One Day Blog Silence

Today's Oneword - Grace

Go to the OneWord website and write about today's word.

We thought that he might grace us with his timely arrival, but he was late once again.

Today's Oneword - Always

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I always seem to get busier and busier. Even though I know I need more downtime, I always find more new and interesting things to do.

Fruity Cocktails - Health Food For the Rest of Us

Here at Scott's Spot, our health is a high priority. In fact, we were into red wine even before it was scientifically proven to be healthy. And not just red wine - we've discovered the benefits of amber lager, gold tequila, and nut brown ale.

So it comes as no surprise that new research has found that drinking fruity cocktails may not only be fun, but that these tasty treats are in fact classifiable as health foods. And before you dismiss this research, you should consider that it comes not only from greedy corporate funded US researchers, but also from researchers in Thailand.

Adding ethanol - the type of alcohol found in rum, vodka, tequila and other spirits - boosted the antioxidant nutrients in strawberries and blackberries, the researchers found. And it's not just strawberries and blackberries - the health benefits of any colored fruit are enhanced with the addition of a splash of alcohol, the researchers reported in an article published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

The researchers were exploring ways to help keep strawberries fresh during storage. Treating the berries with alcohol increased in antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activity, they found.

People who eat more of these fruits and vegetables have a documented lower risk of cancer, heart disease and some neurological diseases.

So have some Fruity Pebbles for breakfast and a fruit salad for lunch. And when happy hour rolls around, may we interest you in a strawberry margarita? Yes? Great! Your body’s going to thank you!

Today's Oneword - Damaged

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I took my first mountain bike ride of the year yesterday. I fell a couple of times, but no body parts were seriously damaged.

High-Tech Plumbing Recall in Japan

I had to replace a toilet seat today. $13.88 worth of painted particle board. When I got home I discovered it was exactly the same brand and color as the broken one, which means that this one has an expected lifespan of 4 years.

But apparently I'm not a very choosy toilet seat shopper. All I ask is for the seat be sufficiently robust to support the weight of one person, that the color roughly matches that of the the toilet, and that there be no splinters. Consumers in Japan have higher standards. A typical Japanese home bathroom has something called a "washlet" -- a combination of a toilet and bidet.

There is a Japanese company named Toto (no relation to the famous Kansan pooch) which is known for high-tech washlets which feature (in addition to front and rear washing) heated seats, blow-dryers and even air purifiers. That's a lot of high-tech wizardry for the place where you sit and do your daily sudoku. And it's apparently not foolproof. Toto recently revealed that 26 of its washlets had malfunctioned by emitting smoke and that another three had caught fire. And a company named INAX, owned by JS Group Corp., confessed that 7 of its washlets had smoked or caught fire. INAX had previously recalled 30,000 washlets in 1985 due to cases of overheating and fire.

When it comes to working my sudokus, I'm sticking with my painted particle board seat with no wires or sophisticated plumbing. I will, however, continue to use my fancy mechanical pencil.

I'd Like to Listen to Some King Crimson or ELP

Your Taste in Music:

Progressive Rock: Highest Influence 80's Rock: Medium Influence Classic Rock: Medium Influence Punk: Medium Influence 80's Alternative: Low Influence

How's Your Taste in Music?

My Internet Addiction

You Are 87% Addicted to the Internet

The internet is your life - seriously. You spend so much time online, you should be a dot com millionaire!

Are You Addicted to the Internet?

My Nerdiness Quotient - Most Would Argue That It's Higher

You Are 48% Nerdy

You may be a bit surprised with this score, but your more of a closet nerd than an actual nerd. Stop denying your inner nerd! You're truly dorkier than you think.

How Nerdy Are You?

Today's Oneword - Dance

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I don't like to dance, which is probably why I'm not very good at it. I could take lessons to get better at it, but I haven't the slightest interest in doing so.

Kitchen Aid Blender = Waste of Money

Sometimes, there's nothing that hits the spot like a frozen Margarita. And for that, you need a decent blender.

The Sunbeam blender we got for our wedding worked for about 20 years. Then we used an old Hoover (yes, Hoover!) blender that we inherited from my grandmother. Then we "upgraded" to the Kitchen Aid. It's a good thing we kept the Hoover.

First off, the Hoover is a better blender, and makes very smooth Margaritas with no ice chunks left. As for the Kitchen Aid, well, you get a smooth one once in a while, but not reliably. Plus, in less than a couple years worth of Margaritas the teeth on the coupler have started to break. Thankfully you can replace this part with the proper wrench and a $6 + Shipping part. But the bad news is that this stinking $100 blender broke 10x faster than the el cheapo Sunbeam we got for our wedding.

The Kitchen Aid guy on the Kitchen Aid forum likens this to a set of tires, saying that it's a maintenance item. If so, then it's time that Kitchen Aid, the supposed Cadillac of appliances, upgrades to some Michelins.

And Now, From The Curmudgeon's Hosiery Department

Today's Oneword - Cheeks

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The cheeks I kiss are different from the cheeks I sit on.

Bird Flu Succumbs to Company Management Dictate

Just when it seemed that bird flu hysteria had flown, er, blown over, I have now had the opportunity to witness a case of delayed-onset hysteria. Yes, you probably guessed it - my company has now come out with an avian flu, er, pandemic flu website. You see, 327 people worldwide have now been diagnosed with avian flu in the years since the H5N1 virus was first identified. That's a pandemic in anyone's book, and It's enough to make anybody become a recluse.

OK, let's get back on topic. I would like to provide the Scott's Spot condensed version of my company's pandemic influenza website:

The avian flu pandemic poses a risk to the continued management of the company. Therefore, it is the policy of the company that employees shall donate their hard fought stores of bottled water and toilet paper to company executives and key personnel.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Linked to Shoplifting

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports in an Associated Press article that Irritable Bowel Syndrome has been linked to shoplifting. Helen Gallo, 61, of Clearwater, Florida, was arrested recently after allegedly shoplifting from a Cape Coral grocery store, The Daily Breeze of Cape Coral reported.

Gallo reportedly told authorities that she could not wait in line because she has irritable bowel syndrome, according to the newspaper. Her getaway vehicle is pictured at right.

I'm apparently a bit clogged in the creativity department. All I need is a good lawyer and I can start making my ailments pay off!

Today's Oneword - Burn

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I look at my screen. Then I look a little to the right to watch a candle burn. There's nothing as relaxing as watching a candle or campfire burning.

Scooter

Thanks, I think, to Neal for the link to this quiz. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but in fact I am called Scooter at times...

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You're always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going. "15 seconds to showtime!"

The Muppet Personality Test

Today's Oneword - Bubble

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Mr Bubble makes getting clean almost as much fun as getting dirty. I have a Mr. Bubble t-shirt. But I haven't used Mr. Bubble for probably 40 years!

Today's Oneword - Congested

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When there's weather like we have now, with alternating warm and cold spells, one's sinuses are likely to become congested. If there is snow, the roads become congested as well.

Today's Oneword - Alter

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Sometimes I wonder what kind of things in my life I would alter. One thing that I would NOT alter is the person with whom I went to the altar.

Today's Oneword - Lush

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There is the possibility of heavy snow this weekend. Some of the lush and semi-lush spring foliage may not survive.

Colonoscopy Delays Explained

You're at the company vending machine getting a prune juice with a colleague when the topic of conversation turns to colonoscopies. It hasn't happened to you? Then give it a few years. At any rate, you find out that you and your colleague had the same problem - you had a strong urge to get a colonoscopy but the line was way too long. You looked and you looked, but you couldn't find a shorter line.

It might not make you feel any better, but an explanation has now come out. According the the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, One of America's Great Newspapers, a man named Miclael Marburger has been charged with taking 66 colonoscopes from hospitals throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia and then selling them to various medical equipment distributors, between March, 2004 and July, 2006.

Michael Marburger was charged in federal court in Pittsburgh yesterday by a criminal information with 66 counts of transporting stolen goods across state lines, and 37,000 counts of causing a pain in the ass.

Today's Oneword - Hello

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Today I said goodbye to a temporary employee who had gotten a permanent job elsewhere, and also to an old boss who was retiring. I don't know who I'll say hello to tomorrow.

Nestle Buys Gerber, Announces New Chocolate Baby Foods

Now, a word from the world of mergers and acquisitions. Usually not a topic on Scott's Spot, but today we must make an exception. Nestle SA, the world's biggest food and drink company, has announced that it will buy Gerber Products Co. for $5.5 billion, giving it the lion's share of the global baby food market.

Chocolate-smeared hands at Nestle headquarters in Geneva were rubbed together in glee as plans were laid to create a new generation of youthful chocolate addicts. New products under discussion include:

• Junior Toll House Cookies and Cream
• KitKat Teething Biscuits
• First Foods Strained Butterfingers
• Nestle Quik Microwaveable Bottles

Mars, the parent company of M&M's, is rumored to be in talks to acquire Beech-Nut Baby Foods.

Today's Oneword - Avoid

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Yesterday's Oneword was tax. Paying my tax, and filling out my tax return, is something I'd like to avoid. I procrastinate it until the last minute.

Today's Oneword - Tax

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There seems to be a tax on everything. Now there's a local referendum on changing the mix of tax money from income and property value. My tax bill won't go down, I'm sure.

Today's Oneword - Sometimes

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Sometimes I like to write in my blog. Sometimes I spend most of my time reading other blogs. With Oneword, I can write in my blog with very little effort. I like that, sometimes.

My Thinking Style - For When I Have a Chance To Think

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Exploring

You thrive on the unknown and unpredictable. Novelty is your middle name. You are a challenger. You tend to challenge common assumptions and beliefs. An expert inventor and problem solver, you approach everything from new angles. You show people how to question their models of the world.

What's Your Thinking Style?

Today's Oneword - Golden

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His idea was golden. He needed to go to the airport to travel on little notice. All he needed was spare underwear. The idea? Underwear vending machines at the airport.

Today's Oneword - Quiz

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Sometimes I like to go to blogthings and take a quiz. Sometimes I post the results on my blog. But sometimes I don't. It depends on the quiz.