John August: Writers, Don't Forget about Adoption!

John August posted an open letter to Cindy from "Blue Valentine" on his wonderful blog a few weeks ago.

In it, he discusses Cindy's options in regards to her (spoiler!) unwanted pregnancy. She chooses continue the pregnancy to term, but does not consider adoption. August believes that our media portrayals of adoption keeps many women with unwanted pregnancies away from that option due to misconceptions and perpetuated stereotypes.

Even though I've never adopted a child, it's always what I've planned on doing if I decide I want to have children someday, so I do look for stories and depictions of adoption on TV and film. I have to agree with August. It's really hard to find an accurate or uplifting view. "Glee" has certainly done a crap job this season. "Once Upon a Time" isn't doing any better (and may be doing worse), which is really too bad because I actually enjoy that show.

I'm with John. TV and film writers, get to work writing accurate portrayals of adoption! And, John, you're a successful screenwriter, maybe you can put some positive portrayals out there of your own? I know I'll try to once I've gained success!

Just a thought.

Dogs: Smarter than Cats (Duh)

I've known this for ages, but it's always good to get scientific evidence on your side.

The aloofness and general un-niceties of cats have led them to become far less socially adept and therefore less intelligent in this wild animal kingdom of ours. Dogs, on the other hand, are some of the most socially in-tune and (therefore) intelligent creatures out there.

A fun take on the study is here at HowStuffWorks. A slightly less dog-biased article is from WebMD, though should not be taken as seriously because anyone trying to be biased in favor cats clearly has a brain the size of one. Snap!

My one quibble with Josh Clark's analysis over at HowStuffWorks? That he says that Harry Potter fans are in favor of cats when one of my favorite characters, Sirius Black, could (SPOILER ALERT!) transform himself into a great, black, shaggy dog. How can one possibly honor such a noble beast more than that?

We Need All Kinds of Minds!

Listen to Temple Grandin's TED talk and you will be a better person for it. She's great. If you haven't seen the new movie about her, "Temple Grandin," watch it. You won't regret it. Enjoy!

Squirrelpocalypse Now: Squirrelmageddon

I keep telling you guys. It's coming.

Today I saw a squirrel carrying twigs and brush in his mouth. Twigs and brush. Since when do squirrels build nests? Since now. They're starting to take on bird-like habits in order to get in good with the bird world and learn how to fly.

Why? You tell me.

Ok, I'll tell you why. So they can start dropping bombs on us humans. Squirrel bombs.

If you haven't already dug your underground squirrel-proof bunker, I suggest you start now.

Correlation or Causation?

So after spending a weekend in Pittsburgh (vacationing from work and posting) gorging on delicious desserts, I went into the doctor's on Monday expecting my cholesterol to have skyrocketed.* To my surprise, it fell by nearly 30 points.

Now, I'm not saying definitively that eating delectable delights in the form of mini banana cream pies, cake-like cookies that are filled with scrumptious vanilla icing, or just plain thumbprint cookies will lower your cholesterol or even had an effect on mine, but it's a pretty convenient coincidence.

Ok, and maybe it also had something to do with the influx of vegetables I ate or the fact that I was fairly active all week, but I still find it hilarious that I discovered this high-dessert-low-cholesterol correlation immediately after posting a "Stew of the Week" that entirely focuses on eating healthier desserts. Just goes to show you that sometimes you can cheat and pay the opposite of the price.

*I'm on a few different medications that cause an increase in cholesterol, so I have to be on the lookout for any dramatic increases.