and when you combine them with bioluminescence you get supercool
Read this article/video
and they can live off the weirdest substances
asphalt
ammonia
31.5.07
27.5.07
We are on the other side now
So a few posts ago I was talking about how hard it is to wait while you are going through a waiting period. I also said how I know God will provide but that it is hard when you are on the one side waiting to get to the other.
Well we are on the other side now. Yesterday our friends from church rang us to let us know the offer they had put on a house in Belmont was accepted. We are very excited. The house is old, but has character. It has hard wood floors, 3 bedrooms, 2 living areas, and a nice sized backyard.
There is one thing you could pray for...the needs to be inspected to see if there is any structural damage (old age and due to the drought), termites (terrible here in Geelong), and other problems. We have heard from a past owner (a daughter of a lady from church) that the bathroom has moisture problems. Pray that the inspection would not reveal any major problems because if there are, the offer will be retracted. Pray that if there are major problems our friends would be given wisdom on whether they should go ahead with the buying or look for something else.
So, we are excited that something seems to be coming together. The timing of it would work out really well, the working of God well. From what Brandon said if everything goes ahead we would be moving in July 27th. We get back from the States on the 19th and our landlords for this house will be moving into this house at the beginning of August. So we don't have to move until we get back, our current landlords won't lose rent money due to an empty house, and our soon to be landlords won't have a house sitting around empty. Hooray!
About two weeks until we leave! We were talking to Jolene about it today, I think she was ready to go now. Actually she started crying when I told her it was time for bed. She kept saying "go on airplane? go on airplane?". I told her two weeks. When I laid her down in bed she looked up at me and held out three fingers and said "two weeks, two weeks". Too bad she can't help with the packing :-)
Yesterday we went to the Melbourne Zoo with our friends Peter and Jeana, and their two daughters Eowyn and Lellani. We also had Eleni McEwen (we were babysitting for the day) with us, it was a girl fest! All of the girls did really well, no major battles of the will and they slept on the way home. We saw lions, elephants, monkeys, butterflies, and some other weird looking mammal that I don't know the name of. Here are a couple of pics, I will post the rest later. Need to help with the dishes now.
Well we are on the other side now. Yesterday our friends from church rang us to let us know the offer they had put on a house in Belmont was accepted. We are very excited. The house is old, but has character. It has hard wood floors, 3 bedrooms, 2 living areas, and a nice sized backyard.
There is one thing you could pray for...the needs to be inspected to see if there is any structural damage (old age and due to the drought), termites (terrible here in Geelong), and other problems. We have heard from a past owner (a daughter of a lady from church) that the bathroom has moisture problems. Pray that the inspection would not reveal any major problems because if there are, the offer will be retracted. Pray that if there are major problems our friends would be given wisdom on whether they should go ahead with the buying or look for something else.
So, we are excited that something seems to be coming together. The timing of it would work out really well, the working of God well. From what Brandon said if everything goes ahead we would be moving in July 27th. We get back from the States on the 19th and our landlords for this house will be moving into this house at the beginning of August. So we don't have to move until we get back, our current landlords won't lose rent money due to an empty house, and our soon to be landlords won't have a house sitting around empty. Hooray!
About two weeks until we leave! We were talking to Jolene about it today, I think she was ready to go now. Actually she started crying when I told her it was time for bed. She kept saying "go on airplane? go on airplane?". I told her two weeks. When I laid her down in bed she looked up at me and held out three fingers and said "two weeks, two weeks". Too bad she can't help with the packing :-)
Yesterday we went to the Melbourne Zoo with our friends Peter and Jeana, and their two daughters Eowyn and Lellani. We also had Eleni McEwen (we were babysitting for the day) with us, it was a girl fest! All of the girls did really well, no major battles of the will and they slept on the way home. We saw lions, elephants, monkeys, butterflies, and some other weird looking mammal that I don't know the name of. Here are a couple of pics, I will post the rest later. Need to help with the dishes now.
22.5.07
Attention Jenn Weiss, you know who you are
Contact us!!!!!!!!!!
This was the quickest way I could think of contacting you :-)
We need to talk about when we are going to get together.
We lost your phone number so I haven't been able to call you.
Can you e-mail it to us please.
For everyone else who reads this blog, sorry this isn't much of a read.
For your benefit I will write this bit of information. We are looking at a house today that may or may not work out. Will keep you posted.
This was the quickest way I could think of contacting you :-)
We need to talk about when we are going to get together.
We lost your phone number so I haven't been able to call you.
Can you e-mail it to us please.
For everyone else who reads this blog, sorry this isn't much of a read.
For your benefit I will write this bit of information. We are looking at a house today that may or may not work out. Will keep you posted.
19.5.07
Interesting articles from Wired
Wired is one of our top magazines choices, along with World, National Geographic, and Scientific America.
Here are a few articles I thought were a good read.
1. Disable Your Passport's RFID Chip
"All Passports by the US State Department after January 1 will have always-on radio frequency identification chips, making it easy for officials-and hackers- to grab your personal stats. Getting paranoid about strangers slurping up your identity? Here's what you can do about it. But be careful-tampering with a passport is punishable by 25 years in prison."
1) RFID-tagged passports have a distinctive logo on the front cover; the chip is embedded in the back.
2) Sorry, "accidentally" leaving your passport in the jeans you just put in the washer won't work. You're more likely to ruin the passport itself than the chip.
3) Forget about nuking it in the microwave- the chip could burst into flames, leaving telltale scorch marks. Besides, have you ever smelled burnt passport?
4) The best approach? Hammer time. hitting the chip with a blunt, hard object should disable it. A nonworking RFID doesn't invailidate the passport, so you can still use it.
Jeanna Wortham
2. Manhattan Projects
4. Race to the Bottom
"A maverick Australian prospector is planning to scoop untold riches - gold, silver, copper - from the bottom of the ocean. Is it a cleaner way to mine or the beginning of an environmental disaster?"
Here are a few articles I thought were a good read.
1. Disable Your Passport's RFID Chip
"All Passports by the US State Department after January 1 will have always-on radio frequency identification chips, making it easy for officials-and hackers- to grab your personal stats. Getting paranoid about strangers slurping up your identity? Here's what you can do about it. But be careful-tampering with a passport is punishable by 25 years in prison."
1) RFID-tagged passports have a distinctive logo on the front cover; the chip is embedded in the back.
2) Sorry, "accidentally" leaving your passport in the jeans you just put in the washer won't work. You're more likely to ruin the passport itself than the chip.
3) Forget about nuking it in the microwave- the chip could burst into flames, leaving telltale scorch marks. Besides, have you ever smelled burnt passport?
4) The best approach? Hammer time. hitting the chip with a blunt, hard object should disable it. A nonworking RFID doesn't invailidate the passport, so you can still use it.
Jeanna Wortham
2. Manhattan Projects
The world's cities are getting taller (click on the "story images" to the left on the home page and you can see the graphics for the story) – and fast. Between 2001 and 2012, almost as many skyscrapers will be constructed as were built in the entire 20th century. While vertical metropolises like Hong Kong and New York continue to mint monoliths, the most dramatic changes are happening in lower-profile places. Thanks to globalization and the steady migration of people to urban cores, cities that once had only a few high-rises are morphing into mini-Manhattans. Miami, for example, had only five skyscrapers (buildings more than 150 meters, or 492 feet, tall) in 1999 but will have 71 by 2012. Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, will soar from two in 1999 to 90 by 2012. Here's a snapshot of the world's fastest-changing skylines.
– Patrick Di Justo
3. The Plague Fighters: Stopping the Next Pandemic Before It Begins
"HIV, Ebola, SARS — any of the world's most horrifying diseases are caused by animal viruses that made the jump to humans. Now a UCLA scientist thinks he can stop the next pandemic before it even starts."
4. Race to the Bottom
"A maverick Australian prospector is planning to scoop untold riches - gold, silver, copper - from the bottom of the ocean. Is it a cleaner way to mine or the beginning of an environmental disaster?"
17.5.07
Beginning to feel helpless
I am writing this post out of mere frustration. Writing makes me feel better, a way to get the emotions out.
I found a rental on the web a few days ago that sounded perfect for us. Great location, 3 bedrooms, 2 living areas, large backyard. Yesterday the agent called about 2pm to see if I could be at the house at 2:30pm to look at it. The girls were both asleep and so I had to decline. I really didn't want to wake both of them up and throw them in the car. The agent said we could reschedule for Monday at 4pm, I said that would be great.
Today the agent called at 10:30am to let me know the house had been rented. My stomach now feels sick. Why didn't I just go! Oh well, can't do anything about it now.
So right now I feel like giving up. If I am not willing to bend my schedule hour by hour to the agents' schedules then apparently I will miss out. Is it worth messing up the girls' day just to look at a house that as of right now we don't have the money to pay the bond for?
Yeah, last week two parking fines showed up in our mailbox, $214.00. So we are now $214.00 shy of bond.
I know that God will work something out but right now I am feeling quite desperate and helpless. I guess that is how God wants it though isn't it? He wants us not to rely on ourselves but on him. We are very much at that point right now.
So I guess in a few months I can read back over this post and see how God has worked it out. But right now being on the other side of the difficulty is no fun. Even though I know something will be worked out it is still very hard for me to keep my stomach from tightening up.
Phil. 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.
I found a rental on the web a few days ago that sounded perfect for us. Great location, 3 bedrooms, 2 living areas, large backyard. Yesterday the agent called about 2pm to see if I could be at the house at 2:30pm to look at it. The girls were both asleep and so I had to decline. I really didn't want to wake both of them up and throw them in the car. The agent said we could reschedule for Monday at 4pm, I said that would be great.
Today the agent called at 10:30am to let me know the house had been rented. My stomach now feels sick. Why didn't I just go! Oh well, can't do anything about it now.
So right now I feel like giving up. If I am not willing to bend my schedule hour by hour to the agents' schedules then apparently I will miss out. Is it worth messing up the girls' day just to look at a house that as of right now we don't have the money to pay the bond for?
Yeah, last week two parking fines showed up in our mailbox, $214.00. So we are now $214.00 shy of bond.
I know that God will work something out but right now I am feeling quite desperate and helpless. I guess that is how God wants it though isn't it? He wants us not to rely on ourselves but on him. We are very much at that point right now.
So I guess in a few months I can read back over this post and see how God has worked it out. But right now being on the other side of the difficulty is no fun. Even though I know something will be worked out it is still very hard for me to keep my stomach from tightening up.
Phil. 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.
About three weeks
We have about 3 weeks till we come home! I realized this a few nights ago and started to panic.
I haven't even started to pack the house up let alone think about packing the stuff we need for our trip. I did get the suit cases out and began to clean the soot off them. One was particularly bad due to the fire, it was black. After about three buckets of water the case began to reveal its colours (ha, Dad look...more Aussie spelling).
What we have to do before we leave.....
Coach three soccer games
find a house to move into
find all the winter clothes my girls don't need right now and give them to friends
pack summer clothes for the girls
pack up things around the house that we don't really need
finish cleaning the suitcases
make a list of things to pack
make a list of things to buy in the States
make a list of things our friends want us to bring back
get rid of op shop stuff
p.s. They spell jail, gaol here. I think that is very weird.
I haven't even started to pack the house up let alone think about packing the stuff we need for our trip. I did get the suit cases out and began to clean the soot off them. One was particularly bad due to the fire, it was black. After about three buckets of water the case began to reveal its colours (ha, Dad look...more Aussie spelling).
What we have to do before we leave.....
Coach three soccer games
find a house to move into
find all the winter clothes my girls don't need right now and give them to friends
pack summer clothes for the girls
pack up things around the house that we don't really need
finish cleaning the suitcases
make a list of things to pack
make a list of things to buy in the States
make a list of things our friends want us to bring back
get rid of op shop stuff
p.s. They spell jail, gaol here. I think that is very weird.
13.5.07
Rental Houses
US 0
THEM 3
Brandon showed up at an inspection the other day in his work clothes and riding his push bike. The lady showing the house didn't want to give him an application. We are now treating these inspections as job interviews, wear a suit and rent a nice car to drive up in. Oh and if it were not wrong, tell them we don't have any kids.
11.5.07
Encyclopedia of Life
As a biologist, I think this project sounds really cool. I am hoping it doesn't take the whole ten years as projected. EOL is going to be this massive database on every species know to man. Several natural history museums, universities, and scientists from around the world will be heading the project. Here is what a sample page will look like. This is something I could waste many hours on. Hmmm lets see what this animal looks like, or where this bacteria can be found. I particularly like the biodiversity graphs, the layout is cool looking. Anyway, I am excited.
Oh just to warn you, the video is a bit fluffy. You almost feel like you should be singing Kumbaya along with it. You have to make those donating money feel good about themselves otherwise they won't write those big cheques.
Oh just to warn you, the video is a bit fluffy. You almost feel like you should be singing Kumbaya along with it. You have to make those donating money feel good about themselves otherwise they won't write those big cheques.
5.5.07
Happy Birthday to Jolene!
Jolene turned two today.
Here are pics from her birthday party with play group and then the one we had earlier today with friends from church.
Also, here are pics of the girls doing things that may only be interesting to the grandparents. Oh, and pics of our trip into Melbourne with friends Brandon and Lisa Rigg (from LA area).
Here are pics from her birthday party with play group and then the one we had earlier today with friends from church.
Also, here are pics of the girls doing things that may only be interesting to the grandparents. Oh, and pics of our trip into Melbourne with friends Brandon and Lisa Rigg (from LA area).
3.5.07
The hunt is on, the other side of socialized medicine, friends
We are still looking for a place to live. Currently we are looking at rentals and also houses for sale. Friends from church are interested in buying a rental property and then renting it to us. They asked us to keep our eyes open for any good houses, hence the reason for looking at homes for sale. Last Saturday I looked at two rental properties and four homes that are for sale. Tomorrow I am looking at two rentals and one home for sale. Running around looking at all these different places makes my head spin. It is hard to remember which house is which and what I like about this one and what I don't like about that one.
We have realized that we need to up our rental price up a bit to find something that is decent looking. I looked at a house last week that was going for $240/wk. Basically it was a dump. The yard was a pit, large cracks in the walls, and discolored paint on the walls. Sad that some people let their houses end up like this.
This coming Saturday, our friends are taking a second look at a house. I guess this means there is a possibility that they might want to buy it. We shall see what happens in the next few weeks.
Today I had my first bad experience with the health care here. Adele had an appointment with the hip doctor at 8:45. I kind of forgot and didn't get to the hospital until 9am. That didn't really matter though because as I was talking to the desk lady I found out that they schedule a bunch of patients for the same time and then it goes on a first come first serve basis. This information was revealed at 10:30, she also informed me that there were six other babies ahead of me. How six other kids got there before 9am I have no idea but they did. So we sat and sat. I was there alone with Jolene and Adele. Jolene was not interested in sitting still after and hour had passed. Thankfully a lady from playgroup was there and she offered to help out for awhile. We took many walks to help the energy seep out of Jolene's legs. At 11am I gave up and called for reinforcements. Brandon came over from work and helped out with Jolene so that I could feed Adele. At 12pm we were about to walk out when they called Adele's name. I felt like we had won the lottery.
The doctor rolled Adele's hips around and then said she had to wear the brace for another two months (at night only). And that was that, out we went with half our day gone but still the same amount of money in our pockets.
I guess the big question we should ask is, is our time worth more than our money?
Our friends Brandon and Lisa Rigg, from LA, came and stayed with us for three days. We all took a train into Melbourne on Tuesday to check out the scene. We stopped by the Vic Markets, then had lunch at a organic cafe (the lasagna Lisa had was awesome!), and last but not least we walked around Federation Square (weird architecture)
and had a coffee. Jolene and Adele did really well for what we did. Jolene eventually passed out in the pram from being so tired. Adele slept in Brandon's arms.
That night us adults went out for dinner in Geelong at the Le Parisian. Very nice, great food and it boasts the finest wine list in Geelong (you can decide if that is important or not).
Wednesday Brandon and Lisa drove the Great Ocean Road, I coached soccer, and Brandon went to work. On a side note. My girls team won 3-2 even though they were short two players. They were playing the seventh graders but still did pretty well for not having much time to organize them. We only had one practice before the games started up.
Today it rained a lot, when Brandon came home from work he took Jolene out to play in the puddles. This is what she looked like.
We have realized that we need to up our rental price up a bit to find something that is decent looking. I looked at a house last week that was going for $240/wk. Basically it was a dump. The yard was a pit, large cracks in the walls, and discolored paint on the walls. Sad that some people let their houses end up like this.
This coming Saturday, our friends are taking a second look at a house. I guess this means there is a possibility that they might want to buy it. We shall see what happens in the next few weeks.
Today I had my first bad experience with the health care here. Adele had an appointment with the hip doctor at 8:45. I kind of forgot and didn't get to the hospital until 9am. That didn't really matter though because as I was talking to the desk lady I found out that they schedule a bunch of patients for the same time and then it goes on a first come first serve basis. This information was revealed at 10:30, she also informed me that there were six other babies ahead of me. How six other kids got there before 9am I have no idea but they did. So we sat and sat. I was there alone with Jolene and Adele. Jolene was not interested in sitting still after and hour had passed. Thankfully a lady from playgroup was there and she offered to help out for awhile. We took many walks to help the energy seep out of Jolene's legs. At 11am I gave up and called for reinforcements. Brandon came over from work and helped out with Jolene so that I could feed Adele. At 12pm we were about to walk out when they called Adele's name. I felt like we had won the lottery.
The doctor rolled Adele's hips around and then said she had to wear the brace for another two months (at night only). And that was that, out we went with half our day gone but still the same amount of money in our pockets.
I guess the big question we should ask is, is our time worth more than our money?
Our friends Brandon and Lisa Rigg, from LA, came and stayed with us for three days. We all took a train into Melbourne on Tuesday to check out the scene. We stopped by the Vic Markets, then had lunch at a organic cafe (the lasagna Lisa had was awesome!), and last but not least we walked around Federation Square (weird architecture)
and had a coffee. Jolene and Adele did really well for what we did. Jolene eventually passed out in the pram from being so tired. Adele slept in Brandon's arms.
That night us adults went out for dinner in Geelong at the Le Parisian. Very nice, great food and it boasts the finest wine list in Geelong (you can decide if that is important or not).
Wednesday Brandon and Lisa drove the Great Ocean Road, I coached soccer, and Brandon went to work. On a side note. My girls team won 3-2 even though they were short two players. They were playing the seventh graders but still did pretty well for not having much time to organize them. We only had one practice before the games started up.
Today it rained a lot, when Brandon came home from work he took Jolene out to play in the puddles. This is what she looked like.
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