Things that make you go hmm...

So one of my co-workers is hard-core into what's healthy and what's not, and is very encouraging when it comes to advising us what supplemental things we can add to our diet to make ourselves better, healthier selves.  Today's words of wisdom were to tell us of the benefit of eating chia seeds.  Of course in my 12-year-old-boy-brain all I could do was sing "ch-ch-cha-chia", while envisioning Shaggy's head with a billowing green 'do, but I digress.  Apparently, chia is very beneficial for one's digestive tract as it works to 'sweep' things along, keeping your colon happy.  The chia seed is very light and very small.  My co-worker went to our local Bulk Barn and came back with a small plastic bag of chia to try.  I guess there was static in the bag, because once the bag was placed atop the desk the little seeds were hopping and moving inside (it looked super creepy to me actually).

That led our discussion to the Mexican Jumping Bean.  Did any of ya'll have this special toy when you were young?  I polled my work audience, and the younger ones had no idea what I was talking about but those my age or older, did.  I remember having them.  I remember taking them out of their little plastic box and watching them twitch and roll - especially if you put them under a light.  I remember holding them and how it made me giggle at the feel of them jumping around.  It sorta tickled.  So we got to talking about them.  Just what, exactly makes a Mexican Jumping Bean jump?  Is it similar to what we saw today?  Are they so light that static electricity makes them appear lifelike?

Well, actually, no.  In fact, it's much more sinister.  Creepy, even.  It's actually a life form.  Inside the shell is a living, breathing, moving caterpillar!!!  That, with enough time, hatches!  My parents gave me BUGS to play with when I was a young'n!  Maybe that's why I hate bugs so much today.  Perhaps I'm repressing some terrible memory of taking my special, precious Mexican Jumping Beans to bed with me, and having them hatch under my pillow and wake up to them squirming over me?

I told Chris about it - he, of course, being younger didn't know what the heck I was even talking about.  I told him the childhood story and the truth that I'd today found.  He didn't believe me...so I made him watch this (he believes me now):



I'm not sure you can still buy them today - can't say I'm entirely surprised if you can't!

Consider it your daily science lesson.  Happy Friday!

overheard at the office...

Where I work, we deal with customer accounts. In accordance with the privacy act, we do have to make every effort to ensure that our customers' privacy is protected. We offer, and encourage, our customers to add a security password to their account. We ask for this password when they call with an inquiry so we, of course, are assured we're talking to the right person. The problem lies in the fact that most people forget what they've used for their password. We also suggest a corresponding hint question that enables the customer's recall of the right answer, but some people don't bother with the hint question. They still forget what the password is when they call. We then try to give our own hints, based on what we see the password to be. A co-worker was telling a story the other day about her encounter with such a scenario:

Customer calls in. Customer's account is password protected. Customer does not have a corresponding hint question. The forgotten password is ham basket. Service agent attempts to help customer come up with the answer to the password question by offering the following, "It might possibly be a place of employment that you've had".

*queue uproarious laughter*

For those of my readers (like the aforementioned service agent) who may not know what this colloquialism may be referring to, I've taken the liberty of finding it for you on urban dictionary and have linked the definition to the term. Simply click the link, and you will be filled with more wisdom than you were a few moments ago.

*resume uproarious laughter*

Supposing the service agent did know the meaning of the term, what do you suppose she may have used for her 'hint'? "It might possibly be one of your hidden talents?"