Jenny Bristol

Cutaway of the Saturn V Rocket

Above is the glorious Saturn V rocket, the one that took men to the moon during the Apollo program, the one that launched Skylab into orbit around the Earth, less than a month after I was born. It was a useful, consumable rocket used from 1966-1973.

Feb 21

A player from Great Britain sends signals to the herd. (BBC / LiveLeak)

Sir David Attenborough Is the Man

I love how Sir David Attenborough can poke fun at himself. Here he is, narrating a bit of Olympic curling during a match between the U.S. and Great Britain.

Feb 20

One printing of the book (in two volumes) on Picasa Web Albums from user Grid Krairach (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Weird Books: Codex Seraphinianus

I like weird things. I like weird people. Always have, always will. I was a huge fan of Salvador Dalí when I was a kid. I still appreciate his work. I don't believe Antoni Gaudí's work is gaudy (see what I did there?). But this book is weird. Really weird. It goes beyond Dalí and Gaudí to include the grotesque.

Feb 18

The WPA included posters on breastfeeding in the 1930s. Image: Public Domain

Breastfeeding: Why Does it Weird Some People Out?

Biologically, breastfeeding is how you feed your baby. Procedure: Have baby. Baby feeds from the breast, first on colostrum and then, about three days later, on breast milk. It's always the right temperature, it's always available, and the body produces the right amount. Simple, yes?

Feb 12

Sojourner Truth: “Ain’t I A Woman?”

I knew of Sojourner Truth long ago. At least in college, if not earlier. I took more than one women's history class, and various women's conventions would come up in such classes. Women's rights—including property, voting, and other kinds of rights—are a big topic in women's history. And while there are many amazing, strong, resourceful women in history, Sojourner Truth was magnificent.

Feb 11

The Periodic Table of Storytelling

I found this table a few days ago, and was quite taken with it. There is a lot to storytelling that I don't quite comprehend, even after being forced to read Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth in college.

Feb 10

Chilling History: Footage of Fat Man, the Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki

The bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, at the end of World War II, made a fascinating history, but it is obviously a bit dark and creepy, knowing just how many people died that day, and would die and be affected in the days, weeks, and years to come.

Feb 8

Useful Resources 2 – iCivics.org

iCivics.org is a non-profit organization that was started by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. It is designed for classrooms, but is quite easy to use for homeschooling. It is filled with printable lesson plans, research quests, and extremely well done games. And not games where the learning is secondary to the game play. The games include activities such as deciding how to set up the federal budget, or which side to decide for in a Supreme...

Great, Good, Very: Writing Traps to Avoid

When you write for a living, you find yourself falling into ruts, using the same words over and over, stringing the same phrases together in different ways to say different kinds of things. I'm no different. (And, apparently, I use the word "different" far too often.) But there are some words that we should all try to avoid using altogether.

Feb 4

Immortality, from Wikipedia author Notwist. (CC BY 2.0)

Why Are We Defined By Our Deaths?

Yesterday, Philip Seymour Hoffman died. I hadn't seen too many of his movies, but I adored him in State and Main, and knew him to be a most excellent actor in addition. His death was possibly of a drug overdose, and if that's the case, he'll always be known as having died of a drug overdose, of it being a tragedy, and a genius who didn't get to perform his craft long enough.

Feb 3

Jane and Luke are all cozy, while Rosie scoffs, "You guys make me sick. I'm having a hard time enjoying my sandwich." Photo: Jenny Bristol

Jane Austen and Luke Skywalker Have an Illicit Affair

I just caught them making trouble in my office window. Holding hands, Luke with a blaster and Jane with a quill. "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," well, England isn't quite another galaxy, but Jane Austen did live kind of a long time ago. Rosie the Riveter is a bit jealous, but she's too concerned with feeding her family to fret. And she's too busy worrying about the apparent anachronisms.

Feb 1

The Evolution of IKEA (AKA My Happy Place)

Today, you get to hear about one of my true loves: IKEA. Perhaps this is a topic that is of interest to more than just me.

Jan 30

Remember the Old Times, by tomatokisses on deviantART (CC BY-ND 3.0)

Getting Old Is Awesome

Getting old sucks. You just don't jump back from things as easily. Not getting enough sleep has more of an effect. Exercising wears you out more quickly and it takes longer to rest up. Injuries take longer to heal. The youth don't respect your opinions or your experience. Getting old really sucks.

Jan 26

A beautiful Turkmen woman, found on Wikipedia.

My Issue With “Woman”

When I was a kid, I was a "girl." That's the word that described who I was, to me, by me, around me. "Women" were those female people older than me, with responsibilities and maturity, and lacking youthful vigor, looks, or attitude.

Jan 22

Last Will and Testament by Flickr user Ken_Mayer (CC BY 2.0)

The Importance of Wills and End-of-Life Paperwork

It's vital that you have a will and get your final arrangements in order, regardless of what phase of life you are in, but especially if you have children.

Jan 20

because I said I would.

I've learned about a new project called because I said I would. It started as a better option than a New Year's resolution. Those are often broken. But if you want to keep a promise, to yourself or to someone else, keeping that promise "because you said you would" is important.

Jan 15

Clutter, not mine. By Flickr user tallkev (CC BY 2.0)

Declutter Your Space, Declutter Your Mind

We had a decent to do list this past weekend, and we actually got a good portion of it done. Not everything, mind you, but I'm always overly ambitious when it comes to what I want to get done.

Jan 13

Pride and Prejudice title page. Image is in the public domain.

A Surprise Pride & Prejudice Proposal (No, Not Mine)

The other day I came across one of the most awesome things I'd ever seen.

Jan 12

Keeping Anxiety From Holding Me Back

Today I got an email from a lady wanting to interview me, in my capacity as parent. Super parent, apparently, because why else would she pick me? Yeah, she must think I'm a super parent. Anyway, it's for a new venture that includes a blog and some other things. The interview will be over video Skype. Yes. VIDEO SKYPE.

Nov 18