Personal

MedlinePlus

|

Anxiety: MedlinePlus

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It can be a normal reaction to stress. For example, you might feel anxious when faced with a difficult problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision. It can help you to cope. The anxiety may give you a boost of energy or help you focus. But for people with anxiety disorders, the fear is not temporary and can be overwhelming.

Got to work on the hard braking …. 🛑

|

I never thought of myself as a particularly aggressive driver, but the one strike I seem to rack up the most is hard braking on my insurance app. I am sure that’s the most difficult one to avoid, as sometimes you need to stop hard in an emergency, but also I sometimes let my mind wander too much on the road, and don’t notice a stop sign or a changing light until I am well into the dilemma zone or too close to stop smoothly.

I really should be more concerned about that, as that was the kind of auto wreck I was in 10 years ago, probably caused by own hard braking. Even if I wasn’t ultimately judged at fault by the police, as the driver behind me was following too closely and not paying attention, clearly my quick stop to avoid merging traffic lead to the wreck.

What Is a Paw Paw?

|

What Is a Paw Paw?

The first time you taste a pawpaw, you'll notice that the flavor and texture are almost unlike any other fruit. Often called "North America's tropical fruit," as it is the only such fruit indigenous to the continental U.S., pawpaws taste boldly bright, vibrant, and tropical. Imagine a mix of mango, banana, and a hint of tangy passion fruit, and you'll have a close approximation of a pawpaw's unique flavor.

Individual pawpaws are typically three to six inches long, and are coated in a waxy, green skin. The pale yellow flesh of the pawpaw fruit is almost custardy; it's incredibly soft and jelly-like, and offers a juicy mouth-feel. The easiest (and arguably best) way to enjoy a pawpaw is to cut the fruit in half and squeeze the edible flesh from the peel directly into your mouth. You can also scoop the fruit's flesh away from the skin with a spoon, but this method can be a bit unwieldy given the pawpaw's slick, gel-like consistency.

However you approach eating a pawpaw, be mindful of the large black seeds — you'll need to spit them out or eat around them, as both the seeds and the skin of pawpaws are toxic to humans.