A recorder and a simple machine

Thanks to elementary schools everywhere, or at least Scera Park Elementary School, the tradition of the recorder will not die. We attended a recorder concert there a couple of days ago. There were 11 musical numbers, which may sound a lot, but its not. They even repeated the last six songs just to draw it out. I think the entire concert was less than 20 minutes.

They actually played very well. Who knew you could put a hundred third graders on stage with a recorder in their mouth and actually make something that resembles music?



The concert was followed by a simple machine fair. The task was to create something from household objects that used two simple machines. She decided to make a well.

Denver's new B-cycle program

Bike Sharing














This is sooooooo cool.
If you have not heard about bike sharing, listen up, I may blow your mind. 

Let me tell you how it works. You know those little carts at the airport, that you put money in and it spits out a cart that you load up your luggage, then when you are done with it, you just stick it into the nearest station, and you are happy. Right?
This works exactly the same way. They have stations all over the city. You pick a bike up and drop it off again when you get to your destination. You pay by the hour.
I have been hearing about bike sharing programs in various cities around Europe, and there are small programs in many cities here in the US. In fact they have a very small scale version on the Provo River Trail.
Anyway, it looks like Denver is starting a huge program and it sounds really awesome. You can watch the video here:
http://denver.bcycle.com/
According to The bike-sharing Blog
and their map, there are similar programs around the world, but most good ones are in Europe.

Combine these with car sharing and we may all be able to give up our cars.
Did I blow your mind?
I know I am a geek, but
I LOVE IT.

Cauliflower: the under-loved veggie.

Dangit. I spent so long reading all of my wonderful friends blogs that I forgot what I was going to write about! It was going to be cool too. Hmmm.

Oh wait I remember, Cauliflower.

We have strange conversations at lunch. Most of my time at work is spent with everyone at their desk working away. There are some conversations that have to do with work and occasionally there are short conversations about spouses or children. But about once a week we go to lunch together, and while we are at lunch we talk about DIFFERENT stuff.

Don't know what I mean?
Remember in What's Up Doc. When Howard Banister says, "Your just different."
And Judy says, "I know I'm different, but from now on, I am going to try to be the same."
"The same as what?"
"The same as people that aren't different."

Well... anyway...that is the kind of different I'm talking about.

My coworkers keep lunch entertaining with topics such as:

• If you could Vulcan mind meld with five people in order to take on all of their knowledge and talents who would it be? or...
• If Far And Away mated with Swiss Family Robinson and had a baby what movie would it be?

I love these conversations. I find them both extremely funny and at the same time intriguing. To pick who you would mind meld with you have to prioritize the talents or skills you wish you had. Five people aren't that many, so you have to choose wisely. It is funny because it is very serious, but yet very silly at the same time.
I wish I could remember all the discussions, or I wish I had kept a journal. But I didn't.

Well anyway, today was not really one of these conversations, today we were talking about cauliflower.
As it turns out no one that I work with likes cauliflower. In fact, it is their least favorite vegetable. Everyone's  least favorite vegetable. I am the only one that likes cauliflower. And I DO like cauliflower.

I find this rather strange and a bit shocking. I could understand it of something like brussel sprouts or cabbage or turnips or even egg plant. But cauliflower? What did cauliflower ever do to deserve this kind of animosity?

The strangest thing to me is when I learned that they all like broccoli, just not cauliflower. I always thought broccoli and cauliflower were almost one in the same. Maybe not the same, but at least they go together, like watermelon and cantaloupe, peanut butter and honey, or cookies and milk.
The thing is my coworkers appreciate good food. We eat all kinds of different food from Indian to Thai. They all grow herbs in their gardens, and use them in the food they cook themselves. Once we had a discussion about our favorite variety of tomato. Another time we were giving each state a state sauce.

Which is why I was so shocked when they were all so resolute in their distaste for cauliflower!
I began to question its goodness, its value. Do other people dislike this wonderful vegetable? Am I the only one who likes it, or is this event a singular fluke? What if it really doesn't taste good and I have just been deluding myself all this time. Maybe it at least has some nutritional value even if it doesn't taste good. Does it have any nutritional value?

According to wikipedia (and we all know wikipedia knows everything).....

    "Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density. As a member of the brassica family (same family as broccoli), cauliflower shares with broccoli and cabbage several phytochemicals which are beneficial to human health, including sulforaphane, an anti-cancer compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed. In addition, the compound indole-3-carbinol, which appears to work as an anti-estrogen, appears to slow or prevent the growth of tumors of the breast and prostate. Cauliflower also contains other glucosinolates besides sulfurophane, substances which may improve the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogenic substances. A high intake of cauliflower has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.


So it SOUNDS good for you. It is in the same family as broccoli. And I like it, so there.
Is it me, or them that is crazy?
Do you all hate it too???

I love you, you little blue marble you

2009 Favorites in Review

OK taking the lead from my sister. Here is a list of some of my favorite things from 2009. These things were not necessarily new to the world in 2009, they may not even be new to me in 2009, but they do represent things that had a place in my life during the year.


Music.

Street Spirit and Fake Plastic Trees - I have always been a fan of Radiohead, not a BIG fan, but a fan. I even saw them in concert once. But my new place of employment has opened my ears of appreciation (yes you heard me right). If there was to be an "official band of the Planning Center Utah" it would have to be Radiohead.

I will possess your heart - I am in love with the fact that it has a 4:42 intro. Way to go Death Cab For Cutie, for not letting society tell you how long an intro can be!

Dashboard - Usually once I get intimate with an album of a band I love I find that the radio singles are not the best songs on the album. While there are many wonderful songs on We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, it does not change the fact that Dashboard is a great song that makes me smile every time I hear it.

Lovers in Japan - Coldplay hasn't let me down yet, and their newest music is just added to the collection of all time favorites. So far no other band has been able to steal away their position as number one in my musical heart.


Food.

Sabra's Sun Dried Tomato Humus from Costco - This is hands down the best Hummus I have ever tasted. Is it ridiculous to pay $50 a year for a Costco membership just to have access to that Hummus?



Restaurants.

Bangkok Grill - so good, and so close to my house.
Citrus Grill - A great little restaurant, incredible food, a place after my own heart. I wish it wasn't all the way at 33rd in Salt Lake. Still, they have great hummus.

Pizzaria 712 - Great little brick oven baked pizza, with great style and atmosphere. They are the pioneers of the Midtown Village, just blocks from my house. That they are always busy is a testament to me that Utah County is not completely in the stone age. They serve hummus and pita with every meal!! Again the hummus. What can I say? It has power over me.


Books.

Enchantment - What a surprise to have it set in Russia. I LOVED this book.

True Urbanism - Yes indeed I am a planner geek at heart, but I loved this book. Because like the author I too LOVE cities.



TV. Chuck - I don't watch a lot of TV, but I am a little bit addicted to Chuck.



Movies
I can't think of any favorite favorite movies, so I will mention a couple of hilarious music videos instead.

McArthur Park - I am sure there is some hidden meaning to this song. Why else would someone sing about melting cakes.

Literal video of Total Eclipse of the Heart - There is no way to explain why this is funny. You just have to watch it. If you have seen any of the other literal videos, I think this is the best.

Christmas songs that should die

What a wonderful Christmas!! It was the first one in a long time that I was truly able to enjoy. Though there was only a few days between the last final exam and Christmas, it was great to feel completely free to enjoy it, with nothing hanging over my head. Usually, even when I finish the semester I have a huge list of projects to accomplish over the break: gifts to sew, bathrooms to clean, stockings to knit. But this year, to celebrate the dawn of a new phase of my life that doesn't involve homework, I did not sew a single gift. I managed to NOT even finish knitting my husband's stocking which has been half done for two years now. He said it is our first Christmas tradition that he gets to have a plastic bag for a stocking.
Perhaps now I will toy with the idea of cleaning my very neglected house, or maybe I will wait till next week.
But that isn't what this blog post is about. This post is about Christmas songs that should die. Maybe I am a grinch, but as the Christmas season rounds the final bend I find that certain Christmas songs have not filled me with Christmas cheer but have instead burned a hole of hatred in my heart. Am I the only one who feels this way? I love Christmas Music, I really do. I own more Christmas albums than I can count. But there are certain songs that have joined the Christmas music archives that I wish I had the power to click a giant delete button, and a pop up window would say ----Do you really want to delete "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" from THE great and all inclusive music library of all time?---- To which I would most happily click the ABSOLUTELY button. Now that would be a Christmas miracle.

So I am curious, do you have a Christmas song that you wish you would never have to hear again?? Is it a mild dislike or does it cause anguish in your soul when you hear it?

What Taio and I learned this week

1. Sometimes earaches don't heal by themselves, because they are more than just earaches.
2. When the doctor looks in your ear with his special magnifying glass he will not be happy to see the color of Christmas trees.
3. Beads do not belong in ears.
4. Getting a bead out an ear is a lot harder than putting it in.
5. Pediatricians are not necessarily master bead extractors, so beware, it may "hurt like crazy."
   
6. But, Ear Nose and Throat doctors know about ears, and beads, and they are truly "miracle workers."
7. If you go to the doctor thinking it is going to be horribly painful, and in every way the worst day of your life, and all you get is a little tickle and then it is all over, you are indeed a very, very happy little girl.