Training camps opened this week for most NFL teams. So I thought I’d throw some football history in the blog:

American football had its origins in English rugby, which began in 1823 at Rugby’s Boys School in England. Students at Princeton began what they called “ballown” about the same time. Around 1865, colleges began organizing football games, and in 1867 football was patented. In the 1870’s and 80’s, further changes included establishing 11 as the number of players on the team, 110 yards as the playing field length, and allowing tackling below the waist. The distance for a first down was changed to 10 yards in 1906, and fourth down was added in 1912.

Prior to 1905, there were 18 deaths and around 180 serious injuries in the games. More changes came at that point, including the forward pass, the prohibition of rough mass plays and locking of arms by teammates. Professional football began in 1895, and in 1922 the NFL was created. In 1970, the NFL and the AFL merged.

Here in San Francisco, the 49ers appear to be finally contenders for the postseason, and there is a large amount of optimism among the fans. So we’ll cross our fingers and hope things turn out well.

One guy who may have his fingers crossed in vain is Michael Vick. When the story about dog fighting first surfaced a few months ago, it did not get much media play, and he brushed it off by saying it was the fault of relatives he’d let stay at the home. Once the details surfaced, it seems that he was quite a bit more involved in things. Unless things change, I think he’s going to be remembered more for the dog fighting than the mediocre career he had.

In today’s SF Chronicle, there was a really interesting article by Vicki Haddock. You can view it by going to www.sfgate.com and clicking on the “Animal Planet” title above the drawing that appears on the main page. She points out how much more sympathy animals get over people, and lists some of the reasons why:

“Our brains are hard-wired to react more protectively to mammals, particularly if the echo the characteristics of human infants: big eyes, stubby legs, tiny bodies.” She also quotes a researcher who says pets make their way into our hearts by mimicking our own young. Add to that the fact that 83% of American pet owners consider themselves “mommy or daddy” to their pets, and it makes sense.

Later on in the article she also explores the fact that kids who mistreat animals are more likely to mistreat people when they get older. Really an interesting, well written article.

I remember when my wife and I went to Havasu Falls in Arizona. It’s a fascinating place, where you have some waterfalls, lakes, and tropical greenery hidden in a desert canyon, where everything above is dry and desolate. To get there, you park in a large lot about 5 or 8 miles away, then have a choice of going to the village and falls via helicopter, horseback/mules, or walking. We chose walking, backpacking in while keeping a steady eye on the trail to avoid stepping in the “road apples”, which seemed to be everywhere.

Anyway, in the parking lot, there were quite a few dogs, and most of them were pit bulls or a similar breed. Due to the large number of visitors over the year, they were relatively quiet, but it still was a bit unnerving. I remember getting out of the car slowly, making sure not to make any sudden movements, and to try to keep talking to them in a quiet, relaxed, friendly voice as some of them would gather round. I think I even scratched the head of one or two, but I was definitely keeping my eyes open. I also made sure to step slowly and carefully. There was no way I wanted to step on the toes of any of them.

There's a study being published this week in Science magazine that seems to indicate that the Queen bee can control her workers to some extent by secreting a scent called a pheromone. The pheromone, which is a chemical that triggers a behavioral response in another animal of the same species, apparently interacts with a neurotransmitter called dopamine. It apparently blocks the dopamine, and thus prevents the worker bees from learning from any negative experiences.

Normally the bees would learn to associate a bad experience with a certain odor. When they are exposed to the queen's pheromone's, apparently that doesn't happen. One theory is that this helps to prevent the worker bees (which are all female and attend to the queen) from associating the smell of the queen or perhaps the hive with an unpleasant experience, and thus make them stop attending the queen. It may also make the queen herself less likely to leave the hive.

One interesting note is that as worker bees age, the pheromone no longer has control over them.

This is really pretty fascinating. The power of scent to keep other beings in line.

This past weekend, I was one of those beings in line. Nope, you did not find me waiting in line for the new Harry Potter. Instead, I followed my wife and a few friends on a backpacking trip to the Sierras. 10 miles in on Saturday and 10 miles out on Sunday. Toward the end on both days, I was definitely dragging. The flies and mosquitoes on the trail had more energy than I did.

On the plus side, once we got above 9000', there were a lot less insects, and some pretty nice scenery. The small lake where we camped was nice and quiet, very peaceful. We also got some real beautiful colors when the setting sun hit the mountain ridges around us.

In the morning, a few sleeping bags and backpacks had some moisture on them, so we set them out to dry. Apparently it was colder than we thought, (maybe due to drier air up there?), because some of the moisture on the bags and backpacks turned to ice. This was strange, as usually when you have ice outside you feel that it's really cold. But yesterday, it felt more like 50 degrees or so. Some of the group are experienced backpackers, and everyone was surprised.

The trip back was made more eventful when the navigator (yours truly) was looking out the window daydreaming rather than watching the road and the map. After awhile, my wife said "This doesn't look so familiar ..." I looked around, and I had to agree with her. I checked the next road sign we passed and said "Uh, I think I missed the turn". After I pleaded for my life, the two people with us agreed not to hit the "Eject" button on my car seat. So we got a nice detour into north Fresno, and got home a little later than expected.

Well, last night was one for weird dreams. In one, I was at our old office and one of my ex employees who retired suddenly appeared, saying he was moving back to this area. Then there was a lot of music and I found myself at the curb of an area that had tables like a pizza place with lots of people singing and swaying to music. I was helping to move one of those rides you see in front of stores for the kids. Some lady was on it and her husband and one other person were moving it up and to the side to syncronize with the people at the tables.

Suddenly her head flew off and I ran over 30 feet to get it. It was suddenly a football helmet when I found it, but when I picked it up it was empty. I panicked for a minute, frantically looking around, thinking "I've got to find her head, they will all be upset at me." Then I look over and see them all laughing, as they somehow sent a fake helmet over.

Then I'm at some group outdoor outing, I think some religious group, that had three Hawaian hula type dancers that had expandable fan type things that could shoot up 20 feet into the air.

It was a weird dream night. So I thought I'd post on the blog, and looked into a little bit of dream and sleep info. First, the technical part:

Lack of sleep can do the following:

1) Result in higher blood pressure that night and the next day.
2) Reduce body's ability to handle blood glucose, resulting in more insulin, diabetes.
3) Reduces production of hormone leptin, which results in more carbohydrate cravings.
4) Reduce production of growth hormone, which in adults regulates muscle mass, resulting in higher obesity.
5) May be a major factor in 1500 deaths per year, and 100,000 car crashes per year.

I think I also read something somewhere that said as men age, they produce less of a hormone that promotes sleep, whereas women either show no drop of a much slower rate of drop. So men do not get as deep a sleep as they age, and that may in turn be a cause of men's lower life expectancy and possibly a link to dementia, hallucination, etc.

Now for the fun part: I pulled the following off the website "science.howstuffworks.com"

Common Dream Themes and Their Interpretations

Being naked in public
Most of us have had the dream at some point that we're at school, work or some social event, and we suddenly realize we forgot to put on clothes! Experts say this means:
We're trying to hide something (and without clothes we have a hard time doing that).
We're not prepared for something, like a presentation or test (and now everyone is going to know -- we're exposed!).
If we're naked but no one notices, then the interpretation is that whatever we're afraid of is unfounded. If we don't care that we're naked, the interpretation is that we're comfortable with who we are.

Falling
You're falling, falling, falling... and then you wake up. This is a very common dream and is said to symbolize insecurities and anxiety. Something in your life is essentially out of control and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Another interpretation is that you have a sense of failure about something. Maybe you're not doing well in school or at work and are afraid you're going to be fired or expelled. Again, you feel that you can't control the situation.

Being chased
The ever-popular chase dream can be extremely frightening. What it usually symbolizes is that you're running away from your problems. What that problem is depends on who is chasing you. It may be a problem at work, or it may be something about yourself that you know is destructive. For example, you may be drinking too much, and your dream may be telling you that your drinking is becoming a real problem.

Taking an exam (or forgetting that you have one)
This is another very common dream. You suddenly realize you are supposed to be taking an exam at that very moment. You might be running through the hallways and can't find the classroom. This type of dream can have several variations that have similar meanings. (Maybe your pen won't write, so you can't finish writing your answers.) What experts say this may mean is that you're being scrutinized about something or feel you're being tested -- maybe you're facing a challenge you don't think you're up to. You don't feel prepared or able to hold up to the scrutiny. It may also mean there is something you've neglected that you know needs your attention.

Flying
Many flying dreams are the result of lucid dreaming. Not all flying dreams are, however. Typically, dreaming that you are flying means you are on top of things. You are in control of the things that matter to you. Or, maybe you've just gained a new perspective on things. It may also mean you are strong willed and feel like no one and nothing can defeat you. If you are having problems maintaining your flight, someone or something may be standing in the way of you having control. If you are afraid while flying, you may have challenges that you don't feel up to.

Running, but going nowhere
This theme can also be part of the chasing dream. You're trying to run, but either your legs won't move or you simply aren't going anywhere -- as if you were on a treadmill. According to some, this dream means you have too much on your plate. You're trying to do too many things at once and can't catch up or ever get ahead.

There was really interesting news item in the paper last Monday about stress and weight gain. Scientists found that the neurochemical pathway they identified promotes fat growth in chronically stressed animals that eat the equivalent of a junk food diet. If the scientists blocked the pathway, they found it could help prevent fat accumulation and shrink fat deposits. They apparently could also stimulate the signals in the pathway in specific areas to create new fat areas, to perhaps fill out faces, firmer buttocks, and bigger breasts. (and I'm all in favor of bigger breasts...)

Previous studies, just like many people's experiences, showed that while acute stress can make people lose weight, chronic stress (like long-term job stability) might cause some people to gain weight. The combination of high stress in our society and inexpensive high fat food apparently are a dangerous combination. In the new study, they fed two groups of mice the same food, and the stressed mice gained twice as much fat around their stomach. After three months, the stressed mice became obese and developed high blood pressure, early diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.

If the scientists injected a substance that blocks a material called neuropeptide Y, they were able to not only stop fat gain, but also shrink fat deposits by 40 to 50% within two weeks. Studies with people are apparently two years away.

This was really amazing. If something like this becomes effective in humans and safe, it will be a major deal. If they are unable to reduce stress, at least this would make a huge difference in a lot of people's overall health. I am fortunate to have a good metabolism, never have had to worry about gaining weight. I can lose it pretty easy, but putting weight on is actually as tough for me as losing weight is for a typical person. If it wasn't for that, I'm sure I'd be overweight, as I am not immune to those "I'm stressed and I'm gonna eat" episodes.

Speaking of eating, be glad you don't live in Verviers, east of Brussels, in Belgium. After a meal with a group of friends at a friend's house, a lady washed the dishes and then took the leftovers down to the basement to put in the freezer. Once she opened the freezer, she discovered the bodies of the host's wife and stepson. Guests alerted the police. Wow.....

I just finished the official "my wife cuts my hair" haircut. Although she takes a little longer than the professionals, she does a pretty good job. The only dicey part is toward the end, when my butt and legs get tired of sitting (yeah, I'm as as bad as a kid) and I start to squirm. This usually provokes a shout of "Hey, what are you doing?" from my wife. Since she has the scissors in hand, and is not afraid to use them, I generally sit still.

I also notice that often I'll start to fall asleep. There's something relaxing about having someone cut your hair, don't know why. Today I was able to keep my head down anyway while she cut, so I could sort of doze. It beats the times when my head all of the sudden slumps down and then she retaliates by squirting me with the water bottle.

After the haircut, I had a little of Trader Joe's Mango Acai Berry juice. When I looked at the ingredients, I saw Acai berry and also aronia berry. I had never heard of either so went online.

I found out that Aronia is a native American bush that has also been exported to Europe. The berries are violet-black and a little sour, and are high in vitamins and minerals. It is also known as a "chokeberry". It has the healthy attributes of a cranberry but contains 5 to 10 times the amount of anthocyanins and polyphenols. (I don't know the meaning of those last two terms but I thought it was time to throw a few big fancy words into this blog.)

I found the Acai berry is pronounced "a-sigh-ee". It appears it's from Brazil, and has 10 times the antioxident benefits of grapes and twice the antioxidents of blueberries. Also may be good for cholesterol, anti-inflammatory, and cardiovascular problems.

So I figured I'd let you enjoy that healthy information on this hot 4th as you slog through that pint of ice cream and cold beer.

In the Bay Area here, Oakland cancelled their fireworks this year to allow the police to patrol the city. Last year or two, the "unofficial fireworks" in Oakland have vastly surpassed the official fireworks of most cities. There usually is stuff going off everywhere, and not just firecrackers and M80's. There's the shooting star type stuff, the rotating rockets, the cascading colors, and much, much more. When you go outside all you smell is gunpowder. It's just amazing how much stuff was being set off. And it goes on for hours.

San Francisco's display this year is supposed to be fog free. Usually it's a crap shoot as to whether the fog will obscure the fireworks or not. Other cities away from the bay entrance usually don't have a problem.