Implosion of the Drexel Shaft...

THE DREXEL SHAFT is GONE!



I was there to see it in person. Alas, my cameras both failed me... the one taking the video stopped recording when the explosion occurred for unknown reasons and the one that I was using to take still pictures decided to turn off... GRRRRR! of all the times! Anyway, I really couldn't have used the video anyway on this blog because the petite blond girl next to me started yelling obscenities as soon as it happened.

Anyway, you can enjoy the first youtube posting of the implosion and a few of my before and after shots


In this next video you can see the shockwave... the point at which my video taping camera stopped its recording...

Comment spam

Well, ladies and gentlemen, due to the volume of comment spam that has been occurring here at the Den, I've added a step to the comment process which asks you to type in some sort of word in an attempt to reduce these unwanted comments. Please don't let it stop you from leaving comments on my sporadic postings... I <3 comments... I just prefer real comments!

Thanks to everyone who leaves real comments for me! :-)

New posts are coming soon... I promise (as soon as I get a few spare minutes)

100 things... finally

1 - part of the reason I've been avoiding my blog was to avoid this post
2 - I never know what to say about myself in these list things ... everything I think of seems uninteresting and I don't know why you'd want to read 100 of them
3 - I enjoy playing with little kids... as long as they're not destructive
4 - my favorite age to babysit for is 0-1.5
5 - besides wanting to be the Philly Phanatic, I also wanted to be a master Lego builder... yes, it is an actual job where you build with Legos and get paid for it!
6 - I am the 6th grandchild on my dad's side of the family, but I'm the first with brown eyes
7 - my hair does whatever it wants, whenever it wants - JB's neice once told me that I just need to tell it who is boss... it still doesn't listen
8 - I've donated my hair twice for Locks of Love
9 - my all time favorite band is The Changing Times... I always told my neighbors I wanted The Changing Times to play for my wedding reception but they told me that I could have my dad play at my wedding - Cousin Amy set the precedent... they played for her reception... maybe one day...
10 - I like to listen to loud polka music while I clean
11 - I like to listen to music I can sing to while I'm driving... lucky for everyone I do most of my driving by myself
12 - liturgical music & show tunes are my favorite types of music to play on the piano
13 - one day, I'd like to sing Bach's Mass in B Minor... that will never happen with the Drexel Chorus
14 - I've sung with the Drexel Chorus for 8 years... year 9 started on Sept. 21st.
15 - I've been singing in various church choirs since 1st grade
16 - I do NOT like roaches... ewwwwwww
17 - sleeping is a guilty pleasure... I'd love to sleep/stay in my bed for hours on end, but usually I end up getting up because I feel guilty that there are so many other things I should be doing
18 - I get grumpy when I'm hungry... like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors... feed me, feed me now!
19 - When I'm hungry I have a difficult time deciding what to eat... I usually try to think about what I'm going to eat before I get hungry
20 - I CANNOT tollerate open drawers, especially if something is sticking out of the drawer. All drawers must be closed all of the time!
21 - I organize my closet by type of clothing and each type of clothing has its own type of hanger... pants on black hangers, sweaters on pink hangers, blouses on light blue hangers, etc.
22 - When I was younger I had a lot of trouble finding shoes that fit so when I'd find a pair that was comfortable I'd get them... I need to break this habit because now I have A LOT of shoes!
23 - I like to sleep on cloud 9... cushy beds and piles of pillows... can't wait till I have time to put on my new mattress topper!!!
24 - I like going in the ocean but I do not like to step on things that are on the bottom... so, I always take my "rafty-raft"
25 - this means that I have completed 25% of my list of "things"
26 - years old = me
27 - I like to cook, but I also like to bake... I've been told that this is unusual as people generally tend toward one or the other
28 - Mom gave me a test to determine if I'm dominantly right brained or left brained... guess what?! I use both my brains... but I tend toward the scientific and logic
29 - I've lived in the same apartment for 6 years
30 - I'm currently living with my third roommate in the apartment
31 - I have no idea what my roommate is actually studying (astrophysics)
32 - my previous roommate and I were both in civil engineering
33 - my first roommate is married and lives in Texas?
34 - I am seriously addicted to bubble tea... I don't know what I'll do when the Bubble House isn't right down the street
35 - I'm not really a fan of chocolate... unless it is dark chocolate!!!
36 - I'm allergic to roses... they're pretty but not worth the lack of ability to breath
37 - my favorite flower is amaryllis
38 - my favorite easter flower is the calla lily
39 - I don't have a favorite color
40 - I don't have a middle name
41 - JB and I have the same three digits following our initials on our school email addresses (the only difference is s vs. m)
42 - I met JB freshman year of college
43 - He doesn't remember this
44 - we met in the Newman Club
45 - I couldn't imagine dating a non-catholic
46 - I have "honorary grandparents"... the best next door neighbors any kid could ask for!
47 - I have one sister
48 - I have 13 first cousins... this pales in comparrison to JB's (approximately 40ish?)
49 - I still have trouble with the names of some of JB's aunts and uncles... cousins, pshh, who knows!! (I can name a few of them... mostly the older ones)
50 - I'm now 50% of the way through this list... I wonder if anyone is still reading...
51 - In third grade I decided that the recessional for my wedding would be Widor's Toccata... I haven't changed my mind!

52 - I had just finished second grade when I was first "hired" to sing for a wedding
53 - my church choir director was awesome... she's the reason I'm so involved in liturgical music ministry today!
54 - I once went to every Easter service at my church because I was involved in some form (singing, ringing handbells, altar serving, lectoring) starting on Holy Thursday straight through every Mass on Sunday
55 - I enjoy traditions... esp. Christmas and Easter food traditions!
56 - I went to 13 years of Catholic school - apparently this is evident in my cursive handwriting
57 - my first year of college would have been easier than my senior year of high school if I hadn't had 2 kidney stones!
58 - I enjoyed "tornado drills" in kindergarten because sister would give us fresh baked chocolate chip cookies if we were good while we were near the kitchen
59 - my first grade teacher tried to ruin my life... she said I'd never go anywhere with math or science
60 - I have two bachelor degrees in engineering
61 - I'm working on my masters in Civil engineering
62 - I attended the same highschool that my parents went to and even had some of the same teachers!
63 - the high school I attended was co-ed when I went there but not when my parents went there... to this day, the second floors of the two wings do not connect to eachother
64 - I have never had a pet... my stuffed animals make up for this with their respective personallities...
65 - my sis would kill me if I gave away her "nickname" that was used at home when we were little... this doesn't stop her from calling me by my nickname
66 - my favorite vegetable is asparagus
67 - when we were asked to bring in a vegetable for stew in preschool I volunteered for lima beens and an onion... my classmates thought this was gross
68 - I like liver and onions... my grandmother ordered it one year when we were at V-7 for my birthday dinner... I've liked it ever since
69 - my mom and I have very different cooking styles... I have no idea where I learned to cook
70 - I cook when I'm stressed... like I shouldn't be doing other things with my time
71 - I have 9 pillows on my bed not including my body pillow or my smiley face pillows or my eeyore pillow (and my bed is only a twin)
72 - I don't like other people using my pillows... I have specific pillows on the bed that are "guest" pillows... I never sleep on these (they are in the back)
73 - I like to sleep under a pile of blankets so I like it to be cold when I'm sleeping
74 - I have been known to yell things in my sleep and wake up my family
75 - the furniture in the bedroom of my apartment was specifically designed and built for the apartment (interchangeable to the other bedroom as well) by my dad and me
76 - I have a beautiful coffee table designed and built by JB's dad
77 - I would like to travel; some of the places I'd like to go include: Slovakia, Germany, England, Rome, Italy, Hawaii, Alaska, Seattle, Dubai, New Zealand, Austrailia...
78 - I'd like to go back to New Mexico, the Navajo nation was pretty awesome!
79 - I like making cards rather than buying them, I think it adds a personal touch that you just can't find in a store bought card... every now and then I find a "must send" store bought card... those exceptions are few and far between
80 - I can no longer keep up with making baby blankets for baby showers... not enough time to crochet!!
81 - I've made two full size afghans... one for one of my best friends in high school and one for my sister
82 - I have a collection of matching sets of hats, scarves, and gloves... I like warm cozy things!
83 - I collect baseball caps... I put them up on pins around the top of my room (who needs crown molding?! ;-) )
84 - I got a fortune cookie at the Hard Wok Buffet that says that I'll be ok as long as I don't sign up for anything new... hmmmmm, perhaps I should try this for a while
85 - I <3 <3 <3 the green beans at the Hard Wok... I don't know what they put on those babies, but I could eat whole plates full of them!! (and crab rangoons)
86 - I like toasted marshmallows, but I'm not a fan of smores... toasted marshmallows on chocolate graham crackers is where it's at (this goes back to my lack of enthusiasm about milk chocolate)
87 - my left knee hurts when it is cold and rainy
88 - I didn't really own much in the way of pink clothing until I started working on construction sites... now I feel the need to have pink things!
89 - I enjoy painting my fingernails creatively... I managed a Phillies "P" and a baseball for playoff season
90 - I like Vera Bradley bags but I refuse to pay full price for them... therefore, I never have the current patterns... only retiring ones (or ones that they run particular sales on)
91 - AC Moore and Home Depot are equally dangerous stores... I could easily waste half a day in either one
92 - I enjoy making jewelry... I like to go to craft fairs for ideas :-)
93 - sometimes I think I should open a cafe or a hobby shop...
94 - I have a large collection of teas... I made a prototype shelf out of foam-core board several years ago... the tea is still on the prototype shelf... wood version coming eventually?!
95 - T gave me the cutest tea pot... my teapot looks like a little piggy (it whistles through it's snout)
96 - I don't have cable tv, but I do get more homeshopping/infomertial stations than you could ever imagine... oy!
97 - I have been told that my blog is religious... I was surprised by this comment
98 - In addition to engineering school, I'm currently attending bartending school (I've been trying to do this for several years but haven't been able to fit it in... here's hopin)
99 - I have a twin sister who isn't really related... my best friend from home was born a day after me and we went to school together for 12 years
100 - I made it to the end!!!!!!!! hope you enjoyed my list.

Inspiration...

Service Team 2009-2010 is going to be awesome!

oops, this was still in drafts...

Have You Forgotten (Daryl Worley)

I hear people sayin', "We Don't need this war."

I say there's some things worth fightin' for.

What about our freedom, and this piece of ground?

We didn't get to keep 'em by backin' down.

They say we don't realize the mess we're gettin' in

Before you start preachin' let me ask you this my friend.

Have you forgotten, how it felt that day?

To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away

Have you forgotten, when those towers fell

We had neighbors still inside goin through a livin hell

And you say we shouldn't worry bout Bin Laden

Have you forgotten?

You took all the footage off my T.V.

Said it's too disturbin for you and me

It'll just breed anger is what the experts say

If it was up to me I'd show it everyday

Some say this country just out lookin' for a fight

Well after 9/11 man I'd have to say right.

Have you forgotten, how it felt that day?

To see your homeland under fire

And her people blown away

Have you forgotten when those towers fell

We had neighbors still inside goin' through a livin' hell

And we vow to get the ones behind Bin Laden

Have you forgotten?

I've been there with the soldiers

Who've gone away to war

you can bet they remember just what they're fightin' for

Have you forgotten

All the people killed

Yes some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field

Have you forgotten

About our Pentagon

All the loved ones that we lost

And those left to carry on

Don't you tell me not to worry 'bout Bin Laden

Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I haven't forgotten. It was a clear blue beautiful day. I was at the public library when I heard about it. All of my high school friends had left for college but my move-in day was still 6 days away. I remember watching the television coverage. It was all so unreal. The events of 9/11 changed our lives forever. How quickly people seem to have forgotten the American spirit of unity that was displayed in the days and weeks following the attacks. Today's college freshmen were only about 11 years old... they barely even remember the events if they were allowed to watch any of the footage.

9/11/01 - Never forget

seriously?

Ok, first things first, I'll get around to a 100 things post... it just isn't going to appear as my 100th post as that is now and you are not going to read 100 things... maybe 100 words ;-) before I check out for the night.

Tonight was the epitome of random spontaneity!! I called a friend to see if she'd had dinner yet... which she was eating when I called. Instead, she came over for left over birthday cake from my cousin's birthday celebration over the weekend. Incidentally, the intrigue over the cake was that it was a mudslide cake... chocolate Kahlua cake with Bailey's Irish Cream icing. It turned out to be quite a tasty morsel! Anyway, I realized it was Monday which could possibly mean Big Bang Theory on TV. I turned on the tv and low-and-behold Dream Girls was on... not that I haven't seen this movie about 7 or 8 times (or more) and also seen the School of the Future's stage performance... but I get sucked in every time! To make matters more ridiculous, it is a long show without commercials... then add commercials and Oh my! Enter new roommate, returning from a grad student reception where they served wine, but very little food. C. enjoyed roommate's "glowing happiness." While many funny/crazy things transpired, I'm kinda tired so I'll leave you with C's descriptor for me for this evening... "you're a weirdo-face".

Yes, thank you, I certainly am! ;-)

G'night!

Dear Blog,

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry for the recent neglect. I didn't mean to abandon you for weeks at a time but I've been very busy. I have a new roommate who has now returned from a traveling expedition. I've been to Knoebels with my dad for our yearly excursion... so much fun - just a bit soggy. I've survived hundreds of spiders at work and expect that I will see many more in the upcoming weeks and months. I've gone swimming a few times at mom-n-dad's. I've sung for a number of polka masses and a polka lutheran service. I've tried out some tasty new recipes. I've found a type of karaoke that I actually enjoyed... thanks church choir! I've colored many notecards for a friend's music students. I've eaten at some tasty restaurants. I've worked many more hours that I expected. I sang in a chorus concert. I did a back flip on a windy day through a burning hoop... ok, perhaps I imagined that one ;-)

As you can see, Blog, I've had a few things on my schedule. I'll try to visit more often in the near future!

Love,
BECA Hawkette