I Guess I'm Interested in Forensics After All

Picture of the Day for 2/28/2015. Normally when I attend Sleuthfest I like to sit in on the sessions related to the craft of writing. This time I've gravitated toward the forensic classes taught by subject matter experts. Today's session on military autopsies featured Dr. Craig Mallak, former chief of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System. He told fascinating stories about his experiences. He was involved in the autopsies of the seven astronauts who perished in the break-up of the space shuttle Colombia which of course peaked my interest. I could have listened to him for hours. 

What Happened to Amelia Earhart

Picture of the Day for 2/27/2015. So, what happened to Amelia Earhart? Aviation investigator Rick Gillespie provides pretty compelling evidence for where he thinks she landed. Gillespie is a featured author/speaker at Sleuthfest and after listening to him present the results of his research, I'm pretty convinced. If he's correct, a series of really unfortunate events prevented her from being found. You can check out an overview of his theory HERE. 

Accidentally Attended an Embalming Class

Picture of the Day for 2/26/2015. So, I accidentally got stuck attending a presentation on embalming. That's not a sentence I ever thought I would utter in my lifetime. I'm attending a mystery writer's conference and there's a series of sessions being taught by subject matter experts. Dead bodies make an appearance in mysteries 99.99% of the time, hence the embalming session. The presentation actually turned out to be pretty interesting so in the end I'm glad I got "stuck" attending.

Yes, that is a body bag being held up as an exhibit.

I'm Getting Naked Already

Picture of the Day for 2/25/2015. When my flight to Florida landed today, I was waiting at the back of the plane along with the rest of the passengers to get off. There was a woman who was talking to a boy in the row ahead of her about how he was overdressed for the Florida weather in his hoodie and needed to take it off. She told the kid that she was "getting naked already." She had one of those voices that carry so everyone on the plane cracked up when they heard that booming announcement. I'm not sure the little boy was so amused to have an older, slightly intoxicated woman urging him to disrobe. Just hope he's not traumatized for life!

Beverage Preparedness

Picture of the Day for 2/24/2015. I'm prepared for any beverage situation.

Need herbal tea? Yep, I've got it.

Need Stevia sweetener? Yep, I've got it.

Need a water flavoring packet? Yep, I've got it.

Need a lemon substitute? Yep, I've got it.

Need a lime substitute? Yep, I've got it. 

I carry this bag in my purse. I'm not only prepared for any beverage situation at home, but out in public as well. I know- it's weird.

Cold Nose

Picture of the Day for 2/23/2015. It's been an unusually warm winter- 60s in February which I don't ever recall seeing. So today's cold snap seemed particularly cold in light of the recent warm temperatures. I have a house where one infinitesimal turn of the thermostat changes the temperature from roaring hot to bitter cold. I can't seem to find a happy medium. I settled for the cold end of the scale and bundled up. My nose is especially susceptible to the cold. Maybe it's because it's so prominent...

Green "Thnigs"

Picture of the Day for 2/22/2014. I just posted a speech therapy exercise to our TeachersPayTeachers store. It was supposed to be labeled St. Patrick's Day "Green Things" Which One is Different? but it came out as "Green Thnigs." I'm not sure what a green THNIG is, but it can't be good. Or appealing. 

Friendly Bird

Picture of the Day for 2/21/2015. I was shopping in a "New Agey" kind of store and noticed this bird (who lives in the store) perched on a shelf just hanging out. Surprisingly, he let me come up and pet him and coo over him. I was so delighted. I'm used to my anti-social parakeets who believe I'm Satan.

Ridiculously Cute Baby Picture

Picture of the Day for 2/20/2015. My niece Michelle sent me this picture of her daughter Hazel. This is a ridiculously cute photo. Made me weak in the knees.

Braided Side Bun

Picture of the Day for 2/19/2015.  Here's my latest hairstyle- a braided side bun. Got compliments on it so this one might make a reappearance.

Vintage Portrait

Picture of the Day for 2/18/2015. I just ordered this vintage portrait on eBay. I was hooked once I saw the woman's necklace.

When Holidays Collide

Picture of the Day for 2/17/2015. I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to put away my Christmas decorations. I had a couple of Easter decorations at hand and decided to put them out next to the nativity set. The holidays are related so I figured it was OK. I'm not sure the three wise men feel the same way. It's probably an insult to their dignity and majesty to be in close proximity to a cute bunny holding balloons. Too bad.

The Americans

Picture of the Day for 2/16/2015. My latest obsession is the FX show The Americans. It's about two Russian spies who are living as a married American couple with children in the DC/Virginia area. The kids have no idea who their parents really are and neither does the FBI agent living across the street. The show is set in the early 1980s so it's fun to see the clothes and hairstyles and cultural references.

Forever Together

Picture of the Day for 2/15/2015. I still receive mail for my dad. This flyer arrived in my mailbox the other day. This company obviously has an inaccurate idea of the nature of the relationship between the two of us. I will certainly love my dad forever, but ewww!

Checking Out the Cat

Picture of the Day for 2/14/2015. I walked into my voice teacher's (Bonnie) house to find her daughter's cat lounging in a chair with its paw up on the armrest just like a human would. When I started to laugh, Bonnie came to investigate. I thought this picture was so cute.

Mrs. Backer's Bakery

Picture of the Day for 2/13/2015. I stopped at Mrs. Backer's Bakery on my way to the office today for one of their famous little chocolate/rum cakes. Mrs. Backer's has been a Salt Lake institution for decades. I love how the place hasn't changed in decades. The old-fashioned look is so charming. 

When my brother-in-law, David, and his friend, Walt, were in high school in the 1960s, they would order a cake for themselves and have them write "Happy Birthday Homer Noodleman"  on it. These two are in their late 60s now and it's fun to see them together.  They crack themselves up and give each other fart-related gifts. You can totally see how they must have been as school-age buddies.

Tiger Woods Works Here

Picture of the Day for 2/12/2015. Apparently Tiger Woods works in my office. Who knew?

Wild Night

Picture of the Day for 2/11/2015. I woke up to find my lamp and pillows on the floor. I must have had a wild night. Wish I could remember...

Directions to Sears

Picture of the Day for 2/10/2015. I asked my iPhone GPS for directions to Sears since I can never remember if the store is on 800 South or 900 South in Salt Lake. This is what I got - directions to Sears, Michigan. Not what I was looking for, but now I kind of want to drive  there.

Black Cat

Picture of the Day for 2/9/2015. I've been adopted by a black cat. Or I guess it would be more accurate to say my back yard has been adopted by a black cat. He/she has been hanging out at my house for the past several months. 

Pretty Sunset

Picture of the Day for 2/8/2014. Pretty sunset.

Announcing My Bra Purchase

Picture of the Day for 2/7/2015. I just purchased a bra on Amazon. Upon completing the checkout process, I was asked if I wanted to share this purchase on Facebook. NO! Absolutely not! Sheesh!

Nerdy Glasses

Picture of the Day for 2/6/2015. One of the nose pads on my eyeglasses broke so I've covered the jagged edge with a small bandage. I have worn these glasses out in public. I'm a nerd.

The Bar Method

Picture of the Day for 2/5/2015. I've been taking classes at The Bar Method studio. The Bar Method is a combination of ballet and yoga and provides an exhausting hour-long workout. 

I've been attending the 6:00 am classes. Let me repeat that. 6:00 am. 

I have to get there by 5:45 am. Let me repeat that. 5:45 am.

That means I have to leave the house by 5:30 am. Let me repeat that. 5:30 am.

That means I have to get up by about 5:15 to throw on my workout clothes. Let me repeat that. 5:15 am.

I've even been getting up early on Saturday mornings to attend the 7:30 am class.   

Spoils of War

Picture of the Day for 2/4/2015. In the aftermath of yesterday's Valentine Hunger Games, I felt guilty about not sharing my winnings with my nieces. And then I shook off that feeling and used the money to buy myself a lovely salad for lunch. I'm a bad auntie...

Valentine Hunger Games

Picture of the Day for 2/3/2015. It's my sister Robynne's birthday today which she decided to celebrate by having her family over for dinner. Part of the celebration involved playing a series of Valentine's Day games (bingo, find the Valentine flash card, write a funny "roses are red" poem). The winner of each round won $5. Let's just say I'm a little competitive. Out of six rounds I won three of them. I would have won four if my niece Lisa hadn't just aced me out by a hair in the funny poem competition. Dammit Lisa! It was kind of the equivalent of the Hunger Games. No mercy was shown by me. 

Perfume Irony

Picture of the Day for 2/2/2015. Over a year ago I blogged about how I was obsessed with Evening in Paris (Soir de Paris), my mother's favorite perfume as a young woman. Now that I've returned to my consulting job and I have more disposable income, I decided to take a chance and order a bottle online which was pretty much the only means for me to purchase it. 

It arrived in the mail and guess what? It's vile! I hate it!

Dang.

Lesson on Light

Picture of the Day for 2/1/2015. Today's Relief Society lesson in church today was about light (i.e., light of Christ, how women bring light to the world, etc.). Unbeknownst to the teacher (Sister Bevan), her personal computer which she had hooked up to the TV to show a video at the end of the lesson had reverted to her screensaver which was showing undulating images of light on the screen. It was pretty mesmerizing. And definitely appropriate to the lesson. I went up to her after the lesson to show her the stealth photo I had taken and she thought that was pretty funny/amazing the TV screen inadvertently matched the topic of her lesson.