"Weblogs are Net_People. Just like your circle of friends, some are particularly good at original content, some are just great at relaying links to other information. Some say too much, some say too little, but a weblog is the singular voice of a person."
1. Baby Kyleigh is progressing well. She's 28 weeks and 3 days along and growing about 1 day ahead of her actual due date. That's good stuff. She's become much more active and is kicking like mad. Eagerly awaiting her arrival.
2. We're in the process of buying a house. It's been a very busy process. Days off haven't been utilized for relaxation in quite a while. No matter, though, as it's for a great cause.
3. There's isn't a third one, but lists like this don't really work well when you only have two points to make. So, yeah. Thanks.
We had our first ultrasound yesterday, and we got to see our baby for the first time. I never knew it before, but you can actually see the baby moving and everything during those things. It was definitely one of the biggest "Holy Shit" moments in my life. I've stared at my computer screen for 5 minutes now trying to describe how it felt, but I can't quite put words on it. It was breathtaking.
Everything looked okay; there were two hands, feet and eyes. The spine looked good, as did the brain and heart. Also, according to the ultrasound tech, she's measuring just a few days ahead of the scheduled date of January 3rd. Apparently that's pretty normal, so they didn't adjust her due date.
She's become more active, and has started to move around lately. Shana says that she was kicking like crazy today. Unfortunate for me because I'm waiting for my chance to feel a kick. Someday soon, I'm sure.
A few days ago, Shana and I took a little road trip through Ohio. Ultimately, it ended in Rocky Fork State Park, just outside of Hillsboro, OH.
We went with the intention of trying to get some good nature shots at a new place because we've been to most of the parks around here at least twice already. We only ended up staying there for 10 minutes, though, because the place just wasn't very photogenic. The only decent shot I got was the one above.
All in all, we drove 5 hours, and stayed for 10 minutes.
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey with its 120 megapixel camera is able to gather a lot of information about the visible universe. With so many newly observed galaxies to classify, it would take a team of astronomers way too long to categorize every one.
It is much more difficult for a computer to identify shapes and patterns in objects, than for a human. So, to pick out all the eccentricities of the million or so galaxies yet to be categorized, the folks behind Galaxy Zoo thought it'd be best to crowdsource the task to tens of thousands of competent amateur astronomers. Much of the appeal behind the project is that users are given access to massive amounts of never before seen images, and are allowed to take part in defining our expanding knowledge of the Universe.
Those who know me are probably aware of my long-running addiction to Irish Folk music. I really just can't get enough of it. I could listen to twenty different versions of the same song in a row and enjoy every second of it. There's something to be said of songs that can define and encourage a country through times of war and famine, and continue to impact listeners for many ages.
This post is meant to highlight, via YouTube, a nice - albeit small - sample of what I consider to be great Irish music. You may also be able to learn a bit, as I've included several links to information regarding the historical events and/or places some of these songs stemmed from.
This version features Sinead O'Connor singing for The Chieftans on their 1995 album The Long Black Veil. The song itself is a chronicling of the Easter Uprise of 1916 and was intended to encourage the men of the time to fight for an Ireland free of English control. Though the attempts of this rebellion were unsuccessful at first, their efforts eventually led to the establishment of the Irish Republic in 1919.
Luke Kelly and the Dubliners performed this traditional Irish folk tune on the Ed Sullivan show in 1968 (according to the video). From what I can tell, the actual meaning of the title "Muirsheen Durkin" is, for the most part, up in the air. However, what I've found most sites agree upon are the following points: 1) Pratie is just another word for potato. 2) Muirsheen is probably just another word for misses in some Celtic language.
The song itself is rather straight-forward as to its meaning. A fellow is fed up with the constant toiling in his life, so he heeds the grand news from America and plans to strike it rich.
Performed here by Orthodox Celts, an Irish/Celtic band from Belgrade, Serbia. This tune is the first person perspective of a man whose chance meeting with Rose McCann leaves him infatuated with her. The song continues on until at the end he basically says he'll do what it takes to make her his wife.
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem perform this tune, which is about a man's adventures from his home in Tuam to Liverpool in England. Judging from the lyrics, it seems he gets to Dublin but has his pack (bundle) stolen from him. From here, I'm not sure if he gets fed up with life in Dublin, if he's searching for the man who stole his pack, or just wishes to continue on his journey, but he jumps a ship to Liverpool. The song ends with the impression that the adventure is just beginning.
Another performance by the Dubliners with Luke Kelly. This song is about a man who meets a woman, and as they're walking one night, the lady steals a gold watch from a man that passes by. She then places the watch in the author's hand. Obviously, the woman gets away with the crime, but the author gets tried and convicted. So he's sent off to Australia (more accurately Van Diemen's land, or Tasmania), which was the "penal colony" of Ireland and England in the 1800's.
So that's it for now. I hope these videos were enjoyable. If you're interested in more, there's a wealth of Irish Folk on YouTube. I'd suggest looking up some more Luke Kelly, as he's been proclaimed the greatest Irish Folk singer that has been or ever will be. He had a voice perfectly suited for the variety of themes that appeared in the music he sang.
Until next time, though, beware of them pretty colleens.
