Feeding the Monkey Feeding the Monkey

If you have travelled to a country other than America, or you have watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, you may have noticed that the number of blades in a ceiling fan vary from place to place. Even if you didn’t notice it before, the Monkey bets you will now, and here’s an explanation.

We sing carols every year (at least around here we do), and most of them are quite old. Being old, they often contain archaic words and phrases. A listener wanted me to explain/interpret some of them, so there you are.

Sure, we all know that cakes are eggs, flour, sugar, salt, and all kinds of stuff that comes together to make wonderful deliciousness. But how does it turn from batter into wonderful deliciousness? Is it some secret chemical whatchamacallits? The Monkey was dying to know, so we found out. 

Also, paint by numbers - what a concept, right? You can take anyone, without any training at all, and turn them into Leonardo Da Vinci or Van Gogh. Literally. Where did these kits come from and how did they get to be as popular as they are among all age groups. The Monkey loves a good paint by numbers, and will tell you all about it. 

You may know that your weight fluctuates from day to day, but did you know it fluctuates from place to place on Earth? In fact, it might fluctuate slightly from location to location in your house. Gravitational mass concentrations or mascons are all around us. What the heck are they and what causes them?

You probably think you know all the vampire legends but there’s probably a whole slew of them that you’ve never heard of. Like, did you know they have an irrepressible desire to count? Actually, lots of mythical monsters have been punished with arithmomania among other things. The monkey checks into it! 

The traditional Thanksgiving story and Black Friday are ingrained into the American culture. But how accurate is that story? Is there more to history than we’re taught in elementary school? There’s an answer, as always, and the Monkey found it enlightening.

Also, everyone has their own favorite household recipe for roasting the Thanksgiving turkey (unless your family is one of those ham eating types). We look at some historical recipes, the granddaddy of all recipes, and round it out with some from modern day celebrity chefs. Maybe you’ll find your new family favorite here.

As always, everything I used for research is linked at the bottom of the page in section 7. Don’t miss clicking on some of these fascinating sites. 

The Bermuda Triangle is a mystery writer’s dream. A place in the ocean where ships and planes vanish without a trace, the Bermuda Triangle or the Devil’s Triangle captures the imagination. But what is really going on? Are all disappearances in the distant chef, or are they still happening? And does anyone know what really happens to those planes and ships? Listen and find out.

Natural food – so expensive! Is it all marketing? There is actually a great reason why organic/natural foods cost more than conventionally farmed foods. You might be surprised at the reason!  

On television, the crab fishermen hunt for two different kinds of crab in the same area of water. How do they only catch the ones they are looking for? Same boats, same traps, same water – different crab? That’s a mystery for the Monkey!

And – cats do weird stuff. A lot of weird stuff. When they’re jumping on your foot under a blanket, do they know that’s your foot under a blanket? Or do they live in a fantasy world (or a world without object permanence) and think that your foot or hand has suddenly transmuted into the biggest mouse in the world? Find out the real skinny on your furry buddy.