The Weird Body Quiz

--- This article is copied from The New York Times website blog called "Well"---


November 3, 2008, 9:36 am

The Weird Body Quiz

by Tara Parker-Pope

Kids are fascinated by their own bodies and often ask a lot of questions that even their parents don’t know the answers to. Why do we have earwax? What’s a scab? Why do mosquito bites itch?

Dr. Ditkoff with daughters Julia (left) and Andrea.

Prompted by the tough questions her own children and patients have asked her over the years, Dr. Beth Ann Ditkoff, a former New York surgeon, decided to find some answers. With the help of her fifth- and seventh-grade daughters, she compiled a list of unusual medical questions about the weird, ugly and gross. The result is “Why Don’t Your Eyelashes Grow? Curious Questions Kids Ask About the Human Body” (Avery, 2008), a clever exploration of the anatomy and health issues that most matter to children. Boogers, hiccups, pee, warts and farts are just some of the topics covered in this handy guide.

The book is fun, easy to read and seems to appeal to kids, at least it did to the kid in my house. My 9-year-old daughter spotted it while I was working and asked if she could read it. “Why Don’t Your Eyelashes Grow?” provides the questions and answers for the Well blog’s latest health quiz. To test your weird body knowledge, click here to take the quiz.

If that link doesn't work, here's a direct link: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/10/31/health/20081031_WELLQUIZ.html

It's a fun quiz, I suggest you try it!!!

The Bucket List

My friend Eric A. keeps telling me that I have an amazing bucket list and that I already have a great start on it. I found this list on FB...we'll see if I have a good start! :)

Items marked with an "x" are things I've done during my lifetime (thus far!)....
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Donated Blood
(x) Skipped school
(x) Watched someone die
(x) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
( ) Hugged a homeless person
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Swam with Stingrays
(x) Been sailing in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Ran a marathon
(x) Sang Karaoke
( ) Volunteered at a soup kitchen
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
( ) Seen the Northern Lights
( ) Been Para sailing
(x) Been on TV
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) Fed an elephant
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( ) Fired a gun
(x) Danced in the rain
( ) Been to the Opera
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Serenaded someone
( ) Seen a U.S.President in person
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
( ) Driven a race car
(x) Been to a National Museum
( ) Been to a Wax Museum
(x) Eaten caviar
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
( ) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
(x) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(x) Seen the Grand Canyon (from a plane, hehe)
(x) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of the Seattle Space Needle
(x) Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
(x) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
(x) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
(x) Been in a rain forest
(x) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
(x) Ridden on an elephant
(x) Ridden on a camel
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
(x) Been water-skiing
(x) Been snow-skiing
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Been to the Taj Mahal
(x) Swam in the Mediterranean
(x) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
(x) Swam with sharks
(x) Been White Water Rafting
( ) Written a book or screen play
(x) Been ("I can't live without you") in love

Jeff's Joke of the Day (hehe)

I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes (he is 92).

We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange and blue. My dad kept staring at him. The teenager would look and find him staring every time.

When the teenager had had enough, he sarcastically asked, "What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?"

Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response, knowing he would have a good one; and in classic style he did not bat an eye in his response....

"Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son."

Saturday's pleasures

"I'm so f*ing pissed right now!" exclaimed Jaime. She wants to go hit something. I completely understand. I told her about Jill's 'friends' from ENC back in the day and how they told her she wasn't Christian enough. Jaime's mom was just telling her about some similar-minded folks...ignoramuses.
It's been a while since I've written, a couple weeks. Things with Jeff are amazing! The picture above is from the weekend he came home with me to "Meet the Parents"...though it was nothing like Ben Stiller's experience! We woke up early Saturday morning to watch the sunset over Onota Lake...gorgeous. After coming home to see my family, I spent another night with him and his. We had fun taking cute pics in the bathroom after washing up for bed...
He's in LA once again but, surprisingly, the distance hasn't been too bad. I haven't seen him in 11 days...so the Cloud 9 feeling hasn't worn off yet. I even had my "time" last week and didn't get depressed over it all. That must be a sign :)

I've got two exams coming up next week in Intermediate Spanish II and Conversation II. I tried to get some clues out of Prof. P-M yesterday but she wasn't too revealing. All she said was that the exam would be easy. First tests are always a bit stressful though, don't you think?

I'm trying to fight off a sore throat/swollen nasopharynx, ugh. I've been pumping my body with fluids and vitamin-rich foods. I've also been running the humidifier all day...which makes the air colder in the apt but I'm sure will be worth it in the end. We have forced air here and it doesn't seem to warm the air as well as other types of heat I've lived with...not to mention it feels like a cool breeze carrying a few spare warm air particles around. The cons (for people other than me) is that forced air is good for a unified system of heat and A/C. Blech to A/C...unless I'm on a really long car ride in the super-hot summer sun. Then it's okay :)

Tonight's supper consisted of quinoa with a mushroom & onion cream sauce (picture is from before I added the quinoa) and a side of sauteéd spinach and garlic...mmm! Joined with a tall glass of ice cold milk, who could ask for more?

Now I'm off to call Jeff-fa-fa and relax for the rest of the night. Chau!

En la escuela...In school

SPANISH
Ahorita estoy en el centro de los estudiantes y estoy demorando en hacer mi tarea, jaja. No me importa porque me voy en un minuto a escribir las repuestas en mi cuaderno. Hoy Victor (un amigo de la clase) me dijo que necesitamos hacer los ejercisios en el cuaderno por usando el internet. La casa editorial del libro tiene un sitio en que hay las preguntas auditivas para todos los capítulos. Bueno, no tengo más noticias interesantes...¿piensas que ésta entrada está interesante? No yo. Me voy. ¡Ciao por ahora!

ENGLISH
Right now I am in the student center and I am procrastinating doing my homework, haha. I don't mind because in a minute I'm going to write the answers in my notebook. Today Victor (a friend from class) told me that we need to do the exercises in the notebook by using the internet. The book publisher has a website in which there are auditory questions for all the chapters. Okay, I don't have any more interesting news...do you think this entry is interesting? Not me. I'm going. Goodbye for now!

P.S.
What a TOTALLY boring entry, HAHAHAH and random and nonsensical. Ah well. Such is life! :)

Is this bliss?

I think so.

Check out the cute photo...

Let's look forward, no longer behind.
The time has passed, and the memories remain.
That first zing of knowing is confirmed in a smile.
A big, warm embrace, that feels just like home.
It's a long road ahead, with miles in between...
A few years to get through, adventures to have.
But someday we'll get there, our time will come.
When the distance is gone, we'll be right here.

"I'm ready to love somebody, love somebody like you."
~Keith Urban~