If You Were The Moon, Would You Eat The Sun?

I know I would not. It appears that the moon devoured part of the sun, according to this picture taken from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Well, you see what had happened was the moon partially drifted in front of the sun, creating this illusion. What on earth is the SDO? Good question.

"The Solar Dynamics Observatory is the first mission to be launched for NASA's Living With a Star (LWS) Program, a program designed to understand the causes of solar variability and its impacts on Earth. SDO is designed to help us understand the Sun's influence on Earth and Near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously.

SDO's goal is to understand, driving towards a predictive capability, the solar variations that influence life on Earth and humanity's technological systems by determining how the Sun's magnetic field is generated and structured how this stored magnetic energy is converted and released into the heliosphere and geospace in the form of solar wind, energetic particles, and variations in the solar irradiance." *link for information: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/mission/about.php*

According to Tony Phillips of NASA, this research allows scientists to "view how light diffracts around the telescope's optics and filter support grids. Once these are calibrated, it is possible to correct SDO data for instrumental effects and sharpen the images even more than before." On Earth, we are able to see lunar eclipses, but not that often. The SDO is specifically engineered for frequent lunar eclipse monitoring, providing NASA the opportunity to constantly study and monitor earth-to-sun-to-moon correlation. Quite impressive if you ask me.

link to story: http://news.discovery.com/space/big-pic-sdo-solar-eclipse-sun-moon-120221.html#mkcpgn=emnws1

Transitional Bliss

I had an incredibly dynamic, yet wonderful weekend. I was sick Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with a pesky bug, but Sunday greeted me with open, loving arms. The bug left and I got to spend Sunday afternoon and evening with some pretty fascinating people.

I received further understanding and closure on an issue tasking me as of late. After that sigh of relief, I picked up my friend who is home from the military. We spent months conversing via Facebook, Skype, email, and Twitter, but finally got to enjoy great conversation (not to mention the delicious food we consumed) in person. It was such a joyful moment!

It was invigorating to have such in depth discussions, not only about books and movies, but about life in general. These discussions then provoked further thinking about life and the many transitions we experience. Some of us are taught growing up that you must attend and pass college, you must marry, and you must have children. Not all of us want to abide by these policies, yet are frowned upon if you don't follow them. Many people I know have graduated college and have found marital bliss. To those I'm speaking of: I could not be more happy for you! It's not a bad thing at all if you choose to follow that path in life. Allow me to delve into my point.

I go to my hometown to visit my family and am often asked "Have you finished college?" "Are you dating anyone?" "When are you getting married?" I am 27-years-old with an Associate of Science degree from a Junior College. I will be 28 in 5 days (on the 26th) and have no immediate plans to finish college, much less get married. Deal with it. I am going back to school full time this fall to finish my Bachelor's Degree in three-four semesters. I basically am hitting the ground running, full speed ahead. I have no clue what the future entails, nor do I care, nor am I allowing it to consume me. I am simply hoping for the best and keeping positive.

Just because I don't complete a college degree in a "reasonable amount of time," doesn't mean I should be scolded, nor questioned for my agenda. I am quite successful and accomplished for my age and depend solely on myself. I will not be questioned nor "frowned upon" for choosing working/career over finding marital bliss, much less a boyfriend. I refuse to be looked at differently for choosing a less popular road in life. If it doesn't fit "your plan" at that specific moment in time, I should not be treated differently. Don't get me wrong, I do have plans to get married and have children one day. These plans will not be in the immediate future, but they are in my agenda at some point.

I am the happiest I have been in a very long time. For once in my life, I am not consumed by a label, or a title, or whatever pressures have been placed upon me. I am who I am, regardless of what society wants me to be. I have accomplished what I have wanted to accomplish, regardless of what society's plans are for me, and I will continue to accomplish goals I set for myself, not anyone else's goals. Right now, I am focused on achieving the maximum happiness I am able. Life is extremely short to be unhappy, grumpy, negative, and sad. Surround yourself with positivity and love! Do not EVER allow society to question you, scold you, or belittle you for your life decisions and your path towards happiness and eternal bliss.

*Special shout out to JMM, for you are a wonderful muse! I look forward to many more conversations and delicious food. :) *

An American Girl In Paris ™

This title was taken from a "Sex and the City" episode. Fantastic episode because Carrie finally stands up for herself. She stands up for the inner person yearning to break free and embrace love.

"I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love."

Spot on.

U is to B, as B is to A.

Yes, another post about food and its containment. Surprise, surprise.

According to a huffingtonpost.com article, modern chemicals in everyday items, such as food, pesticides, and water bottles, are the leading cause of Obesity and Diabetes. (See, China and their overabundance of lead aren't the only ones to blame for our deterioration.)Urinary Bisphenol A, or BPA, is also to blame.

"Angel Nadal is a BPA expert at the Miguel Hernandez University in Spain. Nadal's latest research, published last week in PLoS ONE, finds that BPA triggers the release of almost double the insulin actually needed to break down food. High insulin levels can desensitize the body to the hormone over time, which in some people may then lead to weight gain and Type 2 diabetes. To achieve this feat, BPA fools a receptor into thinking it is the natural hormone estrogen, an insulin regulator. Nadal's team found that even the tiniest amounts of BPA -- a quarter of a billionth of a gram -- did the trick. The effect disappeared when the researchers stripped the specific receptors from the study mice, evidence that they had in fact pinpointed BPA's chemical mechanism, which had previously eluded scientists.

An estimated 90 percent of people in developed countries have BPA circulating in their blood at levels often higher than the threshold for causing hormone disruption used in Nadal's study. This high incidence is due not only to exposures from leaching food packages but also BPA-infused cash register receipts, dental sealants and toilet paper.

Nadal adds that BPA is just one of a larger cocktail of at least 20 endocrine disruptors commonly used in everyday items, including phthalates, nicotine, dioxin, arsenic and tributyltin. Further, obesity and diabetes aren't the only risks posed by the chemicals. Studies also hint at links with cancer, infertility, heart disease and cognitive problems.

Overall, half of the developed world is now overweight and one in six is obese -- about double the numbers of 30 years ago. Approximately 250 million people suffer from diabetes worldwide."

Poor parenting isn't to blame for type 2 diabetes in children. It's what's inside the food consumed that is to blame. When you feed your child, or when you feed yourself a constant fast food regimen, or foods approved for WIC-only recipients, you are undoubtedly consuming BPA. How do we stop BPA consumption? How do we put a dent in this spiking trend? Simple. Read the ingredients on what you are consuming. When majority of the ingredients listed are ones you can't even pronounce, that's your sign to steer clear. Buy local, buy organic, buy from Central Market or Whole Foods. Yes, it is more expensive, but you are saving your life and doing your part in keeping health care costs from becoming astronomically high. This may seem like I'm beating a dead horse, but I can NOT stress enough the importance of healthy eating, no matter the cost. It is better to pay more now for safe, healthy food, than to pay more for your double, triple, or quadruple bypass heart surgery, or even your diabetes medicine; not to mention your funeral.

Below are more facts about BPA and its deadly purpose:

"Context: Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the world's highest-volume chemicals in use today. Previous studies have suggested BPA disturbs body weight regulation and promotes obesity and insulin resistance. But epidemiological data in humans were limited.

Objective: Our objective was to determine whether BPA associates with obesity and insulin resistance.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study included 3390 adults aged 40 yr or older, in Songnan Community, Baoshan District, Shanghai, China.

Main Outcome Measures: Questionnaire, clinical and biochemical measurements, and urinary BPA concentration were determined. Generalized overweight was defined as body mass index (BMI) of 24 to less than 28 kg/m2 and obesity was defined as BMI of 28 kg/m2 or higher. Abdominal obesity was defined as waist circumference at least 90 cm for men and at least 85 cm for women. Insulin resistance was defined as the index of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance higher than 2.50.

Results: The participants in the highest quartile of BPA had the highest prevalence of generalized obesity [odds ratio (OR) = 1.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.15–1.97], abdominal obesity (OR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.03–1.60), and insulin resistance (OR = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.06–1.77). In participants with BMI under 24 kg/m2, compared with the lowest quartile, the highest quartile of BPA increased the prevalence of insulin resistance by 94% (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.20–3.14), but this association was not observed in those with BMI of 24 kg/m2 or higher.

Conclusions: BPA was positively associated with generalized obesity, abdominal obesity, and insulin resistance in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults."

link to story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/bpa-chemical-hormone-obesity-diabetes_n_1276996.html

link to BPA information: http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/97/2/E223.abstract

TCU = Tetracannabinol University

Texas Christian University, or as I call it, Tetracannabinol University, is an elite, expensive school. Students from wealthy families, financial aid students, or scholarship students are able to attend. I would like to attend school at TCU, but the Texas Tomorrow Fund does not cover private schools.

By now, you have inevitably heard about the drug bust. Authorities arrested 17 students as part of a six-month drug sting, including four members of the high-profile football team. Those arrested were caught making "hand-to-hand" sales of marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and prescription drugs to undercover officers, police said. The bust followed an investigation prompted by complaints from students, parents and others.

I was befuddled at such news, simply because I assumed all athletes were drug tested. Not all players were under the influence, they were sellers. If you are going to sell, at least have a middle man. You obviously lack common sense if you're selling directly to an undercover cop. If you are hell-bent on making ends meet at such a costly University, via drug sells, at least have a middle man, or make it less obvious. Better yet, refrain all together from the illegal activity! The sad part is TCU isn't the only University involved. Many others around the country dabble in drug usage and sales. It is only a matter of time before their cover is blown, as well. It isn't worth the smeared reputation and botched school record, not to mention the criminal record that will follow you the rest of your life.

link to story: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/02/15/tcu.drug.arrests.ap/index.html

Holy Franken-Frap, Batman!

I love coffee just as much as the next person. In fact, my love goes beyond healthy. It's knocking on the addiction door as we speak. If you compare my caffeine love to Logan Warren's caffeine love, however, it would be comparing apples to oranges.

Logan received a coupon for a free Starbucks drink in honor of his birthday. The coupon entitled him to any size beverage with additional add-ons. Any normal person would splurge and purchase a venti, or perhaps a grande with extra shots. Not Logan. He, along with two baristas, created the Franken-Frap, a whopping $23.60 beverage. It is officially the single most expensive Starbucks drink ever crafted. The ingredients are as follows:

One Java Chip Frappucino ($4.75), plus 16 shots of espresso($12), a shot of soy milk($0.60), a drop of caramel flavoring($0.50), a scoop of banana puree($1), another scoop of strawberry puree($0.60), a few vanilla beans($0.50), a dash of Matcha powder($0.75), some protein powder($0.50) and a caramel and mocha drizzle to cap it off($0.60). All of these ingredients were contained in the 31-ounce Trenta. Logan was unable to finish the whole drink and stated, "Tolerable, but not good. Imagine a coffee-based health food smoothie that will put you in the hospital if you drink it all."

In all fairness, the Trenta contains more liquid than a human stomach. I have ordered this size of beverage in the past and before complete consumption, found myself frequenting the restroom often. Although it is fun to try at least once, I advise others against ordering this monstrosity regularly. After all, anything that holds more than a stomach should be a red flag from the beginning. Cheers!

Link to story: http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/most-expensive-starbucks-drink-ever-23-60-plus-214200067.html

Food For Thought, Part Deux

In August 2011, I wrote a post about food in America and its overabundance of high fructose corn syrup. While cruising the Internet this morning (insomnia was plaguing me), I stumbled upon an article entitled, "The Average American Ate (Literally) A Ton This Year," igniting the hamster wheel in my frontal lobe. How do these two topics correlate? Simple.

America has an obesity issue. Blame whomever you want for this hot button topic, the government, fast food chains, the food pyramid, or just lethargy/poor diet in general; the blame game doesn't change the fact at hand. The infamous, $75,000 question remains: Why does America have this issue?

When you hear someone say, "I just ate a ton of food!," they are surprisingly speaking the truth. According to an npr.org article, the average American consumes 1,996 pounds, or nearly one ton - by weight - over the course of one year. That converts to more than 2,000 calories a day. In fact, it's border lining 2,700 calories. *average.* Here is the breakdown:

Dairy = 630 pounds of milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream per year. About 31 pounds of cheese were consumed.

Meats and Poultry = 185 pounds of chicken, turkey, pork and beef per person. Wheat and other grains total 197 pounds.

Fruits = 273 pounds. (Remember that most of it is water weight. And few Americans eat the recommended five fruits a day.)

Vegetables = 415 pounds, even though the most popular choices were corn and potatoes.

Sweets = 141 pounds of sweeteners, including 42 pounds of corn syrup, and 85 pounds of fats (think: butter) and oil.

This is not a good sign for America. If the trend continues, not only will poor diet and obesity become an epidemic, but health care cost will continue to be astronomically high. America, please be cognizant of what you intake!

link to article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/12/31/144478009/the-average-american-ate-literally-a-ton-this-year

Eternal Youth

Several weeks ago, I went to Collin College to meet with an academic advisor. While standing in line, I noticed a student behind me. He tapped me on the shoulder, then uttered the words, "Hey, you smell really nice. Are you wearing perfume?" It caught me off guard because he not only looked 16, but he was also courageous for such an approach. I replied, "No, but thank you." He proceeded to ask my age, where I replied "27," then asked his age. He became bashful, introverted, and embarrassingly stating "I am 17." At that awkward moment in time, I felt like a cougar.

Growing up, I have never looked my age. I am often mistaken for a teenager and was even declined alcohol on my 21st birthday, due to a young, deceptive appearance. I was also carded for "The Hangover," AFTER I purchased the movie ticket, am constantly carded for alcohol everywhere, and was even carded for toilet bowl cleaner. I do have a baby face, but possess the soul of a 30-year-old. The above story was repeated to my big sister, which warranted her response of, "It is your beautiful skin combined with your eternal youth that causes younger men to hit on you!" I reflected upon her "eternal youth" statement, which provided my frontal lobe a rigorous exercise. She is right. Younger men tend to shy away when they find I am not what they expect. This can be a good or bad, depending on the situation.

My youthful appearance no longer plagues me and I often use it to my advantage, simply because I have the best of both worlds. When I am 50, I will look 40, without ever having to inject myself with a drug or go under a knife. I am also an ideal spokesperson for healthy living and great skin care regimens (Rodan + Fields and Origins.) I look forward to shocking people with my deception over the next several years.

**Special thank you to my big sister, RR, who coined the title of this post. You are the best sister I could ever ask for and you truly are an inspiring woman!**

haPhone 5

I have been an avid Apple supporter for several years. My first product was an iBook, then followed by the iPod, MacBook and iPhone 3GS. Not only are their products aesthetically pleasing, but they are also user-friendly. I got so spoiled with these items that PCs became a thing of the past.

This was until the android market was introduced. When android first made its appearance, I wanted no part in it. It is PC based, which made me extremely skeptical and weary of purchase. Android became increasingly popular and more of my friends became users. This exposed me to the product, grabbing my attention, ergo causing me to delve further into the hype.

My contract with AT&T expired, bringing me to a crossroad. Upon my diversion, do I take the road less traveled by, or stay on track? The iPhone, although brilliantly marketed with their several generation phones, was lacking and leaving me with wanting more. I obviously took the road less traveled by and jumped on the android bandwagon. Since my initial purchase of this brilliant phone, the Samsung Galaxy S II, I have never once looked back, much less longed for nor missed my iPhone.

There has been heavy debate lately over the new iPhone 5 and its highly anticipated release. Still being very much satisfied with my android, I decided to investigate the new iPhone and what it is supposed to encompass. After hours of research, I have decided that switching to android was hands down the best decision. Even if Apple takes into consideration the modifications listed in the link below, I will not purchase the phone. The android OS still by far surpasses Apple's OS.

Do not get me wrong, I enjoy utilizing Apple products, just not the iPhone. I am currently writing this blog from my MacBook and still have my iBook for sentimental reasons (R.I.P Erin MacKenzie Peck.) For those of you who still use an iPhone, there is no harm in doing so. I hope the new 5 will bring you joy and hope that Apple will make drastic changes in order to keep afloat in the smart phone market.


http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/everything-apple-must-change-buy-iphone-5-002733949.html

Culinary Magnificence

I grew up in a household where food, love, and fellowship formed the hat trick of a lifetime. Being exposed to such novelties has taught me a great deal over time and has helped formed me into the domestic woman I am today.

I attribute my cooking skills, even more so my love of food, to both my mother and father. Mother had at the time, what seemed like limitless cookbooks. Two of her most favorites were ones that entailed collected recipes from family members and dear friends. These books, which she still has to this day, are older than myself and are used most frequently.

My mother is by the book, where my father flies by the seat of his pants. He does not believe in recipes and often times creates wonderful meals based solely on pantry and left over refrigerator items. The combination of their tactics has lead me to form my own agenda. I sporadically dabble with recipes, other times I throw the book completely out and create what is on my mind at that moment.

The most precious, priceless gift given to me was a cookbook of my mother's hand-me-down recipes. She replicated her two favorite cookbooks (the ones as old as myself) and had HAND WRITTEN the recipes into my cookbook. I have not yet had the opportunity to recreate her beloved recipes, but will do so on special occasions.

The hat trick has also taught me, "The way to a loved one's heart is through their stomach." Living in a bigger apartment with a spacious kitchen, I cook much more often. Cooking at my new place has not only provided practice and patience, but also confidence. Emphasis on the confidence. I am now able to visit friends and make myself at home in their kitchen, whipping up delectable dinners and savory sweets. The ability to cook for friends and loved ones is a constant reminder of my home fellowship while growing up.

It is extremely beneficial to surround yourself with people who love and support you in all of your endeavors, even more who share your enthusiasm for food. George Bernard Shaw said it best, "There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”

**Special thank you to my mother and father. Without your love and support, I would not be the woman I am today. Another special thank you to SDD, who coined the title of this blog. You are creative!**