Coffee validation + Reasons to be anxious + "fitbit" paranoia

Ways to Boost Your Brain Power *

* Excerpt from Parade Magazine (10/4/15): "23 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power" (Walgreens ad insert).

"14. Thought you outgrew your crayons? Adults everywhere are rediscovering their artistic sides & snapping up adult coloring books. This new trend can ease stress as well as put you in a meditative frame of mind. Both of these benefits are great for the brain. [This has led me to suddenly noticing adult coloring books when I am out shopping. Like I need one more thing to add to my OCD-driven shopping lists! So far I have resisted the urge.]
"20. Surf the Internet. It's not a waste of time--searching for info on the web actually improves the neural circuitry of your brain, keeping it healthy, according to research from UCLA. [I tend to surf the 'Net in bursts. I regularly check out the Drudge Report, Jonah Goldberg, Facebook, You Tube {Watchmojo Top 10}. Does that count?] *
* Now that I've encountered this bit of wisdom, I think I really can sense my neural circuitry humming while I'm surfing the 'Net.]
#21. Don't Skip Your Morning Coffee. A Johns Hopkins study found that regular consumption of 200 milligrams of caffeine--the amount in one strong cup of coffee--has a positive impact on how much you remember for a full 24 hours after drinking." [I NEVER forget my morning {late morning & sometimes early afternoon} coffee. And it's always more than one cup. Strong? Well, I usually drink Seattle's Best Dark #5, but a few years ago, when I learned that dark roasted coffee actually contains less caffeine, I became somewhat disillusioned. I still prefer the taste over lighter blends & fou-fou coffee.] **
** For those of you familiar with the Hill Sister Bash. You know who you are.

Reasons for Anxiety?

I've been pretty transparent about my diagnosed general anxiety disorder. That makes me always highly sensitized to news of an anxiety-producing variety. Here are some examples.

Excerpt from Omaha World Herald (11/22/15):  "Do men unconsciously overeat to impress women? Maybe it's because of our evolution from the caveman era, when the strongest & fastest hunters would have the biggest bounty to eat. Or maybe it's just another male misperception of what women like. Men, according to Cornell University researchers, tend to eat more--nearly double--when in the presence of the fairer sex. This excess, they said, may be 'motivated by a hard-wired male urge to demonstrate prowess.'
       "The report, published this month in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science, involved observing diners at an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet. Men who were dining with at least one woman consumed 93% more pizza & 86% more salad than did men who ate only with other men. 'The findings suggest that men tend to overeat to show off,' said lead author Kevin Kniffin. 'Instead of a feat of strength, it's a feat of eating.'" [This could explain my behavior at Valentino's Grand Italian Buffet, since I never subject myself to this temptation unless I am in the company of my wife. However, does the same phenomena apply to Chinese buffets, because it's not unusual for me to choose these locales when I am on the road & by myself. I have no trouble consuming 93% more Chinese food, but I am not in the company of my beloved. Am I unconsciously "showing off" for other women who are discreetly observing me? Am I just flattering myself? Inquiring minds want to know!]

Also from OWH (12/5):  "Beware those hours bingeing on Netflix. * Study finds too much TV when younger dulls mind. If you've stumbled across this article after binge-watching on Netflix for the third time this week, you'd better turn off that screen & pay attention. A study published in JAMA Psychiatry this week shows that young adults who watch a lot of television & have a lot physical activity level tended to have worse cognitive function when they hit middle age." [Note the phrases I highlighted. Although Lois & I tend to binge-watch Netflix, if watching 2-3 episodes in a row falls under this definition, we would most likely put ourselves in the category of "young adults." So, I'm including this excerpt out of anxiety for my children, nephews, & nieces.]
* We recently finished watching all previous seasons of "Burn Notice." We're 1 or 2 episodes away from finishing last season's "NCIS." Then it's time for last season's "Blue Bloods."

ANOTHER SOURCE OF ANXIETY?             SPECIAL REPORT RE: LICENSE PLATE GAME 

We're running out of time! I think I've mentioned before that Lois & I keep track of license plates every year. We take note when we see a vehicle with an out-of-state license plate. The key? It must be on an on an out-of-state vehicle, i.e., if we see a South Dakota plate on a vehicle in Nebraska, it counts. A South Dakota plate on a vehicle in South Dakota? Doesn't count.
      You may remember, based on a previous post, that 2014 was a banner year. We achieved all 50 states within the 365 days allotted to us, although we cut it close. Our last trophy was a Louisiana plate, & we finally noticed one on a vehicle parked several stalls down from us in a mall in Oklahoma City with just a a few days to spare at the end of December.
      Well, we're coming down to the wire in 2015, but this year it will be more of a challenge. Our last trophy this year is New Hampshire. We were on our way to Texas last year, so we knew the odds were in our favor, heading that direction. This year? Not so much. We thought we our odds would be pretty good last summer in Chicago, Grand Tetons & Yellowstone National Parks, Jackson Hole, the parking lots around Wall Drug & Mall of America . . . alas, total failure. Our last best chance, we thought, might be a couple of weekends ago, when we were in Rochester, MN, for our daughter-in-law's baby shower. You know, with the Mayo Clinic & all? Well, once again, total failure--or at least a total failure of surveillance on our part.
     Anyway, we're down to the last few weeks of the year, and here's my analysis:

• A New Hampshire license plate in Norfolk? Doesn't seem likely. The intersections of U.S. Hwy's 81 & 275 in Northeast Nebraska is not exactly considered a national crossroads.
• Lois has a doctor's appointment in Omaha the week before Christmas. The intersections of Interstates I-29 & I-80 makes Omaha a little more of a national crossroads but not by much. 
• We'll be in Lincoln twice in the next two weeks. Hadley's Christmas program is this weekend. The following Thursday is Brianna's Middle School Christmas Concert, followed by a State Gamblers' Assistance Commission on Friday. Lois may join me for the rest of the weekend. Lincoln is also on I-80, so there's a possibility, but it's a stretch.
• And finally, we play a two-day getaway to romantic Sioux Falls, SD, the week after Christmas. Another national crossroads? I-90 & I-29? Southeaster South Dakota?
• Frankly, things are getting a little desperate . . . and more than a little anxious! 

fitbit Paranoia?

In my recent fitbit FRI 12/4 blog post, I noted that my new fitbit, compliments of my thoughtful children & their spouses, recorded many useful forms of data for me, including daily calories burned. In fact, it had even recorded 530 calories burned just through my exertion of shaving & showering the other morning.
      This morning, as I prepared to take Sammy on his early morning walk, I was struck by this insight:  How could my fitbit sense calories burned by shaving & showering when I wasn't wearing it while shaving & showering? Since I hadn't put my fitbit on yet, I tapped into my fitbit app on my iPhone. Sure enough--I had burned 530 calories today, but I hadn't put on my fitbit wristband yet. Conclusions?

• Possibility #1:  It automatically concludes that the exertion of getting out of bed, making coffee, & getting dressed burns 530 calories. [And this morning I made lunch for Lois--something I don't do every morning.]
• Possibility #2:  It remotely senses my activities. Anxiety-producing conclusion? Do the CIA, NSA, FBI, & DNC have remote access to my fitbit wristband? What about the Huffington Post? Hmmm.