Why We Forget Things...AKA Brain Fog

• Medications - Drugs known to impact memory include (anxiety meds like Xanax and Valium, statins (used to control cholesterol), anti-seizure meds, beta blockers, antidepressants, opioids and a certain class of sleeping pills.
  
• Depression or anxiety - When you’re depressed, your brain is not working at 100%. It’s not paying attention to things as well as it usually does, and the memory areas are not doing what they usually do.
  
• Diet - Research links ultraprocessed foods with cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia.
• Sleep - Not getting enough sleep can make it harder to concentrate, learn new things and create new memories, according to the National Institutes of Health.
  
• Trouble hearing - New research suggests a connection between hearing loss and brain health, but hearing aids can help. The study links hearing aids with a 19% lower risk of long-term cognitive decline.
• Multitasking - Being distracted affects your ability to focus and remember things, and one study finds that multitaskers often have trouble recalling information. And they were young people.
  

Restuarant Red Flags

• It’s dirty
  
• The place is empty - If it’s a Monday night, this isn’t concerning, but if the dining room is empty during peak hours on a weekend...
  
• There’s no management presence - Managers are visible in the dining room, greeting customers, talking to tables and helping servers when needed, but if you can’t tell who’s in charge, it might be because no one is.
  
• It’s overloaded with social media influencers - Sure, they can help get people in the door, but they might be getting special treatment and freebies to promote a restaurant. 
  
• The staff argues with you - Mistakes will be made, but staff members should own it and try to make it up to you when that happens. It doesn’t matter how good the food is, if the staff argues with you, it ruins the experience.
• Servers don’t know the menu - It shows poor training and “a lack of pride in the product.”
  
• You’re being upsold aggressively - When it feels like a script or they’re harassing you, it’s a sign the restaurant is struggling and doesn’t care about hospitality as much as sales.
  

New Cheating Emojis
According to private investigator Paul Jones from ARF Private Investigators, there are some random, innocent-looking emojis that aren’t really so innocent. Jones says that if you find your partner texting the croissant or padlock emojis, they’re probably cheating on you. “On the surface, it might look innocent, but there’s usually a deeper meaning,” Jones explained. “We’ve had people using a croissant emoji as a way of saying ‘meet me for breakfast,’ or the letter emoji as a subtle ‘text me when you’re free.'”

Second Date Update
Dean and Ariel met on Hinge, and after a fun back-and-forth over messaging, they decided to meet in person. Their first date was sushi and sake bombs in Fremont. She has pulled a Casper.