More Fun Facts That You Never Knew You Never Knew

Ever heard of an animal that doesn’t drink water? What about a replacement for the Easter Bunny? Well, perhaps you have not heard of the little Bilby. It’s actually a pretty cute little animal, looks like the offspring of a mouse and bunny. These creatures are endangered species in Australia, where they often purchase these pets in place of rabbits. And they really don’t drink water, they just ingest it in the food that they eat. (Here you can see a picture: http://www.greenapple.com/~jorp/amzanim/bilby.jpg )

Here is a picture of quite possibly the scariest-looking little animals I have seen. And it’s called an Aye-Aye …. Aye-yay-yay is right!

http://www.oddanimals.com/images/788623107.jpg

These are found in Madagascar and are considered endangered, due to the destruction of its habitat – as well as because many are killed on sight, as they are believed to mean bad fortune in some parts of Madagascar.

Fun Fact Time

I am sure everyone has heard a ton about how to eat in healthy ways and understood the common sense nature of nutrition tips. But I have decided to include some suggestions on foods that you might not consider eating.

Did you know that Eskimos have a much lower rate of heart-disease, even though fish is considered a high-fat diet? It’s the healthy fats (yes, not all fats are bad.) We need certain fats in order to absorb nutrients, keep cell membranes protective and functioning, and transmitting nerve signals and firing. Eat more fish.

Ever heard of Goji berries? Well … I hadn’t before. Probably because they are from Tibet and Mongolia. They have an amazing amount of vitamins (high in C, several B, and E), minerals (21 trace minerals), and amino acids (18+!). There are plenty of other nutrients and compounds these berries contain, but I figure since I can’t pronounce any of them it’s unlikely that anyone will remember their names.

I probably do not need to tell you about cacao (chocolate). Just know that the healthiest form of chocolate is the purest form, without all the additives and extra sugar. The cacao form is much richer in antioxidants (3x more than green tea), magnesium, and more. It was actually used in many things centuries ago – many different types of diseases and even mental health (serotonin and dopamine increase, to name a couple, for mental well being.)

Hemp – yes, hemp, is one of those hidden treasures – actually, let’s say it is a more ‘underground’ treasure than hidden. Just try thinking of it from a health standpoint – the hemp seeds won’t make you high. (I can hear you muttering ‘darn.’) In China about 6000 years ago, it was used as a source of protein before soy, also containing all the additional amino acids that human bodies need but cannot produce. It also has many similar qualities and nutrients that fatty fish do, like fatty acids.

Camu-camu is a Peruvian miracle fruit – containing 20 to 60 times more Vitamin C than an orange! In addition, it contains many other vitamins and minerals necessary to our diets, as well as antioxidants. It is extremely useful as an anti-depressant, and helps diminish anxiety, panic attacks, and hyperactivity. It also has antiviral properties, aiding in fighting viruses like herpes and mono. (You will also be seeing this fruit on the ingredient list to anti-wrinkle creams and hair-strengthening formulas.)

Those are just a few fun sources of nutrition to look at if you are looking to spice up your diet in a healthy way! Most information found at http://www.healthlounge.net/superfoods.htm

Thy Eternal Summer

"Thy Eternal Summer shall never fade."
~ William Shakespeare

Good ole Will. This seems to be a really fitting line from Sonnet 18 as the Summer comes to a close. (It is still plenty hot in Michigan, but September and school is creeping up!) The problem with Shakespeare is that we have to be careful assuming what he is talking about. Without taking a Shakespeare class or devoting a good amount of time to his literature, many word choices, puns, and so on fly right over our heads. I can't claim to be an expert, and that was pretty much my disclaimer.
Bringing me to my point: this simple line is full of meaning. Summer lasts forever. Not literally, of course, but in our memories. This has been a great summer for me, and I hope for you too. Everything that has happened remains in our minds - we may tear up or laugh our asses off, but no matter what, these Summer memories really are eternal. If there could be a tribute to all the experiences of the season, all the fun times, funny situations, friendly arguments, confusing jokes, priceless moments, sad departures and reminiscing, this would be it for me. I just wanted to share it, hoping it has some meaning for everybody who shared their Summer with others, or even spent valuable time with themselves.

Take a second to relax

So, I sure had the funnest half hour of my life trying to log into this account to post more - almost gave up too! Good thing there are great people to give support and fabulous suggestions. But I did in fact learn a lesson that I feel compelled to swear - mainly because it seems fitting to share one of my favorite quotes that I tend to use as an away message.
"When angry, count to four. When really angry, swear." Mark Twain
That really is not the lesson that I learned, it is just what I did. (In my head - my roommates don't seem to appreciate the obnoxious phrases and words that seem to seep out.) The first part of the quote is really practical and a great help! But even though Mark Twain is one of the forerunners of American Literature, there just has to be a better solution than getting upset and aggravated when really angry. Trust me - I was really angry, and swearing didn't help - okay, it did make me feel a little bit better. But I can tell you that sitting back in my chair, taking my hands off the keyboard, turning and looking out the window - even just for a few seconds, and taking a couple deep breaths made the situation enormously calmer and easier to concentrate on. It helped me to rationally figure out a solution - or at least consult others for help. Point is, relax and take a deep breath. If you have to, punch a pillow - I also find screaming into a pillow is an incredible stress relief, as long as you breathe eventually.

Ya know...it also helps to write down your passwords.

By the way

By the way, I would just like to apologize for not keeping up! I was actually on vacation for three weeks - Disney World for a couple of those! I sure made a lot of memories, even had my sister and myself write some interesting ones down in a notebook. But wouldn't you know it, that notebook is back home in Detroit. So one of these days, I will share with you some interesting/amusing travelling tips and some ideas of what you would see on the way down to Florida.
Of course, DisneyWorld was awesome. Everyone just has to go at least once in their life. Not anywhere can you go to Morocco and have a guy ask you if you are a princess. (Okay, I know he didn't really mean it, but hey, it was fun.) This was my third time, a little more relaxing, but deadly hot! Sigh! My first tip is go when it is not blazing summer!!

Laughter

Laughter is an instant vacation...it is a tranquilizer with no side effects...at the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities. Laughter is the shortest distance between two people... yet ... laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on. Laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life. Nothing shows character more than what you laugh at. The person that knows how to laugh at himself shall never cease to be amused.

I love finding a collection of some of the truest statements I could imagine. Just reading these simple statements are enough to bring a smile to my face - I think of laughter, and it makes me want to laugh - it really is contagious. Ever have those moments where you are with someone and they are just laughing like crazy, you aren't quite sure at what - or even you know what, but can't understand just what is so funny, but you can't help but joining in and before you know it you are bouncing laughs off of each other and your stomach hurts? Or when you are watching a movie, a character says something funny but you miss it - however, your moviemate starts laughing. Why do you laugh?