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!