Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
A dozen eggs
Large pot (eggs should not be crowded at the bottom)
Cold water
Cover eggs with cold water.
Don't crowd-you may need to cook in two batches depending on the size of pot.
Gently bring to a low boil.
As soon as you see a few bubbles turn off the heat and cover the pot firmly.
Let sit undisturbed for about 10 minutes.
This method is forgiving, an extra minute or two won't ruin your holiday eggs.
Rinse the eggs with cold water or place in an ice bath to stop cooking.
Large pot (eggs should not be crowded at the bottom)
Cold water
Cover eggs with cold water.
Don't crowd-you may need to cook in two batches depending on the size of pot.
Gently bring to a low boil.
As soon as you see a few bubbles turn off the heat and cover the pot firmly.
Let sit undisturbed for about 10 minutes.
This method is forgiving, an extra minute or two won't ruin your holiday eggs.
Rinse the eggs with cold water or place in an ice bath to stop cooking.
***
5 Body-Language Signs of Attraction
By David Givens, Ph.D.
Can you tell when someone is interested in you? Are you sure? Since no one likes to be rejected, it’s a good idea to understand the subtle signs of attraction (or lack thereof) before you launch yourself into the line of fire with someone. As an anthropologist who studies mating and dating rituals, I’ll help you decode the top body-language cues to watch for on a date. Use this information to either proceed with your flirtation — or flee with your ego intact.
Before we get into the specifics, know this: For all of our technological advances and psychological insights, when it comes to reading the silent signs of sexual attraction, we are really no different than beasts. For the past 500 million years, every member of the animal kingdom has utilized certain signals to communicate their interest in mating. These boil down to the message: “I am harmless; I won’t bite.” (Charles Darwin called these signs “submissive displays,” because they make the subject seem more approachable.) Seeing any one of them may signify physical attraction. Seeing all five at once is compelling evidence that you are liked — and very possibly lusted after.
Sign #1: Lifted shoulders
One of the most easily detected signs of attraction is a person’s lifted shoulders. This motion indicates that someone has activated what biologists call the “cute response” — a bashful, almost childlike behavior that reveals a softer, more compliant side of an individual. This is an emotional, involuntary muscular response to being in the presence of someone you like, and it has a universally disarming effect. (It is also a natural response when you’re oohing and ahhing over a puppy or cuddling with a baby.) In a dating scenario, this unconscious movement tells you that the person you’re interested in wants to get a little closer — and that you shouldn’t be shy about it.
Sign #2: Pigeon toes
Pigeon toes may not sound like the sexiest of gestures, but an inward rotation of the feet suggests definite interest of a romantic nature. Anatomically referred to as “tibial torsion,” this toes-turned-in posture occurs when someone feels both smitten and somewhat intimidated by you. By “shrinking” the body, the subject is creating a less threatening profile. Put simply, pigeon toes do for the body what a smile does for the face; both actions say, “If you approach, I won’t snub you.” Worth noting: In direct contrast to pigeon toes is being presented with the more aggressive, military posture. This toes-out, hands-behind-the-back stance is reminiscent of soldiers at ease, and its aloofness should tell you that it’s probably best to keep your distance from the person displaying it.
Sign #3: The palm reveal
As you talk to your new love interest, watch his or her hands. Specifically, take note of whether the palms are facing upward, especially while gesturing or resting on a table across from you. The brain is programmed to perceive vulnerability and openness in this specific motion, you see. In courtship, these gestures are psychologically friendlier than palm-down cues are meant to be. (Indeed, think about the downward hand motions that a grade-school teacher uses when trying to calm down rowdy students... it’s not a maneuver that communicates warmth and connection towards others, is it?)
Sign #4: The forehead bow
Your date has more than friendship in mind if he or she uses the forehead bow move on you. Here’s the tell-tale gesture: the head tips slightly forward and your date looks up at you from under his or her eyebrows. (Think of Lauren Bacall looking at Humphrey Bogart with her famous come-hither look for a visual reference.) A fragment of the full-body bow (which is used in cultures around the world to show respect and deference upon meeting someone), this head motion coupled with those bedroom eyes can indicate that your date may be falling for you... and fast. In direct contrast to this move is displaying a posture of domination, so if your date subtly tilts back his or her head and casts a downward gaze upon you, watch out. That look should tell you exactly where you stand — and that, in fact, you should go stand elsewhere, because this person does not see you as a decent love prospect.
Sign #5: Mirroring your date’s movements
Many creatures in the animal kingdom use a principle called isopraxism to establish rapport with a potential mate through mimicry. This can be seen in the synchronous preening of birds or head-nodding that lizards do, but since all living things find sharing a sense of likeness reassuring, it may come as no surprise that isopraxism works wonders for bonding humans, too. If you cross your legs, lean back in your chair, or sip your latte just as your date does, you’re showing him or her that you’re on the same wavelength, thus paving the way for more romantic mirrorings in the future.
Can you tell when someone is interested in you? Are you sure? Since no one likes to be rejected, it’s a good idea to understand the subtle signs of attraction (or lack thereof) before you launch yourself into the line of fire with someone. As an anthropologist who studies mating and dating rituals, I’ll help you decode the top body-language cues to watch for on a date. Use this information to either proceed with your flirtation — or flee with your ego intact.
Before we get into the specifics, know this: For all of our technological advances and psychological insights, when it comes to reading the silent signs of sexual attraction, we are really no different than beasts. For the past 500 million years, every member of the animal kingdom has utilized certain signals to communicate their interest in mating. These boil down to the message: “I am harmless; I won’t bite.” (Charles Darwin called these signs “submissive displays,” because they make the subject seem more approachable.) Seeing any one of them may signify physical attraction. Seeing all five at once is compelling evidence that you are liked — and very possibly lusted after.
Sign #1: Lifted shoulders
One of the most easily detected signs of attraction is a person’s lifted shoulders. This motion indicates that someone has activated what biologists call the “cute response” — a bashful, almost childlike behavior that reveals a softer, more compliant side of an individual. This is an emotional, involuntary muscular response to being in the presence of someone you like, and it has a universally disarming effect. (It is also a natural response when you’re oohing and ahhing over a puppy or cuddling with a baby.) In a dating scenario, this unconscious movement tells you that the person you’re interested in wants to get a little closer — and that you shouldn’t be shy about it.
Sign #2: Pigeon toes
Pigeon toes may not sound like the sexiest of gestures, but an inward rotation of the feet suggests definite interest of a romantic nature. Anatomically referred to as “tibial torsion,” this toes-turned-in posture occurs when someone feels both smitten and somewhat intimidated by you. By “shrinking” the body, the subject is creating a less threatening profile. Put simply, pigeon toes do for the body what a smile does for the face; both actions say, “If you approach, I won’t snub you.” Worth noting: In direct contrast to pigeon toes is being presented with the more aggressive, military posture. This toes-out, hands-behind-the-back stance is reminiscent of soldiers at ease, and its aloofness should tell you that it’s probably best to keep your distance from the person displaying it.
Sign #3: The palm reveal
As you talk to your new love interest, watch his or her hands. Specifically, take note of whether the palms are facing upward, especially while gesturing or resting on a table across from you. The brain is programmed to perceive vulnerability and openness in this specific motion, you see. In courtship, these gestures are psychologically friendlier than palm-down cues are meant to be. (Indeed, think about the downward hand motions that a grade-school teacher uses when trying to calm down rowdy students... it’s not a maneuver that communicates warmth and connection towards others, is it?)
Sign #4: The forehead bow
Your date has more than friendship in mind if he or she uses the forehead bow move on you. Here’s the tell-tale gesture: the head tips slightly forward and your date looks up at you from under his or her eyebrows. (Think of Lauren Bacall looking at Humphrey Bogart with her famous come-hither look for a visual reference.) A fragment of the full-body bow (which is used in cultures around the world to show respect and deference upon meeting someone), this head motion coupled with those bedroom eyes can indicate that your date may be falling for you... and fast. In direct contrast to this move is displaying a posture of domination, so if your date subtly tilts back his or her head and casts a downward gaze upon you, watch out. That look should tell you exactly where you stand — and that, in fact, you should go stand elsewhere, because this person does not see you as a decent love prospect.
Sign #5: Mirroring your date’s movements
Many creatures in the animal kingdom use a principle called isopraxism to establish rapport with a potential mate through mimicry. This can be seen in the synchronous preening of birds or head-nodding that lizards do, but since all living things find sharing a sense of likeness reassuring, it may come as no surprise that isopraxism works wonders for bonding humans, too. If you cross your legs, lean back in your chair, or sip your latte just as your date does, you’re showing him or her that you’re on the same wavelength, thus paving the way for more romantic mirrorings in the future.
Advice on a Young Adult's Debut
by Michael McAlister
1. Learn humility.
There is nothing more dangerous than ignorance in action, so don’t be ignorant of the fact that you don’t have a monopoly on truth. Get your ego out of your decisions and you’ll be amazed at what happens. Walking your most loving talk will allow your light to shine a little brighter and keep you from falling prey to your youthful, egoic tendencies.
2. Embrace failure.
Failure is the greatest teacher once you become intimate with its implications. So be fearless in relation to responsible risk. You’ve got nothing to lose and lots to gain since it’s a direct path to the ultimate glories of life. Whatever your ideas are, surrounding success and failure, let them go since clinging to them only inhibits your growth as a person.
3. Be upright.
Honesty is the foundation to any authentic life. This means be honest with others as well as yourself. Doing so cultivates enough wisdom and compassion to allow for a life lived in the service of helping humanity evolve.
4. Study yourself.
This is important because the better you know yourself the more you’ll be able to see what’s inhibiting the natural states of grace and ease. Once you see what’s getting in the way, it will no longer be a mystery and therefore can no longer keep you small.
5. Travel.
The world needs the focussed and energetic application of what you’ve learned and what you will learn, so get out there and explore. Commit yourself to traveling the world and seeing as much of humanity as you can. Know that the rest of the world isn’t like much of the privilege that you’ve known. Your blessings aren’t anything you should feel guilty about but rather what you should share with others. Travel will help you develop a more complete picture of how and what it is that you can give to the world.
6. Be engaged.
Life is shorter than you can imagine, besides each day is pure profit. So let your light shine and make a difference, never giving in to the temptation that you, as an individual, can’t change the world. History is littered with people born into less than you who have proven that any of us can fundamentally alter the course of the human experience in truly helpful ways.
7. Enjoy intimacy.
Allow yourself to feel for others deeply, but don’t be reckless with either your heart or theirs. And know that even in the pain of breaking up you’ll find that getting deeply involved with another is a gift that’s worth whatever pain might result. Through heartbreak we automatically become more compassionate in relation to others and we can also realize the Infinite within ourselves. When you see this you’ll find that you are available to the sacred in others.
8. Be open.
Openly define yourself and yet don’t be afraid to redefine as your psychological and spiritual center of gravity begins to expand. Know that there are no mistakes, only adventures.
9. Be curious.
Let the questions come, or, as the cliché goes, wonder as you wander. This will help you to see a number of things, none the least of which is that everyone is trying their best. Whether or not we agree with their methods or not isn’t the point. Being curious helps us get past this sticky place and into an open kindness that can’t help but attract kindness. This also applies to our interior landscape since curiosity about who and what we’re about, what we’re feeling and what we’re thinking, helps keep us from living in either the past or the future. Invariably, conscious curiosity forces us into the “Now” and supports a life that is willing and able to be truly expansive and truly generous.
10. Have courage.
This is another way of saying, avoid nothing. When we let the Infinite consciously inform all of our activity we realize that there is nothing to fear. Living without fear is a mysterious and magical offering that allows for us to truly capitalize on each gift we uncover. When we can truly and continually open to these gifts, no matter how dark life may become, you’ll know, very deeply, that there is a radiance in positively everything that will forever shine Truth if we are ready to receive it.
1. Learn humility.
There is nothing more dangerous than ignorance in action, so don’t be ignorant of the fact that you don’t have a monopoly on truth. Get your ego out of your decisions and you’ll be amazed at what happens. Walking your most loving talk will allow your light to shine a little brighter and keep you from falling prey to your youthful, egoic tendencies.
2. Embrace failure.
Failure is the greatest teacher once you become intimate with its implications. So be fearless in relation to responsible risk. You’ve got nothing to lose and lots to gain since it’s a direct path to the ultimate glories of life. Whatever your ideas are, surrounding success and failure, let them go since clinging to them only inhibits your growth as a person.
3. Be upright.
Honesty is the foundation to any authentic life. This means be honest with others as well as yourself. Doing so cultivates enough wisdom and compassion to allow for a life lived in the service of helping humanity evolve.
4. Study yourself.
This is important because the better you know yourself the more you’ll be able to see what’s inhibiting the natural states of grace and ease. Once you see what’s getting in the way, it will no longer be a mystery and therefore can no longer keep you small.
5. Travel.
The world needs the focussed and energetic application of what you’ve learned and what you will learn, so get out there and explore. Commit yourself to traveling the world and seeing as much of humanity as you can. Know that the rest of the world isn’t like much of the privilege that you’ve known. Your blessings aren’t anything you should feel guilty about but rather what you should share with others. Travel will help you develop a more complete picture of how and what it is that you can give to the world.
6. Be engaged.
Life is shorter than you can imagine, besides each day is pure profit. So let your light shine and make a difference, never giving in to the temptation that you, as an individual, can’t change the world. History is littered with people born into less than you who have proven that any of us can fundamentally alter the course of the human experience in truly helpful ways.
7. Enjoy intimacy.
Allow yourself to feel for others deeply, but don’t be reckless with either your heart or theirs. And know that even in the pain of breaking up you’ll find that getting deeply involved with another is a gift that’s worth whatever pain might result. Through heartbreak we automatically become more compassionate in relation to others and we can also realize the Infinite within ourselves. When you see this you’ll find that you are available to the sacred in others.
8. Be open.
Openly define yourself and yet don’t be afraid to redefine as your psychological and spiritual center of gravity begins to expand. Know that there are no mistakes, only adventures.
9. Be curious.
Let the questions come, or, as the cliché goes, wonder as you wander. This will help you to see a number of things, none the least of which is that everyone is trying their best. Whether or not we agree with their methods or not isn’t the point. Being curious helps us get past this sticky place and into an open kindness that can’t help but attract kindness. This also applies to our interior landscape since curiosity about who and what we’re about, what we’re feeling and what we’re thinking, helps keep us from living in either the past or the future. Invariably, conscious curiosity forces us into the “Now” and supports a life that is willing and able to be truly expansive and truly generous.
10. Have courage.
This is another way of saying, avoid nothing. When we let the Infinite consciously inform all of our activity we realize that there is nothing to fear. Living without fear is a mysterious and magical offering that allows for us to truly capitalize on each gift we uncover. When we can truly and continually open to these gifts, no matter how dark life may become, you’ll know, very deeply, that there is a radiance in positively everything that will forever shine Truth if we are ready to receive it.
***
5 Realistic Rules for Better Sleep
By Nancy Gottesman
You have to live in dreamland if you want a good night's sleep, according to the usual expert advice: Make your bedroom into a spalike sanctuary. Don't drink a drop of caffeine after 2 p.m. No laptops in the bedroom. So we were shocked when sleep doctor Michael Breus, PhD, admitted that he drifts off with the TV on and his Chihuahua, Sparky, and cat, Monte, in the bed -- two major no-nos. His refreshing philosophy: "Steer clear of all the hard-and-fast rules and do what makes sense for your lifestyle." That we can handle. Read on for more surprising sleep tips that mere mortals like us can actually follow.
Sleep in on weekends.
Forget all the blah-blah about maintaining a consistent wakeup time every day. Snoozing late on the weekend can have real benefits. Adults who were sleep deprived for five days (sound like your workweek?) made up for it somewhat -- bouncing back closer to their baseline brain function and alertness -- when they clocked 10 hours the next night, a study in the journal Sleep found. Still, it's best to snooze only an extra hour or two come Saturday and Sunday. "Any more than that will reset your body clock, and then you won't be able to fall asleep on Sunday night," says Carol E. Ash, a sleep specialist in Monmouth County, New Jersey. If the additional winks aren't enough to make you feel rested, take a 20-minute nap at 3 or 4 p.m. on the weekend, which won't mess with your internal timetable, Ash says.
Exercise before bed -- it's OK, really!
Working out after dinner has long been considered a don't by sleep docs. But -- surprise! -- it may actually help you snooze better. Young adults who rode a stationary bike for about 35 minutes, finishing two hours before bedtime, conked out faster and slept more deeply than when they didn't exercise, a recent study in the Journal of Sleep Research found. If you discover you're too revved up to go to bed after a nighttime sweat session, keep a weekly log of your exercise time and how you sleep afterward, advises Lisa Shives, MD, the founder of Northshore Sleep and Weight Management Medicine in Evanston, Illinois, and a medical expert for SleepBetter.org. You may learn that a treadmill jog within an hour of hitting the hay is disastrous for dozing, but that doing it two to three hours beforehand makes you sleep like a baby. Exercise, whenever you can get it, is one of the best sleep medicines, period, Dr. Shives says.
Snuggle with Fluffy.
Feel lonely? If you do, you're likely to wake up more often during the night, a University of Chicago study found. Consider picking up a new bedmate...at your local animal rescue society. "I tell my patients who don't like sleeping alone to consider getting a dog," Dr. Shives says. A pet helps many women feel less isolated, which can restore sound sleep. It's fine to break the no-pets-in-bed rule even when you're not lonely, especially if keeping your furry friend out creates more disruption than letting him in. "If I banned my cat from the bedroom, he would paw at the door all night long, and I would get even less sleep," says Breus, the author of The Sleep Doctor's Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep.
Play a bedtime story.
The next time you wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep, ignore the prevailing wisdom about getting out of bed to read by dim light. Dr. Shives recommends a new strategy: Quiet your churning mind with an audiobook, preloaded on your phone or music player and at the ready, bedside. Plug in your earbuds, press "Play," and cover the display to block the glow. The story shouldn't be too stimulating, so choose a biography or your favorite book from childhood instead of, say, Fifty Shades of Grey. In 15 to 20 minutes the narrative should soothe you to sleep, Dr. Shives says. If TV has always been a snoozing aid for you, follow Breus's trick: Use a TV with a sleep timer and set it to switch off after 30 minutes.
Think before you drink.
It's generally a good idea to cut out coffee, soda, and energy drinks seven to eight hours before bedtime. But the half-life of caffeine affects everyone differently. Also be aware that a nightcap can be as disastrous for your slumber as an after-dinner cappuccino. Under the influence, you snooze in seconds. Problem is, you'll wake up four or five hours later. And healthy women are much more susceptible to the "sleepus interruptus" effects of overimbibing, according to a recent University of Michigan study. "The best rule: Have your last drink three hours before you turn in," Breus says.
You have to live in dreamland if you want a good night's sleep, according to the usual expert advice: Make your bedroom into a spalike sanctuary. Don't drink a drop of caffeine after 2 p.m. No laptops in the bedroom. So we were shocked when sleep doctor Michael Breus, PhD, admitted that he drifts off with the TV on and his Chihuahua, Sparky, and cat, Monte, in the bed -- two major no-nos. His refreshing philosophy: "Steer clear of all the hard-and-fast rules and do what makes sense for your lifestyle." That we can handle. Read on for more surprising sleep tips that mere mortals like us can actually follow.
Sleep in on weekends.
Forget all the blah-blah about maintaining a consistent wakeup time every day. Snoozing late on the weekend can have real benefits. Adults who were sleep deprived for five days (sound like your workweek?) made up for it somewhat -- bouncing back closer to their baseline brain function and alertness -- when they clocked 10 hours the next night, a study in the journal Sleep found. Still, it's best to snooze only an extra hour or two come Saturday and Sunday. "Any more than that will reset your body clock, and then you won't be able to fall asleep on Sunday night," says Carol E. Ash, a sleep specialist in Monmouth County, New Jersey. If the additional winks aren't enough to make you feel rested, take a 20-minute nap at 3 or 4 p.m. on the weekend, which won't mess with your internal timetable, Ash says.
Exercise before bed -- it's OK, really!
Working out after dinner has long been considered a don't by sleep docs. But -- surprise! -- it may actually help you snooze better. Young adults who rode a stationary bike for about 35 minutes, finishing two hours before bedtime, conked out faster and slept more deeply than when they didn't exercise, a recent study in the Journal of Sleep Research found. If you discover you're too revved up to go to bed after a nighttime sweat session, keep a weekly log of your exercise time and how you sleep afterward, advises Lisa Shives, MD, the founder of Northshore Sleep and Weight Management Medicine in Evanston, Illinois, and a medical expert for SleepBetter.org. You may learn that a treadmill jog within an hour of hitting the hay is disastrous for dozing, but that doing it two to three hours beforehand makes you sleep like a baby. Exercise, whenever you can get it, is one of the best sleep medicines, period, Dr. Shives says.
Snuggle with Fluffy.
Feel lonely? If you do, you're likely to wake up more often during the night, a University of Chicago study found. Consider picking up a new bedmate...at your local animal rescue society. "I tell my patients who don't like sleeping alone to consider getting a dog," Dr. Shives says. A pet helps many women feel less isolated, which can restore sound sleep. It's fine to break the no-pets-in-bed rule even when you're not lonely, especially if keeping your furry friend out creates more disruption than letting him in. "If I banned my cat from the bedroom, he would paw at the door all night long, and I would get even less sleep," says Breus, the author of The Sleep Doctor's Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep.
Play a bedtime story.
The next time you wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep, ignore the prevailing wisdom about getting out of bed to read by dim light. Dr. Shives recommends a new strategy: Quiet your churning mind with an audiobook, preloaded on your phone or music player and at the ready, bedside. Plug in your earbuds, press "Play," and cover the display to block the glow. The story shouldn't be too stimulating, so choose a biography or your favorite book from childhood instead of, say, Fifty Shades of Grey. In 15 to 20 minutes the narrative should soothe you to sleep, Dr. Shives says. If TV has always been a snoozing aid for you, follow Breus's trick: Use a TV with a sleep timer and set it to switch off after 30 minutes.
Think before you drink.
It's generally a good idea to cut out coffee, soda, and energy drinks seven to eight hours before bedtime. But the half-life of caffeine affects everyone differently. Also be aware that a nightcap can be as disastrous for your slumber as an after-dinner cappuccino. Under the influence, you snooze in seconds. Problem is, you'll wake up four or five hours later. And healthy women are much more susceptible to the "sleepus interruptus" effects of overimbibing, according to a recent University of Michigan study. "The best rule: Have your last drink three hours before you turn in," Breus says.
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