Can’t Sleep

Amateur food tip

Adding fresh #strawberries to any salad makes it so much better!

I’m in the mood for a video flashback! (True confession: I wasn’t allowed to watch MTV, so I’m catching up now.)

#HappyChristmas!

YCDTOTV wasn’t just about slime. It was the root of every kid’s dream.

Mary the Dawn, Christ the Perfect Day; Mary the Gate, Christ the Heav’nly Way! Mary the Root, Christ the Mystic Vine; Mary the Grape, Christ the Sacred Wine! Mary the Wheat-sheaf, Christ the Living Bread; Mary the Rose-Tree, Christ the Rose Blood-red! Mary the Font, Christ the Cleansing Flood; Mary the Chalice, Christ the Saving Blood! Mary the Temple, Christ the Temple’s Lord; Mary the Shrine, Christ the God adored! Mary the Beacon, Christ the Haven’s Rest; Mary the Mirror, Christ the Vision Blest! Mary the Mother, Christ the Mother’s Son. Both ever blest while endless ages run.

“Mary the Dawn” by Father Justin Mulcahy C.F.

Art: Detail, Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder,  Madonna and Child Encircled by a Garland of Flowers

Chess

I played my extremely intelligent niece in chess last year. I went in thinking, “OK, this will be humbling.” So I figured I’d play it cool and try to beat her, as she had actually taken lessons, but about four moves in I realized that I was already the baby stuck in the corner. So, no, Sybil, we know you’re the smartest! And while I may agree to play chess with you again in the future, just know that I know that my heart’s only in the things where I know I can win at the end. ;)

Life’s a trip

My parents are trying to get me to write a blog about cancer. Truthfully, if I did write a blog, it’d be about how weird they are.

Cancer is exhausting. I refuse to quit trying to improve, but I often feel like I’m trying to defy everything. My life has become such a blur, and now (one good thing) is that I’m hungry until I can eat no more and then get nauseous and it becomes one evil loop. 

I’m one of those stubborn people who at least like to fool myself into thinking I can do everything by myself, but I know that’s not true. There is no game when you’re alone. It’s just you (me) and my lonely thoughts. I often keep the TV on for background noise (and then I find myself passionately agreeing or disagreeing about whatever they’re saying).  And for the record, I refuse to watch Fox News because they’re usually so out there, but I do find myself watching Fox Business at night. How I digressed from cancer to loud TV only the good Lord knows. (There are some things I just don’t want to know!)

#Space I like Jason A. Alexander for the new Mars Rover!

Name the Mars 2020 Rover!

In 2020, we’re sending our newest robotic scientist to Mars, paving the way for humans to one day live and work on the Red Planet. The only problem? Our Mars 2020 rover doesn’t have a name yet! We’re calling on K-12 students across the country to find the very best name for our next robotic space explorer!

The Mission

Before we can send astronauts to Mars we need to learn more about the planet and its climate. This is where the Mars 2020 rover comes in. Its job will be to explore the Red Planet in search of signs of ancient life! It will also be tasked with characterizing the planet’s climate and geology, and collecting samples from its surface. Because of the groundwork laid by rovers such as this, humans will one day become an interplanetary species!

Meet the rovers that came before it

The-soon-to-be-named rover will be joining the team of historic NASA robots that have been working away in space for the past 27 years! All of our robot explorers have their own missions, personality and names that help tell their own story. The most recent Mars rover is Curiosity, the  ….. 

Submit your entry today!

One grand prize winner will name the rover and be invited to Cape Canaveral, Florida to see the spacecraft launch in July 2020! So, what will it take to win? Just send us your proposed name and a short essay (no more than 150 words), explaining why the name you chose is the best for this very special robotic explorer! The deadline is November 1st, so get your thinking cap on and tell us your most creative idea! Apply here!

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com