One Day at a Time (30 November 2015)

Things that made me click:

• Cruz (rightly) claims that having an American mother makes him an American citizen, regardless of where he was born.  Wait, where was he on this with President Obama?
• Unfortunately, food bags are not delivered to my area
• Surprise, there is a link between shootings and psychotropic drugs.  What this article fails to discuss is that drugs aren't enough and that some therapy addressing thoughts and feelings would have helped these kids.
• While this article says that society itself is sick.
• Whereas here in New Zealand, the males get dropped off at parks, in driveways, at dumps.  But there is no chick-smashing that I am aware of.
• Go white blood cell!
• My favorite is the story about Sid the cephalopod.
• Ready for news from way back in time, and of course exoplanet atmospheres
• Brookings Institute study reveals no surprises -- most IS supporters come from Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iraq
• New findings on the fight to cure diabetes

What I'm reading: Blackout, by Connie Willis 

Film watched with DH:  Homeland

Weekly garden shot:

Things I got done:

1. Transport #4 (x2)
2. Hand-watering (28L)
3. Emailed Sir re scheduling #4's academic interview
4. Weeded and dead-headed in south greenhouse bed
5. Dishes (x1)
6. Paid bills
7. Cleaned kitchen counters
8. Called #3
9. Weeded behind wood pile

How other people helped:

1. Dinner (shared with DH & #2)
2. SIL put up the mail box 

One Day at a Time (29 November 2015)

Things that made me click:

• Home-made throat lozenges
• More than half a million homeless in the US, including 125,000+ children: where it's worst
• Right-wing domestic terrorism strikes again in the US
• Five police officers wounded in above attack, but white right-wing terrorist taken alive
• Establishment Republicans probably cheering as Trump drops 12 points in Reuters poll
• Childhood photos of dictators and mass murderers
• McClatchy-Marist poll shows Trump and Carson tied for a total of 40% between them, Rubio in third with 12% while Cruz at 8% hopes for one of the crazy candidates to exit the race, because where else is crazy going to turn?
• Young professionals try microdoses of LSD as alternative for Adderol -- "It's crazy awesome"
• Basic considerations for scientific research (Vox flashcards)
• Conflicting findings (King's College London versus University of Colorado/Boulder and University of Louisville) in studies looking for correlation between cannabis use and brain abnormalities

What I'm reading: Blackout, by Connie Willis 

Film watched with DH:  Jessica Jones x3

Things I got done:

1. Dishes (x2)
2. Cleaned kitchen counter
3. Swept kitchen floor
4. Moved cows between paddocks
5. Repaired downed electric fence near main gate
6. Removed dead grass from electric fence near future garden
7. Cut down 20% of growth under jacaranda; moved to compost area
8. Transport #4 (x1)
9. Replanted vines in compost bin, arbor over woodpile
10. Transplanted ornamental x1
11. Hand watering (14L)

How other people helped:

1. Transport #4 (DH x1)
2. Dishes (#2 x2)
3. Picked up takeaway for dinner (#2)

What Happened to November 2015?

From November to February is always a busy and disruptive time:  

• #3's birthday
• Exams
• Long school holiday
• Christmas
• New Year's
• Back to school

This year we add to that:

• #3's 21st birthday party, including a trip to Auckland
• Transporting #4 to and from work twice a day
• #2 and family moving in and here for at least 2 months