APOD #3

01/13/08. Another dual photo for today. Gotta Pixel is having a Camera Hunt challenge and one of the pictures you have to take is a close up. Now I want you to know it was very difficult to get this picture as the munchkin was very adament about getting his picture taken. That is until he thought I was taking a picture of the inside of his nose. Then all of a sudden it became imperative that I take that picture. Fortunately I got a close up, just not the close up he wanted, LOL. But look at that smile and dirty face.

01/14/08. Back when I was a young girl, my father was stationed in Thailand for a while. We did not go with him, but upon his return he brought back several souvenirs. This wood and lacquer boat is one of the things he brought back with him. On the sides of the boat are etchings which appear to be filled with gold paint. The sails are thin strips of wood. A search over the internet has not brought me any information about where in Thailand it may have been made. If anyone has any clue as to where it might have been made I sure would be interested in learning about it.

01/15/08. Early preparations for Cinco de Mayo? Not hardly. It appears the county is marking water, electric and cable lines in the neighborhood. Now if we just knew why.

From time to time they do this. The neighborhood kids get a kick of kicking them around and swiping them. Anyway, they are all over the place. We even had a few in our yard, but guess they decided our place needed to painted. I got home to paint on the driveway and in the yard. Wonder what will happen to it if it rains?

01/16/08. With the scanner broken and no new one in site for a while, I thought I would see what I could do about just taking pictures of my pictures. As you can tell it is going to take a lot of work to figure out the best way to do it. At least for me. But then maybe I had just better start saving my money and buy a new scanner.

01/17/08. When Nuke was in Japan, he picked up these adorable dolls for the Princess and Indy. Surprisingly enough they do reflect the attitudes and personality of each child. I keep them here so they don't get broken at home. Don't know what keeps them from getting broken here :)

01/18/08. Do you remember the crayons from grade school? The only ones I remember are pretty much the basic colors with periwinkle, burnt sienna and peach thrown in for good measure. Nowadays they come with colors like mauvelous, timberwolf, chestnut, wisteria, macaroni and cheese (m&c, come on now), tumbleweed, granny smith apple, purple mountains majesty, scarlet (which looks orange to me) and dandelion. I wonder who must make up the names for colors and can I get a job doing that?

01/19/08. It is such a dreary day with rain and the temperature has already dropped 3 degrees in the last hour. The kids are arguing about an x-box game so it is going to turn out to be a very frustrating day as well. Might as well make the most of it and take a picture of something that brightens my day. This is Claudia. She is a Build-A-Bear that the Princess made for us several years ago at Christmas. When you press her paw, she says "I Love You Tink & Pan."

A Chocolaty Tribulation

As found at Ack Thbbbt. And as for someone who doesn't care to eat chocolate, if I have to this would be the one. :)

You are Dark Chocolate

You live your life with intensity, always going full force. You push yourself (and others) to the limit... you want more than you can handle. An extreme person, you challenge and inspire the world!

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

Humor Me Tribulations

Fri Blog Prompt 1/18: Let's make it a 'Fun Friday'! What kinds of humor do you enjoy the most? Tell us what makes you laugh!

1. When a small child tries to tell a knock knock joke and ends up making one up.
2. Some stand-up comics such as Jeff Dunham, Bill Cosby, Jeff Foxworthy and Steven Wright (and sometimes George Carlin when he isn't being down right vulgar).
3. When Jose Jalapeno says "on a steeck."
4. "Weird" Al Yankovic music.
5. At least one thing in each "Boston Legal" show.
6. Apparently getting married since I got the giggles at each of my two weddings.

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Bugless Tribulations?

Thur 1/17 Blog Prompt: Are you up for another interactive prompt? I thought that since on Monday we did 'Things that make us smile', maybe today we could do...Things that bug us. Make a list, then when the everyone else posts, cross off things that more than one person listed.

1. People who make you repeat yourself over and over again because they just weren't paying attention the first 10 times you said it.
2. Argumentative children (Indy falls into this group) But I am sure not nearly as much as it must irritate mom2triplets04 at Creative Triplet Mom.
3. People who don't take the time to really read the instructions (I fall into this category)
4. Waiters/Waitresses who don't pay attention to your needs (Our waiter tonight did NOT fall in to this group)
5. People who mope because they think you are mad at them without finding out for sure.
6. Doctors who make you wait and wait and wait then charge $120 for a 10 minute visit and then say they are loosing money.
7. Getting in line behind someone at the grocery store that feels they need to unload their life story to the cashier who lives next door to them.
8. People who feel like they have to talk constantly. In other words they don't shut up.
9. People who think they know everything and need to tell you so. Very close to Bonna's Fake People Peeve
10. People who spend their time at work picking the brains of co-workers so they can pass a test at school instead of doing their job.
11. A homeowner's president that feels he is a dictator and can do whatever he pleases including getting the association sue and we can't do anything about it.
12. For pet peeves that really .... me off please head over to My Life and Times "Things that Bug Me." I have to agree with each and everyone of those she put down.

I know there's more. Lots and Lots more, but this should keep you busy for awhile.

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A Meme of a Different Tribulation

From the House of Zathras

Here are the rules to the Book Game:

1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open the book to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences (#5,6,7) on your blog, along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that “cool” or “intellectual” book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it. Just grab what is closest!

If you decide to play, copy and paste the rules into your blog. Then, follow the rules and put your book passage following. Easy and fun!

"In '93," he said. "I'd just joined."
"And now you're a post captain, and the most noteworthy one in the bottom half of the list," said Boldton.

From "Ship of the Line" by C.S. Forester

So What book is near you? I can honestly say this one was sitting right at my elbow.

I am a Tribulant Blogger

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

Picture this Tribulation

Wed Blog Prompt 1/16: Ready for another prompt? Today's is a little different again. I have three photos from stock.xchng posted on my blog (Ordinary Days). Go to my blog, choose one of the photos, post it on your blog and write something creative about it. It could be a description, a short story, a poem, how it makes you feel...whatever you want!



So many days, so many years have past since I have been down this road. Where does it lead, you say? Well, to the back roads of my memories.

On this particular occasion, it is leading to a stream well off the beaten track. A place where picnics and laughter abound. Friends and family gather to eat, play and have meaningful conversations.

It is also the scene where a tragedy was averted. Picture this if you will.

A group of children running, laughing, splashing in the stream. Soon it is time to settle down and eat. Afterwards a camp fire is built. Sitting down Indian-style the children begin the time-honored tradition of roasting marshmallows. The burnt, gooey sweetness dribbles down chins and hands making for a very sticky situation.

After consuming the marshmallows it was back to the stream to wash up. But, no, the tragedy was not averted here. No one fell in and was swept away. All wet and giggling the children run back to the fire to dry off.

One young girl had her back to the fire, when a breeze swept by lifting her long hair into the air and into the fire. Yes, you guessed it. Her hair caught on fire. Thanks to the fast reaction of all who were there the fire was put out and no injury sustained, except possibly the little girl's pride.

Now it is time to head back to the road and return to the present leaving another memory for another road and another day.

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Quotely Tribulations

Tues Blog Prompt 1/15: Post a quote that you like and write about why it means something to you.

Let us now set forth one of the fundamental truths about marriage: the wife is in charge. ~Bill Cosby

Pan would probably tell you that is the way it is our household (though not really true). But it reminds me of a conversation between my dad and myself about seven years after Pan and I had been married. I just wish I could remember why he had called, as dad didn't call that often, leaving that up to my mother.

Anyway, called he did and asked what I was doing. Then the conversation played out....

"Playing on the computer."
"What is Pan doing?"
"Washing dishes."
"Washing dishes?"
"Yes, that is what he does after he finishes the laundry."
"Laundry?"
"Oh yes. I also need to tell him the windows need to be cleaned."
"What ARE you doing?"
"Playing on the computer."
"Why aren't you washing dishes?"
"It was in our pre-nupt. I did all the housework for seven years and then he did it for the rest of the marriage."
"sputter, sputter... pre-nupt? sputter"
"Definitely. You do know I work for an attorney, right?"
"sputter, sputter.... YOU get off your @ss right now and do the dishes..."

I lost it about right there and was rolling on the floor. Pan had to take the phone and explain that it was part of the contract and that yes he signed it. Poor daddy. One of the best jokes I ever played on him. LOL. Guess it could be that he never got around to telling me why he was calling, which may be why I don't remember.

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A List of Happy Tribulations

Mon Blog Prompt 1/14: Write a list of things that make you smile -- which I know we've done before, but the twist is that each of our lists should be unique. So make your list, then when you read the others' posts, if both of you list the same thing, strike it out on your list. I want to see how many distinctly creative things we can come up with today!

1. Having Indy tell me I 'am so funny' even when he doesn't understand why it is (or shouldn't understand, lol).
2. Jose Jalapeno and Peanut.
3. Thinking of things to put on this list.
4. Having Tot ask when I was going to come visit again.
5. Having Indy say "Puhleassseeee" when he wants you do to something for him.
6. Listening to the quiet. (Katrina loves quiet too)
7. Looking at the pictures from Germany with the Princess.
8. Watching the Princess and Indy leave to go home for the night.
9. Seeing Pan get frustrated when he knows how to put something together and it just doesn't work.
10. Leaving work on Thursdays. :)

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This Week in Space #13

Astronomy Photo of the Day
January 6: Jupiter's Rings Revealed. Credit: (NOAO), J. Burns (Cornell) et al., Galileo Project, JPL, NASA
January 7: Quadrantid Meteors and Aurora from the Air . Credit: Jeremie Vaubaillon et al., Caltech, NASA
January 8: A Jupiter-Io Montage from New Horizons. Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins U. APL, SWRI
January 9: Hidden Galaxy IC 342 from Kitt Peak. Credit & Copyright: T. Rector (U. Alaska Anchorage), H. Schweiker, WIYN, NOAO, AURA, NSF
January 10: Active Galaxy Centaurus A. Credit: X-ray - NASA, CXC, R.Kraft (CfA), et al.; Radio - NSF, VLA, M.Hardcastle (U Hertfordshire) et al.; Optical - ESO, M.Rejkuba (ESO-Garching) et al.
January 11: Mercury Chases the Sunset. Image Credit & Copyright: Doug Zubenel
January 12: Polaris Dust Nebula. Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Mandel (Hidden Valley Observatory) Research Collaboration: Adolf Witt (University of Toledo) et al.

Cosmic Log
January 7: Your daily dose of science on the Web
January 9: Strange science takes time
January 11: One year after China's satellite shootdown
January 11: Double bull's-eye for Einstein

Live Science
January 9: Deep Space Potato Chips by Tariq Malik

NASA Photo of the Day
January 7: Meteors and Aurora. Image Credit: NASA, Caltech, Jeremie Vaubaillon et al.
January 8: Ready for Liftoff. Image Credit: NASA
January 9: New Horizons Soldiers On. Image Credit: NASA, JHU-APL, Southwest Research Institute
January 10: Jet Power. Image Credit: NASA/CXC/CfA/R. Kraft et al.
January 11: Jupiter's Rings Revealed. Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Project, (NOAO), J. Burns (Cornell) et al.

Sky & Telescope
January 8: A New Cycle is Dawning by Kristina Grifantini
January 8: High Hopes for Hubble by Rick Fienberg
January 10: Astronomers Find Rare Double Einstein Ring by Rick Fienberg
January 10: Stars in the Middle of Nowhere by Rick Fienberg
January 11: Mars Dodges a Bullet by Kelly Beatty
January 11: This Week's Sky at a Glance by Alan MacRobert

Space.com
January 8: How Tennis Shoes and Tug-of-War Toppled the Mighty Saturn V By Alan Lawrie and Robert Pearlman
January 8: Gantry Delay Pushes Back 1st Soyuz Flight from Guiana By Peter B. De Selding
January 8: Our Universe: Dark and Messy By Dave Mosher
January 8: Precursor of Life Molecules Found Around Star By Andrea Thompson
January 8: Report: Russia's Mock Mars Mission to Cost $15 Million By Tariq Malik
January 9: China Discusses Third Manned Spaceflight, Rocket Launches By The Associated Press
January 9: Hubble Tune-Up Plans Detailed By Jeanna Bryner
January 9: Baby Versions of Milky Way Spotted By Dave Mosher
January 9: Lowest Radar Echo Detected from Moon By SPACE.com staff
January 9: Cosmic Blue Blobs Discovered By Jeanna Bryner
January 9: NASA: Safety First for Last Shuttle Flight to Hubble By Tariq Malik
January 9: Asteroid's Chances of Smacking Mars Dip By Tariq Malik
January 10: New Risk to Earth Found in Supernova Explosions By Laura Kinoshita
January 10: Alliant Techsystems Buys Canadian Space Hardware Firm By Brian Berger
January 10: Rogue Black Holes Might Fill Our Galaxy By Jeanna Bryner
January 10: The Surprising Evolution of Deep Space Missions By Jeremy Hsu
January 10: Faraway Planets Collided, Study Suggests By Jeanna Bryner
January 11: NASA Eyes Feb. 7 Launch Date for Shuttle Atlantis By Tariq Malik
January 11: Most Amazing Space Discoveries of 2007
January 11: Colossal Black Hole Shatters the Scales By Jeanna Bryner
January 11: Space Rock Won't Wallop Mars, Scientists Say By Tariq Malik
January 11: Hall of Fame to Induct Mir, Hubble, ISS and Space Shuttle Astronauts By Robert Pearlman
January 11: Even Thin Galaxies Pack Hefty Black Holes By Jeanna Bryner
January 11: Big Space Thing Looks Like a Moth By SPACE.com staff
January 11: Spacecraft Gears Up for Mercury Flyby By Tariq Malik
January 11: Astrobiology 101: Where Teachers are the Students By Pamela Harman
January 11: Spiral Galaxy Winds Backwards By Jeremy Hsu
January 11: Four Stars Found in Amazingly Tight Bunch By Jeanna Bryner
January 11: Source of Mysterious Antimatter Found By Charles Q. Choi
January 11: Space Cloud to Collide With Our Galaxy By Jeanna Bryner
January 11: 2008 Preview Night Sky Highlights By Joe Rao
January 11: NASA Sets Feb. 7 Launch Date for Shuttle Atlantis By Tariq Malik


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Namely that is a Tribulation

What Tink's Real Name Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

APOD #2

Sleepy little fellow. Bombshell brought him over and all he wanted to do was crawl under the covers and go back to sleep. He was not at all happy with me taking pictures. Later in the day we took down the Christmas tree and you were okay with it while it was just the lights and decorations. But once he came out to check, the tree was gone and he demanded Pan put it back up.


Red, red wine. Isn't that how the song goes? Good for you in moderation so they say. And how my taste in wine has changed over the decades. In my twenties it was the sweet dessert, white and zins that tickled my palette. In my thirties and early forties, the dryer whites and brut champagnes are what I craved. But somewhere in my middle forties, I discovered that very dry red wines were the ones I preferred the most. And what would this be without a list of some of my favorites:

Red:
HRM Rex-Goliath Pinot Noir
Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon
Louis & Martini Cabernet Sauvignon
Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot
Marques de Riscal Rioja
Red Bicyclette Syrah
Fat Bastard Shiraz

White:
Santa Margheritta Pinot Grigio
Senor De Morana Verdejo
Toad Hollow Chardonney (this is wonderful for cooking with too)

And that delightful crystal red wine glass was a Christmas present from Bombshell.


Five days. That is all it has been since I took the picture of the icicles on the tree and the temperature plummeted into the teens. Today it is overcast and the temperatures are in the mid 70's. Like so many here in NW Florida, we don't care which way it goes at this time. Just pick one and stay there at least for a month or two.


"The Library" was always in what is now Pan's workshop room, but it is now sporting additional shelves to hold all the technical manuals he has accumulated over the years and which had been stacked in piles in front of the books shelves we already had in place and which now can be seen and reached. Although you are only getting a look at the middle section of it. But you can see how well read those books are. Even the hardback books get a good going over.


Memories of a Wedding include our champagne glasses, my headpiece, one of the wedding invitations, a marriage certificate, Pan's boutonniere, my floral fan bouquet as well as those of the bridesmaids, adorn a rice tray. If we manage to get a flatscreen tv for the living room then this will be moved to our bedroom. And after taking a look at it, I really think I need to get some canned air and try to clean it up.

Little trivia... We printed our own invitations. I had the headpiece specially made but I made the fan bouquet myself, both mine and the girls. We were married in a "ballroom" and as I was coming out from a side room, my garter slipped and I tried to gently kick it off, but it went flying into the midst of the guests. I also made all the finger foods for the reception except the cake and the shrimp platter. At the reception, I hit Pan's boss in the head with a rubber dart from a dart gun. He was not amused. As we were leaving and every one was preparing to toss the birdseed, Pan pulled an semi-automatic water gun from his jacket and started shooting everyone. My father-in-law bought a case of champagne and we ended up taking most of it on our honeymoon with us. When we were leaving the condo, Pan didn't want to tote them down 3 flights so he tied a rope around the handle of an ice chest, filled it and lowered it over the balcony. When it got the bottom of the 2nd floor the rope came untied. Okay, that was alot of trivia.


Technologically speaking Pan likes being on the cutting edge and have the latest and greatest techno toys. Who am I kidding here, certainly not you? I like them as well. And when Microsoft came out with their new smart phone last year, we had two of them put on hold for us. Except for me it is just something for showing off to geeky friends, since, other than the camera, it is just a phone. I have no internet access and limited texting. Pan uses his; but I'm afraid for me it is just a glorified toy, oh and a phone too.


This seems to be a week of me. That's probably good from my stand point. Sorry if it is boring to you. Here we have my cup of green tea that I have been sipping on all evening. Normally I wouldn't use tea bag green tea, but I have finally ran out of my loose leaf tea. When we head back to Orlando and Universal this May we will have to make sure to take some time to hit Epcot's Japanese Pavilion to pick up another year's supply. And how about that cup? Yes, my house if full of Tink souvenirs. I even have a set of china coffee cups with Tink on them. But that is a photo for another day.


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Momentarily Favorite Tribulations

Fri Blog Prompt 1/11: Our 'Favorites' week concludes with this.. Describe some of your favorite moments from this past year.

1. When Indy puts his arms around my neck and whispers I love you in my ear without any prompting.
2. Seeing Indy make a TIE fighter out of two hangers.
3. Listening to Bombshell tell Indy he is going to have to join X-Box Anonymous, when he refused to turn off the game and go home.


4. Listening to Ballerina describe her day over the phone.
5. Getting pictures of the Ballerina from Scamp and Honey.


6. When the Princess says she prefers my help with her homework, although Pan would be the better choice to help.
7. Sitting on the kitchen floor figuring out an easy way to teach division.
8. Watching the Princess glow as she works at her ballet.


9. Snuggling in bed with Pan while watching "Boston Legal" and laughing till we nearly fell out of said bed.
10. Pan asking me out to dinner, "just because."
11. Sitting at my computer and having him come up behind and wrap his arms around me.

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Tribulations of Book Done Read

Thur 1/10 Blog Prompt: "Red Carpet week" continues with awards going today to.. My Favorite Books of 2007

With the winner being "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," by J.K. Rowling. The runner up is "Brother Odd," by Dean Koontz.

For all the controversy surrounding the last book of the Harry Potter series, I think she did an excellent job of wrapping it up. But if she ends up writing an encyclopedia of the Harry Potter series, I will definitely be buying it. :)

The only thing I regret about "Brother Odd" is that I didn't realize I had not bought the second book in the series "Forever Odd." While the third book can be read without the benefit of reading either of the first two, I would have preferred to have read it anyway. I'm quirky in that kind of way.

Other than those two, which were bought in 2007, most of the other books I read this past year are those we have in our "library."

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Movies of a Tribulant Year

Wed 1/9 Blog Prompt: I can't wait to hear more of everyone's favorites from last year so today is - Favorite Movies of 2007

I just realized that we have not gone to the movie theater at any time this year. And most of the dvds we bought we for older movies or television series we liked. But I guess "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" would top my list as a favorite movie this year. "Number 23" with Jim Carrey was different, at least for him and a very intriquing movie though quite morbid. And I think I just exhausted the movies I remember from the past year, unless, of course, you want to include movies like "The Transformers" (which I have but haven't seen) or "Barbie's Island Princess" (which I have seen too many times to count).

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A Trip Down Memory Tribulations

Tue Blog Prompt 1/8: As sort of an extension of yesterday's prompt, today will be.. My Favorite Scrapbook Pages of 2008

That would be easy, LOL. Just take a look down at yesterday's post Photo Tribulations. But in the event this should have said 2007 instead of 2008, then my favorite would have had to be the one that appeared on the post Memes, the Law and Tribulations. Though I have to admit that I am rather fond of most of the layouts I did for our trip to Disney with the Princess (which were on my posts in October/November 2007).

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Photo Tribulations

Mon Blog Prompt 1/7: Happy Monday! This week's theme is "Favorites of 2007". My favorite photos of this year are:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, only thing is I have a picture for each and every one of those words. But I have narrowed it down to these for the moment:









Including the one on my layout that my sister took of her two sons walking down the road. It is an amazing picture.

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This Week in Space #12

Astronomy Picture of the Day
December 28: A Beautiful Boomerang Nebula
December 29: Saturn's Infrared Glow
December 30: Mammatus Clouds Over Mexico
December 31: A Year of Spectacular Comets
January 1: Rays from an Unexpected Aurora
January 2: A Galaxy is not a Comet
January 3: Geminids in 2007
January 4: M51: Cosmic Whirlpool
January 5: The Milky Way at 5000 Meters

Cosmic Log
January 2: An extra helping of science on the Web
January 2: Winners from Saturn
January 4: Inside the supernova machine

LiveScience Blog
December 27: Odd Event in Earth Orbit: Space Objects Collide? by Leonard David
December 28: NASA Outer Planet Mission Studies: International Collaboration by Leonard David
December 28: Asteroid Impact on Mars: Collision Probability Increased by Leonard David
January 3: Possible Asteroid Strike on Mars: Scientific Paydirt by Leonard David
January 3: Scientists Fume over Federal Funding Cuts by Robert Roy Britt

NASA Image of the Day
December 31: Happy New Year! Image Credit: NASA/JPL
January 1: Starring Mittens. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado
January 2: A Perfect Storm. Image Credit: NASA
January 3: A Happy 4th! Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University

Sky & Telescope
January 2: Cassini's Popularity Contest by Kelly Beatty
January 4: This Week's Sky at a Glance by Alan M. MacRobert

SPACE.com
Lofty Launch Goals Set for 2008 by Todd Halvorson
Young Planet Orbits Sun-Like Star by Jeanna Bryner
Satellite Sheds Light on Earth's Highest Clouds by The Associated Press
NASA Buys Microgravity Flights From Zero-G by Brian Berger
Astronomers Imagine Comet's Birth by Jeanna Bryner
Saturn's Spots Mystify Astronomers by Andrea Thompson
Asteroid's Martian Impact: What Might Happen by Leonard David and Tariq Malik
Shuttle Launch Date Slips as NASA Tackles Sensor Fix by Tariq Malik
Microsoft Bigwigs Donate to Telescope by Arthur H. Rotstein
New Sunspot Cycle Begins by The Associated Press
Space Station Crew Prepares for Spacewalk Repair by Tariq Malik
Most Amazing Space Discoveries of 2007 (slide show)
4 Years on Mars: Rovers Continue to Amaze by Dave Mosher
Old Comets for a New Year by Joe Rao

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APOD #1

January 1, 2008. Pan's sister was in town for the holiday, so we all met halfway between the respective homes. We had eaten at East Bay before when the Scamp was in town so had a fairly good idea of what they served. They don't open until 5 for dinner and, once again, we got there about 30 minutes too early. Still they let us in, which was a good thing, as it was starting to get really cold outside. The food was delicious, the staff friendly and the company delightful. It was nice to see K and her son D again.

January 2, 2008. I love Indian River naval oranges. But you just can't find them anymore, so I have to make due with California naval oranges, which are good, just not the same. One time recently when Pan and I were in south Florida we managed to hit the back roads and it was such a shame to to see all the orchards I remember from decades ago being replaced with housing and commercial property. Guess it won't be long before Indian River naval oranges will no longer be available and that is a sad thought.

January 3, 2008. It got into the teens last night. Will probably be the coldest day of the year for us. And as I was headed to work, I noticed that a neighbor's sprinkler system was on creating icicles and ice on the lawn and trees. The icicles and ice were still there after I left work and had picked up the Princess. So we ran home, got the camera and headed back. The owner was out watching all the children who came over to look at it. I asked him if it was accidental or deliberate. He said he did it for the kids who may never actually see icicles or hear ice crunch beneath their feet.

January 4, 2008. Faraday Motors. You thought I was kidding about what goes on around this house. Well guess again, LOL. Today Pan put together a Faraday motor. It is one of the most basic motors and he wanted to get it working just right so that when he helped the Princess build one there would be no errors. And I must admit I was so intrigued by it that the first thing I did was look it up on the Internet. What I found sent me into peals of laughter as well as being taught several things I did not know before. In my journey through the information highway, I found out how to make a semi-automatic Lego gun (this actually could be dangerous), a snapping pumpkin (which would be great at Halloween), a wave-motion coffee table (I'm not paying $500+ for instructions, Pan will just have to figure it out), bubbles floating on carbon-monoxide gas and my all time favorite, a bristlebot.


January 5, 2008. Today's POD is serving a dual purpose. One, of course, as the APOD. The other as a reminder of how these darn little ornaments go into their proper place in the box. Today was the day to take down all the Christmas decorations and start on a fresh new year. But these little buggers were about to be the death of me trying to remember which slot they went into. And I guess our poor tree will have to last at least one more year as we did not find one which will do. The largest we could find after Christmas was 7 1/2 foot and that is just not tall enough for the ornaments we have. But we did foray into Home Depot to pick up some new plastic storage boxes for the tree (the others were so brittle they were breaking if you touched them). Aha, I had sent Nuke the links I found on the Faraday motor and Bristlebot and he just called to say he was building them. ROFL.... I now know how to get him to call.

Wordy Tribulations

To quote a very dear blog and digital scrapbook friend... ArtCTrish:

The fabulous and talented Ali Edwards has not only inspired me to do a photo a day, but to also do a word of the year. I need to choose a word that will speak for my thoughts and ambitions for the year.

I also decided to sit and think about a word for me this year. And the word I chose?

STRIVE. intr.v. strove (strv), striv·en (strvn) or strived, striv·ing, strives
1. To exert much effort or energy; endeavor.
2. To struggle or fight forcefully; contend: strive against injustice.

In this coming year I will strive to be a better, nicer, more compassionate person; to laugh more; play harder; to lose weight and most importantly, be myself.

And in reading ArtCTrish's blog, she has convinced me to do a photo a day. Which I will post once a week. This week's will be posted a little later after I have taken today's picture. I really want to learn all I can about my Canon camera and this seems to a good starting point for that. So thanks Trish for passing along some great ideas.

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Finding a Cherimoya may be a bit of a Tribulation

Fri Blog Prompt 1/4: Okay, those of you who know me, know that it's hard to have a week go by without my wanting to talk about food so ... Is there a new food you want to try this year? Or a new recipe you want to make?

Gosh, I'm going to have to put my brain in gear for this one. Especially since I have eaten cuisine from China, Japan, India, Thailand, Guam, Germany, England, New England, Ireland, the Mid-West and California, not to mention the down home cooking and creole cooking of the south.

But I have never had a cherimoya, that I am aware of. I'll have to see if I can find one around the parts or see of one of the grocery stores can order some, since they are now vying with one another for the most unusual fruits and vegetables. And I just found a recipe for a cherimoya and lemon frozen daiquiri.

Sketch by Snap and Scrap; Boys Toys kit (c)Tabby Lewis; Stitching (c)Vendula Sediva; Logo (c)Disney; Font: Burst My Bubble

Crafty Tribulations

Thur 1/3 Blog Prompt: New Year, New You #3. Is there something that you used to do and enjoy that you would like to start doing again? Tell us about it.

I really need to take up cross stitch again. Maybe once the tree is down and I can move the frame back into the living room, I will have the space to finish up a couple of projects that I started years ago and start a few others. I definitely want to finish the angel I started for mom. Then I have a couple of other angel patterns for my sisters and granddaughters I want to get done. There is a special one I would like to do for Nuke of a fairy sitting on the moon which is in shades of grey on a black linen.

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A New Tribulation of Me

Wed Blog Prompt 1/2: New Year, New You #2. What new scrapping technique do you want to try this year? Or do you have a goal with your scrapping this year?

My goal would be to add more journaling to my scrapbook pages. Which means I am going to have to sit down and really look at pictures and try to remember what was going on while they were being taken.

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Active Tribulations

Tue 1/1 Blog Prompt: What is some new activity/hobby that you want to try this year?

Gosh, I have tried just about everything I have ever wanted to do so I can't think of one new hobby or activity to try. But I would like to start cross stitching again, as soon as I get everything organized and can get to it. Oh, I just thought of one... I would like to learn to play racquetball. Only problem there is we don't have a court anywhere near us (which is why I haven't learned before).

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