Running out of time

I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz as she watches the red sand spill through the gigantic hour glass. Dorothy of course was in fear for her life if she didn't give up the ruby slippers. I, on the other hand, am lying in wait for the first contraction to start the whole process of labor and (finally) bring this child into the world.

In the meantime, I am driving myself and everyone else crazy (not purposefully of course) with my nesting stage. Everywhere I look I seem to find dust, something I never do. I mean I like things tidy but I am not a cleaning fanatic by any means. But now I'm washing clothes that I just put in the hamper (some of them don't even make it to the hamper) because I'm losing my mind! Unfortunately I cannot DO everything that I see that needs to be done and that is where I have to ask (or rather nag) my husband to help me. My sister has been a huge help as she is the cleaning fanatic in the family (and God bless her for it!).

I woke up quite a few times last night in pain and thought for sure today would be "D" day. I was wrong however so now I just get to wait some more! :P I am finding it more and more difficult to do everyday things. I can't stand up for too long so complicated meals are not an option.

My daughter has been teething for the past week and so the nights for me have been long as I try to comfort her through the pain. I recently tried teething tablets which seem to help but there are some doctors who don't agree with using them so I'm not sure yet if I'll continue. Thankfully she only complains of the pain at night which may be irritating to me but it's better than her complaining all day and being cranky. She has a great disposition so I would hate to see her in pain during the day as well.

Great news! My blog has been nominated for the Liebster Award by Bonnie Vesely! This award is for bloggers who have fewer than 200 subscribers, and one of the responsibilities for award recipients is to nominate five more bloggers, for each nomination received. I will post my nominees in my next blog.

Still no news on queries. I am waiting patiently as some of the agents have response times of 6 and 8 weeks. We will see soon enough.

As for the My Name is Not Bob April Platform Challenge... it is over! Yay! And although I wasn't able to complete every task it was a total win-win situation. I learned so much about social media platforms and made some wonderful and valuable friendships in the process. Since it's a continual learning process I will be posting anything new that I am working on in regards to platform building... including my web page... under construction at the moment but definitely in the works.

And now for the science portion of my blog... We are looking at a "plasma flashlight" that can destroy bacteria on the skin in seconds.

This type of portable device, created by a team of Australian and Chinese researchers, would be of use in hospitals, ambulances and on the battle field. It allows for penetration through layers of bacteria called biofilms that can be impenetrable at times. Biofilms are thick layers of bacteria, like what is normally found as plaque on our teeth, but these layers can also form in wounds halting the healing process.

The design is essentially a handheld plasma jet. The device was tested on one of the most antibiotic- and heat-resistant bacteria. The bacteria was grown in an incubator until it was approximately 25 micrometers thick (that's about 1/4th the thickness of a human hair) and 17 layers deep. Normally biofilms at this thickness are highly resistant and the high temperatures needed to kill them would burn our skin. The temperature of the plasma jet however is between 68-73 degrees F (20-23 degrees C), which is right around room temperature. Resistors on the device keep it from overheating so it is safe for use. After 5 minutes of flashing the biofilm from a 5 millimeter distance the very bottom layers of the biofilm had been penetrated. For smaller colonies or individual bacterium it could take less than a second.

The researchers are not quite sure how the antibacterial effect works using this device. They hypothesize that the plasma jet combined with the surrounding air could possibly create an environment much like our own immune system. The cost per unit will be around $100.

For more information:

link to the abstract in the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics http://iopscience.iop.org/0022-3727/45/16/165205

link to article in ScienceNow

Well that is all for now... I'll catch you next time on Fiction, Family and Science (maybe with an added member to the family!!).

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All Eyes On You

Hello Everyone!

I want to be as realistic with blogging as possible and let's face it I can barely post once per week let alone twice. So I'm going to change up my scheduling to once per week with new posts appearing on Fridays. I apologize if this inconveniences anyone but I'm pretty sure once I have my second child life is just going to get more hectic. I figure I may as well nip this in the bud now especially since it's all still very new.

I have not received any feedback on queries in the last week but I'm sure just my mentioning will anger the query gods and I will get my rejections soon! LOL! I'm taking it all in stride. I've decided to hold off on writing this month. I really want to focus on building my platform as a writer. And with my daughter, pregnancy, April challenge and everything else life has thrown at me I just don't have the time or energy to start a new novel. But don't despair I have been jotting down ideas as they come to me so I haven't stopped writing just slowed down some.

The April Platform Building Challenge from the My Name Is Not Bob Blogsite has us writing a blogpost today. So thank goodness for that at least I can stay on track for this Friday! The challenge is in day 19 and I am behind on days 15 & 18 mostly because I haven't been feeling that well due to allergies & my pregnancy.

I went to the doctor on Tuesday and everything is progressing well. I am in week 37 (or 34) as of today! That means baby is full term and I will deliver soon (hopefully)!

Since I have been slacking in the science department the last few posts I am making a point to add it in to this blog...

A bionic eye? That's what they're calling it. That's right! Look out 6 million Dollar man, we're on our way!

The Monash Vision Group in Australia is a multi-disciplinary group made up of computer scientists, engineers and medical researchers. The group has mounted a camera on a pair of glasses. The camera can view images and send them to a chip that is surgically implanted in the brain. The chip has 650 electrodes as thin as a human hair. At this point the eye will produce low resolution black and white images. Which is a stepping stone to the future of visual implants.

This type of device is targeted at people who once had normal vision but because of disease (retinitis pigmentosa or macular degeneration) or trauma to the eye can no longer see. These people are the focus (no pun intended) because they were able to see at one point in their lives and therefore it's easier to get feedback on what they can see using the device. Based on this research, future devices may be able to help people who were born blind as well as for other brain impairments.

There are other researchers out there that are trying a different method of stimulating the eye using chemical drug delivery. That is when an implant that contains drugs will release the drugs over time to stimulate the receptors of the eye allowing the person to see. This research is very important as its success will make possible implantable chemical drug delivery devices for neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's just to name a few.

This research is near and dear to me as it was the focus of my graduate research work. I tested new and classic biomaterials for use in implants such as this one. The research is ground-breaking and the broad potential use, as you can see is very exciting.

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1 is a magic number!

Hello again! Well the query gods have smiled down upon me for the last week and I have not received any rejections. I haven't received anything so "no news is good news" right? :P

I have two new ideas for novels and would like to start on at least one of them but I am wondering if I should continue with the second book in the series that I started. The first book is the one I have sent out into the query world.

I am currently involved in the My Name Is Not Bob "April Platform Challenge". Each person is encouraged and coached in creating an online platform to better market themselves as writers. We are currently on Day 9 and I have so far created a Twitter account, updated my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts and linked my blog to my accounts. It has been a fun ride so far and I am looking forward to all the progress and education about social media I will have! I really am learning a lot about myself which is always important. And I'm making new friends with similar interests in the process. That is always good for morale and assistance along the sometimes lonely road of the writer. I will post more about what we're doing as we go along!

Per the comments I received about my blog... I will try and post at least every Monday and Friday for those who choose to follow. Thank you for the insight and the interest!

Anyway as far as the family goes... My daughter turned 1 last week. It was also Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers! I'm a big fan and have only missed the last two Opening Day festivities downtown due to being pregnant. I made her cake which I am proud to say even with 1 missing main ingredient didn't turn out too bad. She and my husband really liked it and that was all that mattered to me!

I'm in my 36th week of my pregnancy. I have a doc appointment tomorrow to check my progress. Everything seems good and normal so I'm sure tomorrow's appointment will be routine. It is getting more difficult to do things that we take advantage of like bending over and sometimes even walking. This kid feels like all knees and elbows and let me tell you it doesn't tickle!

Yesterday was Easter and we got to spend time with both my husband's side of the family and mine (a lot of driving). It was really nice to see everyone and how all the kids are growing. Today is my daughter's 1st birthday party at my mom's house hosted by my sister. After all the Easter stuff my daughter got I can't even imagine what they could have bought for her birthday! My house is becoming one big playpen!

OK enough for now. I will hit the science stuff next time! Talk to you soon!

Eye Invasion

Well since my last post I've received another rejection letter from an agent. So far I have sent to 9 agents and received 2 rejections. The response time is anywhere from 2-6 weeks so I'm sure the other rejection letters will come in a timely manner. :P

I have made a few changes to the novel since sending out my queries but it shouldn't make that big of a difference.

In the meantime I'm working on a "Platform Challenge" through the month of April. Hopefully this will help me build a platform as a writer and create a following. This will be essential for selling books once someone has the good sense to represent the novel. ;)


As for my daughter well she has cut her first 2 teeth and has decided to try the "walking thing". My husband and I couldn't be more thrilled. It is bittersweet, with her first birthday fast approaching. The time seems to have flown by and it just seems faster with each passing day. She is definitely the sunshine in our lives.

In my pregnancy, all is well! This is the part where feeling crappy is par for the course but it will pass soon enough and we will have grown our little family by one! And barring any craziness and colic it will all be worth it! :)


This one will have to go into the technology category... but consider eye tracking devices in your computers and cell phones that will read your thoughts.

The way you read a sentence how your eye lingers on a word or even in in a split-second you reread a word. That is all taken in and calculated to find out what it is you are thinking. Apple has already applied for a patent. The devices will have a front facing camera so that they can catch the quick and usually undetectable movements of the eye.

And all for what? You ask. All in the name of advertising... well at first I'm sure but who knows after that.

Granted that this technology will probably not be available for another few years but it certainly is going to change the game for a lot of people and their internet use. Privacy issues are headed for a major breech!

Well boys and girls this is one of the ways where science and technology can go from amazing and helpful to downright scary and intruding!