Time-Lapse Camera

I suppose this post will be rather geekier in nature than all the baby-related things that Janette has been posting lately.  As any good tinkerer, I enjoy showing off when I have a project that actually works.

My latest project has been the modification of my old digital camera to link with an Arduino microcontroller so that it can be used for time-lapse photography.  This is just the prototype; in the end there should be a lot fewer wires hanging out everywhere.

Skipping all the technical details, it's basically able to take pictures at regular intervals so you can make a fast-forward movie of a normally slow event.

To test it out, Janette and I decided to put together a puzzle with the camera taking a picture every 40 seconds.  The puzzle ended up taking about two and half hours to put together, but with the magic of time-lapse all of you can experience the action-packed event just by watching a short video.

Next on the list of things to do a time lapse of:
a plant growing
bread rising
clouds moving across the sky
something rotting or growing mold (Janette is trying to veto this one)

Anyone have any ideas to add?

Pregnancy Update

My sister Katie was in Richmond with my family for Spring Break this week, so last night Seth and I met them halfway for dinner.
Since none of them have seen me since I announced my pregnancy at Christmas, they promptly freaked out when they saw my now obviously pregnant belly. They couldn't stop staring at it.

In fact, my sister Katie pronounced it "so disgusting."
Not quite the reception I was expecting.

Although I must say I think my father was even more shocked when he asked me later if I was going to watch "the game" tonight and I replied, what game? (Apparently there is a really good basketball player at BYU nicknamed "Jimmer." Have you heard of him?......)

In other sisters-being-supportive-of-my-pregnancy news, all three had the same reaction when I told them the two baby names we were thinking of: 

"Oh. Ok. Well..... I guess I could see people growing to like that."

This is not just confined to my sisters. It's everyone's reaction. (Except for oddly enough my father, who loves one of the names.) I thought this would bother me, but it really doesn't. I think it's because I'm so relieved to have finally found not one, but TWO names that Seth and I actually agree on.

I always thought naming a baby would be fun. Nope. It sucks.

EDIT: The names are Stella and Tessa.

Miracle Berry Party

Seth got some Miracle Berry tablets for Christmas that he has been dying to try out.

Miracle Berry tablets (for everyone who is not totally trendy, hip and in-the-know like Seth and I always are) are little pills that alter the way your taste buds work. They change sour/bitter flavors to sweet. See the explanation here.

So we called up the family and invited them to partake.

And I will let you know that while passing out everyone's pill, jokes were made about LSD parties. It was inevitable.

These are the items we decided to test. 

1. Apple juice.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar. Only Adam tried this and declared it terrible, so no one else ventured to test it.

3. Pickles. My 2nd favorite transformation. I actually liked them.

4. Salt and Vinegar chips. 

5. Craisins.

6. Blueberries. 

7. Sour Gummi-worms. My 1st favorite transformation, since I hate sour candy and I love gummi-worms.

8. Mandarin oranges. Much sweeter than normal.

9. Apple Cranberry juice. Oddly made it seem not as tasty.

10. More apple cider vinegar.

11. Lime juice. I took a big swig and realized it was still very potent, despite the lack of tartness. 

12. Molasses. Made me consider actually liking molasses.

13. Seltzer water. Seth was hoping it would change the taste to something like Sprite. It didn't. Anyone in Raleigh want an almost full bottle of Seltzer water? 

14. Lemon juice.

15. Fresca. Still yummy, but in a weird way.

We also had:

16. Lemons. The biggest change in taste according to Seth and I. 

17. Grapefruit. Seth's favorite.

18. Granny Smith apple. 

We almost got E to drink some pure lemon juice, but she got stage fright when Rachel and I whipped out our cameras to catch her expression on film. Oh wells. She tried it later when there were no cameras around, claiming it was delicious in spite of her eye twitching.

Overall, we declared it a success. 

I must say that since I have been married to Seth, I do a lot of things I never thought I would do.

Or actually even realized I could do.

Dear Baby,

What in the heck are you doing in my uterus? It's not a gymnasium for pete's sakes.
Sincerely, your mother.
p.s. I love you. And I promise to pick out a name soon and stop calling you "baby."