tidbits

I came across an article that has prompted me to propose an experiment.


The article was by Christiane Northrup, MD, and it's about DHEA. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is the mother hormone, in more ways than one. It's a buffer and reservoir, kind of a protector hormone, and has a role in immunity and stress response. It's been tested for all kinds of things: cancer, ovary problems, lupus, Alzheimer's disease, depression, insulin resistance. Apparently, studies have shown that triggering the "mothering" response regulates this hormone, which helps regulate all the other hormones. So Northrup's idea is this: every day, think of something that makes you melt: babies, kittens, puppies, baby birds, etc., whatever makes you go "awwwwww." Just thinking about these things helps regulate DHEA. The theory is that the reason babies and baby animals are so cute is because it triggers the mothering response, which gives the mother the hormone regulation that enables and prompts her to take care of the baby. Mother Nature is so clever.


My idea is to find the cutest picture you can of one of the above, and put it somewhere where you'll see it frequently. For me, this is on the bulletin board above my desk at work. Replace with a cuter picture as needed. It seems like this would be an easy way to do yourself some good without much effort, and without need of injections or pills or expense of any kind. Anybody wanna try it?


This looks like a good read. I love Rebecca, and I love the Brontes, and now they're all in one.

I saw Colin Firth in a pre-Darcy role earlier in the week. It was a film called The Master of the Moor, based on a book by Ruth Rendell. It was a three-hour film with twists and red herrings, and quite the ending - definitely not what I expected. Worth seeing, and it is available on Netflix.

I've noticed in the past year that my sinuses have been bothering me more. I think this is a getting-older thing. My mom has sinus issues, and I seem to have inherited them. Oddly, my craving for spicy things has also increased in the last year, which is something I get from my dad, he of the mix-tabasco-sauce-with-everything habit. I don't know if the two are related. Spicy food is a great temporary remedy for clogged sinuses at least. Anyway, this cold or sinus infection or whatever it is Just. Won't. Go. Away! It's gotten worse in the last two days, possibly because of the sudden drop in temperature. It's completely sapped my energy, so I don't plan on doing much this weekend besides sleeping, reading (Angel says The Thirteenth Tale is good), drinking gallons of tea, eating spicy Singapore noodles, and watching movies (Angel got me Sherlock Holmes and Hot Fuzz on DVD).

Lyra somehow managed to erase the voice mail message on my house phone, and I can't figure out what combination of buttons she stepped on so that I can re-record it.

I start a fiction seminar on Monday, which should be fun. The textbook is an anthology compiled by Joyce Carol Oates. If I write anything good, I'll post it.