CHUNK light

The importance of not overcooking your boiled eggs

2009-08-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Lots of great new posts to come, but first I thought I'd write about the incredible, edible egg so let's "get cracking":value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0aibICFHYpY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f">A. Theme songs have been catchy for a long, long time. But then, I've also watched this like 20 times in a row trying to figure out what the heck the kids in the first scene are eating - I'm

Summer bliss

2009-08-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

I love Jamba Juice. Actually, I love most kinds of all-fruit smoothies. A creature of habit, I usually get the 16-ounce Mega Mango or just make my own (see below).So what could be better than a buy-one-get-one-free offer during the peak of summer? Go to SummerBlissIsBack.com and print. But hurry, offer only good thru August 9!My DIY Kick-A$$ Smoothie4-6 frozen strawberries1/2 cup frozen mango

Are you there, God? It's me, [name]

2009-07-29T05:05:00.000-07:00

I was checking my blog stats over the past month, and whoa! My visits and page views are increasing though still meager. But the overall trend is increasing!Since none of you leave comments, I'm curious - are you lurkers or do I know you? I'm pretty confident most of you must be acquaintances, friends or family since I really haven't done any blog promotion of any kind.So, I hope you'll indulge

More on the U.S. rate of C-sections

2009-07-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

Now I'm just fired up.Based on the complexity of childbirth and cesarean sections in this country and my hesitation to throw the kitchen sink in the previous post, here is some additional information on C-sections in the United States that may be helpful for first-time moms or others considering/anticipating additional children.First, I freely admit my bias, as previously stated, that pregnancy

WOW. Refusal to have C-section = child abuse and neglect?!

2009-07-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Women take note! Especially those of you of child-bearing age.I cannot believe this report, but it's true. Sort of. On the surface, a New Jersey woman's newborn child was removed from her custody because she refused a C-section and "behaved erratically" while in labor.Show me a woman who is not erratic while in the throes of labor. Seriously, the baby was born vaginally and was fine, yet still

2009-07-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

The news about Sarah Palin is like the Energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going...News media outlets such as CNN are covering a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll on Americans' attitudes about Palin and her perhaps future presidential bid. The relevant bit here:Fifty-three percent of those questioned in the poll view Palin negatively, with four in 10 holding a positive view of her. The

The power of wonder

2009-07-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Oh where, oh where has this gone?There's an interesting piece today in the LA Times ("The final American frontier" by Ted Anthony of the AP), exploring our waning wonder for space exploration. It's not really remarkable anymore when the space shuttle launches and images of astronauts space walking and doing other astronauty things are no longer broadcast live (or even at all). But it ought to and

Some middle of the week space shenanigans

2009-07-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

Wednesday is "hump" day, and I'm finding it particularly difficult this week. So in case you're likewise in need of a little R&R, here's a space stroll down memory lane...A. Space Ghost, Jace, Jan and Blip rocked! I think I may have had a child crush on Space Ghost.B. Do you remember the three-part series when the cast of Star Wars joined the Pigs in Space crew (double space points!)?C. The best

Space baubles

2009-07-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

Because you know I can't let another week go by without some chunkiness...I am liking Stephanie Carbone's designs "inspired by sky and sea" over at SpaceMermaid. Not sure I've been completely converted from my disdain of brass-plated jewelry, but at these prices I can afford to give it a try. I mean, have you seen the sea horses - how cute are those?!A. This design is sold out. Damn!B. Bubble

A plug for The Intersection of science and policy (via communication)

2009-07-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Lots to show and tell about space this week, this is only the beginning.A blog I read pretty regularly is Chris Mooney's and Sheril Kirshenbaum's The Intersection. I had to re-post this video - it is a freakin' AWESOME marriage of pop culture/entertainment and science! "The LHC is super duper fly."For the rest of Mooney's post, which details a radio interview you may have heard on NPR's Living

Space week

2009-07-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

A. Earthrise 1968 by William Anders/NASA (Video of the Earth rising and setting was captured in HD by the Japanese space agency and released last year. You can view it and other images, as well as geek out on how they caught the events on camera, here.)I can't help but be curious, awestruck and inspired when I look up into a clear night sky. Unfortunately, I find I must go further and further now

Gentle giant

2009-07-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

They come to gaze in wonder, perhaps, at the sight of a giant seldom seen. One mystery of the deep partially revealed. I like the fact that this video of a dying basking shark is silent, strangely so for a news organization. Far from killers, basking sharks are one of three species of filter-feeding shark that strain tiny animals from the water and are found in coastal waters throughout the

Toe candy

2009-06-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a bonus chunky post for the week.I've been looking at toe rings recently, with summertime officially here. Maybe it's because other people's feet weird me out - just a little - but can I just say that there are some seriously heinous feet out there. Acryllic nails, never a good idea on toes.A. Toe ring made with glass seed beads and Swarovski crystals in many colors, $9 at Darla's Parlor

Not your mother's mellow yellow

2009-06-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

Yellow. It's a pretty happy color but also one that can be easily overdone. I think that yellow can be elegant and enduring (see exhibits A-F below) despite its current hotness. This is the post I wanted to give you last week.From the flowers outside my office window to the glossy fashion mags, I'm seeing various shades of yellow everywhere these days. Back in December 2008, Pantone named "mimosa

Does this fragrance make me look fat?

2009-06-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Of all the five senses — sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell — the latter is the one that has always held the most intrigue for me. Actually, let's be honest, I am captivated by smell and our ability (or inability comparatively speaking) to detect a scent and apply meaning to it whether consciously or subconsciously. We have a lot to be thankful for the role our sense of smell plays in our

Royal Ascot 2009 update

2009-06-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

In my humble non-hat-wearing opinion, this year's best (i.e., most chunk light) hat goes to Jordan's HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, seen here. I have searched without much success for a photo of the princess's entire ensemble, but judging by the hat it appears very simple yet sophisticated.More hat images from the event at the link above; other outlandishly funny ones at Zimbio and a

I wanted to give you yellow, but instead it's Barbie

2009-06-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

This is going to turn out to be a Barbie-inspired post, but that was not my original intent because Royal Ascot, which opened yesterday, was and is the inspiration today.I might have skipped over Ascot altogether and instead given you this news from the Barbie Fashion Show 2009, in part because the Christian Louboutin hot pink shoes go so well with the lips in this month's grab bag. Except that I

Magnesium rocks

2009-06-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

** Note: I am not a doctor or medical expert. You should always check with your doctor before trying any treatment.**"Menstrual migraine is generally severe, lasts longer, recurs more frequently, results in greater disability and is more resistant to therapy than nonmenstrual migraine." -SD Silberstein and J Goldberg in Journal of Reproductive Medicine 2007 Oct; 52(10):888-95.If this is you, read

Grab bag: Lip gloss

2009-06-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

This one is for all my girlfriends and special peeps...Summer is almost officially here, and that means lipgloss! My google search for "lip gloss" returned the following music video from up and coming young aritst, Lil Mama (embedding is disabled, so click through and you won't be disappointed).Whatcha know 'bout me? My lip gloss is poppin'. Amen! A round-up of my particular favorites is in the

Sharing the love

2009-06-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

I [heart] my iPhone. This week, Apple released its spiffiest version, the 3Gs. So instead of posting some totally chunky shoes, I thought I would mark the occasion by sharing the next best thing, if that is indeed at all possible. Chunky App List (or, Get Thee to the Apple Store!)iBags - Brand spanking new to the iStore, 20,000+ handbags, clutches, hobos

Diatomaceous update

2009-06-02T16:54:00.001-07:00

Speaking of diatoms, a colleague just forwarded this to me - what a totally chunky bit of reporting!Through the eye of a needle, a world writ small. In this award-winning image, wildlife photgrapher Peter Parks depicts a single drop of seawater collected at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and magnified 20 times to reveal its living contents. Go check the rest of it out for yourself at the San

Diatoms are cool and hot, trust me on this

2009-06-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Has this ever happened to you, when you know what you are talking about but unfortunately [dumb ass!] cannot articulate at the time? It happened to me yesterday in a staff meeting, no less. As I lay in bed drifting off to sleep last night, the relevant info - dimethyl sulfide, of course! - that had been locked away in storage in the nether regions of my brain hit me like a bolt of lightening.My

Tastes like green

2009-05-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

My older son, let's call him Big CL and my younger one Little CL, will be starting kindergarten this year (I can't believe it!). So in trying to maintain his sense of excitement while downplaying any associated anxiety, I've been looking for lunchboxes. I thought that: A) These were not still in existence, and B) All kids now buy their lunches. Wow was I wrong.A. I definitely had a real lunchbox

Updated look

2009-05-21T12:27:00.001-07:00

Hope you like it, and thanks for being patient as I get my house in order. And here's a little eye candy, just so you don't think I'm neglecting the appeal to your visual sense. Check out the sexy bikes (who knew?) over at Inhabitat.com, one of my new favorite sites.And for those with little chunksters, don't miss the sister site, Inhabitattots. Screw the tots, I want some crayon rings for myself!

Putting the "I" in inane

2009-05-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

I love it when obviously childless women criticize other women for *gasp* being a mother and, in the process, prove that it's not the man keeping us down, but other women. NYU professor Katie Roiphe has this to say about women who post their kids as their Facebook profile pictures ("Get your kid off your Facebook page," May 13) over at DoubleX:If Betty Friedan were to review the Facebook habits

My favorite berry

2009-05-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ah, the avocado! A ngiospermV elvetO riginal sin (check out its etymology)C reamy comfortA mazingD eliciousO ne a dayNeedless to say, avocados don't last long in my house. Good thing that high avocado intake has been shown to decrease total serum cholesterol levels and LDL (the bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL (good cholesterol).Avocados are a good source of: potassium (more than a banana),

Don't have a cow, it's just a burger

2009-05-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

One of the lessons I learned from my late father's example is to give as good as you get. I have always respected Dan Rather as a newsman. His appearance this week on The Daily Show has elevated that respect. After all, it's not important if you can't poke a little fun, especially if you're one of the elders of tv journalism satirizing on the current state of journalism and editorial decisions of

Grab Bag: Condiments

2009-05-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed this over in the side bar. I started with canned tuna in homage to the name of this blog - though it bears repeating that I am not really much a fan of canned fish.So this week's bag is chock full 'o my favorite condiments, perfect for spicing up almost anything you can think of. About the only thing I don't spritz on the sauce is yogurt, dairy + hot sauce = eww. Besides,

Wii the people

2009-05-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

According to a New York Times piece in a recent health section:In the moments after I felt the pop in my left shoulder, the sensation I felt was not pain. It was panic. How exactly does a 40-year-old man explain to his wife that he might have torn his rotator cuff during a midnight game of Wii tennis?Indeed!On another note, I'm not sure what it says about our culture or society when the top 3

I am loving this handbag!

2009-04-24T15:34:00.001-07:00

If I had $1,500 in disposable income right now, this is what I'd have snapped up. The epitome of "chunk light" if I ever saw it.A. Riley bag by Jimmy Choo, $1,499.99 at Overstock. Right now.What an awesome summer bag! I love the color "camel" - it looks smashing with black, white and denim. (I have a lot of skirts and pants this color. OMG! I just *gasp* realized that I do not have any shoes this

8 is enough... for now

2009-04-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

This past week, just in time for Earth Day, we learned Angelina is NOT pregnant. Whew! That is a relief on so many different fronts. I mean that, and I don't normally follow celeb gossip pages (except when I'm in the check-out line).It's good news from the perspective of Earth's carrying capacity - the existing 9 billion+ people already contribute to/exacerbate many of our planet's environmental

O, holy month redux

2009-04-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

It seems every month is a national something-or-other. I recently posted this on my kids' blog, but since that is private I'm re-posting here in its entirety, with a few minor tweaks. I know, perhaps that lacks imagination, but here it is nonetheless:April is National Grilled Cheese month! How is it possible I've not heard of this in all my thirty-something years? This has got me thinking that I

Tall, dark and smelly

2009-04-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

From ScienceDaily (Apr. 7, 2009):It may be wise to trust the female nose when it comes to body odor. According to new research from the Monell Center, it is more difficult to mask underarm odor when women are doing the smelling.The female nose, it always knows! The article continues:"It is quite difficult to block a woman's awareness of body odor. In contrast, it seems rather easy to do so in men

Vacillating on vaccinations

2009-04-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

I want to be serious for a moment. I will try not to get overly science-y or too serious, but I've been thinking a lot about the topic of autism and vaccinations recently, especially given April is National Autism Awareness Month. On the subject of vaccinations, many parents increasingly deciding not to vaccinate, and the possible links to autism from vaccinations, Heather Armstrong over at dooce

About 'Chunk Light'

2009-04-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

No, I'm really not an avid consumer of canned tuna, as one might otherwise surmise from the title of this blog. In fact, I actually do not like it very much at all, but more on that another time. I only mention this fact now in order to emphasize that this is most definitely not a blog devoted to tuna or any other fish, though some of my posts might be fishy (*wink), as the nature of my work in a