Today I learned

[Eos]

To install hard wood flooring with a power stapler.  It was so satisfying!

What about you?  Physical, mental, spiritual, a new song - all welcome.

[Indigo Blue]

Today I learned that hermit crabs are running out of shells in some places, from people collecting too many shells from the beach. The crabs are walking around in plastic caps and whatever they can find. Some kind soul has started a way to try to replenish and supply the crabs with shells. 🐚 

[Eos]

44 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Today I learned that hermit crabs are running out of shells in some places, from people collecting too many shells from the beach. The crabs are walking around in plastic caps and whatever they can find. Some kind soul has started a way to try to replenish and supply the crabs with shells. 🐚 

Ugh, I saw that too.  I'm glad that some kind soul is trying to find them shells.

[Ginevra]

I’m learning to play “Castle on a Cloud” from Les Miserables on piano. It’s coming along! Feels nice to play an instrument again after many years of not.  

[stephanier.1765]

I've been learning that I veer to the left when I walk, especially when walking for exercise. I've suspected for a while that my balance might be off so yesterday I really paid attention to how often I was needing to course correct as I did my walk. It's a bit disconcerting.

[Laura Corin]

I learned that Florence Nightingale was right to insist on open windows in her hospitals. It isn't only to dilute the infected air, however - by sealing and scrubbing hospital air, we exclude the normal healthy microbes that flourish outside, giving space for unhealthy bacteria, fungi and viruses to thrive in the hospital.  It's in 'I Contain Multitudes' by Ed Yong.

Edited January 28 by Laura Corin

[Indigo Blue]

1 hour ago, stephanier.1765 said:

I've been learning that I veer to the left when I walk, especially when walking for exercise. I've suspected for a while that my balance might be off so yesterday I really paid attention to how often I was needing to course correct as I did my walk. It's a bit disconcerting.

One side of my hip is smaller than the other half. I use. 4mm heel lift. 
 

Sit down in front of a mirror on a completely flat, hard surface such as a piano bench. Sit square. Do you lean when sitting?

Lie on a hard floor with your knees up and feet together on the floor. Do you knees seem to have the same height? You can definitely see a difference with mine. 
 

Sit on the hard floor with your back against the wall. Press the back of your hips in close to the wall so they are even with each other. Put your feet out and align your heels. Do your legs seem to be the same length? My heels rest at points about 1/4 inch difference from hip to heel. 
 

I’m pretty sure this is why I developed a bunion. Then wearing shoes where the bunion was pushed over toward my second toe made my gait even worse. 
 

Wearing shoes that let my toes completely spread is helping a lot. 
 

Having said all this, it could also be a muscle weakness problem somewhere and not an actual structure problem. 
 

These are just things that might help you tell where it’s coming from. 
 

Edit: sorry to hijack! Just wanted to chime in on this post. Carry on.

 

Edited January 27 by Indigo Blue

[Spryte]

44 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

I learned that Florence Nightingale was right to insist on open windows in her hospitals. It isn't only to dilute the infected air, however - by sealing and scrubbing hospital air, we exclude the normal healthy microbes that flourish outside, giving space for unhealthy bacteria, fungi and viruses to thrive.  It's in 'I Contain Multitudes' by Ed Yong.

DS read that book for school a few years ago, and we loved it. You’ve just inspired me to pull it back out for a reread. Thank you!

[MercyA]

18 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

Today I learned that hermit crabs are running out of shells in some places, from people collecting too many shells from the beach. The crabs are walking around in plastic caps and whatever they can find. Some kind soul has started a way to try to replenish and supply the crabs with shells. 🐚 

 

[Tree Frog]

I tip my head (to the right I think.) My optometrist noticed me doing this during my appt. She said it's due to the prisms in my glasses.

[lynn]

Today I learned how to Tunisian crochet.  Never knew was such a thing.  Now to see what I can do with this knew skill.

[KungFuPanda]

Today I learned what the British call whipped cream in a can. There’s some hope that YouTube is lying to me but . . . Squirty Cream????

[KSera]

10 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

 It's in 'I Contain Multitudes' by Ed Yong.

This is going immediately on our reading list-thanks! Ed Yong has been a hero with his Covid reporting. 
Reporting on Long Covid Taught Me to Be a Better Journalist

[Laura Corin]

5 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Today I learned what the British call whipped cream in a can. There’s some hope that YouTube is lying to me but . . . Squirty Cream????

I've heard that, yes.

[Eos]

Yesterday I learned about Henry Hudson.  Dh and I drove to NYC to pick up dd and had some quality time learning about local landmarks as the car stereo doesn't work - we looked up local history instead.  I never knew that there is a stone in James Bay with the letters HH and the date 1612 plus the word captive, presumably carved by him after he was mutinied and set adrift.

[Tree Frog]

Today I learned that if you hold a $2 bill, your face will melt.

It actually really frightens me how easily kids believe random stuff. I have a different 8yo student who watches TikTok and believes whatever they see.

This student was very serious about this being true, even when I told them I've held a $2 bill and my face didn't melt. 

[Eos]

Today I learned that my ds and ddil are doing much worse than I knew.  

I also learned to rip shingles off a barn with a crowbar.

 

[Tap]

Not today, but in the past week, I became aware of an issue I never considered. A senior person I was talking to, is intersexed. They were raised as a boy, but grew up knowing they are female. They were drafted during Vietnam. They were forced to serve in male forces, lived as a male, and processed Vietnam as a self described woman. The experience compounded the PTSD they experienced. This person also shared details about what intersexed people can go thru during puberty. And specifically how hormones/ hormone blockers can allow parts of puberty occur well into advanced adulthood. I won't outline all the details of their experiences here, but their story was incredible. 

[TravelingChris]

1 hour ago, Tap said:

Not today, but in the past week, I became aware of an issue I never considered. A senior person I was talking to, is intersexed. They were raised as a boy, but grew up knowing they are female. They were drafted during Vietnam. They were forced to serve in male forces, lived as a male, and processed Vietnam as a self described woman. The experience compounded the PTSD they experienced. This person also shared details about what intersexed people can go thru during puberty. And specifically how hormones/ hormone blockers can allow parts of puberty occur well into advanced adulthood. I won't outline all the details of their experiences here, but their story was incredible. 

A person I knew was raised as a female, was married and having a fairly good life-she actually had one of my autoimmune diseases- one that affects almost only woman-something like 95%- so that is why I mentioned fairly good.  She was a happy person.  But I know she had issues with the intersex part, I believe she had to take hormones. Since this was one of my online friends back in the old days, I don;t know giant details but did get to know quite a lot about her experiences.

[TravelingChris]

No, today, but Sunday, I learned that is only US President for whom English was a second language was Martin Van Buren, who spoke Nederlandish, as did his wife.  He spoke w a very heavy accent.  He was also why we say OK-  it was when he was in a campaign with Tippicanoe and Tyler Too and they used Old Kinderhook as a pejorative, which quickly became OK.  (That was is not as sure but seems to be the well researched- I was watching an podcast about Presidents by historians.  

The third fact I learned from that was that since Benjamin Harrison died so fast, John Tyler became president very soon.  He was born in 1790 and he still has a grandson alive--- he married and had at least one boy in his 60s and that son had 2 sons in his 70s.  The one son died in this century but about 10 years ago but the other one is still alive. Oh and they were very poor by the time they needed to go to college but Mary Astor gave him 5K to go to William and Mary and he became a chemist, who did quite well.