Some inspiration
Came across this on the walk to work last week. Such good advice.
Back to Square One, kinda. . .
Just when you think you have everything figured out, something happens to shake things up again.
As I mentioned in a previous post, in the summer of 2009 I was diagnosed with a number of food allergies. The allergist at the time indicated that if I cut these foods out of my diet, I should start to feel better. However, in the 1.5 yrs since, there have been mixed results – with an underlying theme of being constantly tired and having epically low levels of Vitamin D.
Fast forward to 2011 – New doctor –> new allergist –> new round of allergy tests –> new results
What does this mean?
Earthquake in Japan
As everyone by now knows, there was a 8.9 9.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Japan yesterday. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people there and anyone else impacted by this tragedy.
This earthquake is the 5th strongest earthquake ever recorded by humans. The AP reports “The force of the quake was so strong that it moved the island of Honshu 8 feet to the east, said USGS geophysicist Ken Hudnut. It sped up the Earth’s rotation by 1.6 microseconds, according to NASA.”
To put this quake in perspective, according to Wikipedia (yes, I know that this isn’t the most reliable source, but just work with me here), and quakes of this magnitude only happen once per year or once every 20 years and can cause devistation over an area that covers hundreds or thousands of miles. The 2010 Haiti earthquake was only a 7.0 quake – weaker than the quake in Sendai by a factor of almost 20. However, the impacts and damage caused by these two quakes were very, very different.
Why is this?
Heat wave!
Bust out the tshirts and flip-flops – it was in the 30s today in Minnesota!
I took advantage of the warm up to take advantage of a few things and spend some time outside. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was outside and not shivering without 484 layers in.
First order of business was taking Scout to the dog park. I think he could tell it was warm outside and was a bundle of energy all morning. I got him suited up and in the car to head off to the dog park. This was exactly what he needed. He pretty much ran for an hour straight.
Next up was the battle of the snowbank blocking the walkway by my house. This has been there since the first big snow storm and with the uber cold, there was little we could do. Jason decided to tackle it, and with the combination of a shovel, ice melt, a baseball bat and a hammer we were able to clear a path! Mr Florida did most of the work in just a tshirt an jeans. He’s totally turning into a Minnesotan.
I’m looking forward to warmer temps for the next week or so, but not looking forward to possibly getting water in the basement. Joys of homeownership…..
Making my house a home
November 3, 2009 – a day that will live in infamy.
Well, actually no, that’s the day I closed on my first house in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul.
I had been living in St. Paul for almost 2.5 years and was getting sick of a) paying rent b) not having the space to do what I wanted/needed and c) not being able to have a pup. I kind of started the house hunt on a whim, but I am very glad I started when I did. The house I ended up getting was love at first sight – I walked in and knew that it was going to be mine. It felt like home. I never thought I’d be a big geek about this style of architecture, but I learned quickly through my house search that bungalows were what I needed to focus on.
After some trials and tribulations and waiting and seeing, I finally was approved for the loan, heard back about some other programs and I was on my way to being a new homeowner.
When it comes to icicles. . . .
Size does matter.
I recently had my first run-in with ice dams on my house. Luckily, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of leaking into the house – at least that I’ve been able to find. There was a little bit of dripping in one of my front windows, and hopefully that is all.