The Scatter Gun Approach to Women

Ever wonder why women seem to be attracted to the "bad boys?"

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According to a new study, men who are narcissistic, thrill-seeking liars and all round "bad boys" tend to have the greatest success finding more sexual partners. Scientists believe that the root of their good fortune is simply that they try it on with more women, therefore by the law of averages are likely to ensnare more.

Hmmmm. Now I get it.

Good Night Irene

There's a new study out that shows an extra hour of sleep each night may help you lose weight... Okay, I'll bite...


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"More sleep could be the ideal way of stabilising weight or slimming," said neuro-scientist Karine Spiegel, of France's INSERM, a public organisation dedicated to biological, medical and public health research.

While poor eating habits and lack of exercise clearly play a role in the global rise of obesity, recent data indicates that lack of sleep may also be a factor, and one that is often under-estimated.

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Although I read the article twice, I didn't see what I believe to be the obvious reason for this link between weight loss and more sleep: YOU CAN'T EAT WHEN YOU ARE ASLEEP!!!!
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But I'm glad I found the study anyway. I'm going to bed early tonight. If I stay in bed all weekend, I figure I'll wake up on Monday a size 5.

Underlying Depression

If you are over forty and depressed, you are not alone. And it doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, married or single, kids or not. A new study measured data on depression, anxiety levels and general mental health and well-being taken from some 2 million people in 80 countries. And it's perfectly clear:

For men and women the probability of depression slowly builds and then peaks when people are in their forties -- a similar pattern found in 72 countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe, the researchers said.

Of course they go on to speculate about why. They said middle-aged people come to realize that they may not fulfull a lot of their aspirations. I guess that is pretty depressing. I'm depressed just reading about it.

I got to thinking, perhaps cavemen and women never lived long enough to be depressed. Very few probably saw their 40th birthday. Not much time for depression anyway back then. It took too much effort just to live in the moment. You know. Stay out of harm's way, find and kill food, clean it, cook it, maintain fires and such. If you sat around on a rock all day depressed you wouldn't last long.

Halloween Candy- Your Personality Revealed

I'm not an expert, but I think I know as much as the next gal about candy. I certainly eat enough of it. That said, here is my personal analysis of people who like certain Halloween candy more than others:

Smarties: Let's just disclose that I really like Smarties. No, they are not chocolate, but Smarties have that nice sour taste... with a few variations of citrus...and have just enough sugar to give you that quick fix. Without all the fat calories. So... I see Smarties lovers as practical, level headed and somewhat reserved. Plus, you can eat some now and save some for later. And sharing them isn't a big deal.

Hershey Bars: Ahhh... also me. I love them. It's a state pride thing. I intend to give them out this year! It's a selfish thing. Since I don't get many Halloweeners...well... more for me! :) Hershey Bar eaters are kind, considerate, simple folk. They like Chocolate. Sure, I'll eat the Almond bars, too, but really, nothing is better than just your plain Hershey Bar.

Twizzlers: Thoughtful people like Twizzlers. You can chew on them and not talk for a long time. Einstein was probably eating Twizzlers when he dreamed up E= MC2.

M'nM's: Also me. I once got a whole case as a Birthday present. Other than Hershey Kisses, M'nM's are the best bite size candy ever made. You can eat them one at a time... or chug a lot and be a real pig. M'n M people love life, love food, and eat with gusto without regard to calories or their cholesterol level. They are smart. They know that if they eat half the bag.... that means that they SAVED calories by not eating the other half! And green ones? Well.. Let's not go there just yet. :)

Clark Bars: The last bit of chocolate left in your Candy Bag about November 5th. You ate all the good chocolate. Now it's either the Clark Bars or the Apples or the Sweet Tarts... I don't know anyone who eats them first. Maybe people with deep seated guilt who feel obligated to eat candy no one really wants.

Carmel Corn: Carmel Corn lovers want commitment. You really need both hands to eat it properly and you have to really chew it. And you end up with little bits stuck between your teeth, so it is a messy thing. Nothing easy about it, but with time--- and not a lot of dental work in your mouth, you can enjoy carmel corn.

Candy Corn: Stable, uncomplicated people like Candy Corn. This is a staple of Autumn, like jelly beans are a staple for Spring. You HAVE to eat some. Candy dishes were made for Candy Corn.

Mike and Ike: A fruity, fun candy with a burst of flavor that can be eaten relatively quickly.

Mike and Ike people are fun and flirty, but they have short attention spans.

If Man is Still Alive... If Woman Can Survive

What will the human race, if it still exists, look like in the year 3000? Or even further out... say 10 thousand years? For some reason, I see us living back in caves. I'm not sure why. Maybe my fear of some future destruction.... caused by asteroids or maybe weapons of mass destruction. I'm not sure.

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Something to think about as we continue on this path of evolution. It has been suggested that we will have reached our peak in selection for physical characteristics in the year 3000.

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A report commissioned for TV Channel Bravo goes on to say humans will live up to 120 years and be 6 - 7 feet tall.

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"Physical features will be driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility that men and women have evolved to look for in potential mates, says the report, which suggests that advances in cosmetic surgery and other body modifying techniques will effectively homogenise our appearance.

Men will have symmetrical facial features, deeper voices and bigger penises...

Women will all have glossy hair, smooth hairless skin, large eyes and pert breasts...

Racial differences will be a thing of the past as interbreeding produces a single coffee-coloured skin tone. "

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The rather silly study borrows a theory from H. G. Wells that eventually we will split into two different races. This is way out, though. Tens of thouands of years. An "attractive, intelligent ruling elite and an underclass of dim-witted, ugly goblin-like creatures."

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Given that we don't lose all our hair because of radiation when the nukes fly, I wouldn't mind the future... with smooth, naturally hairless, tanned skin. No more shaving! Oh, and I look pretty good with that glossy hair! I can see my New Year's Eve 3000 date now.... his name will be Lurch. He's the tall, symmetrical- faced guy with the low voice who poses for Playgirl Magazine.

We can go back to my cave for drinks.

Clean Air--- Into the Mystic

Stripped off all my clothes and put them straight into the hamper last night. I smelled like a firefighter. You guessed it, another evening in a smoky bar. Yuck, I hate smelling like that when I come home. It's enough to make a lot of people actually STAY home. This wouldn't have happened in Ireland, where a smoking ban has been in effect for four years now. I can't understand all the fuss over here. Pennsylvania is years behind, fighting over legislation with outcries of so called "civil liberties" taken away, fears about lost revenues, enforcement, etc. The whole debate rages on and on.

A group of doctors at a hospital in Belfast determined not only has air quality improved in the pubs, but musicians are getting better sound out of their instruments. (No doubt to me their singing has improved as well.)

From AFP

. . . they wanted to check the impact of the smoking ban on the quality of traditional Irish music played in the smoke-free pubs. They managed to contact six of the seven Irish experts who work with the instruments. All said there was a strong smell of cigarette smoke from accordions played in a smoke-filled environment when they are opened. Soot-like dirt was deposited throughout the instrument.

"One repairer commented that the deposition of dirt could be substantial enough to affect the pitch of the reed."Two others claimed that if a musician tended to play in a particular key, that this could be determined from the distribution of dirt around particular reeds."

All the repairers were categorical that these signs had definitely improved in accordions they had worked on since the introduction of the smoking ban in Ireland. The doctors concluded the smoking ban has been "music to the ears of the people of Ireland."

In March 2004, Ireland outlawed smoking in every workplace including pubs and restaurants and even on fishing boats and in company cars. Anyone found breaching it faces a fine of up to 3,000 euros (4,254 dollars) and pubs run the risk of ultimately losing their licence.

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Van Morrison somewhere is blowing into a nice clean saxophone reed... Into the Mystic. Ahhh. Clean Air.

Fake Acupuncture-- It's Not a Joke

My intent is not to needle anyone about this, instead I'll just get to the point. I just read a study that claims to show that fake acupuncture is almost as good as the real thing for back pain. (The fake acupuncture isn't as deep with the needles, doesn't have the "manipulation," plus the needles aren't really inserted into the traditional "points.")

The gist of the study seems to reveal that part of it is the placebo effect, of course... mental attitude toward the therapy has a lot to do with it. But also just putting the needles in may release natural painkillers.... and open up blocked energy.

I fell on the ice awhile back. It was not pretty, but could have been worse. Pain management was something new to me. I've done heat therapy, electro stimulation, massage, chiropractic manipulation, pressure points, rubber ball movement therapy, the roller table (wow!!!), exercises and even reiki.

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Fortunately, I have never had such terrible pain that I was motivated to have someone stick needles in me. (Though I probably would, if the pain ever got that bad.) I have leveled out, though I have occasional problems when I do stupid things like bully stuff around or get in awkward positions.) In the future, if I find myself in chronic pain again, perhaps I'd go for something in between.... like, don't stick the needles in really far, but do put them where they should be, and manipulate them... a little bit.

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I'm a big believer in massage... for the body and the mind. And I seem to have a knack for finding pressure points. The relief is incredible.... especially for minor aches.... like after sports, or for neck tension... shoulders, etc. Massage was the only thing that truly helped my lower back, by loosening me up enough to be able to then exercise and strengthen that area.

Reiki, is an area I want to explore further. I've had a couple of treatments, and though it is out there a little further on the fringe of alternative treatments, I believe there is potential for results. I don't discount anything that involves basic touch and positive energy. We all certainly need more of that.

Reading is... well, Fundamental

Got that bestseller on your nightstand--- half finished? Uncle John's Bathroom reader by your throne? Stephen King stashed by the couch? You are a dying breed, my friends. I read another depressing study last week that revealed, to no one's suprize, that one in four adults read no books at all last year. The people who do read are older people and women.

Anyhow, today I'm starting Wayne Dyer's new book on the Tao Te Ching, called Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life. I caught him on PBS last weekend and got interested in learning more about the Tao, a book that's been on my shelf basically unread since I got it in college. Dr. Dyer meditated on the verses in the Tao, and attempted to relate its message in the context of modern times.

I've read most of Dr. Dyer's books. My favorite is Your Erroneous Zones. In there he talked about Guilt and Worry. Two completely useless emotions. Spending your time feeling guilty about anything will not change the past, and sitting there worrying about the future only wastes your living moments right now. It will alter nothing in the future. Only action-- taken right now in the present can do that.


The change your thoughts, change your life mantra is no new territory for Dr. Dyer. He said all along that you become what you think about. Imagine yourself in the situation you want to be in and live as if it is already there. It makes sense to me. If you want to be thin, imagine yourself as thin and behave as a thin person does. Exercise, eat right, pass on the dessert--- do that every day.... and one morning you will wake up and be thin! Of course, it won't be tomorrow. But, as trite as it sounds, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.


You see, all this is pretty elementary. We all just need to contemplate more.

It is a dying art.

Now, pass those potato chips.

Naahhh, forget it. I'm contemplating thin-ness.

( I know... good luck with that.)

A Weighty Issue

A Harvard study of more than 12,000 people finds that if you have a fat friend your risk of becoming fat increases up to 57 percent. Furthermore, if you have a sister or brother who can't seem to push away from the table either, your chances are 40 percent higher. A fat spouse? 37 percent higher.

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It made me wonder if I am slowly making my thinner friends fat, or if I'm making my heavier friends thinner.

How Much is Your Body Worth Dead?

Ever thought about selling your dead body for medical research? Once you factor in a bunch of health and lifestyle questions, I'm worth a whopping $3540. Not bad, though. My survivors won't exactly get rich on it. Perhaps a trip to Bermuda or a used car is about all they'll be able to splurge on. The Cadaver Calculator Quiz is revealing. I wanted to say I ate a healthy diet and that I was tall, but I'm not. At least I could answer no to any serious surgeries. Longer hair may have helped, too, I think.

Anyhow, I can remember a while back someone calculated the cost of all the basic ingredients in the human body... the carbon, water, etc. and came up with something like 78 cents. Remember that?

Take Cadaver Calculator Quiz yourself.

And the Cannibal Dines Alone... Usually.

A study from some fine folks at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville finds that Cannibals tend to eat alone. And that is a Good Thing. For many reasons. Most of them germ related. Ugh. One obvious exception to this trend is Hannibal Lecter.... in a dinner scene from the movie Hannibal,( the sequel to Silence of the Lambs,) described below in Salon:

By now, most pop culture fans have heard about the big dinner scene in Harris' new bestseller, a scene in which Dr. Hannibal Lecter introduces a novice cannibal to the delight of eating one's enemy's brain. Forget what Sicilians say about revenge being a dish best served cold; the brains in question are not only served hot, but the victim himself is fully conscious as his thoughts are literally dished out as an appetizer. Horrifying!