Category Archives: Home Life

The Daytona 500 – or – why I love auto racing

I admit it freely: I enjoy auto racing. In fact, driving a race car at 150+ miles per hour is on my bucket list. I haven’t done it yet. I hope I will soon.

Auto racing is great. For those who claim that ‘all they do is go in circles,’ I say, “all football players do it hit each other and throw the ball.” It’s a sport, and like any sport, it’s most interesting once you know the rules and a few of the key players. Auto racing is actually very complex, and it’s also very dangerous.Continue reading “The Daytona 500 – or – why I love auto racing”

An Interview with… me!

I was recently interviewed by Gary Vecchiarelli for a lovely website called Jersey Boys Hunt Dinosaurs. He was particularly interested in my take on the science of paleontology from the perspective of a geoscientist.

It was a fun little interview, and might be of interest to any budding paleontologists or folks just interested in what my scientific world is like. Read the interview here.

You should visit the Jersey Boys Hunt Dinosaurs website and/or follow them on Twitter.

Thanks Gary! That was fun!

The Ghost of Valentine’s Past

National Blog Posting Month – February 2013 – Love

Prompt – How did this Valentine’s Day compare with Valentine’s days of years past?

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Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. I may have griped in earlier posts about how uninspiring past Valentine’s Days have been. So how did this one compare?

My husband gave me roses yesterday morning. That’s how I got out of bed. That’s never happened before. It was a nice way to wake up. We had a typical work day, going our separate ways as always, but met up again for dinner. I was worried that dinner was going to be the usual frantic meal that one so often gets at a restaurant, especially when one has their child along, but it wound up being a pleasant meal. The boy was calm and quiet and my husband and I enjoyed an unrushed steak dinner. And there was wine. I’m sure that helped. And then I ate dessert. It was delicious.

We got home just in time for the boy’s bed-time. My husband and I were both exhausted, so we quickly followed suit. The day was mostly filled with work, but the few conscious moments my husband and I shared were enjoyable.

When all was said and done, and I look back on yesterday, I think this was one of the best Valentine’s Days on record, at least for my adult life. Thank you, husband, for making that possible!

For 2-15-13

Let’s Just Call This “Doctoral Day,” OK?

National Blog Posting Month – February 2013 – Love

Prompt – How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?

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When I was a kid, Valentine’s Day was totally my favorite holiday. I loved all the hearts and the expressing of love. I had my crushes (remember Indiana Jones?), and could spend all day thinking about them.

As I got older, I got a little jaded about Valentine’s Day. I never had a boyfriend. Or if I did, they wouldn’t do anything special for the holiday. Usually they’d forget. I got through high school, college, and graduate school feeling more and more removed from Valentine’s Day and the entire concept of love. Sure, I’d had a few boyfriends over the years, but I still hadn’t met ‘the one.’

In 2000 as I prepared to defend my Ph.D. dissertation, I realized that it was a possibility for me to do the defense on Valentine’s Day. I jumped on the chance. This, I thought, would finally give me something to celebrate on the 14th of February. That’s exactly what I did.

That day, I dyed my hair bright red. I donned all black clothes. I went into the gauntlet. Somehow, I emerged victorious, despite the fact that I couldn’t actually answer any of the questions asked of me by my committee. But I won! They signed off! I had my Ph.D.! (OK, really, I had a bunch of revisions to do, but still, I was basically finished.)

In November of 2000 I did finally meet the guy I ultimately married. You might think, then, that my opinion of Valentine’s Day has changed. Well it hasn’t. He forgets. Or does the usual guy thing of buying the card on the way home from work. That’s OK. I’m over it. To me, February 14th is Doctoral Day. And I still have cause to celebrate.

For 2-14-13

Be Mine, Because I Said So

National Blog Posting Month – February 2013 – Love

Prompt – If you could send out valentines this year as you did back in grade school, what type of valentine would you send out to your blogosphere class?

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The horrifying thing about this prompt today is the realization that my grade school son must bring valentines to class tomorrow. And I totally forgot. It’ll be a quick stop at Wally-World tonight, I’m sure.

What will I hand out to my blog-buddies tomorrow? Probably something silly with a bad pun in it. Perhaps something about swordplay and armor? “Brevor I knew you, I didn’t know what love was.” (I admit, I lifted that from the Higgins Armory Museum Facebook page.) Something paleontological? “I always Smilodon when I see you.” Isotopes perhaps? “Let’s fractionate together and call ourselves clumped!”

I’ll come up with some ‘bad’ valentines and will probably post them to Twitter. Maybe you should watch…

For 2-13-13

Bring on the White Conversation Hearts!

National Blog Posting Month – February 2013 – Love

Prompt – What is your favourite Valentine’s Day candy?

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I’m kind of an oddball among women, as far as what manner of candy I prefer. (I’m an oddball in lots of other ways, too, but that’s not the topic of this post!) Chocolate seldom ‘does it’ for me. If I had my druthers, I’d eat cinnamon hearts all day. Or cinnamon bears. Or anything cinnamon-y.

Alas, something like ten years ago, I developed an allergy to cinnamon. No more cinnamon for me. (OK, I have some occasionally, and my lips, gums, and tongue swells and I remind myself not to do that again. But, CINNAMON!)

Given that caveat, I’ll opt for those candy conversation hearts instead. The white ones are my favorite. They’re spearmint, or something similar, that I just love. My least favorite ones are the yellow, banana-flavored ones. I try to choke those down first (or pawn them off on someone) then savor the white ones last.

What about you?

For 2-12-13