Monday, February 18, 2008

366th Day

So, a year ago today I started this blog. And yes, I fell 45 entries/days short of my goal. I really wanted to finish, to make it all the way through a year, but I think it was obvious once Christmas time came around that I was not going to keep up. I don't know what happened exactly; I was busy, but there were many other times throughout the year that I was busy but still kept blogging.
The one thing I can say is that I did not stop learning. There were many times that I thought "Ooh, great blog fact!" but I was just too far behind to bother. Also, I stopped blogging in January, but I did finally get my ass re-enrolled in school, so I kind of feel that the blog served its purpose by filling the gap in time when I was not "officially" learning anything.

I don't know if I will ever finish the last 45 things, or if I will keep posting here or never touch it again; I don't even know if anyone is reading this. Thanks to anyone who has checked in though. I think we came across some interesting things.

You know where to find me.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309 ,310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320

Oh, you thought I was gone, did you? I have not done this blog in TWENTY days, so to make up for it, I learned the names of the 10 provinces of Canada, and their capital cities:

Ontario - Toronto
Quebec - Quebec City
Nova Scotia - Halifax
New Brunswick - Fredericton
Manitoba - Winnipeg
British Columbia - Victoria
Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown
Saskatchewan - Regina
Alberta - Edmonton
Newfoundland and Labrador - St. John's

There are also three territories, with capitals. See ya in six days, fools!!

Friday, December 14, 2007

299, 300

Thursday I learned about hair follicle drug tests. To do one of these, they take about 50-70 strands of your hair that are about an inch and a half long. The test can detect cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine, and PCP, and it's more effective than urine testing because it picks up drugs that were used at a lower level or longer ago. Traces of the drug get into your hair as it's metabolized. If you don't have much hair on your head, they can use body hair to test as well. This is very random; I'm not on drugs or anything.

Today I learned how to make a caramel pecan pie. I had never made a pie before today. Well, Erica made the crust, but I mixed the other stuff up and put it together. It was really easy--you just melt caramel, milk and butter, then mix it up with some sugar and eggs--and it turned out great. Deeelicious. Here is the recipe, if you are interested.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

296, 297, 298

Monday I learned some beginner tips for painting with acrylics. See here.

Tuesday I learned about oatmeal. Oatmeal is good for you. It can lower your cholesterol and it is high in fiber and complex carbohydrates. Oatmeal will leave you feeling fuller longer during the day. Steel cut oatmeal takes a long time to cook but is extra good for you because it leaves the outside part on, like with brown rice.

Today I learned where you can get your credit report. The three companies that have to give you a free report per year are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. All you have to do is go to the website annualcreditreport.com or call their 800 number or mail in a form, and you can get your free report. You don't have to contact each agency separately, and any other website that is trying to give you a free credit report is not for real and you should watch out. I sound like a commercial here, but I am just trying to tell you what I learned. I don't care if you get a free credit report or not.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

291, 292, 293, 294, 295

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Tuesday. This is getting ridiculous.

Wednesday I learned the word "tarradiddle" which means a fib or pretentious nonsense. I added the dictionary.com word of the day application to my iGoogle, but I don't really like it that much because most of the words are easy. Tarradiddle was a new one on me though. It would be funny if somebody just made it up and put it on there.

Thursday I learned about charts and graphs in Excel. I didn't learn that much new stuff, but there was some. This will be the last in my Things I Learned at Excel Training blog series, as I am now finished with all of those trainings.

Friday I learned about windshield wiper blades. I had never bought my own before, but now I know that there is a little book thing there that you can look your car up in to see what size to get. Or you could measure them, I guess. I haven't put my new wiper blades on...that will be a blog for another day.

Saturday I learned about the movie Battle Royale, in which a bunch of Japanese high school kids kill each other in ridiculous manners. It is based on the novel of the same name. There is a rad song over the closing credits, which is "Shizuka na Hibi no Kaidan Wo" by Dragon Ash.

Today I learned about Clintonville, specifically what it encompasses and how it came to be.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

290

Today I learned what a sump pump is. I mean, I kind of knew what it did, but I didn't know what it was...if that makes any sense. Like, I didn't know which thing in my basement was a sump pump. But then this morning I heard this crazy loud noise that I thought was coming from outside, and when I went to investigate it I realized it was coming from the basement. So naturally I called my dad, and upon describing a pipe coming out of the wall and going down into a big plastic hole in the ground, we decided that my sump pump was (noisily) running for no apparent reason. It kicked on about 3 times this morning and ran for 10-15 minutes each time. I haven't heard it since I've been home from work. Hopefully my next blog will not be "today I learned how to fix a sump pump that blew up and ruined my whole house."

PS...I just realized that I made a numbering error back on Nov 23 that knocked me back about 50 Learnings. I'm gonna fix that right now; with any luck it won't mess anything up too badly.

Monday, December 3, 2007

289

Today I learned about altitude sickness. You can get altitude sickness starting at about 8000 feet. Symptoms include headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea/vomiting, and swelling in the extremities. Symptoms will usually subside after you have a day or two to adjust to the altitude. In rare cases you can wind up with pulmonary or cerebral edema (fluid in the lungs or brain). High altitude cerebral edema can kill you. If you go up slowly (1000 feet per day) you won't have a problem.