The Poetic Edda

Translated by Lee M. Hollander
Second edition, revised
University of Texas Press, Austin

Slowly making my way through this book. Had a difficult and slow start due to the many unfamiliar names, but it's becoming more interesting as I get to know the characters better. Just started to draw out genealogical charts as I'm reading so that I can keep track of everyone's relationships.

Updating Time on a First Generation Kindle

I have a first-generation Kindle and needed to update the time. Since it is not exactly intuitive, I thought I should share my workaround in case someone has the same problem. Make sure that Wireless is turned on and then from the Home page, go to Menu > Settings > Menu > Restart. It should take a few minutes, but that should do it...

Getting in Shape

I've been trying to get in shape and have just created my ticker symbol for MyFitnessPal.com.

Created by MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Pure Green Yuck!

Last week, I visited my local GNC to see if I can find something to help my leg muscles recover more quickly from running. The salesperson recommended the following whey protein:

It was just okay... not bad, but not as good as chocolate Ovaltine either. The directions recommend 3 scoops of powder with a glass of water. I definitely did not like it with water. It tasted like watered down milk chocolate, but with milk, the taste wasn't too bad. To lighten the formula, I am currently taking one scoop of powder with a cup of milk for breakfast and before I run.

The downside of the product is that it has an artificial sweetener, which I try to stay away from. Today I tried with two alternatives, 1. Garden of Life Raw Protein and 2. PureGreen Protein. Both of the single serving packets were chocolate flavored. 

Garden of Life Raw Protein contains stevia, which, derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant,  is more natural than sucralose, but still leaves a strange sweet aftertaste. Another strike against this product is its inability to dissolve easily in liquid. Since it didn't dissolve easily in milk, I choked on the dry powder as I was drinking it. It has a light chocolate color and taste, which was not too bad, yet not the greatest either. 

PureGreen Protein was the worse of the three. When used with a shaker bottle, it mixes well. However, the taste and smell was very vegetal, due to the vegan ingredients and there was little indication of any chocolately goodness. When mixed, it was dark green in color with unattractive dark, almost blackish flecks in the powder. The texture was also very gritty and not very appealing. 

Hopefully, this weekend I can find a better alternative at the GNC made with sugar or even something without sugar that I can blend into my chocolate Ovaltine. I like taking the whey powder for breakfast as well as before I run, but need to find a better brand. 

Completed: Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful and fascinating book about your brain, how it works and how to get the most out of it. It is a great read for teachers and students alike, although it can benefit others too.

The contents are based on scientific research, but John Medina is a very skilled writer who presents the information in a fun, yet informative and interesting way. I enjoyed every chapter. :)

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New Current Read: The Poetic Edda

The Poetic Edda by Anonymous

After being inspired by the History Channel's "Vikings" series and by the National Museum of Denmark's exhibition, "Viking," which is now in The British Museum in London, I started reading "The Poetic Edda" yesterday on my way to work.

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Stamp of the Week

The latest stamp features one of my favorite artists.

Élisabeth Vigée-LeBrun I love 18th century French art. Élisabeth Vigée-LeBrun, known for her sophisticated, yet endearing style is one of my favorite artists. Not only was she Marie Antoinette's appointed painter, but also a female one at that. I first discovered her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I've been captivated by her work ever since. This stamp displays one of her many self-portraits.

Simplicity 1760 - The Mock Wrap Skirt Mocks Me

Today I finally finished the yoked skirt from Simplicity pattern number 1760, view C.

This skirt took almost a month to put together. I had to create a new yoke because I sewed the first one together wrong and had to rip out those stitches. The top of the skirt was sewn to the top of the yoke instead of the bottom (not exactly intuitive to match up the narrow end of the skirt to the wider end of the yoke). I also poked a hole in the public side of the yoke when I was grading the seams.

Characteristic of me, and never satisfied with simplicity, I decided that it simply must have a lining since I like to wear thick hosiery which has a tendency to catch on cotton or wool. Since the instructions do not include a lining and I've never installed a lining before, I had to improvise. This involved some resolve on my part that I would be able to figure things out on my own and finish the skirt, for better or worse.

I also learned that I do not like fusible interfacing. It was a pain to work with as I wasn't sure whether it was sticking to the fabric properly and I also got some of the adhesive on the iron after it melted off the fabric. I also have bad memories of creating a shirt collar with fusible interfacing which bubbled and became very unattractive after the first wash. To avoid that, the new yoke was interfaced with the same fabric. I will try to stay with sew-in interfacing from now on.

It's slightly big on me (I folded the left and right sides in for the picture) and is not perfect, but at least I have a new skirt, learned a new skill (invisible hem) along the way and was able to practice installing an invisible zipper. Hopefully, it is good enough to wear to work and no one will notice that some of the seams do not line up perfectly and that the hem is not perfect.

It's not a perfect picture either, but I'm putting into practice getting
things done, rather than waiting for the perfect time to take the perfect picture.

Ancient Roman Maps

I just came across a really cool site through Twitter posted by @stephenjenkin on October 24, 2013:

Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire

It's very nicely done and you can zoom in or out of the map, as well as search for places by their modern or ancient names. Definitely a useful site for those doing research or just for those who love maps!

Happy New Year - 2014!

Another year has flew by and I'm not getting any younger. I'm at a point in my life where major decisions have to be made. The biological clock is ticking more loudly than ever, my health has started to deteriorate and I'm not satisfied with my career. This year, I need to be true to myself. New Year's resolutions seem like a good place to start. I will:

1. Take the GRE, math be damned!;
2. Keep in better touch with my friends;
3. Exercise and bring my weight down to a more healthy level; and
4. Apply to grad school to see what happens
5. Post at least one of my favorite stamps a week (to start this right, I posted a bird stamp today)
6. Do at least one large scale planting of one type of plant

Looking back on 2013, here are some of the things I've accomplished:

1. Grew my first dahlia plant
2. Read books 1 through 4 of The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin
3. Made some decent and usable clothes by sewing and knitting and learning new techniques
4. Made some new friends from India and Germany
5. Wrote 33 posts for my blog in 2013, the most ever!