ask amie -- the answers

Wow. You guys did not make this easy on me. I really thought most of these questions would be simple to answer, things about myself, what's my favorite color, etc! You've made me work hard and think much, both things I hate to do over the weekend, so...thanks for that. ;) I'm going to split the answers into a couple of days' worth of posts, because some of them are lengthy. Thanks for reading.

Without further ado, the questions:

Can you tell me why dairy products with a higher fat content have a longer shelf life? I have kept cream in my frige for a month and it was still good. Skim milk? Not so much. What gives?

This one gave me a craving for cheese. I love cheese. I love cheesy things. I love fried cheese. Remember those good ol' college days when we used to hit Denny's after the ASU dances and get multiple orders of mozzarella sticks? How can it be bad? It's cheese! And it's fried! Super yummo. The answer to this question has to do with fat globules, temperature, and pasteurization. Basically, the more fat globules a product has, the longer the shelf-life is. (If only this were the case with humans!) Temperature and pasteurization will also effect the shelf-life though. Skim milk can outlast whole milk, depending on the pasteurization method--different studies have been made regarding this, and the results seem to vary. Another possibility I found is that the fat in whole milk might "protect" the protein from enzymatic proteolysis, or that it inhibits the bacteria-growing enzyme in some way. Drink up!


What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?



What do you mean--an african, or a european swallow? Believe it or not, this website explains it all very well. What it all boils down to is this: roughly 11 meters per second (15 beats per second * 0.73 meters per beat)


Can you tell me when I will win the lottery? When should I play?




I can't really answer this because although I am tremendously cool, I am not cool enough to see the future. I do know that you can't win if you don't play. And that's why I'll never win.


Why does my almost 7 year old act more like a 2 year old and my 2 year old doesn't act like a two year old?

This is a not uncommon law of inverse maturity in action. The 7 year old is reverting to get attention. The 2 year old is perfect and can therefore do nothing wrong. In your particular case it is because she has the most amazing daycare provider in existence. You should count yourself lucky and pay your daycare provider well. She'll also accept gift cards, movie tickets, cookies, and free landscaping. ;) And invest in earplugs for when the 7 year old goes on a drama-rampage.


Why are there AA and AAA batteries, but no A or B batteries? Wouldn't it be easier if they were just labeled A, B, C, D,?! I don't get it.



Initially, the only such battery device was a diode with only a filament and a plate. Following the direction of electron flow, these electrodes were identified as "A" and "B", respectively and thus the associated batteries were referred to as the "A" battery and "B" battery, respectively. Later, when the control grid element was added to create the triode tube, it was logically assigned the letter "C" and supplied from a "C" battery. The prior existence of the "A" battery is apparently the reason why there is no single-A battery size, just AA,AAA, and AAAA.

I copied that over from Wikipedia and fell asleep three times while editing it. All I can say is, I agree with ya sister. We have 26 letters of the alphabet, why not use a couple dozen of them for use in our battery-wear?


Why do I have so much trouble getting to sleep, even though I'm exhausted???



Because of who asked this, I'm not going to say what I really wanted to say (email me girl, if you wanna know!) I'm gonna guess you have a secret chocolate addiction or problem with caffeine intake. Or maybe you think too much when you go to bed. That happens to me, too, I just can't turn off my brain. I end up blogging, usually, or writing a private journal post, or pounding out something on my piano to work out some aggravations or worries. It happens to all of us. Look into Ambien. ;)


My good friend Dahlene who moved to Utah a couple of years ago and abandoned us, whom I miss so much, pondered: Why is it still snowing in Utah and in the 80's in AZ? I don't get it. We are only a 10 hour drive from there.

You're right. That stinks. Move back and now. =) (Although I'm sure the real reason has something to do with altitude and elevation and all that geographical mumbo jumbo. Geography was never my strong subject. I blame my Geog. teacher who was the biggest excuse for a teacher this side of the Mississippi.)


If you were on American Idol, which song would you choose to sing?



Ahh, finally a question I didn't have to research. Thank you so much Mr. Cowell. This actually is a tough one because I love music and have so many favorites. My personal favorite one to sing and pound out on my piano is Sara Barielles' "Love Song." You can see my less than stellar performance of it here. Or you can see her rock it out of the park here. I also love anything by Rascall Flatts, Pink, or I'm developing a love affair with Jason Mraz's music too. Thanks for asking.


At the beach, would you rather play in the sand, or play in the water?



Another tough one, because I am not a huge beach/ocean fan. First of all, the sand. Ohmygoodness it gets everywhere. In your suit, under your nails,in your hair, in all your nooks and crannies, then later, in your car, in your shoes, everywhere! Then you have the ocean: creepy. I can not stand that feeling of looking out towards open water and feeling like the current is going to suck me out to sea. I also don't like swimming where I can't see or feel the bottom. It's wigging me out just thinking about it. I think if I had to choose, I'd pick sand. I'm much less likely to get eaten by a shark, stung by a sting ray, or drug out to sea that way. *shudder*


If you could choose a movie title that best sums up your life, what would it be?

Fabuous question and one I've never thought of, to be honest. How about 'From Here to Eternity'. (I've never seen this movie, by the way) Schmaltzy answer, I know. But one of the best most important decisions I ever made was to get married in the temple to my true love for time and all eternity. This concept is so important--it means that my marriage is not just 'until death do you part'; it will continue on in the afterlife for us to grow and progress together. This is also our song, by Michael Peterson, and it's written on the inside of Danny's wedding ring. (his 3rd wedding ring by the way...but we'll save that story for another day)


What is the most common thing you do when (you think) no one is looking?

I think we all should answer this one! I'll admit to you something. I always fancied myself an actress. When I was a kid, I would do shampoo commercials in my bathroom mirror. Every now and then I'll still find myself posing for an imaginary movie camera. That being said, I'll state now that I still 'act' in private, occasionally! I also talk to myself really bad. Especially in the car.


Where are all the places (cities) you have lived?



Pardon me for being a big vague with this one, but I'm kinda particular about my specific personal information. I'll kind of gloss over this answer by saying I was born in Southern California and moved from there to Arizona when I was four. I grew up in a State Park of all things, on federal land, where my Dad operated a dam and worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When I was 17 I moved out to a local western town most of you all know and love. I worked there one summer at the hospital. Then, I moved to the Phoenix valley where I've hopped around a bit (G-town, P-town, and S-town), from apartment to apartment, and then eventually to our first bought condo in the ghetto, and then to our first and only home where we've lived going on 7 years. Most of you know me already and know what cities I'm referring to.


We'll look at part II tomorrow. Thanks for playing, everyone.