The Bare Chest Backlash
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We caught this on Nightline on Monday. And after looking for the video, I found that it originally aired in January. It's good news for people like Steve. What do you think? Bald or "man fur"?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Testosterone and Money
So last night, the news has this story about how some study somewhere has shown that women with higher testosterone levels are more reckless with money. And basically that was it, {it was one of the reports that kind of ends the night broadcast, and so it was cut pretty short}. But it got me interested, so I looked up the study on line.
Basically Northwestern University noticed that in their MBA program, only 36% of females were choosing high-risk financial careers compared to 57% of males. There was already some research done in England that (supposedly-I'm a little skeptical as to just how you could prove this) higher levels of testosterone boosts short term success at finance. That study tested only male traders and found that those with higher levels of testosterone in the morning were more likely to make an unusually big profit that day. Having heard of that study before, the university decided to test their students and see if the same held for women. They found that women with higher levels of testosterone were almost seven times more likely to take risks than women with lower levels.
One other side note: The study also showed that married men and women had lower levels of testosterone than single individuals and were therefore, more risk averse than unmarried people.
So here I am, thinking when I was younger and unmarried, I was not very good with money. At least not like my sister who has ALWAYS been good at saving it and spending it wisely. When Steve and I got married, we went to the bank to consolidate our funds, and I had $25.47 to my name. {you would remember that number too if your husband had a lot more than you in his account} The bank lady asked before we closed my account if there were any outstanding checks that hadn't been cleared yet. "Ummmmm.... I don't think so." Followed by Steve's, "Don't you check?" And no, not really I didn't check, and we went ahead and closed the account only to have a 3 dollar and some change check bounce and have to pay the bank back that amount plus the $20 bounce fee which means I basically had a little over $2 to my name when we got married.
But you know, I worked really hard to save money and not spend it. I worked as a teacher for a couple of years after being married, I feel like I contributed to us being able to buy our first house and pay off all my own student loans.
So now, after hearing this report, I was thinking all along that I was actually learning to be good with my money and really budget, but according to this "study" they are saying that really, I just had high levels of testosterone in my body when I was single, and just as time has gone on, the levels have decreased, and so therefore I am just less reckless with my money? Yeah, whatever, I don't buy it. I think when it comes to anything that we are either good at or bad at, there is some personal effort in it. There is some amount of physical and mental discipline that comes into play. And it is NOT just all based on how much testosterone is in my body.
One thing that the study forgets to look at, is what are the levels of testosterone like in men who are not risky with money. Or, maybe they did and found that there were more men with higher levels of testosterone in their body who were NOT high-risk takers and it just didn't support their "findings" so they left it out. I have added the site for you to take a look at if you are interested in the study at all. I know that I am just rambling, but this story kind of seriously bugs me. I'm just sayin'.
Basically Northwestern University noticed that in their MBA program, only 36% of females were choosing high-risk financial careers compared to 57% of males. There was already some research done in England that (supposedly-I'm a little skeptical as to just how you could prove this) higher levels of testosterone boosts short term success at finance. That study tested only male traders and found that those with higher levels of testosterone in the morning were more likely to make an unusually big profit that day. Having heard of that study before, the university decided to test their students and see if the same held for women. They found that women with higher levels of testosterone were almost seven times more likely to take risks than women with lower levels.
One other side note: The study also showed that married men and women had lower levels of testosterone than single individuals and were therefore, more risk averse than unmarried people.
So here I am, thinking when I was younger and unmarried, I was not very good with money. At least not like my sister who has ALWAYS been good at saving it and spending it wisely. When Steve and I got married, we went to the bank to consolidate our funds, and I had $25.47 to my name. {you would remember that number too if your husband had a lot more than you in his account} The bank lady asked before we closed my account if there were any outstanding checks that hadn't been cleared yet. "Ummmmm.... I don't think so." Followed by Steve's, "Don't you check?" And no, not really I didn't check, and we went ahead and closed the account only to have a 3 dollar and some change check bounce and have to pay the bank back that amount plus the $20 bounce fee which means I basically had a little over $2 to my name when we got married.
But you know, I worked really hard to save money and not spend it. I worked as a teacher for a couple of years after being married, I feel like I contributed to us being able to buy our first house and pay off all my own student loans.
So now, after hearing this report, I was thinking all along that I was actually learning to be good with my money and really budget, but according to this "study" they are saying that really, I just had high levels of testosterone in my body when I was single, and just as time has gone on, the levels have decreased, and so therefore I am just less reckless with my money? Yeah, whatever, I don't buy it. I think when it comes to anything that we are either good at or bad at, there is some personal effort in it. There is some amount of physical and mental discipline that comes into play. And it is NOT just all based on how much testosterone is in my body.
One thing that the study forgets to look at, is what are the levels of testosterone like in men who are not risky with money. Or, maybe they did and found that there were more men with higher levels of testosterone in their body who were NOT high-risk takers and it just didn't support their "findings" so they left it out. I have added the site for you to take a look at if you are interested in the study at all. I know that I am just rambling, but this story kind of seriously bugs me. I'm just sayin'.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Random stuff and then some tunes {a little late}
I missed Friday. I took the kids up to my Mom's house to get in one last fling before school started. We even stayed the night at my sister's Friday night and enjoyed hanging out and playing.
While my sister Michelle was visiting, I made pancakes for breakfast one morning, and she was surprised to find out that I made homemade syrup. I DON'T like homemade syrup, but Steve prefers the homemade syrup and so I would make it for him and it seemed like my kids liked it better too, so I thought it was kind of a waste to buy just me syrup. However, one day while my sister was at the store, she picked me up a bottle as a litte "gift" and it tasted so good! Not only that, but the next time I made pancakes, I put brown sugar on my pancakes followed by syrup. It is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite things to eat for breakfast. Thanks Michelle!
While my sister Michelle was visiting, I made pancakes for breakfast one morning, and she was surprised to find out that I made homemade syrup. I DON'T like homemade syrup, but Steve prefers the homemade syrup and so I would make it for him and it seemed like my kids liked it better too, so I thought it was kind of a waste to buy just me syrup. However, one day while my sister was at the store, she picked me up a bottle as a litte "gift" and it tasted so good! Not only that, but the next time I made pancakes, I put brown sugar on my pancakes followed by syrup. It is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite things to eat for breakfast. Thanks Michelle!
Last week when we were out shoe shopping for the kids we happened on an accident where an older model car had hit a newer model SUV into the first row of cars at a car dealership! Yeah, tell me that wouldn't suck! There were at least three of the brand spanking new cars that were affected. How would you like to call your insurance up and explain that one?
Another thing I witnessed last week was a Dad and son almost getting hit by a commuter train! There are two sets of tracks along the freeway nearby, and a father and son were walking and stopped to wait for a slow freight train to go by. Only the "genius" was waiting on the other set of tracks. Which I didn't think anything of it until I heard the horn of the commuter train. I looked up, the dad looked up, the kid looked up, and they FROZE! I was surprised though that the commuter train was able to stop so fast. Cause if not, yeah, that would have sucked.
We watched the new Hannah Montana movie this weekend. {It came out on DVD} I thought that there were some good entertaining parts on the show, but I can not stand those parts where the characters are faced with a predicament and then doing such crazy and obnoxious things to try and get out of the predicament. When all they had to do was be honest in the first place and it would have been so much better and easier. There was a little too much of that in the movie, that I considered it obnoxious.
I have had a hard time lately coming up with things to make for dinner. It seems like we are eating the same things over and over again. Even my kids seem bored by the food I make. I swear every meal I hear something like, "Not this again!" Not only that, but when I go in the kitchen to start dinner, I feel like I just made that meal last night. It's not the case, but it sure feels like it. Where do you come up with your ideas?
Well, that's it. Now for the tunes (since it's back to school, I did a playlist full of sings that remind me of my school years).
- Please Don't Go Girl - NKOTB {I went to their concert my freshman year of high school}
- Istanbul (Not Constantinople - They Might Be Giants
- Bicycle Race - Queen
- West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
- Don't You (Forget about me) - Simple Minds {This was actually our senior song}
- Right Stuff - NKOTB
- We are the Champions - Queen
- We Will Rock You - Queen
- Oh L'Amour - Erasure
- Summertime - NKOTB
Bonus: A little Respect - Erasure
Friday, August 14, 2009
Random Stuff and then Some Tunes
I have always wanted to play, but part of the rules in playing the Random 10 Friday, is you have to have a playlist. Which up until this past week, I have not had one. However, thanks to Melissa who set me up, I've got a playlist and I'm going to play. For those of you who are not familiar with Random 10 Fridays, I got the idea from Motherboard and Sher. The rules are you ramble off some of the random thoughts you've got going around your brain and then at the end, you hit your music player to play randomly and then list the first ten songs that get played. The idea is to get some ideas for some good music. For me though, the idea is to hear what random stuff people have going around their brains. Although, every once in a while I have stumbled across some good songs.
So, random thought #1 has to do with my playlist. I had Melissa put on songs that she thought would be considered some of my favorites. She did a pretty good job, although I think there are quite a few songs that would actually be considered my kids favorites. There is one, "Don't You Want Me Baby" that for some reason, my kids and I all like to sing along with when it comes on the radio and I mean belt out at the top of our lungs sing. I guess you could call it our theme song. Just don't listen to the words to carefully. Funny thing is, Spencer was always excited for it to come on the radio when he was a little tike and now Jayden is the same way, I guess they are brothers.
Why is it that some people have embarrassing moments, and they make great blog posts, but I have an embarrassing moment, and it becomes a "yeah, you only wish you knew" kind of moment. I may someday be brave enough to post it, but it has to do with some girlie stuff, so it borders on the maybe too graphic to post. So why it is that some people have "embarassing" moments and I have "humiliating" moments is beyond me and from my perspective completely unfair.
I also have this remarkable talent for putting my foot in my mouth. I mean seriously it could be listed as one of my best worst qualities. The dumb thing is, you would think that by now I would have learned to think before I speak, but the problem is, I HAVE thought before I spoke, I just didn't hear it in my mind the way it actually came out. Those moments are the worst. Like the time in the past couple of weeks where I was taking a picture with two other ladies. Neither of whom I am very good friends with, we just happened to be standing next to each other in the food line, and the person taking the picture said, "Scoot closer together." To which I replied, to the lady standing next to me, "I guess we have to pretend to like each other." I say that all the time to my kids and it's no big deal because they know that they really do like each other, but I guess you shouldn't say it to someone who thinks that you don't actually like them. And the truth is, maybe I don't, but I didn't mean it that way.
When you are counting down the days until school starts, do you count today or not. School starts here on the 24th, and today is the 14th (I think, but since the kids aren't in school I really don't keep track of the days actual date) so does that mean there are 10 days left, including today or 9? Just wondering.
We have officially gone (well almost, the summer's not quite over) the complete summer without taking any sort of a vacation. I feel jipped and I think my kids feel jipped. What are my kids supposed to write about in the ever popular first day of school assignment, "What did you do over the summer?" We've stayed busy, but nothing real exciting. Kind of sad if you ask me. It almost makes me feel like I want to hop in the car and go somewhere for this last week of summer. Any good ideas?
So there you have it, here's some tunes:
So, random thought #1 has to do with my playlist. I had Melissa put on songs that she thought would be considered some of my favorites. She did a pretty good job, although I think there are quite a few songs that would actually be considered my kids favorites. There is one, "Don't You Want Me Baby" that for some reason, my kids and I all like to sing along with when it comes on the radio and I mean belt out at the top of our lungs sing. I guess you could call it our theme song. Just don't listen to the words to carefully. Funny thing is, Spencer was always excited for it to come on the radio when he was a little tike and now Jayden is the same way, I guess they are brothers.
Why is it that some people have embarrassing moments, and they make great blog posts, but I have an embarrassing moment, and it becomes a "yeah, you only wish you knew" kind of moment. I may someday be brave enough to post it, but it has to do with some girlie stuff, so it borders on the maybe too graphic to post. So why it is that some people have "embarassing" moments and I have "humiliating" moments is beyond me and from my perspective completely unfair.
I also have this remarkable talent for putting my foot in my mouth. I mean seriously it could be listed as one of my best worst qualities. The dumb thing is, you would think that by now I would have learned to think before I speak, but the problem is, I HAVE thought before I spoke, I just didn't hear it in my mind the way it actually came out. Those moments are the worst. Like the time in the past couple of weeks where I was taking a picture with two other ladies. Neither of whom I am very good friends with, we just happened to be standing next to each other in the food line, and the person taking the picture said, "Scoot closer together." To which I replied, to the lady standing next to me, "I guess we have to pretend to like each other." I say that all the time to my kids and it's no big deal because they know that they really do like each other, but I guess you shouldn't say it to someone who thinks that you don't actually like them. And the truth is, maybe I don't, but I didn't mean it that way.
When you are counting down the days until school starts, do you count today or not. School starts here on the 24th, and today is the 14th (I think, but since the kids aren't in school I really don't keep track of the days actual date) so does that mean there are 10 days left, including today or 9? Just wondering.
We have officially gone (well almost, the summer's not quite over) the complete summer without taking any sort of a vacation. I feel jipped and I think my kids feel jipped. What are my kids supposed to write about in the ever popular first day of school assignment, "What did you do over the summer?" We've stayed busy, but nothing real exciting. Kind of sad if you ask me. It almost makes me feel like I want to hop in the car and go somewhere for this last week of summer. Any good ideas?
So there you have it, here's some tunes:
- Love Story, Taylor Swift
- Slipping Through My Fingers, Meryl Streep
- Lie, David Cook
- Our Last Summer, Benny Andersson
- Viva La Vida, Coldplay
- I'm Not That Girl, Idina Menzel
- Crush, David Archuleta
- Touch My Hand, David Archuleta
- SOS, Meryl Streep & Pierce Brosnan
- Home, Daughtry
Bonus: Human, The Killers
Thanks for letting me Play!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Let the Countdown begin! {Mostly}
Every time summer comes around, I am pretty excited to have a break from the school thing. It is nice to not have the constant battle every morning of:
"Eat your breakfast."
"Are you eating your breakfast?"
"What are you supposed to be doing right now?" {Answer: Eating breakfast}
"Well if you are done now, why don't you put your bowl away and go get dressed?"
"Are you planning on wearing your jammies to school?" {Replied: no}
Followed by me saying: "Well if you don't hurry up and get dressed, you will be 'cause the bus is coming in like 5 minutes."
{You get the picture.}
So when summer comes around, it's nice to not have this conversation every morning. But when it gets to the point where we are having conversations such as, "You can NOT stay in your jammies all day." And "Just because you don't have to go to school, doesn't mean you don't have to brush your teeth."
And when our fights are sounding like this:
"Mom! Melissa BREATHED on me!"
"Mom, Spencer is looking at me like a weirdo!"
Or, {my personal favorite} Spencer and Melissa telling me that they are sick and tired of Jenna doing her "I get whatever I want face - and she knows it!"
The countdown officially begins and I can't wait! So here you have it, 12 days until Melissa and Spencer go to school.
{I am a little nervous yet for Jenna to start school, so the countdown for her will have to wait another year.} I'm just sayin'.
"Eat your breakfast."
"Are you eating your breakfast?"
"What are you supposed to be doing right now?" {Answer: Eating breakfast}
"Well if you are done now, why don't you put your bowl away and go get dressed?"
"Are you planning on wearing your jammies to school?" {Replied: no}
Followed by me saying: "Well if you don't hurry up and get dressed, you will be 'cause the bus is coming in like 5 minutes."
{You get the picture.}
So when summer comes around, it's nice to not have this conversation every morning. But when it gets to the point where we are having conversations such as, "You can NOT stay in your jammies all day." And "Just because you don't have to go to school, doesn't mean you don't have to brush your teeth."
And when our fights are sounding like this:
"Mom! Melissa BREATHED on me!"
"Mom, Spencer is looking at me like a weirdo!"
Or, {my personal favorite} Spencer and Melissa telling me that they are sick and tired of Jenna doing her "I get whatever I want face - and she knows it!"
The countdown officially begins and I can't wait! So here you have it, 12 days until Melissa and Spencer go to school.
{I am a little nervous yet for Jenna to start school, so the countdown for her will have to wait another year.} I'm just sayin'.
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