Grab Bag Back Scratch:

And the Oscar goes to……

LK’s Grab Bag got quite a pop in viewers last week, all due to a wonderful shout out by Dennis Miller on his radio show. Dennis has apparently seen “The Bag” a few times and it intrigued him enough to garner a mention on his morning show last Monday.

The Bag’s blog stats went ballistic! Welcome, new readers 🙂 While I can’t hope to return the favor in equal magnitude, at least SOME of you fair readers will surely love how Dennis views and responds to the world in his inimitable way.

Stream the witty banter on a myriad of daily topics through your computer on his website, or check the site for radio stations in your area that carry Dennis’ brain bending brand of news and humor.

Grab Bag “$witch it Green” Tip:

OK…. so we’ve been told that most of our electric devices are sucking our money and valuable energy, even when they’re turned off,  just by virtue of being plugged in. I know at least some of you have attempted to do the right thing and unplug all the things that don’t HAVE to remain plugged in…. especially when going away for days at a time.

Problem is, so many TV’s, DVD players, kitchen appliances and stereo components are terribly inconvenient to unplug and reconnect. You might be able to reach the outlet, but actually pulling the plug or reinserting it takes a much more concerted effort in tight, awkward spots.

Enter THIS little gizmo…

For a few bucks, you can plug said offending device into this and just tap the rocker switch on top to shut the gluttons down and start living green and $aving green.You can even use a yard stick to reach into tight quarters and work this one, as the switch is very easily operated. Personally, I wanted to leave my hair dryer plugged in all the time, as the closest plug isn’t all that easy to reach. However I had heard, in rare instances, that practice could be a fire hazard. Now I can have my hair dryer and be green, too.

If you prefer having a lighted switch to indicate when it is on, here is a link to one that has that feature for a few dollars more. You can also pick these up at most major hardware and home improvement stores.

Grab Bag HIIT Parade:

HIIT… High Intensity Interval Training. Sounds very…. intense, right? Well, even if you are a walker you need to consider HIIT. Why? Because it seems to burn fat more effectively and in less time than traditional aerobic work, and doesn’t risk muscle loss, as so much of extended aerobic work can do.

To sweeten the pot, HIIT throws in the fact that it increases your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) for the following 24 hours after the exercise. Less time, better results, more after burn…. what the heck is not to love here?

photo from Zenhabits.net

So…to begin HIIT, here’s the deal….

Using whatever activity you choose (walk, run, bike, skate, etc.):

• Warm up for 5 minutes at a moderate pace

• Move at a slow pace for 40 seconds

• SPRINT for 20 seconds

• Repeat this cycle 10 times

• Cool down for 5 minutes at just below moderate pace.

That’s it. You can build from there as your capacity increases, but the ideal session is 15-20 minutes, 4 times a week. You have now heard about the future, and it is here.

For more info on how to progress the concept, watch the 2:33 minute video below, review the information contained on this website, and click on the PACE link in the column on the right of this page.

Grab Bag Site Sighting:

Maybe you want to paint your bedroom to suggest the beaches of Moorea. Maybe you want to dress yourself in the colors of the Gobi desert. And as Dorothy asked in the Salon of Oz, “Can you even dye my eyes to match my gown?”

Well, as long as you have a photo to upload, you certainly can do all of those things.

Welcome, Pictaculous.

You upload a photo and the site ponders the image, then throws up a palette of colors found from your image.

Here’s Moorea…

And here’s what Pictaculous saw in it:

I even typed in the number of the bright blue on the right to choose the color of this type. Huh. Pretty Pictaculous. So if Dorothy’s peepers can match her pinafore, you can surely have Moorea’s mojo in your Master.

Grab Bag Yesteryear Photo Album:

Long ago, and far away…. rarely seen photos from the past…

Bonnie was a hottie… she clearly worked out… probably high intensity stuff…

This seems weird on a number of levels…

Something tells me the next few photos in this series were not for prime time…

Rare photo of Vernon and his only child…

Few know that Jane started her exercise videos in the back of a ’57 Chevy 🙂

Hopper co-opted Conan O’Brian’s hair….

I think Don and Melanie went to my high school… did we all have those haircuts?

The Material Girl shows her stuff early on….

Marilyn giving a lesson in stalag”tites”

Dylan smiled, once upon a time…

Walken needs more cowbell…..

…. and these three Beatles are waiting for some hormones….  and some serious bank accounts…

Can a girl get any sexier…..

…. and a guy get any dorkier??

Sean, Sean… isn’t this just gilding the lily?

And this is just creepy….

Grab Bag Brain Game:

Click a letter to select it. Click a location within the grid to move the selected letter to that spot. The object is to form 4 letter words or bigger. Each time you do, the letters of that word are removed from the word game. The game is over when there is a letter in every spot on the board.

LETTERLINES

Grab Bag Funny Stuff: