Ms. S. runs through acts I & II with a partial cast; Esmeralda slumbers 25 of 24 hours a day; Leaves sail and fall as if suggesting a more organic American beauty.
I. Poll
Parents, do you ever sneak healthy foods into family meals?
- Yes, sometimes it’s the only way they’ll eat it
45% (12673 votes) - No, my family enjoys healthy foods
37% (10636 votes) - No, but I’m tempted to try it!
8% (2411 votes) - I am not a parent
9% (2690 votes)
II. Trivia
1. On average, women in the United States experience menopause at what age?
Answer: 51
Most women in the United States go through menopause around the age of 51, although a small number will experience menopause as early as age 40 or in their late 50’s. Menopause rarely occurs after age 60. Menopause that is diagnosed before age 40 is considered to be abnormal or “premature menopause.”
2. What type of stretching should always be avoided?
Answer: Ballistic stretching
Avoid ballistic stretching and other high-force, short-duration stretches that use rapid bouncing motions or momentum. You have far less control during this type of stretch and therefore a greater potential risk of injury. It does not allow your muscles to adjust to, and relax in, the stretched position. It may instead cause them to tighten up by repeatedly activating the stretch reflex.
3. True or False: Surrounding yourself with people who tend to overeat makes YOU more likely to overeat, too.
Answer: True
Surrounding yourself with people who tend to overeat makes YOU more likely to overeat, too. Researcher Brian Wansink (author of “Mindless Eating”) found that we mirror (to a point) the amount that our company consumes. We consciously and/or unconsciously follow the “consumption norm” of those we dine with by emulating how much they eat in order to achieve acceptance. Dr. Wansink’s studies reflected this behavior, and it’s important to be aware and attempt to make a conscious decision about how much you eat when eating among others.
III. October Sighs
It’s mid-afternoon, Friday, and I sit outside amongst our gourds, which M. S. picked up a few weeks ago and which now adorn our front porch, providing a little color, mainly orange, to another otherwise pale beige, grey, and blue stoop. All around us green prevails, as evergreens, forty to fifty feet tall, sway in a breeze that whispers more than wheezes, but says nothing.
Upstairs a new range was installed and the laughing workmen celebrated the end of a workday with pantomime, good cheer, and hellos to me and the other neighbors.
Automobile grills grin often broadly, occasionally close-lipped, concealing metal and mesh. Motors mored at concrete docks slip backward and pull away; children swim the asphalt shallows like sharks in need of everlasting stimulation. Leaf-littered puddles shimmer, reflect, and remind of rains now long past; the sky is a pale, undifferentiated monochrome.
