women's history: take 4

 

"Aren't those Girl Scout cookies?"

 

They are! Starting at the top and going clockwise, that's the Samoa, the Toffee-tastic, the Exploremore, the Adventureful, and the Lemon-Up. As I told my brother, Smitty, I had left these cookies so I could do a comparison for science. He thought that was odd, but he knows I am an analytical chemist and like to do that sort of thing from time to time. (smile!)

 

"Yes, I know he knows! So, what's the experimental results?"

 

The Samoa is still my hands-down favorite! Remember that I bought two boxes of those? That's the last one. Crisp cookie base, dipped in dark chocolate and coated in toasted coconut on top with dark chocolate stripes... totally delectable!!! I like to start off on the side, getting some of the coconut and chocolate together. Then, I bite off sections of dark chocolate from the bottom, baring the cookie. Next, I eat parts of the exposed cookie. Then I repeat the process until it's all gone! Those boxes had 15 cookies per box, with two being a serving. I'm saving that last cookie for a special occasion.

 

"Girl, you are so weird."

 

Hey, I like to enjoy my food, okay? There's nothing wrong with that!

 

"Sure, you're right,beg your pardon. Now, how about the others? I recall that you were excited about the other two dark cookies when you ordered them. How did that turn out?"

 

Well, the Adventureful - that's the one at 7 o'clock - was pretty tasty, and was fun to eat, too. I could bite off a couple of sections of the brownie-type cookie on the side, freeing up the caramel flavored top with its chocolate striping. Here's the thing, though: the cookie part was too soft for my liking. I doubt I will buy those again. However, the 15 cookies are all gone, so that's saying something.

 

"How about the Exploremore?"

 

That's the one I liked the least. The box came with two sleeves of 9 cookies... and I still have one sleeve not opened. I like that it was a sandwich cookie, and had two crisp chocolate cookies. But something was off about the chocolate and it tasted... I don't know... 'plain' is the only word that fits. As for the marshmallow creme filling, with its toasted almond flavoring, I didn't like that at all. I realize it's been years since I had Rocky Road ice cream, but I don't remember it tasting like that. It just came off as artificial.

 

"Wow. I was expecting something more like a s'more, but I guess not."

 

Most def not. As for the two non-chocolate cookies, I liked the Lemon-Up better. Very crisp cookie, with a very lemony bottom, as if it had been dipped in a lemon glaze. It was also a very big cookie compared to the others! I still have an unopened package of those waiting for me. And the last ones, the Toffee-tastic, I still have most of a box of those. That cookie reminds me a lot of a Pecan Sandy, but with bits of toffee candy instead of nuts. Same dry, powdery surface, so it makes lots of crumbs. Tasty, for sure, but also messy.

 

"I see. What I don't understand is why you included this post in those about Women's History Month."

 

Hey, I could have included them in Georgia History Month, too. The Girl Scouts were started right here in Savannah, Georgia, in 1912, by Juliette Gordon Low. Of the 18 girls in that very first troupe, two were sisters of my step-dad, Frank. As I recall, their names were Agnes Barry and Mary Barry. They were both older than he was, as he wasn't even born until 1922.

 

"Yes, I remember all that now! That makes those two girls part of history, for sure! Wouldn't it be nice to find a listing of those 18 first Girl Scouts?"

 

I do know the name of one other: Margaret "Daisy" Gordon, the niece of Juliet Gordon Low. She was registered as the first Girl Guide, as the Girl Scouts were once called. But that's all I've got. Maybe I'll check at the library the next time I go, see what they might have on the subject.

 

"Well, if you do, please let me know! Thanks!"

March 7, 1876: start of the modern world

Saturday will mark the 150-year anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell receiving a patent for his invention of the landline telephone.

That was four days after his 29th birthday.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued patent 174,465 for his discovery.

The USPTO issued patent 11,217,118 to me for my invention, the Periodic Table For The Visually Impaired, on January 4, 2022.

I was 60 years old when my application was filed for it in 2018.

I was midway between 63 and 64 when I finally received it.

 

Today, the USPTO held a seminar to honor Bell's invention. 

I registered on February 20th, the day I received the email about the talk, to be part of the ZOOM audience.

They wanted to mark the importance of IP - Intellectual Property - as part of the USA's 250th anniversary.

I wanted to hear the story of how he obtained his patent.

 

Lots of people were there in Alexandria, Virginia, and many more - the count was over 400 shortly after the seminar began - were there virtually.

Some of the speakers were even ZOOMing in to give their talks!

A hundred years ago, the person who received the patent was the one who first demonstrated, in public, whatever they had discovered.

On that 7th of March of 1876, Bell and two cousins sent the sound of their singing down the telegraph line for several miles, to the line tied in and run to the house, and into the house where the excited listeners awaited - wow!

A few days later, he arranged to have use of the telegraph line for another experiment, this time designed to be a 30-minute back and forth conversation between two parties several miles apart.

So many people wanted to be part of the venture that the phone call lasted three hours!!!

That's pretty incredible!

And what had been his purpose for creating this device?

He knew the value of spoken words over written words, as speech allows inflections and tones that simple text does not.

He wanted people to have the option of actually speaking to friends down the road in a neighboring town, without having to rely on the blank tone of a telegraphed message.

Wow.

I can certainly understand why he would want that.

Anyone in this modern world who has ever sent an email or a text message that was misunderstood due to its lack of tone can understand the importance of spoken words and the extra meaning given by voice.

That was a good seminar.

It's time to get my Periodic Table into the hands of those who need it.

Last year was the three-year mark and I had to pay a fee to to the USPTO to extend the patent.

Unfortunately, I didn't find out until late summer when they sent me a letter, as well as the bill for a $300 late penalty tacked onto the fee.

Yes, I need to get this done.

Thanks, USPTO, for this timely talk. 

flashback!!! April 28, 2021

On that date, I had a little experiment on fb. 

 

"Time for a new profile pic, wouldn't you say? So, kindly peruse the following and let me know of your preference! Thanks!
ps. This is what happens when your doctor leaves you unattended for more than 5 minutes. LOL!

The post garnered 37 likes, loves, laughs and two that abstained to vote.

 

Sue Kosokowsky: "They're all good photos."

Linda L. Walker: "Beautiful inside and outside!"

Photo 1 

 

Barbara Namkoong Gooby: "#1"

 

Photo 2

 

Genie Brazzeal Lawson: "The second one"

Sandra Karlin: "I like this one. To me it exudes confidence and says "yeah, I got this!" "

JinHi Soucy Rand: "Aww, I love all of them! I think I’m between the second and the 5th. Those are sides of you in particular, but they all make me smile."

Photo 3

William Peterson: "The third one"

Yvonne Pizzo Roach: "This is my Second choice."

Jeff Secrest: "I like the third one down best but each would be a great pic for your profile!"

John Mattingly: "The one in the lower left corner."

Karen Sherman: "This is my favorite!"

Bonnie Clark: "#3 for sure!"

 

Jackie Frant: "Are you in the dentist chair? LOL"

 

 

Photo 4

 

Yvonne Pizzo Roach: "This is my favorite."

Susan Kempf: "I'd pick this one"

Marcia Ford: "This one for me. Beautiful!"

Caroline Switzer Verner: "I like #4"

Kathy Landers Schaal: "This one!"

Photo 5

 

Danielle McFadden: "This one"

Lorretta Ruggiero: "This one."

Andy Peña: "I like the one where you’re puckering up"

Penny Walker Bos: (fingers framing this one)

Jeff Powless: "Love this picture"

Photo 6

Christina Smith: "the last one for sure! LOL"

Tony E Smith: "Definitely this one.....its perfect!"

Lorrie Bernhardt: "Awesome! I would choose this one."

Matthew Smith: "Aubree said that to use this one"

 

 

 

 

 

And the results were: Photo 3 and Photo 5 had the most votes, which is pretty amazing!

The most amazing thing, though, was I had TWENTY-SIX who responded with comments to my little photo contest.

Wow. 

That was during the second month of the second year of pandemic.

Clearly, folks needed something lighthearted!

 

I wrote:

"Okay!!! I do so appreciate all the input... and for bringing some smiles to faces! For my Alabama niece, I'm going with that as the first change! I'll be rotating in the others in a week or two!"

carpe diem

Yes, that's me,
wearing my "Unchained" kickstarter-reward
T-shirt,
at Butterducks Winery earlier this month.
Lookin' pretty svelte,
right?
Ah, the funhouse magic of mirrored surfaces,
either squashing you down and expanding your middle, or lengthening your stance and slimming you up!


I cannot seem to get this image out of my mind.


You see, it jibes quite well with the image of me I carry around in my head all the time. Yes, indeed, that's me at 18 years old, ready to take on the world and sail the seven seas!
But that hasn't been my physical self for better than... well, let's say half my life, shall we? Possibly a bit longer.
Sure, sure, I had lost weight before I went on my Italian avventura in May of 2012, but then I gained it back. Almost all of it, too.
Not the first time I've done that.
So, last Thursday, I heard a commercial: free registration at Weight Watchers until May something-or-other.
That might be a good idea. I know I should have an annual exam coming up in the near future and I know my quantity of pounds will probably dominate the conversation. Maybe I should plan a pre-emptive strike, surprise the doctor.
Maybe I should.
Oh, that sounds like a plan destined to never happen.
Maybe? Should?
Fine.
So I checked out the meeting times. Hey, what do you know? There's one at 6:00 pm - I could go to that. Then again, the one on Mondays at 11:00 AM will fit in better with my schedule. That's at a decent time, too. I'll go ahead and register for that one. If I register online, that'll make sure I go to it.
Hell's belles, why not register for the one at 6:00 pm and go to it. I could still be home in plenty of time for "The Big Bang Theory"...
And that is exactly what I did.
And last night, before my "steak dinner", I weighed in at my meeting.
Seven pounds gone already.
What a different Spring Break I've had this year, traveling to a virtual space in me, instead of a physical place for me. Neither destination is new to me, but this space has proven the less costly destination as well as having the probability of being better for my head.
Keep that image to the forefront, girl.

horoscope crystal balls

At the beginning of this year, one of the local entertainment weekly newspapers had the following horoscope for me.

Here are some of the experiences I hope to help you harvest in the coming year: growing pains that are interesting and invigorating rather than stressful; future shock that feels like a fun joyride rather than a bumpy rumble; two totally new and original ways to get excited; a good reason to have faith in a dream that has previously been improbable; a fresh supply of Innocent Crazy-Wise Love Truth; and access to all the borogoves, mome raths, and slithy toves you could ever want.

Honestly, it was that bit about the borogoves that hooked my interest enough that I clipped out the horoscope and taped it to my kitchen cabinet, under my calendar. Periodically I would review the short paragraph, to reaffirm what I recalled of its forecast and to wonder when any of it would come to pass.
Today, the last day of this year, I thought an analysis was needed to see if the author had some divine link to the future - or was just stringing some random thoughts together for entertainment.
In other words: which is more on point, the horoscope, the Dove promises, or the fortune cookie?
Then again... isn't there something else I should be doing right now?
Probably.
Bye!

pineapple upside-down ...cornbread?

Yep, that's what I said: pineapple upside-down cornbread.
A while back, I had combined a can of crushed pineaple with a box of bran muffin mix - adding no other ingredients - and baked them to make quite a nice breakfast for several days.
Successful experiment.
Thursday, I had pulled a can of crushed pineapple out of the pantry and a box of "Jiffy" corn muffin mix. Hey, everyone always says that "Jiffy's" cornbread is like cake, so maybe I could combine the two and have something good. Right?
Evidently, I needed to think about it overnight.
Yesterday, I looked again at the two ingredients on my kitchen counter.
And the thought popped into my mind, with an image tagging along: crushed pineapple on the bottom of the loaf pan, prepared muffin mix on top.
And so it came to pass.
I drained the pineapple, mostly. Then the loaf pan was lightly oiled and the muffin mix combined with 1/2 cup of water and allowed to stand for a moment (as if I was making corn muffins). The mix was gently spooned on top of the pineapple, smoothing the top for appearance. Then, into the oven it was popped for 22 minutes.
Golden-brown crust? Yep!
Turned loose from the edges of the pan? Yep!
Okay, let's invert it onto a plate and see what we get...
Success! Woohoo!
I served it alongside the stove-pot casserole for the night: diced Spam (low-fat, low-sodium version, thank you), some fresh onion, a small apple, the leftover pineapple, and brown rice.
Very nice combination!!!
I just may have that for breakfast tomorrow.

when i drive myself, my life is found

You know how much i have complained here, repeatedly, about driving and getting lost and completely losing my mind?

Lord, yes!

Excuse me?

You asked, i answered.

The question was rhetorical. I was about to tell you a story and you interrupted me, yet again.

Well, i thought i heard a pause after the question, so i was trying to do the right thing and let you know i was listening. So i responded.

Fine. (sigh.)

Fine. You were talking about getting lost.

So i was. Well, i realized something this weekend about me and getting lost. No, i take that back, zfr my laster.

WHAT?! "ZFR my laster"?

Come now, you've heard me say that before. I could just stop at "zfr", but i've always added the "my laster" for emphasis. As you recall, i was in the communications field in the Navy and "zfr my laster" is radio code for "disregard my last transmission." Okay?

Okay. Why didn't you just stop at "i take that back"? Wouldn't that have been easier than going through all this?

I don't know, i was lost in the moment. And "lost" is what i'm trying to discuss right now.
So, as i was saying, i was driving on Saturday, riding alongside the wave in my world, and the usual event occurred several times: to wit, i kept getting lost. But this time, did i get bent out of shape and rouse the snakes in my head about the situation? Did i rage at events i could not control in the past? No, no, and no. Did my new friend get aggravated at my lack of navigation skills?

(Lifts right eyebrow quizzically, but says naught.)

No, no, he did not get vexed with me as I meandered past my turn-off and had to circle back on not one, not two, but on three separate occasions. THREE. Collectively, the three incidents probably added an hour, maybe ninety minutes, to our trip. But he did not lose his temper with me.

Patience of Job, eh?

No, i don't think that was it at all. We were both busy talking, sharing important life passages and thoughts about friends and tales of old lovers. Not only were we talking, but we were listening, engaging our minds with each other's words. And so we kept getting lost.

Because you were listening to each other. That's your take-home message? You lack the ability to listen and drive at the same time?

Exactly.

Dear one, you are going to have to give me more than that. You are surely not stating that you cannot listen while driving?

Well, that's not quite what I'm saying, but it's close. And it's made me realize something very important, something which will help me both in being a better navigator and in being more forgiving of myself when i do get lost in the future. I can drive and listen, but i cannot read road signs, too.

Yeeeaaahhh. Does this mean the radio needs to be off when you drive?

That's right! You got it! If I'm listening to the music and singing along while keeping my ton of death machine from careening off the road or into other vehicles, then i may as well PLAN on getting lost. 

Seriously. 

This is a BIG realization for me.

And on Saturday, i was driving, and doing it successfully, while he and i were talking. But i was not reading road signs. I was watching the road, meaning that i was paying attention to my car's position ON the road and the correlation between the car's position and other vehicles ahead, beside, and behind, trying to maintain a safe relation and safe speed. And i was listening to - not just hearing - his words. And i was responding, talking to him, sharing important bits of my life and my mind and my heart. And neither of us were watching the road signs for direction and exits and mileage.

We could always get back to where we needed to be. There was always a place ahead to turn around, return to the correct direction. I would have him watch for the sign we sought while i continued to concentrate on safe passage for the two of us. And he would help get us back on track, no snide comments, no signs of exasperation, no impatience. Very nice.

Oh. Oh! Really?

Yes. Saturday was a very nice experience, thanks in large part to him. I am truly fortunate to have him in my life.

That's all very nice, but we were discussing navigation and driving...?

Yes, i guess we were. And where was i? Oh, yes, my inability to do three intensive acts simultaneously. Surely you've noticed before that when i'm driving down a street, looking for a cross street, that i sometimes have to turn off the radio so i can concentrate better on finding the desired street or the designated house on that street?

Sure. You do that trick quite a bit.

Well, i am not the only one who does. Studies have shown that folks sometimes need to limit sensory input from one of the senses to better serve a specific sense. In fact, after reading the story about that study, i started experimenting for myself and found some substance to its claim.
My new findings are an extension of my previous research on the effect of sensory overload on mental comprehension. If my eyes and touch are deeply involved with the act of driving, then my sight is not going to wander far from the road without warrant. And if my ears and mouth are also deeply engaged in activity, then my brain is working on processing that additional input, too, to formulate thought and expression of that thought. There is simply not the ability to process words seen into their definitions, causing exit signs to be overlooked. This is especially true as night falls or in the case of inclement weather, when the interpretation of the inputs from sight and touch become even more vital behind the wheel.
So, the next time i drive with him, i'll ask him to help navigate by watching for the exits or streets we need.
And the next time i'm riding solo, i'll write myself some explicit directions and familiarize myself with them before entering my car... an action i have been doing to fairly good success, though certainly not fool-proof. And should i find myself a fool, lost once more, i will try to find the humor - and i'll turn off the radio and circle back for one more try.