Pandemic life

You know, up until a year or so ago, reading about the global Spanish flu pandemic from a century ago seemed like so much abstract history, like something that couldn’t possibly happen in this age of modern medicine and advanced technology. So… that happened. I’ve been fortunate; Friday, March 13, 2020 was the last day… Continue reading Pandemic life

Truth(?) in advertising

So there’s this article that appeared in the New York Times about Activia, Dannon’s yogurt that is filled with “live cultures” that are healthy and good for you. And they’re marketing it like it’s something new and revolutionary. Ummmm, okay… Except every bit of yogurt I’ve ever bought—regardless of brand—has been full of live cultures… Continue reading Truth(?) in advertising

Life is what happens when you’re making other plans

Yeah, that headline there? Totally saccharine and goofy and pointless. Yes, I know it’s cribbed from John Lennon, so what? Anyway. The “life that happened” was a sudden and unexpected gall bladder removal for my wife last week. Yeah, I know—Wha?!? She went to the doctor on Wednesday, confirmed that she had gallstones, and they… Continue reading Life is what happens when you’re making other plans

No clever title

In case you were wondering why I suddenly dropped off the radar, it’s because Thursday I came home from work feeling achy and tired and running an elevated temperature of 100 degrees or so. Went to bed, skipping dinner, slept more-or-less through the night, and got up Friday feeling better—not perfect, but well enough to… Continue reading No clever title

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Okay, here’s my update

I’ve been sick all week. Starting last Thursday, in fact. The weird thing is I never get sick like this. It’s very odd. Started out like I was coming down with the flu or something, joints and muscles all achy, pressure in the head building up intolerably. That was last Thursday, so Friday I spent… Continue reading Okay, here’s my update

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25

Weight loss update: as of yesterday and today, I’ve lost 25 pounds since the beginning of the year. That puts me at 203 pounds. Last weekend I finally broke down (under strong convincing from my wife) and bought a new pair of jeans and khaki pants, both a size smaller than I was wearing previously.… Continue reading 25

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11

Since about the first of the year I’ve been dieting (with much prodding from my wife). It’s nothing formal, mostly I’ve just been cutting way back on portions, avoiding junk food entirely and balancing what I eat much better. Even with going to Portland last weekend, I’ve somehow managed to lose 11 pounds already(!). To… Continue reading 11

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As You Like It

Via Boing Boing this evening comes the mildy disturbing story that Shakespeare may have been afflicted with one or more venereal diseases. Mentions of the “pox,” the “malady of France,” the “infinite malady,” and the “hoar leprosy” in his writings seem to indicate that the Bard knew—perhaps from personal experience—how torturous venereal disease could be.… Continue reading As You Like It

Bayer

Here’s an interesting bit of trivia I unearthed last week: in trying to prove to somebody at work that aspirin is a coal tar derivative, I found out that Bayer developed and registered the drug as a trademark in 1899. By itself, that’s not so interesting, I know. However, it turns out Bayer also discovered,… Continue reading Bayer