A Day of Laughter

Yesterday was another 10,000 step day. PTL! While Dee went to Contours, I did the tradmill and watched "How They Do It". I learned how they make wool rugs all the way from the rams and ews to the carpets on floors. Amazing how that industry has changed over the years. Good program. These programs I've been watching are recorded using DVR so that I don't have to suffer through the ads. In fact most of what we watch now are things we've recorded and fast-forwarding through the ads is commonplace at our house.

Then in the afternoon we went to Costco to pick up some groceries and try a few samples a few of the goodies from they were handing out. It was a relaxing afternoon and we laughed a lot. We've been laughing about the program we saw on tv called "I Dan Make You thin" with Paul McKenna. On one program he had a technique for diverting our attention from emotional overeating. It's a tapping technique that changes the focus of your mind from eating because you're angry, or depressed or lonely etc. Then, he had another show on ways to reduce cravings. It included associating some food you disgust and imagining it with worms or hair in it with something you crave. Thinking about that for a minute or so, and then squeezing your left hand thumb with your middle finger; then thinking of a happy time or something that was very satisfying and squeezing your right thumb and middle finger. Supposedly, this "happy thought" replaces the revulsion you feel with the image of the craved food with satisfying feels from the "happy place" thoughts. Anyway, we've been doing it through the day and then laughing ourselves silly.

He did one experiment that was intriguing. He took week old stale popcorn and tried to get people to eat it. No one ate more than a couple of kernals. They said it was aweful. Then he took that same popcorn, put it in a movie theater and sold it to people going in to watch a movie. Everyone of the people ate it all. (Hence, his advice about not watching tv while eating.) He then told the people what they'd done, let them have a container of fresh popcorn, and then realized the difference right away. Hummm. He also, suggested that having been taught to "clean your plate" adds to our over eating. That is, we eat till it's gone, not 'till we're full.

It was a soggy morning, but eventually the temps went into the mid 60s late in the day. Bonz enjoyed the long walk around the block. And after dinner I went to a meeting of the SPEBSQSA - barbershop chorus openhouse. The local group in Cranberry calls itself the BOGMEISTERS. It's the local version of what is now called the Barbershop Harmony Society. They spoke about the organization, their hopes and goals, their structure and we sang a lot. I found it interesting that you don't have to be able to read music to do it. (although it certainly helps) It's a men's organization and there were about 25 guys there. (12 were members and the rest we either guests like me, or visiting singers from other groups supporting the open house.) There was a lot of harmony and laughter in the room, a brief video on the history of the organization that also showed the many kinds of groups there are. It was a lot of fun, and I think I'll give it a try. They practice each week on Monday nights in Mars. It couldn't be any closer and it will satisfy my singing needs.