I just read something the other day which made me burst out laughing. It was my usual morning routine. I would make myself a cup of coffee, give my two dogs some breakfast biscuits, and then go upstairs to my office to begin my day. I normally scan through the headlines on a couple of... Continue Reading →
Nàng Thơm Chợ Đào (The Virgin Thơm of the Red Market)
The year was 1999. I was foot-loose and fancy free, traipsing about in northern Vietnam with nothing but my passport and a backpack filled with a few items of clothing and my Canon DSLR. This was back in the days when I shunned luxurious modes of transportation, wanting instead, to travel with the least amount... Continue Reading →
Crystal Memories
I have a fake crystal skull sitting on my desk. Barely 4" X 4" X 6", it is certainly anatomically correct---if that person were to be 3 feet tall. I know that my skull is not a real crystal skull however, because at the base of the skull there is an imprint, a logo mark... Continue Reading →
Earth’s Motion Through Space
I ran across a fairly easy-to-grasp visual representation of the cycles of the Earth's motions through space. I hope it is as helpful to you as it was to me. Enjoy. http://youtu.be/82p-DYgGFjI
Mushroom Magic
I have always liked mushrooms. Not only are they cute and whimsical in fairy-land settings, they are also tasty in vegetable stir-frys and soups. Their gustatory advantages, I do know about since I cook with them on a regular basis. Their medicinal properties, I am also familiar with, since my grandfather was a medical herbalist.... Continue Reading →
The Moon in the Cake is the Best Part
I should just give it up. Every year during the time of the Moon Festival, it's the same thing. I buy the mooncakes and then pluck out the egg in the middle and eat that first. Then, I half-heartedly pick at what's left until I have eaten as much as I can handle. Then my... Continue Reading →
I am a Coffee Snob
I am a coffee aficionado (ahem....a coffee snob). By this, I do not mean that I visit the local neighborhood coffee shop religiously for my daily fix. I am actually talking about understanding the difference between Arabica and Robusta beans, and at which crack I should take my beans to so that they deliver me... Continue Reading →
Starving Plant Life
In my last post, Boogie-man Gas, I talked about CO2 and the controversies surrounding this trace gas. I also pointed out to evidence that CO2 has been a beneficial gas, and not the pollutant that most people think it is. Still, with headlines such as these (Scientists call for action to tackle CO2 levels,[1] and... Continue Reading →
Boogie-man Gas
OK, I have to admit. After years and years of being told by everyone and their uncle that greenhouse gases were bad for us, bad for the environment, and bad for Earth, my reaction to CO2 was a spontaneous knee-jerk reaction that would have made my dad proud. I was such a bright green girl... Continue Reading →
The Long View
I'm easy to impress. If I don't understand something, all ya gotta do to impress me is to explain it to me in a way that even I (yes, the blonde Taobabe) can understand. This is not as difficult as it sounds. I'm a visual learner, so all I really need are graphs and charts.... Continue Reading →
Taobabe 