Salome's Musings

Mutiny on the Bounty

2008-04-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today is the 219th anniversary of the Bounty mutiny. I am celebrating Bligh's incredible navigational skills and his success in reaching landfall after a journey in an open boat of over 3,000 miles. I don't have much to say about the mutineers. Most of them met a sorry end.

You can tell where my sympathies lie.

World Graphics Day

2008-04-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

April 27 was World Graphics Day. It is the anniversary of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations. I missed it, but in reading about the events, I was most amused by the "No Graphics" day event. Imagine a world with no graphic design - especially a supermarket with no graphics to illustrate the packaged food. Boring. Go thank a designer.

Punc-, punc-, punc-, punctuation

2008-03-07T04:40:00.000-08:00

I remember learning punctuation in school. There were rigid rules for, what it turns out, is a fluid and evolving tool to make written language more understandable. Came across this interesting piece the other day on the subject.

In casual correspondence my rule of thumb has always been, why use a bunch of different punctuation marks, when a dash - (m-dash, please) - will suit so many purposes?

This made me think about the etiquette of letter writing. While it still is used in business, personal letter writing has declined precipitously. It has become so much easier to pick up the phone. But now a whole new world of language usage is evolving through technology. As David Crystal writes above, "The biggest punctuation changes since the Renaissance are about to hit us, because of the Internet."

Celtic Music

2008-03-03T13:37:00.001-08:00

I went to see the Chieftains on Saturday night. As they were coming on stage, I saw a drummer, ok, a keyboarder (keyboardist?), right, a harpist in jeans who was female, another girl, this one in a red dress and some strappy, high heeled sandals. Wait a minute - girls? Then came the piper, fiddler and a fellow on guitar - four of them looking much younger (and more female) than I remembered the Chieftains to be. So, it turns out that I saw the Chiefs or the Tains, because only two of the Chieftains were actually on stage that night.

Sigh. It was a good, although somewhat subdued, concert. Some of the good old tunes. Some pretty snappy Irish step dancing - by a very peppy woman from Long Island and a couple of brothers named Pulaski. Ahhh, the Irish are everywhere.

I've got to get me a pair of shoes that make noise like that.

Hawks in the city

2008-02-28T18:07:00.001-08:00

I was lucky today and saw two red tail hawks hunting the railroad tracks as I left work. I work in the middle of the city in a medical-educational complex, so this was a treat. There are enough open spaces with a large cemetery near by and a parkway that leads down to Lake Erie, that hawks can also make a living here.

Beelzebufo

2008-02-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

This has been reported widely, but I still think it is cool (but mostly creepy.) It is the devil frog that was 16 inches long and weighed 10 pounds. The modern goliath frog is about 12 inches long and weighs about 7.5 pounds. It is found in west Africa. More.

Happy Belated Birthday, Darwin

2008-02-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

I thought this was an appropriate posting for Charles Darwin's birthday (Feb. 12, 1809). Researchers have found a 48 million year old skeleton that has proven to be a close relative of whales. The skeleton which is the size of a small deer was found in India. It is a small, even-toed ungulate. The report that I saw in the National Science Foundation news says the whale relative was a plant eater, indicating that the adaptation modern whales have made to become carnivores happened after their adaptation to an aquatic life style. More here.

I thought this was interesting

2008-02-10T08:57:00.001-08:00

In this news article from NASA, scientists are on their way to explore an unusual lake in Antarctica. This lake under the ice cap. It is fed by glacial melt. The strangest thing about it, however, is that its pH puts it in the range of Clorox or perhaps even more alkaline than that. People have been poking around our planet for a long time and they have found organisms that live in ice, in boiling temperatures, in methane rich environments, and in other extreme conditions. While exobiologists conjecture about the possibility of life outside our planet, other biologists have found life here on Earth in conditions just about at inhospitable as anything we can imagine being found on other worlds. So, a group of adventurers is going to explore Lake Untersee in Antarctica to see what is there. I liked the description the writer used for the exploration for life outside the "Goldilocks Zone."

Attention Time Travelers

2008-02-08T16:20:00.000-08:00

I read here that sometime next week the Large Hadron Collider - the most powerful atom-smasher to date - will be turned on near Geneva, Switzerland. Some researchers speculate that the collisions may generate enough energy to affect the dimension of time. They muse that the interactions may be enough to initiate a worm hole in space-time. Further, if worm holes are indeed possible, this might be the gateway toward which travelers from the future may venture. It would be, in essence, the beginning of time travel, and if any of this is by any chance possible, it will be a landmark worth noting.

Mardi Gras

2008-02-05T06:14:00.001-08:00

The day for Pancakes and Paczki (a traditional Polish jelly doughnut that is unpronounceable).
Eat and celebrate for you still have the whole month of February to get through. Punxatawney Phil had the right idea - I'm going back to bed.

Tuesday Haiku

2008-02-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

Shadow on the stair.
Velvet nudge soft as snowflakes.
Tiger in the house.

Again with the science . . .

2008-02-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

These are some of the most impressive photos I have seen in a long time. In addition to the other science sites/blogs I visit, this one is new to me and terrific. High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment based at the University of Arizona.

Saturday Haiku

2008-01-26T06:51:00.000-08:00

A sniff is a kiss,
But a bat is only that
in cat sign language.

The Winter Sky

2008-01-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

I went downstairs the other morning. My thoughts were occupied by the things I needed to do to get ready for work, feed the cats, pack a lunch, etc. My attention was suddenly arrested by the view from my dining room windows. From those windows I can see across my neighbors' lawns, across the street, and over the high school's baseball fields. The bare tree trunks on the tree lawns were black silhouettes. The sky was a vibrant raspberry. Over the next few minutes, the dynamics of the sunrise ran through colors from raspberry, to strawberry, to mango, then paled to apricot. I fed the cats and when I looked again steel gray clouds on a faded pale sky had replaced all of those amazing colors. Fleeting, but spectacular.

Welcome New Year

2008-01-09T06:12:00.000-08:00

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

My Calendars Are Printed

2007-12-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

Every year for the past - I don't know, but there are been many - years, I have designed and printed a calendar. It started out as a way to showcase quotations that took my fancy throughout the year. It became a way to commemorate special holidays and observances.

The calendar grew from a handmade creation printed on a copy machine - the first year I stamped all of the illustrations with hand-carved rubber stamps...and that was the only year that I employed that method. Three years ago I invited my creative friends to submit their drawings, paintings, photographs, etc., for each month's illustration. It has been the most fun to see what everyone submits and the calendar is gorgeous, dynamic and eclectic. Production quality has improved, too, as I have begun using a professional printer, enabling the reproduction of full color pages.

The calendars are my holiday gifts to the contributors and I get to enjoy the end product all year long. Thank you, friends.

Possum the Sequel

2007-12-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

I was awakened by a clattering in the back hall. I investigated and found a couple of jars were knocked off the shelves - my back hall has shelving and is my pantry. I figured I had mis-stacked some items and went back to bed. All was quiet. The next night - same thing. This time a jar of marachino cherries was on the floor broken - and some other stuff. The other stuff smelled like cherries and something much less pleasant.

It turns out that sweet little possum that I had found earlier at my back door, was now in my back hall. He apparently snuck in when the cats were out. So how come the cats did not dispatch him. Fifty-one sharp little teeth may be one reason.

Anyway, after dismantling the pantry and judicious use of a broom, the little guy was on his way into the neighbor's yard. He can go be cute over there for a while.

A Surprise

2007-11-20T16:07:00.000-08:00

I came home from work pleased to be greeted by the warm glow of the front porch light. I pulled into the driveway and the motion sensor light came on just as it should illuminating the back yard. I walked up the back steps and put my key in the door. I was about to open the door when I looked down an saw that a baby opossum was huddled between the screen door and the back door. He was small and gray and tear drop shaped, but with the characteristic 'possum tail.

I live in the city - an inner-ring suburb to be exact. In the neighborhood there are stretches of golf-course, a stream bed, some ponds with an historic background and park-like areas. But this is not the woods.

I was enchanted by the little creature - a little worried and a little angry that he could not find a more appropriate place to live. In spite of living in the rust belt; in spite of the downward turning economy, more and more building is going on and even the open places I remember as a child have been replaced by concrete and asphalt.

My opossum friend scuttled off into the darkening yard. I wish him well. And I will keep the cats in tonight.

Redheads

2007-11-02T08:32:00.001-07:00

I found this on the New Scientist page. News that Neanderthals may have been redheads. They were careful to note that the genetic markers in the Neanderthals are different from those in modern humans, hmmmm.
Ever wonder how come we are so closely related to chimps and/or bonobos (96-98% genetically identical) and yet so different from Neanderthals?

I found this on Dr. Zeus' blog and the thread continues

2007-10-11T12:19:00.001-07:00

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)

Silky Contour (Oooooo!)

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)

Coffee Oatmeal (kind of crumby)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)

P-Glo (I like it)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Midnight Cat (Yep)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

Jane Cleveland

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)

Glopa

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Black Cosmopolitan (interesting . . .)

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
William Leon

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)

Shalimar Nonpareil (that's it, that's it!)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )

Just Leslie (my mother did not have a middle name)

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)

Stevens Saskatoon (of the Mounties)

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)

Autumn Lupine.

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + "ie" or "y")

Mango Panty

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)

Bagel Beech

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)

The Clay Wind Tour (on the road again)

Fun, geeky stuff

2007-09-13T12:47:00.001-07:00

I get a lot of my science news from email newsletters from New Scientist and from the Australian Broadcasting Company's "ABC Science Updates."

Go take a look at the quizzes on ABC's site - which element are you?

Velvet Fog

2007-09-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Mel Torme - born September 13, 1925.

I have been working on my calendar for 2008 and noticed that today deserves a mention. Torme was arguably one of the greatest male jazz vocalists of all time, an actor, song writer (collaborator with Bob Wells on "The Christmas Song," as well as being a licensed pilot (thanks, Wiki).

..High risk of rip currents today along the shore of Lake Erie...

2007-07-20T09:27:00.001-07:00

For those of us who are on shore, it is a superbly glorious day with temps in the low seventies, sunshine, breezes and clouds. This is a gift from the weather fairies in the midst of what has been a hot and humid summer. I hope it lasts for the weekend.

The rip current image is from NOAA.

Just fiddling around

2007-07-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

Rome burns - 64

Escher World

2007-07-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Just thinking about my walk yesterday from my office at Midwestern University. My office is on the third floor of building 1. I walked directly over the pedestrian bridge and wound up on the second floor of building 2. I went down to the first floor of building 2 and walked across the Quad straight onto the third floor of building 3. Ground level did not change. This is one of the wonders of working at a venerable institution where the buildings have been potchked together over the years.

Celebrate Butter Tart Day

2007-07-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

I missed recognizing Canada Day (July 1) but did not want Butter Tart Day (July 10) to pass without a mention. Butter tarts are a Canadian delicacy of uncertain derivation. There are also a multitude of different opinions about the proper ingredients - raisins or currents or neither; maple syrup or brown sugar; nuts or plain. I am a purist and prefer them without nuts or raisins.

Here is a link to the discussion, "What makes a great butter tart?" and a recipe from the JoyofBaking.com.

Vacation

2007-06-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

I am on vacation this week and spending it at home. This is a good thing. I am trying to get to some tasks I just haven't had time to do, for example, I just finished securing the track for my train to the self I have running around my breakfast nook. It is about 90 degrees today. It is very much hotter up on a ladder close to the ceiling tacking down the track. (I been working on the railroad.) But, I really love this! And it is so much cooler when you can hear the whistle and see the smoke.

Summer

2007-06-22T09:42:00.001-07:00

Just taking a moment to observe the Solstice.

Television

2007-06-22T08:45:00.001-07:00

I'm thinking about getting a new television set.

I told myself I would not buy a new set until I was forced to by the change to high definition, but that seems to be ever moving into the future.

I don't have cable and don't really watch many programs - my few tv obsessions are private, or at least the subject for a different post. My television is really a vehicle for playing tapes. So, I am pretty much a Luddite regarding medium.

But, the on/off button on my set is broken - actually, I managed to poke it into the tv cabinet and it broke off entirely and the remote control is no longer working. I have found I can turn the set on and off by fiddling around in the on/off hole with a wooden chop stick. I don't think this is a good idea.

So, my problem now is what to buy - or not.

Think I'll go window shopping online.

A Tangled Web

2007-02-27T05:06:00.000-08:00

Think you have a bad commute? Look at this one in Moscow. Thanks to Dark Roasted Blend for this and lots of other interesting things.

Tootsie Rolls!

2007-02-23T12:10:00.000-08:00

Pause a moment to recognize the Tootsie Roll - first sold on this day in 1896!

May the LaForge be with You!

2007-02-16T08:56:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to Geordi LaForge, February 16, 2335.

Snow Day

2007-02-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

I had my first snow day yesterday since I was in - probably junior high school. Everyone has tales about skidding home, shoveling out, being delayed. I heard my plow man come by about 3 in the afternoon. I was happy to stay home and did not even look out the door until about 5 PM. At that point, I realized that even though the driveway was cleared, I would have to dig out the steps and the walk and the car - oh well.

While I was having a cup of tea and reading a magazine, I came across this poem. It is perfect for a snowy day.

Poem for our Plow Guy
You're an easy man to fall for, waking me with your corrugated rumble
and your headlights in the dark, making your way closer, closer
up our driveway through the muffled work, batterred blade
heaping all that glitter into banks spilling rumpled over
soft, accumulations turned so trim I could walk out
and step between them, follow the ice-scraped aisle
to the door of your pickup with your full name steciled
on the side, take a hand up into your stuffy cab, that woolly nest
where I could breathe in scents of black coffee and your peppermint
lifesavers and one sleepy guy, while some voice on the radio croons
or wails its heart out just loud enough to hold your eyes open all night
long on your mission to keep sweeping us back to the world.
- Candice Stover

This poem appeared in the February issue of Down East magazine. I've never met my plow guy, but I loved this poem and today I am swept back into the world.

A Lighthouse Keeper

2007-02-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Not really news, but new to me, Connie Small, author of The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife passed away on January 25, 2005 at the age of 103. People often talk wistfully about living on a lighthouse - a quiet, contemplative existence. I recommend Connie's book. She describes the life of a lighthouse keeper in realistic detail. The occupation was not for the lazy or timid, yet she and he husband seemed to thrive on it.

I had the pleasure of meeting Connie several years ago when she was on a tour promoting her book and serving as a wonderful example of a vibrant and active senior. We spent a moment sharing our reminiscences of favorite lighthouses (mine is Pemaquid.) She was a gracious lady and a remarkable person.

"May the sunrise give you hope and inspiration,
The sunset, the comfort of a day well spent."
-- From The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife by Connie Small

The Bleak Midwinter

2007-02-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

Well, the good news, for those of us in the frozen parts of North America, is that winter is half over. Groundhog Day (February 2) falls around the time of an ancient cross-quarter day. That is, it is half-way between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox.

Meteorologically speaking, February marks the time of year (in my neck of the woods, anyway) that the earth is slowly beginning to hold on to a little more of the sun's heat each day. This is supposed to have started as soon as the days begin to get longer, but it takes a while for the earth with all its water and atmosphere to catch up.

I am saying this to make myself feel better.

I like the idea of the solstice, equinox and cross-quarter days. They obviously were more significant when more people relied on the weather and the seasons for their livelihood. It is interesting to note how many of our holidays fall around these seasonal markings. A festival of lights at the darkest time of the year...recognition of life, death and rebirth around the time of the vernal equinox...etc., probably not a coincidence.

The photo above is of a frozen Lake Erie. Thanks to my friend, the photographer, Judy.

Lifeboat Day

2007-01-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

It is noteworthy that today in 1790 the first craft designed specifically to be a lifeboat was launched on the River Tyne. Since that time the resources and technology employed in rescue vessels has advanced considerably. However, when one is in need of an assist when at sea (or even at-river or at-pond) whatever is at hand that floats will constitute a lifeboat even if only temporarily.

Above is a photo of one of the Titanic's lifeboats and at left is a modern rescue vessel.

National Pie Day

2007-01-27T11:19:00.000-08:00

Today is National Pie Day (not to be confused with Pi Day which is, of course, March 14.) It is cold and windy in the midwest, near a Great Lake. I am endeavoring to stay indoors all weekend, freezing rain being my least favorite weather. The only thing that could spoil my plan is if the cats run out of food, but I think the cupboard is sufficiently stocked.

So perhaps to celebrate the day, I will bake a pie - or something. It is time to go hunting and gathering in the pantry. In between baking, I intend to do laundry, straighten up the house, do domestic things. This can be very soothing.

Happy National Pie Day!

January 11, 2007

2007-01-11T14:51:00.001-08:00

Remember Amelia Earhart . . .
January 11, 1935 - First person to solo the 2,408-mile distance across the Pacific between Honolulu and Oakland, California; also first flight where a civilian aircraft carried a two-way radio.