Not-so-outer space

When we look up to the stars--to that great black twinkling ocean of nothing--it seems like we're separated from it, like there's a invisible barrier and we're seeing it as though it were an aquarium. I think the idea of infinite space is so mind blowing that we can't believe we're a part of it. But we're in it! When we step outside, our heads are poking into the great beyond as much as an astronaut floating in it. The only difference is that we've got an enormous hunk of rock stuck to our feet (or backs, for those of you lying down in a meadow staring at that void). If you want to travel through space, just jump up in the air, and you've done it.

Bikey Bikey

Sunday

P1010244.JPG, originally uploaded by pbsdrc.

P1010240.JPG, originally uploaded by pbsdrc.

I went to the Anne U. White trail up Lee Hill Road today. My coworker, Jamie, said it was a great, little-known trail--that it was never all that crowded. When I was up there today, I found myself thinking, "boy, there sure are a lot of people on this trail." Well, I talked to Miles later, and it turns out the Daily Camera ran an article on great, little-known trails this morning. The Anne U. White trail was the closest one to Boulder.

Doodles

Doodles.JPG, originally uploaded by pbsdrc.

Fact Check

Pat noticed this, and I looked it up after my last post. The Moon causing a rise in crime is folklore. Read about it here. I heard it on an episode of Cops years ago, and thought, "gee, that's interesting." Oh, well. I also looked more into the menstrual cycle thing. There is a bit of folklore behind it too, but some scientific backing as well. So, yeah.

The Sun and the Moon

P1010202.JPG, originally uploaded by pbsdrc.

The sun is underrated. When we hear about health benefits from the sun, we hear how our skin converts UVB into Vitamin D. That's about it. Otherwise, the sun is often demonized for the same UV light which can cause cancer. They're both testable, quantifiable, true facts. I'm not worried about rickets, and I don't want cancer, but I think there are other things at play in our bodies when we're out in the sun. Take the moon, for example. Police report more crime during full moons, and If women spend enough time away from city lights, their menstrual cycles match up with the lunar cycles. If the moon can have such an affect on people's behavior and physiology, imagine what the sun can do--it's way more powerful! Just look at parks during the first sunny days of spring. Everyone isn't lying in the grass to satisfy their Vitamin D needs. They're doing it because it feels good, and who cares why?

Cutting hair

Cutting your own hair is tricky. You're looking at yourself in the mirror, so all your motions are in reverse, but you can get used to that. To see the back of your head you can use another mirror on the wall behind you. You can see what you're doing fine, and since there are two mirrors your motions are reversed, and then reversed again back to normal. The only thing is that if the mirrors are, say, five feet apart, the total apparent distance from your eyes to the back of your head is ten feet, so it looks like you're cutting someone else's hair with really long arms, but that someone else is you.