Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/43912
NEWS OF THE WEIRD by CHUCK SHEPPARD The medical establishment generally WEEKLY HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY regards placentas (afterbirth) as biohazardous waste, but to New York City placenta chef Jennifer Mayer, they are a nutrient-laden meat that can alleviate postpartum depression and aid in breast milk production (among other so-far-unverified benefits). Mayer typically sets up in clients' own kitchens, she told New York magazine for an August story. Some placentas are "really intense, with grief or sadness or uncertainty." Others might be "joyful," "big and round." Mayer's method: Drain the blood, blot dry, cook for a half-hour (leaving something resembling brisket), chop into Chuck Sheppard slivers, dehydrate overnight (rendering it jerky-like). For a popular touch, Mayer then grinds it in a blender and pours the powder into several dozen (one-a-day) capsules. [New York, 8-29-2011] Can't Possibly Be True The Learning Channel's Toddlers & Tiaras series has pushed critics' buttons enough with its general support of the competitive world of child beauty pageants, but a recent episode provoked unusually rabid complaints, according to a September New York Post report. Mother Lindsay Jackson had costumed her 4-year-old Maddy as "Dolly Parton" — anatomically correct (chest and backside) Dolly Parton. The Post described Maddy as "embarrass(ed)" at her chest when another 4-year-old pointed at her and asked, "What is that?" (Ultimately, the judges liked Maddy — for "sweetest face.") [New York Post, 9-2-2011] Things You Didn't Think Existed: (1) World Record for Length of Tonsils: Justin Werner, 21, of Topeka, Kan., was certified in July by the Guinness Book, with tonsils measuring 2.1 inches and 1.9 inches, respectively. The old "champion" was Justin Dodge of Milwaukee. (2) Global Competition in Dominos: The breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia will be the site, in October, of the world domino championship. (Twenty-five countries belong to the International Domino Federation.) [Wichita Eagle-AP, 7-18-2011] [New York Times, 9-9-2011] Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Rob Dickerson finally received his Purple Heart this summer, four years after he was seriously wounded in a rocket attack in Iraq and two years after he began a paperwork battle with the Army to "prove" his injury. Recently, the Army had apologized and mailed him the award, but it arrived C.O.D., leaving Dickerson to pay the $21 fee. (The Army subsequently reimbursed Dickerson the fee, but Dickerson said he hasn't been able to cash the check, in that it was erroneously made out to "Roy Dirksen.") [KELO-TV (Sioux Falls, S.D.), 8-4-2011] COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM ARIES (March 21-April 19) You realize the value of advertising yourself and your work; however, you're weary of the emotional risks involved. It's safe for you to make your work visible. You'll be fi ne. You have a wealth of creative ideas, and you'll make a very effec- tive presentation. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You'll be very impressed by what a loved one does this week. And it is precisely for this reason that your name will be etched upon this person's heart forever. You have no idea how rare this kind of acknowledgement really is. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) There's the sense that you've landed in a spot that is so "not you." Though it may be different from what you wished for or thought you would be do- ing at this time of life, there's still something perfect about the way this chapter fi ts into your life story. CANCER (June 22-July 22) Your tendency is to drive yourself too hard. Allow yourself some leeway, especially when it comes to just plain fun. "The bow cannot always stand bent, nor can human frailty subsist without some lawful recreation." — Miguel de Cervantes LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your timing is stellar, especially regarding professional matters. However, you may not be as confi dent as usual. It will be hard not to take business personally. Consider enlisting a third party to act on your behalf and present your work to the world. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) It is very rare to imagine something and then have it come into being in exactly the way you thought it would. Most things in life are a process. Hands-on development will be necessary. The changes are unpredictable. Stay fl exible in your approach. Keep working until you get a result you love. ADVICE GODDESS Helen of Toy LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) A passionate person in your life will come on like a storm. Whether you decide to work with this person face to face or hide from him or her instead depends entirely on how you gauge the rest of the situation. You'll take it all in stride and then do the most honorable thing. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) The fear of experiencing a symptom can create that very symptom. Focus yourself on the "symptoms" you want to create — fi ts of laughter, tears of joy and irrepressible urges to hug loved ones — and that's precisely the "illness" you'll get. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) The best way is to celebrate and enjoy the level of coopera- tion you already have. The givers will be inclined to give even more, and soon others will join in, either because it looks like fun, or because it seems like the right thing to do. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Life improve- ments depend on your ability to uphold the values of simplicity and congruence. You'll get organized. Addressing your top priorities, you'll clear out the habits and items that are excessive, inconsequential or opposed to your main goals. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) When you are feeling calm and centered, you make reason- able and intelligent decisions. However, the decisions you make from a state of heightened stress or even anxiety are not so bad, either. In fact, those choices may be quite brilliant, as they follow a peculiar but effective logic. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Instead of joining in and trying to blend, you escaped to a reality that existed only in your mind. That place still exists. Find moments to return to your land of imagination, and you'll fi nd it's more magically healing than ever. You'll be rejuvenated by the retreat. By Holiday Mathis laid back attitude Serious Food A Little Island Atmosphere in the Heart of Haymount! • Sunday Funday - the perfect pit stop on your way back from the beach! Bloody Mary bar, Peel-n-Eat Shrimp Special and $10 buckets of Corona. • Tuesdays - Enjoy an icy cold beer. All domestic bottles just $2. • Wine Down Wednesdays - $2 off all glasses of wine. Happy Hump Day! • Thursdays - $5 Margarita's & Martinis to cool you down. Tuesday thru Friday enjoy 1/2 price appetizers from 4-6. Kick back with a cold one and listen to the area's best live music! Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. riday & Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Serving Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday - Sunday from 11:30 (Closed Monday) 1217 Hay Street • Fayetteville • 485-4777 www.lat35fay.com My wife of three years complains that I'm not romantic anymore. In the beginning, I did romantic stuff all the time. I still love her very much, but I guess I'm subconsciously reacting to the fact that I've nabbed her forever. (There's defi nitely something to be said about "the thrill of the chase.") How can I let her know I still care? — Comfortably Wed Doing nice little things for each other regularly is the romantic version of car maintenance to keep you from ending up broke-down in Scarytown. A 2010 study tracking 65 couples by psych prof Sara B. Algoe found that a partner's little thoughtful actions led to feelings of gratitude in the recipient partner, which led to both partners feeling more connected and happier with their relationship the following day. Algoe and her colleagues speculated that "moments of gratitude can act like 'booster shots' for the ongoing relationship." Previous research by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky (detailed in The How of Happiness) suggests that two of the most effective ways to increase a person's overall happiness are feeling grateful and doing thoughtful things for others, so yes … the key to both a happier marriage and a happier life could be the occasional checkout line impulse item. The husband you don't want to be is the neglectful one with the miserable, angry wife he tries to placate with occasional seismic gifting — waiting until their anniversary and going bankrupt buying a diamond tennis bracelet or hiring the Three Wise Men to drop by her offi ce with gifts of frankincense and myrrh. His wife knows very well what his gifts are: remedial romancing — a peace offering instead of a love offering. The wiser approach is replacing the thrill of the chase with the thrill of making your wife happy by being regularly attentive: Hug her and tell her she's beautiful. Change her windshield wipers without being asked (you care about her safety!). Slip out of work to get her a cupcake (at 3 p.m. on a Thursday, her happiness was important to you). Every now and then, mix the little things up with all that stuff guys do early on — stuff like sending fl owers after sex, not sneaking out after your wife falls asleep and then avoiding your favorite bar for two weeks so you won't run into her. Amy Alkon Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. OCTOBER 5-11, 2011 UCW 19