Quicksand

BY THE NUMBERS » GHOSTS

18 Percentage of people who claim they have seen or been in the presence of a ghost. According to a Pew Research Center survey, even more people, 29 percent, say they have been in touch with someone who has already died.

505MAmount, in dollars, the movie Ghost grossed worldwide in 1990. Made for a mere $22 million, the film was considered a sleeper hit and was the second highest grossing movie of that year behind Home Alone. That’s a whole lot of “dittos.”

175 Amount, in dollars, for which the original illustrator and creator of Casper the Friendly Ghost sold the rights to his creation to Paramount Pictures in the 1930s. The first Casper cartoon came out in 1945. Since then, Casper has appeared in comic books, television shows, television commercials and computer and video games. The latest cameo is on a Geico commercial in 2019. Talk about longevity. 2.25MAmount, in dollars, the president of Disney Studios paid for the rights to the supernatural/ghost film The Sixth Sense. Since he didn’t consult with his bosses before paying the exorbitant amount, he was canned. The movie went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards (including Best Picture— almost unheard of for horror films) and became the highest grossing movie of 1999. It was ranked No. 50 on the Writers Guild of America’s list of 101 Greatest Screenplays.

545The room number at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, where you have the best chance of encountering The Pink Lady, the ghost who has been roaming the inn since the 1920s. While her cause of death is unknown, her presence seems to be friendly and normally presents as a pink mist or a woman in a pink gown. Seemingly a fan of mischief, the Pink Lady could be responsible for lights and air conditioners turning on and off, and for the rearrangement of objects in guest rooms.

6The number of months to develop the Slimer character for the film Ghostbusters. After hundreds of Slimer variations, special effects artist Steve Johnson was told to model the ghost after beloved comedian John Belushi. So he did what any artist would do, pulled out some headshots, did some cocaine, had a hallucinogenic delusion of Belushi’s ghost giving him encouragement and finished the final design we would all come to know and love.

LOOK, LISTEN & LEARN OUTER SANDBOX

LuLaRich

This new Amazon docuseries is being dubbed the Tiger King of 2021. Get ready to binge watch the rise and fall of the former popular legging giant turned multi-level marketing scam. While the series touches on the often life-destroying aspects of pyramid schemes, its main (and highly fascinating) focus is on the company’s kooky founders, the Stidhams. Pop a couple Herbalife and crank up that Scentsy warmer cos you’re gonna want to finish this one in one sitting.

Drybar Comedy

Who couldn’t use a good laugh these days? Our funny bone has been feeling extra tickled now that we’ve come across this new completely ad-free app that has compiled stand-up comedy from some of our favorite comics across the country. With over 250 specials in the library, everyone in the family is guaranteed to find something to keep them in stitches.

Anything For Selena

Maria Grace was only 9 years old and living on the Mexican-American border when her favorite singer, Selena Quintanilla, was murdered. In this podcast, we join Grace 25 years later on a quest to explore the singer’s legacy as well as what it means to belong in America.

ROAD TRIP!

Road trip! Beyond the boundaries of our little sandbox, there is much to see. Here are a few events worth checking out. For events with a more local flavor, check out moorechoices.net. And check with locales before heading out!

OCTOBER 2 – NOVEMBER 21 Carolina Renaissance Fair Huntersville | carolina.renfestinfo.com

Held every Saturday and Sunday, visitors to the fair can watch jousting knights, take a picture with a mermaid, stock up on dragon fashion accessories in the artisan marketplace, enjoy the sport of falconry and eat your weight in turkey legs at this 16th century European style festival.

OCTOBER 14–24 North Carolina State Fair Raleigh | ncstatefair.org

There's more than 100 activities to do at this year's State Fair, from a folk festival, rides and antique farm machinery expo to a flower and garden show, livestock competitions and food. Ah, the food! Fried dough heaven awaits!

NOVEMBER 6 Southport Wooden Boat Show Southport | southportwoodenboatshow.com

Meet with boat makers, enjoy nautical and maritime demonstrations and vote for your favorite boat at the 12th annual Southport Wooden Boat Show. Bring the kiddos because your little sailors will learn rope making and can build their own boats, then test their seaworthiness. Bonus points if you can make it the whole day without captioning a single Instagram photo with “I’m on a boat!”

QUOTES

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

– John F. Kennedy

“Every day is a gift. But some days are packaged better.”

– Sanhita Baruah, author

Health Tips

Going Pro

Shopping for supplements can be confusing but the simple act of adding probiotics and psyllium powder to your daily routine can really pack a punch to your health with minimal effort. Probiotics have been shown to reduce inflammation and improve digestive

symptoms and may also regulate your blood sugar in order to help maintain low insulin levels.

On your grind

We have officially been grinding our teeth since 2020 and while being fitted for a mouthguard can help, in order to cease grinding completely we need to treat the triggers for our stress induced bruxism. Exercise and stress counseling are good starts but experts also recommend avoiding alcohol, eliminating caffeine from your diet, avoiding gum and relaxing your jaw with a warm cloth before bedtime.

Take the stairs

Opting to take the stairs instead of using an elevator can have a pretty profound effect on your overall health. A Duke University study showed that just climbing two flights of stairs

(combined) per day can contribute to six pounds of weight loss over the course of a single year. Additionally, a study from the North American Menopause Society found that stair climbing helped postmenopausal women lower their blood pressure and reduce their risk for osteoporosis.

Live Lightly

Tips on living a more sustainable life

We know working out is important for our health and well-being, unfortunately some of our exercise practices aren’t always great for Mother Earth. Some ways to make your workout eco-friendlier? Start with your wardrobe.

Make sure to buy exercise gear and clothing from sustainable designers and manufacturers—always keeping in mind that buying used has the biggest climate-positive impact.

A staggering 91 percent of single-use plastics don’t get recycled, so make sure to pack a reusable water bottle for your next sweat session.

Lastly, move your workout outside. It takes electricity to power most cardio machines, so reduce your carbon footprint whenever possible by running, rowing or cycling outdoors rather than in. SP

OCTOBER 2 Autumnfest 5k

Southern Pines 1m, 5k mooreart.org/autumnfest

OCTOBER 9 1 in 8K - Moore for the Cure

Pinehurst 8k runsignup.com

NOVEMBER 20 Turkey Trot

Pinehurst 1m, 5k runsignup.com