Pages

DRAFT TODAY, POST TOMORROW: Some posts may be in draft status until I (aka procrastinator extraordinaire) get around to posting them.



Sunday, May 31, 2009

Frying Nemo

I ran across this website called Slate. They had an article called Frying Nemo, written by a fisherman about the idea that fish feel pain. I thought he did a fair job of exploring the topic at http://www.slate.com/id/2219276/pagenum/2 especially near the end of the article when he talks about only fishing for what you eat and how that may be better than catch and release. Interesting....

Saturday, May 30, 2009

MRI

I got my MRI photos in the mail on a CD. How cool is technology. Of course I don't understand it except that the comparison to the MRI 2 years ago at that imaging place was not as bad as now. I'm sure Dr. Gitt will explain it on Thursday. Hopefully he can compare this one to the one I had last year (at a different imaging place). This one is the first one that I "only" had the brain with contrast. All my previous ones included the spine. I have holes in my brain! :)

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Beautiful World MS Day

From the National MS Society about the first World MS Day:

World MS Day has been established by the MS International Federation and its member MS Societies for any individual, organization, or group involved in the global MS Movement.
The purposes of World MS Day are to
  • Raise awareness of MS, National MS Societies and the global MS Movement
  • Unite, broaden, and mobilize the global MS Movement
  • Generate funds to support the the global MS Movement
The global MS movement unites every person with and affected by MS worldwide . Together every individual, group and organization in the world can fight to improve the quality of life of all people with MS and the many more people affected by it.
The MSIF is fully endorsed by the National MS Society. The MSIF
  • Undertakes research into treatment for MS
  • Develops the capacity of MS societies in different nations to support people with MS
  • Communicates information about MS
  • Campaigns for the rights of people with MS.
To find out more at www.worldmsday.org to show your support for this important day.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Anniversary--11 years

We went to see Terminator and Star Trek with Mike, Kate, Angelo, and Alex--a triple date. We had dinner between the movies at BJ's at Park West off Northern and 101. It was great to see Alex especially as I rarely see her. Great movies! Well, Terminator was a little cheesy towards the end, but I'm loving Star Trek. A and A have been married 17 years. In addition, Matt and Holly just celebrated 11 years and Ryan and Debbie are at 12. What a fabulous group of friends we have. Like he says in Marley and Me, Mend it don't end it!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Library books

It's a personality flaw--I hate to stop reading or listening to something without completing it. However, I decided that Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier was too boring to listen to in the car under threat of going to sleep at the wheel. He just talks on and on about who he knows and worked with and how great everyone is and blah, blah, blah.

I also checked out the Zone Inflammation Diet and after reading parts of it, I'm done. Some of it makes sense, and some of it is over the top. So I'm returning them and picking up some new stuff!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Car accident

I went to the boarding place, next door to my cats' vet. The pick-up side is behind the building and it was early, so few people were there. After I got going, the cats (I think it was Kachina) started freaking out, so I looked down. When I looked back up, I was running into the left tail-end of a parked truck! The truck was barely damaged (but enough for a claim apparently) and my Volvo looks like I clipped the Terminator. So I'm without my car for a while, driving the Pathfinder instead. (And it's perfect convertible weather when I'm driving home.) My insurance agent said my rate won't go up this time since I am more than 10 years accident- (claim-) free. Hopefully I make it another 10! What a maroon!

Indy wedding

Mike, his dad, and I just returned from Indiana. We were there for the wedding of Jon and Courtney. What a great time visiting with family. Thursday, we went to Karen and Terry's, met Jade, saw Sean, Jenny, and Billy; Lori and Marcus came by too.

Friday was the wedding. Mike, Dad, and I had lunch at Captain D's, like a better Long John Silvers. The wedding was at a cute country church, almost packed. The reception followed and wrapped up around maybe 10. After sending Billy home with his dad (is that Wedding Crasher style like his Facebook says? Maybe Wedding Trasher style!), a group of us went to the Blind Pig. It was Mike, me, Karen, Jenny, Sean, Jake, Carmen, Kim, and a couple whose names are escaping me now. I was mean-ish to a "biker" guy who followed us around the rest of the night and we attracted a random lady that pushed her way into most of the photos. I asked the biker guy what's up with this, pointing to his face--he had no hair on top and the scruffy beard thing going on. He said he was a biker so I asked if he drove a Harley. He said no, so I asked what kind of bike he rode. He said he didn't have a bike. Um, hello?

Saturday was lunch at Dickie's, which was fantastic although it was a bit cold for a Phoenix girl like me. :) Oh, and the arf and arf, those drinks make the hair on your arms stand up. (That's what Tricia said--it was her first. Celia didn't have one, and it was her birthday!) That evening, we went to the Casino Live! briefly and then to Marcus and Lori's for pizza and drinks. Jill insisted on making Flaming Dr Peppers, which were 151 and Ameretto shots dropped in a "keg cup" of beer. Gross! Maybe she got the amounts wrong, but really, gross!

Sunday we had brunch at Bob and Donna's overlooking the golf course. Mike got them set up to view the family tree. Bob told the story about the origins of the arf and arf. It involves a guy named Lorenzo and an order for half and half (whiskey and peppermint schnapps).

We didn't get to see Jamie and Chuck and that clan. :(

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Eco-Clamshell

Those foam containers that take-out orders commonly come in may eventually become a thing of the past. Many colleges, universities, and institutions nationwide have started using the Eco-Clamshell, a reusable to-go container. Check out the container, consume your food wherever you want, and return the container later to be washed and sanitized. A deposit or ID card may be required to ensure the containers are returned.
The article in Ode magazine ended by saying:
As society continues forward, we should take time to think about our daily habitats and dream up new solutions. We haven't always been a waste-centric society. This development is relatively new. This means the solutions are already there, they just need to be molded to fit the needs of our current day and age.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Taxing Soda

I gave up drinking soda February 2007. Well, occasionally I have a Root Beer. Giving up soda was the first step in trying to reduce the chemicals I put in my body. Diet soda has aspartame, which I avoid in all foods now in addition to Splenda and all its versions.

A few months ago, my office had a debate over what soda should be provided. I voted that the company save money and promote better health by not providing soda. Of course I was outnumbered. :)

At lunch today, I was reading a back issue of a nutrition newsletter we get at the office. The editor wrote about taxing soda to reduce consumption. It sounds like a good idea on the surface. The tax money would go to educational nutritional programs. Soft drinks are the only beverage or food that is directly related to obesity, but many people seem oblivious to the effect soda and other drinks have on their bodies. They would rather drink a diet soda with no nutritional value than milk, because the milk has calories. (Although I heard that pasteurized milk is chemically damaged, which may explain all the lactose problems people have, and unpasteurized milk is starting to become available. I mentioned this to some people and they freaked out that I would consider that as it is apparently *so* unsafe. More research needed.)

Anyway, I don't know that the tax on soda would work as suggested. The tax on tobacco products no longer goes to combat tobacco use or for the medical needs associated with that use. It is used as a funding mechanism for every proposition or earmark that comes along. So, while I think the soda tax is a great idea in theory, I think we have to educate instead of legislate to decrease this soda dependency in our culture.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

ASU on the Daily Show

That's my school, "snubbing" President Obama. Great job, ASU students. Or not.

Macrotherapy

I attended an MS Support Group to hear a talk about nutrition. The leader of the group, Eldene, has been doing the MS Recovery Diet for over a year. It is very restrictive; I read it a while ago (borrowed from the library) and thought there is no way! She has improved in many areas and actually kept track of her changes. She also talked about acidic and alkaline foods.

The speaker was Annie from Macrotherapy. The first thing she pointed out was that the diet Eldene is following is not going to work for everyone. She went on to talk about everyone having different body chemistry. For example, a person native to very cold northern climates needs more cholesterol in their blood, so what may be appropriate for one person is not appropriate for another. Her company does testing to determine the optimal nutritional plan for a person. (They do diet, exercise, massage-not spa, etc.) She talked about lower back pain being associated with adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. That got my attention! They do have different types of tests and of course, charges for everything. I'll have to think about it some more.

I plan to attend their Third Thursday program. The next one is on inflammation, so there is an MS connection there.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Stem-cell transplants for MS

My boss sent this to me from a Canadian website: http://www.canada.com/Health/story.html?id=1539611

The article is discussing a treatment for progressive MS, rather than relapsing-remitting. The experimental treatment discussed is a stem-cell transplant to reboot the immune system. This is not a simple or easy procedure, so it is a last effort type treatment. The patients in the trial have not had any relapses or new brain lesions. While it may not be a cure, it is very promising for the worst MS cases prior to disability.

Interestingly, they reported that the cost of treatment, although expensive, would pay for itself in about three years due to the cost of MS drugs.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Vitamin D

I just read an item that says that most Vitamin D absorption happens through the eyelids. Now that everyone wears sunglasses all the time in the sun, that may explain why we have so many Vitamin D deficiencies and related illnesses. They suggested sitting outside with your eyes closed, eyelids towards the sun, and have a moment of gratitude.

Since the second way to get Vitamin D is through the skin, constant sunscreen use is probably not good either!