Photobooth fun

Fun with Apple's new Photobooth program shipping with the new iMac. The colored pencil filter obscures my identity enough I can post this one. :-)

For those of you not familiar with Photobooth, this application allows you to sit in front of the new iMac's built-in, upgraded iSight and snap a picture with the filter effect of your choice applied to it. A lot of people would consider this application to be a "gimmicky" one. And to a certain extent, the truth of that statement can't be challenged. But what a gimmick! Once you get over your initial skepticism about the point of having a photobooth app, like pringles, once you pop, you can't stop. My boyfriend sat for 10-15 minutes in front of the camera just making faces to see how the different effects would distort him. Photobooth brings a lightheartedness and sociability to the iMac that reminds me of why computers are not just useful, but fun. God bless Apple for this playful respite from the relentless demand for utility that pervades the technology arena!

Nursing Caps

These past couple of weeks have been pretty good ones. I've been taking a medical terminology class to immerse myself a bit more in the medical field and keep my anatomy and physiology knowledge fresh while I'm waiting for the first week of December. Used up a bit of shoe leather this week going around looking for some seasonal work for some holiday money. I was looking for 'full time' part time work that is school-friendly, but strangely, retail establishments seem to be somewhat wary of hiring someone with the career experience I've had (8 years of engineering). I guess it's true that one can be too qualified for a job. So I'm in the somewhat unenviable position of having to try to tactfully, but truthfully, edit my resume and image to make myself look inexperienced enough to get back into the retail groove. However, after going at it from the seasonal angle, I got some great feedback and interviews lined up, so hopefully I'll get into a new job by next week.

Last week, my parents visited my birth state of Missouri on a road trip. I wasn't able to go as I had job hunting stuff going on (my parents sprung the trip on me at the last minute) and the last remaining set of shots I needed to finish before starting nursing school. Since 13 long years have past since I last visited the motherland, my heart ached at not being able to see my folks since so many of my extended family are elderly now. However, my parents brought me a surprise when they returned. Nursing runs in my family and we have had at least one RN from each generation. Well, my grandparents chose me out of all the grandchildren to inherit my great-grandmother's nursing paraphenalia and sent her 40+ year old (ironed and starched!) nursing cap back for me to be "capped" with when I graduate. I thought I was going to cry when I saw it, I felt so happy and honored. My dad said that my great-grandma would bust a button with pride to see me wear it and carry on the family trade. I would have gotten the probably 70 year old Burge (now Cox) Nursing School pin and graduation paraphenalia she had as well, but no one knew to where they had disappeared.

Anyways, that was a cool reminder of how knowing your family history helps you understand your place in this world and the ties between the generations. In the tea arena, I've been drinking a tea from Bodum called Lapsang Souchong. This tea is truly one of the most unique teas I've had the pleasure to sample. Bodum is thinning out their tea selection right now, so the Lapsang I'm reviewing may no longer be for sale, but much of this review can probably be extended to generically cover this type of tea. Lapsang is unique in that it is smoked over pine or cypress wood. The most salient effect this processing has is when you open the bag, the scent of smoke is almost overwhelming. However, the tea brews up with a pleasantly smooth, but assertive, and almost salty flavor. If you love eating cheese or pickled stuff, this tea complements those flavors perfectly. Lightly flavored foods won't hold up to this tea, and traditionally, lapsang is considered a 'man's tea' in its native China since it accompanies hearty meats. The only drawback to the Bodum tea specifically is that storing their Lapsang is rather difficult. Once you open the bag, the strong smoke scent leaks through almost all plastic containers imaginable. Right now, the only thing keeping the scent at bay for me is a full metal, vacuum sealed container (no plastic rim). Also, another problem with lapsang as a genre is that obtaining a good tea of this type can be rather pricy. Cheap lapsangs, rather than having an exotic smoky taste from the cypress, often taste (and smell!) like you brewed hot water in a used ashtray. Nasty!

Happy tea drinking!