PMC: Science

Project of the Month: Science

Let me start by saying this is not to scale! I wasn't sure if it would be a big deal since this was just for fun, boy was I wrong. I will have to try harder next time I attempt something like this.

It was fun making these with my friend Merii. I would have to say we slipped into our old high school days when almost everything we said made us giggle...or was that middle school? Anyway...you can see how much fun we had the baking and frosting to be done.

But, enough about me you probably want to have an idea of what I did.
For this project I used:
Non Edible
-Poster Board
-Colored construction paper
-Glitter glue for the stars

Edible-Vanilla frosting
-Food coloring
-Regular and mini cupcake tins
-Cupcake mix (I was a little lazy)
-Sprinkles

*I was going to use fruit by the foot to make Saturn's rings but I managed to forget!

Next up-- The Alphabet

I think I smell another cupcake inspired project...Should I be worried that all my ideas seem to be in cupcake form?

Dreams- Taking a Different Perspective

I was catching up on my reader in google when I came across The Dream Project. It is about a couple who left their jobs and followed a dream. A dream to travel across the country and document their adventures. In the end their hope is it will be made into a film.

On their website you can find the stories of some of the most amazing people and you just cannot believe what you are reading. It is one of the most interesting and motivating ideas I have ever read. I wish them luck and I hope they succeed.

Their is a place on their website where you can share your dreams which of course that got me thinking about my own; to be honest I am not sure.


My dreams have changed constantly as my wants and needs have. In college my dream was to become a television news reporter. This came about because of an internship I did at a news station in Portland, ME. I fell in love with the excitement and creativity of the job. I am still attracted to those things but, the lifestyle isn't what I want for myself. So what is my dream now?...that is something for another post ;)

Do you have a dream? Why not post it on their website! Who knows it could be featured.

The Blizzard of 2011

Winter is certainly upon us! This is one the busiest time of year in the broadcasting world with non-stop storm force coverage. All hands are on deck at various television stations as each competes to keep you updated on the weather.

Which station do you rely on the most to get your information about the blizzard? Why do you like that particular station? What is it about their newscast that makes them better than the others?

My drive into work this morning was very interesting to say the least. I was greeted by wind and snow blasting into my face as I left the house. Thank goodness for my car starter! I was able to quickly brush off my car and hit the road in a toasty warm car.

The streets and highway were covered in snow. I drove at a reasonable pace but got stuck behind someone going dangerously slow on the road. I am all for driving slow in severe weather but sometimes it is too dangerous to drive too slowly. I finally made my way to the tunnel and hit the streets of Boston which was not bad.

The parking garages were packed to the max! I barely was able to find a spot. The walk into work was interesting as I experienced some thunder and lightning. I have never in my life experienced thunder and lightning during a storm such as this, especially in the winter. I thought thunder storms were a summer thing. It must be a sight to see…wish there were windows to look out of.

Stay warm and don't go outside unless you have too!

Project of the Month Club

In the spirit of New Years Resolutions I have decided to pick up another. A friend of mine came up with this great idea about starting a Project of the Month Club. All I would have to do is complete some kind of fun project within the confines of a theme for the month.

The project can be any type of crafty project you think of...guess I got to start getting those creative juices flowing again! When I have completed the project then I will take some pictures and share what I've done.

The hope is to get a bunch of people to participate...making it fun for not only me but other people. The themes are as follows;

FEBRUARY - Science
MARCH - The Alphabet
APRIL - Abraham Lincoln
MAY - Diseases
JUNE - Soap Operas/Telanovelas
JULY - Alcohol
AUGUST - Circuses
SEPTEMBER - Cities
OCTOBER - Games
NOVEMBER - Old people
DECEMBER - Farm Animals

I have no idea what I am going to do for any of these! I better hit the drawing board. You can follow along if you wish. I will make sure I post pictures.

Too Much

How is Stress affecting you?

NBC had a story today about America's stress level. According to the package a recent poll says,25% of Americans are stressed out. The story got me to think about my own stress level. The three top stressors are not surprising: money, work, and the economy. In addition to these top stressors add job stability, paying mortgage/rent, and taking care of a family and you have one emotional time bomb waiting to go off!

This story hit me to the core because I feel I can be counted among the 25% of Americans polled. I have started to gain weight, stress can trigger hormones that store body fat, and suffer from constant stomach aches. These two symptoms are from being overly stress. Other symptoms include insomnia, increase in headaches, and problems eating.

So what can I do about it? What can you do about it? That is difficult to say because some people just cannot seem to find the time to relax.

Having a busy work schedule can make it difficult for anyone to take a few minutes to have some personal time, after all time is money now a days right? But is it worth it for your health?

One thing that I have started to do with my limited budget is take a yoga class. It's a 90 minute class...which is a lot, but this is what I find works for me. I find it funny how just after one class I felt as if the boat load of stress I was carrying on my shoulders was lifted. I felt lighter as I walked to my car. Although I might have been lighter because my friend tricked me into taking a hot yoga class!! It was awesome but not what I was thinking at all!

It is making small improvements to your daily life that can help you to relax. You don't have to do anything extreme just find something that can help you to let go...even if it is only for a little while.

BP Succeeds in Stopping the Leak for Now...

BP has control over the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. They placed a fitted cap over the geyser as a temporary fix until a relief well can be built to fix the problem for good. After nearly three months there is no oil escaping into the the Gulf. Now the waiting game begins as the world hold's it's breath to see if the cap holds.

More then 180 million gallons of oil has spilled into the Gulf making this one of America's biggest environmental catastrophes. Many have high expectations for this new solution. According to WHDH BP's Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles says, “It's far from the finish line,” and warns that it is not time to celebrate... at least not yet.

According to The Boston Globe the Senior Vice President of BP Kent Wells says the last of several valves was closed on a cap at the top of the well. It is not clear as to whether the oil will remain bottled in the cap, or whether BP will choose to use the new device to funnel the crude to the surface on to four awaiting ships. The next few hours will be critical as engineers and scientists monitor the well around the clock to look for any changes in pressure. Low pressure could mean more leaks further down in the well, below 6 thousand pounds per square inch or so.

Once the well is officially stopped the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration is expecting to track the crude in all it's formations. According to the WHDH website once the well stops leaking the NOAA will rely on low flying air-crafts to search for tar balls and patties as they can last for years.

It may be years until we see any improvement in the environment but then wha?. When the leak is finally fixed the real problem will be cleaning up the mess and dealing with the damage sustained by the crude in the gulf. Once evaluated we will know the true damage to the environment. We can only hope that this disaster will not affect our lives anymore then it already has.

BP Efforts to Control Oil Leak Fail Again

BP admitted defeat after yet another attempt to stop the oil leak this Saturday. During the six weeks after the spill the company has failed time and time again to find a solution to the oil spill.

It is believed that this is the worst spill in U.S history surpassing the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989. According to Channel 7 BP PlC Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles says, "This scares everybody, the fact that we can't make this well stop flowing, the fact that we haven't succeeded so far....Many of the things we're trying have been done on the surface before, but have never been tried at 5,000 feet."

The whole disaster feels like something out of a horror movie. I understand that BP is trying their hardest, but it seems as if it is not good enough. Makes you wonder what else is going on...Why is it taking so long to find the solution? What is this going to do to oil prices in the future? In and already stuggling economy how will the spill effect us? There are many more questions and many of them cannot be answered for sure until after the disaster is taken care of. Lets just hope that this leak gets patched soon before it gets even worst.