Bored?

Only boring people get bored! I have always liked that saying,now if I can segue into today's topic without further ado...Yawning is one of those simple things we all do but one that scientists don't have an explanation for. The first explanation I remember hearing was that your body would induce you to yawn if you had an oxygen debt,and you would get the needed oxygen by yawning. They do know it's involuntary action because even fetuses yawn as do most inverebrates. Another theory is that yawning acts like a fan for the brain,when it becomes too warm we yawn to cool the brain down. By now you may be wondering how either of these explanations fit with contagious yawning and neither really do. The empathic yawn is your neurons causing you to feel what the yawning person feels and perform the same action. Before I wrap up for the day I wanted to touch on boredom again. There are studies being conducted that indicate boredom may have health consequences,depression,overeating,substance abuse,gambling and indirectly people can be "bored to death". So with that said,quit yawning and keep it entertaining!

Knee Jerk

My first thought whenever I hear the expression "the bees knees" is do bees even have knees? As it turns out they do have knees of a sort and six of what passes for knees to be accurate. Still after answering that question I wondered why that would indicate something special since bees knees wouldn't be very high unless of course they were flying. From what I found the special thing about bees knees is that it rhymes. It seems to have originated in the 1920s along with "the cat's pajamas","the snake's hips","the kipper's knickers", and "the sardine's whiskers". Only the first two of these are still in popular use today and only the bees knees are actually found in nature.
Another theory suggests that because the nectar and pollen collects on the bee's legs that it means that is where all the sweet,good stuff is collected. Well...Ain't that the bees knees?

Who's Next?

Before you male readers dismiss today's blog as a female dilema I want you to know I have seen your reactions when your immediate want for a restroom wasn't met. I happened to be waiting near a men's restroom that was blocked from entry because a woman was inside cleaning. Out of the 6 men that stopped to use that facility 4 took off in a huff,out of the 2 that waited one was a man waiting to change a babies diaper (it was closed a total of 5 minutes). You see men rarely have to deal with lines in restrooms and don't realize the inconvenience females endure on a regular basis.

Now on the the real question of the day. When waiting in line for the next available stall,which invaribly you will have to do (the wait is directly proportional to the urgencey of you need) the handicapped stall is enlisted into service as a regular stall. If a disabled person comes in do they go to the front of the line or wait with everyone else? They don't want to be treated differently,but does that apply here? I am not sure of the etiquette/protocol for this instance. As long as I am posing questions about the handicapped what happens to them once they are on a plane? There are no handicapped bathrooms for them there,and they don't have their wheelchairs to get to them anyway. Maybe they use a catheter for flying...but that doesn't cover every possible bathroom need. Anyone have the answer?

The Real Agenda

Although I don't live in the Portland area I have been wondering how the vote to put fluoride in their water will turn out. Call me paranoid but it seems like there is a hidden agenda behind the measure. #1 Not many people drink straight tap water,so all the advertising pushing that aspect of the campaign pretty much means zip. #2 Most toothpaste contains fluoride,however if you read the instructions it cautions you to not swallow it. #3 Does fluoride really help fight tooth decay (I know what the claims are,but why is it needed in the water supply,when there are other ways to introduce it)? I grew up on well water with no additives,I had the usual amount of cavities any child did,my brother however was cavity free up until the time he left home.
Who is the money behind the extensive advertising? And why do they think the people of Portland will vote for adding something to the water (at the cost of $7.6 million) when the trend is to filter things out of the drinking water or buying pure water? The supporters claim it is to protect underprivileged kids from tooth decay making them sound concerned and righteous,but maybe the money would be better spent on a program to supply instruction on dental care and toothbrushes to provide the children with the tools to use that information. After tomorrow we will know their decision.

Crying Time

"Jesus wept" is the shortest verse in the Bible,he wept because of his loving nature and mans misery. In modern times he must be crying a river. This morning I was listening to two friends comparing notes over things that happened when their kids were teenagers. Both had run ins with the school over T-shirts,one shirt said "Jesus Farted" (meaning he was human) another shirt said "Pray Naked" (everyone is naked to the Lord). I thought both shirts were innocuous and mentally compared the way kids dress for school nowadays,leaving little to the imagination.
Another statement that was misunderstood was when John Lennon was thought to say "The Beatles are more popular than Jesus" which was taken out of context. The actual quote that was taken from an interview was: "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first rock-n-roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me." His quote received little notice in Britain,but in the US (land of religious freedom?) it was reprinted out of context and many radio stations banned Beatles music (thank god they got over that!).
Another somewhat related Jesus item...The British government refused a patent to "Jesus Jeans" because it was morally offensive. The US gave the company the patent,but refused dozens of other patents with Jesus in their company name. I guess it depends on what day of the week it is?

Sleeping Wrong?

I didn't wake up with a stiff neck,it came on for no discernible reason some time around an hour after I got up. But that isn't really what I want to talk about. The phrase sleeping wrong is what's on my mind,is it just me or is that one of the goofier sayings to come along? Seriously,how exactly is the "wrong" way to sleep? "Oh,you see I fell asleep standing on my head and upon waking discovered that was the wrong way to sleep." Other than maybe someone suffering from narcolepsy,I don't see that scenario happening on a regular basis. So how else could a person sleep wrong? I suppose those of you that have no problem falling asleep might nod off in a chair with your head at a bad angle,but why does that make a person get a stiff neck? If you observe animals sleeping you will get my point,I have seen them jump up,give themselves a shake and be ready to go after sleeping in positions that would seemingly cripple any being. I have to be pretty comfortable to fall asleep and stay asleep so maybe I am missing the whole idea behind "sleeping wrong". One of the only circumstances that would completely qualify as sleeping wrong would be to fall asleep with your head submerged in liquid...now that would be sleeping wrong!

Nonconformists

Have you ever noticed how creative/famous people often seem to have unusual habits? I have been mentally compiling a list of these folks for years and am guessing that the very part of their brains that give them the ability to think outside the box is also involved in giving them their special little quirks.
Ripley (of Believe It Or Not fame) had one of the largest private automobile collections in the world,but never learned to drive. Leo Fender of Fender guitar never learned to play the guitar. David Cameron (Prime Minister) gives speeches with a full bladder to focus his mind. ( I have tried this before I heard about it (not for speeches) and it not only narrows your focus it also makes you quick!) Margaret Thatcher,Napoleon,Florence Nightingale and Thomas Edison got by on 4-5 hours sleep a night (this really doesn't work for me). Too many authors to mention had various sexual quirks. Charles Richter (Richter scale) and his wife were both nudists and frequented naturist camps throughout California. He was also an amateur novelist and poet. It has also been suggested that he engaged in multiple extramarital affairs. (Seems to be a reoccurring theme with the creative types.) On the other end of the scale (no not the Richter scale!) Franz Kafka was extremely self conscious and said to have loathed sex. No pigeon holing these people!