Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Today was the first "real" snow (it looks as if the ground and trees got covered with a thin, white blanket). I spent the day inside studying for finals, but I was happy to look outside every once and awhile and see some snow. In order to boost my studying energy and to celebrate the first snow of the season, I made up some homemade hot cocoa (so much better than the packaged variety and very easy to make). The key to this hot cocoa is to mix the cocoa in a small amount of liquid in order to break up any clumps.

Heat 1 cup milk (I used soy milk) on the stove in a small pot. In a mug, add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons water. Mix, with a spoon, until a dilute cocoa paste is formed. Add 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup to the cocoa paste. Now pour the hot milk into the mug; stir immediately to mix the milk, sweetener, and cocoa well. Variation: add a pinch of cayenne pepper to make Mexican hot chocolate.
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Interesting Anatomy Notes

- Did you know the human body has an anatomical snuff box? This name isn't a joke: the actual dip on the wrist (below the thumb) is named this because it historically has been used to snuff cocaine.

- The bicep muscle gets all the attention, but it has a relatively minor role in arm flexion. The main arm flexor is the brachialis. The real role of the bicep (whose full name is the bicep brachialis) is in the supination (i.e. twisting) of the arm.

- Did you know that the body has a swimmer's muscle and a boxer's muscle? The swimmer's muscle is actually called the latissimus dorsi and is responsible for the extension, abduction, and rotation of the arm; three actions that allow the arm to complete the front stroke in swimming. The boxer's muscle is actually called the serratus anterior and is responsible for bringing the scapula very close the the posterior side of the rib cage, allowing for maximum protraction of the arm (which is great for punching!).

- The golfer's elbow is the syndrome when the flexor muscles in the arm are over-used (which can happen with extensive golfing). The bursae in the elbow near the lateral epicondyle can become inflamed and swollen.

- The tennis elbow is the syndrome when the extensor muscles in the arm are over-used (which can happen with extensive tennis playing). The bursae in the elbow near the medial epicondyle can become inflamed and swollen.