Florida Here We Come

In just a few short hours, we will be on a plane headed to Florida. Can't wait. I'm sure there will be some travel stories to tell (although no puking cats this time). Check back in the next few days for the update. 

Tuesday Thoughts

A couple random thoughts for today:

1. I stink at blowing bubbles. Harper loves bubbles. I'm practicing. 

2. I have yard envy. I miss having a yard. Harper would sooooo love a big yard to play in. We sooooo need to sell our house in Cincinnati so that we can buy one here and get a yard. 

3. Swings are fun.

 

Easter Egg Hunt 2009

You know what's great about having a kid? Holidays are fun again. On Saturday, Harper took part in her first Easter Egg Hunt. It was held at our friends' house and it was wonderful. Our friends have been hosing this annual egg hunt for about 30 years now. People who participated when they were children are now bringing their children to take part - talk about the gift of community! Penny and Steve - thank you for your generosity and for the great memories that we made. We're already looking forward to (and strategizing for) next year!

Where The Wild Things Are

How cool is this? 

Science Friday - Scandalous Edition

Science is scandalous. While your initial impression of a typical scientist might be a nerdy person transferring small volumes of clear liquid from one test tube to another (which isn't that far off base), there is definitely a controversial and seedy side to science as well. Take for instance, the backstory on how the structure of DNA was discovered.

James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins received the Nobel Prize for discovering the structure of DNA. But, did they steal data from a female colleague, Rosalind Franklin,  and claim credit for themselves? Basically, Franklin worked in the same lab as Wilkins which was down the hall from Watson and Crick's lab. Although Franklin and Wilkins held equal positions in the lab, Wilkins regarded Franklin as merely a technician (not a real scientist) due to the fact that she was female. This obviously created tension between them. Down the hall, Watson and Crick were trying to figure out the structure of DNA. Franklin was also working on this problem. She was an expert at taking pictures of crystals and had some beautiful pictures of DNA.

 

One day, Wilkins took her pictures and showed them to Watson and Crick without her permission or knowledge (a big no-no in the science community). After looking at the pictures, it became clear to Watson and Crick that DNA was a double-helical structure. They immediately published their findings and basically became famous overnight. Although their discovery relied heavily on Franklin's data, she was never equally credited. Franklin died of ovarian cancer in 1958 and although the men received the Nobel Prize in 1962, Franklin was not included because Nobel Prizes are not given posthumously. A raw deal in my opinion. On a side note, James Watson continues to be a real gem of a human. Here is an article from 2007 that highlights his true colors. 

A Rose By Any Other Name...

I think I call Harper by her nickname(s) way more than I use her actual name. I like coming up with nicknames for her. In fact, I come up with nicknames for her nicknames. For instance, here is the evolution of her current nickname. First I called her Kiddo. Then Keedo. Then Keedo-Deedo. Then Deedo. Then Deedle. Then Deedles. Then Deets. Then Diesel. Remember - her name is Harper - which has absolutely nothing to do with Diesel. This is just one example. I have gone down several other nickname paths with her. The good news is that she answers to all of them. The bad news is that when someone asks her what her name is and she replies Harper Kiddo Keedo Keedo-Deedo Deedo Deedle Deedles Deets Diesel, it just means more of her time and money that will be spent in therapy. 

On a side note, Harper is feeling much better. The heavy duty antibiotics that she is on seem to be doing the trick. On another side note, I am feeding her lots of yogurt because it's just a good idea for anyone to eat lots of yogurt while they are on antibiotics. She's been eating it up so quickly that I had to run to the store to get some more. However, after I got home, I realized that I accidently got the organic soy yogurt that was sitting right next to the Yobaby yogurt that I intended to buy. It's not good for babies to eat soy (in my opinion), so I have been eating the soy stuff and I went back to the store and got her the Yobaby stuff. The reason I am telling you all of this, is to warn you that organic soy yogurt is horrible. I like yogurt a lot - many different kinds. But, I seriously have to choke this stuff down. Oh the sacrifices I make for my child...

I had something else in mind for today, but I just got some bad news and what I planned to write about just seems silly now. My friend, Barbara, had to put one of her sweet dogs to sleep this morning. Barbara loves her dogs and I am sure that she would appreciate our prayers today. 

Barbara, I am really sorry for your loss. It takes a very special person to take care of dogs that other people found too difficult to take care of. I'm glad that we got to meet Gertie. Her gentle personality is a reflection of the love and kindness that you showed her.