Catch-up Post #2 - October & November 2010

October and November is best shared in pictures, I think. The major events were the Underground Masquerade Ball (for which I dressed as an MIB agent with my new friend Betsey Mitchell), the Bowling party, and the Ugly Sweater party. We really ramped up the practicing for worship band and the Christmas play so mostly I was just really busy running around. If you'd like to see more pictures than what I just posted here, the full albums are up on the Photo Archives page.


Underground Masquerade 2011

We ARE the Men In Black.

We had quite the collection of characters this year.

In which two members of an imaginary law enforcement agency protect the public by arresting a gnome.

In which the members of two different imaginary law enforcement agencies protect the public by arresting a key guido from the Jersey Shore.

The Ugly Sweater Party

Yes, it really was that bad.

"Warning"

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn how to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickles for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for our children.
We will have friends for dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph

This, my friends, is the inspiration for The Red Hat Society and the attitude towards aging that my grandmother (and mum) have passed down to me. Since I'm calling all the humor around here "Attack of the Red Hat", I figured I needed to post this at least once for those of you who haven't gone to college with me. Be what you are and go where you're headed, but don't let it all tie you down. ^_^

This was in my inbox this morning and I couldn't stop laughing. It's soooo cute! Especially when I think that my Dad used to teach kids his age. ^_^

Alec Greven talks about his new book, How To Talk To Girls

Here's a walk down memory lane for those of you who went to college with me. This song kept us amused for months! Nice to know its not a unique phenomenon. ~_^

The following is a short discourse I did at jCafe for one of my friends as a joke. It turned out to be pretty well received, so I'm submitting it here for your amusement. Enjoy!

"Theories on Invisibility"

Law #1: To be invisible, one must simply not be noticed. From this Law, the following Theories may be deduced:

Theory #1: If an observer is prevented from registering that an object should be focused on, his brain will file the peripheral data away as unimportant, and except in the rare cases of highly observant individuals, will not retain that object in his memory, rendering the object essentially "invisible". Thus if one wishes to be invisible, one should not perform actions that would attract attention but rather blend in with the surroundings, essentially becoming part of the "background noise" that the human brain filters out every day. This is all so known as the 1st Law of the Assassin.

Theory #2: If something is of greater interest is presented to an observer, the surroundings are usually not noticed. Ergo, by switching the focus of the observer to something else, the original object essentially becomes "invisible". This is generally known as the Art of Distraction, a standard technique among practitioners of ninjitsu and politics.

Theory #3: If the object is not within the observer's sphere of observation, that object is in fact "invisible" to the said observer. This theory is supported by the fact that the more scientists refine their tools for observing the world, the more they see in it. Those objects have essentially become visible to the observer, and as such, have become a part of the observer's reality. Schrodinger's cat comes to mind here.


Law #2: For the human being, "visibility" is based upon the interaction between the refraction/reflection of light, the chemical makeup of the rods and cones of the retina, the transmission of that data via the nervous system, the processing of that data into something cognitively recognizable in the optic tectum, and the storing of that information in the memory centers of the brain. This system offers the following possibilities for becoming invisible:

Theory #4: Change the qualities of the light. As most of us probably know, light possesses the qualities of a wave, and as such an be interfered with as if it were a wave. A light wave could be canceled out if it ran into a light wave with matching intensity but differing phase, much like soundwaves.

If such a state were achieved, the object emitting that wave would essentially become "invisible" to an observer, because there would be no light reflected/refracted to observe.

Theory #5: In a similar vein to Theory #4, if light is prevented from reflecting/refracting by being absorbed and then re-emitted in an different direction than towards the observer, the object will become "invisible". This is a current theory being worked on by some of my friends in electrical engineering, and it relies upon the fact that a rod of the same length as a period of frequency of a lightwave will completely absorb that wave. Depending upon the geometrical arrangement of a series of these rods in a grid pattern, that wave can then be re-emitted in a different direction entirely, changing the pattern of reflection/refraction in such a way that the observer does not perceive what is truly there. There's a lot more to it, of course, but that's the basic idea. For the more technically minded, I submit http://labs.ee.psu.edu/labs/dwernergroup/default.htm for further reference. In the future, Harry Potter might get his Cloak after all.

Theory #6: As an alternative to Theory #5, just changing the angle of reflection/refraction can change an observer's perception of an object. This sort of technique is used by many professional magicians and stagehands to present optical illusions to an audience. The most common mediums of such are various mirrors, such as one might find in a carnival fun house, and gases.

Theory #7: If the light cannot be altered, alter the equipment used to receive and process that light. For humans, this would mean messing with their eyes and brains from the inside. The most practical point for doing so is to mess with the storage of data in the memory banks. Alcohol is a well-known interrupter of this pathway, as is coshing someone on the side of the head. The first alternative, however, is less fraught with legal peril. Addictive drugs might also be used, with their own range of repercussions.

These theories suggest a wide range of practical possibilities that could be used to make someone "invisible". I hearby suggest the following for experimental testing:

1) Rei-nee should train as an assassin. Or enroll in a spy academy to learn how to "blend in".
2) Rei-nee should train as a ninja. Or make friends with a large, outgoing person who loves attracting attention.
3) Rei-nee should go on vacation. You can't see what isn't there.
4) Rei-nee should stop being an angel and become a light source.
5) Rei-nee should buy a real Invisibility cloak made by these nerdy guys. They're pretty close to doing it, for infrared light anyways.
6) Rei-nee should study as a magician, or go around wearing mirrors from head to toe.
7) Rei-nee should always carry around large supplies of alcohol with which to either seduce or cosh her observers. Drugs would be easier to transport, but there are so many problems with that.

Any data (such as pictures) collected on the above suggestions would be welcomed. Class dismissed!

So I saw this on Matt's page and decided it was funny. Actually, Danny and Laura-kid had a lot of fun seeing if their picks for me matched what I picked for myself. ~_^

I am Mario. I like to jump around, and would lead a fairly serene and aimless existence if it weren't for my friends always getting into trouble. I love to help out, even when it puts me at risk. I seem to make friends with people who just can't stay out of trouble. What Video Game Character Are You?

I'm so going off of other people's pages right now, but since Laura-kid and Danny have both done it, why not? Gives them something to read. Now that I think of it, weren't we always doing this our Freshman year?

The Survey (For What, I Don't Know)

What is your name? Amy
*What is your quest?* Oh wait...
Spell your name backwards: ymA (just missing the "c"!)
Date of birth: June 25, 1980 (go Regan!!)
Male or female? Female, definately
Astrological sign: Cancer, which is why I don't tell anyone (think about it, biology...yeah...)
Nicknames: Um...Am? Ames? Pikachu? My stepmom calls me "Amy Jo Martha Marie" here and there.
Height: 5' 3"
Hair color: Brownish
Eye color: Hazel
Glasses or contact lenses? Definately glasses, bifocals with a yellow tint
Where were you born? Hollywood, CA
Age: 24
Freckles? Tons!
E-mail address: mbiogirl@hotmail.com
What does your IM stand for? My college major and my current location
Pets: None that are mine
Number of candles you blew out on your last birthday cake? All but one, I think I spit on that one.
Feeling: Like I don't want to do work right now
Eating/drinking: Did you have to mention food?!!
T-Shirts/tank? I can't find any tanks I like, so t-shirts it is!!
Jeans/nice pants: cargo pants!!
Belt/no belt: No belt, just belt loops
Have you ever worn a neon colored outfit? Why yes, actually.
How many times a month do you wear your favorite shirt/pants? I...don't really pay attention, actually.
Do you "match" your clothing every morning? Yup.
Do you care about what you wear? Somewhat, I don't want to look like a total slob.
Have you ever been made to wear something embarrassing? Depends on how you define that. Pink & frilly? Oh yes! Lingerie? ...Um, no.
Have you ever dressed up? That's a rather dumb question. I did have to get a job, you know.
Have you ever been in love? Define that, please. I've had crushes and relationships that didn't go anywhere, but what I would call love, nope, not yet.
How many people have you kissed? Besides family? One.
Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex? Uh, I've kissed my mum and my grandma...does that count?
What do you look for in a guy/girl? A commitment to growth and to the Lord...bunch of other stuff but that's complicated.
What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? the smile and the laugh
What type of guy/girl do you usually go for? The ones I have gone for before were all smart enough to challenge me, strong-willed, and rather needy. Not real good, actually.
Do you have a bf/gf? Nope!
Do you have a crush right now? Nope again, just heroes.
Do you believe in love at first sight? It can happen. Don't know if I like it though.
Do you remember your first love? Yup! He was also my first best friend, too.
All time favorite band: Switchfoot, baby!!
What was your favorite style of music in elementary school? Classical, it was all I was really allowed to listen to.
Do you like rap? The good stuff.
Bluegrass? Oh sure.
Country? For about 15 minutes.
Classical? Mostly Baroque stuff
Rock? A bit
Pop? It all depends on the lyrics, but I think more pop than anything else.
Do you prefer fast or slow songs? Fast with a strong beat, probably because I feel like I "dance" thru most of my life anyways.
Guitars or Harmonicas? Guitars accompanied by harmonica!!
Do you play an instrument? Sure!
What one? Flute and Guitar, a tiny bit of Piano, and Percussion, and I sing.
What's the best cd you own? Um...yikes...Kingdom Hearts OST maybe?
What song is stuck in your head right now? You know what, for once, nothing is.
What song reminds you of that special someone? That assumes something, you know.
What (if any) song makes you cry? Letters from War, and a couple by Carolyn Arends I don't remember the titles of
How many singers/bands do you like? Too many for my budget!
Do you like your name? Oh yeah!
What would you name your daughter? I don't know yet, since it's my blessing and prayer for them it'll kinda depend on what's going on when she comes, I think.
What would you name your son? See above.
Favorite names: Mmmm, can't decide!
Have you ever spelled your name backward and call yourself that? Nuh-uh, besides, it sounds so close to my real name (especially if you have an accent) that it doesn't matter
Have you ever thought of weird random names you'd like to have? Jimmy!! But that's not random.
Is your name a boy and girl name? Girls, don't think there's a boy variation yet.
How do you spell your name? Think about it...
Word: yo, dude, word yourself!
Color: blue, green, or purple
Song: For right now? Jesus Is Life, by Steven Curtis Chapman
School subject: molecular biology and related subjects (they're all the same now anyways)
Animal: um...I dunno
Celebrity: Elijah Wood, 'cause he's my brother's age
Magazine: GMC, GameInformer, NewType USA, & National Geographic
Snack: cookies!!
Movie: Independance Day!!
Pair of shoes: Reeboks, can't really wear a whole lot else.
Article of Clothing: I've migrated to cargos, I think.
Food: Mexican!! Arriba!!
Jellybean Flavor: ...don't like jellybeans...
Drink: Water's a personal favorite, though if I did drink soda I'd drink Dr. Pepper or rootbeer
Alcoholic drink: Stomach doesn't like those too much
TV show: Right now? TMNT, new school!!
Sport to watch: Baseball (in person) or football (on TV)...basketball's alright, but they've got those horrid fluorescent lights
Person to talk to online: Mostly Pete or Paul, sometimes Adrian
What color are your sheets? the color of the clean set
Do you have a TV in your bedroom? Yup, an itty-bitty 13"
Do you listen to music while trying to fall asleep? Sometimes, mostly nature sounds/meditation stuff.
Describe the last dream you had: I think I saved the world...lol
How many people can comfortably sleep in your bed? 1 and 2 cats
What's under your bed? posters
What books or magazines are near your bed? Um, "A Beginners Guide To Networks", I think.
Did you have a cartoon hero as a kid? I had a lot, and I still do! *grin*
What is your favorite cartoon? Scooby-Doo!!