GRAVESTONE INSCRIPTIONS _ Real inscriptions on gravestones in New York-area graveyards:
• He was a great lover
• Life is too short. Buy more shoes!
• A gentle and generous soul. He enjoyed a damned good pot roast.
• Lover of opera, maker of pot roast.
• He was very good. When he was bad he was better.
• Something’s not right here.
NAMING PUMPKIN VARIETIES MUST BE FUN _ I never knew there were so many varieties of pumpkins: Funny Face • Kentucky Field • Winter Luxury • Buckskin • Big Tom • Baby Pam • Jackpot • Mammoth Gold • New England Pie • Young’s Beauty • Snowball • Baby Boo • Pankow’s Field • Munchkin • Ghost Rider • Spirit • Jack-Be-Little • Small Sugar • Happy Jack • Frosty • Sweet Potato • Baby Bear • Tricky Jack • Jumpin’ Jack • Sugar Treat • Tennessee.
SLEEP IS THE ULTIMATE BRAINWASHER _ Every night since humans first evolved, we have made what might be considered a baffling, dangerous mistake. Despite the once-prevalent threat of being eaten by predators, and the loss of valuable time for gathering food, accumulating wealth, or having sex, we go to sleep. Scientists have long speculated and argued about why we devote roughly a third of our lives to sleep, but with little concrete data to support any particular theory. But researchers have learned that during sleep, the brain cleans itself. During sleep, the Cerebrospinal fluid fills channels in the brain, collecting waste products. It uses a lot of energy, leading to the hypothesis that the brain can’t clean up waste while also processing sensory input.
