Bananagrams

This is my latest obsession: Bananagrams.

I've always been passionate about language, words, word puzzles, etc. Now I'm addicted.

I started playing Scrabble in 2008. In 2010 when I got the iPhone 4 I started playing Words with Friends. In August 2010 I was introduced to Bananagrams. Since then I've acquired my own set and introduced my friends and family to the game. For a White Elephant Gift Exchange over Christmas Break I won Scrabble fridge magnets. This weekend I bought the Scrabble Dictionary, 4th edition to use during play (either Scrabble or Bananagrams) along with the Bananagrams Page-A-Day Calendar 2012.

If you're just getting into these awesome word games or are curious, here are a few references to check out:

Banangrams Website
Buy Bananagrams ($15, Amazon)
Buy the Bananagrams Page-A-Day Calendar 2012 ($6.50, Amazon)
Scrabble Dictionary (online)
Buy the Scrabble Dictionary ($7.50, Amazon)

Happy word playing!

2012 New Year Resolutions

It's the time of year where we all think of what we'd like to accomplish in the coming year. I'll share my 2012 resolutions in a moment; first I'd like to see how I did with my 2011 resolutions (click here to read the related blog post).


2011 Resolutions and status:

• spend less time surfing Facebook - 100% successful! I'm happy with how I've reduced the amount of time I spend on the social networking site.
• pay of a significant chunk of my student loans - 100% successful! Well, sort of. Since February 2011 I've paid off $11,365 in debt. My student loans went on hold since I'm working towards my master's degree. So while I didn't do anything with my student debt, I did work wonders my other debts! As I've said before, many thanks to Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover book!
• run 525 miles by Saturday, 31 December 2011 - 82.5% successful. To date I've run 432.92 in 2011. I'm just over 100 miles from my goal, but I think I did fair considering I had a majorly stressful time in May and that I pulled my back in November.
• earn B or better in all my PSU master's courses (2 in the spring semester, 2 over the summer, and another 2 in the fall) - 100% successful! I earned all As this year!
• read the Bible (or at least several books; will be difficult with all the master's work) - 100% unsuccessful. I briefly joined a Bible study group but school sort of got in the way. I'm going to work really hard in 2012 to make reading the Bible the priority I'd like it to be.
• catch up and keep up with my scrapbook for Heidi (I'm behind by about 12 months, heh) - 100% unsuccessful. I'm now behind 24 months! I have lots of pages ready to be pasted together and even more photos ready to be scrapbooked. I really need to make it a weekly thing where I sit down for a couple of hours and work at this.

So I didn't do so terribly. I achieved a 64% success rate with my 2011 New Year Resolutions.

And now, for my 2012 New Year Resolutions!

• Pay of another significant chunk of debt.
• Finish in the Top 10 of my age group (Women's 19-24) in the Track Shack Running Series (2011-2012).
• Run two half marathons (13.1 miles) and my first full marathon (26.2 miles); it will be okay if I do the full marathon in January 2013 since that's when the Disney Marathons take place.
• Earn Bs or better in all of my PSU master's courses (1 in the spring semester, 1 over the summer, and another 1 in the fall)
• Read 10+ books of the Bible.
• Scrapbook Heidi to the present.
• Make a quilt.
• Make a boy baby blanket.
• Learn to ballroom dance.
• Continuously train with Heidi be it agility, Schutzhund or otherwise; formally or on my own.

That said...

Washington Post's Mensa Invitational

I received the following in an email from my awesome Grandma Bennett. With my huge love of words and creativity, I thought I'd share:

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again invited readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are the winners: 1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time. 2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole. 3. Intaxicaton: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. 4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly. 5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future. 6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid. 7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high 8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. 9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late. 10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.) 11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer. 12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you. 13. Glibido: All talk and no action. 14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. 15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web. 16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out. 17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating. The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. And the winners are:  1. Coffee, n. The person upon whom one coughs. 2. Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained. 3. Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach. 4. esplanade, v. To attempt an explanation while drunk. 5. Willy-nilly, adj. Impotent. 6. Negligent, adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown. 7. Lymph, v. To walk with a lisp. 8. Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash. 9. Flatulence, n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller. 10. Balderdash, n. A rapidly receding hairline. 11. Testicle, n. A humorous question on an exam. 12. Rectitude, n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists. 13. Pokemon, n. A Rastafarian proctologist. 14. Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms. 15. Frisbeetarianism, n The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there. 16. Circumvent, n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men

Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger in a Strange Land

This is another review I wish I hadn't put off (for months). Oh, well. Here's my review.

Wikipedia efficiently describes the novel, so I'll quote them: "Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award-winning science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human raised by Martians on the planet Mars, upon his return to Earth in early adulthood. The novel explores his interaction with — and eventual transformation of — Earth culture." Here is Mr. Heinlein, looking pretty spiffy:


Robert Heinlein

From the moment I learned the book was about a human "alien" returning to Earth, I was intrigued. Never before had I come across a story-line such as this. The book has an alternate reality: a new government and WWIII has occurred, taxi stations are rooftop and un-manned programmable hover craft have replaced our four-wheeled vehicles.

I think the last alien book I read was Animorphs back in middle school. I may be wrong about that, but nothing else is coming to mind.

Smith, the human "alien" who has returned to our world, has never heard of females, so that was an interesting aspect to the story. Smith was raised in an environment where there was only one gender (male).

Jill was my favorite woman in the story, but my all-time favorite character would be Jubal. He was awesome; the books moral compass and father-figure. Ben is a pretty clever guy. Initially I disliked him because of his trade (reporter types and I are very different), but he grew on me quite a bit. I like to think of him as a spy rather than a reporter; it's more fun that way.

The book's discussion of super-human powers makes me wonder about the untapped portions of the human brain.

I really liked how Heinlein demonstrates thoughts passing through Smith's Martian mind; grokking, translations or not, wanting to keep the peace, going into cataleptic states, controlling his body on different levels.

I enjoyed the Water Brothers concept; it is an important one on Mars. The idea is explained bit by bit as Jill and Smith build their relationship.

I guess that's all I've got given the tardiness of this review. I recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi.

Amanda

Random Stuff as of Late

I'm almost done with my first quilt. I have yet to baste the fabric, sew the perimeter, and actually quilt the blanket. I'm going to do a how-to blog on the project when I'm finished. I'm excited to take the blanket downtown to Lake Eola to use it for a nice, Sunday afternoon picnic. UPDATE: finished sewing around the perimeter. Time for the quilting!!!! Finishing this project tonight!

I've joined some book clubs. Penny, one of my bosses at work, invited me to join her book club's next meeting where we'll discuss The Beach House by Jane Green. I expect my copy of the book in the mail early next week. I also joined the Orlando Chick-Lit Book Club through MeetUp.com. On top of normal book club activities, the OCLBC also catches movies made from novels. I'm hoping to also read My Sister's Keeper within the next few weeks, too, so I can join the other members at the movie. I expect my copy of that book early next week, too. In the mean time between American Psycho and one of the books I've just ordered, I'm reading Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. It's only a couple hundred pages, and I've heard only good things about the story.

I'm out of contacts. The eye office where I usually buy my contacts is out of stock; has been all week. I've been wearing my glasses around the clock, and haven't ran all week because I don't want to run without contacts && with glasses. (The && is a little programming joke, hehe.)

Work is going along VERY well! In the last week I've become quite engaged with my sub-system on the program. It's been a little overwhelming, but I'm excited to take on additional responsibility. So, I'm happy to report that all is well in the job department. Also, my LM softball team is ranked number one! Next game will be the finals, I do believe. My LM sand volleyball team isn't doing so hot, but that's okay. I enjoy my teammates' company; they're good people.

With a group of fellow LM folks, last night I went out to a really great Spanish Tapas bar downtown called Ceviche. Delicious, fantastic atmosphere, friendly staff. I loved it. We were there for about 3 hours! There were bread slices and a really tasty "pesto" sauce with lots of cilantro for appetizers. I ordered a Poema white Spanish wine that had some citrus hints. Then I fell in love with the white Sangria! Oh, man, I was very impressed with the white Sangria! I ordered pan con tomate and ceviche de salmon. The pan con tomate was okay, but the salmon ceviche was delicious! Spicy, with a citrus/ginger kick. Mmm! Jeremy, Ryan, Eric, Kevin and I all had a very nice time. Eric had a great order of steak tapas and spicy, cheese potatoes, AND creme brulee! That will be my next order at Ceviche exactly! After dinner Josh and Jared visited from Melbourne. We were celebrating for Jared's 23rd birthday! We went to Wall Street and ended the night at The Lodge. After the bar scene Josh headed home, and Jared and I chilled to some RadioHead. It was a really fantastic evening.


Josh, myself & Jared at Wall Street

Today Jared and I slept in, picked up my car from downtown, had some tasty B-Dubs (nostalgia), then baked in the sun for a few hours at my pool. We both got some nice color this afternoon. We showered up, and caught a showing of Year One. We agreed that the flick was okay, some funny parts, but overall Jack Black and Michael Cera can be a little over the top. It was worth seeing once, I suppose. Not something I'll probably watch again, though. After the movie Jared and I went to Steak N Shake for some grub, then he headed home. It was nice to have him visit. = ) Hopefully I'll make it over to Melbourne in the next couple weekends. I miss Andy and Jo Ann and the beach.

My friend Kubacki just purchased a very nice motorcycle! Andy is building a house in Melbourne, and Jeremy & Eric are moving into Tortuga next month. I'm very happy for my friends. = )

Oh, I picked up some items at Bath & Body Works the other day. They had a Buy 3, Get 3 deal going on, and, as I was in need of new lotion and new perfume, I took advantage of the sale. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the B&BW here in Florida (at least at the malls I've been to down here so far) carry my favorite scent!!! Dancing Waters!!! It was a very happy moment. They say that scent is the strongest sense tied to memory, and, for me, this particular scent is associated with so many wonderful memories... I also bought another favorite scent: Sweet Pea. Mmm, they smell so nice!

Since the Indianapolis Mini 500 Half-Marathon I've not had any race to train for, so I've slacked off a bit, but I did recently stumble upon the following recap of my running in 2008. Nike+ is so cool.



If you don't "get" Twitter, but you at least appreciate geeky humor, you should like the following trending topic copy/paste of "robot pick-up lines." My favorite is #18.

1. zax0rz: is that a stick of RAM in your pocket or are you happy to see me? http://tcrn.ch/3EL #robotpickuplines less than 5 seconds ago from web
2. jakelleywrotty: Let me show you my hard drive #robotpickuplines less than 10 seconds ago from web
3. sliceouttaluck: #robotpickuplines Want to come up to my 127.0.0.1 for some coffee? less than 20 seconds ago from web
4. fadilnet: A male robot must obey the orders given to it by a fembot except where such orders would conflict with the mombot. #robotpickuplines less than 20 seconds ago from web
5. ifilmtheclouds: Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF, all my base are belong to you. -- Oldie, but goodie. #robotpickuplines less than 20 seconds ago from web
6. SteveGreenwald: #robotpickuplines Is that a deterministic finite automaton or are you just glad to see me? less than 20 seconds ago from web
7. Tukitavi: "You've got mail!" (? I dunno, I thought I'd try. ) #robotpickuplines less than 20 seconds ago from web
8. dinkydudette: RT @JazzyFee: #robotpickuplines "Do you have Intel inside? No? Would you like to?" (HA HA!!) less than 20 seconds ago from web
9. GematriaSL: I'm more than a simulation. #robotpickuplines less than 20 seconds ago from web
10. bogeydog: #robotpickuplines Wanna 3-way with a Roomba? half a minute ago from web
11. sandbar17: rt @stephaniehobson Is your processor over heated? Because you've been running in my mind all day. #robotpickuplines <--LOL! half a minute ago from web
12. Lizeelou2: Are you a socket cause I really need to charge my battery. #robotpickuplines half a minute ago from web
13. billtoth: nice boot sector, wanna fuck? #robotpickuplines half a minute ago from web
14. emilyooo: #robotpickuplines Part 2 M: Are you sure? Maybe I should sneak a peak at your access panel. half a minute ago from Tweetie
15. BrokenSword: RT @MickSturbs: #robotpickuplines 'I suppose Hex is out of the question?' OMG Groan!!!! half a minute ago from TweetDeck
16. trupoet: Nice Rackmount! #robotpickuplines half a minute ago from TweetDeck
17. salottimc: Make sure your ports are open. #robotpickuplines half a minute ago from web
18. DreamingFox: RT @BadAstronomer "Your lips say 0 but your eyes say 1." #robotpickuplines half a minute ago from TwitterFox
19. Thebigdoerehab: #robotpickuplines I'm a scorpio, I enjoy sailing, and I don't have any passwords but hope to one day. half a minute ago from web
20. spkr4thedead51: #robotpickuplines Hey, do you like to roleplay? I'll be a traveling salesman and I'll figure out the fastest way to get to your bed half a minute ago from TweetDeck

That's all for now.

Amanda

Tiffany & Co.

Saturday night I went out with Tiffany & Co. and had a great time! Since I was already downtown, I beat them to Ember and ordered myself a delicious Cosmopolitan. I grabbed a table, and enjoyed the DJ's music selection of 90s and rock (he's my favorite of the downtown DJs). After while Tiffany & Co. arrived! I met Ben and Josh, and we all kicked things off with. A few rounds later we went to Wall Street; this was my first time to actually enjoy Wall Street (weather-based result as Wall Street is partially outdoors). We went to Sling-a-Pores (spelling?) and hit the dance floor. I hadn't been dancing since Halloween, and if you know me, that's WAY overdue! Ben and I paired up for most of the night, and it was great to get my dancing fix. Around 2 we called it a night. I was sober, so I drove Ben, Tiffany and Matt back home (conveniently enough, we all live in the same complex). On the way home we jammed to my dance mix; everyone was very keen on Call on Me by Eric Prydz, haha! What a fun night!

Here are a couple photos, thanks to Tiffany (I can't believe I didn't take a single photo of my own!). Not sure what I'm doing with my shoulder here. It's looking pretty contorted, but my guess is that I was trying to be more level with the girls as they were all seated. My legs look great, anyway!


the girls: myself, Jordana, Tiffany, Kara


Ben and I on the dance floor

Got this from Adam over in England: team ghosting competition. It's quite entertaining, funny, and creative!

I'm going to try something new here. If you read this and have any favorite meals for one, please email them to me at ambennett86@gmail.com. It took 5 months of cooking for one in the "Real World" to break me down and make me dread grocery shopping (don't worry, I stocked up last night - I was out of cereal, ha). Anyway, I'd like to hear what folks do when they cook for one. It can be anything: recipes, favorite quick meals, something off the wall - I dunno. Whatever. I'll compile it all and put up a post on cooking for one. Wow, this sounds so lame-o, but I think people might find it useful or motivating in small someway. I'm going to call the post "Save a freezer meal. Ride a recipe!"

-Amanda

Random Blurb

Exciting news: Tamara is planning a visit in July! I can't wait to see her beautiful, Australian face! Mom just booked her flight for a visit in July while Dad and the boys are at Sam's wrestling tournament in Fargo! I can't wait to see my Momma again! And! Sam is due for a visit in August! I'm so excited to hang out with my kid brother!

Raven is heading back to the shop tomorrow. Hopefully they'll patch her up properly so she looks like the 5-month-old car she is.

Mom and Dad head out to the Grand Canyon this Friday! I am so happy for them and their big 25th Anniversary celebration! They deserve such an amazing trip like this! I'm also very excited to give them a gift from myself and my brothers. Mom and Dad are going to LOVE it!

I finished 1984 and am now reading The Time Traveler's Wife. I'll post separately on them later.

Sounds like I'll be seeing Angels & Demons with Tiffany & Co. (hehe, I love that) this weekend. It's one of my favorite books, and Tom Hanks can do no wrong. And, speaking of movies, Star Trek was great. The Twitter #annoyatrekkie was hilarious, too, haha. And The Onion's video about how it was actually entertaining was quite funny.

My weekend was fabulous! Friday night Jared and I had dinner at Amigo's - delicious and a step above Maria Bonita's. It was his treat because I was dropping him off and picking him up from the airport on Saturday and Sunday while he was flying home for a surprise Mother's Day visit (he's such a sweet son, isn't he?). After dinner we saw Star Trek, then called it a night. Saturday I took Jared to the airport, had an okay run with the OWR (went out too hard during the first 3 miles then sucked wind the last 3... still finished 2nd, though). Made friends with Brandie, the chick who finished the 6-miler in front of me, hehe, and we're planning a weekend run at Baldwin Park together. She's into some distance running, so I'm really happy we chatted; I'd been wanting a distance running buddy. After the run I met up with Tiffany & Matt at the pool for some basking. After showering up I headed downtown for a photography field trip with the OCC. We did a lot of shots of the city's architecture. The sunset on the skyline wasn't the greatest, but I still got a few nice shots. I'll post about that trip later. After photography fun I met up with Tiffany & Co. at Ember. We had a fabulous night! I'll post about that later, too. Sunday involved a nice sermon at Discovery Church (man, I love that church!), lunch at Crispers, some journaling, a movie (Closer; thoroughly unimpressive in my opinion - downright wretched behavior of the characters, actually), then I picked Jared up from the airport and went to bed. Overall, another excellent weekend!

The OCC meeting Monday was really cool. It was contest night, and while I didn't submit a photo, I did come away with some great news, but I can't share on here until I tell my Daddy about it. Regardless, the contest night was really cool: the judges provided feedback on the submitted entries for the open themed contest as the club president, Anna, went through the photos in a slide show. There were some really beautiful shots. Next month's theme is curves, and I'm definitely submitting. I have a few cool shots in mind...

I'm taking a training course at work this week (today through Thrusday). It's been a good brush-up on some classes I took during my freshmen and sophomore years at Purdue (the information systems side of the C&IT house). I really like the guy who's teaching, and it's a nice change in pace for a few days. It makes for a long day, but a good one, nonetheless.

By the way, it's been freaking HOT down here. Mid-90s since last week. Thankfully the rain arrived as of yesterday! Showers are expected throughout the week. I hope it is blue skies and heat on Saturday, though, because I'd love to be found soaking up rays at the pool!

Picked up some CDs from the library. Time to make an awesome running playlist and hit the gym for a bit.

-Amanda

Have a Picnik

Sick of using Microsoft Paint to edit your favorite photos? Have a Picnik! It's free, registration-free, and couldn't be easier to use! Just upload a photo and modify your photo as you wish!

Below is my first Picnik creation. Have fun!

-Amanda

Before



After

Interesting Stories

Lately I've come by some interesting stories online. Here's my latest dose of online entertainment for your amusement.

New Medical Disorder Linked to Gaming, known as "PlayStation palmar hidradenitis."

Crocodiles With Frickin' Magnets Attached to Their Heads. I, too, would like to know who has the job of affixing the magnets to the crocodiles.

Designer Babies. This really irks me. Reminds me of A Brave New World. Why can't people just accept life as it is handed to them? People want to customize their children! Where is the fun in that? You know the mystery of what color their eyes will be, what color their hair will be... For goodness sakes. Really? What about 6 years after the kid is born. Everyone else will have the perfect blond-haired, blue-eyed, tanned child at the play ground. If your parents couldn't afford to design you (or if they preferred to take you as you are, genetically), you'll be made fun of for having freckles and brown hair. As if children didn't face enough growing up. Designer babies. Good grief.

Gamer claims identifying as a lesbian lead to Xbox ban. Why does Microsoft care about their customer's sexuality? I don't get it.

Double-amputee New Zealander has mermaid dreams fulfilled. My dream every time I was playing in the "lagoon" (aka shallow end) of the pool when I was growing up in Cincinnati, haha!

Data copy and Internet connection sharing dongle. Interesting gadget.

Cross-domain ID. Makes perfect sense.

-Amanda

Art, Dreams, Logos, Etc.

I have a section in my web browser bookmarks called "Blog This." The links are basically random but noteworthy in some small way. I've chosen a few links to share with you for some Online Entertainment. (Click the images for the links.)

First up we have Yay Art. I forget how I stumbled on this website, but take a look at what it offers (see the "Shop" tab). They have heaps of modern artwork.



Don't have a Nano iPod to use with a Nike+ running kit, but you do have a GPS-enabled phone? You're in luck. Check out the Wireless Run Tracker from Runner's World magazine online! Check the list of compatible phones before you get too excited.



Ever think about how other people dream? Engadget has an article about folks who were raised watching black and white TV dream in monochrome. Pretty interesting.



Maybe you've pondered the story behind Dreamwork's young boy fishing on the moon. Neatorama did a little research into Hollywood studio logos. Personally, I like the 4th Paramount logo best.



And the last bit of Online Entertainment I have today is a YouTube video. I came by this in my Change Management class at Purdue. The video is called A Vision of Students Today. It's a very straight-forward approach to how Technology and accepted behaviors and attitudes affect the learning process.



-Amanda