Exercise
One of our readers sent us this enthusiastic approach to exercise, so we thought wed pass it along:
Physical exercise is good for you. I know that I should do it daily, but my body doesn’t want me to do too much, so I have worked out this program:
Beating around the bush.
Jumping to conclusions.
Climbing the walls.
Swallowing my pride.
Dragging my heels.
Pushing my luck.
Making mountains out of mole hills.
Hitting the nail on the head.
Wading through paperwork.
Bending over backwards.
Jumping on the band wagon.
Balancing the books.
Running around in circles.
Tooting my own horn.
Climbing the ladder of success.
Pulling out all the stops.
Adding fuel to the fire.
Opening a can of worms.
Putting my foot in my mouth.
Starting the ball rolling.
Going over the edge.
Picking up the pieces.
You are invited to use my program without charge!
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Say Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!
Ever wonder why Civil War-era folks look so stiff in their posed daguerreotypes? Its because the camera shutters exposure times were so long. The photographers held their subjects in place with metal clamps placed to the rear of their heads. For the same reason, hands were posed gripping the handles of military swords, chair arms, or tucked into pockets. The photographer wanted to avoid any movement that would ruin the daguerreotype.
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The Slinky
That favorite toy...the Slinky. How was it created? According to James Industries, the Slinky, one of the most famous toys in history, originated in a meter for testing horsepower on battleships. A torsion spring used in a testing meter fell off marine engineer Richard James' desk and tumbled end over end across the floor. James took it home to his wife Betty and said, "I think I can make a toy out of this." He did so by devising a steel formula that allowed the spring to "walk." Betty went through the dictionary for a fitting name for the toy and found it in "slinky," which was defined as "stealthy, sleek and sinuous."
In 1945, as Christmas neared, Gimbel's department store agreed to provide counter space for 400 Slinkys. Richard James demonstrated the toy to a crowd of shoppers, and within 90 minutes all 400 Slinkys were sold. The 50-year old classic toy re-emerged in Disney's hit movie Toy Story. It also ranked #6 in Toy Shop's 1998 story about the greatest toys of all time. Poof Products, a leading manufacturer of foam toys, acquired James Industries in 1998. But James' place in toy history is still secure.
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Toy Collectors...Try These Trivia Questions
Most popular Hot Wheels vehicle - the Corvette.
Since 1983 over 90 million Cabbage Patch Kids have been adopted in homes all over the world.
Barbie's full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts.
More than 105 million yards of fabric have gone into making Barbie fashions. That makes Mattel one of the largest apparel manufacturers in the world.
The Slinky was invented in 1943 and over 250 million have been sold. The original wire slinky has over 80 feet of wire.
Mr. Potato Head was the first toy ever advertised on network television.
An estimated 500 million people have played Monopoly since 1935, and an estimated 200 million sets have been sold world wide. Monopoly is published in 26 different languages.
The longest official game of Monopoly played in a bathtub lasted 99 hours (4 days 3 hours)
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Top 10 Indicators that you've become a gene-aholic:
10. You introduce your daughter as your descendent.
9. You've never met any of the people you send e-mail to, even though you're related.
8. You can recite your lineage back eight generations, but can't remember your nephew's name.
7. You have more photographs of dead people than living ones.
6. You've taken a tape recorder and/or notebook to a family reunion.
5. You've not only read the latest GEDCOM standard, but you also understand it.
4. The local genealogy society borrows books from you.
3. The only film you've seen in the last year was the 1880 census index.
2. More than 1/2 of your book collection is made up of marriage records or pedigrees.
1. Your elusive ancestor has been spotted in more different places than Elvis!
ARE YOU A GOOD ANCESTOR?
A good ancestor keeps certificates including birth and death certificates; records including health, military, naturalization, and school; passports; newspaper and church notices; awards; photos; art and craft work; journals; Bibles; diaries; baby, school and wedding books; heirlooms.
He or she dates correspondence, cares for tombstones, keeps research organized, writes or tapes the family stories, and supports family organizations.
A good ancestor dates everything, is sure that full names are included, records where material may be found and always sees that at least one other copy of important data is somewhere else.
A hundred years from now, will they think you were a good ancestor?
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The Oreo Cookie Personality Test
Psychologists have discovered that the manner in which people eat Oreo cookies provides great insight into their personalities. Choose which method best describes your favorite method of eating Oreos:
1. The whole thing all at once.
2. One bite at a time.
3. Slow and methodical nibbles examining the results of each bite afterwards.
4. In little feverous nibbles.
5. Dunked in some liquid (milk, coffee...).
6. Twisted apart, the inside, then the cookie.
7. Twisted apart, the inside, and toss the cookie.
8. Just the cookie, not the inside.
9. I just like to lick them, not eat them.
10. I don't have a favorite way because I don't like Oreo.
Your Personality:
1. The whole thing. This means you consume life with abandon, you are fun to be with, exciting, carefree with some hint of recklessness. You are totally irresponsible. No one should trust you with their children.
2. One bite at a time. You are lucky to be one of the 5.4 billion other people who eat their Oreos this very same way. Just like them, you lack imagination, but that's okay, not to worry, you're normal.
3. Slow and methodical. You follow the rules. You're very tidy and orderly. You're very meticulous in every detail with every thing you do to the point of being anal retentive and irritating to others. Stay out of the fast lane if you're only going to go the speed limit.
4. Feverous nibbles. Your boss likes you because you get your work done quickly. You always have a million things to do and never enough time to do them. Mental breakdowns and suicides run in your family. Valium and Ritalin would do you good.
5. Dunked. Every one likes you because you are always up beat. You like to sugar coat unpleasant experiences and rationalize bad situations into good ones. You are in total denial about the shambles you call a life. You have a propensity towards narcotic addiction.
6. Twisted apart, the inside, and then the cookie. You have a highly curious nature. You take pleasure in breaking things apart to find out how they work, though not always able to put them back together, so you destroy all the evidence of your activities. You deny your involvement when things go wrong. You are a compulsive liar and exhibit deviant, if not criminal, behavior.
7. Twisted apart, the inside, and then toss the cookie. You are good at business and take risk that pay off. You take what you want and throw the rest away. You are greedy, selfish, mean, and lack feelings for others. You should be ashamed of yourself. But that's ok, you don't care, you got yours.
8. Just the cookie, not the inside. You enjoy pain.
9. I just like to lick them, not eat them. Stay away from small furry animals and seek professional medical help - immediately.
10. I don't have a favorite way, I don't like Oreo cookies. You probably come from a rich family, and like to wear nice things, and go to up-scale restaurants. You are particular and fussy about the things you buy, own, and wear. Things have to be just right. You like to be pampered. You are a prim.
Published in U S Legacies Magazine April 2003
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