Thursday Thirteen

NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer and Spitzer Space Telescope combined to show a pair of interacting galaxies might be experiencing the galactic equivalent of a mid-life crisis.




The many personalities of our great galactic neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, are exposed in this new composite image from NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer and Spitzer Space Telescope.



The perfectly picturesque spiral galaxy known as Messier 81, or M81, looks sharp in this new composite from NASA Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes and NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer.

 

Most galaxies are clumped together in groups or clusters. A neighboring galaxy is never far away. But this galaxy, known as NGC 6503, has found itself in a lonely position, at the edge of a strangely empty patch of space called the Local Void. The Local Void is a huge stretch of space that is at least 150 million light-years across. It seems completely empty of stars or galaxies. The galaxy’s odd location on the edge of this never-land led stargazer Stephen James O’Meara to dub it the “Lost-In-Space galaxy” in his 2007 book, Hidden Treasures.


Astronomers using NASA Hubble Space Telescope have found a spiral galaxy that may rotate in the opposite direction from what was expected.




NASA Spitzer, Hubble and Chandra space observatories teamed up to create this multi-wavelength, false-colored view of the M82 galaxy. The lively portrait celebrates Hubble sweet sixteen birthday.



This false-color composite image shows the Cartwheel galaxy as seen by NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer, where the first ripple appears as an ultraviolet-bright blue outer ring.



NASA image release August 5, 2010 A beautiful new image of two colliding galaxies has been released by NASA's Great Observatories. The Antennae galaxies, located about 62 million light-years from Earth, are shown in this composite image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue), the Hubble Space Telescope (gold and brown), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (red). The Antennae galaxies take their name from the long antenna-like "arms," seen in wide-angle views of the system. These features were produced by tidal forces generated in the collision. The collision, which began more than 100 million years ago and is still occurring, has triggered the formation of millions of stars in clouds of dusts and gas in the galaxies. The most massive of these young stars have already sped through their evolution in a few million years and exploded as supernovas.



This image shows two companion galaxies, NGC 4625 top and NGC 4618 bottom, and their surrounding cocoons of cool hydrogen gas purple. The huge set of spiral arms on NGC 4625 blue was discovered by the ultraviolet eyes of NASA GALEX.



Black-hole-powered galaxies called blazars are the most common sources detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. As matter falls toward the supermassive black hole at the galaxy's center, some of it is accelerated outward at nearly the speed of light along jets pointed in opposite directions. When one of the jets happens to be aimed in the direction of Earth, as illustrated here, the galaxy appears especially bright and is classified as a blazar.



NASA Spitzer Space Telescope shows the supernova remnant 1E0102.2-7219 sits next to the nebula N76 in a bright, star-forming region of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy.



NASA Hubble and Spitzer telescopes combined to make these shape-shifting galaxies taking on the form of a giant mask. The icy blue eyes are actually the cores of two merging galaxies, called NGC 2207 and IC 2163, and the mask is their spiral arms.



NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope set its infrared eyes on one of the most famous objects in the sky, Messier 104, also called the Sombrero galaxy. In this striking infrared picture, Spitzer sees an exciting new view of a galaxy that in visible light has been likened to a "sombrero," but here looks more like a "bulls-eye." Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red.

Photos from NASA Image & Video Library, which is open and free to public to use.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 574th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Finished Tile

The tile installers finished up on Saturday. Well, it's no completely finished. They didn't install the quarter round against the baseboard, but we are also taking up the carpeting soon and the next installers will do that. It will not be the same people.

I am happy with the look of the tile. It lightened the kitchen and changed the feel of the room. I need new rugs for the floor - the old ones won't do - and I think I need to do something different for a trash can now, but otherwise I am pleased. Those are minor details that I can take care over time.

Here are photos:

The dining area without the table.

The kitchen area.

A close-up of the tile.

The kitchen with part of the table and chairs. We took a leaf from the table so it is much smaller than it was. I haven't decided if I'm going to add that back or keep the table tiny.

Looking into the area from the living room. Don't you think the trash can needs to be a different color?

The kitchen area with the floor mats back. The one in front of the fridge definitely doesn't match now.
 

Remodeling and updating is a pain. We don't do much of it because it is so much hassle. Besides, with just the two of us, it's not like the house gets worn out. We don't have visitors often and we're fairly neat people.

When the time comes I'll show you the new hardwood floor we are putting down to replace the carpeting. We are hoping this will help my allergies. We'll see.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Your phone rings. Who is the most likely caller?

A. My husband.

2. How long do you chat on the phone each day?

A. A good hour or so.

3. Who do you speak to the most?

A. My friend T. calls me almost every day. Otherwise, my husband.

4. Do you often not answer if a certain person comes up on your caller id?

A. I don't answer unknown numbers.

5. Do you phone friends at work?

A. I sometimes do but try not to.

6. Do you make personal calls at work?

A. I work from home.

7. Who do you always say “I love you” at the end of the call?

A. Usually my husband.

8. Do you use a landline or cell more often?

A. The landline, mostly. According to my cellphone I have used it just over 15 hours in the year I have had it.

9. Who in the blogosphere that you haven’t chatted with but would like to?

A. I'd like to chat to Gal, Kwizgiver, Bev, Zippi, Stacy . . . all the regulars on Sunday Stealing and Saturday 9.
   
Pancakes

1. Scratch or mix? Buttermilk or plain?

A. Plain with blueberries cooked in them.

2. Pure and simple, or with additions cooked in?

A. With blueberries only.

3. For breakfast or for dinner?

A. Breakfast.

4. Preferred syrup or other topping? How about the best side dish?

A. Maple syrup with bacon.

5. Favorite pancake restaurant?

A. IHOP I guess.

Bonus: Any tasty recipes out there, for pancakes or other special breakfast dishes? Bring 'em on!

I'm not much of a cook. Sorry.


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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Unbreak My Heart

Saturday 9: Unbreak My Heart (1996)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Songs like this are enduringly popular in part because each of us has had our heart broken. Give us the name of a heartbreaker from your own life.

A. Really? I just don't feel like going there. I know a few heartbreakers, though. Boy, my nephews are the most handsome men. I know they've broken a few hearts, all three of them.

Trey

Chris & Emory

Chris

Emory

Aren't they just the cutest guys?

2) Toni Braxton sings that "nights are so unkind." What did you do last night?

A. I stewed because the "professional" tile installers have stalled and stalled and I was so angry I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking of things I wanted to say to them.

3) While this song has Toni singing the blues, in real life her love life is happier. Now aged 50, she's engaged and has been sporting a diamond on her left hand. Do you believe that a bride is ever too old to have a big wedding?

A. I guess not. I never really thought about it. People can do what they want.

4) Growing up, Toni Braxton's parents severely restricted how much TV their children could watch each day. Ironically, today Toni and her sisters participate in a reality TV show on the WE-TV network, so TV cameras are a big part of their daily adult lives. What TV show do you try not to miss?

A. I watch The Big Bang Theory, Supergirl, and Survivor. Oh, and the new Murphy Brown. I like that.

5) She is prone to dry skin and applies Kiehl's Hand Salve to her hands and arms throughout the day. Tell us about a product you're brand loyal to.

A. We only use Heinz ketchup in this house.

6) Toni admits to being "a bit of a germaphobe," and always maintains a supply of hand sanitizer and wipes. What is always on your shopping list?

A. Bread.

7) While she is not shy about her body, and has worn revealing outfits on the red carpet, Toni Braxton refused a 2011 offer from Hugh Hefner and Playboy to pose nude. What's the last thing you said "no" to?

A. I have to think about this one.  Oh, an offer to go back to sort of regularly freelancing for the newspaper. I'm just not well enough to consider it.

8) In 1996, the year this song was popular, Mattel introduced a Star Trek Barbie and Ken set. Have you ever fantasized about space travel?

A. Yes. At the moment I wouldn't mind being thousands of light years from this planet.

9) Random question -- Would you (or did you) invite an ex to your wedding?

A. No. I don't know why, as I have no experience with this question, but I will say no.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

The Fraying of the Nerves

Wednesday, a day later than scheduled, two men showed up to begin to repair my kitchen floor.

They did not show up until 11 a.m. that morning. They worked until 1:15 p.m. and then did not return until 3:30 p.m. and they worked until 5 p.m.  I do not know why they only worked so little.

I do know it pissed me off royally. That's not even 4 hours of work.

Thursday they worked from 10 - 12:45, took another two hour lunch, and worked from 2:15  - 4:15. That was not 4 hours of work, either.

Today, one guy showed up at 10:15. The other guy showed up at 11:30 and then at 12:20, they both left. They returned at 1 p.m.

They are in there working now. (Can you see my eyes rolling in my head?) I expect them to try to clear out at any minute. What will I say?

This was supposed to be a two-day job. I have been without my washer and dryer since Tuesday night. I haven't been able to cook since Tuesday night. These cats & jammers boys show no inclination of hurrying and I do not want them in my house any longer. I am about to scream.

To their credit they are doing a good job when they do actually work. It's just that they don't work much.

This was the original parquet flooring. It was 30 years old.

This was the reason it was being replaced, because the dishwasher leaked and ruined the flooring in this area.

This is the laundry room, which we also decided to replace with the same new flooring. This stick-on laminate-type flooring is original. Like the parquet, it is 30 years old.

Boxes of tile

This is what the tile looks like.

This is the kitchen in the living room.

This the removal of parquet. It came up very easily.

The cement floor with old glue on it.

The tile in the laundry room, for some reason, proved stubborn and did not come up quite so easily.

This is the new flooring. The little white dots are spacers.

The view from the other side.

It'll look nice if it ever gets finished. When a two-day job turns into a five-day one, somebody's head needs to roll.

I'll show you pictures if it ever gets grouted and completed.

Thursday Thirteen

What do these 13 people all have in common?

Anthony Bourdain (age 61)
Kate Spade (55)
Robin Williams (63)
Aaron Swartz (26)
Junior Seau (43)
Alexander McQueen (40)
Hunter S. Thompson (67)
Kurt Cobain (27)
Sylvia Plath (30)
Ernest Hemingway (61)
Alan Turing (41)
Virginia Woolf (59)
Vincent van Gogh (37)


Check out this interesting article from Scientific American.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 573rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Tearing Up The Corner

A new Sheetz is going on at the corner of US 220 and Catawba Road.

Formerly the land housed a small building with various shops, an old barn, and some storage units. The small building was a bit historical, as well as the barn, but, you know, progress.

I meant to take photos back in the spring but by the time I got around to doing anything they'd already vacated the premises, put up fencing, and removed signs.

This used to be Ikenberry & Garst, a grocery store, long ago.

This is what it looked like Monday:

I shot the picture from the parking lot on a hill across the street.

The Sign Doesn't Matter

I saw this at one of my local grocery stores:

It's an emergency exit. Here's a close-up of the sign on the door:

It says "Do NOT Block or Obstruct Access"

If I were a fire marshal, I'd have given them a citation.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Have you ever tried to learn (or re-learn) a foreign language as an adult? Which one? What worked for you?

A. I have occasionally tried to re-learn Spanish but I seem to only remember a few phrases and words. I've never really been serious about it, I guess.

2. Do you donate blood? Do you know your blood type?

A. I do not donate blood because of medication I am on. I do not know my blood type.

3. Have you ever been in a play or musical?

A. Not since elementary school.

4. Do you use certain text or ring tones for specific people? Who gets their own? Or do you just use the default on your phone?

A. I have a default ring tone that everyone gets. It is not the default tone on the phone (it's a Lord of the Rings tune), but it is the ringtone that rules them all.

5. When did you get your first digital camera? Do you still shoot on actual film, or all digital now?

A. I think I bought my first digital camera around 2001 or so. I do all digital now.

6. What do you think someone else would say the most daring thing you’ve done is?

A. It's a toss-up between going up in a hot air balloon or taking a plane ride with a known alcoholic.

7. Do you talk with your hands?

A. Not as bad as some people.

8. Given the choice in a restaurant – would you go with a booth or table (or bar!!!) for seating?

A. Table. As I've aged, it's become harder to get up off those soft booth seats.

9. What kind of milk did you drink, growing up? And now?

A. When I was a wee lass I am told I drank goat's milk because I couldn't drink cow's milk, and I still don't drink cow's milk. I don't drink any milk at all.

10. How do you keep track of all your passwords? Do you make your passwords super complicated and change them often, or use the same ones over and over?

A. My passwords are horrendously complicated and not a single one is the same. I keep track of them on index cards.

11. Are you a note taker?

A. Yes. Are you?

12. Do you remember what your first social media posting (or status update) was on Facebook or Twitter – without looking it up? What was it?

A. I have no idea. I'm also not going to go back and look it up.

13. Do you have a “power” song?

A. I Will Survive, by Gloria Gaynor

14. Do you have an eclectic mug collection, or is your stuff all matchy matchy?

A. Nothing matches.

15. Do you have a junk drawer in your house/garage/at work/wherever?

A. I have several junk drawers.

16. Do you ever get the urge to watch a favorite scene from a movie, and watch just that scene?

A. Occasionally. I usually do that on youtube. For instance, my favorite scene from Practical Magic is this one:




17. Have you ever woken up and felt guilty from a dream you had, or, mad at someone else for something they did in the dream?

A. Yes.

18.  How old were you when you took your first commercial flight? To where did you fly?

A. I flew to New York and then to Europe when I was 16. It was a school trip to Spain and France.

19. Are you good at keeping track of your things – or do you easily misplace them? Do you ever leave anything behind when you travel?

A. I don't travel much but at home I keep track of things not only for me but for my husband, who apparently can never remember where he left screwdrivers, flashlights, and other paraphernalia.

20. Is there any place you go where time seems to stand still? What is it about that place that makes it that way?

A. Inside my head when I'm reading.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Treat You Better

Saturday 9: Treat You Better (2016)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This song was chosen because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please share this information about The National Domestic Violence Hotline. Let's spread the word that there's help out there.

1) In this song, a young man advises his neighbor to stop wasting her time with a guy who makes her cry. What is something you regret wasting time on? (It doesn't have to be a romance.)

A. Video games, sort of. I know they are time wasters but I find them calming.

2) Much of this video takes place in a very sparely-decorated apartment. Because Shawn Mendes and the girl he’s singing to both appear young, it’s easy to assume they are both in their first apartments. Tell us about the first place you ever rented.

A. My husband and I first rented a 4-room little house that was freezing cold. We only stayed there about six months. It was very small with a living area, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. It had a cellar you could only reach by going outside and that was where the laundry was. The pipes froze a lot.

3) It's clear he can hear his neighbors' conversations and arguments through the walls. Are your neighbors quiet? Do you consider yourself a quiet neighbor?

A. I don't have any near neighbors. The only time my neighbors irritate me is when they are shooting guns for hours at a time. I don't mind occasional gun shooting - this is a rural community - but when it goes on and on it wears on you.

4) This song received a lot of attention and airplay because it was used in a Southwest Airline commercial. When you last visited an airport, were you traveling yourself or meeting someone?

A. I would have been meeting someone.

5) This week's artist, Shawn Mendes, was a serious skateboarder during his high school years. Sam has never even set foot on a skateboard. How about you?

A. I had a skateboard when I was young. I was not good at it.

6) Shawn is happy eating cold cereal with milk for every meal -- breakfast, lunch and dinner. He prefers cereal with almonds in it. What about you? Do you have a favorite cereal?

A. I like the kid's cereals better than the adult ones. I prefer the Chex cereals because they are made with rice. But mostly I don't eat cereal because I don't drink milk. Milk makes my asthma worse.

7) He says he started eating cereal beyond breakfast because it's convenient, and it helps him avoid "junk food" when he's in a hurry. Do you often order your food "to go?"

A. I wouldn't call it often. Sometimes when my husband has fellows here helping him with hay I will bring them all sandwiches from the local sub shop.

8) In 2016, when this song was popular, a German shorthaired pointer named CJ won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show. Is there a dog who holds a special place in your heart?

A. I had a mutt - I think she was part terrier and part Alaskan something, who lived with us for 17 years. I bought her for $5 at the flea market the second year we married, after we had moved into another place. I named her Ginger for unknown reasons. After she died in 2001, I did not get another dog.

9) And this week, we're trying a random fill in the blank: I wish someone would create an app that _____________________________________.

A. Acted as a therapist.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.