~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
April 16, 2011

Updated: April 16, 2012

★~ Today’s Quote: Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.  ~Etty Hillesum

★~Today is Stress Awareness day:

Failed New Year resolution, the lack of a significant other, or your significant other, spring fever, the lost permission slip, overworked-no vacation plans. You know, that stress? You do? Ok, just wanted to make sure you were aware of it. Carry on.

♥~ Egg Benedict Day:

How did Eggs Benedict come to be? The first story is of Lemuel Benedict, a New York stockbroker who stumbled into the old Waldorf Hotel on Fifth Avenue in 1894, hungover from the night before, and ordered two poached eggs, bacon, buttered toast, and a pitcher of hollandaise sauce. The maitre d’hotel loved the combination and added it to the menu, but substituted ham for bacon and English muffins for toast. Lemuel’s cousin (well, technically first cousin once removed), Jack, dedicated most of his life to ensuring that everyone knew that his family legacy was known. He even opened a restaurant in Colorado, L.C. Benedict Restaurant and Tavern, which he filled with eggs Benedict memorabilia. If you want to know the other side of the story go here Brunch In The City

★~Today in History:

♥~ 1869 – Charlie Chaplin’s life was a work of art and it began on this day in in London, England. He started on his acting career as a young child, performing on stage, then touring with Fred Karno’s company as a teenager. When he was twenty-four, Chaplin joined Mack Sennett’s Keystone company where he made over thirty films. These films were the making of the cane-twirling clown with the baggy pants. The character of the little tramp came to fulfillment in the 1915 film, The Tramp.

♥~ 1968 – Baseball’s longest night game was completed — after 24 innings. The game took six hours, six minutes to play. The winner? The Houston Astros (over the NY Mets 1-0)

♥~ 1977 – David Soul one half of TV cop show “Starsky & Hutch”, went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Don’t Give Up On Us’, his only US hit. Also No.1 in the UK.

♥~ 1994 – Prince had his first UK No.1 with ‘The Most Beautiful Girl In The World’, (his 37th single release). It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1917 – William ‘Billy’ Benedict actor: Computercide, The Dead Don’t Lie, The Over-the-Hill Gang, Let’s Go Navy!, Bowery Bombshell, Janie, Perils of Nyoka; died Nov 25, 1999

♥~1924 – Henry Mancini (Enrico Nicola Mancini) Academy Award-winning composer: Moon River [1961], Days of Wine and Roses [1962], Breakfast at Tiffany’s score [1961], Victor/Victoria score [1982]; composed themes for The Pink Panther, Mr. Lucky, Peter Gunn, Charade, NBC Mystery Movie, NBC Nightly News, Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet; 20 Grammy Awards; died June 14, 1994

♥~ 1971 – Selena (Quintanilla Perez) singer: My Love, I Could Fall in Love, Captive Heart, I’m Getting Used to You, God’s Child, Dreaming of You, Missing My Baby; shot to death Mar 31, 1995 by Yolanda Saldivar [head of Selena’s fan club]

★~ Did You Know:

♥~ The term “stress” derives from the Latin stringere (to draw tight)

♥~ Top ten list of life stressors: Death of a spouse, Jail sentence, Death of immediate family member, Immediate family member commits suicide, Getting into debt beyond means of repayment, Period of homelessness, Immediate family member seriously ill, Unemployment (of head of household), Divorce, Break up of family

♥~  In 2009, the top most stressful jobs were a surgeon, commercial airline pilot, photojournalist, advertising account executive, and real estate agent. The least stressful jobs were actuary, dietitian, astronomer, systems analyst, and software engineer.

♥~ The top three stressful cities in Americaare:  Chicago, Ilinois; Los Angeles, California; and New York, New York

♥~ Laughing lowers stress hormones (like cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline) and strengthens the immune system by releasing health-enhancing hormones.

♥~ Research has shown that dark chocolate reduces stress hormones such as cortisol and other fight-flight hormones. Additionally, cocoa is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids

♥~ A 2009 CNN poll reveals that the number one reason for stress in most countries is money. The countries most stressed about money are Malaysia, China, Singapore, and the United States. The countries least stressed about money are Russia, France, and Italy.

♥~ When faced with stress, a vast majority of people, 82 percent, turn on the television, listen to music or read. Family and friends serve as a solid support for 71 percent of those polled. Prayer or meditation is a recourse for 62 percent and exercise sustains 55 percent.

Its time to see professional help if you see yourself dealing with stress in any of the following ways:

• Putting miniature marshmallows in your ears and humming loudly.
• Using your Mastercard to pay your Visa and vice-versa.
• When someone says “have a nice day”, telling them you have other plans.
• Making a list of things to do that you have already done.
• Filling out your tax form using Roman numerals.
• Taping pictures of your boss on watermelons and launching them from high places.
• Leafing through “National Geographic” and drawing underwear on the natives.
• Tattooing “Out to Lunch” on your forehead.
• Buying a subscription to a sleazy magazine and sending it to your boss’s wife.
• Paying your electric bill in pennies.
• Driving to work in reverse.
• Reading the dictionary upside down and looking for secret messages.
• Starting a nasty rumor and see if you recognize it when it comes back to you.
• Braiding the hairs in each nostril.
• Writing a short story using alphabet soup.
• Staring at people through the prongs of a fork and pretending they’re in jail.
• Making up a language and asking people for directions in it.
• Billing your doctor for time spent in his waiting room.
• Calling up everyone in your address book and when they answer, saying “I must have the wrong number” .
• Putting your toddler’s clothes on backwards and sending him to pre-school as if nothing is wrong.

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. So the solution to stress might be a three layer cake made out of the finest dark chocolate oozing with molten chocolate sauce or it might be sleeping in on Saturday morning or taking a walk alone.

Thanks for stopping by Odd Loves Company!

♥