chuck kottke

:jester::joker::jester::joker::jester::joker::jester::joker: Gotta Loveit!:P The Jokes should last all month!!:sneaky::laugh3: Actually, starting the year on April 1 does seem nicer in a way... Plenty of warm weather to look forward to..

Watch out global citizens! A new holiday has emerged, and it's very prankly a decidedly twisty one!:P:P:P:laugh3:

Carbocations, carbanions, friedel craft's acylation, stereoisomers, polymer chemistry, what areas?? Best thing to do is (1) don't panic; be logical. (2). rest, and (3) when you're awake, work on problems, and study the material in a quiet, warm, hidden place so you can stay absolutely focused for a long block of time. Focus on doing your best, and don't wory about how others are doing; think of it as an effort to do the best you can do, and then at night put down the work and get a good night's rest. Polish up on the area's you're unfamiliar the most with (I know, it's all too much!):P, and get through. There will be better times ahead; but basically, the best thing to do is to just keep up with the work consistently, and then the tests are usually a breeze... LOL!!:)

^^ That's probably a good way forward. Our moods can be affected by so many things, and the expectation we and other have of ourselves can also be hard to live up to at times as well; so the best is to just do something fun, and forget about life for a while! (for her as well!). A refreshing walk in the park, bike ride, swim, a good night's rest, and some fun with others cures most blues. Mostly, it's the tiddly pom principle - if you can get her interested in having fun, and out of the things that are dragging her down, or getting her to see what's the matter (it can be as little as some organizing stuff, or getting a better set of routines - often that's all that's needed). But I haven't a clue where to start, except encouragement. Buy her some flowers, or something you know will instantly change her mood, and then perhaps the blues will go away.. (spring can be rough for some people I hear, so maybe it's the change of seasons as well? I always think more positive in spring, but statistics go the other way, and I haven't a clue as to why! Maybe there's less social needs (fewer holidays)?? LOL!

Solar radiation levels change with time, but the National Geographic article goes on to say that most climate scientists feel the effects of wobble outweigh solar fluctuations, and while the wobble of Mars is speeding the warming climate there, the Earth is warming primarily from increased levels of greenhouses gasses in our atmosphere, so the simultaneous changes are coincidental. They might be wrong as well, but that's where most climatologists are at. Jay, in my mind, what I see is how humanity has combusted a vast quantity of stored carbonaceous matter in the Earth's crust (oil, coal, gas, tar sand, etc.), which is suddenly (in climatological time) being put into the biotic portion of the earth. The oceans are taking up much of the CO2 and becoming more acidic, but there's a balance with the atmosphere, and the levels of CO2 have been rising dramatically, logically from the introduction of large amounts of CO2 as the combustion product. Where else can this CO2 go? Certainly as more long wavelength infra-red is scattered back to earth, then the earth becomes warmer, and hence the greenhouse effect. What has slowed the warming is the amount of soot particles we've pushed aloft as well; ironically, as we reduce emissions, then the Earth may actually warm faster!:laugh3: (some have suggested pushing aloft reflective particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect more light back into space.. who knows! Maybe a way to help stave-off disaster, if temp's rise too rapidly) We may also try to disperse mineral supplements into the ocean to cause the oceans to produce more phytoplankton, which if done correctly, could help reduce the effects of climate change, and increase ocean food productivity. Kind of a win-win-win situation, if we have the smarts to do it correctly. Truth be told, we waste vast amounts of energy, and it's not that difficult to improve our efficiency. In fact, this would free up capacity in the economy for more productive uses for our human effort, so instead of focusing and putting ourselves to work making oil flow and turn into gasoline, etc., more effort can be applied into home insulation and assessments, better neighborhood designs, areas of scientific research, creative activities, and more leisure time to enjoy the fruits of our labors. Thanks for the articles, and keep seeking truth!!

I had this great revelation, and I didn't know where to post it, so I'll put it here (it ties in , anyhow): I've been searching for a solution to foam board, and looking for answers in nature today, it dawned on me - pith tissue in mullein plants!! Actually, any pith tissue will do. It's literally nature's foam-board - it even squeaks like styrofoam ! Since it can be grown in the lab (natural pith tissue cells on growth medium), and can then be produced in flat sheets - adding some chlorophyll chloroplasts, and set in the sun with enough moisture and air, and voila! Not as fast as foamboard is made, but there's a low-tech, all-natural solution, doable at home, and at any income level - and it's natural! Add some trace borate (natural mineral salt) to keep the bugs out, and put it up like the pink or blue stuff! (plus I think it takes a dye, so one could color it however one chooses). Nice to find an answer to one of those problems.. Maybe not the fastest, but if rooftops were used, it could be a production that in a few weeks makes tons of sheets, and would allow even the poorest people in the world a way to make really good solid insuation materials, with minimal setup requirements..

I'm about to konk out here - wayy late for this owl to be up, and relatives visit tomorrow, so I must bid both of you adieu, and a good night as well!:sleeping: (and a hug for you, Kelsey, for health's sake::hug:

Umm.. well, please take care of yourself - at least sleep a good 8.5 hours, and drink the things that make you're stomach happy:joker:

I love cross-country, but downhill is for the adrenaline crowd, who can afford knee-replacement surgery..:laugh3: (just ask my cousin Pat about that.) Best is when the weather is just right, and the snow has that perfect slipperiness to it..

:rolleyes::laugh3:All I know is it has something to do with yanking the hairs off one's legs with wax, in some close quarters.. That, or it's something to do with Brazil nuts getting waxed before shipping them. Which is it??:\:P

Youch!! I think I understand, though - the University rigor made me pretty super-stressed as well, and it's just not worth loosing your health over things that aren't critical, Kelsey. What did nurse Gerry say? "Don't sweat the small stuff.";) Rest and R&R should help quite a bit, I'm thinking..

:rolleyes::laugh3: Yes, that is 100% true! Can you imagine - my cousin's used to Californian beaches, splashing in the ocean, etc., so she just went nuts not being able to run around in a bathing suit! (It probably saved her from too much sun exposure, though..:thinking:) What's so special about a Brazilian Wax Job??:P

:stunned: Um... OK then! What's the cure for it (dare I ask)? Is it from H-pylori bacteria, or just stress and (the aforementioned beverages)?? Worst things I've had to deal with were stepping on a spike (went right through my foot), and acute stomach cramps.. and the broken ankle, which hurt like hell!

Dubai might be more progressive than some of the other Gulf states - but that's by a matter of degrees, I think. Some of my cousins lived in Saudi Arabia, and well the beaches were beautiful, but having full body covering was not my cousin's style..

Sand.... I just like the idea of a world where there's no shortages, and less need for toxic mining operations. There is no risk-free anything, but considering the options, silicon has much lower impacts along the manufacturing process, with newer methods in the pipeline.. And did you know (a little known factoid), that silicon solar cells can be made in any color in the rainbow? Blue is the convention, but you can get green ones, and amber were once produced as well..:hat:

Chocolate!:) (and earth hour; Gaylord Nelson's smile is beaming down on us from afar..)

Ouch, ouch ouch!:cry: I hope you feel better soon, Kelsey; that sounds kinda serious! :\ Can that be from stress as well?? I know at the U we were warned about the effects of stress (not by the prof's. of course, but by friends, relatives, and other students..). Please stay healthy - you're too much fun to have something so serious!;) Here's a get-well hug::hug:

Post post. Double

Yes, that's gotta be a hard time to go without electricity!! BRRRR!!! :whaaat: Did you huddle together, or do jumping jacks to keep warm?:P

:laugh3:I suppose so. I've gone without electricity for a few days, and while it's a nice experience, it's pretty humbling to the point of "wow, I'm so glad I can turn on the tap, water comes out, and the fridge' works!" In the summer though it's really no big deal.. Have you gone the non-electric route for a few days??

Pardon me for missing your post @ first!:embarassed: That is really super-cool!:cool::cool::cool: The Amish are simply just well adjusted to lanterns, candles, stove light, etc. But I agree - they have a system of values that keeps the simple pleasures in life central to their lives, and it really has great redeeming qualities we've whizzed past in our modern lives.. Sounds like you had good fun with the kids - it's been ages since I've played those sorts of games.;)

Welcome & enjoy the show!!!:)

:laugh3:That's so true - old computer equipment really is retro! Life was so much simpler back in the early days.. when personal computers were the new thing, and everyone just had to have one! Funny, we thought we were cutting edge - how quickly new becomes obsolete, and then collectible! Somewhere, a few old coco's, Models I, II III, IV, atari's, commodore's, and IBM's await a new life as antiques! Wells Fargo, the stagecoach company! Somehow, I always liked their image, but Royal Bank Du Canada, that does have a regal ring!!;)

Power to the People, Ricardo! YAY!! :sombrero::sunny::sunny: I did Earth Hour - pretty cool! Listening to the wood hiss and crackle on the stove, and the warm glow of oak afire on a bed of coals,,

Carla, I always think of improvemnt when I think of sports - El Salvador must be greatly improved then!! Hmm.. how do we catch up..? Perfection is a goal, not attainable by any mortal soul. But to strive for improvement, there's where happiness is! We are like the inch worm - we make progress one inch at a time!;)