Thankful Two For Tuesday

Because I missed yesterday, here's a two-fer.

I am thankful for NPR.

I love NPR. I especially love listening to NPR podcasts at work. Some days, I literally spend hours with my face pressed up against a microscope. Listening to This American Life or Fresh Air makes that time infinitely more enjoyable and I feel like I'm enriching my brain (all while getting my work done which kind of makes me feel like I'm getting away with something...)

I also listen to Car Talk on occasion which comes in handy when you have a mechanically inclined husband like mine. The other day I told Rob that the wear indicators on my breaks were making noise. He was totally impressed that I even knew what wear indicators were.

I actually don't.

I just know that when someone calls into Car Talk and tells them that their breaks are squeeling, the guys usually say something about wear indicators.

So, thank you to NPR for making me smarter. Or at least making me sound smarter.

I am also thankful for scientific innovation.

My dad forwarded this video to me. It's from a story National Geographic did about a new way to deliver stem cells to burn victims. Doctors retrieve a patient's own stem cells and then spray paint them onto the burned area. The results are jaw-droppingly dramatic. Watch the video. You will be amazed. There are so many ways this technology could be used but something that comes to mind right away is what a blessing this will be for soldiers who are burned in combat.

I am thankful that there are smart people out there working hard to find new ways to heal people.