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At the auction on Saturday they had several kinds of microscope, and I mentioned in passing to Lloyd that I wouldn’t mind having one for my home laboratory use classroom. I needed one with very few bells and whistles, and that would be pretty much indestructible. I pointed out a whole table chock full of microscopes that looked like they were as sturdy as horseshoes for a plow team. “Some of those, if they go cheap.”

Turns out I had him bid on the Brock Magiscope, an practically indestructible classroom microscope. This thing is amazing! It has a Lumarod – a bent acrylic tube that funnels light. No need for bulbs, batteries or plug-in power – just light! It’s built like a tank, and has only one moving part – the eyepiece goes up and down, that’s it. Plus, the lens is safely shrouded by a collar on the bottom so it’s practically impossible to break.

I was writing this post and decided to link to their website, and I found out these things sell for over a hundred dollars new! (It’s worth reading the story of the inventor, if you have time.) I’m so happy we bought three – one for the school agers, one for the preschoolers….. and yes, one for home.

Preschoolers, we are gonna have some fun.

I’ve felt crummy all weekend and I blame it partly on Friday night. Indigestion combined with bad allergy medicine is not a good combination. After dinner I popped up some of that Boy Scout popcorn – which is INCREDIBLE, by the way. Find your nearest Boy Scout and buy some from him IMMEDIATELY. Not that microwave stuff, but the basic kernels. They pop up so fluffy and huge you’ll think you’re eating crunchy sheep.

I ate the whole bowl and then said to Lloyd, “I’m going to make some more. Do you want some? Say ‘no’.” (That last part is whispered. It’s my Jedi mind trick so I don’t have to share.)

It was well after 7 p.m. by this point, but I didn’t care.
I made it.
I ate it.
Regret set in halfway through but it was like a train wreck – unstoppable due to inertia. The human stomach is not meant to consume two giant bowls of popcorn after supper.

Bleh. I should have shared.

What are you doing today?

Dang it. I can’t find my camera. It’s probably buried under all the junk at school.

I took a picture of a dead preying mantis on the parking lot, and it was missing its head. The text was going to be “I hope she was worth it”.

Dang it. Where’s that camera?

…er, “About Which I Feel Strongly”

Thank you for your great post ideas from before, guys. They are definitely in the hopper. I’ll start with one that Brad said – “Talk about a brand that you’re loyal to” or something like that. It made me think of something completely different.

It made me think of toenails. Nails in general, actually.

I strongly feel that the best time to cut your nails is after you have had them soaking in water for a length of time – after a bath, after swimming the English Channel, or after washing dishes (for your hands – or your feet, if you have some hidden talent I should know about). The nails are softer and don’t shatter into dozens of bits when they’ve been soaked.

(I should also explain that I do not have fragile, brittle nails. I have course, hoof-like nails that require soaking, so I might be a bit biased.)

There. I’ve said my piece and counted to three. If you’re a dry cutter, then consider yourself judged.

(By the way, don’t type ‘toenails’ into Google images unless you have a strong stomach.)