Water, Water Everywhere

It's the question that's on everyone's mind, but few have the courage to ask it: how much water can a person safely drink before hyponatremia sets in? I have the answer. I got it from Scientific American. I was inspired to ask the internet this question because even though the past two days have been a perfect and cool 75 here in the Mojave, with enough rainfall to make weeding the patio easier than it normally is, I know what's coming. We got a taste of the 100-degree heat about a week ago, so I remembered this image I ripped off from Pinterest (which means WHO KNOWS where it came from), and I started making vitamin water.



Doesn't that raspberry lime one look good? I thought so, too. The pineapple mint looks disgusting if you ask me, and I like both pineapples and mint, but I won't be trying that one. What happened when I went to Fresh and Easy, however, was that raspberries were expensive and blackberries were cheap. Fresh and Easy also didn't have any sage. So I made Blackberry Lime, considering that none of the homemade vitamin water websites tell you exactly what "vitamins" you are getting from your diluted fruit water. There linked for your convenience is a list of combinations you make at home, from a blog that uses this very same platform.

I've been downing an average of 64 oz per day, and according to the aforementioned magazine, you can safely consume 1,000 ml or 32 oz per hour and not come down with hyponatremia. Now you know.

The Scientific American webpage has a tab at the top for citizen science, which you know that I'm into because science is cool and the internet makes it easy to participate in data collection projects. Current projects include a marine debris tracker app that you can download and send data when you see debris on beaches, a museum transcription project that I was hesitant to learn more about because to learn about it you had to actually do it, and even a project that involves uploading photos of roadkill to UC Davis!

I encourage participation in this kind of stuff.

It now occurs to me that this whole post is dedicated to a set of #firstworldproblems. That's ok, though, I think. Most of my 3 readers live here in the 1st world as well.

Well, unless something drastic happens, my next post is likely to be just a photo. Until then...have a great time collecting data while sipping your delicious fruited waters!

Sometimes you win...

...and other times you return home with nothing but a Subway sandwich.

This post is a stream-of-consciousness celebration of the USPS and the little things that keep us sane and happy.

Luckily, word on facebook is that my Mammaw enjoyed the Fig Newmans I got her for her birthday while I was looking for the supplies that we are supposed to buy in March. For the first two weeks:
- a can of meat (veggies)
- a can of fruit
- antiseptic wipes
- compresses

Had I looked at my handy Southern Nevada Health District emergency calendar before the gun show last weekend, I could have purchased the last two items there. I'm still behind a crescent wrench, but it'll get done. It'll get done.

I am very glad that my cousin Randy didn't decide to get married THIS weekend, what with the flooding and the 47-degree weather. Which is glorious, by the way, just not for a wedding day.

Speaking of cousins, I have exactly 34 minutes to finish composing this post before my favorite DIY homegrown Chicago-based rock band, Shiloh, streams live on whpk.org/stream. OR NOT. In order to stream it, I would have to update my RealPlayer, which I believed I did. That settles it. I officially prefer Loyola. :(

Umm...WELL...I'm listening to NEIL YOUNG...
and now something involving instruments that sound like sitars that encourages me to "just travel with" my "mind."
this is confusing. And slightly disturbing.
I'm not a fan of the sitar or whatever it is, so I composed a text to my poor cousin asking him what gives with the sitar or whatnot. Luckily, the message failed to send.

I also abhor the word, "just."

Speaking of junk food in the mail, I just (note that I'm not using the word "just" in the way I don't like) returned from the mailbox with the BEST PACKAGE EVER! It includes some junk food which I will munch while waiting for something to interrupt all of the dead air that's currently broadcasting on WHPK. I...I'm not going to say anything offensive or sacreligious...this Chex puppy chow stuff tastes really good.

I just got off the phone with Dana. Recently, not in this conversation, she told me that one of my blog posts was so all over the place that she affirmed that I need to find focus after finishing my theme of the apocalypse. She is so absolutely right. But this is what happens when I skip a post and then decide to attempt three in one week.

Look for a more sensible post on Tuesday, because...they're on.
In the meantime, what are some of the little things that keep YOU sane and happy?

God Willing and the Ice Storm Doesn't Come

If you are my facebook friend, you know that my family has been in town for several days to celebrate the nuptials of my cousin Randy and his new bride, Deanna, who was given away at the altar by the King of Rock N Roll, Elvis. That's right. At the reception, which was Tony and Tina's, the performer who played the best man congratulated Granny for walking from Arizona to Nevada across the top of the 20th century's greatest engineering marvel, the Hoover Dam.

And thanks to the ice storm in Chicago, they are currently stuck at McCarran.

Las Vegas. You can check out any time you like, but...
You can finish that sentence.

Thirteen miles away on the east side, life is pretty good. In 4.5 minutes a pizza will come out of the oven, and I will be at liberty to grade papers with a stomach full of margherita.

At least McCarran is an arguably entertaining airport. For those who play slots, there are slots. For those who drink, there are bars. There are restaurants, especially a pretty good enchilada place near the Starbucks. Thus, in honor of my family, my list of things to do while waiting for your "delayed," but really-we-all-know-it's-canceled, flight:

1) nap. Ain't no shame. Just sprawl out in the floor, use your carry-on as a pillow, and snooze.
2) Read a book. Some people carry tablets and kindles, but personally I prefer these for gaming. By reading a book, I mean an actual, real, live book with two covers and pages with words in between.
3) Play a game on your tablet, kindle, iPod, or phone. The last time I was stuck was inside an airplane, and I discovered a game on my iPod that I never knew existed. It's called Vortex. It's challenging.
Most airports that I've traveled through offer accessible plugs, so you can also take advantage of the delay to charge these devices.
4) Play cards. You may not have your Apocalypse Kit on you now that it's 2013, but Hudson News is bound to be able to hook you up.
5) Watch the people. In the immortal words of Ani DiFranco, "I'm going to drain my little pink heart of all its malice and/kick back for the afternoon in this flourescent palace."

If you do each of the above things for an hour, you can start the cycle all over again, or you can engage in a number of other activities including flirting, rock-paper-scissors, snacking, shaving, etc.
What do YOU like to do when you're stranded?
Now, you have plenty to keep you busy checking out all of my hyperlinking, and I have a pizza to smash.

The family's 3:20 p.m. flight is now scheduled to depart at 10 p.m. We'll see.

Fly safe! And stay out of the ice.