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You know you're in a heatwave when...

... people consider 90 degrees to be a break from the heat.

Any other time, 90 degrees would be the heatwave!
 

Universal Constants

A friend's example of things that never change (I laughed so hard at this! :D )

My Friend
"Over the years I watched lots of little children play with the dollhouse we had in the store. And they'd all play the exact same ways and do the exact same things. They'd always act out the same little stories and make the same little sounds... They'd always put the baby on the toilet... and stick somebody in the oven..."
 

Thanks, but no

According to a credit card offer I received in the mail, if I sign up for their rewards program, I can earn enough points to stay at a hotel for one night - If I spend $1,000 a month on their card.

Do normal people regularly put $1,000 on their credit card every month??

How about I not run up a thousand dollar credit card bill each month, and with the money I save in interest fees, I'll pay for the hotel room myself.
 

This made me smile

I couldn't see the whole message because it got lost behind trees (it wasn't for me anyway so that's ok!) but it still made me smile. I love skywriting. I wonder if it will always be around.

 

Shoes and Socks

Exercise


I mentioned yesterday that socks are worn around the Space Station. There's an exception to that. When astronauts are exercising (or going to and from exercising) they wear sneakers.



The guy in the back of the 2nd picture is wearing a treadmill harness. See those loops on either side of the harness? There are elastic straps that attach to each loop and then straight down to the floor of the treadmill to keep the astronaut pulled down onto the treadmill's surface during exercise. It'd be difficult to get  traction if they kept floating away ;)


I'm pretty sure this is the treadmill. They were working on it this morning and it may have been making an odd sound because they kept holding a microphone to it while it was running. Either that or it's a very small conveyer belt to nowhere - that talks.

Space Socks


It was hard for me to get a good picture of the darker socks Sandy was wearing the other day. I thought maybe the white patterns on them were starbursts, or snow flakes, or maybe even Christmas trees. Today I saw another astronaut wearing the same socks, and Sandy was still wearing hers so they hadn't mistakenly grabbed the wrong pair ;) I figured that, unless they happened to shop at the same sock store, these might be Nasa issued socks, and it looks like they might be.


Look closely. Those are little white astronauts on there! - I want a pair!!! :D (Ok I want two pairs. One to save and one to wear :) )
 

Things I'm learning from watching the International Space Station

I now know where the snacks, cameras, and laptops are stored. (Very important in case the aliens drop me off there.)

Lots of equipment is stored by sticking it to the walls with what appears to be velcro and/or magnets.

Many supplies, particularly small items like nuts and bolts, are stored in clear baggies. - Most people have baggies and holsters with supplies attached to them as they make their way through the space station.

One guy in particular likes to use his legs to carry equipment as he floats through the station. (If you're not using them for walking, why not? It frees up your arms to keep you from bumping into things.)

It is not unusual for them to spend time cataloging, storing, labeling, and/or looking for a particular nut, bolt, cable, or pair of gloves... The other day a missing piece of equipment was finally found floating in the middle of a room.

Everyone wears socks on the Space Station, not shoes. The men all seem to wear solid colored socks (black, white, gray) and Sandy's socks are more...  interesting. - It's hard to get a good picture of them because she flies by so quickly!



* I did a search to see if Sandy was known for having an odd collection of socks, and it turns out she lost the pink, blue, and white striped socks during her last visit to the station, and just found them again a few days ago.
 

Eating on the Space Station


"What did your mom pack for lunch?"
 

Overheard in space

Astronauts, while repairing the outside of the Space Station, 220 miles above Earth.
"Maybe I'll knock on a window and see if anyone's home..."
"Hey Ron… Don't look down!" 
"There's something about being at the end of the module that makes it look higher."
 

I have so much to do

But all I want to do is write.

And watch space.

Except space is making me motion sick so that's not the best plan at the moment (They're doing space walks today. Pretty, but not something I'd be cut out for.)

I've just learned that the elevator in my building is out, so I won't be able to go outside in the three hundred degree heat to do laundry today.

Drat ;)

But that doesn't mean there aren't a bazillion other things I need to do.

And yet... all I want to do is write.

I've been working on a story for about a week or two and I keep wanting to return to it. Which is good as a diversion, but not good when there's other things to do.

Plus I'm nauseas and have a headache (- from "space.")

Got some good pictures though. :)

Please indulge me with the whole "space" thing for about a week. After that I'll probably be over it and stop posting about it. If not, I'll move those posts to a separate blog because this is not a space blog. ... but it might be "space week" here for a bit ;)
 

Space Suits

Getting ready for today's Space Walk


 

International Space Station


I've been watching the International Space Station for the past two days. I need to be careful with live streams of places. Any place. I can easily become addicted.


My mom has been watching too. I set her up yesterday and she was very excited. I figure it's a step up from her watching the weather channel all day.

You can watch too if you'd like. (If the file downloads but doesn't work, download VLC media player and try opening it with that. VLC is a much better player. Everything works on there!)

What you see will vary. The camera views change depending on what's going on, and I think there might be a delay of possibly 12 hours. I'm not sure if it's 100% live (there was a delay several years ago when the feeds first started.) * The feed does appear to be live unless they're reviewing a video from earlier in the day. Also, Space Station time is usually GMT, though it can change sometimes to accommodate the hours of a short term mission.


Sometimes they show the exterior of the Space Station. Sometimes they show a supply area where people come and go a lot (often floating through which is kind of neat to see.) Sometimes there's just a still screen. Like watching paint dry…. In space ;)
 

Jesus is watching


The first time I noticed him, I practically jumped out of my skin.
 

UFO


The night of the fireworks, a friend of mine pointed out a UFO hovering in the distance.

I guessed "helicopter." She guessed "blimp." Once it got closer we could see that she was right.

Or was she....
 

Bad day in captcha land?

If this is the test I get to prove that I'm human....

captcha image asking me to type in the word H U M A N to prove Im a real person


Then what's up with this? 

captcha image is u perps


And this?

captcha image is hater

I swear these are real. I get the strangest captchas at Josie's blog!
 

Happy 4th of July





The big crowd pleaser. Smilies in the sky.




 

The things I learn...

I did some online research today for a story I'm writing. I was curious about Aeroponics vs Hydroponics and which is most effective etc. So I did a little Googling. And I've learned something. And maybe some of you already knew this - Maybe everybody in the world knows this! - but I didn't.

Do you know who discusses the various pros, cons, yields, quality, set up, cost effectiveness, and even the flavor of the crops from these two different methods, in intricate detail? Because I didn't, and this is fascinating to me.

Cannabis growers. That's right. And you know what? It makes sense! But I didn't know that they were at the forefront of using/discussing/researching and improving this technology. The only working Aero/Hydroponic systems I've ever seen were at Epcot Center! But these guys? The Pot growers? They know EVERYTHING. They have forums, videos, comparative photos... They build their own setups and know about all the various nutrient additives, contamination controls, drainage systems, spray pressures, misting intervals...

If you ever need information on Aeroponics vs Hydroponics (not to mention soil, with or without worm poop!) and you want to get the inside scoop, don't bother with government agencies and agricultural research facilities. Just go find a local dealer and they'll set you up with everything you need.