Hump Day Specials

Feeling old this week; my youngest daughter turned 35 on Monday and my son is 43 today. Yikes! I love them both dearly, but enough already with this getting old thing! They apparently don't understand that Dad still wants to feel young, even though I'm not so much anymore.

It's Wednesday; "Hump Day" as it's otherwise known. You probably would have to really search far and wide to find someone who dislikes commercials more than I do, but I actually look forward to seeing the Geico ad with the happy camel asking everybody what day it is and proclaiming that it's "Hump Day." That gets me chuckling every time; I love it!" 

A recent study proved that naps can benefit certain areas of the brain."  said the headline of a recent article I read. I started reading it and fell asleep. I definitely felt smarter when I woke up!

In addition to writing, I also do copy editing. I'm the guy who goes into somebody else's work and cleans up the spelling and grammar, so when I saw this posting on FB this week I got a good laugh. The quote read: 

         "Dear people of the world, I don't mean to sound slutty, but please use me whenever you can.

         Sincerely, Grammar"

I'm often dumbfounded by the grammatical mistakes I see every day. So many of them are the same ones, you know, the "their/there/they're, to/too, lose/loose, etc. Study up people, there will be a quiz!

Did you know that a large group of baboons is called a "congress?" Scary, isn't it? Actually a little more scary (if you saw the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds) is that a group of crows is called a "murder." Strange language, this English!

         

From the "Who Knew?" files:

         In an article written by Tamiya King, the benefits of drinking lemon water are extolled. Did you know that lemon water aids in digestion, cleanses the body, enhances the immune system and balances pH levels? It also clears the skin (goodbye Clearasil), boosts your mood (no more Prozac!), accelerates healing, freshens your breath and humidifies your lymph system. But the best thing it can help with is weight loss! Doesn't mention anything about my arthritic hip, but this lemon thing may be worth looking into. Here's a warning; don't suck on fresh cut lemons, they will ruin the enamel on your teeth and make you smile funny. True!

For you "Millenials" and those who wish they were, here's a little something you can do to impress your friends. When drinking a Mountain Dew, save about a 1/4 of the bottle. Add 3 caps (not cups) of hydrogen peroxide and a pinch of baking soda. Close the bottle and shake well. The result: a homemade glow stick. Don't finish drinking it when it fades! 

From across the pond, in merry old England, comes a story about a deceased veteran. Facebook England posted an invitation to the veteran's funeral because he had no family or friends listed anywhere. At least 200 people showed up to honor the man. Pretty powerful!

With Spring busting out all over, we all need to be a little more aware of the things our animals drag in. Ticks have become a major nuisance and are quite dangerous. I saw a story about a nurse who offers an easy way to get ticks to release from your pet's skin. "Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20); the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away." Great idea!

And for the women in my life, here's a question every man would like the answer to. "If a man is talking in a forest and no woman can hear him, is he still wrong?" And, yes, I think I already have a pretty good idea what your answer is!

Tuesday, April 22nd, is Earth Day. Why not get involved in something that will benefit all of us by joining a local group cleaning up our roads, rivers, lakes or beaches? Maybe you can take your favorite kid fishing and show him the right way to treat our environment? Anything you might do will help us preserve our lands and waters, so please look into doing something special this year.

On this day in 1883, the Mary L. Cushing was launched in my hometown of Newburyport, Massachusetts. It was the last wooden tall ship built in Massachusetts. Isn't she beautiful?

                                      

As always, please share this to your timelines or forward to your friends if you enjoy. Thanks!                           Mark T. Bradbury, Author     Literary Associate of Little Pond Publishing Digital Publisher | eBooks | Marketing For information on my eBook, Serpent's Curse, please follow the link: http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/ Serpent's Curse is now available as a paperback from Amazon.com . Here's your chance to buy it if you haven't already! Sorry for the delay!