The PMS Store

I've decided to dedicate this post to an idea I have for what I believe would be a very marketable business. The idea for this business came on a day  my friend and I were walking to Whole Foods to pick up some ingredients to make dinner.* On our way, we passed a store. Although I can't recall it's name, I do remember that its initials spelled out .PMS. This got us talking about how funny it would be if there was actually a store for women called The P.M.S. Store, in which women could buy the stereotypical things they might crave while PMS-ing. There could be stacks of chick flicks, a large assortment of gourmet chocolates, roses, perfume, Ibuprofen, teddy bears, and racks of warm robes. In the back there could be freezers full of Haagen Dazs ice cream. They would also sell those pouches you can fill with warm water. Everyone who worked there would be required to give female customers compliments as they left the store. It would be awesome. The more we thought about it, the more enthusiastic we grew.  We thought we'd just come up with the most genius idea ever, and wondered if anyone else had already thought of this, and if such a store existed somewhere. When we got home, we went straight to the computer to do some research.  It turns out there weren't and stores in current existence, at least not on the Internet. So just in case you were thinking of starting your own original business, this could be the market for you. That is all.

           

*So for that dinner I made some potato salad as a side. There wasn't any mayonnaise though so I had to make my own. In case you didn't know making mayonnaise requires using a raw egg. Anyways, I ate it really happily and didn't think much of it until 24 hours later when I had to spend the night at the hospital thanks to Salmonella. Not fun guys, don''t eat raw eggs. There's no way it'll be worth it.

The Supernaturality of Being Human

Superhero movies have recently become immensely popular. In the last decade there has been a surge in the production of superhero movies with "The Avengers," "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Amazing Spider-Man," "X-Men," "Iron Man," "Captain American," "The Fantastic Four," etc, etc, etc. But why are these kinds of movies so popular? Because, they click with something inside of us. Sure, most of us just laugh the intense scenes off with snarky comments and general impudence. But there's no denying that after watching a superhero movie, you feel a sense of elevation. You wish you too could have extraordinary powers and save the world. The funny thing is though, that you can (now its about to get cheesy). All too often, we absorb ourselves in a longing to have such a gift bestown upon us that we overlook the supernatural abilities we already have. For example, our opposable thumbs. If those were just taken away one day, life would be ridiculously hard. What about our ability to walk on two legs? Or see color? Or create language? Or our body's ability to heal itself and morph if survival is threatened? Those sound like pretty cool powers to me. You probably aren't convinced by these average examples though, so I'll try to provide more impressive ones. What about that sense you get that something just isn't right. That ability that most parents have to sense when their child is in danger even when they're miles apart. That's pretty cool. Usually it just takes the right circumstances for our powers to show. Like how we can lift incredible amounts of weight or run incredibly fast when put in life threatening situations. For example the old woman who lifted the car to save her son, or something. There's also those monks in some mountains who can regrow limbs. It just takes dedication people! The mind has incredible potential, far beyond any being's comprehension. I'm just saying, that old refrain "You can do anything you put your mind to" is way truer than it gets credit for (cheesiness again). Anyways, believe what you want, but the fact that there already are super-humans out there proves that its possible to do more than we do. The only thing holding us back is lack of determination and commitment. We're too afraid to be the first Eagle to fly the chicken coop. I just called society a chicken coop. Bam. But actually, humans are pretty cool so you should look into learning how to fly and walk through walls. Because you can do it. And most importantly, I believe in you.

Falling for the Fall

Capture the Fall: Sligo Creek


I had a lot of fun with this project seeing as it gave me an excuse to go out and take a nice, long walk. I got all of these clips one day when I was inspired to go outside into the freezing weather and capture the beauty that is Autumn. Personally I hate the Fall, but I have to admit it does look much prettier through a camera lens. I tried to intermingle peaceful nature shots with some more bizarre shots (e.g. car lights blinking, a rotting pumpkin, and a cat rolling around) since Fall isn't all about nature. After capturing the footage, I used WeVideo to put all the clips together and edit everything. The really hard part was actually finding the music for the project since I couldn't figure out how to download anything on my really slow and temperamental computer. But here are the fruits of my labor, so enjoy!

Earthships are AWESOME

         Earthships are awesome. It's not even debatable  When I first learned about them in 8th grade Earth-space science with Mrs. Peters (who I miss very dearly), I thought it was just about the coolest thing I'd ever heard of. Later I had the chance to design my own Earthship as a project. This I also enjoyed very much. Since I'm not sure how much everyone knows about Earthships I'll just give a general idea of what they are. Basically, they're completely sustainable homes that are super convenient and cheap to live in. So if its a house, then why is it called an Earthship? Because they're just that cool. Who wouldn't want to casually say "Oh yeah, you can come over to my Earthship later and we'll figure it out." Awesome. So anyways, Earthships are each originally designed and easy to build. In fact, a couple who had never built anything in their lives were able to single-handedly construct an Earthship in only 3 months. Earthships are also way less expensive than normal homes. The Simple Survival models cost around $7,000 while the more intricate ones start at around $70,000. Still not convinced that Earthships are a big deal? Ok.

1. They are made completely out of recycled materials. Tires, glass, cans, etc. Yet they are stunning. 

       <----ew, landfills.

           2. Earthships all have a couple of greenhouses that grow food ALL YEAR. The plants make the environment even more beautiful. Plus home grown food tastes so good. A lot of people also choose to build a fish pond of chicken coop as a source of meat.

           3. Earthships are so ingenious that they maintain a steady temperature of about 70 degrees year round. Even in blistering cold or hot climates. They are also built to let in lots of natural light.

           4. Earthships produce their own all-natural energy with solar panels and wind turbines. They also have an amazing system for recycling water. So you'll never be short of resources.

Are you convinced now? Me too. What I can't grasp then, is why people haven't been giving more attention to these revolutionary designs. I would think that by now everyone would be living in an Earthship. Or at least some project to start the process would have begun. I guess its just one of those things I'll never understand. Which I'll probably write more about in a blog some other week. Anyways, if you want to learn more about Earthships, which of course you do, then you should watch these videos or do some research on the world-wide web.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2so9hyNWxc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=haiWcI5NJo8&feature=endscreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKCdQUGH7qo&feature=related

The Magnificent World of Platypi (or is it platypuses? platypoda?)

I'd like to start this post off with a few images. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

  
 

Now, you must be thinking to yourself , my stars, why, that might be the most adorable thing my eyes ever did see. Don't be fooled. The platypus is not a creature to be toyed with. These glorious creatures are the sole survivors of their family and genus. According to myth, when the platypus was first discovered, scientists were outraged, believing the whole thing to be a cruel hoax in which someone has sewn a duck bill to a beaver-like animal. The platypus continues to amaze the science world with its awesome existence and will probably never be understood. So, without further ado, I present you with a plethora of facts about the platypus.

1. Although the platypus is a mammal, it doesn't bear live young. According to Wikipedia, it is one of the five existent species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs. This is one of the most commonly known facts about platypi.
2. There is no universally accepted plural for the word platypus.
3. Unlike a duck's hard beak, the platypuses bill is made from pliable cartilage.
4. As its natural defense, a platypus has poisonous spurs on its hind legs with venom strong enough to kill a dog.
5. The platypus uses its tail as a fat storage device. More than 50% of the animal's body fat is found in its tail.
6. A platypus' bill has a receptor system that can detect the electric impulses in other creature's muscles. The platypus uses these readings to locate their prey.
7. The word "platypus" means broad foot an comes from the Greek word "platys" meaning broad and pous foot.
8. The platypus' growl has been described as resembling a puppy's growl.
9. Only the young have teeth, after the platypus grows they fall out. Adult platypi use grinding pads in their bills to chew foot.
10. When the first platypus egg was hatched in captivity in 1999, a zookeeper described the accomplishment as the,"zoological equivalent of reaching the peak of Mount Everest".
11. There is not a single zoo outside of Australia with a platypus in it. This is because of the Australian government's strict rules about the removal of platypi from the country.
12. Platypuses are very solitary creatures.
13. Instead of beast-feeding, mother platypuses "sweat" milk which their young then lick off their fur.
14. The platypus has legs like an Otter, webbed feet like aquatic birds, a bill like a duck (hence the term, duck-billed platypus), and a tail like a beaver.
15. It's scientific name is "Ormithorhynchus anatinus."
16. The platypus has no visible ears.
17. Platypuses typically grow to be around the size of a typical household cat. Small but dangerous.
18. The platypus walks on it knuckles and only exposes its webbed feet for swimming.
19. The platypus swims with its ears, nose, and eyes closed.
20. The platypus sleeps an average of 17 hours a day.
21. Platypi don't have stomachs. Now all they have is a useless tube connecting its esophagus to its intestines.
22. To be able to run, the platypus retracts the webbing on its feet and exposes its nails.

And now, some videos to further entertain you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7_l_FdIuLs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsd7ZfdZcNU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ycejyi2t4A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Whh_eSA68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVPd6hf-Nlw

I hope you are as thoroughly amazed as I am. Unfortunately, I was unable to do as much research as I would have liked to since Hurricane Sandy knocked out my power for a couple of days. In order to give these awesome creatures the proper retribution they deserve, I'm considering doing a follow-up post about them in the future. In the meantime, if you would like to find out more about the platypus, Google is always there for your convenience.

Redemption Songs

     The funniest things happen to you on the Metro. I guess its just one of those places where the unexpected should be expected. Or maybe its just me. Since as far back as I can remember, the metro has been a sort of a gathering place for the unlikeliest of people to have the unlikeliest of encounters. Just try sitting on a bench there for ten minutes and you'll see what I mean.
      One time I saw an elderly woman doing chin-ups on those bars you hold onto when there aren't any seats left.  Another time I saw a little girl standing at the Metro's entrance, sadly sucking on her thumb. In one arm she held an over sized stuffed bunny, in the other, a sign that read, in rather crudely written letters, "I'm Running Away," or something of the sort. But that's another story
     Today I'd like to focus on something of a more extraordinary nature that occurred to me very recently. On Wednesday I was taking the metro to L'Enfant Plaza in D.C. when I saw a yellow piece of paper laying on the platform. Naturally, being the snoop I am, I slowly picked the letter up and opened it very discreetly. It was addressed to a person named Delilah. I guess she'd forgotten it there. Before I go any further I'd like to remind you that this actually happened. For some reason most every teenager I know has a really difficult time taking much of anything seriously. When something gets uncomfortable, we laugh or make a surprisingly inappropriate joke to ease the mood. Much like Chandler Bingh. But this made me stop and reconsider. Mrs. Cullen taught us that a good writer can stop and make you say "Hey, I never thought about it that way" even if you still don't agree. Well this good writer happened to be a current inmate in a detention center somewhere in Maryland.
      Getting back to the story, I began to read the letter and learned it was written by an inmate named Joseph. He was to be released from jail in two months. Although he did not disclose what he was being held for, he went into immense detail about an epiphany he had had in prison and what he planned to do when he first got out. "I got the first day all planned...Imma catch the train in Baltimore. Imma go to Lucas' day care and try to see him. They probably won't let me but Imma try. Then Imma go surprise my Mom at work. Then Imma go spend some time with her. Imma tell her everything." Joseph references this "she" several times in the letter. He says, "I want to take things slow because I have a lot of trust issues when it comes to her. She and I are going to have to rebuild our foundation. But I love her and would like for us to be together. But I wanna do it right." Most of the letter isn't sad though, surprisingly enough. In fact, Joseph has it all planned out. He wants to go back to school and become a social worker. He also hopes to visit some juvenile detention centers when he has more time to make sure that young kids are set in the right direction and can have a better life than he did. Most of all though, he wants to spend as much time as he can with Lucas and hope he can forgive him. That was pretty much it. I'd like to go into more detail but didn't want to say anything more that might give away too much information. I would have scanned the letter and posted it but it had some vulgar language worked in there. It was also unnecessary to get the point across. I was just inspired by how this guy managed to get such a positive perspective on what had happened to him and was so focused on fixing things rather than lingering on the past. Some of the things he said were cheesy, but they came from the heart. Its nice to know that its never too late to change yourself. As Bob Marley's song goes, "None but ourselves can free our minds." So I wish you luck, Joseph, whoever you are.

*Names of people and places in the letter were changed to protect the privacy of these individuals.