Actually in my vast experience in schools there are four general types of lunches for kids. Sometimes they overlap with each other, but most time the consistent four win out over the year.

1. The gourmet lunchbox filled with asparagus quiche made with wholemeal pastry, organic asparagus and lactose free milk, a . bowl of raspberries, etc, etc. Each of the food groups is covered. All food is in recyclable containers with name labels on the lids.  Mothers of the owners of these lunchboxes tend to become very irate when matching containers mysteriously go missing, spending a large amount of their time searching through lost property while all the time suspecting that someone really stole it. The owners of these lunchboxes spend a large amount of their time swapping out bits of quiche for fruit straps that reside in the lunchboxes of the third type.
2. The well-intentioned lunchbox.  On the first day it is filled with chicken sandwiches cut into the shape of stars that by the end of the week have evolved into vegemite sandwiches (with the crust left on). The plastic container of cut up oranges has been replaced with an apple.  It’s healthy, just not so pretty as the gourmet. Recyclable plastic containers have evolved into gladwrap and ziplock bags.
3. The supermarket convenience lunchbox.This type of lunchbox usually is made up of dip a bic, tins of tuna (do you know how hard these are for kids to open), cheese sticks, mini packets of barbeque shapes, fruit straps and popper juice.  The presence of these items in the lunchbox depends on what they’ve been able to nag their parents into buying during the weekly shopping.
4. The bag and bottle lunch in a shopping bag.  This is usually a bottle of coke, perhaps red bull (sugar is energy–right?). Usually this is accompanied by a family sized bag of cheezels (cheese is healthy) or chips (potato?).  These children are usually the envy of every child in the playground until they see how their food inspired sugar high/crash makes their teacher cranky. Some days these kids have no lunch at all. 

But in all my time I’ve never seen a bento box like this one in the picture.  Now that’s a lunchbox.  Image

Prevention website reports the following:

Every time you flush with an open lid, bacteria spray into the air around your toilet. And some of these germs could pass along symptoms of diarrhea or vomiting.

Scientists at Leeds University tested the air above toilets and found that the germ, C. difficile, which causes violent bacteria and vomiting, can be spewed up to 10 inches above toilet seats with every open flush. These germs were found on the sides of the toilet, on the top, and on the floor — even when the toilet wasn’t in use. In other words, even an unoccupied, open bowl can spread bacteria.

Although the highest levels of bacteria were found right after a flush, even 90 minutes later, between 15-47 contaminated water droplets were detected on nearby surfaces.

Right then, I’m just off to chuck out my toothbrush and gargle with bleach–right after I put the toilet lid seat down. Image

And here I was thinking that we had a drink after work just because we wanted to trash our livers.

Anyway the study says that the endorphins released, and they showed this by using brain imaging, are similar to those produced by laughing or exercising. The stress and pain-relieving proteins are naturally released in the brain and other tissues, producing similar effects to opiates such as morphine.

The only thing I find amazing about this study–that someone spent time, money and countless brain cells discovering something that the rest of the world has always known. Did we really need a study to prove that drinking makes us feel better?  Image

“Let them take whatever they want from me,” he’d said, “it’ll be of no use to me.”

This was a dinner table conversation that our family had had one day. We were all in agreement that we’d be organ donors, so when our family was called upon to make the decision, well there really wasn’t one to be made. My brother had made his wishes clear and we honoured them.

We found out later that people ranging from a toddler to mothers to grandfathers benefited from his donation. Become an organ donor. Fill out the paper work, have the dinner table conversation with your family, make your wishes known.

And if you need further inspiration, have a look at this video. Made me all weepy. Image

Take a look and see if these images inspire you for 2012.

By the way–these Bupa ads–what on earth is Bupa?

Following is this week’s Gen X Girl weekly column that appears in the Townsville Bulletin’s Savvy magazine.

I had a houseful of Gen Ys over after Christmas. They all woke up distinctly green tinged, hoarse voiced and shaking hands. “Hangover” they all declared before proceeding to mope around the house, getting in the way and tiring me with their whinging.

People with hangovers really annoy me. As any good Gen X person knows, hangovers are not a badge of honour for our generation. A hangover is a sign of weakness. If you drink, you have a duty not to show it the next day.

So with New Year’s Eve festivities bearing down on us, I have devised my top 10 hangover cures. (Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor do I claim to be. I am a drinker who prides herself on never getting hangovers. These cures were acquired by years of trial and error. Use at your own risk).

1. Vanilla milkshake and a chicko roll. I know it sounds disgusting but the milk puts a lining on your stomach, the vanilla flavour is full of sugar and the oil-soaked pastry gives sustenance. The cabbage in chicko rolls is a blood purifier.
2. Coke and fish and chips. It must be full strength Coke and the fish and chips must be accompanied by vinegar and tomato sauce. A perfectly balanced meal of carbs, protein and fat.
3. Dehydration powder, water and asprin mixed together in one glass. The dehydration powder (the stuff you take when you get diarrhoea) replenishes your electrolytes, the asprin is a pain killer and water rehydrates you.
4. Milk thistle. You can buy this herb from the chemist or health food store. The instructions say to take one with each meal. I prefer to take about five when I come home after a big night out and another five when I get up. Then I pop them all day. I repeat I am not a doctor so you should probably follow the directions on the bottle.
5. Drink a Bloody Mary. This is how I make them. Pour a nip of vodka in the bottom of a glass, add ice, fill the glass with V8 Hot and Spicy, sprinkle in a little Tabasco and a squeeze of lemon. Stir and drink. Repeat as often as necessary.
6. Cherry ripe and Coke. This is a variation on the fish and chip combination, but is ideal for those with a sweet tooth. The combination of caffeine, sugar and fat has curative properties.
7. Drink a slug of water as soon as you get home from a night out. Don’t do this the next day. Water is poison the day after drinking unless you add things like sugar to it. But the night before—as much as you can get down.
8. Go for a swim and put you head under water. It’s very peaceful under water and your inflamed brain cells shrink from the cold.
9. Drink some Gatorade. If you can tolerate drinking something that colour with a hangover, you can do anything.
10. Drink a Gold stubby. This is only for the truly desperate. It’s can’t be any other type of beer and don’t even think of drinking it from a can. It must be an ice cold Gold stubby with condensation on the side.

Choose one or choose them all. Happy New Year. Image

Apparently people are being stricken with “text neck” and “text thumb injury”. OMG.

According to British health experts the strain injuries stem from long periods spent string at small screens and tapping at tiny keys. The injuries are becoming more common as hi-tech gadget proliferate.

Shockingly, Tim Hutchful from the British Chiropractic Association reported that he had a patient who “developed inflamed tendons in her thumb from using her phone and was unable to use her hand for weeks due to pain.” What an idiot his patient was. I have very good advice. Stop. Put down the phone. Find a life. (Sorry, being facetious again.)

Hutchful also reports that the human head (weighing about 5kg) is not suited to tipping forward to read small screens. “If the head is held forward to squint at the screen, then the unusual position makes the head feel up to four times heavier, increasing the strain across the whole body.” One worker in 50 suffers from “text neck” in the UK.

Yes, more truly serious first world problems identified and labelled. Take care now (especially if you are reading this on your smart phone).

I was unpacking the dishwasher the other day, throwing a little tantrum in my mind about the cups. Why can’t dishwasher manufacturers get the slope of the cup holders right? If they could just manage that I wouldn’t spill the water that has pooled on the bases all over the kitchen floor. And as I write this it occurs to me that that is a perfect example of a first world problem.

Urban dictionary defines a first world problem as problems arising from living in wealthy industrialized nations that third worlders would probably just roll their eyes at. It’s also known as white whine.

Anyway I know that many of my first world problems are meaningless and trivial and I dare say selfish, but really what’s a Gen X Girl to do if she can’t complain. So find following my Top 10 First World Problems.

1. Because it’s Christmas time I have to stop buying myself all the things I want just so that people can have something that they buy me as a gift.
2. There’s nothing to watch on Foxtel. I pay for the service yet there is nothing to watch on 50 channels. There’s also nothing to record so I have to watch really, really bad TV, repeats and sometimes even advertisements.
3. My internet is slow. It takes ages for pages to upload. By then I’ve got bored and opened a whole lot of other slow loading pages just to pass the time. Then the computer freezes.
4. Everyone looks short and fat on my TV. This is especially bad when I’m showing holiday photos on my flat screen. I look short and my behind looks wide. The only comforting thing about this is that Kim Kardashian looks like that too. Stupid TV. I expect more from it.
5. I have to take the long way round the shopping centre to avoid the charity muggers. No you cannot pester me into donating to your charity. Didn’t your mother tell you it was rude to ask for things?
6. My purse is heavy because of all the five-cent coins I have in it. I despise the five-cent so much that I can’t be bothered to bend down to pick it up when I drop it. It’s not worth my while.
7. I hate it when the barista mixes up the order and gives me full fat milk when I specifically ordered a skinny flat white. Full fat milk tastes horrible and ruins my cup of coffee. Then I have to chuck it out.
8. Someone gave me a watermelon the other day. It had seeds in it. I couldn’t be bothered dealing with the seeds so I threw it out. Watermelon seeds spoil my enjoyment of watermelon eating.
9. I hate being nagged by my coffee machine. It tells me to empty the grounds container, fill the water, find some beans. Why do I have to do all the hard work?
10. Sunscreen makes me sweaty and hot. I don’t want to get skin cancer, but I don’t want to be hot. What to do?

Yep, selfish and shallow. So what are your first world problems? Image

According to Cara (I feel that we should be on first name terms) the diet is half healthy and half fun. Inspired by a lifestyle that included lots of socialising, Cara developed the Champagne diet. By the way, a glass of champagne has 91 calories. That’s nothing. Less than a carton of yogurt. Hmm–yogurt, champagne. What’s a girl to do.

There is no forbidden food, rather a commitment to healthy eating and “glamourising” meals.

‘I encourage “glamourising” your meals,’ she says. ‘Don’t order the fatty cheeseburger with fries and cola. Instead, get a smoked salmon bagel with a mixed greens salad and a glass of Champagne. Start putting the best into your body.’

Cara’s theory is that eating ‘classy’ foods makes you value your body more so you are less likely to overeat.
Anyway here’s a typical eating plan (totalling about 1200 to 1400 calories a day) as outlined by the Daily Mail.
BREAKFAST: Wholegrain bagel with olive oil-based spreadable butter.
SNACK: Banana.
LUNCH: Flatbread pizza with goats’ cheese, roasted red peppers and mushrooms.
DINNER: Tilapia (I have no idea what that is) with mixed vegetables.
SNACK: One or two glasses of champagne.
Cheers Cara. Love you long time. Image

I’m one of those annoyingly chirpy morning walkers. I bounce out of bed, down my three espressos, lace on my shoes and I’m off–all bouncy, smiley for my walk. (I am fully aware that the three espressos may be a contributing factor to my upbeat demeanor).

Afternoon walkers though, they’re a different bunch. Taciturn and grumpy with a jaded air about them. They think nothing of walking two abreast, pushing those going in the other direction onto the dog shit littered grass. They pull their caps down over their face, avoiding eye contact at all costs. This could be due to the fact that they’re having to haul their behinds around on a stinking hot afternoon, after working all day, but I have another theory.

It’s the lack of suitable greeting. Think about it. How do you greet someone in the afternoon? OK, I’m a teacher and I say good afternoon to school children every day, but outside the classroom, good afternoon sounds too formal. Uttered in casual surrounds it sound almost wanky like I think I’m the Queen or something.

G’day just doesn’t cut it, for no matter what the rest of the world says, most Aussie don’t really go around saying g’day all the time, just like the French don’t wear berets every day. Hi seems overly familiar. I’ve tried hello but that almost seems an invite to a conversation so no thanks.

No wonder afternoon walkers are so grumpy. Tired and having to negotiate a social minefield. No wonder I walk in the mornings. Image