Another source reports on Procrastination

At least this teeny blurb more fully reports the research done on twins about procrastination and the reason it may have developed. I took this from the April 25th edition of The Week Magazine.

The science of putting it off
Chronic procrastination can feel like a character flaw, but a new study indicates that rather than lamenting your lack of will power, you can just blame your parents. Researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, surveyed pairs of identical and fraternal twins about their tendency to procrastinate and to set and meet goals, and their level of impulsiveness. Identical twins were much more likely to match answers than fraternals, showing that genetics plays a significant role in forming these habits. “Learning more about the underpinnings of procrastination may help develop interventions to prevent it,” study author Daniel Gustavson tells NatureWorldNews​.com. Researchers also believe impulsiveness, which overlaps with procrastination tendencies, may have given our ancestors an evolutionary advantage by helping them focus on day-to-day survival rather than long-term goals. Procrastination could be a by-product of that thinking, showing how behavioral traits that evolved millennia ago can clash with the demands of modern life.

Blog with a similar name

As I named my blog I obviously had to find something unique. I did, at least I did with blogspot.... Today I read an entry with a similar name and of course, with the similar name, it had a similar theme. Nancy Humphrey Case wrote about the sale of her family's farm built in 1810 where 10 generations of her family lived. Such good stuff. But it makes me sad. She concludes it's the stories that make it worthwhile, not the things. I have noticed, though, that it's just often the things that make one remember the stories... We don't write these stories down, or think to tell them on a normal Sunday afternoon. I don't have an answer as how to change that.

But please find here Ms. Case's entry about her farm called Cherry Brook. I hope you enjoy it as I did.

Beef Prices

USA Today reports that the price of beef has hit a 27-year high.

The average U.S. price for fresh beef rose in February to its highest level since 1987 — $5.28 a pound — as cattle ranchers reduced their herds amid dry conditions and demand for beef increased in China and Japan, among other export destinations, The Associated Press reports. Prices are expected to stay high for a few years, at least.

Some shoppers are sucking up the price hike — 25 cents a pound in a month — or switching to cheaper cuts, while others are simply looking elsewhere for their protein. Some ranchers are nervous that people will permanently change their eating habits if prices stay high, even as all cattle ranchers are thrilled about getting more money for their wares.

As for restaurants, they're either passing on the higher costs to customers or, as some higher-end restaurants are, serving smaller steaks. So, bad time to go on the paleo diet, and good time to own a hamburger stand. - - Peter Weber

Reading this makes me think about the process of raising cattle. I have always wondered how much of what we/I eat comes from feed lots versus how much comes from the rancher/farmer whose animals I see as a drive along the smaller roads in the US. This blurb talks about droughts which doesn't effect the feed lots, does it? I mean it's not as though the animals are grazing and enjoying a pristine stream as it passes through the meadow. Or do I just not understand the process? Do the animals start in that field I see from the road only to be shipped to a feed lot just before slaughter? I guess I have addressed this issue for myself by purchasing my meat from a rancher at the farmer's market. Now, have I visited his farm to confirm my assumptions? Not yet.... Perhaps I need to add that to my ever-growing to-do list.

Gut Bacteria

I confess to any readers, I believe in the Primal perspective on eating. I am not necessarily very good at following the tenets, but the theory resonates with me. I particularly like the Friday posts when folks write in about their success stories. I believe them. I mean, not everyone can make up such wonderful stories, can they? It amazes me about people who get to get off their medicines after eating Primaly. (A friend just confessed last night that she has been diagnosed as diabetic and now she is taking medicine for that. It breaks my heart.)

The reason I mention Primal Eating is because Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple recently published a blog post about Gut Bacteria. Gut bacteria fascinates me. I heard a podcast several years ago (on RadioLab, maybe) about the effects of gut bacteria on our health. It’s amazing. I suppose everyone has heard about it now, it’s been in the press so much. (I also heard about an experiment with sinus infections in children where they did a transfusion of healthy sinus bacteria into those children who suffered multiple sinus infections and how it worked relative wonders for the children.) I am ensnared by the idea of ‘TransPOOsions’ – a Freudian slip made by a patient of the interviewed doctor who was going to give her a fecal transfusion. Can you imagine? Insert the gut bacteria from a healthy individual into that of an ailing individual and have their lives turn around? At the time of the podcast they were speculating that it might help MS, Parkinsons, and other diseases. I will be keeping my focus on the subject.

Anyway, I wanted to share Mark Sisson’s blog post 7 Things You Had No Idea Gut Bacteria Could Do. In summary, they are:
They learn from each other.
They improve our bone mineral density.
They nullify anti-nutrients.
They manufacture vitamins.
They form a large physical barrier against pathogens.
They represent a “second brain.”
They can make us depressed, anxious, obsessive-compulsive, and even autistic.

Obviously, dear reader, you need to read his very detailed post so that you may learn. But, do take a look. It’s good stuff.

The stories of my family

Doing all this genealogical research makes me want to put the stories of my family members out in to the universe. I haven't researched any one who changed the world in a big way. (Though I am cousins with Benjamin Franklin! Cousins, mind you; we share an ancestor, along with most of the rest of America, I am sure.) I am going to see how it goes posting the stories I have been generating about family members.

I will confess, though, that I once heard a theory on hell which has caused me some concern.... One person's theory was that we enter hell when no one on the face of the earth ever mentions or thinks of us again. And the other theory was the opposite, that the hell is never being allowed to rest because we are always mentioned.... Think of George Washington or Benjamin Franklin. I would hate to maintain my family in hell because they could never rest. (I guess I should take note that I assumed the worst as opposed to the best of these two theories. Maybe I am keeping my family from hell.)

As I write this post I realize I should fiercely adopt the more positive theory, as I have decided to write the stories of the childless women in my family. Given how little is known about women through historical documents, and having no children to carry on the genetic material, this may be the only way to save them from hell. I may want to have someone do the same for me some day....

Childless by Choice

I made a conscious decision not to have children, but doing the genealogical research does make me sad that I have not made another generation bringing two family histories together. It has also made me contemplate writing the stories of other childless women in my tree. Of course, other than speculating about their lives based on the world events around them, the stories of these women can be rather sparse. It begs the question about my own contributions beyond the creation of future generations.

A Long Lost Sister Right Next Door - from the Week Magazine

I had to share the following blurb from the February 28th edition of The Week Magazine:

A long-lost sister right next door
North Dakotan John Maixner spent years exchanging friendly hellos with Walmart greeter Buddine Bullinger, only to discover recently that she is his long-lost sister. Maixner, a brother, and three sisters were given up for adoption 50 years ago, and just last year he began searching for his birth family. When he tracked down a picture of his siblings, his jaw dropped as he realized that he knew Bullinger. The pair now speak by phone nearly every day, and Maixner has reconnected with his siblings and their children. “I gained a huge family,” he said.

How wonderful is this story? I can't imagine having my family split up in such a manner, but to then find them? What a blessing. It's too bad that the article doesn't mention how they found one another. I did find a third cousin through Ancestry.com DNA, though I am disappointed to report that she does not seem all that interested in connecting. I have heard stories about people trying to scam others through Ancestry connections. The scam goes something like this: people become close/connected and then the scammer asks their 'family' to lend them money. An alarming possibility which leads to a lot of distrust on the site.

Cafe Amelie in New Orleans - a Review

Cafe Amelie certainly has a nice setting on Royal Street in the Vieux Carre. The fountain in the middle of the garden is charming with the lovely soft emanating sounds; the small inside has high, painted ceilings. The food was enjoyable - a nice dressing on the mixed salad and spicy lait du cochon sandwich. The problem was the service. We seemed to be an inconvenience to our waiter and he just didn't bother to bring us requested items.
Coffee, tomato juice, 1 fig & jam appetizer, 2 mixed salads, 1 special sandwich all for $58.97 - before tip. No alcohol in that sum.

I would try again and see if the service is any better on a subsequent visit.

A Shout Out for Wild Fibers Magazine

I just wanted to give a shout out to Linda Cortright and her small team for their magazine Wild Fibers. Linda travels all over the world and takes beautiful photographs. She publishes 4 times a year. Wild Fibers magazine elucidates the reader on the subject of all sources of fiber - rabbit, yak, alpaca, goat, etc.

Our mission is to understand the role natural fibers have played in developing cultures and supporting communities throughout the world. We are as devoted to the people who spin, weave, and create "magic" with fiber, as we are to the farmers, nomads, and shepherds who have tended these endearing creatures from the start.

I learned about Wild Fibers magazine at an Alpaca and Fleece festival in Maryland.

Separated siblings

I read a fabulous blurb in the April 18th edition of The Week Magazine:

After 18 years apart, two long lost sisters have reunited through social media. Nia Edwards, 23, has been searching for her scattered siblings for years. She scoured Facebook, My Space, and Twitter without any luck. In one last effort to reconnect, she downloaded Instagram and was immediately successful. Brenda Edwards has been looking for her sibs as well. "She had followed so many people names Nia Edwards, hoping that one was me," said an overjoyed Nia. "I was so happy that I called my local news station."

What a wonderful story; the internet and social media has been so helpful for genealogy, too. Being Facebook friends with cousins I can add their joyful events to my Family Tree Maker software without having to pester them. (Or, I can easily pester them for the details, and I can copy some of the photographs they post.) I have also 'friended' cousins who I have connected through this genealogical research, so I can have an idea about the lives of third cousins who live many miles away.

Theodore B. Starr silver

I have been thinking about some silver pieces I have that I don't use, but are associated with family members. I have a sterling cigarette box of my paternal grandfather's and an employee/colleague signed silver platter from my maternal grandfather. I have been reflecting upon a way to save each piece that didn't involve placing them on a coffee table or such - and also as a way not to have to polish them regularly. I struck upon the idea of a shadow box with a portrait of each above.

As I walked down the 33 hundred block of fun Magazine Street in New Orleans I saw a store called Sterling Framing - I thought, 'Aha!' how lucky can I get? A store that frames sterling silver. Well, it turns out the proprietor's middle name is Sterling and she hasn't ever included some sterling in a shadow box, but she helped me brainstorm about how I might accomplish my desired task. Ms. Hoell also suggested that I walk further down the street to a Silver shop and pose the same question to them.

As I walked down Magazine street enjoying all the shop windows I finally came upon the As You Like It Silver Shop in the 3000 block of Magazine. They have such beautiful things. As eloquently put on their web page, the owner "buys, sells and restores sterling silver and silver-plated tableware, flatware, and holloware in active, inactive and obsolete sterling patterns. In addition, we sell silver polishing products, tarnish prevention products, and other silver cleaning products in such brand names as Hagerty, Cape Cod, and Rich Glo. However, our customers’ favorite product is our own world renown silver polish, the best available anywhere. Some additional services include hand engraving, re-plating, silver-plating, and all types of silverware restoration, such as soldering, dent removal, handle repair, and garbage disposal damage repair."

I'm afraid they were not able to give me the desired answer to my question about keeping the tarnish off the silver piece in the frame - no good answer there, I am afraid. I may have to maintain access to the silver with a hinged back so that it may be polished periodically, though they did suggest that I include some of the tarnish strips in the frame with the piece. Oh well, I will continue to play with my idea, as I do want to keep the silver as an heirloom piece for my nieces and I think 'attaching' the piece to a portrait of the man would be worthwhile, particularly as the great grandchildren get further and further away by the years.

As I started to walk out of the shop it suddenly occurred to me to ask about Theodore B. Starr silver and if they had any. Theodore B. Starr is a great, great grandfather who owned a silver and jewelry store in Manhattan. Though he himself was not a craftsman, his name is on a lot of silver. The sales clerk looked in her computer and discovered that they did, in fact, have one piece of Theodore B. Starr silver - a compote for $895.

I am not sure what I would do with a compote, but it was a delight to see. Who knows if my great, great grandfather ever touched this piece, but it did pass through his shop once upon a time. I love that idea.

LaMalot Farm in Breezewood, PA; they are retiring

One my trips between Maryland and State College, PA I have occasionally stopped at LaMalot Farm. It was a large llama farm in Breezewood, PA. I spoke with the owners, I am afraid I don’t recall their names, to let them know I was driving through town and hoping to stop in to visit the herd. I spoke with them on the mobile phone in Florida. It turns out that she has culled her herd from roughly 40 llamas to just 4 – one sire and 3 females. One of the females has been with her a while – the llama is 22 years old. She indicated that she has reduced the price on the animals, and two of them are pregnant; she will sell mother and cria together.

It was at this farm that I learned about the relaxing effect of llamas. The proprietor told me that she noted that many of her buyers are emergency room nurses; people with high stress jobs. There was an article in the New York Times a while ago how these animals are used in nursing homes and the like to help with patients. Llamas are so good, as they prefer to eliminate in a communal dung pile and are not messy animals.

This is an interesting couple – they told us several years ago that they own much of the land under the interchange between 70 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The man had to leave school after 8th grade when his father passed. They raised cattle, but the wife indicated that she was afraid of the large animals and wanted something more gentle. I hope I am remembering that correctly, as it was many years ago that she told me the story.

The husband indicated that, during the 70’s, he drove a tanker truck to Washington, DC to get a tanker full of gasoline which he drove back to Breezewood to sell locally. This was during the gas shortage of the mid-70’s. Entrepreneurial guy.

They are lovely people and I wish them well in their retirement.

The Wellington Hotel, New York - a Review

The Wellington Hotel
871 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10019

This hotel is well located at 56th and 7th. Unfortunately, based perhaps on its age, the whole hotel seems to be one big haha room. This visit to this hotel is probably the first time when I actually went up to the room and rejected it, calling the front desk and then descending to wait for another room to become available. Initially I was escorted by a bellman up to the room, but he never even looked at me. I only had one small bag, so no reason for him to take the luggage, but it seemed to me that he couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. And I actually tipped him. (The second time I came up to my room, I wasn’t even escorted to confirm that the a/c worked or that there were towels in the bathroom.) I have a view of the building next door – maybe 20 feet away. My second room – 1545 – at least did not look out on to the air handling units, and the window was in the middle of the wall, not squished up in the corner of the room as it was in the first room – room 343. I even asked Janette at reception when I checked in if she was giving me the haha room; she claims to have never heard that expression. I wonder what terminology she uses for that joke of a room.

The elevators are extremely small – and one has to wait ages for one to come. The second morning the elevator was completely crammed with people and the elevator stopped at several more floors where people could not actually fit in the elevator, so they had to wait for the next one. You can imagine how tightly stuffed the rest of us strangers were.

Further, much to my surprise, when I returned to the hotel there was no longer a doorman at about 11 pm on a Wednesday night. There was a door man during the day, but he seemed more interested in chatting with his friends than opening the door or helping with the luggage – though he did make a lunch recommendation when asked.



In the images, take a look how close the end of the bed is to the wall. Also, peek at the size of the bathroom. Being alone I didn't need to shut the door while in there, but it is a tight fit.

This is clearly not a glamorous hotel, but it was relatively inexpensive for a research trip to NYC. I paid just over $250/night with the taxes. I did not need to be in that area of town, but nothing was cheaper elsewhere.

The view from my window. I know that NYC has these light and air wells - a matter of historical good policy as the city went skyward, but in this day and age, they are not particularly welcome in a hotel. Once upon a time they were considered healthy so that every apartment could have light and air.

I will not be returning to this hotel.

To Live Long, Eat Lots of Veggies

Another interesting article in the April 18th edition of The Week Magazine, this time about food and health.

Mom always said that fruits and vegetables are good for your health, but a new study has quantified just how good—and the results are remarkable. Tracking the self-reported eating habits of more than 65,000 people over 12 years, researchers at University College London found that those who consumed seven or more daily portions—each roughly half a cup—of fresh fruits or vegetables reduced their risk of death during the study period by 42 percent, The Washington Post reports. Consuming that same amount dropped the specific risk of dying from cancer by 25 percent, and from heart disease by 31 percent. “The size of the effect is staggering,” says researcher Oyinlola Oyebode. Even minimal consumption had a measurable impact: Eating one to three daily portions cut the risk of death by 14 percent. Fresh vegetables provided the biggest benefit, with each portion reducing overall risk of death by 16 percent. Consuming canned fruits, however, actually increased the statistical risk, likely due to the added sugar used in processing. Fruit juices had no effect at all. Researchers stressed that the findings indicate “a strong association but not necessarily a causal relationship” between eating fruits and vegetables and mortality rates.

Now, with this type of information, why is it still hard to get oneself over the inertia and eat such wonderful food? I mean, we generally enjoy veggies when we have them, but why is preparing them so difficult?

American Women Are Marrying Down

As reported in the Los Angeles Times, 'a record number of American women are "marrying down" and wedding men with less education, according to a Pew Research Study. In 2012, nearly 21 percent of wives had more education that their spouses - a three fold jump since 1960. With women now dominating the college ranks, "marrying down" may become increasingly common.'

I just thought it was interesting.

Multiple Marriages

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, 'with people living longer, roughly one in four people ages 59 and older has married two or more times, according to census data.' That is good stuff, but rather funny, too, given that through history people have married multiple times, though because wives either die in child birth or because widows need to marry again in order to be 'protected' by a man. It has complicated my genealogical research, particularly in Nantucket, because on that island we see cousins marrying one another, as well as the youngest child of one generation marrying the oldest of another generation and really making following the names confusing. With the habit of naming children after family members, and even naming a child after a previously deceased child within the same family, one can tie to the wrong person in a tree. Interesting stuff, though complicates the research.

Tattoos

Dan Brooks in the New York Times (and recapped in The Week Magazine) indicated:

My generation got tattoos. We were not the first Americans to do so, but we were the first to do it en masse. Now, two decades later, we are becoming the first to carry them into middle age. It turns out tattoos are permanent, even when little else is.  When we all got them together, they became a symbol of youth, which is a substantially less fun symbol to have around when you are old.  How will our tattoos look to the generation that cares for us? Perhaps they will see the flames and skulls on our withered forearms and remember us as the generation that couldn’t imagine getting old, that was foolish enough to make the enthusiasms of its youth a permanent mark.

It has always struck me as a little crazy, these young people getting tattoos.  What is fun as a young person is decidedly not as fun on an older person, when the skin has gone crepey and thin.  I remember a Saturday Night Live sketch many years ago illustrating a tramp stamp saying 'Juicy' on a young back which, when the formerly taught skin starts sagging changes to 'Just Sad'.  That remained with me and that is all I can think of when I see all the ink.

On the other hand, the a huge group is in the same boat, getting older together.  They will be in the workforce together, as parents together, as cadavers together.  Many cultures have skin decoration, so I guess it is not as strange as I believe it to be.  But, for some reason, I can't get my brain around 'old' people and tattoos.  (And how about the large ear lobes?)

Procrastination is hereditary

According to NBC News this morning, procrastination is hereditary....  now from which grandparent did I inherit that characteristic?