From wunderground.com
Statement as of 4:08 AM EST on January 03, 2008
... Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect until 8 am EST this morning...
A Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect until 8 am EST this morning.
Arctic high pressure will continue to build across southern New England today. The combination of winds around 15 mph and temperatures between zero and 5 above will produce wind chill values as low as 18 degrees below zero early this morning. Temperatures will remain in the single digits all day today with wind chill values remaining below zero.
A Wind Chill Advisory means that very cold air and strong winds will combine to generate bitter cold wind chills. This can result in frostbite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not
taken. If you must venture outdoors... make sure you wear a hat... gloves... and several layers of clothing. A Wind Chill Advisory is issued when the wind chill index is likely to reach -15 to -24
degrees for at least 3 hours.
I have a very bad memory. I don't know if it's genetic, behavioral, or whatevertheheck, but, fact is, it's bad. My bad memory manifests itself in all the normal ways like forgetting names, faces, facts, words, etc.
But, to make things worse, because I am bilingual in English and Arabic, but was raised with Arabic and French (and have learned two others), if I get stuck on a word, I have to go through three different languages to remember it. I might remember the concept but not the word in any language, or I might remember the word in one language, but not in another. Or, if I'm really tired, I forget the word and the concept in all languages. Also, when I get tired or have had a little too much to drink, the same thing happens, but I also starts switching syntaxes. The result, while comical, is sometimes very frustrating.
Most times, I end up laughing it off, but when I'm trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about, and I get stuck, it is very frustrating. Same thing goes for writing. What sounds right to me, does not necessarily read properly, especially in academic-speak.
I'm trying to find ways of making my brain a little sharper. Caffeine and chocolate help temporarily, but the crash is a little rough sometimes. Same goes for sugar. I just crash, and then I just stop thinking right.
As if this was not enough... I was raised with the metric system. So for me, kilograms, centimeters, meters, liters all make sense. Pounds, inches, yards, and miles, not so much. The problem is that I was raised with certain things associated with each measure, against which I evaluate all other things. So, to have to jump into another system is a little challenging. I end up giving up, and consulting google, or asking B, who's a walking encyclopedia of these facts. Sometimes he can help, but other times, not so much.
Now I'm thinking about carrying a little index card with me with facts that I need to remember.
So, here's some random facts:
| Bearded Dragon: | My bearded dragon should eat collard greens and not kale. |
| Kale: | Curly tops, stems and leaves |
| Collard Greens: | Flat, large leaves, and have stalks |
| Inches to cm: | 1 inches = 2.54 centimeters |
| Temperatures: | I think for this one I have to remember specific values |
| Weights: | 1 kilograms = 2.20462262 pounds |
| Hot Dogs: | We don't like the skinny jewish weiners by Hebrew Nationals |
That's it for now. I'm sure there's plenty more, but I have to go brave the cold weather to go to the doc's.
And, just as I write this, I see that the Brain Gym has just opened an actual gym in San Francisco. For $60/month, people can play all the brain games (computerized and non) that they can.
I think I need to invest in a Brain Age game. Losing my memory is a very big concern of mine, since many women in my family just go nuts with their memories once they get in their late 40s. It's scary. We all used to laugh at them. I don't want to be that.
I identify with this comic WAAAYYY too much!
I just learned, that contrary to widespread beliefs, that Lincoln was really not a religious man. Shocking, I know, since many think the "God" talk indicated his love of religion. Not necessarily so. His writings indicate otherwise. He thought that to be a "believer" lead one to being an infidel, which to me points to his conviction that to be religious necessarily meant that one cannot be just, or patriotic, two things that he was vehemently an advocate for.
Here are some of my favorite quotes. There are many more, but these are the ones that stood out at me. They're not all about religion, those can be found here: http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/lincoln.htm
If I care to listen to every criticism, let alone act on them, then this shop may as well be closed for all other businesses. I have learned to do my best, and if the end result is good then I do not care for any criticism, but if the end result is not good, then even the praise of ten angels would not make the difference.That last quote left me speechless. It's amazing how far this country has moved from his ideals. It's very sad.
The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards.
The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Seriously, I do not think I fit for the presidency.
To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession.
The only person who is a worse liar than a faith healer is his patient. (BRILLIANT!)
When the Know-Nothings get control, it [the Declaration of Independence] will read: "All men are created equal except negroes, foreigners and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.
Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose, and you allow him to make war at pleasure....
If today he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, "I see no probability of the British invading us," but he will say to you, "Be silent; I see it, if you don't."