a river of nerds

I'm a liberal-leaning person. I don't think that's any surprise to people who know me. This does not mean, however, that I am a "professional" protester. That's not how the Rebecca do.

I attended my first protest when I was in college. Isn't that what college students are supposed to do? The cause? Ummm...I don't really remember. It had something to do with the fact that our apartment-style dorm rooms and hallways weren't being kept up, while the floor that the head of housing lived on was immaculate. I know - major cause, huh? It was a sit-in in the commons area of our housing. Pretty peaceful. Not a ton of people, not very loud or anything, but somehow the Chicago Police were called and someone ended up getting arrested. Drama! The news media was alerted and the next day I somehow ended up showing a TV reporter around our building. (I wish I could remember his name. He ended up in a movie a couple of years later and I was like - "Hey! That guy was in my bedroom!") I was even interviewed for the news (with one of my roommates watching the whole thing because she was too in awe of the reporter's good looks to speak in coherent sentences) which was kind of fun. Unfortunately, the whole story got bumped for most likely two reasons: 1 - It was a pretty lame protest and 2 - It was the same day that John Wayne Gacy was executed. Priorities. Whatever.

Aaanyway, time has gone on and causes have come and gone. Protests have been pretty frequent over the past few years - especially so in the past few months. Some I've agreed with, others I haven't. The ones I did agree with, I didn't participate in for one reason or another. Could have been that there wasn't a protest near me or their mission statement was jumbled and lost or just too vague, or I just couldn't see what a bunch of people holding signs would get accomplished.

So, flash forward to the March for Science. I've been a bit frightened of the number of people in high ranking positions who choose to ignore scientific facts. It's one thing for someone to not believe - I'm sure they've been around the whole time, but the fact that funding is being cut left and right makes me a wee bit nervous. I mean, science saved my life. Research is really important. If we cut funding, how will we ever advance? But, that's enough time on my soapbox, back to the narrative...

I enjoy science. Always have. Well, until high school chemistry defeated me and made me feel like I had no place in the scientific world whatsoever. Now I enjoy reading about science and learning things via internet and museums. I still have curiosity, I just don't have enough left-brain power to be a "scientist". As a supporter of science, and museums, and life, I decided to join the March for Science in Chicago.

Well, something like that...

When the time came, I knew the schedule, the location, but one important thing was missing - My Sign. I knew a sign was very important in the whole protesting thing. I just wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go with it. After doing a little searching, I was still at a loss. I knew what my focus wasn't, but what did I really want to say? After some thought, I came up with "Science saved me, now it's time for me to return the favor." I threw a sign together quickly - very quickly - but it just wasn't working for me. I didn't want a pity party on poster board. So, it was back to the literal drawing board. I had a direction that I wanted to go, but a big blank needed to be filled in. After talking with the hubster, we came up with this one:

Whad'ya think?
As you can tell, I'm not a professional sign maker.

Now, the train station that I go to is the last stop out of Chicago. It's an extremely rural area right next to the WI/IL border, so imagine my pleasant surprise when I saw other people there with signs. As we got closer to the city, more and more people boarded the train with signs of their own. This was a good sign (and it helped me fell less self-conscious about being on a train with a big piece of poster board). As I got off of the train and made my way to the rally point, the number of people with signs and science-related clothing grew and grew. I knew they were expecting thousands of people, but I didn't know they'd all be getting there late like me! Or so I thought.

Once I got about three blocks away from the rally point, the movement of people was basically at a stand still. I had no idea just how many people were in front of me, so I'd put my phone above my head, snap a photo and take a look at it to try to guage what was going on ahead of me, but even that didn't help.

What's going on up there?

Fortunately being there alone had its advantages, one of which was the fact that I could snake my way in between people and get up toward the front a little faster. I still never got that close. I could just barely hear the "kick off" of the march, but we certainly weren't moving anywhere. While we stood there, I took a look around at the other people around me. Their signs were now being held over their heads. That's when I knew that these were my people and I was happy to be supporting them.

Then we started moving. Yay! Slowly, but we were moving. There was definitely forward progress. We finally got to the main road of the march and people spread out a bit. We could finally see everyone around us. There were news helicopters hovering above getting footage, police helicopters in case of anarchy. People of all ethnicities, ages, genders, abilities were there - some were there for the social aspect, checking in on Facebook and Snapchat more than anything, but most people were passionate about why they were there. Another thing that struck me - everyone was kind, polite, said "excuse me" and complimented a sign if they saw fit.

I pulled off to the side for a moment to grab a quick video of the moment:

I moved around the masses, taking in the enormity of it all.

We made our way down the route. What would have normally taken me a half hour to walk ended up taking 2 hours. The ending point was the Field Museum where they were holding a science expo. As we walked under Lake Shore Drive and came out on the other side of the tunnel, I was amazed at the number of people who were still there, sitting on the campus lawn.

And when I made it to the expo on the other side of the museum, there was still another crowd over there.

Since there were so many people, I really only saw those in my section. I had no idea how far people were spread out in front of me or behind me. Only those who lingered afterwards. I figured maybe a few thousand people maybe 10,000 tops. On my train ride home, I checked social media and saw that they had estimated 50,000 people! Fifty. Thousand. (The next day they upped that figure to 60,000!) And there were no incidents. It was like a beautiful river of colorful nerds slowly meandering down the streets of Chicago.

Peaceful protest IS possible, and it was a beautiful thing to see.

wisconsin's not so bad

You know, sometimes I get down on Wisconsin.  I get pissed off at the stereotypes of the fat beer-swilling, cheese-loving, cow milking, backwoods hicks.  I think about the politicians like McCarthy and Walker and Ryan, and I forget all of the great people who have come out of this state.  I took a moment today to take a look at some of the awesome people who have called the true mitten state home, and found some who I hadn't known about.  Pleasant surprises!  Here are some of the greats...

Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker - you know, the people who brought you such classic scenes as this:

And while we're on funny people, let's add a few more: Chris Farley, Joel Hodgson (you know, MST3K), Frank Caliendo, and another of the greats, Gene Wilder:

Then there were more actors listed like Willem Dafoe and Heather Graham, Tom Hulce (though it's not certain), Tony Shaloub, Spencer Tracy, and a couple of people I was pleasantly surprised to see: Mark Ruffalo - my favorite Hulk...

...and the vampire I want to be when I grow up - Kristin Bauer van Straten (Pam from True Blood) Oh, and this is completely NSFW


And there are so many more names that you know, like Harry Houdini, Georgia O'Keefe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Orson Welles, Liberace, Les Paul, and a whole slew of others.  Let's just not get into the whole serial killer thing like Dahmer and Gein, okay?

Yay for Wisconsin!  We're not all backwards-thinking, 19th century-living, paranoia-instilling douchecanoes.

another reason i don't want to live on this planet any more

As I was perusing my ever-informative Facebook feed this evening, I saw that one of my favorite pages, I F*cking Love Science posted this picture of a new representation of an extinct shark-like animal.

From I F*cking Love Science

I remembered seeing a representation of something similar when I was at the Field Museum in Chicago a few years ago and it was so odd, it stuck with me.

Forgive the blurry pic, it was behind glass.

So, I clicked on the picture to get a better look and find the links to the info, but I had to pause when I read some of the comments people had left.

I call BS - that has to be photoshopped.
No way, that can't be a real pic
Is this photo-shopped? Ewwwww
Or my favorite..."its a shame weve come to an age that even real things get blamed on fotoshop cant people accept the fact evolution has its bizzare moments u never know one could be lurking at the depths of the oceon"

Can you hear me facepalm from there?

Apparently they didn't notice in the big white letters scrawled across the blue background that this "shark" lived 270 MILLION years ago.  That's right - it was way back before digital cameras and Adobe programs.  I know, it's hard to believe that time ever existed, but it's true.

I fear for the human race sometimes.

If you want to read more about the Helicoprion, this article has some great information.  It wasn't actually a shark and they're still guessing how it really looked, but they're certainly getting closer.  Freaky-cool stuff!

screeeeeeech!

Oh, I think I've found the thing that irritates me as badly as the sound of nails on a chalkboard does for most other people.  (Oddly it never really bugged me that much.) 

I was just sent an email about a Toys for Tots campaign that's going on.  It's a great thing - a way for people to be involved and help others, but there's something I just can't get past...

On the email and the attached document that we're supposed to post everywhere, it's listed as "Toy's for Tot's."  Everywhere.  About 30 times between the two items. 

I believe that both Toys and Tots are plural, correct?  They do not possess anything nor are they contractions of "toy is" or "tot is."   Isn't this something kids learn in grade school?   Is it that easily forgotten?  Ooh - maybe the improper use has become contagious as I've seen it more and more frequently on Facebook.  It's like Outbreak, but with less death.

To help people overcome this problem (and to save my inner grammar nerd), I've decided to post this helpful link to a website full of fun games for kids and adults to help them learn all about possessives and contractions and Mister Apostrophe.  I've always wanted to do some good in the world.  Maybe this will be my legacy.

happy thor's day!

During a discussion regarding The Avengers at lunch today, I remembered how I learned about Thor in the first place...learning about the Norse gods in second grade.  That made me think about another tidbit of useless yet interesting knowledge stored in my brain - the naming of the days of the week.  Now I'm going to share this useless yet interesting knowledge with you.  Aren't you excited?! 

To make it extremely simple (since most of these have long, complicated reasons), I'm using an elementary school social studies website as my resource.

Okay, here we go:

Sunday: Sun's Day. The Sun gave people light and warmth every day. They decided to name the first (or last) day of the week after the Sun.

Monday: Moon's Day. The Moon was thought to be very important in the lives of people and their crops.

Tuesday: Tiw's Day. Tiw, or Tyr, was a Norse god known for his sense of justice.

 

Wednesday: Woden's Day. Woden, or Odin, was a Norse god who was one of the most powerful of them all.

Thursday: Thor's Day. Thor was a Norse god who wielded a giant hammer.

Friday: Frigg's Day. Frigg was a Norse goddess equal in power to Odin.

Saturday: Seater's Day or Saturn's Day. Saturn was a Roman god.

And there is your education for the day.  Now I'm going to go celebrate Thor's Day the best way I know how: Looking at pictures and sighing. 

This Thor could kick the crap out of that Thor in the picture above...you know, with the goat chariot.





they don't make holidays like they used to

Ah, Valentine's Day.  The day for love, flowers, over-priced dinners, cards, cupids, and mush to make you want to choke.  Can't you feel the forced romance? 

I ran across this wonderful article on Discovery.com which uncovered some of the origins of this cute and cuddly holiday.  Trust me, it was anything but cute and cuddly.

It began in Ancient Rome as Lupercalia.  Being a lover of almost all things Roman Empire, I decided to do a little more investigating on the almighty Wikipedia:

"The Lupercalia festival was partly in honor of Lupa, the she-wolf who suckled the infant orphans, Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome,explaining the name of the festival, Lupercalia, or 'Wolf Festival.' The festival was celebrated near the cave of Lupercal on the Palatine Hill (the central hill where Rome was traditionally founded), to expiate and purify new life in the Spring."


Romulus & Remus and their "Mom"

Okay, that sounds pretty normal.  Let's continue...

"The festival began with the sacrifice by the Luperci...of two male goats and a dog. Next two young patrician Luperci were led to the altar, to be anointed on their foreheads with the sacrificial blood, which was wiped off the bloody knife with wool soaked in milk, after which they were expected to smile and laugh."

Goat and dog blood on my head.  Hm...Yeah, that wouldn't really make me laugh.  Of course, back then

sacrifices and blood were all pretty passe.

"The sacrificial feast followed, after which the Luperci cut thongs from the skins of the victims, which were called februa, dressed themselves in the skins of the sacrificed goats, in imitation of Lupercus, and ran round the walls of the old Palatine city, the line of which was marked with stones, with the thongs in their hands in two bands, striking the people who crowded near. Girls and young women would line up on their route to receive lashes from these whips. This was supposed to ensure fertility, prevent sterility in women and ease the pains of childbirth."

Yeah!  It's the festival of getting whipped by bloody goat-hide thongs wielded by men wearing next to nothing!  Now that's a holiday!

Leave it to those boring "chaste" Christian Romans to put a damper on the party.  The pope put an end to the festival in the 5th Century. 

Over the centuries, it morphed into this fluffy, pink, chocolaty, female pissing contest. 

Ewww...too much fluffy cuteness.

I think we should just go back to the ways of the Romans.  Well, kind of. 

How about we just give and receive orgasms?  I would be all over that celebration.

simplicity is what makes it all better

I had a rough day today.  I admit it - I was grumpy.  I didn't want to be back at work, I didn't want to listen to people asking others how their holiday was just so they could turn around and talk about all of the meaningless stuff that they got for Christmas, and I wanted to be alone.  Okay, I was probably PMS-ing.

Then as I checked facebook from time to time as I do throughout the day at work when I have nothing going on as seems to be the case more often than not these days, I noticed a friend posted a link to an article from an online Australian newspaper.  It was some advice from a very wise teacher (and a man I greatly respect) about how to make a less stressful life through simplicity.  It was very short, but many of the points seemed to hit home.

I read it and went on about my day, and then noticed that another friend posted it again.  I read it again.

And then another friend posted it later in the evening, and I read it again, and I let the words really soak in instead of just reading them in agreement.

"Whatever beings do, wish them happiness and that all disturbing feelings may disappear,"
"Give constructive advice or be a good example during the day."

It's all so easy...so why is it so hard?

With practice, it becomes easier.  And I have been trying to do this for quite some time now, but being just another regular unenlightened human, I get wrapped up in the emotions of the people around me and my own personal likes and dislikes.  I need to keep myself in check and be that good example...pausing only to write humorous, if somewhat snarky, blog posts from time to time.

I'll post the link below.  Take a moment of your time and read it yourself.  It should take you less than two minutes. A little later on, read it again.  Try it one more time and see if things really start to sink in - I dare you.

Simple Ways to A Better Life
Herald Sun, Melbourne, Australia

mind your electronic p's and q's

I've been extremely frustrated by people this week.  I sent emails to five different friends five days ago and I haven't heard a single word back from any of them.  Zip, zero, zilch.  While I realize that they are all busy people leading much more exciting lives than I do, it only takes a second to write a reply of one word like Thanks or Wow, simply letting me know that the message was received.  Instead, it's been dead silence from all of them and I find it immensely irritating.  It's not that I was commencing with chit-chat, talking about the weather, etc.  I was informing four of them about a situation going on around here that they might be interested in and now that I haven't heard anything back I don't know if I should keep them updated or if they just don't care.  I certainly hope they care.  And if they don't, then they should tell me that so I don't waste my time typing to them. The last one I asked a direct yes or no question to...a pretty important question at that - and no time for a one word answer.  Amazing!

Part of me wants to stomp my feet and cross my arms and say, "Fine!  See if I ever send you another email again."  There's also the low self-esteem part of me who thinks that they find me too annoying or insignificant to bother with.  But the more mature part of me is going to give them the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe it's just that they haven't learned proper email etiquette.  Here is where I can help!

I've found a wonderful website called NetManners.com and on that site is a lovely list called Email Etiquette 101.  On that list, at number six, is this courtesy:  Always Respond Promptly (and Down-Edit).  Here it states: Responding promptly is the courteous thing to do. Don’t let folks wonder if you received the email or are ever going to respond to their communications. Think about how quickly you would return a phone call or voice mail. Email is no different especially considering most onliners have expectations of a faster response since email is received so quickly. Outside of any emergencies such as surgery or lack of connectivity, always respond as soon as you can. If you need more time, longer than 48 hours, to gather your thoughts, simply pop off an email stating you are planning on responding in more detail and when.  Sounds pretty logical, doesn't it?  (Of course, they're not very good at returning phone calls either, but let's not get into that.)

I'm learning from this website too!  I didn't know that editing out parts of the email that you're responding to was also a common courtesy, so I'm going to start doing that from now on.  I must have been annoying the hell out of people I was corresponding with.  For that, I wholeheartedly apologize with the promise that it won't happen again.

Hopefully putting this out there for the world to see will help those, like me and my friends, who are still learning as we go through this confusing world of electronic mail.  In the meantime, I will try not to take the lack of return communication personally.  May we all correspond in peace and harmony.

vertigo - a user's guide on what *not* to do

I remember when I was younger, I thought vertigo was that feeling of dizziness when you're way up high and looking down and things seem to zoom in and out and spin a little bit.  Thanks a lot Alfred Hitchcock.

Flash forward to 1997 or so when all of the sudden I was tremendously dizzy for no reason.  It went on and on for days.  Since I worked in a gift shop at the time and was surrounded by numerous valuable, fragile collectibles, I figured it would be less expensive for me to get to the doctor and get it figured out than to walk into a display case of figurines, smashing them all to tiny little pieces.  First thing he did was make sure I wasn't preggers...I could have told him I wasn't but you know those doctors just love making you pee in a cup.  He wrote it off as I needed my ears flushed out.  That was one of the most disgusting feelings I've ever had....and I was still dizzy.

Nine years later, my dad was in the hospital and not doing well at all (he got better).  I visited him daily which meant frequent trips up and down in the hospital elevators - up to his room, down to the cafeteria, up to the room, down to go out and get some fresh air, up to his room, etc.  And then the dizziness kicked in again.  I went back to the doctor (though I had a new doctor this time) thinking maybe all of those elevator trips got my inner ear all screwed up.  The doctor thought it might have been the stress of having a sick dad, so he prescribed Valium.  Woo - that was a trip.  I'm a mellow person anyway, so put me on tranquilizers and I could easily be confused as a lobotomy patient.  When those didn't do the trick, he officially labeled it "vertigo" and tried antihistamines to clear it up.  Still didn't work, but it eventually went away on its own.

It's come back every now and again since then.  A little more frequently as time has gone on.  Seems like every cold I get (which is thankfully only once or twice a year) ends up settling in my inner ear and I get all wonky.  I don't walk straight, I have a persistent ringing, and I space out easily.  Still nothing I can really do with it, so I ride it out until it finally goes away.  I told my husband just to pretend I'm on drugs so he doesn't have to keep asking me what I'm thinking about when he notices me staring at a wall for no reason.

Over the years, I've learned what is safe for me to do and what I should not do under any circumstances when I'm experiencing this fun.  Here is the list of do not's in case any of you find yourself in this predicament:

• Driving at night is not advisable.  Okay, I probably shouldn't drive at all, but how else am I going to get my butt to work so I can sit and spin at my desk?
• Sit-ups, crunches, and the like are strongly discouraged.  All of that up-down-up-down motion makes you feel like your food is about to go up, not down.
• First-person video games = trauma.  I have problems with these anyway, but throw in the vertigo and you'll be spinning so fast that you'll feel like the Tasmanian Devil.  You think you're moving, but your not moving and your inner ear gets very confused and will punish you.
• Dancing, especially anything with head movement, is a stupid idea.  Sometimes I just get carried away when I hear "Bohemian Rhapsody" and have to do the whole Wayne's World headbanging thing when the fast part comes up, but I quickly remember that I'm an idiot once I can't regain by bearings.
• Watching a live tennis match will make you ill.  Left, right, left, right... Your head will be doing that for five hours after you've gone home.
• Boating.  Really?  Do I have to go on?
• Shaving is dangerous.  Okay, let me clarify this.  The armpits are a cinch, the legs are pretty easy because they're pretty straight and simple, but there some parts of the female anatomy that should not be shaved during this time because the risk of pain and accidental mutilation is not worth it.

I hope this is helpful for you.  As life with vertigo goes on I shall post more guidelines as they arise.  In the meantime, this dizzy blonde is going to take a walk, hopefully have a spinning spell and stumble into the arms of some unsuspecting hunk.  Hey - might as well make the most of it!

the family trip to phoenix

It's very hard for me to believe that I've hit the point in my parenting life where I'm touring the junior high that my son will be attending next year.  I'm old!  What makes it really freaky is that I attended the same school from 5th to 8th grade, and other than the additions of a couple of wings, it hasn't changed much.

I'm pretty sure my husband was getting sick of me saying things like, "Oh My God, I remember that!" and "It hasn't changed a bit" and "Oh, this is so weird!"  So, now I get to type it all in here and he doesn't have to deal with it...unless he feels like reading it...then it's his own problem.

As soon as we walked in the doors, the memories started flooding back.  The lobby hasn't changed a bit, so I could see myself sitting on the bench in front of the tile mural of the founder of the town.  We were steered to the cafeteria which, other than the loss of a storage closet and cubbies against the walls, hasn't changed either.  The holes in the arches of the ceiling from kids throwing pencils up there had multiplied, the same faded yellow and blue chairs and white/grey tables that we sat at every lunch and study hall period had remained, but with new names etched into them.  I picked out where my art exhibit was in 8th grade, remembered sitting at one of the front tables in 7th grade homeroom and replayed a moment in my mind when I had a "boyfriend" in 6th grade when all that basically meant was you sat next to each other at lunch and went on dates to PG movies.


We sat in the cafeteria for a while, listening to the (very young) principal and vice principal talk the place up with the help of current students.  The "it's not as scary as you think" talk.  Then they sent us to the library which is attached to the back.  I found myself actually getting excited to be able to go in there again.  The only disappointment I had was noticing that the walls were painted a sterile white instead of the avocado green that they used to be.  The dark wooden tables and chairs were still in there along with the matching shelving for the books.  Suddenly I remembered that I was a library helper for one year, checking books out, putting them away, etc.  I had completely forgotten about it (as I had blocked out much of 6th and 7th grades because they were awkward and not terribly pleasant).  I remembered that the little room behind and to the right of the desk was for periodicals.  I honestly don't even know if they still have print periodicals for the kids to look at anymore - how scary is that?  More memories played in my mind - spending lunch periods in there watching "Anne of Green Gables," my friends' 8th grade art exhibits, waiting impatiently in that room for our turn to sing during choir concerts, my 8th grade science project on erosion...

Then came the grand tour of the building.  Well, "grand" might not be the correct word for it.  Groups were led around the halls by a few middle school students, no rooms were open, and I could barely hear a word that was said.  I didn't care too much though, because the places we were taken were in the old section of the building with all of the rooms I new and loved...and hated. The home ec rooms with a kitchen in one and sewing machines in the other, the art rooms where I spent so much of my free time working on projects and in OM practices, the former industrial arts room that now housed the "tech ed" rooms instead, the choir room on the second floor above the gym. Old worn lockers lined the walls and I could remember the general areas where mine resided - the insides of their doors covered with pictures of cute actors and meaningful quotes.  Wow - I remembered a lot more than I thought I did.

The tour concluded in the lobby, but our son noticed that there were people in the gym, so he had to go see it.  I'm pretty sure he was in awe of it's size.  His grade school has one room that is both gym and cafeteria.  It's small, has some rubbery flooring, and it's pretty generic.  This gym is a real gym - wooden floors, 6 different basketball hoops, bleachers along the wall.  He picked up a basketball and joined in with the rest of the kids and didn't want to stop.  It was at this point that I realized that even though junior high had some very rough spots as it does with all kids, I had some pretty good times there.  Sure, I was picked on quite a bit - by both students and some teachers, had my heart "broken" many times and for a while never quite fit in, but I also was able to try new things, laugh a lot, and I met my best life-long friends there.  Those are the things that are worth remembering.  Hopefully my son will be able to make some great memories there as well.

october's educational post (here's someone you don't hear about very often...)

Ever heard of H. H. Holmes?

Eh...didn't think so.  Do the names Dahmer, Bundy, or Gacy ring a bell?  Well, add him to the list either by his given name, Herman Webster Mudgett, or by his alias.  This was one of America's first serial killers - convicted of 27 counts of murder in the first degree (though it is suspected he might have killed up to 230 people) between the years of 1888 and 1894 and the abundance of his murders were committed not far from me - Chicago.  The backdrop of his spree - The World's Columbian Exposition (better known as the 1893 World's Fair).

This guy wasn't just any old murderer - he built his own "Murder Castle."  He "inherited" a drugstore from a couple - the man died, the woman mysteriously disappeared - and Holmes decided to build a grand building across the street.  The first floor being his drugstore and various other shops, and he opened the rest as a hotel for those attending the nearby fair.  This was no ordinary hotel. Sealed rooms, gas chambers, secret passageways, doors leading to nowhere, chutes that went from bathrooms to the basement where a giant furnace, vats of acid and even a stretching rack were located.  He didn't just kill - he had fun with it.  Halfway through construction, he fired the crew and hired a new one so that nobody would learn too much about the building, get suspicious and go to the police. 

Before he started murdering people, he was a bigamist.  Apparently he had a way with the ladies.  Once he started his new life in Chicago, one of his lovers disappeared and he found another...actually many.  Funny thing is, many of them disappeared too.  His hotel employees were obligated to take out life insurance policies that Holmes would pay for, but also be the beneficiary of.  Guess what - employees disappeared too.  Most of his victims were his lovers, female hotel employees, and hotel guests.  A few men and children's bodies were found as well.   Many of the people were looking for a new life, had little family or were from places far away where it was difficult for family to come search for them.

His victims would suffer from the strangest forms of death.  Some were asphyxiated in their own well-sealed guest rooms by gas he would pump in through hoses. Some were sealed in a soundproof bank vault near his office where they would suffocate.  Others died of Holmes' badly-done abortion procedures.  After they were dead, some would be dissected and stripped of all muscle, becoming skeleton models then sold to medical schools.  Others were cremated or thrown into lime pits or even huge vats of acid.  He knew how to get rid of his evidence.

With the closing of the fair and bill collectors on his heels, Holmes decided to high-tail it out of Chicago and ended up in Texas, where he was going to build another...um...hotel, but he wasn't a fan of law enforcement down there.  He moved about for a while, probably killing a lot of other people as well, and then ended up in Philadelphia where he came up with another fine scheme...convince his associate to fake his own death and collect the life insurance money.  Except, of course, the person would end up dying anyway.  Holmes ended up convincing the dead man's wife (who had been convinced that her husband was in South America) to let three of their kids live with him.  There's a great role model for your kids! 

Holmes would lie to her about where they were staying when she would go looking for them.  She ended up hiring private investigators to find them, but unfortunately what they came up with was two decomposed bodies of children.  They finally tracked him down in Indianapolis in a nice little cottage he was renting.  In the chimney in that cottage, they found the ashes and teeth of the third child that had been travelling with him.  He ran again and was finally captured in Boston with his completely unsuspecting third wife.  I'm telling ya - ladies' man.

In 1894, a custodian at the castle ended up telling Chicago police that he was never allowed above the first floor of the building and that's when they decided to go investigating.  Over the next month, they searched the castle, found the secret rooms and means of disposal, but many of the bodies that were actually left were so decomposed or dismembered that they couldn't tell how many were actually there.  The castle ended up burning down due to a fire of "mysterious origin" in 1895.

What happened to Mr. Holmes?  Well, while he was in prison, he ended up making a deal with Hearst Newspapers for his confession.  He wrote his own story, and had it published.  His story did change over time though, first saying he was innocent, then toward the end of his time on this plane of existence saying he was possessed by the devil.  He was finally hanged on May 7, 1896...it was a slow death.  After that, he was buried in a concrete vault per his request so that nobody could dig up his body and dissect it the way he had done with so many others.

I had never heard of this man or the mass murders that took place in Chicago until I read a book about haunted Chicago of all things.  It made me investigate further and I ended up reading a book called "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson.  His book weaved together the story of Holmes along with the World's Fair and those who made it happen.  It was really fascinating - sick - but fascinating.  The Columbian Exposition is another topic that interests me, so I might be writing something about that a little later on.  Such a huge to-do and barely anything remains...

Anyhoo...I hope you've been educated a little bit today.  I know it's not the happiest of subject matter, but it's just so dang odd that you never hear about this guy.

september's educational post (what a pain in the leg)

With the exercise that I've been doing to try to lose weight (though in actuality it's only keeping off the weight that wants to come back), I've ended up hurting myself.  Big surprise - I know.  After a few months of intermittent jogging, I've developed shin splints.  Lucky me!  I can still do my walk, but as soon as I start running, these things flare up and start yelling at me, so I have to stop. 

I ended up doing a little research on the pesky condition and thought I'd share some of my results.

"Shin splints is a general medical term denoting medial tibial stress syndrome, a slow healing and painful condition in the shins, often caused by the stresses of running, jumping, dancing, sprinting, etc."

Symptoms of shin splints:

• Pain over the inside lower half of the shin.
• Pain at the start of exercise which often eases as the session continues
• Pain often returns after activity and may be at its worse the next morning.
• Sometimes some swelling.
• Lumps and bumps may be felt when feeling the inside of the shin bone.
• Pain when the toes or foot are bent downwards.
• A redness over the inside of the shin (not always present).

"Shin splints can be caused by overly tight muscles in the lower leg, including the calf muscles and the shin muscles. Stretching on a daily basis and even receiving sports massage can help improve flexibility."


A possible contributing cause of shin muscle pain is the relative weakness of the muscles on the front of the lower leg (the shin), compared to the relative strength of the calf muscles, at the back of the leg (the calf). Shin-muscle strengthening exercises are usually prescribed to correct for this muscle-strength imbalance. The shin pain caused by medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints) usually lasts some ten (10) days, the pain slowly diminishing as the muscle-strength imbalance is corrected. The shin pain is attributed to a forced extension of the muscle, by the opposing calf muscles."

"Treatment for shin splints is as simple as reducing pain and inflammation, identifying training and biomechanical problems which may have helped cause the injury initially, restoring muscles to their original condition and gradually returning to training."

What can the athlete do about shin splints?

• Rest to allow the injury to heal.
• Apply ice or cold therapy in the early stages, particularly when it is very painful. Cold therapy reduces pain and inflammation.
• Stretch the muscles of the lower leg. In particular the tibialis posterior which is associated with shin splints.
• Wear shock absorbing insoles in shoes. This helps reduce the shock on the lower leg.
• Maintain fitness with other non weight bearing exercises such as swimming, cycling or running in water.
• Apply heat and use a heat retainer or shin and calf support after the initial acute stage and particularly before training. This can provide support and compression to the lower leg helping to reduce the strain on the muscles. It will also retain the natural heat which causes blood vessels to dilate and increases the flow of blood to the tissues to aid healing.
• Visit a sports injury clinic for treatment and rehabilitation.

"In order to properly treat shin splints and prevent them recurring, the causative factors must be taken into consideration. No matter how much rest, anti-inflammatories and massage are used, without correcting the cause of the injury, the symptoms will continue to return.


Biomechanical problems such as overpronation and supination can be corrected using running shoes or insoles (or orthotics). Ensuring shoes/trainers are suitable your foot type and for the activity in question.

For runners, try to avoid always running on hard pavements as they provide no shock absorption. Try running some of the time on tarmac, grass or even sand to reduce the shock passed through the legs."

Okay, so I completely copied and pasted from Wikipedia and SportsInjuryClinic.net, but I''m not very creative when it comes to explaining medical conditions.


Looks like my crappy shoes from Wal-Mart that are old and falling apart aren't doing me any good.  Unfortunately I don't have the funds to go out and buy myself a good pair of shoes.  At least I walk/run on a gravel trail and not on the sidewalk.  I learned that trick a long time ago.  Guess I'll just have to nurse these babies for a little while, start stretching, get back into it and see what happens. 

august's educational post (just in the nick of time)

If you've read the book or seen the movie "Angels and Demons,"  you might remember that Robert Langdon was following the "Path of Illumination" that was found in clues left in the art of Gianlorenzo Bernini.  When I read the book, long before the movie came out, I was so excited that someone else was mentioning the art of my favorite artist of all time - I couldn't put it down.  So, I thought I'd share a bit of info (and many pictures) on this man who many people had never heard of before Dan Brown decided to feature his art in a book...

"Bernini, Gianlorenzo (1598-1680): Italian sculptor, architect and painter. He was the son of a sculptor and studied with his father who also helped him gain early patronage. Apollo and Daphne shows Daphne trying to escape from the pursuing Apollo and turning into a laurel tree as she does so. The observer must walk around the sculpture to witness Daphne's transformation, thus denying a unitary viewpoint. This type of multiple viewpoint was common in Mannerist sculpture, but in works such as David, Bernini goes a step further and shows David in the process of slinging a stone at the imaginary Goliath, who seemingly occupies a place behind the observer of the sculpture.

Virtuosity of design and conception was complemented by a willingness to use different sorts of marble, as well as both painting and architecture to enhance sculptural form. Bernini's facility drew him to the attention of Pope Urban VIII (Barberini), who made him the principal architect for St. Peter's in 1629. In this capacity, he contributed both the Baldacchino (1624-33), with its mingling of architectural and sculptural features, the Cathedra Petri (Throne of St. Peter) (1657-65) and the oval colonnade surrounding the forecourt. He also produced for St. Peter's the tomb of Urban VIII, with its rich mixture of materials. Bernini also contributed fountains and churches (e.g. S. Andrea al Quirinale) to Rome, and with Borromini, Cortona and others, he helped give Rome a Baroque aspect.

Urban VIII's successor, Innocent X, was less impressed with Bernini's ability; but Bernini was not short of commissions and during this time, he produced the Ecstasy of St. Theresa for the Cornaro Chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria (1645-52). He also produced a number of portrait busts, which revealed his facility for capturing character. In 1665-6 he went to Paris following the invitation of Louis XIV, who wished to make use of his skills as an architect. However, the trip was not very successful and resulted in little but an elaborate portrait bust of Louis XIV. Bernini was best known for his blending of media, which gave his sculpture the fluidity of painting and his architecture the plasticity of sculpture. His popularity declined after his death and he was an anathema to generations of academic artists who favoured a more classical style."
- From The Bulfinch Guide to Art History 






Here are a few of my favorite pieces by Bernini:

Blessed Ludovica Albertoni

Portraying religious ecstasy.  Sheesh!  This is almost like 17th Century porn...in a church.

The Rape of Proserpina

Bernini did this at the ripe old age of 23!  The style is complete mannerism, but check out the detail of his fingers pressing into her flesh.  It's hard to believe this is marble.

The Gates of Hell

I love the way the red marble is fashioned to look like fabric against the bronze skeleton.

Okay, there's your bit of art information for a while.  Hope I was able to clue you in to some pretty awesome stuff.  Now on with the non-educational stuff...

july's educational post

This month, I'm going to educate you about the personality traits of those born under the sign of Aquarius.  Being a water-bearer myself, I find that people sometimes have a hard time understanding me, but I'm hoping to help those of you who deal with me and my kind on a regular basis.

Aquarius will express their energies and drives in a calm, detached and civilized manner. This sign is inclined to emotional distancing, and it may be hard for vulnerable feelings to be demonstrated or even acknowledged. Softer planets, such as Venus and the Moon, may express their needs in an impersonal way which is strikingly devoid of sentimentality. It is often those closest to the Aquarian individual who experience the sign's detachment, while more distant acquaintances and colleagues receive the full force of the Waterbearer's kindness, equanimity and concern. Aquarius is capable of immense loyalty and dedication, both to loved ones and to those larger causes so dear to the Aquarian heart. Yet those in whom the sign is emphasized may find their commitment underestimated, because they do not readily give voice to what they feel, only to what they think and believe. Complex and often misunderstood, Aquarius may rebel against traditional values - not from personal grievance but because a greater truth claims allegiance. Although often perceived as intensely individual, individualism for its own sake does not appeal to Aquarius' sober rationality. The Strongly Aquarian nature may find it hard to fight for personal concerns and needs. Yet faced with a collective in need of help or encouragement, this sign can draw on enormous resources of tenacity, courage and genuine altruism.

Aquarians basically possess strong and attractive personalities. They fall into two principle types: one shy, sensitive, gentle and patient; the other exuberant, lively and exhibitionist, sometimes hiding the considerable depths of their character under a cloak of frivolity. Both types are strong willed and forceful in their different ways and have strong convictions, though as they seek truth above all things, they are usually honest enough to change their opinions, however firmly held, if evidence comes to light which persuades them that they have been mistaken. They have a breadth of vision that brings diverse factors into a whole, and can see both sides of an argument without shilly-shallying as to which side to take. Consequently they are unprejudiced and tolerant of other points of view. This is because they can see the validity of the argument, even if they do not accept it themselves. They obey the Quaker exhortation to "Be open to truth, from whatever source it comes," and are prepared to learn from everyone.

Both types are humane, frank, serious minded, genial, refined, sometimes ethereal, and idealistic, though this last quality is tempered with a sensible practicality. They are quick, active and persevering without being self-assertive, and express themselves with reason, moderation and sometimes, a dry humor.  They are nearly always intelligent, concise, clear and logical. Many are strongly imaginative and psychically intuitive. When some cause or work of this nature inspires them, they are capable of such devotion to it that they may drive themselves to the point of exhaustion and even risk injuring their health.

Both types need to retire from the world at times and to become temporary loners. They appreciate opportunities for meditation or, if they are religious, of retreats. Even in company they are fiercely independent, refusing to follow the crowd. They dislike interference by others, however helpfully intended, and will accept it only on their own terms. Normally they have good taste in drama, music and art, and are also gifted in the arts, especially drama.

In spite of the often intensely magnetic, forthcoming and open personality of the more extrovert kind of Aquarian, and of their desire to help humanity, neither type makes friends easily. They sometimes appear to condescend to others and take too little trouble to cultivate the acquaintance of people who do not particularly appeal to them.

They do not give themselves easily - perhaps their judgment of human nature is too good for that - and are sometimes accounted cold. But once they decide that someone is worthy of their friendship or love, they can exert an almost hypnotic and irresistible mental attraction on them and will themselves become tenacious friends or lovers, ready to sacrifice everything for their partners and be faithful to them for life. However, they are sometimes disappointed emotionally because their own high personal ideals cause them to demand more of others than is reasonable. And if they are deceived their anger is terrible. If disillusioned, they do not forgive.

Aquarians have a feeling of unity with nature and a desire for knowledge and truth that makes them admirable scientists, especially astronomers and natural historians. They may excel in photography, radiography, electronics - anything connected with the electrical and radio industries - aviation and everything technical. On the arts and humanities side their progressive tendencies can be expressed in writing, especially poetry, and broadcasting, or as welfare workers and teachers. Some have gifts as entertainers and make good character actors (having an ability to mimic) and musicians. The more psychic among them possess healing gifts, especially in curing the mentally sick.

Among the faults to which they are liable are fanatical eccentricity, wayward egotism, excessive detachment and an inclination to retreat from life and society, and a tendency to be extremely dogmatic in their opinions. Aquarians can be a threat to all they survey or a great boon for humanity in general. Circumstances - for example, continuous opposition to a cause they hold dear - may cause the atrophy of the openness of mind that is one of the Aquarian's most attractive traits. They may express a lack of integrity in broken promises, secretiveness or cunning. Simmering anger and resentment, rudeness or, worse, a tense, threatening silence which may suddenly burst out in eruptions of extreme temper, these are all part of the negative side of the Aquarian. This can also reveal itself in a sustained hatred for enemies that is capable of enlarging itself into a misanthropy toward the whole of mankind.

Aquarius Likes : fame and recognition, personal privacy, rainbows, dreams, magic, change for its own sake, eccentricity, surprises, and living within their means despite the many temptations which constantly surround them every waking moment.

Aquarius Dislikes : emotion and intimacy, people who show off, being taken for granted, being pinned down, violence and fighting, and senseless or purposeless extravagance of any sort.

*Sources - various web pages and books.  There are too many to name, but I doubt you really care.  ;)

a public service announcement

I'm taking a moment away from my normal fun and entertaining posts and giving y'all a bit of education. I might do this again from time to time just to make myself feel like I'm contributing a little something to the world. This topic, however, is very near and dear to me at the moment.

What comes to mind when you think of the symptoms of a heart attack? Most likely it's what you see on tv or in the movies: chest pain radiating out into the shoulders or arm, shortness of breath, etc. People clutching their chest, gasping for air and then falling to the ground, right? Well, yes, those are certainly symptoms, but did you know that you might just feel like you have heartburn?

I had never heard of it until that and fatigue were the only symptoms that my dad had on Monday night when he had his heart attack. Unfortunately, because he didn't know it was a sign (and none of us had a clue either), he put off going to the doctor for two days and it went untreated, killing some of his heart muscle. When he was admitted, the doctors and nurses told him that 3 out of 5 times, when someone comes in for heartburn it turns out to be a heart attack. If that's the case, don't you think there should be a little more education about that? Well...I'm doing my part. :)

I'm not usually one to post anything from WebMD (mainly because my borderline hypochondriac husband reads it far too often), but HERE is a great page giving the list of symptoms of heart-related events. Read it, remember it.