For all the talk of collaboration, lack of communication is still our greatest weakness

I read the following on ABC News and was amazed to realize we have learned nothing since 9/11.

U.S. law enforcement officials received intelligence reports two weeks ago warning of terror attacks in Glasgow and Prague, the Czech Republic, against "airport infrastructure and aircraft." The warnings apparently never reached officials in Scotland, who said this weekend they had received "no advance intelligence" that Glasgow might be a target.

C'mon, people! Let's get with the program!

Aimless wanderer

Yup. That's me. My sister did one of these on her blog, and I just wanted to compare. =) I was surprised by how accurate most of it was. Of course, my near future is anything but calm and relaxing, but hey, whatdya expect from these things, perfection?!

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are a wanderer. You constantly long for a new adventure, challenge, or eve a completely different life. You are a very grounded, responsible, and realistic person. People may not want to hear the truth from you, but they're going to get it. You believe that people see you as a bit small and insignificant. People pay more attention to you than you think. Your near future is calm, relaxing, and pretty much what you want. And it's something you've been anticipating for a while now. For you, falling in love is all about flirting and feeling playful. You couldn't fall in love with someone who took life too seriously.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

Why did God make bugs?

I remember asking that question as a child, and thinking, if given the chance to make a world, I would make a bug-less one. I couldn't help but remember these childhood thoughts as I read about the new "synthetic" life scientists are trying to create and came across this line: "scientists want to create new kinds of bacterium to make new types of bugs." I may not have understood the ecological ramifications my bug-less world would have suffered, but I certainly do know now that everything man introduces has at least two bad side effects for every good one. I do not want some genetically engineered bug, created by a scientist in his little lab. I am still having a difficult enough time trying not to complain about the ones God made!

Of faeries and fireflies

It was a calm, sultry night... If I were writing a story that began last night, that would be the opening line I think. Well, maybe not, but it does describe the feeling of last night as I wandered aimlessly throughout my neighborhood. The sun had set, but the sky was still rather bright, scattered with puffy golden clouds. In the shadows, fireflies glowed, making an adorable little English-style garden look as though under some magical spell. I could picture Ciderella's fairy godmother waving her wand, scattering sparkling magic dust in the flower beds. Hanging from the tree branches were little lanterns, which, from a distance, made me think of faeries (notice the use of the English spelling... I felt as if I had been transported to another place and time). I could have stood there staring at this picturesque front yard for a very long time if it weren't for the fact that I did not want to cause suspicion. The sweetest little old couple (I would guess that they are octagenarians) live there, and I could just imagine that one of their neighbors probably look out for them.

I hope if I ever become one of those old ladies, who spends all her time in the garden, my garden looks very much like that. =)

Wisdom from a poet

The peril of every fine faculty is the delight of playing with it for pride. Talent is commonly developed at the expense of character, and the greater it grows, the more is the mischief. Talent is mistaken for genius, a dogma or system for truth, ambition for greatest, ingenuity for poetry, sensuality for art.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Of sore arms and sleepless nights

Normally I am thrilled to have sore arms because it means I have been doing some major working out and toning up, but not today. Today my arms are sore due to giving 4 vials of blood for various tests and recieving 5 of the 10 needed shots. The guy taking my blood was so busy flirting with my co-worker, he was not really paying attention. He blew the vain (which I am used to) and tied the rubberband thing so tight, I could not feel my fingers. Then he had me gripping a squishy ball (it was all I could do to keep from dropping it), but forgot to tell me to let go of it when he pulled the needle out, causing it to bleed more than necessary. Thankfully, he did not give me the shots (he would have if it weren't for the fact that I had to remove my shirt). The shots actually did not hurt at all going in (ok, one hurt a little), but about five hours later, my arms were REALLY sore. I laid in bed with my arms to the side. I couldn't lift them above my head because that hurt, and I definitely couldn't lay on my side because that hurt even more, so a laid there, staring up at the ceiling fan as it went round and round, wishing I could just fall to sleep. I did, eventually... at 2 A.M., just to be awoken by my alarm at 4:30. I am SO tired. Can I just go back to bed already?!