Guest Post from the hubs

So Kelley has been asking that I do a "Guest Blog" for a few months now and I always used the excuse that I had to mow. I think she caught on to my ploy when the storm dubbed "Snowmaggedon" hit... and I don't think she would buy the fact that I need to change the oil in my mower. So here I am. At the computer, writing my thoughts to the world. We'll see where this goes, but rest assured, Miscellany Monday and Wordless Wednesday have nothing on me. That's right. We'll call today Wade's Maximal Miscellany Word-full Wednesday (WMMWW for short).

Thought 1) Reading this week, I read something that I had never read (or paid attention to). Holy Underwear. You heard me right. And now I think I have your attention. If you read Exodus 28:42-43, you'll see that God required the priests who entered His presence to wear "linen undergarments...reaching from the waist to the thigh. [They] must wear them...so that they will not incur guilt and die." I must say that that is the most convincing argument for boxers over briefs I've ever heard. So in the eternal vote of "Boxers versus Briefs," I think that God Almighty has solidly cast His vote for boxers, linen boxers to be specific.

Thought 2) Kelley kept saying that I would do a guest post about my gardening secret. The answer? Manure. There, it's out there. Go to your favorite garden store and ask for composted manure, mix in as many bags as you can before you start your garden, and then every year after that. Some people say a little TLC will grow a garden, but I say a whole lotta manure will turn your garden into a jungle of food.

Thought 3) After much deliberation and careful consideration, I am ready to name my favorite chemical molecule: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2). Not only is it an effective mouth gargle (see Thought 4) and disinfectant, but it also is an unbelievably reactive molecule. White Blood Cells in the body use it as a Smart Weapon, shooting what essentially are hydrogen peroxide missiles at engulfed foreign bodies. It decomposes in air to pure water and oxygen, both molecules of which are vital to (many) living species. Hydrogen Peroxide can be a highly hazardous substance when stored for long periods in your laboratory, thus requiring regular disposal and replacement. It reacts in other ways that would not be responsible for me to detail, but what brought me to designating H2O2 as my go-to molecule was this: It helps regulate the biological clock of most all cells. Peroxiredoxins. In the peroxiredoxin enzyme, cells use peroxide substances to cause chemical reactions to occur. New studies show that the by-products of these chemical reactions regulate processes along a repetitive 24 hour time frame. So the next time your spouse gets those midnight munchies, instead of telling him/her to grab those Oreos from the pantry, just tell him/her to cool their peroxiredoxins.

Thought 4) Mouth gargle? You'll want it after this. If you don't floss (guilty), you leave colonies of bacteria called biofilms growing in the crevices of your teeth. (To envision a biofilm, have you ever walked into a lake or stream and picked up a rock from under the water? It's usually slick on the bottom. That is most likely a bacterial biofilm.) Those biofilms cause gum disease and tooth decay, which create small abscesses that allow the bacteria to enter the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, those bacteria race to the heart where they stick to the heart walls and wait until they can burrow into the wall of your heart, thus causing heart disease. What's the moral of the story? You might think floss and brush your teeth, but I'm more amazed at how innovative the bacteria are in displacing themselves to a place in the heart where antibiotics and host immunity cannot affect them. Amazing, right?

This is getting a little long, so I'll leave off here. I have a Thought 5, but I'll leave that as a cliffhanger. Kelley wants me to have a regular guest post on here. That's a lot of commitment, especially considering I don't even have a cool blog title yet. (Ideas?) Depending on the thumbs up or down, maybe Thought 5 will be forthcoming.

So just to recap: Wear linen boxers, Use manure on your garden, Choose your favorite chemical molecule, and Floss.