CelestialFamily » Aaron

Fire and Ice

Victoria — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Here is Aaron making his glass flower using black and violet:

I'll post some other things this weekend.

**************Zooniverse****

One of the things I love to do with my time is to help researchers go through their mountain of data. If you would like to help out, scientifically, with a bit of your time here are several things to check out:

Ancient Lives

Help transcribe ancient papyri, written over 1,000 years ago by the citizens of Oxyrhynchu, the City of the Sharp-Nosed. Everyday life and writing, that we need your help to uncover.

I "helped" out transcribing and measuring a couple of fragments. It is quite hard, but I can see where familiarity would make things easier in a little bit of time.

Ice Hunters

Help to discover Kuiper Belt Objects with just the right orbit and just the right characteristics to make them eligible for a visit from the New Horizons mission.

This is the one I've been working on the most. I was invited during the beta phase and Eveybug even came an sat down with me to look for solid round objects and possible asteroids. Super cool...literally!

Planet Hunters

Using public data from NASA's Kepler mission, we are looking for planets around other stars.

The Milky Way Project

Sorting and measuring our galaxy, the Milky Way; we're asking you to help us find and draw bubbles in beautiful infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Old Weather

Help scientists recover worldwide weather observations made by Royal Navy ships around the time of World War I.

Moon Zoo

Explore the Moon in unprecedented detail using images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Galaxy Zoo: Hubble

The latest version of the original Zooniverse project. Help astronomers figure out how galaxies form and evolve by classifying their shape. Now with added Hubble galaxies.

Solar Stormwatch

Help spot explosions on the Sun and track them across space to Earth. Your work will give astronauts an early warning if dangerous solar radiation is headed their way. And you could make a new scientific discovery.

Galaxy Zoo: Mergers

Understanding what happens when galaxies merge is one of the most important questions in astronomy. Help astronomers by trying to match a merger from SDSS with a simulation.

Galaxy Zoo: Supernovae

Help us to catch an exploding star. Astronomers are following up on your best candidates at telescopes around the world.

A Pinch of This and That:

Victoria — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:06:00 +0000

The tree lot has been set up since the day after Thanksgiving. The proceeds go to pay for a portion of the boys' camp costs. Pippi has garnered a lot of attention on her trips around town, so Michael had her hang out at the tree lot to help get some attention for the tree lot.

Aaron next to a load of trees:

Eve helped unload trees because she loves to help with stuff like that (cleaning her room is a big NO, but she is eager to carry trees):

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Zoo Atlanta with my sister, Tracy, nieces, Jessica and Haley, and with the Taylor kids:

Noah wanted to be helpful by reading the map:

The birds were very skittish. After 10 minutes, Jessica was the only one who could get a budgie to eat from the seed stick we bought:

Eve loves to hang out with her big girl cousins:

Rachel and Haley...Beautiful:

Komodo Dragon:

Komodo Dragon and a boy that probably tastes like chicken:

Dead mice...nom...nom...nom:

Jessica gets a close up:

Eve gets to pet a hedgehog:

The second time around the budgies are a little less skittish:

Rachel worries that mom is not around to get the photo. (Oh ye of little faith):

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Baking Braided Christmas Bread:

Sister Weiler pouring salt. (I love how the salt granules are suspended in the air)

Rachel was an enthusiastic participant:

This song kept going through my mind as the girls worked the bread:

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Music education

Rachel was busy switching channels when I heard this amazing voice throw out a few words and made her go back. I love the voice of Lou Rawls and this song makes me remember listening to the radio as a kid, so I offer this great youtube video (it also uses the word "need", so I see a running theme in my own twisted way):

A Pinch of This and That:

Victoria — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:06:00 +0000

Reading, Reading, and More Reading…

Victoria — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:22:00 +0000

***Edited Post: See correction before Dracula and Frankenstein book reviews.
The meaning of "Friend" has a ton of definitions. One of the ones I subscribe to explains a friend who politely tells you when you have goofed up and straightens you out, or reminds you of what really happened. You might think the absence of drug use in my life might limit my need for memory correction, but that is not the case. I have to go over things several times to remember things and try to get them right, and you can tell me the same joke repeatedly because I forget them. My brain is magnetized to collect trivial and inane information, which I find perplexing (and Michael finds mildly disturbing). I do think that I can be taught, you just have to keep saying it sometimes. This was my loooonnnnggg winded way to tell Teacherninga, Jim, that I appreciate his kindly correction.

Well, school has started back. Okay, so it was a few weeks ago, but we are starting to settle into our routine of homework, not doing homework, grumbling, stern glares, stern talking to, remembering to do school work...well most of it, as least. The one shining thing has been unexpected. Aaron and Rachel want to be in Drama Club in their respective schools. Rachel is waiting to hear if she will be allowed in her club, but Aaron just has to show up and help out at his school. The director of the Drama program has a genuine love for all of the kids. Aaron wants to help in stage designing and set up. He has already liberated six dollars from my purse, with permission, to support the bake sale for the drama program. Michael and I see that this is a positive avenue for him so we signed up to be Gold Sponsors of the club. Rachel already is familiar with the teacher through drama summer camps each year, so we figure why not support Aaron and the program now. He told us that he wishes he had started in his freshman year. He came home with names of drama club folks on his arm to add them to his Facebook friend list. I would have used paper, but he often goes a different route.

Comfort Snowberger's "Life Notices" made me laugh and I agreed with her that "Death Notices" are too boring. My own maternal grandmother, Mama Doris, would read the obituaries in the newspaper each day to see if her name showed up. I would read them out of curiosity and always wondered about those who died...well really, about the life they lived. People intrigue me. My maternal grandfather's family had run the Harris' Funeral Home in Phenix City, Alabama, so when my friend Kim told me about this book I checked it out from the library. I loved Comfort's family and her dog Dismay. I really loved Great, Great Aunt Florentine and I agreed with her that there can never be too many brownies. The advice for how to act at a funeral and what food to bring is practical and should be taken to heart. My heart was broken in the last chapters, so just be warned to grab some tissues. This was a great read.

***Great set of books! I need to correct one thing, though. Mary Shelly did in fact write Frankenstein after the summer of 1816 which she spent in Geneva with Percy Shelly, Lord Byron, and Dr. John Polidori. They all told fantastic tales to each other and hers went on to become Frankenstein. Polidori came up with the only other published piece, "The Vampyre" which features, as far as I know, the first aristocratic vampire. This was an influence on Bram Sroker's book, I'm sure, but since he wasn't even born until 1847 and Mary Shelly died in 1851, I don't think they ever got a chance to tell each other any stories in person. Sorry, I wrote a paper on this once!

By the way, I think the disease book is the creepiest one of the bunch!

I finally got around to reading the books that came out of a rainy night ghost story challenge. Written in the form of letters back and forth was a great vehicle for telling this story. Dracula, not surprisingly, is one creepy dude. He has had quite a lot of time to make some devious plans that take him to England. He enlists the help of a lawyer, Jonathon Harker, who thinks he is only brokering a simple land deal to find himself trapped in Dracula's castle. Harker eventually escapes back to London where Dracula has already ensconced and putting his plans into action. One of the first victims is Lucy Westenra who is the best friend of Harker's fiance Mina.
Overall, I thought the mixture of superstition, pseudo-science, and science interesting. There was one character I wanted to beat with a stick and that was Lucy Westenra's mother. Weak female characters drive me to distraction. I got pretty perturbed when the character of Mina Harker puts the various threads together and figures out what Dracula is doing, then the men in the story put her in a room to keep her "safe", which allows Dracula to get to her. I have always disagreed with the mentality of a victim being filthy because they were violated. I would argue that this has been prevalent for centuries in most cultures. In Dracula, the person bitten becomes immediately filthy and could not go to heaven unless the vampire that bit them has been destroyed, which can be compared to how victims of rape are perceived. I think this parallel is something that is worth discussion.
The book was a great "ghost story" with the devious machinations of a centuries old nut job, a handful of loyal friends, damsels in distress, some fly and bird eating, a bit of dismemberment, a ship voyage, a lot of superstition, and a smidge of suspense. It was worth the read and a good baseline for the pop culture that I have grown up watching.

Another of the ghost stories that came from the rainy night challenge. I prefer this one over Dracula. It was nice to read this after growing up watching different movie versions of the Frankenstein monster. The format for telling the story is initially letters, then it turns in to a manuscript, then back to letters. What happens when you have the ability to reanimate parts in to a whole, especially one that you created to be larger than life. Victor Frankenstein immediately flees from his odious creation leaving that creation to fend for itself. The monster's realization of what he is coupled with the reaction he gets when he seeks kindness from those around him drive him to hatred of his creator and humanity. Victor Frankenstein abhors what he has done and it leads him to a mental and physical breakdown as he constantly berates his actions. The monster wants Frankenstein to build him a companion, which leads to more emotional and physical turmoil. A great book for discussing how humans treat those with physical differences and the "godlike" powers of some scientific endeavors.

I have to read about the same subject repeatedly because my ability to retain information is abysmal. This book touching on the subjects of smallpox, leprosy, cholera, AIDS, plague, and malaria. The section on leprosy explaining how research figured out what was going on, which allowed for the idea of the illness being a disease, not a curse was really amazing stuff. The fact the the microorganism that causes leprosy likes the cooler parts of the body, then multiplies in the nerves making them thick and rope-like. This thickening makes the nerves numb, which leads to injury.
The section on Tuberculosis was a must read since a student at our elementary school was diagnosed with the disease and it lead to some students and staff being tested. Tuberculosis can hide out and wait for the immune system to be compromised and then attack the tissues. The author listed some of the treatments people tried throughout the centuries to fight this disease. None of them pleasant.
The section on Malaria explained some of the unintended consequences of using DDT. Houses sprayed to kill mosquitoes would leave the chemical to also be ingested by the roaches, which would be eaten by the lizards. The weakened lizards would be caught and eaten by the cats. The cats would die, which allowed the rat population to burgeon and the risk of plague to replace the malaria.
Cholera is just plain nasty. If you are able to replace the massive lose of fluids you can survive, but outbreaks usually strain the ability of health care workers to give aid. Make sure your water source is clean. I thought it was fascinating that people that live in India could use Saris folded over eight times as filters. The older cloth would actually work better. A practical solution for rural people.
Overall, a fascinating book and one great for teens to adult.

My next books will be mostly from books I will be reading for Book Club. I am excited about the choices.

Smiles!

Philmont

Victoria — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:40:00 +0000

Getting around to some layouts of Aaron and Michael's trip to Philmont:

What’s Up?

Victoria — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:23:00 +0000

:::::::Zoo Trip from Last Week:::::

:::Book Reviews::::

Some bizarre and interesting facts mixed with some conjecture about creatures we live with on Earth. Some amazing adaptations and some that are rather freaky make me think that being human is not to shabby.
A sad, but necessary cautionary tale of human intervention in Florida has to do with people putting an abundance of bird seed out to encourage birds to visit their gardens, but it causes the birds to produce young too early. The adults can eat the seeds, but the hatchlings need grubs and larvae, so they often die of malnutrition.
One of my favorite stories was about the male lyrebird from Australia. The lyrebird's ability to mimic sound has me in awe!
Another great story is about sheep not being all that dumb. There are sheep in Yorkshire, England who would run and then tuck and roll to get over the cattle grates to raid the farmers gardens.
Another interesting fact that no eels have been witnessing reproducing in captivity. Eels...who would have thought they would be the masters of restraint?
A quick and enjoyable read.

::::::

Paul Yeager injects a lot of personality along with his informative book about weather. He dispels many weather inspired myths and clears up many queries on why the weather does what it does. He explains that though we Southerners perceive humid air as heavy it is actually lighter than dry air. He states, "It just feels heavier because we feel warm, clammy, and disgusting." (He speaks the truth about that perception, indeed). He also dispels the myth about "heat lightning"...(hint: there is no such thing). A great gardening tip from p. 198, "water the garden after it rains". This promotes deep root growth and conserves water. Yeager states that if you are certain on a light rain will fall you can water while it is still raining, "Ont only will it have the same effect on the garden, but it will give the neighbors something to talk about." A wonderful book for understanding our world.

:::::::::Piano Lessons:::

Eve is enjoying her piano lessons. She is experiencing some frustration with reading the notes consistently. The pattern is the same as we see with her with reading books. I have taken to sitting with her during her practices and trying some different strategies. I have her tell me what note she sees. I have her tell me what notes to play. Then she plays the piece. She goes through it about 3 times to play it consistently. Part of her reading problem has her recognizing the note immediately, then forgetting the same note a few measures over. I think it is part confidence part developmental delay. She gets claps, hugs and kisses with each success. I am having to remember the lessons I had as a kid. I could never get my left hand to play staccato correctly with my right, so I gave up lessons. Michael is our fallback since he reads music.
Eve also picks up Aaron's guitar... (it is a lonely guitar and likes the gentle stroking). Michael and I plan to trade it in and get a 3/4th size guitar for Eve as a Christmas present.

:::::::::::Dr. Who::::::::

Just wanted to give a shout out to Matt Smith for being, yet another, enjoyable Dr. Who. His take on the Dr. is pretty cool. Our entire family like his portrayal. We also like his companion, Amy Pond. Their was a collective sigh of sadness when Rory was absorbed into the crack in space.

Later, gators!

Save the Drama for Your Mama…

Victoria — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:51:00 +0000

...at least this kind is fun!

::::::::Drama Camp:::

The theme for this year was Myths, Legend, Monsters & Heros. The title of Rachel's skit was, "The Golden Apple".
It's Basically a mixed up version of the Story of the Golden Apple. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite are attending their friend Thereus's wedding when Eris the Goddess of Discord throws an apple at Thereus's head. Written in it's skin are the words: For the Fairest. The three Goddesses fight over the apple and turn to Zeus. Zeus doesn't want to be given the responsibility of choosing the fairest amongst his family so he gives the burden to a handsome sheep herder named Paris. Who is tricked by Eris to pick her as the fairest causing Aphrodite the one with the biggest ego of the three stays behind crying. Thereus comes in and tells Aphrodite that life isn't fair.

~Rachel Taylor

Rachel T.:Hera, Julia B.: Narrator, Thereus, Brenna M., Charles: Paris, Camille G.: Eris, Sabrina F.: Athena, Lydia P.: Aphrodite, Lauren S.: Jupiter. Counselors: John Fiscian, Alexis Osenga.

Rachel, Alexis, and Brenna:

Rachel and Lydia:

Julia and Rachel:

Sabrina, Rachel, Lydia, Lauren, and Brenna:

The finale:

Aaron congratulates Alexis on a good performance:

Michael having fun behind Rachel's back:

Alexis teases Noah:

We drove to Steak and Shake for a celebratory lunch. Rachel got chili cheese fries. Noah loved his chicken tenders and wanted to order more, but we said no. On the way home he was playing his dsi in the back seat. When we pulled into the driveway he got out of the car went up on the porch, turned around a puked over the railing. He had gotten car sick. He is so calm when he is sick. My other kids cry out, not Noah. He is rather matter of fact about things. He was able to rest up before cub scout camp. He had a great time. Lesson learned for the day...Noah can't read or play games in the car without it making him sick.

I love reading this series out loud to my family. It is a great one to read to yourself, as well. Michael Buckley's flawed heroines and hero, two young girls and a funky (I mean smelly) boy fairy take the reader on quite a bumpy ride through the Book of Everafter to save the girls' baby brother. There are fairytales familiar and unfamiliar, but different characters are called on to explain each tale so no one is left in the proverbial dark. There is even a scrapbooking reference that I found hilarious. The dialogue is quick and clever and the descriptions of the settings and characters are rich. I was so happy to see the phrase "...to be continued" at the end of the book. YEAH!

::::::::::Plans for Saturday:::::::

I hope to be able to give blood tomorrow. If you would like to donate and live near Tucker send me an e-mail and I can get you the details to donate too.

Smiles!

Nice (said in my best sarcastic voice)

Victoria — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:00:00 +0000

Noahism of the Day:

Scene: I had just gotten home from the grocery store and was putting things away when Aaron asked:

Aaron: "Mom, will you make me the pizza rolls now?"

Me: "Preheat the oven. Your arms aren't broken."

Aaron: "But you are my slave."

Noah: "That's not til she's promoted."

Aaron: "You really don't want to live long."

Books and Movies

Victoria — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:02:00 +0000

This song was mentioned several times in the book, so I thought I would include it with my review:

A glimpse into the life of the "Weird" Watsons from Flint, Michigan. Told from the perspective of the 10 year-old son, Kenny. Kenny tells us his experiences of dealing with his delinquent bullying brother Byron and his rule following, kind-hearted sister Joetta (Joey). Kenny's parents are finally pushed to follow through with the threat to take Byron to stay with his strict grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama. The family takes a trip to the South with the families old car, "The Brown Bomber" and momma's notebook laying out their itinerary in detail. Once in Alabama the children are introduced to the sultry nights and oppressive heat of the day... and the oppressive hatred that is punctuated by a bombing at the Sunday School.

The first several chapters describing the family and the actions of Byron and his bullying were off putting. The author doesn't let Byron become a one dimensional character. The incident with the bird shows a sad, but redeeming quality in Bryron. The book hit its stride once the Weird Watson's hit the road. I have traveled enough with road trips with my family and seen that clinched jaw and wild eyed star on my husband to get connected with the family. The part where Byron says, "No cars, no cow, but I counted yo' momma six times already." Then Kenny replies, "That's your momma too, stupid!" makes me think of several conversations among my kids in the car and at the breakfast table. Byron's character at the end is fully redeemed by helping Kenny through the aftermath of the bombing. I like that the characters are all a shade of gray.
The epilogue was a great addition to the book and one of my favorite parts said, "They are the people who believe that as long as one person is being treated unfairly, we all are. These are our heroes, and they still walk among us today."
Definitely give this book a read. This would offer a wonderful springboard to a family discussion on Civil Rights, bullying, road trips, and life in different parts of the country.

:::::::::::Shrek Forever After

I took Eve to see Shrek on Thursday afternoon to keep a promise I made last month. The message of the movie, to appreciate your life, was a great. The alternate reality was hilarious. The interaction between Rumplestiltskin and the witches was a hoot. Donkey and Puss were their crazy, reluctant, side-kick selves. The site gags with Puss sliding down the ropes was too funny. We had a great time singing too.

Here is a great site for finding all of the songs in the movie in order of their appearance.
I have enjoyed all of the soundtracks from the Shrek movies. I have this image in my head that somehow I went to school with the folks selecting the music because I enjoy them all so much. I thought this new song was amazing "Darling I Do" by Landon Pigg and Lucy Schwartz:

I'm one of those folks that sits and reads the credits to films and this song by Maxine Nightingale that I fondly remember from the late 70's was fun to sing along:

::::::::::Robin Hood:::::::

Last week, my mom and I got to use our free movie tickets to see Robin Hood. Michael and Aaron had gone earlier in the day and gave it a positive review. I already like Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, so I was game to go to see the film. This telling of the Robin Hood story was well done. Russell Crowe plays Robin Longstride who makes a promise to Robert Loxley's sword to his father to make amends for taking it and going to battle. Reluctlantly Robin agrees, but has to make a minor stop to return the crown of the dead king first. When Robin gets to Nottingham he is asked by Loxley's father to pretend to his dead son, so that his daughter-in-law, Marian, will not lose the family estate.
Cate Blanchett as Marian is a strong woman (I love strong woman characters)who defends her family and land against the smarmy Sheriff of Nottingham played by Matthew McFadyen (who was made not dreamy like he was as Mr. Darcy for this film), then the forces led by the evil Godfrey. Russell Crowe has the presences in each film that he is given a leadership role to pull it off convincingly. I loved him in Master and Commander and in Gladiator too.
The fight sequences are many, but suprisingly, not gory. The bloodiest part of the film is in the credits and is done in life action with a watercolor overlay. Totally funky effect to have the credits using the watercolor. This is a quintessentially cool date movie. It has action, drama, romance, history and a plot (some movies never get around to the plot part...or good actors...). The scenery is magnificent, as well. Check this one out.

Let’s Get Together…Yea, Yea, Yea!

Victoria — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:57:00 +0000

Spring has sprung and an opportunity to get together with aunts and cousins. Michael and I took the kids down to my dad and Alice's house for Easter. Saturday, the girls helped me bake and decorate a cake for my sister, Tracy's, birthday, the kids hunted eggs, and my dad grilled hamburgers and hotdogs on the Big Green Egg.

Here are Rachel and Haley's toes after a spring inspired pedicure:

Haley and Rachel made and decorated cupcakes for Easter:

They also decorated some hard boiled eggs:

Rachel and Haley hanging out:

Rachel and Haley help me make fondant decorations for Tracy's birthday cake:
Me coloring some fondant:

Rachel and Haley cut fondant to make decorative spheres:

Here are some fondant flowers drying:

Here is the strawberry and devil's food cake frosted with chocolate:

Here is Tracy's birthday cake:

Michael blows bubbles waiting for the kids to start hunting eggs:

Michael snuggles up to my dad:

Dad, you aren't uncomfortable...are you?

Aaron isn't hunting eggs, so he poses with a plate of chili. Noah, Haley, Rachel, Eve, and Tyler are ready to go:
Aaron gets whacked with a confetti egg:

Haley:

Rachel runs away from Aaron:

Tracy and Tyler with the cake:

Dig in:

Happy, slightly early, Birthday, Tracy! Happy Easter, everyone!