingham dungeon time.)
It was only a little dragon! I didn't mean to let it in my window! Besides, all these handsome knights are running amok, and a few of them look like they could use the exercise....

2. Your blog just became a best-selling book . What is the title of your book ? "Who the hell is this woman and Why am I reading her book?"

3. It is midnight. The phone rings. It is Michael Jackson calling from the Great Beyond.

What would you like to ask him? "Hi Mike. Can I talk to Farrah?"

4. You are having your future told. The fortune teller looks in the crystal ball, screams and leaves the room in fright. What did they see? Me chasing children around the kitchen with a rolling pin.

5. You're blogging along minding your own blusiness (that's blog + know) when Google unexpectedly puts a Objectionable Content Warning on your blog. Your own mother is afraid to enter! What, pray tell, did you do to warrant it? How did this happen? Do you think you deserve it? Just how objectionable are you? Do tell. If this were going to happen, it would have a long time ago when I posted a story about meeting MM, that involved fur lined hand cuffs, 10w 30 oil, and a tawse. Did I deserve the Objectional Content? Only MM could tell you, and his lips are sealed....

6. You suddenly become God Of The Universe. What would your first Commandment be? PLAY NICE! Or ELSE!

7. And finally, what secret would you like to tell the Queen?
Hmmm. Secret to tell the Queen.
I let the dragon in on purpose. He was cute, and my fire needed to be lit. SHHHHH!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Monday Morning Mush

I really don't like Monday's. I think I am programmed not to like them. I think most of us are, actually, from an early age, related to that whole "get out of bed and go to school" thing. It carries over into into our adult lives. Even on the days when I am not working Monday I don't really care for the day of the week.

Its odd to me that I have something against a day. But I do...
On the other hand, I have always been a fan of Thursday. The week is usually almost over, it, occasionally gets to be a Friday like day, because of some 3 day weekends, and, I don't know, it just holds some sort of charm for me.
So, what is your favorite day of the week?

Friday, July 10, 2009

Friday Mieography

Hattie Ophelia Wyatt was born in Tennessee, the daughter of a farmer/shopkeeper, and his wife. She was educated, up through college, where she got a BA. She worked for a time, teaching school, until she married her college sweetheart, Thaddeus Caraway. They had three children, and moved to Arkansas, where she raised the children, and he worked at law, and politics. As well as care for the kids, she tended household and kitchen gardens, and over saw the cotton farm they live on as well. They even, eventually, established a second home in Riverdale, Maryland. Her husband was elected to the senate, and died in office in 1931. The governor of Arkansas stepped up and appointed Hattie to his seat. There was a special election held, which Hattie won easily, making her the first elected woman to serve as a United States Senator.

When her re-election came about, she surprised everyone by announcing she was going to run for her seat. The other candidates (and there were many) had assumed she would step aside. She told reporters "The time has passed when a woman should be placed in a position and kept there only while someone else is being groomed for the job". With the backing of some prominent members of the senate, she was easily re-elected. She had various assignments, which included Agriculture, Forestry, Commerce, and Enrolled Bills and Library. She did special interest in relief for farmers, flood control, and veterans benefits. She was very quiet in the halls of the senate, thought carefully about what she was going to say and when she was going to say it. They called her "Silent Hattie" at times, in jest. She explained her reticence as not being willing "to take a minute away from the men. The poor dears love it so."
Her next bid for re-election was not as smooth as her previous. Her opponent, John L. McClellan argued that a man could more effectively promote Arkansas' interests. She narrowly won the primary, but, once again, blew away the competition when it came to the general election. She lost her seat with the next election, however. President Truman gave her a post on the Employees Compensation Appeals Board, where she served until she suffered a stroke. She died in 1950, and is buried in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Thursday 13

The other night I had this really bizarre dream. I actually frequently dream very vividly, and bizarrely, but this one had me scratching my head in wonder. It involved me doing a Thursday 13, about Armadillo's. So. Why not? Here are 13 random facts about Armadillos. I don't know why...

1. There are 20 different varieties of Armadillo.
2. 19 of those varieties live in Latin America. The 9 banded armadillo is the only one in the U.S.
3. Armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish.
4. They are the only living mammals that wear bony plate shells
5. They are closely related to anteaters and sloths.
6. They can vary in size from 6 inches to 5 feet long.
7. They come in such colors as salmon, dark brown, black, red, grey, and "yellowish"
8. Only the tree banded armadillo can encase itself fully into its shell.
9. Cold weather can wipe out the entire population of Armadillo's because they have a low metabolic rate, and lack of fat storage.
10. Most of them sleep 16 hours a day.
11. They have very poor vision, and use their sense of smell to hunt.
12. They eat bugs, small vertebrates, plants, some fruits, and carrion.
13. If you eat one, it is said to taste "just like pork". (surprise, not chicken!)

and an extra fun fact? There is such thing as a "pink fairy armadillo". It is a threatened species...

For more Thursday 13, go here

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Wordless Wednesday Aquarium style

These are not the best ever shots, but I am experimenting with, and learning how to take shots through water. Now if the blasted fish would just hold still.....

is is a Lemon Tetra. You can't see it, but she is pale yellow in color, and her bottom fin has a yellow stripe on it.
In the back is a Harlequin fish, and in the front are the Black Molly, and one of the Mickey Mouse fish, thinking I am going to feed them. Greedy buggers.
The one and only red finned Tetra that survived. The others went "over the wall". If you look to the top though, you can see a great shot of the lemon Tetra, and her tail...
a lot of them ended up in this shot. But the real star of it is the big cory catfish up front center there. He cleans the rocks. The little zipping guys around him are Neon Tetra's.
this is a better, but kind of blurry shot of a Mickey Mouse fish tail. See why they are called Mickey Mouse fish?
this is a Rummy Nose Tetra. You can't see it in this picture, but they have black and white striped tails.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

too freaky

The Sci Fi channel decided to delight me with a Twilight Zone marathon over this last weekend, and my DVR was set accordingly. Of course, they had to scare me at first, by playing the new-ish ones. The ones in color. Tisn't right.

They finally got to the good ones. The black and white ones. The eeeeeeeeerrrrieeeeee ones.
And we watched one last night that TOTALLY creeped me out.
It was about beauty. They were taking young men and women, fresh, about 18, and having them choose the "number" model of the appearance they wanted to keep for the rest of their lives. There were few models to choose from, so to identify one from another, their body suits had their names embossed upon them. Oh, and this modification also enabled you to live twice, sometimes three times as long as you would have originally lived.
The one young woman, of course, was being difficult, not wanting to be modified. They even gave her a glass of 'instant smile' and she STILL didn't want to change. (Oh the horrors!)
Of course, she was made beautiful in the end, turned into a vapid blonde with helmet hair (hey, it was the 60's).
And the 'year' of the future that this particular episode sighted?
the year 2000.
still creeped me out though.

Monday, July 6, 2009

I need a magic wand

I do! It would come in very handy right about now.

If I were given one, I'd do all kinds of things. For many many people.
One of the more varied things I'd do for myself though, is this...
I'd magic wand myself to be in good enough condition to climb Mount Everest. And then do it.
That would take one big magic wand, though...
How about you? What odd thing would you magic wand yourself for?

Friday, July 3, 2009

Friday Mieography

Elisabeth Muriel Gregory ("Elsie") MacGill was born in 1905, the daughter of a prominent Canadian lawyer and his wife, British Columbia's first woman judge. Her mother was a strong suffrage advocate, and influence Elsie's decision to continue her education after high school. Elsie was the first Canadian woman to earn a degree in electrical engineering.

After she graduated, she moved to the United States and took a job with a car company. The company moved into aircraft manufacturing, so Elsie enrolled in the University of Michigan to study aeronautical engineering. In 1928, she became the first woman in North America to earn her Masters degree in that field.
Just before she graduated, she contracted polio, and doctors told her that she would probably spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Not willing to accept that, she learned to walk supporting herself by two metal canes. Writing magazine articles about planes and flying, she furthered her studies for her doctorate, at MIT in Cambridge.
1934 found her back in Canada, working as an assistant engineer at Fairchild Aircraft. She also became the first woman to be elected to corporate membership in the Engineering Institute of Canada. She went on to become the Chief Aeronautical Engineer at the Canada Car and Foundry, where she designed, and tested a new training aircraft, the Maple Leaf Trainer II.
The company was later selected to build Hurricane fighter aircraft for the RAF, and Elsie found herself quite busy, especially because this was war time, and over half the workers in the company were women. She was responsible for streamlining the production line operations, and to craft design solutions that allowed the aircraft to operate during the winter, such as de-icing controls, and a system for fitting ski's for landing on snow. She ended up writing a book on the experience, and someone wrote a comic book about her experiences, styling her as "Queen of the Hurricanes".
After all her hard work, she was dismissed from the CC&F because it turned out she was having an affair with the works manager. They married, and moved to Toronto, setting up an aeronautical consulting business. She also published a biography of her mother, and, inspired by both her mother, and grandmother's work for suffrage, she worked for the movement as well. She died in 1980 in Massachusetts.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Wordless Wednesday