“Because Being a Man is Sometimes Just a Synonym for Being a Twat” by Bipolar Bear

“Do you know your way back to the apartment?”   “Of course we do.”

The correct answer to the above question should have been, in fact, an emphatic no.  But now it is too late, and Andy and I are wandering the freezing streets of Bordeaux with no idea where we are going.

The streets do have names, despite the title of this post, but when they’re in another language and all look exactly like something from the movie Amelie, they do tend to run together slightly.

Andy is miserable because he has a severe cold.  He’s been the guiding hand for me on this trip, with his grasp of French being much more confident than mine, and possessing a familiarity with the culture that I don’t have.  Now he is as lost as I am.

We are only two minutes from L’Ours Marin, the bear bar where Christophe’s exhibition is being held tonight.

Amateur Tattoos Carry Hepatitis C risk: Study

 

(Reuters) – If you’re planning on getting a tattoo, make sure it’s from a professional and not a friend because ink work by amateurs may carry a risk of Hepatitis C, according to a new report.

In an analysis of several dozen past studies, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that tattoos from non-professionals appear to increase the risk of a possible blood-borne liver infection.

By contrast, there is no evidence that tattoos done by professionals carried such a risk.

Hepatitis C remains a major public health problem in the United States with between 75 and 85 percent of people infected with the disease developing chronic infection that can lead to serious diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The illness is passed to people through contact with infected blood. In the United States, there are roughly 18,000 new Hepatitis C infections every year, mostly when people who inject drugs share tainted needles or syringes.

But there are other ways of contracting the disease.

Home Shoulder Workout, No Equipment Needed (Video)

 

Mindful Eating as Food for Thought: Put Down that Shovel, Pick Up a Fork!

Yikes! My first move will be to put down the shovel and pick up a fork.

TRY this: place a forkful of food in your mouth. It doesn’t matter what the food is, but make it something you love — let’s say it’s that first nibble from three hot, fragrant, perfectly cooked ravioli.

Now comes the hard part. Put the fork down. This could be a lot more challenging than you imagine, because that first bite was very good and another immediately beckons. You’re hungry.

Today’s experiment in eating, however, involves becoming aware of that reflexive urge to plow through your meal like Cookie Monster on a shortbread bender. Resist it. Leave the fork on the table. Chew slowly. Stop talking. Tune in to the texture of the pasta, the flavor of the cheese, the bright color of the sauce in the bowl, the aroma of the rising steam.

Continue this way throughout the course of a meal, and you’ll experience the third-eye-opening pleasures and frustrations of a practice known as mindful eating.

Smoking Slows Memory, Reasoning in Middle-Aged Men

Unfortunately, if the amount of information and education has not gotten you to quick smoking by now, I doubt this will phase you, but it’s worth a go. FYI, your breath really smells horrible, you’re welcome!  Enders

New evidence suggests that smoking isn’t only bad for the body but can also take a toll on the mind.

A study published today in the Archives of General Psychiatry linked smoking to faster, more dramatic age-related mental decline in men.

Researchers from University College in London studied more than 5,000 men and 2,000 women from Britain’s long-running Whitehall II study, which has surveyed the health of thousands of British civil service employees.

The researchers studied each participant’s performance on tests of memory, verbal skills and reasoning over a period of 10 years, beginning when the participants were about 56 years old. They found that men who smoked showed a greater decline in these mental functions than those who had never smoked.

New York Giants Owner Steve Tisch Had Toenails Painted for Good Luck

Let your ‘freak’ flag fly. Real men aren’t afraid of painting their toe nails in good fun.

For those of you tired of hearing about the Super Bowl, we’re sorry – but there are just too many great storylines that make it the gayest ever. The latest comes from gay-friendly New York Giants owner Steve Tisch, who had his toenails painted red and blue over the last few weeks (including the Super Bowl) for good luck.

The 62-year-old businessman and film producer allowed his children to paint his nails as a joke five weeks ago, and was too superstitious to remove the polish as the Giants began to power their way through the playoffs.

“If this is how it is going to work out then maybe I should wear it all the time,” Tisch joked. “I was going to get rid of it but my daughters thought it was funny and then we just kept winning. (Out Sports)