I seem to be

terribly incapable of washing more than a dish or two without getting soaked down my front to the skin. Tonight was worse, as a lid under the water at the wrong angle meant water in my face and on my glasses. It got everywhere. Even when I filled up the ice cube trays, I sprayed water everywhere. Plus, I have a small leak, and I tried to turn the faucet off completely in case that was it, and the whole faucet came up a tad, still attached to the pipe, but moving about. I'll call about that on Monday.

Thankfully, however, the kitchen is completely cleaned up, the dishwasher is drying dishes, the plastics and cookware are in the drainer drying, and sunflower seed bread is baking. I hope it rose okay with the dishwasher going and all my clanging about. I had just enough whole wheat flour and sunflower kernels to do the bread, and I thought it would make a nice change. Before I go to bed, I'm going to put a pound of beans to soak overnight, and then tomorrow I'll cook them with the onion and some garlic in the crock pot.

I need to head over to Facebook and wish one of my former co-workers a happy birthday. The bread has just about an hour to go, so I'll probably stay up till then, but then go on to bed soon after. Have a good night.

This sounds really great

Public-art project will put Kentucky's groundwater to music

Two stations will be at McConnell Springs in Lexington and Mammoth Cave National Park in southern Kentucky. Two other sites under consideration are a spring at Carter Caves State Park in Eastern Kentucky and one at Land Between the Lakes in Western Kentucky.

That data measures five values for groundwater: acidity, flow, temperature, conductivity (its capacity to pass electrical current) and turbidity, or clarity. Values of each measure will be assigned to Sollee's recorded cello phrases, which will be played through 20 large pipes.

"When the data hits a certain point, it will play the note, so it's a dynamic soundscape based on Kentucky groundwater," Nash said in July, during a demonstration of a prototype at the Downtown Arts Center. The demonstration used recorded groundwater data.

Fortunately I won't melt (or turn into a mermaid, depending on the story you want to draw from)

So it's a bit wet outside. A thunderstorm blew up about 3 pm and it was still raining when I got out of work at 5. Sadly, my umbrella was in the car. I'm afraid I've grown somewhat lax in terms of being prepared now that I'm no longer riding the bus. The good thing, though, is it's blown in on the window boxes, so no watering tonight anyway. From the time the rain started to now, it's gone from 90 degrees and 68% humidity to 72 degrees and 93% humidity. The drive home was not the greatest due to the rain, and there are a lot of accidents (hopefully fender-benders or less) in Lexington right now. So I'm glad to be safely in my home.

I managed to get my labs drawn this morning. I've been drinking lots of fluids, mainly water, in preparation for it, and then continued throughout the day. I've had five 20 oz. cups of water today and only two sodas. I thought that was pretty decent.

When the rain settles down, I need to take some things out to the Dumpster and Rosies (recycling containers--we name of our trash receptacles here), do those dishes from the other day, and some of that hand-wash laundry. Yes, still haven't done all that. I may watch the last two 'Doctor Who' episodes, as well, as I can't go much longer without accidentally running into spoilers, I'm sure.

Okay, I think I'll relax for just a bit (my back is bothering me a bit today) and then see if the rain lets up. I'll write later.

Do you remember

my post on Rachel Beckwith, whose desire to help others have clean water led to a birthday fundraising campaign, and whose untimely death at the age of 9 spurred me to help make her dream possible by donating a small amount of money to charity:water back in 2011? Rachel's campaign helped make 143 water projects in Ethiopia possible, giving 37,770 people access to clean water. The organisation ties donations to each project, and when it is completed, reports back to the donor, giving a disclosure of location and other information regarding the project. My $20 was put with money from others and was used to drill a well in May Aewaf village in Ethiopia, with 400 men, women, and children gaining access to clean water. It was only $20, but it did do some good, and kept alive a memory of a small girl who chose to help people over birthday presents. I'm glad to have been a part of it.

One of the things about charity:water I like is that their overhead is taken care of through private donations but the donations from the public go straight to building water projects, so 100% of your gift goes directly to help. They score four stars (the highest) on Charity Navigator overall, with a total score of 67.32 out of 70, and a 70 (the max) on accountability and transparency. If you're looking to give, they're a very good cause.

Here is a news story that ran shortly after her death in July of 2011:

After girl's death, selfless act lives on

For her 9th birthday last month, Rachel Beckwith told people that instead of giving her presents, they should donate to a charity providing clean water to families in developing nations.

The Seattle-area girl came up with $220, short of her $300 goal. She figured she’d try to raise more money next year.

Then came the crash.

Rachel died Saturday, taken off life support at a Seattle hospital three days after she and six other people were injured in a 14-vehicle pileup on Interstate 90 near her home in Bellevue, Washington, CNN affiliate KOMO reported.

There's a page at charity:water that shows the impact of Rachel's gift. One child. One life. Lots of inspiration, and lots of people inspired. It's amazing how one person can impact many lives, for good or for bad. Rachel chose to help others. I wish she had been able to grow up, with such a kind heart and great potential.

Got home before the rain hit, yay

Although I'll point out it's raining and sunny. :) It's been a pretty decent day, although I was a little groggy when I woke up this morning. Too much 70s music too late, I guess. But the birds sang outside my window at work, which was pleasant, and I took a new miniature rose bush I got over the weekend into work and put it near my computer opposite of the oxalis, commonly but incorrectly called a shamrock. And it was nice to see a variety of visitors from all sorts of different faiths and cultures in the dining room, lobby, and recreation today.

In the cafeteria I was pleased to see a vegetarian taco 'meat'. I had a taco for the first time in years. I never think to get the 'ground meat' soy products and do it at home, so if I eat at Taco Bell or someplace like that, I get burritos with beans on them, not tacos. I forgot how messy they were to eat, but didn't get anything on me, at least not until dinner, when some salad dressing made it to my shirt. I would love to be a dainty eater, but I just don't think I have the coordination for it. :)

My co-worker Jill was very pleased with me because I only had one Diet Coke 20 oz. bottle, whereas I drank 64 oz. of water. I usually have at least three of the sodas a day, and a 2 litre or more on Sundays during the game. Instead, one of the first things I did when I came home was fix some ice water, so that's another 8 oz. glass. :)

I returned some books to the library this morning before getting on the bus. I thought about going by this evening, but I have a few books out that I still need to read, so I figured I'd turn my attention to them rather than get more.

Tonight's goal is to stay up to a normal bedtime rather than going to bed for a 'nap' that turns out to be all night. Wish me luck. I have a few things to do in the kitchen and the trash to go out, as the exterminator will be here in the morning and I like to have it look nice in there. I have the DVD Corinna, Corinna out, and that might be fun. There's also maybe a computer game, the game notes, or another project I need to work on to do, so there's plenty to keep me occupied. Oh, and I want to make that salad for work. But first I think I'll get caught up on the news and read for a bit, after getting some more water.

The next step

I'm not trying to push this on you, but I really have rather been taken with the idea that together, we can make sure everyone has one of life's absolute basic necessities, clean water. Now charity:water is turning five in September, so they've decided to try to raise enough money for equipment needed to drill more wells. Here's the appeal:

The 2011 September Campaign. Our 5-year-anniversary video from charity: water on Vimeo.

Over a million dollars

That's what Rachel Beckwith's campaign for charity:water has raised. This was the story on NBC's Today show:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

To donate yourself, or just see the tally, go to Rachel's charity:water campaign page. The campaign has 45 more days to go.

Remember Rachel Beckwith, the little girl who wanted to raise money to give others access to clean water?

She was the subject of a New York Times op-ed piece:

Rachel’s Last Fund-Raiser

When it was clear that Rachel would never regain consciousness, the family decided to remove life support. Her parents donated her hair a final time to Locks of Love, and her organs to other children. Word spread about Rachel’s last fund-raiser.

Contributions poured in, often in $9 increments, although one 5-year-old girl sent in the savings in her piggy bank of $2.27. The total donations soon topped $100,000, then $300,000. Like others, I was moved and donated. As I write this, more than $850,000 has been raised from all over the world, including donations from Africans awed by a little American girl who cared about their continent.

Rest in peace, Rachel. I hope somewhere you know how much you inspired people to care about the plight of their fellow humans.

Interesting

What's that on Mars? It just might be liquid saltwater: Researchers make case to explain mysterious clusters of dark, narrow lines

Saltwater could be running down some slopes of Mars every spring, researchers suggest.

Such a finding would suggest new directions to search for any life that still existed on the Red Planet.

Clusters of dark, narrow lines that periodically emerge and lengthen on slopes in the warmer regions suggest briny water on Mars might still be flowing in a few rare places on the planet's surface.

Tweeted about this yesterday but forgot to post here

9-year-old girl’s clean water wish takes off after her death: Moved by Rachel Beckwith’s story, donors from across the world open their wallets to charity

Rachel Beckwith wanted to raise $300 by her ninth birthday to help bring clean water to people in poor countries. Donors from across the world are making sure her wish is realized after her death, perhaps a thousand times over.

Rachel was about $80 short of her goal when she turned 9 in June, and then a horrific highway traffic accident took her life away last week. But news of the Bellevue, Wash., girl’s pluck and selflessness emerged after the tragedy, and it is inspiring thousands of people — most of them strangers — to push her dream along.

By Tuesday afternoon, her webpage that was set up to take contributions for charity:water, a nonprofit organization that brings clean drinking water to people in developing nations, had attracted more than $200,000 in pledges.

Here is a video from charity:water:

Water Changes Everything. from charity: water on Vimeo.

Rachel's page shows that although her goal was $300, she has now raised $711,825, serving 35,591 people's water needs in places like sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America.

One life. One death. 20,367 people coming together to make Rachel's dream come true. And yes, one of those was me. $20 is apparently the amount that it takes to provide water for one person. It seemed a good number, and about what I'd spend on a book or a meal at a restaurant. So sometime in the next few months, a lot of wells are going to be dug in Rachel's name.

Whenever, as in the previous story, I really wonder about the depravities of humanity, a child's innocent wish, and the people who make it happen, inspires me.

Today after I got off the bus

I heard the gentle babble of water falling and looked over at the small creek/ditch across from the hospital in front of the golf course that often has no water in it or little at all. But we've had a lot of rain lately and the water was navigating through areas choked by leaves. So I snapped this photo. I find water very relaxing (well, obviously not torrents of it, but deep pools or babbling brooks are nice, and the ocean is wonderful as well, with its tides).

Here's a soothing water video with harp music I found on YouTube you might enjoy:

A nice effect

Brandon shared this on his Facebook page:



Kind of mesmerising, hmmm?

While I appreciate the fact my tub faucet is no longer leaking

It would have been nice if the maintenance man had:

1) Closed the hot water tank closet,
2) Turned off the kitchen light,
and (here's the kicker)
3) Not left water all over my bathroom floor, especially as a mop was out and right next to the tub.

Fortunately I caught myself as my legs started to go in two different directions, so no real harm done. But still, grr.

Really troubling

YKWIA told me about this:

AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water

There's growing concern in the scientific community, meanwhile, that certain drugs — or combinations of drugs — may harm humans over decades because water, unlike most specific foods, is consumed in sizable amounts every day.

Our bodies may shrug off a relatively big one-time dose, yet suffer from a smaller amount delivered continuously over a half century, perhaps subtly stirring allergies or nerve damage. Pregnant women, the elderly and the very ill might be more sensitive.

Many concerns about chronic low-level exposure focus on certain drug classes: chemotherapy that can act as a powerful poison; hormones that can hamper reproduction or development; medicines for depression and epilepsy that can damage the brain or change behavior; antibiotics that can allow human germs to mutate into more dangerous forms; pain relievers and blood-pressure diuretics.

Some research shows that the chlorine in treated water could increase toxicity. Fish, earthworms, and other 'simpler' animals are showing signs of contamination. What are they doing to us and to our environment?

I forgot to mention

I went to Dr Nesbitt the other day and got basically a clean bill of health; the diabetes is much better (okay, so I'm on three meds/two pills to do that). They checked cholesterol, thyroid, CBC, A1C, etc., too. I don't have to go back for six months. He did refer me to a dermatologist for an appointment in early October. I was concerned about a mole that's popped up over the last few months and is changing colours. It's on my upper chest, an area that got sunburnt a lot when I was a kid. Did we even have sunblock back then, or was it just tanning oil? I do not remember ever having sunblock on as a child. The mole's not really big, but I don't want to ignore possible skin cancer. I've known two people who have had skin cancers removed when they were much younger than I.

The truck came tonight at work (due to the holiday; I forgot about that yesterday) and there were a lot of issues that came up so I left pretty frazzled and a half-hour late. Tomorrow I work from 11 am-8 pm. At some point I have to remember to go by the pharmacy and pick up my Janumet. I'm really starting to like one of my co-workers. He's easy-going and competent, two plusses when working with someone.

I guess that's all for now. I need to go to bed; I need to be up by 9 am to run an errand for someone before work. I just thought I'd blog whilst drinking some delicious Highbridge Spring water. Good night.

The drought worsens, and with it...

Water limits mandatory; some businesses exempted