Experiences

Carrot cake is just a gateway drug πŸ₯•

Before you know it you’ll be dumping shredded carrots into your bread dough and pancake batter. Then you can’t have soup or stew without carrots and of course you need carrots for snacking on and dipping in avocados.

Interest Rates on Hold and Powell Speaks About Decision – The New York Times

Fed Meeting Live News: Interest Rates on Hold and Powell Speaks About Decision – The New York Times

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday while leaving the door open to a future increase, a cautious stance at a time when rapid inflation is retreating but is not yet vanquished.

Rates have been on hold in a range of 5.25 to 5.5 percent since July, up from near-zero as recently as March 2022. Policymakers think that borrowing costs are now high enough to weigh on economic growth if they are kept at this level over time.

By cooling demand, the Fed is hoping to prod companies to raise prices less quickly. While the economy has held up so far — growth was unusually strong this summer — inflation has come down since 2022. Overall price increases decelerated to 3.4 percent as of September, down from above 7 percent at their peak.

Shots – Health News : NPR

More fiber in the diet may help boost levels of GLP-1, an Ozempic-like hormone : Shots – Health News : NPR

For several months now, I've been studying how the new medications, Ozempic and Wegovy, cause dramatic weight loss.

Both medications contain a compound, semaglutide, that squelches hunger like a fly swatter smashes a mosquito. People who take the medication say they no longer have constant cravings for food, so they eat less frequently. The drug seems to quiet what some people call "food noise," the constant internal chatter telling them to eat.

While reading study after study about Wevgovy and Ozempic, I learned that the drug mimics a hormone that our bodies naturally make when we're eating food. It's called GLP-1. This made me wonder: Could we increase levels of this hormone by changing our diet? Sponsor Message

Turns out, the answer is yes – you can increase your body's production of GLP-1 with your diet, says Frank Duca, who studies metabolic diseases at the University of Arizona. One of the key foods that triggers its release is a food most Americans struggle to eat enough of, even though it comes with a cornucopia of health benefits. Yup, I'm talking about fiber.

Those Annoying Banner Ads on the Bottom Weren’t Intentional

Not realizing the impact of my actions, I accidentially turned on Google Ads Experiments which lead to 50% of page loads including those floating banner ads on the bottom. I find them incredibly annoying, and have turned them off. While I wouldn’t mind the extra 5% in ad revenue month, I am not going to go that far to uglify my blog for an extra $4 a month.

Full Time Truck Camping?

Would I consider full-time truck camping

The answer is probably no. As much as I like traveling on the weekends or an occasional week of vacation, I actually kind of like the ordinary routine of going to work, taking the bus back and forward, and my boring old apartment, walking down to the library and around town.

1) I’ve never been one for driving — I was hesitant to get my drivers license until I was age 18 — but sometimes it’s necessary, especially if I want to spend time in the wilderness.

2) Camping gets tiring after a number of days — it’s a lot of work to set up, take down, and the other tasks at that are part of camping.

3) I miss having hot showers — One of the things I don’t like about camping is the lack of showers. I like to be able to get clean, and outside of the summer months when there are parks and swimming holes to clean oneself off.

4) Rainy cold days are a drag in woods — While on the balance most of my road trips are enjoyable, rainy and wet days can be a drag, hiding out in the hot tent or truck cap. My apartment is small but still much larger than a tent.

5) I like having consistency, a plan for tomorrow. The truth is working a 9-5 job may be boring but it’s a consistent paycheck and as long as I work hard and don’t screw too many things up. It’s not a search for a new job or a little thing to make it through the next day.

6) Traveling is remarkably expensive. Even when you camp in the wilderness there are a lot of consumable expenses from fuel to food. Having a good 9-5 job helps save for a better tomorrow.

Now there is a lot more of America I’d like to see in the coming years – not the big tourist destinations but the backroads and the lesser venues that I can enjoy.