Confusion re: Reaction(s)

I had to take some Benadryl today and, reader that I am, I read the package:

When using this product:

• marked drowsiness may occur
• {another warning}
• {and another warning}
• {yet another warning}
• excitability may occur, especially in children

What?!  Should I expect to be drowsy or excitable?  Or drowsily excited?  Or does this mean that the adults, who could probably use a little extra boost, can expect to be more sluggish than usual while the children, who probably don't need it, can be expected to demonstrate an extra output of energy?

Either way, I was instantly wary of this stuff, so it better do its main job really well so I can overlook its contradictory side effects.

Definitions of Height

Highest, Tallest, and Closest to the Stars

Middle Age

I think I've officially reached middle age: I got my first pair of bifocals today.  (Actually, I think they're trifocals, but whatev.)  Several people had shared horror stories and warned me that I'd hate them and should go with reading glasses instead, but my problem wasn't just when I was sitting down to read a book.  It's a little odd where there are blurry patches that used to be clear, but that's completely offset by the joy of being able to read a piece of paper in my hand without having to lift up my glasses and hold the paper up to my nose - that was getting r  e  a  l  l  y tiresome.  I'm able to go down stairs without problem (a warning from the doctor) and even drove from the doctor's office to work.  So far I have no complaints.

The Martian

I LOVED this book, which is really more science than science fiction.  I listened to the audio version and thoroughly enjoyed both Andy Weir's story and R. C. Bray's narration.  I also think the movie did a good job of condensing the book into movie format.

I don't agree with everything in this review - which does have SPOILERS for both the book and movie - but it does a good job of describing what makes this story so compelling, as well as superior to some of the other recent space exploration movies.

McDonald's Breakfast All Day!

Finally!

Quotes

Some quotes from news stories I've read...

Coexistence
"The real dividing line is not between Christianity and Islam, Sunni and Shia, East and West. It is between people who believe in coexistence and those who don't."

This one reminds me of The West Wing episode "Isaac and Ishmael" in which Aaron Sorkin wrote:  "You want to get these people {extremists}? I mean, you really want to reach in and kill them where they live? Keep accepting more than one idea. It makes them absolutely crazy."

Internet
"The internet is an information landfill. Somewhere in it—buried under piles of opinion, speculation, and misinformation—is virtually all of human knowledge. But sorting through the trash is difficult work. Even when you have something you think is valuable, it often turns out to be a cheap knock-off."

Although this story is about an online encyclopedia, this quote also illustrates why it is imperative to have librarians, especially in academic settings, to help educate people about finding the true treasures buried in the trash.

TMT Protest
"The one thing that makes you Hawaiian is one of your ancestors came here in a canoe led by an astronomer."

Philae Lives!

I knew it!  The little lander on the comet woke up and phoned home!  I just love it when science beats the odds.

Passage of Time

Talk about making one feel old...
Star Wars - xkcd

The "Bouncing Baby Space Probe" Ain't Dead Yet

Don't discount Philae yet...

Hooray Philae!

They've done it!  The Philae probe landed on the comet!

I LOVE space success stories :-)

Rosetta

The people who explore space via unmanned vehicles are up to their shenanigans again.  Last time, it was NASA lowering a rover to the surface of Mars via sky crane.  This time it's the European Space Agency (ESA) rendezvousing with a comet, staying with it as it orbits the sun, and next week (fingers crossed, oh please, oh please, let it work) deploying a probe to land on the comet as it spins its way along.

Those of you who think of scientists as dry and boring might want to re-evaluate your perceptions - these people are nuts!

Both agencies created videos to promote their missions - I was impressed by the NASA one explaining the Curiosity mission - and it's still good - but the ESA video for Rosetta is mind-blowing on a whole other dimension...

Hurricane Iselle, Long Version

Below is the response that I sent on August 12 to several friends who emailed me just after the storm (which hit Aug. 7).  After the original email is an update and some photos...

Original email:
While I suffered no personal property damage, many of the electrical poles and lines in my area were devastated - I do have pix which I will try to post soon.  So: no electricity.  Not even a fan - in August, in the tropics, with various storm systems blocking the trade winds when they weren't busy blowing trees down onto power lines.  Even worse for someone who has been relying on the window A/C unit in her bedroom to get a decent night's sleep.  I thought it was annoying back in April 2011 when I had to replace my fridge - and it was - but this is so much worse.  I didn't realize how bad the damage was to the electrical grid so I sat around Friday waiting for the electricity to come back on, trying to preserve the coolness in fridge and freezer - long story short: on Sat. afternoon I ended up in the ER with low potassium.  I strongly recommend you try to avoid this at all costs - potassium thru IV burns!  (Yes, I know - eat more bananas...)

Also, no electricity means no water!  Try for one day to fully concentrate every time you use water:  shower, flush the toilet, laundry, flush the toilet, dishes, flush the toilet, wash your hands, flush the toilet (sensing a theme?).

BUT, it's nowhere near as bad as it could be.  I was very fortunate to be spared any damage that I will have to pay for - other than tossed food.

I flipped the electrical main at the house, loaded the poor kitties with food and water, asked the neighbors to keep an eye on things, and basically abandoned the place (except for periodic kitty checks).  I am extremely fortunate to be staying with a co-worker friend in Hilo, so I have a fan at night, a shower in the morning, and a toilet that flushes itself.

I know I'm complaining about "first world problems" - but I live in the first world, darn it!!
End of original email.

Our electricity came back on and I returned home on Monday August 18.  I discovered that day that my hot water heater needed to be replaced and on Tuesday I discovered that my fridge wasn't working correctly and it took a few days to find and appliance repair person.  Last week I discovered that the washer and dryer aren't working either.  The reason?  On Aug. 10 the electric company tried to restore power to me and my neighbor (there's a line that comes from the street between our properties and then branches off to each house) but the workers didn't notice that the neutral line that serves our houses was damaged so our houses got a HUGE jolt of electricity. 

I'm still fortunate that I didn't end up with a tree on my house or my water catchment tank, which would have resulted in major inconvenience and expense.  Now the semester has started and I'm working Sundays again (which I enjoy) and things are almost back to normal.  {HUGE sigh of relief}

snapped power pole

trees on power lines

cones marking power lines dragging ON the road

Hurricane Iselle, Short Version

Short Version:  I am fine.  Mom is fine.  All the cats are fine.  All our personal property is fine.

Long Version:  To be posted soon...

The Volume of TV Commercials

Dear TV People,

When you figured out that you could make the commercials louder than the TV program, it was merely amusing and annoying, but now with so many people watching TV using headphones it's potentially dangerous and damaging - please stop. 

Wikipedia is NOT a Doctor

It breaks my librarian heart that we still have to tell people that Wikipedia is NOT a Doctor.  I created my Why Not Wikipedia? page and presentation more than three years ago, and I was late to the game...

Curved TV?

I'm glad that they used Carl Sagan and Gravity in the commercial, but what's the point of a curved TV?

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

I'm sure that Carl Sagan is grinning ear to ear about the reboot of Cosmos - and I'm not the only one (CNN story). 

Valentine's Day

A few days late, but I didn't see this post by The Bloggess until today.  She nicely sums up my own feelings about this farcical holiday:  "this is a ridiculous non-holiday made to make everyone feel insecure about their relationships or lack thereof."  I've never had positive feelings about the day and it got worse when one of my grandfathers, an incredibly sweet man, died on February 14, 1999.  {Yes, anniversary dates stick with me.}  So, no chocolates or roses or ridiculously expensive dinner for me.  Instead I did as The Bloggess suggested and did something I enjoyed: I sat on my couch with my kitties and read from several books, completed a slew of crossword puzzles, and continued my Fringe-athon - and a pleasant day was had by all.

Movies Should Be Entertainment

I meant to post this when Gravity was first released - and if you didn't see it in the theatre, you really missed out - but since it comes out on DVD soon, it's timely now, too.

On the Critique of Science in Film (gotta love NdGT)

As consumers we demand a lot, but those demands need to be reasonable.  First, a movie (or TV show) is a form of entertainment.  Even if the world in it seems like ours, it's not; events in it do not have to conform exactly to ours to be true in the movie's version of the universe.*  Stop nitpicking and enjoy the presentation! If at the end you feel like you've wasted valuable minutes of your life that you'll never get back, then be upset, but not at the differences from "reality."  If the show entertained you, it did it's job.

* The most outrageous ones I've seen are the Goofs listed on imdb for Sherlock Holmes: Garment of Shadows where someone(s) actually compiled a list of "errors" when something that was present in the movie (music in a bar scene in 1891) was wrong because it hadn't appeared until later (the song was written in 1892).  Why focus on that?

Almost Human

Dear Almost Human,

I really like you, except for the fact that I've had "Benny and the Jets" running thru my head for days now and it's really starting to drive me crazy!

Other than that, keep up the good work...