The Cutest Bus Riding Partner

Hey there readers!
I just wanted to share a slice of my day with you all.

Yes, that is me and Beth on the bus today. She was my "Bus Riding Partner". I imagine you are wondering, why exactly we were riding the bus. Well....our family care recently had some serious problems diagnosed, and we were told that driving it would be a serious hazard. So, we rode the bus to church, both last week, and this week. If you can't see, in this picture, I'm reading, and Beth and I are listening to music on my iPod. She was being so cute, clapping, and tapping her feet on the window. ADORABLE!

Eventually she started to get tired, and fell asleep on me. No offense intended to anyone I've ever ridden public transit with, but Beth blew you all out of the water. She was cuddly, with out stifling me, she didn't complain about the music, or really cause any kind of problems at all.

That's it for tonight!

Go Team!

This post is going to have a couple different segments, so just read them and then stop reading when you finish it.

I've been thinking a lot about teams recently. Thought (perhaps wrongly) that it was worth sharing. I would love to hear what y'all think as well. Dad, I know you've got a fair amount of experience, and I would like hear what you in particular think.

Part of what started this train of thought was a casual study that was done on basketball teams recently. The study showed that physical contact between team members correlated with an increased quality of play. Just to make it clear, they can't PROVE the link. Correlation, not causation. Ok? Ok. It made me think back to all the teams I've been a part of, from the same group of guys playing basketball, football, and baseball together for 3 years, to a pickup soccer game with strangers, there is something about your teammates touching you. It is a very specific kind of touch that makes a difference too. High fives, back slaps, etc. It is a "positive, energetic, complimentary" contact. This totally makes sense to me. A high five isn't just a way of saying "Nice job!", but it is a way of saying "You are part of our group, and we value you, and what you just did." What is great is that it is so elegantly simple. The economy of communication in this example is brilliant. All those team-building experts can be replaced by a few more hugs and high-fiving. Actions do speak louder than words.

I've been enjoying my time out on the Habitat site (small side note, for those of you who might care, been working on my farmer tan. It's coming nicely.) and been learning a lot. Also getting a lot better at what seems to be the main skill on a construction site (not leaning on shovels), hammering nails. Tips for nail hammering. When you are "setting" the nail, getting it in place in the wood, make sure to keep it straight and try and avoid hitting your fingers. Always try to avoid hitting your fingers. Bigger backstrokes and more follow-through equals less strokes, which results in less possible bending of the nails. Don't give up the moment that your nail starts to bend. You can tap it back into shape, or at least something workable. Use gravity as frequently possible. Nailing upwards, or at an angle is a pain, and puts you a more of a risk bending the nail, or hitting your hand. Try and be hitting the head of the nail directly. That's kind of it for now.

On a final note, I want to proclaim my love for casual sports games, and nice weather. I particularly love those two in combination. Hopefully followed by some kind of food.

That's it! Thanks for reading.

My Favorite Podcasts

So, I said I would post the names, and perhaps links to my favorite podcasts. Here they are! I'm going to put them in list format, with a little explanation of the format of the show, and then why I like them.

The History of the World In 100 Objects. A great BBC podcast, with each episode revolving around one particular object in the history of the world. A few examples would be an Olmec stone mask, a Minoan bull leaping sculpture, and an Indus seal. Neal McGregor, Director of the British Museum goes through the events that surrounded this item. He sometimes talks with experts, but always makes this interesting, and informative. I haven't been listen to a lot recently, but every time I listen, I love it.

The Moth. A podcast of true stories told live. The Moth is actually a group that started in New York, and has now spread to several large cities. The stories are sometimes profound, sometimes profane, sometimes funny, and always interesting.

Planet Money-An NPR podcast that is entirely economics. It started as the economy was beginning to go down the tubes, and for a long time was focused on the crisis, and making it understandable. Sometimes with recurring guests, such as Russ Roberts, head of the school of economics at George Mason University, and Simeon Johnson, former head of the IMF. It has now expanded to cover the crisis in Haiti, and is starting to look at what makes poor countries poor, and rich countries rich. A really enjoyable podcast, assuming you enjoy podcasts.

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me-A great news contest show, with some good guests, and really funny jokes. Long time listener.

Slate Political Gabfest, Slate Cultural Gabfest, and Hang Up and Listen-All great podcasts from the online magazine, Slate. All filled with expert commentary, and some funny takes on current events, be it political, cultural, or sports. I usually finish these podcasts feeling like I learned a lot of really useful things. Good explanations of details and smaller storylines that I would miss otherwise. Also hear about some really interesting things in the "Cocktail Chatter" portion, where the three hosts of whatever podcast talk about something they are going to be sharing with their friends.

This American Life-Well done stories. A classic of podcasts, and radio.

The Sporkful-A podcast entirely about being really obsessive about food. The PB&J episode was amazing.

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know-A video podcast, about conspiracy theories. I actually suggested one of the topics for an episode. "Did the U.S. Government Steal Tesla's Technology?" That was me. Pretty interesting, and funny to think that people actually believe these things.

Stuff You Should Know-The most personable podcast on the list, with two bearded, lovable hosts, explaining various things, from ninja, to carbon trading, to scabies. Always interesting. Most How Stuff Works podcasts are pretty good, and very well researched.

Radiolab-From WYNC, like This American Life, which is also a favorite, but with science. The hosts do an amazing job of making science make sense. Some of the most interesting things I have ever heard have been on this podcast. The episode titled "The (Multi) Universe(s)" was fascinating.

And that's pretty much it. There are others I listen to, but these are my absolute favorites. Bonus, for all of you who made it to the bottom, is this. http://picasaweb.google.com/Iskid2astop/CellPhonePictures# Pictures I have collected with my phone, with a short explanation. They make me laugh so much.
I'm sorry this has taken me so long, but enjoy!