These made me laugh...

Here are some "headlines" from the onion:

PFL

This is so funny! If science doesn't work out for me, I think I'm going to join the PFL and call myself Cookie the Clobberer. Or Sandra the Slugger. My weapon of choice will be a king-size down in a flannel case. I think with all my dancing and running (and the "Sandra 100" - 100 push-ups a day does a body good) I could totally kick those bitches' asses!

Mid-Latitude Cyclone

If I was still teaching meteorology I would show my students these beautiful images of a classic mid-latitude cyclone that is crossing the midwest this weekend:





Note the large comma-shaped region of precipitation that is characteristic of mid-latitude cyclones. A great website to view satellite images and surface station data for U.S. (or North American) weather is here. Click on enhanced IR and view the looped animation - it's cool! This site from Plymouth University is also a good one. Ooh wait, yeah, I just found an image of the radar data superimposed on the IR:

A Major Media Conglomeration

Look! My two favorite newspapers are partnering up:

The Washington Post to Partner With The Onion

Isn't that awesome?

Milquetoast

I just wanted to share this new word I learned from a book I was reading. Even though I read as much as I can, it's usually science, so my non-science vocabulary has always been poor. But I'm working on it - I subscribe to the word-of-the-day (from two sources) and I'm plowing through my booklist. So don't make fun of me if you already know what milquetoast means! If you don't know what it means, here's what dictionary.com says:

milque·toast /ˈmɪlkˌtoʊst/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[milk-tohst] –noun (sometimes initial capital letter) a very timid, unassertive, spineless person, esp. one who is easily dominated or intimidated: a milquetoast who's afraid to ask for a raise.

Sandra Cookie is definitely NOT a milquetoast!

Siberian Slime!

Several weeks ago I was told by veterans of the Siberian Express 7.45 mile trail run that it is a good idea to "wear old shoes". Well, I forgot. I did bring a towel and a change of clothes and shoes, but here are my best running shoes AFTER I cleaned most of the mud off:



I had run the out&back trail at Kickapoo before, but not when it was this wet and muddy. Also, only a portion of the course was on this trail because of a bridge being out. The course included multiple stream crossings, near-vertical muddy hill climbs, stretches of ankle-deep muck where many people lost shoes (whew, I was a good lacer), and bottleneck areas near the start. Plus, I had a cold and was blowing my nose every few minutes. Thus, I was very surprised when I finished #24 in women (only the top 25 get prizes) - especially since my time was a slow 1:13! Here is the cute little medal:



It's too bad we don't have a picture of my muddy self after the race (I wore shorts!)