Here’s something random:

Someone put together the Most Popular US Attractions: State By State and Time put it into a single map, so I decided to see which I’d hit.

Considering that I haven’t visited all 50 states, I’ve hit quite a few of them.

How about you?

I haven’t actually fallen off the earth, I’ve just been spending my evenings reading, rather than on my computer, so, I haven’t been posting at all.

Sorry about that.

I’ve also been busy with my new job, but in a good–dare I say, delightful?–way. It’s been lovely to enjoy going to work, to feel appreciated at my job, and to come home and not have to spend my evening wondering how I’ll find the strength to go back the next day.

As I said, it’s been lovely.

Another cause for joy is that my depression has been well-controlled, my anxiety has hardly bothered me, and even my OCD has been quieter than usual. (Of the three, my OCD never goes completely away, but when I’m anxious and/or depressed, it gets really bad. But right now, I’m beginning to remember what it feels like to be an almost normal person. It’s a strange feeling, and I’m not taking it for granted, but it’s been a tremendous relief.

I’ve also been baking, for the pleasure of it, rather than as stress relief, which is also fun, but less good for my waistline. But life is short, and I’ll take pleasure and enjoyment where I find them, and be glad that I also take enjoyment in walking and hiking and other exercise type things.

However, it’s caused posting to be light, because instead of coming home and compulsively getting on the computer, searching for escape from my day, I’m instead spending the evenings, curled up on the sofa with His Furriness, reading, because it makes me happy to do so.

But now that spring is attempting to make an appearance, I’ll probably be posting more frequently, most likely pictures, but perhaps other things.

This is not how math and statistics work:

About 92 percent of all malware attacks are delivered by zip files.

“Whatever it is, it can wait,” Meyers said, “because you have a 92 percent chance of losing access to all of your data. Those are not good odds.”

I am positive that you can substitute Loki or Anansi or Coyote or any other trickster for that chapter.

Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No Bullshit Guide to World Mythology

See an interview here.

However, I take issue with his contention that mythology is boring. I’ve found it anything but. Perhaps I’m a weirdo.

(via Fixed That For Ya)

OR

What happens when WVUH masks their phone number.

I totally keep playing this over and over.

I really hate the way it sounds, “I’m highly sensitive” but that doesn’t make it less true.

There’s an online questionnaire you can take, and for me, some of the questions are gimmies:

I am particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine.
I startle easily.
I make a point to avoid violent movies and TV shows.

Hell, I’ve been teased about all those things for years. “GOD NO! Don’t let Michelle drink coffee!”

Of course, some of the things don’t fit. I don’t see myself as more sensitive to pain, but I am super bothered by some physical sensations, like itchy clothes or the seam on my socks being in the wrong place. And “I find it unpleasant to have a lot going on at once.” is false, perhaps because I’m simply used to chaos.

Does this discovery matter in the long run?

Not really.

But it is interesting. And I found some interesting suggestions on how to deal with being sensitive.

Realize that you’re the one and only master over yourself, and no one can have power over you unless you let them.
Don’t take things personally.

Both of those are easier said that done, and are things I have a very hard time with, but, as with many things, it sometimes helps to know that it’s not that I’m crazy, it’s just that I react differently than many people.

Not bad, just different.

Something a little different today.

Today, I want either the opening line, or the punch line, to a joke you love.

Feel free to post as many as you like.

I’ll start you off:

“A string? No, I’m a frayed knot.”

And my all time favorite:

“I’m positive.”

Nope.

I did, however, start a new job, so my brain has been super full of that.

So far I REALLY like my new job. I like what I’m doing, I like my co-workers, and I like the potential this job has.

I’d been so miserable in my last job for so long, I think I’m kind of in shock right now.

Now that I’m settling into my new schedule, and have gotten most of my Christmas shopping done, I’m going to try to get back into posting her semi-regularly.

And I’ll keep up with Wednesday Word Association Games. I promise!

No, I’m not telling you the news. Which makes today’s word: secret

I wrote about kid’s books, as you probably noted in my earlier posts.

Kids Books Part I: Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers
Kids Books Part II: Pre-Schoolers and Middle Grade Readers
Kids Books Part III: Middle Grade and Older Readers

(Those posts are on my book blog–if you click through to Amazon and then buy a book, I get a penny or two.)

 
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I read a lot about the continued issues women are having, as well as their hidden roles in history

A chance to discuss sexism & misogyny in science communication: DNLee, Bora, & the SciAm fiasco
Historically Authentic Sexism in Fantasy
‘We Have Always Fought’
Proud Dad Of Two Geek Girls Talks Superheroes, Disney Princesses, And Barbie

 
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I discovered new blogs:
Women You Should Know
The History Girls

And you MUST see this blog post on Daddy’s Little Prop: The Littlest Turtle

 
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I also came across a fascinating study about aging.

Here is the press release: Scientist Uncovers Internal Clock Able to Measure Age of Most Human Tissues
Here is the article: DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types (Not sure if you’ll be able to read that or not.)

The whole concept is fascinating, but the discoveries relating to the rates at which tissue around tumors “age” compared to normal healthy tissue seems like it would have to many amazing applications. (It also logically makes sense that tumors would be “older” than healthy tissues, since they are unregulated growth.)

The other thing I would love to see is more study on the discovery that women’s breasts age faster than the rest of their bodies.

Studies have pointed to an earlier onset of puberty in girls over the last century. I’m very curious as to whether that has any relation to this differential in breast age.

Absolutely fascinating discovery.

 
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And I ordered some fun stuff from Etsy.

Speaking of fun…

This is quite possibly the most adorable thing I’ve seen in a long time (seriously, click through and see the other two pictures):

 
 
And speaking of foxes, there’s a fox living on the White House grounds.

 
 
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I discovered some new websites:

Bad Figure: God-awful good-for-nothing figures from cutting-edge published research.

frex:

 
 
Buzz Hoot Roar is comics + science.
 
 
And discarded images, which is a tumblr dedicated to the images found in the marginalia of illuminated manuscripts.

frex:

weasel: ‘The weasel is called mustela, ‘a long mouse’, so to speak, for theon [telos] in Greek means ‘long’. […] It hunts snakes and mice. […] Some say that weasels conceive through the ear and give birth through the mouth; others say, on the contrary, that they conceive through the mouth and give birth through the ear…’ (transl. Aberdeen Bestiary Project)

Bestiary, Thérouanne ca. 1270.

LA, J. Paul Getty Museum, MS. Ludwig XV 3, fol. 91v

 
 
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I discovered the West Virginia State Park Program: Hiking West Virginia and have absolutely no idea how I didn’t know about this before.

 
 
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I learned how to make a penguin wetsuit, in case that need ever arises.

 
 
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And on Facebook, my friends and I had a long discussion on body image and the treatment of women in the media.

There was a link on Facebook purporting to show how celebrities look in real life versus in magazines. But it was magazines photos compared to candid shots, and bothered me for several reasons:

1. It was ALL women. No men.
2. The “normal” shots were paparazzi shots. I think paparazzi are a scourge upon the world.
3. There’s no time comparison–were the photos taken weeks, months, years apart?
4. A lot of the paparazzi shots were vacation shots. Come on, who hasn’t pigged out on vacation and worn comfortable clothes?

Essentially, I felt it was just mean.

But, it IS true that the image of women that is presented in the media is unrealistic and completely unachievable. So I found some sites that had much better (and far less mean) comparisons, that let you see people at the best, and how photoshop is still used to manipulate those images.

Links of interest:
23 Celebrities Before & After Photoshop
40 Amazing Before and After Photo Retouching Photos
The Reality of Celebrity Photoshop: Before and After

And that’s what happened this week.

Thanks to Janiece, I discovered both Lindsey Stirling AND Pentatonix

Here they are doing a cover of Imagine Dragons’ Radioactive, which blew me away:

Once you watch that, go check out some of Lindsey Stirling’s videos, if you haven’t seem them before.

 
 
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I continue to love Dinosaur Comics.

 
 
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Science is beautiful AND amazing…

 
 
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I’m currently listening to Sergei Lukyanenko’s Night Watch, which I re-read over the summer.

It’s somewhat odd, in that it’s narrated by Paul Michael, who has an American accent, but all the dialog is read with Russian accents. What makes this especially odd is the story is written in first person, so it seems like Anton is thinking in an American accent, but speaking in a Russian accent.

It’s not bad, and I love the stories, but it takes some getting used to.

 
 
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Are you on Pinterest? I use it for a place to stash things I might like to come back to. Like these color photos from 100 years ago:

I’d found that article back when it first came out, then forgot about it, and so was overjoyed to find it again. Now I have a link to it on Pinterest.

 
 
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Have I mentioned Gravity Glue before? If not, it’s an amazing site. He balances rocks.

No. Really. He does.

And it’s amazing.

 
 
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And I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but The Oatmeal is genius.

World War II in Europe: Losses and gains in territory over the course of the war.

It’s fascinating, but also horrifying when you consider how many lives were lost every time a small piece of territory changed sides.

Major points are noted in this iO9 article (where I found the video).

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What was that you wanted? A laser rifle?

Here you go! A British company has built one!

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Until October 20th, there’s a giant rubber duck in Pittsburgh on the Allegheny River.

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I loved these pictures of cliffside walkways.

And really, I loved the comments on the iO9 story almost as much.

9jack9U
Rejected Chinese tourism slogan: “Watch your fucking step!”

Gemmabeta
And also, “honestly, we are not trying to jinx your experience, but we would still like you to pay in advance.”

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This is just plain gorgeous:

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And finally, this seems like it should be a really terrible joke, but somehow, this book exists.

No. Really. IT EXISTS.

And over at SBTB, they have a review of it.

I HAD A PERFECTLY LOVELY LIFE WITHOUT THIS KNOWLEDGE AND NOW I CAN NEVER LIVE A LIFE WHERE I DID NOT READ THIS.

No, seriously. Someone wrote Dinosaur Erotica AND IT WAS PUBLISHED.