REFLECTIONS

"Ernst Florens Friedrich Chladni was a German physicist and musician. His most important work, for which he is sometimes labeled the father of acoustics, included research on vibrating plates and the ..."   Wikipedia These videos have very annoying sounds! Please turn down the volume. On this site the author shows some of the patterns he found. Physics demonstrations: Chladni patterns | Skulls in the Stars Watch these two videos for an explanation. 

At Clearbrook Park they're starting to decorate for Christmas.   It seems a bit early but maybe they need the time. Looks like Santa needs more time to practice. Or maybe he's celebrating early.

Yesterday My wife and I took a ride to the Holy Cross Monastery.  It was a pleasant unusually warm November day. The Abbey is set back down a long road. I felt a quiet peacefulness. I wish I had a stronger faith. The monks help support themselves by baking and making jams.  We bought a couple of jars and some candy at the gift shop. I wasn't able to take a picture of the building or chapel but you can find them on the web if you like. Here's a video featuring the very same monk we bought the jams from.  He's explaining how he became a monk. Video

Comparing the true size of Australia vs Greenland "The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection presented by the Flemish geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It became the standard map projection." This is the map I'm used to but it has major distortions. "The ‘authagraph’, a world map designed by hajime narukawa that aims to fix the problems with our current maps — distorted land and sea sizes and political and geographical misunderstandings." Link:  authgraph wins 2015 japan GOOD DESIGN grand award I don't like this map.  It doesn't seem like much of an improvement to me. THE TRUE SIZE OF MAP "The True Size" map lets you move countries around the globe,  to show how big they really are. Now this is my favorite map.  There seem to be fewer distortions and you can superimpose countries to see their relative sizes.  Each state and country's fl

Caution: Scary & Repulsive

Photography of Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York  by Patricia Gonzalez.

(Use full screen for a better view.)

This past week was great.  I usually like to be by myself (and Lynette) but this week we got together with some old friends for dinner on Thursday and in-laws on Saturday.  They are my daughter's father in-law and mother in-law. On the way to dinner on Thursday we stopped off at my brother-in-law's home for a short visit. I brought him two boxes of Mallomars, one of his and my favorite cookies.  They are only available for he cooler months of the year and mostly only in the northeast USA. Laurissa and Ryan called us on Skype on Sunday and we had a nice visit with our grandson Miles. 10 Weird Things You Didn't Know about Mallomars - Thrillist VIDEO: Video: The mesmerizing method in which Mallomars are made - The Globe and Mail

I found this video from YouTube on Lynda's blog Linda's Peaceful Place.  Here's the link:  Linda

Sometimes I spend too much time evaluating my life.  But it can be helpful if you don't become obsessed with it. From the site: (From  Funny Days, Weird Holidays & Celebrations 2016 | Days Of The Year ) After spending a little time (not too much) on this and making any changes that might be useful; I like to go back to just enjoying life. Are there any thoughts you'd like to share?

Lynette saw a framed copy of these lyrics in her brother's house.  When she looked on the web she found this lovely song, just in time for the season.  "Come Little Leaves" (Here's the full version of the original song) "Come, little leaves," said the wind one day, "Come over the meadows with me, and play; Put on your dresses of red and gold; Summer is gone, and the days grow cold." Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call, Down they came fluttering, one and all; Over the brown fields they danced and flew, Singing the soft little songs they knew. "Cricket, good-bye, we've been friends so long; Little brook, sing us your farewell song- Say you're sorry to see us go; Ah! you are sorry, right well we know." "Dear little lambs, in your fleecy fold, Mother will keep you from harm and cold; Fondly we've watched you in vale and glade; Say, will you dream of our loving sha

Great news, this new gastroenterologist agrees with my usual gastroenterologist  that I don't need to have any cauterization.  According to my previous test results, I don't need to have anything done. He believes that with some of the newer treatments doctors are looking for a disease to cure, even if it's not necessary. So I'll stay on my Prilosec (omeprazole) 40 mg twice a day and come back in three years for another endoscopy.  For flareups I'll just use Tums, Gas-X and over the counter Zantac 300 mg. He gave me this handout:

I'm trying to be more organized with my clothes, so I searched for some ideas that might help.  Folding a shirt seemed like a good place to start. I don't know what she is saying, which makes it just about impossible to copy. Better Very Scientific Follow this link to see the way I'd like to do it. :) How I fold my t-shirts - 9GAG

Sorry I haven't posted much this week.  I'm having some issues with my Barrett's Esophagus. Here's some information if you're interested. It's a  complication of GERD, which stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease;  A digestive disease in which stomach acid or bile irritates the food pipe lining. My pain is lower than in the chest. In  Barrett's esophagus , normal tissue lining the  esophagus  -- the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach -- changes to tissue that resembles the lining of the intestine. There is a small risk of dysplasia (   pre-cancerous). Here's my condition. I have it checked every few years as the doctor recommends but lately I'm having trouble with gas and a small amount of pain.  I've tried altering my diet with only minor improvement. This Friday I'm seeing a different doctor for another opinion. Hopefully I'll only need an increase or change of medication, not something like ca

Video: 10 Spooky Facts About Halloween - Listverse