Scented oils linked to breast growth in boys

Oh, this can't be good. Lavender and tea tree oils - I knew that stuff wasn't macho. Now we know why!

Top Ten Things to Think About If You Want to Change the World

Top Ten Things to Think About If You Want to Change the World

free tax filing again this year

State Farm customers can file their taxes for free with Turbotax. Login (register if necessary) to statefarm.com and there should be a link on the left side of the page.

Unfortunately, there is no way to get this service for less. Its already free!

Another Reason to Floss

According to this Yahoo article, men with gum disease have a 63% higher risk of devloping pancreatic cancer. Inflammation in the gums apparently causes inflammation elsewhere in the body.

Need a Dentist in Silicon Valley?

Just started going to this guy in Santa Clara. I spent too long looking for a dentist that took my insurance, seemed pretty good and offered digital x-rays (they put out a lot less radiation), so I was glad to stumble across their web site.

Its amazing how few dentists actually have a web site (among those that take my insurance anyway). Its not that expensive and can really help give potential patients the info they need.

The office and the equipment they use all seems pretty new as well.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Try this simple technique to get rid of stress. Its based on the idea that mental upset manifests in the body by tightening muscles. Conversely, tight muscles can also give you mental stress.

- Find the tension in your body
- Focus on it for 30 seconds
- Breathe in deeply and slowly
- Exhale your breath all at at once
- Repeat until the tension is gone

Learning is remembering. I read about this technique in The Power of Now awhile ago and found that it works. But when I got stressed by a couple of events in the last few days, did I remember to use it? Not for quite awhile unfortunately.

But a few minutes ago something caused me to remember. I focussed on the tension in my body, did the breathing and the stressed feeling dissapated within minutes.

I mean, I did not sleep much last night over these two events. I tried meditating but my mind kept returning to these But now I feel much, much better.

Give it a shot next time you get upset about something. Awareness of how stress manifests in your body is a skill that will serve you well.

If you do find a particular set of muscles is always tight, consider massage to eliminate trigger points or adhesions. Also, follow that up with exercise and stretching to keep it healthy.

Another Distraction Interrupts My Work

I hang out at Peet's at Rivermark in Santa Clara, a stone's throw away from the apartment building that went up in smoke yesterday. Those are my wheels on the right.

Here's a New One

Asexual people are started to get organized and get the word out about their perspective. These folks don't experience a natural sexual attraction at all and have some unique situations to deal with as a result. They are just as capable of getting close to another person, but the whole sex thing is not in the cards.

My own theory about attraction is that it starts with scent. Most of us produce pheromones and most of us react to the pheromones of the opposite sex, the same sex or both sexes. Undoubtedly, there are those that don't react to any pheromones.

Oh, and there is a part of the brain that is smaller in gay men than in straight men. Its right behind the nose, so maybe its connected.

Longevity Correlates with Education

What you've always suspected is true: people that have more education live longer. So get as much as you can and never stop learning no matter where you are or what you are doing.