Today I Learned...Random Acts of Learning

Have you ever looked through rose-colored glasses? If you've ever wondered about the origin of this idiom, you'll love my personal experience with rose-colored glasses.

Some people feed their dogs barf. Er, make that B.A.R.F. The idea elicits a look of disgust on most people's faces. What is it?

I learned this handy trick while watching the 2012 Summer Olympics. So much swimming. So many swimmers dealing with chlorine in their hair. How do they do it? I found out.

I don't even fish, and I found myself fascinated by the results of fishing with swimbait. What is it? You might be surprised, too.

This is one of my all-time favorite learnings. I put our empty mussel shells in a planter on our deck after a nice paella dinner. A few weeks later, they had transformed.

You would think I learned this in grade school, and perhaps I did. But with apologies to my teachers, I had completely forgotten. It's one of those blinding flashes of the obvious to become reacquainted with the idea as an adult.

If you've lived in the country, the sound of coyotes is probably no surprise to you. But for a city girl transplanted, the cry of a pack of coyotes was a curious surprise.

Just watching reality TV can increase your disappointment in the downward slide of American culture. What I learned from Gary Chapman added to that disappointment.

Do you trust your intuition? Are stereotypes the result of snap judgments? Malcolm Gladwell taught me a few fascinating things about what we know for sure in the blink of an eye.

You're driving down the highway minding your own business when, quick as lightning, something comes through your windshield. Will you be as lucky as Bob King?