Nightmare disorder occurs when a person has an anxiety attack in his or her sleep. This happens mostly to children, but it can affect adults as well, especially victims of trauma. The onset of these nightmares usually occurs before the age of 20, which accounts for more than 2/3 of cases. When the onset is during childhood, many children will outgrow the disorder. However, when the onset is after the age of 20, the symptoms generally persist for decades. People with mental health or physical health problems are especially at risk for developing nightmare disorder.
The nightmares occur during REM sleep and can increase heart rate, breathing rate, and sweating, along with an increase in stimulation to the sympathetic nervous system. People often remember these frightening dreams in great detail. There are often recurring themes or patterns to the dreams.
There are a few diagnostic criteria one must meet in order to be said to have nightmare disorder. They are as follows:
• The person repeatedly awakens with detailed recall of long, frightening dreams. These usually occur in the second half of the sleep or nap period and concern threats to security, self-esteem or survival.
• The person quickly becomes alert and oriented upon awakening.
• These experiences (or resulting sleep disturbance) cause clinically important distress or impair work, social or personal functioning.
• They don’t occur solely during another mental disorder (such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or a delirium).
• The symptoms are not directly caused by a general medical condition or substance use, including medications and drugs of abuse.
Treatment for this disorder can be as simple as comforting the child or adult who is having bad dreams. In some cases, psychotherapy is helpful, especially is the patient has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or the like. Medications such as benzodiazepines also work well in relaxing a patient, therefore reducing or even eliminating the stress that occurs during sleep.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/disorders_that_disrupt_sleep_parasomnias/article_em.htm
http://www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/nightmare_disorder.htm
Tags: nightmares, sleep
Last weekend, my husband I went to have some dinner and fun with a few friends of ours. My husband had been drinking (just over the legal limit), so I had to drive. Well, that’s no big deal unless I’m exhausted. I was exhausted on Saturday, and boy, was I a cranky designated driver. My husband, as thoughtful as he is, played soothing music on the way home in an attempt to help calm my nerves. He asked me what I wanted to do when we got home, and I said, “sleep!” He responded by asking, why don’t we put on some Christmas music and slow dance in the kitchen? I said that the Christmas music was okay, but that there would be no dancing tonight, man.
We got home and pulled into the carport. As soon as we did, I remembered the cheap little keyboard my husband had been so excited to find at a yard sale earlier that day. One of the pre-programmed tunes in it is my favorite Christmas song: “What Child Is This?” Before I knew it my kitchen was flooded with the ill-inspired sound of the keyboard absolutely killing my favorite carol. It was so pathetic I had to laugh!
Then my husband decided to munch on some grapes. The were small, seedless red grapes. He ate them as he tried to slow dance with me around the kitchen. Then he decided it would be great to see if one of those grapes would fit up my nose. Thankfully he didn’t make it too far with that venture!
So after a few minutes of being spun around the room, ballroom style, and then having a grape attempt to enter my nose, I decided it was time for bed. It turns out that even the bedroom is no safe haven from battery-operated keyboards. The husband and the keyboard followed me to bed. My husband changed the settings so it would sound like different instruments playing the song. Oh, what a night.
I finally convinced him to leave me alone and I went to sleep. I had pleasant dreams.
Sleep paralysis is a little understood phenomenon that happens when the person is still awake, but he/she is unable to move. It means that the person is not moving through the normal sleep cycles that usually take place every night. It can be when a person has periods when they feel awake but cannot move. This is not usually the sign of any serious medical condition, including underlying psychological problems.
There are many explanations for this, including that evil spirits are present. That is an old explanation that occurs in almost every culture on earth. Read the following excerpt taken from webMD.com:
Over the centuries, symptoms of sleep paralysis have been described in many ways and often attributed to “evil” presences: unseen night demons in ancient times, the old hag in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and alien abductors. Almost every culture throughout history has had stories of shadowy evil creatures that terrify helpless humans at night. People have long sought explanations for this mysterious sleep-time paralysis and the accompanying feelings of terror.
This is a very interesting phenomenon. Hypnagogic or predormital sleep paralysis occurs when the person is trying to fall asleep. Most people are unaware that this is happening. However, sometimes people become aware in the midst of this, and they cannot move or speak. This can be a frightening occurrence.
Hypnopompic sleep paralysis occurs when the body moves between REM sleep NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep. A usual cycle last about 90 minutes and accounts for 75% of sleep on any given night. The body follows a pattern of going from NREM sleep to REM sleep. If a person wakes up before the REM part of the cycle is finished, he or she may experience sleep paralysis, as this is the period of sleep when muscles are most relaxed.
Who develops sleep paralysis?
Up to as many as four out of every 10 people may have sleep paralysis. This common condition is often first noticed in the teen years. But men and women of any age can have it. Sleep paralysis may run in families. Other factors that may be linked to sleep paralysis include:
• a lack of sleep
• a sleep schedule that changes
• mental conditions such as stress or bipolar disorder
• sleeping on the back
• other sleep problems such as narcolepsy or nighttime leg cramps
• use of certain medications
• substance abuse
It is often unnecessary to treat this medical condition. However, the following list of symptoms suggest a possible need to talk to your doctor:
• you feel anxious about your symptoms
• your symptoms leave you very tired during the day
• your symptoms keep you up during the night
Your doctor may want to gather more information about your sleep health by doing any of these things:
• ask you to describe your symptoms and keep a sleep diary for a few weeks
• discuss your health history, including any known sleep disorders or any family history of sleep disorders
• refer you to a sleep specialist for further evaluation
• conduct overnight sleep studies or daytime nap studies to make sure you do not have another sleep disorder
How is sleep paralysis treated?
Most people need no treatment for sleep paralysis. Treating any underlying conditions such as narcolepsy may help if you are anxious or unable to sleep well. These treatments may include the following:
• improving sleep habits — such as making sure you get 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night
• using antidepressant medication to help regulate sleep cycles
• treating any mental health problems that may contribute to sleep paralysis
• treating any other sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy or leg cramps
If you have symptoms of sleep paralysis, webMD suggests that there is no reason to fear evil spirits or alien abductors. They suggest making sure you get enough sleep and trying to relax and relieve stress, especially before hitting the sack. They also recommend new sleeping positions, especially if you lie on your back to sleep.
Source: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis
Image: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=someone%20sleeping&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
As the founder of Time to Get Up Club, I hereby declare that it is not time to get up. In fact, it is time to go to sleep, to have a deep, wonderful, truly restful sleep. The past two nights I have not fallen asleep until morning. The other night it was 5am, last night was 2am. I am really not sure why my sleep is suddenly disrupted, but I’m not too keen on what’s going on here.
On any given night, one in three adults will have insomnia. One in ten has chronic insomnia. Here is an overview of this common problem, taken from [LINK=http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/inso/inso_whoisatrisk.html]
What Is Insomnia?
Insomnia (in-SOM-ne-ah) is a common condition in which you have trouble falling or staying asleep. This condition can range from mild to severe, depending on how often it occurs and for how long.
Insomnia can be chronic (ongoing) or acute (short-term). Chronic insomnia means having symptoms at least 3 nights a week for more than a month. Acute insomnia lasts for less time.
Some people who have insomnia may have trouble falling asleep. Other people may fall asleep easily but wake up too soon. Others may have trouble with both falling asleep and staying asleep.
As a result, insomnia may cause you to get too little sleep or have poor-quality sleep. You may not feel refreshed when you wake up.
I have had insomnia before, as I have written about in this blog a couple of times. It truly is frustrating, but I’ve found some relief at times with melatonin supplements and Ambien. I just got some melatonin today, so I’m hoping that will aid the Ambien tonight and I’ll get some sleep. Ahhh…. that would be so nice.
Sleep is an interesting subject that you’ll read more about on this blog in the near future.
She still couldn’t shake the previous night’s dream. As Carolyn made breakfast, the dream still bothered her. It was about a huge slide at a party- not a child’s party, but a party where adults played on amusement park-type toys. Big toys, like the slide. It was tall and colorful, thick canvas covered with a slippery nylon material.
In her dream she climbed to the top of the slide by walking up steps. The top of the slide was a large box covered with colorful fabric. She slid down with such celerity that she held her breath. Who would think to make such a slide! Oh, but what a ride! Carolyn definitely enjoyed the trip down to the ground. At the end of the slide was a big cushion onto which she was thrust from the velocity of the ride. She felt slightly embarrassed as she bounced on the cushion, aware that some of the people at this party had seen her landing. She stumbled off the cushion and rejoined the party.
Everyone at the party was dressed in bright colors, even Carolyn herself. She looked around at all there was to enjoy. There was food of all types, even international varieties. People seemed to be having a lot of fun, talking and joking with one another, giving each other pats on the back and hugs. Was it someone’s birthday? What a bash!
Carolyn saw no one she knew. All of the faces were foreign to her, and that made her slightly uncomfortable. But maybe she could make some new friends. Everyone seemed quite amicable, but Carolyn was a shy soul. She decided to just casually mingle, and she found herself being drawn into one conversation after another. Carolyn then woke up slowly, remembering the details of the dream.
Now, as Carolyn was frying some eggs and making some toast, the dream bothered her a bit. Did it mean anything? Maybe that she was on some slippery slope and should be cautious about something? She thought about all that was going on in her life: a new boyfriend, a new job, a new apartment to settle into. Suddenly the imagery seemed very clear: she was experiencing so many changes, and the changes were both wonderful and exciting.
She decided that there was only one thing to do. She would have a party. She would find a place that rented giant slides, and then she would invite everyone she knew. Surely people would come to look at and try out the exciting attractions. She opened the phone book and began searching for party rental stores. Suddenly she spotted exactly what she needed.
That night, as she fell asleep, she was thinking about the party. She soon fell into a dream about it. So many people were there, all dressed in bright colors. The food was amazing, and everyone was having a great time talking and laughing and eating. Carolyn spotted the giant slide and walked over to it. There wasn’t a line, so she started to climb up the tall steps. She got to the top and was about to head down the slide when she thought, “So this is what happiness feels like.” As she slid down the slide in bliss, everything went quiet. When she got to the bottom, her boyfriend helped her up. “Did you have fun?” he mouthed. She had never felt better.
Living a life of love is the most important thing for someone to do. Not only does this make life enjoyable for that person, but it makes everyone around him or her happier, too. I’ve compiled a short list of things below that I believe are essential to living in love.
First of all, give. Give of your time, your money, your food, yourself. One of the most precious things you can give is your time. With the busy lifestyles that most of us lead these days, time is a valuable commodity. You can volunteer your time at a local shelter or food bank, help a friend or neighbor with something, or share time with your family and friends. You can even spend some of that time with someone who does not have anyone in life, like a shut-in. Or you can get a job in helping people.
If someone needs to borrow money and you can spare it until they can pay you back, go ahead and lend it. If you have some extra money and are only holding onto it so you can spend more on frivolities, try sending some of that money to a charity you believe in. Just give a little this week, even if it means tightening your purse strings a bit more next week. If, however, you can’t afford to give and live, by all means, don’t. Wait until you’re more financially secure to start helping others in this particular way.
Love sacrificially. By this I mean to give even if it hurts a little bit. Say there is a pile of dishes in the sink, and you’re avoiding it, because you hate doing the dishes. Let’s say your partner or spouse hates doing dishes, too. Why not do those dishes so your other half doesn’t have to? Wouldn’t that be nice to spare him or her that chore? I appreciate it when my husband does things I can’t stand doing, and I try to do the same for him. For example, I would be the one doing the dishes. I don’t love it, but I certainly don’t loathe it like he does. He mows the grass because that is something I hate doing.
Trust without wavering. This shows that you have faith in people (or in God, if you believe) and is important in developing meaningful relationships. Believe that the other person will do the right thing. Don’t expect- only hope. Believe in that person’s love for you, knowing that that person can also count on you.
Do good things even if no one is watching. It’s so easy to be lazy and do things half-way when we think no one is noticing (or won’t notice until we’re gone). Pretend someone is watching you at all times (again, if you believe in God, He is watching you all the time, so do good in His name), and do things in a way that will please that person. There is a lot of joy in making someone else happy.
Say you’re sorry. Yep, even if you think you are in the right, say you’re sorry for the disagreement. Say you want to work things out, not argue. Humility is the name of the game. Reconciliation is the point. This means that you are working on finding out what needs to be done to fix a problem, not to pound your point into someone else, making him or her feel bad or stupid. Try treating that person with the same respect and care with which you would want to be treated, even in a difficult situation.
Give support, not permission. If my husband says, “Mind if I go to Dave’s on Saturday afternoon?” he is asking simply whether I support his decision or not, and he is checking to make sure we don’t have plans already. He is not asking “Mother, may I?” I am not his mother by any means. If he says he wants to start boxing again like he did before we were married (he recently told me this), I have to tell him that I don’t support his decision, although I am certainly not telling him he can’t do it. In the end, it’s up to each of us to make the right decisions.
Tags: love, Relationships
I don’t think I have the perfect husband, but he is perfect for me. I love to talk with him, look at him, and just spend time with him. It’s true that too much time is no good, but I never get sick of him. Unless he’s acting annoying, of course, which sometimes he does on purpose just to get me in a tizzy. But anyway, he is a gem.
But are we soul mates? Is there such a thing? Could it be possible for him to be perfect for someone other than me? Like someone he never got the chance to meet because he was with me? Well, I don’t care about those women, because he never met them.
Sometimes I think he deserves more than I can give him. But I don’t know if that means we are not soul mates, or if I am simply being hard on myself. The Oxford American dictionary defines soul mate as a person ideally suited for another person. Well, we are ideally suited for each other, so yes, I suppose we are soul mates.
What do you think about the concept?
Tags: love, Relationships, soul mates
I was on my way home from work, and I passed a little shop called “Abundant Treasures.” I wondered what was in that shop. Some kind of gift shop filled with cards and trinkets and teddy bears? Or maybe a thrift store, smelling dank and dusty with lots of stuff on the cheap. Whatever it was, I didn’t stop to look. I wondered, but I didn’t pull the car over to go in and take a peek. I was too tired for diversions, so I just kept driving.
The traffic was slow. Cars lined up for what seemed to be miles in front of me. I had the air conditioning on in an effort to escape the hot, humid weather. I passed a law firm, an insurance agency, and the parole office. What a line-up! It’s too bad we need any of those places.
A couple of kids ran across the street in the crosswalk; all cars came to a screeching halt, as is the law. The kids looked like they had just come from the pool: their hair was wet and matted to their heads, and they each had a bag of belongings. I started thinking about how nice it would be to go to the pool. I haven’t been in years, and I don’t even own a bathing suit anymore. I kept driving.
Finally I got to the on- ramp and merged onto the highway. Again there was a lot of traffic. I spotted a broken down car along side of the road, a white t-shirt hanging from the window to indicate its dilapidated status. I felt bad for the owner of that car. What a horrible place to have it quit on you. I wondered if he walked to the next exit to get help, or if he had a cell phone to call someone to come find him on the highway, picking him up right there next to his pile of junk.
I started driving faster, wanting to get home as quickly as possible. I stepped on the gas and soon had to step on the brake. Pokey cars were blocking both lanes of traffic; I couldn’t get past them. How frustrating! Finally the slow car in the left lane merged to the right, giving me the opening I needed to be on my way. Well, I was on my way the whole time, but only frustrated part of the time. Now I had some relief!
The sky was cloudy and it started to rain. The strange thing was I was right on the edge of the storm cloud, so it would pour, then sprinkle, then stop, then pour again, all within a few seconds. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone, or maybe just like I was driving through mountains. But the stretch ahead of me was straight- no mountains to block rain clouds. The last time I experienced such a thing was when I was a kid, and we were driving through the hills to get from Pennsylvania to New York state. I found myself in wonder at the weather, marveling at how quickly it changed.
Finally I was about to get back off the highway. I slowed down and merged right. I was so glad to be almost home that I didn’t even get frustrated at the tractor trailer blocking both lanes at the end of the ramp. I just waited patiently for my turn to get on the next road. I made a right onto it, and now I was in the home stretch.
After about two miles, I turned right into my driveway and into the carport. I put the car in park: lights off, iPod off and unplugged, ignition off. Keys in hand, I grabbed my purse and workbag and went into the house. Ahh…. home at last. I turned on the central air and then went to the bedroom, flopping down on the bed and enjoying every second of comfort and relaxation.
(Based on Toni’s storyfever.com “Talking about Religion”)
Do you have a religion? I belong to a small splinter sect of the Anabaptists called Mennonite. To sum it up, we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, are pacifists, believe strongly in modesty and charity, and we only baptize adults (although infants can be dedicated to the church at any time). I will explain some things from a book called “Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective.”
1. God has created us and is pleased with those who seek a relationship with Him. He created all things on earth, visible and invisible. He has brought salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, and He will sustain life here on earth until the end of days.
2. We believe that Jesus Christ did in fact come to earth in the flesh to die for our sins. He was the ultimate sacrifice that God made to save humanity and triumph over death.
3. We believe in the Holy Spirit that embodied Christ and all dwellers on this earth to be able to experience a relationship with God.
4. We accept and believe that the bible is the inspired Word of God.
5. We believe that all have fallen short of the glory of God, but that we are renewed and reborn through the salvation of Jesus Christ.
6. We are a missional church, meaning that the Word should be proclaimed to all who are open to hearing it.
7. Ministry is the continuation of Christ’s work here on earth.
8. We commit ourselves to telling the truth, to helping others through stewardship (everything belongs to God and should be treated as such), and to peace.
9. God is the true head of any nation and the world.
10. We believe and trust that God is interacting with us on a continuous basis, and that in the end of days Christ will come again to be with us and carry out the final salvation.
What is religion anyway? I think religion is a man-made organization, with rules and guidelines that someone tries to set up according to what they believe the bible (or other religious text) says. I think spirituality and a personal relationship with God and Jesus are the important goals and what everyone should strive for. I don’t think “religion”, per se, is important.
How important is it in your life? Spirituality and a relationship with Christ are very important to me and dictate my life. Or at least I try to let them dictate my life! I think everyone has slip-ups in meeting their ideals, but we should still strive to meet our goals no matter what.
How do you show your religion? Do you have to brandish it at all? Some of the above explanations on what Mennonites believe have already answered this question. I personally show my faith by trying to live a life of love (more on that topic in an upcoming blog), caring for people, professing my faith when I feel it’s appropriate, not making apologies for what I believe, and by being the best wife, daughter, sister, and friend I can be.
Does one need religion to have a happy life? Again, I don’t think it’s religion that’s important. It’s a personal relationship with God that matters in the end and all along the way. Having that relationship is not about having a crutch- it’s about accountability and communion with someone or something greater than oneself. It’s about loving others and yourself just as Jesus loves us. It’s about the journey of becoming Christ-like, a better person.
Tags: religion, spirituality
I’ve been suffering from depression since I was a kid. That may sound unbelievable to some of you that depression can possibly experienced that early, or it may sound incredulous if you don’t even believe that depression is something that is very difficult to deal with. Sure, some believe it’s not a real medical condition, but that it is people being lazy and needing to “pull themselves up by their boot straps.” This is definitely not how it works. Depression is a serious condition that affects millions of people.
Some people don’t need to take medication for their depression. They use other methods to beat it, and that usually works for mild depression or dysthymic disorder (a low-grade chronic depression). For Major Clinical Depression such as I have, medication has been a god-send for me. I don’t know how I’d cope without the alteration these drugs cause in my brain chemicals. For some reasons, these chemicals (dopamine, norepinephrine, and seratonin) don’t work well enough on their own. So for me, medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, exercise, and general daily activity help a lot in getting better from this disorder.
I also have panic disorder with agoraphobia. Medication has helped with this also. For those of you who are not familiar with this condition, the panic part of is severe anxiety that sometimes causes panic attacks. These attacks include but are not limited to the following: shortness of breath, dizziness, fear of dying, tightness in the chest, and sweating. There is also a general sense of anxiety that is persistent most of the time. The agoraphobia part is a fear of leaving the house or of being in places where one feels he or she cannot easily escape such as a crowded store or traffic.
I do a lot to try to escape the pitfalls of depression, including the treatments I mentioned earlier in this blog. Blogging itself also helps.
I hope that this blog will be of benefit to someone. This isn’t the most fun thing to talk about, but I’m not ashamed of my disability. Frustrated, yes, but not ashamed. People who suffer from depression don’t ask for it, and more people should seek help when they need it. It is not a form of weakness or a lack of self-motivation. It’s a real medical condition with so many treatment options. If you’re depressed, please get help. You’re not alone.
Tags: depression, Health
Each year my birthday usually feels about the same as any other day. I am more thankful to be alive, however, and appreciate my blessings more. Those are wonderful things, yes, but usually that’s all I feel. And maybe I enjoy a nicer meal than usual, or marvel at some thoughtful gift my husband or friend has gotten me.
This year feels different. I don’t know why exactly. I suppose it’s a combination of things. Things are mostly the same, except that I’ve had more health problems than usual. I suspect I am more grateful for the good days right now. The bad days come more often than they used to, but I am more capable of trying not to let them get me down. I am more positive overall- so there’s a difference.
Last year my husband had a motorcycle accident. That was a really horrible time when I thought he was killed (for only a few seconds, thank goodness!), and then was greatly concerned over his injuries and the chance of permanent disability. He has almost completely recovered, however, and I’m so grateful. I appreciate him more than ever. The littlest thing he does to make my day better or our life together better means so much. I think about how things might have been had he not survived- that’s a horrible scenario. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about that.
I am thankful for my three crazy cats. I am definitely a cat person. Don’t get me wrong- I love dogs, but cats are right up my alley. (No pun intended.) They keep me company and entertain me. I like to play with them and laugh at their wild antics.
I think I appreciate other people on their birthdays, too. It makes me happy to celebrate them and their place in this world. I think there is a place and a purpose for everyone. So this year, I will do my best to stay happy and appreciative.
Monster in my mind
You steal away good thoughts
Now I feel like less
Less than who I want to be
You are an evil
Unnecessary, unwanted
Monster, leave me alone
You’ve taken so much already
You take over my mind, my heart
I want you to go away forever
But you haunt me like a ghost
Always there, following me
Why don’t you leave me
In peace, in happiness
I want to be content
Yet you torture me like a monster
Tags: depression, Poetry
Here I am
In a boat
In a storm.
I’ve lost control of my boat,
My life.
Do I see death,
Or is it a vision
Of new life?
Two pieces of me
I cannot distinguish
Which is mine
What is theirs
To take away
Leave what’s behind
Cold, uneven
A way to heaven
My grip loosens
My choke hold releases
All is well
All can only be
Tags: meditation, Poetry
The legend of the origin coffee involves a shepherd named Kaldi. It was on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula where he saw goats dancing. Noticing that there were some bright red berries on plants nearby, he deduced that the goats had eaten these berries, causing them to act euphoric. He pulled some of the berries of the dark-leafed shrub and ate them himself, quickly feeling their stimulating effect. The news quickly spread and monks began using the berries to stay awake during their extended times of prayer.
Recent botanical evidence suggests a different origin of coffee. According to the evidence, coffee originated and was first cultivated in central Ethiopia (specifically Yemen) during the 6th century. In Cairo and Mecca, coffee soon “became a passion rather than just a stimulant.” Ethiopian coffee is still quite prevalent and popular today.
The process by which coffee is roasted is as follows: “The first stage is endothermic. The green beans are slowly dried to become a yellow color and the beans begin to smell like toast or popcorn.
The second step, often called the first crack, occurs at approximately 205 °C (400 °F) in which the bean doubles in size, becomes a light brown color, and experiences a weight loss of approximately 5%. The corresponding Agtron number for this color is between 95-90 (Davids, 68-69).
In the next step the temperature rises from 205 °C to approximately 220 °C, the color changes from light brown to medium brown (Agtron # 60-50), and a weight loss of approximately 13% occurs (Davids, 68-69). The resulting chemical process is called pyrolysis and is characterized by a change in the chemical composition of the bean as well as a release of CO2.
The second step is followed by a short endothermic period which is followed by another exothermic step called the second crack. This second pyrolysis occurs between 225-230°C, and the roast color is defined as medium-dark brown (Agtron #50-45) (Davids, 68-69). The second pop is much quicker sounding and the beans take on an oily sheen.
Espresso potential is maximized in roasting when you maximize the sweetness and aroma of the coffee while minimizing the bitterness and acidity. Most people focus on the latter and therefore roast extremely dark, yet without sweetness and aroma the espresso will never be palatable. This explains the unpopularity of straight espresso and the popularity of espresso based drinks where either milk or other flavors are used to replace the sweetness that was lost by roasting darkly.”
There are two main types of coffee. The first species, known as Coffea arabica, or Arabica coffee, makes up approximately 75-80% of the world’s consumed coffee. Robusta coffee, species Coffea canephora, makes up the other 20% of coffee grown. The two coffees have different tastes. Arabica coffee is less robust but provides a more refined flavor. Robusta coffee offers an inferior flavor but a higher caffeine content.
As people moved to new and different regions and countries, coffee went with them. Today coffee is grown all over the world. For more information on coffee, its history, agriculture, and cultivation, visit http://www.coffeeresearch.org
I wrote a post before about having ridiculous insomnia. I would wake up so early in the morning that it was practically still night time. I would be up for hours before I could sleep again. Well, now the problem has changed.
I wake up early to take my medicine, so I’ve been setting my alarm for 4 or 5am. This seems sort of silly, but I have good reason. See, my medicine makes me tired, so I fall asleep again for a couple of hours. This way I feel better during the day. But…. I now am often having a difficult time getting back to sleep again. Maybe I am just adjusting to the medication.
It’s completely unpredictable when the medicine will make me tired now and when it won’t. This is frustrating, but I guess I’ll just get used to it.
Speaking of getting used to things and going off on a tangent here, there are some things I cannot get used to. Things that drive me up the wall. For example, I was driving my cat to the vet this morning, and there was a tractor trailer driving slowly in the left lane. Since that’s the passing lane, and there were pokey people already in the right lane, I was stuck behind the guy. I wanted to lay on my horn until he moved. I was in a hurry. (But don’t worry, I was just patient and waited for him to move. No need for road rage!)
Another thing that’s bothering me today is that my sister came over for lunch today, but she barely spoke to me the entire time. She was on her cell phone arguing with her ex-boyfriend one minute, then being lovey-dovey the next. It was driving me nuts. She didn’t seem to mind, though.
And another thing- why do people flush the toilet with the lid up? Don’t they know that germs go flying everywhere, all over everything, when they do that? I’m mean, really, it doesn’t take that much time or effort to put the lid down first. Sheesh. I am really going on a rant here.
I am frustrated by crumbs. I hate crumbs, any time, any where, on anyone’s counter or table. It’s so easy to not make crumbs or if you do, to clean them up. It takes, what? 30 seconds or less? Seriously.
Anyway, back to the insomnia. Tomorrow I have nothing to do, so I’m going to wake up at a normal time to take my medicine. Then I’ll see how tired I get and if I need to keep waking up at crazy hours. Hopefully I’ll be able to stay awake. Yep, that’s the plan. I prefer not to get up before the sun.
It all started with my older brother. He would crack his knuckles all the time. I think I was about 15 years old when I noticed him doing this (he was 17). I decided to try it. Now, almost 12 years later, I cannot stop.
I’ve tried stopping this annoying habit. I’ve been able to go days without cracking, and if I don’t think about it, I’m not likely to do it. However, I have not yet been able to stop completely. It is a habit I do out of boredom or nerves. It haunts me wherever I go. Maybe that’s one of the problems- it’s a portable addiction.
Why do knuckles crack? Check out this explanation: “Joints are the meeting points of two separate bones, held together and in place by connective tissues and ligaments. All of the joints in our bodies are surrounded by synovial fluid, a thick, clear liquid. When you stretch or bend your finger to pop the knuckle, you’re causing the bones of the joint to pull apart. As they do, the connective tissue capsule that surrounds the joint is stretched. By stretching this capsule, you increase its volume. And as we know from chemistry class, with an increase in volume comes a decrease in pressure. So as the pressure of the synovial fluid drops, gases dissolved in the fluid become less soluble, forming bubbles through a process called cavitation. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops so low that these bubbles burst, producing the pop that we associate with knuckle cracking.”
Studies are unclear and contradictory as to whether or not cracking the knuckles (or other body parts) causes arthritis. So, for now, I’m not going to worry about arthritis. Irritating people is another story.
Source: http://health.howstuffworks.com/question437
Tags: bad habits, cracking knuckles
Some people get married early in life, and some people wait until they’re much older, say, in their 30’s or 40’s. But what is the right age to get married? I think it depends a lot on the individual. Many people mature at an earlier age than others, and maturity plays a major role in undertaking such a huge responsibility as marriage. Essential components of maturity are wisdom and knowing oneself (self-actualization).
Wisdom is about knowing things about life. That includes knowledge, but it also includes life lessons that cannot be learned in any way but first-hand. Knowledge can be gained through books, schooling, and lessons we learn from our parents and other people. Wisdom is taking that lesson learned and applying it to your own life. If you don’t actually experience, only knowledge has been gained, not necessarily wisdom.
So how do we know when we’re ready to get married? Some people say you just know, you feel it. But do you feel love or lust? Is it the right time to get married? Are the important things discussed and in place? Are you ready to share your life with someone else, your money, your car, your bed? I recently heard someone on television say that marriage is “a three-year commitment.” Although it was meant to be a joke, I wonder how many people think that marriage is a temporary commitment, something to be enjoyed only as long as it’s fun.
I believe marriage is a life-long commitment. I think when you’re ready, you will feel it. But the way you feel it is important. Things will fall into place. There won’t be doubts. I think that getting married was the easiest decision I ever made. I knew I had lust for my husband, but there was a lot more to things than that. Being able to share wisdom with one another, for example, is an important sign of being ready to get married.
Some people get married young and don’t even know themselves before they get married. Some grow together, and others grow apart. Only time will tell if a young marriage is viable. In contrast, statistics show that couples who get married in their 30’s and 40’s stay together longer. Another major determiner is whether or not the couple has shared spiritual beliefs. A basic belief in God is one thing that keeps couples together longer, especially if they share the same religion with the same spiritual “laws” governing their lives. An example of this is the Amish and old order Mennonite traditions.
Another indicator of how long a couple stays married may be how long they are dating or have known each other, at least as friends, before marriage. Sure, a week may not be long enough, but a couple of months may show whether or not this person is the one for you. My husband and I only knew each other for three months and a day before we got married. We’ve been married for over three years so far, and I definitely know that he is meant to be my life partner. And yes, I still find him incredibly attractive!
Tags: marriage, Relationships
I came across this word in the Word Power Quiz Book from Reader’s Digest, and I thought it was quite interesting:
nadir (NAY duhr) (n) – lowest point; time of deepest depression; as the nadir of despair. Arabic nazir as-samt (opposite to zenith)
I like the idea of a bucket list- a list of things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.” So, I decided to make a list of my own. I’m sure I won’t remember everything right now, but I’ll do my best.
1. visit at least 20 states, especially those out west
2. go back to Germany for a visit (or move there!)
3. give a sermon in church
4. own a dog
5. write a novel (fiction)
6. have a literary work published (short story, poetry, or novel)
7. be okay with who I am and my body image
8. go to Disney World
9. visit Niagra Falls
10. go to an Asian country
11. visit as many countries as I can
12. become fluent in another language
13. be married for 50+ years
14. inspire someone to do something to improve his/her life
15. become a therapist (finish my master’s degree)
16. beat my husband at darts three times in a row
17. learn how to dive
18. learn how to crochet
19. learn how to drive a motorcycle
20. actually do the things on this list!
Tags: bucket list, wishes
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