The colors and garnishes of a cocktail are often just as much fun as its flavors, and the combination of red and green this time of year is one of my favorites. It's so bright and festive that you can't help but get into the holiday spirit, even if it's just a glass of fizzy water with some embellishments!
Most people get excited about the big holiday meal but I've always loved the finger foods you serve either before or with the meal. My paternal grandmother always got trays of lunch meat, cheese, bread and vegetables and I just loved looking at it all. It was so pretty! It's funny what seemed so special to us as kids. That's still my favorite today, but we're not doing anything so elaborate for just the three of us at home this year.
Even though many of us are at home these days, time still manages to get away from us. Have you been crafting up a storm? I know my family has done some crafting but not nearly as much as we'd planned on doing at the beginning of the holiday season.
While celebrating Termaine Hick's exoneration after he's spent 19 years in jail for crimes he didn't commit is important, it's even more important to stop this from happening in the first place.
My family and I like to sing karaoke at Christmas, so while we'll be doing that at home, we will be deeply missing our annual karaoke fun together all in one house. That said, we have some other fun games to play via zoom.
We're going to try Roll a Reindeer, where you roll dice to build a reindeer from various cut-out parts. You can do this with anything--a snowman, Santa, Buddy the Elf, whatever. We're also going to try some virtual Christmas BINGO.
Have you ever heard of the Yule Cat, Jólakötturinn? It eats people who didn't get new clothes to wear for the winter! It's an Icelandic myth that of course supports the local commerce and encourages people to support the wool industry, but it's also fascinating and fun to study.
The Boomer generation is exhibiting signs of worsening cognitive decline than previous generations, which doctors believe may be due to modern lifestyles with less physical activity and poor nutrition, higher rates of depression and loneliness, and increased levels of poverty.
The poor dolphins in these photos make my heart ache. They died of a skin disease that has been found in dolphins around the world that scientists are saying is related to climate change.
While being home for the holidays isn't ideal, it does mean that we can all create our own holiday in the theme we like best. So if you're thinking of an 80s Christmas or New Year's, how would you go about it?
The other day we watched the film Noelle, which was cute, but it also featured an adorable baby reindeer that easily stole every scene it was in. There's something about baby animals that just does that, right? It made me think of all of the other holiday movies starring animals that I have loved over the years.
Last week I was in a reading slump and had a tough time finding something that I enjoyed. I thought I might just have to start re-reading some favorites to get me through it. That often works for many people. Luckily I started reading Katrina Leno's first book, The Half Life of Molly Pierce, and I was back in the game! The book was gripping and kept you guessing, and while I didn't love it as much as Summer of Salt I thought it was compelling throughout most of the book.
Many of us are devastated to have to stay home this holiday season rather than spend it with our loved ones, but here's a festive New Year's idea that you might want to try. Create a group of people (via text, email, etc. and not in person!) to exchange holiday drinks and recipes with one another. It's like a cookie exchange, but with cocktails! Many of us miss having a great cocktail out or at a party this year, and it gets expensive buying ingredients for multiple drinks.
It's been a difficult year for most people, and if you're looking for someone to cheer up this holiday season, you probably have a wider scope to choose from. It might even include yourself. That's okay. We could all use some festive cheer while we're staying home, distancing and keeping safe.
The TERFS (which I think is really too nice of a term to call so-called feminists who exclude trans women; if your feminism isn't inclusive it's not really feminism now, is it?) are coming out of the woodwork this week.
Poaching and collecting endangered animals has been a problem for years, and scientists and activists are looking for outside-the-box solutions to try to combat the issue. One controversial way that activists are cutting down on frogs being trafficked is simply breeding them and selling them for cheaper prices instead.
Earlier this year, it was confirmed that UFOs exist, so why shouldn't there be aliens among us? According to the former Israeli space security chief, Haim Eshed, they definitely exist but don't want us knowing until we're "ready." He also says that he's finally telling the public because his career is established enough for him to be taken seriously.
Mining experiments are being conducted in space. They may pave the way for new technologies which could assist human exploration of space and establishment of settlements on other worlds. Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) found that bacteria could be used to extract useful materials from rocks on the Moon and Mars.
Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Westinghouse to dismantle Ågesta reactor world-nuclear-news.com
Ambient office = 130 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 88 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 89 nanosieverts per hour
