tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91291344533077685002024-02-20T02:49:28.438-05:00Count The Simple MiraclesLife is good. Life is a gift. Celebrate life!Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-69993129364838487592011-11-17T23:24:00.003-05:002011-11-17T23:30:09.392-05:00137. RAKES<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Lawn-clearing engineering</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Dropping temperatures and windy days have left our front and backyards downright carpeted in leaves. Since we live next to a forest, there are plenty of leaves that fall on our lot. In response, my housemates and I have had several "two-rake" days recently.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Raking leaves, I think, is great exercise.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* For me, raking is also very mathematical. If there are different spots in a yard to which leaves are raked, which leaves should be raked to which spots? In what order should they be raked? If there is a choice, how many such spots should there be such that overall raking is minimized?</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* I have fond memories of going over to my grandmother's house as a college student to help her rake her leaves. Afterwards, she served my friends and me a big pot of home-made soup.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-70512353633548009822011-11-10T08:52:00.006-05:002011-11-10T08:57:45.596-05:00136. AUTUMN SUNRISES<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Colored branches on display beneath angled ray<br /></span></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);font-size:125%;" >* Fall foliage is hitting its peak in Maryland at just the right time. With last weekend's clock reset, the sun now rises right around when I am getting up for and heading to work. Out my bedroom window and along the road, I can see the bright orange and yellow leaves illuminated by the sunshine.<br /><br />* The illuminated foliage may be more splendid beneath the morning sunlight than at any other day. The angle at which the sun strikes the earth has an interesting effect on the sunlight's effect.<br /><br />* As you may recall, <a href="http://countthesimplemiracles.blogspot.com/2009/02/2-winter-sunrises.html">I like sunrises</a> at other times of year as well.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-16495228594563024532011-11-03T23:08:00.002-04:002011-11-03T23:13:30.039-04:00135. BATHROOM RUGS<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Cold floor, no-more!</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* This week, the temperatures have dipped into the thirties in Maryland, and at times the bare bathroom floor hasn't felt much warmer. But the bathroom rugs have come to the rescue!</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Our upstairs bathroom has the snazzy arrangement of having two rugs - one besides the tub and another by the sink. This way, my feet can stay warm when I get out of the shower and when I brush my teeth.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Picking a bathroom rug can make a big difference for the bathroom aesthetics. Our bathroom has unexceptional burgundy rugs. What's the best way to pick the best color rug?<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-52307968416642529022011-10-27T12:01:00.002-04:002011-10-27T12:07:48.299-04:00134. APPLES<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Hand-picked from the trees, spurring many recipes</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);font-size:125%;" >* Of course, not all apples are hand-picked, but the ones currently sitting in the bottom drawer of our back refrigerator were. I picked them myself from a farm in northern Montgomery County earlier this month.<br />* To get the best rate, it was required to pick at least 20 lbs. With amazing and fairly coincidental precision, my total was 20.01 lbs. The only variety available for picking that evening was braeburn. So I drove home with 20.01 lbs of braeburn apples.<br />* What can be done with 20 lbs of apples? Originally, I thought that my housemates would help me to eat them. There are five of us, so if we each had an apple a day, they would be gone in less than two weeks. However, even freshly-picked as they were, the taste and consistency was mediocre at best. These apples would need to be cooked.<br />* Weeks later, about a dozen apples still remain, but I have been able to make a few dishes. I've made home-made applesauce twice. I made a stew with pork, cabbage, onions, and apples. And I gave a dozen apples to a friend. What recipe should be next?<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-5539591009792764022011-10-20T14:04:00.002-04:002011-10-20T14:10:57.427-04:00133. PHONE MESSAGES<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">The sound of a voice can be cause to rejoice</span><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);font-size:125%;" ><br />* Real-time conversations are nice, in-person conversations might be even better, and written correspondence conveys specific thoughtfulness. But I think that recorded phone messages can be pretty neat too.<br />* Recorded phone messages, unlike real-time conversations, can be replayed many times. Moreover, my voice mailbox automatically replays my saved messages every forty days to see if I want to keep them. As a result, I'm often greeted anew with a saved message out of the blue.<br />* For instance, when my family or a friend calls to sing "Happy Birthday" to me in August, I usually save the message. Then, every 40 days, I hear their cheerful birthday wishes.<br />* In extreme cases, I may even listen to all of my saved messages in sequence, just to hear a whole set of friendly voices. For a selected few folks, when I hear their voice, even if it is recorded, I just can't help smiling.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-90708656712631676652011-10-13T10:54:00.002-04:002011-10-13T11:03:50.797-04:00132. BRAKES<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Keeps going down a hill from being too much of a thrill</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);font-size:125%;" >* Some hilly roads have runaway ramps - sharp upward inclines off the side of the road with barriers at the end - ostensibly for trucks with malfunctioning brakes. I would not want to have to use one of these!<br />* When I travel from Maryland back to Pennsylvania, the turnpike has some fairly significant hills. Without brakes, how fast I would be going by the time that I reached the bottom! (This sounds like a high school physics problem.) Or, how quickly I would crash when I tried to make a downhill turn!<br />* At the same time, sometimes I like to refrain from braking and instead use gravity to my advantage. E.g., on Route 1, there is a gradual hill about a half-mile long in University Park on my usual route coming home from work. I try to be going fairly slowly when I reach the top of the hill. Then, I just coast down the hill, usually reach about 45 MPH, but then slow down comfortably before the red light at East-West Highway.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-59462400819471796762011-10-06T16:38:00.002-04:002011-10-06T16:44:24.461-04:00131. PRINT MAGAZINES<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Physical feeds of interesting reads</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:125%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* As part of my membership to the professional society IEEE, I receive their monthly magazine, "IEEE Spectrum." The latest issue includes articles on the research submarines and the importance of random number for digital security.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* My housemate Dan is a big fan of magazines. Among all of his subscriptions, I think that his favorite is the "New Yorker."</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* Many magazines now seem to be more available on-line than they are in print. But I think that there is something satisfying about physically holding what you're reading.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* Are there certain types of articles that would only appear in a magazine, e.g., not in a newspaper or book?</span></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-26327723329782331622011-05-04T09:06:00.002-04:002011-05-04T09:09:19.993-04:00130. RUGS<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Floor equipping preventing slipping</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:135%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* Our house has very little carpet. But we do have rugs atop many of the hardwood floors.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* Finding the rug with the right pattern can add zip to a room.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* Some rugs do make it easier to slip. But particularly in the bathroom, a rug can be an important guard against slips.</span><br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-18729519554701172142011-04-27T12:38:00.003-04:002011-04-27T12:42:21.473-04:00129. NUT ROLL<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Legumes crushed for eating unrushed</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);font-size:135%;" >* If you have never before had <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_roll">nut roll</a>, you should give it a try!<br />* In our family, it is traditional to make nut roll for Easter. Accordingly, this past weekend, my sister Missy made a few rolls. They were impressively delicious for her first batch ever!<br />* Excitingly, I was given part of a roll to take back to Maryland. All week at work, I have enjoyed a few slices after breakfast.<br />* Nut roll, with its festive connotation, is certainly a food to savor.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-60063767676030557772011-04-13T09:37:00.006-04:002011-04-13T09:49:07.376-04:00128. PARENTHESES<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Disclosing information with appropriate hesitation</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);font-size:135%;" >* Sometimes it is exactly the details which are mentioned between parentheses that give a narrative its biggest punch.<br />* For instance, for <a href="http://countthesimplemiracles.blogspot.com/2011/03/125-pb.html">simple miracle #123</a>, I wrote that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were "an absolute staple." Had this been all I wrote, a reader might have been left to wonder, "What does he mean by 'staple'? Do he ever actually eat the sandwiches? Or is he just talking?" But then, I added, "(I had two today for lunch)." My assertions were substantiated! The parenthetical details made the difference!<br />* Alas, I did some research on other posts, and there is only one other post out of the last ten within which I have used parentheses. (The other was <a href="http://countthesimplemiracles.blogspot.com/2011/03/125-good-saliva.html">#125</a>.) Perhaps I should increase my parenthesization!<br />* I am also attentive to how parentheses are used in Gmail email accounts. In the status bar at the top of the screen, it says "Gmail - Inbox" and this is it if you have no new messages. But, if you do have new messages, the bar says something like "Gmail - Inbox(1)". It is as though I am being told, "Yes, this is your inbox <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> you have a new message." Hooray! (Albeit, these parentheses are less relevant since I have given up checking my Gmail account during the day for Lent.)<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-63737443541470129972011-04-06T10:48:00.002-04:002011-04-06T12:06:27.143-04:00127. WEEKENDS<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">A valuable break from the weekday shake</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);font-size:125%;" >* I am particularly looking forward to this weekend, during which I'll be traveling home to visit my family in Pennsylvania, then to visit other relatives in Ohio.<br />* Praise the Lord that we live in a country where our weekends include <a href="http://countthesimplemiracles.blogspot.com/2010/07/92-sundays.html">Sunday</a>. This is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workweek_and_weekend">not the case</a> in every country.<br />* How important it is to work hard during the week to be able to better enjoy a weekend!<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-30901670731327914352011-03-30T12:45:00.002-04:002011-03-30T12:52:05.170-04:00126. WINDSHIELDS<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Allowing drivers to see without dodging debris<br /></span></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 255, 153);font-size:125%;" >* I thought of this simple miracle a few days ago when a bird skimmed off of my windshield. The poor thing didn't leave a splotch and didn't seem to crash, so I don't think that its collision could have been too direct. However, I was much happier to have the bird skim off of my windshield than to skim off of my head.<br />* Perhaps the importance of a windshield is shown by their presence in convertibles. It is as though it is more important to have a windshield than a roof!<br />* Of course, once your car starts moving, windshield wipers and windshield wiper fluid may as much of simple miracles as a windshield itself.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-33917302770905720982011-03-23T12:05:00.002-04:002011-03-23T12:10:35.630-04:00125. GOOD SALIVA<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Making it harder for preying tartar</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:125%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* About a month ago, my dentist commented, "You're lucky. You have good saliva." He followed with an explanation of how saliva pH affects tartar development.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* Actually, it might be more accurate to say that "bad saliva" makes it easier for tartar. From </span><a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://www.dentalfind.com/info/tartar">what I've found</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">, I don't think that any saliva actually impedes tartar. Rather, it's that some saliva is more conducive to tartar.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">* Consider also the role that elbows play in preventing tartar. (Are you </span><a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);" href="http://countthesimplemiracles.blogspot.com/2009/03/7-elbows.html">confused</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">?)<br /><br /></span></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-14250096664253156562011-03-16T08:35:00.003-04:002011-03-16T08:41:20.734-04:00124. LIBRARIANS<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:320%;">Ask them for a book to save you a look</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);font-size:125%;" >* Thanks to my friend Aaron for suggesting this simple miracle. As a doctoral history student, he often utilizes a librarian's research expertise.<br />* This simple miracle is also inspired by my sister Maria who is a librarian for a small Catholic college in Tennessee. She has given our whole family a pride for librarians.<br />* At work, we also have great librarians. I often identify books or journal articles that I would like from other libraries and they swiftly obtain it for me.<br />* When I was growing up, my family lived within walking distance of the library and we visited it often. In fact, when the librarian came to my fourth-grade class, she pointed to me and said, "Oh yes, I know Phil, his family comes three times a week." How embarrassed I was! <br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-76216228464897234062011-03-09T14:56:00.007-05:002011-03-10T10:11:03.753-05:00123. PB&J<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Palatably blended and jovial</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Particularly now that this year's Lenten season has begun, peanut butter and jelly is an absolute staple. (I had two today for lunch.)</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* </span><a href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Sandwiches/PeanutButterJellySandwich.htm"><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">This site</span></a><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;"> says that the first peanut butter was made in 1880. During World War II, soldiers mixed it with jelly to make it taste better. When they returned home, the new sandwich's popularity soared.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* When I was in middle school, I tried many odd varieties of peanut butter and jelly, such as microwaving or toasting a finished sandwich. Few if any of these experiments endured.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* This simple miracle first appeared on the campus of CWRU in 2004.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-12065183628817639042011-03-02T08:57:00.002-05:002011-03-02T09:07:42.094-05:00122. SHORT HAIRCUTS<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Having less of a mane is quick to maintain</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* This simple miracle is dedicated to my dad, who has cut my hair hundreds of time, always tidy and trim.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* In recent years, I have started to cut my own hair. But haircut cleanup is much easier on our back deck. But lately it's been too cold for me to dare to do this. So I'd just resorted to scissors trims for a few months. But when I visited my family this weekend, I met fierce protests. "Helmet!" my brother declared, "You have so much hair that it looks like you're wearing a helmet!" So my dad agreed to cut my hair once again.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Often, my dad's haircuts gain great compliments. My housemate Tobias commented yesterday, "I think that your short haircut makes you look smarter." It also makes me feel smarter.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Regardless of how a short hairdo improves my appearance or intelligence, having one probably saves me at least two minutes every morning from not having to check the mirror and see if any tufts are hopelessly out of place.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Would short haircuts be a simple miracle for all? Perhaps some women would instead assert, "It's worth the while to go for style." <br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-87760958188559614592011-02-23T09:08:00.002-05:002011-02-23T09:14:46.122-05:00121. OLIVE OIL<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Making veggies or meat a well-moistened treat</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* I actually don't use olive oil that much. But maybe I should. When my housemate Dan sautees the peppers and onions for our Sunday scrambled eggs in olive oil before he adds the eggs, the taste is definitely better.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* What is it about olives that leads them to produce oil? In contrast, you never hear about "tomato oil" or "broccoli oil" or "strawberry oil."</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Posting this simple miracle makes me think about going to a fancy Italian restaurant, where they serve that fancy bread that you can dip into that fancy oil.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Thanks to Claire for suggesting the idea for this simple miracle.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-41812124105961950692011-02-16T11:55:00.002-05:002011-02-16T13:31:16.309-05:00120. LARGE PARKING SPACES<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Less of a squeeze puts drivers at ease</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Around Washington DC, it is very important to be able to parallel park. On a trip downtown, the only spaces that are available might be parallel. So you'd better be able to make the right manuevers under pressure!</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* Even in front of my own house in suburban Maryland, sometimes I have to narrowly parallel park, if others have parked too close together.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* With pull-straight-in spaces, it is also nice to have a lot of room. At work, I especially appreciate parking spaces that don't require carefully opening my car door to avoid hitting an adjacent car.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-80602999651481619722011-02-09T21:42:00.003-05:002011-02-09T21:46:09.273-05:00119. BLANKETS<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">A body heat conserving feat</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* In the summer, a single flannel sheet may be sufficient as bed covers for me. But in the winter, the heavy blanket sewn for me by my old neighbor, Mrs. Bertram, is absolutely essential.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* In July 2008, I made a pilgrimage to Australia to join a half-million other young adults for World Youth Day. In July, it is winter in Australia. Nevertheless, our group was housed initially in a large unheated pavilion. Boy, was it cold! How thankful we were to the local Australians who donated blankets for pilgrims. I think that I used four or five at a time.</span><br /><span style="font-size:125%;color:#33ffff;">* I'm especially thinking of the men and women who live on the streets. In the winter, I hope that they have many blankets too.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-58188327261670229122011-02-02T09:49:00.004-05:002011-02-05T19:34:25.291-05:00118. BOWLS<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Allowing mixing without constricting</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:139%;color:#33ffff;">* Almost every morning at work, I eat a bowl of cereal mixed with yogurt. But this morning I forgot to bring a bowl. Instead, I had to eat my cereal and yogurt inside of a plastic cup, which made it difficult to mix the yogurt at the bottom with the cereal in the rest of it.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* Is a bowl more like a cup or a plate? Ordinarily, I eat ice cream in a bowl. I might also eat ice cream on a plate. Ordinarily, I eat soup in a bowl. I would never eat soup on a plate.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* This weekend, two football teams will mix it up in the Super Bowl. Go Steelers!<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-26623036537850965962011-01-26T14:22:00.002-05:002011-01-26T14:29:35.671-05:00117. RECLINER CHAIRS<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Sit up or lean back, without changing your track</span><br /></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#33ffff;">* Because of the weather, this afternoon I am working from home. Rather than in my office, how happy I am to be sitting in the recliner chair in my living room!<br />* This particular chair belongs to my old housemate Isaiah. He moved to Iowa, but the chair didn't fit in his car. We were very grateful that he chose to leave it with us.<br /><br /></div></span></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-73383336673150632082011-01-19T22:36:00.002-05:002011-01-19T22:40:29.199-05:00116. WATER BOTTLES<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Like a water fountain on the go</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* Albeit, water bottles need to be filled, while water fountains do not. However, a water bottle, unlike a water fountain, can fit in your back pocket. Or if you find it more comfortable, a water bottle can fit in your backpack pocket.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* I recently received a new water bottle as a present. It has a latch that keeps the bottle from leaking. This is important.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* I once composed a poem which began "Balancing a water bottle on my head ..." and included corresponding acrobatics. I still perform it occasionally, on special request. <br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-26380408872195533212011-01-12T10:49:00.005-05:002011-01-12T11:55:55.022-05:00115. BIRDS<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Needing only miniscule might for incredible flight</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* I got the idea for this simple miracle from this New York Times </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/science/04birds.html?_r=1&hpw"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">article</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">, describing ongoing research to study how birds fly.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* Even very tiny birds can generate the strength to fly very far. For instance, the NYT article mentions how "the calliope hummingbird weighs only as much as two paper clips, yet it migrates annually between Canada and Mexico."</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* This simple miracle makes me think of the </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/genesis/genesis8.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">doves</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;"> released by Noah after the flood. It is good that they were able to keep flying in search of dry land.<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-27112950596778280422011-01-05T12:45:00.003-05:002011-01-05T12:53:18.783-05:00114. TASTE BUDS<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Between topsoil and brownies, making a difference</span></div><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;font-size:130%;">* I have heard that a food's smell has a big impact on how we perceive its taste. But even if I could still smell a food, I still don't know if I would want to eat a food without my taste buds. Would smelling the food even have any significance without taste buds?</span><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;font-size:130%;">* It seems that there are very few criticisms of food as sharp as "It has no taste!"</span><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;font-size:130%;">* Last week, I made brownies twice - once for a new year's day celebration and the next day for dinner at a friend's house.</span><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;font-size:130%;">* Hopefully, the brownies that I made truly did have a good taste, and when my friends said that they had a good taste, they weren't just saying it to be polite. How much effect does how we think something will taste have on how it actually tastes to us?<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9129134453307768500.post-60123279811875912192010-12-29T09:52:00.002-05:002010-12-29T09:59:54.901-05:00113. COUGH DROPS<div align="center"><span style="font-size:320%;">Helps a sore throat feel less like a goat</span></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* This time of year must surely bring the highest sales for cough drops, mustn't it?</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* In my pocket, I currently have two "Honey Lemon with Echinacea" cough drops. What's your favorite cough drop flavor?</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* Though their name implies that they are used to treat coughs, I'd bet that cough drops are most often used to treat sore throats. Why is the term "cough drop" more common than "throat lozenge"?</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ffff;">* Winter or not, may you be blessed with a throat that feels more like a koala bear than a goat!<br /><br /></span>Agent PKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683508350570621453noreply@blogger.com0