Friday, February 29, 2008

Left Hand Dominant Day


Last night I was watching a show on keeping your brain fit. On it was a vet who had lost the use of some of his brain functions in Iraq, so they covered his right hand and he spent 8 hours a day doing things with his left hand, which built new pathways in his brain. Sorry I'm a layman, not a Dr. so I don't know how to explain it better. Anyway, the piece reminded me how critical it is to use both hands to keep your brain fit as well as saving wear and tear on your joints.

As a juggler, I know how important being ambidextrous is. In a juggling pattern, it is mainly your non-dominant hand that makes the most errors. And if I make a bad right hand throw, it's the left hand's job to fix the problem and return the throw correctly. So I've declared today my personal non-dominant hand day, and in my case that's my left hand. So I put a bracelet on my left wrist as a constant reminder. Like a dance partner in a waltz, my left hand gets to be the leader today. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I also want to try wearing a blindfold an hour a day, to force my other senses to work harder. It should improve both my sense of touch and my hearing.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Counters and Salads


Hey look, my new counter is working. It says 6 people have been to this blog. They are a quiet bunch because none of them left any comments. Still, all are welcome and it's good to know someone dropped by. My Flickr has also been very busy with people favoriting things and commenting on photos. It's beginning to feel like party time wherever I go!
I am really hungry right now. My boyfriend said he's bringing me left over Chinese food so YUM! I don't have to cook tonight. He'll probably make a salad for himself. He loves to make these giant deluxe salads. It took me five years to convince him I was happy with a salad 1/3 that size. I admit I'm not much of a salad monster. I prefer a little salad to go with my meat.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Play with a kaleidoscope.






Today I found a kaleidoscope making tool here: http://krazydad.com/kaleido/
I had the best time making kaleidoscopes. I saved my favorites and added them to Flickr. You just find the url of the photo you want to use and load it to the program. It was so much fun I couldn't stop!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Hello Sunshine


Have you been in the sun today? Dr. Oz (on Oprah) said we need 10 minutes of sun on our skin per day to get enough Vitamin D. Just don't get it on your face and hands! If you aren't out in the sun (or there hasn't been sun shining where you live in days, you need to be taking a vit. D supplement. I suppose one of the day therapy lamps would help as well. But the sunlight needs to shine directly on your skin for 10 minutes. And if you are bundled head to toe in jackets and scarves and boots that's not going to happen, now is it?
I'm glad I live in S. Calif. I make an effort to get some sun daily, esp. since hearing that the sun for 30 minutes a day increases the mood enhancing seratonin that our body makes. So get out there and get some sun!