Ramblings of a Menopausal Broad

Tag: Science

Seven Things I Love (9-14-2020)

September 14, 2020 / / 0 Comments

1. This new female-hosted science show, Emily’s Wonder Lab (thanks Stasie!) – move over Mr. Wizard (okay, he passed away 13 years ago but you get where I’m going with this), step aside Bill Nye the Science Guy (we still adore you), get out of the way Beakman (you’re still the geek we all had a little bit of a crush on), Emily Calandrelli (aka The Space Gal) is here and she’s gonna make some waves and some goo and some rainbow bubbles and some barfing pumpkins and some… all while pregnant!

Image Credits: Netflix

Here’s a little clip:

2. This German Couple, Britt Kanja and Günther Krabbenhöft – talk about a match made in heaven!

3. This Geico Commercial “Aunt Infestation” – I told you I have a thing for commercials. This is by far the best Geico commercial EVER!!! And I’m not saying this just because I’m an Auntie. These women are hilarious.

4. This hometown candy shop: Betty Jane’s Candies – people from Dubuque, Iowa are very familiar with Betty Jane’s. And now that it’s cooling down outside, you can enjoy Betty Jane’s too because they ship everywhere! They are most well-known for their Gremlins, which are similar to turtles but 1000x better. Trust me. And now you can get them in either milk chocolate or dark chocolate or both! Back when I was younger it was only milk chocolate (but then I was a kid so like I cared.) They also have Snacker packages in 6 and 12 oz that are less expensive than getting them in the box (but also, more difficult to keep yourself from eating too many.)

It’s also Caramel Apple season right now – but I’m sure you need to order quickly if you want to get some of those.

I recently though, have found myself addicted to their dark chocolate covered almonds. Over the summer I couldn’t order from them because of the heat and so I attempted to find a comparable dark chocolate covered almond – tried at least two dozen brands (even had to toss out a few of them), not a single one came even close.

5. This new app by Kevin Costner (swoon) called HearHere – HearHere is great for people who take lots of road trips. You get to hear stories about the places you drive through, some of them are actually narrated by Kevin Costner himself. It’s pretty cool.

6. This Last Video of ABBA – rather than trying to figure out all of this and rewriting it myself I’m cutting and pasting the information from an ABBA site I found:

“The four ABBA members reunited (kind of) in the humorous film Our Last Video, where they each filmed a (silent) appearance lasting just a few moments each.  The film was shown during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest’s Semi-Final on Wednesday 12 May 2004 to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of ABBA’s Eurovision win. Most of the script of the film was made up of ABBA song lyrics.

Agnetha and Frida filmed their parts separately although they were edited to look like they appeared together. Björn, Benny and Agnetha filmed their parts in Stockholm while Frida filmed hers in London.

The Last Video is the film about four hopeful musicians (a set of ABBA puppets made by Henson Creature Shop Limited who made The Muppets) in search of a record contract. They pay a visit to the Big Record Company Boss and his oily assistant, performing one hit after the other, cheered on by their manager. But things don’t really work out as planned and as they leave, “the real ABBA” arrive (in footage taken from ABBA – The Movie) in the lift as the puppets leave.

Songs featured were:

1. Take A Chance On Me
2. Dancing Queen
3. Waterloo
4. The Winner Takes It All

The film was produced by Radical Media UK and filmed at Independent Studios AB at Saltsjö-boo, outside of Stockholm; and directed by Calle Åstrand. Apart from the puppet versions of Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Frida (which in reality are about 50cm tall), the film starred:

1. Loa Falkman (Swedish singer and actor)
2. Sissela Kyhle (Swedish actress and comedian)
3. Robert Gustafsson (Swedish comedian)
4. Rik Mayall (British comedian)
5. Per Svensson (Swedish actor)
6. Micke Nyqvist and Cecilia Frode (Swedish actor and actress)

There were also a couple of very interesting ‘extras’:

1. Eddie (the Iron Maiden ‘mascot’)
2. Cher.

From Abbaontv.com https://abbaontv.com/programmes/2004/39875

7. This Podcast, Sistory Untold – this is SUPER cool. These two London-based sisters started a podcast during quarantine and it’s absolutely brilliant. They were trying to come up with a topic that was unique and relevant at the same time so because they are part of a big family of sisters they decided to cover famous sisters in history. And by sisters, they don’t mean they have to be blood relations, simply women that had relationships that affected history.

“Importantly, they focus on the women’s relationships rather than the men they were associated with, from Hamilton‘s Schuyler sisters to Jane and Cassandra Austen to 18th-century rivals Maria Coventry and Kitty Fisher (as seen in Harlots on BBC Two).”

Have a wonderful week!

Five Things I Love (7-27-2020)

July 28, 2020 / / 0 Comments

1. Dr. Anthony Fauci on the cover of ‘In Style’ magazine. Yowzah! The article is an interview with Dr. Fauci and his wife, Dr. Christine Grady, and it’s super interesting. I think it’s amazing that we finally made a rock star out of a scientist!

2. This article calling for the return of Parasols – I am taking this on as a personal mission.

3. Home Movie: The Princess Bride – Damn you Quibi! I have been resisting subscribing to any more streaming services. Quibi isn’t even really like other streaming services, you can only watch it on your phone (or tablet) and the films/episodes are no more than ten minutes in length. Initially I saw a trailer for a series called “Dummy” with Anna Kendrick and I wanted to see it but not enough to subscribe but after I saw this video, well, that was it. The clip below is a compilation of the episodes telling an abridged version of the movie. If you want to see the entire thing you will need to subscribe and I tell you, it is WORTH IT! Not only can you download the episodes to watch anytime, but if you turn you phone sideways you can see the original film side-by-side with the “Home Movie” for comparison. It’s marvelous!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=3pfXZEPcEFg&feature=emb_title

4. The Moving of Booth Cottage – a Frank Lloyd Wright gem, Booth Cottage was purchased by a couple who wanted to tear it down to build a new house. W-T-F??? What kind of person tears down a Frank Lloyd Wright???? Anyway, a group of conservationists raised about $300,000 to help get the house moved to a new location in Glencoe and also worked out a long-term lease from the municipality. Once the foundation is laid and the house is put in place it will become a museum. Thank God there are still people in the world who value history and art. If you don’t want to watch the video here is an article from the Chicago Tribune with a few good photos.

5. Whitney: ‘Can I Be Me?’ – watched this documentary over the weekend and it was excellent. Whitney Huston was only two years older than me and I had pretty much grown up loving her, so like most people my age, her death was devastating. Seeing her in this movie was like bringing her back to life, even if it was just for a few hours. It’s difficult knowing that, had it been a different time, she might be alive today. And it’s frustrating knowing that so many people used her. Still, I will be watching it again.

6. Every player and coach on the Yankees & Nationals took a knee before the national anthem tonight in D.C. – this made my heart SOAR!

7. Charlie Berens & Alex Wehrley – I think I’ve included Charlie on my list before. I’m including him (and his wife Alex) again because he’s just so damned hilarious. It’s funny ‘cuz it’s true!

8. This “Remarkable ‘Reading Station’ by Charles Hindley & Co., London, с. 1890″ – the stuff that (librarian’s) dreams are made of!

https://steampunktendencies.tumblr.com/post/623391533529481216/remarkable-reading-station-by-charles-hindley

9. Olivia de Havilland cussing up a storm – we lost a true star this weekend when Miss de Havilland passed away at the age of 104. She has always been one of my favorite actresses from the Silver Screen. Not only was she beautiful but she was a woman who didn’t take shit from anyone and she stood up for things she believed in.

Have a
FANTASTIC WEEK!

Mosquito Slut Shaming?

July 19, 2020 / / 0 Comments
One of my favorite comedians Charlie Berens just happened to post this recently and it was so perfect I had to include it.

Last summer I went to several outdoor events that resulted in my having numerous mosquito bites, the majority of which were on my ankles – itchy!

The worst part was that Burt’s Bees discontinued the only product I’ve ever found that works on bug bites. Damn I miss this stuff… (I did find a different balm I’m going to try, fingers crossed.)

ANYHOO, each time this would happen. I’d call up the friends I was with the night before before and ask, “Man, I got eaten alive last night, did that happen to you too?” They would inevitably say the same thing – they got a couple of bites but nothing serious (some would actually say they didn’t get bitten at all.) I was perplexed. Why was I being targeted?

I started carrying along mosquito repellent whenever I knew we were going to be outdoors. Sadly though, often I would be someplace expecting to stay indoors (especially when it was horribly hot outside, I am, after all, a delicate flower) and we’d end up al fresco.

It was then that I started to wonder, is it possible that my weight had anything to do with my being bitten? After doing some research (cuz that’s what I do) I was distressed to discover the answer is yes. Well, it isn’t the sole reason the nasty little winged demons love me, but it’s one of them. Turns out that I’m a mosquito slut. (Right Mimi?) Pretty much everything I do attracts those damned skeeters.

I thought this was important information that should be shared, so here’s a comprehensive list of the things that I found which attract mosquitoes:

  1. Night time – this actually depends upon the species and where you live but the majority of species in the US are most active at dusk.
  2. Fragrances – this doesn’t just apply to actual perfume, this can be any products that have added scent like perfumed shampoo or lotion or laundry detergent/fabric softener. Mosquitoes are drawn to certain floral scents because they need nectar for survival and flowers for the females to lay their eggs. But guess what, there are actually perfumes that repel mosquitoes. And the good news is, you don’t have to smell like citronella!
  3. Carbon Dioxide (this relates to the weight thing, and also applies to pregnant women). Mosquitoes can smell CO2. In fact, there is such a thing as CO2 traps, which simulate humans or animals breathing. It’s lures the mosquitoes in and then traps them, thus keeping them away from real humans and animals.
  4. Drinking alcohol – alcohol raises the body temperature and makes a person sweat. Just a single beer can do it!
  5. Sweat – it has something to do with lactic acid. If you want to know more read the article that I linked to on the word ‘sweat.’
  6. Skin Bacteria – it turns out that the mini-vampires are particularly fond of the organisms that grow on the biggest organ of our bodies. And they particularly love stinky feet – P.U.
  7. Movement – one of the first things that will get on their radar is movement – so if you are a fidgeter know that you are going to make yourself more noticeable from a distance.
  8. Wearing dark clothing (black, blue or red) – mind you, wearing light colored clothing won’t repel mosquitoes but it’ll make it more difficult for them to find you. Also, wearing lighter colored clothing, at least in the daytime, will keep you cooler and as mentioned above, sweating is a lure.
  9. Having Type O Blood (and also Type B, but not as much as Type O)
  10. Exposed skin – Of course the problem with this is that mosquitoes come out in the summer and people are just generally going to be exposing more skin – swimsuits, tank tops, shorts, sandals – it is natural for we humans to wear less in order to keep cool. But in doing so we are helping the mosquitoes out, particularly with the sandals, no socks and shorter pants thing. It turns out that skeeters have evolved over time. I mentioned above that they are attracted to Carbon Dioxide and as they hone in on their next target they know they can’t just go all Red Baron and fly straight at it. They’ll end up being toast. Instead, they have to be covert, Ninja-like, and attack so that people don’t know they were even there until after they are gone.
  11. Obesity/pregnancy – people who are larger and women who are pregnant have a higher metabolic rate thus causing them to breathe harder, which means they will produce more carbon dioxide. Also, even though movement helps mosquitoes home in on a person, They also can be more still which makes it easier for the little buggers to get to them.

10 out of 11 (I have A+ blood so there’s one thing I have going for me.) Turns out I’m a wanton, shameless mosquito floozy. At least now I know what to do to make myself less appealing! (Note: needing to make oneself less appealing only applies to mosquitoes.)

Have a Happy and Safe Summer – Physically Distance – Wear a Mask

Back into the Fray

July 18, 2020 / / 0 Comments

For the past few months I’ve only had the psychological capacity to write my “Five Things I Love” posts. Many of those posts didn’t contain much text, they were, let’s face it, simple listicles.

It’s the stress that has been doing me in. Just like most everyone, I’m mentally exhausted. It’s been nearly a decade of getting up each morning to find out something bad has happened (I live in Wisconsin so we basically were the testing ground for a lot of what has been going on for the past 3-1/2 years nationally.)

And then 2020 rolls along. I had actually been looking forward to this year, had TWO trips planned. The first to India, which as you know, I managed to get in. The second was for May. I was supposed to travel for three weeks through Scotland, Ireland, and Wales with a couple friends and end in London where I could reunite with a new friend I had met in India. Obviously that trip didn’t happen.

Nick Seluk, the most beloved creator of The Awkward Yeti* recently posted this cartoon. It perfectly illustrates how I, and I’m sure every other person on the planet, feels right. I know I am counting the days until next year (or at least until November 3rd.)

*I’ve posted a few of Nick’s cartoons before but if you aren’t following him yet on Facebook and/or Twitter and/or Instagram,
you’re really missing out – myself I’m an Awkward Yeti Supporter, and proud of it!)

A few weeks ago something bad happened, I can’t remember specifically what it was, and a friend of mine said it wasn’t on their 2020 Apocalypse Bingo Card. They were joking but I thought, hey, I should actually make one of those. So I did….

The problem was, I ran out of squares. The online bingo card generator I used only allowed for 25 squares. I’m guessing any more than that and the writing wouldn’t be legible. As I began to post my new bingo creation here and there people would say – oh, “you forgot this” or “you forgot that.” Daily, things would happen and I’d find myself saying, ARGH, I have no more squares!

Here are a few things that should be on the 2020 Apocalypse Bingo Card:

  • Russian Bounties
  • COVID-19 Cyberattacks
  • Wildfires in California
  • Harvey Weinstein sentenced to prison (which of course is a good thing but he should never have gotten away with his atrocities for so long. Also, just this week, a judge quashed the class action suit the victims had made against Weinstein and his production company basically leaving them in limbo on whether they will ever get any restitution. As a friend said to me earlier today, THIS is why we cannot have all white men on the bench anymore. )
  • Ghislaine Maxwell (Jeffrey Epstein redux)
  • US withdraws from the World Health Organization
  • Tornadoes in the southern United States
  • (Continued) Declining Freedom of the Press
  • Bubonic plague
  • Mask “protesters” (THIS is insane)
  • Roger Stone pardon (can’t believe he really did this)
  • Kanye West drops out of the Presidential Race after less than two weeks
  • Ivanka Trump poses with a can of GOYA beans on her twitter (can you say ethics violation?)
  • Elon Musk (pretty much anything that comes out of his mouth anymore)
  • Twitter Bitcoin hack
  • Kanye West actually is running for president (it seems, will be on a few state’s ballots after all)
  • Duda reelected (the autocratic, nationalistic, and anti-LGBTQ president of Poland was re-elected by a slim margin)
  • CIA conducted secret cyber attacks against Iran (but the bigger concern is that the CIA has been given authority to choose targets without White House approval and that a new secret order issued by Donald Trump gave the agency broad power, undoing many restrictions that had been put in place by previous administrations)
  • Smear campaign of Dr. Anthony Fauci – also insane and DANGEROUS
  • The SUPREME COURT ruled that Trump has to hand over his tax forms to the Manhattan District Attorney and his legal team is trying to figure out a way around the decision.
  • Economic Recession

So that’s 20 more squares that would be needed. That would be one huge mother of a bingo card. And I bet you can come up with even more. This year can just BITE ME.

Still, even though not much has changed from a month ago or two months ago and there still is a shitstorm going on in the world, I’ve decided that I think I’m ready to wade back in. Note the wade part. My biggest concern has been a fear of criticism. I’m feeling nervous about whether I want to or can endure trolls at the moment. Which is why I have been avoiding, for the most part, anything controversial. But honestly, I am just too damned opinionated and passionate about things to not use an available platform and I need to start using my voice again. So, here goes…

https://giphy.com/gifs/water-sea-ocean-wJiFJzcOIq3d0eKLq

Five Things I Love (5-25-2020)

May 25, 2020 / / 0 Comments

With the long holiday weekend I almost forgot to post this. It’s Monday, right? (I have completely lost track of time…)

  1. This Roman Catholic priest in Detroit practicing physical distancing by spraying holy water with a squirt gun into cars –
Timothy Pelc conducts the traditional Blessing of the Easter Baskets at St Ambrose Catholic church in April.
Photograph: Jim West/Zuma Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

2. This wonderful Google Doodle celebrating Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s 61st birthday. I’m a huge fan of Google Doodles, even have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to my favorite ones. I particularly loved this one, mostly because my Mom adored Israel’s most famous song.

3. This Afghan all-girls robotics team, who have taken on the challenge of trying to build a ventilator out of car parts from old Toyota Corollas. They are following a design from M.I.T.

Elham Mansori, Florence Poya, Nahida Khajazadeh and Somaya Farooqi, members of the Afghan Dreamers, are building a mechanized version of the hand-operated ventilator. / The Digital Citizen Fund

4. Read-aloud version of James and the Giant Peach by Taika Waititi who is joined by (wait for it) two of the Hemsworths – Chris and Liam – and Nick Kroll!!! I mean, I would have been over the moon if it had been Taika alone but Jeez Louise. And wait until you see who joins Taika in the subsequent episodes (Merle & Benedict are fantastic!) My good friend Leann posted this on Facebook and I practically fell out of my comfy, red chair (which I have been sitting in for 74 days. It’s possible some sort of vacuum seal may have formed between myself and the chair. I really should stand up. Kidding of course.)

5. This photo of my cousins (well I call them my cousin-nieces and cousin-nephews because my cousin’s kids are more like nieces & a nephew to me because my cousins are more like siblings to me.) ANYWAY, this photo of my cousins visiting my Aunt & Uncle during the pandemic. But here’s the thing. My cousins live in a Chicago Suburb and my Aunt & Uncle live in Dubuque, IA so what they did was drive for 6 hours round trip just so they could all stand outside in the driveway talking to one another IN REAL LIFE. I mean, how sweet is that?!? In this photo my Aunt & Uncle are giving the kids hugs. They are so cute.

6. OMG, have you seen Chef Baby Kobe???

7. Modular Cheat (Pan) Sheets – this brilliant Kickstarter only has about 60 hours left to go so if you want to order them you better hurry. The people behind this product were looking for $10,000 in pledges and are currently at $2,108,930! They have nearly 25,000 backers, including me. I know that I will be using these a LOT.

Five Things I Love (5-11-2020)

May 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments
  1. Kimmy Schmidt is coming back, couldn’t happen at a better time!!!

2. Angela Lansbury – a friend of mine told me about this marvelous twitter thread – Angela Lansbury as Teapots. Ms. @Pandamoanimum (I’m assuming this is a woman, which is completely sexist I know, but I feel fairly confident that I am correct) is super clever & creative. She’s taken a series of fabulous photographs of Angela Lansbury, some from her later Murder, She Wrote days, some from her early film career, and paired them up with perfectly matching teapots. The result is, well, see for yourself.

After looking through all the wonderfully imaginative match-ups I felt challenged and decided I had to give it a whirl myself. Here is my first attempt, what do you think? (The photo of Angela is from the film, Samson & Delilah – was she a babe or what?)

While searching for photos of Ms. Lansbury to use to pair with teapots I ran across this fabulous article – Living My Life Like Angela Lansbury. The author of the article, a HUGE fan of Murder, She Wrote, decided to spend a solid day following the advice found in Angela’s book (photo below.) I was astonished to see that what Lansbury recommended in a book nearly thirty years old is exactly what health experts are telling people to do today. It’s no wonder she’s lived so long! SO, I found a used copy and ordered one for myself.

3. Elephant Feet – truth be told I am generally grossed out by anything anatomical but sometimes the wow factor overcomes my squeamishness.

Elephants foot compared to humans foot from woahdude

4. Corgi-butt buns – this Japanese bakery, the Utiwapayna bakery, creates all sorts of delightfully designed treats but these custard or apple jelly filled buns are by far my favorites. How cute are these???? If you have been to Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, they have a Japanese bakery, the Pastry House Hippo, that makes some adorable delicacies.

5. Composite Photos of the Moon by astrophysicist Andrew McCarthy (not to be confused with the actor.) These images are AMAZING. McCarthy has given the world the most extraordinary and clearest photos of the moon ever seen.

And remember, wear masks, stay home, and practice physical distancing. Here’s a wonderful drawing from another favorite artist of mine, Linzie Hunter.

Five Things I Love (1/20/2020)

January 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

1 Dead Feminists broadsides – I discovered the postcard versions in a shop in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. I wanted to get ALL of them but settled on one to start. The broadsides are nearly sold out but you can buy extra large (5″x 8″) postcard versions that are suitable for framing

2. I’m obsessed with ice bubbles. They’re created from methane gas which has frozen beneath the water. The methane gas forms as a result of microbes consuming dead organic matter at the bottom of a body of water, usually a lake. Are the microbes basically burping up the methane gas?

3. This article about the real spies who were the inspiration for James Bond. Whoa.

“Before creating Bond in 1953, Ian Fleming served as a commander in the British Naval Intelligence during WWII.”

4. Have you tried the new ‘Beyonce’ of apples – the Cosmic Crisp? I’m a HUGE fan!

5. My sister-in-law’s floral artistic talents…. If you are in the Portland area, my brother & sister-in-law’s establishment will be opening soon. In the meantime you can follow them on Instagram.

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