mek.highcroft.com

A Healthy Back

Blue Cross of Minnesota maintains this handy animated guide to better posture and back health: Good Posture for a Healthy Back (requires Flash).

As an office chair polit, goo dposture is difficult to maintain. Poor chair? Poor Posture? Bad habits? Probably all of the above, but my bad posture is more a result of laziness than poor seating surfaces. When it comes to good health in an office environment, there are many more things to think about then I generally realize.

The Northwoods Diet

An Article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune www.startribune.com today: Goodbye Atkins, South Beach, here comes the Northwoods Diet. I thought this article was great. A sensible approach to weight loss, not triggered by profit motives or marketing, simply a weight loss plan for those of us with a will to lose some weight and a measure of common sense. I suggest that you read the article (may require free registration to the StarTribune web site) and decide for yourself.

With all the discussion of dieting fads, I'm glad to know that someone agrees that sensible portion size helps curb weight gain, and may even spur weight loss.. I wrote a message to the article's author, praising the sensible nature of the article, and of the professor's effective, reasonable approach to weight loss. May common sense prevail!

A visit to the Science Museum of Minnesota

Earlier this year, Heidi and I joined became members of both the National Geographic Society and the Science Museum of Minnesota. While we really enjoy getting the National Geographic magazine, the Science Museum is definitely a treat. Interesting exhibits, shows, and displays. This most recent visit was as interesting and informatove as ever.

I must admit, after arriving at the museum too late to view the mid-afternoon IMAX film, I was wondering how we'd possibly spend 4 hours at the museum, waiting for the next show. Well, I was astonished at the amout of time we spent looking around, working with different interactive displays, and showing Caroline around. It certainly changed my perspective to have 16 month old Caroline there, as my activities were charged with an interest to show her lots of new and exciting things. Needless to say, the animatronic T-Rex in the lobby cought her attention when it turned and roared, but she made it through without even a whimper.

The displays of minnesota wildlife, vegetation, informatin on lake and rivers, and the awesome displays of archeological materials were very fun. The interactive diaplays of waves, tornados, blood flow, and a host of other exhibits were, somehow, more interesting with a child there.

We took time out to watch the new 3D show about the Mars rover expeditions of Spirit and Opportunity. The 20-minute film largely focused on the efforts to send the rovers to the surface of Mars to determine if liquid water was ever present on the 4th planet from our sun, and the presentation was very interesting. Only about 10 minutes of the film required the use of 3D glasses.

Nor surprisingly, Caroline did not get a pair of 3D glasses, but since I know how disturbing a 3D screen image is without the glasses, I was a little worried about messing up her vision... so about a minute into the 3D part of the film, I slipped my 3D glasses over her eyes. Her reaction was amazing. She was riveted to teh screen, staring intently at the images, and actually reaching out for them. I'm sure I had the same reaction at my first 3d film, but seeing her reach out was simply incredible. I wonder if the IMAX film was as interesting...

For me, the IMAX is the main reason we became members of the Science Museum. The films are awe inspiring, both in sheer size, vibrancy, and sound. This presentaiton was Forces of Nature, with stories about volcanos, earthquakes, and tornados. I think National Geographic does a wonderful job telling their stories, even without the power of IMAX film, but WOW.

All in all, I had a wonderful time at the museum. I look forward to returning again with my family soon.

Rain, wind, and other four-letter words

Minnesota weather must be one of those tricks Mother Nature plays on residents of this fine state, the 32nd state in the Union (and the original land of Ice and Snow here in the contiguous United States).

Last week, the weather was pleasant. On Saturday, it was downright beautiful. But today, it's raining. It's been dipping into the low 40's and high 30's overnight. Our optimistic and perpetually happy local weather forcasters are telling us to be prepared for some snow this weekend. Ugh.

Ok. Seriously, I LOVE this state. I'm just not ready to roll up all my hoses, put the 3M insulating film on the windows, and rev up the snowblower (which is on its last legs anyway). I just want a few more weeks of crisp autumn evenings so I can sit out by the bonfire, watch leaves drift lazily to the ground, roast marshmallows for s'mores, and relax in the SkyChair...

Instead, the leaves are dropping like reams of wet construction paper, clumping together on the descent, landing with a wet thud on the soggy ground. The evenings have rapidly changed from crisp to cold, and somehow the SkyChair does not seem so inviting when it is wet.

So, I broke out the barn jacket and the wool hat today, hoping to keep the cool breeze and rain off. The local foliage has exploded with color and is hypnotizing in it's beauty, a welcome addition to the morning commute. As I reflect on the brevity of these vibrant autumn colors, I know I only have a few weeks to prepare for the coming winter. So, I guess there's no use grousing about it.

It's time to get to work.