August 31, 2007

Friday!

Afraid there's not much Health Research Reporting this Friday, because Scientists Were on Strike All Over the World Crabby was lazy, but let's run through a couple of studies just so we can pretend this is an Educational Health Blog. (Don't worry, the charade won't last for long).

So a Brown University study discovered "a solid association" between depression and living in a damp, moldy home. One interesting note: the researchers were completely surprised, as they had actually set out to show the opposite. They were trying to debunk previous studies that showed a link, figuring that there were other associated factors such as employment status and crowding that hadn't been taken into account before. But nope, turns out it actually was the mold!

Can menopause make you fat? Though this study involved rats, the surgical simulation of post-menopausal conditions, and estrogen supplementation, researchers felt it suggested a link between estrogen levels and the regulation of obesity. (Millions of middle-aged women throughout the world were shortly thereafter heard to shout, in unison, "See, I f**cking told you so!")

And for our last bit of research: Summer babies are more likely to end up wearing Coke-bottle glasses. According to this study, babies born in born in June and July had a 24% greater chance of becoming severely myopic (near-sighted) than those born in December and January. “It is probably a long-term effect of early-life exposure to natural light that increases the chances of a child becoming short-sighted,” said the Smart Scientist, Michael Belkin. As an extremely nearsighted Crab (born in June), Crabby found this study intriguing. But she likes Belkin's previous research even better: he found a strong correlation between myopia and intelligence. “It is not a myth at all that people who wear pop-bottle glasses are smarter. They tend to be,” he said.

Okay, done with Research! Here's some other random stuff:

Check out this awesome blog which has a hilarious product review. Female readers, in particular, you really must at least take a look.

And via Elastic Waist, this is a pretty fascinating comparison of pictures of gorgeous actresses both "primped up" and, well, not so carefully put together for the camera. Crabby is generally a fan of the "natural" look, but, wow, this was weirdly surprising and entertaining.

Can't help it: Crabby, having sent you over to Vanilla's blog just last week, feels silly doing it yet again but she can't seem to help herself. This post cracked her up.

Want some fun exercise? Okay, these are not 'real' exercises; they only involve moving your thumb or your wrist, depending on how you like to move your cursor around. But otherwise, these links have nothing to do with health and fitness! You can try the Cute or the Not Quite as Cute version.

And finally, Crabby always finds herself amused by the Helpful Suggestions Google has for products she might enjoy, based on whatever e-mails she's currently reading. This ad came up while she was viewing reader comments on her post about How to Get Up Early.

Enjoy the long weekend, folks! Crabby may return for part of it, or may not. But the only way to find out is to refresh that page continuously! Or hell, go out and have a good time.

30 comments:

  1. ..."See, I f**cking told you so!")
    Thank you for my first laugh of the day, Crabby.

    Hmm, I'm a November baby, but I was (I had Lasik) short-sighted. Guess I found a good compromise.

    Loved the product review. That's a methodology I can respect.

    Hope you enjoy the Labor Day weekend.

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  2. Just squinting intelligently at the monitor joining the chorus of "I told you so." I have my year of birth (scarcely perceptible mutter) to blame for the extra weight, and my month of birth (June) for the lousy eyesight. The things I've learned from reading your blog! Always entertaining.

    OK.. off to check those links.. and for mold.

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  3. I am still laughing about the product review at I am bossy. that was hilarious!

    Actually all of your links were great this week. Thanks for scouring the web for us (and sifting through the moldy areas so we didn't have to!)

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  4. Very funny links. Tampon girl's page is now bookmarked. And that ad you referenced for "How To Get Up Early" was not for Viagra as I'd expected. As always, thanks for the laughs.

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  5. Thank you for the friggin hilarious links! I'm not getting much work done, but I am enjoying myself this morning!

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  6. If that myopia-birth rate thing is true, than I'm the exception that proves the rule. Born in January and blind as a bat. I'm not even a candidate for Lasik because even at 40 my eyes refuse to stabilize.

    Loved those celebrity photos! I'm not much on famous people (I can usually recognize names and that's about it), but it's always reassuring to see that the Beautiful People are really just Us with better stylists and photographers. :-)

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  7. Leah, glad to get a giggle from you! I'm too chicken for Lasik, though both my sisters have had it and report good results.

    Hilary,
    Well, if you're carrying much extra weight you must have hired one of those "celebrity photographers" to hide it--either than or you have really fat ankles or something--'cause you sure look great from your picture! (And I hadn't even thought of the Viagra link--very funny)

    Holly, thanks! One nice thing about a blog is that it gives me an excuse for surfing around the web looking to be amused--which I'd probably be doing anyway. But this way I can pretend it's "productive!"

    Hi Amanda--work is way overrated anyway, especially on a Friday.

    Bunnygirl,
    Yeah, I left off the fact that my sister is even worse that I am and was born in Feb, so not sure how big a factor it is. As I mentioned above, I'm too chicken for Lasik, but have recently discovered contacts you can throw away every day which takes a lot of the hassle out of being incredibly near-sighted. (must be ordered online though, otherwise they're expensive. And they don't correct my astigmatism, but I can kinda see, and that's good enough for me).

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  8. Miss Crabby? I have a naive newbie blogger question for thee, O Guru.*
    (Well, you do know more than I do about blog technology.)

    Where do you get all of your wonderful images? I looked on Google images, but most of the pictures there had nasty copyright blurbs over them.

    I think I like the Friday posts best of all. Never know what to expect.

    * O what? Crabby thinks. Great. Now I have to sit up on a mountain top wearing a loincloth and freezing my nadgers** off.

    ** I suspect nadgers might be male-specific. If so, please substitute an appropriate female body part for this word.

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  9. 20/20 eyesight...it's good to be an October baby.

    Of course, I have some weird thing where my eyes point different directions when I wake up in the morning, but I don't need glasses for THAT. Mwah-ha-hah!

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  10. Bossy is quite a funny gal!

    I liked the comparative celebrity photos - they make you feel better about not looking so fabulous sometimes (or often, in my case).

    So maybe since the Wee One is (hopefully) coming at the end of September/beginning of October he won't have to worry about eye problems so much? Or, more likely, my less-than-perfect eyesight genes will play a bigger role? As Husband likes to say, "Who knows these things..."

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  11. Well I'm a March baby and from what I understand, there was a horrible snow storm (here in MI) around the time of my birth... So I wasn't exposed to all that light, but I have bad myopia and it gets worse all the time.

    I think perhaps the itelligance/ myopia has to do with the fact that my eye doctor told me how people who read a whole lot are more or less training their eyes to become myopic and the like. He basically referred to it as "college myopia" in my own case. But I can so see that. I read all the time and always have.

    It's bad though that I got a new prescription last December, went back for contacts in April and got a different perscription, and now I'm sure my prescription has changed again. When I first started wearing glasses it was mostly for an astigmatism and I could see pretty well without my glasses on. Now I wake up in the morning and freak out because I can't see anything!

    But I like to think I'm pretty smarrt... ha ha.

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  12. Woo score another one for lousy eyesight for a summer baby! (July!)

    Loved the tampon link. I'm about ready to add gin to my seltzer water and call it a day, too.

    I'm going to kick in a shameless plug here for menstrual cups because they're awesome-- reusable, sanitary, and no more tampons or pads! I haven't used either in over a year. (I don't get paid or anything to say that, I'm just a satisfied customer.) The brand I use is divacup.com, but there are many others if you just google "menstrual cup."

    Okey dokey, have a great Labor Day weekend!!

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  13. Hi Crabby,

    Great links today. I have come to expect nothing less from the Friday post on Cranky Fitness.

    Anyone looking for a little brain exercise, Clare has a funny and interesting post over at www.womenofmystery.net called: "May We Masticate the Oleaginous Re: Word Choice?"

    That is not a typo. There is no "b" in the third word.

    Have a great weekend. Terrie

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  14. End of the week is always fun but you've made it a whole lot funnier. Loved the tampon link!

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  15. 20/15 for this scorpio, which is useful for being a surgeon and pilot. I also read, the oldest child can spot a fly at 50 yards :-)
    Dr.J

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  16. lol ... glad it's not that time of the month :)

    leah, i also had lasik... wish i'd done it sooner! so now i can see where my thoroughbred 's going as we gallop on... That 's exercise aint it? :)

    happy friday and weekend all
    gp in montana

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  17. Mary, not sure if I have nadgers, but I have bazoombas which would certainly freeze if I spent much time atop high mountains. However, I'm pretty clueless about this photo stuff myself and need to learn more of the rules. Basically, I mostly use free stock photos. I'll explain more over at your blog as soon as I get the chance.

    Hi Jim! (loved your comments on the previous posts by the way, I've just been too behind to show proper appreciation for all the thoughtful reader comments lately!) Anyway, the only cure I've found for those wayward morning eyes tends to be humongous cup of coffee.

    Lisa, I loved those photos too! And good luck on not having a near-sighted wee one, though so many of us seem to have terrible vision and haven't suffered all that much because of it. (Good thing it's not still Caveman times!)

    Hi Meg,
    I think they used to think that it was the reading that caused myopia, but my impression was that there actually is some genetic link to intelligence-- the two often go together for some mysterious reason. (But "often" is not the same as "always" and there are plenty eagled-eyed smarties and dumb folks who wear glasses.) But I like to think they're VERY related 'cause it makes me feel better.

    Sarah,
    Just don't add a tampon after you pour in the gin or it will all be a waste!

    And I've heard those cups are great but for some irrational reason the idea creeps me out. Probably should get over it and give one a try!

    Terrie,
    I will definitely have to go check that out!

    Hi Dawn! Sure hope your back's getting a little better. And isn't Bossy funny? She had one today on kitchen remodeling advice that also cracked me up.

    Dr. J, I'm not surprised that you've got excellent vision. But I'm an oldest child and I couldn't spot the Washington Monument at 50 yards without my contacts!

    Hi GP,
    Thanks for gallopin' on in to say howdy. Some day maybe I'll have to check out the Lasik thing, but it sounds so creepy!

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  18. Thank you Crabby! I do like being "in-the-know" about stuff.

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  19. Mary,
    Then you've probably come to the wrong place!

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  20. Maybe so, Crabby... but if you're going to be delusional, you may as well go for a delusion that makes you happy :)

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  21. Interesting on the summer babies! My daughter was born in June and wears coke-bottle glasses. Actually she wears contacts, and can only buy a few brands because her prescription is so high. Her brother was born in November and has almost perfect vision.

    Thanks for posting the links....that's how I found your blog!

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  22. Hi Cindy,
    Well, regardless of vision I bet they're both smart like you are!

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  23. Gonna get that Exorcist Bed are you. This week sucked big time; but as always your post brings me out of the lame slumps though. You crack me up right off with the "Crabby is lazy" bit. You are way too fun for your own good -- I hope that lobster appreciates it :) Have a great holiday weekend.

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  24. Hey Jennifer,
    So sorry it was a sucky week! Damn. Hope you get to play a little over the long weekend--though as I recall I think you tend to work through them? Indulge yourself a bit one way or another, that's my prescription.

    Can't believe you're launching another new blog--looks great!

    Tree Hugging Family
    sounds right up your alley and like the sort of thing a lot of people would be interested in. And you seem to be off to a great start with those adorable turtles.

    Hope next week rocks to make up for this one!

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  25. I think this was my favorite Friday post!

    (product review, vanilla's post had me totally laughing. and those celeb pics were just too fun)

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  26. thanks Katieo!
    I find it amazing (and honestly, a bit discouraging sometimes) to realize how many truly hilarious people there are blogging out there. Vanilla and Bossy are both just too funny.

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  27. {grin}
    Explain this one:
    I'm a May baby and one eye is near sighted and one eye is far sighted.

    LOL

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  28. Marijke,
    Hmm, that is indeed a tough one!

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  29. Wow, scanning Teh Internets so we don't have to! Excellent compilation.

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  30. It's Bossy herself! Thank you so much for the Tampon Review. Thanks to you my Linkage Credibility Quotient has risen considerably and it makes me seem more clever and funny even though you wrote the funny post! I would have gone over there to rave about it in your comments section but there were already 32,641 others ahead of me.

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