— 1 —
Despite all the news about incomplete facilities, holes in the ground, security risks, toothpaste bombs, etc, I’m really excited for the Olympics. I will watch skiing and biathlon and luge and a whole bunch of other stuff that I haven’t watched since 2010 and won’t watch again until 2018 and you know what? I am totally ok with that. I am an Olympics junkie and proud of it. Can’t wait for the Opening Ceremony tonight!
(p.s. Did you know the last crew to launch took a torch to the space station?)
— 2 —
Speaking of the Olympics, the last time they were on, I watched the Opening Ceremony pregnant and watched the Closing Ceremony with a newborn in my arms. I remember watching the 100 meter dash from the hospital. Ah! Suddenly I’m feeling super nostalgic…except for the whole sleep deprivation thing.
— 3 —
I spent Monday and Tuesday in a training class for work called “Enhancing Your Creative Genius.” I had a few specific things I hoped to get out of the course but that didn’t really happen. Kind of a bummer. However, the course was held at the nearby Armand Bayou Nature Center which was a really great place to hang out for two days. It was so nice to be able to walk to class along this boardwalk, and watch deer wander past during breaks. The mere act of getting off-site and into a different environment alone had me thinking more clearly and more creatively. So wait — maybe the class actually did work after all…?
— 4 —
I happened to check in on the daycare video yesterday right when the whole room was gathered to take a class picture. I seriously don’t know how the teachers wrangle a dozen toddlers into one place for a picture — or, for that matter, how they manage to get them all down for naps on cots at the same time. They are amazing. Emma loves them and they love her. We are pretty darn lucky in general with our childcare situation.
— 5 —
A few nights ago Bill Nye (an engineer and science educator) and Ken Ham (a creationist) had a debate. Someone had self-identifying creationists write questions on the topic of evolution vs. creationism, and Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy wrote a great article addressing each one. My favorite:
“How can you look at the world and not believe someone created/thought of it? It’s amazing!!!”
I agree; it is amazing! I’ve written about this manytimes. But we know that complexity can arise naturally through the laws of physics. It doesn’t take very complex rules to create huge diversity. Look at poker; a simple set of rules creates a game that has so many combinations it’s essentially infinite to human experience. We can figure out the rules of nature by studying the way processes follow them, and deduce what’s going on behind the scenes. And whenever we do, we see science.
Science, y’all. It’s true whether you believe it or not.
— 6 —
I need new jeans. I have 4 pairs right now: one is too low rise for me these days, one stretches so much after an hour that they can’t be worn without a belt, one is a lighter weight “trouser” denim that is rapidly wearing thin, and one is still ok. I have gotten jeans from many places over the years and my current favorite jeans are actually from Eddie Bauer probably 3 years ago.I like their curvy fit (or at least what it was a few years ago) because the waist is smaller than the hips and that works for me. I’ve tried ordering more from them, but now they are doing all this weird fading and “whiskering” that is too obvious for my tastes. (My least favorite jeans, which are ironically also the newest, are from Old Navy about a year ago.)
Here’s what my perfect pair of jeans would look like:
- Sit below the waist but aren’t so low rise that I have to tug them up
- Some sort of “curvy fit” so that the waist isn’t huge in order to fit my hips
- Minimized stretching/sagging while wearing
- Medium-to-dark wash; some fading is great but it should be subtle
- No extensive embellishment or bling on the back pockets
So where to go? Where’s your favorite place to get jeans? Erin recommended New York & Company so I’ll try there. Where else?
— 7 —
For no good reason, I have gotten only 6 hours of sleep each of the last two nights. This is no good. I have realized over the years that as much as I would like to be one of those people who feels great on 5 hours a night, I am actually someone who functions best on 8 hours a night. I usually get more like 7 hours of sleep, which isn’t the ideal but is close enough. But when I drop down to 6 hours a night, especially for multiple nights in a row…things get rough. My eyes are stinging. I feel exhausted. Thank goodness Saturday is my day to sleep in.
(Linking up: 7 Quick Takes, hosted by Conversation Diary)
Jennifer says
So hard to find a good pair of jeans! I have really liked jeans from American Eagle. They often have fantastic sale deals, and my favorite pair of jeans cost like $15. However, I am not particularly curvy, so you may not like them as well. They have lots of different fit options, though.