Inspired by Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3’s dream post from earlier this week, I’ve decided to grant you all Friday afternoon slack time to ditch work in exchange for gabbing online about your weirdest/wackiest/flippiest dreams. They can be recurring or one-time shots, but I’m sure we’d all love a little insight into your sleepy-time psyche. We might even have a novice dream analyst floating around who can shed some light on why you’ve conjured up the dreams you have and what the heck they really mean. Sound fun? I’ll start… A few weeks ago, I had a dream that I was working with Matthew McConaughey (or Matthew McEyeCandy, as I like to call him) on designing a line of shirts. The shirts were to all be... [Read more]

Okay, all you pessimistic poops, now there’s a reason to take that oh-so-annoying Susie Sunshine a little more seriously. A recent study published in Psychosomatic Medicine reveals that people who choose to look at the glass as half full are 33% less likely to get sick when exposed to a virus. Why? Positive emotions prompt the release of chemicals that strengthen the immune system. So the next time you have the urge to be a nay-sayer or ignore a cloud’s silver lining, think again. This has been your Healthbolt Happy Living Tip of the day. Have a great weekend! [Read more]

If you’re heading out into the wilderness for some nature-like fun (not my bag, but hey, to each his own), you may come across a bear at some point. You are in their habitat, after all. And while this is scarier than the release of Gigli, there are certain steps you can take to protect yourself and your family, since most black bears are not interested in people and can usually be scared away. Take a look: 1. Stand up as tall as you can 2. Hold out your arms to appear bigger (if you’re wearing a jacket and have the time, open it up) 3. Speak in a loud, deep voice (what you choose to say is up to you, though I imagine explicatives might be part of the package) 4. Back up slowly If this doesn’t work and the bear starts charging... [Read more]

With cold weather fast-approaching in the bulk of the U.S., methinks there are going to be plenty of seats heating up in cars across the nation. After all, that’s one of those luxuries we doled out big money for when we all purchased our gas-guzzling SUVs, right? Exactly. However… If you’re looking to add to your brood, have the man in your family rethink firing up their seat. Why? Preliminary studies have found that 90 minutes of warming his buns on a heated car seat created a significant increase in a guy’s scrotal temperature (makes sense). And because stress on the testicles (remember all those hot tub and tightie whitie warnings?) have been shown to negatively affect sperm quality, this study concludes that over... [Read more]

Allow me to piggyback on Liz’s post from earlier today and explore another possible reason for the obesity epidemic (one that’s probably a very likely part of the equation) – The Great American Buffet Table. According to my local newspaper, there is a new study out which suggests that sitting too close to the buffet table at a restaurant can lead to overeating. They learned some other nifty things when they divided study subjects into an “overweight” group and a “normal” group, too. Take a look: Heavy customers sat an average of 14 feet closer to the fixins than the normal group. The overweight group was twice as likely to sit facing the buffet, with all its worldly and tantalizing textures and smells. The... [Read more]