We are on the move

Catch us back here around mid-July. See you then!

bp's science: nerves work fast (v.1)

According to The Dorling Kindersley Visual Encyclopedia, "The body's nerves carry electric currents to and from the brain at speeds of up to 249 mph (400km/h)."

The body is amazing.

Our apartment floor on a daily basis

Toaster oven bread

The other day I made banana bread and baked it in the toaster oven. It turned out deliciously. Have you ever baked anything in a toaster oven? I never have because I thought it wasn't possible. But it is!

Crossing to Safety, a Review

This is a story about a friendship between two couples over a number of years.  It's a book that celebrates the general normalcy we go through in life.  The author, Wallace Stegner, draws out the simple joy of the experience and the power we find in relationships.  It was a bit hard for me to read at the end because it was sad, but in the sadness there was that touch of irony and poignancy that came through.

Quotes I liked include:

In talking about himself, the author notes, "[Writers are] exalted by having made use of [grief and resentment], by having spilled [their] guts in public.  We are strange creatures, and writers are stranger creatures than most."  

Would you say this is true of bloggers to a certain extent?  Replace "grief and resentment" with "personal experiences" and I'd say most certainly.

And another quote about the miracle of pregnancy:

"I see [the two expecting friends] there, and think how in those two women four hearts are beating, and it awes me."

I am always amazed at the miracle of babies, and this seemed to sum it up nicely.

bp's science: polarized sunglasses (v.1)

Jess and I own polarized sunglasses, and although we feel totally cool wearing them (haha) and appreciate the decrease in glare they provide, we don't really know how they work.  Cue a bp's science post.

Haven't you noticed that a person wearing sunglasses looks at least 3 times cooler than normal?  

Okay, maybe not me, but Oliver and Big Bird are looking hip!

First, we must understand glare.  Light is polarized when it bounces off of something, let's say a lake, and instead of scattering in different directions, it reflects in a horizontal direction causing glare.  This happens on bodies of water, flat roads, and long car hoods to name a few things.  That's why polarized glasses are good for water sports, jogging, and driving.

Now polarized sunglasses are like little window blinds.  Molecules that naturally align parallel to one another (creating very thin horizontal lines for example) are applied to the lens.  These molecules absorb the light that is parallel to it, in our example horizontal light.  This creates a vertical polarization axis (or a vertical filter) which only allows vertical light to pass through while blocking horizontal light, a.k.a. glare. 

To sum up:

Polarized glasses = vertical filter = blocked horizontal light = NO glare

The polarized sunglasses we own have served us well and with summer coming around, I find that I will use them more than ever.  However, even though polarized glasses reduce the glare, there are some downsides.  For example, I can't read the clock in our car because polarized lenses can cause problems viewing LCD screens.  Good old quality sunglasses won't do that.

If you aren't sure whether your sunglasses are polarized or not, first observe the light wearing the sunglasses; then tilt your head 45 to 90 degrees.  If the light changes, you've got polarized lenses.

Memorial Day beach visit

For Memorial Day this year, I was determined to get to the beach.  We went with friends a couple of years ago and had such a great time, I wanted to make sure we went back.  Unfortunately, youth conference for our stake coincided with this trip, so while Jess found himself on a bus with 100+ youth, Oliver and I hung out with my brother and his wife and baby at the beach.  We had a wonderful time!  It was great to hang out with family.  Needless to say, we missed having Jess around, but I guess that just means we'll have to do this again soon!

Enjoying the sun and the sand, and missing Dad

Oliver on the same beach, in the same swimming suit no less, in 2010 and 2012.  Man, how that kid grows!

Three!

Recently, Oliver turned the big 3.  For days before, we reviewed the date of his birthday and how old he'd be.  He was so excited.  He enjoyed his presents and loved the cake.  We had a small, last-day-of-preschool party with cupcakes and a train ride.  It was a great time.

I can't believe this kid is 3.  Lately, he's really been into imagining and we've had lots of adventures right in our apartment.  He still loves letters and numbers (in fact, the letters on the wall in the pic above were enjoyed just as much as the gifts he opened) and he can pick up the words and the tune of a song like no other.

Just this morning, we went to get his 3 year-old wellness check-up. To prepare him for a potentially terrifying time, I told Oliver that the doctor wouldn't be giving him shots but would just be letting him know that he was healthy.  So, when the doctor checked his ears, Oliver responded, "I'm healthy!"  When he checked his eyes, "I'm healthy."  The heart, his lungs, his reflexes, the same.  And, later this afternoon, when he went to take off the band-aid from the finger they poked to check his iron levels, he declared, "My finger is healthy!"  Hoorah for that!  And hoorah to 3!

On my mind

This post is pretty serious in that I get a little philosophical. Read on if you like. Don't read if your are in the mood for a joke or something like that. I previously posted this and then took it down, and now I am re-posting it because I think it's worth remembering what I was thinking about at the time.

No science this week. Sorry about that, I've been thinking about other things.

Actually, I've been thinking a lot about how, when you love a person, or people, you worry about them. That means, that if you care about a lot of people, you find yourself worrying a lot. And as you get older, the people you love get older, and there seems to be more to worry about.

I come from a line of worriers. It's true. I find that in times of trouble, I worry. Nothing strange there. But even in good times, I find things to worry about. And because I'm in the business of really enjoying people and I'm lucky enough to know some great individuals, it is easy to worry about them, especially when times are rough.

My mom always told me that worrying won't get me anywhere. It was sage advice, because it is true. Life is scattered with lots of good things and then there are hard things too. And we continue to live and we come away from life being something, and hopefully that something is better, or that something is helpful, or that something feels like something that has made it through difficulties with some sort of grace or courage or increase in kindness. So, if worry doesn't get you anywhere, what does? That's what I'm working to figure out. Is it optimism? Service? Faith? A willingness to understand? Perseverance?

Those things are hard to do. And I still worry. But I try. And I worry. And life goes on. And sometimes it is very surreal. But most of the time I am learning and I can smile.

bp's science: the Blue Angels

This past weekend, we got a chance to see the Blue Angels perform in an air show.  It was awesome!

Turns out we were too late to take the shuttle into the base where the show was, so we parked on the side of a private road, aka, the cheap seats.  The view was still great.  Oliver liked playing with his letters and numbers for most of the show, and was good at plugging his ears; but when he saw the Blue Angels fly over us he yelled out, "How many?"  I think that was his way of saying, "That was so cool!"

As for the science of this post, and according to the Blue Angels website, the fastest these F/A-18 Hornet planes go is Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound.  However, the fastest they go for an air show is 700 mph which is just under Mach 1.  To the viewer, this is pretty darn fast.  The closest the jets get to each other at any one time during the show is 18 inches.  Whoa!  The show requires hundreds of hours of training, and you can imagine why.