Babies' Super-Grip!

This is a "Stuff I Just Learned" favorite, from the March 2012 issue of Reader's Digest:

Stronger than it looks?

"Using what's known as the palmar grasp reflex, many infants can squeeze a finger or small object tightly enough to support their body weight if they were lifted. Experts think the reflex, which lasts until a baby is about six months old, may have originated with young primates who needed to hold tight to their mothers while they moved from branch to branch."

Did you catch that? When your friend's baby grips your finger with his little hand, this says that if you lifted your hand, the baby could hang from your finger on his own strength! I am just not sure if I believe that, although I know that babies do hold on tight. I wonder if my brother will let me try with his new baby... :)

Dr. John B. Watson & Rosalie Raynor studying a newborn's grasp reflex, 1916-1920
(via WeirdHistoryPix)

How To Remove Wax From Cloth

From Reader's Digest, March 2012:

"Remove candle wax from a tablecloth, carpet, or couch by gently rubbing the spot with a plastic bag full of ice until [the wax] hardens. Then gently tap the splotch with a hammer and vacuum the chips."

And now if you'll excuse me, I have some stain-removing to do... ;)

How Long To Cook Hard-Boiled Eggs?

Reader's Digest recently answered this question for us thankfully. Making hard-boiled eggs is one of those things that seems like it should be common knowledge, but is it? :)

From March's issue, here are their simple hard-boiled-egg cooking instructions:

1. Place eggs in a pot large enough to hold them comfortably
2. Fill the pot with water until it's about 2 inches over the eggs
3. Bring the water in the (uncovered) pot to a boil over medium-high heat
4. Remove from heat
5. Cover

Then, based on the amount of time you leave the eggs in the hot water, you'll get different levels of "boiled"ness. They offered this handy guide:

3-Minute Soft-Boiled Egg
The yolk is completely runny and barely warm; the white is still slightly liquid.

5-Minute Soft-Boiled Egg
The yolk is cooked but runny; the white is soft.

7-Minute Medium-Boiled Egg
The yolk is partially hardened; the white is fully cooked and almost solid.

9-Minute Hard-Boiled Egg
The yolk is firm but not too dry; the white is also firm.

11-Minute Hard-Boiled Egg
The yolk is edible but "a little chalky"; the white is firm.

Also, they recommend replacing the hot water with ice-cold water in the pot right away to prevent the yolks from having a green "skin".

Hope that helps all of you hard-boiled egg and deviled egg lovers!

Avocados Help Prevent Depression

Hey friends!  Back to the Reader's Digest facts. Doesn't time fly? ;)

Today's tidbit comes from the February 2012 issue about "Nature's Best Stress Soothers". It lists superfoods fish, dark chocolate, and black tea as food that help to lower blood pressure and relax. Then it had this to say about avocados:

The flesh of these delicious green fruits is loaded with two powerful stress fighters: potassium and monounsaturated fatty acids. Both nutrients can lower blood pressure, and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) may play a part in helping ward off depression. In a large 11-year study, the more MUFAs Spanish participants ate, the less likely they were to be depressed. Researchers think the fats may improve how the brain absorbs the mood-boosting neurotransmitter serotonin.

So scrape your avocados well when making your guacamole! Getting more of the "flesh" may be a healthy way to eat your way through rough times. :)

Other foods high in MUFAs, according to livestrong.com: olive oil, seeds, and nuts. Eat away!

Ann Arbor Karaoke

We're taking a Reader's Digest Break this week - don't worry, though, I have more fun facts to share!

In the meantime (and this may not apply to many of you) I wanted to make a list of places that offer karaoke in the Ann Arbor area, since I am having a very hard time finding that succinctly on the web. Maybe you also have that problem?

Here's what I can find (as of today):
(this does not count the places that only do karaoke: Blue Karaoke, Friends Karaoke, etc)

Mondays

couldn't find any!

Tuesdays

           Aut Bar
           9:30pm

Good Time Charley's
10pm

Wednesdays

Banfield's Westside Grill
9:30pm-1:30am 

            Blue Leprechaun

BTB Cantina
10pm 

Tower Inn Cafe (Ypsilanti)
10pm 

Powell's Pub (Ypsilanti)
9:30pm

Thursdays

The Arena Bar & Grill
10pm-1:30am 

Bel-Mark Lanes
9pm 

Circus Bar & Billiards
10pm 

Fenders Bar & Grill (Milan)
9pm-1am 

Katie's Food & Spirits (Dexter)
9pm-1:30am

Fridays

Bel-Mark Lanes 
9pm

Circus Bar & Billiards
10pm 

Dan's Downtown Tavern (Saline)
9pm 

Hamburg Pub (Hamburg)
9pm-1am 

Thompson's Bar & Grill (Saline)

Saturdays

Bel-Mark Lanes
9pm 

Circus Bar & Billiards
10pm 

Hamburg Pub (Hamburg)
9pm-1am 

Powell's Pub (Ypsilanti)
9:30pm

Sundays

Tap Room (Ypsilanti)
9pm

Places that may have karaoke, but aren't answering their phones:

- Blue Leprechaun
- Rick's American Cafe

Places that no longer have karaoke:

- The Blind Pig
- Conor O'Neill's
- Elbow Room (closed)
- The Heidelburg Restaurant

If you know of any others or changes to this list, please let me know so my list can be more complete!
And please call ahead to make sure this info is accurate for the night you want to go.

Hope this helps all of you brave singers in Washtenaw County. :)