Gloves

I have a pair of red fleece gloves that my mom got me for Christmas last year or the year before. I like them well enough. They fit in my coat pockets and keep my hands relatively warm. They keep my fingers from freezing off in the winter before the heater has a chance to warm up the steering wheel in the car. My fingers come comfortably to the end of the fingers of the gloves, except for the ring fingers. There is about a quarter of an inch of extra space at the ends of the ring fingers. I realized today that this is because the ring fingers on the gloves are the same length as the middle fingers. This seems strange to me. I realize that different people's hands and fingers are different sizes, but I've yet to meet anyone whose ring finger is the same length as their middle finger. My ring fingers are certainly shorter. And my pinkies are shorter still. The index finger on the glove is shorter than the middle finger. My ring fingers are about the same length as my index fingers. I should think it would make more sense to do the same to the fingers of the glove. Again, I realize different people's hands are different than mine, but I think that generally speaking my hands are fairly normal in terms of ratios. Some people's fingers are longer than mine, but generally their fingers have similar length ratios as mine. I've noticed that the finger whose lengths are most variable is the pinky. Is it just me? Does anyone know anyone whose ring finger is the same length as their middle finger?

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has never really been a big deal with Michael and me. This is not to say it goes totally unmarked, it's just usually something small: a card, some candy, maybe go out for dessert or something, nothing extravagant. This year was a bit different. We actually celebrated a day late because Michael is on an email list for the Coeur d'Alene Resort and got an email about $150 lakeview rooms for Valentine's Day weekend. We stayed there Sunday night (since Monday was President's Day it worked out nicely) and actually got to stay in one of the Honeymoon Suites. The rooms are very nice and it was a wonderfully relaxing stay. We were on the ninth floor in a corner room, so we had a great view of the lake. Here are some pictures!

Bread

I made bread yesterday for the first time ever. It was really easy and I enjoyed it. I think I'll have to do it more often. It turned out pretty well, but I think the next loaf will be better. I forgot to put the salt in it until after I'd started kneading it, so I just kneaded the salt in. It worked okay, but it's a little more bland than normal. Next time, I'll have to do it when I put the other ingredients in. But, here is a picture of my first loaf of bread ever.

iPhone

I have to admit that I think the iPhone is the greatest invention of the 21st century so far. This is not to say something else won't come along and trump it...we're still in the first decade after all. Also, I know there are other comparable smart phones on the market and that other people think that those are wonderful and possibly the greatest invention of the 21st century. While I acknowledge that those devices could be wonderful (having never used one, I can't give a definite opinion), let me just say that the iPhone came out first. I'll take it as a given that we all acknowledge that the new generation of smart phones far outstrips the old smart phones...

Anyway, here is why I think the iPhone is so wonderful:

• I can send and receive phone calls on it
• It has visual voicemail, so I can pick which voicemails to listen to from the display, rather than having to listen to them all to get to the one I actually want
• I can send and receive text messages and it saves them in a conversation format, which is handy
• I can check all of my email addresses with the touch of one button
• I can use the internet whenever I want
• I can download games (many of them free) to keep me from getting bored while waiting in line, waiting for people, or during other times where just sitting is necessary
• I can put notes to myself in it so I remember important things

• The calendar functionality is easy to use and helps me keep track of my ever changing schedule

and last but not least

• It's an ipod

This feature is one of the most useful in the pursuit of my master's degree. For my music history classes at mid-terms we have a listening test on the music that we've studied thus far. This fun little version of "Name That Tune" took place yesterday. So, for the last several days the soundtrack of my life has consisted of:

• Movements 1 and 5 of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique
• The first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
• The fourth movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (yes, this is the famous one with the chorus and the "Ode to Joy" which is way better in Beethoven's original form than in the watered down version we sometimes sing in church that we call "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee." If you've never listened to it, I highly recommend it.)
• The Credo from the Missa solemnis also by Beethoven
• Beethoven's entire Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor (which is also really cool)
• The first movement of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony
• Mendelssohn's Overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
  
• The third movement of Dvorák's (pronounce de-VOR-zhack, it's Czech and should have an upside down ^ over the r) Symphony No. 6
• The first movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4
  
• Les Preludes by Liszt
• The first movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 (I love this symphony)
• The fourth movement of Brahms's Symphony No. 1
• and Don Juan by Richard Strauss

Because of my iPhone I've been able to take this with me wherever I go an study for my test. See, it's wonderful.