One Food, Two Food, Red Food.....Blue Food???

So about 8 years ago I got into a funny, fake argument with my boyfriend about the existence of blue food. We were sitting at our usual table in the cafeteria with our friends and I remember him making the statement that there is no such thing as blue food. Well, this got the wheels in my mind turning warp speed. I went for the obvious first answer: blue M&M's. That didn't meet the criteria. He was talking about naturally blue food. I went for the next obvious answer: blue berries. Nope, they're purple. I couldn't argue with that. So I resolved to find a naturally blue food to prove him wrong. This is how it all started.

I didn't have good access to the internet back then. That would have made my quest easier. I had to do it the old fashioned way and ask family members. I finally hit some success with my mom. She was surprised at my question because, as she reminded me, we had grown some blue food in the garden behind her house before. She had called it our toy garden because we didn't plant anything useful that year. No vegetables to put on the table really, just fun things. We planted pumpkins, baby pumpkins, Indian corn, Red corn, and.....here it is......Blue corn!

If I'm remembering correctly it was a type of popcorn that we could actually put in the microwave and pop! Armed with this information I strolled up to my boyfriend confidently and declared that I had proven him wrong. I told him about blue corn and he was surprised. He had never heard of it and he admitted defeat.

That should have been enough right?

I have discovered something. I never let it go. Some time after that he and I broke up (unrelated to blue food, obviously). Prom happened. Graduation happened. College happened. I never forgot. Every time I came across information or pictures of naturally blue food I took note. He and I weren't even talking anymore at that point, but I still took note. I never let it go lol. Now, so many years later we are back together and the subject came up again. He's not arguing with me about it but I still feel like I have a point to prove. It may be silly, but being silly is fun. So here are some of my top finds for blue food! I've followed the criteria of naturally blue food that isn't mislabeled purple food. The blue corn is a bit dark and grayish.

No. 1: The Larch

Just kidding!

Exhibit A: Blue Marble Tree Fruit

Exhibit B: Blue Crawdad

Yes, people eat them. One family reunion we took everybody out to the creek and caught bucketfuls of the little guys. They may not still be blue after cooking, but cooking is just a suggestion right?

Exhibit C: Blue Potato Chips

 They are made from blue potatoes, which are a bit purple. But the chips seem to be more in the blue camp. It can be argued that they look purple. At this shade it becomes a matter of opinion. I checked and there are no added colors. The color is all natural.



Exhibit D: Oregon Grapes

 Who said all grapes are purple?



Exhibit E: Decaisnea  Fargesii Fruit

 Exhibit F: The Indigo Milkcap

Exhibit G: The Blue Quandong

Exhibit H: Lingcod Fish

 It's flesh is blue and changes color when cooked, but humans eat raw fish all the time.



So that's it! That's my top finds for blue food! Thanks for reading!

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-Jerelle

*I don't own any of these images. They were all found using Google images.

Ninja Training Update

Between a simply insane weekend last weekend and being sick this weekend I have nothing in reserve to publish this week. I had gotten into a good schedule of having my posts written a week in advance. It was glorious, but now I'm finding myself playing catch up. I was scrambling to figure out what to write about when it hit me. I haven't given an Assassin/Ninja Training Update in quite a while. I actually have a lot to update on that!

Due to a very unexpected and drawn out process of injuring both my hands and waiting for them to heal properly, I haven't been doing any exercises. It has been a big lesson in patience, taking care of myself, and respecting my personal limits. Really what happened was I had a previous injury in my left hand that had healed back wrong. While that hand was reinjured so it could heal back the right way, I managed to overcompensate for it with my right hand. As a result I injured my right hand in just the same way my left hand was injured. I was so angry with myself. I had to take a long break from video games. My fine motor skills were laughable. I felt like I had unskilled clubs on the ends of my arms instead of hands. I had to ask the boys for help at work with the heavy stuff and I couldn't drive either of the trucks because that required me having to literally climb into the truck cab, which put too much strain on my hands. It has been rough but I've learned a valuable lesson and I don't plan on making that mistake again.

I have continued my plan of keeping water as my main drink. I actually counted up the time since I stopped drinking pop and I was shocked. I stopped drinking pop around 5 months ago! The crazy thing is I don't miss it. Both of my roommates still regularly drink it and I am not even tempted. I look at it and don't see it as appetizing at all. Drinking water makes me feel amazing! It's like I feel cleaner on the inside. I have more energy and that sluggish, blah feeling is gone.

On top of continuing to drink water, I have added a number of things. I now have an accountability partner. This have been so helpful. Sometimes you just don't feel like doing the work and you're okay with letting yourself down. But letting someone else down is a different matter. The accountability has majorly helped in building habits. You get used to doing healthy things and before you know it, you've created a good habit. Right now I'm just going over basic things. Most of my life I have done a horrible job at taking care of myself. My basic check in things with my partner are: Eating 3 meals a day, drinking 50 oz of water, getting at least 7 hours of sleep, not stressing my injured hands, and keeping my room organized. That last one sounds really random, but it's amazing how much having a clean and organized room helps with my mental health. Visual noise and clutter don't help anxiety.

The accountability is set up in report form. I write out daily reports. Honestly, just recording my daily progress is helpful and keeps me aware of my daily choices. I report on the items I listed above, as well as adding how I felt that day and what my big picture circumstances were that day. It gives some helpful context. As someone with an anxiety disorder, recording the big picture circumstances of my day helps me see patterns, identify triggers, and just be more aware of how stressors affect my health. I've learned so much about myself and my health through this process!

As far as results go, I don't own a scale so I can't give an actual weight loss amount. I can say that I need a new belt. I started out only being able to reach the first hole on my current belt. Now I am on the farthest hole and still shrinking. I have gone down a shirt size and two jeans sizes. I have learned how important taking care of myself physically is to my mental health. The two cannot be separated. Just working on physical health greatly improves my mental health. With better mental health I'm better equipped to make healthy decisions. It's become an awesome upward spiral. That's a real thing!

If you have PTSD, some other anxiety disorder, or any mental disorder try making healthy decisions for your body. I know. I rolled my eyes at that advice so many times in the past. But now that I'm actually doing it and reaping the benefits, I must say it is definitely worth it! It really works! Just start small. Do you eat 3 meals a day? Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep? Wherever you find yourself there's a small step you can take towards better health. Don't try to do it all at once. That rarely ever works. Have patience and grace for yourself. Find one thing you can stick with and do it daily. Finding an accountability partner really helps too. Most importantly, be kind to yourself and don't give up when you fall down. Just get back up. There are no penalties for falling unless you don't get back up.

That's all I have for now. Thanks for reading!

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-Jerelle

Benefits Of Being Short

I'll say it, I'm a midget. The definition of midget is just a person with proportionate dwarfism. Dwarfism is diagnosed by height alone (persons 4'10" and below). I am 4'9" and therefore have dwarfism. There are scholarships I can apply for with the Little People of America based on my height alone. I've been used as a walking armrest for most of my life. I run into people all the time who are nervous about mentioning my height or unsure about teasing we with short jokes. You know you're really short when people are unsure about teasing you about it.

I am not one bit sensitive about my height. It's actually a physical quality that I like about myself. My counselor once asked me to name 3 things I liked about myself. I guess it was a self esteem exercise. My height was the first thing I mentioned. I still remember the surprise I read in her eyes.

Many would call my height an obstacle to living a full life. I've even been told I can draw a check for it. Many people only see the drawbacks of being so short. Sure, I can't reach higher than the bottom shelves in my kitchen cupboards. I drive using only my toes because I can't reach the pedals with my whole foot. I can't see in crowds, ever. Pants and long sleeve shirts always go past my feet and hands. There's a whole world up there I can't see. But there's a whole world down here too and it's full of awesome benefits. In fact, I've collected quite a few over the years. So here's my Benefits of Being Short List:

1. You are less likely to be struck by lightning.

2. On hot summer days you can stand in tall people's shadows for shade.

3. When the sun is bright and angled just right to blind you, it's not hard to position yourself so something or someone taller than you is blocking the rays.

4. On cold, windy days tall people block the strong winds.

5. You can disappear easily in crowds if you need to.

6. You can always stretch out in cars and airplanes, no matter if you're sitting in the middle seat in a car or coach in a airplane.

7. You are less likely to be hit by random flying objects.

8. Your center of gravity is lower, giving you better balance.

9. If you do fall (less likely because of above point) you don't have as far to fall and, therefore, won't be as likely to be injured by your fall.

10. You can lie down in bathtubs.

11. You can always stretch out fully in a bed.

12. You don't have to worry about bumping your head on things.

13. Automatic advantage in Limbo.

14. You can pretend to be a child to avoid pushy floor salesmen.

15. You burn more calories walking the same distance as a tall person.

16. You can sleep better on a wider variety of couches.

17. You never hold the umbrella when you share with another person.

18. You don't have to bend over in the shower to wash your hair (I didn't know this was an issue for tall people).

19. You can wear capris as regular pants.

20. You can use throw blankets as regular blankets if need be.

21. Potential master at hide n seek.

22. You can swing upside down on a swing set without hitting your head on the ground.

23. You usually always have the element of surprise in sports because people tend to underestimate you.

24. You're the perfect height for forehead kisses.

25. You can ride the kiddy rides at amusement parks without being judged.

26. You spend less on body wash.

27. People are more likely to be merciful to you because you look like a child.

28. Small living spaces seem bigger to you.

29. You require less food to live, so you save on groceries.

30. Low ceilings don't affect you.

31. You can easily weave through crowds.

32. Some research says you're likely to live longer.

33. Shorter people are often less likely to get heart disease because our hearts have less blood to pump.

34. You can wear children's clothing and shoes.

35. You are less intimidating to children and therefore more likely to be accepted and befriended by them.

36. In winter, your coat covers more of you.

37. You can easily cosplay hobbits, oomp loompas, dwarves, the list goes on.

38. You can play on a playground without being judged.

39. In a fight more people root for you. Everybody loves an underdog.

40. Since you're child-sized, you draw out the natural protective instincts in people.

41. Displays created for children (think of the way Disney World or children's museums are designed) works for you too. You get to see it with all the wonder of a child because you still have the physical perspective of a child.

42. The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything.....no, wait...number 42 is my favorite benefit to being short:

Shorter people have slightly faster reflexes, due to the decreased time it takes for neural impulses to travel to shorter limbs.

I am a Hobbit Ninja.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!
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-Jerelle