"Daddy's Day"

I encourage you to read the entire poem if you could. This touched me in ways I did not quite think possible. And I hope that it will do the same to you...

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/daddy.asp

Please only read this once you've read the poem....

This is such a great reminder to all of us, not to judge based on a glimpse or a partial, but to try to look at the whole situation before assuming. I'm going to try to do that, I know I'll probably not make it. It's very hard to see something and not make conclusions in our head. But I'll try to see the whole situation and not be judgmental. Because you never know what extenuating circumstances might be behind something...just like the girl who came to "Daddy's Day" to share the story of how her dad died saving people when the twin towers fell...

Rooms

AWWWHH! I just finished an incredible book called Rooms, by James Rubart. Its comparable to a Ted Dekker book...I guess, but with way more of the light side and spirituality and God's eternal love and taking responsibility for your choices. In the book, a young man named Micah faces his past and turns his life around. His supporters against his demon haunting spirit are Rick, who actually turns out to be ------, and Sarah, the love of his life. His Great Uncle, Archie, whom he's never met, built him a house that both changes him and changes around him. Turns out, Micah lost six years of his memory thinking he worked at a software company which actually never happens. But the other people remember. Its just a great book. Well written, motivating, thought provoking, one of the best books I've ever read....I was engrossed in it for six straight hours. :) I highly recommend this to anyone no matter if they are trying to enhance their relationship with God, or just want a good read.

Science - Understanding Popcorn

Popcorn, isn't it just great? :)

The Fluffy little crunchy pieces, topped with butter, caramel, chocolate, white chocolate, or almost anything else. Perfect for a movie at home or at the theater. Orville Redenbacher's Microwaveable stuff. Oh, it just doesn't get much better. (Microwaveable popcorn trick below) But I want to explain exactly what happens to give you a fluffy popcorn kernel.

Most people think its just a little explosion which brings out the white puffy stuff. Essentially, that's true. But actually, (in a condensed form so I don't ramble forever) the little popcorn kernels hold tiny drops of water. When they are heated, the water vaporizes, turns into its gas form (water vapor), therefore applying more pressure to the shell of the kernel. Science 101, gas is less dense then solids and spreads out more. Since Pascal's Principle says that pressure in an object in equal on all sides no matter where the force is, it takes quite a while for the corn to pop. When it does, I guess you could call it an explosion...or starch. Starch is the white stuff you see when it pops. It is crammed up inside the kernel and when the shell breaks....PUFF! You get fluff!


Anyway, when you have those pieces of popcorn that don't pop, it means that the shell had a microscopic hole in it. So instead of the pressure building, enough of the water vapor escaped to prevent an explosion. Now for the Microwaveable popcorn trick for maximum coverage of popcorn.

It's simple. After listening to the pops (normally after 2 minutes) and taking the bag out, shake the bag before you open it! Shake it for twenty seconds and then open it. You will have almost every piece of popcorn covered in butter and it tastes so much better. Many people don't do this and are frustrated with the popcorn, but I mean, come on guys....this is a no-brainer.


That concludes our first "Science with Alex."
Tune in next time to learn about water craft and buoyancy.

Kitty Post #25

So we went up to my Grandma's house for Memorial weekend, and it turns out that....

My cat gets a little freaked out on car rides...

Salsa

No, no, no, no, and no. I know what your thinking, but this is not a video of me dancing and it NEVER will happen because, frankly, I don't dance. EVER! So don't ask. :P

Anyway, Tums is my best friend, yes, there you go. I'm talking about real salsa, like Pace and Ortega and Tostitos and Ragu....wait....my mom has just informed me that Ragu is not in fact salsa, but Spaghetti sauce. No wonder it tasted so odd with chips! XD I thought it was just because it expired like a month and a half ago. :P Anyway, moving on, I love salsa, but it always gives me awful heartburn for some reason, thus the Tums. Ever heard of them? They help heartburn just enough so that you get addicted to it...And the flavored ones are really tasty! So I am admitting that I have a problem, besides being high like every da.....

OMG! "Don't Stop Believing" is on...DANCE PARTY!!

4 minutes later....
Well that was invigorating. :) Really, don't judge me because you weren't here, and YOU didn't SEE it. It was fun and awesome, and I ka-blammed my pinky toe into the side of a dresser....nvrmd. Anyway...

Where was I? Oh yeah, I have a problem because I absolutely love salsa, but its painful. (Who ever knew that appetizers could be so dangerous?....well...besides Elliot, played by Christian Kane, on Season 1 Episode 7 of the great TV show "Leverage." Oh yeah, I need to end the parenthesis) There you go, happy? OK, anyway, on Leverage, he stuffs a spicy lemon appetizer into his opponents eyes knocking him out somehow. Yeah, that's the story...

Sorry if this makes no sense, but I feel kinda happy. :) And I'm just saying that I can't stop eating salsa, but it hurts, but I think its worth it....yeah.

Bug Off, Bee!

Hey, don't judge me....I just hate bees.

So, yeah, I was outside watering our garden with a hose, when a bee flew right past my face and I was like, What a Pimp! And then I saw it again over the grass and I focused the water spray at it.

Then it disappeared and I'm all like, Oh S**t! Cuz I though it was going to come back, like behind me and try to sting me since I bugged it. (Haha, bad pun)

Then I started twirling not-so-gracefully, just spinning actually, with the hose and trying to catch the bee with the water before it stung me because I had convinced myself to this point that it was intent on revenge.

Well, my mom came out and saw me spinning and randomly swatting the air with my free hand in hysterics because I hate bees (doesn't everybody?) and she thought that maybe I hate gotten hold of some alcohol and was mildly buzzed. (Hahaha, Also bad pun)

So yeah, then I eventually saw the bee again, or maybe a different one, and it wasn't even interested in me, just flying around a flower. But I, in my controlled hysteria, (Or not so much), tried to get him again, as if I hadn't learned my lesson already....wait...I didn't.

Anyway, I finally saw him (the bee) go down (on the ground) and momentarily diverted the water. I went over and saw him still twitching. Then I had a choice between being a bee killer or leaving him alone. You know, the life altering choice of "To bee, or not to bee." (HAHA! I'm good at this).

Then I chose and covered the hose hole with my now freezing finger and SSHSHSHHHHSHSHHSHH! The bee was gone! Then there was this foreboding sense of remorse....for a split second. Then I was like, HA! And yeah....it was fun. :)

Jocks vs. Nerds

------Jocks vs Nerds----

Round 1

     Michael Jordan having "retired," with $40 million in endorsements, makes $178,100 a day, working or not.
     If he sleeps 7 hours a night, he makes $52,000 every night while visions of sugarplums dance in his head.
     If he goes to see a movie, it'll cost him $7.00, but he'll make $18,550 while he's there.
     If he decides to have a 5-minute egg, he'll make $618 while boiling it.
     He makes $7,415/hr more than minimum wage.
     He'll make $3,710 while watching each episode of Friends.
     If he wanted to save up for a new Acura NSX ($90,000) it would take him a whole 12 hours.
     If someone were to hand him his salary and endorsement money, they would have to do it at the rate of $2.00 every second.
     He'll probably pay around $200 for a nice round of golf, but will be reimbursed $33,390 for that round.
     Assuming he puts the federal maximum of 15% of his income into a tax deferred account (401k), his contributions will hit the federal cap of $9500 at 8:30 a.m. on January 1st.
     If you were given a penny for every 10 dollars he made, you'd be living comfortably at $65,000 a year.
     He'll make about $19.60 while watching the 100 meter dash in the Olympics, and about $15,600 during the Boston Marathon.
     While the common person is spending about $20 for a meal in his trendy Chicago restaurant, he'll pull in about $5600.
     This year, he'll make more than twice as much as all U.S. past presidents for all of their terms combined. 

Amazing isn't it?

However...
If Jordan saves 100% of his income for the next 450 years, he'll still have less than Bill Gates has today.

Round 1 Concluded

Nerd Wins

- Unknown

Caddie Training Day 7?

Ugh! Today was grueling! It was hot and depressing because...well....let me explain. Sixteen Caddie's train every day, different caddies each time.Our caddiemaster, Mr. Matte, has to incorporate all seventy caddies into nine training sessions EACH. I think we've had 30-35 training dates so far, I've only been to seven because that's all he signed me up for even though I was one of the first to sign up for the first nine days....whatever. Anyway, we have four golfers every time with four caddies to each golfer trading off with their bag every 3 holes. While one is carrying the golfers bag, the others are carrying Broadmoor golf bags with nothing but a few clubs. Anyway, I was fine for the first six holes, but when I carried the real bag, I almost died on the next hole. Grrr! I am soooo out of shape. I mean, I know my mom keeps saying that its just me filling out before I grow, but I feel disgustingly fat. :( Anyway, I've started a workout routine of lunges, squats, and these grueling squat things where you keep your heels together and stay on your toes. AHHHH!!! Yeah, I got like 32 lunges three minute rest, then another 37 lunges as my base score. I have yet to figure out my base scores for the other stuff. Anyway, I am going to commit to my working out plan with some slight upper body strengthening included....I hope I stick to it. Because if I can stick to it for a while, I'll have no problems out on the course. :) That would be a big relief, because out there....I get paid!

Graduation

Wow, scary stuff, almost as scary as the wrath of God and.....no, strike that, not even close. Maybe the tabasco sauce "Wrath of God." But anyway, I went to the class of 2012 graduation to see all of my senior friends leave. My mom wont even let me get a Facebook to talk to them at college. :( Sigh. Isn't that sad? Being left behind as most of your friends leave for a beginning of another life? Huh....weird. Just a weird feeling in general.

Anyway, I am going to be gone for two days to watch my Grandma's house while she's away. Fun! She's got a huge house, but doesn't allow you to do anything, like ride down the fluffy stairs in a sleeping bag, or use crushed ice, but now we can do all those things....Yippee! Anyway, I wont have access to a computer, so don't expect any posts. :) Bye!

Blackout

The dark clouds hides the spotted field of stars in the night sky. The lights of downtown provide a dim glow off in the distance, but other than that, there is no light, not even a street lamp. Odd for a Thursday night; odd and mysterious. Then in the window of a house across the way, a light passes over the window, then again, and again. Now normally that would indicate robbers in movies like "Home Alone" or the commercial for Allstate where Mayhem pretends to be a dog. (Don't worry, if you don't get it, it doesn't matter.) Then every house including this one has little flash light beams in the windows and people stream onto the streets to see why all of our electricity has gone out. HAHAHA! Yeah, last night we had a Blackout for our entire neighbor hood like 2 square miles. :) Neighbors congregated on the street, internet out, streetlights off, flashlights and candles pretty much. :) It lasted for, maybe half an hour, but we were afraid our food in the fridge (not powered) was going to spoil. It was fun. Except that I was in the middle of winning a Scrabble game....

Ginger Snaps

So, I was bored today, first day o summer vacation, so I made Ginger Snaps!! But since I had made them so many times, I put a twist on it. Bite-size ginger snaps! OMG their delicious! I really want to pass them out to all you guys. :) But, yeah, this is also a picture representing my "messing around" with the Google+ picture editing Picnik thing. :) Anyway, I can't do express mailing, but if you visit me in Colorado Springs.....no I'm so kidding. If you want my ginger snap recipe (Uses Molasses) just say so and I'll post it with instructions. Thanks!

Sophomore!/Google+

So, I guess I should probably announce that I'm finished with school and I'm technically a sophomore now. :) But I guess it hasn't really sunk in yet, and I've got a draining job the WHOLE summer so that puts a slight damper on things. Anyway, on to the important stuff...

So everyone go look at the page called "Me," and you will see a new picture of me. :) Now I know the picture isn't great, but I edited that picture on the new "Picnik" tools on Google+. They work great. The only thing I HATE is that they don't have any of the vignette or sepia or stuff, but you have to get creative to make up for it. You should all make a Gmail account and play around with the new program. Google is a mess right now, so it took me a while to find out how to and stuff, but I finally did and I think that pics pretty good.

Speaking of making a Gmail account. I insist even if you don't actually make one, you at least go far enough to see the form which you fill out. Then go to the gender/sex button and click it to see the options. Then tell me what you see by writing me a comment. I want to pique your curiosity so you actually go there and see it. :) So please please "make my day totally groovy" (as Reb says) and go look and comment. Thanks. :)

Movie Villain Medley

This is my new favorite YouTube video EVER!!! This guy has an amazing voice!

Paint

25 Things that Cat-Lovers Know.....

25 things that cat-lovers know, but wont admit. :) I own nothing.

- An aquarium is just interactive television for cats.

- Anything on the ground is a cat toy. Anything not there yet, will be.

- Dogs do what you tell them to do. Cats take a message and get back to you.

- Buy a dog a toy and it will play with it for ever.

Buy a cat a present and it will play with the wrapper for 10 minutes.

- A cat's motto is no matter what you've done wrong, always try to make it look like the dog did it.

- A cat bites the hand that won't feed it fast enough.

- Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments,

but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.

- Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.

- Cats aren't clean, they're just covered with cat spit.

- Cats don't hunt seals. They would if they knew what they were and where to find them.

But they don't, so that's all right.

- Cats instinctively know the exact moment their owners will wake up.

Then they wake them 10 minutes sooner.

- Cats know what we feel. They don't care, but they know.

- Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.

- Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

- Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God.

- I had to get rid of my wife. The cat was allergic.

- I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.

- In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.

- On the Internet, nobody knows you're a cat.

- One cat just leads to another.

- People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life.

- Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel.

It's all true, and they have many other fine qualities as well.

- There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned by cats.

- When I wash the cat, it takes me hours to get the hair off my tongue.

- You can always tell a cat, but you can't tell him much.

Tattoos

OK, yes, I know....tattos are "bad". But even though, I am going to get one when I'm older. I found the perfect design too. (Below) Anyway, as soon as I'm eighteen, I am finding a place that will do that for me....probably on my leg, twisted around it, or something cool, but not in a totally obvious place. :) So do any of you plan one experimenting with a tat when your older? If so, tell me about it. :) I'm not doing it for rebellion, rather as a test, like, just to see what its like. :P