Cat Scratch Fever

The other day, I was playing with my friends' cat and she scratched me across the lip. As I tried to stop the bleeding, the phrase "cat scratch fever" entered my mind and I had no idea what it meant.

For an answer, I looked to my favorite disease controlling center- the, uh, Centers For Disease Control:

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a bacterial disease caused by Bartonella henselae. Most people with CSD have been bitten or scratched by a cat and developed a mild infection at the point of injury. Lymph nodes, especially those around the head, neck, and upper limbs, become swollen. Additionally, a person with CSD may experience fever, headache, fatigue, and a poor appetite. Rare complications of B. henselae infection are bacillary angiomatosis and Parinaud's oculolandular syndrome.

It's typically cured by antibiotics and is really only dangerous for people with a compromised immune system.

Hmmm. Not as exciting and/or as crazy as I thought it would be. It's no taxoplasmosis... but then again, nothing really is thankfully. :) At least it's not worth being too concerned over!

Lady Gaga's Old Job

Before Lady Gaga became a household name singing her own songs, she used to be a songwriter for other artists.

She wrote "Elevator" for the Pussycat Dolls, for instance. What fascinated me more, however, was that she wrote at least one song for Britney Spears, "Quicksand"... and she's rumored to have written for Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown, and New Kids on The Block!

I guess it just goes to show how versatile her writing abilities are!

Yes, they may both be pop stars, but with fairly different styles I'd say!

Robber? Thief? Burglar?

Did you guys know that there is a difference between a thief, a robber, and a burglar? (And that isn't the first line of a cheesy joke!) I've been using them interchangeably, and therefore mistakenly!

From Merriam-Webster:

Theft: an unlawful taking of property

Robbery: taking of property from a person by violence or threat

Burglary: the entering of a property with the intent to commit a crime

See the difference? A robber takes your wallet from you; a burglar breaks into your home; and they are both thieves if they successfully take something.

Hopefully you won't have to use any of these words in your personal life anytime, but in case you do, at least you'll be using the correct term!

How Does A Bill Become A Law?

I wouldn't say that I confidently understand exactly how our government works. I could always learn more!

With all of the buzz about the new Health Care Bill, I realized I needed a refresher course on how a bill becomes a law. Actually, the clearest description I found comes from our friends at Schoolhouse Rock!

Watch and learn. :)

And here are the lyrics:

Boy: Woof! You sure gotta climb a lot of steps to get to this Capitol Building here in Washington. But I wonder who that sad little scrap of paper is?
I'm just a bill.
Yes, I'm only a bill.
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Well, it's a long, long journey
To the capital city.
It's a long, long wait
While I'm sitting in committee,
But I know I'll be a law someday
At least I hope and pray that I will,
But today I am still just a bill.
Boy: Gee, Bill, you certainly have a lot of patience and courage.
Bill: Well I got this far. When I started, I wasn't even a bill, I was just an idea. Some folks back home decided they wanted a law passed, so they called their local Congressman and he said, "You're right, there oughta be a law." Then he sat down and wrote me out and introduced me to Congress. And I became a bill, and I'll remain a bill until they decide to make me a law.
I'm just a bill
Yes I'm only a bill,
And I got as far as Capitol Hill.
Well, now I'm stuck in committee
And I'll sit here and wait
While a few key Congressmen discuss and debate
Whether they should let me be a law.
How I hope and pray that they will,
But today I am still just a bill.
Boy: Listen to those congressmen arguing! Is all that discussion and debate about you?
Bill: Yeah, I'm one of the lucky ones. Most bills never even get this far. I hope they decide to report on me favourably, otherwise I may die.
Boy: Die?
Bill: Yeah, die in committee. Oooh, but it looks like I'm gonna live! Now I go to the House of Representatives, and they vote on me.
Boy: If they vote yes, what happens?
Bill: Then I go to the Senate and the whole thing starts all over again.
Boy: Oh no!
Bill: Oh yes!
I'm just a bill
Yes, I'm only a bill
And if they vote for me on Capitol Hill
Well, then I'm off to the White House
Where I'll wait in a line
With a lot of other bills
For the president to sign
And if he signs me, then I'll be a law.
How I hope and pray that he will,
But today I am still just a bill.
Boy: You mean even if the whole Congress says you should be a law, the president can still say no?
Bill: Yes, that's called a veto. If the President vetoes me, I have to go back to Congress and they vote on me again, and by that time you're so old...
Boy: By that time it's very unlikely that you'll become a law. It's not easy to become a law, is it?
Bill: No!
But how I hope and I pray that I will,
But today I am still just a bill.
Congressman: He signed you, Bill! Now you're a law!
Bill: Oh yes!!!

Brilliant! I guess it seems like it'll be a while before we have these major changes in America's health care system... if it changes at all!

M&M Colors

Hey friends! Sorry for my absence from the interwebs lately. I have been learning a ton; I just haven't had a ton of time! So, back to business!

Recently I was at a baby shower and won a huge jar of Peanut M&M's. As I happily stared at the colorful deliciousness, I recalled a childhood memory. My brother and I used to share bags of M&Ms, picking out one at a time to eat. The color M&M we got was important, because we'd use them to play an imaginary game of baseball! Did anyone else ever do this?

Here is what each color was symbolic of:

dark brown - strike

tan - single

yellow - double

orange - triple

green - home run

We'd each get to keep eating M&M's until we got 3 strikes, then it was the other one's turn. When we reached the end of the bag, the game would be over, and whoever had scored the most "runs" won.

All that to say: the colors are different now! Long gone is the tan (it disappeared in 1995); red has been reintroduced (they were only removed from 1976 to 1987 because of a scare with Red Dye #2); and blue was added (the public voted it in in 1995).

With six colors now, my brother and I will have to come up with another baseball action. Grand slam? Ball? Automatic 3 outs? Stolen base? Double play? Rain delay?

Does the Mars corporation know how changing colors affects us? :)

In case you would like to know more about M&M color changes through time, here's a handy chart via Wikipedia: