Dec 4 2021 - Christmas Slime - the Perfect Gift

 

Why do people love slime?  Here's the answer: "Other than the sheer fun of learning science, slime is popular for several reasons. Some find it satisfying to watch slime turn from a solid to a liquid and back again.   Squishing it between your fingers can also be a great way to relieve stress. And some people just like it because it's gooey and fun to stretch.   Personally, I find it fascinating watching basic ingredients turn into something completely different with just a few minutes of stirring. I also use a special type of slime to clean electronics."  ~ from cnet.com   Slime can be made in many different varieties. Here's a sample of some of the most popular. Each of these links will take you to a video that shows how to make it.  This is an excellent Christmas activity - just like making cookies. Glitter slime or unicorn slime: Just a basic slime recipe with glitter mixed in.  Cleaning slime: This is a thicker slime that works almost like a lint brush to get crud out of your keyboard and other electronics. Fluffy slime: This slime feels like a soft marshmallow when you squish it. Popping slime: Styrofoam pellets or other beads mixed in with regular slime make this one a sensory delight.  Borax-free slime: Some people who are concerned about how harsh borax (a cleaning agent) can be on the skin opt for slime recipes without it. Glow-in-the-dark slime: Yes, it really does glow in the dark and it can be made at home with nontoxic items. Slime grew in reputation since its introduction in 1976. The movie Ghostbusters in 1984 showcased slime with a recipe that remains secret and was said to be edible.   As special effects supervisor Chuck Gaspar told Cinefex, they used a mixture of water, food coloring, and two thickeners called methocel and separan. “It would not have any taste, but you could eat it,” he said. “The grade of methocel we used is also used in pie thickeners and salad dressings.” Now that explains my rejection of commercial salad dressings. Two scenes on models at the railroad conventions of the past.

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Minion Christmas

Do the Minions celebrate Christmas in any special ways?  We certainly can with minion ornaments, minion gifs, minion toys, minion t-shirts.  Of course there's an Official Minion Site on Amazon to purchase all this stuff.   A debunked hoax that circulated on the internet had this picture as its reference to Minions.  The hoax was not at all humorous.  These turned out to be photographs from 1908 of First World War-era submarine crew.  They are wearing their escape apparatus.  The parallel with the Minions, though, is quite amazing.  It seems to give credence to the evolution of the Minions from the ocean. After looking through all the minion jokes, I decided that this turns out to be the funniest Minion-related picture.   Today our pictures highlight the amazing world of railroad layouts.

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Because I Said So... and More

Wake Up on the Bright Side 

It's a good day to have a good day


It is especially a good day when we get to read the funny things we say.  I found some great examples from children.  There are a number of websites, facebook and instagram pages that accumulate stupid/cute things my children/I as a child have said/done.

"When my oldest was 5, I was pregnant. I found out I was having a boy and we excitedly told our son he was having a brother. He started crying. Through the tears he asked, 'if you have a boy who will I marry when I grow up?' We had to explain a lot of things that day."

"Me: Can you tidy your room please!?!

4 year old son: But I'm playing a game...and in the game, this ain't my room.
 

"Before going to bed

Me: Did you brush your teeth?

Child: Yes

Me: Tonight ?

Child: .....Oh...I thought you meant last night."

Adults don't think they say dumb things to their children.  But in fact, common parental expressions seem to be dumb. Huffington Post has categorized them for more entertainment:

The Illogical:

• This hurts me more than it hurts you
• Because I said so
• When I was your age
• Money doesn't grow on trees
• One day you'll thank me
• If you want to act like a child, I'll treat you like one
• Quiet down, I can't even hear myself think

The Logical:

• Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer
• If your friends told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it too?

The Threatening:

• Do you want a spanking?
• Wait till your dad/mom gets home
• Stop crying or I will give you something to cry about
• I am going to count to three

The Sarcastic:

• Are your legs broken?
• Oh, Jen's mom lets her do (such and such)?  Then go live with Jen's mom...I'll help you pack
• Shut the door, were you born in a barn?

Where do these expressions come from - how old are they?  It seems it is easier to find out the origins of common cat and dog sayings than parenting sayings and their origins.

Here are some of the things I found out.  I retrieved a cartoon of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev as a dentist about to extract Cuban leader Fidel Castro's teeth, drawn as missiles with the expression:  This hurts me more than it hurts you. HERE.

Ask a stupid question and you'll get a stupid answer - that was  found in Oliver Goldsmith's play She Stoops to Conquer (1773) and became popular thereafter.

Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about - This retrieves a site that offers to translate it into Spanish.  Perhaps Spain considers this a useful expression.

Because I said so retrieves "Get a Because I said so! mug for your daughter in law Jovana."  

Our Sacramento layout today shows how the rock face has been modelled and then the close-up of the train as it travels over the bridge. 

She's so Skinny!

What about these 'teasers' on website news articles?  "Precious is so skinny now and looks like a model - we can't stop staring..." and "Anne Hegerty is so skinny now and looks gorgeous!".  "After her weight loss, Celine Dion confirms what we knew all along".  Were they on diets in 2019?  Maybe they those one these these 2019 diet trends.  Read the list and tele if the article would be titled:  "No one believed what she ate to get so skinny!" 1. Keto diet - involves very low carbohydrates and moderate protein so that 70 to 80 percent intake comes from fat 2. 16:8 is a fasting diet - involves fasting for 16 continuous hours, then being free to eat whatever is wanted for the other eight, every day.  The most widely researched approach is taking the eight-hour eating window between 10 and 6pm 3. Alkaline diet - limiting acid forming foods like meat, fish, dairy, grains, alcohol and highly processed foods and refined sugars, while bumping up your intake of alkaline forming foods like fruit and veggies.   4. Blood type diet - tailoring your diet to suit your blood type so people with type O should have a diet rich in animal protein but light on grains, type A should stick to a vegetarian diet, and types B and AB should eat slightly differently 5. Mediterranean diet - sticking to a plant-based diet of wholegrain, olive oil, fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts, herbs and spices - this one is recommended as a good way of eating Nutritional trends from besthealthmag.ca look crazy too: 1. medicinal mushrooms - fungi-infused teas are available at David's Tea for example.  2. oat milk - this is becoming a leading dairy alternative 3. cauliflower - this is a low-carb stand-in - make pizza crust to faux steak 4. elderberry - with anti-inflammatory benefits, it is on the rise as an ingredient 5. cannabis infusions - Coca-Cola was recently in talks with B.C. cannabis producer to make a CBD-infused wellness drink No food photos today - we're looking at a layout at the Sacramento Narrow Gauge Convention.

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It is 50th Anniversary Time

Woodstock's 50th anniversary has been in the Canadian news a lot because the world expert on the topic is in Toronto.  I've learned things about Woodstock this year that I didn't know back in 1969.  For example, Credence Clearwater Revival wouldn't allow their set to be included in the movie or on the records.  They 'claimed' the performance wasn't up to standard.  That's been disproved since people got to listen to it.  It is reported they received $10,000 to perform.  Jimi Hendrix was the highest-paid performer at $18,000.  There are a few 50th anniversaries this year. Of course, there's 50 year celebration of the Moon Landing on July 20th.  The idea of it being a hoax was started by Bill Kaysing.  There are still those who claim it was a hoax even with the 382 kg of moon rock now down here on earth. The estimate is approximately 5% of Americans today.  In 1970 a poll found 30% of Americans thought this.  What about 50 years of Sesame Street?  No one claims Sesame Street never happened. It really is 50 years since the first ATM was installed. There are more than a million today, and there are Latin versions at the Vatican. I've often wondered if the Latin is complemented by Roman Numerals on the number pad. Which do we celebrate more? 50 years since The Brady Bunch started or Monty Python's Flying Circus.  It was October 1969 that Monty Python was launched on the BBC. On the serious side, it is the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. And at the other extreme, it is the 50th anniversary of the little thing people pop into their mouths - Tic Tacs. The name came from the sound of the teeny container being opened and closed.

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BBQ Tidal Wave

The first BBQ event is here.  It begins the tidal wave of BBQ events for the summer. The first rib and craft beer fest in Toronto will be at Yonge and Dundas Square from Thursday May 16th to May 19th. This event will feature the best rib teams in Canada.  There's a Canadian BBQ Society and its events take place from February 2019 with the Challenge Igloo BBQ in Quebec.  The Canadian Stake Championship happened on Saturday in Langley B.C. There are Certified BBQ Judge Classes happening next weekend in Edmonton.  We get one of their events in August when Niagara Falls has the Summer Daze BBQ Classic. The Ontario Champion last year was Team Eatapedia.  Pitmaster was John Thomson.  Their website www.eatapedia.com - has recipes for grilled lime chicken breasts, rosemary-rubbed porch chops - well lots of meats and sauces and seasonings. What will happen on the plant-based front this year?  Does everything BBQ'd have to be meat?  Our local Sobey's had plant-based burgers in the meat section last week, with a promo sign outside of the store so I'm thinking BBQ season may be ready. Food and Wine Magazine had a review of plant-based burgers in its April issue. Their winner is Impossible Burger 2.0.  They compare the flavour to beef, whether it is juicy, density like beef, etc.  "This gluten-free burger has 19 grams of protein, and the new recipe uses soy protein, coconut oil, methylcellulose (a plant-based culinary binder), and sunflower oil. Really succulent and umami-y. Almost identical to beef.” Burger King has the biggest news:  it is testing Impossible Whoppers and supposedly employees can't tell the difference. Here are some views of the Ottawa Layout.

Revenge of the Fact Checkers

A model layout can be whatever the modeller wants - based on actual or imaginary (freelance) railroads. Prototypical layouts are modelled based on the actual real world railroad.  It has to be as close as possible to reality.  Freelance modellers have more freedom - but they still need to choose an era so things match, have a purpose for the railroad (e.g. mining, logging) and be similar to prototype practices. These scenes are part of a module group - every scene different and fun - so it seemed like an imaginary railroad.  I didn't check whether that was the fact, though, as I was busy taking pictures.  The Globe and Mail today had an article on the facts in the Presidential debate on Monday and the approach to fact-checking.  It seems Trump's imaginary stories and lies are now revealed as such in real-time.  In news stories, they are carrying the revelation of false information in the banners at the bottom of the screen.

How Many Model Railroaders Are There?

It's a Happy Train Day! How many Model Railroaders are there?  I wondered this and one of the forums had this answer. "If one considers all those with some sort of interest in model trains, teen through adult, tin-plate or scale, I believe that something like 300,000 might be a reasonable figure for the U.S.A., based on magazine circulation, hobby sales, etc. However, I'd have to say that likely more than half of these would be more properly classified as model railroad enthusiasts - persons with an armchair interest only or who never get beyond a single loop of track on a bare piece of plywood. Based on what you can find in the magazines and on-line, maybe something like 10k-20k might be considered true model railroaders with operating, scenicked layouts, while there appear to be a great many individuals that fit somewhere between that minority and the simple enthusiast level, or are those who are between layouts. " While this answer was from 2004, I can assume the number would remain a good estimate a decade later.

Sightings at Sites of Trains

These are all from the Sundance Layout. I thought you might enjoy an eclectic mix of pictures to give you the sense of how much there is to see in the displays. From bathing beauties and palm trees, to the native American warrior, having fine dining and the Eclectic Kitchen and for the gardener, the climbing vine on the equipment.

Train Tuesday - Mount Albert Scale Lumber

Mount Albert Scale Lumber

Mount Albert Scale Lumber These pictures show the Northway Tractor Repair model that Gerry's scale lumber company has produced this year in HO size.  The model is sold as a kit in pieces to be assembled.  The model railroader builds the kit. What I normally send out is pictures of layouts like Sundance, that are complete and running. To get to that amazing layout, there needs to be many of these models assembled artfully to portray a railway, town, scene from the railroading era.

Morris Arboretum Fernery

The Morris Arboretum Fernery

The Fernery at Morris Arboretum We have two pictures of the Fernery.  The first is a scale version on an outdoor railway at the Morris Arboretum.  The second is the actual fernery at the Morris Arboretum.  It is located in Philadelphia.  Stepping into the fernery, one sees the appeal of a year-round grotto garden.  This fernery seems to illustrate how much the Victorians loved gardens. It was the Victorians who started the advances in hybridization and gave us the garden as environment. The Victorian metaphor of the landscape is a series of distinct outdoor rooms with the hardscaping forming the walls, floors and doorways.  The furniture is trees and shrubs, the carpets are lawns.  Victorian gardening books described the proper ways to 'ornament the lawn' with trees and shrubs.  Trees, shrubs and flowers weren't chosen to 'block a view' like we would do.  They were chosen as objects of art to be admired.  This was the time when advances in hybridization were large, and where expeditions brought exotic introductions to the landscape. Gardens soon were filled with as many exotic and novel specimens as possible. When I visited Winterthur, the Dupont Museum of American Decorative Arts, I took a guided tour of the gardens on the bus.  The travel guide was tremendously knowledgeable, and she stopped in front of two huge cherry trees.  She said that they are the oldest Sargent Cherry trees in North America, brought back as whips by Charles Sargent from his expedition to China.  Like Morris, he was a great Victorian garden adventurer.

Train Day

Hi everyone,
It is a train day today, and these are pictures from the 2012 train convention in Seattle.  WHen we look at the photographs, it is hard to tell they are scale replicas.  Standing at the layouts, everything appears so real as though we are Gulliver travelling in a special world.