From the Inside Out

How many times have you been in a theater watching a movie and sipping on a Big Gulp-sized drink when all of a sudden it hits you? You know what I’m talking about. You suddenly have an urge to go to the bathroom. It’s always a dilemma. You wonder if you should hold it and be uncomfortable or leave and risk missing something important?

Well, wonder no more! There’s now a website that tells you when it’s safe to go to the bathroom. RunPee.com gives you a “wiki-pee-dia” that provides the best times to leave the movie without missing a major plot point. It also tells you how long you can be gone and gives a summary of what’s happening while you’re in the bathroom, but it doesn’t “spoil” you. You choose whether or not you want to view the summary.

RunPee.com lists movies that are currently in theaters. It also offers another nice feature that I like. It tells you if there are any scenes after the credits that you should stay around to watch.

And for those of you who forget to check the RunPee times before you go to the movies, there’s a nifty iPhone application that will countdown to the next PeeTime. The iPhone will vibrate to let you know when it’s time to go. Pretty cool, huh?

Check it out

I was sitting next to my husband watching the news tonight when a segment about PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) appeared. At first, it sounded like a joke, like something in a sketch from Saturday Night Live, but soon it became clear that these people were serious about what they were saying.

PETA’s latest mission is to give fish a new name…Sea Kittens. Why? They think people will be less likely to eat fish or “cruelly” confine them to aquariums if they are called kittens of the sea.

Ashley Byrne, PETA’s Sea Kittens Campaign coordinator, and another PETA member (dressed as a “sea kitten”) lurked around the Dallas World Aquarium today. They were targeting young children trying to indoctrinate them with this nonsense by using free stuffed animals and stickers as bait.

“We think that kids will be the first to embrace the new name,” said Byrne. The PETA members told the kids that “sea kittens” like land kittens and puppies are intelligent and deserve respect.

Seriously? I always thought that PETA people were a little off, but they had good intentions. This campaign has made me rethink my stance. It’s absolutely ridiculous. Sea Kittens? Really?

PETA, you’ve lost all credibility now.

Many believe the sound barrier is similar to an invisible wall in the sky, but it is really invisible? When a plane gets close to the speed of sound, a unique visual phenomenon occurs.

Check out these new pictures released by the US Military showing an Air Force F-22 Raptor during a supersonic flyby.

A spectacular spray of vapor often accompanies the breaking of the sound barrier. It has also been witnessed during space shuttle launches and nuclear explosions.

Experts say there is no visual sound barrier, but why does this stunning cloud occur? It’s called a vapor cone or a shock collar, and, if you’re a scientist, you probably call it a Prandtl–Glauert singularity.

According to Live Science, “the visual phenomenon is caused by a layer of water droplets trapped between two high-pressure surfaces of air. In humid conditions, condensation can gather in the trough between two crests of the sound waves produced by the jet.”

The effect doesn’t always occur with the breaking of the sound barrier, but it often does. Even if this cloud isn’t the physical representation of the sound barrier being broken, it’s still pretty cool.

Plus, it gives you a great idea of what it might look like if a wall of sound actually existed in the sky for us to pass through.

We lost two icons today — one was a music legend and the other a famous actress. Farrah Fawcett lost her three-year battle with anal cancer this morning.  She was 62. Her best-selling poster and “Charlie’s Angels” stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world. Although her death was not surprising (her health had declined in recent months), it was sad to see another life snuffed out by cancer.

Today’s shocking news was the sudden death of Michael Jackson, the “king of pop.” At only 50 years old, he collapsed at his residence, suffering cardiac arrest. He died soon after at UCLA Medical Center. The exact cause of death is not yet known, but new sources are reporting that an autopsy will be conducted on Friday.

These deaths, along with the recent passing of Ed McMahon, serve as a not-so-subtle reminder that life is fragile, fleeting, and altogether precious. Every moment should be savored.

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14 KJV

Times like these should force us stop and think about our priorities. There’s more to life than work, responsibilities, and duty — so much more! Take time to smell the flowers and gaze at the stars. Hug your family members and tell them you love them. You may not get another chance.

Life doesn’t come with guarantees. It’s a time limited offer — here today and gone tomorrow. Don’t miss out on its joys while you are still here. Try to make a difference, and be sure to develop a relationship with the first person you will meet when you pass to the other side. A friendship with Jesus not only makes this life amazing, but it continues onward through eternity. Don’t put it off. You never know what the next day may hold.

It’s a sad day for employees and former employees of Nortel. Today, the company announced that it will liquidate and sell its businesses, ending its efforts to restructure in bankruptcy court.

After 114 years in business, it’s a sobering end to a company that once had so much life. At one point, the company was valued by investors at $250 billion, but that was before the dot-com bust and accounting scandals. The company is forced now to liquidate in order to pay its creditors and ex-employees to whom it owes severance and pensions. The first piece of the business to be sold off is its lucrative carrier networks division and a wireless research unit. These are being picked up by Nokia Siemens for a bid of US $650 million.

I spent nearly 15 years working at Nortel, starting in college as a paid intern in the corporate communications group. During my tenure there, I managed customer and community relations, enterprise public relations, and product marketing for contact center solutions, mobility, and unified communications solutions. Nortel offered many outstanding learning opportunities and enabled me to develop valuable skills which helped to advance my professional career long after my departure from the company.

I have many fond memories of my time at Nortel. The good times were amazing. The people were top notch. In fact, I have many life-long friends that I met during my time at Nortel.

Even though I’ve been gone for a few years now, I mourn the loss of a company that was once a bright shining star in the industry — a company that brought much joy and career growth into my life.

Although Nortel will continue to exist until its businesses are sold off, this story is quickly coming to an end…goodbye, my friend. You will be missed.