Learn Or Do

I dare you to watch this without laughing.  And it’s recorded by The Seldom Herd!  LOL!!!

I have no idea why I’ve been thinking about it, but remember when we were kids and made paper fortune tellers?  Sort of a low-tech Magic 8-Ball?  Let’s relive that today and make one.  I know I could use the answers to life’s questions today and this is as good of a method to find them as any!

If you never made one, here’s a video showing you how to do it – Enjoy!

Last night was one of those nights when I just couldn’t sleep.  I’m working on about 3 hours of sleep right now – yay!  It’s OK for right now but that 8PM kickboxing class is going to be rough tonight!  We all have occasional sleepless nights but when does a sleepless night become insomnia?

Most sleep experts define insomnia as difficulty falling or staying asleep with the type  based on its frequency/duration.  We’ve probably all experienced acute insomnia which is characterized as brief and generally caused by life circumstances/stress.  Acute insomnia generally resolves on its own without medical intervention.   I’m diagnosing myself with this type of insomnia – and I’m guessing I’ll have no trouble sleeping tonight after I get home from the gym.

On the other hand, chronic insomnia is generally defined as interrupted sleep which happens at least 3 nights a week that lasts at least 3 months.  This kind of insomnia can have various causes like changes in environment, unhealthy living habits, underlying medical conditions to name a few.   Treatment can involve behavioral, psychological, or medical elements (or some combination of them).  If you have chronic insomnia, it’s best to work with a doctor to put together an effective treatment plan to get you back to a healthy sleep pattern.

Some fun facts about sleep:

• According to a study published on the ScienceDirect.com website, about 12% of us dream in black & white rather than color.
• Most people forget their dreams within 5 minutes of waking about 50% of the time.  After another 5 minutes, 90% of the memory of most dreams is gone.  Freud said that was because dreams represent repressed thought so our brains try to get rid of them.   But hey – that’s Freud!
• Mild snoring is nearly universal.  Think you don’t snore?  At one time or another you do!
• Humans are the only species that will voluntarily delay sleep.
• Lack of sleep can lead to overeating.  True!  Sleep deprivation leads to a drop in the hormone that regulates appetite.  That’s why a good weight loss program should not only addresses diet and exercise, but should also include promotion of healthy sleep habits.

If you know me, you know I generally avoid caffeine because it’s kinder to everyone around me but today I may need to make an exception!  Coffee anyone?

Now that the 4th of July is in the rear view mirror, it’s time to take summer seriously.  So I’m putting together a list of things that are summer staples – things you should definitely do before the summer slips by and is over.  Here goes:

• Take a trip to the pool or the beach.  What is summer without the water and a chance to work on our tan?
• Blow bubbles with the kids.  Or with your pets.
• Go to an amusement park.  Ride that roller coaster!  (Or maybe just the carousel?)
• Go to a festival or fair.  Win a prize playing a game, eat junk food and enjoy the people watching!
• Catch a lightning bug.  You don’t even have to put it in a jar!
• Go to the Dairy Queen or local ice cream place and get a cone to eat outside.
• Have some corn on the cob.
• Eat a slice of watermelon and see how far you can spit the seeds!
• Walk barefoot in the grass.  Even better right after it rains…
• Eat a popsicle.  Or 12.  I’m not judging.
• Go to a baseball game.  I’m partial to the Cubs but I also like watching the kids at the local park.
• Go for a hike.  And try to make it somewhere that you aren’t hiking on concrete!
• Go to the zoo.
• Sit in the sun and read a good book.
• Watch a sunset.

That’s my list – any other suggestions?  Let me know in the comments!

While I was on my Founding Fathers theme weeks, I noticed the first sound of fall – cicada.  We called them locusts when I was growing up but that was a misconception.  One of my aunts used to say it was 6 weeks to fall when you started hearing the locust.  So did they start singing later in the summer back then?  If so, by my aunt’s reckoning fall would be coming in mid-August this year!  But I’m getting off subject – locust and cicada are not the same insect.  In fact, they’re barely related.

Cicada are from the superfamily Cicadoidea of the insect world – are part of the Hemiptera order or true bugs.  They closely related to aphids and bed bugs (EW!).  Cicadas have prominent eyes, short antennae and transparent wings.  Typically, they live in trees and feed on watery sap.  There are annual species of cicada that emerge every year and there are periodic species that spend most of their lives as larvae underground and only emerge every 13 or 17 years.

Locusts are a type of grasshopper from the insect order of Acrididae and they’re most memorable for their voracious appetites and swarming behavior.  Remember the plague of locusts from the Bible story of Moses?  Typical locusts.  In adulthood, they move in swarms of millions or even billions of insects – but fortunately for us here in North America, there are no species of swarming locusts located here.

So why do we so often call cicadas locusts?  The confusion goes back to colonial times when periodical cicadas (like the 17 year cicada) showed up in huge numbers that were mistaken for swarms.

Want to know more about cicada and locust?  Check out these links:

• Wikipedia – Cicada
• Cicadamania.com
• Wikipedia – Locust

As for me, I’m just going to wait for the cicada to start singing this evening – it’s a nice sound don’t you think?

 

 

 

One more patriotic post – back to normal next week.  Happy weekend all!

In keeping with the patriotic theme, today I’m throwing back to a short visit I made to Boston in 2016.  I was on a cruise to Nova Scotia that made a stop for the day in Boston so a return trip to explore more is definitely on my bucket list.  Here are some of the sites we took in:

Happy 4th of July!  Today we commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence – but that bit of history is just a little bit wrong.  The text of the Declaration was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th – but there was no actual signing ceremony held.  In fact, before it was released to the printer for publication, it may have only had 1 signature attached – John Hancock’s as president of the Second Continental Congress.    The initial printing of the Declaration numbered about 200 copies by a man named John Dunlap.  Those first copies were called Dunlap’s broadside and were distributed/copied throughout the colonies.  Today, only 26 of the original Dunlap broadsides still exist.

The copy of the Declaration with the signatures we’re all familiar with is known as the engrossed copy.  This copy was written on parchment – most likely by the Congressional clerk Thomas Matlack  – and did note have its last signatures affixed until sometime in August 1776.

Want to know more about the Declaration of Independence?  Check out the Wikipedia article and the links within it – it is WELL worth your time to read!

No matter what the actual signing date of the Declaration, today we celebrate the 242nd birthday of our nation – HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

 

Last week I wrote about Alexander Hamilton having a to-do list that was Non-Stop.  Well I think Thomas Jefferson was probably right up there with him.  Jefferson was Hamilton’s largest political rival as well as a prolific writer, diplomat, statesman and all around renaissance man.  Did you know that in addition to being the principle author of the Declaration of Independence he was also a noted architect, economist, paleontologist, astronomer and musician?  Really what couldn’t he do?

Fun facts about Thomas:

• Tom LOVED books.  When the Library of Congress was burned by the British in 1814, Tom offered his personal collection of books to restart the library.   How many books in the donation?  6,487 – wow!
• While Jefferson was an amazing writer, he was a horrible public speaker.  While giving speeches, it is said he was not able to speak well in front of a crowd and frequently mumbled or spoke so low that he couldn’t be heard.  As President, he issued written State of the Union messages rather than giving a speech.
• Jefferson’s tombstone makes no mention of his serving as President of the United States.  His epitaph reads: “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia.”
• As a diplomat, Tom’s ability to speak in 6 languages was certainly a plus!  He spoke English, French, Greek, Italian, Latin and Spanish.
• Jefferson’s first election as President in 1800 was a tie with Aaron Burr.  It took 36 ballots in the House of Representatives (with deciding support from rival Alexander Hamilton) to name Jefferson President.  His second election versus Charles Pinckney in 1804 was an overwhelming victory with an electoral vote of 162 to 14.
• Tom’s wife Martha died 10 years before he became President so his daughters or James Madison’s wife Dolly served as hostesses during his administration.

Want to know more about Thomas Jefferson?  Check out these sources:

• Wikipedia – Thomas Jefferson
• Monticello.org
• Biography.com – Thomas Jefferson
• Amazon – Thomas Jefferson Page

Famous quote from Thomas Jefferson?  Who can pick just one from this guy?  How about a list of them?

 

More Founding Fathers anyone?  The first person to sign the Declaration of Independence was John Hancock.  Or at least as president of the Second Continental Congress, it is presumed that he signed first.  And any way you look at it, his huge and very stylish signature on the document has made his name synonymous with signing your name in this country.

Fun facts about Mr. Hancock:

• Had a casual acquaintance with John and Samuel Adams from their early years growing up in Braintree, Massachusetts.
• John was a very bright young man – and graduated from Harvard at the ripe old age of 17!
• After his step-father passed away and left John his shipping business, Hancock was one of the wealthiest people in the colonies.  Despite the wealth that should have made him a Royalist sympathizer, he became a leader in the Sons of Liberty in Boston.
• Hancock (and John Adams) were in Boston on the fateful night of Paul Revere’s midnight ride.  Revere warned Hancock that the British wanted to capture him in time for Hancock and Adams to escape to Philadelphia.
• Although there are those who say that Hancock was upset that Washington was named commander of the Revolutionary Army rather than him, there is no evidence of it.  And in fact, he named his son John George Washington Hancock.
• After the Revolution, he was beloved as the Governor of Massachusetts for 2 terms as well as a potential candidate for the Presidency.

Want to know more about John Hancock?  Try these links:

• Wikipedia – John Hancock
• History.com – John Hancock
• Amazon – Books about John Hancock

Famous quote from John Hancock:

Hancock’s most famous quote is a misattribution – there are no accounts of any speeches at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  So the quote regarding Hancock signing so large that “King George could read it without his spectacles” is undoubtably false.