Advice from Anthony Hopkins

I stumbled across an entertaining interview with Sir Anthony Hopkins from Fox News. He shared some fascinating facts about his life and also provided some great advice.

Sir Anthony Hopkins discussed his battle with alcoholism in a speech to students at the University of California on Wednesday.

Hopkins, 80, was a guest speaker at the LEAP conference and addressed a crowd of about 500 students, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The Academy Award-winning actor told the crowd he was not the easiest person to work with.

"Because that's what you do in theater, you drink. But I was very difficult to work with, as well, because I was usually hungover,” Hopkins admitted.

“The Silence of the Lambs” star said he was "disgusted, busted and not to be trusted" when he drank. However, the actor said his life turned around in 1975 after a conversation with a woman from Alcoholics Anonymous.

“Why don’t you just trust in God?” the woman asked Hopkins.

The “Westworld” star said he did not have the urge to drink after the conversation.

Hopkins also told the crowd why he got into acting because he “had nothing better to do” and was “not all that bright in school.”

"I believe that we are capable of so much," he told the crowd. "From my own life, I still cannot believe that my life is what it is because I should have died in Wales, drunk or something like that." 

"We can talk ourselves into death or we can talk ourselves into the best life we've ever lived. None of it was a mistake. It was all a destiny,” he continued.

As for his advice to students, Hopkins told them to not chase money and success.

"If you chase the money, it's not gonna work. And if you chase success, it's not gonna work," he said. "You just have to chase whatever you want to be, but live it as if it is happening now. Act as if you're already there, and it'll fall into place.”

Is any of this information about Anthony Hopkins new to you like it was to me? Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Mission Impossible

The newest Mission Impossible movie, Fallout, opens July 27. I'll probably wait for it to come on DVD. Although I enjoy the movies, I'm a bigger fan of the original TV show. When I was a kid, I loved that show. Perhaps I'm showing my age by admitting this, but such is life. The post below is from June of 2015, so if you missed it then, I hope you'll enjoy it today, especially if you're a Mission Impossible fan!

Peter Graves as Jim Phelps

Not long after I got married, there was a Mission Impossible marathon on one of the cable stations. I believe this was around 1996. I couldn't wait to camp out and watch it. My husband, however, admitted that he'd never seen the show. Since we're in the same age group, that led me to believe he'd grown up under a rock! Needless to say, after the first episode, he was hooked and enjoyed all the shows as much as I did.

If you are of a younger generation and only familiar with the Mission Impossible movies starring Tom Cruise, here's some information about the original television series from Wikipedia:

[The series] chronicles the missions of a team of secret government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). In the first season, the team is led by Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill... Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, takes charge for the remaining seasons. A hallmark of the series shows Briggs or Phelps receiving his instructions on a recording that then self-destructs, followed by the theme music composed by Lalo Schifrin. [Click here to hear it!] Mission Impossible aired on the CBS network from 1966 to 1973. The series was reprised in 1988 for two seasons on ABC, retaining only Graves in the cast.

The series follows the exploits of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), a small team of secret agents used for covert missions against dictators, evil organizations and (primarily in later episodes) crime lords. On occasion, the IMF also mounts unsanctioned, private missions on behalf of its members. The identities of the organization that oversees the IMF and the government it works for are never revealed. Only rare cryptic bits of information are ever provided during the life of the series. 

The leader of the IMF is initially Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill... Hill was replaced without explanation to the audience after the first season by Peter Graves playing the role of Jim Phelps, who remained the leader for the remainder of the original series and in the 1988–1990 revival.In theory, Briggs and Phelps are the only full-time members of the IMF.

As the series was originally conceived, they would form teams made up of part-time agents who came from a variety of professions, choosing their operatives based on the particular skills necessary for the mission. In practice, however (especially after the first season), Briggs and especially Phelps would choose the same core group of three or four agents for every single mission, leading these regulars to be considered de facto full-time IMF agents. Still, many episodes also feature guest stars playing one-time additional agents who have special skills.

Although the Tom Cruise movies are fun and action packed, I still prefer the TV series! What about you?

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Passion for Change with Clinical Trials

Ancient Clinical Trial

There's nothing new under the sun, including clinical trials. Wikipedia says, "The concepts behind clinical trials are ancient. The Book of Daniel chapter 1, verses 12 through 15, for instance, describes a planned experiment with both baseline and follow-up observations of two groups who either partook of, or did not partake of, 'the King's meat' over a trial period of ten days. Persian physician Avicenna, in The Canon of Medicine (1025) gave similar advice for determining the efficacy of medical drugs and substances."

According to Wikipedia, "clinical trials are experiments or observations done in clinical research. Such prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants are designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietary choices, dietary supplements, and medical devices) and known interventions that warrant further study and comparison. Clinical trials generate data on safety and efficacy."

Lisa McKenzie
Creating Change Through Clinical Trials

In my opinion, one must be brave as well as passionate in making a difference in the cure and treatment of medical diseases, such as Lisa McKenzie who has been  participating in clinical trials of multiple sclerosis for over ten years. During this time, she has put her body on the line to help researchers understand more about this devastating disease.

In addition, she is creating change by blogging about life with MS, and by collaborating each day with other bloggers to improve quality of life issues faced by all those with MS. Follow Lisa's Ms. Lab Rat blog here, and join me in endorsing her for the #WEGOHealthAwards Patient Leader Nomination here.

Lisa has been a great friend to me for over a dozen years, as well as an amazing writing teacher to me and many other students! While she has battled MS, Lisa has never stopped giving of her time and talent to her students, and through clinical trials she's providing even more to the medical community and those afflicted with MS.

Have you ever participated in  clinical trial? If so, did your participation create a change? Thanks for visiting and have a great week! And don't forget to endorse Lisa!

Hair Care Through the Ages

I just found a ranking of the Top Five Shampoos for 2018:

1. REVITALIZE & RESTORE by Hair La Vie

2. "HYDRATE" SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER by Pureology
3. WEN CLEANSING CONDITIONER by Wen
4. TEA TREE SPECIAL SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER by Paul Mitchell
5. KERASTASE NUTRITIVE BAIN SATIN 1 SHAMPOO by L'Oreal

Click the link for the complete article and as to why these are considered the best. After finding this information, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at hair care through the ages. Here's a a fascinating article from Myhairdressers.com:

Most of us take health and hygiene seriously and wash and cleanse our body and hair on a daily basis. But it wasn’t always so. Throughout history, different civilisations have had different approaches to sanitation and cleanliness, and hair care was often pretty low on the scale of importance. Much of the emphasis was placed on reducing unpleasant odours and dressing.

So, let’s take a journey back in to the mists of time to discover some of the odd potions and techniques our ancestors used for their historical hair care.

1. ANCIENT EGYPT HAIR CARE
Ancient Egypt was a hot, dry place in the desert. A bit like modern Egypt. Hair moisturisers gave protection from the arid climate, and Egyptian women would use a healthy dose of castor oil and almond oil, which they believed also promoted hair growth by massaging it into the scalp.

 2. ASSYRIAN HAIRSTYLING TIPS

Assyrian kings and nobility around 1500 BC liked curly hair, and to achieve the look they had their hair curled with iron bars heated in a fire, starting a trend that lasts today – albeit a little more safely.

3. RENAISSANCE HAIR CARE
An early Renaissance era hair gel recipe from around 1300 used lizard tallow blended with swallow droppings. Tallow is rendered from the fat of animals. Like the soap in Fight Club. Women also conditioned their hair with dead lizards boiled in olive oil.

4. ELIZABETHAN HAIR CARE IDEAS
In the 1600s, at the time of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I, women would set their hair with lard. The smell would attract rats at night, so they would sleep with nightcaps, or in more extreme cases, with cages over their heads to ward off the little nibblers.

5. FINE FRENCH HAIRDRESSING

Try this recipe for a French pomade from the 1700s:
“Take some beef marrow and remove all the bits of skin and bone. Put it in a pot with some hazelnut oil and stir well with the end of a rolling pin. Add more oil from time to time until it is thoroughly liquefied. Add a little essence of lemon. Bear grease can be a substitute for bone marrow.”

6. WIG POWDER
Lice were a major problem during the Enlightenment, so men would shave their heads and wear wigs instead. In the 18th Century the predominant style was for the wig to be as white as possible. If you were poor, this meant adding copious amounts of flour to the wig. The rich would use a combination of starch and pleasant smelling oils such as lavender.

7. THE WORLD’S FIRST COMMERCIAL SHAMPOO
A German chemist named Hans Schwarzkopf developed a water-soluble powder shampoo and sold it in his pharmacy. It was an instant hit and he soon was taking orders from every pharmacy in Berlin, then Holland and Russia. He followed this up with the first liquid shampoo in 1927, establishing Schwarzkopf as the world’s first hair care business empire.

8. NEW YORK TIMES HAIR ADVICE
In 1908 the New York Times printed:
“…specialists recommend the shampooing of the hair as often as every two weeks, but from a month to six weeks should be a better interval if the hair is in fairly good condition.”

It went on to recommend white castile soap or tar soap, while split ends could be treated by singeing and clipping.

I'm glad I missed out on all those time periods! Any thoughts? Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

I just read an interesting  article in Marieclaire.com that discussed Meghan Markle's diet now that she has become a member of the royal family. Although she's allowed to eat anything behind closed doors, while in public acting in a royal capacity, certain dietary restrictions apply:

As a royal, Meghan is not allowed to eat garlic while traveling—at least not while she's on official royal visits anyway. 

Per Sunday Express: "Garlic is banned from being included in foods eaten by royal family members. With many meetings between official visitors, it is thought to be advised against to prevent any awkward bad breath."

Shellfish is restricted as well: 

Members of the royal family are also not allowed to eat shellfish while traveling for royal visits, due to the high risk of food poisoning associated with the dish...

It's certainly nice to be able to eat what you want, when you want including this tasty garlicky recipe I found at Diethood.com. I love garlic, so if you do too, I'm sure you'll enjoy this easy Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken!

Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 4 garlic cloves , minced
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup low sodium ketchup
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Arrange chicken thighs on the bottom of your slow cooker; set aside. 
2. In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oregano and parsley; whisk until thoroughly combined.
3. Pour the sauce over the chicken thighs.
4. Close with a lid and cook for 4 to 5 hours on LOW, or 3 to 4 hours on HIGH.
5. Remove lid and transfer chicken to a serving plate.
6. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
7. Serve.

Did you know the royals had to restrict their diets in some circumsatnces? Thanks for visiting and have a great week!