Friday, September 26, 2008

Why I respect the awesome power of nature- Hurricane IKE- the storm that almost was in Florida

Hurricane IKE Slideshow

Higher resolution slide show:

Hurricane Ike photos
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: hurricane ike)




We were in the dead center of the "cone of error" or "cone of uncertainty" for almost 1 week and then we were spared when Hurricane Ike skirted around the bottom of Florida and headed to Texas. (See the graphic to the right above or click here to watch loop of how IKE's cone of error changed over time).

I can't believe this could have happened here...and I thought our Hurricane Wilma in 2005 was bad...

Youtube movie version:


Trust me when I say that Ryan and I have a healthy respect for the awesome power of nature...

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The current bane of my existence…

Little did you know that “party planner extraordinaire” is in my curriculum vitae!



The annual Faculty Reception- an event I have to plan as part of my job description...an all consuming entity until it is over.



The irony here is that Salvador Dali is Ryan’s all time favorite artist and there will be never before seen, private collection works at this event. Hey, my job does have its perks sometimes! :-)

I think his work here is very apropos for my current frame of mind...



Salvador Dalí. (Spanish, 1904-1989). The Persistence of Memory. 1931. Oil on canvas, 9 1/2 x 13" (24.1 x 33 cm). © 2007 Salvador Dalí, Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Oldie but a goodie

This is an old slideshow I had made of Ryan and I- enjoy!










Friday, September 5, 2008

Water vs. Coke

As Ryan and I are avid Diet Coke drinkers, I found this disturbing. I think I'll stick to water today! :)

Water or Coke?
(Author Unknown)

Is your habit leading you to the health you desire?




FACTS ABOUT WATER

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzz short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

(For a listing of the sources of the information about water, see Truth or Fiction)

FACTS ABOUT COKE:

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident. (Unproven, however, it is reasonable to assume that it's true since phosphoric acid can dissolve rust and grease and was used by the steel industry to clean products.)

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days. (Unproven, but fun to consider.)

3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. (Source: www.howtocleananything.com, the popular household hint guru Mary Ellen says some coke in the toilet for an hour can do the trick.)

4. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China. (Source: Columnist Heloise)

5. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola. (Source: According to Joey Greene's www.wackyuses.com)

6. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. (This is true of a lot of carbonated beverages.)

7. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes. (Source: www.howtocleananything.com, the popular household hint guru Mary Ellen)

8. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

9. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. (Source: www.howtocleananything.com, the popular household hint guru Mary Ellen)

10. Coke will also clean road haze from your windshield. (Unproven, however, it is reasonable to assume that it's true since phosphoric acid can dissolve rust and grease and was used by the steel industry to clean products.)

11. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days (Unproven). Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis (Source: UC Davis Health System).

12. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials. (Source: Truth or Fiction web site - "My husband and I drive the big rigs and often carried Pepsi products...and it is true of all soda in the concentrated form...YES we did have to put the hazardous placards up for the load. Also the driver has to have passed the hazardous material test and have that on his CDL's (Commercial Driver's License)"

13. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years! (Unproven, but according to the Science is Fun site sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chemistry Professor, Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, the steel industry has used phosphoric acid to clean and rust-proof products.)

Now the question is, would you like a coke or a glass of water?

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Off-roading down memory lane...

I know I'm supposed to post new information and updates, but I came across this picture last night and it brought back good memories...



This is when I first moved to Florida and met Ryan (I still have the NY plates on my Jeep). We were on our way to meet some of his friends, when we passed this amazing muddy, mucky soon to be construction site and couldn't resist some off-roading fun! He was impressed and scared by my skills...err, maybe not skills, but gusto and daring? Lol...anyway, we had a great time- almost flipped twice, and Ryan had to give me a little push at the end, as you can see by the mud on his feet!

Little did you know I was an adventurous off-roading Jeep girl! :)