First let me say that I love today’s O post on unedited called O is for Own It!

Here on Diary of a Smart Chick, though, O is for open.

Why open when there are so many other great “o” words like opulence and obedience and objective and obesity? Because I think that one of the best things that you can be in life is open. Open to change. Open to ideas. Open to other viewpoints and ways of living. Open to experience. Open about your life and who you are.

It’s not always easy to be open. I consider myself to be a person who is open with others and open to others as well. Despite this, I undoubtedly have my limitations. I pass judgment when I don’t intend to. I get stuck in my ways and fear change. I restrain myself in openness online and in various situations.

Being open is scary. It makes us vulnerable. Being open exposes you. Being open puts you at risk. Being open can change your entire life … and that’s precisely what makes it so important even though it’s what makes it so hard!

Are you as open as you want to be?

Tags: a-z blogging challenge

When I first moved to San Francisco, the phrase “hella” was everywhere. It hadn’t yet reached the rest of the nation so it sounded foreign and strange. To be honest, I still think it’s a little bit weird when people use hella (or worse, hecka) to describe something. Nevertheless, I’ve adjusted to the use of the word and there have been times when trying to describe something that the best description that came to mind was that the thing was “hella” whatever it was.

The word doesn’t seem to be used quite as often these days as it was when I first moved here. However, people do still use it to describe a lot of something, a big amount … and one student is really pushing for that to become a permanent thing. UC Davis physics student Austin Sendek is petitioning for hella to become the official word used to describe the number that equals one trillion trillions (or 10 to the 27th power).

Some facts that support his petition:

• Northern California has played an important role in science over the years. This designation of a word unique to this region for such an important scientific indicator would honor that role.
• Right now the largest number that there is a word for is 10 to the 24th power. However, as we begin to learn more and more about the far reaches of the universe, we are going to need to be able to name even greater distances and amounts.
• It might be a weird name for a number but is it really any weirder than some of the existing prefixes which include yocto and zetta? In fact, this five letter word seems to fit right in.

Tags: big numbers, facebook petition, hella, northern california, science, sendek

Before I went to kindergarten I was ambidextrous. I could write fairly well (as well as any five year old anyway) with both my left and right hands. I could do a lot of things with both hands. But then I went to school. When I got there, my teacher told me that I had to choose which hand to write with because I wasn’t going to be able to learn to write really well with both hands. I told her that I didn’t know which hand to choose. She said to be right-handed since that’s what most people are. True story.

These days I can’t write at all with my left hand. Good thing I’ve got a keyboard to keep both hands busy I guess.

What’s got me thinking about all of this is a LiveScience article that I just read about ambidextrous children. It reports on a study that says that ambidextrous kids “may be more likely to have mental health, language and academic problems than their peers”. They do admit, however, that nobody knows what causes people to be ambidextrous and that the small sample of people used for the study means that the results aren’t necessarily accurate.

That said, would things have been any different for me if I’d remained ambidextrous? Would I have found math and language more difficult in school? Would my brain have been struggling to connect the left and right sides and therefore have caused me to struggle in school? This all seems doubtful. It always seemed fairly precocious that I could do things just as well with both hands back then. It goes against that to think it would’ve slowed me down in any way.

But I guess we’ll never know.

Did you have trouble with schoolteachers because you weren’t strictly right-handed? Tell me about it – I’d love to commiserate!

Tags: ambidextrous, science

I recently had a reason to do some research into firewood racks. As their name suggests, these products are racks that are designed to hold your firewood. If you’ve never bought this type of product before then you may be wondering what you would look for when choosing such an item. My research has turned up the answer to exactly that question.

Here are ten things that you want to look for when selecting a firewood rack:

1. Size. What size firewood rack do you need? Do you burn wood every day of the year and need a rack that can hold a whole winter’s worth of wood? Or do you just need a small firewood rack that can hold enough wood for a few cold nights?
2. Shape. There are different shapes available for firewood racks. The shapes are mostly decorative but you should still choose what you like.
3. Other decorative features. In addition to the shape of the firewood rack you should look at its general design. Choose one that compliments your other outdoor furniture.
4. Material. You want to get a firewood rack that is durable so that it lasts through the winter even when it’s stacked with heavy wood. Look for steel or some other material that’s designed to last.
5. Cover. You want to make sure that your firewood stays dry or else it won’t be very useful to you. Get a rack with a built-in or add-on cover to make sure the wood doesn’t get wet.
6. Mold-Resistant. Look for a rack and cover that are both resistant to mold.
7. Portability. Do you need a firewood rack that you can move from one place to another throughout the season? If so then you need to get a portable one that has wheels which make it easy to move.
8. Ease of Assembly. If you get a firewood rack that needs to be assembled then you want to make sure it’s one that’s simple to put together!
9. Easy to Access. You want to make sure that the design of your firewood rack makes it so that it’s really simple to access the wood that you need when you want it. Sure, it’s great to have it stacked and covered but what good is that if it’s hard to get to when you need it?
10. Cost. Finally, take a look at cost. Do some shopping around to choose a firewood rack that’s within your budget.

That’s what I would look for if I wanted to buy a firewood rack.

Tags: firewood, firewood rack, shopping, tips

I went to a barbecue earlier in the summer at a friend’s place in Berkeley. There were a lot of great things about the BBQ (great food, great people, etc.) but the thing that stands out most in my memory of this event was the outdoor fire pit that she had in her backyard. I’m convinced that the whole reason that this BBQ felt like an awesome party was because of the fire pit.

I’ve always liked fire pits. They’re great at parties because they provide a central gathering place for everyone to come together and talk. At other barbecues I usually see people standing around in groups of 3 or 4. When there’s a fire pit, everyone tries to hang out together near the fire. This means that you end up getting the chance to talk to more people when you attend a BBQ that has one.

This was definitely the case with the party in Berkeley. I probably would have only talked to the few people that I knew if I didn’t have a good reason to go gather with everyone. However, since we were all sitting around the fire together, I was able to meet several new people that I’ve actually started to become good friends with. I think the fire pit helped break the ice in that way.

There’s another reason that the fire pit was particularly great for this party – and it’s reason that would make outdoor fire pits good at any BBQ in the San Francisco Bay Area. The reason is that it was actually functionaly. It was technically summer here when the BBQ happened but it was one of those summer days that rapidly turns cold as soon as the sun goes down. We had all been excited to get some sun through the fog but then it went away and we were all chilly. The fire pit made us comfortable enough to keep the party going outside even though the air wasn’t warm anymore.

I probably won’t purchase a fire pit myself since the shared outdoor area at my apartment doesn’t really welcome things like this. However, I’m really glad that I know at least one person in the area who has one.

Tags: entertainment, fire pits, fun, party, socializing

I remember when I was about nine or ten that I got a series of books in the mail. These were books that were supposed to teach me about style and beauty. One was all about learning my color palette (a topic that was popular back then but which didn’t actually make sense to me since I was in a late 1980′s hot pink kind of phase). Another was about the shape of my face and body and how knowing that shape could make me more skilled at choosing makeup and clothing that would flatter me.

I read the books and implemented their tips for a day or two. Then I went on about the business of being a kid. However, I actually think that a little bit of the information that I read at the time stuck with me. I eventually came to see that understanding the lines of your face and body and the color of your skin tone could go a long way towards making it easier to choose clothing.

It also makes it easier to choose hairstyles. I remembered this recently when writing an article on how to wear long layers in a haircut. This popular haircut is great because it works for almost everyone. However, how well it works for you typically depends on how you style it. And how you style it should relate to the shape of your face. If you never learned the shape of your face or body then it might be worth it to learn how to do that. It can’t hurt anyway, at least, that’s what this SmartChick thinks.

What do you think – does this stuff matter to you in terms of defining your personal style?

Tags: beauty, face shape, hubpages, shape of face, smartchick, style

I recently wrote an article that was all about stylish ways to heat your home. This mostly included fancy interior design and construction options like using solar panels, radiant heating and advanced fireplaces to keep your house heated up. However, I have a confession to make – I don’t use any of these things.

The truth is that I do run the heat in my house during the winter but I prefer staying warm at home in other ways if I can. Here’s a look at my five favorite ways to get warm:

1. Cuddle up with someone. My number one favorite source of warmth is the body heat of someone I love right up against me!
2. Cuddle up with a book and a blanket. I keep blankets thrown all over my house because I love to snuggle up underneath them even if I’m alone.
3. A little bit of exercise. I might prefer to stay snuggled under a blanket and acting lazy but I also know that getting up and doing some exercise will warm me right up if I’m cold.
4. Layers. I don’t particularly like wearing layers if I don’t have to but I’ve been known to throw on a sweater or hoodie around the house when it gets chilly.
5. Sit in front of the space heater. If I’m truly cold, I like to have warm heat blowing right on me. I particularly love this one after getting out of a hot shower when I’m not ready to enter the rest of the col apartment yet!

What are your favorite ways to stay warm at home?

Tags: heat, heating options, ideas for staying warm, kathryn vercillo, stay warm

I got the chance to spend some time hiking yesterday. It was beautiful out and I had a great time. But going out hiking brought up a problem that’s been plaguing me for literally years now. The problem is that I don’t have good hiking gear even though I hike frequently. Every single time I go out, I say that I’m going to get hiking boots and a good hiking backpack. And then I never actually go get either of them so the next time I go hiking I find myself once again trekking around in my tennies with a school backpack weighing me down.

I’ve finally started looking into different pairs of hiking shoes. I haven’t decided on any yet but am kind of intrigued by the Berghaus brand available through Webtogs. One of the things that caught my attention was their YouTube videos that describe their shoes really well (see the one below to get an idea of what I mean). This seems really helpful since it tells me what to look for in a hiking shoe, something that I’m not really entire sure of.

From the video below, I learned that leather is a good choice for hiking shoes since it’s durable and all-season-friendly. I learned that I want a waterproof hiking shoes (which I supposed I could’ve figured out on my own if I’d thought about it since it does seem like common sense). I want shoes that have good traction so I don’t fall when climbing. And I want a lightweight shoe that’s not going to feel heavy on my feet as I walk.

The coolest thing about this shoe is its advanced lacing system. I’m sure the video describes it better than I can so I’ll just let you watch it but suffice to say that it highlights the fact that there are a lot of great hiking shoe features that I need to take into consideration before I buy my pair. No wonder it’s taken me so long to make a decision on this!

Tags: berghaus, hiking, hiking shoes, kathryn vercillo, shoes, shopping, webtogs

My birthday just recently passed. I’ve read a lot about what my birthday means in different astrological charts and things like that because I’m interested in that sort of stuff even if I’m not sure that I believe any of it to be specifically true.

One of the things I’ve read about in relation to that is the famous people who share my date of birth. I think it’s interesting to see who else was born on the same day as me. Famous people who have the same birthday as me include Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Beckett, Eudora Welty, and Gary Kasparov (the chess champion). Interestingly there are also a few Miss America types with this birthday and the date is also shared with the children of several famous folks including Sean Penn’s daughter and John Travolta’s son.

So what? Well here’s the thing … If there’s any truth at all to the fact that people who share astrological signs may also share some personality traits then it’s possible to get inspired by looking at the famous people who share your birthday. Reviewing the works of great politicians, famous authors and smart chess players can make you feel like you have this potential as well. I think it’s a good idea to reflect on this for a moment during each birthday to refocus on your own goals and to get a sense of inspiration about how to achieve them.

Another example of how to be inspired by famous birthdays (in this case June 3 birthdays) can be seen here.

Tags: birthdays, creativity, famous birthdays, famous people, holidays, inspiration

If I have any sort of addiction then it is probably an addiction to television crime shows. I like almost all of them and will watch pretty much any of them if I can get my hands on a whole season’s worth of shows at once.

Mostly I think that this addiction is a negative thing. I make myself paranoid about crime and have to remind myself that these shows don’t depict the real statistics of crime in my area. I waste a lot of time that could be spent on better endeavors than watching TV.

But every once in awhile, I think that I learn things from these shows. From watching these shows, I’ve gained a pretty accurate understanding of a lot of modern crime issues including the controversy of the national DNA database, the tough issues surrounding how to deal with transgender people in the prison system and the emotional side of being someone who fights crime.

I do think that TV is generally bad for you in big doses but also think that it can be watched in moderation as an educational tool. Now I just need to learn how to do that moderation thing!

Tags: crime, crime shows, dna database, entertainment, hubpages, kathryn vercillo, television