Aimee Mullins and her 12 pairs of legs

24 May

“Aimee Mullins was born without fibular bones, and had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was an infant. She learned to walk on prosthetics, then to run — competing at the national and international level as a champion sprinter, and setting world records at the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. At Georgetown, where she double-majored in history and diplomacy, she became the first double amputee to compete in NCAA Division 1 track and field.”

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Vision Masks

22 May

Stephanie

Had a deeeeeeeeeelightful time with Stephanie Fermelia’s Heart Support Group at Hoag Hospital doing VISION Masks.

We ran out of time to fully process the collages (or even finish some).  Vision Masks are based on vision boards but can give you a lot more personal information on what you “Face in your Future“.

Here’s a sample.

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Judy’s Vision Mask

I doodled on my mask with marking pens and just got a few images pasted down.  Here’s an example of how I might process my own mask.  I’ve not processed it prior and will do so as I type so you can see my processing.

As I look at the mask and pictures I just allow my imagination, my intuition speak without questioning or censoring.

  • Broccoli:  Mouth open ready to receive healthy nourishment in the coming months (probably because the only vegetable in my garden that produced was broccoli!)
  • Shopping bag/right ear:  I need to listen to myself to be able to fill my bag with what is right
  • Right ear: the 5 yellow triangle doodles point inward and the top one is open.  Not sure what this is.  Almost like “mouths” talking to me . . .
  • Nose filled with pictures of trees:  It’s the only opening I filled so I’ve “put my nose” on what I need – nature, outdoors.
  • Right eye – three dots:  Tears?  Tears for past, present future?  Tears for cleansing mind, body, soul?
  • Left eye 3 lines filled with dots:  Perhaps a flood of cleansing tears so that I can listen well.
  • Left Ear 2 large dots/flowers touching the lobe:  Stands for my physical heart, emotional heart and spiritual heart.

There’s more but the bigger VISION emerging for me is to pay attention to my senses – what my mind, body and soul are saying, needing and wanting.  However, I need to listen less to my physical symptoms/being and more to what nurtures and nourishes me.

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Dem Bones

21 May
I’ve not been blogging as frequently.  Did YOU NOTICE?  (Don’t tell me.  I actually don’t want to know!)
My saggy saga. . .
the medication that was controlling my atrial fibrillation. . .  caused the long q-t interval (life threatening). . .which necessitated Tallulah Pacehead to be implanted.  Tallulah  caused . . . my AV node to act up which activated light-headedness and propensity to pass out when exercising.  The great news is this is not life threatening.  The bad news is I’ve been poooooooooped.
So . . .
The doctor and I decided to titrate off the atrial fibrillation medication to see if some of the dominoes could be righted.  Wronged!  I’m back on the meds after having chest pain with every little move, wild blood pressure and constant arrhythmia.  Guess that medication has been working just fine!

The weird part is I couldn’t get these Dem Bone lyrics out of my head while all this was going on.  I don’t think I’ve heard this song since I was a child.  AND I had no idea, until now, that the gospel song was actually based on Ezekiel.

How great is this!?  
I wouldn’t have had the song play in my mind if all this hadn’t happened to me and I wouldn’t have googled it to see if I remembered it correctly and I wouldn’t have known the song was from the Bible and YOU wouldn’t be reminded of the Dem Bones song which will now play over and over in your mind which will lead you to heaven-knows-what . . .
Gospel Song Lyrics
James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938)

E-ze-kiel cried, “Dem dry bones!”
E-ze-kiel cried, “Dem dry bones!”
E-ze-kiel cried, “Dem dry bones!”
Oh hear the word of the Lord.

The foot bone con-nected to the (pause) leg-bone,
The leg bone connected to the (‘) knee bone,
The knee bone connected to the (‘) thigh bone,
The thigh bone connected to the (‘) back bone,
The back bone connected to the (‘) neck bone
The neck bone connected to the (‘) head bone
Oh hear the word of the Lord!

Dem bones, dem bones gon-na walk a-roun’
Dem bones, dem bones gon-na walk a-roun’
Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk aroun’
Oh hear the word of the Lord.

The head-bone connected to the neck-bone,
the neck-bone connected to the back-bone
The backbone connected to the thigh-bone
the thighbone connected to the knee-bone
the knee bone connected to the leg bone
the leg bone connected to the foot bone
Oh hear the word of the Lord

Ezekiel 37
The Valley of Dry Bones

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath [a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ “

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”

Humph! The dear girl is losing it . . .

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A Single Candle

20 May

Pining for the dream

my soul suffers in the now

thoroughly bereaved

Fearing the future

my soul suffers in the now

unrelieved solace

All delusional

waiting for eternity

light the candle now

Haiku-heights.blogspot.com

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How to Maintain Optimism in the Face of Reality

18 May

This was of personal (and professional) interest to me given that the last several days I wasn’t feeling very optimistic.  Seems my brain’s left inferior frontal gyrus was not gyrating.

P.s.  Be patient while the video loads.  If you don’t like what Tali says you will like how she looks (certainly not like a stereo-type neuroscientist).

“Optimism bias is the belief that the future will be better, much better, than the past or present. And most of us display this bias. Neuroscientist Tali Sharot wants to know why: What is it about our brains that makes us overestimate the positive? She explores the question in her book The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain.
In the book (and a 2011 TIME magazine cover story), she reviewed findings from both social science and neuroscience that point to an interesting conclusion: “our brains aren’t just stamped by the past. They are constantly being shaped by the future.”

In her own work, she’s interested in how our natural optimism actually shapes what we remember, and her interesting range of papers encompasses behavioral research (how likely we are to misremember major events) as well as medical findings — like searching for the places in the brain where optimism lives. Sharot is a faculty member of the Department of Cognitive, Perceptual and Brain Sciences at University College London.”

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If Pudsey can melt Simon Cowell’s heart . . .start dripping now!

16 May

This video is worth it even though the start-and-stop-video feed is frustrating!  If you like dogs you’ll LOVE Ashleigh and top dog Pudsey’s on super cute Britain’s Got Talent audition. Dancing together to BC-52 tune The Flintstones

In case it doesn’t load, click here http://youtu.be/dv_gOBi8Wpk

Thanks Joyce for the SMILES!

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This is for You Tresy

10 May

In the early 1970′s I had a German Short-Haired Pointer.  She came to us when she was 3 years old.  Her name was “Tres”.  She was beautiful.  One hundred percent dark “liver colored except for the tip of her tail and  3 (tres) large, solid white spots down her back .    Field trained, she knew how to sit, stay, fetch, heel, retrieve and a million other commands I don’t even know the name of.  As hunting dogs, German Short-Haired Pointers, have incredible stamina and energy.

So every day I took her to run in the park where there was a small lake, home to many ducks and migrating birds.    When Trecy spotted a duck she would point – front leg up, white-tipped tail straight back, waiting for a command.   She soon figured out that the only commands I knew had nothing to do with ducks and she’d  jump into the water. 

Except she didn’t know how to swim! While her hind legs dangled straight down in the water her front legs beat furiously, sending up a huge spray, propelling her through the water.  People would come from all over the park to see what the commotion was.  Thank goodness she couldn’t swim properly so the ducks could always get away.

Trecy was the sweetest, most gentle creature and everyone loved her.  When I received this e-mail from Rosemary Lee tears came to my eyes.  Look at the pictures of the Orangutan and the German Short Haired Pointer and you’ll see why.

*     *     *     *     *

“After losing his parents, this 3-year-old orangutan was so depressed he wouldn’t eat and didn’t respond to any medical treatments. The veterinarians thought he would surely die from sadness.”

“The zoo keepers found an old sick dog on the grounds in the park at the zoo where the orangutan lived and took the dog to the animal treatment center. The dog arrived at the same time the orangutan was there being treated.”

“The 2 lost souls met and have been inseparable ever since. The orangutan found a new reason to live and each always tries his best to be a good companion to his new-found friend.”

“They are together 24 hours a day in all their activities.”

“They live in Northern California where swimming is their favorite pastime, although Roscoe (the orangutan) is a little afraid of the water and needs his friend’s help to swim.”

“They have found more than a friendly shoulder to lean on.”

Long Live Friendship!!!

“I don’t know… some say life is too short, others say it is too long, but I know that nothing that we do makes sense if we don’t touch the hearts of others… while it lasts!

May you always have
Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends who Care.”

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The Adventures of B & B , The Dénouement

9 May

The Adventures of B & B

by Cathy D.

Part III

Dénouement, Resolution, or Catastrophe?

B and B decided to split up when they reached Penney’s. Neither wanted the other to know what size undies she wore. And Busybody wanted to check out junior lingerie just in case they had something fun and flirty she might like.
They agreed to meet at their favorite restaurant in the mall for a Burger Biggie—double meat, two kinds of cheese, avocado, fried onion rings and special sauce. Busybody only ate one piece of bread; she wanted to maintain her girlish figure.

The two discussed their purchases (hiding the size tags) and even showed the waitress, waving their bright white panties in the air while carefully avoiding the special sauce. The waitress heartily approved so they gave her a big tip.

The sun was getting low in the sky when they finally returned to their respective residences next door to each other. Busybody was already thinking about all the friends she wanted to tell about her day. Biddy just wanted a drink. It had been a good day, after all.

THE END.

Judy’s Moral:  The size of your burger determines the size of your panties.  Never wave your burger in public.

You be the judge!

The comedy ends with a dénouement (a conclusion) in which the protagonist is better off than at the story’s outset.

The tragedy ends with a catastrophe in which the protagonist is worse off than at the beginning of the narrative.

The dénouement (pronounced /deɪnuːˈmɑ̃ː/, /dnˈmɒn/,  comprises events between the falling action and the actual ending scene of the drama or narrative and thus serves as the conclusion of the story. Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense of catharsis, or release of tension and anxiety, for the reader. Etymologically, the French word dénouement is derived from the Old French word dénouer, “to untie”, and from nodus, Latin for “knot.” Simply put, dénouement is the unraveling or untying of the complexities of a plot.  (Wikipedia)

What a surprise to see my own words while trolling Judy’s blog after midnight. This saga is loosely based on a real event when I shuttled three of my favorite little old ladies on a shopping trip. And yes, there was panty waving in the restaurant. Thanks, Judy, for your hilarious additions. Here’s the link to my blog: http://www.intrinsics.wordpress.com

The Adventures of B & B, PARTS I & II

9 May

Therapeutic Creative Expression comes in MANY forms.

One of my favorite people, Cathy, sent me this 3 part story that is a superb example of her own Therapeutic Creative Expression for those who have entered their twilight years.  I have taken the liberty of titling each part and pointing out the morals that the author has cleverly alluded to but may not be aware of.

The Adventures of B and B

Part I

 by Cathy D.

What a surprise to see my own words while trolling Judy’s blog after midnight. This saga is loosely based on a real event when I shuttled three of my favorite little old ladies on a shopping trip. And yes, there was panty waving in the restaurant. Thanks, Judy, for your hilarious additions. Here’s the link to my blog: http://www.intrinsics.wordpress.com

Judy’s Title: Undercover Agents

Biddy* and Busybody* had been planning their shopping trip for weeks, and they were so excited when the day came. They were both desperately in need of new underwear.

Biddy wanted some sensible cotton briefs with a touch of lace—and she wouldn’t mind if the crotch had that new-fangled fabric claiming to wick away moisture. Busybody wanted something fancier—high cut hipsters or bikinis. She’d just had a facelift, after all. No reason why both ends couldn’t look good. Back in the day, she’d had a wardrobe of crotchless panties. Not anymore, though. They chafed.

They decided JC Penney had the best selection, so they headed out to the car. Biddy won the coin toss so she got to drive. Her 1990 Cadillac was the size of a small boat and would suffer less damage if she bumped someone, which had happened before. The lanes had become so dang tiny because so many folks were buying those foreign pieces of tin and calling ‘em cars. Not for her—American all the way!

Judy’s Moral:  You’ll never chafe in a Caddy if you use seat covers.

* * * * *

The Adventures of B. and B.

Part II

 by Cathy D.

Judy’s Title: Botox & Gas – Fuel for the Aged.

The friends settled into the Caddie’s comfy leather seats. That’s when Biddy noticed the gas gauge. Empty! She was horrified. Hadn’t she just filled the tank a couple of days before? The only place she’d gone was to visit her friend, Hortense, who’d just gotten injectable fillers and Botox enhancements. Boy, those new treatments could make you look 80 again almost instantly!

But what should she do about the empty gas tank? Busybody was becoming impatient. “Let’s go already,” she snipped. “We have to be back before dark and it’s almost noon.” Biddy contemplated the chances of making the mile-and-a-half trip to the mall on an empty tank. She decided to try.

Bravely, she turned the key. The gas gauge needle shot to full. She’d forgotten to turn on the car! Crisis averted, the friends made their way slowly to Penney’s. Fortunately, there weren’t many cars in the lot so Biddy took up two parking spaces. She liked to have plenty of room to open her car door.

Judy’s Moral:  Never drive on empty unless you don’t want to go.  

Tomorrow, The dénouement of the cliffhanger

  *The names have been changed to protect the Author.

(If Cathy, the author,  is willing to share she may let me know by giving me permission to give out the URL to her blog.  

If she isn’t willing to share please read this fast as I may have to remove it before she sues)


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It’s Hard being Human.

8 May

I snapped at my husband today.  I felt justified to boot.

Why would a therapist, who KNOWS relationship dynamics, why would a therapist who counsels others on how to conduct themselves to make their life better, why would a therapist respond in such an unhealthy way?

Why would a woman with a husband and friends who love her and dog who gives her licks upon request, why would a woman who believes that we are all connected and God is in all  feel alone?

Hate to admit it, but I keep getting reminded that I’m human.

After the stress, excitement, tension of  being “up & on” all day yesterday I’ve crashed.
My body’s aching, my face, feet, legs and arms are burning, I’m exhausted and yes, I feel alone with it all.
Humbling experience.

Ironically, one of the pictures I talked about yesterday was the collage I did depicting my exhaustion and the part of me who yells to pull myself together, get up and get going, the part of me that just sits, frozen in place, and the exhausted part that just lays there listening.

I also talked about the Buddhist saying -
Pain is inevitable.
Suffering is optional.
Today I told that yelling me to shut up and leave us alone.
I choose suffering.

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“F” Words

8 May

Those of you who know me, KNOW how pristine, proper and perfect I am.

However, I was throwing around lots of “F” words:  Fibro, Focus & Faith!  at The National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day sponsored by FANN - Fibromyalgia Awareness National Network  and

The Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Center at Cal State University, Fullerton directed by Jessie Jones, Ph.D..

After my Therapeutic Creative Expression presentation everyone had their own mask to decorate.  The front represented  a “Celebration of Me”.  On the inside of their mask words that described themselves – qualities, attributes, accomplishments – not dictated by their illness or limitations were written.

When I can figure out how to add narration to the slide-show I presented I’ll post it on-line.  In the meantime here’s a very small sample of the deeeeelicious treats,  people and masks.

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Another “F” word!  FANN!

A brand new on-line support group founded by Phyllis Talarico

http://thefann.org

Please sign up!  Talk to others who have been on this journey with a life altering medical condition for years.  Share your own experiences to help others.  WE ARE ALL CONNECTED!  CONNECT with FANN!

Tell others to help grow FANN

a  self-help, non-profit on-line support community

“Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that affects individuals physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and financially. For those with severe symptoms, the disorder can be extremely debilitating and interfere with basic daily activities, leading to high rates of disability.

Between 2 to 4% of the population—as many 10 million people in the United States—suffer from fibromyalgia. (American College of Rheumatology). While predominately seen in women, the disorder also occurs in men and children, and is seen in all ethnic groups.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances and cognitive difficulties as well as a number of overlapping conditions.”

For more information on current research and opportunities to participate and important information on fibromyalgia and pain disorders take a look:

Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Center at Cal State University, Fullerton.

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Before I Die? . . . I’ve hit a wall

7 May

“Artist Candy Chang turned the wall of an abandoned house in New Orleans into “a giant chalkboard where residents can write on the wall and remember what is important to them.”  “And since putting up that public art project in February 2011, “Before I Die” walls have spread to at least 19 cities around the world”.  (BeforeIdiewall)

The “Before I die” wall at first struck me as a really cool public art project and something potentially inspirational.  Then it turned into an interesting but relatively empty intellectual exercise to help someone write a book.

However, the idea struck a chord in the public consciousness as it has expanded to many cities and countries around the world.  I wonder what it is that draws us into asking ourselves that question?

I used to think that before I died I wanted to travel around the world.  Then as I got older and tired travel seemed too energetic.  So it became live in another country, another culture.  This gradually morphed into spend time with people that are important to me.  Which then made me wonder why I spend all my time working.  Which then led to the intellectualization that I have to work to survive so I won’t die.

Do I think I will die – yes. Do I FEEL I will die – no.

Perhaps that sense of immortality comes from an innate knowing of eternity and the soul?  Perhaps it comes from childhood when we were the center of the universe and anyone over 20 was really “old.”?

I wonder if it matters to you what you do before you die?

and if it matters are you doing anything about it?

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Good night, Sleep tight, Don’t let the bedbugs bite (your muffins)

4 May

*I now know why I’m exhausted all morning!  This list of food is what I eat for breakfast . . . (except for the potatoes & turkey which I save for lunch so I can be exhausted all afternoon).*

Here’s a repost from Dr. OZ  et al. at Real Age

“The secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours sleep?”

“About 90 minutes before you want to nod off, head for the kitchen and make yourself a sleepy-time snack*. Keep it light (around 200 calories), so you don’t overload your digestive system. And include one or two foods from the list below. All help to relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, sleep-inducing hormones — serotonin and melatonin — flowing. Yawning yet?”

1. Bananas – They’re practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

2. Chamomile tea — Chamomile is a staple of bedtime tea blends because of its mild sedating effect, which makes it the perfect natural antidote for restless minds and bodies.

3. Warm milk — It’s not a myth. Milk has some tryptophan, an amino acid that has a sedative-like effect, and calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan. Plus, there’s the psychological throwback to infancy, when a warm bottle meant “relax, everything’s fine.”

4. Honey – Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that’s linked to alertness.

5. Potatoes – A small baked spud won’t overwhelm your gastrointestinal tract as it clears away acids that can interfere with yawn-inducing tryptophan. To up the soothing effect, mash the potato with warm milk.

6. Oatmeal – Oats are a rich source of sleep-inviting melatonin, and a small bowl of warm cereal with a splash of maple syrup is cozy — and if you’ve got the munchies, it’s filling, too.

7. Almonds – A handful of these heart-healthy nuts can send you snoozing because they contain both tryptophan and a nice dose of muscle-relaxing magnesium.

8. Flaxseeds – When life goes awry, and feeling down is keeping you up, try sprinkling 2 tablespoons of these healthy little seeds on your bedtime oatmeal. They’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a natural mood lifter.

9. Whole-wheat bread – A slice of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it’s converted to serotonin and quietly murmurs “time to sleep.”

10. Turkey – It’s the best-known source of tryptophan, credited with all those Thanksgiving naps. But that’s actually modern folklore. Tryptophan works when your stomach’s basically empty rather than overstuffed and when there are some carbs around rather than tons of protein. But put a lean slice or two on some whole-wheat bread midevening and you’ve got one of the best sleep-inducers in your kitchen.

What if none of these foods helps? Check out your sleep habits with this quick RealAge assessment to find out what’s keeping you up at night.”

OR . . . sleep in a crib.

OR eat the entire batch of Lullaby Muffins and you’ll wake up in the morning fat and happy.

Lullaby Muffins
Between the bananas, the whole wheat, and the light touch of sweetness, these muffins are practically an edible lullaby.

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 large, very ripe bananas
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup milk or soymilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the flour (make sure it’s whole-wheat pastry flour or you’ll produce golf balls, not muffins), salt, and baking powder. In a blender, puree the bananas; add the applesauce, honey, and milk. Blend well. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Line muffin tins with paper muffin cups and pour in batter. Bake 30 minutes or until tops are lightly brown and slightly springy. Makes 12 low-fat muffins.

Nutrition Facts
Per serving: 119 calories; 1g fat; 2.5g protein; 27g carbohydrate; 10g sugar; 133mg sodium; 3g fiber; 35mg magnesium

  Real Age

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FREE! Celebrate YOU! this Sunday May 6th

2 May

Living up to my well earned title of Goddess of the Last Moment . . .

I was asked to speak at the FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS DAY 2012 at California State University, Fullerton on this Sunday May 6th.    CELEBRATE YOU!

If you are in town come on down (or up, depending).

  • I will be giving a Powerpoint presentation which focuses on my own journey with fibromyalgia
  • Therapeutic Creative Expression slides – paintings, journals, masks – my own and others.  
  • I’ve got masks for everyone to decorate – take home your own mask of Celebration.  
  • AND Max will be giving away Hypnotic Healing Recordings. 

This event is sponsored by:

The Fibromyalgia & Pain Center, California State University, Fullerton and

FANN, Fibromyalgia Awareness National Network

My presentation  is followed by a reception with food and games!

Plus, a special live performance by national recording artist, Pasquale Talarico!

To register for this FREE event, visit:

http://surveymonkey.com/s/fad2012

or call: 657-278-7031

http://fmcp.fullerton.edu/documents/FAD2012ElectronicFlyer_04.08.2012_FINAL.sm.pdf

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I Want S’more!

2 May

“There was a gentleman by the name of Sylvester Graham, and he invented the graham cracker because he thought it would be a deterrent for people’s sex lives. He lived at a time where foods were becoming processed, and thought that part of processed food and rich foods led to what he called ‘venereal excess’ and led people to being a little too focused on their libido. And I can only imagine, as a guy who thought that processed foods and sugars were bad for you, what he would have thought about s’mores nowadays using his graham crackers.”

A former baseball player, Josh Chetwynd wrote How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun: Accidental Discoveries and Unexpected Inspirations That Shape What We Eat and Drink.  The above is an excerpt from one of the 75 short essays that trace the history of popular food and dispel common misconceptions.

Breakfast* Bars to make Sylvester Graham happy!

 Golden Graham S’more Bars
Source: CDKitchen.com

Ingredients:
1 10 oz. bag mini marshmallows (Approx. 6 cups)
1 12 oz. package semi sweet chocolate chips
5 tbsp. butter 
8 cups Golden Graham cereal (one 12 oz. box)
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Directions:

  • Place package of chocolate chips in the freezer to chill.
  • Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan, set aside.
  • Meanwhile, melt butter in a pot over medium heat.
  • Once butter is melted, add in 5 cups of marshmallows and stir until almost completely melted.
  • Stir in vanilla if desired.
  • Remove from heat and transfer butter mixture to a large mixing bowl and add cereal, stirring to coat.
  • Once cereal is coated, remove chocolate chips from freezer and add to cereal mixture.
  • Add in the remaining cup of marshmallows.  Stir until evenly distributed.
  • Press cereal mixture into prepared baking pan.
  • Cover and refrigerate until set. Turn out onto cutting board and cut into squares.
  • Keep stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Makes approximately 20-24 bars depending on how big you cut them.

*Cereal is a breakfast food


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The PERFECT Clock for a Nudist Colony and/or Your Shower

1 May

I hope whoever did the programing on this AP was STANDING because if not, his/her time is running out.  (see yesterday’s post)

NUDE MEN CLOCK

http://lovedbdb.com/nudemenClock/index2.html

Thanks Sharon & Norris for taking a chance and sending this over public media!

Burning question of the day

Which way do you prefer your men nude:  Digital or Analog?  

(click on them and they’ll switch for you)

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Why Stand-up Comedians Live Longer than Sit-com writers. Why Lap-dancers die sooner than Pole-dancers.

30 Apr

If you are sitting down while reading this, STAND UP RIGHT NOW!  

My favorite heart blog, My Heart Sisters has a great post.  Here’s a tidbit: 

“The Australian study on prolonged sitting adjusted for other factors such as age, weight, physical activity and general health status, all of which can also affect longterm health risks. It found a clear dose-response effect: the more people sat, the higher their risk of premature death.

Healthy or sick, active or inactive, the more people sat, the more likely they were to die prematurely compared to those with non-sedentary lives. While the death risk was lower for anyone who exercised five hours a week or more, it still rose as these active people sat longer.

In other words, we still need to exercise, but it’s also important to spend less time sitting.

Why is prolonged sitting so comparatively hard on human beings? This study’s researchers concluded:

“The adverse effects of prolonged sitting are thought to be mainly owing to reduced metabolic and vascular health. Prolonged sitting has been shown to disrupt metabolic function. Sedentary behavior affects carbohydrate metabolism through changes in muscle glucose transporter protein content.

“Our findings suggested not only an association between sitting and all-cause mortality that was independent of physical activity but, because the findings persisted after adjustment and stratification for Body Mass Index, one that also appears to be independent of BMI.”

In another Australian study reported in the journal Diabetes Care, scientists at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne observed adults who sat for seven hours on some days and who rose every 20 minutes and walked leisurely on a treadmill for two minutes on other days. When the volunteers remained stationary for the full seven hours, their blood sugar spiked and insulin levels were erratic. But when they broke up the hours with movement, even that short two-minute stroll, their blood sugar levels remained stable. The scientists concluded that what was important was simply breaking up those long, interminable hours of sitting.”

I wonder if lying down with my feet pressed against the wall would work? 

Read more here: http://myheartsisters.org/2012/04/29/sitting-down/

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and You Think You are Confused . . .

29 Apr

Many months ago I participated in Haiku-Heights month-long challenge – to write and post a haiku every day for a month.  On day 31 I found myself at Haiku-Low and never thought I’d write another haiku again.

As usual I rarely listen to myself . . . . couldn’t resist this prompt = “clarity”
     Clarity is clear
     If you want obfuscation
     Obscure clear intent

If you don’t know what a haiku is here’s the explanation from Haiku-Heights.

  • “Haiku is Japanese poetry form that has three meaningful lines which are complete and reflecting nature.
  • Haiku have syllabic limitations as well. A traditional one has eleven or seventeen syllables, in a strict 3-5-3 or 5-7-5 format.”

“We (Haiku-Heights) wish to celebrate the haikai forms through your words. Some poets are straying away from the Haiku format so kindly stay within the Haiku limitations. I know it is difficult but very challenging too!!”

Now, it’s possible that Haiku-Heights might think I’ve strayed but I want to assure Leo that my haiku reflects nature – the nature of man and is VERY meaningful . . . to me.

P.S.  I suspect that Leo who hosts Haiku-Heights has figured out it’s best just to humor me hoping that one day I might turn into a more serious poet.

Thank you Leo.

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Secret Lives

28 Apr

AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZING photography.  (SUBTITITLED for Wendy)

“New videography techniques have opened up the oceans’ microscopic ecosystem, revealing it to be both mesmerizingly beautiful and astoundingly complex. Explore this hidden world that underpins our own food chain – in the first-ever TEDTalk given by a fish …

The Plankton Chronicles Project uses state-of-the-art optics to reveal the beauty and diversity of planktonic organisms. It was initiated by Christian Sardet, Noé Sardet and Sharif Mirshak.”

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Man vs Bug or Man! Don’t Bug Me or . . .

22 Apr

“If all insects on Earth disappeared, within 50 years all life on Earth would end. 

If all human beings disappeared from the Earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish.”

— Biologist Jonas Salk, inventor of the Salk Polio Vaccine

My mother had polio has a child.  She was one of the lucky ones who didn’t end up in an “iron lung” that breathed for you.  When the Salk polio vaccine was made available she made sure  my brother and I were first in line to receive the vaccine.  We had the Sabin live virus* vaccine too and every booster shot that was available.

I’ve always harbored a secret suspicion that Fibromyalgia and other “unexplainable” conditions might be virus related.   In an internet search I found Dr Salk’s biography and stumbled on the above quote.

Human beings in all their nearsightedness and ego driven behavior, may not be as hardy, as industrious, ubiquitous nor tenacious as insects. However, humans have an intellect capable of contemplating what would happen if all the insects disappeared and what would be the consequences if all human beings disappeared.  I’ve never known an insect contemplate anything close to that.

Side note:
*Salk’s vaccine was composed of “killed” polio virus, which retained the ability to immunize without running the risk of infecting the patient. There was some evidence that the “killed” vaccine failed to completely immunize the patient.  A few years later, the Sabine vaccine made from live polio virus was developed, which could be administered orally, while Salk’s vaccine required injection.
 
 In the U.S., public health authorities elected to distribute the “live” oral vaccine instead of Salk’s. Tragically, the preparation of live virus infected some patients with the disease, rather than immunizing them. Since the introduction of the original vaccine, the few new cases of polio reported in the United States were probably caused by the “live” vaccine which was intended to prevent them.

Current infected countries

Polio remains endemic in three countries – Afghanistan, Nigeria, India and Pakistan – and has re-established transmission in three countries which were previously polio-free (Angola, Chad and Democratic Republic of the Congo). Several more countries had ongoing outbreaks in 2011 due to importations of poliovirus.”

http://www.polioeradication.org/

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Men Explode, Women Erode

21 Apr

Tallulah Pacehead sez: "DRINK MILK"

Tallulah, my pacemaker, is doing her job and luckily resting on her laurels a lot (translation:  my pacemaker is only having to work 2% to 25% of the time).  I still having a bit of “heart matters” going on so this post on my favorite Heart blog: Heart Sisters caught my attention.

(P.S.  Fascinating information on Stem Cells and their impact on MEN)

If you are a woman or know a woman take a moment to listen.

“One out of every two of you reading this right now will be impacted by cardiovascular disease in your lifetime, warns cardiologist Dr. Noel Bairey-Merz, Director of the Cedars Sinai Women’s Heart Center in Los Angeles. And worse, diagnostic and treatment strategies “developed in men, by men, for men for the last 50 years” are not working so well for women.”

Sign up for My Heart Sisters Newsletter. 

http://myheartsisters.org/newsletter/

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Ode to a Worm by Max

19 Apr

Ode to a Worm

by Max

You wiggle when you walk
Can’t hear you when you talk
Use the garden for your loo
Can’t worm out of being you

Male & female hermaphrodite

You don’t care, not uptight

Having sex in damp dark  dirt

where self rejection doesn’t  hurt

My human is obsessed with worms.  Everyday she digs in the garden to find worms  to put in her vegetable garden.  I try to help by digging holes.  She gets upset with me.  I think she’s jealous that I can dig faster.

If I think humans are weird, take a look at worms!

1. Worms can eat their weight each day.

2. Earthworms will eat almost anything that was once alive, but is now dead.

3. If a worm is cut in half,  the part of the body that has the head will live and generate a new tail.

4. More than 3,000 species of earthworm exist in the world.

5. A worm is a “hermaphrodite” since it has both male and female reproductive organs.

6. Worms cannot hear or see.

7. Worms can have between 1-5 pairs of hearts.

8. The earthworm does not have lungs and instead uses its skin to breathe.

9. Worms are cold-blooded and their body is made up of 80% water.

10. Worms typically live for about 3-4 years, however there have been some cases where they have lived for 15 years.

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/worms/facts/index.html

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The Thumbprint of God, The Mandelbrot Set

18 Apr

This is beyond beautiful, incredible images of a mathematical principle that goes into infinity.  The video takes a few moments to load so be patient and you’ll be rewarded.

“The Mandelbrot set has become popular outside mathematics both for its aesthetic appeal and as an example of a complex structure arising from the application of simple rules, and is one of the best-known examples of mathematical visualization.”

Wikipedia

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Out’a My Mind …

16 Apr

A teeny sample of how my mind sees the world as exhibited by an eclectic output of Puppets, a Gourd Lion, Paintings, Journal pages and stuff.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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My oh My Mimi!

15 Apr

Simultaneously fills me with admiration, inspires me and makes me tired just reading and watching this synopsis of Mimi’s film.  Now if only I didn’t have two left feet . . . . . and fibromyalgia!   However, I THINK I am creative enough to develop some fun eccentricities despite the fibro.   What’a bout YOU?

“If you don’t dance, for heaven’s sake, you cannot aspire.

You do not lift up from this earth.”
– Mimi Weddell


“Hats Off, a feature-length documentary, profiles the beauty and eccentricities of an extraordinary woman, 93-year-old actress Mimi Weddell.

“With the style and grace of Katharine Hepburn, the smoky wit and wisdom of Dorothy Parker, and her own personal philosophy, “rise above it,” Mimi is truly an iconic American original, rising above the mundane and difficult confines of her own daily life to reach for the stars and fulfill her dreams.”

“Hats Off captures the essence of this most unusual woman, named at age 90 by New York Magazine as one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in New York,” whose full-time acting career began at age 65 upon the passing of her husband, and whose daily routine mocks the traditional image of old age. From grueling 14-hour days at cattle call auditions to her weekly gymnastics and dance workouts, Mimi Weddell exudes a ‘can-do, will-do’ attitude in the face of life’s trials and tribulations, and moves through her challenges with grace, encouraging us all to be more than we are.”

“Shot over the course of 10 years, by critically acclaimed, award-winning director Jyll Johnstone, (Martha & EthelThrowing CurvesHats Off covers a time span when most seniors are planning their funerals and estate bequests. Instead, Hats Off follows the breathtaking pace of Weddell, a bohemian free spirit now forced to share her east side Manhattan apartment with her two more traditionally minded grown children and a grandchild. Like most families, their relationship is complex, and the mother-daughter/mother-son dynamic adds a fascinating layer of depth to an already compelling and entertaining film.”

When her beloved husband Dick dies, “leaving nothing behind but bills, poor man,” Mimi does what she has to do to stay afloat, even attending an audition on the way to his memorial and landing the lead role in the cult film Dracula’s Last Rites, which marks the beginning of her career.”

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I Want S’more

14 Apr

Therapeutic S’mores

Ingredients:
7 whole graham crackers (1 cup/250 mL finely crushed)
1/4 cup (50 mL) powdered sugar
6 tbsp (90 mL) butter, melted
4 bars (1.55 oz or 43 g each) milk chocolate candy, divided – 16 bars, whole
12 large marshmallows

Directions:

  1. Taste chocolate to release endorphins to feel good. 
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
  3. Place graham crackers into a large resealable plastic bag.
  4. Imagine a person you are angry at is in the bag with crackers.  Smash crackers with fist or finely crush into crumbs using a roller.
  5. Eat chocolate to feel good.
  6. Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter in small bowl. Using Small Scoop, place scant scoop of crumb mixture in each cup of a mini-muffin pan.
  7. If you don’t have a mini muffin pan go to shopping mall.  When you can’t find a mini muffin pan at the mall buy a pair of shoes and purse if you are female.  Buy a big screen TV and leather recliner if you are male.
  8. Wearing your new shoes and/or sitting in leather recliner watching TV, press crumbs to form shallow cups in muffin pan with fingers or bottom of a  small glass.
  9. Eat chocolate for enough energy to continue pressing crumbs.
  10. Bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling. Meanwhile, break two of the candy bars into rectangles and eat the rectangles to re-energize from all this work you’ve done so far.
  11. Break two more of the bars into rectangles
  12. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.
  13. Cut marshmallows in half crosswise using shears or scissors dipped in cold water (helps minimize sticking).
  14. Place one marshmallow half, cut-side down, into each cup.
  15. Return to oven 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are just slightly softened.
  16. While waiting for marshmallows to softened eat more chocolate.
  17. Remove from oven to cooling rack; cool 15 minutes.
  18. While waiting for cups to cool eat some chocolate.
  19. Carefully remove cups from pan. Cool completely.
  20. Break remaining candy bars and place in (1-cup/250 mL) Prep Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute-1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Dip the top of each marshmallow in melted chocolate. Turn top-side up and let stand 40 minutes-1 hour or until set.
    Yield: 24 cups

Taste test: Eat S’more cups

  • The first cup – focus on taste of graham cracker crust.  Make notes of how you might want to increase the butter, powdered sugar.
  • The second cup – Focus on the taste and consistency of the marshmallow.  Make notes of how you might want to add extra marshmallow.
  • The third cup – focus on the taste of the chocolate.  Make notes of how you might want to add extra chocolate.
  • The fourth cup – focus on taste of how all the ingredients blend together.
  • The fifth cup – focus on taste of how all the ingredients blend together again.

Nutrients per serving: (1 cup) Calories 100, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 3.5 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Carbohydrate 11 g, Protein 1 g, Sodium 60 mg, Fiber 0 g

Cook’s Tips:

  • The time it takes the chocolate to set varies depending on weather conditions and room temperature. You can refrigerate the cups briefly until the chocolate is set; store them at room temperature.
  • Store the cups in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Freezing is not recommended because there won’t be any left to freeze.
  • For a richer chocolate flavor, substitute dark chocolate candy bars for the milk chocolate.  Taste the dark chocolate before substituting to make sure it has a rich chocolate flavor.

http://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe_search/recipe.jsp?id=91599

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The Sky Fell 62 Years Ago Today

13 Apr

I only have 2 memories of when I was 5. They both involve the sky falling down.

The first memory is  being Chicken Little* in kindergarten.  Parents and siblings were invited to watch this Production (capital “P”)  I was chosen to be Chicken Little – An honor that involved putting a brown bag over my head that the teacher had decorated to look like a chicken – it had opening for my eyes.  As the star I was to walk around and meet the other characters, fellow kindergarteners with bags over their heads, while the teacher read the story about the Chicken Little who got hit on the head with an acorn and thought  the sky was falling down.  I was scared.  I remember crying and crying.  I wanted my Mother.

The second memory was walking home from school. (Those were the days when children didn’t wear helmets and rode in the front seat of the car, no seatbelts).  Within sight of our house I tripped on the sidewalk and scrapped my knee.  Not a bad scrape but I cried and cried all the way home.  I wanted my mother.

That was the day my mother was to come home from the hospital with a baby.  (Those were the days when you stayed in the hospital for a week after giving birth).

I didn’t know what to expect. WHAT was this baby coming home with her.  I was only sure that I wanted my mother.  The mother that I had all to myself for my entire life.

I remember walking into our small 2 bedroom house,  finding my mother in bed holding this “thing”.  I cried and cried.  The sky had indeed fallen down.

Happy Birthday Rick!

I’m not sorry I tortured you all those many years ago.  It makes REALLY funny stories now.

I am glad you were born.

I love you.

You’re forgiven for the “torture”, though sticking my head between your knees and jumping made for premature (and still-red) couliflower ears. Always the actress, your faking the air-raid test sirens “getting you” also has made me acutely aware of sudden loud noises (and both also probable causes of my tinnitus). Perhaps my insurance can bill you for treatment? Still your younger brother-with LOVE.

*”There are several Western versions of the story, of which the best-known concerns a chick that believes the sky is falling when an acorn falls on its head. The chick decides to tell the King and on its journey meets other animals (mostly other fowl) which join it in the quest. After this point, there are many endings. In the most familiar, a fox invites them to its lair and there eats them all. Alternatively, the last one, usually Cocky Lockey, survives long enough to warn the chick, who escapes. In others all are rescued and finally speak to the King. In most retellings, the animals have rhyming names, commonly Chicken Little or Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, Turkey Lurkey and Foxy Loxy.”

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“No Man is an Island”

12 Apr

In college I was an English Lit major. We bisected, dissected and dismembered  hundreds, maybe thousands, of books of fiction, plays and poems.  No one believes me when I tell them  can’t remember the storyline or characters in any of them.  It’s true.  The minute I got my hard-earned diploma my brain stored all that information in an inaccessible data bank marked “Misc. other”.  Looking back I was a bit daft with that choice of a major – what do you do with a B.A. in English Lit?

In the 4th grade, during National Poetry Month, we were given an assignment to memorize a poem to recite in class.  While others were memorizing poems like  ”Casey at the Bat” or the “Walrus and the Carpenter” I picked “No Man is an Island” by John Donne.  Looking back I’m sure my fellow students thought I was a bit daft with this choice.

I wasn’t considered to be a precocious child but even then something inside told me we were all connected in a way that I couldn’t  fathom. Looking back I do believe that poem was the seed of finding truth in the Baha’i tenent that we are all connected, we are all one.

The truth I found in that poem made such an impact on me I can still recite it half a century later.

This month is National Poetry Month.

No Man is an Island by John Donne

No man is an island entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as a manor of thy friends or of thine own were;
any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.

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Morality R Us

11 Apr

Dear all my best friends,

I told you so.

Lickingly yours LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Max

Frans de Waal: Moral behavior in animals

“Empathy, cooperation, fairness and reciprocity — caring about the well-being of others seems like a very human trait. But Frans de Waal shares some surprising videos of behavioral tests, on primates and other mammals, that show how many of these moral traits all of us share.”

Ted Talk: Frans de Waal studies primate social behavior — how they fight and reconcile, share and cooperate.

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Worm Your Way into My Garden

10 Apr

Worm

Worm-hunting is therapeutic for me.   Finding a worm combines the thrill of the hunt with the concentrated, focused attention of meditation.  That rush of adrenalin combined with a dopamine hit when I find a worm -whata Eureka Moment!   I often wonder if all the wiggling the worms do when I find them  is because of their adrenalin hit  . . .

I started  a worm farm but found out that earth worms don’t make good farm animals.  You need red wigglers for farms.  So now I dig the earth worms out of the flower beds and directly put them into my vegetable garden.  They are free range worms.

Here’s my garden.  cauliflower, broccoli and something else.  I don’t know which is which.

I planted marigolds to ward off insect critters.

DID YOU KNOW?   If all worms on the planet died  (bees too), life as we know it would cease. Worms are busy little bees: They break down organic matter; They aerate the soil; They help to combine organic matter into the top soil and; They  even can eat and pacify harmful

Max, worm hunting

industrial chemicals such as those containing arsenic!

I do not want any arsenic in my vegetables.  I better go find some more worms.

P.S.  Thank you Laurie M. for my starter seedlings.

P.P. S  Thank you Rick & Sheila for the only flower-plant that I can’t kill.

P.P.P.S.  The 1/2 Mirapex is working so far!  I’m not exhausted.  However, I have become addicted to finding worms.

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The Pale Blue Dot

8 Apr
Not only is April the birthday month of my brother Rick and my poet pal Ramesh but April has perhaps the most days of all the months of religious celebrations throughout the world.
I think it fit that as we acknowledge our spiritual connection to take a look at the home we all share.
  • April 1Ramanavami – Hinduism, Palm Sunday - Christian
  • April 5 - Maundy Thursday - Christian,Lord’s Evening Meal - Jehovah’s Witness Christians
  • April 6
  • April 6 – 9 - Theravadin New Year - Buddhist
  • April 7 - Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian
  • April 7-14 – Pesach (Passover) Passover – Judaism
  • April 8Easter – Western Christianity, Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian
  • April 13Vaisakhi – Sikhism, Holy Friday - Orthodox Christian
  • April 14 - Baisakhi New Year - Sikh
  • April 15EasterEastern Christianity, Easter/Pascha - Orthodox Christian
  • April 19 - Yom HaShoah  - Judaism
  • April 21 - First Day of Ridvan  - Baha’i
  • April 23 - St. George Day - Christian
  • April 27 - Yom Ha’Atzmaut  - Jewish
  • April 29 - Ninth Day of Ridvan  - Baha’i
  • April 30 - Saint James the Great Day - Orthodox Christian, Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian
Photo credit ~ courtesy of the Carl Sagan Planetary Society and in the public domain.
Video uploaded to YouTube by . The Pale Blue Dot: The picture of Earth from 4 billion miles away. As told by Carl Sagan through  favorite films set to the music of Mogwai.

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Desperate Measure for Fibro Exhaustion

7 Apr

Judy's Journal page

Here’s what I’ve decided to do to minimize my fibromyalgia exhaustion!

Desperate measure   - Take 1/2 a Mirapex* tablet. That will cut the exhaustion in half!  AND . . .

  • I’ll compulsively eat half as much and lose weight.
  • I’m not sure how the 1/2 tablet will affect gambling and sex addictions since I hadn’t developed those.  But since I will only develop half of the addictive side effects I’ll ask my husband which one he prefers.
  • I’ll confine the narcolepsy to after dark.

*Mirapex, Other Parkinson’s Disease Drugs Linked to Compulsive Gambling, Hypersexuality
Date Published: Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

“Mirapex and other dopamine agonists used to treat Parkinson’s Disease have been linked to the development of extreme behaviors by yet another study. According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, one in five patients (I think I met several at the bakery counter) taking such drugs in a recent study developed behavior disorders, such as compulsive gambling or hypersexuality.”
“Parkinson’s Disease occurs because of a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine in certain areas of the brain. (Some fibro patients have lower levels of dopamine) A dopamine agonist works by mimicking the effects of this chemical. However, dopamine is also known to produce a “rush” in the brain of people who are anticipating a reward or excitement. (So that’s why I RUSHED to eat chocolate croissants every day – sometimes rushed a few times a day) Many experts believe that such a biochemical reaction is behind the reports of compulsive behavior linked to dopamine agonists like Mirapex.”

I TOLD you I was desperate . . .

P.S. My Horoscope for today:

“Knowing the truth is always important to you, but the Libra Full Moon’s activation of your 9th House of Big Ideas motivates you to get your facts straight. However, you could become blinded by your own desires now when making your plans. Although you may realize that you’re exaggerating, others still take what you say at face value. Carefully distinguishing the facts from the fantasies is a smart move for all involved.”

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Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures

6 Apr

For those of you new to my blog (er, Max’s blog) I have an “affliction” due to alien possession.  It’s called fibromyalgia.  Fibromyalgia is a misnomer dating back to ancient times when the medical establishment liked to name things with Greek roots because it sounds more scientific.  The rest of you who know my whole weary tale can skip down to the red print.

My main symptoms of this central nervous system disorder are depression, allodynia a good Greek name for whole body pain, mental fog (where are the Greeks when they are really needed – FOG is a soft, floaty description for mental muddle, mental muck) and exhaustion.  There are many other symptom since the central nervous system impacts every system.   I’ve been one of the lucky ones where the aliens decided to lay heavy on the depression and exhaustion and go light on the fog and pain.

I’ve been blessed that my symptoms have been helped for several years – not eliminated – through the miracles of modern meds. That was  until I had to go off (that’s an interesting image) my miracle drug Mirapex because one of the side effects was narcolepsy (another Greek name).  Unfortunately, I was awake enough of the time to indulge in another side effect – compulsivity.  I ate obsessively, compulsively like an addict.  Again I was blessed that I stopped the drug before it led to compulsive gambling and sex – I kid you not!

Which brings me to the present.   The good news is I no longer fall asleep at stop lights or brushing my teeth.The bad news is I’m EXHAUSTED.  pooped-out-of-my-mind.  In the morning I wake up exhausted after sleeping 10 hours.  So after a few hours I take a 2 hour nap.  It’s almost impossible to describe being exhausted without doing anything that is exhausting.   I’m NOT TIRED, mind you.  Exhausted.

I’ve stopped exercising as the thought of it exhausts me more.  I’ve reverted to self medicating myself with anything that contains refined sugar and/or white flour searching for an energy pick me up.  I stare out into space thinking of all the things I should be doing, need & want to be doing and get more exhausted thinking about how I will feel exhausted doing them.

My in-basket has now grown to over 300 e-mails not attended to.  I forget to call back clients who are forgiving and wonderful as always.  I avoid calling friends, not wanting to recount the exhausting litany of reasons why I’ve not called nor responded to them.  I don’t walk Max who patiently waits for permission to walk himself.

I woke up this morning, exhausted as usual, and said to myself. “Judy, this now calls for desperate measures.”

However, I’m too exhausted after writing all this so I’ll tell you what my desperate measures are tomorrow.  I’m going to lay down now and get in another nap before it’s time for bed.

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Being Alone Together. Has Technology Created This for You?

5 Apr

“As we expect more from technology, do we expect less from each other? Sherry Turkle studies how our devices and online personas are redefining human connection and communication — and asks us to think deeply about the new kinds of connection we want to have.

Sherry Turkle studies how technology is shaping our modern relationships: with others, with ourselves, with it”

“Turkle argues that the social media we encounter on a daily basis are confronting us with a moment of temptation. She maintains that drawn by the illusion of companionship without the demands of intimacy, we confuse postings and online sharing with authentic communication. We are drawn to sacrifice conversation for mere connection.

After listening to Sherry Turkle’s Ted Talk I find myself much less concerned about technology than she is.

I’m not sure that anything is really different now with text messaging, internet, robots . ..

The sense of being alone and looking for SAFE connection has been around since I’ve walked this planet. I’ve talked to pets, stuffed animals.  How is that different from talking to a robot?

I’ve spent many an evening of “togetherness” with friends sitting  in a dark movie theatre or in a noisy restaurant,  places where intimate conversation was impossible. How is that different from “finding  the illusion of companionship without the intimacy” through technology?

Again, I disagree with Turkle when she describes how we “clean up” our images, thoughts and feelings through technology.  I think that not much has changed with our fear of intimacy. Technology just makes it faster, more expensive and convenient  to avoid it.
Turkle is a professor in the Program in Science, Technology and Society at MIT and the founder and director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self.”

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A Chocolate a Day Melts the Fat Away!

28 Mar

When I was in my 30′s I ate a LOT of chocolate.  I ate chocolate rather than eating fruit, vegetables or protein.  I liked my chocolate straight up, with a shooter of brownies or on the rocks  (ice cream).  And I was fit and thin.  In my 40′s I cut down on my chocolate consumption.  I was nearing middle age  and needed to be more health conscious.  Looking back the less chocolate I ate the heavier I got. Now I’m overweight.  

And NOW a new study came out that finds those who eat chocolate several times a week are leaner than those who don’t eat it regularly!  

Once again . . . I was ahead of the times. 

Does A Chocolate Habit Help Keep You Lean?

by

“A new study finds that people who eat chocolate several times a week are actually leaner than people who don’t eat chocolate regularly.

Really, we asked? Last time we checked chocolate was loaded with fat and sugar. But this new research, along with some prior studies, suggests chocolate may favorably influence metabolism.

To test this theory, Beatrice Golomb, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, asked about 1,000 people, ages 20 to 85, a simple question: “How many times a week do you consume chocolate?” The participants then completed food frequency questionnaires to estimate their caloric intakes of a whole range of foods including chocolate. They also had weight and height measurement taken to calculate their body mass index, or BMI.

“In our study, people who ate chocolate more often actually ate more calories,” says Golomb. “But in spite of that they had lower [BMI].”

How much lower? For a 5-foot-tall woman, weighing about 120 pounds, the study found that she was likely to be about 5 pounds lighter if she was a frequent eater of chocolate (five times a week).  So to lose 20 pounds I need to eat it 20 times a week.  They aren’t saying how MUCH so I’ll start experimenting and let you know.  Anything in the interest of science.

And, no, the people with serious chocolate habits did not exercise more than those who weren’t in the habit of eating chocolate.  Ain’t science wonderful!?

This study certainly does not prove that frequent chocolate consumption causes people to be leaner: The researchers found that chocolate’s correlation to thinness started to melt away among the participants who consumed the most. They also didn’t suss out whether the type of chocolate — white, milk, or dark, which can have varying amounts of cocoa — made a difference.

But what’s fascinating here is the notion that our bodies may not treat all calories the same way.

“I think a really important point is that it isn’t just the number of calories that matter,” says Golomb. But the composition of calories seems to matter, too.

Not all researchers are convinced of this. Broadly speaking, the “calories in, calories out” method of managing weight is effective for most people.

And it’s possible that overweight participants in the study under-reported their their chocolate consumption, according to Jane Wardle of the University College London. Indeed, a lot of researchers agree that self-reported food data can be flawed. (Now who would do that in a SCIENTIFIC investigation?)

But what research shows is that certain foods contain compounds that have some power to positively influence metabolic factors.

“When people talk about the health benefits of chocolate,” says food scientist Joshua Lambert of Penn State University, “they typically talk about compounds called polyphenols.”

When he investigated some specific polyphenols found in cocoa, he found that they potently inhibit an enzyme, called pancreatic lipase, that’s responsible for digesting dietary fat.

This means that the fat in chocolate may exit our bodies before it has a chance to be absorbed. Or, in other words, these compounds in cocoa may help us fend off fat.

Chocolate Mousse

Lambert’s studies have been conducted in test tubes and mice, not in people. “So there’s a big leap  from what we’re doing to what the [UC San Diego researchers] are doing.”

But it might be one mechanism that explains why frequent chocolate eaters tend to be leaner.

Another possible mechanism is that the compounds in chocolate may increase the energy that cells make. Researchers are studying this as well.

So, for now, if you’re a chocolate lover, lose the guilt. Or, be reassured, for now, that the associations between eating chocolate and body weight move in the preferred direction.

And one more thing: This study was not funded by the chocolate industry. Funding came from the National Institute of Health; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and the UC San Diego General Clinical Research Center.”

P.S.  In my 30′s I  jogged  3 – 10 miles a day.

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The HEart of Spirituality, Week 4

27 Mar

While I spent one-on-one time with each participant processing the series of paintings they did (over the four weeks) for meanings, messages and the relationship  to his/her life the others made prayer beads and prayer sticks. (whew!, long sentence!).  There are a few pictures from the homework using the 3-spiral labyrinth in any way they wanted.

Take a look at the creativity and variety!:

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Here’s two “feedbacks”.  The other participants, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, are still writing them and will send them to me QUICKLY!  Right?  RIGHT!

Every workshop I do is testimony to the power of THERAPEUTIC CREATIVE EXPRESSION!

This workshop truly helped me to reconnect with own personal sense of spirituality.  I liked the way we addressed spirituality in an open and affirming way with respect for everyone’s individual take on spirituality.  

I love the way I learned how to use art to connect with and express my creative and spiritual self.  I also learned a lot about how to do art and become an artist . . . and I’m exited – very excited – about taking the next class!”  Sandhya Larsen

“Overall – loved it!  I’ve needed a creative outlet (expression) for sooo long.  In so many ways, this class has really permitted me to develop confidence in myself and acceptance of my process.  And the sharing and support of the group was really terrific!  Thank you, thank you, thank you! “ Nancie K.

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Callie

26 Mar

Dear Laurie,

This is a feeble response to your post about your life, love and losing dear Callie.  

In the first century of my life I came to the conclusion that all life is about loss.  Yet without having any meaning for loss I experienced the unspeakable fear of losing my parents, my health, my loved pets.  I was sure I would drown in the pain, be paralized by the grief.  

Now, in the second century of my life I am even more sure that all life is about loss.  And the purpose?  Well, we all have to struggle with that question, each in our own way.

For me, personally, my purpose is to learn to let go gracefully of earthly possessions, people, pets to know that death is a beginning of the journey into eternity with God, not an end.

If I didn’t believe I would drown in the pain, be paralized by the grief.  

Yet as your loss touches me and it’s easier to say than do.

Callie

Below is the end of Laurie’s post.  

Read the whole post on Laurie’s Blog, Hibernationnow, The Best Is Yet To Be ( A True Story)
“When my children were little, in third grade and second, I surprised them with a puppy. A sweet ball of fur from the shelter, only six-weeks old. The most well-behaved dog you can imagine, demure and cuddly who wanted nothing more than to sit in my lap and sigh with contentment. Earlier this month I gave her a big tenth birthday party as I have every year, with my daughter and our friends Margaret and Christina; I even bought hats and paper plates. I took photographs of us.

It’s been only two weeks but now she is dead. I brought her in to the veterinarian because she yelped softly twice but otherwise seemed fine. I felt silly bringing her in to the veterinarian but I did anyway. He examined this perfectly looking dog and said “I feel something.” He kept her there all day for an X-ray and blood tests and I called later that afternoon for the results.

He scheduled her for surgery, the following day, she had a mass on her spleen and he would have to take her spleen out but, as he said, “dogs can live a good life without a spleen….if it wasn’t cancer.” Cancer? We brought her in to surgery and I kissed her a lot and put my arms around her and whispered secrets to her. Later that afternoon, the veterinarian called, the cancer had spread to 75 percent of her perfect tan, black and white body. He advised and we agreed that we did not want our dog to suffer. Our dog died that day. I had to tell my children and our friends, between sobs and my grief. This was my dog. I picked her out from the shelter, she was my girl. I still cry, I still think I hear her in the house, I wait for her when I unlock the door….

As you get older in life you will have experienced great joy: college and dating, relationships, marriage, children, jobs, pets. They say “the best is yet to be” but I can’t believe that. I wish I thought that there were better things ahead for me in this world but I can’t possibly imagine what they would be. I’m sure there will be moments of joy here and there, but so too, there will be more sickness and death and grief and getting older. I had the best of times, now, I just have the memories.”

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Title (optional)

25 Mar

What an incredibly wonderful world this is to be missed by people I’ve never met in person yet feel like family.  Wendy, Laurie thank you so much for your concern

I’ve been off for a while – off-line, off mentally, physically and dare I say emotionally. (It’s a bit blasphemous in the therapeutic community for a therapist to be off emotionally and admit it SO PLEASE don’t tell anyone.  I DO have a reputation to uphold)

ImageNot sure which is the chicken, which is the egg.  All this heart tweaking, testing, stopping miracle Mirapex (click for the saga) has set off my fibro “stuff” and/or the fibro stuff caused the heart stuff which set off the fibro stuff.

The upshot:  My body feels like it’s been hit with a train, my brain isn’t remembering, and my affect is rather flat – that’s therapist speak for “depressed”.  I’m blessed that I have enough energy to go to work, and focus while I’m there.  I find other people’s difficulties and issues far more interesting than my own.

This is the first time I’ve used the new word press format – and the WordPressies already gave this post a title: “Title (optional)”   The WordPressie People are really smart.  Most things in life are indeed optional – even health.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE all of you for being so LOVING!

j

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See! Sea!

18 Mar

Be patient, takes a moment to load.  Worth the time to see.

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The HEart of Spirituality Painting Group, Week 3

17 Mar
  1. Meditation Labyrinth homework – journey to center and back out as a doodle/color mediation
  2. Oil Pastel – pass around pictures,  each person adds their colors to each picture as it is passed around the table.  We talked about how we are all connected and all contribute to the whole.
  3. Acrylic painting – Focus this week was on the Spiritual Spiral ascending from the Ego = I to Soul = We.
Take a look and pay particular attention to the progression of each persons acrylic painting.  They are splenderific!

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I don’t know why Judy but watching this slide show…has left me overwhelmed.. that feeling of connectedness..the magic of WE was reaching me too….

 

ah, connectedness;
this sheer magic of being ‘WE’
catches my ‘I’ unawares
reaching me beyond seven seas
as I sit awestruck
wondering and waiting
for all the light..

Ramesh Sood

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Remember to Forget it!

15 Mar

Upon awakening this morning I clearly remembered an incredibly intelligent, scintillating, provocative and engaging post written, edited and spell-checked I wrote to share with you.  But now I can’t remember what I remembered.

Which brings me to an interesting question (well, I think it’s interesting):  What do I really pay attention to  in my waking life?  The hours, the days, the years – a recorded history of “me” somewhere,  largely irretrievable at will.  I only remember bits and pieces of events, stories told and repeated until I too believe  the version of how it happened, pictures in an album that prove I was there . . .

I remember now that this might be  the post I remembered and forgot . . . I think . . .?

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We ARE ALL Connected.

11 Mar

Joseph Kony:

PLEASE Watch, PLEASE Share.

Invisible Children

http://www.kony2012.com/

Access this site to directly communicate via the internet with the

culture makers and policy leaders who can make a difference.

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The HEart of Spirituality, Week 2

10 Mar

Tonight we focused on creatively expressing how “I view myself” or “It’s All About ME!”.   Take a close look and see if you can trace how each painting evolved from one color that represented each person to their completed painting!

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International Woman’s Day, March 8th

8 Mar

International Woman’s Day  is not a frivolous day of self-congratulations.  It’s a recognition of the need to empower and help women all over the globe to be self-sufficient, be safe, promote peace and help create a better world for men too!

More information:

International Woman’s Day

The Hunger Project

Ten Ways to Help Celebrate 

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Never Compare Your Middle with Someone Else’s Abs?

8 Mar

 ”Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle!” 

John Acuf


I don’t know John but his remark about not getting discouraged when starting out on a new venture reminded me of what my Mother always said:  ”There’s always going to be someone smarter, richer, prettier – fill in the blank - than you.  And there’s always going to be someone poorer, not as smart - fill in the blank - than you.

Even as a child I was aware she was trying to teach me not to compare myself to others. Comparison can foster jealousy  or worse, snobbish superiority.

I wonder  . . . Sometimes comparison is good.  It can motivate me to strive to attain something better, to avoid something worse, to appreciate what I have . . .

I wonder . . . Was Mom trying to prepare me for middle age spread?  

I wonder . . . Did John know my Mother?

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The Ultimate Grace of Gratitude

6 Mar

Becca Givens always inspires me with her poetry, her art, her vision of the world. She reposted this short film, THE ULTIMATE GRACE OF GRATITUDE, by Jamie Dedes from INTO THE BARDO

I can’t say it any better than Becca: “May this touch your heart, soul and spirit in the ways you need – as it did mine! Enjoy with many blessings ~”

Becca Givens “On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea”

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Don’t always SEE what you BELIEVE!

5 Mar

Robert Krulwich WAS one of my favorite authors/reporters.  I am seriously thinking of starting a national boycott of him for ruining my view of reality. He could have kept this information to himself instead of upsetting & shocking everyone. DO YOU AGREE?

They Did It To Pluto, But Not To Pink! Please Not Pink!

“Pluto isn’t a planet anymore. It’s been demoted. Now it’s pink’s turn. I’m talking about the color pink. It turns out (and this is not a new development, it’s just something I didn’t know), there is no pink in a rainbow. It isn’t there.

Red is there. Violet is there. Green is there. Blue, too. They are bands of light that scientists can measure. So they are out there. They exist.

Rainbow

iStockphoto.com

Curiously, however, when you look at a rainbow, you will notice that red is on one side, violet on the opposite side.

This is a problem. Because pink happens when the red and violet sides get together, but they don’t get together — which makes pink an act of wishful thinking, or, to put it bluntly — pink is a made up color.

I am shocked.”

This one minute-long animation has the details.

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OOEY GOOEY Chocolate Chip Cookies – Gluten Free!

4 Mar

OOEY GOOEY Chocolate Chip Cookies – Flourless (Almost better than eating batter)

Yield: 24 cookies. (One serving)
Prep Time: 25 min, Cook Time: 14 min (Eating time: 1 minute per 5 cookies, including chewing)

Ingredients:
3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper (or silpat mats). If you use parchment paper, give it a light swoosh of nonstick spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar with cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in egg whites (start w/ just two) and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened. You’re looking for a brownie-like, thick and fudgy batter consistency. If it seems too thick, add another egg white– then a 4th one if it still seems too thick. Gently stir in chocolate chips (Sample the chips first to make sure they are really chocolate)

3. Spoon batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds per cookie sheet. Bake about 14 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto wire racks. Let cookies cool completely (place in freezer to shorten cooling time), and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. (Your stomach is not airtight but if you eat them immediately you don’t have to worry about airtight . . . or 3 days)

Tips:
*If you’re baking this as a “gluten-free” recipe, just make sure that the brand of chocolate chips you are using is gluten free.
*Let the cookies cool completely before you attempt to remove them from the mat or the parchment. They’re delicate, (for delicate, ahem, tastes) so gently peeling the paper away from the cookie works best. (or simply lick them off the parchment to save time)

http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/11/24/chewy-gooey-flourless-chocolate-cookies/

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The HEart of Spirituality, Week 1

3 Mar

Take a look at the incredible creative expressions by the participants in a 4-week The HEart of Spirituality GroupShop.  The first exercise “Creation” was using oil pastels on black paper.   The second was a process painting using acrylic paint on canvas board. (Unfortunately the brilliant oil pastel colors don’t show.  My camera setting wasn’t right for the lighting.)

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Afterwards we processed each painting: How the elements of the paintings and the process of creating corresponds to and are metaphors for our lives.  It was a great group!

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Fishy Fishy Walk on Land

2 Mar

I feel a fish-post coming on!

Fishy fishy in a brook
Papa catch’em with a hook
Mama fry ‘em in a pan
Baby eat ‘em like a man
 
Fishy Fishy walk on land
Papa bury head in sand
Mama go get aquarium
Baby now, vegetarian

For those new to my blog, “fish” is the single biggest – DAILY – word search hit.  To amuse myself I routinely drive up the hits with more FANTASTIC Fishy Facts. (This was the post that naively started it all: Butterfly Fish and the Singles Scene)

Hey, don’t tell me YOU don’t think mudskippers aren’t FANTASTICALLY fascinating! 

"Humph!"

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