From the Inside Out

An interesting fashion trend has developed since the outbreak of the swine flu — stylish facemasks. Personally, I think the whole swine flu pandemic is exaggerated. Seasonal flu kills an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 people annually worldwide. According to CNNhealth.com, experts say that the [swine flu] virus would have a long way to go to match the deaths that seasonal influenza causes in the United States each year. And although there is no vaccine, the swine flu can be treated with the same antiviral drugs used on the regular flu. It’s amazing how much hysteria the media can incite when there are no other news stories to report about.

Still, if you want to play it safe, and you decide to don a mask, you might as well wear one that has character. Some are funny, some are sweet, and a few are intimidating. Here are some of my favorite “pimped masks.”

This will be a short blog because tech week has begun — that means I’m busy and tired! Rehearsal went better than expected this evening which was a pleasant surprise. The set was dressed. The actors were in costume. The tech crew and props manager did a fantastic job. Multimedia, sound and lights were starting to gel. At long last, it’s coming together!

It’s not without the typical bumps. We have one actor battling bronchitis. I’m starting to get a sore throat (hopefully it’s just sinuses). One of the cells fell apart during a “breakout” scene. And we still have a few…hundred…tweaks to make, but the show will go on! Only five days and counting.

Hope to see you there!

“At the heart of the cyclone tearing the sky
And flinging the clouds and the towers by
Is a place of central calm:
So here in the roar of mortal things,
I have a place where my spirit sings,
In the hollow of God’s Palm.” -Edwin Markham

Isn’t it nice to know that there’s a place you can go when the cares of the world are too overwhelming to bear? Are you afraid? Are you tired of being frustrated. Do you feel like you are wandering around with seemingly no direction? Don’t despair.

There is a secret spot in which you can abide. In this place, you will find a brief respite from the storms threatening your world. The answers may not be apparent yet. The fear may still exist, but here you can rise above it and find peace. It is here where your soul can sing. It is here where you find joy and strength to go back out and face the storms.

It’s all in the hollow of God’s palm, and it’s my favorite place to reside.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up one day and be seventeen again? Would you be happy to live your life over, or would you freak out over being back in high school? It’s an interesting thing to ponder.

It’s also the premise of a movie named “17 Again.” The film focuses on a guy whose life didn’t quite turn out how he wanted. He wishes he could go back to high school and change it. Soon after, it happens. He’s seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.

The movie was entertaining and funny — much better than I expected it to be. It also got me thinking about whether I would want to go back and do it all over again. I enjoyed my teenage years. They were filled with fun, friends, and freedom — a far cry from the heavy responsibilities that now lay on my shoulders.

Being young and irresponsible again would be a fun escape, but I’d only want to do it for a short time — like a brief vacation from reality. I’m quite pleased with the way my life has turned out so I wouldn’t want to go back and make any major changes.

God has given me so many great blessings for which I am eternally thankful — fantastic husband, amazing friends and family, a good career, and a thriving church — what more can a girl ask for?

What about you? Would you do it? If so, what would you change?

How cool is this? University of Wisconsin doctoral student Adam Wilson recently sent a Twitter message by using his mind instead of his hands. Using a cap equipped with electrodes that monitor brain activity, he simply concentrated on the letters he wanted “typed” and then focused on the word “twit” at the bottom to post the tweet. “Spelling with my brain,” was one of the first messages sent.

The way it works is interesting. All the letters are displayed on the computer screen, and they flash individually. When the letter on which you are focusing flashes, your brain registers that change. This momentary change in brain activity is read by the electrodes in the cap, and the corresponding letter is typed on the computer screen.

Wilson wants to use this technology with patients suffering from “locked-in syndrome”, a neurological condition that paralyzes people but leaves their mind intact. It provides an efficient way for them to communicate in a normal fashion, and at a distance. Twitter also provides the opportunity for these individuals to interface online with people who wouldn’t necessarily know that they are disabled, which could be empowering.

While they don’t know when this might be commercially available or how much it would cost, it does have the potential to change the way we interface with computer systems in the future. Wouldn’t it be great if I could just type this blog using only my thoughts instead of my hands? Maybe one day, I will.