The 9th Wave

The 9th Wave

Originally uploaded by jjzach

We took a voyage on the 9th Wave out of Newburyport, MA recently. It was great to get out on the ocean during a heat wave. The boat has daily sails from June through September and totally beats the traditional whale watch choice. You can order a drink and relax in the nets at the front of the Catamaran. Speaking of drinks, I was happy to hear that they only use biodegradable plastic corn cups for their bar.

Warning: If you roll around on the net don’t leave any valuables in your pocket. A few years ago I was lounging on the net and watched $10 float out of my pocket and sink in the Atlantic.

Here are some more pics from our outing.

Flea Market Find

Flea Market Find

Originally uploaded by jjzach

At our yearly trek to the wonderful Todd Farm we found an Incredible Hulk fist that makes smashing noises when you punch things. This great flea market find will make a great accessory for Jay’s cubicle. On that note, Think Geek has a whole category devoted to Cubicle Goodies and they even have The Cubes – Cubicle Playsets. Finally the humdrum of cubicle life has been captured in a toy for adults! Just think of the fun you could recreate near the water cooler with the delivery man, the corporate zombies and the sensitivity trainer.

Movie Night

Movie Night
Originally uploaded by jjzach

We had a movie night outside with the neighbors recently complete with a large tv, kettle corn, lawn chairs, bug spray and Austin Powers.

Here are some sites devoted to the art of throwing an outdoor movie night party:

Backyard Theater

FunFlicks Outdoor Inflatable Movies Screens

An Outdoor Movie Night Party

How To Recycle Plastic Bags

I don’t actually remember to bring my reusable bags into the store all the time and my curbside recycling doesn’t accept plastic bags. Many sources have told me that your local supermarket will accept and recycle bags made of type 2 and type 4 plastic. Today I finally remembered to take a bunch of plastic bags to my local Stop and Shop and found a handy bin in the area where you recycle bottles. The website eHow had a bunch of tips for recycling plastic bags.  Also,  PlasticBagRecycling.org has a list of drop-off centers and  Earth 911 lets you search by zip code (which also allows you to search for other recycle items).  There are also trash cans at the Container Store and OXO that allow you to reuse plastic bags, but the downside is that the plastic bag does not get recycled.

Women in Science

Found a nice website to compliment a Women in Science unit that we do with 4th graders. Iwaswondering.org is from the National Academy of Sciences and is designed to spark girls’ interest in Science. The site includes information about cool scientists, a women scientist timeline and some fun games. I also noticed that there is a series of 10 books called the Women’s Adventures in Science Series that are linked to the scientists on the website.

We have been using a CD called Telling Our Stories: Women in Science which hasn’t been updated since 1997. They are currently looking for funding to put the project online at a site called Content Clips. This program links in perfectly with our program so I am crossing my fingers that they will get funding to transfer the content.

Window Box Recipe

2 Pink Geraniums
2 White Geraniums
2 Dusty Millers
1 Purple Verbena
= a pretty combo that doesn’t need to be watered 5 times a day. I’m especially happy with the Carpet Blue Verbena in the center. It has grown quite long and has some pretty purple flowers.