Can't Sleep?

 Are you one of the wake up at 3 a.m.-4 a.m. club? If so you are not alone, one in three people wake up and spend time staring at the ceiling or into the dark worrying over an assortment of problems. Of course everyone wakes up several times during the course of a night's sleep but stress makes all the difference in your chances of going back to sleep. Suggestions on what to do to break the bad sleep habit are fairly simple, make a to do list of the things that you have hanging over your head right before bed, that simple list usually brings relief. It also helps the go to bed and get up at the same time everyday and get some exercise earlier in the day. I hope this helps at least some of the insomniacs out there. 

Chipotle Cosmetics

 Just when you think you've heard it all something else comes down the pike. This time it's Chipotle teaming up with Wonderskin to make Lipotle lip stain. The stain starts as a masque that looks like guacamole and is applied like lip gloss, after setting for 30-60 seconds it is sprayed with Wonder Blading Activator to seal the color for up to 10 hours, following the activator the avocado colored masque is wiped off revealing the nude rose Lipotle color all so you won't have to mess up your lipstick when you're eating. What next? lipstick flavored burritos? 

Barbie Effect

 I can only hope that the statistics compiled are not a true reflection of how women understand their health issues but if so that could also explain several things. At the end of the Barbie movie Barbie decides to become a real woman and makes a gynecologist appointment. The internet showed a 51% increase in searches for "what is a gynecologist" and other related queries. The research did not show an increase in  "gynecologist near me" or other medical questions. I suppose we can pretend it was all men doing the searches though I remain unconvinced. 

Kitty?

 Kitty White is probably an unknown name to most people but as it turns out she is actually quite well known by the name Hello Kitty. The confusion comes from an announcement earlier this month that Hello Kitty isn't a cat but a little girl that lives in London with her parents and a twin sister named Mimmy. Even though it seems an odd way to measure size the manager of marketing went on to add Kitty weighs the equivalent of 3 apples and stands 5 apples tall, oh and has her own pet cat. The news has put some people into a tailspin as they feel they've been gaslighted...over a toy? Geez. 

Third Eye Blind

Not the rock group though I did look up why they chose that name and was mostly disappointed with the answer, still an alright name for a rock group as Dave Barry would say. Tuataras are reptiles that are older than dinosaurs, they have been on the planet for 200 million years but sadly are now dying out due to introduced predators on the islands they normally inhabit, but wait there's more that makes them special! They have a third eye which has the components of a regular eye but doesn't see in the same sense as a normal eye it only detects changes in light and it is unknown how that function is used. The good news is even though they are very difficult to care for the Chester Zoo in the UK has successfully bred these reptiles in a foreign land so maybe they will be around another 200 million years. 

  

Excuses

 Have you ever needed an excuse to get you out of a conversation you don't want to participate in? The following work particularly well if you are in a grocery store but could also be used when you get buttonholed at any venue. Drum roll please..."I've got fish in the car", also useful are "I have ice cream in the car" or milk or popsicles work too. I only hope I remember these for the next time it happens to me! 

Lighten Up

For those of you who are prone to hangovers I may have some good news. First and most important is moderation since more is not better when it comes to alcohol, next in importance is the color or rather lack of color of your choice of drink. The clear alcohols contain less congeners so if you use caution with the amount you drink you are less likely to get a hangover drinking vodka, gin, light rum, sake and white wine. Your darker beverages like bourbon whiskey, dark rum, dark tequila, and cognac are high in congeners and offer a more intense hangover. Other factors are staying hydrated and not using sweet mixers. 

This Is Only a Test

 It's time for an optical illusion that supposedly tells you about your personality. What do you see first when you look at this picture? 

If you saw a cloud first you are sensitive on the inside but appear brave and resilient on the outside. You hate the idea of settling and have very high standards and goals your personality is charismatic and people are drawn to you. If you saw a fish first your time is valuable and you hate wasting it on people and things that don't deserve it. You are also a worrier and stress over the unknown. You're and extroverted introvert who prefers to spend time alone but can be the life of the party when needed. 

I Scream You Scream

 For Turkish ice cream! Dondurma isn't like any other kind of ice cream instead of licking it from a cone or spooning it from a bowl dondurma is eaten on a plate with a knife and fork. Part of the reason it varies greatly from basic ice creams is the ingredients, it is usually made with  goat's milk though sheep's milk and cow's milk is sometimes used, orchid bulb flour and beet sugar. Another difference is it doesn't melt from sun but does melt from wind and it is said to be both sweeter and silkier than other ice creams which is thought to be caused by the goat's diet in the mountains and the orchid bulb flour. Sign me up for a sample!

Trash or Treasure

 After 55 years and a few days scientists are calling the trash left behind on the moon by all the various missions artifacts rather than trash. Other than the flag and one working retroreflector the rest is simply trash, sure they try to justify the things left by reasoning that they had to get rid of some weight in order to take rocks back to be studied but that doesn't make the things that were left artifacts. From the camera that filmed the first moonwalk to the astronauts boots, urine and feces, and various items from experiments that were conducted it was all left behind and in my opinion since it was not native to the lunar surface it's trash and won't be artifacts until the items are retrieved and displayed or studied. End of rant. 

 

Lucky Crush

 A rare (uncooked) orange lobster was discovered in a recent shipment to a Red Lobster in Pueblo, Colorado. The employee unpacking the shipment notified the manager of the orange lobster and the whole crew being fans of the Denver Broncos immediately named it Crush after the Orange Crush Bronco's defense. They then called the local zoo who had no spot for Crush so they turned to the Downtown Denver Aquarium and soon Crush was packed in ice and ready to travel to his new home. He is currently quarantined but will soon be on display, meanwhile he has a Denver Broncos helmet to play with in his tank. 

Powered By Coffee

Made with  20% discarded coffee grounds and wax these coffee pencils can be used by themselves or in a mechanical pencil the same as you would use a lead (graphite) pencil and they smell great! They are called Grind Z and are biodegradable and wood free. Another score for recycling. 

15 Minutes

Basically Andy Warhol was right about everyone getting their 15 minutes of fame but some folks still feel the need to push the envelope. One of those types is the former Dustin Ebey, a 35 year old middle school teacher who decided to change his name to Literally Anyone Else to run for president of the US. Seriously a teacher should know better and realize the chance of getting on the ballot this late in the game as a 3rd party candidate are slim to none, just like with RFK Jr even if they manage to get on a few state ballots they don't have a prayer of getting the position they're seeking no matter what their intentions are and quite frankly it is difficult to take them seriously especially with a weird name change. What would his friends call him for short? Lit? Liter or maybe Anyone? Oh well he got his 15 minutes, here's your sign.

  

Magical Mushrooms

 No, not that kind of mushrooms, these mushrooms are cleaning up manmade messes called 'brownfields', areas contaminated by industry that leave barren ground that is too toxic to grow anything except maybe some hard core weeds. Enter the mushrooms to absorb the toxins which are mainly carbon based and the mushrooms consume them with the same enzymes used on dead trees, they can also eat plastics and many chemicals not to mention they do it all fairly quickly. In 3 months time they have cleared 50% of the pollutants, by 12 months they are undetectable. Let's hear it for the shrooms! 

Are You Kidding?

 Researchers recently turned their attention to AI's sense of humor with a challenge for them to write satirical headlines that might appear in "The Onion". In another study AI was pitted against regular non-comedian humans to respond to humor prompts similar to the game Quiplash. Everyone was in agreement that AI was clearly the most humorous. The following are some examples of AI humor:

Why don’t scientists trust atoms?
Because they literally make up everything!

Why did the scarecrow become a successful neurosurgeon?
Because he was outstanding in his field!

Why do biologists look forward to casual Fridays?
Because they’re allowed to wear genes to work!

When issued a request for the “funniest joke” it could offer, ChatGPT responded:

Alright, here’s one of my favorites:
Why don’t skeletons fight each other?
They don’t have the guts!

Have It Your Way

This Thursday Burger King is launching a new spicy menu with a range of heat from a little kick to full on fire once again providing more options for their customers. 

 

• Fiery Strawberry & Sprite: This puree drink is level one spiciness. Burger King’s official press release calls it “an exclusive first of its kind” at Burger King.
• Fiery Mozzarella Fries: Unlike regular mozzarella sticks, these mozzarella sticks are breaded with Fiery Calabrian pepper, and their cheesy filling includes peppers, too. This dish is spicy level two.
• Fiery Bacon Whopper: This hot variation on the Whopper comes with spicy-seasoned bacon and Fiery sauce, in addition to the regular Whopper accoutrements. This dish is spicy level three.
• Fiery Chicken Fries: Burger King has long sold Chicken Fries. Now available in spicy level four, this variation comes coated in Fiery seasoning and garlic pepper breading.
• Fiery Bacon Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich: This is Burger King’s new spiciest dish at level five. It comes with a chicken burger glazed in Fiery sauce, Fiery bacon and an extra layer of Fiery sauce.
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Floriography Speaking

 Most people (myself included) assume bridal bouquets got their start to mask body odor in the days when bathing was not a regular activity but it was actually the ancient Romans who first sent the brides down the aisle with bundles of herbs symbolizing things like fertility and faithfulness. Dill was often included in the bouquet as it was a known aphrodisiac and was also often served at the reception to prepare the bride and groom to consummate their bond. Garlic was also often included to ward off bad luck or evil spirits. It wasn't until the Victorian era when flowers became the staple of bridal bouquets, marigolds were popular because they were a symbol of faithfulness and endless love plus they were also considered to be an aphrodisiac. 

Farting Around

 There's a new health trend making the rounds called fart walking, the theory behind (look at that a pun!) the trend is a 10-20 minute walk after eating especially when you're feeling bloated will shake loose the gas and bring relief. The next step involved medical advisors and researchers who both concurred that, yes light exercise does indeed help relieve gas. Of course runners have been known to soil themselves so it might not work exactly the same for everyone.