The Star Fruit Experiment

So far I’ve written about my first experiences with Dragon Fruit and Passion Fruit. This time I decided to try Star Fruit.

Preparation was a bit different compared with the other two fruits, although I washed it as before. The piece was in great shape when I bought it, but I put off eating it because I wanted to take photos. Therefore, it got a bit over-ripe and damaged in spots. So I cut away the brown edges of the “fins” before slicing it into star shapes.

I pushed a few of the seeds out; I didn’t need to since they’re harmless and lack taste. But some of them were starting to turn brown, so I decided to avoid those. The flesh was resilient and juicy, with a balance of sweetness and tartness. It was a bit like grapefruit, with similar texture but not as bitter.

I didn’t experience any allergic reaction whatsoever. Nor did my digestion rebel at all.

These are priced by the piece rather than weight. They were more expensive than apples or bananas per serving size.

Wikihow has a good write-up on the Star Fruit¹ and has a few creative suggestions about how to serve it. It also warns folks with kidney problems to avoid it because it contains a neurotoxin; it cites Snopes as the source.²

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¹https://www.wikihow.com/Eat-a-Star-Fruit

²https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trancing-with-the-stars/

Easy Indoor Edible Garden

Imagine if you could grow vegetables indoors without dirt or an expensive lighting system or cats nibbling on them.

You can!  You can grow bean sprouts!  And that’s just what I’ve starting doing.

I soak mung beans in water for a half day or overnight, then I rinse them twice a day.  Otherwise they stay in a dark place, such as my oven or a covered tub.  After about a week, I harvest them.

I got the idea when I went shopping on iHerb¹ for Broccoli Seeds, which were mentioned in David Perlmutter’s “Drop Acid” book² as something to sprinkle on salads.  When I added the broccoli seed bottle to my cart, the website displayed a Sprouting Jar in its list of suggestions.  And so I added that to my cart along with a bag of organic Mung Beans suitable for sprouting as a Christmas present for myself.

I’d been buying mung bean sprouts for a while.  They’re inexpensive, but they are far too perishable, lasting only a few days.  I was attracted to the idea of eliminating both the waste due to rotting sprouts and the hassle of going to the store more than twice a week.

It’s working out well.  I sprout and use about 1.5 ounces of mung beans per week.  I consume about a handful of sprouts raw every day.

I could sprout the broccoli seeds as well, but I prefer to eat them as they are.  The texture of broccoli seeds reminds me vaguely of nonpareils or fish roe.  However they have a green taste with a slightly bitter undertone.

Anyway, don’t wait until 2024 to resolve to start sprouting.  Do it now!

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¹ https://www.iherb.com?rcode=DOJ209 The author may receive a 5% or 10% reward from purchases made after a buyer clicks this link.

² https://books.google.com/books/about/Drop_Acid.html?id=JU0yEAAAQBAJ

The Versatility of Salsa

Salsa isn’t just for dipping.

I make a Mexican version of Chicken Cacciatore using salsa in place of crushed tomatoes.  In my version, I may also use pablano chilies and/or jalapenos along with onions, garlic and the other vegetables.  But in a hurry, just browning the chicken on both sides and then dumping in about 4oz of salsa yields an acceptable dish.  I don’t bread the chicken the way some versions do.

Salsa makes a fine substitute for ketchup on a hamburger or sandwich, especially when combined with a rich mayonnaise such as Sir Kensington's.

When the bag of tortilla chips is nearly empty, I like to dump the small bits into a bowl, pour salsa on top, and eat the mixture with a spoon.  It reminds me of how I used to eat cereal with milk when I was a boy, but the taste is a whole lot better.

And would you believe that I like to drink salsa?  Yes, one day I was rinsing out a nearly empty salsa jar when, on impulse, I decided to drink the highly diluted contents.  It tasted quite good, but the chunkiness of it was off-putting.

Cat Litter Review -- Feline Pine Original Non-Clumping Litter

We’re transitioning from World’s Best clumping litter to a non-clumping dust-free litter.  We’re currently trying Feline Pine Original Non-Clumping Litter.

Please note that an addendum to this review has been posted.  You can find it here:

https://square--peg.blogspot.com/2022/02/cat-litter-review-addendum-feline-pine.html

We like it so far for the following reasons:

Drains Very Quickly
As mentioned before, we have one cat who’s a very Prolific Peer (PP).  His output is so voluminous that he can wet himself in a box full of quick-clumping litter.  As soon as his pee hits the clumping litter, the litter solidifies.  Then as his stream continues (and continues and continues) it forms a puddle that splashes up onto him.  But this non-clumping litter is both very absorbent and drains very quickly, so our PP cat stays dry.

Produces “Friendlier” Dust
The way this works is that when the pellets get soaked with pee, they break down into saw dust, which, as its name implies, is still dust.  So technically, this is not dust-free litter.  However, nearly all the dust particles are fairly large, so they don’t float in the air.  Imagine the saw dust you get by sawing wood with a crosscut saw.  The litter gets no smaller than this.

Compostable
This is made from natural pine and is free of chemicals.  It will eventually decompose, so it can be composted.  I dumped a large bunch of it in our composter, but it’s still somewhat intact.  Then I decided I would try to fertilize the lawn with it, since it seems to be compatible with the broadcast spreader.  I might also sprinkle it in the driveway to improve traction on snowy days.

Ubiquitous – even our favorite grocery store carries it
I usually get this from an online pet store with a Repeat Delivery service.  But if I had to I could pick up a spare bag at the grocery store.

Odor Control
It’s surprisingly effective at suppressing odor.  However, I do sift it at least every two weeks because only the pellets can contain the odor.  The saw dust does smell if it becomes pee-drenched.

Long Lasting
The 20lb bag is lasting longer than I expected.  You need only a one-inch layer in a box.  This makes it easier for our older cats to step into the box as they don’t have to step too high.  As well, this litter seems to be superior to World’s Best and ökocat in terms of monthly cost, provided that I continue to sift it.


What we don’t like:

Heavy / Bulky / Awkward to Carry and Pour
The 20lb bag is flimsy, so it’s awkward to pour with precision.  Pouring gets easier as the bag gets emptier.  The bags usually have puncture holes in them.

Not Our Cats’ First Choice
The “go-to” litter boxes in our home are the ones filled with World’s Best.  I think only our PP cat prefers Feline Pine, and almost never for pooping.  He doesn’t care to bury his business.  My guess is that the other two cats prefer the clumping litter because it’s easier for them to bury their business in it.

Cat Litter Review -- ökocat Dust Free Paper Non-Clumping

We tried ökocat non-clumping paper cat litter for a short while, as I wrote in my Nov 1 Halloween post.  We’d liked it for the following reasons:

Drains Very Quickly
We have one very Prolific Peer (PP).  His output is so voluminous that he can wet himself in a box full of quick-clumping litter.  As soon as his pee hits the clumping litter, it solidifies.  Then as his stream continues (and continues and continues) it forms a puddle that splashes up onto him.  But the non-clumping paper litter from ökocat drains very quickly, so our PP cat stays dry.

Totally Dust Free
There is absolutely no dust produced.  Period.

Light Weight
This is lightest litter I’ve ever used.

Compostable
Because it’s made from paper, it will eventually decompose, so it can be composted.  I dumped a bunch of it in the summer, but I don’t see it anymore.

Ubiquitous – even our grocery store carries it
I first discovered this cat litter in my favorite grocery store.  It was on sale, plus I had a coupon for it.  I happened to be looking for a non-clumping dust-free litter, so I decided to try it.  Then a while later I got concerned because there was none left, and I thought the store discontinued it.  But, no, it’s back on the shelf.

What we don’t like:

Odor Control
This litter reeked of pee within two weeks of my introducing it in our home.  The only solution was to dump it out.  I decided I didn’t want to have to replace it every two weeks, so I stopped buying it.  Except I still had one box left, which I used for my Halloween costume.

I plan to keep the one unused box.  It might come in handy to clean up liquid spills.  I’m fortunate that our two cars don’t leak oil – I wish I had a box of ökocat around when I had my Audi.

#NaBloPoMo2019

Cat Litter Review -- World's Best Clumping Formula

We have eight litter boxes set up in our home.  Two are on the main level; six are in the basement.

Currently we use World’s Best Clumping Formula cat litter in five of the boxes.  It's packaged in a green and black bag.  We like it for the following reasons:

Great clumping, even near the sides of the box
If you’re gonna scoop, you’ll want the clumps to remain intact and not fall apart as you perform your duty.  Compared with the two other clumping brands that we’ve tried (Tidy Cats and Naturally Fresh), World’s Best seems to form the most robust clumps.

Low cost
I’ve seen World’s Best priced as low as $1 per lb.  (In fact, we use our pet supplier’s “Auto Ship” service and get additional discount and free shipping.)  But what really matters is the cost per volume.  The 7lb bag is all you’ll need to fill one empty litter box.  It’s generally more expensive than Tidy Cats, but cheaper than Naturally Fresh.

Ubiquitous – even our grocery store carries it
It’s convenient if your go-to brand of cat litter is available at the local “Brick & Mortar” stores you regularly shop at.  Occasionally I’ll need an extra bag, or I might walk by and notice that it’s marked down in price.  While Tidy Cats also is widely available, Naturally Fresh is a bit harder to find.

Compostable
Because it’s made from corn, World’s Best will eventually decompose, so it can be composted.  It does take quite a long time for this, though, perhaps more than six months.  I suppose the same can be said for Naturally Fresh, although I’ve never tried it.  Tidy Cat is clay and is not considered compostable.


What we don’t like:

Dust
World’s Best claims to be 99% dust free.  What does that mean, exactly?  My guess is that if you put 100 units in a box, then over a period of time 1 unit of it will become airborne while 99 units remain in the box.  What’s the period of time?  The lifetime of 1 month, perhaps?  What are the units?  Weight?  Volume?  Nevertheless, it emits less dust than Tidy Cats and, I think, Naturally Fresh, which claims to be “virtually dust-free.”  This is the main reason we switched away from Tidy Cats and then from Naturally Fresh.  I’m still looking for a product with less of a by product of dust.

Slow to drain
We have one very Prolific Peer (PP).  His output is so voluminous that he wets himself because his stream splashes up from the puddle he produces.  This is the main reason we’ve started to swap out the clumping litter with non-clumping.  The non-clumping litter (Feline Pine) drains very quickly, so our PP cat stays dry.

Punctured Packaging
Occasionally we’ll get a bag that’s punctured.  So far, we’ve not had any brand new cat litter that’s been exposed to water.  But a couple of bags have leaked a small amount of product.  It’s always pretty obvious when you get a punctured bag – it tends to look as though it has air in it rather than “vacuum-packed.”

Corn
I’m not a fan of corn.  I can’t eat too much of it because it gives me joint pain.  I wonder if just breathing in its dust can bother me.  And what effect does it have on the cats?  We have one cat who needs anti-seizure medication and another that seems to have upper respiratory problems and eye discharge.  I’m hoping that they’ll improve as we transition to more non-clumping litter.

Slow Flow Through Scoop
I ended up buying a new scoop, one with a larger grid pattern, because this litter doesn't flow well through a typical scoop.  The granules are irregularly shaped, unlike the spherical granules that make up the clay litter I was accustomed to.

#NaBloPoMo2019

Make Your Own Sauerkraut

"Forget that store-bought stuff.  It's pasteurized," my Naturopathic Doctor said.  We were talking about sauerkraut.

I thought I was buying good stuff, with nothing more than cabbage and brine.  But she was right, it was pasteurized.  The bottling process sterilizes the jar and the product, killing off all that healthy bacteria.

So after years of putting it off, I took the plunge and made my first batch in September.  I was delighted with the results!  It was crunchy, snappy, tart, lively but not at all unpalatable.

Here's a beginner recipe to try:

1 small organic cabbage head

1 large carrot

dried dill weed

small palmful of sea salt (about 2 to 3 teaspoons)

Slice the cabbage thin.  Then chop the slices into small bits.

Wash the carrot with a nylon brush and grate it.  (I don't peel carrots.)

Combine the cabbage and carrot into a large mixing bowl.  Add the salt and dust with dill until it looks right.  Mix and pound with a blunt wooden spoon until a mash starts to form.

Place it into a 32oz straight neck jar, such as a clean, empty tomato sauce jar.

Pound it down, leaving about 1/2 inch room at the top.  Add water to completely cover the solids.  Cover the top with a coffee filter or strainer and leave it in a dark cool place for about two weeks.

After two weeks, remove the cover and skim any suspicious-looking stuff off the top.

At this point it's ready to eat.  Screw the cap on and refrigerate for longer term storage.

My special additions include seaweed (after soaking in water for while I prepare the cabbage and carrot) and the powder from a few probiotic capsules.

Check this web page for more ideas: http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sauerkraut-2/

#NaBloPoMo2019

Easy-To-Make Gluten-Free Tortillas

The topic of home made Gluten-Free tortillas probably makes you wonder, “Corn Tortillas are gluten-free.  Why not just buy them?”

I did that for a while, but there are two problems with store-bought corn tortillas:

1. They have nasty-sounding ingredients in them (as do flour tortillas).
2. Corn causes pain in my joints.

So when I stumbled across the two-ingredient recipe at ElaVegan, I seriously considered trying it.  And when my local grocery store had the flour 25% off, I knew I was going to try it.

But I had my doubts.  “Oh, they’ll stick to the pan.”  Or, “they’ll fall apart when I turn them.”

But no, the recipe really is very easy.  If you can make pancakes, you definitely can make these.  It’s very forgiving in terms of how much water you use.  I started with the lower recommendation, which is for thick tortillas.  But as I continued, I kept adding water to see how thin I could make them.  The only limit I reached is when the batter got so runny, it ran to the side of the pan.  Yet, they still held together when I turned them.  I managed to get them a bit over 6" in diameter.  I used an 8" pan.

And despite using a “sticky” cast-iron pan, there was no sticking whatsoever when I applied a thin layer of vegetable oil to the pre-heated pan.

For the second batch, I happened to have a couple of old limes lying around.  They were so hard and shriveled, my wife gave up on them.  But I managed to get maybe 1/8 cup of juice out of them, which I added to the batter.  The juice gave a nice tartness to the tortilla.

Give it a try!

#NaBloPoMo2019

What's on Your Grill?

Hamburgers and hot dogs seem to be the usual barbecue fare.  Or folks might get adventurous and add some skewered vegetables alongside them.

Try something different this time.  Roast peppers!

At this time of year, a variety of peppers or chilies should be fairly inexpensive owing to their abundance.  In fact, the pile pictured on my charcoal grill below cost about three dollars.  In case you can't make them out, the pile consists of:

• One Poblano
• Two Jalapeño
• Two red Cubanelle
• Two orange Cubanelle

The process is very forgiving, and you can leave them on and forget about them a bit and still get a nice result.

I like to put them on while my coals are still on fire, and I add kindling to maintain the fire.  Once they're black and squishy, I drop them into a paper bag, seal the bag, and let them steam in there own heat.

Then I go get the Impossible Burgers and steaks and put them on.  When those are done, I peel the black skin off the peppers and squeeze out the seeds.

The grilling takes the spicy edge off the chilies and leaves them sweet and mellow.

The Magic of Suspenders

In December I made the switch from wearing a belt to wearing suspenders.

I had already bought pants with a larger waist to relieve the pressure on my abdomen.  But this meant that I had to wear a belt to keep the pants from falling down.  And a belt isn’t terribly effective if one’s waist greatly exceeds one’s hips.  So the new pants didn’t really change anything.  That’s when I decided to switch.

The first day that I replaced the belt with suspenders was magical.  I achieved the intended effect of relief around my waist.  But there were other improvements, too.

The first improvement was the illusion of becoming taller and slimmer.  With its two bold vertical lines replacing the single horizontal line of the belt, the suspenders had the same effect one gets by changing out of a sweater that sports horizontal stripes with another with vertical stripes.

The second improvement was that suspenders encouraged me stand more erect.  They reminded me that if I wanted to keep my pants in place, I shouldn’t slouch.  Better posture also made me taller and made me feel more confident.  And with the better posture, it was easier to suck in my gut.

The third improvement was style.  Before, I’d choose between a brown belt for khakis or a black belt for grey, black or navy blue pants.  But suspenders come in a much greater variety of colors and patterns, such as blue, red, gold, green, and solid, plaid, striped, argyle, that you can bring out an accent color from a plaid or checkered shirt.  Plus, you can find novelty suspenders that can show off your favorite hobby, passion or line of work.  For example, you can find themes of flyfishing, golf, camouflage, clovers, American flag, and the one that I chose, circuit board.

If you decide to make the switch, I strongly advise you to practice lowering your pants a few times lest you find yourself “in urgent need of a haircut”¹ and get stymied trying to drop your drawers quickly.

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¹A euphemism on Car Talk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Talk) for “desperately needing to go to the bathroom.”

The 30 Day Plank Challenge

A reader recently drew my attention to the 30 day plank challenge, which you can read about here:
http://fitnessgoals.com/30-day-plank-challenge-exercise-workout/

What I like about this exercise is that it strengthens several important muscle groups, but it doesn't cause wear to the joints because there is no motion involved.  My guess is the forearm pose would be much better since it puts no strain on the wrist, so try that if you have any issues with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

What other exercises do you like?  Let me know!

Quotes from David Perlmutter and Alberto Villoldo's "Power Up Your Brain: The Neuroscience of Enlightenment"

Here are quotes from "Power Up Your Brain: The Neuroscience of Enlightenment," by David Perlmutter and Alberto Villoldo...

Andrew Newberg, M.D., director of the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania, uses sophisticated brain mapping and imaging techniques to examine how meditation changes both the structure and function of the brain.  In his book How God Changes Your Brain, Newberg states that meditation not only modifies specific areas of the brain but helps the meditation practitioner behave and express emotions and a more positive manner. 

Newberg's work shows that meditation enhances blood flow as well as function in an area of the brain called the anterior cingulate, an evolutionary newcomer that mediates empathy, social awareness, intuition, compassion, and the ability to regulate emotion.  This structure sits in the front of the brain and wraps around the anterior of the corpus callosum, which is the thick network of neurons that bridges the two hemispheres.  In addition to these functions, the anterior cingulate acts as communications conduit between the amygdala, which, as we've already stated, is one of the most primitive brain structures, and the prefrontal cortex. 

The anterior cingulate thus stands at the crossroads.  Its functionality, or lack thereof, helps determine whether our day-to-day behavior is reflexive and fear-motivated or is a manifestation of our uniquely human ability to recognize a wide array of choices, implications, and consequences.  Newberg has quite graphically shown that meditation and other spiritual practices strengthen the anterior cingulate while also calming the primitive amygdala. 

As might be expected, anger produces an effect quite the opposite from meditation.  Anger shuts down communication to the prefrontal cortex.  Emotion and fear determine and dominate behavior.  As Newberg states, "Anger interrupts the functioning of your frontal lobes.  Not only do you lose the ability to be rational, you lose the awareness that you're acting in an irrational way.  When your frontal lobes shutdown, it's impossible to listen to the other person, let alone feel empathy or compassion….  When you intensely and consistently focus on your spiritual values and goals, you increase the blood flow to your frontal lobes and anterior cingulate, which cause the activity in emotional centers of the brain to decrease." - page 80-81

Bӧn is ancient indigenous spiritual tradition of Tibet.  The lineage of Bӧn teachers is said to have been founded by Tӧnpa Shenrab 18,000 years ago, predating Buddhism by many thousands of years.  Tӧnpa Shenrab was born into a royal family and, according to legend, left the comfort of the palace and traveled to Mount Kailash, where he meditated and attained enlightenment.  Even today, follows of the Bӧn religion venture into nature to fast and pray so they can heal their Light Body and attain a greater understanding of the workings of the mind and of consciousness. 

An essential teaching of Bӧn, known as Dzogchen (or the Great Perfection), suggests that once you heal your Light Body with specific practices, you are even able to survive physical death. 

After the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet during the 7th century, the Bӧn traditions, which to this day remain shamanistic, lost favor among the royal families.  In 1987, however, the Dalai Lama, who is a master of Dzogchen, recognized Bӧn as one of the five schools of Tibetan Buddhism and forbade discrimination against Bӧn practitioners. 

Dzogchen practice cultivates a Light Body that is free from the imprints of trauma and disease.  This is known as the natural, primordial state of an unconditioned mind.  In this state, meditation comes easily and infuses everyday activities.  You no longer need to retire to a primordial cave or monastery to attain inner peace and joy.As your Light Body heals and your natural mind establishes itself, you'll start to attain an inner peace and equanimity that will radiate all around you. 

As you become increasingly enlightened, your body will become more luminous.  People will notice there is no longer a figurative dark cloud hanging over you or a literal dark mood about you.  Instead, there is a new radiance to your being. 

As your Light Body heals and your natural mind establishes itself, you'll start to attain an inner peace and equanimity that will radiate all around you.  As you become increasingly enlightened, your body will become more luminous.  People will notice there is no longer a figurative dark cloud hanging over you or a literal dark mood about you.  Instead, there is a new radiance to your being.  - page 130

While any day of the month would be fine for fasting, the Power Up Your Brain Program recommends that you fast on the 11th day after a full Moon, which is the day considered auspicious for fasting in Ayurvedic texts.  We believe there is a special advantage to fasting on the same day as the many other people who participate in the Power Up Your Brain Program.  When you fast with others, whether they're physically present with you or halfway around the globe, you enter into intentional resonance with those persons.  This will make it easier for you to attain brain synergy as you, along with others, collectively awaken the capabilities of the prefrontal cortex.

Check out the website www.drperlmutter.com for more information, including the five core species of probiotic.

Quotes from Bruce Lipton's "The Biology of Belief"

Here are quotes and resources from Bruce Lipton’s Tenth Anniversary Edition of “The Biology of Belief”:

“...tDCS can influence neural activity that results in increasing attention, expanding memory, improving visual abilities and mathematical skills, and alleviating symptoms of depression. (Sanders 2014)” There’s also a reference to Nathan Whitmore, a neuroscience researcher at the National Institute of Aging and advocate of DIY brain zapping. http://www.diytdcs.com/tag/nathan-whitmore/ .

Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation, “To create awareness in our children and our communities that we can choose love over anger, gratitude over entitlement, and forgiveness and compassion over bitterness.” http://www.JesseLewisChooseLove.org

“Soul survivor : the reincarnation of a World War II fighter pilot,” by Bruce and Andrea Leininger, available at SPL. https://books.google.com/books?id=gTHiKTfWhrgC

“Dying to be me : my journey from cancer, to near death, to true healing,” by Anita Moorjani, available at APL & SPL. https://books.google.com/books?id=Pmc5wFoi578C

http://www.brucelipton.com

http://psych-k.com

http://www.HealYourLife.com

Dirth of Low-Carb Frozen Dinners

Frustrated by the high carbohydrate content of the typical frozen dinner, I've decided to make my own meals from frozen vegetables, Steak-umms and butter, plus various spices.

Below is a low-quality photo-log of my first attempt, which I assembled to take to work and heat in the microwave oven.  The vegetables heated much more quickly than the meat; I ran it at high power for about seven minutes to get the meat to "medium".

The second time I put one together, I broke the frozen sheets of meat into quarters and arranged them around the perimeter and bunched the vegetables and butter into the center.  This arrangement took only five minutes to cook.

The frozen glass container gets quite wet from condensate, so I've learned to wrap it in a towel for transport.  The towel also serves as a "pot holder" -- the glass becomes too hot to carry after the food is heated.

The solution to the problem of raw meat is, of course, to cook the meat.  But then it's not something I can whip together in an emergency.

Folks might ask, "Haven't you seen the frozen dinners from Atkins?"  "Yes, dear, reader, I have," I might respond.  "But those products contain many nasty chemicals (neurotoxins) and lack enough fat to provide a satisfying meal."

Book Review: Poundstone's Search for Human Happiness

I started reading humor in earnest about one week after the November 2016 election.

When I came across “The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness” I hadn't heard about Paula's first book yet, but I was accustomed to hearing her on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don' Tell Me, where she'd advocate for the humane treatment of Twinkies or extol the virtues of the Apple Cinnamon Pop Tart. So I was really excited to get my hands on it. The book, not the Pop Tart.

I won't say that I couldn't put the book down – that would be lying. And besides it's such a pathetic cliché. But I will say that I read the book in record time. And one night, while I was lying on my back in bed, holding the book above me so that I could read it, I picked it right back up again after I dozed off and dropped it on my face. (Note to self, avoid reading hardcover books while lying on back.)

I enjoyed the variety of humor. There's plenty of the self-effacing cracks that you'd expect from a comedian / cat lady. There's also a spot light on the thoughtlessness / stupidity all of us face as we navigate our day-to-day existence. For example, she tells how she needed to sign up online for a class on computers for absolute beginners. And, my favorite, the mental slapstick during her meditation class. All this undergirded by a bizarre unique, out-of-the-box thought process.

There were sections that made me uncomfortable, though. I kept worrying that she would smash the Lamborghini (or that it would get vandalized or stolen) even as I entertained the notion that she had somehow gotten her publisher to reimburse her for the rental fee. And the first “Get Organized” chapter was draining because it hit so close to home. I still remember how tedious and dreadful it was for me to declutter my home office, even though it was more than ten years ago. Personally I think she should've kept the underwear with all the holes in it. I find that “holey” underwear is nice on a hot day. And with global warming, the summers won't be getting much cooler for at least the next dozen or so epochs.

This is one of the few books that I was able to read the Acknowledgments section to completion. In most books, it's a seemingly endless string of shout-outs. But Paula's gratitude is genuine, if, perhaps, swamped with relief over having completed the book. Yet I'm surprised that she did not thank her sixteen cats – they deserve to be acknowledged for not peeing on the computer keyboard, or for not highlighting the file and stepping on the Delete key, before Paula sent the manuscript to the publisher. Or maybe they did, and Paula had a backup copy.

Regardless of intention, I think the book serves just as well as a self-help book as it does entertainment. Obviously the humor provides immediate relief from the doldrums. But then for extended relief, you'll benefit from Paula's findings, three of which are that: 1. Happiness from a fancy car is fleeting; B. Getting a good night's sleep does wonders for your outlook; π. Striving to make others happy brings happiness to yourself. So the book is like that dual-action, 12-hour Mucinex – immediate and long-acting relief.

---

• This review was posted to LibraryThing on 2017-06-04.
• More reviews can be found here.
• I received a free copy of this book in order to write this review.

One of My Favorite TV Scenes

Thought you'd like to know, this is one of my favorite scenes from a current television series...

Virtual Walk Through Muir Woods

Check out this virtual walk through the woods to "tap into a deeper sense of purpose and well-being with the first VR meditation of its kind—A 360 guided mindfulness practice through Muir Woods National Monument."

Artsy -- an Online Art Resource

The Michelangelo Buonarroti page on Artsy provides visitors with the artist's bio, over 20 of his works, exclusive articles, and up-to-date Buonarroti exhibition listings. The page also includes related artists and categories, allowing viewers to discover art beyond our Buonarroti page.

Chanting for World Peace and Happiness

If you've ever thought about praying for world peace or happiness, today of all days would be a good day to start.

Below is a link to a page with videos that describe one Buddhist practice of chanting.

Please try it.  Or pray in your own way.  Everyone's contribution counts!

http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/beginnersresources/howtochant.php

Macronutrients Charts for Beef and Fish

Maria Emmerich of "Maria Mind Body Health" has posted charts that show macronutrients for various cuts of beef and for various types of fish and seafood.  You can find them on her website here:
http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/charts/