[Things I love] The Sigma Aldrich catalog

Despite not being in charge of a lab for 3 years now, and therefore not having placed an order with them, I am still on Sigma Aldrich's mailing list. This is, I think, a good place to be. Every year I eagerly await the Aldrich Chemistry Catalog, which features their annual artistic selection. More recently, the cover has been printed on canvas-texture stock. I adore that this catalog selling all varieties of noxious chemicals and potions gives an artistic nod to the crazies who started it all. The past three catalog covers have been paintings of alchemists. I don't know further back than that. The alchemist discovering phosphorous was repeated on several covers.

Above is "The Alchemist" by Newell Convers Wyeth, which was featured on the 2009-2010 cover.

Yes, I decorate my cube with them and am heavily considering classing up my cut-outs with some matting.

[Things I Love] The Minnesota State Fair

It's that time of year again, as everybody is fond of saying at every time of the year regarding something or other. But this time, it really is that time of year. It's time to rejoice with a million of my fellow Minnesotans and worship at the altar of cheese curds and a really big pig. There should be a song about fried cheese curds. There probably is, so let me be more specific... there should be a good song about fried cheese curds. If there were I would be singing it right now. To my cat. Tauntingly.

I dearly love the MN State Fair while also dearly hating certain parts of it. The good typically wins out over the bad. I love the feeling of camaraderie with my fellow people that the fair engenders... but do they have to be so everywhere?! Tip: find a booth that sells raw vegetables. Guaranteed to be the quietest place at the fair. Tip #2: I found one of these last year, and I'm not telling you where it is.

Things I love about the fair, an unordered list:

• The livestock. Yes, the poultry barn smells awful, but that is the smell of food on your plate! Rejoice in it. Also, cows are very sweet animals.
• Cheesecurds. Sure, they have been relieved of their squeak, but they have been blessed with meltiness and batter instead.
• The malts in the dairy building. Yum. I never waver from my vanilla. It is the best malt I have ever had, because it is made of memories. Here is the point where I should mention that dairy makes me sick. But I don't care. I fair on!
• The tractors. I actually think there might not be any tractors anymore. This makes me sad, but I still walk over to what is [I believe] still called Machinery Hill each year. I think the combines are now Priuses.
• The free pine tree seedlings at the DNR booth. Because of them, I kill a tree every year. I'm sorry. I really am. May I have another?
• The agriculture building, especially the honey section as long as there are no escape bees.
• The butter carvings. Carvings of people! Out of butter! How can that possibly be not awesome? Plus, the carvees never need to worry about having dry dinner rolls for the rest of their lives. Now that's a particular brand of nice that you just don't see too often.
• Random percussion bands. There have been grills and trash cans in the past. I adore any percussing of the musical variety. :^)
  
• Sometimes foods: mini donuts and Sweet Martha's cookies are items that I do love but must be cut from the food plan when not traveling with food sharing partners.
• Going home and taking a very long shower.

[Things I love] Em Dashes

I don't understand why anybody ever uses en dashes. Em dashes are clearly twice as good. An en dash says "I kind of sort of have an aside, but I don't really know." An em dash, on the other hand, is bold and confident. An em dash says "I have an aside, and I am committing to it!" It will still be a part of the sentence, but will be all "whoa! An aside!"

[Things I Love] Trains

I must be one of the few people who isn't annoyed by having to wait at a railroad crossing. I love watching trains. I love looking at the graffiti on trains and wondering where the cars were when they were decorated as such. They're such a majestic form of transport (there's that word again). The train above is from the original Amtrak "Empire Builder" line, the name of which explains a lot about my love and deep respect for trains. (It's at the Jackson Street Roundhouse Museum, if you'd like to touch it yourself. :^)

We have yet to actually replace them, which impresses me, considering the shear number of transportation options available these days. If you have the time, there is no better way to see the country than via train. It feels like stepping back into an era where traveling was special.

[Things I love] The Smell of Morning

Now, don't get me wrong, I won't be up at 4 AM if I have any choice in the matter, but if I have to be up, amid all the grumbling and crankiness, I'm secretly going to be enjoying it. Or maybe not so secretly-- the sniffing at the air with my eyes closed tends to be a bit of a give away.

It starts around 3 AM and lasts until a bit after 5 AM. It smells dewy, fresh, placid, and full of promise. Maybe it's the frolicking bunnies that do it; I don't know. It was my favorite part about delivering papers the summer after high school, which is when I first fell in love with the smell of the wee hours of the morning. Of course, it didn't have much competition.