Five new things

I am not doing well at keeping up! Sorry! I'll catch you up on where I am lately...

Wednesday, Jan 21:
On Wednesday some of my friends noticed flags around Colorado Springs were flying at half staff. So I found out that the Colorado Governor ordered all flags to fly at half staff in honor of a fallen U.S. Army Staff Sergeant from Colorado. SSgt. Bauer was killed on Jan 10 in Iraq when an IED detonated near his vehicle. He had earned a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and an Army Commendation Medal. He was 24 years old.
It left me sad, speechless, and humbled.

Thursday, Jan 22:
Thursday I had a dinner party for a dear friend of mine. Danny went to college with me and he lives in Africa right now, but was back for a visit over the last month. We had a little reunion of KU alumni and it was a lot of fun. And as is the case with most reunions, the conversation covered a wide range of topics. So during the evening I witnessed a lively little argument about rabies. Allison and Danny argued about whether or not rabies is fatal, until they realized they were both arguing the same point: rabies is fatal unless someone has been vaccinated previously or receives a vaccination very quickly after becoming infected. I looked it up later and found out that there have actually been two documented cases of survival where the patient did not receive any rabies-specific treatment. Also, it is suggested that inducing a coma in infected patients may allow someone to survive. In 2005 a girl from Wisconsin received the treatment (called the Milwaukee Protocol). The theory is that being in a coma protects the brain from damage while the body builds up an immune response to the rabies. The girl was hospitalized for 76 days, 31 of which were in isolation, but she recovered.

Friday, Jan 23:
Friday was part 2 of a girls' night that my friend Suzanne hosted. We watched Anne of Green Gables, which I had never read or seen before. So I finally learned how the story turns out. But I did enjoy it. I think deep down all girls love the guy-gets-girl storyline, no matter how predictable or unrealistic it is.

Saturday, Jan 24:
Elisa and I were discussing the origin of Obama's campaign slogan, "Yes we can." We have been talking about how it's basically the English translation of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers' "Sí se puede" from the seventies. So Elisa googled "Yes we can" and found this: Yes We Can (Hold Babies). I cannot explain the laughter that ensued. At first we thought it might be a joke. But the more you look at the site, the more it looks sincere. Amazing.

Sunday, Jan 25:
Today I learned that a group of porcupines is called a prickle. I also learned that baby porcupines are extremely tiny and cute in a semi-disgusting way.

See?
That picture is not mine, by the way. I found it online.

Ruins, Gentlemen, and the Career I Wish I Had

Ok, here is the last trio of lessons:

Sunday, Jan 18:
I went for a walk last Friday with Elisa on Cascade Avenue. Cascade is one of the streets in downtown Colorado Springs that has beautiful, old, huge houses. So we passed one of the houses and it caught my eye because it was bright pink. On the front of the house was a plaque that said, "Hungo Pavi 1922." So Sunday I looked it up. Hungo Pavi is an ancient great house ruin located in Chaco Canyon National Historical Park in New Mexico. It is un-excavated and much of the ruins are now covered by desert ands and vegetation. It had over 150 rooms in it. Chacoan people occupied Hungo Pavi beginning around 1000AD. There are some cool pictures here.

I haven't figured out why the pink house has the plaque on it, or what the significance of the year '1922' is. Some things are just a mystery.

Monday, Jan 19:
Monday was a really great day. I spent time outside in the Colorado sun with my mom and my dogs, and then I went to Denver with some of my favorite people. We went shopping and ate dinner at Casa Bonita. While shopping, I received a bit of cultural education about cuff links. I have always known that they are meant for cuffs, of course (I'm really good with contextual clues), but I had never actually seen someone wearing them and didn't really know how they worked. I saw a bunch of cuff link sets at Banana Republic and it prompted the question. My friend Toby told me that they work with a specific type of shirt- one with French cuffs. He demonstrated how they work on a shirt in the store. It's a small thing, but I feel better for knowing it.

There are definitely some cheesy cuff links out there, even in Banana Republic stores, but I still think I like the idea of them. They're classy. The only downside to cuff links is that they prevent the wearer from doing the masculine after-work sleeve roll. Ladies, you know the one- where they unbutton their cuff and roll it up to about the elbow? I have a thing for the sleeve roll. And I have it on good authority that I'm not the only girl who does. So guys, here's a lesson for you: The question of cuff links is a win-win. Choose cuff links and you are a gentleman. Choose against cuff links and do the sleeve roll, and you're golden.

Tuesday, Jan 20:
Today was inauguration day. Like many people, I listened to our new president address the nation for the first time in his post. I'd love to hear your reactions to the speech, by the way. But I am not going to blog about politics. It's not my bag. I did learn something interesting, though. One of Obama's top speech writers is 27. You read right. He's TWENTY-SEVEN. And pretty Gap-chic, judging by the picture. But the point is- I think I'm in the wrong field. This guy writes speeches that the world hears. He gets paid to craft ideas into words to reach the masses. And he apparently does it in marathon sittings fueled by coffee and Rock Band video game intermissions.

I am totally in the wrong field.

Photography and Prosciutto

Friday, Jan 16:
I went to an engagement party for a friend. The party was hosted by my friend Allison, who I have mentioned on the blog before. Allison is one of the most creative people I know. We got to catch up at the party and I learned the details of her newest endeavor. She's decided sell her photography to raise funding for a trip she is taking to Sierra Leone with eMi (Engineering Ministries International). eMi sends architects and engineers to other countries to help build schools, hospitals, and other needed buildings. Allison's trip is for building a hospital. She also will have an exhibition here in Colorado Springs to showcase her entire 365 picture-a-day project. The exhibition will be at Pike's Perk downtown, February 15, from 1-3pm. People can order the prints at the exhibition, and Allison also has a website set up for people to order prints. I am really excited about her exhibition and her upcoming trip. I'd encourage anyone reading to check out her stuff and go to the exhibition if at all possible. She's a great photographer. So, I not only learned the details of the event, but I learned how inspiring it is to see a friend pursue something she believes in.

Saturday, Jan 17:
Today I learned how prosciutto is made. I have to preface my summary by saying this: if you love prosciutto and don't know how it is made, stop reading.
Prosciutto is made from a pork hind leg that is salt-cured for a few weeks, until mold has formed on the leg (yum). The mold is scraped off and the ham is hung for another 4-5 weeks. Any newly formed mold is scraped again and then pork fat is rubbed over all the meat surfaces (more yum), effectively 'sealing' it before it is hung to cure for another 12-16 weeks. The way they can tell when prosciutto is ready is by using a horse bone needle to push into the prosciutto at 5 specific points. The needle is then smelled, because apparently the smell of the meat can indicate whether it is appropriately prepared. A horse bone is used because it is said to absorb fragrance without holding it, so they can use it from prosciutto to prosciutto and still have accurate smells.
It's all very involved, and fairly gross, when you think about it. I'll admit I have enjoyed prosciutto. And knowing me, I'll probably enjoy it again in my life. just not anytime soon while I can remember this process...

Currency, Pie, and Ice

Three brief lessons:

Tuesday, Jan 13:
I learned that (at least right now) one Euro is equivalent to 1.32 US dollars.
I have 35 Euros, which is approximately 46 dollars in currency that is useless in my country. I have had the Euros in my possession since the last time I was in Europe. Which was in 2006. I don't know why I haven't exchanged them, but I think it has something to do with the hope that I will go back sometime and have use for them. But next time, it's Italy. Or Greece.

Wednesday, Jan 14:
I learned that chocolate pie and whipped cream is an AMAZING combination. At least when prepared by my lovely friend Abbie. She decided to cook a big dinner to celebrate the new position I was offered at work (which is one more example of how amazing my friends are). She made a brilliant Italian meal of salad, stuffed shells, garlic bread, and chocolate pie. And wine, but that's a given. I had a great evening with some of my favorite people and stuffed myself to the brim. And somehow, I've made it through life without ever having chocolate pie until now. That's 24 years of wasted time, folks. Please learn from my mistakes.

Thursday, Jan 15:
Today I learned about an awesome event happening in Old Colorado City this weekend. It's called Ice on the Avenue. There will be ice sculptures and demos of ice carving. And Old Colorado City is a great backdrop for an outdoor event. It's the cutest little historic town! So I can't wait to get out there and try to take some pictures of the ice. Anyone want to make a day of it??

It's Never too Early... Well, Sometimes it is.

Today I learned some valuable lessons about the search for Mr. Right:

1. Introduce yourself. A proper introduction includes your name, where you are from, and how ready you are for marriage.
2. Be honest. It is possible and acceptable to be in love with a man before spending 5 minutes with him. Also, being in love does not require that he know anything about you.
3. Be confident. Find 24 other women to compete with for his affections. He probably won't succumb to anyone else's charms (but if he does, you have every right to be surprised).
4. Set realistic expectations for romance. It is entirely plausible that a first date will include a blimp ride at sunset.
5. Reveal something emotionally charged and deeply personal on your first date. Or during your first conversation.
6. Over-exaggerate all positive qualities he has.
7. If he has a child, explain how much your experience with your nephew has prepared you for motherhood.
8. Preface your (creepiest) statements with the phrase, "I'm not a stalker." You will put him at ease.
9. Tell him you have a secret talent called 'being a good kisser.' Should work like a charm.
10. Cleavage is your friend. And his.

My source? The best in educational programming since Sesame Street.


Ok, ok. So the real lesson? Sometimes the things of lowest quality are the most addictive. True of drugs and television.

Catching up on the Weekend

This weekend passed in a blur. The things I have learned are decidedly brief, but they are new to me just the same. I only have a picture for one of the past three days, which has me thinking I may reconsider the element of photography in this blog. I am thinking about just going with a picture a day whether or not it relates to what I learned (essentially stealing my friend Allison's idea, which was stolen from her friend, which may have been stolen as well. I don't think it's particularly original at this point, but a fun idea anyway). I also may approach the photography piece in a separate place, too. I'm not sure yet. Just know I'm toying with the idea in my mind. I've been good at taking my camera with me and taking pictures on a daily basis, but the issue is that the pictures don't always relate to what I have learned. Hopefully I'll work out the kinks in that soon, but for now, here are the last 3 days' updates:

Friday, Jan 9:
I learned a new word (well, an old word I did not yet know).
Foundling: An abandoned infant of unknown parentage
This word is from Middle English. I learned it from reading a novel set in Regency England. I have a little thing for historical fiction, but that's a blog for another day.

Saturday, Jan 10:
I learned about two musicians I hadn't heard before. I went to a Marc Broussard concert (if you haven't heard him, I highly recommend listening. He's one of my favorites). He played a lot of his older stuff, which was a treat for me, because I've been a fan for about 5 years now. Like most artists, his older, indie stuff was raw and awesome. The more exposure he's gotten, the more pop has worked its way into his music. But his voice is always amazing, so I think even his newer stuff is good, it's just not my preference. Anyway, Marc (yeah, we're on a first-name basis) had two openers and they were both pretty good. First up was Josh Hoge. I liked him best of the two openers. He has a pop-ish sound but he has good lyrics and a strong voice. Second was Jessie Baylin. She has a very simple voice, but it's clear and pretty and her songs were good.
I love live music. I also love the company of good friends, and thanks to my friends Sheonaid and Elisa, I had both!

Sunday, January 11:
I learned about a story that Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote. It's called The Great Stone Face. Today my pastor made a reference to it in church. Since The Scarlet Letter is one of my favorite classics, I was interested in reading another of Hawthorne's stories. I found it here and read it. It's a short story about humility and wisdom. It illustrates the truth that we become what we behold. That was the point of the sermon in church today and therefore why this story was mentioned. I'd encourage you to read it. Like so many older works, the language is beautiful, but it's also just a good reminder of a simple truth.

First Late Entry

I told you so. I knew trying to post every day would be hard for me. Also, the picture thing is not easy. Most of the time I learn something at work and it's a little tough in the middle of an investigative interview to ask to take a picture. So this post will be naked, and hopefully I can do some pictures for upcoming lessons. Here are the things I learned over the past couple of days:

Wednesday, Jan 7:
I learned the joy of having wonderful friends. This is probably more of a re-learn, but if you'll remember my rules for this project, I can learn anything I want. And Wednesday I was smacked in the face with this truth: God has surrounded me with wonderful, genuine friends. I had to give a presentation at work on Wednesday morning and I had been nervous about it for two weeks. A number of my friends knew about it and took the time on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning to check in with me, offer me an encouraging word, or pray for me. It's really humbling to know that people are behind me and supportive of me. And Wednesday when I went in to give my presentation, I was cool as a cucumber! I know the prayers and well-wishes from my friends and family were instrumental in that. I couldn't have done it without them.

Thursday, Jan 8:
I learned what a Medical Hold is. Let's say you call 911 and they come to your house. They check you out and you feel fine and decide that you don't want to go to the hospital. You can refuse transport to the ER. The responders cannot kidnap you, so they have to listen to your wishes. In order to release themselves and the hospital from liability, the responders call in a refusal to the hospital, which basically means they call the ER doctor and explain what is happening. They give details on the your condition and explain that the you have refused transport to the hospital. The ER doctor then has to clear it- meaning they have to say they will support the decision for the paramedics to leave. Then you have to sign paperwork saying you refused transport and you release all medical personnel from liability in the event something else happens. BUT, if the doctor doesn't feel comfortable with the decision, they can issue an M-1 Medical Hold. That essentially authorizes the EMTs to kidnap you from your house and take you to the hospital for medical care.

Clearly, you can see why I don't have a picture for this. It's a hypothetical situation (which, according to 30 Rock, is like lying to your brain).

Today is not nearly over. I will post later with today's lesson.

I Escaped a Rite of Passage

So, Here's something true and baffling:
I have never in my life created a PowerPoint presentation. Not once. How did this travesty happen? How did I get through all of high school in suburban America without creating a PowerPoint on the Industrial Revolution? How did I squeak through a liberal-arts degree without giving a presentation on religion in Western Civilization? How did I ever survive without Clip Art stick figures pointing to bullet statements? How can I feel right with the world when I've never made a dream-sequence transition to go along with a cartoon sound effect?

And the truth is, it has haunted me. I always thought it was right around the corner, in my next class, or as the next assignment. But the anticipation kept building, and my time never came. Eventually, I gave up hope. And then I began to resent PowerPoint and all its experienced users. Whenever I received a forwarded email with a .ppt extension, I would mutter in disgust, all the while secretly envious that here was yet another person who had done what I could not.

Until now.

Because tonight, I learned how to use PowerPoint. Nay, I taught myself how to use PowerPoint! So watch out. I'm going to be unstoppable now.


Next up, I'll finally watch Star Wars.

Nail Beds

Today's gem came from a medical report I read at work. The report referenced the color of the patient's nail beds. So I looked it up, and I learned that there are a lot of things the color and condition of your fingernails can tell you. Pink nails are good. Yellow, not so much- that could be a sign of lung problems. Blue, definitely bad. That can be a sign of respiratory problems. White nail beds could indicate liver problems or anemia.
There's more, but I'll let you learn some on your own if you're still curious.

My nails? They're pinkish. And cozy around my favorite coffee cup.

Three Guys Brewing

So, it's past my bedtime and I'm just now getting around to posting. For some reason, I was having a hard time thinking of something I had learned today. Just when I thought my day was winding down and I still hadn't learned something new, I talked to my friend Jared. Jared is something of a beer connoisseur. He's also an engineer. He likes to know how things work, and he's a hands-on kind of guy. So Jared has taken up homebrewing. He and two friends have created Three Guys Brewing. They made their first beer a few weeks ago. Tonight they began brew # 2.
So I asked him about beer. I learned that the most important part of home brewing is sterilization. He said if things aren't sterile, it affects fermentation and it results in bad beer. I also learned that most beers will take about 4 weeks to ferment. At first, I asked how long it takes to brew. But he said the word brew refers only to the mixing of ingredients, which happens within a few hours. The rest of the 4 weeks is spent waiting for the beer to ferment.

So in four weeks, brew #2 will be done. It's untitled so far, but it's a Porter. I have nothing nice to say about porters, except maybe that they aren't IPAs, so that's something. But the guys are true beer enthusiasts, and I'm sure they're excited to see how this one turns out.
There are a lot of other things to learn about the beer-making process, but I'm going to learn more about it firsthand, next time they start a new beer. And then I'll have some good pictures to go with it. As for tonight, finding a picture was tough. I wasn't at Jared's house while they brewed and I don't have any bottles of his first batch. So instead, the picture below is an example of what can happen when beer brewing goes wrong. Remember, sterilization is key. You'd never want to end up with this:
***Editor's note: the above pictured 'beer' was left in our fridge at a BYOB housewarming party we had in November. I promise you Elisa and I will not be drinking them anytime soon. Or anytime ever.

Where Work

Several of my friends are in an improv comedy troupe. I usually watch all of their shows, which makes me somewhat of a groupie, but that's a different story.

Over the past year of watching their performances, talking with them about their craft, and even seeing them practice (one member is my roommate), I've learned a lot about the art of improv. I can honestly say there is much more to it than the average observer thinks. Tonight, I went to one of their shows. After the show we all went out to grab some food and Suzanne taught me a new improv term. It's called 'where work.' It refers to the practice of using your actions to illustrate the space and objects in the scene you are acting out. At first, I made the leap to say that where work is like miming, but my roommate Elisa explained that it's more than basic miming, because it involves using your actions to show objects AND the entire space around you. For example, if the scene is about cooking, where work would include the player (actor) using their actions to show the objects they use (the oven, a plate, etc) AND the space they are using (the kitchen). So you might see the actor walking around the imagined kitchen and demonstrating through their actions that the oven is not in the same place as the kitchen sink, and the plates are in a cabinet above their head.

Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of tonight's improv show, so I made Elisa so a little home-based improv for my picture. Our friend Abbie was visiting, do she joined in the fun. Can you tell what they are doing?

Terroir

No, it's not a typo. It's foreign.

Today my friend Chris (a self-proclaimed oenophile) told me a little bit about wine. He mentioned the concept of terroir, which is a French term referring to the effects of geography and geology on wine production. He said that the French divide vineyards into sections and assign numbers to them. Then they put the numbers on the labels of the resulting bottles of wine in order to indicate quality as a measure of the land used for the grapes. His comments made me curious, so I read more about terroir here and here. I learned that climate, soil, and specific location of a particular vineyard (or even a particular row or vine within a vineyard) have influence on the way the grapes (and therefore, the resulting wine) taste. It seems to make sense, so I was also interested to learn that the concept is a little controversial. I'm certainly not well-versed in the world of wine, so I can't speak to that debate, but I do know all this talk about wine makes me want to go to a vineyard.
Or at least pour myself a glass.

Oh, and the picture is of the only French wine I have at my house right now. I haven't ever tried it, and I have no idea what kind of terroir it has.

Something New

Hello friends,
In my last post I referenced a new blog project I had in the works. Now that 2009 has officially begun, I'm unveiling it! I've been inspired by my friend Allison and numerous others who have undertaken efforts to see the world differently throughout a new year. Allison did a picture-a-day project in 2008. She wanted to practice seeing beauty everyday, and she captured it through her love of photography. I also followed a blog two girls did together in 2008. They both took pictures weekly that had some sort of word in it and every week they posted their pictures side by side. It was interesting to see what they came up with, because they did not talk to each other about their photographs before posting.
I loved the creativity of these ideas, so I decided to take on something similar with my blog for 2009. This year I want to be more intent on having a learner's heart. I'm already somewhat of a nerd; that's no secret. So this project is going to capitalize on that. I'm merging three things I love: learning, writing, and photography. I'm basing this project on the idea that we learn something new every day. As it turns out, a blog like this is not an original idea. I've found others doing the same thing. I guess Ecclesiastes is right- there is nothing new under the sun. But I digress. Here are the details (such as they are at this point):

-I will learn something new every day in 2009 and write about it here.
-I have no requirements concerning how academic or trivial my new knowledge should be. I can learn from books, friends, mistakes, or any other source.
-I will attempt to update the blog daily, but I know myself well enough to know it may be difficult to do so. Therefore, I'm committing to updating at LEAST weekly with what I have learned each day.
-I will try to take a pictures somehow relating to what I have learned. This may prove to be a challenge, depending on the nature of what I have learned. The goal is to have a picture for every new thing I learn, but there may be times this is not possible. This part of my blog will be a bit of a work in progress as I discover how best to combine the two.

And those are the rules. Pretty simple. I think I'm really going to enjoy this project, and I hope anyone reading it will enjoy it, too.

So, you're probably wondering what I learned today, right?
Nothing earth-shattering, but it is useful.

I learned a new way to prepare chicken. I learned this from Elisa, my roommate. She uses olive oil and seasons the meat with sage, rosemary, and thyme. Seriously (I'm not sure why she doesn't put parsley on it). Then she bakes it in the oven. It comes out very tender and it's a nice flavor. The chicken works well with rice, on salads, with pasta, or however you want. And Elisa uses spices from Vitamin Cottage, so they come in little bags. I don't know why, but there's something I love about that.


So there you have it. I'm 1 for 1. I'd love your feedback if you have it. But more than that, I hope you have a 2009 full of learning, too.