A Hand From the Mighty Pine Tree (Blog Entry #5)

 

 The piece of nature that I observed is a small piece from a pine tree. An artist may look at this object in a more descriptive way. If the branches of the tree are it's arms, then this is a hand. The hand itself looks like a small and pathetic pine tree. The wood seems petrified and jags out at many different angles. There is some green on it towards the top but it is beginning to wilt (unlike the picture above). Dingy brown is the predominant color. It's more of a claw than a hand. It feels rough and sharp yet fragile to the touch. Delicate sandpaper comes to mind. The smell is Earthy but not very distinct. I imagine it would taste like dirt (not that I know what dirt tastes like...) When dropped, it makes the sound that is heard when brushing your hand across dead leaves. Dropping it also caused it to lose some more of its green needles. The claw is about a foot in size. It may be dying and ugly, but it is delicate and beautiful in its own way.

A scientist may be more interested in where the object came from rather than how it looks. The pine is a very common yet important tree. There is about 115 different species of the pine tree. They are an evergreen type of tree and they grow from 3-80 m tall. Although they have been introduced to most of the world, they are native to the northern hemisphere. Pines can age anywhere between 100-1,000+ years. The oldest pine, the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, is actually one of the world's oldest living organisms at 4,800 years old. Pines have four types of leaves: seed, juvenile, scale, and needles. The observed object has the needle type of leaf. Pine trees are also one of the most important trees commercial wise. We use the wood for many of the things we build. The pine tree itself is a symbol for Christmas.

The pine claw was found in the middle of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth campus. Spring has sprung and the trees are beginning to show signs of life again. The brown is fading to green and the bare is starting to fill up. This is a sharp and extremely necessary contrast to the rest of the campus. Some green life is just what this boring, gray campus needs. With the weather becoming warmer, the outside world is coming back to life and is inviting us out into it. So, it is not just nature that is coming back to life. We are too.

Last of the Wilds (Blog Entry #3 - Music)

What would happen if you took the wild power of nature and converted it into sound? I believe you would get a little song called "Last of the Wilds" by the band Nightwish.

Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from the small, northern European country of Finland. They are my absolute favorite band and have been a great source of inspiration for me. Their music consists of typical hard rock/metal seamlessly fused with a grand and bombastic symphonic orchestra. Making this type of music takes a lot of hard work and talent. Tuomas Holopainen (songwriter, lyricist, and keyboard player) must write the music/lyrics not only for his band, but also for the orchestra/choir that's incorporated. The other members of the band are: Anette Olzon (vocals), Marco Hietala (bass guitar, vocals),  Emmpu Vuorinen (guitar), and Jukka Nevalainen (drums). They are the most successful band to come out of Finland more than 7 million records worldwide and awarded over 60 gold and platinum awards. Nightwish's most recent album entitled Dark Passion Play is currently the most expensive album ever made in Finland. This album contains the nature-inspired instrumental piece called "Last of the Wilds" . This song, like nature, exhibits beauty and power in equal doses.

Nightwish

"Last of the Wilds" begins with the subtle tone of the uilleann pipes. These pipes have the same characteristics of bag pipes. A thunder storm can be heard rumbling on a distant seashore. At about 9 seconds in, a violin begins to play the main melody of the song. The band jumps in with all of it's power a few seconds later, playing the same melody with the violin. Once the basic melody is completed, the pipes take the lead back and perform a verse-like section. It builds up to a point and then the band and violin join back with the catchy melody. The cycle is repeated until about halfway into the song. Here, all of the music comes to a stop and a music box-like melody plays alone with the pipes. Everything is gentle. Everything is serene. And just as things get comfortable, the rest of the instruments jump in again to play the basic melody. But this time there is a lot more variation and power which makes it more thrilling. The song ends on a gentle note with the same music box-like tune.



When I listen to this song (or Nightwish in general), I can't help but be transported to another world. I guess you could say that I'm obsessed with this band. They have so many different songs, all with there own theme or story to tell. No two songs sound the same. I invest so much of my time into music in general that without it, I have no idea where I'd be. I've also spent a lot of time and money into taking lessons and practicing for myself. So I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that music is THE most important thing in the world to me. And even with all of the different music that's out there, Nightwish has always been the only band that could tell me a story that I WANT to believe. I believe that I can become one with music just as others become one with nature.

How to Scientifically Make the Perfect Sandwich (Blog Entry #2)

Subway has the art of making a sub sandwich down to a science. And it shows. The American restaurant is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world. It is also largest restaurant chain in the world. As of February 2011, it has about 34,003 restaurants in 95 countries/territories. One may think it's just about throwing a sandwich together, but there's a lot more to it than that. Every little thing in the sandwich process has been scientifically tested. Millions of dollars put towards researching what makes "the perfect sandwiches" (I'm not kidding!). Everything from bread types to formulas to EXACT-DOWN-TO-THE-TEE amounts of everything. And since I'm what the Subway corporation calls a "Sandwich Artist", I'm right on the front lines. I know what makes the perfect sandwich. And now you will too.

Step One: The Baking Center. Probably the MOST important part of the entire sandwich making process. Without a baking center, there's no bread. And without bread, there's no sandwich. Plus, who can resist the inviting scent of warm, freshly baked bread? There are 5 varieties: Italian, 9-Grain Wheat, Italian Herb & Cheese (Parmesan Oregano in some locations) , 9-Grain Honey Oat, and Hearty Italian. After we flavor and score them by hand, they must rest in the proofer for about an hour so they can rise. Once they have risen to the precise size (we have a tool to measure) they can then be transferred into the oven for approximately 14 minutes to bake.  When they are perfectly golden brown, they must sit on the cooling rack until they are ready to use. (There is also wraps or flat-breads available) Once the customer has selected their bread of choice, it must be hinged cut at a 45 degree angle. This ensures that everything in the sandwich slides back towards the hinge instead of out towards the customer. If the customer wants the smaller 6-inch sub, the bread must then be cut in half.

Step Two: The Sandwich Type. This is where the desired meats and cheeses are placed on the selected bread type (must be placed on top half of bread). There are many to choose from, each with their own specific formula.. The formulas tell you the amount of all the meats/cheeses you must put on depending on the type of sandwich. All meats and cheeses must be places on the top half of the bread.
 Here are examples of  some sandwich formulas (cut in half for 6-inch sandwich):

Black Forest Ham: 8 slices             Turkey Breast: 6 slices
Italian BMT: 6 slices pepperoni, 6 slices salami, 4 slices ham             
Tuna: 4 level scoops                        Meatball Marinara: 8 meatballs         
Steak & Cheese: 2  4oz. portion trays  Chicken Teriyaki: 2  3.25oz. portion trays
Cheese (American, swiss, provolone): 4 slices

Sandwich formulas can not but mixed or altered. They can, however, be doubled for an additional price. Once the sandwich type has been selected, the customer has the option of toasting the sandwich. If so, it is sent open faced into Subway's Turbo Toaster Oven.

Step Three: "The Works". Additional items are added to the sandwich during this step, including veggies, condiments, and seasonings. The veggies also have their own formula and must be placed on the bottom half of the bread.
Here are examples of some veggie formulas (cut in half for 6-inch sandwich):

Lettuce: 1.5oz.                Tomato: 6 slices
Cucumber: 6 slices          Black Olives: 6 halves
Green Pepper: 6 slices    Red Onion: 1.0oz
Banana Pepper: 6 rings   Jalapeno Peppers: 6 rings

There is even a specific way to add the condiments. Some are placed over the meats (top-side)  and some are placed over the veggies (bottom side):

Top Side:                                             Bottom Side:

-Mayo (regular or lite)                           -Oil
-Mustard (yellow, deli, or honey)           -Red Wine Vinegar
-Ranch Dressing                                 -Raspberry Vinigrette
-Southwest Chipotle Sauce                  -Salt
-Sweet Onion Sauce                            -Pepper
-Buffalo Sauce                                     -Oregano
-Kechup

Unlike the meat/cheese formulas, the veggies and condiments can be altered to the customers liking free of charge. CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SANDWICH FORMULA CHART (may take a few seconds to load)

This was the last step in the sandwich making process. Although it may seem tedious, these sandwich formulas are backed with millions of dollars of research. These steps and formulas are what makes these sandwiches scientifically perfect.

Snow Tracks

Even though it is the dead of winter, the birds are still hungry. Much to my surprise, the bird feeder that my family installed outside of the kitchen window has not been lonely in this bitter winter. With those hungry birds being the predominant life source I've seen outside, I figured  I was bound to find some of their foot-prints in the snow. I put on the typical coat-hat-gloves get up and trekked into the backyard. The backyard that nobody shovels. The backyard that still has about a foot of snow on the ground. I knew I should have invested in some snow boots.


The most obvious place to look for tracks was right around the tree with the bird-feeder. These were the only tracks I could find:

These were clearly not bird foot prints. The prints are much to big and, well, look nothing like a birds foot. I started to wonder to whom these prints belong. It was obviously a small animal of some kind. But what? A raccoon? Skunk? Squirrel? Cat? While I was looking for the answer, the answer found me in the sound of a bang outside my kitchen window. Heavy winds will sometimes sway the feeder into the window sill and make a slight bang. But there weren't any heavy winds that I knew of. Instead of finding the wind or a bird, I found the snow-prints owner:

I have not once seen a squirrel on the bird feeder since it's been up. It shouldn't surprise me though. What with the feeder hanging from a tree and all. And after looking up prints online and having it on my short list of suspects, I came to my verdict that the squirrel was guilty in all counts of making the snow prints (it was also guilty of stealing the poor birds food, but that's another case for another day).

I became concerned that the weight of the squirrel in combination with the tense cold could potentially cause damage to the feeder. Taking matters into my own hands, I scared the thief away:

I'm sure the squirrel didn't meant any harm. It was only trying to survive this harsh winter just like any other animal. But, unfortunately, I hate squirrels and like birds so it will be one of my goals to make sure the squirrel goes hungry. For the sake of the birds, of course.