This is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. I kind of want to wallpaper my cube at work with it. (Via my friend Kim.)
February 2013
Happy Birthday John Steinbeck
It’s the birthday of John Steinbeck today, in 1902. While I still haven’t forgiven him for the trauma of picking up The Red Pony as a ten-year-old, thinking it was a horse book like Horse Crazy or The Secret Horse, he’s all right by me, if only because of Cannery Row. I recommend you start there–not with The Red Pony.
Tuesday Project Roundup: Quilts and Skirts
I’ve gotten a good momentum going on the t-shirt quilt for my friend–all the shirts are cut down and interfaced and I was able to estimate the block sizes I need to cut based on the design and make a plan for the quilt top:
I also finished up the skirt I started last weekend but I had some (a lot of) issues with the fit so it stopped being a fast and easy project. But it fits now and looks decent on me, even if it is a little shorter than I would like. (I would model these spring projects but it’s hard to talk myself into it when it’s snowing yet again outside…)
Science Snowshoe Trip
Over the weekend I went on a guided snowshoe hike with a volunteer from the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation (this was arranged through Tree Utah, but you can get in on the action through March 23rd, directly through the CCF). It was an hour and a half tour of SCIENCE!
I got to see a moose foot (taxidermied, produced by the guide) and learn about prints, animal adaptation, and winter habits:
I learned how to tell the difference between spruce (with scaly bark on the right) and fir (on the left, flat bark).
And the guide even pointed out another squirrel mess at the base of a tree, just like I saw the weekend before.
I highly recommend it–just find some snowshoes and dress warmly (it’s not strenuous at all). It’s also really pretty: 
Friday Unrelated Information
1. I tend to feel more for animals than humans, so this quote is helpful for me as I try to do the first third of my goals for the year:
“We’re every one of us imperfect. We’re every one of us, in some way, wounded animals. The most important thing is to take care of each other.” —Barry Lopez
2. Yes:
Here Is An Owl
I don’t know what to write today, so enjoy this happy little owl:
Tuesday Night Conversation
My best friend was out of town on a buying trip so we missed our Sunday night call. Apparently he had to go register his vehicle after he landed yesterday afternoon, which led to this sentence:
“…and as I was walking into the DMV, I thought, ‘This is going to be irrevocably damaging to my psyche.'”
I’m definitely going to to start using that line.
Weekend Roundup
I forgot to post yesterday because I was on day four of wearing yoga pants and not working (priorities!). What did I do with the long weekend?
I made a lot of progress on the t-shirt quilt for my friend (I’m following these steps and made it up to actually cutting the blocks for most of the shirts):
I also started and mostly finished a skirt that didn’t require me to leave the house for supplies, thus continuing the wearing of yoga pants:
And I changed out of yoga pants and went outside, where I saw a squirrel making a mess of pinecones around the base of the tree (he’s at the very top of the picture)
And a halo around the sun in the afternoon:
Friday Unrelated Information
1. RUSSIAN METEOR OMG! An undetected meteorite passed over the Chelyabinsk region in the Ural Mountains and created a sonic boom that broke a lot of windows and injured people with glass. The Bad Astronomy blog has an initial roundup of videos from the event, complete with what I am sure is the Russian for “HOLY SHIT, IT’S A GIANT FIREBALL!”
2. Scientists are pretty sure the Russian event is unrelated to another asteroid that will buzz Earth today: Asteroid 2012 DA14. You can watch it live from several observatories (assuming the math on the near-miss is right)–again, Bad Astronomy has a good roundup at the link.
3. I took the day off so I’m going to be wearing yoga pants and keeping a close eye on the sky.
Cordiform
I learned a new word this week: cordiform, meaning heart-shaped. 
Have a happy Valentine’s Day, and remember: There are all kinds of love (although I think the Greeks forgot felinios, which is the love a 33-year-old feels for her cat).
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