Saturday, February 19, 2005

Interesting Facts...

So, it is Saturday again.  What to write about?  Hmm...  I am sitting here listening to my kitten sucking his paw.  It is really cute.  He is lying in a box next to my computer chair.  Whenever he wants to fall asleep he sucks on his paw very much the same way a child sucks on their thumb.  When I fall asleep at night and he is next to me I hear him sucking away.  It is so cute.  Baby is always next to me.  Always.  I love his presence. 

So, what is new?  Not much.  Chelsea had the flu for a couple of days.  She had a 101 degree fever.  I haven't gotten it so far and am hoping this flu was included in the flu shot as I received one.  We will see!  I just hate getting the flu on top of fibromyalgia.  I am hurting a lot today, too, because we are due a snowstorm sometime tomorrow and I can always feel a storm a day or two, and sometimes three, before it comes.  I am very, very tired of being achey every day.

I think I watch too much TV.  It keeps my mind occupied when I think too much.  An idle mind for me can be too dangerous - especially with my OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder).  So, I like to keep my mind occupied.  I watch all kinds of stuff on TV - I watch the Game Show Network, news, silly sitcoms, stupid reality shows, old re-runs of shows, Christian television, and I even watch QVC and HSN, although I never buy anything.   Now mind you, I am housebound most of the time and alone a lot and the TV is used as noise, too.  I am not always engrossed in what I am watching.  I can be on the telephone, making dinner, talking to my daughter, doing a project, cleaning, whatever...  What do you guys watch on TV, and is it for noise or do you really watch it?

I was watching 20/20 last night and found it very, very interesting.  I learned a few things.  I usually don't learn ANYTHING on TV except from the news.  So, here are a few things you might find interesting: 

*  It doesn't matter how late you eat at night.  You won't gain weight as long as your caloric intake during the day is not larger than what you burn.  It seems like we are gaining weight because people actually choose the wrong foods like comfort foods and foods they feel are rewards such as pizza and ice cream, so eat at night if you want to, just eat the right things!!

*  If you want to lose weight make sure you get enough sleep!  The less sleep you get the harder it is to lose weight.  When you are deprived of sleep your body doesn't have as much of the hormone leptin (I believe that is how it is spelled) that gives you the full-tummy feeling.  Interesting.  So you become hungry.  The busier we Americans have become, and the less sleep we have gotten (90 minutes less in the last few decades) the larger we have gotten!

*  Aloe, natural ingredients, fruit extracts, etc. don't do a darn thing to clean your hair or make it healthier in shampoo!  So, don't buy into it!  Interesting.

*  Reading in a low light will not harm your eyes.  As a matter of fact, either will reading in a moving car, according to my opthalmologist.  I had a fight with my Dad over this once.  He would not let me read on a trip to Baltimore because he said it would ruin my eyes.  So we talked to my doc.  He said it wouldn't hurt.  Then I wiggled my eyeballs (a cool trick I can do, yes, wiggle my eyeballs!  Can anyone else do this?).  My Dad and Mom always told me to stop doing this and said it could hurt them.  My opthalmologist said it couldn't and in fact asked me to do it again and said, "Coool!"  So, it is hard to hurt your eyes!

*Moisturizers do nothing, nada, zilch to prevent wrinkles.  There is no cream that can prevent wrinkles.  So if you are buying a cream or moisturizer that says it prevents wrinkles they are lying to you!

*Finally, and this is my favorite, chocolate is good for your heart.  Yep!  It has flavanoids.  It depends on how you eat it, though.  It is best in its purest form.  If you buy it as dark as you can get it and in a cocoa form then you are in good shape.  We ruin it by adding fat and sugar to it.  One ounce is really, really good for you!!  So eat your chocolate, but be smart about it!  Cool!

I have been pretty upset about the current administration trying to ruin Social Security.  I found an excellent post about it here.  Thanks to Ramblin' Man, Rich!!  Please go and read it!  It leads you to a petition you can sign. 

I am off to go take a nap.  My body is very tired.  Have a happy weekend, all!!

13 comments:

  1. Your cat sounds adorable. I hope you do not get the flu and that your aching improves.  No, I do watch t.v. not as much as I used to but I really watch it. Have two favourite soaps and the rest is documentaries. I love the history channel, the biography channel, discovery channel. Have just watched a three part series on the English civil war.  God bless you Val.

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  2. Cool facts, Val!  Nice to be up and reading again.  Baby kitty sounds wonderful.  Love you, Penny

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  3. Hi.  Hope you are feeling better soon with no pain.  Maybe you should become one of the local meteorologists!!!  Since you can predict the storms. LOL!
    Well, I watch The Weather Channel, Travel Channel, HG TV and American Idol with Katy sometimes.  I don't watch it much at all though.  But I like it when I do.

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  4. I love your entrys you are in my prayers I was just thinking I have not read anything form you in awhile. I hope youn are feeling better I alos have been sick this week but I hope I am feeling better and I can continuie packing . darn lol any way you are forever in my prayers GOD BLESS KELLEY

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  5. Val, I used to watch the Home shopping network and QVC, I never bought anything either, I just like  how they presented the merchandise. I am also into a few reality TV shows, something i said I would never watch, but it has grown on me. Very interesting facts! I love the one about chocolate! I have heart problems and Its good to know that something I like is not totally off limits. God Bless

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  6. I was sitting here, drinking hot chocolate, and munching on dark chocolate bits, when I realized how "healthy" I felt. Then I read your entry, and my day was made!! Thanx also for the Social Security "plug." Although, I noticed no notice in the other comments. Too many of us, don't want to get involved, thus, they take more and more of our freedom away, everyday, and NO ONE CARES!! I think I'll go suck my thumb!! rich

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  7. We watch the same channels and I too watched 20/20. I love my chocolate. It's my second vice in life. My first one, unfortunately, is cigarettes. I don't use moisterizers until my skin is really dry. I'm lazy. I use ivory soap and have all of my life. Personally, I think this country is too hooked on looks and what's outside instead of the inside (soul) of a person.
    Angela : )

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  8. Some of those facts are  really interesting. Now I have an excuse to treat myself - a big bar of dark chocolate will do for a start.
    Sylvia x

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  9. Gotta love those flavanoids ;o)
    I don't watch nearly as much TV as I used to, in fact during the day when J is at school and hubby at work the TV is always off.  The kind of shows I do like are soaps, drama's, comedies, the occasional documentary or biography.  Really there's only one show I don't like to miss!  Just discovered a US show called Extreme makeover home edition today, and watched so many episodes all afternoon!!  Now that's a cool show :o)
    Sara   x

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  10. Thanks for the excuse to eat chocolate, lol. -Krissy
    http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink

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  11. It's not something I talk about or discuss in my journal.  Reasons unknown as to why I don't discuss it. BUT, I also have OCD.  I usually have the radio on and I do searches online, Other times I have to have the TV on to keep me mentally distracted.  I was actually thinking of journaling about something self distructive that I've been doing and I never realized that I'm hurting Sonny more than I am myself!  I won't get into it here.  Anyway, those were interesting facts, some I've heard before others were new to me.

    Monica
    http://journals.aol.com/sonensmilinmon/SmilinMonsAdventures/

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  12. O H   M Y   G O S H  !!!

    I never thought I would ever find another eyeball jiggler in my lifetime. I thought I was the only one who could do this particular stupid human trick. I've been tempted to go on Letterman with it. LOL  I can jiggle-wiggle-quiver my eyes VERY rapidly from side to side. It always freaks my friends out. I used to do it to wow the grade school kids back in the day. LOL

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  13. Yeah, I'm guilty of the TV thing.  Mine's almost always on, but not because I'm always watching it ;)  It stays on Sports Center or whatever Chris watches in the morning, unless I start thinking, mostly all day.
    Those facts are interesting, especially about wiggling your eyes..that's cool.  I can't even wiggle my nose!  
    Moisturizers may not prevent wrinkles but cocoa butter will help lessen stretch marks (before you start getting them, like when you're pregnant), because it does increase the skins elasticity.  And collagen creams, you can find them in beauty stores, do help 'fill in' fine lines....we used to use collagen treatments on horses injuries to help lessen scarring.  I know those 2 work from experience ;)
    My mom always tells me to put vinegar or olive oil in my hair?!  I don't do it, but it sounds interesting...may go look it up...long comment, sorry!
    hehehe
    xoxoxo~Bernadette

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