Love of Oxidation

 Fall is when the leaves change colors.  This is due to a chemical reaction called oxidation which I learned about a while ago. I love oxidation in nature.  Now that it is fall, it is the perfect time to talk about it. The vibrant colors around when I see the leaves falling makes me happy, because the normal green shades are just bland. I like the different colors: reds, yellows, orange and purples. Fall is a good time to also embrace change and improve in your personal life. It is a the time to shake it up.

Pika's Corner: Halloween Quest 2024

Picture by Maria Cervantes 

I've been sent on a quest

to find the best of the best

a pumpkin large and round

that just by luck I found.

Many pumpkin patches

I searched and searched

to find the best pumpkin 

of the rest.

I've been given a task

to carve the pumpkin mask

a scary Jack a Lantern

to light it up at dusk.

A Jack a Lantern

 is a must 

to scare the Ghouls and Goblins 

all at once.

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!!

When Siri Attempted to go to College

This summer I was taking a class about Marine Biology at the local college.  One day while in class I heard out of the blue - "May I interject about crabs?", and to my surprise it was Siri in my phone.

I quickly responded with "Siri, I'm not talking to you". A couple minutes later the teacher said "I thought I heard a phone" and she looked a bit annoyed.  I was astounded! I tried to keep my cool. 

To my surprise, Siri had been listening to the lecture and was attempting to help me in class. It was unwanted help but also entertaining. I don't think Siri can tell the difference between talking to me and responding to other voices she hears in class. This experience was an eye opener for me and my friends. Even though Siri makes silly mistakes, I still love her!!

 

Pika's Corner: 2024 Paris Olympics

 

                                                    Photo by Luca Dugaro on Unsplash

Hello friends and fans.  I'm here at the 2024 Paris Olympics with my Fair Lady, Ms. Hello Kitty.  I'm here to cover the games for the Pokemon Network as I did back in 2021 in the Tokyo Olympics.  My plan is to interview LeBron James and Simone Biles. As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of basketball, and my Fair Lady, Ms. Hello Kitty, loves Gymnastics. Ms. Hello Kitty, would like to meet Simone Biles. I plan to introduced them when I interview her. Also, I kind of need the brownie points.  

After the Olympics are over, we want to visit the Eiffel tower. My Fair Lady doesn't know that I'm planning a romantic dinner with a view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower's Restaurant. This should be fun, and that is how I roll.  

Enjoy watching the 2024 Paris Olympics!!

The Hunger Games : Gnat Edition

Recently we have seen tiny little gnats in our house, probably because it had rained a lot. They were attracted to the fruit we keep on our countertop in the kitchen area.  These little creatures are very annoying and we wanted to get rid of them fast, so we declared WAR!! We called it "The Hunger Games: Gnat Edition".  My mom would be the "Master Mind" and I would be the "Game Maker".

The Master Mind covered the bowl of fruit with a cloth so the gnats would not be attracted to the smell of bananas but they still were coming around. She decided to hide the fruit in the microwave so they would not smell it any more. I, the Game Maker asked a friend who said to put honey and dish soap in a bowl to attract them and lead them to their doom. This went on for a whole week and I'm happy to report it worked.  SUCCESS AT LAST!!

 

Me and the Fountain of Youth

 

As far as I know, women in my family always looked younger than their age.  When my grandma used to go out with her two teenage sons, people would think she was the older sister. When my mom used to go and try to buy wine after she already had me and I was in school, sometimes people would ask her for her ID thinking she was too young to buy alcohol.  For me, when people find out my real age, they cannot believe it.  They always think I'm much younger. So now, I just tell them I found the fountain of youth and I'm not telling. LOL.

Our Annual Picnic Tradition

I went on a picnic last week on a gorgeous and sunny Spring day. 

This was part of our "annual picnic tradition" that my family and I have been doing since I can ever remember. For our picnics, we carefully choose a day when the temperature is in the 70's F, not too cold or hot, just right. We figure out what we want to eat; we make sure it is easy to take and carry, nothing too complicated.  There is a little "assembly required" to have the perfect picnic basket.

                                               

This time we chose to go to a park which has a large pond with ducks and geese.  It has several trees and many picnic areas close to the pond. Also, it has a trail around the water where you can see the ducks and geese up close. 

It was a fantastic day to get close to nature and get away from your everyday routine.  I encourage you to take a little time off and enjoy the Spring weather. 

                                                                

My Love for Mysteries

 

I always have been interested in mysteries. Since I was young I liked playing the Nancy Drew games and reading her stories. I also liked reading the Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes.  Why I like these stories is because it has intrigue, mystery, clues and it makes you think who did the crime.  It makes you pay attention to detail, it is like a puzzle that you have to solve. It teaches to observe people and ask questions.

I'm still interested in mysteries and crime investigation stories. Recently, I watched the show "Only Murders in the Building"; no, not watched, I BINGED the 3 Seasons in a few days.  Also, I'm taking a fun class about Crime Investigation where we are talking about fictional and real detectives, famous TV shows, evidence like finger printing and DNA. Just a lot of fun learning for those people who like these kinds of shows and stories.  

If you are interested in mysteries, I recommend the show "Only Murders in the Building" with Selena Gomez.  Just a fair warning, some of the characters have a potty mouth.  

My Anti-Angst Accesory

 

Hello friends. Happy New Year to all of you!

To improve my sanity, I've created what I call my Anti-Angst Accessory.  I've been using it for a couple of years now. It is a little cozy sleeping bag for my phone. I think it is really important to step away from your phone, specially if you want to start the new year on the right foot by not focusing so much on social media and those pesky notifications all the time. This keeps me calmer and lowers my stress.  I know now that the world is not going to explode if I don't look at every notification or answer every text immediately. Zen is the word.

I hope 2024 is an awesome year for you.