I'm An Artist Too (78)

The ground beef is saying to the frying pan "Don't braise me, bro!"


To "braise" is a method of cooking.

No Food, No Place To Sleep

We had one of the biggest thunderstorms of the year yesterday. We lost power in the afternoon before I got home, and didn't get it back until about 8:30 that evening.

Earlier in the day, Robin decided she needed to paint her room. If the paint was still wet at bed time, she'd probably sleep in Jane's room. It's not good to sleep in a room with wet paint. The fumes aren't great for you.

As the paint was drying, Jack called home telling us we were having a guest. There's this guy who's raising money for charities by biking across Canada, from Vancouver to Halifax. He calls ahead to churches to see if there was someone in each stopping point who could take him in for a night. When he got to Ottawa, we took him in. Unfortunately, due to various communication issues, we didn't have as much advanced notice as we would have liked.

Ever since the McQueens rearranged the house, we're not as able to take in guests as we used to. The living room, which had a very nice couch for sleeping on, was turned into an art studio. The basement, which used to be mine, is now Bruce's. It has also been converted into something of a den. The basement now contains the nice sleeping couch from the former living room. But the basement isn't the greatest place to put a guest. Robin's room, with the wet paint, isn't the greatest place for anyone to sleep.

My room is in no shape to house a guest. Especially on such short notice.

So, we have this poor guy, who's been on the road for over 3 weeks, coming to stay at our house for a night. We have no place to put him to sleep. We have no power to cook dinner. Luckily, Wendy made chicken before the power went out. By the time Jack and the cyclist got home and sat down for dinner, the chicken was cold!

Ahhhh, just another day in the life with the McQueens.

I'm An Artist Too (77)

The windshield is saying to the rock that's flying at it "Don't craze me, bro!"
"Crazing" is to cause fine cracks to appear, often in ceramics, or glass, etc.

I'm An Artist Too (76)

The city is saying to the falling bomb (labelled "BOMB", btw) "Don't raze me, bro!"

I'm An Artist Too (75)

The angel is saying to the guy "Don't praise me, bro!"

My New Hobby (Part 2)

Long time blog readers will remember that I've decided to get my pilot's license. It's time for an update.

Things are coming along really well. When I first started, I was flying a Cessna 150. 150's are thought of as "tin cans with wings." On one hot and humid Saturday, the instructor and I were not able to get off the ground in the 150. It was then that I decided to switch to the Cessna 172.

My next flight went really well. We flew to Ottawa MacDonald Cartier International Airport to practise flying in a control zone, and runway switches. When we went back to Rockcliffe, we did a simulated engine failure in circuit. I managed to put the plane down on the runway.

About a week ago I got my Student Pilot Permit. Then I had my (second) First Solo earlier this week. (I have 14 hours of solo flight time logged from my days at Sault College, so this isn't a real First Solo, but it's still an accomplishment.)

Here's a picture of my First Solo landing:



Here's my checklist of things I must do before I'm finished with my goal of obtaining a PPL:

• Get a valid CAT III medical


• Register with Rockcliffe Flying Club.


• Buy study materials


• Write PSTAR (The written prerequisite for a Student Pilot Permit)


• Write the Transport Canada written exam


• Do flying exercises
  • Do Pro-solo exercises
  
  
  • Do first solo
  
  
  • Do post-solo exercises
    • Circuit exercises
    
    
    • Steep Turns, Slow Flight and Forced Approaches
    
    
    • Forced Approaches
    
    
    • Precautionary landings
    
    
    • Diversions
  
  
  • Do dual cross-country to Cornwall
  
  
  • Do solo cross-country to Cornwall
  
  
  • Do dual cross-country to Kingston
  
  
  • Do solo cross-country to Kingston
  
  
• Pre-Flight Test


• Pass Transport Canada flight test

The Dangers of Bisphenol-A (Part 2)

A while ago I wrote an article on BPA in dental sealants and composite fillings. Just a few days ago I saw a relevant article and decided to feature it on today's article.

Apparently, most tests on BPA have been done on rats, or something, but not on people. The EFSA has found that "adults and infants rapidly metabolize BPA and eliminate the substance."

When I wrote part 1 of this series I had one unanswered question. I found the question to be very hard to research. I saw my dentist yesterday, and finally got my answer.

My question was "Can dental sealants be removed?" The answer was "yes, but you might do more damage that way." She said in order to remove them she'd probably have to drill them out. The drill would likely drill away at the underlying enamel. That would make the tooth more susceptible to cavities.

My next question was "Since acid was required to etch the enamel to allow the sealant to bond to the tooth, when the sealant eventually comes out, won't my tooth have these etchings which will make it more susceptible to cavities?"

She said "Oh no, it's such a little bit of acid. When your saliva hits the etching, the minerals are replenished and the etchings disappear. Your tooth will be smooth again."

In conclusion, according to one study, BPA might not be as bad as we thought, and dental sealants can be taken out, but there's a risk of damaging enamel. If you don't want them, unless you have a real immediate need to have them removed, it is probably best to wait until they fall out on their own. This can take 5 to 10 years, or even longer. My dentist told me that they might be there for life.

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UPDATE: According to these articles BPA may be harmful to human health. People with the highest levels of BPA in their urine were more likely to have heart disease or type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest levels.