ODDS, ENDS & INSPIRATION

z It was noted 20th-century author of speculative fiction Harlan Ellison – whose writing credits include episodes of the original “Star Trek” series – who made the following sage observation: “The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.”

z After his death in 2005, the ashes of Hunter S. Thompson – pioneer of “gonzo” journalism and author of the infamous novel “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” – were fired spaceward from a giant cannon to the accompaniment of fireworks and the Bob Dylan song “Mr. Tambourine Man”.

z Wasps, evidently, don’t have any time to waste. Those who study such things say that they take less than a minute to complete their courtship and mating rituals.

z All species of dog have a pink tongue – except one. Chows’ tongues are black. z The automatic dishwasher was invented way back in 1886. A woman named Josephine Cochrane came up with the idea because she was unhappy with the way her fine china was being chipped by the servants who were washing it. z According to a recent Zinus study on sleep anxiety in America, women are more likely than men to dream about being chased and having teeth fall out. Men, though, dream more often about being naked in public and flying. z If you’re thinking of redecorating your child’s room, you might want to keep this in mind: Studies show that the colour pink has a soothing effect on children, blue lowers their blood pressure and increases attentiveness, and yellow excites and cheers kids. Avoid red if at all possible; it has been shown to raise children’s blood pressure, respiration and heart rate as well as brain and muscle activity.

NOW HERE’S A TIP

z “Need brown sugar for a recipe and suddenly realise you’re out? Save a trip to the supermarket by adding molasses to white sugar. No molasses? Use maple syrup in a pinch.” – W.S. z Keep it clean in the laundry room with this quick cleanup tip: When you do a load of towels or rags, use one of them to wipe down the washer and dryer – including a quick scrub of the lint trap – before tossing the rag in the wash. z “The last time I went through my plastic containers to remove the ones without lids and the lids that have no container, I thought, ‘How does this even happen?’ So, when I got ready to put the ‘keep’ pile back, I decided that I would store them with their lids attached. It has worked well. Even though it takes up a little more space, they are all there, and no lid or container has gone missing.” – M.M.

z To keep hard floors in good shape, get a microfibre mop that is strictly for dust mopping. Treat it with an appropriate floor-care agent, and make sure that you toss the mop head in the wash regularly. Never use fabric softener when washing or drying microfibre cleaning cloths.

z Store an extra set of sheets and an additional blanket under the bed in a laundry basket for easy accessibility.

z When making a cream pie filling or a custard, you may substitute two egg yolks for each egg.