My New Year's resolution: yawn more, drink less coffee

I never thought the subject of yawning was all that interesting, but I read a fascinating article today that explains why we yawn. Contrary to popular belief, we yawn to cool our brains, not because we're bored. Yawning keeps our brain temperature regulated which helps us operate more efficiently.

So how does this relate to Australia? The researchers that conducted this study chose to analyze parakeets because "the birds have relatively large brains, live wild in Australia, which is subject to frequent temperature swings, and, most importantly, do not engage in contagious yawning, as humans and some other animals do." This left me wondering if people in Australia yawn less than say, Americans?!?

Since I can't employ a research team to answer that question, I do know that the Aussie tour group we visited with this weekend was yawning quite a bit. But I think that had more to do with jet lag and a busy schedule than outside temperature, because the temperature change they recently experienced was working in their favor for brain cooling. When they left Sydney, it was 90 °F (32 °C), and when they stepped off the plane in Raleigh, the temperature was 41 °F (5 °C). Since they were pretty tired, and exhaustion was shown to increase deep brain temperature, a big yawn here was probably just what they needed. Plus, they say a good morning yawn can function like a cup of coffee and give you a jolt of energy.

I know what my New Year's resolution is for 2009 -- to replace coffee with yawning. I think I can handle that.

To tip or not to tip, that is the question

I wish money was not an issue, then I'd tip freely. Well, to the hard workers who've earned it and could use some extra cash. However, since my budget is tight, I constantly find myself wondering if I should tip this person or that person.

Here's a perfect example of the stressful tipping dilemma. Today, at the grocery store, a teenage boy helped me carry out my groceries. Should I tip him? Well, since I didn't know, I waited to see if there was an awkward moment after he finished loading the bags into my car. There wasn't, so I didn't tip! And now I feel awful and cheap.

Over in Australia, tipping is entirely different. Since servers in restaurants make a decent wage, they don't expect nor depend on tips. Now, if you receive top-notch service, then it's fine to tip. But it's not expected. We actually had several waiters refuse gratuity. They encouraged us to spend our money on us not them.

Since we are tippers here in the States, I found the following article quite interesting and a tad helpful: "Ten workers to tip this season". It explains when and how to say thanks.

Christmas in paradise

While reading the Sydney Morning Herald online, an article titled "Christmas gifts for sports fans" caught my eye. Hoping to find some good gift ideas for the men in my life -- my dad, brother, husband, son -- I clicked on the story.

Some of my favorite recommendations include a wave rider, beach towels, sunscreen, surf board and cricket set. I don't think my dear old dad will be needing sunscreen this winter in Kentucky.

Why the summer-oriented gifts? The average temperature in Sydney during the month of December is nearly 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Australians celebrate Christmas and New Years at the beach. When we lived there, I found the Christmas decorations to be so funny. They depicted Santa in a suit, but not his full-length furry suit. His bathing suit! It was very cute.