~Bonus Post Cooking~

Hello all! Sheepdog here with a How to Survive Post-College Cooking Class!

Well then, let's take a look at where college grads are coming from. Unless cooking is a hobby of yours, it is more than likely you grew up eating whatever food your parents or guardians cooked. Furthermore, food is usually provided in college, either by the college, or by enthusiastic roommates and rabbits! The afore-mentioned roommates probably only baked sweets, and didn't do too much actual cooking as supplies and kitchen utensils were limited. As my master quickly realized once out on his own, there are a few key things to keeping oneself fed and watered: cooking utensils, ingredients, time, and recipes. We'll take a look at these things each in their turn.

Cooking Utensils
A well stocked kitchen doesn't always have to look like the Martha Stuart kitchens in those MTV shows to be serviceable. In my experience, most meals can be cooked with the following:
1-2 pots:
Instead of buying a whole pot set, find just a couple nice pots, a medium sized one, and  larger sized one. Mostly just one pot will suffice, but when trying to cook noodles and sauce for example, a second one is helpful.
1-2 frying pans:
The same rule applies hear, more is not always better. Buy yourself a good cast-iron skillet (lodge brand at freddies is only about 15-20$). The second skillet can be anything really, I prefer a non-stick surface for pancakes and the like for my second one.
1 baking pan (can be square, rectangle or circle):
ceramic is nice, but tempered glass works great as well. Metal works too, but won't always cook food as evenly. A circle is nice because it doubles as a pie pan. :)
1 Small Mixer:
We actually seldom use our mixer, but you can get one for 12$ or so at walmart, and it's easier than using a wooden spoon to stir with.
1 Metal Mixing Bowl:
This can be literally anything to mix ingredients together with. I use metal because it's cheap, lightweight, and I don't have to worry about scratching or breaking it.
1-2 lids for your pots and frying pans:
You don't have to have one for every pot or pan, but a few can help when boiling water, steaming veggies in a frypan, or keeping grease off of your new outfit. :)
Knives:
Instead of a whole knife block that costs 150$, just buy 3 nice knives, a large, a medium, and a small (chef knife, boning knife, and paring knife). I like Chicago cutlery knives, and KitchenAid knives. These are full tang (the blade goes through the handle so it won't break as easy) and nice and sharp. Sharp knives in the kitchen are safer, and can make you feel more like a chef! If you're knives get dull, find a friend or someone to sharpen them if possible.
Misc:
A few wooden spoons, some serving/stirring spoons (plastic are fine), a can opener, a potato peeler, some spatulas (you probably want 1 metal spatula for your cast iron skillet), a cheese grater. I'm sure there are other things, but you can go pretty far with just these.

Ingredients:
Staples:
Staple items is a list of items you want readily available to you (eggs, salt, milk, butter etc). For example, my master's kitchen usually has juice, a basket of fruit, chocolate chips (and baking stuff), mexican fixings (re-fried beans, cheese, ground beef), eggs, milk, butter, spices...you get the idea. The goal of having a "staple" list is to ensure there is always something to eat or put together even toward the end of the week/month, however far apart shopping trips are. Write out a list of items that you like to have on hand, and attach it to the fridge. This will be your staple list, and you can change and edit as you go.

List of Meal Ideas:
Meal Ideas can be really tricky to write out. Some meals are designed to be made for 4-6 people, you may not want to eat the same thing for 19 days. Other meals may be small but not sound good. My first recommendation is to sit down before dinner and write out everything that sounds good. If you try this trick after dinner you will have a harder time. Keep adding to this list every time you think of or remember a meal that sounds good. If you're going to do most or all of the cooking, it's best to cook food you're excited about. While you're at it, write out a second list of ideas that are quick and easy. In this crazy world there are nights where a full blown Italian meal just sounds like too much work. Keep this quick list as healthy and simple as you can. Here's a sample of a quick meal list:
Tacos' (substitute lettuce instead of a tortilla to cut out gluten).
Plum Pork (baked pork with plum sauce poured on top).
Chicken salad (make sure the chicken is thawed ahead of time).
veggie platter and hummus (some nights I'm just not very hungry. This is an excellent cold mean or snack plate. Add some crackers and a bit of cheese if you are feeling more hungry).
Pasta (any type of pasta and a can of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Add some fresh veggies to the sauce for some extra flavor).
Breakfast for Dinner (I am usually in too much of a hurry to have more than a bit on my way out the door. This is a good way to enjoy those full breakfasts. Fry up an egg or two, add a piece of toast and some potatoes. If your in a hurry, cube the potatoes and fry them up in butter instead of making hashbrowns.
Recipes:
Get yourself a small recipe box, and a stack of notecards. Write down any recipes you know of. next, check some websites, look through cookbooks, ask friends. :) Beg, borrow, steal, fill that box up if you can. The more you find, the more options you have to look through each week as you make your grocery list. The main thing I look for is simple, easy to make, and yummy sounding! Otter has a fantastic cookbook that is designed for 1-4 people meals. :D
Feel free to tweak a recipe once you're comfortable with it. I began by adding or subtracting things. A can of sauce from the store I might add some fresh mushrooms to. A complicated lasagna recipe I might only use 1 kind of cheese instead of 3. All out of cream of tarter? Substitute 1 tsp. of lemon juice. Want more flavor? Add 1/4 tsp of salt to meat, or add 1 tsp of vanilla to a bread recipe. Make notes on your cards.

Time: 
Remember, cooking is kind of like a hobby. Set aside enough time to really spend on meals, and pre-cook or prepare meals on days you know you won't have much time. String some lights in the kitchen, or hang up some art on the wall. Put on a show or some music. Cooking should be seen as an activity not as a chore. :) Dance around the kitchen or sit on the counter if no one is around.

Other Thoughts:
As for being more healthy, I admit I have a ways to go. One thing that helps is to begin at the top. Stock your kitchen with healthy foods. If you're cruising the kitchen (which I do about every 2 hours) if instead of sugar, there is a basket of fruit, I will pick up a piece of fruit. I find my fruit tends to go bad if there is a plate of cookies on the counter, or chocolate in the cupboard *silly me*). I also don't really like veggies, but I will eat them if there is ranch in the fridge, or hummus laying around. Fruit can be expensive, but it can also be found on sale. Bananas are filling and usually pretty inexpensive, there are 20 kinds of apples to choose from. Pick whatever is less than 1.50$ pound. I avoid red delicious though, they can be dry. Don't underestimate granola bars or protein bars. We buy a box once every other month or so from costco. There are 48 bars in a box and the box is 12$. These help fill me (and the bunnies) up between meals, and if you have a glass of water with it you're all set!
Some notes from my first time out:
1. Bacon does not constitute an entire meal. neither do cookies.
2. Be sure to have some back-up meals on hand. sometimes a meal just doesn't turn out the way it should, or something goes bad before you expect it to.
3. Cooking is hard. don't get discouraged and don't be afraid to call someone for advice. I call my Grandmother or Mother a couple times a month about a spice or cooking question.
4. A glob of peanut butter and some crackers don't count either.
5. Resist the urge to bake cookies just to eat the raw batter. Or if you can't resist, don't eat all the batter in one night!
6. The freezer is your friend. You can freeze just about anything, including leftovers, bread, tortillas, soup, etc.
7. Storage containers. Get a set of plastic or glass storage containers for leftovers.
8. Keep your kitchen clean. This way it feels welcoming and doesn't feel as much of a chore.

Hope these notes of a scatter-brained Sheepdog are of help!

Woof!

Is it Christmas Yet? Part II – Homemade Presents

 Christmas Presents - Homemade

Many people have mixed feelings about homemade presents. Some people feel that they come across as “cheap”, others feel like there is nothing better or thoughtful than something homemade. I take the second approach. I guess it can depend on who the present is for, or the time and effort you put into it. When I first got married, neither my spouse nor I had a job and we ended up doing homemade presents for just about everyone. I like to think they were well thought out and tasteful however. J Since then, even though our financial situation has improved, we still do a few homemade presents each year because we simply like the idea of giving homemade gifts to people, and it’s a great excuse to do crafty things! So we have made (with some help from bunnies) a list of crafts / projects that make great Christmas presents! Enjoy. :

Baking:

Food might seem cheap, but it is one the most heartwarming gifts to give. In the winter, and around the holidays people enjoy having extra treats to celebrate the season. Whether or not you have a secret recipe or a talent for baking doesn’t really matter. I love cookies and desserts (ask anyone) but I don’t always have time to make things. People get busy with life, and hobbies like cooking can fall by the wayside. Taking the time to bake something will always be appreciated. Here is a small list of things we usually make for people around this time:

Pumpkin Bread. It freezes well, travels well, and is perfect with a cup of cocoa or coffee.

Cookie / Cake mix. Prepare a jar with the dry ingredients (flour, salt, chocolate chips, etc.). Then print out the directions and the other ingredients needed (1 egg, ½ cup milk, etc.) and tape the directions to the jar. You can also decorate the jar with ribbons or bows.

Baked cookies, in a tin or glass jar.

Fudge, seasonal treats are always a good idea.

Pretty much anything chocolate ;)

Snack basket. We’ve done this a couple of times, where you fill it with cheese / crackers / meat, popcorn, etc.

Games:

I’m not quite sure how I started, but a couple of years ago I began designing personalized games for people as presents. In my case I started out with a known game, Dominion, and built a new expansion for it. This project took weeks, but was a lot of fun to create. First, I started out with sheets of notebook paper and wrote out what each card was going to do and what I wanted it to look like. Next, I downloaded a free image editing program called paint.net and set to work editing and building cards off of images from google. Finally, I sent all my digital cards to Walmart to print them. Eventually I realized that Office Depot has better deals on printing and would even print double-sided and cut them out for me. Anyway, I’ve done this kind of project maybe 6 times and it has been a winner every time!

Painting:

Sadly, I have no skill at painting, coloring, drawing, watercolors. *Sob* However, my wife has some talent in the area, and has created a number of wonderful paintings for family members.

Photography:

There are a lot of photo projects you can do, and I have it on good authority that grandparents in particular enjoy photos! You can do anything from a photo calendar to framed photos to a scrapbook! Most of the stuff hanging on the walls in our apartment are gifts for example. J

Writing:

Don’t discount writing projects. Anything from a short story to an epic! Even if you have already written it up, sending a copy of your book, or better yet, bound and printed from kinkos can be a wonderful idea! I haven’t written anything worth binding, but it’s still a good idea. J

Wood Projects:

You kind of need access to a workshop or tools for this one, but there are quite a few simple wood projects that one can do without having to build a birdhouse. ;) I’ve created a small jewelry box before, which required a few cuts and some clamps and a couple of hinges. I’ve also done walking sticks which are very easy. Find a good branch, cut it, strip it, carve it, and add some olive oil or stain to bring out the color of the wood. If you’re feeling really crafty, wrap a leather hand-hold near the top with leather scraps and some glue. Some slightly more advanced ideas can include coasters, candlestick holders, or a sword! For the right person, you can make scrimshaw sticks for martial arts. These are pretty simple: buy a long thick dowel (oak if you can find it) cut it into 2 pieces each about 1-2 feet long. Then carve a design for each handle and you’re done! A simple sword can be made the same way.

Odds and Ends Projects:

Take a walk around Home Depot and pick up ideas. Do you want to make a lightsaber? Cross? Wine bottle holder? Marble track? Marshmellow gun? Potato gun? Find the right employee and they will give you dozens of ideas!

Hmm, just writing this gives me all kinds of ideas! I have a few games we created, I have some baking ideas in mind, and I may trawl around the craft store. Anyway, hope you leave today feeling inspired!

Woof!

-Sheepdog-

Is it Christmas Yet? Part I - Shopping

Christmas, and the holidays is really a magical time of year. Last year, I went on a scientific quest to prove the possibility, plausibility, and time it would take Santa to make his annual run around the world delivering presents. This year, I plan to sit back and really enjoy the season. And this begins with starting my celebrating a bit earlier than usual. (I have it on good authority that some folks have started their celebrating even earlier ;) As a sort of countdown to Christmas, I will be posting various pieces of advice on how to not only survive the holidays, but how to make the most out of them without stressing out. Enjoy!

Christmas Shopping:

A lot of people love the holiday, but dislike fighting the crowds. They also get stressed when shopping. Will this person like this? Is it the right size? What if I go over budget? To help with the madness, I have written out a quick guide to shopping that should take some of the stress away, and help you enjoy your excursions. 

The Day Before-Preparation

The bunnies and I sat down and wrote out a Christmas List of folks we want to shop for. This is a crucial first step. You want a general idea of what your looking for, about how much you are willing to spend (per person, or per gift). While your at it, take a look at your budget. It is a good idea to know ahead of time what you are comfortable spending. A list of all relatives and friends you plan to buy for is also helpful. 

The next step is picking your day and the location. Do you want company? Plan for a day you can go shopping with friends. Which mall/stores do you want to go to? If possible, set aside the entire day for shopping. You don't want to feel rushed, or hurried. This way, if you run into traffic, or if the mall is packed, you don't feel stressed out. Crowds tend to ebb and flow. Around lunch is a good time to get some shopping done because most of the shoppers will be a the food court. If a store is too packed, go outside for a while and enjoy the fresh air.

Finally, be sure to check any adds, sales, or promotions that you think may be helpful. Especially big ticket items! Have a good idea the the average price is, that way you know a good (or bad) deal when you see it. 

Morning Of: Preparation-Getting read to leave the house

Shopping day! Before leaving the house, I have a few suggestions for you. Eat a big breakfast, preferably brunch if you can. You don't want to feel faint or tired while out shopping, and you want to avoid eating grease at mcdonalds or something while out and about (chocolate or sugar is fine;).

Next, double check last minute sales events before leaving. This is another reason brunch is so important. It leaves you an hour or so after you wake up and before you make brunch to check online for events or sales. 

Be sure to remember your list. (spoiler alert, we forgot ours). Your list will help you keep focused, and you can cross things off as you go. 

Dress appropriately. You are setting out for what may possibly be a 2-4 hour walk indoors. Wear comfy walking shoes, and a comfortable outfit. Dress with a couple layers. That way, you can go indoors or ourdoors and not be too hot or cold. 

Bring a small snack, and be sure to bring along 5-10$ for snacks or a drink while your out. Shopping is hard work. It's a good idea to take a break now and then, and a small pick-me-up will keep your spirits up. 

Make sure your car is fueled and ready to go. Bring music or something in case you run into traffic. Does your trunk have enough room for your purchases? You don't want them in the backseat if you plan to leave your car for long stretches of time. 

Check that your phone is charged. More than likely you may need to make a few calls either to friends or family if you are the "designated" shopper, or to check sizes or duplicate items, etc. 

This is more of an afterthought, but had an idea on what you want for dinner. More than likely, you will return home hungry, but (hopefully) pleased with your purchases. Dinner should be quick, easy, and filling. 

Shopping:

You made it! Your in the mall, or wherever, and ready to go shopping. Awesome! If you are shopping with a friend (or posse) check that each group or pair have a phone. 

Take a look at your list, and decide which shops you want to hit first. Remember, you're out to have fun! If you want to window shop, or spend extra time in Barnes and Noble for example, do it! Your list is more of a guide, not a grocery list. Be willing to change someone's idea if you find something on the shelf that has someone's name written all over it. 

Take some time to appreciate the decorations. Most malls and stores go all out on their decorations. Some towns even set up nutcracker cards all over! Other 2-story malls have giant Christmas trees, and Santa. If you're feeling down, just watch the face of a kid who sits on Santa's lap. :)

Keep an eye on time. Clocks and watches work differently in malls. 

Finally, keep all receipts, and keep a running total on how much you spend. This way your not blindsided when you get home, or the next time you check your account. 

Here's how we fared on our trip:

Planning: we wrote out everyone's name on a list, but left a lot of blanks as we couldn't think of what they might want. We did plan a couple of homeade presents, which aside from keeping the cost down, can be creative and very special! The bunnies checked for deals but didn't find any.
Morning: The following morning, we found out one of the deals had expired *sob*, so we'll have to come back when the deal is back on. Brunch was delicious! we had a full compliment breakfast, with cubed potatoes, 2 fried eggs, toast, juice, coffee, and bacan! Bellies full, we set out only to forget the list.
Shopping: After arriving at the mall, we met up with a posse of people to go shopping, but arrived at different times, and we all had lunch at separate places and times, which was fine, but made things a little disjointed. The decorations were incredible, and Christmas music was playing everywhere! It was rather like eating the first candy cane of the season. There were shoppers milling about but not too many. We lost track of time, did a lot of window shopping, and clothes shopping but found a few Christmas presents despite forgetting our list, and placed an order in to Office Depot for a card game. :D Overall it was a wonderful trip. Otter was there, so was Koda, Ducky, Owl, and the Mice. All of us being book lovers, we spent a couple hours in B and N, and I stopped off for a cookie as a small pick-me-up.
Aftermath: Looking back, there were several things that could have gone better, but it was a great day! We labeled all our receipts and placed them in a small bag that we can carry with us to parties in case a receipt may be needed. We re-evaluated our list, and wrote in more ideas we had by shopping around, and may yet head out on another excursion in the future! Next time we'll be more prepared. 

I hope your trip(s) goes well, and that these ideas help! I'll be back later with more Christmas advice! 

Woof!

Sheepdog

Quadratic Equations

A swift introduction to Quadratic Functions and Equations

What with the rain pouring outside, I figured a nice comfy armchair and a relaxing book might just do the trick. Ah! Here we are, a nice well-loved story from Pythagoras and Euclid:

Quadratic Function:

AX² + BX + C = 0

The quadratic function is basically a blend of a parabolic function, and the standard form equation. You can kind of see the similarity if you swap the 0 out for a Y:

Y = AX² + BX + C

However, the quadratic function will automatically set Y to 0 for you, leaving you free to concentrate on solving for the X’s. Why do we even want to solve for the X’s? A quadratic equation deals with values of X and X², and has a graph that looks like a giant letter U, or n, depending on whether the graph is positive or negative. The graph only crosses the Y axis once, but it crosses the X axis twice! As curious mathematicians, we are curious exactly when it crosses the X axis, or when Y=0. This is why we take the Y out and Swap in 0 right off the bat.

Luckily, an old bunny with a gray beard by the name of Pythagoras E. Bunny, and his younger neighbor, Euclid Lopear Bunny, have made some headway for us. Typically when solving for X in an equation containing X², we can either start factoring, use a table or graph, or try to solve it by completing the square (spoiler, completing the square is long and tedious). Py and Euclid decided to create a general solution for completing the square in order to make it faster and easier for all bunny-kind. Their resulting solution was:

Granted, this looks messy, it but actually simplifies everything into 1 step: plug in your numbers and solve! Given: 0=1x² + 5x + 6, we plug 1 in for A, 5 in for B, and 6 in for C:

X= -2 +- sqrt(5²-4*1*6) all over 2*3, or (-2+-1) /2. It’s the plus or minus that often confuses people. We actually solve the equation twice (remember, we are looking for 2 solutions, the 2 places X crosses the X axis).

+     (-2+1) /2 = -1/2

-.     (-2-1) /2 = -3/2

X = -1/2 or -3/2

This isn't comprehensive, but it's meant to be a quick refresher / reminder about lop eared bunnys, I mean Quadratic Equations. 

Enjoy! 

Saturday!!

It's been a good lazy Saturday. :) Some days its nice just to kick back and relax. Don't forget to take one now and again. Today I made an Apple Pie, watched Indiana Jones, (classic movie, its totally worth watching) and worked a bit on some mathematics. Maybe that's why I don't plan to include math in this post, because I'm mathed out for the moment. :)

In absence of math, I hope you enjoy the following*
According to tradition, Albert Einstein came up with this riddle when he was a child. While it may not pass as a riddle in the real sense, it still manages to measure one’s focus and intellect.

Riddle: There are 5 houses that have 5 occupants. Each occupant’s house is differently colored. The houses also have different choice of beverages, different cigarette brands, and a unique pet. Your goal is to figure out which occupant owns the fish.
Here is more information:

• An Englishman resides in a red house
• The Dane drinks tea
• Dogs are kept by the Swede
• The green house is left to the white house
• The occupant of the green house drinks coffee
• The birds are kept by the Pall Mall smoker
• The Dunhill smoker lives in the yellow house
• The milk is drunk by the man living in the center house
• The first houses’ occupant is Norwegian
• The blend smoker’s neighbor keeps cats
• The horse keeper and the Dunhill smoker live next to each other
• The German smokes Prince
• The Norwegian lives right next to the blue house
• The blend smoker’s neighbor drinks water.
  
  *Shamelessly stolen from: http://www.enkivillage.com/famous-riddles.html **
  **Since this was cited, it wasn't stolen***
  ***Stop reading my footnotes and try to solve the problem!****
  ****And no peeking at the answer!*****
  *****I bet you didn't know the answer was on the website until I said no peeking******
  ******Okay, I'm done with my footnotes now*^7
  *^7This isn't even how to make a footnote is it?

Grounded in God - Plus a rant about the perfect numbers in mathematics

What does it mean to be grounded in God? There are a lot of Christian-isms that we, as Christians use often. Phrases like: salvation, the cross, crucifixion, and others. How do we explain them to non-Christians? Today, we will look at the phrase "Grounded in God".

Being grounded is another way of saying having faith in something. For example, we all have faith in chairs. We sit in them, and they don't break (*crash!* well, most of the time). We have faith the sun will rise each morning. Really, faith is a simple concept of believing in something, be it a person, deity, or constant event. Grounded is also a way of saying we have a deeper (think tree roots) belief in something. We know, each day, that we will be taken care of, that we have someone else looking out for us, that we have a place to come back to. It is possible, for instance, to be grounded in a place, city, or even a spouse. In short, where/who can you go to to find rest, and re-assurance? As kids, this is often represented in our parents, or guardian. As young adults, it can become a friendship, or relationship. For Christians, it is God. We know that God will watch over us, that in good times and bad, we can always come back to God for comfort, rest, and re-assurance.

Which leads us to some questions. As a mathematician, is there a formal proof that God is there? After all, I wouldn't sit in a chair that was broken, or an empty space the rabbits were trying to convince me was a chair. I believe there is an overwhelming amount of proof that God not only exists, but is perfect. But before delving into the math, here are two great examples. First, take a walk outside. Find some nature and immerse yourself in it. Trees, birds, flowers. Is it really possible that all this was created randomly? Why do trees' leaves change color? Why are there millions of different plant and animal life? If it were all natural selection, wouldn't there eventually only be one species left? But if your nature walk, (lovely regardless) doesn't convince you, let's look at some numbers:

First, we have PI, or 3.14159265358... you get the idea. How on earth could natural selection create such a number, and furthermore, where did we even find it? Archimedes was working on finding this number in use to estimate the circumference of a circle, and later, to find the area of a circle. Circle's exist in nature, roughly. Trees are round, rocks are round. But nowhere in nature does there exist a perfect circle, have you ever noticed that? Even in our technology world, the best 5k TV's and monitors cannot create a perfect circle, because if you zoom in enough, it's all just small square black pixels creating a jagged line that looks like a circle to the naked eye. Yet I ask you to picture a perfect circle in you mind's eye, and you can picture one. :) We can use the numbers of a perfect circle in mathematics to engineer tires, machine parts and more. Natural selection is about things evolving in nature. Where then, do we get the idea of a perfect circle? For that matter, how can we imagine anything as being perfect, if perfection is unattainable? Squares, spheres, we can create super-exact shapes using modern technology, but not ever perfect. In our Olympic games, the entire sport is about coming as close perfection as we can.

Even time. Our clock system is arguably the most perfect man-made invention ever. The USNO Navy Master Clock (which uses 45 synchronized atomic clocks) is used to help keep the larger part of the world synchronized, but even it isn't perfect. We lose a full second about every 27 million years. That's accurate enough for us, but not technically perfect.

Where then, did we get the idea of perfection? Certainly not from nature. I believe we could only have gotten that idea from someone who is perfect. Someone who created us. I also believe, if we in fact, did evolve from apes, we could not comprehend the idea of perfection. We would only be interested in "close enough" whatever it took to get the job done. We might still have had tools, and skyscrapers, and the like, but our math would be totally different. Our concept of "perfect" would be replaced with "better than before".

And for math problems, and exact measurements, and perfect shapes, "better than before" just isn't good enough. Mathematics deals with absolutes, exact numbers, and perfect numbers. It's really a way to appreciate and worship God when you think about it. 3+2=5, yesterday, now and forever. Unless you add modular arithmetic to the equation, but I digress.

Anyway, hope this little article gives you something to think about. Time for some apple Pi methinks. :) Because what is more perfect for a late fall snack than a slice of apple pie and some ice cream?

~SheepDog~

Math Things - Statistics

I don't believe I've covered a stat post yet, possibly because mostly I play with imaginary numbers, and abstract concepts. *sheepish grin* Learning statistics is actually incredibly useful, although one can get caught up in the formulas and doomed to roam the bell curve forever...

Anyway, without further ado, here are some intro notes to the all-scary statistics field:

1. Animal Shelter: Collecting and interpreting data, narrowing the field.
First, statistics is essentially collecting data, then sorting the data into subsections to answer questions. Let's say you go to an animal shelter, which by the way, you should go. And adopt a puppy. Because puppies are amazing! Anyway, you go there, and they have let's say 100 cute adorable faces to choose from. Most of the time, you walk up and down the isles, barking at the dogs until you find one you like. But let us say that you want to narrow it down a little, spend more time per puppy, but only look at the kind of puppy you want. You ask the nice volunteer how many fluffy medium sized dogs they have.

They may check their database, and realize they have 60 medium sized dogs, and of those 60, roughly 12 of them are fluffy. That narrows the field. :)

2. Husky's: Finding Patterns, Estimates, and Averages.
Secondly, statistics is often used to find patterns in data, find averages, and make predictions.
Back to our animal shelter! We go looking for a husky, for example, but they don't have any Husky's. *Sob*. So, naturally we ask, "do you ever get any Husky's in?" They can look through their history, and search for Husky, and they may tell us, they have gotten in 4 Husky's in the past 2 years. That may be the beginning of a pattern. You ask them, were those Husky's one litter, or did you get them at intervals? It may turn out they a Husky in about every 6 months, and they are adopted really quickly because there are a lot of Husky lovers out there. So the pattern is 1 Husky per 6 months. It's been about 3 months since they last had a Husky, and you decide to wait 3 months and come in to check. Awesome! That's finding a pattern, getting an average, then making an estimate! Not only do you get a fluffy blue-eyed Husky in 3 months, but you were using Statistics! *High Fives*

See? This stuff isn't so bad.

3. Those Silly Marbles: Probability
If you are past grade 6, chances are you have heard the age-old question, if there are 10 marbles in a bag, 4 are green, 2 are red, and 4 are blue, what are the chances of pulling a blue marble out? Or, here is another one: You are getting dressed in the dark. You own 6 pairs of socks. How many socks do you have to grab to know you have grabbed at least one matching pair? First, I would like to ask the guy, silly rabbit that wrote this, "Why am I only pulling one random marble from the sack? Why do I have a sack of marbles? If I plan to play with them, wouldn't I dump the whole lot on the floor? And why am I getting dressed in the dark? Do I even care if my socks match? Furthermore, if I have a roommate, or spouse that I don't want to wake, what are the odds of grabbing only socks in the dark to begin with? Like most people, my sock drawer doesn't contain only socks. Obviously, the pretty math problems on paper don't tend to factor in real life examples... Let's make our own:

The Holidays are almost here. You want to bake some amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies. However, about the time you are ready to place the cookies in the oven, you notice 3 bunnies hovering over you, wanting to sample the dough. Normally, you might let them, but this time, you had just enough batter to bake 15 cookies (after you snuck a taste of course). You need 14 cookies to take to you friend's Hobbit feast party, and can only spare one. Therefore, you decide to have the bunnies flip for it. A coin doesn't have 3 sides, so to make it fair, you take a dice, and assign each bunny 2 numbers on the dice. Blue bunny gets 1-2, Gray bunny gets 3-4, and Brown bunny gets 5-6. This way, each bunny get's an even chance at the cookie. With this example, it's pretty easy to tell each bunny gets a 2/6 (or 1/3) chance of winning. But suppose Blue and Gray bunny were in you fur the whole time you were trying to make the cookies. You decide to dock each of them 1 number. Now Blue gets 1, and Gray gets 2, and Brown gets 3-6. The odds have changed:
Blue = 1/6 chance
Gray = 1/6 chance
Brown = 4/6 chance

This way, all the bunnys still have a chance, but since Brown was the best behaved, she will get a better chance at winning than the other two. I think that is a much better example of a realistic example of probability.

In general, count the total number of possibilities, then count how many winning chances each person, or outcome has. Here are a few more examples:

Suppose instead of Bunnies and cookies, you were running a raffle on a new battleaxe. You sold tickets for 3$ each, and each person was only allowed to buy up to 10 tickets. You have a total of 50 tickets, and plan to use the 150$ proceeds to actually buy the prize battleaxe, and a small hobbit-y blade for yourself.

So the total possibilities are 50 tickets, where each one could be the winner. Let's take a look at who bought the tickets, and how many they bought:


Blue Bunny:         10 tickets
Gray Bunny:        10 tickets
Luna Cat:             5 tickets
Frankenstein Cat: 5 tickets
Black kitty:            10 tickets
Husky:                  5 tickets
Meow:                  1 ticket
Story:                    1 ticket
Smitty:                  3 tickets  (not entirely sure why a car needs a battleaxe..?)
Total;                    50 tickets

So, for example, Blue Bunny has a 10/50 or 1/5 chance of winning, while Smitty only has a 3/50 chance of winning.

Suppose sheepdog was worried that a bunny might win, and his troubles would never end. What are the chances of a bunny (any bunny) winning?

What are the odds of Story winning? Do you think she would keep it or give it to her parents?

Do you think Black Kitty would win? Why or Why not?

Have Fun!
Feel free to guess who will win! I will edit later with the winner.

-SheepDog-

Feeling Hobbit-y

Hello Again!
Well, Halloween has come and gone. It took a few days, but the sugar high's are over, my eyes have stopped twitching and my tail is no longer tied in a knot, and my teeth are rotting out. Time to start thinking about holiday baking! Too soon? Well, okay then. We can talk about Hobbits instead.

Hobbits, for those of you who have lived in a hole and arn't Hobbits yourselves, are a fictitious race of little people imagined up by J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of The Rings. While the movies have only recently come out, the books have been out for some 70 years! If you haven't read them yet, I highly encourage it. They are perfect nice, slow reading books for the cold November month, and best read to when there is a storm outside. But I digress. Hobbits are a curious people, only about 3 feet high or so, with lots of curly hair, a healthy appetite, and tend to be a fairly good humor. They like lots of meals (10 meals a day if they can get them), they use simple tools and are, as a general rule, farmers. While they may seem quaint, or soft, Hobbits are indeed a very interesting people, preferring peace and jollyment (is that a word) to squabbles and fighting. They can be a very resilient people when called upon. Overall, they are a splendid people, and we have a lot to learn from them. Here is a quick list of how to live more like a Hobbit:

- Hobbits enjoy all kinds of food, generally homeade, and take great pride in their pantry's and larders. With the Holiday's coming up, bake a pie! Make some fresh chili or stew. :)

- Take a hike or walk through the woods. Don't bring your phone or even your camera. Your here to enjoy nature, not post about what a great time you had on Facebook. :) If you fancy company, bring a friend.

- Hobbits are not overly known for publishing literature, but they love a good story. Read, listen to, or make up a story to warm the evening chill.

- Hobbits love having a fire, tea, and a warm blanket on cold winter months. This can be one of life's secret joys.

- Hobbits don't just party, they go all out. Bilbo's birthday went on all day, emptied the entire county of it's food stores, and several businesses besides. Hobbits also give away gifts on their birthdays, sort of party favors, but more elaborate. Make a spectacle! Cause a scene!

- Hobbits are friendly, as a rule. Go out on the town, or invite some people over, try drawing or painting. Remember, life isn't only about work, sleep, and the occasional tv show. You don't have to live for the weekends, evenings are great for activities. :)

- They also have a tenancy to walk around barefoot. But then, Hobbit feet are very tough, If you can manage it, take a walk barefoot in the grass, it can be very fun!

Enjoy your fall afternoon! I think this week I shall have to bake a pie. :) Or cake. Everyone likes cake.