It took me a while to jump off the first few platforms but after I got over my fear of hanging 100ft up from a teeny tiny cable, we zipped over the beautiful Jack in the Box gully with Aerial Trek Zipline Adventures.
Our tour 
guides were hilarious and so patient!
They strapped in the entire BT crew AND all our gear.
Love to Damien, Raymond and Earl!
The people in Barbados are so lovely and we all fell in love with the kids from the St. James Primary School choir. Group hug!
We’ve been talking about it all week long here in Barbados… here is the recipe!
2 parts of rum
1 part sour (lime juice)
1part of sweet (simple syrup)
a couple drops of bitters to colour (they use Angostura bitters here from Trinidad!)
nutmeg and cherries to garnish
In a ten ounce glass, that means 5 oz rum and the other half is the sour and sweet! Serve over ice and enjoy!
Polo is huge in Barbados! I was treated to a polo lesson at the Apes Hill Club by a fine young player by the name of Pablo Casero. As you can see, the scenery in Barbados is pretty gorgeous.
I love scouring the web for unique gadgets. Here are a few cell phone accessories I have stumbled upon over the past few days.
Yubz Talk – $50
Turn some heads with Yubz!
Imagine the looks you will get when you answer your cell phone with this old school telephone receiver! Yubz Talk connects to many different phones (adaptor needed). It’s light weight and has volume control and a disconnect button right on the hand set. I’ve played around with it and it actually has decent sound quality. Available in different colours. best part is you can buy it locally in Calgary!
For purchase information Click Here
Pogo Stylus – $16.95
A stylus for your iPhone 3G
Sick of all those fingerprints smudging up your iPhone? Why not get a stylus? This is not just any stylus, it actually works on touch screen phones like the iPhone. It’s lightweight and comes with a travel clip so you don’t have to stick it in your pocket. It works well. My only concern is the tip is soft and sponge-like and I could see after extended use it could break off.
For purchase information Click Here
Mophie Juice Box – $99.95
Give your iPhone 3G a little extra juice
It doesn’t take long to drain the battery on your iPhone 3G. Why not improve it with this sleek new battery extender. The Mophie Juice Box basically doubles the life of your iPhone. You’re looking at
While it does add some bulk to your phone, it is light weight so it by no means feels awkward. The Juice Box is Apple certified and not some cheap knock off battery. To charge it up simply connect it to your computer with the included usb charge cable. Works with iPhone 3G 8GB and 16GB. Models also available for iPod touch.
For purchase information Click Here
Okay, I guess I really do need to start flossing more often. Seriously, I’m terrible. And I better get my daughter, Anna, in the game too, even though she only has 6 teeth!
Here’s the story that explains why.
Doctor Liam Martin is the patient today. He’s getting a couple of teeth fixed. He knows it’s a good idea to keep his mouth healthy.
“I think having healthy teeth is part of having a healthy lifestyle.”
A lifestyle that dentist, Doctor Trey Petty explains, will keep your heart healthy too. “A chronic infection like periodontal disease or gum disease is constantly releasing proteins into the body which are poisons called cytokines that can get into places they shouldn’t like the heart and cause a lot of damage.”
Damage that can increase your risk for heart attacks and congestive heart failure in the future. It’s all because of how the mouth works.
Doctor Petty says, “there are so many blood vessels in the mouth and the mouth harbours so many bacteria that when any one bacteria starts taking over because of chronic infection it gets into the blood system very quickly.”
So the best way to prevent gum disease, which puts you at risk for heart disease, is to get check ups regularly because for the most part gum disease doesn’t hurt, so you may not know you have it.
Doctor Petty says you should make sure your mouth is being looked at by someone who is watching for things like gum disease or mouth cancer so you can get early intervention before there’s a problem elsewhere in the body.
This is why Doctor Martin is getting his work done today. And, it’s why he tells his patients to visit the dentist regularly too.
Does this phone look familiar?
It was an era filled with crimped hair, acid wash jeans, and jelly bracelets. Who can forget the fads of the 80’s. But who saw this coming? Those big bulky cell phones…theeeey’rrrre baaaaack!
Analog Hero, a company based out of Minnesota, has brought the 80’s Brick Phone back to life. This unlocked cell phone will work on any North American GSM network (Rogers in Canada). All you have to do is pop your SIM card into it and turn it on. Now you’re ready to turn some heads!
Who makes this Phone?
The phone is basically a replica of a Motorola phone. The case is brand new and re-branded as a “Motelona” phone, but the software itself is by Motorola (can you smell a lawsuit coming?). It’s not new software by any means. It’s about 5 years old…maybe even older. If you’ve had a Motorola phone within the last 10 years you will instantly recognize the user interface. It’s okay…not stellar, but does the job.
I can do what with this?!
There are a few things you can do on this phone that you couldn’t do back when Charles was in charge. A texting feature has been added. This is no Blackberry folks! Texting takes time and patience. For example, press the number 3 and the option to select D,E,F comes up on the screen. You have to press the left and right keys to select your letter then confirm your selection. The it’s off to the next letter in thw word you’re trying to type. It does predict words you are typing so that does speed things up. After playing around with it for awhile you kind of get the hang of it. While I personally prefer a QWERTY keyboard this is usable…just time consuming.
You can also listen to MP3’s, and watch videos. Video quality is far from great. But hey, what can you expect on a 1 inch by 1 inch screen. As for basic functions, they are all there. Phonebook, calendar, ringtones, calculator, alarm clock.
Limitations
There was at least one feature I couldn’t get to work during my time with the phone. While a web browser is included with the software I kept getting an error message when I tried to connect. I don’t think I was missing much as web browsing on this phone would not be ideal.
Bottom line
I will admit it is kind of fun to carry this brick of a phone around. You get a lot of funny looks. But the novelty does wear off after a while. It is big and bulky, and does not fit into your pocket. The features on the phone are also dated. Texting is cumbersome and video quality is poor. But at the same time you have to remember, this phone isn’t meant to be top of the line. It is a retro phone, made to turn heads. And it does a great job at that. If you’re a child of the 80’s but just can’t bring yourself to break out the spandex, feather your hair or grow a mullet…you might want to grab this!
The Good:
A real head turner!
Unlocked to work on GSM networks
New features added to an old phone
Cheap – $99
The Bad:
Software is dated
Texting is cumbersome
Video Quality Poor
Big and Bulky (But that’s the point!)
For purchase information check out www.analoghero.com
This is why researchers at the University of Calgary are so cool. Sure, oxygen is working fine for patients with COPD. But can we do better?? This is what Neil Eves asked, and came up with helium. Love it.
Here’s the story.
COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or, Lung Disease.
It kills more women in Canada than breast cancer, and is the fourth leading cause of death in the country. Patients with this disease suffer from a severe shortness of breath. It’s usually caused by air collecting in their lungs.
University of Calgary researcher Neil Eves has been looking into these patients. He found if he gives these patients a combination of 60 percent helium and 40 percent oxygen, they’re better able to manage their disease.
Eves says, “helium gas is less dense, that’s why balloons rise, and helium actually moves through the lungs with less resistance. So, if you put the two together we can move air out easier and slow down breathing, we can reduce gas trapping and reduce shortness of breath more, which allows them to exercise.”
And exercise is crucial for these patients. Think about it… when you’re out of shape, you lose your breath quicker. That’s why is critical for these patients to be able to exercise longer and harder to stay healthy and be able to breathe better.
Eves explains, “when patients start to feel short of breath, they stop exericising. That leads to deconditioning of the skeletal muscles. If you have deconditioning, that makes you want to breathe more, then the next time you exercise, you get more shortness of breath. So you get into this downward spiral – of more and more deconditioning and shortness of breath which gives patients more anxiety and depression. So, if we can get them exercising which reduces shortness of breath, it helps them manage their disease …especially their symptoms.”
Sharon Klepsch was diagnosed with COPD about a year ago after suffering from pneumonia. She has been using the combination of helium and oxygen while she’s been exercising. She says, “it’s not bad. It’s like ordinary gas and oxygen going up you, except you get kind of giggly, and your voice changes.” But it does definitely help her breathe better and exercise longer.
And that means she’s able to breathe on her own, at least for awhile.
Thanks to Executive Chef Watts who shared his recipe with us on BT this morning! While flying fish isn’t the easiest thing to find Calgary, you can make this recipe with any fish of your choice. Cod and snapper are great substitutes.
2 fillet flying fish (skin on)
3 oz Bajan seasoning (you can buy premade or make your own with equal parts of thyme, marjoram, hot pepper, onion, salt, and pepper)
1 egg and 4 oz of milk combined with 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper for the egg wash
Flour
seasoned bread crumbs
Score the fish length wise and rub in 3 oz of Bajan Seasoning
Dip in egg wash, flour, and coat with bread crumbs
Shallow fry the fillet in oil 2 min both sides. Place the skin up for the first side. Serve on a French baguette and garnish with tomato, cucumber, and lettuce. Enjoy!
This morning Master Mixologist Chesterfield Browne created a signature drink for me called “Jill’s Temptation”! Here is the recipe if you need a taste of the tropics in chilly Calgary:
2oz. (and a bit) Mount Gay Extra Old Rum
1oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 oz. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. Sorrel syrup
1 oz. honey
Shake over ice and serve garnished with grapefruit peel and a sprig of rosemary. Enjoy!