The Heyden Observatory at Georgetown University is the third oldest observatory in the country. The observatory was the site from which the city of Washington was surveyed, and was the home of some of the nation's most influential astronomers until the second half of the twentieth century when the program was shut down. On a personal note, I managed this observatory while I was in school and I believe that it…
Patti Stanger, the star of one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Millionaire Matchmaker, has never been shy about the fact that she hates redheads. I recently watched this season's redhead episode, hoping it would be favorable to redheads.Despite all the girls at the mixer having red hair, very few were real redheads. If the guys actually wanted a redhead, my guess is that the hair color isn't what they are after;…
I realize that pullups are second nature to many people, but I've generally just treated pullup bars as a fun place to play. Despite having one in my kitchen, I still am unable to complete a full pullup unassisted. So, my newest goal is to complete one full unassisted pullup (any grip) by my next birthday. Definitely an attainable goal, but I need to stop simply hanging from the bar and…
I'm still trying to get over the whole breathing underwater and being okay with it thing in SCUBA class. I had my first hiccup while using a regulator tonight. I guess I must be loosening up and getting more comfortable in the water because I almost never hiccup while tense or nervous :-)
I just registered for this winter's Hustle Up the Hancock race. The race is 94 flights (1632 stairs) up the Hancock building in Chicago. The race is a fundraiser for the Respiratory Health Association in Chicago. I already usually take the stairs instead of the elevator and I commute by bike so I think my base is okay, but climbing specific training starts next week. I expect to do a lot…
Although I never swam competitively, I have swum for pleasure and exercise my entire life. However, now that I moved two blocks from a pool, I just never seem to go anymore. My number one excuse is that I like how my hair is at exactly that day. A lame excuse, but completely in line with my priorities in life. So, I will set a day and time where I at…
First definition in Merriam Webster's: "a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake."Makes me stop and wonder what all the self-proclaimed geeks I know are actually doing in their free time...
The ginger discussion on Glee got me doing some more research into a festival I read about this past September in Breda in the Netherlands, Roodharigen. Maybe I'll check it out next year. Two of my favorite things: red heads, and bikes. Any other red heads interested?
This week's episode of Glee was a little slow, but I appreciate the little redhead supremacy rant. While I think that the words said are true, the tone seemed a bit mocking (as fit in the scene). It is true that the red head gene (MC1R) will be dormant soon and completely out of the gene pool a few generations later, based on current population models. However, life is different for…
On my vacation this past summer, I was hiking in the Cinque Terre with a Belgian retiree who asked me where were some interesting spots to visit if he were to go to the US. I initially rattled off the major eastern cities like New York and Washington, but beyond that I had no idea. I started thinking about why I seemed to vacation in Europe more often than the US.…