How Much Have I Changed in Ten Years?

You've Changed 20% in 10 Years

You've hardly changed in ten years, from your lifestyle to those very retro clothes. And unless you were really ahead of your time, you probably need to acquaint yourself with the modern world!

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

Just for the fun of it, I decided to answer these questions from different times in my life. So instead of answering how much I've changed in 10 years, I answered in repsonse to 15 years, then 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, and 50 years. Since I am 57 years old, there have been big changes since I was seven!! Here is the breakdown:

20% in 10 years
40% in 15 years
52% in 20 years
60% in 30 years
80% in 40 years
84% in 50 years

Thank you for posting this one, Storyteller. It was fun! It certainly got me thinking about some of the changes I've undergone over the years. Keeping with the more whimsical spirit of this game brought some light-hearted changes to mind.

I have always loved music. My thoughts turned to the evolution of how I listen to music, which started with records and my little transistor radio, evolved to eight track tapes, cassettes, and finally CDs on my stereo system. Now I'm ready for the next step - an MP3 player.

How could I not stroll down fashion memory lane? I never missed an opportunity to cast off a frilly dress for my dungarees. As a young person, I never dreamed I would give up my bell-bottomed, hip-huggers. But I did. Over the years they morphed into straight-legged-jeans which have morphed into slacks with elastic waist bands.

What of my favorite passtimes? My rollerskates and jump rope have long since been retired to eventually be replaced with a telescope and binoculars. Nancy Drew mysteries are no longer on the bookshelf having been moved to make space for mysteries by John Grisham and Patricia Cornwell.

Not everything has changed. Now and then, I still enjoy those "little hot dogs" otherwise known as breakfast links. And I still love those "little trees" otherwise known as broccoli. As long as there are hot, summer days, a cold glass of lemonade will always hit the spot and serve as a reminder of summer days long ago!

A Naked Eye Comet!

"Comet Holmes brightens almost a million times" read the headlines on October 25th. Almost overnight a comet difficult to find in very good telescope made itself visible in the night sky. I strained to spot the naked eye comet in the constellation Perseus. According to an article I read, it would appear as a fuzz ball. I didn't see a fuzz ball, but I did see a star that didn't belong in Perseus. Sure enough, a look through my binoculars revealed a big fuzzy ball with a bright center - Comet Holmes. It wasn't until the following night, as the comet continued to brighten, that without the aid of binoculars, I spotted the fuzz ball where its star-like imposter had been the night before.

It is expected to remain visible with the naked eye for the next couple of weeks, possibly continuing to brighten. You can spot it, too, if you know where to look. In the early evening look to the northeast for Cassiopeia, which appears to be the letter W standing on its side. Perseus is located below Cassiopeia and slightly to the east. Part of the constellation forms a triangle. Look to the bottom left point of the triangle. It may look like a star or a fuzzy patch depending on your eyesight and the darkness of the sky. That is Comet Holmes. Binoculars reveal that it is not your typical comet. It has no tail; it is circular with a bright center. If you have problems finding it, use binoculars to slowly sweep the general area until it comes into view. It is so bright and round, that you will know immediately that it is not a star.

Spaceweather.com has an impressive photo gallery of Comet Holmes photos taken by amateur astronomers from all over the world. Most of these are from the northern hemisphere, but I noticed some Australia.
http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_holmes.html

By the way, if you have never seen the Andromeda Galaxy, this would be a good time to do so! Andromeda is marked in the sky chart. Again, use Cassiopeia as your guide. From the most northerly star (the top), look east (to the right) until you see a fuzzy patch. If your eyesight doesn't permit or your sky is not dark enough, use binoculars. You won't be able to miss it.

Clear skies!

I made this star chart using the free software, Cartes du Ciel.
Cartes du Ciel
Sky Charts
Free program to draw sky charts
For use with Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP
http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/index.html