Go Juno!

I'm not a space geek, but was in awe while witnessing the fiery engine boost and spiral smoke trail of NASA's Juno spacecraft launch on top of an Atlas V rocket. This is the first spacecraft to operate on solar power rather than nuclear power. It's going on a six-year journey to learn more about our solar system and Jupiter.

Some fun facts:

-Weighs 4 tons

-Blades collect solar energy with 18,698 solar cells

-$1.1 billion mission cost

-Jupiter is 5X farther from the sun than Earth

I Don't Want to See Osama Bin Laden Dead

The government is pondering over whether or not to release the photographs of Osama Bin Laden with a gunshot to the head, which would prove that he is dead.  I, for one, do not wish to view these pictures.  I'm sure there are many people who would like to see them because they are curious or need proof.  But with today's technology, any photographs can be easily altered.  So, what's the point?!  It seems like we'd be gloating or just showing them off.  I think it's just sick to want to see them.  I know he doesn't deserve any respect or courtesy, but we don't have to stoop as low as him.  Already his name is all over the Internet.  There will probably be a movie made too.  That glorifies him.  Let the rest of him die in peace.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Lately, I've been fascinated with the sky.  I have a 22-minute commute to work that winds along the Indian River so I usually see the rising sun against the sky.  Some days it's cloudy while others are clear.  Each day is different.  I feel like I need to stop and pull over to capture the morning sky at that particular moment.  When I don't stop, I regret it.  So, I figure if I really like the sky that day that I should stop and take a picture.  That way, I'll always have a memory of how beautiful that day was and no two skies are alike.  It's another way of saying, "Stop and smell the roses."

Necessity, the mother of invention (Plato)

Designer handbags and purses, usually large, are a popular accessory these days.  Sometimes, I don’t want to lug my heavy bag with me so I stick my credit card, cash, cell phone and car key in my pockets which makes them bulge.  Sometimes I don’t have pockets.  My sister-in-law and I decided we need a small cloth bag that would be large enough to carry those few things, but still lightweight.  We saw some larger cloth purses at an outdoor market that she liked.  I don’t know how much they cost, but I said, “I used to make those when I was a teenager.  I can make you one!”  I went to a fabric store, picked out some quilted fabric and lining, and created a small bag for her.  It took me about two hours to cut and sew.  The hardest part was the strap because I couldn’t get the heavy quilted fabric to turn inside out so I created a new one by topstitching.  I’m quite pleased with this little bag.  Someone told me it looks like a Vera Bradley because of the printed material.  I’ll have to make this pocket purse for myself now.

I Just Saved $155 on My Car Insurance!

Sounds like an old radio commercial, but it's true.  My son just took the TeenSmart course, passed, and my insurance company gave us a discount. But more important than the savings is the course claims to reduce the chance of your teen getting into an accident.  Statistically, teens are more likly to be involved in accidents than any other age group. The course involves parents and teen viewing some videos, teen doing computer-based training, and hands-on driving with the parent.  The course can be completed over about a month's time and covers critical crash factors such as visual search, detecting hazards, perceiving risks, adjusting speed, managing space, and risky lifestyles. I highly recommend the course for teens and parents.

Unlimited Vacation?

Sounds like part of a dream job or is it a joke? Some companies like Social Strata and Netflix are offering this unbelievable benefit. They justify its offering by saying most of their employees are hard workers or on call anyway so they deserve to take off whenever they want without having to account for it. The caveat is that this is for professional employees, not factory workers, because you can’t have the assembly line shut down. I know many professional employees who are losing their vacation time because they can’t take time off from important projects. And then there are others who really can’t afford to take time off to actually go somewhere. So, for them there’s always the “stay-cation.” They still would be checking emails and ticking off some housework list. Not really my idea of a vacation. There’s usually one person who takes advantage of the situation. But if they’re on vacation a lot and not missed, so will be their job. So, will more companies be offering unlimited vacations as a benefit? I don’t think so.

Things I Didn't Know About Armadillos

After discovering a baby armadillo foraging in our yard, I did some research (thanks to Wikipedia):

They are known as "little armored one" in Spanish. They are nocturnal and sleep around 16 hours a day. They are very susceptible to cold weather due to their low body temperature. They are used for research in diseases such as Leoprosy. They are born as identical quadruplets that come from the same egg and placenta. They swim and float by trapping air in their intestines. They gather bugs and ants using their sharp claws to dig into the ground and have a long, sticky tongue to eat, but do not have enamel on their teeth. Baby Armadillos have a soft leathery skin that hardens with time. They can live up to 15 years.