TEETH!!!

Teeth.  It has been a passion of mine since I have been exposed to it starting in high school.  The do's, the don'ts, and much, much, more.

Oh, where to begin?  Probably the most important thing, and what I usually drill into everyone upon first meeting is: YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO FLOSS!!!!  Even if you don't want to brush your teeth because it is just too hard to add those two minutes before you fall into bed, always always always floss.

The are so many different kinds of bacteria in between your teeth that can develop into other kinds of problems all over your body, which makes it absolutely worth wrapping your fingers around that tiny thread every day.  I was watching Conan one night and there was a guest he had on that was talking about all the ways to increase years onto your life.  I am completely blanking on his name, but he was saying that flossing everyday can add 2 to 3 years onto your life because of the bacteria that can just fester and rot up in there.   Basically, it is muy muy importante.

If you absolutely HATE to floss, there is a great product out there called the Reach Flosser, and I have changed some minds for doing the deed <references definitely available if needed>.  It is a plastic hand held device that attaches a floss piece every time you want to floss.  Check it out:

It pretty incredible how much we ask of our teeth.  There are so many things that are really bad for our teeth that I think many don't realize.  One of the top no no list to chew on is popcorn kernels, AND ice cubes.  Both have a terrible habit of cracking teeth, and or taking off other restorations you already have going on in your mouth, so try to avoid chewing on either if possible.  Crowns are expensive, yet they are so teeny tiny.  Lemons are not great either because the acidity can essentially break down the teeth and over time.  Basically you want to stay away from anything really really hard, and don't forget about all those delicious juices and candies. They can get ya.

All the teeth in the mouth are numbered to make dentists lives organized.  The numbers go from 1-32 because that is the maximum amount of teeth a person can have, including the wisdom teeth.  Hardly ever do people actually have all 32 teeth grow in, and the other day my doctor and I were able to see inside a mouth with every single tooth grown in and completely functional.  It was nerd, in a tooth nerd kinda way.

And just remember that sensitivity to heat, a cup of hot water or coffee, is never a good thing, so get to your dentist before it gets too late and pay them a grand ole visit! Chances are the pain is not going to go away until treated.

As quoted from West Wing, "Teeth are the best friend you can get.  You be good to them, they'll be good to you."

What kind of bees make milk?

Yes, this is going to start with a really cheesy joke, but those are the BEST kind.

What kind of bees make milk?   BooBees!


Earlier, I mentioned different random things for around the house and I forgot to mention the little trick of what to do if a light bulb shatters while you are trying to take it out of the outlet.  What is suggested to do IS- if you have a potato laying around the kitchen, cut it in half, jam the jagged/broken end of the light bulb right into it, twist and it should come right out.

The potatoes are apparently firm enough for this process as opposed to other vegetables or fruits.  Hope it helps.


Speaking of BooBees (in a way), there is a great documentary about the entire process of child birthing called The Business of Being Born.  Ricky Lake produced and starred in the film about hospitals view on the procedures of getting babies and their mothers in and out;  BUT before you judge and not want to give it a shot, I can assure you she is very tolerable and it's very informative throughout the whole thing.  A very small part of the film talks about the natural way of having a child at home sans doctors, and one of the bodies most soothing and comforting ways of dealing with pain is the sound of your own moan.  The vibrations allows your body, in some strange way, to handle the stress of the pain that is being inflicted.

With all the patients that come in and out of the dentist office that I work at, many of which walk out numb because they needed an injection for the procedure they had.  Time after time, as the shot goes into their mouth immediately they start to moan because of the pain, and absolutely instinctually.  It is their way of processing and handling the pain and I thought it was interesting because it was the exact same idea behind child birthing.  No matter what the extremity of the pain, the moaning is a sure way to help all in need........ AND pinch your finger with your fingernail because it distracts your brain from where the pain is coming from.  That's a fact, Jack!

http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/trailer.php

Until next time.

PS- For those of you who are Netflix users, you can stream the movie instantly.

What do I do with my Viagra!?

Were you thinking just today how you have a drawer full of old prescription drugs and you don't know what to do with them? Now it's crazy that I am even talking about it?  Sweat no more because there is an answer for you.  We were talking the other day about how to properly dispose of them, and what I did know what you NEVER flush them down the toilet.  That will only lead to it seeping into the water system and that is never a good thing for our Mother Earth. Ok, check, then what do I do with it? Here is what is recommended:

In the best case scenario, you are supposed to go to a community drug take-back center, or try to find out when a collection is in your community for hazardous waste such as paints, etc and they will be able to take your drugs as well.  WHEN that is not available, and you need an easy fix at home, there are two simple solutions.

1.  Take the drugs out of the container and make sure you remove any personal information from the bottle. Duck tape or permanent marker can work really well with this process.  The containers can always be reused for things around the house like nails, or tacks, but if not they can always be recycled.

2.  Put the drugs into a re-closable bag or a container (preferably with a lid) with a big ole' heap of KITTY LITTER or USED COFFEE GROUNDS.

3. Then simply seal it up, and toss it in the trash.  BAM, BAM, BAM, and you are done.

In case you want to double check what I spat at you:  http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf


Flanagan out.

Random things for around the house

I have a couple random things for around the house:

1.  First, and possibly most useful, you ever hate those pesky stickers that come on the bottom of cups, containers, anything that you can imagine. My boss shared her knowledge and showed me that all you had to do was heat it up with a blow dryer for about 30 seconds, and it peels right off.  It amazed me, and I have already used it more then once, so no longer scrap off those nasty stickers using goo gone or a razor. The answer is in this blog spot!!!!

2. I am trying to use home made cleaning products at home because when I go to the store to buy a few groceries and I tack on some cleaning products and all of a sudden my bill is way higher then I wanted it to be.  A while ago I purchased a book called the Urban Homestead, and went to it for its wisdom to help me.

For Bathroom: Half water, half white vinegar (this can also be used for cleaning floors)

For Kitchen: 1/3 of the bottle Vinegar, the rest with water but some space at the top for 1 Tablespoon of Castille Soap

I am not a huge fan of vinegar, and was only given a month before I would give up, but it's better for your pocket and probably for your health.  I also used the peppermint Castille Soup.

http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Homestead-Self-sufficient-Process-Self-reliance/dp/1934170011

3. In trying to change a light bulb that burnt out in the shower, the glass pane came right down with it and went shattering all over the bathroom floor and bath tub.  How the hell was I going to clean up all that glass?  There is nothing more frustrating then glass everywhere, so in the process here is a great help. First a vacuum and dust pan, THEN take the butt of a loaf of bread, and skim the area to get all the little shards that you could not see with the naked eye.  IT worked amazingly, consider yourself learned.

4.  Here is a really neat article about mold on food, and eating it or rather, not.

http://lifehacker.com/5808164/its-not-ok-to-eat-that-mold-goes-deeper-than-the-surface

#2 down the hatchet....I'm just going to keep going.

The first can only happen once

Hello,

I hang out with a lots of people everyday who are always spreading their knowledge onto me, so I wanted to spread the wealth even further and blog about things/those who I have pleasure of talking to everyday.   All sorts of information comes my way about all shapes, colors, techniques, so HERE IT IS! MY organizational blob turned it into one big url of mind blowing useful/useless things for all to read.

The first item on the menu: OBERON.

One of my favorite beers is called Oberon by the Bell's Brewery based out of Comstock Michigan.  To me, it is the perfect blend of flavors to create the light, refreshing brew that will quench the greatest of thirsts but only during the summer months. Every year they come out with a mini keg that has a different artists design surrounding the entire thing in all of its glory.  They always seize to impress, so much so that I have made one a planter, and the second is sitting in my fridge for another project soon to commence.

Thanks to one who also took interest in Oberon, HE is actually the legendary king of the fairies in Medieval and renaissance literature.  He is most famous in his break through role in Willy Shakespeare's A Mid Summer Nights Dream.  Next time you are out, take a look at the mini keg......you will see Oberon chilling on the tree around the back of the can.  Neat.

http://www.bellsbeer.com/files/7212/9900/9825/Oberon%202011%20MiniKeg.jpg

Are you one for little fact about Bell's?  The popularity of this brewing company grew at an incredible rate, and soon it was available in many states outside of Michigan.  One of which was of course Illinois. Unfortunately though, Bell's was pulled from the shelves in October of 2006 when a Chicago distributor tried to sell the it's Bell's distribution rights to a competitor.  Due to this Bell's, was re-named Kalamazoo Brewing Company but lost of lot of it face value just due to the fact that everyone was looking for Bell's and more specifically Oberon.  New brew names, that did not taste the same, and couldn't due to law's (rights) restrictions.  In the end in August 2008, the distributor that 'owned' the rights of Bell's Brewery exited Illinois and it was able to return to the shelves as we all knew and loved.  Random beer fact of the day.

This is what I would like to do, spread my love with words and hope that you sit back, read, and enjoy.  Thanks for supporting!

Flanagan out.