Mayim Bialek

Perhaps this is common knowledge, but I was very surprised to learn that Mayim Bialek, who plays neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on the very funny sitcom The Big Bang Theory . . . really is a neurobiologist.

She earned her doctorate in 2008 at UCLA. Also, she was Blossom in the series Blossom. I don't think I've ever seen an episode of that series, but I have heard of it.

A fascinating career, and she's still quite young.

Oh - and she just published a book.

On March 6, 2012, her book, Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way was released.

Gosh.

UPDATED

I'll be darned. The day after I posted about Mayim Bialek I read an article about her book on Slate.

Odd angles of the dining room

Orange experiments

I just realized that I've been trying lots of orange veggies in the last week or two.

There was the kale and squash.

Then a carrot souffle. Here it is before going into the oven:

Both were good. But the best, and the one I know I will make again, was the roasted sweet potatoes and arugula. Simple and delightful.

All hail the bright orange vegetables, cheering us and filling us on gray winter days.

Tree in fog

The big tree in the front, now minus the lower branches.

Testimony

The Lord woke me in the middle of the night,
and there stood Jesus with a huge tray,
and the tray was heaped with cookies,
and he said, Stephen, have a cookie,

and that's when I knew for sure the Lord
is the real deal, the Man of all men,
because at that very moment
I was thinking of cookies, Vanilla Wafers,

to be exact, and there were two
Vanilla Wafers in among the chocolate
chips and the lemon ices, and one
had a big S on it, and I knew it was for me.

and Jesus took it off the tray and put it
in my mouth, as if He were giving me
communication, or whatever they call it.
Then He said, Have another,

and I tell you I thought a long time before I
refused, because I knew it was a test
to see if I was a Christian, which means
a man like Christ, not a big old ole hog.

Stephen Dunn

Big tree, a bit less big

I've written before about the big tree at the front of our driveway, my nemesis. This tree loses lots of branches in every storm, sometimes big ones that block the road. So far no person or vehicle has suffered damage from this tree, but it is a headache.

So yesterday a man knocked on the front door and introduced himself and said that he represented a tree service in the neighborhood offering low rates on tree trimming and removal.

I said I'd be interested in an estimate.

About an hour later someone else knocked on the door. He said it would cost $3500 to remove the tree, which he described as "a monster." That was actually a good price, since I've had earlier estimates as high as $6,000.

However, no can do. But I bargained for the removal of the lowest branches, and we struck a deal.

Within an hour two big trucks showed up, and three men began removing branches, using one of those cherry picker things that lift a man high up into the air with a chain saw, near power lines. Scary.

They worked until after dark.

I am still amazed that I have the power to get people to do stuff like this, just by offering money.

So, the big tree is still there, but the big lower branches are gone. We'll see if this helps with all the branches coming down onto the lawn and into the road. I hope so.

Leap day morning

Took the early train in yesterday so that I could have a mammogram done before work - just a routine thing, nothing going on.

The building where they do tests for the University of Pennsylvania Hospital is fairly new and rather impressive, even on a gray and drizzly morning.

The good thing about an early appointment is that the place is not crowded, and you get through everything -- signing in, changing, the actual procedure, back out into the lobby again -- lickety-split.

There is artwork hanging in the lobby. This one looks like the result of a bicycle colliding with a cart of cleaning supplies.

Across the street is a place that I am very, very glad I have never needed to be.

And in front of CHOP, on this slightly nippy February day, pansies are showing us their cheerful little faces.

I have always thought it odd that pansy is a synonym for weakling or sissy, when pansies are some of the hardiest flowers there are.

And from there about a 15-minute walk to work. The convenience of cities!