Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer

My latest accomplishments:

Allergies, Allergies, Allergies

Yesterday was the day to bring our beautiful outdoor pots into the garage for the winter.  For the first time, we decided to empty them of dirt so they would be easier to handle (yes, we are getting older each year!)  During the process of emptying the pots, dirt got on my arm.  Then, about a half hour later, I began to itch.  I looked at my arm and it was bright red and blotchy where the dirt had been. A few minutes later I had hives on my torso!  have no idea what my body reacted to but wow.

Later that night, after two Benadryl, I was sleeping soundly in a chair while hubby watched TV....Itching had stopped and hives were gone.  As I age my allergies are increasing logarithmically.  Ho hum.

Sorting Things Out

I literally cried last night when I read the ages of the children. So young that they probably did not know how to defend themselves.  Killing them is unthinkable.  My brain has been trying to come to terms with this horrific thing that has happened and like so many others, understand why.

I visualized myself in the shoes of a killer going and killing young children.  The only thing I could come up with is intense hate for young children in general.  The mother was not associated with the school as reported falsely so why.  Intense hate for young children in general. This could stem from intense self hate if they person was a born pedophile who did not want to act on their natural impulse and was too cowardice to take their own life.  This also explains killing the mother who would have felt this was evil thinking,  They would hate all of the young children they coveted. They would hate themselves. They would hate their mother. Unfortunately, this offers an explanation.

The other explanation is Jihad. That he had converted to Islam and wanted to create terror and grief. Unfortunately, this explanation would mean that he succeeded. It would also mean that he killed 6 and 7 year olds in the name of God but this has happened before and apparently, some people feel that God wants children dead in order to forward the Islamic beliefs and to make people want to convert to Islam out of fear.

Bad Things Happen

The tragedy in Connecticut is beyond belief. Children so young and innocent shot. Bad things happen.

As natural ss the need to protect young children, is the extension of the need to protect - the need to control and prevent. That is not how life works. We can not control others - only influence - no matter how much we want to control. We can not prevent bad things from happening either. They simply happen. Even hiding the news from children is not a solution. The world is the way the world is. Keeping news from children creates sheltered children who can not cope with the ugliness that is part of the world, part of life. Life is awesome but it is not perfect. Bad thing happen.

Getting Old

Lately, I have been having heart problems t night while sleeping. I wake up with pain in my left arm and a heart struggling to pump. Scary but perhaps the worse thing is the realization that I am getting old. My life is coming to an end. 60. Close to retirement age. Yikes.

I find myself thinking about the wonderful life I have had; a life filled with adventure, love, and lots of learning.  But I also think about how I want to spend the rest of it. The past couple of weeks I have been cleaning the attic by myself.  Along with runny nose and watering eyes due to my allergies, my back hurts.  Is this how I want to spend perhaps the last day of my life - doing grunt work that no one else wants to do all by myself?  The answer has not come to me yet so i keep going back up there by myself to do the work.  I have realized one thing - there will be less mess for someone else to deal with when I am gone!  That makes me smile.

Terrible Spy

I would make a terrible spy.

Yesterday while basking in the love of one of our pets, I thought about why our furry friends are so sweet.  We never tease them.  I remember a person who always seemed to have bitiing dogs; no wonder why though.  That person teases pets and humans alike.  Playing games with others instead ofbeing honest and forthright is how he goes through life.  I don't get the point of playing games. Game playing destroys trust and without trust, meaningful and close relationships are impossible.  What you see should be what you get.

Yup, I would be a terrible spy!

Daily Song

The other day i was thinking about the routine aspects of my life; those little things we do each and every day.  These can be viewed as monotony but they can also be viewed as a rhythm that surrounds our lives.

Each day is a song in a symphony called life with each day has the underlying rhythm.  The rhythm adds continuity and an underlying beat to our existence. 

Chemistry to Linear Algebra

I finished Zumdahl's Chemistry book and thoroughly loved going through the text.

Now I am moving on the Linear Algebra.    The text I am using will be Howard Anton's.  He is rigorous so it should ea good experience.  I love matrices, too.  looking forward to it!

Enlightened About Becoming Vegetarian

Becoming a vegetarian is a personal diet choice that people can make.  I have discovered, much to my amazement and .... disgust, that it is also a cause.  I have tried researching vegetarian issue on the web only to be confronted by disgusting pictures of slaughtered animals.  It is bullying and lying. I am not sure why anyone would think it would help any kind of cause.  It only revolts viewers.  Sad.

Visual Basic

I have embarked on yet another adventure - that of learning how to program in Visual Basic.net!

Back in the early 1980s, when I was an MBA student at VCU, I took my first programming class. I was immediately at home. It was so incredibly easy anf un as the way of thinking required for creating programs matches the logic of my brain. The code was the original Basic and punch cards were created. Wow...that was SO long ago! VB.net is a very different program to use but in many ways easier.

Clive Cussler's Novels

I have found a new favorite author!

For years, I looked forward to every new Michael Crichton book. I have read all of Dan Brown's books and enjoyed some of them. But then I read Clive Cussler's "Medusa". I flew through this book, and am now rreading "White Death".

"White Death" is one of the best books (better than some of Brown's) that I have read in a long time! It is thrilling, funny, plus I am learning much about the sea! Bravo!

Patterson's Books

After Hillerman, I tried one of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. it was great until the romance novel aspects (steamy sex scenes) kicked in. Very disappointing!

Hillerman's Books

I have discovered a wonderful author - Tony Hillerman. He writes mystery novels with a focus on Navajo culture. So far, I am completely enjoying his writing. His books are not just educational regarding the Navajo culture but alos are filled with wonderful poetry! I will retype one in a another post.
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January 27, 2012

I have changed my mind about Hillerman's books. They are interesting but nothing happens. I have heard this from other readers too. Oh well.

Richmond Times Dispatch Article

Nice article on my SMV show. http://www2.timesdispatch.com/entertainment/rtd-entertainment/2011/nov/17/tdweek13-the-art-of-math-and-science-at-the-scienc-ar-1464265/

The art of math and science at the Science Museum

"Fractal 1" by Melissa Holly is part of an exhibit at the Science Museum of Virginia.

By: Times-Dispatch Staff
Published: November 17, 2011

» 0 Comments | Post a Comment

The Science Museum of Virginia is exhibiting "The Beauty of Math and Science," a series of paintings by Richmond artist Melissa Holly. The artist has studied math and science for most of her life in tandem with art. She notes that the endeavors may seem contradictory but aren't because they share the study of patterns — a subject she finds fascinating.

"The beauty of math and science is everywhere!" she noted in her artist's statement. "When I look at a verdant landscape, I not only see all the wonderful combinations of patterns and colors in the leaves and plants, but also the beauty of the science behind the scene."

The exhibition runs through Dec. 30 at 2500 W. Broad St. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For details, call (804) 864-1400 or visit www.smv.org.

Jo Lord

Women Living Single

The Today show just had a session on about many women choosing to be single. Bravo! It is great if women choose to get married and live a more tradtional life; but it is also wonderful that many women are choosing to stay single and on their careers. Women can contribute as much to this world as men. We have a choice and do not have to be baby producing machines who can only clean and cook. We can choose.

Painting with Acrylic

I am truly beginning to feel like I understand how to use acrylic paint. My current painting, "Fractal 1", required me to use both Liquitex's Heavy Body paint and Liquitex's Soft Body paint. I feel like I now understand when it is best to use the different types of paint for getting certain effects.

Misunderstandings About Our Environment

From a global standpoint, there are many misunderstandings about our environment. Many of the situations not healthy for humans are good for other creatures on this Earth. The EPA seems to focus only on humans which is a very narrow perspective.

Recently the EPA deemed CO2 as a serious environmental hazard. Plants are required to have it in order to produce the nutrients (sugars) they need to survive. Smog is unsightly to us but the NO2 combines with water to form nitrate salts that fall to the ground and are again used by plants as nutrients.

Humans are not alone on this planet and it is important to remember that.

Love Affair

I was about 12 when the love affair started. I thought it was amazing. Although the mystery has decreased over time as the world discovered more about it. Einstein loved it so much it prompted the statement about God does not play dice with the universe. My chemistry book has several chapters devoted to it but as I progress into higher levels of chemistry and physics, more and more will be spent on it and its magic.

Environmental Thoughts

As I peruse the chemistry text, there are periodic sections devoted to the environment. Over the years, my thoughts have not lined up with the more popular ones, and I am realizing why. I have a chemists point of view, not that of a biologist.

CO2 is required by plants. The fact that the EPA declared it a serious environmental hazard is laughable and the current text that I am reading agrees. In fact they even mention that a significant part of the carbon emissions in the air are due to animal farts. Years go Australia even inoculated their cattle with antibiotics so they would fart less (unfortunately tainting the milk and meat that humans ingest). Instead of reducing our carbon emissions, we need to plant more trees and stop destroying the rain forest. This makes so much more sense.

Matching my thinking, the book does mention the serious hazard sulfuric gases produce in our atmosphere. Sulfur based gases as "naturally" produced by hot springs, and volcanoes but it would be prudent if humans reduced these emissions as much as possible.

Another topic the text touched on is the idea of hydrogen cars. It is a ridiculous idea. H2 released into the air would do far much more harm than CO2 could everdo to the ozone layer. We also do not need more water vapor in the air either; and the tanks required for either liquid or gases H2 is an impossible idea.

I am so completely glad to rad a text that my agrees with my mindset!

Reviewing Chemistry

I am thoroughly enjoying reviewing my college chemistry. What an interesting and exciting subject to learn.

It has been nearly 40 years since I went through the complete college course on my own so I was expecting things to have changed. However, the changes I am noticing are much greater than expected. There is more math in the book much to my complete delight!

Life is good! Especially when you are learning.