This American Life

Do you listen to "This American Life" on NPR? It's a show of documentary vingettes that are usually odd/funny in some way. It rarely fails to make me laugh.

THIS episode is my most recent favorite..the theme is "Nice Work if you Can Get it". It profiles folks that have interesting/odd jobs. The best BEST part is where John Hogman, the guy from the Daily Show but mostly known as "PC" in the "I'm a PC..I'm a MAC" commercials, talks about the day he walked into the Apple store.

HERE is the link to the This American Life episode. (click on FULL EPISODE button to the left)

Organ Donor Registry NJ

Live in NJ? Registered as an organ donor? If not, click HERE to get it done. Oh - and don't forget to tell your family about your wishes.

Yey.

Don't be fooled...

Gimmick-girl is the new VP pick?

A pro-life, social conservative. NOT a replacement for Hillary. Yikes.

Bored at Work?

Here's something that's been on youTube for at least 2 years. It's a live-action version of the Simpsons intro. Pretty funny. Enjoy!

Pretty Wordy Thing

This is the prettiest and coolest (and most random) thing I've seen in a while. There's a site called www.wordle.com that will make artwork out of a piece of writing, a web site, or a blog. It beautifully arranges words based on their frequency..and makes a very pretty, stylized word arrangement.

Confused? Me too. But it's oh-so-pretty.

Click HERE for one sample. Click HERE for another. These are both made by inserting my blog address and their system does the rest.

My job (at CHOP) isn't usually funny, but....

A family at the hospital that I know well...had a very unexpected medical emergency at home with their son. In an email to me recounting what happened, the Mom said that she and her husband were so panicked that they couldn't think of the number for 911.

She writes "When all the excitement was going on N and I could not think of the number for 911. When I went home to get changed and check on the house i looked at the redial numbers and I had dialed 901,991,119 and the best one 999 so please have it on speed dial at your home as I have recently programmed mine."

Good advice, of course. But that's not the funny part. Both parents are Philadelphia POLICE OFFICERS!


(I am not making this up)

The son is going to be ok.

Mmmmmmm, calcium

My good friend Amy L. works at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia as the Development Director.

There was an interesting article on msnbc.com today that explained some fascinating discoveries they have made recently at Monell regarding taste. In a nut shell, we were thought to have 4 main taste receptors: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. The distinct receptor for a taste called "umami" (savory) was recently added. And TODAY - they announced research that shows that we have receptors for yet another flavor...calcium.

Click HERE to read the article. (it may be worth it, the scientist is quoted as describing the flavor as "calcium-y")

Then click HERE to donate money to support this interesting work. (good enough Am?)

Claws for Hands

Has anyone tried to write anything long-hand lately? I just wrote 5 thank-you notes, and could BARELY do it. The results were not pretty, and I had to waste 3 cards to start over when I made mistakes. (I did things like suddenly print the word 'the' when the rest of the note was cursive)

Once the panic died down and I concluded that I don't have MS or Parkinson's, I realized that I was struggling because I don't write anymore. I type. And my muscles don't know how to write smoothly without a great deal of concentration.

I'm going to ask Abby to give me some cursive lessons when she comes home.

5%?

John McCain is up 5% over Barak Obama.

I know I've said this before, but this time I mean it. I'm leaving America behind if another old, white male Republican gets elected.

Do you make Scrapbooks?

I don't.

But I encourage the Mom's in the NICU at CHOP to go to the weekly scrapbooking sessions that we host on Tuesdays. It's therapeutic for the parents (mostly Moms) to go as it gives them an opportunity to do something (anything!) that falls under the "normal parenting" category. It also gives them a chance to talk to other parents coping with the same stresses. (and it's not called a support group)

I facilitate these sessions whenever it's needed. It's quite powerful to see how much better these folks feel after doing something simple like cutting out shapes, putting stickers on pages, and chatting with other parents. A break from staring at monitors and standing vigil at a bedside where you can't touch your baby cannot be underestimated.

Why am I telling you about this?

We go through tons of supplies each week. We have some funding, but it's not enough. I've been told that scrapbookers always have tons of supplies that they haven't used. Packets of stickers, packs of acid-free patterned paper and sheets of letter stickers, etc. We welcome ANY supplies you may spare. It doesn't necessarily have to be baby-themed...some parents have gone with entirely sports-themed books!

THANK YOU!

(email me at martiner@email.chop.edu if you have anything...thanks!)

I got stuck

...reading about this today. With all the news about the conflict (war!) in Georgia, there was talk about this region of the world..the Caucasus. (the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea)

What's I wanted to share is that this region of the world is where we find the origins of the word CAUCASIAN.

Is this to somehow suggest that white people are from this area of the world? Nope. Like so many words, the meaning has gotten muddied over time.

Here's some interesting parts of the story:

-In the 19th century, scientists working to classify the races of the world began t believe that by looking at skull features, the people of Caucasus' were the "first race". This was heavily influenced by their belief that this mountainous region was where Noah's arc landed - and thus was the birth place of human civilization. (or the re-birth)

-Over many years, Europeans then began to apply virtue to this classification - saw themselves in this "pure and/or original" race..applied light skin color as part of the virtue ...and started to refer to themselves as Caucasian. Other folks - some Asian Indians, for example, are technically Caucasian - but that definition fell out of favor.

-In the 20th century, the word Caucasian to mean "white" fell out of use in Europe and elsewhere, except for in the States. When they say "Caucasian" in Europe, they are now, once again, referring to folks from Georgia or their neighbors. To identify "white" they may use "Europid" or "Europoid".

There are other twists and turns in the story of this term, I've only shared some parts that caught my eye. Click HERE and/or HERE to read some good articles if you want to learn more.

I need to get a social life.

WHY?

Why did I do it?

I signed up for Facebook. Do I need more friends? (nope) Am I trying to be hip like the babysitters? (a lost cause) Am I bored and lonely because my girls are away on vacation? (BINGO!)

It has been fun, though. I've connected with folks I really LIKED from high school.(John, Debbie, Shin, Kelly, etc) But now I'm feeling fat and want to start preparing immediately for the next class reunion. Since they just had their (our) 20th reunion last year - I only have 5 years to get a face lift, tummy tuck and get the body of Dara Torres.

I won't have time to be posting anymore...I'll be at the gym.

The Feudal Kingdom of Martiner

I always joke that I'm running a feudal kingdom around here - that's how I get things done. A guy for the lawn, a cleaning person, babysitters and (previously) an army of therapists for Grace.

But no one has every been paid enough to require me to deal with payroll taxes. Now that I'm going to start working full time for the 1st time since, well, 1998, I need to figure out the child care/nanny situation. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Help!

Uncle Win II

A little more information about Win Mortimer (my mother's fancy new relation). He was a very prolific artist with DC and National comics and one of the things he did was the daily Superman comics that ran in the papers in the early 1950's. (see above)

Uncle Win?

How cool is this? It turns out that Win Mortimer, a well-known artist with DC Comics that drew things like Superman and Batman,(read about him HERE), may be my Mother's uncle. Or great uncle. Definately a male relation.

Extras part trois

This is the Extras clip with Patrick Stewart. Sooo funny.

X Marks the Spot

I'm so pleased. When worrying about what to do with all the files/pictures on my work computer, and knowing that it wouldn't all fit on my flash drive, Bill told me about something great. It's online storage.

At www.xdrive.com (I'm sure there are many others, as well), you can save up to 5GB of data for FREE! If you have much more than that to save - you can get a montly plan for $9 (approx).

I think it's a wonderful idea - making worries about damaged/dropped laptops and viruses a thing of the past. And it keeps me from having to spend $100 on a zip drive.

Why didn't I know about this before?

E A G L E S..........EAGLES!

I think David and Christine are ill. They've invited me to go with David to the Eagles season-opener (is it the real season? or pre-season?) YEY...it's such an event to go to games. (although I miss the tv commentary because, once again, I need to be told what to think)

David hasn't decided yet if I'll have to paint my face green.

Sigh

I miss my girls.

More More More!

By request - here's the CLASSIC Ricky Gervais/David Bowie clip. Yey.

On a Lighter Note

I hope you all watched "Extras" on HBO. Ricky Gervais is a favorite of mine. Here's a clip from Extras where Ricky is going in to audition for Sir Ian McKellen:

Autism, part deux

Speaking of Autism, there is an interesting article online (msnbc.com) that details a few cases of disruptive autistic kids (or young adults) that have met both friendly and not-so-accommodating reactions.

Click HERE for the article.

What do I think? I usually avoid taking my Grace to places I know she'll struggle. It's no fun for her and REALLY no fun for Abby and me. So many friends and family that haven't seen Gracie "melt down" don't understand how catastrophic it can be...and think we ought to push going to places like church and shopping.

We don't hide in the house, of course. We go to restaurants that are familiar to Grace and I usually have a game-plan discussion with Abby in case we have to beat a quick escape.

One thing that's important to me is that I like to avoid telling waitresses/hostesses that Grace has special needs. Folks are always kind...and mean well. But I end up spending time managing their expectations and anticipations and emotions about what might be helpful. Restaurant managers will inevitably appear and make double-triple sure that everything is ok. There's nothing that they need to do! It's enough to have to live with Autism every day...having to discuss it with folks...reassure them that we're ok...and field questions about Grace's disability...takes up my time and really only meets their needs. One regular restaurant had a waitress that always wanted to discuss the fact that god has a plan for Grace, and that we're in her prayers. SO NICE, but we're seeking normalcy...so we don't go to that diner anymore.

Of course, there are times when I need help. And I'll tell every able-bodied person within reach that we need help and/or special considerations. People have always been kind.

There have been a few occasions when people have reacted negatively to Grace's behavior, of course. One woman explained to her friend that "that little girl needs a spanking!" I did not engage with her. I can't be bothered to spend my time on baloney like that, right?

Here ends my sermon. (sorry)

For Becky M.

This is for Becky....or anyone that wants to get a magnet, pin or tee shirt that shows your support of families/kids affected by Autism. (like us, but hey - no pressure)

HERE is the link to the Autism Society of America - Philadelphia Chapter's web site. Click on the "merchandise" button to the left. All proceeds go to the local chapter of the ASA.

Thank you!

UPDATE: The link above is FIXED...sorry!

It's time to panic, I think.

I've looked at the registerd sex offender list once before - it was hard to read - just a list of first initials and last names in my zip code.

Now the Family Watchdog organization has made it easier to freak out. If you go to their web site and enter your address, you can see where EVERY SORT OF SEX OFFENDER LIVES IN RELATION TO YOUR HOME.

On a totally unrelated subject, does anyone know where I can buy leashes that will fit a 7 and 9 year old girl?

Click HERE to go to the Family Watchdog site. Prepare yourself.....

Explainations!

A great article on Slate.com that answers questions about the Olympics like:

-why do the divers shower off immediately after each dive?

-why do the fencers shriek?

-do medal winners get prize money? (yes! a lot!)

http://www.slate.com/id/2197364/

Sites I like

Ok. So here are a few sites I like. I grouped them by funny, news and gossip.

FUNNY

www.funnyordie.com - Site started by Will Ferrell (and friends) to post funny little videos and clips from their movies. (outtakes and the like)

www.theonion.com - Fake news. Feels like it used to be funnier - but always good for a laugh.

www.comedycentral.com - You can watch all the funny bits from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and never feel tempted to stay up late.

NEWS

www.slate.com - Ok ok. It's slightly lefty - but that's probably why I like it. Especially the "Explainer" column where something in the news (Mars, Olympic competition, etc) are explained by an expert.

www.huffingtonpost.com - Remember Arianna Huffington? Yup - this is the very well established news blog. Always something interesting...and a bit more detailed than elsewhere.

GOSSIP
(wait, are we still pretending that we don't all read this stuff online?)

www.gawker.com - this is one of the early and most established online entertainment/news blogs. I like how they cover how the media covers the news. (they've been very critical of the Edwards affair was handled)

www.jossip.com - Been around a while. I really like their frequent posts that include links to OTHER sites - and some unique/interesting posts they may have. (keeps me from having to look around)

www.thesuperficial.com - A very funny spin on gossip blogs. Brutally makes fun of everyone. I get burnt out on it sometimes - and then check back after a few months and it cracks me up all over again.

Closing in on $1

$0.81

That's what I've made so far from the advertising on this blog. I was hoping to get $4 or $5 by my birthday to pay for a beer. But I just learned that they won't send a check until it's at least $100.

So someone else will have to buy me a beer for my 40th I guess.

The Five Rings

Has anyone been watching the Olympics? I had this great plan to watch interesting events via online streaming. Sadly, it both doesn't work (very jumpy connection) and it also doesn't include the commentary. (yes, I need to be told what opinions to hold about the event while I'm watching it)

I'm interested to hear if anyone else is having a better experience.

Baaaaaaad Boy

So John Edwards had an affair with Rielle whats-her-face. Maybe a baby, too. Disappointing. But, I just noticed something. Here's the picture that cnn.com is running of them as their headline. She looks remarkably like Prince Charle's horse-faced wife, doesn't she?



And here's the same woman as shown on the msnbc.com website. She looks attractive. (the red letter A is barely noticeable)

Is CNN editorializing with their photo selection? Of course. But in this case...I think it's HILARIOUS. I hope that picture becomes the one all the news outlets use. She'll want to shoot herself. haha.

The Count Down

Apparently, when you figure out the life span averages, we each will get to live approximately 30,000 days.

Click HERE to enter your birthday and see how far along you are.

ps. This is my 14,469th day.

pps. I don't think these 30,000 days will be equally enjoyable. I want to see a calculator that figures out how many "good", "pain full", "amazing", "sad" days we are likely to get. I imagine the nice ones are front-loaded. Or maybe I'm wrong about that.

Mean Spirited or Concerned?

I want to know what on earth is wrong with George Lucas' neck. A goiter? Tumor? Unfortunate fat deposit?

I know - it's rude to point out someone's physical, um, differences. But it's quite SOMETHING...isn't it?

Grey Gardens Auction

I am one of the many fans of the very old documentary Grey Gardens. It has had a cult following for many years. (click HERE if you want to read a bit about it- there's no way to describe what it is in a nutshell sadly)

Daphne D. just sent me THIS LINK to an eBay auction for a paper doll of Edie! It comes with 12 outfits! It looks to be a one-of-a-kind item created by an obsessed fan. Fantastic.

(from the movie) Edie: This is the best thing to wear for today, you understand. Because I don't like women in skirts and the best thing is to wear pantyhose or some pants under a short skirt, I think. Then you have the pants under the skirt and then you can pull the stockings up over the pants underneath the skirt. And you can always take off the skirt and use it as a cape. So I think this is the best costume for today

Sigh

This picture is of Abby on Cape Cod a year ago this week. She doesn't get home until the 24th.

Sigh.

Random Information

Crickets hear through their knees.

According to the ceremonial customs of Orthodox Judaism, it is officially sundown when you cannot tell the difference between a black thread and a red one.

A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time and is 1/100th of a second.

In Kenya they don't drive on the right or left side of the street in particular, just on whichever side is smoother.

'Strengths' is the longest word in the English language with just one vowel. (for scrabble lovers)

AM and PM stand for "Ante-Meridian" and "Post-Meridian," respectively (I always wondered about that and looked it up)

Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

The "ZIP" in Zip Code stands for "Zone Improvement Plan."

The dot above an 'i' is called a tittle

and finally

Charles de Gaulle's final words were, "It hurts."


I feel better sharing these on here. I won't have to tell anyone these in PERSON and actually see the look of annoyance or the inevitable eye roll. Pheew.

Insufferable

I predict that I'm going to be an insufferable bore about organ donation soon. To get it out of the way...if you haven't signed up to be a registered organ donor (in PA) click HERE to get it done.

Once you register, it means that if something bad happens (car accident, bad flu, gall stones) they can take your body and use the good spare parts for sick folks and do whatever crazy experiments occur to them with the left over pieces. I think. Not sure. Will confirm once I start at the Gift of Life.

Just register.

Fuzzy Wuzzie Cutie Pies

So here's an hilarious site/blog to visit. It's www.cuteoverload.com. It's pictures of small furry things. You'll never be sad again.

Expanding my Horizon

I think many of us are going to the same few places online to get our news. Or to get some laughs. Or some gossip. (oh c'mon - we all do it)

Here's someplace new to consider. It's the NEW YORK magazine website. The "VULTURE" blog is smart, funny and has expanded my knowledge of the arts.

To be honest, I find that the New York Times "Arts" section can be a little...well....beyond my personal experience. It's reviews of ballet and modern dance are interesting, but don't relate to my knowledge base nor are about anything I'm likely to see. This New York column (blog) is updated all day long and includes pieces about mass market and indie movies, music, and tv among other things. It always has an interesting take on the online world and what's being written/produced out there, as well.

The address to the website is http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/ (or your can click HERE to go there now)

Let me know what you think!

Dr. Horrible

If you like:

*clever comedy
*musical theater that makes serious fun of musical theater
*spending time (aka wasting your life) online watching content whilst congratulating yourself for not watching too much tv.

than you'll like this:



Click here to read a review/explanation of what it is.

Chocolately Goodness

Amy L. gave me a chocolate heart - the anatomically correct kind- to celebrate my new exciting job. So nice.

My first day at The Gift of Life is August 26th.

http://www.donors1.org/

$5k Please

I just learned about the "All in for Kids" poker tournament that will be held in NYC in November. It will benefit CHOP's Palliative Medicine work. I want to go. There will be celebrities of all sort there - including from the poker world (Annie Duke!). I wanna go. Anyone have $5k lying around that they don't know how to spend?

Click HERE to read about the tournament.


Maybe I'll sell lemonade to raise the money...but I guess that's been done.