Grasshopper

Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is probably the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshoppers are plant-eaters, with a few species at times becoming serious pests of cereals, vegetables and pasture, especially when they swarm in their millions as locusts and destroy crops over wide areas. They protect themselves from predators by camouflage; when detected, many species attempt to startle the predator with a brilliantly-coloured wing-flash while jumping and (if adult) launching themselves into the air, usually flying for only a short distance. This one was blended in seamlessly with the concrete.

Hampton Flag

Not sure if I ever posted this, but it belongs here. Hilton wanted us to create individual flags for our hotels to represent our community. They were displayed at the global Hilton general manager conference. Ours did not win any trophies, but I was proud of it anyhow. The pink towers represent Malley's Chocolate Factory, the leg for The Christmas Story House, and the footballs for the Browns.

Shower

The glass shower door fell off the track and shattered upon impact with the tub.  It was a huge mess.

Bananas

Bananas are a tree-like perennial herb that replace themselves every year. They are an herb because the aerial parts of the parent plant die down to the ground after the growing season. It is a perennial because one of the offshoots growing at the base of the plant takes over and grows a new plant. Much like watermelon and grapes, the banana is also a berry! Botanically speaking, a berry has three distinct fleshy layers: the exocarp (outer skin), mesocarp (fleshy middle) and endocarp (innermost part, which holds the seeds).
The time between planting a banana plant and the harvest of the banana bunch is from 9 to 12 months. The flower appears in the sixth or seventh month. Bananas are available throughout the year - they do not have a growing 'season'. Bananas are grown in tropical regions where the average temperature is 80° F (27° C) and the yearly rainfall is between 78 and 98 inches. They require moist soil with good drainage. In fact, most bananas exported are grown within 30 degrees either side of the equator. Worldwide, there is no sharp distinction between "bananas" and "plantains". Especially in the Americas and Europe, "banana" usually refers to soft, sweet, dessert bananas, particularly those of the Cavendish group, which are the main exports from banana-growing countries. By contrast, Musa cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called "plantains". In other regions, such as Southeast Asia, many more kinds of banana are grown and eaten, so the simple two-fold distinction is not useful and is not made in local languages.

Coffee Time

Coffee is the second most traded commodity on earth. (Oil is number one)
Seventy percent of coffee beans are Arabica. Although less popular, Robusta is slightly more bitter and has twice as much caffeine.
There have been five attempts to ban coffee throughout history. Coffee was first banned in Mecca in 1511 because leaders believed it stimulated radical thinking.
Coffee stays warmer when you add cream. Coffee with added cream cools about 20% slower than plain black coffee. But when you add milk, it weakens the effects of caffeine.
Dark roast coffees have less caffeine than lighter roasts. Even though the flavor is often stronger, roasting actually burns off some of the caffeine.
Coffee has been found to reverse liver damage caused by alcohol.

Oplatek Wafers

The Christmas wafer is a central European Christian, Christmas tradition celebrated in Poland, Lithuania, and Slovakia during the Christmas Eve Vigil.  Oplatki are unleavened wafers identical in composition to the alter bread that becomes the Eucharist during a Catholic mass.  Being only a reminder of the Body of Christ used in private homes, Oplatki lack sanctification by priests or bishops.  The wafers are embossed with Christmas related images.
Wigilia (pronounced [vee-GEEL-ya] in Polish) is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland, held on December 24. The word "Wigilia" derives from the Latin verb vigilare, "to watch", and literally means 'eve'. Before partaking of the Christmas Eve meal, the family gathers around the table. The eldest member holds a large wafer and breaks off a piece to begin the ritual. The remaining wafer is passed on to another member while a prayer for loved ones is said. This continues until everyone at the table has a piece of the wafer. Finally, the family members consume their share quietly.

Wafer
1 c. Flour
1 c. Water
Mix into a smooth paste. Cook tablespoon sized chunks of dough on special oplatek plates, or you can use an electric pizzelle machine as well.

Christingle

Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year.  The name “Advent” actually comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” It was given to this time of year in December because Christians are waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ, who they believe is the Messiah or Son of God. This season is traditionally seen to be a time of waiting expectantly and happily and preparing for the Christmas season at the end of December. It is also a reminder of how the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah and how Christians are now waiting for the return of Christ.  One of Advent’s most prominent symbols is the candles lit at the beginning of each week. There are 3 purple or blue candles and one pink or rose candle – four total with one for each week. A fifth white candle may be added to be lit on Christmas day.  During mass at the beginning of each week, a special ceremony is performed to light that week’s candle. The candles’ fires burn during each mass so that by the end of Advent, all of the candles’ lights shine.  A Christingle is a fancy Advent orange that was designed with children in mind to teach them the symbolism surrounding the season.  The orange represents the world, a candle pushed into the center of the orange, then lit, represents Jesus as the Light of The World, a red ribbon wrapped around the orange represents the blood of Christ, and dried fruits on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange represents the fruits of the earth and the four seasons.

Bug Bites

Household ammonia is dilute ammonium hydroxide, which is also an ingredient of numerous other cleaning agents, including many window cleaning formulas. Ammonia is a base, or alkali, and alkalies neutralize acids. Most bug stings are acid based, like wasp and ant venom. So dabbing ammonia on the sting (or baking soda) will help neutralize the acid. But contrary to popular belief, honeybee stings will not be helped by this method. Honeybee venom is a protein, and amazingly, meat tenderizer works for this. The itch from mosquito bites is caused by histamine, the body's chemical reaction to the bug's saliva. Best remedy for this is hydrocortisone cream. Many natural remedy websites call for simple table sugar.  Sugar pastes, or honey help facilitate wound healing by reducing the amount of water within the wound, which significantly retards bacterial growth.  This can reduce scarring from scratching.  Wash all bite area with soapy water first.  Apply a cold compress if you need to reduce swelling. Take an allergy tablet and then apply one of the methods above. 

Minor Key

Transposing is moving to a different key (C Major to D major).  Changing from Major to Minor and vice versa is called a "change of mode" (C Major changed to C Minor).  C Major changed to E minor is both a change of mode and a transposition.  To get the parallel minor key of the original key, you flatten the third, sixth, and seventh degrees of the key. For example:
E major: E F# G# A B C# D#
E minor: E F# G A B C D 
Here are some examples of songs that have had a change of mode from a major key (written originally) to a minor key.
Hey Jude

Blackbird

Tears in Heaven


Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" switches between A minor and D minor seamlessly.

Lard

Pure lard contains no trans fats, and in terms of its fatty acids, it’s better than butter: Lard is 60 per cent monounsaturated fat, which is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease. Butter is 45 per cent monounsaturated fat.  Most of lard’s monounsaturated fat is oleic acid, a heart-healthy essential fatty acid found in olive oil and associated with decreasing LDLs, thus lowering “bad” cholesterol. Lard contains about double the amount of oleic acid found in butter.  Lard’s smoke point is high, about 375F, making it the ideal frying oil, offering lighter, fluffier, flakier and crispier battered chicken and pie crusts fried in a shorter time, without burning and turning carcinogenic.  Lard and butter have the same trace amounts of cholesterol — about 95 milligrams per 100 grams of fat.  Lard is a source of linoleic acid, an omega 6 fatty acid most North American diets get too much of, but also associated with our body’s normal inflammatory response.  Lard is fattening. Like any fat, it boasts about nine calories per gram. Lard is healthier if you compared it to partially hydrogenated vegetable oils like Crisco. But that's not to say that lard is better than highly unsaturated omega-3 oils, like olive oil, which are considered the healthiest fats out there.  The big question is quantity!  My grocery store is now carrying exotic fats in the baking aisle.

Rue

Rue is grown throughout the world for its bluish leaves, and sometimes for its tolerance of hot and dry soil conditions. It is also cultivated as a medicinal herb, as a condiment, and to a lesser extent as an insect repellent.  Rue extracts can cause chemical liver damage.  Large doses can cause violent gastric pain, vomiting, systemic complications, and death.  The bitter taste of its leaves led to rue being associated with the (etymologically unrelated) verb rue "to regret". Rue is well known for its symbolic meaning of regret and it has sometimes been called "herb-of-grace" in literary works.  Rutin is one of the phenolic compounds found in the plant and contributes to the antibacterial properties of the plant.  Rutin is a citrus flavonoid glycoside found in many plants including buckwheat, asparagus, fruits and fruit rinds (especially the citrus fruits orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime) apples, berries such as mulberry and cranberries.  Only a small amount of rue is needed as it has a very strong flavor. The bitter taste can be reduced by acids.  To avoid the bitterness of rue a cook can use the fact that it releases its essential oil much more quickly than its bitter rutin. You can place the fresh leaves in slightly boiling sauce for about a minute and then remove it. This way you will get the flavor but not the bitterness.

In this experiment I have first cut the rue into small pieces with scissors.  I added vodka to the rue and gently brought the mixture to a boil.  I immediately removed it from the stove and let it cool in a glass bottle for 3 days.  I will use this vodka to deglaze a meat dish that uses a tomato base.  I hope to gain the rue's flavor and  minimize the bitterness by the quick usage of heat, and abundant addition of acid from the tomatoes.

Divine Guardians

The 3 Divine Guardians, comprising a Chi Lin, a Fu Dog and a Pi Xiu, are celestial creatures sent to Earth by the God of Heaven to safeguard the trinity of Tien Ti Ren. Together, they form the trusted antidote to subdue the viciousness of the 3 Killings. It is said that the Chi Lin helps prevent losing your loved ones, Fu Dog protects your reputation and the Pi Xiu assists in combating against loss of wealth. Placing three dimensional images of these divine protectors in the afflicted sectors invokes their spiritual presence and creates a safeguard for all residents.

The Chi Lin, also known as Dragon Horse, is the Chinese Unicorn, a legendary creature with head of a dragon, scales of carp upon the body of a horse, and a tail consisting of little curls. The Chi Lin's presence is said to attract the powerful cosmic breath of the dragon, which promises good omens, wealth, success, longevity, wisdom, compassion and distinguished children. The magnificent Chi Lin is believed to have great protective abilities.

Fu Dogs are mythical animals and guardians of the heavenly gate. They have fear-inspiring faces and muscular bodies and are believed to be protectors that ward off evil influences and spirits. It is their task to probe the mind and intentions of the entering guest. The Fu Dogs also nourish Chi that enters the home or business premises and thus brings in good fortune.

The Pi Xiu is a mystical creature that is a particularly powerful and auspicious creature of good fortune. Chinese adore the Pi Xie because of its protective, obedient and loyal nature. It is believed that the Pi Xiu will always try its best to fulfill its owner’s wish and protect its owner from any harm. Pi Xiu also has the ability to help anyone having bad Feng Shui due to having offended the Grand Duke Jupiter (Tai Sui).

Safety First

A well-stocked first aid kit is a handy thing to have. To be prepared for emergencies keep a first aid kit in your home and in your car, carry a first aid kit with you or know where you can find one, know the location of first aid kits where you work. First aid kits come in many shapes and sizes. Some kits are designed for specific activities, such as hiking, camping or boating. Whether you buy a first aid kit or put one together, make sure it has all the items you may need; include any personal items such as medications and emergency phone numbers or other items your health-care provider may suggest, check the kit regularly, make sure the flashlight batteries work, check expiration dates and replace any used or out-of-date contents.

My first aid kits include:

bandages	large size bandages	adhesive tape
assorted sterile gauze pads	elastic bandage	gauze roll
sterile cotton-tipped swabs	Q-tips	pocket knife
scissors	tweezers	nail clippers
antiseptic spray	ammonia inhalant	itch relief spray
aloe gel	Sudaphed	burn cream
alcohol prep pads	pain reliever	chapstick
non latex medical gloves	hand sanitizer	instant cold pack
eye lubrication	antacids	Loperamide
hemostatic powder	glow sticks

Other useful things to have would be: sterile eyewash or saline, a blanket, first aid manual, antihistamine to treat allergies and swelling, decongestant, anti-nausea medicine, thermometer, tourniquet, suture kit, or bismuth subsalicylate.

Self Affirmation

Self-affirmation theory is a psychological theory that focuses on how individuals adapt to information or experiences that are threatening to their self-concept. Claude Steele originally popularized self-affirmation theory in the late 1980s, and it remains a well-studied theory in social psychological research. Self-affirmation theory contends that if individuals reflect on values that are personally relevant to them, they are less likely to experience distress and react defensively when confronted with information that contradicts or threatens their sense of self. Self-affirmation theory proposes that individuals are driven to protect their self-integrity. According to self-affirmation theory, self-integrity is one’s concept of himself or herself as a good, moral person, who acts in ways that are in accord with cultural and social norms. Steele purported that the self is made up of different domains: roles, values, and belief systems. Roles include responsibilities a person has, such as being a parent, friend, student, or professional. Values are aspirations people live in accordance to, including things like living healthfully and treating others with respect. Belief systems include the ideologies to which a person ascribes, such as religious or political beliefs. Self-integrity can take many forms. For example, self-integrity can take the form of being independent, intelligent, a helpful member of a society, part of a family, and/or part of a group. Threats against a person's self-integrity are events or messages that imply an individual is not good or adequate in a personally relevant domain. Self-affirmation theory suggests that when individuals face threat to one of these domains, they are motivated to maintain a positive global image of himself or herself. Instead of having one self-concept (e.g., I am a good parent), self-affirmation theory posits that individuals flexibly define who they are using various roles (e.g., I am a good parent, child, and worker). Having a flexible sense of self allows individual to offset weaknesses in one domain, by highlighting the strengths in another domain. That is, if someone perceives threat to one domain, he or she can accommodate this threat by upholding a value in another domain. Self-affirmations can come from many sources. Having a flexible self-concept allows people to adapt in the face of threat.

Diabetes

Excessive thirst and increased urination are classic diabetes symptoms. When you have diabetes, excess sugar (glucose) builds up in your blood. Your kidneys are forced to work overtime to filter and absorb the excess sugar. If your kidneys can't keep up, the excess sugar is excreted into your urine, dragging along fluids from your tissues. This triggers more frequent urination, which may leave you dehydrated. As you drink more fluids to quench your thirst, you'll urinate even more. Also, you may feel fatigued. Many factors can contribute to this. They include dehydration from increased urination and your body's inability to function properly, since it's less able to use sugar for energy needs. Diabetes symptoms sometimes involve your vision. High levels of blood sugar pull fluid from your tissues, including the lenses of your eyes. This affects your ability to focus. Doctors and people with diabetes have observed that infections seem more common if you have diabetes.  It may be that high levels of blood sugar impair your body's natural healing process and your ability to fight infections. Diabetes may weaken your ability to fight germs, which increases the risk of infection in your gums and in the bones that hold your teeth in place. Your gums may pull away from your teeth, your teeth may become loose, or you may develop sores or pockets of pus in your gums — especially if you have a gum infection before diabetes develops.  If you have diabetic nerve damage, which is called neuropathy, you could have an infected cut, scratch, or skin puncture and not know it.

St. Jude and St. anthony

Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.

St. Jude, the patron of lost causes, and St. Anthony of Padua, the finder of lost objects, are two saints who have attracted popular devotion. As in "Some days when we were little, we'd come home and not be able to find our mother and we'd pray to St. Anthony to help us find her. Then when we’d find her with her head in the oven, we would pray to St. Jude to make her sane again"

St. Jude is one of Jesus’ original twelve Apostles. He preached the Gospel with great passion, often in the most difficult circumstances. St. Jude is traditionally depicted carrying the image of Jesus in his hand. This recalls one of his miracles during his work spreading the Word of God. King Abagar of Edessa asked Jesus to cure him of leprosy and sent an artist to bring him a drawing of Jesus. Impressed with Abagar’s great faith, Jesus pressed His face on a cloth, leaving the image of His face on it. He gave the cloth to St. Jude, who took the image to Abagar and cured him. Actually, Jude had the same name as Judas Iscariot. Evidently because of the disgrace of that name, it was shortened to "Jude" in English. Because his name was similar to the traitor Judas Iscariot, few, if any faithful Christians prayed for his intervention, out of the mistaken belief that they would be praying to Judas Iscariot. As a result, St. Jude was little used, and so became eager to assist any who asked him, to the point of intervening in the most dire of circumstances. The Church also wanted to encourage veneration of this "forgotten" disciple. Therefore, the Church maintained that St. Jude would intervene in any lost cause to prove his saintliness and zeal for Christ, and thus St. Jude became the patron of lost causes.

Saint Anthony was born Fernando Martins in Lisbon, Portugal. By the age of fifteen he was sent to the Abbey of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, the then capital of Portugal. Following his ordination to the priesthood, he was named guest master and was responsible for the abbey's hospitality. When Franciscan friars settled a small hermitage outside Coimbra dedicated to Saint Anthony of Egypt, Fernando felt a longing to join them. Fernando eventually received permission to leave the Abbey so he could join the new Franciscan Order. When he was admitted, he changed his name to Anthony. Anthony was assigned to the hermitage of San Paolo An undetermined amount of time later, Dominican friars came to visit the Franciscans and there was confusion over who would present the homily. The Dominicans were known for their preaching, thus the Franciscans assumed it was they who would provide a homilist, but the Dominicans assumed the Franciscans would provide one. It was then the head of the Franciscan hermitage asked Anthony to speak on whatever the Holy Spirit told him to speak of. Though he tried to object, Anthony delivered an eloquent and moving homily that impressed both groups. Soon, news of his eloquence reached Francis of Assisi, who held a strong distrust of the brotherhood's commitment to a life of poverty. However, in Anthony, he found a friend.  In 1224, Francis entrusted his friars' pursuits of studies to Anthony. Anthony had a book of psalms that contained notes and comments to help when teaching students and, in a time when a printing press was not yet invented, he greatly valued it.  When a novice decided to leave the hermitage, he stole Anthony's valuable book. When Anthony discovered it was missing, he prayed it would be found or returned to him. The thief did return the book and in an extra step returned to the Order as well. So simple and resounding were Anthony's teachings of the Catholic Faith, that the most unlettered and innocent could understand his messages. Anthony was only 36-years-old when he died and was canonized less than one year afterward by Pope Gregory IX.
It is interesting to note that, although Anthony has been frequently portrayed in art since his death in 1231, images of him with the Christ child did not become popular until the 17th century. In John 1, you can read about Jesus being the Word, and the Word is God. St. Francis preached the Word, and rather than depicting the Word as a bible, or scroll. They used the image of the infant Jesus. I think a stylistic choice was made, and it just caught on.

The Final Passover, The First Communion

Passover commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Israel had been in Egypt in bondage for over 400 years. They had been oppressed and enslaved. God delivered them by the leadership of Moses through a series of plagues. You can read about them in the opening chapters of the book of Exodus. Finally Pharaoh was so distraught at what was happening in his nation, that he let them go. The final plague was the death of the firstborn, the angel of death came and killed the firstborn in every family, the firstborn of man and animal unless you had sacrificed a lamb and splattered the blood on the doorposts and the side beams. Then the angel of death passed by.  The end of the Old Testament is the death of Jesus.
Luke chapter 22: “No man takes My life from Me. I lay it down by Myself.” You might assume that the Jewish leaders took the life of Jesus. You might assume that the Romans took the life of Jesus. And while the Jewish leaders wanted Him dead and the Romans executed Him, no one took His life from Him. It was a willing sacrifice in complete submission to and agreement with God. God chose Jesus to be the final Passover Lamb, to pay the penalty for sin for all who would believe.  But before Jesus dies, He is going to meet with His Apostles and He is going to end something and begin something. Luke 22:14 “And when the hour had come, He reclined at the table and His Apostles with Him, and He said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves, for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the Kingdom of God comes.’ And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of Me.’ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in My blood.’”
What can we say about the 'New Covenant in My blood'? The New Covenant is everything. Now we know that covenants were ratified by blood. For example: Exodus 24: “'We will obey...we will obey...we will obey,' and they sealed their covenant by being splattered with blood."- The disciples knew that blood, death, of an animal, an innocent substitute, was part of the sealing of a covenant. They also knew, Leviticus 17, the life of the flesh is in the blood, that atonement came through blood through death. They understood that sacrifice by death, shedding of blood, was part of accomplishing forgiveness of sin. Jesus says, “This now is not going to be a symbolic sacrifice part of the Old Testament, this is the real sacrifice, this is the blood not of the Old Covenant but the New Covenant. To put it another way, this evening Jesus brings to an end the Old Covenant and the Old Testament and inaugurates the New Covenant and the New Testament. He goes from Passover, the last legitimate Passover, to the Lord’s table, or communion. He ends millennia of a celebration looking back to God’s delivering power in Egypt and inaugurates a new memorial, looking back to the cross and the deliverance far greater accomplished there. The new covenant is God's pledge to forgive the sins of his people and to put his laws within us and to write them on our hearts, and to be our God and to make us his people.
I refute transubstantiation(the turning of bread into the literal physical body of Christ) and also consubstantiation (the turning of bread into His spiritual body). It’s not either. It’s simply a remembrance. It’s simply a symbol. Bread, earthly, fragile speaks of His body, earthly, fragile, subject to death as bread has the same declining properties of all things in the physical world. Christ took on human form, became subject to death. The bread reminds us that His body is given for you. In the Passover, the bread was called the bread of affliction, it commemorated their affliction in Egypt. It is no longer the bread of affliction. He’s going to transform it. “From now on, this is not going to remind you of the affliction from which God delivered the people out of Egypt, this is My body which is given for you.” This becomes the Holy Communion.

Leptotes Bicolor Update

Thinking of blooming.

Jars

Proposed Mash-Ups

Some songs share similar elements: the refrain, the tempo, the bass line, etc. And it is easy to hear similarities in certain songs.  Here are a few songs I have picked out for you audiofiles that are just ripe for creating me a mash-up.  You know how much I love a good mash-up!

1. Beatles - Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da and Offspring - Get a Job

2. TLC  - No Scrubs and IMx - Stay The Night
Just try not to stare at his crotch while you watch the video.

3.  Sara Barelles - Brave and Katy Perry - Roar

4. Beyonce - Halo and Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone

5. Madona - Express Yourself and Lady Gaga - Born This Way