Best Wishes for Christmas

For years an old steamer trunk has sat in my basement, the lock locked and the key missing. Online I found that Stevens Antique Trunks had a key for the trunk. It arrived today in the mail.

Upon opening the trunk there was Barb's wedding dress and various memorabilia among which was the Christmas card my mom and dad sent out my first Christmas. A most appropriate find for this time of year.

Wishing you the best this Christmas and the coming year.

Harold

Speed Up, You're Moving Too Slow

Back in the 70s Simon and Garfunkul sang

Slow down, you move too fast

Got to make the mornin' last

Just kicken' down the cobble-stones

Lookin' for fun, and feelin' groovy

That was when hippies were in abundance. My hair was long. I wore bib overalls. I was probably considered a hippie. I even hitch hiked from Indiana to Vermont and camped out in on a mountain top for a week.

Forty years later life has changed. I now live in the suburbs and daily commute to work. This past summer the state has improved a two mile stretch of highway turning it from two lanes into four. Every morning I get on that highway and am singing to myself.

Speed up, you move too slow

Got to make that gas guzzler go.

I'm not advocating speeding, I just wish they would go the speed limit. Instead of going fifty, they go forty. Instead of driving in the right hand lane, they drive in the left lane. It's driving me crazy! This has become one of my pet peeves. So, if' you find yourself driving down Indiana 23 between Main St and Brick Road, go fifty, or get in the right lane.

Let There Be Light

In the days before Thanksgiving the voice said "Let there be lights." But I reasoned that it was too soon for lights. And the voice said "The weather is mild. Let there be lights." But I did not listen to the voice.

The days of Thanksgiving passed and it was cold. Finally the sun shone and I assembled the lights. I plugged in the first strand and said "Let there be light.", but there was no light. I plugged in the second strand and said "Let there be light.", but there was no light. I plugged in the third strand and said "Let there be light.", but there was no light. I reasoned that something must be wrong with the source that illuminated the light. But there was power in the source.

I had heard of a Keeper of Light and sought it out. I searched, but Lowe I found not the Keeper of the Light. I Targeted my search and behold, the Keeper of the Light was found.

The Keeper of the Light commanded the lights and they awoke, slowly. Strand by strand, group by group they awoke. I then strung the lights in the heaven's. (Ok, maybe not in the heavens, but to the roof tops.) I applied power from the source and said "Let there be light.", and there was light, some light. I climbed to the heavens with the Keeper of the Light and reminded the light from where the power came. And behold, there was light.

The sun rose. The day passed. The darkness came. The lights returned...except now black holes existed in the heavens and the light could not escape from those areas which occupied the lowest of the sky and the highest of heights.

I will summon courage, climb to the highest of heights and with the Keeper of the Light vanquish the black holes. There will be light.

In A Roundabout Way

Recently a busy country intersection near me has been transformed from a 4 way stop to a roundabout. I'm liking it.

* Traffic is no longer backed up at the intersection

* You should only need to be concerned with traffic on your left rather than left, right and across

* If the area looses electricity...no problem, because there are no lights that need to be functioning for the smooth flow of traffic.

* Roundabouts are common in Europe and you know how much I like Europe

It amazing though how many people do not know what to do when they get to one.

Photo Flashback - Who is this young man?

I'm looking through old slides from the late 70s and come across this photo. I looked like this at one time? We've got some serious hair going here. The mustache is a constant over the years although the shape and color have changed over the years. This happened to be one of my experimental photos using an orange juice container with both ends cut out and then the inside lined with aluminum foil to provide that fuzzy circle effect. This also was when I was going by Harry. Times sure change a person.

Walk This Way

It's been 150 days since Wii Fit has been my fitness coach. When I first started he would say, "That's obese", when I would step on the balance board which measures my weight, BMI (Body Mass Index based on weight and height) and my COB (Center of Balance). Wii would assist me by asking me what my goal in weight loss was and how long I wanted to achieve that goal. I started out simple and told it that I wanted to loose 1 lb. The minimum time frame to reach a goal is 2 weeks. That seems to have worked for me. Since I've started I've lost 12 lbs and now when I step on the balance board it says "That's Overweight".

In addition to performing the weight, BMI and COB measurements, it selects two other random tests to perform. They can be steadiness, agility, single leg balance or checking something or other in regards to walking. It's this last test that I find strange. I have to stand on the balance board which is approximately 1 ft x 2 ft. Then it tells me to walk as I normally would walk. I have no idea how I'm supposed to walk normally on a 1 x 2 ft balance board.

In The Bag

I'm asking myself why I feel it necessary to save and re-use plastic baggies. You know, the kind you put your sandwich in when you're packing your lunch.

The other day I found myself washing them to make them suitable for re-use. Barb has rightly pointed out that they are inexpensive and meant for one use. You probably haven't ever washed a baggie. They are not easy to wash. I'm not sure they get really clean.

So why do I hang on to them? It could be that I'm a miser and detest spending money. It could be that I'm concerned about the environment and want as few of these baggies floating around landfills. I'm not really sure what drives this quirk.

From this point forward I vow never to re-use baggies...uh, I vow never to wash them to make them suitable for re-use. If their used for something like...pretzels where the item itself does not remain with the baggie, I may re-use it. If what was in the bag still has it's DNA in the bag, it's gone.

Amazing New York Dogs

Not far from here the fame of the Chicago Dog is well known. It's an all beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun with mustard, onion, Nuclear Relish, dill pickle spear, tomato, sports peppers and a dash of celery salt. That's a lot on a dog and it's not easy to eat without getting some of it on you. I digress since the New York dog referred to in my title is not a hot dog, but an actual dog.

Although I actually never saw these amazing dogs in New York City, there was a sign that referred to their existence. Actually I didn't see many dogs in NYC. I did see one peeking out of a duffel bag in Grand Central Station.

Any way, these amazing dogs are able to ride bikes. I would imagine that the bikes would be small bikes built especially for dogs. You see, I actually didn't see these bikes or the dogs ridding them, but I did see a sign referring to them. Not only were these dogs able to ride bikes, they also fed pigeons. I did see some pigeons in NYC, and while I didn't see dogs feeding them, I did see some people feed them. I wonder though if the dogs feed the pigeons while they are riding the bikes or at a separate time. Since I didn't see them, I really don't know. What I do know though is that these dogs are not well liked. People don't want them on their property. I guess that's only natural since dogs and pigeons have a way of letting you know that they had been there.

I wish I would have seen one of these dogs riding a bike and feeding pigeons, but all I saw was this sign.

The Queen's Lilly

For years the Queen's Lilly has graced the kingdom. It's bloom is watchfully anticipated each summer. It is known to obey the wishes of the Queen. As the time approached for the royal family to travel from places as far away as the Land of the Rising Sun to meet here in the kingdom, the Queen instructed the lilly that it was to bloom on the day of the gathering. As the sun cast it's light over the kingdom on the morning the royal family gathered, the lilly slowly opened it's first bloom. Now as the kingdom celebrates the life of Lord Joshua, the lilly abounds with color. It's beauty is unrivaled among the other perennials.

Thus it is written in the annuls of the king.

Princess Ella And The Beautiful Flower

It was a beautiful day in the kingdom and the King, Queen, Princes and Princesses were enjoying the weather. While they conversed near the castle, Princess Ella wandered into the neighboring kingdom where an old fort intrigued her. It been years since the fort's inhabitants had occupied it, but it was in relatively good condition. Unfortunately, the fort was not under the watchful eye of the king. Having left the safety of the kingdom, Princess Ella was susceptible to the influence of evil forces that would do her harm.

As the King and his court enjoyed their conversation, Princess Ella returned to the kingdom proclaiming she had found a "beautiful flower". In reality, the 'beautiful flower' was a poisonous plant. The evil forces had transformed it's simple appearance of three green leaves into that of a beautiful flower. The King who saw with clarity that it was poisonous, revealed it for what it was. The ivy of poison was carefully removed from possession and she was whisked away and attended to. It was fortunate that the ivy of poison was identified as soon as it was, before it had a chance to poison the royal family.

Beer To Diet For?

Years ago I discovered a beverage out east not normally found in the midwest, Birch Beer. For those of you who might be concerned about my decline into alcoholism, not to worry. Birch Beer is similar to Root Beer. Many claim it tastes just like Root Beer. While it may be similar, there is a distinct difference. I've grown a liking for the beverage and when traveling out east, I attempt to purchase a few liters to bring back and enjoy here at home. My recent trip to Vermont was no exception. While there I went to the local grocery store with my cousin who, living in Vermont, was unfamiliar with Birch Beer. I wonder what beverages that are sold locally that are not sold in other geographic locations that I am unfamiliar with.

We found the soda aisle and wandered up and down it not spotting the desired Beer. Finally I spotted it and purchased three liters. Once back at my cousins, I chilled one for consumption later on. The other two were packed away for transportation back to Indiana.

Back in Indiana the Birch Beer was unpacked and as I was placing a liter in to the fridge, I noticed that the word Diet was on the bottle. Arrrggghhhh. One does not choose 'diet' on items that he considers an indulgence. Well, the bottle is still chilling waiting for that special moment when it will be poured into a glass and savored. The question is whether the diet version will live up to my expectations for an indulgence.

Birch Beer has been infrequently found in some local stores as a specialty soda with a price tag to match. It is also available in Shipshewana at Yoder's Red Barn Shoppes also at an price twice that out east.

Creemeed After Climbing Spruce Mountain

Spruce Mountain

Trail Length: 4.5 miles

Vertical rise: 1,340 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

For me, the hike up Spruce Mountain was a bit more than moderate and I've seen other posts on internet voicing the same sentiment. It was an enjoyable hike and the view from the fire tower at the top were excellent.

By the time we had completed the hike, my legs were moaning. On the way back from the hike we stopped at Bragg Farms and had a Maple Creemee. Creemee is the terminology used here to refer to soft serve ice cream. The maple flavor of the creemee came from 100% Vermont Maple Syrup. It was a delight.

Tour de Indiana

This is my first multi-day biking adventure. It started out with two people, grew to five, and then shrunk back down to the original two. John Gardner and myself will bike across Indiana west to east, a total of 182 miles, in 4 days. We've chosen a modest schedule with our most aggressive days being the middle two days at almost 60 miles each day.

Some friends have consented to be our "SAG wagon" for a few days. If you are interested in participating in this way one day this week, contact me. (You would meet us at pre-determined locations with nourishment that we provide. Then at the end of the day, you would help us retrieve our vehicle from the beginning of the day.)

I've included maps at the bottom of this post. You will probably want to "view larger map" in a new tab/window.

My intent is to update this post daily and include photos. The actual ride begins Tuesday in Iroqois IL and ends Friday just east of Monroeville IN.

Daily posts follow here

Day 1
Started out from Iroquois, IL about 10:30 EDT. This was about 3 miles west of the state line. The only parking that would have been available at the state line on our route was a cemetary. I think a city park was a better option. There was miles and miles of little traveled country roads. There was the occassional dog that asserted it's authority over the section of road in front of it's house. Cows and horses would pause their grazing to give us the once over. Road kill was also available to play road kill bingo; snake, frog, fox, bird, pheasant. The weather was pleasant, overcast and not hot. The wind though did occassionaly push back at us. We exceeded our daily target and actually biked 38 miles this day. When we checked in to the hotel, I realized that I should have put the sunscreen on at the beginning of the day. My legs and arms were a little red.

We were grateful for the support that Steve Matteson provided. Thanks to him we had Subway for lunch and a ride back to our vehicle which was an hour away by car. Steve caught the excitement of participating in our Tour de Indiana ride. At supper we began talking 'hypothetically' about how we would arrange things if he were to join us the following day and ride with us. By the end of supper we had worked out all the details of how we would handle the ride with three riders and no support vehicle meeting us at pre-designated points. (Steve had heard that tomorrow holds some rain in the forecast and that Pastor John was not feeling the excitement of riding support under such conditions.) Tomorrow Steve joins us for the remainder of the ride.

Tomorrow's target destination is Denver.


Day2
We got started about 10:00 today just south east of Rensellaer. Shortly after starting the ride, I got a call from John Gregory who was riding support today. He was in Buffalo and would drive out meet us about 10 miles into the ride. He met us again in Buffalo and he then went to scout out finding us some lunch and bringing it out to us. Out here, there is very little to choose from. He finally found a little Dairy Queen type place and waited 17 minutes while they prepared the fried chicken. It was still quite hot when he finally caught up with us. Thanks John.

The afternoon ride was accompanied by fighter jets flying overhead for much of the time. The huge sound they created made it difficult to spot where they were since they were so much further ahead of the sound.

While stopped for a break in Fletcher, we met a biker riding east to west from Cleavland OH to Muscatine IA. He was biking solo and putting in an average of 80 miles per day.



Today's roadkill included possum, deer, raccoon and skunk. At one point we kicked up a deer along side the road.

After riding 40 miles, we began to get into some 'rollers'. One of earlier ones felt like the initial climb on a roller coaster. It got the best of me, and even having dropped the bike down into the lower gears, my legs were screaming out. I dismounted and walked the last bit of it.

All day we had been fighting a head wind. The west to east route was chosen to take advantage of prevailing winds which seemed to have abandoned us on this ride.

I learned some biking phrases today; pull, sucking wheel. Here is how they might be used in a sentence. "Steve was pulling for Harold while he was sucking wheel." Pulling for someone is riding lead and providing a wind break allowing the following rider(s) to take advantage of the draft created. Sucking wheel is someone who is riding too close the rider in front of him. Actually, I didn't suck any wheel today. For the most part, a was a little further back from John and Steve. That is until we got into a downhill mode. Physics gives me the advantage on a downhill.

Just after achieving 24.5 mph on one of the rollers, the riding day ended in Denver at about 5:30. John Gardner gave me the keys to his van. Steve strapped our two bikes to his bike rack and we took off for an hours drive back to get the van from where we started that day. John on the other hand rode his bike an additional 15 miles to the Holiday Inn Express where we were spending the night. The worst part of the trip is the two hours at the beginning and end of the day to move vehicles. If we had someone who was with us whose sole responsibility was to drive the vehicle with the bikes, we would free up 4 hours a day. This moving vehicles 'sucks wheel'. The good news; the hotel has a spa pool. The bad news; it's currently out of order.

Thursday breaking from trek due to weather. Will resume in a few days.

Day 3
Finally back on the route. Unfortunately, by the time we got down here and parked our car at the end point, Salamonie Dam, and drove back to Denver, it was 2:00 in the afternoon. Today's ride was fairly short, 30 miles, but it had a slight head wind and numerous 'rollers'. Rollers is some more cycling jargon which refers to hilly terrain. There was no incline that whopped me, but I did get the gears down really low. On one downhilll, I exceeded 25 mph. The last part of the ride took us through the Salamonie Forest. It was a beautiful shaded ride full of rollers.

The only significant roadkill today was Bambi which was in the forest. We did see other deer today two crossing highways and one in a field.

Many thanks to Barb today who sagged for us. Sagging is not a lot of fun, but we bikers really appreciate it. Thanks for giving up a day to help us out Barb. You did a great job.

Steve will join up with us for the final day and the longest day. We are looking at just about 60 miles to finish up. At the moment, my odometer reads 124.75 miles for the trip. Tomorrow, the ride will be relatively flat, but the wind will again be out of the east. What's up with that? We chose west to east because of the prevailing winds. No such luck.

Day 4
What was originally planned to be a short day, turned out to be the longest day. To finish the ride we needed to put in 60 plus miles today. Moving vehicles was going to chew up 4 plus hours, the drive home another 2 plus hours. The ride itself was 6 hours peddling time averaging just over 12 mph.

The day started at 5:45 am when we arose and took nourishment. It was 8:00 by the time we were on the bikes at Salomonie Dam. Today's ride was fairly level, although there were times I got the gears down pretty low to climb some hills. The wind was once again out of the east and we were riding right into it. By 11:00 we had reached Zanesville which was what I considered the halfway point of today's ride. I stayed with the bikes in Zanesville under the shade of a tree while John and Steve repositioned the vehicles. While resting, I head some talking and looked up to see three motorized wheel chairs with a gaggle of kids, one with a blue mohak, coming into town up the main road. An interesting site to say the least.

It was about 5:30 when we finally concluded the ride on the Indiana and Ohio state line.

Today's roadkill included a ripe deer, a snake, a frog not yet flattened, a racoon, various birds and numerous unidentifiable critters.

Steve and John are already talking another major ride. Me, this ride has satisfied me for awhile. A few day trips, fine. But, a multi day mega mile trip...ask me next year.



Day 1 & 2 (You will need to zoom out to see full map)

View Larger Map

Day 3 & 4 (You will need to zoom out to see full map)

View Larger Map

National Do Not day

The first Friday in June, National Doughnut Day. But for me, it was National Do Not day. It was mid morning and I was getting a little craving for a doughnut and was just about ready to walk over to Stone's Bakery and get me a cake doughnut when the phone rang. "Hi, this is Amy from Get Fit Get Healthy." She was making a followup call to see how I was doing on my goals that I had set months before. After reviewing my failure to meet my goals and what I could do to make more progress toward my wellness goals, my desire to get a doughnut was still there, but I knew that for me it was "do not" get that doughnut. So, I walked down the hall with my water bottle and filled it up. Drinking more water and eating less doughnuts will help me move towards my goal of loosing a few pounds.

Night at the Newseum

It was an evening gala held at Washington DC's Newseum, a museum dedicated to news. It began with hundreds of individuals bused to the Newseum to dine, dance and enjoy the museum exclusively for their entertainment. For starters, I enjoyed a variety of exquisite food, along with my bottle of Dansani water that I brought with me. (It was a cash bar for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including $4 water.) This was followed by taping a newscast. Then meandering around the museum.

As the evening approached it's end I searched for the exit so that I could board the buses that were heading back to the hotel. The words "Group Exit" appeared at the end of the room. I was with a group and I wanted to exit. Despite no one else heading that direction, I continued on past three wait staff who paid no attention to me. The large steel doors opened easily as I pushed against them. As the door closed behind me, I realized that I was now in a deserted gift shop. The doors I came through were not intended to be opened from this side. I searched around and realized that the only other exit had been closed. Calling out for assistance would be futile with the loud music blaring from the other side of the doors. Visions of being held hostage here until the morning employees came to open the gift shop plaqued me. Feeling helpless, I turned again to the huge steel doors and was able to slip a finger or two between them. With no good grasp, I had to rely solely on the friction my fingers had against the door. It slowly yielded to the point I was able to get my fingers on the other side of the door and pull it open.

I now am thankful that I will be spending the evening on a bed instead of on a floor.

Visit of the Turk

The kingdom of Heir-Olde has been quiet for many risings of the moon. The king was honored to have a visit from the Turk who was traveling from the west. The king proclaimed loudly the presence of the Turk to those in his kingdom. The Turk not wanting to be delayed in his journey continued with haste off to the southern lands and then off to the east.

Moles have again invaded the kingdom and have ravaged it while trying to stay hidden from the eyes of the king. Boldly they approached the castle of the king. The king revealed the doings of one of the moles and entered in combat with him personally and was victorious over his foe. The sentry was again posted in the south east region of the kingdom where he captured and held for execution another mole from the south as well as terminating the life of a third. Their remains returned to the border as a warning to others.

As the kingdom comes to life and it's green bounty pushes forth, the king wishes only for peace.

Thus it is recorded in the allegories of our leader.

Lying Through Her Teeth

I was perusing the news on FoxNews.com when I saw a link regarding whiter teeth. Seldom do I follow links, but this one claiming success with products found around the home intrigued me to at least follow it one click.

The new page starts out in large print Cathy's Teeth Whitening Success then some sub headings, a before and after photo and then the testimonial. My name is Cathy Anselmo. I live in Mishawaka, IN and I want to tell you...

Amazing! Cathy was from right here in Mishawaka. I became skeptical. I did a quick Switchboard search on the last name Anselmo for Mishawaka. Nothing found. I then did a "view source" on the web page and confirmed my suspicion. Cathy lied. (It's probably not even a woman) The page source showed that it was obtaining the city and state information from a script that retrieved it from information available from where the individual was browsing from.

If Cathy lies to me about where she is from, what else is she lying to me about?

No Coffee Break

Wellness is a major movement these days. I'm for wellness, but sometimes I think things are taken out of context to support the desired conclusion.

A recent wellness newsletter included a short article about a study. The individuals who participated in the study trained in the morning on verbal memory, motor, and perceptual learning tasks. Then they were split into 3 groups.
* Group 1 got a 60-90 minute nap
* Group 2 listened to a book on tape and received a pill that had caffeine the equivalent of a 10oz cup of coffee
* Group 3 listened to a book on tape and received a placebo (sugar pill)

Then later they were tested on what they had learned in the morning. Results:
* Group 1 (nap group) tested best
* Group 2 (caffeine group) tested worst
* Group 3 (placebo) tested second best

Conclusion: You might want to skip that cup of coffee (The title of the article)

It's interesting to note that the nap group is the only group that didn't have to absorb more material (listening to a book on tape) that might interfere with what they learned earlier.

Why does coffee get the bad rap here? Coffee wasn't even part of the study. It simply has caffeine in common with the pill that was used. Maybe it would have been different had coffee been used.

My conclusion: Naps help performance.

From Death to Life

It's Friday morning. I'm standing in a farmhouse bedroom where my unresponsive aunt Lil is using all the energy she has on each breath she takes. My father, just back from Florida the day before, sits by her bed talking to her of recent conversations they have had about the tribulations they have faced in life and about who would 'go home' first. Her daughter lovingly strokes her head telling her that it's okay to go home.

Six days earlier in her living room we talked with a 93 year old aunt Lil who looked neither 93 nor looked savaged by the aggressive leukemia that momentarily took a back seat to the two units of blood she had received a day earlier. In fact she had just finished up interviewing a client of hers. She wasn't about to sit on the sidelines of her tax business and let the others shoulder the load.

The mood in the bedroom is now somber. We notice her eyelids have now opened slightly, but that is the only change. Sensing the end is near my father gives up his seat so her granddaughter can be with her in these last moments. Soon she is no longer struggling to breathe, the room falls silent. Her time had come.

Eighteen hours later my daughter calls. The arrival of our new grandchild is anticipated soon. Barb attempts to get some sleep before the final call comes telling us that she is on the way to the hospital. Sixty minutes doesn't provide much time to rest. The call comes. They are on their way. We begin to prepare for the coming hours. We shower, pick out clothes we'll be comfortable in, send e-mails to the family letting them know that by morning we hope to have a new grandchild. The phone rings. It's our son-in-law. He puts our daughter on the line. A crying baby can be heard in the background. It doesn't quite click. But then the words make it clear. We have a new grandson. Even if we would have left the minute we received the call, it wouldn't have been soon enough to get there before Jesten made his entrance into this world. There was only 12 minutes difference from the time they arrived at the hospital until their new son was delivered.

In just over 18 hours I had seen life take it's last breath and saw life taking some of it's first breaths.

Photos and timeline of Jesten's arrival.

Photo Flashback - Valentine

The Case of the Missing Camera:Closed

It was back in October of 2008 when Kodak turned up missing. A report of the missing camera can be found in the December 2008 post The Case of the Missing Camera. What follows is the resolution of that case.

On December 27th 2008 at 4:00pm, Harold and Barb entered the airport terminal at South Bend Regional Airport to board a plane for Sanford FL. Their departing flight had been delayed and they were informed to check back at the desk at 8:00pm. Their permanent residence being 20 minutes from the airport, they decided to pass the time at home. While at home Harold watched movies while Barb re-arranged the storage room.

It was during her re-arranging that she noticed that Harold's saddle bag for his bike seemed a little heavier than normal. Barb investigated and found the camera that had been missing for two months inside. When confronted with the location that the camera was found, Harold could not recall how Kodak would have come to be located in the saddle bags which were now in the basement.

Kodak was now packed and accompanied the Rodgers' to FL. Once in FL batteries for Kodak were purchased and it was put to use. It was noticed that Kodak was not it's old self. Even with new batteries, Kodak would not always turn on. Sometimes it took numerous tries and sometimes so many that we just gave up.

With this new information the "Missing Camera Bureau" is concluding that Kodak made it's way from top of the dresser in the first floor bedroom into the bike saddlebags in the storage room in the basement so that it could slip on into the afterlife of cameras. Many will be skeptical that the camera would be able to transport itself off the dresser, down the hall, open a closed door to the basement, down the stairs, around a corner, through another closed door, up on a shelf, unzip a saddlebag climb in and zip the bag back up. Yet, there is no other logical conclusion.

Diet Is The First To Go

You're probably thinking that I made a New Year's Resolution to diet among other resolutions and that I have now abandon my diet. Wrong.

I've discovered that diet pop freezes before other pop and water. A few days ago I pulled into the garage to find our mini-fridge door open. Upon closer examination I discover an exploding diet sprite had blown the door open sending ice shards throughout the immediate vicinity. It actually ripped the can open. Due to the extreme cold it was fairly easy to clean up since it appeared that the contents were never in liquid form outside the can.

I removed all the other Sprite Zero cans not wanting a repeat. I unplugged the mini-fridge and left the other pop and water in there thinking that the inside would not get as cold as the outside and that the other liquids would be safe. Wrong.

This morning about 7:00 as I lay in bed I heard a sound, not unlike something falling off a shelf somewhere. I ignored it and continued my rest. Later that morning I was informed that there was a mess to clean up in the garage. This time two, not one but two, Diet Cokes exploded, again blowing the door open. The car, being parked in the garage at the time, had the pleasure of experiencing it's first Diet Coke. The mess this time was more extensive and looked like the proverbial excrement had hit the fan. The water was also frozen and other soft drinks were very close but still, it was the diet that was first to go.

Sleeping My Way To Weight Loss:Told You So

In October of 2007 I had a post Sleeping My Way To Weight Loss where I suggested that I could loose weight simply by sleeping. Followed up by Sleeping My Way To Weight Loss:Dream On where I expounded further on my theory.

Then in January of 2008 I offered personal evidence in the post Sleeping My Way To Weight Loss:Reality.

And now in the January 2008 Reader's Digest article "13 Things You Never Knew About Your Weight" they give us "fascinating facts behind the new fat-busting science". Fact 6 "Sleep More, Lose More". The article references Louis Aronne MD and past president of the Obesity Society as well as University of Chicago researchers. The conclusion..."sleep may be the cheapest and easiest obesity treatment there is."

Told you so.