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147, 1, 4, 7.

It feels like time for a semi-puzzle-like post. Please note after you read this one, you may wish to also read the post for yesterday below, it is more in depth.

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As a little experiment, I thought I would encourage as many of you as are willing to conduct a little experiment for me. I think it will be fun and will give us each insight into our collective personalities. If you decide to follow through with this game, please leave a link in my comments so others may see as well.

This game is about letting others glimpse something about you, based upon what you read. I have done something like this before, but thought it was time to do so again with a twist:

1. Pick up the nearest book to you from where you are now sitting at your computer.

2. Open the book to page 147 (If the book does not have 147 pages, then put that book down and go to the next closest book until you find one with 147 pages).

3. On that page, go to the first new paragraph on that page.

4. In that paragraph, look for the 4th sentence and write it down (If there are not four sentences to the paragraph, take the fourth sentence after the start of that first paragraph).

5. In that "fourth" sentence, count to the seventh word, and write that down (Like before, if the sentence is shorter than seven words, go to the seventh word following the start of the fourth sentence).

Now, for what you post on your site:

1. Name, author, and date of the book.

2. The required fourth sentence.

3. The required seventh word.

4. A paragraph about what this seventh word means to you (it does NOT have to be in context with the rest of the sentence or paragraph).

5. A paragraph stating why this book is near you, and why it is a part of your life.

I give my own answers below, but you may be wondering why I have selected the places I did for this.... very simple.... today is January 4, 2007. In the typical American shorthand, it is 01/04/07.... which reduces down to 147.

Give it a try and have fun with this. Feel free to cut and paste any of the above if you wish.

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1. The book is "What Is Wrong With My Mouse?" by J. N. Crawley. Published in 2000.

2. The sentence is: Systemic administration of CCK inhibits food consumption in moderately fasted rats, mice, and many other species including humans.

3. The word = "consumption"

4. For me the word consumption FIRST brings to mind the disease "consumption" that was commonly talked about in the latter 1800s. From a scientific perspective, to me "consumption" is mostly a $100 word for having eaten something. In a more poetic sense, "consumption" causes me to think of a passionate need to do something, to be enthused enough to allow a person, thought, idea, or hobby consume you.

5. This book is near me now because I am sorting through various texts I have in order to choose the laboratory experiments my students will work on in endocrinology next semester. It is a book that I find useful both in terms of research and teaching for it outlines standardized techniques used in rodent (especially mouse) physiology and behavioral tests.

PipeTobacco