Grab Bag Random Find:

I ran across this woman’s blog, and her “Random Thoughts” post from a year ago is a delightful read. Click the floral banner above for numerous smiles and some sage observations like this:

I hope I’m still having fun and am interesting to talk to when I’m old. For all I know, ALL old people think they are. But they’re not.   I try to get my mom and dad to stop talking about their medications, but no dice.  They really really like to talk about their medications.  And dad always tries to make me watch the f***ing video of his f***ing cataract surgery. That’s HORRIBLE, to look at an eyeball being poked with a scalpel. Am I alone in this?

Grab Bag Breakin’ Bread:

In case you haven’t tried them, Oroweat (where is the “h” in wheat??) released a new product last summer, and it now comes in 4 varieties. These Sandwich Thins are 100 calories, no HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) and are a nice consistency for sandwiches, burgers or toasted for mini pizzas. Best nutrition value of the four may be the 100% Whole Wheat. Whole Grain variety pictured here:

Grab Bag Speakin’ of Bread Tip:

Well, let’s be much more precise: Whole grains is what we’re talking about here… and whole grain bread is one (and not necessarily the best, but most popular) form of whole grains.

But I bet you’ll never guess what seemingly unrelated benefit has been connected to increased whole grain consumption….

… healthier GUMS!! Here is the summary from RealAge:

In a 14-year study, men who ate the most whole grains were 23 percent less likely to develop periodontitis, a form of gum disease, compared with the men who failed to get even one full serving a day. The biggest whole-grain eaters chomped roughly three and a half servings daily — the equivalent of two slices of 100% whole-wheat bread, half a cup of cooked brown rice or whole-grain pasta, and half a cup of granola.

The connection isn’t clear, but they suspect that the lower blood sugar of those consuming whole grains is responsible (diabetics often have gum problems).

Fun fact that should keep you away from all white flour products (white pasta, white bread, white cereals):

Glycemic index of sugar: 68

Glycemic index of white bread: 70

Grab Bag Wistful Wish:

I love the Olympics. Thank the Lord they shifted the schedule a couple of decades ago so we only need wait two years until the next 5-ringed competition.

But these last games in Vancouver were quite spectacular, and I still long for them. Below is a stunning display of some breathtaking images from those two weeks.

Be sure to click the Menu button in the lower left corner, and choose Full Screen (then press Esc when you’re ready to come back to The Bag).

Many thanks to reader/contributor Pat M. for sending this along.

Grab Bag Hallelujah Halitosos Healer:

Although this is an ad, it is filled with tidbits that will make every word that you or your loved ones speak all that much sweeter 🙂

Grab Bag AMAZING App:

I call it “Pocket Savant”, but it might as well be called “Simply Amazing”. The iPhone/iPad app featured below debuted at $50!! Today, you can buy it for $1.99. And let me just say… wow. It won’t whip up a latte, but that’s about all that’s missing.

For students, this is a MUST. For the the curious, it’s the best $1.99 expenditure ever.

Ask a question and this app connects to…..

to find the answer. Here’s a bit of Wolfram Alpha’s formal description (and while we’re here… can we talk about that stupid name? Guess they didn’t calculate EVERYTHING):

With its simple interface, the Wolfram|Alpha App lets you instantly compute answers to questions across thousands of domains—from finance and food, to math and medicine, to stocks and spacecraft, to wordplay and weather.

You’ll be Einstein at the next cocktail party. What you do with that, well, that’s up to you 🙂

Grab Bag Brain Game:

FOUR DIFFERENCES

This one can grab you for quite some time. There are only 4 differences in each image (either paired images or a mirrored image). Find all four and move on to the next. When you get the blue sky starter screen, wait for the road sign to slide in from the right and then click on the word PLAY.

Grab Bag Punny Stuff:

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference.

He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a

weapon of math disruption.

5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.

7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other,  ‘You stay here; I’ll go on a head.’

14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: ‘Keep off the Grass.’

16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his

grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, ‘No change yet.’

17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

18. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at  large.

19. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned  veteran.

20. A backward poet writes inverse.

21. In democracy it’s your vote that counts. In feudalism it’s your count that votes.

22. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

23. Don’t join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!