Keeping Up With The Parental Units

Red Light, Green Light

2012-01-31T08:45:00.000-05:00

Flowers in the Snow

2012-01-22T12:30:00.002-05:00

I know everyone is sick of all the clivia postings but I can't help myself. It is just so excellent to have this spectacular bloom with a backdrop of snow.
No I didn't grow these. But that doesn't mean I can't post a picture of them.

My New, New Year's Resolution

2012-01-19T18:54:00.012-05:00

Saw this book display at Barnes and Noble:

This is a close up of the book cover:

The cover of the book inspired me to make a New, New Year's Resolution:

I hereby resolve that this year

I will make every effort to

Eat More M&Ms

Ya Think?

2012-01-15T08:17:00.000-05:00

My New Smartphone!!!

2012-01-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

Motorola Droid Bionic.

Thank you Mike, for justifying this to our employer.

Sunset on the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Highest Point in Virginia

2012-01-11T20:43:00.004-05:00

Email to Governor Chris Christie

2012-01-09T21:20:00.006-05:00

I sent the following email via online form to Governor Chris Christie today alerting him to what I feel is a serious shortcoming in the State of New Jersey:

Imagine our surprise a week ago when we drove from PA into NJ on route 78 and there was no “Welcome to NJ” sign!

We particularly noticed this because we were coming home from a 2,000+ mile drive to South Carolina, and having taken photos of all the “Welcome To Our State” signs, thought it would be cute to bag a shot of the NJ sign for the end of our vacation photo album. Oh well.

Now in our case it really wasn’t necessary to welcome my husband and me to NJ, after all we live here in Edison. However, given the amount of revenue tourism brings into NJ, I would recommend putting up a sign on route 78 and all NJ borders to make incoming tourists feel that NJ really cares about them.

If by some chance, there is usually a sign in that location but it had just been knocked down by a passing truck, and a replacement sign put up this week, please disregard this message.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Lill

PS I only chose category: Economic Growth, sub-topic: Small Business because I thought it was a better fit than Transportation, not because it was a good fit.

The form submission was acknowledged with

Thank you for contacting me.
As Governor, I welcome input from those throughout the Garden State and beyond who are eager to share with me their thoughts, concerns, questions, and ideas. My staff and I will endeavor to be as responsive as possible to the many people using this electronic means of communication, as well as to those who, through letters and phone calls, contact my office.
Again, I appreciate your taking the time to write to me.
Sincerely yours,

Chris Christie
Governor

Isn't it great living in a Democracy!

No Fun Allowed !

2012-01-08T20:35:00.004-05:00

Taken at Twin Falls, SC

Anniversary Fortunes

2012-01-03T05:35:00.001-05:00

We got takeout Chinese to bring for a Shabbos meal on our trip to SC.

Now usually the fortunes in Chinese fortune cookies are about as meaningful as your daily horoscope.

Taken separately the fortunes in the cookies that came with the meal were the usual blather.

However, together, these were remarkably appropriate considering we were on vacation celebrating our 30th anniversary.

Happy Anniversary Pi!

Local Color

2011-12-26T19:05:00.002-05:00

Waterfalls!

2011-12-25T18:58:00.007-05:00

Tacocca Falls, GA

Tallulah Gorge, GA

Brasstown Falls, SC

Twin Falls, SC

Falls on the Reedy River, SC

Motz 1

2011-12-24T18:52:00.000-05:00

49 Down, One to Go

2011-12-23T17:00:00.001-05:00

Boy Apple, Take 2

2011-12-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Everything

2011-12-18T21:29:00.004-05:00

I Won!

2011-12-08T21:31:00.003-05:00

I hit the jackpot at the NJDONET user group meeting this evening.

Not only was I the first winner of the raffle thereby getting first choice of the pickings:

But, I also got it autographed by the author! Thanks, Jess!

Uh oh, now I'm actually going to have to read it.

The Seven Person ConferenceBike

2011-12-05T21:52:00.004-05:00

This looks like so much fun! The ConferenceBike is pedaled by seven riders sitting in a circle. One person steers while the other 6 pedal (or not) as the bike moves effortlessly along.

www.conferencebike.com

Like a tandem bike on steroids.

So Wrong ...

2011-11-11T10:16:00.006-05:00

Hummingbird at Rest

2011-11-08T06:30:00.001-05:00

This guy was resting up on a branch near the playgym after buzzing around the hibiscus in September.

Rainbow at Dusk

2011-11-04T06:30:00.000-04:00

This was pretty amazing. I didn't know you could see a rainbow when it was so dark outside.

This photo was taken about a month ago in the parking lot of the Clark Shoprite after work.

This is how the sky looked in the other direction.

Personalized Advertising

2011-11-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

You know how most junk mail ends up in the garbage unread?

Well, these guys figured out how to get the attention of an IT person.

Not only did my boss Mike read this mailing, but ended up displaying it proudly.

October Snowstorm Edison, NJ

2011-10-30T10:49:00.004-04:00

More branches down than in hurricane. Not much left of some trees. Fall foliage against the snow is beautiful. So many trees still green.

With all this snow, the temperature never even went below freezing, as is shown by my 4 o'clocks. Had it been below 32 they would have looked like wilted lettuce.

Carrot-zilla

2011-10-29T21:51:00.000-04:00

Caroline and Alan's Amazing Interactive Succah

2011-10-22T21:03:00.004-04:00

Caroline and Alan had us for dinner on chol ha'moed. We had a wonderful time, as always.

They have the most amazing succah.

And Alan's candies taste even better than they look!

Thank you Caroline and Alan for inviting us!

New Reality TV Show Called "Three Day Yom Tov With Family"

2011-10-18T19:46:00.010-04:00

Aunt Malke has this great idea for a new reality TV show called "Three Day Yom Tov With Family".

Aunt Malke, we were glad to provide you with the inspiration.

But, not to worry, everyone survived the first days of Succot with the help of:

Great company,

Adorable baby and toddlers,

Yummy food brought by Eli and Stacy, Aunt Malke and Uncle Elliot, and Rachel and Selig.

Yummy challah baked by the Lump.

Tons of help before and during from Lumpy and my Pi.

Tunnel building and other assorted entertainment for Moshe by the Poot.

Lots of help by everyone who was here (especially after some reminders).

Sleepover use of a neighbor's house, another neighbor's den, and

A bottle of children's Tylenol.

Thank you everyone for coming and helping.

Havdalah in the Succah:

Annual Group Photo Op:

How to Prevent Your Bike From Being Stolen

2011-10-10T19:19:00.005-04:00

The Most Amazing Succah Showroom!

2011-10-08T21:40:00.015-04:00

We have a new succah! But that is not what this post is about.

This post is about the place where we bought our new succah.

It is one of those places you should go see even if you don’t need a succah!

The other succah places where we shopped had maybe one demo succah set up. Or a half a succah (sorry, two walls, not kosher). Or an adorable dwee 2 ft model succah that your hamsters would love (and so light!)

This place however had a whole indoor showroom of various types of succah. There were a whole bunch of full size, fully set up succahs.

And when I say fully set up, I mean with decorations and tables and chairs and place settings.

But that is not all. Oh no, that is not all!

One succah even had Mannequins!

Bob is at the front, shaking hands with the ba'al ha'succah. The chesed shown by the ba'al ha'succah to invite this assorted group is truly amazing! (In addition to the variously challenged people you can see in the succah such as the chemotherapy patient, the woman in the lower left of the photo has no arms!)

This is the succah which we bought, though in a different color:

The portable succah (use it as your camp shower room after succot):

Some other choices:

Look thru the window to see the succah we bought. At the same time, admire the artificial tree growing between the succahs!

In addition to your new succah, you can also buy (for your new succah):

tables, chairs, beds

and decorations, including wishful thinking murals of Yerushalayim:

Here is Gary writing up our order, and all ready in case he feels a "Hamlet Moment" coming on.

Or maybe Poor Yorick is just waiting for one of those hamster succahs.

So go check it out - The National Sukkah Outlet- SukkahOutlet.Com - 20 Brighton Ave , Clifton, NJ (Passaic?).

And if you end up buying one, remind them that they owe Lill $25 commission.

Have a great Yom Tov!

Break in Infinite Loop

2011-10-05T23:24:00.001-04:00

Getting Ready For Yom Tov

2011-09-26T22:42:00.001-04:00

Except for the bit about the hogs.

Crabapples

2011-09-25T22:47:00.000-04:00

Stupidity at the Supermarket - The Unit Price of Cheese

2011-09-04T07:00:00.001-04:00

Which cheese is the better price?

At first glance it seems to be the one on the left, with a unit price of $6.65 vs the one on the right with a unit price of $9.56.

But on closer look, the cheese on the right is about 30% cheaper at $.30 an ounce vs $.42 an ounce for the one on the left (8 oz for $2.39 vs 12 oz for $4.99).

Where is the error?

Take a look at the "unit" in each case:

Can't wait to see the price by kilometer.

It Was a Good Month for Boys!

2011-09-02T15:46:00.005-04:00

Mazal tov to

Shmuel and Tova on Mordechai Yecheszkel

Dovid and Miriam on Aharon Reuven

Aviva and Shmuly on Gavriel Noach Chaim

and of course

Eli, Stacy, and Moshe on

Chanan Azarya

and bucking the trend,

Mazal tov to

Eric and Abby on Olivia Morgan

Bluegrass and Tony Bennett?

2011-08-19T08:46:00.006-04:00

What does not belong in this picture?

Resolution of the Pashdus Situation in the Kosher Meat Section of the Clark Shoprite

2011-08-18T19:37:00.005-04:00

I found Joey from the meat department and tried explaining the problem with the sign. He told me that the meat department had not made the sign; that the sign was done by "the Girls Upstairs," who weren't in yet.

And although he wasn't quite sure what I was talking about, he made an executive decision and used his box cutter to make an edit, as you can see above.

And I was happy to get this resolved so smoothly, and perhaps prevent someone from making a horrible mistake.

And then I saw this.

NAME THIS BLOG POST CONTEST

2011-08-11T17:53:00.004-04:00

Noticed this today. Thought of several snappy things I could say about it for the title of this post, but then figured, let me see what you can come up with.

Usual first prize of The winner of the contest will have the glory of winning the contest.

When Did Coffee Get So Pretentious?

2011-08-04T19:45:00.005-04:00

Launch of Columbia, March 22, 1982

2011-07-27T22:16:00.013-04:00

Lumpy and the Poot were privileged to see the last shuttle launch on July 8th.

They have several excellent blog posts about it including The Challenging Enterprise In Which We Endeavoured to Discover Atlantis (We Drove Past The District of Columbia)

It was nice symmetry that they went to see the last launch since me and my Pi had seen one of the first.

Back in the day when my Pi was launching communications satellites for GTE and being courted by NASA, we got VIP invites to a shuttle launch.

It wasn't convenient to go to the first two shuttle launches, but we went to see the 3rd - Columbia, March 22, 1982. www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-3.html

These pictures were taken with a Canon AE1 using a 200mm telephoto lens. 35 mm film (this was was WAY before digital cameras of course) .

Should have stored these photos better. I was lazy here and just took pictures of the photos instead of scanning them in.

I was the age the Poot is now at the time.

Covered Wagon on Route 27?

2011-07-27T21:31:00.002-04:00

Saw this thing off in the distance and couldn't figure out what it was. Why would a covered wagon be driving down Route 27?

HIVES - Part V - An Update

2011-07-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

At some point in the past few days when I was Googling, I was offered the opportunity to take an online "Skin Disease Picture Quiz - Identify These Common Skin Conditions".

How could I resist?

I have two things to say about the test.

One - I didn't really know all the answers, the score I got is due to a lot of lucky guesses

and

Two - bad as I've had it the past week, things could have been A LOT worse.

Try your luck?

http://www.medicinenet.com/skin_conditions_picture_quiz/quiz.htm

Hives - Part IV - A NEW Med

2011-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

So I am now on NEW med, for the hives, which are most likely the side effect of one of the OTHER meds I was recently on.

THIS med has a list of side effects that is also a mile long.

I am waiting with bated breath to see which ones I develop.

Hives, of course, are one of the possible (supposedly unlikely) side effects of this new med. Ha! Wouldn't that be hilarious?

At least it is just ONE med this time so the schedule should be easy, right? Not like last time when it was one med 3 times a day and one 2 times a day.

If only. This one is 3 times a day for the first 3 days, 2 time a day for the next 3 days, and once a day for the next 3 days. And to make it more interesting, I started in the middle of the day.

As I said, I am waiting with bated breath to see new side effects. This blog has the potential to go on forever.

Chad Gadya.

HIVES - Part III - Treating the Symptoms

2011-07-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

I've drunk a bottle and a half of Caladryl so far and am still getting hives.

Ha Ha! THAT WAS A JOKE. The Caladryl is for "external use only".

To the reader of this blog - DO NOT DRINK CALADRYL BECAUSE OF WHAT I SAID EARLIER AND THEN SUE ME.

Actually, I was quite surprised that there is no DO NOT DRINK warning blasted in bold type across the bottle. Just in the fine print on the back:Warnings for external use only.

True, it does say "Topical Analgesic" on the front. But they don't seriously believe that the typical user is going to have a clue as to what those two words mean separately, let alone together. Do they?

It's more likely that the user will think "Topical Analgesic"? Isn't that like a piña colada?

If you ask me, this is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Johnson & Johnson, just think about it.

HIVES - Part II - A Second Opinion

2011-07-17T20:15:00.009-04:00

Actually went to my doctor on Friday, for a second opinion.

My usual doc was not in, but the one who was concurred with my diagnosis of "Pretty weird, huh?"

Figured that the most likely cause was an allergic reaction to the meds I had recently taken (see earlier post) but that didn't explain the fever. And it was unusual that the allergic reaction showed up two days after I had finished the meds, not during.

The doctor discounted my theory of "Super Skin Sensitivity Following a Bout of Poison Ivy" as being a contributing factor, in addition to the drug allergy.

Shows how much he knows, huh. (Just be glad I didn't blog those photos.)

So the doctor agreed that I could continue with what I had been doing - treating the symptoms and "wait and see" how things progress.

HIVES - Part I - WARNING NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH.

2011-07-17T19:30:00.009-04:00

I understand that when Moshe had hives a while back he was going around day care showing them off to everyone.

I can certainly understand why he did this.

When you have access to something so totally disgusting, you don't want to selfishly keep it to yourself, but you want to share it with your friends and family.

These are just a sample. No where near the worst of it. But the worst were in areas I am never going to photograph, let alone post on the web.

To be continued ...

Plays in the Park - Hairspray

2011-07-14T22:16:00.003-04:00

Excellent, excellent production!

The 3rd Anniversary of This Blog, the Day Before the Last Shuttle Launch

2011-07-07T21:24:00.007-04:00

Today is the 3rd anniversary of this blog, the day before the last shuttle launch (unless it is delayed).

Here's a report on two of the Childrentals' quest to see the last Shuttle Launch:

The "Childrental and Two Friends Road Trip" reached Florida today. The weather down there is hot, humid and raining but that didn't stop the part of the group who had thought to bring along a bathing suit from going swimming in the ocean at the Canaveral National Seashore.

I would say, "Remember to bring towels next time, Childrentals," but as this is the last shuttle launch, there is not going to be a next time.

Apparently several million other people also thought it would be a great idea to see the last shuttle launch. And would therefore also need a place to stay in the area.

I would say, "Remember to figure out where you will be staying before you go next time, Childrentals," but as this is the last shuttle launch, there is not going to be a next time.

Really guys, didn't you learn ANYTHING from me?

I just hope that the place you pitched your tent is legal and that the tent doesn't get towed.

PANDORA THINKS I'M FAT

2011-07-06T06:30:00.001-04:00

Pandora is constantly insulting me.

First it was those annoying Hebrew Home for the Aged ads. I finally figured out (at least I think so) that they were not actually targeting me in those ads, but "My Aging Parent."

Which is only slightly less insulting.

And then they started in about my weight.

and

As if that weren't enough, they also implied that not only am I fat, but also SHORT and FAT.

Also, my teeth are yellow,

Pandora, that is just not nice.

I really like your music, but you are ruining my self esteem.

And guess what, Pandora doesn't like my HAIR, either.

Scheduling Challenge

2011-07-02T22:15:00.001-04:00

I have to take two antibiotics for ten days.

-I have to take one every 12 hours.
-I have to take the other every 8 hours.

-One cannot be taken within 2 hours before or 6 hours after any food item containing calcium.
-The other is best taken with milk, to reduce digestive upset.

-Besides having a very small window of opportunity to have calcium, I am supposed to avoid fiber.
-EVERYTHING I usually eat contains either calcium or fiber, or both.

I drew up a schedule. Kind of like a sfiras haomer calendar.

I'm really happy this coincided with the first of the month. Makes things a lot easier.

Sometimes we inadvertently refer to them as "feedings" as in, "Is it time for your 10:30 feeding yet?" or "Have you had your 2:30 feeding?"

In case you forgot, this happened once before. Check out the side effects: Are We Having Fun Yet?

Excuse me, gotta go take a pill.

This is Going To Be Amazing

2011-07-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Help - What Is This Plant ?

2011-06-26T08:36:00.003-04:00

This is growing on the walk up to the house and have no idea what it is.

I clearly didn’t plant it, nor did I ever have a potted plant that could have dropped the seed that this grew from.

What is it? Can anyone identify it?

It grows like a weed, flowers when it is 3 inches tall, flowers in the shade. Wow.

I want to find out what it is do I can plant it all over the place!

My Birthday Celebration, 2011 Version

2011-06-23T22:29:00.018-04:00

On the subject of birthdays, Happy Birthday Eli!

It's a yearly tradition for me to give a sense of just how exciting my life is by blogging about my annual endless birthday celebration.

This year's celebration started off with a bang with the Family Vacation to California. Which is really pushing it as a birthday celebration for me given that it took place in May, and had top billing as a birthday celebration for my Pi. (We had 3 surprise birthday parties for him in just that one week, and none for me. But we did mention to "keep in mind" that the trip was for my birthday also.)

Followed by a record breaking number of movies in one year let alone one month, TWO! Thank you "Corporate Perks"!

And yesterday, Plays In the Park opening night for Annie. Video.

Stay tuned. The actual day is still 2 weeks away.

Too Many Comments

2011-06-20T21:45:00.007-04:00

I just found out you can leave too many comments on a picassa album!

Found out while looking at the album of Aunt Malke and Uncle Sysfrog's recent trip to Italy.

Every shot is amazing, and I was pretty much saying so in all the comments.

Until, as you can see here, at shot 729 (of 879), I exceeded my limit.

Wave At the Bus - In Honor of Father's Day

2011-06-19T04:01:00.009-04:00

In honor of Father's Day...

I have often talked about doing my best to embarrass the kidrentals, to make up for some of what they put us through when they were younger. And not so younger.

For example: “FIRE THAT MAN!” , “I wanted to walk to school”, and “I like your hat!”

and from the neighbors: “I would never let my kids do that”

and from school administrators: “I’ve been in education for 90 years and I never had a student < fill in the blank > before.”

But hats off to this guy, who has taken embarrassing his kid to a whole new level by dressing up in a different and always funny and frequently brilliant costume every morning of the school year to wave to his kid on the school bus.

And then posting the pictures of doing so on a blog. With added commentary, such as

"Parrots are the preferred pirate companion (see Day 134). Monkeys are an acceptable substitute, unless they fling their feces at people. Then they are an awesome substitute."

Check it out at http://waveatthebus.blogspot.com/

Baby Robin

2011-06-14T02:52:00.004-04:00

Friday or Shabbos May 20th or 21st I noticed a nest with two robin's eggs in one of our bushes. By the time I tool a picture on Sunday, one egg had hatched. The second egg hatched on Monday.
Tuesday
Friday

At one week, one baby robin died.

I stopped taking pictures because I thought the mother had abandoned the nest. But the second baby robin hung in there.

June 5th, 2 weeks
June 7th
On June 8th, the baby left the nest.

No picture of that, sorry. Shavuoth.

Ridiculous Sidewalk Sign

2011-05-30T17:35:00.003-04:00

This plaque was in the middle of the sidewalk on a regular street.

In LA.

Smells Like a Campfire

2011-05-26T20:00:00.001-04:00

Leaving the office I smelled a campfire. Could someone have lit one in the parking lot?

Guess it was wishful thinking.

Alien Abduction?

2011-05-22T19:17:00.000-04:00

A Canada Goose on Vacation

2011-05-19T12:58:00.002-04:00

The Pesach Havdalah Candle Mathematical Problem

2011-04-24T08:52:00.006-04:00

This candle has been used for Pesach Havdalah since 1996. Given that it is not used every year, for how many more years do you estimate that it will it last?

How Many Ways Can You Say "Bad Weather"?

2011-04-23T23:06:00.001-04:00

Parve Kosher for Pesach Chocolate Taste Test

2011-04-17T21:20:00.003-04:00

Somehow we ended up with this variety of parve pesachdik chocolates.

So we decided it was a perfect opportunity to do a taste test.

It was a tough job but someone had to do it.

The opinions of the two taste testers was remarkably similar.

No time to go into detail (snap, texture, but the winner by a landslide was the Alprose Swiss Baking Chocolate. No way are we going to waste this in baking.

Patchzkez
Sweet almost milk chocolate taste. Fruity notes. Second best of the selections.

Oneg
Also a bit sweet, milk chocolate taste. Good chocolate saturation.

Lieber
The only poor chocolate of those we tested. Very sweet but almost no chocolate flavor. To be fair, this might have been one of the two left over from last year.

Haddar
Very dark, not sweet, chocolate. We detected burnt, coffee overtones.

Removing My Food from the Office for Pesach

2011-04-16T22:33:00.006-04:00

I keep some food at work in case I get hungry and have run out of stuff in my lunchbag. I emptied out my desk drawers, and then ... realized I also had stuff in the fridge and freezer.

Lucky thing a ShopRite is two doors down from the office, otherwise I might feel the need to really stock supplies.

Not in Kansas Anymore ...

2011-04-07T16:04:00.000-04:00

Head 'o Hail

2011-04-03T16:09:00.006-04:00

In the evening of March 23rd there was a (very unusual for NJ) hailstorm. This is what the driveway looked like when Lumpy came home,

And this is what Lumpy looked like ...

Unfortunate Juxtaposition

2011-03-23T21:46:00.002-04:00

Speed Hump on Steroids, II

2011-03-17T18:20:00.001-04:00

Concerned About Artificial Food Coloring in Your Dog's Food?

2011-03-12T22:24:00.004-05:00

Apparently I am not the only one obsessing about artificial food coloring.

The Minimum Daily Requirement of Food Coloring

2011-02-07T19:28:00.009-05:00

If you are like most people, you have probably lain awake nights worrying about whether or not you are getting your Minimum Daily Requirement of Food Coloring.

The answer is surprisingly hard to come by.

So as a public service I am posting the following information:

One snack pack of M&Ms...

contains 16 M&Ms.

I rubbed off most of the food coloring from 14 of these...

Onto this paper towel.

So to answer the question, "What is the Minimum Daily Requirement of Food Coloring?" the answer is clearly, proven scientifically, "One M&M ought to cover it."

That is not even taking into account all the Titanium Dioxide used to color the white shell that is underneath the colored shell, or whatever food coloring is needed to make the chocolate on the inside such a rich chocolaty brown.

photo credit: Rick C.

Announcing A New Contest!

2011-01-29T19:46:00.008-05:00

I am starting a new contest called (drumroll please)

Guess What is Under That Mound of Snow !

Here is a picture of the backyard, with several mounds labeled:

Post your guesses for what you think is under mounds A through M in the comments.

Person who correctly guesses the greatest number of answers will be declared the Winner.

First prize is The winner of the contest will have the glory of winning the contest.

The Winner will be announced in July. (At least I hope to be able to announce a winner by then.)

Try to remember the postition of the visible items in this picture (playgym, basketball hoop, trees) for later, when they are marked in additional installments of this contest, in February.

Further Clivia Update

2011-01-19T21:54:00.003-05:00

I picked one of the clivia berries this evening,

and peeled it.

I was expecting a lot of smaller seeds instead of these 3 big ones.

The seed was about the size of a cooked chick pea.

There was a lot of advice on the web as to how to germinate the seeds. I went with this approach because it was easiest and because it will be easy to see if anything happens.

I have read that it takes anywhere from one to six months to germinate. If it germinates at all. Stay tuned ...

A Confused Clivia and Other Clivia Updates

2011-01-08T19:42:00.008-05:00

One of my Clivia Miniatas is currently blooming. It is very confused because clivias are supposed to bloom in the spring, not in December / January.

This particular plant used to have more respect for conventions, given that last time it bloomed was in May.

Do you think this might be another example of global warming?

However, I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have these flamboyant flowers lighting up the house as the snow piles up outside.

Last year we also had a confused Clivia, though not as confused as the current one. That one bloomed in late February. This is a picture of it next to a Campanula I bought at the Edison Flower Show.

Besides blooming later, it was also different from the current one in that it opened its blooms one at a time over a period of almost two months instead of all at the same time.

Here it is in April as its last flower opened. Notice the seed pods that have formed from the first flowers to bloom.

Here are the seed pods in May,

starting to ripen in October,
later in October,
and this week.
Unlike Eli, I do not have a time lapse video of the process.

Snow Depths According to TRAINED SPOTTERs

2011-01-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder, when the news reports on snow depths around the area, where their info comes from?

Do they send reporters driving all over the state with yardsticks to take measurements in the various city hall parking lots?

Do they fly over the state and measure various depths with Sonar?

Do they find out by listening to the other news stations?

After a little research (googling), I found the answer.

They rely on SKYWARN®, NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) volunteer army of TRAINED SPOTTERs.

According to SKYWARN®,

SKYWARN® storm spotters are part of the ranks of citizens who form the Nation's first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that their efforts have given communities the precious gift of time--seconds and minutes that can help save lives.

Not to mention, those precious seconds and minutes required to stampede to the supermarket and stock up on bread, toilet paper, and DVD rentals.

For example, this info from the National Weather Service website, under the UPDATED SNOW AND WIND REPORTS link, shows the extent they rely on TRAINED SPOTTERs in NJ.

******STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL*********

LOCATION / TOTAL INCHES SNOWFALL / TIME/DATE / COMMENTS

NEW JERSEY

...BERGEN COUNTY...
GARFIELD 9.8 800 PM 12/26 TRAINED SPOTTER
MAHWAH 4.6 600 PM 12/26 TRAINED SPOTTER

...ESSEX COUNTY...
BELLEVILLE 10.5 730 PM 12/26 TRAINED SPOTTER
WEST ORANGE 7.0 700 PM 12/26 PUBLIC
NEWARK AIRPORT 7.0 700 PM 12/26 FAA CONTRACT OBSERVER
CEDAR GROVE 2.5 420 PM 12/26 PUBLIC
BLOOMFIELD 2.0 400 PM 12/26 TRAINED SPOTTER

...HUDSON COUNTY...
JERSEY CITY 7.6 700 PM 12/26 TRAINED SPOTTER

...PASSAIC COUNTY...
HASKELL 9.0 807 PM 12/26 TRAINED SPOTTER
WAYNE 2.5 500 PM 12/26 PUBLIC

...UNION COUNTY...
ELIZABETH 11.7 625 PM 12/26 TRAINED SPOTTER
UNION 11.3 645 PM 12/26 TRAINED SPOTTER

After finding out about this program, I decided that When I grow up I want to be a trained spotter.

With a little more research (yup, more googling) I found out how to go about this.

According to SKYWARN®, I need to contact my local Warning Coordination Meteorologist, and receive training that covers:

Basics of thunderstorm development

Fundamentals of storm structure

Identifying potential severe weather features

Information to report

How to report information

Basic severe weather safety

Also, I am guessing, how to use a yardstick.

So I have applied, and am waiting to hear back.

I will blog any further developments.

Advanced Verification

2010-12-29T22:32:00.008-05:00

So I innocently try and post a comment on notElon's newest blogpost, Is a career in golf right for you?, and in addition to the usual CAPTCHA word verification, this pops up.

It Was Either Wash the Windows, or This

2010-12-18T22:48:00.000-05:00

You Can’t Go Home Again, a Requiem for the Holmdel Bell Labs

2010-12-11T22:19:00.014-05:00

Arial view of the Holmdel Bell Labs, possibly taken in 2007.

Photo taken on 12/7/2010

My company holiday party / quarterly meeting took place this past week at the Robert B. Meyner reception center at PNC Bank Arts Center x116 off of the garden state parkway.

Just around the corner from the former Holmdel Bell Labs.

Where I had the best summer job ever as a Senior Technical Associate, the summer after my junior year in college.

So of course I drove over for a visit.

It was so sad.

I knew that after the breakup of AT&T, Bell Labs as it was then, no longer existed, but I did not know what I would find.

The place was deserted. I drove up to the building which had been the labs. The one guard let me in to tell me I couldn’t come in. And he wouldn’t let me take a picture. But I did get a good look.

Even though it looked like a ruin, I remembered the atrium clearly. (As opposed to my recent visit to CCNY which mostly didn’t even look familiar.)

Amazingly, I do not have a single picture from when I worked there. Back in those days I did not have a blog so I did not walk around with a camera surgically attached at the hip like I do now. Also, back in those days, you used to take a picture on "film" and you sometimes didn't get the picture developed for months because it sat in the camera until you finished the "roll".

But here are some pictures of the atrium I found on the web.

This is how it looked back in the day:
and this is how it looked last week, but without the trees.

It turns out that the building was in use until 2006 by Alcatel-Lucent, when it was sold. Developers were going to raze it to build an office park, a housing division, or some other piece of NJ style junk. A public outcry was able to stop the building from being razed and the rest if the area from being "developed". The site seems to be in limbo now.

Not only did I remember the atrium, I remembered the duck pond in the photo on top.

I did not remember the "transistor" water tower.

More info on Bell Labs from http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/wps/portal/BellLabs: (Don't bother looking for my name. It is not on the list.)

Researchers at Bell Labs have received numerous awards, including seven Nobel Prizes in physics, nine U.S. national Medals of Science, seven U.S. National Medals of Technology, two Draper Prizes, an Emmy, a Grammy, and an Academy Award. Our scientists and engineers have played a pivotal role in inventing or perfecting most of the key communications technologies in use today, including:
• the transistor, which ushered in the digital age
• the charge-coupled device (CCD) which made digital imaging and portable video possible
• the UNIX computer operating system, which is the foundation of the Internet
• the C computer programming language
• the laser
• communication satellites
• cellular telephony
• IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem), the new architecture for converged communication networks and services

Internationally recognized as the world's preeminent industrial research facility and as a center of scientific and engineering excellence, few institutions have had as great an impact on modern society as Bell Labs. Our scientists and engineers have earned thousands of awards, including:
• 7 Nobel Prizes in Physics shared by 13 scientists
• 9 U.S. Medals of Science
• 12 U.S. Medals of Technology
• 2 Draper Prizes
• 1 GRAMMY® Award
• 8 Marconi International Fellowship Awards
• 7 C&C Prizes shared by 12 scientists and engineers
• 28 IEEE Medal of Honor winners
Nobel Prize in Physics
Thirteen researchers have received Nobel Prizes in Physics for work done while they were at Bell Labs. The Nobel Prize is the world's most coveted award in intellectual achievement. Categories for awards are physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics. The awards honor Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist and philanthropist. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry since 1901.
• Charge Coupled Device (CCD) (2009): Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their invention and development of the charge-coupled device (CCD), a technology that transforms patterns of light into useful digital information and is the basis for many forms of modern imaging.
• Fractional Quantum Hall Effect (1998): Horst Stormer, Robert Laughlin (now at Stanford University), and Daniel Tsui (now at Princeton University), were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery and explanation of the fractional quantum Hall effect.
• Optical Trapping (1997): Steven Chu (now at Stanford University), shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics. He was cited for developing methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.
• Radio Astronomy (1978): Arno A. Penzias (now retired from Bell Labs) and Robert W. Wilson shared the Nobel Prize in Physics. Penzias and Wilson were cited for their discovery of faint background radiation remaining from the "big bang" explosion that gave birth to the universe billions of years ago.
• Improved Understanding of Local Electronic States in Solids (1977): Philip W. Anderson shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for developing an improved understanding of the electronic structure of glass and magnetic materials.
• Transistor (1956): John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain and William Shockley received the Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing the transistor in 1947.
• Wave Nature of Matter (1937): Clinton J. Davisson shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating the wave nature of matter. His fundamental work is part of the foundation for much of today's solid-state electronics.
Four scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physics who once worked at Bell Labs:
• 1996: Sir Harold Kroto of the University of Sussex shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Rice University professors Richard Smalley and Robert Curl, who in 1985 discovered the forms of carbon now known as buckminsterfullerenes, fullerenes, or just "buckyballs." Kroto had a one-year postdoctoral assignment at Bell Labs in 1966-67, before he did his Nobel-winning work.
• 1996: Douglas C. Osheroff, a Bell Labs researcher for 15 years, shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for work he did at Cornell University as a graduate student on the behavior of helium at extremely low temperatures.
• 1981: Arthur L. Schawlow received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his "contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy." Schawlow invented the laser with Charles H. Townes while at Bell Labs in 1958.
• 1964: Charles H. Townes shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with A. Prokhorov and N. Basov of the Lebedev Institute in Moscow for "fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics which has led to the construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser-laser principle." Townes invented the laser with Arthur L. Schawlow while a consultant at Bell Labs in 1958.
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science was established by the United States Congress in 1959. The medal is awarded by the U.S. President to individuals "deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences." The awards, administered by the U.S. National Science Foundation, have been awarded to nine Bell Labs researchers.
• C. Kumar Patel (1996) for his invention of the carbon dioxide laser, which led to numerous scientific, industrial, and medical applications.
• James Flanagan (1996) for bringing engineering techniques and speech science together to solve basic problems in speech communication.
• Alfred Y. Cho (1993) For his pioneering work in the development of molecular beam epitaxy, which revolutionized thin film growth making possible atomically accurate structures for electronic and optoelectronic devices, and for the study of new quantum phenomena.
• William O. Baker (1988) For pioneering studies of the complex relationships between the molecular structures and physical properties of polymers, for his distinguished record of leadership in the combined disciplines of science and engineering, and for distinguished service to government and education.
• Solomon J. Buchsbaum (1986) for his contributions to national science and technology policy.
• Philip Anderson (1982) for his fundamental and comprehensive contributions to the theoretical understanding of condensed matter.
• Rudolph Kompfner (1974) for his invention of the traveling-wave tube and for major contributions to communication satellites and to optical communications.
• John R. Tukey (1973) for his studies in mathematical and theoretical statistics, and for his outstanding contributions to the application of statistics to the physical, social, and engineering sciences.
• John R. Pierce (1963) for outstanding contributions to communications theory, electron optics and traveling wave tubes, and for the analysis leading to world-wide radio communications using artificial earth satellites.
National Medal of Technology
The National Medal of Technology is presented by the United States President to individuals, teams, or companies, for accomplishments in the innovation, development, commercialization, and management of technology, made evident by the establishment of new or significantly improved products, processes, or services. The medal, administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been awarded to Bell Labs as an organization and to seven Bell Labs researchers.
• Herwig Kogelnik (2006) for his pioneering contributions and leadership in the development of lasers, optoelectronics, integrated optics and lightwave communications systems.
• James E. West (2006) for co-inventing the electret microphone with Gerhard Sessler while working at the Bell Labs.
• Alfred Y. Cho (2005) for his contributions to the invention of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and his continuing work to refine it into a commercial process. MBE ‘grows’ ordered materials one atomic layer at a time, allowing engineering of the highly precise semiconductor components needed for advanced electronics and photonics.
• Arun Netravali (2002) for pioneering contributions in digital image and video compression technology.
• Kenneth Thompson and Dennis Ritchie (1998) for creating the UNIX* operating system and C Language.
• Richard H. Frenkiel and Joel S. Engel (1994) for their fundamental contributions to the theory, design, and development of cellular mobile communications systems.
• Amos Joel (1993) For his vision, inventiveness and perseverance in introducing technological advances in telecommunications, particularly in switching, that have had a major impact on the evolution of the telecommunications industry in the U.S. and worldwide.
• W. Lincoln Hawkins (1992) For his invention and contribution to the commercialization of long-lived plastic coatings for communications cable that has saved billions of dollars for telephone companies around the world; and for his leadership in encouraging minorities to pursue science and engineering careers.
• John S. Mayo (1990) for providing the technological foundation for information age communications and for overseeing the conversion of the national switched telephone network from analog to digital-based technology.
• Bell Laboratories (1985) for contributions over decades to modern communications systems. It was the first institution recognized with this honor.
Draper Prize
The Charles Stark Draper Prize, awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, recognizes outstanding engineering achievements that have contributed to the welfare and freedom of humanity. It is considered the world's highest engineering prize.
• Willard Boyle and Dr. George Smith (2006) For their invention and development of the charge-coupled device, or CCD, which transforms patterns of light into useful digital information, The CCD is the key enabling technology in many forms of modern imaging including its universal use in digital cameras, video cameras, endoscopy, astronomy, bar code readers, and image scanners (e.g., copy machines)
• John MacChesney (1999) for his invention and development of the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) process, a world standard for optical-fiber manufacturing.
Marconi International Fellowship Awards
Eight Bell Labs researchers have won the Marconi International Fellowship Award. The Fellowships, based out of Columbia University, New York, N.Y., are granted to individuals who have made significant contribution to the advancement of communications or knowledge transfer through scientific or technological discoveries or innovations.
• Andrew Chraplyvy and Robert Tkach (2009) for their insights into how information is transmitted over optical networks and for finding innovative ways to significantly increase the speed and capacity of optical fiber communications systems.
• Herwig Kogelnik (2001) for his work as a pioneer in the development of fiber optic technology - work that has revolutionized modern telecommunications.
• Izuo Hayashi (1993) for his pioneering contributions to optoelectronic technology, including the first room-temperature continuous-wave semiconductor injection laser with double heterostructure, highly reliable lasers for optical communication, optical memory, and many other applications, as well as for his life contribution to communications science.
• James L. Flanagan (1992) for his contributions to the development of signal coding algorithms used in telecommunications, voice-mail systems, and techniques for automatic speech synthesis and recognition. In addition, Flanagan invented autodirective microphone arrays for use in teleconferencing and pioneered the use of computers for acoustic signal processing.
• Robert W. Lucky (1987) for the invention of the adaptive equalizer while at Bell Labs. This invention is a technique for correcting distortion in telephone signals, and is today used in all high-speed data transmissions. Lucky also is well respected for his popularized writings about public use of communications technology.
• John R. Pierce (1979) for advances in space and satellite technologies relevant to improving world communications. Pierce was the first person carefully to evaluate the various technical options in satellite communications and its financial prospects. While at Bell Labs, he designed and was responsible for the launch of the first active communications satellite, Telstar I. His work has resulted in the theoretical development of the possibilities of communications satellites and of broadband digital transmissions via pulse code modulations and multivalent signals. Pierce is well known for his many books that explain clearly the science and technology of communications.
• Arthur L. Schawlow (1977) for his research in the fields of optical and microwave spectroscopy, nuclear quadrupole resonance superconductivity, and lasers. Schawlow, along with Charles H. Townes, invented the laser in 1958. While working at Bell Labs, they succeeded in extending the maser principle of amplifying electromagnetic waves into the shorter wavelengths of infrared and visible light. Schawlow won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1981.
C&C Prize
Twelve Bell Labs scientists and engineers have been honored with the C&C (Computers and Communication) Prize, awarded by the NEC Corporation. This award recognizes individuals who are pioneers in the field of computers and communication technologies.
• George Smith and Willard Boyle (1999) For their invention of the charge-coupled device (CCD), a light-sensitive integrated circuit used in a wide variety of uses, primarily in imaging.
• Arun Netravali (1997) For pioneering contributions in digital image and video compression technology.
• Alfred Y. Cho (1995) for pioneering development of the Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) crystal growth process, a technology that is revolutionizing high-performance optoelectronics and electronics for computers and communications.
• Jack M. Sipress (1991) for leadership in the development of high-speed digital fiberguide systems that span the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, thereby making possible global digital connectivity over high-capacity optical systems.
• Dennis M. Ritchie and Kenneth L. Thompson (1989) for creating the UNIX* operating system and C programming language.
• John S. Mayo, Eric E. Sumner, and M. Robert Aaron (1988) for pioneering contributions to establishing a basic technology for digital communications by developing the world's first practical commercial high-speed digital communications system, T-1.
• Izuo Hayashi and Morton B. Panish (1986) for conceiving and developing the first room-temperature continuous-wave semiconductor injection laser with double heterostructure.
IEEE Medal of Honor
A number of scientists who were associated with Bell Labs during the course of their careers have received the IEEE Medal of Honor. Each year, IEEE awards the medal, which is the highest honor in the electrical engineering community, to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field. The recipients associated with Bell Labs include:
• Herwig Kogelnik (2001)
• Alfred Y. Cho (1994)
• Amos E. Joel, Jr. (1992)
• C. Kumar Patel (1989)
• John Wilder Tukey (1982)
• Sidney Darlington (1981)
• William Shockley (1980)
• H. Earle Vaughan (1977)
• John R. Pierce (1975)
• Rudolf Kompfner (1973)
• John Bardeen (1971)
• Charles H. Townes (1967)
• Claude E. Shannon (1966)
• George C. Southworth (1963)
• Harry Nyquist (1960)
• H. T. Friis (1955)
• Ralph Brown (1949)
• R. V. L. Hartley (1946)
• Lloyd Espenschied (1940)
• G. A. Campbell (1936)
• J. A. Fleming (1933)
• G. W. Pickard (1925)
• M. I. Pupin (1924)
• John Stone-Stone (1923)
• Lee De Forest (1922)
• R. A. Fessenden (1921)
• E. H. Armstrong (1917)

My Commute Was In The News AGAIN / Pirsumei d’Nisa

2010-12-01T19:09:00.012-05:00

What is it with the section of Route 1 North between Old Post Road and Route 287?

It is shaping up to be the Bermuda Triangle of the New Jersey road system.

I have already blogged about how the Gas Main leak on the morning of November 8th caused the road to be blocked off ...

Didn’t even bother blogging these photos about the brush fire by the Raritan River on November 3rd . Route 1 wasn't shut down for that one, there just was a lot of rubbernecking. And ash falling from the sky.

And tonight, the section was section closed off again because a a transformer was on fire. And the telephone pole it was on was also burning nicely.

According to the news

EDISON — The northbound lanes of Route 1 near Old Post Road are expected to reopen tonight after being closed for a motor vehicle accident and a transformer fire, police said.

The activity backed jammed highway traffic before 7 p.m.
Police described the accident as “minor” and said it occurred after the road was partially blocked by authorities responding to the fire. Police had no further details at the time.

The telephone pole on fire looked to me like the Klu Klux Klan had been in the neighborhood.

Or, maybe Chabad had a bad idea for Pirsumei d’Nisa.

Happy Chanukah.

DO NOT TOUCH YOUR COMPUTER

2010-11-20T20:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest entry in the Ridiculous Warning Labels collection:

This label appears on the bottom of a coworkers new netbook. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Ed.

How are you supposed to type, he wanted to know, if you mustn't let this computer come in contact with your skin?

Ed came up with the obvious answer - clearly he needs to wear gloves while typing on his new computer.

The rest of the warning:

Duh.

I suspect that this warning is meant to prevent, and especially to prevent lawsuits for, the dreaded erythema ab igne, or , in English, "Toasted Skin Syndrome". As Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up.

According to recent reports, this one taken from WebMD,

People who spend prolonged periods of time studying, reading, or playing games on laptop computers resting on their upper legs could develop “toasted skin syndrome,” a case report shows.

The “syndrome” consists of a brownish discoloration of the skin caused by prolonged exposure to heat from the computer.

Furthermore,

They also recommend that laptop computers carry a warning label alerting consumers about possible skin problems the devices can cause. Some major computer makers already do this.

So there you have it folks. Something new to worry about. I suggest, just to play it safe, that you exercise extreme caution when using your computer from now on.

My Very First Restroom Post ! ! ! Posted on World Toilet Day !

2010-11-19T06:00:00.002-05:00

It is a family tradition to post about restrooms.

See the lanseybrothers.blogspot.com.

And now finally I also have a post on the subject!!!

Even better, today is World Toilet Day ! ! ! (thanks for letting me know, Lumpy.)

For the past few months, there is has been a lot of construction in the building where I work. Yesterday they started on the restrooms on our floor.

Here are the Before pictures of the women's restroom:

And the After:

For you alert readers, yes, that last picture was not in the women's restroom, but was a gratuitous After shot of the men's room.

I don't even want to know what that shovel is for.

Are You Lonely?

2010-11-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

We had a time management course at work one day this past week.

Apparently the teacher thought that meetings can be a waste of time, and displayed the following slide:

Do you agree?

Also, he asked the question:

How can you arrange your furniture to discourage people from dropping in to chat?

I think the answer he was looking for was along the lines of, Move your desk and chair so you are facing away from the door.

But one of the answers he got was, Push your desk in front of the door.

And he gave us a helpful hint for how to make use of time wasted while driving - Listen to books on tape. He gave examples of types of books he listens to in the car such as mystery books, biographies, history, politics,

At which point someone suggested, Picture books ...

I didn't ask if he thought that blogging was a productive use of my time.

Edison Gas Main Update

2010-11-09T22:12:00.005-05:00

This is your periodic Edison Gas Main Update. Regarding the incident of November 8th, 2010.

The good news is:

This time they got to the gas main leak (Rt 1 south of 287) before it exploded.

The bad news is:

They closed down Rt 1 smack in the middle of the morning rush hour to repair it.
__________________________________________________

Route 1 does not generally look like this at 6:45 am.

Rt 1 doesn't generally look like this either. Traffic was being diverted to somewhere.

I didn't want to spend an hour in the backup to find out where traffic was being diverted to, so I made a u turn and went another way.

Expect the Extraordinary

2010-10-30T20:32:00.012-04:00

My eye doctor's office is the most amazing place in NJ. Maybe the entire East Coast.

He likes to collect things. That's like saying Bill Gates has some money. Or World Peace would be nice.

This is the waiting room.

Facing the other way.

A detail.

Zooming out a bit. In case you can't tell, this is one of the waiting room chairs.

When I sit down, I sit on the very edge of the chair. Though mostly I walk around looking.

At first when I started coming here years ago, there was only an amazing rock collection. Smaller pieces were in display cases like the one in this picture, and larger pieces were laid out on the floor where you probably wouldn't trip over them.

Maybe the seashell collection dates back to that time too.

And possibly the feather collection.

Over the years the collection has grown. And grown.

This is the entrance.

In case you were wondering, he is an excellent eye doctor. And very nice guy.

He showed me some interesting photos that will be in the next (8th) edition of his book, the Manual for Eye Examination and Diagnosis. Nice shots of some ophthalmic side effects of a few common medications.

In addition to an eye exam, he does a blood pressure screening.

Wouldn't you like your doctor to be as thorough as this guy clearly is?

And as for the eye exam, Can you see the Kewpie doll in the red dress? Now close your other eye...

Sunset on the NJ Turnpike

2010-10-24T21:48:00.002-04:00

Taken February 11th, 2011

Between Exit 9 and Exit 8A

Taken October 24th, 2010

Meadowlands

Newark Newark Airport
Lindin Power Plant

The Moot, Investigative Blogger

2010-10-17T09:38:00.003-04:00

As some of you who follow this blog may know, sometimes I take a walk in Rahway River Park in the morning before work. In fact I have a separate blog just for posting photos taken there.

Turns out the county is replacing the dam by the scenic wooden bridge on the pond.

The whole area has been blocked off.

But, camera in hand, I ducked under the barricade, walked over to the construction crew, and asked for the boss. I introduced myself and got permission to come in anytime to take pictures of the work in progress, for the blog.

Check it out. rahwayriverpark.blogspot .

Maybe I’ll start wearing the Mammoth Cave hard hat.

How would my life have turned out differently? Part ll

2010-10-10T22:27:00.006-04:00

While I am at it, I wonder what my life would have been like had I not been saddled with the horrible name of Lillian, and been called something cool like Lisa or Lynn.

Lillian was an old ladies name. Everyone, and they would all let me know when we were introduced, had a grandmother, great aunt, or other elderly relative named Lillian.

I didn't meet another Lillian who wasn't at least 60 years older than me for a long, long time.

Even when I started calling myself Lill, people would say, is that, like, short for Lillian?

My childhood was definitely affected negatively by that name. For example, remember Romper Room? Remember the magic mirror? "I see Debbie, I see Susan..." A Lillian was NEVER spotted, and you can’t imagine how traumatic that was for me.

How would my life have turned out differently? Part l

2010-10-10T21:29:00.022-04:00

Going thru old photos today.

Came across this photo of me from my kindergarten class picture. A very rare Pre Glasses photo.

Here is a more typical childhood photo. These hideous eye glass frames came in two colors, pastel blue and pastel pink.

There were sparkles embedded in the plastic at the ends. This did not improve anything. No other glasses were available for girls at that time.

It didn't matter which color you chose. The glasses were absolutely disfiguring in either color.

So I just can't help wondering what life would have been like for me had I not needed glasses by 2nd grade.

Or if contact lenses had been invented that were suitable for little kids in 1962. Or even if more kids needed glasses before 6th grade.

Wearing glasses like that as a little kid was the equivalent of wearing a sign on my back saying, "I Am Really Weird", or "Best Avoid This Person In Case She Is Contagious", or just plain, "Kick Me."

I finally got wire frame glasses in high school, and they were somewhat of an improvement over the cat's eye, as anything would have been, but they were no great shakes either.

People my age say things like "no great shakes".

I got contact lenses when I was 18. No more dork!!! Another benefit, no more getting glasses knocked off while playing basketball!!!

Even Bob says it is a good thing I was wearing contacts by the time we met.

In case you are interested in history, here is the rest of the kindergarten picture. Yes, that is what kids in PS 189 looked like back when dinosaurs roamed the earth! Pretty funny, eh?

For All Those of You Who Make Fun of My Eating Habits

2010-10-04T21:19:00.004-04:00

Mechanically Separated Chicken, from Fooducate, via Early Onset of Night

The following article is taken from http://www.huffingtonpost.com Thanks, Lenny, for the link.

The photo above has been extensively passed around today, and for good reason: it's a peak into the rarely-seen world of mechanically separated meat, or Advanced Meat Recovery (AMR).

Fooducate writes:

Someone figured out in the 1960s that meat processors can eek out a few more percent of profit from chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows by scraping the bones 100% clean of meat. This is done by machines, not humans, by passing bones leftover after the initial cutting through a high pressure sieve. The paste you see in the picture above is the result.
Michael Kindt continues:

There's more: because it's crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia, soaked in it, actually. Then, because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color.

But, hey, at least it tastes good, right?

The resulting paste goes on to become the main ingredient in many of America's favorite mass-produced and processed meat-like foods and snacks: bologna, hot dogs, salami, pepperoni, Slim Jim-like jerkys, and of course the ever-polarizing Chicken McNugget, where the paste from the photo above was likely destined.

How did I miss this one?

2010-10-02T23:10:00.001-04:00

Now added to the rest of my collection.

I'm Starting To Get Concerned About Anti Psychotics

I've Moved

Our Lost and Found

2010-09-29T13:10:00.004-04:00

This Product May Contain Nuts

2010-09-27T21:34:00.004-04:00

The pistachios were gone before I even got to take a picture. Not many of anything remaining now. Thanks Barbara, they were delicious.

The Parentals on a Quest at Disney

2010-09-19T01:00:00.002-04:00

The Parentals went on a Quest at Disney to capture photographs of themselves without a single other person other than themselves anywhere in the picture.

I know, you would think it is not possible, but that is what made it a quest!

And we were successful! To see if you are paying attention, you can search the photos for the two photos in which some people managed to sneak into a shot despite our best efforts.

March Of The Penguins At The Airport

2010-09-15T00:06:00.000-04:00

Remember that scene in March Of The Penguins where the mother penguin comes back from getting food for her chick and somehow finds the chick which is hers from among thousands of seemingly identical baby penguins?

A similar thing happens at the airport baggage carousel.

The Mobile Office

2010-09-11T22:55:00.003-04:00

The Mobile Office #1

The Mobile Office #2

View From The Mobile Office #2

Lunch time walk at The Mobile Office #2

The Mobile Office #2 - Conference Call

The Mobile Office #3

Forgot to take a photo of The Mobile Office #4, at the airport waiting for our flight home.

How to Get Your Minimum Daily Requirement of Food Coloring ...

2010-08-29T18:39:00.000-04:00

What I Did While Waiting At Customs

2010-08-25T17:53:00.001-04:00

We had almost a 2 hour wait to get into Canada, which I put to good use...

Stupidity at the Supermarket, Part III: Sugar - the New Health Food

2010-08-21T23:15:00.002-04:00

Have you had your minimum daily requirement of sugar today?

Name The Marketing Campaign Slogan Contest

2010-08-16T18:52:00.004-04:00

Familiy Blog Theme this week is "Name The..." Contest.

What would you say is the Marketing Campaign Slogan for this billboard?

I have an "I Love Lucy" moment

2010-08-12T21:28:00.000-04:00

Stupidity at the Supermarket, Part II

2010-08-08T01:00:00.000-04:00

The cash registers at stores make change for the cashiers so they don't have to know how to add, subtract, divide, or multiply.

(There is a whole separate rant on that subject, which I will save for another time.)

But what math tools do they provide for the people who make up the weekly circulars?

High School Musical in the Park

2010-08-05T21:05:00.005-04:00

We went to opening nite for High School Musical at Roosevelt park last nite to celebrate the Poot's birthday. Happy Birthday the Poot!

It was so humid that my camera lens fogged up when I turned on the camera. That was a first.

This is a picture from early in the show

Then later as my camera warmed up to the air temperature ...

Great show. Lots of fun. Audience really enjoyed. Lots of talent on display.

How all those people can run, leap, flip, and dance all over the stage at the same time without crashing into each other is beyond me.

Stupidity at the Supermarket, Part I. Pathmark and the A&P Weekly Sale Circulars

2010-08-01T09:16:00.029-04:00

Considering that I have retired from cooking, I spend a considerable amount of time shopping for food.

In the next several posts, I will rant on the some of the absurdities I encounter while doing so, with particular emphasis on some outstanding examples of the food advertising and marketing genius I come across.

To be prepared before I go shopping, I usually review the weekly supermarket sale circulars. The circulars are for telling you what is on sale this week, and what the sale price is.

However, that isn't good enough for Pathmark and A&P.

Instead of just telling you how much a thing costs, they tell you how much several of the same thing cost, and then how much each individual item costs.

So maybe this makes sense if individual items are only sold together in a pack, and you could use a little help figuring out the cost per item:

But what is the point of these?

Just say that the stupid thing is selling for $2.50, 0r $2.00.

And this blather is downright insulting!

Disclaimer: The appearance of a product in this blog post is by no means an endorsement of that product, an indication of the kathrut of that product, or anything other than ridicule of the ad for that product, both by the poster of this blog and by blogger.com.

The Day After the Circus Came To Town

2010-07-29T18:29:00.004-04:00

Took these shots from my car on my way home from work today, while waiting for the Plainfield light to change. I imagine the Prez didn't have to wait the usual 5 minutes when he was here.

Fortunately, the famously exploding Edison gas main held tight for the occasion, but I still think the Prez was taking an awfully big chance by coming here, because ...

The Tastee Sub Shop is within yards of the locations of at least 2 recent gas main explosions. I even blogged about the last one which was on Jan 18th, 2010:
What is it about Edison and Gas Main Explosions? .

FYI - The Tastee Sub Shop is 1.6 miles from my home, but I was at work yesterday.