Stacy Horn

Excuse my language, but come on. I just finished the Times article about the junk DNA/Dark Matter discovery. My heart is pounding.

I remember when I first heard the term “junk DNA” and the idea that it served no purpose. That’s ridiculous, I thought. They just don’t know what the purpose is yet. I’m no genius and now I’m thinking I must have misunderstood the term, because who could have come to the conclusion that it served no purpose. We don’t know what it does so it does nothing?

In any case, WOW. Please read the article. The implications are far reaching and astounding. A great use of federal funds. Thank you government and science!! Congratulations!!

And now for lots of cute. First up, Bleeck’s belly. Painfully, painfully cute.

And, evidence of progress. Bleeck is successfully shrinking the allowable kitten proximity zone. For comparison, the previous allowable kitten proximity zone follows.

See? Progress. The last cute shot is of a new puppy in my neighborhood …

I’ve seen him twice now. He’s, like, movie star adorable. He’s very very tiny. I wish I had included something for scale.

I just read an interview with Michael Grunwald, the author of The New New Deal, a book about the history of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the Stimulus bill) and in it I learned about what Grunwald calls the Silent Green Revolution and this new government agency, ARPA-E. Why don’t I know about this already? From the article:

“After receiving an unprecedented surge in funding for renewable energy courtesy of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Chu set to work hiring big names from the nation’s top research laboratories, in order to staff a new agency called ARPA-E, modeled after DARPA, the R&D wing of the Pentagon. In just three years, ARPA-E has made more than 180 investments in basic research projects in renewable energy, and that’s in addition to grants issued by the Department of Energy proper, like the one that funded the Ocean Power Technologies project in Oregon …

“The argument is that everything you think you know about the stimulus is wrong. It was not a pathetic failure. It helped prevent a second depression and end a brutal recession in the short term; it was a huge down payment on Obama’s campaign promises to transform the U.S. economy for the long term. But clean energy was the real outlier, getting $90 billion when the U.S. had been spending just a few billion a year. There were unprecedented investments in wind, solar, and other renewables; energy efficiency in every imaginable form; a smarter grid; cleaner coal; advanced biofuels; electric vehicles; the factories to build all that green stuff in the U.S., and yes, clean energy research.”

A young drummer who was playing the car, the street, the sidewalk, everything he could find.

It’s been fun watching Bleeck try to get closer and closer to Finney in the exact way I am trying to get closer and closer to him. Yesterday I was miserable because Bleeck wouldn’t let me anywhere near him. He was all, put down the food and be gone. But today I’m allowed to pet him.

Finney, who couldn’t be in the same apartment with Bleeck, then room, has allowed him to get steadily closer. Actually, this is how he and Buddy used to sleep together. They never curled up, but they’d have to be on the couch or bed or floor together.

The difference is, Buddy and Finney would play and fight without hissing or any real damage. Finney still won’t let Bleeck get near enough to play. OH! But today, Bleeck went up and started eating out of Finney’s food bowl and Finney didn’t kill him. I was in shock. He just let him.

Back from the World Trade Center site. Got a few decent shots of the building I will one day marry, and one of a woman in front of the fence around St. Paul’s Chapel.

There were all sorts of people standing in front of the fence that surrounds St. Paul’s Chapel, truthers, various religious groups, etc. This woman was my favorite, although there were singers that were kinda nice. They were from that religious group, the one where the women wear the Little House on the Prairie dresses. I forget who they are. Oh hell, I’ll include a picture of them below. Someone will surely identify them.

Which would mean that I’m unable to think past names beginning with “Bu.” But that’s what I’ve been calling him so far. Bug. Poor guy. I tried to think of musical names for him, like Dolce for sweet, or Piano for quiet, which I kinda like, but his nickname would most assuredly become Pi, pronounced Pee, and that wouldn’t do.

He hid yesterday, so even though he doesn’t want me to come near him, being out in the same room with me while I took this photograph is progress.

I’ve still got him closed off in the bedroom. Finney hisses at the door, so he knows the intruder is in there. The little guy squeaked back though, so it seems he wants to go out there and check the hissing monster out.