Saturday, June 28, 2008

Because the Highland Fling doesn't count

A while ago, Kyle's mom asked me which sport I would most like to be good at. Honestly, if I could choose another talent to have in this life, it would have nothing to do with conventional sports. I would choose to dance.

Each summer, I watch "So You Think You Can Dance." In past years, I have taken great joy in the amazing talent on this show. When I watch, I sit on the couch smiling, twitching, and wishing I could express myself and create something meaningful with the movement of my body. Unfortunately, I cannot. Once, while dancing at a wedding, Kyle informed me that partnering with me was like pushing a side of beef around on the dance floor.

Oh yeah? Is that so? Would a side of beef keep trying to take the lead? No, I didn't think so!

Below is a clip of a contestant who can do a fantastic robot.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Moving Along














There has been a lot going on the past little while. Kyle and I both convocated last week. Even though the ceremonies can be painfully long, I really enjoyed my convocation. In addition to having my parents in town, I was able to convocate with two dear friends from my programme and I got to wear a Master's robe with crazy bat sleeves. Even though I'll miss being a student and was sorry to say goodbye to the UofC, it feels great to be finished. Convocation was significant for me because it marked the accomplishment of something I have wanted since high school and have worked hard for.

The morning of my convocation, I received a job offer from a local agency. After taking the weekend to think and pray about the position, I accepted it and threw myself headlong into my new grown-up life. With only two days under my belt, I think I made the right decision. The staff seem fantastic and I'm learning a ton from the man who is training me. The change feels really sudden but good. It's hard to believe that I'm allowed to be in charge of someone's treatment or be their therapist. Despite the weirdness, I'm excited and confident that I will be able to do good and fulfilling things in this new role.

Monday, June 9, 2008

I'm learning and you can too!

Lately I've been reading about how the type of banana we eat (the Cavendish) is under threat of Panama disease, a soil fungus. Apparently, until the 1960s, North Americans ate a different type of banana that was wiped out by this same fungus. Reportedly, the old bananas were much tastier than the Cavendish. However, I've also heard that these bananas used to walk 15 miles to school in the deep winter snow, uphill both ways.

I'm not too worried about the banana situation as there are a few hundred other varieties being cultivated around the world. If the Cavendish is wiped out, different types of bananas can be grown and imported. Don't worry. There is no impending banana dooms day.

What's interesting about this story is how bananas are grown and the reason they can be wiped out. Unlike wild bananas, which are full of giant hard seeds, domestic bananas are seedless mutants. Sometimes, banana plants in the jungle spontaneously produce new plants with two full sets of sex chromosomes, making them delicious but uanble to reproduce. People take cuttings from these plants and cultivate them for food. The result is fields full of carefully-cultivated clones of the original plant. Being genetically identical, the whole crop is susceptible to the same diseases. Consequently, if one plant is taken out by a certain pesticide-resistant fungus, the other plants are likely to follow.

Who knew?

 
Background by Jennifer Furlotte / Pixels and IceCream