"Top Shot" fashion discrimination

This is a screen capture from this week's "Top Shot" episode.  The shirt styles are really irking me.  Why does the female have to wear a shirt that doesn't protect her as much as the man's shirt style?

Notice the man can choose how many buttons he wants to button or unbutton at the neck.  The woman doesn't even HAVE buttons.  So if she wants more sun protection or protection from flying bullet fragments, she has no way of closing up her shirt.

Second, notice the man's shirt sleeves go all the way to his elbows and protect all of his upper arm from sun and bullet fragments.  The woman's shirt only goes half way down her arm.  He can push his sleeves up to adjust the amount of arm to show, but she has no way to bring her sleeves down to protect her skin.

Finally, notice that the man's shirt is a nice square shape, but the woman is forced to wear a "Tailored" fitted style that fits close to her curves.  Even though these are probably somewhat-stretchy knits, the close-fit shirt will be more binding and restrictive of movement than the loose-fit shirt.

ARGH!

2011 Reading List

This is what I read in 2011:

1. Vampire Crush, by A.M. Robinson
2. Mr. Darcy's Diary, by Amanda Grange
3. Building a Parenting Agreement that Works: Child custody agreements step-by-step; by Mimi Lyster
4. Shattered Dreams, by Dr Larry Crabb
5. Stargate SG1: Four Dragons (SG1-16), by Diana Dru Botsford
6. Absolute Risk, by Steven Gore
7. Stargate Atlantis: Hunt and Run, by Aaron Rosenberg
8. Watchlist, by Jeffrey Deaver
9. Night of the Vampires, by Heather Graham
10. The Blood that Bonds, by Christopher Buecheler
11. Against All Odds, by Irene Hannon
12. Deadly Sanctuary, by Sylvia Nobel and Christy Moeller
13. Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #1-7 (short stories) by John Jackson Miller
14. The Crossroads Cafe, by Deborah Smith
15. Reaper (Novella), by Rachel Vincent
16. Face of Betrayal, by Lis Wiehl and April Henry
17. Stargate Atlantis 16: Homecoming, by Jo Graham and Melissa Scott
18. Troublesome Creek, by Jan Watson
19. Lioness Arising, by Lisa Bevere
20. House of Dark Shadows (Dreamhouse Kings Series, Book 1) by Robert Liparulo
21. Stuck in the Middle, by Virginia Smith
22. Crossing Oceans, by Gina Holmes
23. Invisible, Lorena McCourtney
24. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
25. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer
26. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer
27. Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer
28. Always the Baker, Never the Bride, by Sandra Bricker
29. After the Leaves Fall, by Nicole Baart
30. The Legal Answer Book for Families, by Emily Doskow and Marcia Stewart
31. Alice at Heart, by Deborah Smith
32. Almost Heaven, by Chris Fabry
33. Almost Perfect, by Julie Ortolon
34. The Apothecary's Daughter, by Julie Klassen
35. Antiques Roadkill, by Barbara Allan
36. Stargate SG1 (SG1-17): Sunrise, by J. Frances Crane
37. Where will you go from here? by Valorie Burton
38. Back on Murder, by J. Mark Bertrand
39. Stargate Atlantis (SGA-17): The Lost, by Jo Graham and Amy Griswold
40. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
41. The Pawn, by Steven James
42. The Rook, by Steven James
43. The Scroll, by Grant Jeffrey and Alton Gansky
44. All the Pretty Hearses: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery (Bed-And-Breakfast Mysteries) by Mary Daheim
45. The Knight, by Steven James 
46. The Brotherhood (Precinct 11), by Jerry Jenkins
47. The Big 5-Oh!, by Sandra Bricker
48. Boyfriends, Burritos, and an Ocean of Trouble, by Nancy Rue
49. Beautiful Lies, by Lisa Unger
50. Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
51. The Bishop, by Steven James
52. The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy
53. Tahn, by L.A. Kelly 
54. Getting Smart, by Tom Vander Ark
55. The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis, by Nancy Guthrie

Moonlight - Steven Sharp Nelson

Carol of the Bells (for 12 cellos) - Steven Sharp Nelson

10 minute evening look

Apostrophe clouds

Aren't these clouds wild?  They remind me of apostrophes or mini-tornados.

As the Jedi mind tricks at the end say, I must now learn cello.

Kidd Video - Where Did Our Love Go?

Classic Smoky Eye

For a classic smoky eye look:

1. Highlight just the brow bone using a soft, shimmery beige such as Spun Silk.
2. Apply midtone (a shade slightly darker than your skin tone) starting from the base of the lashline, across the lid, and up to the brow bone.  So pick a neutral that is a bit darker than your skin.  Put on two layers of midtone if you want a deeper/darker look.
3. Blend the two colors together well.
4. Apply your dark shade (your contour shade.  Pick one: Black Pearl, Coal, Copper Glow, Ivy Garden, Midnight Star, or  Sweet Plum.) Start at the base of the lash line and work your way up to the crease of the eye...and then blend it out.
5. Use black eye liner across top lashes.
6. Apply a black shadow (Coal) directly over the top of the pencil liner you just put on and start to pull up with the color to smudge it out.  Add a little more Coal into the outside corners of the eyes. Blend, blend, blend.
7. Apply midtone shade again, right against the base of the bottom lash line.
8. Apply contour shade over the top of the midtone shade that you just applied at the base of the bottom lash line.
9. Use two coats of black mascara.

5-minute face

Poetic Eyes

Makeup Artist Robert Jones calls this look the Poetic Eye.  By having a very soft eye, you can have a bold red lip.

How to get this look:

Step-by Step Poetic Eyes

1. Conceal your eyelid with concealer and set it with powder.

2. Using an Eye Definer Brush, place a creme shimmer shadow (Mary Kay Beach Blonde) on your eyelid from lashline to where the crease of the eye begins. This will make the eye shadow much more intense and it will stay on much longer. Now with the same brush, apply a shimmering champagne powder shadow like Mary Kay Moonstone. Remember people...it's all about layering!

3. Apply a subtle brow color to create a soft statement with the brows.

4. Using your Eye Crease Brush, apply a matte taupe shadow like Mary Kay Hazelnut in the crease, from the outside corner toward the inside corner. Using your Eye Definer Brush, apply a layer of midtone like Mary Kay Cinnabar to the outer outer third of your eyelid. Leave the lower lid completely void of color.The contrast between the shimmer and the matte is what makes the poetic eye POP. 

5. To give the look an editorial flair, skip the eyeliner and limit mascara to the top lashes only. 

6. Finish off the look with a super soft cheek using only a bronzer like Mary Kay Sandstone Bronzing Powder and then apply a matte red lipstick. 

Full Rainbow

Its been a while since I saw a full rainbow.  This one wasn't very intense, but it was full.  The building is the George Washington Masonic monument across the street from the train station in Arlington.

How to clean your makeup brushes

9/11 Memorial contingencies

Overall, I think the 9/11 Memorial is pretty neat. I just hope they have plans for dealing with the following:

1) People shoving things into the etched names. So far people have put flowers and flags into the names. I can only imagine what worse stuff will be stuffed in those letters. Especially since there is the cooling system under the brass. How will they clean out gum, trash, coins, etc. that people shove into the etched letters?

2) The fountains: how will they deal with the coins tossed into the fountains? How about the idiots who will toss in detergent to make the huge bubble mess, or the dork who tosses in a bunch of dye to change the water color? Are the fountains going to be Irish green on St. Patrick's day?

3) I don't see a way to keep people out of the fountains. It looks pretty easy to climb up on the parapet and then stand on the flat water area and then jump (30 feet) into the pool. Should someone do that, how will they get out?

It's a pretty memorial, I just hope they have thought about how to take care of it so idiots don't ruin it in short order.

Review: "The Scroll" by Grant R Jeffrey and Alton L Gansky

"The Scroll" by Grant R Jeffrey and Alton L Gansky

Product description (Text from the back of the book): Dr. David Chambers, leading archaeologist, has spent his professional career uncovering the facts in the artifacts. His work sets the standard for biblical research in the Holy Land. But surrounded by the evidence, David has sunk into an abyss of doubt. A painful experience with a seemingly unresponsive God has left him without hope. The Old Testament scriptures that used to fill his mind with wonder now drive him to frustration. His unanswered questions have ripped him from both his academic pursuits and the love of his life, his fiancée, Amber.
An old friend and mentor reaches out to David, enticing him with the riches described in the enigmatic Copper Scroll. Losing ground with his peers, his love, and his faith, David Chambers has a choice to make. Will he undertake one final dig to unlock a secret that could alter the course of history? Do the mysteries of the Old Testament hold the key to the political turmoil of the Middle East?
In a world where faith has been eclipsed by the allure of doubt, The Scroll offers a different journey: a gripping adventure to find truth worth dying for.

Review:
The marketing text on the back of the book is almost more interesting than the book itself. If I had to summarize the book in one phrase, it would be "Rip-off of Joel Rosenberg's The Copper Scroll (Political Thrillers Series #4)". Except, Joel Rosenberg is a better writer. Mr. Jeffrey and Mr. Gansky have only one character with any depth... the rest are sloppy, shallow caricatures. The plot rushes and halts unevenly, and then at the end uses a jump of several years to allow some meager wrap-up of plot lines. When the plot halts suddenly, it's because some character needs to suddenly give a multi-page monologue/lecture about archeology, history, or the significance of something Biblical. And these lectures are delivered to the most random characters: one to a airplane pilot, one to a security guard, and then (most ridiculous of all) the group of world-renowned experts lecture EACH OTHER. Along the way, the main character does the usual expected stuff: re-finds his faith, finds amazing treasure, and gets the girl. You can even spot the "surprise" double-crossing bad-guy within the first 20 pages. I adore the genre of thriller fiction that is related to end times and to the Ezekiel prophecies, but don't waste your time on this book. Instead, read or re-read the Joel Rosenberg series.

FTC Disclaimer: "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Backyard Bug of the Day: Automeris io - Io Moth - Hodges#7746

Just outside the basement door this morning, I found this guy. At least 1.5 inches long, maybe 2 inches. Bright green, with clusters of spines which remind me of pine tree needle clusters. Here's how his back looks.


Here's how his side looks. There is a red and white stripe down the middle of his side.


Bugguide.net says this fella is a caterpillar of an Automeris io - Io Moth - Hodges#7746

This kind of moth is a Saturniidae and is also called a peacock moth (it has 'eyes' on its bottom wings that look VERY much like the eyes on peacock tail feathers). The dogs were very interested in smelling it. Apparently the spines can cause a stinging sensation, especially the really big ones like this fellow. I generally think Satuniidae are beautiful, but the adult form of this one isn't very interesting to me.

Book review "Where will you go from here?" by Valorie Burton

"Where will you go from here?" by Valorie Burton has some amazing life-coach tips inside. Her advice also references some generic Christianesque thoughts and a few Bible verses. Each chapter features a true story about someone who overcame a huge obstacle of some sort. All the ingredients are there to make a great book; but it just doesn't seem to come together. The core of her message are five life-coaching phrases:
1) I will not feel sorry for myself
2) I will not stare at the closed door
3) I will dig deep to unearth all the courage I need
4) I will direct my thoughts - my thoughts will not direct me
5) I will choose to believe all things work together for good.

After that, Valorie takes the reader through a thought journey:
1) figure out where you are in life and what exactly the damage is
2) look at your history to figure out how you got here
3) give a name to exactly what you're afraid of
4) look around for resources that will help you recover
5) figure out where to go now (same path? new path? redefine yourself?)
6) plot a course to the new destination
7) take charge of your thoughts
8) figure out how you're growing and share your experience with others

Overall, good life-coaching in a soft-Christian setting.

Pay gaps

A recent article on Bloomberg, "Higher Pay Not Luring Women to Tech Jobs", By Jillian Berma, caught my eye.

Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workers overall earn about 25% more than people in other types of work. Yet STEM women earn 14% less than their male counterparts. We're supposed to be grateful that this is at least better than the 21% pay disparity in other fields.

24% of the people working in STEM are women. That percentage hasn't changed since 2000. In 2009 there were only 2.5 million women employees with a degree in STEM fields compared with 6.7 million men.

Women are about half of the college graduates each year, total. For women who graduate with a STEM degree, only 26% of them go into employment in a STEM-related job. Almost 40% of men with a STEM degree enter into a STEM job.

Something is seriously wrong in the STEM work world.

Having recently interviewed for STEM jobs, with a BS, MS, and PhD in computer science plus over 10 years of experience, I was told that my technical skills were a little weak for what they were looking for. And we wonder why there are fewer women? It's because you doubt women's capabilities. I have graduate degrees that prove I can learn just about anything I put my mind to. And you say my technical skills are weak? Please. I dare you to tell a male PhD that his technical skills are weak.

Mmmmm.... Smores (sort of)

I "invented" a great snack the other day. Take two Granola Thins (with chocolate), and one wedge of Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese.
Smoosh the cheese between the granola thins. It's delightful, creamy, and very much tastes like a s'more, but it's healthier.

SYTYCD top 10

Yeah, Mitchell's broadway number was pretty bad.

Clarice's bollywood was also pretty bad.

Marko's Samba was pretty good.

Tadd's hip hop was pretty good.

Sasha's hip hop was very well done. First time I've liked her dancing at ALL.

I really enjoyed Caitlynn's Argentine Tango.

I adored Melanie's Viennese Waltz.