Setting Up the Christmas Tree: 2009

My family traditionally sets up a Christmas tree on the Friday after Thanksgiving. While I feel strongly about holding out until December 10 to begin to listen to Christmas music, I’ve grown accustomed to setting up the tree early.

This morning my Dad and youngest sister (Hannah) selected the tree. It is a Douglas fir. In the evening most of the family (minus Sara who was at a theatre watching, say it ain’t so, Twilight: New Moon) gathered to eat dinner and string popcorn and cranberries for a tree garland.

A Christmas tree is a good place for popcorn.

At the end of the night the tree was adorned with lights and popcorn/cranberries. At the moment it is rather plain (though quite elegant in its simplicity).  Tomorrow some additional Christmas tree bling will be added.

This Christmas tree has lost focus.

My taste in Christmas trees has changed. When I was young I liked bright colors. Multicolored lights and copious amounts of ornaments were great. At some point I became more conservative, preferring white lights and little ornamentation.

Another thing that changed is my attitude toward the species of tree. When I was young I did not care what species of tree we had, now I’m a fan of firs and “firs.” Why do I put quotes around one of the firs? Well, Douglas fir is not a true fir but I still like it. So my preference is for a Fraser fir, Canaan fir, or Douglas fir.

I doubt I will ever own a fake tree. Being a horticulturist, and working with the Christmas tree industry, biases me toward real trees.

Another year, another tree. Time marches on.

The tree hunter.

 

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving 2009 was a two day event (Wednesday-Thursday) full of great food and wonderful family. On Wednesday night some of the family gathered in Lancaster. After dinner at the Blue Pacific we went to my Aunt Faith’s place to socialize, drink Cîroc white grape martinis (thanks Todd!), and eat pumpkin pie (thanks Laurel!) and chips with 7-layer dip (thanks Faith!).  It was a good night.

On Thursday more of the family arrived and we had a traditional Thanksgiving meal. My goal going into the day was to refrain from eating to the point of discomfort. This is easier said than done. The food was terrific (it always is at Thanksgiving). And while I probably over-ate from a caloric intake perspective, I did not feel uncomfortably full at any point during the day.

I have so much to be thankful for.

• I am thankful for the Gospel. For hope. For Jesus, who intercedes on my behalf.
• I am thankful for my wonderful family. You guys are the best.
• I am thankful for health and the ability to be active.
• I am thankful for the community at State College E-Free Church.
• I am thankful for the ability to pursue my academic dreams.
• I am thankful for chocolate.

And the list could go on and on.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:10-18, NIV)

A Few Suggestions for MLB

I believe (and this is as strong as my belief in the law of gravity) that baseball is the perfect game. Major League Baseball (MLB) is the ultimate form of the game, though I’m happy watching any level of baseball that is played with wooden bats.

During the winter baseball is alive and well. This is when roster moves, projections, and hope for the upcoming season are topic of discussion. The offseason is also a good time to think about rule changes and the long-term future of baseball. And that is where I’m at right now, here are a few of my thoughts on changes for MLB:

Play a 154 Game Regular Season

The MLB regular season was extended from 154 to 162 games in 1961 (American League) and 1962 (National League). At the time there were more doubleheaders and a shorter postseason, so the adjustment worked well. Since the sixties baseball has reduced the number of doubleheaders and extended the postseason by adding a wildcard system. Baseball now runs into November.

This is a great time to return to a 154 game season. Many of the records accumulated over 162 game seasons are now in doubt due to the steroid era. It is a good time for a scheduling shake up. This ties in to my next point:

Expand the LDS to Best of 7

As it currently stands, the easiest series to pull an upset is the LDS because it uses a best of 5 format. I’d like to see this expanded to best of 7. Adding the additional one or two games in the postseason would be offset by the 8 game reduction to the regular season.

Attempt to Fix the All-Star Game

I’d like to see the voting take place in a narrow window before the game, so that the actual performance of the players can be gauged. The current voting system starts way too early. A disturbingly high percentage of “baseball fans” are idiots (though I suspect it is merely a reflection of the population), and they choose poorly when it comes to the All Star Game roster.

This is why having the All Star Game determine home field advantage in the World Series is not a good idea. Even if the best players in each league were actually playing in the game the argument for allowing an exhibition game to determine home field in the World Series is weak.

If the All Star Game must determine home field for the World Series, then balance the fan vote with a players/coaches vote. But a better solution is:

Change the Way Home Field is Determined for the World Series

The team with the best regular season record should host. That is the easy solution. In the event of identical records use head-to-head match-ups if possible (which grieves me, for I despise interleague play). In the event this does not break the tie, use a coin toss.

I’d rather see a coin toss decide home field than an exhibition game played months before.

And those are just a few of the things I’ve been thinking about as I wonder why the Phillies are trying to sign Juan Castro.

An Afternoon Tomato Diversion

In the past year I’ve had a couple of conversations with my Grandfather regarding the white growth inside tomatoes. He is curious what it is. From these conversations I believe what he is seeing is the part of the tomato berry mesocarp referred to as the placenta.

Botanically speaking a tomato is a fruit (I’ve talked about this before). A berry, to be precise. The placenta of a berry is the tissue to which the ovules (i.e. seeds) are attached. At times it may be very reduced, though in tomatoes it is often very noticeable. In most cases it will be white or nearly white in color. (A close relative of the tomato is the pepper, which is also a berry that has a visible placenta.)

The pepper placenta is the thin layer of white tissue the seeds are attached to.

A sliced tomato with light-colored placenta tissue.

This afternoon I sliced a tomato apart and took a look at some cells under the microscope. The pinkish-red tissue of the berry gets its color from the red protoplasts and carotenoids found in the cells. I looked at cells from near the center first.

A tomato berry cell under the microscope.

In the picture above the red protoplasts and carotenoids are visible as light reddish flecks inside the cell. After seeing this I put some placenta cells under the scope. The placenta tissue appears structurally stringier, with no visible red pigments. At this point I am uncertain as to what role the placenta tissue fulfills in the berry.

Tomato berry placenta cells under the microscope.

If you look at genetically diverse tomatoes you will see different levels of placenta development. Some fruits will have large placentas, some will barely be visible.

To the best of my knowledge, placenta size is not a high priority in developing tomato cultivars. Traits that would be ranked above it in commercial horticulture include color, timing of ripeness, durability, disease resistance, and somewhere far down the list you’ll find flavor.

If tomatoes are a topic of conversation over dinner on Thanksgiving I’m now armed and ready.

Singing Horses

This little interactive Flash animation has entertained me far more than I would like to admit:

Singing Horses

I’ve noticed little details, like the fact that the horse on the right doesn’t blink. And that the trees along the stream bank are likely Betula species. I’ve wondered what caused the horse on the right to lose his lower mane. And why do all the horses have their forelegs crossed like a gang symbol? Is there a sinister element to this?

Four horses singing a capella. Nice.