Quote to ponder under the apple tree

. . .There's not a hell of a lot I can do about being short.
You just gotta run with it.
~ Michael J. Fox


Resources to bite into

1. Celebrating all things short

In honor of the end of the shortest month of the year, the current Brain Aerobics Weekly focuses on all things short. Thomas T. Samaras and his colleagues at Reventropy Associates (See http://www.shortsupport.org/Research/samaras.html) have spent 30 years finding advantages in short people, including faster reaction times, greater ability to accelerate body movements, stronger muscles in proportion to body weight, greater endurance and the ability to rotate the body faster. They are also less likely to break bones in falling. You may have noticed that in both summer and winter Olympics, short gymnasts, divers, skiers, figure skaters, soccer players, and long distance runners, often have the tallest spot on the podium. (Pictured: snowboarder Shaun White, a relatively tall 5’8”)

2. Short naps

The current Brain Aerobics Weekly also notes these benefits from taking short naps (excerpted from http://ririanproject.com/2007/09/05/10-benefits-of-power-napping-and-how-to-do-it/):
1. Lower stress levels
2. Increased alertness, productivity and creativity
3. Improved memory, learning and cognitive functioning
4. Good for the heart, hormonal maintenance and cell repair
5. Get motivated to exercise
6. Protect yourself from sleepiness (especially if you must be up late at night)
Dr. Sara Mednick wrote Take a Nap! Change Your Life. (To order, click here.)

3. A short thought: Open that bottle

The last Saturday in February (This year the 27th) is always “Open That Bottle Night,” a time to stop postponing indulgence. Non-drinkers can make it a “Have that Hot Fudge Sundae Night” or whatever other extravagance they choose. We save too much for non-existent special occasions instead of making special occasions out of ordinary events. My mother tried to teach me this wisdom, which is my advice to you: Don’t postpone joy.


Tips/ideas/insights to savor

The current Brain Aerobics Weekly also highlights the recommendations of celebrities from the regular Time Magazine feature “Short Lists.” Remember the game in which you were asked if you could take just one book to a deserted island, what would it be? (Smart alecks always answered, The Art of Shipbuilding.) The Time feature asks people to name a broader list of favorites: Not only books, but movies, artists, musicians, websites, and a few celebrities include pastimes (Jerry Seinfeld: walks through Central Park) and foods (Nora Ephron: frozen custard at the Shake Shack). Here are a few samples:
• Book: Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Confessions of a Map Dealer by Paul Micou, plus his seven other books are “eight of the funniest novels I’ve ever read” she says.
• Musicians: Randy Jackson: “Here are two artists you need to be aware of: The Rev. Smokie Norful, a brilliantly talented gospel artist and the Paper Tongues, a terrific new rock band.”
• Movie: Marcia Gay Harden: “Frozen River – . . .fell in love with the beyond-powerful performances . . .”
• Artist: Jennifer Beals: “I swooned in the presence of Alexandra Hedison’s photographs of landscapes and trees in the Pacific Northwest.”
• Website: Lily Tomlin: “Check out the Allee Willis Museum of Kitsch at http://www.awmok.com/, and don’t miss the Kitsch o’ the Day.”

If you’re unfamiliar with any of their choices, expand your mind by looking them up. Then make your own list:

If you were stuck somewhere with limited entertainment, which single thing in each of those categories would bring you laughs, comfort, intellectual stimulation and/or serenity? Share your list with others!

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To order Brain Aerobics Weekly,
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Let the ever-ripening Wiser Now website
become the apple of your eye.

Just a Bite 2/9/10

Quote to ponder under the apple tree

Seven days without chocolate makes one weak.
~ Author unknown (but wise)

Resources to bite into

1. Celebrating Chocolate

In honor of the week before Valentine’s Day, the current Brain Aerobics Weekly features loads of trivia on my favorite part of the holiday: chocolate! Did you know, for example, that dark chocolate (containing at least 30, but preferably 70% or more cocoa) is considered good for your health (in moderation) because:
• It’s rich in anti-oxidants and flavanoids that are good for your heart.
• Its fat content is stearic acid, which doesn’t affect cholesterol.
• It contains phenyl ethylamine (PEA), a substance that is reputed to stimulate the same pleasant reaction in the body as falling in love.

2. Unusual Chocolate Gifts

The current Brain Aerobics Weekly also notes that nearly anything these days can be purchased in chocolate. Among the foods you probably don’t want to try are chocolate onions, sushi, squid and beef jerky, but perhaps you are open to chocolate beer, wine and pasta? You can also get chocolate bandages – boxed and shaped like the real thing. They won’t help the scrape, but they might heal hurt feelings. If that’s not enough, check out chocolate dresses (yes, they are made of real chocolate), wigs, and bath products. Pictured: Visitors at a local spa enjoy a chocolate bath on Feb. 14, 2008 in Hakone, Kanagawa, Japan.

3. Chocolate Museums

York Daily News listed its view of the Top 10 Chocolate Museums last October.
(http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2009/10/16/2009-10-16_mmmm__top_10_chocolate_museums.html) Each offers special delights. At the Cologne (Germany) museum, also known as the Imhoff-Stollwerck Museum, for example, is a chocolate fountain where museum staff dip waffles into the hot liquid for salivating guests. The Pannys museum in Canada has a chocolate rendition of Michelangelo’s statue of David and an entire chocolate town. Barcelona’s Museu de la Xocolata is also famous for its wide-ranging chocolate sculptures from cartoon characters to religious figures. Especially appropriate at this time of year, Canada’s chocolate museum in the town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick pays tribute to the Ganong Brothers, candy makers who introduced the world to the heart-shaped chocolate box.


Tips/ideas/insights to savor

The current Brain Aerobics Weekly also highlights the books of Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser:
• Not Quite What I Was Planning, Revised and Expanded Deluxe Edition: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. To order, click here.
• It All Changed in an Instant. To order, click here.
Both feature the six-word “novels” of famous and obscure contributors. AARP liked the idea so much that Larry Smith now edits a regular column for their magazine. He provides a topic and asks readers to submit entries. The authors of the entries chosen for publication receive a free T-shirt with their “novel” printed on it. To enter, go to: www.aarpmagazine.org/6wordmemoirs.

The September/October 2009 issue topic was “Less is L’Amour,” which is perfect for this Valentine’s issue. Following are some samples:

• Secret to life: marry an Italian. (Nora Ephron)

• Romance blossomed then. Love blooms now. (Alana Owen, Haslet, TX)

• He loved, lied, and was left. (Mark Moroney, Lake Highland Girls Classic League, Dallas, Texas. Mark wants us to know that this was "not based on personal experience!")

• Good housekeeper. I got the house. (Nancy McPeak, 64, Xenia, Ohio)

Now write yours!
*****************************************************************************************************
To receive the advantage of seeing all these ideas in an expanded version, subscribe to Brain Aerobics Weekly today.

To order Brain Aerobics Weekly,
go to http://www.wisernow.com/ now.
It’s a great anytime gift for everyone who needs a legal form of positive mind stimulation!

Let the ever-ripening Wiser Now website
become the apple of your eye.

Quote to ponder under the apple tree

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires,
and a touch that never hurts.
~ Charles Dickens (born February 7, 1812)

To order Brain Aerobics Weekly,
go to http://www.wisernow.com/ now.
It’s a great anytime gift for everyone who needs a legal form of positive mind stimulation!

Resources to bite into

1. Groundhog Day in Puxsutawney Is Today!

The current Brain Aerobics Weekly features an acknowledgement of Groundhog Day in Puxsutawney, Pennsylvania, which has been celebrated there since the late 1880s. However, the tradition of using an animal to predict the coming of spring goes back at least to the ancient Romans who used a hedgehog. Pennsylvanians, lacking that cuddly creature among its native fauna, have substituted a larger rodent. The idea is that if the groundhog named Pete or Phil (whichever is alive in any given year) sees his shadow, he will go back in his burrow, and we will have another six weeks of winter. Therefore, those longing for spring should always hope for an overcast February 2nd. Puxsutawney, for those who are interested, derives its name from a Delaware Indian word for “sand flies.” There’s a punch line there somewhere.

2. Winter Olympics

The current Brain Aerobics Weekly also anticipates the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver February 12 – 28. One event that I didn’t realize had Olympic status is called “skeleton,” and is essentially old-fashioned sledding – lying on your stomach and flying head first down the hill. Named for the sled, not for the sledders, it has been in and out of favor over the years, but is currently in. Other events such as figure skating, speed skating, ski jumping, and ice hockey have been popular since the first winter games in 1924. You can learn more at http://www.vancouver2010.com/.

3. Remembering David Letterman’s Top Ten Lists

In all the recent late night TV programming controversies, it’s nice to remember that David Letterman remains his unique self. “Late Night with David Letterman” – the first version of his show – premiered February 1, 1982. It was more than another three years before he aired his first Top Ten List, which was apparently written in retaliation for the People Magazine top ten lists that Mr. Letterman found stupid and annoying, but his own lists eventually became a regular feature of his show. The first list was titled “The Top Ten Things That Almost Rhyme with Peas.” Here are the 10 items:


10) Heats
9) Rice
8) Moss
7) Ties
6) Needs
5) Lens
4) Ice
3) Nurse
2) Leaks
1) Meats


Source: http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/first.html

Tips/ideas/insights to savor

The current Brain Aerobics Weekly also features a trivia quiz on “Which came first?” Because it’s winter and for those of you living in colder climes, you may be growing weary of drab days, we focused on recreational amenities. Here are a few samples:

1. The first a) ___ Monopoly game or b) ___ the first Slinky?

2. The first a) ___crossword puzzle or b) ___ the first jigsaw puzzle?

3. The first a) ___hamburger served or b) ___the first pizzeria?

4. The first a) ___ drive-in movie theatre or b) ___the first in-flight movie?

5. The first a) ___miniature golf course or b) ___the first roller rink?

To make up your own lists, check out the website listed above.

Answers: 1. a; 2. b; 3. b; 4. b; 5. They opened about the same time.

*****************************************************************************************************
To receive the advantage of seeing all these ideas in an expanded version, subscribe to Brain Aerobics Weekly today.

To order Brain Aerobics Weekly,
go to http://www.wisernow.com/ now.
It’s a great anytime gift for everyone who needs a legal form of positive mind stimulation!

Let the ever-ripening Wiser Now website
become the apple of your eye.