In the Headlights

You are What You Eat

I just finished a bowl of cereal.  Why is that worth blogging?  Because it's the first time I've had organic milk.  I guess I didn't really differentiate organic milk from raw milk in my head before, but organic is pasteurized, or, in this case, ultra-pasteurized.  It is milk produced from cows fed without added antibiotics, pesticides or added growth-hormone (I assume the "added" is there because cows already have their share of growth hormone, as do we.)  They utilize milk from small farms, and the animals are treated better (how could they be treated worse?).

Anyway, I was talking with Kim at work recently, and, apropos of I don't remember what, she mentioned that she bought organic milk.  Her reason was that being a single lady, she often threw out milk, and hated waste.  The organic tastes creamier, and lasts much longer, she said.  She feels it's economic to buy this milk, since she won't throw any out.

Next time I was at the store, I checked the carton.  The sell buy date is May 7, over five weeks away.  No surprise.  I've bought ultra-pasteurized heavy cream before, and it is edible for months.  So I know I'll be able to drink  this whole half-gallon of milk.  It's pricey, though.  I don't think I'll really save money.

So why will I continue to buy organic milk, and probably organically raised meat as well?

I've commented recently on the large number of personal friends I have who have battled breast cancer.  I work in a hospital, so I see a lot of it anyway, but to factor that out, just focusing on my personal friends, well, it's been a bad year for mastectomies.

Breast cancer is on the increase.  There are a lot of possible reasons, including that we live longer, and things that come as we age are manifesting more just because more of us reach that age.  I think there's more to it than that, though.  I think it has a lot to do with hormones.  We are in the generation that first used birth control pills, initially marketed at much higher doses than currently.  We just finished an era when all women were put on hormones post-menopausally, before finding that the gospel that it helped against heart disease, was false, and that it probably increased the risk of breast cancer.

Finally, we are in the era of food treated with growth hormones.  These have a huge effect on the human body, and may well be an important factor in a number of cancers (breast, colon, prostate).  Plus, have you wondered how it is that teenagers are so big, that guys sport significant facial hair in junior high (a far cry from my school days...long ago, but not in human cycles), that girls still playing with dolls may wear a "B"-cup bra? Think that growth hormone they're eating might have something to do with it?  Yeah.  I sure do.

That's why I'm goig organic.

*    *    *    *    *

  Sandy sent me a DVD of a safari she wants to go on this fall.  I tried to watch it on my DVD player and couldn't get it to work.  Worked fine on my computer, though.  It looks great.  Minor things that give me pause are that you see the wildlife from open vehicle, canoe or foot.  The shots of the open vehicle are really open, passing by lions and elephants and leopards and hippos and boar.  If one of those animals decides to go wild, there's not much between you and them.

Speaking of wild animals, the last few days of the safari are at Victoria Falls, in Zimbabwe.  There are lots of game parks and wildlife there.  However, the wild card may actually be President Robert Mugabe.  Hope he doesn't decide to make one of his murderous points while we're there. 

The trip sounds great.  I still may try to go, depending on how things look at work in the next few weeks.

*   *   *   *   *

Hoping to have a new boss soon.  Cross your fingers.  We've been interviewing.  There's one candidate I really hope takes the position.  Naturally she is being pretty blase.  We'll see.

And, in two weeks, we move to a new hospital.  We sold the one we were in, bought a new one, and it is about completed.  It is newly equipped, state-of-the-art everything, beautiful and spacious.  As we approach the date, the stress mounts.  It will be worth it when it's done, though.  This might be an unprecedented type of move, as we are relocating all the patients in one day.

[Image from Reliable Answers]

Strange Brew

I heard from one of my dance instructors that absinthe is back in the stores.  I thought it was illegal due to addictive and psychoactive properties. I remembered that it was the favorite drink of the French impressionists.  I had read that Van Gogh's strange visuals were attributed to his intake of absinthe.  An ingredient called wormwood was held responsible.

Tom said they saw it on the counter of a liquor store, and bought it out of curiosity.  It was 101 proof, green and tasted nasty, like licorice.  He managed to get three fingers of it down, all the same.  Sounded to me like Ouzo or Raki, but they are diluted with water.  I found when I checked the Wikipedia link above, that absinthe also is diluted and cloudy when drunk, and probably a lot more palatable.

Apparently, the drink itself holds no qualities not found in other 100-proof alcoholic beverages.  It has been banned in the U.S., where a grande-wormwood-free product called "Absente" was sold.  However, in 2007, the ban was lifted and several brands can be legally sold.  They must be "thujone-free". Thujone was once thought to be a THC relative.  Interestingly, lots of legal products, like bitters and sage oil, contail thujone and are perfectly legal.

Speaking of strange brews, I was listening to NPR a few days ago.  They were interviewing Christiane Jory who wrote a book called The 99 ¢ Only Cookbook.  At one point, she saw a woman buying a bottle of wine at the 99 ¢ store.  She thought she had nothing to lose...and tried a bottle.  And liked it.  She said when she tried the Sauvignon Blanc, she knew she wine for the Summer...Sauvignon Blanc is my current wine fave...

Then someone mentioned Two-Buck Chuck, a good Charles Shaw wine available at Trader Joe's and other stores for about two bucks.

*  *  *  *  *

My sister and her kids were visiting this week.  They stayed at the beach but drove in every day, so I got to see they a few days running.  Amazing how fast the kids are growing up.  They're 8 and 10 now, and incredibly funny.

  Yesterday was my birthday.  It was wonderful.  I slept in, then went to the Mandarin Art Fair with Sandy.  We bought a lot of little stuff--earrings, a macrame choker and anklet, wind chimes.  It was great fun.  Then I went to a dance lesson, home to goof off, and then out to dinner with Sandy and Kathy.  We went to Marker 32.  I had a couple of Hendrick's gibsons, a diver scallops appetizer and a great piece of grouper.  Dessert was an ice cream and berry dish, and we split a a tres leches.  Much too sweet for my taste.

Pretty much a perfect birthday.  Thanks, buds.

[Image of Edgar Degas's L'Absinthe borrowed from Wikipedia.  Gibson taken by me at Marker 32, with my ATT Tilt.)

Weekend Greetings

It's been almost a week since my last post.  I find myself writing posts in my head as I drive down the road, but coming home and eating and sleeping have taken priority lately.

Interestingly, my number of hits hasn't gone down this last week.  Testament to the effectiveness of Google;  evidence to me that the bulk of my readers are accidental.  Not to slight you loyal visitors, just saying.

I downloaded my pictures from White Oak and decided to get some printed.  I copied almost 40 of them onto a CD, and took it to a local drug store and had them printed.  Much easier to share with friends.  Here are some of them:

This is Hazari, the baby cheetah playing tug of war with Kadir, the Andalusian Shepherd.  They are now five months old, and chase each other, play with toys and get petted.  Not a bad life.

Here's something else I found interesting.  An Indian rhino being fed carrots and petted.  I learned that rhinos can run up to 40 miles an hour.  Anyway, this rhino got turned, and I couldn't resist getting a photo. Weirdest thing I ever saw. Looked like a bromeliad. Forgive me.

Be back soon.

My So-Called New Life

Dear Friends, Relatives, Colleagues, Romans, Countrymen, devoted readers, blah, blah,

It is fitting that today's post will be late, part of my new laissez-faire attitude toward blogging.  Though I also blame it on this stupid early daylight saving time rollback.

  But I digress.  For over 2 1/2 years, I have blogged on a schedule.  First, two posts at 1 and 5, and more recently, once a day at 1 PM.

Lately, other things have been crowding my schedule.  I'm preparing to take a recertification exam.  We are moving to a new workplace in a month, lock, stock and pussy-cat.  And work's been a bear.  I have a number of trips coming up, some work, some pleasure.  And I squeeze in a dance lesson when I can.

And so it's become too too.  The things that should relax and divert me have become deadlines and pressure.  I'd come in late from work, and know I had to pre-post something for the next day, and get it done before I went to bed, because it sure wasn't going to happen in the morning if I expect to be at work by 0630. 

For that reason, I am going off-schedule with the blog.  No more daily posts.  I'll post  when I have something to say.  And I have plenty to say.  I'll keep going with books and movies I find interesting, good recipes, and places to travel, interesting things and people.  But I won't push myself to post when I have no ideas.  (Oh, God, now I feel the ideas rushing into my head...).

I won't have to prepost for trips, or take the computer for short trips.  Besides, now I can do short posts from my cell phone if I have something to share.

I know I'll lose some readers, I realize that some will migrate away after checking a few times and finding nothing to divert them.  Others will stick it out.

I have to do what I have to do.  Thanks for your help and support as we go through this transition.  Hopefully, In the Headlights will be a better blog for the change.

[Image of Harold Lloyd in Safety Last from Wikipedia]

Do the Hustle

I had an evening this week when I was too tired to do anything, but too wired to sleep.  So I spent 99 minutes in mindless entertainment.  The message seems to be that the mean and venal will prevail.

It was that classic martial arts movie, Kung Fu Hustle.  Stephen Chow does it again.  I enjoyed his Shaolin Soccer, so thought I'd give this movie a try.  Totally over the top.

Sing, a petty street hustler and his friend want to join the notorious Axe Gang, a large urban gang of thugs who wear tuxedos and kill with axes.  They are pretty cold blooded, which is amply demonstrated in several scenes in this movie.  When Sing and his friend try to shake down the town of Pig Sty posing as Axe members, it focuses the attention of the real gang on this impoverished town.

Coming to the town's protection are a series of Kung Fu masters.  The first doing pretty cool martial arts stunts, but as the movie goes on, they display more and more superpowers.

The plot is pretty cheesy, the acting hammy, the special effects okay, and way over the top.  In short, it's great entertainment. 

Alice, Let's Eat

I love to eat.  I love to read.  I live to read.  I live to love.  I eat to live.  I eat to ...read?

Anyway, they're pretty important aspects of my life, so no surprise that I love reading Calvin Trillin.  After reading About Alice a few months back, I picked up a few other Trillins that I had missed.  This was one. 

It's a republication of a book of articles originally published in 1978.  I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't looked at the flyleaf.  The material is as fresh and fun as if it had been penned last month.

The theme is more or less that Trillin yearns to try every good meal (particularly regional delicacies) in every good restaurant he reads about (and his agents are everywhere) as his lovely wife tries to limit him to three meals a day, and occasionally attempts to get him to diet. 

The most mentioned restaurant is Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City, famed for its barbecue, but he is on no less a quest for the best fried chicken or country ham.  He also seeks out Dungeness crab and oyster loaf, pizza and barbecued mutton.  And just about every type of food to be found in Louisiana, though most of it is ingested in New Orleans.  He does eat some things I wouldn't touch with a barge pole, but it just goes to show that chacun a son gout.  Imagine the accents where they belong.

It is part travelogue, part food journal, part intimate portrait of a marriage.  Alice herself is a gourmet cook (married to a gourmet/gourmand, what's not to like there), who is addicted to good food, particularly dessert, and most particularly, chocolate. 

The real amazing thing here is that I have never seen photos of Calvin or Alice Trillin where they look the least bit overweight.  That's the real secret I'd like to discover.

[Image from Barnes & Noble, where they also have an interview with Trillin.]

Visible Man/Woman

Shawn sent me this link, commenting on the facta that it reminded her of our visit to the Body Works exhibit in Manhattan a year ago.

This is pretty cool stuff.  A web site called Visible Body allows you to look at different anatomical systems, individually, or layered, to learn about different parts or whole systems.  It looks pretty cool.  The link above includes a YouTube video about the site.

Here's the site itself.  It's free as long as you sign one of those long disclaimers.  I started the application, and then balked at:

2. When you become a Registered User, we collect certain information about you, including personally identifiable information, as well as information about your use of the Web site. The information will be treated in accordance with our Privacy Policy. By clicking on the "I agree" button or visiting this Web site, you agree to the terms and conditions of our Privacy Policy.

and other similar legalese, which had me envisioning my privacy being invaded.

Anyway, if you're more daring than I, check it out and let us know how you like it.  It looks to be a pretty neat site.  And I sign up for things all the time.  Don't know why once in a while I get wary.

[Image from Visible Body.]

Cheetah Lady

One of the coolest things about this staying at White Oak last weekend was meeting Laurie Marker.

Ms. Marker is the world's expert on cheetahs.  Deemed so by no less than Smithsonian Magazine, which has a feature article on her in the March issue.

This striking-looking woman is also striking in her intelligence and dedication.  Devoted to animal welfare all her life, she moved to Namibia in 1991, founding the Cheetah Conservation Fund.  Not only did she do research into breeding these difficult-to-rear animals, discovering a lack of genetic variability low sperm counts, she intervened on a grass-roots level, visiting farmers to help them find ways to protect their cattle without killing cheetahs.

Anyway, this very cool woman with the infectious smile partied with us for the weekend, and on Sunday, captivated the audience as we watched cheetahs chase a rabbit pelt around a track.  They didn't get up to the speed  they do in the wild.  They didn't have to, not being hungry.  But the cheetahs put on a great show, and Ms. Marker's comments gave us all a sense of understanding these magnificent cats.

She is also responsible for discovering the benefits of a breed of dogs called the Andalusian Shepherd.  These dogs are very protective and have been used to guard farmers' flocks from cheetahs and other predators in Namibia.  So it's not surprising that at White Oak, when they needed a companion to grow up with orphaned cheetah Hazari, they took Laurie's recommendation and got an Andalusian pup named Kadir to be her foil and playmate for life.  He outweighs her big time now, but she's got the attitude and agility to be his equal.  They're five months old now, playing tug-of-war; one of the most charming success stories you could ever hope to see.

[Image taken with my ATT Tilt, simply because I had nowhere to carry my Panasonic Lumix camera.]

Bush Dinner

A fundraiser for George W.  NOT!

Just got back from White Oak a little while ago.  What a wonderful weekend.

The first evening, after touring the research and veterinary facilities, and watching Hazari and Kafir play tug-of-war, we all changed into nice-casual and boarded two river boats to take us to our bush dinner.  The trip took about an hour at dusk, and we were treated to wine and some great appetizers on the trip.

These photos were taken with my ATT Tilt phone.  I didn't have pockets or carry a purse, and didn't want to lose my camera.  We had chicken breast chunks spiced with a dry rub and cooked on a grill, with a great taragon dipping sauce.  There were plantain chips and a kind of sweet guacamole that was very good.  Finally, there were skewers of rubbed beef chunks interspersed with chunks of orange and grilled.  Never had grilled orange before, but it tasted great.

 

We finally reached our destination, The Brickyard, which is on the far end of the White Oak property.  As we approached, we could see fires along the shoreline.  There was a huge bonfire at the site, with about ten formally set tables.  Peripherally, there were several shallow pit fires as well, so even though it got chilly out, we were never cold.

Besides, the alcohol flowed like, well, like wine. (I can't find the menu, though I could have sworn I brought one home.  This is from memory.)   The first course was floured sauteed perch chunks.  Next came a soup with vegetables and spicy peppers.  The main course included two kinds of meat:  quail and venison.  Both were delicious.  I'm usually a bit leery of venision, having eaten some gamy meat on occasion.  This was rare, and tasted delicious.  Dessert was a passion fruit mousse.  Light and tasty.  Each dish was designed to have some African connection, since White Oak is dedicated to animal conservation and is involved in some projects in Africa.  The guest for the weekend is Laurie Marker who runs the Cheetah Conservation Fund, based in Namibia.

Are You Employable?

Debbie sent us this simple test.  She said it is used by human resources at major corporations to find out about their employees and prospective employees.  She said Dr. Phil and Oprah took it, and he got a 55, she got a 38.  There is no linearity to the scoring.  More is not necessarily better, but your score is tied to a personality description at the end.  The questions themselves don't seem to have right or wrong answers, and the weight of the answers is different for each question.  For example, "a's" aren't always worth more than "b's", etc.

You should answer according to how you are today, not how you wish you were, or might have been in the past.

So write down your answers to the following ten questions, then look at the bottom for the points attached to each of your answers, total them and see how HR would perceive you if they gave you this test.

I got a 44.

1)  When do you feel your best?

     a)  In the morning.
     b)  During the afternoon and early evening.
     c)  Late at night.

2)  You usually walk...

     a)  Fairly fast, with long steps.
     b)  Fairly fast, with little steps.
     c)  Less fast, head up, looking the world in the face.
     d)  Less fast, head down.
     e)  Very slowly.

3)  When talking to people, you...

     a)  Stand with your arms folded.
     b)  Have your hands clasped.
     c)  Have one or both hands on your hips.
     d)  Touch or push the person to whom you are talking.
     e)  Play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair.

4)  When relaxing, you sit with...

     a)  Your knees bent, with your legs neatly side by side.
     b)  Your legs crossed.
     c)  Your legs stretched out or straight.
     d)  One leg curled under you.

5)  When something really amuses you, you react with...

     a)  A big appreciative laugh.
     b)  A laugh, but not a loud one.
     c)  A quiet chuckle.
     d)  A sheepish smile.

6)  When you go to a party or social gathering, you...

     a)  Make a loud entrance so everyone notices you.
     b)  Make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know.
     c)  Make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed.

7)  You're working hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted...

     a)  You welcome the break.
     b)  You feel extremely irritated.
     c)  Vary between these two extremes.

8)  Which of the following colors do you like the most?

     a)  Red or orange.
     b)  Black.
     c)  Yellow or light blue.
     d)  Green
     e)  Dark blue or purple.
     f)  White
     g)  Brown or gray.

9)  When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep, you are...

     a)  Stretched out on your back.
     b)  Stretched out, face down, on your stomach.
     c)  On your side, slightly curled.
     d)  With your head on one arm.
     e)  With your head under the covers.

10) You often dream that you are...

     a)  Falling.
     b)  Fighting or struggling.
     c)  Searching for something or somebody.
     d)  Flying or floating.
     e)  You usually have dreamless sleep.
     f)  Your dreams are always pleasant.

POINTS:

1)  a)2, b)4, c)6

2)  a)6, b)4, c)7, d)2, e)1

3)  a)4, b)2, c)5, d)7, e)6

4)  a)4, b)6, c)2, d)1

5)  a)6, b)4, c)3, d)5, e)2

6)  a)6, b)4, c)2

7)  a)6, b)2, c)4

8)  a)6, b)7, c)5, d)4, e)3, f)2, g)1

9)  a)7, b)6, c)4, d)2, e)1

10)a)4, b)2, c)3, d)5, e)6, f)1

Now add up your total.

If it is...

Greater than 60:  Others see you as someone they should "handle with care."  You're seen as vain, self-centered, and extremely dominant.  Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become more deeply involved with you.

51 to 60:  Others see you as an exciting, extremely volatile rather impulsive personality;  a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones.  They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once;  someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure.  They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 to 50:  Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting;  someone who's always the center of attraction, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head.  They also see you as kind, considerate and understanding;  someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 to 40:  Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful and practical.  They see you as clever, gifted or talented, but modest.  Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make, and who expects the same loyalty in return.  Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally, that it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is broken.

21 to 30:  Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy.  They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder.  It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully, from every angle, and then usually decide against it.  They think this reaction is caused largely by your careful nature.

Below 21:  People think you are shy, nervous and indecisive, someone who needs constant looking after, who wants someone else to make the decisions, and who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything.  They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist.  Some people think you're boring.  Only those who know you well know that you aren't.