From Denver With Love

So I'm sitting in the Denver airport waiting for my (delayed) flight to San Fran. Being in this airport brings back a lot of memories. When Rob and I were dating, I spent a lot of time flying back and forth between Cincinnati and Denver. I have good memories of Denver. I got engaged here (not in the airport, in the city, at a piano bar named Charlie Brown's). It was nice to see the city and the mountains from the plane as we landed. Although, I wish my family was here. There are lots of young families with little kids running around. Seeing them makes me miss Harper. These next 4 days will be the longest I have been a part from her ever. She has definitely become my sidekick. I like it when she's around because I don't feel so ridiculous talking to myself anymore (I talk to myself A LOT). Now, I'm not actually talking to myself. I'm talking to her. It's nice. We have lots of inside jokes. Ok, wish me luck on making it to San Fran on time. For now, over and out. 

When the Science Hits the Fan - Road Trip

Welcome to the first edition of the newly named When the Science Hits the Fan post. This week, I am taking my science on the road. Literally. Early tomorrow morning I will be leaving for San Francisco to attend the annual Weinstein Cardiovascular Development conference. Scientist from all around the world will come to this meeting and share the latest research on normal and abnormal heart and vascular development. And guess what... the organizers of this meeting asked little old me to present my work. Pretty cool. So in honor of my trip, here is a fun science fact about San Francisco. 

While San Fran has many famous attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, it is almost as well known for its sourdough bread. The secret to San Francisco sourdough is not in the yeast, but in the unique bacteria found in the air around the city. In fact, the main bacteria that gives this type of sourdough its one of a kind flavor profile is actually named for the city itself, Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis.

While typical bread dough is made with packaged yeast, sourdough bread is made with a mixture known as a starter. A starter is composed of water, yeast, flour, and bacteria. More water and flour are added to the mixture each day to “feed” the starter. A baker only needs to purchase a starter once. It can be fed for years, or even decades, with the right care. Some San Francisco bakeries continue the tradition of sourdough bread with starters that can be traced back for generations. The most famous of these bakeries is Boudin Bakery. Their sourdough starter can be traced back to the beginning of the company during the California Gold Rush.

Random Tuesday

A few random thoughts/comments for today:

• Disclaimer: I am about to make a sweeping generalization. I know it doesn't hold true for every person that fits into this category. But in my experience, the validity of my theory is uncanny. Ok, here it is. People who drive PT Cruisers are the worst drivers on the road. If there is some sort of unnecessary congestion on the highway, chances are a PT Cruiser is involved. If someone is driving down the middle of the turning lane, chances are they are driving a Cruiser. Don't just take my word for it. The next time you see someone driving a PT Cruiser, keep an eye on them. I bet they do something ridiculous. I don't actually know anyone who drives a PT Cruiser, so if you are reading this and you do indeed drive a PT Cruiser, I am not talking about you. Fair enough?
• Harper is getting a new tooth. Finally. She has been the 7-toothed wonder for months now. It's about time she got a new one. That being said...from 2:30am - 5:30am we were hanging out on the couch - a direct result of the new tooth. To compensate myself for the interrupted sleep, I had a doughnut for breakfast. 
• Here's a cool YouTube video I recently came across. Basically, they cut, pasted, and mixed together a bunch of unrelated YouTube videos to make this song. What you see is what you hear. I think it's a pretty cool idea. 

And The Winner Is...

I know that you were all waiting with bated breath to see which name I picked for my weekly science post. I really appreciate all of the entries. Now without further ado, the winner is...

Thanks for your suggestion, Dan. I like the double meaning - my science information "hits" you, the reader/fan. A gift card will be coming your way very soon. For everyone who doesn't know Dan, he's pretty cool. If you get a minute, check out his blog. Stay tuned for the first installment of When The Science Hits The Fan later this week!

Mystery Solved!

At 10:08 pm last night, I finally found my cell phone. Harper hid it in the closet. I should have known to look there - one of her favorite activities is pulling out all of my socks from the sock drawer and putting them in the closet. She's a tricky one. I am so relieved to have found it. I even surprised myself with how worked up I got when I thought it was gone for good. The funny part is that I don't even use my cell phone all that often. I just like knowing that I have it if I need it. Anyway, the mystery is solved. My phone has returned to its rightful place in my pocket. And I am now aware that my daughter has sticky fingers...

In other news, I am going to pick a winner in the naming contest this weekend. So if you haven't gotten your suggestions in yet, hurry up already! 

Incomplete and Naked

Today, I feel totally naked. I left the house without my cell phone because I have no idea where it is and therefore it's not in my pocket where it normally resides for 12+ hours a day. Not knowing the whereabouts of my phone is completely unlike me. I am a creature of habit. I put my keys in the same place every night, I put my wallet in the same place every night, and I put my phone in the same place every night. Except last night. And now I don't know where it is. I'm sure I'll find it when I get home tonight, but as for today, I feel incomplete and naked. Can you relate?

Book Worm = Good Morning

For the last few days, Harper has been getting up exceptionally early. Which is fine, except for the fact that it kind of throws a monkey wrench into our morning routine. Rob and I usually like to get up and shower before Harper wakes up - it's just easier that way. But for the last couple of days, Harper has been our alarm clock which means that our entertaining and multi-tasking skills have been put to the test. 

In a stroke of brilliance last night, I put a book in Harper's crib when I put her to bed. Genius! This morning she was silent. At 7am, I started to get a little worried because I literally hadn't heard a peep out of her. I went to her room and peeked in the door. She was sitting up in her crib reading her book! I love it when I feel like a super parent! 

Oh yeah... this picture has nothing to do with my post today. It just makes me laugh, so I thought I'd share it with you. The back story is that on the plane ride home from Florida, Harper was insanely active. She was being good - not crying or fussing or anything like that. She was just super busy saying hi to people, taking one bite of food, playing with a toy for a second, playing peek-a-boo with the woman sitting behind us, reading a book, saying hi to someone, taking a bite of food, playing with a toy... You get the picture. It wore me out. And apparently, it wore her out too. The instant we put her in the car to leave the airport, she zonked out. Nice timing. Oh well.