Books Read in 2011

Below is a list of the books I read this year, with my ranking from 1 -4.

1 = poor,

2 = okay,

3 = I liked it,

4 = I'd buy it for my library

* indicates a children's book

Before taking a look at my list, I must make a disclaimer. I've found that suggesting books for people is kind of a tricky business. Every person's likes or dislikes of a book are very different regardless of how great a friend they may be or how well you feel you know them. Plus, one never knows what line is drawn for acceptable content and whatnot. Not that I'm all into swear words, but you know what I mean.

• Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination = 3
  
• Flyboys = 2 (I'd give it a 3, but it was way intense)
  
• Cold Sassy Tree = 4
  
• Animal Farm = 2
  
• Where the Red Fern Grows = 3
  
• Wild Bill Donovan : the spymaster who created the OSS and modern American espionage (186) = Did not finish, had to return to library
  
• 100 Years of Solitude (23) = Did not finish, had to return to library
  
• Esio Trot* = 4
  
• Outliers = 4
  
• Pegasus Bridge = 3
  
• Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters = 4
  
• Storyteller: The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl = 3
  
• The Good Earth = 4
  
• My Life in France = 4
  
• Between a Rock and a Hard Place = 4
  
• George's Marvelous Medicine* = 2
  
• Journal of the Dead = 3 (another intense read)
  
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn = 4
  
• Fantastic Mr. Fox* = 4
  
• A Fearsome Doubt = 2

This year I was really liking non-fiction and I read several war books. I need to review more of these books because I forget what they are about so quickly. It was a good reading year. Now onto another. Although, I must admit I've got a cooking magazine I'd like to read first.

bp's science: will continue in 2012! (v.1)

Exciting news for all of us out there that like a little bit of science mixed in with our everyday blog reading of people who take amazing photos, make all kinds of crafts, talk about love, laugh about life, and take amazing photos. Sometimes I wish I could be featured with my blog in a magazine or the Washington Post (I can see it now, "boiled pizza" is the greatest thing since sliced bread), but I'm pretty sure that will never happen. haha. oh well.


For this year's opener, I'll start with something I learned while my sister was visiting. We were talking about the moon and we discovered that from earth we can only see one side of the moon. That lead us to ask, "Does that mean that the moon does not rotate?" With this new information we were puzzled. Come to find out, the moon rotates at almost exactly the same rate as the rotation of the earth. Therefore, we see only 50% of the moon (or really 59% since it's only nearly exactly the same). Did you know that? I sure didn't.

Thanks to The Dorling Kindersley Visual Encyclopedia for my facts and figures.

Is it 2012 already?

Yes, in fact it's the 9th.

I guess I'm surprised because we didn't do any celebrating of the New Year around here. Instead, we were on a plane heading home from our Christmas vacation on a couple of red-eye flights.

But before that, Christmas time was grand. We spent it with family and whenever I get with family I have a really good time. And that's not all, I got to see friends, eat good things, and relax. This photo pretty much sums it up for me.


That's right, this year in my stocking I received a Forever Lazy and a Faux-Snuggie. It does not get any better than that. And for those of you who are wondering, yes, I have worn the Forever Lazy around the house and I enjoy it quite a bit.

Then my sister came to visit us here and it was lots of fun. On a beautiful day in January, we visited Great Falls. Here she is showing Oliver and her daughter an insect of some sort.


2011 was good, on with 2012!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

Lots o' lights + beautiful evening = magical

Oliver with the lights at the DC temple grounds

Christmas goodies and some

So I've been baking a bit around here. My first holiday treat, chocolate mint cookies:


I can down 5 or 6 of these delicious treats and not bat an eye. The mint in them makes me think I am eating just that, a mint, and so the fact that they are basically brownie batter rolled in powdered sugar does not even figure into my conscience. I have never used mint extract in my cooking. This is the first time. And while the cookies were good, I think I may have my small bottle of peppermint extract for many years to come.

While baking I decided to take some photos of Oliver testing out the cookies. Here is the one I took before I dropped the camera:


And here is the one I took immediately after:


The camera really seems to lighten up every photo now. Jokingly, I told Jess that we will definitely be documenting a "white" Christmas this year with our broken camera. He immediately responded by getting on the internet and researching possible new cameras. At least we've had the one I broke for 4+ years. C'est la vie.

bp's science: mistletoe (v.1)

I know we enjoy this Christmas-y plant here at our house (oh, ho, the mistletoe, hung where all can see). Do you? Ollie calls it "whistletoe".

Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that attaches itself to tree branches and grows using its own photosynthesis and the tree's minerals and water.

But before you judge this plant, it has been found that mistletoe can be helpful to the plants it attaches itself too. For instance, when mistletoe attaches to juniper trees, more juniper plants sprout because mistletoe berries attract birds and when birds eat mistletoe berries they eat more juniper berries too.

Interesting stuff, eh?

Two favorite guys

Oliver is a fan of Sesame Street, and as such, Sesame Street characters. His favorite is Big Bird. In the photo below, Oliver is taking Big Bird ice skating (his ice skates were an old pair of shoes). From what I could tell,, they had a really great time and were both really good at it.


And the other day, we were watching an Old School Sesame Street and in the episode Snuffleupagus comes out and tries to say "Hello" to people in the neighborhood but everyone is so busy, they don't see him. He walks down the sidewalk saying, "Oh dear, nobody sees me."



Here is Oliver acting the part. He uses his blanket as the trunk, and when it's not in his mouth, he makes his voice scruffy and says, "Oh dear."


Classic.

bp's science: how a vacuum works (v.1)

If any of you read the post on why a shaken, full soda can explodes, you'll remember that gas (like carbon dioxide or oxygen) moves toward places of decreased pressure. I mean, no one likes the stress of high pressure situations, right?

Now a vacuum is "a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than that of atmospheric pressure". Obviously, our everyday vacuum certainly isn't a perfect vacuum, but it gets the job done. The motor in your DirtDevil creates a decrease in pressure within the vacuum. As the pressure decreases, air rushes into the vacuum (a.k.a. rushes toward the area of lower pressure), and while doing so, picks up crumbs, dust, and dirt along the way. And all of those brushes on the front of the vacuum are helping to grab particles and direct them toward the area where the air is moving (and getting sucked up).

So use your vacuum today and see the science.

Christmas Paradox

Yesterday, in a prayer, I heard a child ask:

"Please bless us so that we can all be good and Santa Claus can come."

And there you have it.