Chocolate makes me SMART!!!

YES!!!! Oh, this is SUCH wonderful news! Who cares if it makes me fat? It makes me SMART! This is definitely proof that God loves me and wants me to be happy. :-)

Found this on AOL News....

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060524143609990009

Chocolate May Boost Brain Power

By Megan Rauscher, Reuters

Jeff Roberson, AP

NEW YORK (May 24) - Chocolate lovers rejoice. A new study hints that eating milk chocolate may boost brain function."Chocolate contains many substances that act as stimulants, such as theobromine, phenethylamine, and caffeine," Dr. Bryan Raudenbush from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia noted in comments to Reuters Health."These substances by themselves have previously been found to increase alertness and attention and what we have found is that by consuming chocolate you can get the stimulating effects, which then lead to increased mental performance."To study the effects of various chocolate types on brain power, Raudenbush and colleagues had a group of volunteers consume, on four separate occasions, 85 grams of milk chocolate; 85 grams of dark chocolate; 85 grams of carob; and nothing (the control condition).After a 15-minute digestive period, participants completed a variety of computer-based neuropsychological tests designed to assess cognitive performance including memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem solving."Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than the other conditions," Raudenbush told Reuters Health. And consumption of milk and dark chocolate was associated with improved impulse control and reaction time.Previous research has shown that some nutrients in food aid in glucose release and increased blood flow, which may augment cognitive performance. The current findings, said Raudenbush, "provide support for nutrient release via chocolate consumption to enhance cognitive performance."05/24/06 14:35 ET

Catching up with the rest of my life

Whew! Finally finished all my spring performing commitments!

The Bach concert on Saturday night actually went really well except for the one movement I knew I couldn't sing yet and which we hadn't sung at all in a couple of months. Other than that, it was pretty good, although my vocal fatigue was becoming evident towards the end. After practicing so much all week and then two dress rehearsals, my pipes were really tired. By Sunday, I was in real trouble. Since I didn't have an understudy, I had to sing Sunday's performance regardless, but I cut my sustained high A short by a few bars and took the phrase with the sustained high B down an octave. I considered both of these changes to be a significant compromise, but fortunately, since it was part of an elaborate trio, the audience probably didn't notice. Still, it's sad to come face to face with the limits of my stamina. I've been on vocal rest ever since.

Time of my life

We had an AWESOME time in Orlando! I could talk about it at great length, (and did in my diary!) but I have sooo much Bach to rehearse for this Saturday's performance. To summarize, at Discovery Cove, we swam with, rode, hugged, kissed and fed a dolphin named Natasha, swam with rays and tropical fish, and fed tropical birds. I especially enjoyed petting and hand-feeding the sting rays. We also had a blast at SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and the resort where we stayed. We traveled with two of my good friends from college and got to visit briefly with another who lives down there. Here are a couple of pictures from our day at Discovery Cove.

I knew I was forgetting something!

Tonight is opening night for Loveland Opera Theatre. I'm really looking forward to it. I've had a lot of fun preparing these scenes, and it's been an honor to cooperate with such talented artists.

Last night's dress rehearsal went pretty well, as we adjusted to our new performing space. We weren't able to get into the theatre until 6:00, which is when we needed to begin our lighting test. So, Juliana asked those of us in the first scene to arrive already in costume so we could start right away. I took the costume home the rehearsal before so I could be ready, and I drove an hour and half from Aurora to Loveland with that !&#$^ bodice poking me in the armpits all the way. Later, ss I got dressed for the final scene, it suddenly hit me - I forgot to bring clothes to wear home! Fortunately, I was able to talk Juliana into letting me wear my simplest costume home, but I got a good laugh at myself first.