thursday, february 27
Could Noah's Ark really hold all the animals that were supposed to be preserved from Flood? ----- "Doctors Morris and Whitcomb in their classic book, "The Genesis Flood," state that no more than 35,000 individual animals needed to go on the ark. In his well documented book, Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study, John Woodmorappe suggests that far fewer animals would have been transported upon the ark. By pointing out that the word "specie" is not equivalent to the "created kinds" of the Genesis account, Woodmorappe credibly demonstrates that as few as 2,000 animals may have been required on the ark. To pad this number for error, he continues his study by showing that the ark could easily accommodate 16,000 animals.) ----- But, let's be generous and add on a reasonable number to include extinct animals. Then add on some more to satisfy even the most skeptical. Let's assume 50,000 animals, far more animals than required, were on board the ark, and these need not have been the largest or even adult specimens. ----- Remember there are really only a few very large animals, such as the dinosaur or the elephant, and these could be represented by young ones. Assuming the average animal to be about the size of a sheep and using a railroad car for comparison, we note that the average double-deck stock car can accommodate 240 sheep. Thus, three trains hauling 69 cars each would have ample space to carry the 50,000 animals, filling only 37% of the ark. This would leave an additional 361 cars or enough to make 5 trains of 72 cars each to carry all of the food and baggage plus Noah's family of eight people. The Ark had plenty of space."
10:13 PM

i dreamt of seeing broken egg shells and black small ants crawling on black soil stuck to vegetable leaves. all the action was in our fridge. at least i placed the ant farm back and thought i'd ask mom to dispose of the horror. ----- i tried to organize our book shelf yesterday. it's not a simple matter. if i had full license i'd change this living room a lot. maybe i should start by cleaning my keyboard.
1:06 PM

monday, february 24
watched the lame grammy's last night. one of the tv news channels reported the show was highly censored. most anti-war signs, speeches, and crowd screaming was edited. maybe this is why the audience seemed weird. it must have been a strange vibe with grammy officials saying no politics and with certain performers ignoring them. ideally i think there could be a televised show with famous people airing their views. i don't however expect or necessarily want the Grammys to deal with politics. i'm not sure why i watched last night. maybe because nothing else was on. awards are bad.

wonderful performances:
1) simon and garfunkel (amazing)
2) james taylor (incredible)
3) award to the dead BeeGees brother. it was so sad. mom and i both cried in our own silent spaces. i do find it unnerving that his daughter was ignored completely. sure, she stood up but that was it. poor kid. i would have been angry.
4) norah jones (her speeches could have been better, but at least she seemed genuine and i do like her. she reminds me of my other melania friend (:
5) no doubt (gwen is hot)

most ridiculous, embarassing performances:
1) 1,000 miles girlie piano playing lame "singer" - horrible.
2) avril lavigne - lame and more lame.
3) faith hill - she cannot sing and walk at the same time. lame.
4) bruce springsteen (i love his old songs, esp. I'm on Fire, but he's lost it. and i just realized, the way he was screaming and straining his face and neck muscles, with veins bulging all over the place, he looked Exactly like a member of the male anatomy
5) n'sync - the beeGees tribute was weeeeeak.
8:41 PM

saturday, february 22
bah-jeezus, time keeps on going. i realize it when i see my last entry date. what have i done these past 3 days? events are pushed together. today i made my first lentil soup, thanks to roberta and mark. one hour plus of chopping but it should last days and days, especially if i freeze some of it. we've never been a family big on icing already made food but i think it's ok to start. i'm sure many restaurants do freeze their sauces and special ingredients. how else could they have such large menus and still make a profit? ----- on the bus yesterday, after getting a free ride since the driver had been more than 10 minutes late, i looked out at south street seaport and the houses had beautiful red, orange, brown, taupe colors. i saw a theater set. this world around us we've created is fake. i assume nature is real since it was here before we arrived. does anyone really know? as long as we have no "proof" of what happens after death, i think everything is up in the air. even the concept of proof is shaky since facts are facts based on our perception and our perceptions are relative. (i haven't been watching any sci-fi movies lately.) ----- also, i'm in the mood for some new jewelry. oh, the shopping sprees i should have gone on 3 - 4 years ago. my mental list is growing.
8:16 PM

wednesday, february 19
walking around greenpoint today my mom and i found the Best polish bakery. my god. they make these incredibly sweet (but not overly so) cheese baked pie-like breads - and we found a wonderful butcher shop. the prices are so cheap! manhattan is much too expensive. i wanted to say rip off but i don't want to be unfair towards this metropolis i've live in for 8 years. would there be a queens or brooklyn w/out a manhattan?
10:56 PM

tuesday, february 18
"Perhaps it comes from the constant buried need for a closeness that will eliminate that loneliness of the spirit we all know. And for just a few moments the need is almost eased, the deeply coupled bodies serving as a sort of symbol of that far greater need to stop being totally alone. But then it is over, the illusion gone, and once again there are two strangers in a rumpled bed who, despite any affectionate embrace, are as essentially unknown to each other as two passengers in the same bus seat who have happened to purchase tickets to the same destination." ----- The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper by John D. MacDonald (mystery novel written in 1968)
12:07 PM

monday, february 17
do beans and root vegetables go together?
7:19 PM

friday, february 14
"love" is a zero score in tennis
2:40 PM

thursday, february 13
for years i've considered 13 to be a lucky number for me. then dad died on sept. 13th and i reconsidered. the number is still following us and now has switched to mom's experiences. i wonder how differently our lives would be, had i not shared her name. being melania the 4th is not an easy task. (back to baking brownies.) new recipes are exciting but also unnerving. plus our oven gets too hot so i have to compensate. i want to have my own kitchen with my own windows and beautiful tiles. everywhere. plus Eames furniture and plants. one day, i will have real vanilla beans vs. liquid extract.
9:50 PM

tuesday, february 11
this little lady was quite complex, something i had not been aware of. "Together with his older brother Austin and younger sister Lavinia, Young Emily was brought up to be a cultured Christian. The whole family was religious except for Emily. Emily was freethinking and did not allow herself to be dependent on the beliefs of her father. Although she claimed that her respect for her father was tinged with fear. She even confided to her friend Thomas Wentworth Higginson that she was already fifteen years old when she learned how to tell time. This was because her father was the one who taught her to tell time when she was younger and she was so afraid to ask when she did not understand. She did not tell this to anyone then because she feared that her father would know about it."

"- I waited a long time - Master - but I can wait more - wait till my hazel hair is dappled - and you carry the cane - then I can look at my watch - and if the Day is too far declined - we can take the chances of for Heaven - What would you do with me if I came Ïin white?Ó Have you the little chest to put the Alive - in?

I want to see you more - Sir - than all I wish for in this world and the wish - altered a little - will be my only one - for the skies." (drafted about 1861) - Emily Dickinson from the Master Letters
10:18 PM

sunday, february 9
"To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not necessary to have an accordion, or a guitar. The essential thing is to want to sing. This then is my song. I am singing." Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller
6:42 PM

thursday, february 6
sometimes days are so charged with events i feel i've lived a month's worth. is this what causes premature aging? ----- i need a new book to read. must make a stop by april's who has become my trustworthy book lender. i'm in the mood for a smartly (of course) written romantic comedy with historical and sci-fi overtones. ----- i was kicking the idea of sending out valentine's day cards, even post-cards, but find myself unable to figure out what i would like to say. maybe they will have to use hieroglyphs. or the collages i've never found time to make. sometimes i feel like i'm one of the few trying to keep the art of letter writing alive. ----- to end on a good note, i love the color of lavender blue.
12:28 AM

wednesday, february 5
the postal office has raised it's prices. i'm paying more money to ship a package than i paid to gather it's contents. even so, i love sending presents.
6:46 PM

monday, february 3
as i am starting to look for my next job, i realize how much i love interactive design. we have had 8 exciting years together. this is one of the longest relationships i've had.
12:44 AM

sunday, february 2
the lemon cake is a bit burnt around some edges but overall it's a fantastic recipe. i'm excited to improve the next batch. must buy vanilla and rum essence. today has been filled with ups and downs. i looked thru my tax papers and made a pre-organization organization. i cannot believe how much money my parents and i lost by trusting one very bad accountant. this is the time when you have to say "stop" and move on. however, i also don't want my life to become a long list of "stop"s.
6:45 PM

saturday, february 1
nice article about "blogging"

happy new Sheep / Ram year!

congratulations on first day of class, stevenm.

off to make a lemon-lime pound cake. it calls for 7Up.
6:26 PM