Time? Is that you?

After agreeing to make store patterns for Crochet Spot, I ran into trouble at the first. You see, this was my first idea.

Only after designing everything and sending it off did I get the memo that it is trademarked. Nice. What to do, what to do. I tried a few other ideas but had some problems with them as well. I finally managed to come out with this:

I definitely couldn't have done it without my mother and siblings help. They gave me ideas and desperately needed opinions. Unfortunately for the first pillow, I know hate it. Not really, but I am not looking at it for a couple of weeks. Maybe when I look at it again I'll have forgotten the trouble it caused me. My older brother told me I should see if I could sell the pattern to the company that has it trademarked. Hmm...

Because of that I didn't get around to last weeks movie review. Now on to this week.

A simple photo tutorial of these Beaded Bangles took longer than I thought. I was prepared and took the photos at the beginning of the week but then I spent one day with a headache and another shopping. Yesterday I was pulling my hair out trying to get it all done. And it might have been enough time if I hadn't been trying to celebrate Mum's birthday. I felt so guilty for spending so much time working on my tutorial when I hadn't even put up her decorations. And the thing was, I had already told myself that I was going to put her birthday first, and I didn't feel like I was.

Just as a note, she completely understood my need to finish the tutorial and didn't expect me to stop it to put up decorations. But I wanted to. Birthdays are so important. It's one day out of 365 that is all your own and should be made as special as possible. I happen to love my birthday. And if you asked my younger sister (not my youngest), she would completely agree. By the way, both our birthday's are around Valentines which makes that holiday extra special.

So that is the frustrations of the week, or shall I say past two weeks. Learning new things takes time, unfortunately. But I am grateful for the opportunity. I just have to plan ahead and start earlier with my projects so that I am not running out of time. (I hate running out of time, I get frantic!)

Those of you waiting for the next movie review, hold on. I'm working on it. I hope to have it posted in the next few days.

By the way, while I am on the topic of movie reviews, October is going to be a special month. The movie topic will be Film Noir! and I can't wait to get started. I hope to see you there!

Read More

Changing My Mind - Again!

I know a few months ago I spoke of starting an Etsy shop and for the longest I wanted to but couldn't. Now I can, or just about, but I'm not sure I still want to. The thing is, at first it was the only idea I had for making a little extra money and it just followed that if I make things I should sell them. And so I was all gung-ho until God began providing other things.

For instance, He provided my job with Crochet Spot in March. Like I've said before, it was a big step for me, even if it wasn't such a big step in comparison to other things. I wasn't sure I had what it takes to create a crochet pattern once a week. Well, so far I have created 26 and have learned a lot in that time.

Summer Lace Fingerless Gloves - Crochet Spot Pattern 

Now Rachel, the founder and owner of Crochet Spot, is giving me the chance to take a step further and make store patterns. This will mean bigger (more involved) projects. I'm really excited about this step because I have a tendency to create bigger projects as it is. But at the same time I am a bit nervous. Every other week I will have to have such a pattern ready. I thank God for this chance and pray that He will give me ideas and patience to do my best.

Besides crocheting, I have an incredible passion for writing. I know I've said this before, but I just wanted to reiterate for the sake of the conversation. My dream is to become a published author writing fiction as well as non-fiction. I've considered freelance writing, and took a step toward it, but I have stepped back because I am still not sure I want to put my full effort into pursuing that direction. Of course, if anyone desires to offer me a writing job anyway, I would be thrilled.

In the meantime, I am blogging on things of interest, such as marine biology and technology, for the sake of fun and in the hopes of building my writing platform. Since being introduced to the field of ocean exploration more intensely, thanks to the availability of NOAA's last expedition on the Okeanos Explorer, I have began to wonder if that is an area I could move toward in my writing. Maybe, if I show that I am good enough, I will be noticed by topic-related magazines or sites. But which should I pursue? Without feeling absolutely positive I hesitate to take action. What if I run full force into writing a certain topic and find that I jumped the gun and I've lost interest? In other words, what if I jump ahead of God and find that He had something better in mind for me than what I chose?

Whale Shark sighted during Okeanos 2013 Northeast Canyons Expedition - Courtesy of Ocean Explorer website.

I am ambitious and I will not sit around waiting for God to just drop things in my lap. God gives us talents and skills to use and a responsibility to work hard. But deciding your future is not to be taken lightly. I want God's best for me. He provided the Crochet Spot job without my seeking it out. I simply prayed for God to provide and He did. So I am asking Him to provide a writing avenue for me in the direction He knows will be best for me. He knows me better than I do.

So, in conclusion, since my main passion is for writing, I feel that starting an Etsy shop would only take time away from it and wear me out. My first inclination would be to take it on anyway and make myself do it because it would be a good experience. But I have learned that I can do too much. Until God shows me otherwise, this is the direction I will pursue. And I know God will provide when He feels I am ready. Why else would He have given me the love of writing if not to use it?

Read More

Echinoderms in the North Atlantic

As part of the series of blogs I have been doing on the recent NOAA expedition, the Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013, today I want to turn your attention to Echinoderms. To be honest, I hardly expected to see any when I first started watching the live feed from the Okeanos Explorer in early July. But to my surprise, we have seen a handful of different sea stars, sea pens, sea lilies, and sea urchins.

Sea urchins were found on the flat ocean bottom, along with sea pens, while a few sea lilies were solidly grounded along the sides of rocky substrate. As for sea stars, well, that's a whole subject for me.

When I think sea stars I imagine shallow tidal pools or sandy beaches. I hardly expected to find them in the abyssal plains, but I suppose you learn something new everyday, right?

There are so many species of sea star, it's almost hard to believe. The Common sea star has five legs and is... well, common in appearance. But would you believe there are some sea stars that look so plump they appear to have no arms at all? A prime example of this is the Cushion sea star. Here is a frilly specimen with a similar body structure:

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Pink and adorable! A couple of other species we saw were plump in a smaller way. A guess at their diameter would probably be around 20 or more centimeters, give or take a little, whereas one sea star spotted couldn't have been more than a few centimeters.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

And yet, would you believe there is a species even smaller, though not observed on this expedition. Patiriella parvivipara is the smallest sea star on record, measuring up to one centimeter in diameter. A creature like this is easily missed.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Though commonly known for having only five arms, some species of sea star have been known to have up to 45 arms. We had the enormous privilege of seeing one, just one, with eight arms.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

But not every sea star keeps its appendages attached to the substrate. Brisingid sea stars are curious creatures. They hold onto the rock, sometimes upside down, and let their arms curl out in front of them. There is a very good reason for this. They are suspension feeders, which means they sit and glean their prey from the water current.

Many times the canyon walls or deep crevices in the walls were covered in brisingid sea stars, never moving, simply sitting and waiting.

Regeneration

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

I couldn't write a post on sea stars without mentioning one of their most fascinating aspects!

Everyone has heard about the sea stars ability to regenerate an arm after its having been broken off. And it's not everyday something like this is seen. But we had the chance to see one. It's definitely a peculiar sight to see, and sometimes reminiscent of a horror film. But it is an incredible characteristic. Because of the loss of two arms, this sea star most likely created another. Some people say this is only possible if the broken appendage still had a bit of the central disc. Either way, it gives a whole new meaning to the the idea of cloning.

Every glance we are able to get of the little known world below gives us more and more to consider. And there is still more to discover out there! Be sure to join me next week as I continue this series of posts examining the remarkable life in the deep!

Read More

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) - Movie Review

Meet Me in St. Louis is a wonderful musical filmed in Technicolor, full of enchanting songs, dazzling costumes, and attractive sets. Time magazine called it "one of the year's prettiest pictures", and the Library of Congress deemed it "culturally significant". The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Arthur Freed, who has said since that it is his personal favorite.

Judy Garland plays the role of the third Smith child, Esther. She falls in love with the boy next door and does everything in her power to trap him. With a little conniving and girlish dreaming, Judy plays the part well.

At the time up-and-coming child star, Margaret O'Brien, is said to have stolen the screen. Her cute obsession with the morbid and overly dramatic temperament has caused many to question who the real star of the show was. But unfortunately, the little girl's voice was no match for Judy's. 

As a little girl I loved it for its extravagant vintage costumes, and lovely music. Now that I am older, I love all that and more. (Especially since Tom Drake is in it.) It's the a delightful example of the sweet and simple life many of us would love to have. The story is a typical one, of young love and big dreams, but it never fails to capture the attention of its viewers.  

Brief Synopsis

The Year is 1903 in St. Louis, Missouri, a year before the arrival of the Louisiana Purchase World's Fair. The people of St. Louis couldn't be more pleased that their lovely city was chosen to host the spectacular, international event celebrating the anniversary of the purchase of Louisiana from the French.
The event is seen through the eyes of the Smith family. Mr. Alonzo Smith is a well-to-do lawyer, and his wife Anna and he have five children: Rose, Lon, Esther, Agnes, and Tootie. Rose hopes to receive a proposal from her boyfriend, Warren Sheffield, who is away at Yale, while Lon is trying to figure out how to get the attention of Lucille Ballard. Similarly, Esther is sure it is love at first sight when she sees the young man who just moved in with his family next door.  With Grandpa and Katie, the maid, to help straighten them out, the future is bright. But suddenly, Mr. Smith makes an announcement that might shatter the dreams of them all!

Review

In a lovely Victorian styled home in St. Louis, Missouri, Mrs. Anna Smith spends the morning in the kitchen preparing homemade ketchup over a hot stove. She is assisted by Katie, the family's maid. She's trying to determine whether its too sweet or too sour and has an endless supply of not-so-helpful opinions.

Esther, one of Mrs. Smith's daughters, comes home from playing tennis with her friends and finds them in the kitchen. She rushes up to Katie and quietly asks if she has talked to mother about having dinner an hour early, since her sister Rose' boyfriend is supposed to call long distance from Yale and the phone is located in the dining room. With her usual grumpiness, Katie runs Esther out of the kitchen. She then tries to suggest the idea to Mrs. Smith.

Rose comes home as well and tells Esther that the boy next door is on his lawn. Curious, they casually walk out onto their porch and watch him through the trellis. But only too quickly does he return to the house without noticing the girls.

As the family begins preparing to gather for dinner, the popular song Meet Me in St. Louis that was written in honor of the up-and-coming World's Fair is upon all their lips. Unfortunately, Mr. Smith does not share their enthusiasm for the song.

Something else he does not share is their desire to have dinner early. He insists he'll eat at the usual time and the family has no choice but to cooperate. During dinner, everyone tries to hurry along as fast as possible but once again their father thwarts their plans.

The phone rings. Mr. Smith, who is not aware of the expected call, answers it and then hangs up. Disappointed, Rose and Esther tell him who the call was from. Moments later, the phone rings again and Rose answers it. Warren chats for a few moments while Rose tries to encourage him to speak his mind, but in the end he loses his nerve and says good-bye.

Alonzo Jr., otherwise known as Lon, is getting ready to go to Princeton so his sisters throw a farewell party for him. This is also a great chance for Esther to finally meet John Truett, the boy next door. During the party, Agnes and Tootie are spotted watching from the stares and everyone begs them to let the two stay. Esther and Tootie entertain their guests by performing a new dance called the cakewalk.

After purposefully hiding John's hat so that he would be the last to leave, Esther asks him to help her put out the lights, all the while hoping he'll kiss her goodnight. Being more on the shy side, John fumbles for word and ends up telling her she has a handshake stronger than a girl's and wears the same perfume as his grandmother. Though slightly disappointed, Esther manages to invite him to tour the fairgrounds with her and her friends, to which he agrees.

She waits and waits for him at the trolley stop but he doesn't come. While she is busy singing, he jumps on the moving trolley and surprises her. But she couldn't be more delighted.

Autumn rolls around and Agnes and Tootie get all dressed up in their ghoulish costumes to join the other neighbor kids for Halloween festivities. Ever aspiring to please the older kids, Tootie takes on the most difficult job of "killing" the neighborhoods scariest occupant, Mr. Braukoff.

Hours later she comes home with bruises and a busted lip mumbling, "John Truett tried to kill me." Appalled that John would do such a thing, Esther runs out of the house and finds John on his porch. She tells him what she thinks of a man bullying little children and lands a few punches, as well as bites his hand.
Racing back to her house satisfied she has done her sisterly dutie, she hears Agnes talking to Tootie. What really happended was they had placed a dummy on the trolley tracks and caused an uproar. When the police arrived, John took Tootie away before they could catch her.

Now even more appalled at her mistake, Esther runs back over to the Truett house and finds John emerging all bandage up. He immediately shrinks away from her expecting another onslaught of violence but Esther tells him what happened. He kisses her and responds with, "You can beat me up anytime."

Floating on a cloud, Esther enters the dining room just as everyone has gathered for ice cream and cake. She hardly notices her family's snickers but suddenly her father makes an announcement that startles them all. He says that his firm has offered him a promotion. And not only that but a position in their New York firm. He plans to move right after Christmas.

Hardly as delighted as Mr. Smith would wish, the family begins to disperse from the dining room. All they can think of is how it will change all of their plans. What's more, it means they will miss the Fair the coming spring.

Mrs. Smith realizes what is happening and begins to play a favorite piece on the piano. Mr. Smith joins her in singing and soon the whole family returns to the dining room. Despite their fears, they love their father and are willing to go along if he asks them to.

Soon winter has arrived and with it the Christmas ball. Lon's hopes of taking Lucille Ballard, a girl he met while at Princeton, are shattered when learns she has already been asked by Warren Sheffield. Rose is also disappointed and it looks like Esther will be the only Smith attending the ball. Then Katie has the wonderful idea of Lon taking Rose. Though Lon recoils at the idea, Esther agrees that its a grand idea. The brother and sister agree that it is better than not going and it's a deal.

The night of the ball arrives and Esther is called down to the kitchen. John informs her that he was unable to get his tuxedo in time and won't be able to take her. Crushed, Esther leaves John to let himself out and goes upstairs where she throws herself on her bed in tears.

Having resigned herself to her fate, Esther is surprised when Grandpa offers to take her instead. Though not quite John Truett, Esther accepts her grandfather's invitation and the two go to the ball together.

Rose and Esther scheme over what to do about Lucille Ballard, Rose' rival. Esther shows her sister Lucille's dance card she has taken the liberty to fill. The card is full of all the dorks and clods there. The two are obviously pleased with themselves, but not for long.

Warren and Lucille arrive and almost instantly Rose realizes what a mistake she and Esther have made. Lucille tells Rose how much Warren talks about her and admits that she thinks Rose and Warren should go together, which leaves her with Lon. Rose calls off their plan and Esther decides the only right thing to do is switch dance cards with Lucille.

Esther's grandfather finally snatches her away from the left-footed young men she has been dancing with and passes her off to John Truett, who has managed to get there anyway.

Nearly midnight, John proposes to Esther who readily accepts. He tells her that when she goes to New York it will be with her husband. At first Esther is sure that's what she wants but then she begins to reconsider. John still has to go to school to become an engineer and she wouldn't want him to give that up for her.

Besides that, she feels she owes it to her family to be with them during this change in their life. She tells him that they'll still be able to work it out but John is worried things won't be the same.

Expecting everyone to be asleep, Esther finds Tootie sitting in her window staring at the snowmen below. Trying to cheer her up, she sings Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, but Tootie is too upset and runs downstairs and out the door. Grabbing a bat, she busts the snowmen to pieces. Esther runs after her. She tells her it will all be okay and finally manages to quiet the little girl down. Little did they know their father had seen it all.

Sitting in the living room alone Mr. Smith realizes the effect the move will have on his family. He suddenly calls for everyone to wake up. They come down the stairs in surprise but they are even more surprised when he tells them that he has changed his mind about moving to New York. While he is still speaking, Warren charges through the front door and tells Rose that he is going to marry her. He leaves just as quickly and Mr. Smith is left trying to figure out what is going on.

Time has slipped by and it's Christmas already. With rounds of congratulations for Rose and thank you's for father, the family decides to open their gifts right then and there. Esther knows that her and John's fears will now be gone. It's truly a merry Christmas!

The World's Fair has finally come to St. Louis! Dressed in their finest, the Smith family, along with John, Warren, and Lucille, enjoy the sights together. The future is bright once again!

Conclusion

At the first, Judy was determined not to do the movie. She tried to get out of it, for reasons unknown, and had her mother talk to Arthur Freed as well. In the end though, Judy told Freed, "Arthur, remind me not to tell you what kind of pictures to make. "

Even to day, Rotten Tomatoes, a website that holds the public's views on movies, gives it 100%, not something you see too often.

The film debuts beautiful songs such as The Boy Next Door, The Trolley Song, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, and then of course the 1904 special, Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis, all of which are catchy and well-written.


I'd like to add, if you haven't seen it already, be sure and get it. It's definitely one of my favorites. And don't forget to leave me a comment telling me what you think. Make sure and come back in two weeks for another movie review. I'll give you a hint as to what movie I will be reviewing: Judy Garland gets a taste of the west!

Read More

A Symbiotic Relationship

Years ago I studied Sea Stars for an article I was preparing to write. Unfortunately, I never got around to writing it due to uncontrollable circumstances, but what I learned was enlightening and a well of information I have been able to refer to since.

As I noted the numerous amount of ophuiroids (brittle stars), a relative of asteroidea (sea stars), during the recent NOAA Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013 I realized some of them are not nearly as brightly colored and appealing to look at as I once thought.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

This is a picture of a mussel bed. There is an adorable octopus but there are also many ophiuroids lying about. If you look closely you can see them lying across the mussels; they are long legged and spindly. Now not all ophiuroid look so plain but these found at over 1,000 meters in the North Atlantic are.

Brittle stars are very similar to sea stars in that they are both pentameric, a form of radial symmetry where the appendages are arranged around a central axis, among other things. The difference in their structure is that their arms are very distinct from their central disc, whereas in some species of sea star the disc is almost indistinguishable from the arms. Take a look at the picture below to see the underside of a brittle star.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

If you've read anything about sea stars you will have found that their main method of locomotion is through their tube feet. Water is pumped into the water vascular system that runs throughout the body via the madreporite, a porous pinprick usually on the top of the body near the perimeter of the central disk. Except in brittle stars the madreporite is underneath, along the oral surface, near the mouth.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

There are a few other differences between the two but what I noticed most was the apparent distinction in their choice of living space. It is common to see a sea star splayed out upon the ocean bottom or a rock surface but not so with brittle stars. Zoom in on a beautiful coral or sponge and what do you see but a dark serpentine creature wrapped in and out of its branches. At first I wasn't sure what it was. Some kind of sea snake? Marine worm? No, it's a brittle star using the coral or sponge as shelter.

My second question was the nature of this form of symbiosis. There are some species of sea star that feed on coral, like the crown-of-thorns sea star, but from what I can gather this relationship is commensal. The star depends upon the coral for shelter as well as oxygen while it collects its particles in the water that serve as its food. The coral or sponge doesn't mind the addition to its body and everyone gets along well.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Except in this case, I wonder if the coral finds it so agreeable. (See above picture).

Do you see the lighter color on the arms? This is the area from which the tube feet protrude. Similar to suction cups, the tube feet are essential to nearly all sea stars. Not only do they assist in movement, as I mentioned above, but they are able to "grab" food with them.

I know I have had the tendency to view sea stars as almost statue-like creatures but this study has changed my view entirely. Click here to see a video of a fast moving brittle star.

Has this post clarified a few misconceptions for you? I hope you have enjoyed reading, and be sure to leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear what my readers think!

Read More

Banner Update - Finally done!

So here it is! I have finally finished drawing my banner. I must admit, I wasn't sure if I'd ever get it finished. It began like this:

After drawing it like this I wondered if it wouldn't be better to just draw the whole thing in its proper demensions but I was told I could get what I wanted by working on it further in the computer. So I took it into Gimp Editor and started clipping. Of course, I had the help of others in my family who are better at that sort of thing than I am. I couldn't have done it without them. After playing with the colors and other things I had the finished product:

What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinions. Little by little I'm transforming my blog into what I want it to be.

Thanks for reading! Be sure and catch my next posts coming soon. I will continue to talk on marine biology as well as post a movie review at the end of this coming week.

Read More

What They Can Do Without Bones...

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

The D2 moves along the rock face and stops to zoom in on an interestingly carved cavity. Inside is a light blue blob resembling an octopus with its tentacles curled around its body.

Though we expected a variety of fish as I mentioned in my last post, we did not expect to see so many cephalopods, i.e. octopus and squid. The detail the cameras on D2 were able to pick up was incredible. Take a look at the picture below.

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Notice the eye. Cephalopods, which literally means "head-foot", have very intricate eyes, complete with a retina, cornea, iris, and lens. They are also capable of coordinating and storing information. I suppose that's why they have been known to work themselves out of their tanks when kept as pets. They are also able to open jars. If you don't believe me, look it up on YouTube. They are amazing creatures!

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

Here is an adorable picture of a bobtail squid. The squid has the ability to pull its tentacles under its body to appear as merely a head. Someone mentioned it looked almost cartoon-like, which reminds me of the Goofy cartoon where he learns to water ski. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. (Visit this post for another picture of a bobtail squid).

Picture courtesy of NOAA Ocean Explorer

During the last leg of the trip, the D2 got some good imaging of a few giant squid, or at least that is what I believe them to have called it. Just to clarify, they are "giant" in classification, not always in size. This guy was probably between 8 and 16 inches.

The first squid was dining on some unknown creature and took evasive maneuvers to avoid the ROV. It remained in view for a good many seconds before finally shooting past the ROV and out of sight. The squid uses its back fins to swim but what gives it the most advantage is its ability to siphon water and press it back out with such pressure as to send it off in the opposite direction with staggering speed. This ability is shared by all cephalopods.

Another specimen noted was this one in the picture above. Its colors continually shifted from soft to brilliant even though it remained sitting on the sediment. This was explained by an onshore scientist participating: Apparently, each tiny pigment is controlled by a muscle which contracts to make it broad and relaxes to narrow it. So obviously, when the squid is very agitated, the colors tend to change quicker and more frequently.


This is just a sample of what we learned while watching the expedition. And though we were sad to see it end we have now tapped onto another expedition on the Nautilus in the Caribbean. The water is definitely warmer but just as fascinating!

Read More