My "swirly twirly paisley math thingys"

First I had to figure out what "swirly twirly paisley math thingys" were. (I just love the way Jenn talks. I still get my bedtime helpers to "woller" my shawls every night.)

Okay Jenn, I created a web page on igoogle with some of my own "swirly twirly paisley math thingys", otherwise know as fractals. There are two main pages of fractal images. Two of the images have titles which are links to a series of similar images. (I couldn't decide which image I liked best). Click on the fractal you want to see and it will take you to a larger image. If you want to, you can double click on that image and look at the whole image in detail a section at a time. I will upload new fractals and explanations to those web pages and post links to them here on my blog.

These are huge images so I don't want to post them directly on my blog. The fractal image above is a medium size file, if you click on it you will get an image large enough to use as a background.

Let me know if the large images don't work with your browser. Just because it all works with my setup doesn't mean it will work with everyones.

Things I Like

(I can't necessarily still do them, but I still like them)
chocolate
cooking with good equipment
walking through fallen leaves in the fall
the smell of autumn
walking against the wind
the smell of rain coming
hot baths
meatloaf
baked fish
primping in front of a mirror
make up
good hair days
nice clothes
the way I feel when I have finished a knitted project I am proud of
the way I feel when I find and polish a beautiful fractal
learning something new
giving a talk
laughing
a happy cry with a friend
long talks with friends
playing games
winning games
waking up after a good sleep
going to bed after working hard
the feel of freshly washed hair; my own or someone else’s
the way a freshly bathed baby smells
laughing with a baby
singing with the choir
feeling I have communicated with God
knowing I did well in a hard class
figuring things out
pushing for one more lap than I think I can do when I am swimming: doing it
making someone laugh
watching the eyes of a student when they have finally “got it”
having a student who has struggled do well on a test
sharing my heart with someone and feeling appreciated, even understood
knowing someone loves me
knowing I love someone
feeling pretty
lying in the grass
feeling the warm sun on my skin
exchanging smart alec remarks with a friend
escaping into a well crafted mystery or sience fiction or fantasy novel
making up talks in my head
feeling smart
the smell of cinnamon rolls baking
having pretty fingernails & hands with polished nails
looking at something I find beautiful
seeing how things work together
solving a hard math problem
solving a hard puzzle without cheating
working cryptic crosswords with a friend
watching the first big snowfall of the year
sitting inside on a rainy afternoon watching the clouds roll in
knowing the soup is cooking
new clothes (not shopping though)
going to the Shakespearian festival
feeling warm & snuggled down
a pain free day, hour, moment
fresh vegetables from the garden
playing with a child
holding a sleeping child
watching a snow storm with big wet snowflakes
watching the clouds move in over Camel’s Back
groaning & moaning & carrying on when playing board & card games
watching fractals cycle colors
day dreaming
going to sleep
meditating
reading out loud with someone
poetry
fresh air
looking at cook books
looking at knitting books
learning to knit new stitches
visiting with a group of friends
getting personal email

Introducing Me and My Blog

I don't have a houseful (or even an armful) of children to provide me with humorous material for a personal blog, so why am I blogging?

I have decided this is as good a way as any to get down all those stories friends keep telling me I ought to get recorded. I really do want to record them but every time I decide to write them up I can't think of any of them and I don't know who I'm writing them for anyway which makes it rather hard to get started. After all, you need to know your audience before you can write effectively. So you guys give me suggestions, stories you remember when you've said "Have you got this written down?" and I have guiltily hung my head and given all kinds of lame excuses why not; and I'll get them written up. Then you all (and anyone else who decides to drop in) can be the intended audience.

While I've been typing this I have been listening to a science program on Stephen Hawkings. They are discussing whether or not information would survive being sucked into a black hole. I guess the new "information age" has made this a matter of great concern. Personally, I am not too concerned about it. Maybe they are predicting we'll get sucked into a black hole and no one will know we ever even existed, so it is imperative that the data bases survive. Hmmm ... The next program on the science channel says it appears Super Black Holes are in the center of every galaxy. Gee, that means we really are being sucked into a black hole. Seems to me I remember hearing rumors of such a phenomena back in high school physics. The idea gave me nightmares at the time. I am so curious about what is really going on out there. Scientists make such interesting guesses, some very useful guesses, but still, guess. Ahhh, here I am, already philosophizing about "What is Truth".

Confession: The picture above is 21 years old. I hate having my picture taken and it is the latest one I have.