• The max MCAT scores would be in the thousands instead of forties because a test that big deserves scoring that feels more impressive.
• Blogger would have a wysiwyg template editor so I could finish and install my new design sometime in the next decade.
• I'd be allowed to leave the country without fear of being denied re-entry.
• Target, Ben & Jerry's, and a decent Mexican place would all be available in Medicine Hat.

• Hogwarts would be real and I'd be a graduate.
• The weather would remember that we're in spring now so it's OK to be warm.
• The nutritional value of a food would be directly linked to its yumminess.
• Time could be manipulated.
  

What would you change if you ruled the world?

I've recently fallen in love with TED.

TED is amazing! TED is entertaining, thought provoking, inspiring, stylish, and funny.

TED is a website. You can get the nitty gritty details of TED (Technology Entertainment Design) here. But the basic concept is that it is an "annual conference [that] now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)." Those talks are then posted online so they can be viewed free of charge. To me it seems a sort of free "Life University" via the Internet (which is great because I get to go to "class" in my pajamas).

Just when I think I've seen the video that can't be topped, or that I'm running out of talks that look interesting I discover yet another amazing lecture by some genius I've never previously heard of but now am on the verge of worshiping. The talent and intelligence of TED presenters is enough to make anybody feel small, but in a really good way, the way seeing a mountain, or the night sky, or some amazing marvel of engineering or design makes one feel.

This is learning at it's most entertaining!

So it is with great excitement and pleasure that I present some of my favorite talks:

Johnathon Harris: the Web's secret stories Harris has created an amalgamation of art, information, and interactivity that explores the human condition in a creative, and entertaining way. He presents several of his amazing projects in this talk including "We Feel Fine." I feel inspired!

Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry: Unveiling the "Sixth Sense," game-changing wearable tech Oh boy! I want one of these when they leave the prototype stage! This piece of technology, at the price point at which they're presenting it makes me feel like the world is about to make a great leap into "the future" science fiction has been referencing for years.

Johnny Lee: Creating tech marvels out of a $40 Wii Remote I love a good hack (Ikea Hacks have piqued my interest for some time now). But as an aspiring digital artist these Wii Remote hacks absolutely floored me (and the hacked glasses definitely got video-gaming Adam excited). The doors this opens to starving artists (or wannabes in my case) are numerous considering a tablet can cost hundreds of dollars and limits an artist's gesture room enormously.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? Sir Ken Robinson's answer is "yes."

Adam Savage: My quest for the dodo bird, and other obsessions You may know Adam from MythBusters. If this talk is any indication, he's at least as ADHD as I am. He provides an interesting glimpse into the way his (and my) mind often works.

David Merrill: Siftables, the toy blocks that think The educational and therapeutic potential for this invention is immense. I also look forward to seeing this used for purposes other than play.

Anand Agarawala: Bumptop desktop is a beautiful mess This is one of many TED presentations that give an indication of the direction that computer user interfaces are headed. Intuitive, organic movements will likely replace point and click systems within my lifetime.

Adam Grosser: A new vision for refrigeration Here's a TED presenter putting his genius towards making the world a better place for everybody. The product may be simple but the implications are far reaching.

Dean Kamen: New prosthetic arm for veterans This talk is inspiring while also forcing us to consider to what other problems are we not applying our full creative and innovative abilities?

You should know that there were even more I wanted to include. But it seemed prudent to keep this list smaller than other lists I've mentioned. And while this list is definitely heavy on geek innovations TED is certainly not limited to technological topics. Religion, philosophy, even musical performances can be found in abundance. I promise, there is something there that will interest you. And I think regular visits to TED will do you good. A little inspiration now and again keeps the serotonin flowing. And, as "they" say "knowledge is power."

And I'll leave you with this because it's how TED makes me feel.

Yesterday: Picnic at the park.

Today: Snow.

Me: Annoyed.

Scariest words in the English language: "root, canal."

Followed closely by "over seven hundred dollars."

Also...I hope I never have to be told "you can do option A [for way more money than I can afford] or option B [which will cost even more money later]."

And here's my advice to dentists everywhere. If there is an option C, do not wait until your client has agonized over options A and B and is nigh unto a total breakdown to inform said client of option C. It's mean.

/rant

Anyway...the dentist went [as] well [as possible]. I almost had to get a root canal or say goodbye to my tooth altogether. But at the last minute the dentist suddenly remembered another option, which was to drill, see if the decay wasn't too close to the nerve after all, and fill if possible. Lucky for me the decay wasn't too close to the nerve after all and it was indeed possible to do a filling. And we made it out of the office without giving up an arm, a leg, nor our firstborn. At the moment I'm reflecting upon the experience while waiting for the feeling to come back to the right side of my mouth (it's slowly coming back, and the feeling is "oowwww!").

Bear got to play Nintendo Game Cube in the waiting room. Lucy got to take a nap.

Mama got needles in her mouth and a drill in her tooth.

Aren't I lucky?*

*Well, yes, actually. I am lucky. I didn't need a root canal or tooth extraction. But I'm going for pity here. Pity me. Pity poor little me and my "traumatic" experience.

sigh

BIG sigh

I'm going to the dentist in about a half hour.

Know why?

Because I have a cavity. And not it's not just any old cavity. As best as I can tell it is a massive hole which is going to cost an arm and a leg to be changed from "hole" to "whole." And dental is not covered by Alberta Health. However the insurance Adam is required to get while a student at Medicine Hat College does cover dental. Except that it does not cover me because we didn't want to pay the full year price for part year coverage and that was the only option available. We wanted to save our money and wait until we'd get the full year. Gee, that worked out well. *rolls eyes at own foolishness*

So, here I sit, trying to ignore the growing sense of dread and attempting to distract myself as the clock ticks down to my appointment time. Obviously, not working.

So, here's the thing. I don't know HTML nor CSS, not really. I understand a few basic principles. I know how to utilize Google to find tutorials. I can, slowly but surely, fiddle with Blogger templates. But really, I don't know what I'm doing. And that would be why my current background is still very "March-ish." I'm troubleshooting my new design (which, if I get it fixed, will amaze you all*). But I'm running into problems too big for me to solve on my own. So now the process involves e-mailing people who actually do know what they're doing and waiting for their sage advice. And that slows down the process considerably.

Soon. I promise to be done soon.

Well...as soon as possible.

*You'd BETTER be amazed because it's taking a lot of time, effort, and swearing to bring this design to fruition.

1. Join me in the fight against MS.

2. Put a little humor in your day!

3. Happiness is a warm gun?

4. Glazed and confused (by how anyone can love those over *REAL* donuts).

5. I'm waiting for my big Canadian tax refund.

6. Chocolate* is hard to resist.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to homemade pizza with our new recipe, tomorrow my plans include a Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel marathon and Sunday, I want to go to the library!

*I've had hot chocolate from Angelina's. I almost died it was so good.

Here's a conglomeration of links to neat things I've discovered lately (besides no-knead bread and glow in the dark blankets).

Never Judge A "Book" By Its Cover (video)

I Love The Whole World: nothing new, but worth another viewing (video)

Yum

What Does It All Mean? (video)

Draw pictures with words

Tim Minchin: musical comedian (explicit/NSFW)

All the credit goes to Bear for discovering this:

One of Lucy's receiving blankets (that we picked up second-hand) GLOWS IN THE DARK!

I was already a big fan of this blanket because it had sheep (which I get overly-excited about) and stars (which are my favorite shape). But then, the other night Bear came downstairs to sleep on the couch (because Lucy was being fussy and he had a big test in the morning). And there, in the dark, he noticed the glow. The sheep and stars I'm so fond of? They GLOW!

It is THE COOLEST BLANKET EVER. Since sharing his discovery I have been heard (at random moments) pontificating on the sheer awesome-ness of the glowitude. However, there is some question as to whether Lucy (when she's old enough) will appreciate it anywhere near as much as I do.

I'm well aware of the fact that not everyone is a carb junkie like I am. But most people enjoy good bread right? Who doesn't enjoy a soft, chewy loaf of bread right out of the oven? I'm a lucky gal because my mom bought me a bread machine a while back. We use it to make pumpernickel, banana bread, etc. And I plan on continuing to use the bread machine until it is, or I am, dead. That does not mean I was not (perhaps overly) thrilled when I stumbled upon a link to this video.

This is NO KNEAD bread. And the recipe is SUPER easy! We've already made our first loaf and we like it! And, this is possibly the most exciting part, it can be used to make a variety of bread products including (but not limited to) bagels, naan, and pitas! I think I'm in bread heaven folks!*

But, word to the wise, if you don't have a broiler pan you should get one. And whatever you do, don't use your favorite, Pyrex casserole dish as a substitute; that is, unless you want your favorite, Pyrex casserole dish to go all Death Star on you.

*The Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Blog

I hate cooking. Really. The thought of making a meal makes me lose my appetite. Bear does most of the cooking around here (which makes me feel guilty because I'm the one with the most free time). I try to find the easiest recipes I can find. I try to find quick meals I can just throw together. But still...being in the kitchen makes me feel like...[insert word that rhymes with "kitchen"].

But I've been wondering...am I going about this all wrong?

What if, instead of looking for the easy way out, I took a different approach? See, here's the thing...there are people who like to cook. Weird, I know. But they're out there. And it seems to me that they like to cook fancy-pants meals. Cooking isn't a chore. Cooking isn't just a means to an end (that end being a full stomach). Cooking is a hobby, an art even. And, as I pointed out, I do have quite a bit of expendable time on my hands maybe I should be looking for exciting, gourmet recipes.

Here's my theory. If I have a recipe that will result in something really tasty, something I can be proud of, something my family will drool over, something that will make leftovers for Bear's lunch that'll make his peers jealous then maybe, maybe it will make cooking fun. Maybe I hate cooking because I feel like I'm not getting much out of it. Oh, woo-hoo...decent meal, full belly. Is that really worth the time and effort? Even "easy" recipes require work. But for a marginally larger amount of effort I could be having meals like mushroom and goat cheese lasagna, or almond nut loaf, or even Jared-style pizza.

Then again, I could just throw that freezer pizza in the oven.

Allrighty, folks! I'm back to blogging. I do ask for your patience with the current design (I know...March is SO last month, right?). I've got my brand-spankin' new design done but have some serious troubleshooting to do with the CSS code. And if that makes no sense to you just pretend it does and move on.

Baby Lu is growing like the proverbial weed. It's exciting because she's developing even more personality and accomplishing new things like rolling over. And by "rolling over" I mean she did, one time, and has shown no signs of doing it again any time soon. But it's also heartbreaking. I would ask why babies have to grow so fast...but I understand natural selection well enough that I already know the answer to that.

Bear re-evaluated his academic plans and has discovered that it may not take quite as long as we thought before he can begin "real" med school. The current plan is to take the MCAT this summer. I'm excited. The sooner he can start applying to med school, the sooner he can get in. And the sooner he gets in, the sooner we move out of Medicine Hat. Sorry to my fellow...fellow...Hatians? No. That won't work, too close to Haitians. Sorry to my fellow Hatters. But I'd go mad if I had to stay here forever. (Did you see that? Did you see what I did there? Tee-hee!)

Now, might I take a moment to comment on Twitter? I tried to do the whole "Twitter thing." I signed up for an account and everything. My inner Luddite and my inner Geek had all kinds of arguments about Twitter. My inner Luddite rambling on about the invasion of technology into our personal lives, the shallowing of relationships brought on by techno-exhibitionism, and the inanity of it all while my inner Geek just kept yelling something about it being new, shiny, and fun, FUN, FUN! In the end my inner Luddite won. Inner Geek will have to be happy with Facebook (off which she really ought to wean herself) and Blogger. And so I present the following video. That is exactly what I'm talking about.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I guess I'm on my own personal spring break, a break which includes being tired, and sick, and not going anywhere fun. Woo-hoo. I'll be back soon (and maybe with a new design). In the meantime check out some of the blogs on my blog roll (down and to the right).

It's been about 3.5 months since I gave birth. The only swimsuit I own is a second hand maternity suit that didn't fit all that well to begin with. I would really like a swimsuit that I'm comfortable being seen in because I would like to take Baby Lu to the pool this summer. So when I saw this giveaway on The Meanest Mom I was very excited. I get an extra entry by blogging about it. But please, for my sake, don't enter! ;)