Paul's Journal

01/23/2009 11:30 #47497

Happy 32nd Birthday Paul
Category: birthdays

My birthday celebration was one to remember. It started by watching TV all day. I don't usually do this: Judge Matthis, Judge Judy, Jerry Springer and Steve Wilko. The people on the show made me feel normal. Thats probably why everyone else watches them too.

For dinner we went to Mother's - the restaurant on Virginia Place. (e:matthew) planned the whole thing, it was really nice to have something organized. The Appetizer portion of the meal was amazing. We had seafood stuffed lobster and little neck clams in chorizo sauce. Then for dinner I had the scallops. They were pretty good as well. The rest of the meals were not so amazing. (e:terry) got some pasta that had nasty, cold , canned beats on it and (e:matthew) got what tasted like instant mashed potatoes. It was yuck.

When we got home, I didn't expect the guests, in fact I thought we had robbers in the house. The moment was also arranged by (e:matthew) and it was really sweet. I think it was one of the first genuinely surprised moments in my life.

They also got me a nice metal (no plastic) weight set, which goes with the chinup bar I bought the other day. Now I have a little mini gym at home. There is already a bench in the attic.

If only it stopped there. Then Joan Crawford

came to visit.

boxerboi - 01/23/09 21:44
happy birthday paul!

metalpeter - 01/23/09 19:49
(e:imk2) I am now wondering what happened with stupid people and what it has to do with the Birthday.

(e:Paul) what is the Joan comment about I did see the link leads to a page about Her? Other then the mashed problem everything else sounds good. If that is what you are expecting then they can be good but if you want chunks with hot gravy then that would suck.

imk2 - 01/23/09 19:10
i am now officially disgusted and repulsed by stupid people.

tinypliny - 01/23/09 17:04
I don't like expensive places that can ride on reputation and get away serving trash or worse, obnoxious pretentious "service". I haven't been to Mother's but sounds like they are good at getting simple veggie things wrong.

PS: What do you have against wire hangers, (e:Matthew)?

mrmike - 01/23/09 13:50
That is interesting about Mothers. They have a rep as everything is always up to snuff, so much so that other restaurant employees go there to eat. Who'da thunk they'd be microwaving mash potatoes.

matthew - 01/23/09 12:50
No wire hangers or seperate beds EVER!!!

carolinian - 01/23/09 12:37
Happy birthday. Sounds like you had a great night.

hodown - 01/23/09 12:35
Happy B day. I like it when we're the same age.

vincent - 01/23/09 11:37
Happy Belated Birthday Paul!

01/20/2009 23:56 #47471

Obama, the rainbow riding unicorn?
Category: politics

I like Obama, although, the way he speaks annoys the crap out of me. The thing I don't get is how so many people are praising him as a miracle maker when he really hasn't done anything yet other than to be voted in. Isn't it jumping the gun a bit.

I am not saying he won't possibly be the most amazing president ever, I am just saying its a little early for so many people to be praising him like he is jesus or a unicorn riding on a rainbow.

tinypliny - 01/23/09 17:05
That's some good photoshopping. :)

metalpeter - 01/21/09 18:27
I agree with you and you make a great point. I think that there are reasons why he is getting so much praise.

1. He isn't Bush or any of his cronies
2. Being the first Black President is Historical
3. He preaches Hope and Change and people believe
4. Like Bush he comes off as guy to have a beer with
5. But unlike Bush and others he comes from a humble background and was raised by a mother
6. Times are bad we need someone to save us
7. He has said that he needs us, and change can only happen with the people (sorry I don't the " ")
I think that is very important because it gives people the feeling that they can change the country and will be part of it.
8. He was the Dark Horse and wasn't expected to win
9. "Grass Roots" "Neighbor to neighbor movement"

So over all he comes off as a smart guy who wants the peoples help, and they are the ones who got him there and so there is hope. Since he is black (white also) it appears that things can change so if that can what else can. But of course he hasn't done anything yet so we shall see.

lilho - 01/21/09 11:25
i agree with you completely (e:paul). i felt like i should have been more excited than i was yesterday, but perhaps because i wasn't sure why i should be so excited. i guess it's good enough that bush is out, but i want to see obama do something really great, and then i can name a drink after him.

one thing i found to be completely insane was the whole comparing him to lincoln and how crazy the press went over that...

joshua - 01/21/09 11:04
(e:jim) I agree with what you are saying - those that invested time and money (and lots of emotion) into Obama's candidacy should celebrate. You have been invested so it is appropriate. Total agreement there.

Really though - this whole thing has been entirely overdone and expectations are so high that he'll never be able to live up to them. I only expect competency, but that is in short supply among our pols these days. I trust Obama more than I trust Congress, but then again I expect that Obama will sign just about anything the Demos send his way (let's forget this post-partisan chatter - Pelosi removed the House rules Newt Gingrich established that allowed people like her, when she was in the minority, to advance alternatives to GOP-authored legislation).

jim - 01/21/09 09:11
For me, I feel invested - literally - through donations of time and money. So revelry feels appropriate.

joshua - 01/21/09 08:58
Everybody knows it is overdone, but nobody seems to mind reveling in it. Sort of a strange, meta catharsis for a segment of our population I guess?

jason - 01/21/09 08:52
Ahaha. Pretty funny, Paul. And true. I'm willing to cut people some slack on immaculation day.

jim - 01/21/09 08:42
I'm sure after his first full day in office we'll have world peace! Pretty sure, that is...

01/20/2009 23:30 #47470

Allergies and Winter
Category: allergies

I love winter. I know it seems insane because everyone hates it but one thing I really love about it, is the lack of allergies. Both here in the winter and in AZ in the hot summer I have no allergies. Other than that I am allergic all the time.

Today, I started to think about the reasons why in Buffalo you would be so allergic to all that is natural, flower, animals, tree, dirt, etc and it hit me. You know how they say that children raised in sterile environments get allergies because their immune systems don't get the chance to properly develop. Well, first of all my mom's house is super clean. However, I was also born during the blizzard of 77 in January. There was no exposure to outdoor stuff until way into may I think. P.S. my birthday is on thrusday and I will be 32.

In general all people in winter climates have no exposure to pollen etc for months on end followed by massive exposure all at once.

Summary: In general, winter provides months of sterile outside. I wonder if that in turn leads to more allergies.

I guess there are some relations between cold month babies and asthma

tinypliny - 01/23/09 17:25
That's very interesting and part of the "Hygiene Hypothesis" proposed in 1989 by Strachen. Just a year back, Garn and Renz wrote a review article in "Immunobiology" building up a good case for this hypothesis. However, I do have my own doubts about the validity of the hypothesis. Microbes and allergens like Pollen might have an effect on shaping the immune system but so does breast-feeding. Breast-feeding touched a historical nadir here in the US in the 50s through 80s. Mothers went to work before the weaning period was over and babies born in those decades received a lesser quota of immune influences from their mothers than other generations. I wonder how much this affected allergy rates in adulthood.

Allergies used to be very uncommon in India. You could argue that this was because of the "hygiene hypothesis" but it could also be because breast-feeding is heavily stressed and practiced. In recent years, allergy rates in young kids have been increasing - probably because young mothers no longer take long maternity leaves and return to work leaving their kids in daycare. Breast-feeding is slowly on the decline as my country slowly sinks into workaholism. :(

Interesting References:
1. Strachan, D.P., 1989. Hay fever, hygiene, and household size. BMJ 299, 1259â€"1260.
:::link:::

2. Garn et. al. Epidemiological and immunological evidence for the hygiene hypothesis Immunobiology
Volume 212, Issue 6, 27 June 2007, 441-452 :::link:::

3. Mutius vE. Allergies, infections and the hygiene hypothesis â€" The epidemiological evidence
Immunobiology Volume 212, Issue 6, 27 June 2007, Pages 433-439 :::link:::

metalpeter - 01/21/09 18:16
Happy Birthday!!!!!

I don't know that much about why people have allergies. There are different kinds of them some people don't have the enzyemes to break down milk sugar and other things. But then there is the kind where what makes you allergic is that what your body is exposed to will do you no harm, but for some reason your body reads it as a danger and that is what causes the problem. You bring up a good point about things being to clean. You see these ads for cleaners where they say it kills everything and keeps your baby safe. That isn't true Babies need to be exposed to germs, I mean you don't want to make the kid sick on purpose. But they need to get a little bit of germs so the body can learn how to fight it off, and then over time get stronger. Yes there are exceptions like with premeies or anyone with a not fully devolped Imune system sorry I don't remember the medical term for that.

trisha - 01/21/09 13:06
hmm... i wonder if you ate local honey it'd do any good... it is supposed to work wonders for that sort of thing.

01/20/2009 10:05 #47458

Recalling Peanut Butter Clif Bars
Category: food

It looks like peanut butter clif bars are also on the recall list from the salmonella based, peanut butter disaster. I already ate one and some Wegman's brand peanut butter ice-cream - both of which have been recalled - great. If you don't die the first time, is it okay to keep eating it? Or do you think its on a clif bar by clif bar basis.

I thought they used organic peanut butter, in line with their food philosophy

but I guess not.

You can check the date using the guide below

On January 19, 2009, we announced a voluntary recall of certain products including CLIF Bar, CLIF Builder's, CLIF MOJO, CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR and LUNA Bar, in the U.S. and Canada because the peanut butter in those products was sourced, for a limited period of time, from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA is a manufacturer and supplier of peanut butter for many food companies and manufacturers.

PCA is under investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a recent Salmonella outbreak thought to be caused by tainted peanut butter. In light of this investigation, and with an abundance of caution, Clif Bar & Company has enacted a voluntary recall. We take the health and safety of our consumers very seriously.

In the U.S, the following 14 products are included in the recall. Only bars with wrappers that have the following BEST BY or SELL BY codes1 on them, in all sizes and packages, are being recalled:

CLIF BAR Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
BEST BY/SELL BY:
21JUN09 to 01OCT09 and
03NOV09 to 28NOV09
CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter
BEST BY/SELL BY:
21JUN09 to 01OCT09 and
03NOV09 to 28NOV09
CLIF BAR Peanut Toffee Buzz
BEST BY/SELL BY:
13SEP09
CLIF Builder's Peanut Butter
SELL BY:
19JUL09 to 30SEP09 and
05NOV09 to 18NOV09
CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR Peanut Butter
BEST BY:
07JUL09 to 05SEP09 and
12NOV09
LUNA Nutz Over Chocolate
BEST BY:
29JUL09 to 03OCT09 and
11NOV09 to 14NOV09
LUNA Peanut Butter Cookie
BEST BY:
02OCT09 to 03OCT09 and
11NOV09 to 14NOV09
MOJO Honey Roasted Peanut
BEST BY:
30APR09 to 21JUN09
MOJO Mixed Nuts
BEST BY:
30APR09 to 21JUN09
MOJO Mountain Mix
BEST BY:
30APR09 to 21JUN09
MOJO Peanut Butter Pretzel
BEST BY:
30APR09 to 21JUN09
MOJO Dipped Chocolate Peanut
BEST BY:
30APR09 to 21JUN09
MOJO Dipped Peanut Butter and Jelly
BEST BY:
30APR09 to 21JUN09
MOJO Dipped Fruit and Nut
BEST BY:
30APR09 to 21JUN09

Taken from:

tinypliny - 01/23/09 17:28
I am taking a required course on Infectious Disease Epidemiology this semester and this outbreak has been immensely entertaining and educational! :)

jessbob - 01/20/09 21:50
Uggghhhhh. Just yesterday I bought a box that is being recall and ate one. Dammit. That's annoying.

metalpeter - 01/20/09 20:04
The real question is, Is Peanut butter worse for you with out the food poisoning that stuff has a lot of fats and yes protein to and calories, is a small amount of that, that deadly? On a side note what if you are allergic to peanuts and peanut butter is this a good day for those people?

hodown - 01/20/09 11:27
You should test them all and see what happens.

01/18/2009 11:52 #47437

I am not a literatary critic
Category: estrip

Someone keeps accidentally messaging me by clicking on the contact us link at the top instead of messaging the user - they intend to message. I recognize this can be confusing and has been rectified in the new version estrip. However, I thought maybe someone else knows who these messages are for.

I thought the first one could have been about me - but I was not sure what precipitated it and just ignored it. Maybe they meant net culture and was angry about my review of some other site, etc.

01/08/09 21:56@99.50.25.16 Guest wrote:
Hey "idiot," Who died and left you the czar of culture?

Followed the nine days later by:

01/17/09 21:07@99.50.25.16 Guest wrote:
Since you are the Czar of Civilization, at what great university did you gain your credentials as a literary critic?

Since I absolutely hate reading I assume this message was not intended for me. I freely admit that I have not read any literature since I was forced to in primary school, and then some additional German literature in college.

tinypliny - 01/23/09 17:29
What petty venom.

theli - 01/19/09 11:59
James deserves an "LOL!" for that one.

greenfernmag - 01/18/09 15:41
It's the quotes around the word "idiot" that make these comments so awesome.

james - 01/18/09 15:15
I am sorry, I think that is directed towards me. I was editing together an anthology of Night Rider fanfiction. I rejected a piece in which Michael and Kit not only fall in love, but succumb to the passions of their forbidden lust. While the use of tailpipe was graphic it was also a little banal and obvious.

drew - 01/18/09 13:24
My guess is that it is somebody who got rejected from Greenfern's mag.