Canaries, that is. And us delicately constituted Californians.

Seriously, I found this article somewhat alarming.

In just two or three minutes of preheating, your (Teflon) pan will give off fumes that can make you sick. Each time you use medium to high heat on an empty pan, the surface on Teflon-coated and other nonstick cookware breaks apart and emits a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, according to the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C., organization that investigates issues of environmental health and safety.

Avian veterinarians have known for decades that Teflon off-gases are a leading cause of death among birds, and estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of birds are killed each year.

Like the canaries that were used in the coal mines, birds act as an early warning system for humans. The EPA recommends that bird owners avoid cookware and heated appliances with nonstick coatings completely. Perhaps everyone should be heeding this warning.

In January 2006, DuPont agreed to an EPA plan to phase out PFOA by the year 2015.

I'm not going to throw out my teflon quite yet, but I am going to take the following precautions (at least until the next environmental hazard comes along).

If a recipe calls for preheating an empty pan, either put the oil in first anyway, use a stainless steel or cast iron pan, or get someone else to cook it for you and stay far away from the kitchen. (Ha! Just kidding about that last one.) Also good advice from the article - never preheat teflon on high, and make sure your kitchen is well ventilated. Also, keep pet birds out of the kitchen.

Great, one more thing to worry about.

Being at the gym is fine. It's coming and going that's dangerous.

You already know about the cashew [inlink]twisted,312[/inlink] den of iniquity next door to my gym. I decided to see just how many pounds of cashews I was going through in one week, then quickly called my own bluff. Some truths I can handle, but that's not one of them. So I decided to see if two 8.5oz cans (that's only $4.00 worth of cashews!) would last me a week. That seemed reasonable. It was hard, but I stretched them out. It'll just be easier if I don't have cashews in the house at all, no matter how much of a bargain they might be.

So I bought some soy flaxseed tortilla chips from Trader Joe's to satisfy the occasional crunchy / salty craving. For something so damn healthy- sounding, those things are pretty tasty. But not as addictive as cashews, so I guess they'll fill the bill.

Then on my way to the gym today I noticed a sign at Burgermeister's that Monday is half-price on wings! That's 12 wings for $3.46! 24 wings for $6.24! Hey, there's no law that says I have to eat all 24 wings at one sitting, but a bargain is a bargain.

It's funny because when I joined this freakin' gym they did the whole evaluation thing, and I told them my "goal" was to take yoga and pilates to counteract all the time I spend hunched over a computer. Weight loss? Not necessarily. Weight redistribution would be nice. Eat healthier - lose 6-8 pounds would be great. But mostly, firm/limber up, etc.

Well, they poked and pinched and weighed and came up with their master plan for the perfect me. Ok, I'll play along, god knows I could use improving. According to their printout, I weigh 118 lbs now, and my "goal" should be 116 lbs. So I ask if that's in 2 weeks? 1 week? what's the ultimate goal here? They say, oh no, 116 is the ultimate goal. WTF! 2 pounds! That's not a weight loss goal, that's a diuretic pill! Ok, whatever. It's ridiculous. I don't care how much more muscle weighs than fat, I definitely need to lose more than 2 pounds to be the ideal me. Whatever the hell that means.

It'll be ironic if I actually gain weight now that I'm exposed to all these tasty enticements on my way to the gym. I was probably better off stuck in from the computer with next to nothing in the 'fridge. I would gladly relinquish all authority for food aquisition to someone else. (Notice how I make it sound like a perk? Now if I could just find someont to fall for that, I also have a fence that needs whitewashing, haha.)

BTW, I love my Tues/Wed yoga instructor, Jehfree. Forget for a moment the oh-so-California spelling of his name and the fact that he's gayer than the Castro on Pride week. I unconditionally, unequivocally, love him. (Those short-shorts he was wearing my first class when I sat right in front of him certainly didn't hurt.) I love him without reservation, and I know he loves me too. Why else would he hold out hope week after week that I might actually contort myself into a one-legged pigeon balancing pose? That is so not going to happen. But he doesn't give up, so I keep trying. Oh yes, we're in it for the long haul.

Since my mind generally has the upper hand 24/7, and Steve Jobs now has my soul covered, I figured I better invest some time in the body department. So I'm back to doing yoga and pilates, etc.

(e:Terry) - make that doctor's appointment [inlink]terry,454[/inlink] (if you haven't already) and get a referral to a specialist (or a second opinion) if your primary care physician doesn't do it justice. You should NOT be in pain.

One other word of advice in addition to that (and this goes for just about everyone) - try a yoga class. Seriously, it's freakin' unbelievable the difference slight adjustments and a heightened awareness can make.

If you have any sway with the feds, I honestly think any corporation whose employees sit at a computer desk all day should be REQUIRED to offer yoga/pilates to offset the damage. We are on the verge of a computer-generated RSI epidemic. I am not kidding.

ok, off the soapbox.