Life is Healthy

Hi everyone! Just a quick post today to say congrats to Elise, who won the "Crunch-Free Xtreme Abs" personal training with Jackie DVD and to UmpireMom, who won the "Gorgeous Core" with Suzanne Bowen DVD. Please email me your info and I'll get these out to you right away!

I'll have a post tomorrow. In the meantime, have a happy New Year's Eve! Be safe, eat smart, have fun! See you all next year!

Posted by the Blogger Team

2010 has been an exciting year for all of us on the global Blogger team, and our platform is now more powerful, reliable, and active than ever before. As we close the books on another great year, we want to take a moment to look back at some of the highlights.

The makeover. The new Template Designer, with beautiful new templates and iStockPhoto™ background images, was one of the team’s biggest accomplishments of the year. Since the launch in June, nearly half of our active users have begun using the new templates (if you haven't tried our new templates yet, why don't you give them a try?) Our efforts to make Blogger blogs look more beautiful continued with the release of web fonts, custom background images, and mobile-optimized views.

Some great new features. 2010 was also a year when we added tons of new features to Blogger. We had a busy summer adding two new admin tabs to Blogger: Comments and Stats. The comments tab introduced a comments inbox and spam filtering; real-time stats, followed by stats gadgets, were also highly requested features. We've also added static pages, new share buttons, WYSIWYG post preview, improved YouTube integration, Zemanta post editor gadget, integration with Google Apps, and many other new features.

Rock-solid infrastructure. Of course features don't mean much when the service goes down, and we've made lots of behind-the-scene improvements to keep our service up and running as reliably as possible. Auto-pagination was one of our many efforts to reduce latency. Sometimes keeping our infrastructure robust meant phasing out features that are used by only a fraction of our users, but have a heavy impact on our system, such as FTP publishing — which some bloggers called a "hard but smart decision."

Reaching out to real users. Perhaps the most exciting thing that we did this year was to get out more and meet the real users, like you. We set up booths at SXSW and BlogWorld Expo (our first ever presence there), and we held our 11th birthday party all around the world. In addition, our face-to-face meetings were accompanied by our conversations with you over virtual channels like our user forum and Twitter. We will continue meeting you, listening to you, and delivering what you want for Blogger in 2011.

It’s been a pretty busy year for us, but we hope 2011 will be an even busier year where we deliver even more exciting releases to you. Thanks again for all your support, and we wish you the best during this holiday season. See you in the new year!

Well, it's been a while since I've been here—a few days anyway. Since I haven't posted anything about weight loss in quite a while, I'd like to suggest a sure fire way to loss that holiday weight: Get yourself a case of stomach flu. That's right folks, it's guaranteed to make you drop five or more pounds in a hurry. It comes complete with nausea, diarrhea, headache, and lethargy. Anyway, it isn't really funny, and I'm still suffering through the headache.

But I did run across a cool website called Super Skinny Me. Despite the name, it doesn't promote anorexia. It's actually put together pretty well. If you have ever wondered what your body type is or exactly how many calories you'd need to cut from your diet to lose those pounds, this site has the calculators to do it. You can find info about different diets that you can't find, easily anyway, anywhere else. The site is loaded with cool stuff. Check it out.

This is my first attempt at a video review and clearly I need to adjust the camera…LOL I'll get better at this. Maybe.

Anyway, if you’d like to win either “Gorgeous Core with Suzanne Bowen” or “Personal Training with Jackie: Crunch-Free Extreme Abs,” leave a comment below or send me an email at lynn.haraldson@yahoo.com and I’ll throw your name in the hat. If you’d like your name in both hats, that’s totally cool, just know that you will only win one if your name is selected. Gotta spread the love, you know?

Good luck! I'll be back soon with a real blog and a New Year's video. Hopefully I'll have figured out the camera by then :)

The Jakarta Police narcotics directorate displays drugs confiscated from two Iranian smugglers on November 30. On Monday the Jakarta Police announced they had arrested 55 foreign drug smugglers in 2010. (Antara Photo)

Each Christmas, I buy a gift for myself. Just a little something I pick up on a whim while shopping. One year it was a small ceramic elf, another was a Christmas cactus, and one year, while looking for a sweater for my daughter, I found the most perfect-fitting pair of pants on sale for $10. Best. Buy. Ever.

This year’s gift, though, didn’t cost a thing. In fact, I’d forgotten about this yearly tradition until I was fully engaged in it this afternoon.

My gift to me this year was…a walk.

I haven’t taken a walk since the hike in October (see “Recovered”) because it took my knee three days to get back to some semblance of normal. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’d torn my medial meniscus. While it felt OK during and right after into the hike, afterwards my knee hurt like a son of a gun. I haven’t tested it since.

When I was diagnosed last month, my doc shot me up with cortisone. My knee is still iffy (it may still need to be scoped), and the way it feels varies day to day. Yesterday I was limping. Today I felt like I could climb Algonquin (a beautiful mountain in the Adirondacks). Instead I did the next best thing. I explored my neighborhood.

Earlier this morning, I was with my daughters and their SOs and my grandkids and Larry. We exchanged gifts, ate eggs and chocolate and potatoes, and when I got home, I was hepped up on sugar and feeling like a slug. My mind said, “Take a nap!” but my body said, “Go outside!” I decided to follow the advice I give here ad nauseum: “Listen to your body!”

I was a having a rockin’ hair day, which alone would usually preclude me from doing anything to mess it up. But I was alone (and besides, who really cares?), so I put on my new Buddy the Elf hat that my darling daughter Carlene knitted for me; layered a long-sleeve t-shirt, sweatshirt and shell underneath my coat; put on my serious walking boots and my gloves; and I headed out.

I live in a working-class town north of Pittsburgh. It’s safe and quiet and much closer to the Allegheny River than I realized. I walked up my street toward the cemetery and turned north onto a road I’d not been on before. I wound around the back streets, admiring the Christmas decorations some folks had on their lawns, when then I saw in one large picture window a leg lamp. A “Christmas Story” leg lamp. Man, I laughed for half a block!

I turned another corner and was struck by the familiar western PA hill-river terrain. I knew the Allegheny wasn’t far away, but I had no idea it was just four blocks from my house. As I got closer to the homes that bordered the hill’s ledge, I felt just how cloistered I’d become in my apartment and in my routine. Since moving here, I haven’t thought outside the box of where I need to be. I get in my Jeep and I go to the store or I go to see the grandkids or I go to a doctor’s appointment or some such. I go with purpose and not with curiosity. Today’s walk shook out all the dust that had settled since my last hike. I love walking. I love looking around. I love the peace and solitude of a long steady pace. When I got back to my house, I didn’t want the walk to end, but my knee was getting quiet insistent after 45 minutes. So I compromised and didn’t go inside right away.

I felt it all and understood the gift of the walk, that of clarity and time alone.

Merry Christmas :)

Hold On Hold Out by Jackson Browne (For complete lyrics, click here)

Hold on hold out, keep a hold on strong
The money's in and the bets are down
You won't hold out long
They say you'll fall in no time at all
But you know they're wrong
Known it all along

Hold on hold out, keep a hold on still
If you don't see what your love is worth
No one ever will
You've done your time on the bottom line
And it ain't no thrill
There's got to be something more
Keep a hold on still
You know what it is you're waiting for
Now you just hold on
Hold on hold out

I know that most advent calendars only go up to 24, but this is one Christmasier, isn't it? So without further ado, let's see what is behind the fairy at the top of the mast ...



MERRY
CHRIST-
MAS! X

Again, a slight lack of pl-
anning ahead, but this is a time for goodwill to all, so:

MERRY CHRISTMAS! X

(ANTARA News/Fanny Octavianus)

Week 50 - LETTERS

And behind the ridiculously tiny sail (how on earth is Father Christmas planning on getting round the world in one night with that?) is ...



A nativity scene!

Blimey. Compared with the Christmas cake this is like the Sistine Chapel ceiling. I suspect that the labour got divided up and this is one of my sister's efforts. Whilst you all admire it, let's have a round-up of the year before tomorrow's final window:

We didn't move house, saving that particular joy for next year.

My shoulder, which was very painful in January, is loads better, but as of Saturday I've now got a sore neck which is making it difficult to sleep. I have definitely reached the age where it's best not to ask me how I am, unless you have quite a lot of time on your hands.

I'm afraid there was no more Rothkowatch as the writing project was put on hold due to lack of funds, which was annoying for all concerned, especially me, to whom those funds should have gone. It may one day be resurrected, or the picture might be auctioned off to pay creditors. Who knows?

Things That I Will Probably Never Get Round to Doing #4 would probably be 'Some More Blog Posts About Things That I Will Probably Never Get Round to Doing'.

But this advent calendar means that I've written the most posts since 2007 (when, in absolutely no coincidence, MY LOVELY SON was born). And it's been wonderfully nostalgic fun as well as a good exercise to have to write one small thing each day about a subject I have no control over. I hope you've enjoyed it. If you did, please do leave a comment. With the advent (geddit?) of feed readers I now have little to no idea if anyone is still reading this.

Don't forget tomorrow's window in all the excitement.

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana | December 23, 2010

“We’ve also ensured that these cases don’t disrupt their education and that they can continue their studies.”

And behind the jack is ...



A stocking!

That's pretty clear, isn't it? Let's see what's in the stocking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jy4X87fDk4

It's Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses, the best Christmas song ever!

I don't usually make two posts in one day anymore. But I ran across a story today about a guy who gives whatever he can to a charitable organization everyday. I have wanted to find ways to give for a long time now. I was operating under the impression hat you had to give thousands of dollars for it to be worthwhile. As it turns out, I was I wrong.

Carlo Garcia gives anywhere from $5 to $200 to organizations that serve people—everyday. He has given away about $2,500 this year. He maintains a blog that allows his followers—some 5,000 now—to give as  well. They have given about $3,400.

In the past month, I have given about $45 to two organizations that help people around the world get fresh drinking water into their homes—Water.org and charity: water. One of them also provided sanitation assistance. I thought that was nothing until I read Carlo's story. All it really takes is for people to help each other. If everyone gave a little bit, it would help a lot.

I have posted a widget on this blog where you can go to Carlo's blog to read about him, and maybe donate a little money to the cause.

If you really can't afford to donate money, there are plenty of other ways you can help the people in this world who need it. Habitat for Humanity always needs volunteers—I plan to get involved in this organization in anyway I can.  There are plenty of other organizations that can use office help, food delivery services, or phone calls to shut ins. It doesn't take a huge wallet to make a difference. It just takes a willingness to give.

In the nearly five years I’ve been doing Weight Watchers, I’ve become pretty wedded to my food routine. Not that there’s anything wrong with a routine. It has and will continue to serve me well. But two things have come into play the last few months that have me loosening up the way I think about food: cooking for one and getting out more.

When I was buying food for two (or more), I bought a lot of fresh produce because it got eaten up quickly. Not so with just me. I don’t need a five-pound bag of potatoes or two-pound bag of onions anymore. A couple of bananas and apples now last more than a few days. When I first moved in to my apartment, I was buying produce like I was cooking for two and I ended up throwing things away the first few weeks because no one person could possibly eat all that I’d bought. Finally I understood what so many of you have discussed either in your blogs or in your comments, that frozen fruits and veggies are not only more economical, they have a much longer shelf life than fresh. They’re pretty darn tasty, too.

Living in Pittsburgh, I’m discovering places I didn’t know existed or haven’t been to in years. These activities often involve food, either directly or indirectly. For instance, last Saturday, a friend and I went to the Strip District. The Strip is lined with shops and restaurants, fish markets and produce stands, table after table of Steelers and Penguins items, jewelry vendors, and ethnic grocery stores. I hadn’t been there in ages, the last time being the day I locked my keys in the car and had to call AAA and the cutest boy ever managed to jimmy the lock…but I digress.

We grabbed a latte to go from Right By Nature then went to see the completed renovations inside St. Stanislaus Kostka Church where three very nice ladies were serving homemade Polish cookies. I ate a chrusciki (a fried cookie – yes, I ate a fried cookie – that looks like angel wings) and it was very yummy.

When we got to the Korean market, my friend ordered us a mung bean pancake and I ate my half with a touch of hot sauce. It was really good. At the Mediterranean market, I bought two dates and ate them while drinking a glass of wine in a bar that was hosting the iron workers union Christmas party. No one seemed to mind we’d crashed it and no one cared that I was eating dates. I can’t remember the last time I ate dates. Why? Because I always thought anything that sweet and tasty had to be “bad.” Yet two dates have 40 calories and virtually no fat. Yes, they’re higher in carbs and sugars, but like the chrusciki, they’re a once-in-awhile treat. Nothing “bad” about that at all.

At Public Market, we sampled some jams before ending our afternoon at an Irish pub where we ate cheese and bread and fruit. It was a very fun and tasty day, but after nearly eight hours, I was feeling run down. While I hadn’t eaten a lot of any one thing, my body was definitely telling me I needed real sustenance. Some veggies and protein. For dinner I had a spinach salad, steamed broccoli, and a baked potato. Within a few minutes, I felt a million percent better.

The next day, I went to a Buddhist temple for a luncheon. I sampled curried lentils and milk rice without scrutinizing their exact contents, something I used to do all the time. I even ate a small sliver of carrot cake because I wanted to. Later that night, dinner was light – just a salad – and I was satisfied and very happy I’d tried something new and let the food sphincter unpucker just a little.

Today I read what Anne at Smaller Fun Pants wrote in her blog “Intuitive Eater’s Holiday Bill of Rights”: “Eat the meal you want. Eat what you truly want. If that’s carrots and celery sticks, great! If it’s a rich food, that’s okay too...because if you’re really tuning in to what your body needs and wants you won’t always want the rich foods. You won’t always fill up on cookies.”

My body wanted the carrot cake and chrusciki and the pancake and the dates. It also wanted vegetables and protein and fruit. And the balance I struck without going into a food coma or having a mental breakdown was quite amazing. It’s taken me five years, but it seems I’m developing a trust between my body and mind. No doubt there will be times when I still have to get all Mom on myself and say “No!”, but it’s all part of the learning process, isn’t it?

It's been more than 20 years since I published my first article. When I went into journalism, I supposed that people would be accepting of my every word. After all, what I was saying was fact. So why wouldn't they see that? Well, as it turns out, it doesn't work like that. People can be and are harsh and cruel. I've been called a liar, ignorant, and other more colorful things. I've been told I should apologize and then find a new career. Why bring this up?

My point is that anytime you put yourself out in public, you open yourself up for criticism. Some of it actually will be constructive. Some of it will be hurtful and biased. But most of it will be good. Unfortunately, as human beings, we seem to zero in on the hurtful, biased comments. When I published some of my first articles and was criticised for the first time, I cried—even though the criticism wasn't actually mean. It took me a while to figure out this was the way it going to be—if I wanted people to read anything I had written.

It's the same way with blogs. Blogs in out there for anyone, anywhere to read. And some people aren't going to be nice. The thing is: You're going to have to grow a tough enough skin to handle it. Being thin skinned will keep you upset, and you likely won't post the things that most of your readers have come to count on. You'll start holding back, and, eventually, you'll lose readers. Stick to your guns, and blow off the few negative Nellies that will come your way—and they will.

I have come to a point where I appreciate the negative comments because I learn something from them, too. And getting negative comments means that people are reading your blog. So it's all good.

My remedy for keeping well. Is quite simple. For breakfast I have a Weetabix with two oranges. This I hope will help my digestion. Then its time for my natural supplement cocktail. I will take 1000mg of vitamin C this will boost my immune system, protect against heart disease, and cancers.


Omega 3 fish oil is another favorite supplement. I will take 2000mg of this, which is 600mg of active EPA/DHA. Omega 3 supports a healthy heart and brain function. It is said that fish oil can improve your mood. Next I take 1000mg of fresh odourless garlic this helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and again supports heart health.It also helps to control blood pressure It may also protect the immune system. I regard Vitamin B3, (Niacin) as important. I take 100mg per day, and this helps to control my cholesterol levels. It also releases energy from food.


Finally I will take 75mg of a coated asprin, helping to thin my blood, and it is said to protect against bowel cancer

And behind the ensign is ...



Happy Birthday Grandad!

I spent all but one of my first 15 Christmases with him (I believe that the snow was too bad for the drive north one year), and I have happily taken on his festive role of winding up small children with tall tales. The 22nd was also his wedding anniversary, which was a great piece of planning as it would make the date difficult to forget. Though maybe there wasn't a lot of choice if you were getting married in 1939... Happy Birthday Grandad!

Our ears are always open to your feedback, whether it's a request for a new feature you'd like to see, a suggested improvement to the latest release from Draft, or input during a usability study.

In that spirit, we're hoping that you'll once again help us out us by taking a quick survey about our existing monetization features. And to make it a little more fun, we'll be sending out a handful of shiny new Blogger T-shirts to a lucky bunch of survey-filler-outers (chosen at random of course!).

Thanks for the help in advance! And for those who don't win a shirt, keep an eye out for other ways to get your hands on one in the future.

Hello all. I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything since Thursday. I've been unexpectadly out of town longer than I thought, and then yesterday lucky me caught the stomach virus going around. I'll post soon, but in the meantime, I hope this finds you well and not going too crazy getting ready for the holidays. Take good care of yourselves.

And behind the ship's stern is ...



A present!

Hang on - we've already had one of those on the 5th (behind the crow's nest):



And the rule was definitely that there had to be a different thing behind each door. Nooooo! Have I just discovered that my whole childhood was a failure? Did I not really achieve all the things I set out to, like scraping a pass in my Grade 4 violin? Has my entire life been built on a lie?

Ah, no wait a minute, let's look at today's present again:



Look - it's got a vertical pencil line coming out of its top, so that clearly shows that this isn't a present, but a present-shaped Christmas tree decoration. And that's totally different. Hurrah! And anyone who says that I've just drawn that line on is lying. You can get it carbon-dated if you want (what with pencil lead actually being graphite, a form of carbon) and it will definitely date from around 1979. And anyone who says that I have kept a pencil from around 1979 in case I ever needed to doctor the advent calendar in any way 30+ years on is lying.

Introduction

Having access to embargoed news from the Annals of Internal Medicine is really fun. I get to report on important studies at the same time as the news media. But this week, I got my hands on a study that I'm not sure will be widely reported (Mozaffarian et al. Trans-palmitoleic Acid, Metabolic Risk Factors, and New-Onset Diabetes in US Adults. Ann Internal Med. 2010). Why? Because it suggests that dairy fat may protect against diabetes.

The lead author is Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, whose meta-analysis of diet-heart controlled trials I recently criticized (1). I think this is a good opportunity for me to acknowledge that Dr. Mozaffarian and his colleagues have published some brave papers in the past that challenged conventional wisdom. For example, in a 2005 study, they found that postmenopausal women who ate the most saturated fat had the slowest rate of narrowing of their coronary arteries over time (2). It wasn't a popular finding but he has defended it. His colleague Dr. Walter Willett thinks dietary fat is fine (although he favors corn oil), whole eggs can be part of a healthy diet, and there are worse things than eating coconut from time to time. Dr. Willett is also a strong advocate of unrefined foods and home cooking, which I believe are two of the main pillars of healthy eating.

Let's hit the data

Investigators collected two measures of dairy fat intake in 3,736 Americans:

1. 24 hour dietary recall questionnaires, six times. This records volunteers' food intake at the beginning of the study.
2. Blood (plasma phospholipid) content of trans-palmitoleate. Dairy fat and red meat fat are virtually the only sources of this fatty acid, so it reflects the intake of these foods. Most of the trans-palmitoleate came from dairy in this study, although red meat was also a significant source.

After adjustment for confounding factors, trans-palmitoleate levels were associated with a smaller waist circumference, higher HDL cholesterol, lower serum triglycerides, lower C-reactive protein, lower fasting insulin and lower calculated insulin resistance. Furthermore, people with the highest trans-palmitoleate levels had 1/3 the risk of developing diabetes over the three years volunteers were followed. Keep in mind, however, that this is an observational study and does not prove that dairy fat prevents diabetes.

Even though certain blood fatty acids partially represent food intake, they can also represent metabolic conditions. For example, people on their way to type II diabetes tend to have more saturated blood lipids, independent of diet (3, 4)*. So it's reassuring to see that dietary trans-palmitoleate intake was closely related to the serum level. The investigators also noted that "greater whole-fat dairy consumption was associated with lower risk for diabetes," which increases my confidence that serum trans-palmitoleate is actually measuring dairy fat intake to some degree. However, in the end, I think the striking association they observed was partially due to dairy fat intake, but mostly due to metabolic factors that had nothing to do with dairy fat**.

Here's a nice quote:

Our findings support potential metabolic benefits of dairy consumption and suggest that trans-palmitoleate may mediate these effects***. They also suggest that efforts to promote exclusive consumption of low-fat and nonfat dairy products, which would lower population exposure to trans-palmitoleate, may be premature until the mediators of the health effects of dairy consumption are better established.

Never thought I'd see the day! Not bad, but I can do better:

Our findings support eating as much butter as possible****. Don't waste your money on low-fat cream, either (half-n-half). We're sorry that public health authorities have spent 30 years telling you to eat low-fat dairy when most studies are actually more consistent with the idea that dairy fat reduces the risk obesity and chronic disease.

What are these studies suggesting that dairy fat may be protective, you ask? That will be the topic of another post, my friends.


*Probably due to uncontrolled de novo lipogenesis because of insulin resistance. Many studies find that serum saturated fatty acids are higher in those with metabolic dysfunction, independent of diet. They sometimes interpret that as showing that people are lying about their diet, rather than that serum saturated fatty acids don't reflect diet very well. For example, in one study I cited, investigators found no relationship between dietary saturated fat and diabetes risk, but they did find a relationship between serum saturated fatty acids and diabetes risk (5). They then proceeded to refer to the serum measurements as "objective measurements" that can tease apart "important associations with diabetes incidence that may be missed when assessed by [food questionnaires]." They go on to say that serum fatty acids are "useful as biomarkers for fatty acid intake," which is true for some fatty acids but not remotely for most of the saturated ones, according to their own study. Basically, they try to insinuate that dietary saturated fat is the culprit, and the only reason they couldn't measure that association directly is that people who went on to develop diabetes inaccurately reported their diets! A more likely explanation is that elevated serum saturated fatty acids are simply a marker of insulin resistance (and thus uncontrolled de novo lipogenesis), and had nothing to do with diet.

**Why do I say that? Because mathematically adjusting for dairy and meat fat intake did not substantially weaken the association between phospholipid trans-palmitoleate and reduced diabetes risk (Table 4). In other words, if you believe their math, dairy/meat fat intake only accounted for a small part of the protective association. That implies that healthy people maintain a higher serum phospholipid trans-palmitoleate level than unhealthy people, even if both groups eat the same amount of trans-palmitoleate. If they hadn't mentioned that full-fat dairy fat intake was directly associated with a lower risk of diabetes, I would not find the study very interesting because I'd have my doubts that it was relevant to diet.

***I find it highly doubtful that trans-palmitoleate entirely mediates the positive health outcomes associated with dairy fat intake. I think it's more likely to simply be a marker of milk fat, which contains a number of potentially protective substances such as CLA, vitamin K2, butyric acid, and the natural trans fats including trans-palmitoleate. In addition, dairy fat is low in omega-6 polyunsaturated fat. I find it unlikely that their fancy math was able to tease those factors apart, because those substances all travel together in dairy fat. trans-palmitoleate pills are not going to replace butter.

****That's a joke. I think butter can be part of healthy diet, but that doesn't mean gorging on it is a good idea. This study does not prove that dairy fat prevents diabetes, it simply suggests that it may.

Shopawat Ueamduean looked understandably miserable as she was escorted by customs staff to a press conference, where officials touted her arrest. She was found with 1,280 pills in her stomach

• Traffic officers find 43lbs of ecstasy after stopping driver for random breath test

Ueamduean, who claims to be a dancer in Bangkok, said she was offered $656 to smuggle in the $50,000 worth of drugs

I dreamed I was living in a charming old building that had been made into apartments. Two other people lived there—both of them were people I had known long ago but were no longer were part of my life, although they remain strong memories.

In this dream, I think I was living with a guy who had been a roommate of mine [we were friends only in reality as well as this dream] but I’m not sure. Across the hall was where another person lived. This girl was really a friend of the roommate—but I had known her. Although she was married, she tended to be rather provocative. She lived a colorful life, let’s say.

In this dream, she at first invited us into her apartment. But she disappeared shortly after we went in. She had gone to the back of the apartment where there were some stairs that lead to what may have been a fire escape. Anyway, it was an unguarded way that other people could get into the building.

A serial killer had gotten into this stairway and was trying to get into her apartment. She did not appear to be worried because she thought she could outsmart him. Part of her plan was to taunt him (death). I didn’t think that was such a good idea. This serial killer murdered people using a knife—often severing major arteries. He was poking the knife through an opening in the door, but she was able to avoid being cut, for a while.

I became fearful that this scheme wasn’t going to contain him much longer and choose to leave. (I choose to leave before I got cut.) I went to my apartment and tried to lock myself in. I realized, however, that once he killed this girl he would come after me because I knew who he was. As it turns out, I was right. He didn’t kill the girl, but she wound up in the hospital with several cuts, although they were not life threatening. The guy didn't do much or say much. But when he did, it was usually whining.

The murderer made a threat toward me, but now I don’t remember what he said. But it was along the lines of he intended to kill me. It was my intent to get out.

I was tired of the apartment anyway. Although beautiful, it was no longer my style, and now it had too many issues that were beyond my control—like intruders. It was old and had lots of things that needed repaired—none of which I really wanted to tackle. I wanted to move on. And that’s what I intended to do.

This is pretty much where the dream ended.

Now for my interpretation:

Dreaming of murder or intended murder usually means the end of something. The guy and the girl represent old habits [old friends] or parts of me that no longer work, such as being too free with the way I view important aspects of my life—my diet, my finances, my life. Although it’s worked for me in the past, it no longer makes sense to keep doing the same things. So a murderer comes to kill off my nonchalant way of leading my life. The old apartment has too many things that need fixed. It’s time to move on. It's time to regain control. It's also time to do the things I want to do. I don't want to be trapped someplace under constant threat of death. (Anyone who knows me can figure out what this means.) But anyway, it's the end. For me anyway.

P.S. The real meaning of this dream came to me suddenly. I think it has to do with my career more than anything else.

And behind the green present is ...



An anvil? An upside-down cross-section of railway line? I am going through something similar with my LOVELY SON at the moment where I look at his scribblings and have to work out what they are, so I now sympathise with what my parents must have gone through every morning. The only difference being that I was at least six years older. But I am going to say that it is ...

A wine glass!

Note to other nine-year-olds contemplating making advent calendars for their parents: red wine works better. See?



Also, your linking of Christmas with alcohol at such an early age is rather worrying.

Posted by The Blogger Team

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and we certainly have reason to celebrate after the folks at Royal Pingdom conducted an independent study of blogging services on the Web and found that Blogger was without question the most reliable. In fact, Blogger was the only service of all those tested that delivered 100% uptime. You can read the full article here.

Our favorite quote:

“Since Blogger was the only service with zero downtime overall, we skipped the chart here. We hope you don’t mind. It simply wouldn’t have been very interesting.”

When it comes to reliability, we certainly like being uninteresting!

And behind part of the blue present is ...



A teddy bear!

A sort of greeny-grey teddy bear. Unless it's a greeny-grey gingerbread man. Either way, the 11th was now definitely a soldier, as the rule was that the thing behind each door had to be different. An entirely self-imposed rule, but a rule nonetheless, and without rules there would just be anarchy.

I've received several comments that my blog posts are no longer showing up in peoples' RSS feeds. I've gone into my settings, and the blog is still set to full feed mode, so I don't know why that would be. I'm trying to understand if the problem is widespread or only affects a few people. Please let me know in the comments section if new posts (since the potatoes and human health series) are not showing up in your reader. Also, please let me know if new posts are showing up. Thanks!