According to my friend, when a body decomposes in water the feet will "pop off." The bouyancy of the sneakers draws them to the surface where they float along until they find a beach and an unsuspecting individual out for a stroll.
National Geographic even did a story on this last summer. I feel like I've been missing out on an interesting phenomenon.
Welcome to the October almost Halloweenth version of Thursday Thunks!
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the color Blood red and the number 31.
1. So Halloween is this weekend, if you haven't heard. Are you gonna open your doors up or not?
YES! I hear it's a big deal in my new neighborhood. And given some of the houses' decorations I believe it.
2. You better open 'em cuz I'm coming... what are you putting in my treat bag? I don’t know if I’m givin’ you anything. Are you wearing a costume? Are you not yet a teenager? Those folks who can answer yes to both questions will be getting to choose from a kinds of goodies… KitKat, M&Ms, Reeses PB cups, Whoppers, Krackle, Crunch, Hershey’s, peanut butter-filled chocolate eyeballs… Lemonheads, Mike&Ike, Caramels…
3. Since October is the bestest month for television (well for cable & dish subscribers it is) and there is a horror movie on at any given time of the day - are you sick of them yet?
I haven’t set up my television since I moved in September, so I haven’t seen any, so how could I be sick of them yet?
4. Which one of those movies can you watch over & over again?
Ummmm… dunno since I haven’t seen any this year.
5. Tell us about a Halloween scare you've had....
I can’t remember any.
6. Did you watch the old Casper cartoons when you were a youngin? Well, back then they weren't old I suppose, but I'm sure you still understand my question.
I watched the old Casper cartoons when I was younger. And yes they were old then.
7. Have you ever found a four-leaf clover?
No, but I keep looking.
8. Haunted Houses... you know, the kinds you pay to get in and they chase you with chainsaws and severed heads.... do you like 'em?
I like good spooky ones, but am not fond of the disturbing ones.
9. Do you use cute cartoon type wrapping paper for Christmas presents or the not cutesy paper? Or are you one of those gift card and/or gift bag people?
I like pretty papers. These are rarely cartoon-y, but I’m not averse to cartoon-y gift wrap.
I don’t like gift cards; they’re just not appropriate for most occasions. Gift bags can be nice when the gift is awkward to wrap, useful to disguise the shape of the gift, or convenient for wrapping many items quickly.
10. How long do boiled eggs need to stay in the boiling water before they become hard boiled eggs?
Depends on the temperature of the boiling water… The hotter the water the less time they take to cook through.
11. Jason is coming in through your front door... Freddy is coming through your back door... zombies are at every window of the house and Norman Bates is calling to invite you to dinner... what do you do?
Get away from between Jason and Freddy, allowing them to attack each other. Throw plants at the zombies, a la Plants verses Zombies. Accept Norman Bates’ invitation with the caveat that Martha Stewart all be present at the dinner party. … Then I wake up.
12. Did you know that the scariest part of Halloween is giving all of your Reeses Peanut Butter Cups away?
YES! That’s why I already stuck some in the freezer. J
13a. If you were to play a part of a haunted house (not the ghosts in the attic kind), what would you want to be?
I think I’d like to be the guide. That way I’d get to experience it all and watch people freak out!
13b. Have you ever played a part in a haunted house?
In eighth grade my class had a Sleep Hollow themes haunted house. I was the Lady in White. I was so excited that I got to SHRIEK but was so hoarse the next day.
14. If Thursday Thunks had a Halloween party, what do you think Kimber & Berleen would come dressed as?
Ghoulish, monster-y creatures...
15. Do you cook a turkey for Thanksgiving?
I’ve never hosted Thanksgiving, and I have never roasted/smoked/deep fried a turkey myself.
16. Have you ever read a book that scared the pants off of you?
I remember reading books as a kid that would keep me awake until I finished the story, but none that had lasting frightening effects.
17. What’s the predicted high temperature for today?
Predicted high is 59, but it’s already 61.
18. Have you ever howled at the moon?
Yep, I was a silly kid.
19. You are in an alley and a werewolf and a vampire are coming at you - one of them has to win. Which one do you want to bite you?
I’ll bite them first!
For those of you confused by the concept of a mole, the mole represents a number. Just as the term dozen refers to the number twelve, the mole represents the number 6.02 x 1023.
I baked "Mole'asses Cookies" to take to work. I found the cutest recipe to use as an experiment/activity for students using chemical nomenclature and measurements.
I almost finished all ten tasks, with a few comments.
1. I built the kitchen island and have stashed the dishtowels and potholders in the drawer.6. My room is still missing the mosaic picture of Mary because I cannot remember where I packed it, but I have hung the other posters. 8. I used all of the shelf liner that I had, but two shelves remain uncovered. I underestimated the amount required to cover the awkward angled cabinets and need to buy more. (One cupboard is almost the shape of Superman's logo.) 9. I haven't set the light timers; I need to buy a new one this weekend.
After this weekend, I'll have a new set of tasks to complete. But this weekend my little cousin becomes a "teen-angel" in her mother's positive-thinking terms. I'll be with the family and hopefully bringing my brother for the party too.
This YouTube video is something that I'll have to remember for a future science demo. (I think I may show it to my little cousins this weekend.) It shows that cellophane tape makes 1-side frosted glass appear to be transparent. Quite striking!
The reason this works is pretty straightforward from the physics perspective. Frosted glass looks whitish because its surface has been covered (by sandblasting or something analogous) with little irregularities that have a typical size scale comparable to the wavelengths of visible light. Because of the difference in index of refraction between glass and air, these little irregularities diffusely scatter light; and they do a pretty equitable job across the visible spectrum. (This is why clouds are white, too.) By coating the glass intimately with a polymer layer (with an index of refraction closer to the glass than that of the air), one is effectively smoothing out the irregularities to a large degree. This is essentially the same physics behind why wet fabrics often appear darker than dry fabrics. Some of the apparent lightness of the dry material is due to diffuse scattering by approximately wavelength-sized stray threads and fibers. A wetting liquid acts as an index-matching medium, effectively smoothing out those inhomogeneities and reducing that diffuse scattering.
I had the opportunity to review Love is a Choice: The Life of St. Gianna Molla as part of the Catholic Company’s reviewer program. (Apparently some bloggers are getting huge rewards for reviewing products, and government authorities are clamping down on those who do not clearly state any compensation they receive for their endorsements. So I’ll tell y’all up front that I was given the DVD for free in exchange for an honest review.)
This film is a moving documentary about a modern-day Catholic saint, which in the course of telling her life story teaches us what true love really is. Gianna Beretta Molla was an Italian wife, mother, and doctor who lived in the mid-20th Century. While she was pregnant with her fourth child, doctors discovered a fibroma in her uterus. Fully aware of the consequences of not fully treating the fibroma, Gianna refused to have either an abortion or hysterectomy. Her baby girl Gianna Emanuela was born healthy, and a week later Gianna died of septic peritonitis. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1994 during the international year of the family and canonized her in 2004. The story is shared through her love letters to her husband, family pictures and videos, and interviews with friends and family. Footage of St. Gianna’s canonization ceremony, with her husband and children present, is included at the end.
Ask a room full of children who wants to be a saint. Few, if any hands, will be raised. But all hands shoot up when you ask who want to go to heaven. So many people think of saints as people who lived austere lives as priests and nuns in bygone eras. This depiction of the life of St. Gianna Molla shows otherwise. Her heroic self-sacrifice is an inspiration, and she would be a wonderful role model for people in many different states of life. While she can inspire all, I would suggest that the movie be reserved for middle-school aged children and up due to the sensitive topics. I will be recommending this movie for the monthly young adult gatherings. I think you’d enjoy it too.
"The Church celebrates her new saint at a cultural moment when "choice" rarely means self-gift—making our lives the gift to others that our own lives are to us. Saint Gianna Beretta Molla made a choice: a choice for love, even unto death, because she knew that "choice" in the truly human sense means freely choosing the good. May her prayers at the Throne of Grace strengthen us in living and defending the gospel of life." -- George Weigel
The furry little fellow turned six months old last week. My how time flies!
I cannot bear to hear Tugger's plaintive cries from the cat carrier. So when we travel in the car, he wears a harness which attaches to the car seat belt.
I promised him a large cat stand that he can scratch and play on one we moved. I think he likes it.
Rum Tum Tugger wasn't sure what was going on with the moving stuff, but he "helped" pack boxes and is just as eager to help unpack them.
(cartoon from Michael Brewer's illustration portfolio)
"Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways." -- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
I've made progress. Not quite a task a day and certainly not in order, but sufficient progress to make me happy.
2. The camping gear has been sorted out from the other things, but still needs to be properly stored. 3. The patio furniture has been placed outside (much to Tugger's dismay). 5. I hung my Last Supper plaque in the kitchen. It really does make the place homier. (And I hung up my calendar while I was at it.) 10. I picked up the parish registration form and filled it out.
So I tried to assemble the butcher block island. But the shelves were cut crooked! I need to deal with customer service now and hopefully have new shelves in time to complete the project by the tenth day.
I have ambitious plans for tomorrow. Hopefully I'll knock off most of the remaining tasks.
I saw this over at Adrienne's and thought I'd join in. The idea is to do ten tasks in ten days with some form of accountability. I don’t really have "decorating ADD" but I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the many boxes in my new apartment. And this sounds like the kick in the pants that I need right now to put my new home in order.
1. Assemble butcher block island.
2. Store camping gear.
3. Put patio furniture outside.
4. Set up Marian shrine/home altar.
5. Hang "Last Supper" image in kitchen.
6. Hang posters in bedroom.
7. Laundry--gather washing supplies and set-up drying rack.
8. Put shelf liner in kitchen cabinets.
9. Set light timers.
10. Register at new parish. (Not a home-y thing, but something I need to do to feel at home.)
That all should really help me feel a little more settled. I'll let you all know how I'm doing with these tasks.
Welcome to the October 8th version of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by
Thursday Thunkers, the number 301and the color ketchup red.
~This week we will answer questions from the Thunkers themselves. All questions were copied and pasted directly from the blogs. We will continue thunkers questions next week so if we haven't used your question yet... we will!~
1. Bud- What type of meme question is the hardest?
The one’s for which a clever answer alludes me.
2. Smart Cent's Mom- If you could be any person living or dead, who would you be?
I like being myself. It would be too complicated trying to be someone else.
3. Thom- You accidentally bump into someone at a store and you apologize. The person you bumped into says no problem and you notice food stuck in their teeth. What do you do?
If I bumped into a stranger, I am probably too startled and embarrassed to tell the person.
5. Mejis- If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, it's still a tree, right? It’s a dead tree.
6. Tosin- What is something you have said to someone that you wish you could take back?
I’m sure there have been many, but I cannot think of a specific one at present. *shrug*
7. Annie's home- not feeling very creative here so I will ask if you were in the Big Brother house how would you play the game?
I’ve never been a fan of the show conceptually, so I’d rather not be part of it. If forced to play, however, I’d try to form a strong alliance and
8. Meandering Matt- Mac (which is still a PC (personal computer) in my opinion) or PC (Microsoft)? Apple beats Windows any day!
9. Living Dead Nurse- Do you think Jay Leno’s show should be cancelled?
I haven’t seen it (or much other television lately) so I don’t feel qualified to answer.
10. Dixie Chick- I LOVE VICTORIA SECRET PANTIES AND THEY ARE THE ONLY KIND I WEAR. JUST BOUGHT 5 NEW PAIR THE OTHER DAY. 2 BLACK, 2 RED AND 1 PURPLE. THEY ARE ALL FRESHLY WASHED AND READY TO WEAR. MY QUESTION IS.....WHAT SIZE BRA DO I WEAR...?
The one that fits your tatas and matched the pretty panties.
11. And finally one by Kimber (just so you don't think I am too lazy)- There is a rattlesnake living behind the warehouse my husband's company just moved into, tarantulas in our side yard, scorpions all around at night and coyotes howling and running down the street in front of our house. So what color sheets will you want on your bed when you come to visit me?
Yikes! Do I have to?
White so that any creepy crawlies would be easily spotted.
I’m back. I’ve been trudging through some annoying, disheartening, worrying things as well as being stressed and incredibly busy.
I moved away from St. Louis to start a new job. Packing… Saying good-byes… Driving ~1,000 miles… New people and places… I started work last week and the movers finally delivered my household goods last night. I need to unpack boxes and continue working on settling into my new situation. Tugger is so confused. We’ve been so many places in the past two weeks, without his familiar surroundings. (New kitteh pics coming soon.)
Oh my goodness! This is the creepiest, coolest news story I've seen recently. And it's just in time for Halloween.
