Posts Tagged ‘observation’

Cats don’t understand “uncomfortable”

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , ,
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I’ve gotten to spend more time with my cats lately, since I’m working from home.  One thing that has really proven itself time and time again is the fact that they don’t seem to think any position is uncomfortable.  In fact, they often seem to prefer the most uncomfortable-looking positions… scrunched up in a tiny space, in a twisted position, or on top of hard objects (usually with sharp edges).

collage of all the crazy positions that some cats sleep in

Check out some of the wacky positions I’ve found my cats sleeping in!

(click the picture to zoom in on some of those hilarious shots)

Take Missy for example – she climbs right on top of me and plops down, without a care in the world that my arm is pinned under her so her spine gets bent all weird.  Or, of all the soft, comfortable, cozy sleeping spots I set up for her, she goes for the one place I didn’t prepare – bare, firm, and cold.  She also loves to sprawl right on my laptop keyboard (meanwhile Molly prefers to sit right on it).  Maybe it’s the heat?  Oh, and don’t forget the times when it looks like they’re doing some sort of contortionist move.

It also doesn’t seem to matter if the position is tight and condensed, or more stretched out.  You’ll find Missy curled up in a ball just as much as she’s belly-up, with her arms and legs outstretched.  Temperature usually isn’t an issue either; one of her favorite spots is under the covers where she’s practically suffocating.  Whether I sleep on my side or with my legs up, knees bent, she’ll mosey her way in if I lift the blanket, then settle in to a warm, dark corner.

Right now, Missy is laying half on me, half on the bed (she slid off me partly).  Her feet are stretched out above her head and her paws are intertwined with her feet.  Sometimes she’ll tuck her nose into that mess of limbs, and sometimes she’ll twist her neck so her chin is facing the ceiling.

Black sedan caravan

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , ,
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So I’m just visiting DC one day, checking out the White House with Philosopher (who was visiting from the UK). Suddenly, this whole parade of black cars starts driving in front of the White House! I was super curious about what was going on, but unfortunately there was nobody to ask…

black cars white house from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Legoland fish

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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That fish was really intent on making out with/cleaning the Lego man, haha.

silly fish & sharks from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Curated craze

laelene Posted in general blog, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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I subscribe to a random smattering of newsletters and daily deal sites, one of which is blissmo.  Earlier in the week, I got an email with a special offer that piqued my interest – sign up for a blissmobox membership and get a special edition box free!  I’ve been aware of these subscription-based programs that offer a box of curated goods each month, but I had never gotten into them.  However, after looking into blissmoboxes, I felt that for $19/box (or just $17.54 if you count the bonus one too) it was worth a shot.  After all, I’m a sucker for trying new products and what better way than to let the people of blissmo pick out some eco-friendly ones for me?

This experience got me thinking about this whole “curated” trend that’s been going around.  From daily deals that are curated by experts to monthly themed boxes curated by the team at a company, options are popping up everywhere.  You can go for environmentally-friendly products like I did, or choose from food only, beauty products, fashion, and countless other angles.  I won’t talk about daily deals today, since this whole monthly box thing is my newest interest.  I love the idea because you get introduced to a bunch of cool new products without having to scour the aisles yourself.  Plus, who doesn’t enjoy receiving a package?

While looking into what the latest blissmobox contained, I discovered a blogger who reviewed a bunch of these services.  I’m pretty baffled by how many she subscribes to, but if you cut out shopping in stores and buying snacks yourself, I can see how it wouldn’t cost too much more to exclusively use these subscriptions.  There’s definitely a strong appeal to getting on this trend, whether it’s purely because you like to receive packages or you’re actually looking to sample a variety of products to help you choose what to use in your daily life.  In fact, I almost convinced myself that it wouldn’t be so bad if I subscribed to just one more…

I remember when I got a mystery gift bag from Burt’s Bees; it was really exciting to open it up and discover what they had put in there for me.  Similarly, one of the perks of being involved with Opportunity Green is the chance to score some pretty awesome swag.  It’s just so satisfying to get a bag of stuff!  Emotionally, it can be very satisfying to sign up for one these curated boxes.  On the other hand, to a certain extent it can make sense practically as well, since you often see products that you aren’t sure about and wish you could try.  This way, you get a bunch that have been test driven by people at the company providing the boxes, so generally you can expect a pretty good product. You can then test them out yourself to figure out if it’s something you’d continue to use.  There’s also the fun factor of not knowing what you’ll get.  Most people enjoy a little bit of mystery and surprise to spice things up!

I personally can’t wait to get my first blissmobox and start experiencing this craze.  I’ll be sure to post up what I get in each box as they come!

To the left, to the left

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , ,
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There was an intense storm last Friday, which downed a lot of trees and created power outages across the area. Little did we know that even signal lights were blown askew! When I first saw this is was so unexpected I laughed out loud.

left turn signal light tilted left after windy storm

This signal’s taking its own advice and making a left turn too.

two hanging signal lights blown crooked by a windy storm

Wait, wouldn’t gravity have pulled them straight again?

Shameless

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Animals just do what they do and don’t care if you’re watching or not. Meanwhile, people have the exact opposite problem and get too self-conscious.

ram urination from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Potent remover

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , ,
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So I recently discovered that acetone sort of melts plastic… this box started to get disintegrated by some leaked nail polish remover – yikes!

plastic container melted by nail polish remover

Impatient inspiration

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , ,
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My tag line for this blog is “when inspiration won’t wait” and really, when does it ever wait?  I’ve found that I tend to do my best work and get the most ideas around 2 in the morning.  This is most unfortunate for my attempts at sleeping a “normal” schedule – instead I find myself furiously working away until 4 or 5, at which point I realize it is horribly late/early and I really should rest.  In fact, this blog post is being written at 2 am because I can’t sleep and there are just too many ideas bouncing around in my head.  Too bad I can’t hold off on my inspirational ideas and make them fit my desired schedule!

Initially I was hopeful for an earlier night when I got tired at 12:30.  Immediately, I put my things away and laid down in bed.  Unfortunately it seems that by that time the fleeting yawning had passed and I was alert again.  So, here I am typing out a blog post as most of the country snoozes away, unaware of my woes.  I remember in my childhood, I always thought falling asleep was a difficult thing because I’d lay in bed for an hour each night trying to doze.  As I got into high school, it became apparent that I just wasn’t tired enough before; sleep was actually easy to achieve when I laid down at night, probably because I rarely got enough.  I’ve learned that I need to tire myself out before I can fall asleep, so I don’t usually bother trying to sleep until I’m ready.  If I do, I end up tossing and turning (and thinking) for at least an hour before my mind can settle.

I guess when it’s dark and there’s nothing to look at or listen to, thoughts come easier.  This is why I like to keep a notepad by my bedside – you never know when a great idea will hit just as you’re drifting off to la la land.  I like to be able to capture it on paper before it slips away and becomes one of those “what was that great idea I had?” moments.  Hopefully now that this is all out, I can clear my mind enough to get to sleep now.

A Dole anole

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , ,
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green anole lizard at dole plantation in hawaii

At the Dole Plantation, we spotted this little green lizard (an anole, I believe).

green anole lizard at dole plantation in hawaii starting to turn brown

It froze on this leaf and I got distracted by a rooster, only to look back and find...

green anole lizard at dole plantation in hawaii after turning brown

...it turned brown on me! Ah I wish I had noticed/caught it, but I had no idea it could morph like that.

In retrospect, I can see that it was already starting to turn brown in the middle picture. Alas, I figured it was just a green lizard so I never thought to watch it so closely.

When a plane sees its shadow

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , ,
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If a plane saw its own shadow, would it get scared like a groundhog? 😛 I don’t usually catch the shadow of the plane I’m in, but this time the angle was just right.

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