Disney is in the Air

March 9, 2016 by jlmdiscovery

It’s been said that smell is the strongest of our senses tied to memory. Sometimes all it takes is a single whiff of vanilla to conjure fond memories of baking in our parents’ kitchen or a hint of the perfume that our aunt used to wear to remind us of annual visits from long ago. It is a sense that is often overlooked amidst the other four. So why not use it to our advantage to experience the nostalgia of the happiest place on Earth? If you’ve visited Disneyland (or Magic Kingdom) in the past, here is a list of scents you can use to relive the pleasant atmospheres of your favorite Disney lands.

Note: I’ve based this list off of Yankee Candle scents, but of course you can substitute anything similar.

Main Street, U.S.A.
Main Street is the first land you experience when you enter the parks, and it is also the one that most consciously aims those pleasant scents in your direction. The most iconic scents are those of freshly baked treats from the Jolly Holiday Bakery and the homemade candies around Christmastime.

Bakery Air
Christmas Cookie
French Vanilla
Gingerbread Maple
Gingerbread
Peppermint Bark
Vanilla Cupcake

Adventureland
Adventureland explores the areas from Polynesian gardens to Asian temples to the African jungle, and contains one of everyone’s favorite treats: Dole Whip. Tropical fruits and blooms best represent this spirit of adventure.

Black Coconut
Coconut & Vanilla Bean
Eucalyptus
Exotic Bloom
Luau Party
Mango Peach Salsa
Midnight Jasmine
Orange Dreamsicle
Pineapple Cilantro

Frontierland/Critter Country
Frontierland makes me think of southern favorites and earthy scents, with plenty of fresh fragrances of the outdoors. I’ve lumped Critter Country in here because there’s a lot of overlap, although the presence of Winnie the Pooh reminds me instantly of the Honey Blossom.

Apple Cider
Apple Spice
Autumn Leaves
Caramel Pecan Pie
Cinnamon Stick
Cranberry Pear
Farmer’s Market
Green Grass
Harvest
Honey Blossom
Lush Berries
Macintosh
Mountain Lodge
Peach Cobbler

New Orleans Square
New Orleans Square is one of my favorite places to walk around in the afternoons, particularly with a bag of fresh Mickey-shaped beignets. Enjoy the French and Jazz influences with these scents reminiscent of pastries and spirits.

Brandy Pear Tart
Vanilla Bourbon

Fantasyland
Fantasyland is full of princes, princesses, and fun so the first thoughts that come to mind are of gardens and magical forests. Choose some of your favorite flower scents or go the route of Snow White with a fresh, red apple.

Cotton Candy
Fresh Cut Roses
Lavender Vanilla
Lilac Blossoms
Macintosh
Magical Frosted Forest
Meadow Showers
Pink Peony
True Rose
Tulips
White Gardenia

Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is the hardest of the lands to pinpoint in terms of scents, mostly because it’s comprised of a lot of minimalistic metal and space-age materials. The best I could think of was a series of clean, fresh scents (at least until Yankee Candle adds Plastic and Steel to their repertoire).

April Showers
Clean Cotton
Crisp Morning Air
Fluffy Towels
Line-Dried Cotton

What are some of your favorite scents from Disneyland? Which bring back the strongest memories? Share below!

10 Places to Find Discount Books

March 2, 2016 by jlmdiscovery

I’m not going to lie: I’m technically in no need of new books. But even with a collection of over 1,600 already I can’t help but get excited browsing all the titles on the shelves. My husband both laughs and cries a little as I walk out of the stores with my arms spilling over with aerospace textbooks, Stephen King novels, and Titanic references. If you, too, are an avid reader, I’d bet you’re also constantly on the lookout for good deals on your favorite interests. Here are 10 of my favorite places to find discount books!

Goodwill/Salvation Army – our old Goodwill used to have an entire wall of the store dedicated to used books at only $1-2 apiece
Used Book Stores – while some are higher priced than others, they usually have a great selection of books in decent shape
Antique/Consignment Shops – great for older or vintage books
Flea Markets – these may take some searching, but flea and trader markets typically have small collections here and there
Yard Sales – many people purge their books for yard sales so be sure to make a stop when you drive by one
Book Fairs – book fairs or dollar book swaps are popular in cities so look around for news of upcoming events
Library Sales – from time to time libraries will host book fairs to get rid of excess copies
Book Swaps – public book swaps are popping up more frequently, or you can always trade with friends
Used Book Sites – I frequently use the used option on Amazon to get textbooks and hardcovers for a good price
Free E-books – when all else fails, look online for free e-books (ex. Project Gutenberg)

Do you have any other suggestions on where to find discount or free books? Please leave them in the comments below!

How Failure Can Make Me an Astronaut

February 24, 2016 by jlmdiscovery

In celebration of National Engineer’s Week, I’d like to share a recent story with you about my first application to the astronaut program.

For those who don’t know, astronaut applications typically open up every four years or so and accept between 8-14 candidates. This year had a record number of 18,300 applicants (the previous record was 8,100 in 1978). This puts my chances for selection around 0.08%. And yet, even knowing I just meet the minimum qualifications, I applied because 0.08% is still higher than 0%.

I’ve wanted to apply to be an astronaut since I was eight years old. I always had this dream of filling out the “perfect” application, repeating as necessary until I finally got my chance. But when it came time to submit my first application I froze, realizing I didn’t know what I really had to offer. Sure I have the necessary degree, but what makes me stand out over those other 18,299 people?

I started to let myself get so discouraged that I nearly didn’t submit anything at all. Here was a job I had always wanted, and I felt like I had nothing to show for it. If it weren’t for my husband’s gentle nudging (who, as it happens, also applied for the program), I may have let that first opportunity I had longed for pass by. I managed to put together the best application I could muster at the moment, and now I’ll play the waiting game with everyone else over the next few months.

I’ve been going over this process again and again in my head the past week, and I realized that I have two ways to look at it: I can either let myself be discouraged or I can use this as an opportunity for growth. Every time I’ve submitted an application, interviewed, or even started a new job, I’ve been filled with anxiety over the qualifications and skills I’ve felt I lacked. And it’s all too easy to start focusing on others and letting envy creep in over their success. But why? Sitting before me now is a list of recommended traits and qualifications, along with a 50+ year history of examples who have been accepted by the program. In fact, I know that most likely four years from now the same position will open up again. So what can I change in the next four years to feel more confident in my application?

This is a challenge before me, one with objectives already laid out, ready to be met. I started by considering skills that most of the current astronauts possess. While they are no guarantee of future success, they are a great stepping stone to pursue a wider variety of abilities. Here is what I came up with:

* Advanced Degree(s)
* Subject Matter Expertise
* Published Works
* Hands-On Mechnical Experience
* Leadership/Project Management Experience
* Multiple Languages (Russian, Japanese, etc)
* Public Speaking/STEM Outreach
* General Health & Fitness
* Swimming/SCUBA Skills
* Flying Experience

Each of these translates in a series of attainable goals to pursue, with a timeline in which to complete them. Now it’s up to me to create cohesive strategies for personal development. There’s nothing stopping me from learning new foreign vocabulary each day or spending time reading up on upcoming aerospace research. And yet the biggest piece of this career puzzle isn’t even on this list: the set of skills that will set me apart from the other applicants. I need to set aside some time to brainstorm what it is that I can uniquely offer. Therein lies the confidence that I need to put forth a successful application. So, while I may not be there yet, I have a plan set in motion for the next four years that will bring me closer to my dream job.

I realize that not everyone reading this has had the lifelong goal of traveling into orbit (or perhaps you have and you’ve just never taken action on it). But this lack of confidence affects nearly anyone who’s ever applied for a job. When we read those job postings and the list of qualifications, we’re provided with a template for success. We may not have everything we need just now, but those skills are worth taking note of because they’re the ones that will get us further in the future. The best way we can approach failure is to use it as feedback on what we can do to improve ourselves.

I wish you the best of luck with your current and future endeavors!

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

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How to Declutter and Organize Your Computer

February 16, 2016 by jlmdiscovery

For the past few weeks I’ve been following the popular “Home Organization 101: A Bowl Full of Lemons 14 Week Challenge” in order to finally get our house unpacked and decluttered. It’s been a great motivator, yet I noticed that there’s one important category missing: electronic organization. Many organization articles suggest that you digitize your files, but few remind you that, like your home, your hard drive has a finite amount of space. And, if your computer isn’t treated well, you could find yourself dealing with a computer crash at the wrong time. I’m currently in the process of updating my computer, and I came up with a list to follow to guide me through the clean up. Here are my tips to declutter and organize your computer too.

Purging
The first step to cleaning out your computer is to get rid of all the files you don’t need anymore (kind of like clearing out your closet). This step takes the longest, but it will take less time in the future if you schedule routine reviews of your digital content. For fun, check your hard drive space before and after you complete this step (it’s fun to see a significant change). Here are the areas you want to check:

Documents: don’t forget those from your desktop, downloads folder, cloud drives, and external hard drives
Photos/Videos: you don’t really need to save photos from that lunch you made two years ago
Music: if you don’t listen to it or you’re content to use streaming stations for it, get rid of it
Emails: go through both your inbox and your archives (don’t forget to review your “sent” box)
Bookmarks: check your browser and delete any sites you don’t visit
Programs/Toolbars/Plug-Ins: uninstall any program you don’t use
Recycling Bin: save this for last and be sure to empty the bin completely once you’re sure you’ve saved what you need

If you’re debating on whether or not to keep old documents, refer to this article on how long you should keep those “important” files (although you can be slightly more forgiving with electronic versions). Keep an eye out for duplicate versions of photos or documents; you probably don’t need to save multiple copies in the long run.

Organization
Now that you’ve pared down to the files you want to keep, it’s a lot easier to organize them the way you’d like. Here are some suggestions for setting up your system:

Match your electronic filing system to your paper one: use this guide to Home File Storage to make it simple to find everything you’re looking for
Replicate the format of your filing system on any cloud drives or external hard drives: know where to move files to when backing up your computer
Ensure all your files are labeled correctly: correct anything with an unclear name and be consistent
Determine which folders and files need to stay on your desktop: use a desktop organizer or just arrange them neatly (minimize desktop clutter)
Setup a system to streamline emails: create organized inbox and archive folders to direct incoming emails

Backup
The best thing you can do for piece of mind is to routinely back up your important digital files. You never know when a hard drive may fail or get damaged, so creating copies of your files will allow you to recover quickly. Aim to backup copies of both your complete set of files and your system image, but at a minimum your personal files (documents/photos/programs/etc). There are several ways to do this:

External Hard Drives: these can be portable, stationary, or cloud-based and come in a wide range of storage capacities (I use this 8TB cloud drive but I’m also a fan of the Western Digital My Passport series)
Cloud Service: programs like DropBox, Google Drive, iCloud, and others allow you to backup either small amounts of content for free or large amounts for $50-$100/year
CD’s/Flash Drives: although not as recommended (and definitely not worth it for large batches of content), keeping a CD/flash drive of important files and photos in a fireproof safe provides some extra security

You can perform these backups using either good old-fashioned copy/paste (easy enough for personal files) or dedicated backup software (better for system-wide backups). Whichever method(s) you choose, ensure that you have enough space for all of your current storage needs with plenty of room to grow. The safest bet is to have three copies of your data: one on your primary computer and two backups in different locations. If that seems like too much at first, start with one solid backup option that you can maintain easily.

Scanning & Computer Cleanup
Okay, so your computer is decluttered and backed up. Now it’s time for a deep clean.

Run an anti-virus program: you should have one installed already; set it up for routine scans in the future to delete malicious files
Run disk cleanup: this deletes unnecessary files from your computer and can be run from the “Start” menu
Defragment your hard drive: this rearranges system files for faster performance and can also be run from “Start”
Install any updates: check for any system or program updates that you’ve been putting off (be sure to restart afterwards)
Physically clean your computer: use electronics wipes and compressed air to wipe down the screen, keyboard, slots, and casing

Preventative Tools
You’re really all set to go, but there are a few further steps you can take to help maintain your computer’s performance and organization.

Use an app like Unroll.me to unsubscribe from emails you don’t wish to receive anymore
Set up a browser tab suspender like OneTab to reduce the burden of multiple web tabs on performance
Disable unnecessary startup programs
Set periodic reminders for yourself to backup and clean out your computer every 6 months or so

Following this process should help your computer to run faster and more efficiently, plus ensure your files are protected in the unfortunate event of a crash or virus. So next time you’re working to organize your home, don’t forget electronic organization too!

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Staycation Ideas for Every Schedule

February 8, 2016 by jlmdiscovery

Sometimes as much as we’d love to be whisked off to a beach somewhere, we don’t have the time, budget, or even the energy to steal away for an extended period. The bright side is that when things get truly hectic we can often subside the stress with a mental escape or just a new perspective. If you’re in need of a change of pace, you need to look no further than your own backyard. Consider these options to escape for a day, or even just an afternoon.

Explore Your Home Town

Every time I go to New York City, I think about how I’ve never been inside the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. For 18 years I lived within an hour’s train ride of these famous attractions, yet I never took advantage of them. It makes me wonder what else I’ve taken for granted around me in the past. Thanks to military life, however, I’ve been quickly learning to explore my surroundings every chance I get. Whether you have a city at your disposal or not, consider taking time to explore your local area and theming a day around new experiences. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Research local sites
- Historical places
- Museums
- Theaters
- Tourist spots (landmarks, popular areas)
- Parks, zoos, aquariums
Try out new restaurants
- Regional staples
- Ethnic food
- Food experiences (tapas, brunch buffets, wine pairings)
Take advantage of local (seasonal) activities
- Ice skating, skiing
- River tubing, sandcastle competitions
- Apple picking, corn mazes
- Festivals, fairs, conventions
Plan your day around novelty
- Take back roads or non-typical routes
- Take photos of each place you go and new facets of the town you see
- Stow technology when possible to focus on experiencing your surroundings
- Think like a first-time visitor
- If all possibilities in your town have been exhausted, see what’s available in an hour radius
- Keep a playlist handy for the car to keep the day upbeat/relaxing

Bring the Vacation to You

Years ago I came up with a unique Christmas idea for my aunt who’d been dreaming of a Hawaiian vacation: Hawaii in a box. I loaded the gift with Hawaiian CD’s, recipes, movies, a calendar, coconut cups, a lei, and anything else I could think of that would remind her of the tropics. I thought that even if I couldn’t afford tickets, this at least could help her mentally enjoy the trip whenever she chose. I’ve continued this idea whenever my husband and I need a fun date night at home. All it takes is a little creativity and imagination. The same goes for treating any dose of free time as your own personal vacation, be it a week or even just an hour. Focus on what relaxes you most and check out the following ideas:

Create a themed day
- Choose a location, experience, or memory to base it on (ex. Hawaii, Disneyland, grandma’s house)
- Match food, music, and activities
- Decorate your area with fun crafts or dress to the theme
Take advantage of outdoor activities
- Backyard camping, hiking
- Pools, sprinklers, local beach (if you’re lucky)
- Picnic
Plan a day of stay-at-home fun
- Movie/TV marathon
- Arts & crafts
- Childhood favorites (toys, books, games)
Have an at-home spa day
- Sleep in
- Create DIY salon services (mani/pedi, facial scrubs)
- Take a relaxing bath
- Listen to your favorite calm music
Enjoy a reflective retreat (personal, family, couples)
- Gather a list of questions/prompts you can ask yourselves
- Carve out time away from technology and limit distractions
- Practice techniques such as journaling, meditation, and mindfulness

Remember, any of these ideas can be used on your own, with family, or with a group of friends. It all depends on how you like to spend your “vacations”. Even an hour once a week spent on personal time will greatly relieve stress. So mark out some time and focus your attention on the experiences; treat it as an escape from your normal world. As for me, I think I see a Harry Potter-themed staycation in my future!

What ideas do you have for staycations? Share them in the comments below!