Carnegie Mellon University and HERETIC

This is Aubrey with her new Carnegie Mellon sweatshirt, in the car after we went to visit the university on Friday. I absolutely loved the school, which is a good thing because Aubrey decided that's where she's going to go in the Fall. The school is ranked in the top 20 universities in the United States, and I am stinkin' proud. Everyone says this, but I really mean it: I am too young to have a child starting college. 3 people in the past month have guessed my age to be 28. I am turning 40 next month, so I guess really I just LOOK too young. :)


Here are some pictures of the gorgeous campus with some of the gorgeous students.

This morning I saw a license plate that said HERETIC. This cracked me up. It seems that people put on their license plates a single word that defines them or a big part of them. What was this person's story? Alas, I will never be able to ask. But I imagined myself having that same license plate, and I got a kick out of imagining driving my car into the church parking lot and parking it there. And imagining all the unspoken reactions of my kind brethren and sistren in the gospel. How concerned and bemused they would be! I would love the deviousness and brashness of myself.

does cocaine taste sweet?

Today I was curious, so I looked up what cocaine tastes like. I wondered if it could be used as an artificial sweetener? Answer: no. Someone said it tastes like chicken, but others said it is a wonderful, distinctive, classic sort of bitter and makes your mouth numb after about 2 minutes. The bitterness is enhanced by the cutting agents like flour, cornstarch, and baking soda, that are added in. People describe "the drip" from the nose down the throat as having its own distinct taste as well. I also learned that cocaine makes you go poo almost immediately. I have thoroughly enjoyed the reading I did concerning cocaine this afternoon.

Probability

My coworker suggested that the subject of the day be Probability. The word Probability derives from the Latin "probity", as in the Probity Probe made famous in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. A Probity Probe detects spells of concealment and hidden magical objects. The detector made its first appearance in Order of the Phoenix as thin and golden in colour. After Voldemort's return, Probes were used as part of the increased security at Gringotts. They are last seen when Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrive at Gringotts to rob the vault of one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. A quotation, if you will: "I got it out of your vault for you, Harry, because it's taking about five hours for the public to get their gold at the moment, the goblins have tightened security so much. Two days ago Arkie Philpott had a Probity Probe stuck up his... Well, trust me, this way's easier."

Anyone on whom a Probity Probe can be used has Probability.

Canadian Nyquil

This is a picture of my mother's nose. She has a cold, see? Poor nose. However, she has discovered the helpful powers of Canadian Nyquil (generic). Canadian Nyquil contains an ingredient that US Nyquil no longer is allowed to have in it: pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. I have interviewed her about her experience with it.

• What is the medication you are taking? Equate brand Nighttime Cold and Flu Relief. On the package it says, "Caution: use under doctor's supervision. Contains enough drug to seriously harm a child."


• What symptoms are you experiencing? A head cold: stuffy, runny nose; sore throat; headache; cough; general blahziness. [She insisted that I spell "blahziness" with a z rather than with an s.]


• Does the medication work on your symptoms? No. It might clear up some congestion in my nose.


• What other effects does it have? It makes me sleep, which is good when a person is sick. This is also good because normally I can't sleep with my mouth open (due to congestion). It makes me have loopiness, fuzziness, memory loss, and perhaps a feeling of drunkenness, though I have never been drunk in my life. [It is this interviewer's strong opinion that she was experiencing loopiness at the time of the interview.] It also makes me feel like I am taking something illegal.


• How much does this medication cost? I don't know. Probably the same as Nyquil in the US.


• How does one get it? You go to Canada to buy it. It's okay to bring over the border.
  

My new bra

Today I am walking with a spring in my step, because I bought a new $50 bra yesterday. See, I have gained some weight, and it is nice to have the changed girls coddled properly. They precede me when I walk into a room now, as they should when they are of such mass and girth. I call the bra my "New Monstrosity." You might think I am being indelicate here, but I am not: I am not mentioning the size.

Do you know how hard it is to find a picture of a bra without a woman in it? It is impossible. So I had to go in the bathroom and take mine off and snap a picture of it.

I only like Steven

Bones ending scene

One of the best scenes ever on TV. Heartbreaking. The right half of it is cut off, but if you click on the video twice, you can see the whole frame. *Bones spoiler alert*

paranoid and jumping

I call this picture "paranoid at work."

Quotation of the day: "I ate a four-leaf clover for good luck." --Rebekah H.

Here is Rebekah high jumping: