G+ Migration Blog

Oh, good. Reporter on major NYC network repeating that Kaci Hickox had "symptoms", which has not been verified by any medical source, and, in fact, had she had any, she would not have been released. Good thing we can rely on people to make sure that when it's important they verify their facts. Not that Ms. Hickox is being non-confrontational. Plus, there's now a quote from the governor of Maine that she won't follow the "Maine CDC" protocols. Um, there is no Maine CDC, there's only the CDC.

I have not been on a flight like that in a while, to quote my seatmate. Thank Eru it was under an hour. The headache is decreasing, as is the violent dizziness and nausea. Not enough to want to eat or be able to read, though. I think I may just try to sleep on the next leg. ION, I have discovered a reason not to fly JetBlue. First time I ever encountered that. But yes, gate agent, it will keep me off your airline forever if it is not avoidable and/or fixed. To wit, I refuse to be subjected to security more than once per travel direction unless I am crossing international boundaries. I will not go through that just to change planes for a domestic flight. Really, this is an airport problem, and it's been 13 years since 9/11. You have had sufficient time to figure out how to deal with your physical layout and security and reconstruct and redesign whatever you need to. I'm talking to you, Logan.

Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta managed to make anatomically implicit jokes about telomeres. I is killed, lol. What? I am a nerd? Shocking.

Gee, I'm sure this has nothing to do with the elections coming up.  My best 80th hand information at this point is that he was setting up computers or some such in West Africa. He got a fever and diarrhea when he came back, they put him in the hospital, he tested negative x 2 for ebola and is healthy. Nonetheless, he is under quarantine, at home now, and there's a policeman at his door to make sure. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/nyregion/malloy-ebola-quarantine-system-in-connecticut-raises-concern.html?_r=0 http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2014/10/28/ryan-boyko-one-of-two-quarantined-graduate-students-goes-public/ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/nyregion/malloy-ebola-quarantine-system-in-connecticut-raises-concern.html?_r=0

Satire, I think? http://thehappyhospitalist.blogspot.com/2014/10/Ebola-Signature-Fear-Quarantines-Hospital.html

I have a sick sense of humor; I think this is brilliant. Do not watch if easily offended or a fan of Fox news. http://www.zdoggmd.com/ebola-lola-parody/ http://www.zdoggmd.com/ebola-lola-parody

Gee, my stomach's upset. Imagine that.

They say it's your birthday. Happy birthday to you.

Sort of locked post:  A few days ago I mentioned, yet again, my uncle. My has nothing to do with anyone unless he can find a way to use them, manipulative, toxic, DSM V Narcissistic uncle. I also mentioned that he was the root cause of a fight between my parents that led to some stress being thrown my way. My dad actually apologized to me the next day, which he didn't really have to do. My mom stopped speaking to me about my uncle after the last time a few months ago when she swore up and down that she wasn't signing any legal papers, and she knew better than to create any kind of implied legal responsibility for him, etc. Well, he has manipulated her into getting him moved all the way across the country. He told her he had found someone to stay with until they could get him into the county system for low cost housing and care, etc. So it seems my mother went ahead and got involved in making those arrangements. Without confirming anything my uncle had said was true. Today, appa...

There's this thing going on Up North. I happen to have liked the radio show Q and listened to it pretty regularly on CBC. Didn't really pay attention beyond liking the show. The host and co-creator, it seems, was fired, and now there's all sorts of rumorage. No verifiable facts, yet, pro or con. This particular article seemed to have an intelligent concluding paragraph that seems universalizable.  In this era of obsession with privacy, there is actually less privacy than ever. Every employee should assume that everything he or she does, inside work and outside, public or private, could end up being revealed to an employer. Any other assumption is foolhardy. http://business.financialpost.com/2014/10/27/jian-ghomeshis-cbc-lawsuit-is-hopeless-even-if-hes-telling-the-truth/ http://business.financialpost.com/2014/10/27/jian-ghomeshis-cbc-lawsuit-is-hopeless-even-if-hes-telling-the-truth

Oh, fuck.

Power of Words.  One of you (or more) pointed this out recently. Words go beyond mere momentary compression of air molecules when spoken, mere coalescing of ink when printed. Forget the poetry. There are dozens of professionals who if they don't know public presentation/speaking already, and they should since it's part of their jobs, need to get up to speed yesterday. The controversy of what happened at Newark Airport and in NJ combined with the doctor in NYC becoming ill has led to more coverage of the quarantine debate. It includes the fact that a bunch of soldiers who were sent to West Africa are being quarantined at their base for 21 days. It's unclear that any of these people had any direct contact with patients. They may simply have been building infrastructure - hospitals and the like - which would make their risk of infection extremely low. Since it's the military, they can kind of do what they want, I suppose, "out of an abundance of caution", but the...

All I can think of when they show giant veggies anymore is wererabbits. http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/big-pumpkin

Oh, Governor Chrisite. Who is advising you? How can two states that are so closely intertwined, not just geographically adjacent, be sooo different? "Christie writes that Hickox "has thankfully been symptom free for the last 24 hrs. After being evaluated by CDC & her clinicians the patient is being discharged."" The NYC deputy health commissioner who has been the one interviewed and making public statements has gone out of his way to keep saying that these people are healthy, they are not ill, they are not patients. They are well persons being monitored for 21 days. He's correct. I don't know whom Gov Christie's been speaking with. Plus, I love that they tested the nurse returning through Newark twice for ebola. She's not sick. The test doesn't come up positive if you're not actively sick. Really, people.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/27/nurse-new-jersey-ebola-quarantine/17993491/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/na...

And the quarantines are modified to be a little more based on science and a little less on panic. At least in NY, and apparently in NJ. Because the handling of it in NJ was exactly the ridiculous over the top fantasy I sort of described in a prior post. Except even I didn't get the part about you aren't allowed to have your own clothes, or a shower, and you have to live in a tent, etc. I believe there was also some reporting that the nurse in question was denied other things and had to fight to keep her cell phone, for which seemingly she was allowed to keep the charger.* http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/26/health/new-jersey-quarantined-nurse/index.html Of course, the reporting is also pretty close to saying "Thanks, Obama" about this (Federal Pressure!). Thus, be certain to stay tuned for when someone flat out blames him for someone's illness or death If they haven't already.  *There probably wasn't even cake. http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/26/health/new-jersey-qua...

Best leaf? Or best leaf ever!

Went to the last farmer's market of the season. I may have bought some squash ... Got several different crosses and some of the usual. Stocked up on my favorite, Sweet Dumpling, which is a 1-2 serving sized squash that is naturally buttery and sweet. Nom. I bought so much, they gave me a free pie pumpkin :) Also picked up some heritage apples. I picked these because they have awesome names. The one on the left is Esopus Spitzenberg, supposedly liked by Thomas Jefferson. The one on the right is Westfield Seek-No-Further. I believe both are American varieties from the 1700's.  Turns out, there are thousands of varieties of apple. Current science seems to indicate apples originated in Central Asia. Some sources say in the Tian Shan mountains near where Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and China come together. Seems to have done pretty well for itself over the past few thousand years. I will report back on their relative merits. For Science!

It looks like the mystery of my exercise discomfort may have been solved. It's my butt. That is, either gluteus minimus or gluteus medius. Need to strengthen these posterior regions. #noifsandsorbutts

Happy birthday Alistair Young!

I am very sorry to hear about what happened in Washington State. I wish these things would not keep happening. We are not doing well as a society if people think this is a way to deal with problems.

Viral Ramblings: Not that there would have been great odds, but I wish I'd placed a bet yesterday when I said they'd be putting in mandatory quarantine requirements. Scientifically, this makes extremely little sense. In every other way, though, it's predictable and probably seems necessary just from a public trust perspective. The neighbor of the ill physician who, when interviewed said she wiped her own apartment down with clorox, wiped down her door and handle with clorox, and wiped down the elevator buttons with clorox. No omg, evac the bldg! No we're all gonna die! You are an awesome human being, and I love it. I wish we had a public health law that allowed serious prosecution of people who not only deliberately spread dangerous and harmful misinformation about disease threats, but in particular those who used it for personal gain. Am I talking about the charlatans the FDA is going after, selling fake tests, preventions, and cures for ebola? No, no. I am talking abo...

Funny sounding diseases you actually might want to pay attention to (if it won't let people access it, let me know, I'll copy/paste): http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/833612?src=wnl_edit_medn_wir&uac=21663HG&spon=34

Loath as I am to validate anything from certain quarters, overconfidence that cannot really be distinguished from arrogance has popped up. I am sorry for the doctor in question, but I am very sorry for anyone associated with him, most especially his girlfriend.  If you knew enough not to go back to working in a hospital or seeing patients, and you thought you should be taking your temp twice a day, how does that logically reconcile with taking the subway and going to a bowling alley? Yes, factually the risk of anyone catching anything from you is very low, but how does it make sense? Obviously, no one is capable of being relied on to actually isolate themselves. I mean, technically, there was no reason for him to have done so. However, he didn't think that feeling not so great prior to the fever showing up was a reason not to go out that night? How low does your threshold have to be? I mean, the fever is like hitting somebody with a brickbat. Surely, it might have occurred to you t...

Weird trivia I have just discovered: I have been to near antipodean locations! Specifically, locations in Spain and New Zealand that are antipodal.

The CBC coverage on radio and TV was very impressive. (The US and UK coverage seemed surprisingly reasonable, as well. Didn't watch Fox, though). http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2014/10/cbc-ottawa-shootings-cable-news http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2014/10/cbc-ottawa-shootings-cable-news

Touching tribute to Kevin Vickers at the opening of parliament today. And didn't know until the PM mentioned it, but before the Penguins/Flyers game, they played the Canadian National Anthem. I thought that was really nice.

A selection of the PNWs finest coffee art. And yes, that last one is a root vegetable.

Somebody tell me something cheerful. I don't want to go back to the house but the starbucks is closing.

Perspective is a little hard to come by at the moment. My baseline irritability deep, deep down is rooted in my inability to get my own act together. Meanwhile, the more proximate issue is that my mom has become untenable in the last few days. The final straw this evening was my dad acting stupidly, somewhat a result of my mom, as it happens. It turns out the reason for Mom's behavior is predictably that she has once again enmeshed herself in my uncle's (her brother) life. More correctly, she's been ensnared. Somebody joked the other day about a black heart. This isn't that Joseph Conrad. This is just a dangerous narcissist, the actual technical definition get the hell away as far and as fast as you can. My mother is completely blind with this.  Apparently she and my dad had another fight about it. She's been getting more and more horrible to live with, again. She's hurting herself, too. She thought she was having a heart attack, so she came and got me and wante...

Worst speaker ever? Left early. Mumbled, rambled, pointless repetition of minor factoids, failed to even attempt to discuss terminology not everyone would know. Did start by pointing out that there is apparently some sort of regional dispute culture (there is?) but we shouldn't let it get in the way of supporting blah blah. What? I thought this was a talk about an historic structure and the efforts to preserve it. He managed to make me not only less interested, but I now feel genuine antipathy. Not really a good spokesperson, then, if anyone wanted to drum up support for a cause. Oh, forgot. He is another in the long brigade of laser pointer fondlers. Jfam, people. You don't have to whip it out and wave it around for everything.

Feeling distinctly irritable. Probably not the best baseline. Current top achievers - idiot A/V people. Learn your %{{# equipment and set it the $&@/# up before the talk, not 10 minutes after it's supposed to have started. While people are there to experience permanent hearing damage when you blow out the system repeatedly. Contending runner up - the speaker, who is being a prissy jerk about his microphone use and I don't like to hear scratchy noises and whine whine.

That was so sweet! Someone from my yoga class gave me a jar of spices from Penzey's.

Not ok. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/attacker-shot-dead-in-parliament-after-soldier-shot-at-national-war-memorial-1.2808710 http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/attacker-shot-dead-in-parliament-after-soldier-shot-at-national-war-memorial-1.2808710

There's a posting in a maker thing about sculptors 3D printing a giant horses head. My first thought was I wonder if somebody will recreate DaVinci's Horse. The first commenter on the posting mentioned Italian Mafia. I like my idea better.

So much not sleeping stares at wall

Minutes of nauseating cuteness, although you get the point pretty quickly. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/16/husky-puppy-vs-stairs-video_n_5998836.html?cps=gravity http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/16/husky-puppy-vs-stairs-video_n_5998836.html?cps=gravity

In the interest of briefer posts, a separate Cheese Chat:  Chihuahua turns out to be a superlative melting cheese. Flavor-wise, there are subtle but noticeable differences from, yet I can draw a pretty straight-line guess to why mixes of monterey jack/colby/mild cheddar are sold as mexican melting cheese. Very similar, and I'm betting a lot of people wouldn't notice the subtle differences, anyway. Unless this was my mom made it when I was growing up comfort food for them. I think it melts better than that cheese mix, as well, but not so's your average day would notice much. Fresco is nice because it's good at crumbly, pretty good at melty, and just a hint of salty. Teleme is not Mexican (store where I got it had 2 "L"s). It's from around San Francisco, I think? Anyway, it is a very semi-soft, moderately stinky, rind cheese that melts quite well and the stinky completely fades to just adding interesting flavor. No clue how this compares to Asadero. I'm ...

Dinner tonight: a casserole based loosely on Chiles Rellenos. For no sane reason, I dragged myself around trying to find real Mexican cheese, in which endeavor I was more successful than I'd have hoped, otherwise using researched as acceptable substitutes. So cheese mix consisted of chihuahua, fresco, telleme, and ricotta. The telleme was suggested as a sub for asadero, the ricotta for requeson. There were two main departures from real CR. One, obs, no egg white fluffy dip and fry coating. Two, filled with combo of black beans and cheese. Cheese, or fancy concoctions of ground meat and spices, etc. are the two forms of which I am aware. So beans were prepped with cumin, oregano, cilantro, chopped onion, chopped garlic, lime juice. Poblanos (fresh from farmers market) were roasted, peeled, deseeded and stuffed with prepared beans and mix o' cheese. Placed into casserole dish, covered with simple tomato sauce (based on something you might serve with real CR), and Moar Cheez (just...

I don't know why I am fascinated by the remnants of leaves on pavement. It's like little fossil imprints in leaf archaeology. It's like little death masks for leaves. Like little fading echoes where there used to be a leaf, and then it fades over a stretch of time like it was never there.

BBC also has some good coverage of the ebola outbreak. The linked article has some good visual representations of information, as well as a bit of international perspective. However, my favorite excerpt from one of their articles is below. I would not have thought of it and no one has mentioned it, but yeah, that last one: "How not to catch Ebola: o Avoid direct contact with sick patients as the virus is spread through contaminated body fluids o Wear goggles to protect eyes o Clothing and clinical waste should be incinerated and any medical equipment that needs to be kept should be decontaminated o People who recover from Ebola should abstain from sex or use condoms for three months" http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28755033 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28755033

Since I went hiking, I was not glued to my monitor watching live. However, look at these cool pictures people got of the comet and Mars! http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29665247 http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29665247

The sun came out this afternoon, so I went hiking. I will post thousands of pictures later.

Random annoying perspectives on disease. Average 1-17 cases of Yersinia pestis (i.e., OMG THE BLACK DEATH MEDIEVAL HORROR) are reported per year in the US. It's endemic in the Southwest. What you didn't hear about is the outbreak in Madagascar in 2013, that killed people. Or the ongoing outbreaks over the years in parts of Africa, that kill people.  It's treatable with antibiotics (some people can still die, though generally not in the US). There was a vaccine (although it reportedly caused nasty reactions and you had to keep getting it every few months, or something) that's no longer available. There's a new vaccine under development that might come out in 2015. There have been a total of under 10 cases of ebola in the US, including all the people deliberately brought back from Africa. I do not think we need to panic quite yet. But we should probably pay attention.  P.S. Plague is a major factor in the wiping out of the black-tailed prairie dog in the Western US. H...

Sigh. Not linking because don't want to give more airtime, but some idiot physician from Missouri travelled from South America through Atlanta wearing isolation gear with an anti-CDC slogan on the back and got airtime on CNN (don't know where else). Plus, somebody filmed him doing it. He's mad because he thinks we're all about to be invaded with ebola patients and nobody at the airport asked if he was sick. Therefore, the CDC is lying and no one is getting screened at airports. Even the reporter pointed out that he wasn't coming from Africa. Buried under the panic mongering of worst case apocalyptic rhetoric, I think, maybe, he has the legitimate issue of our lack of excess capacity in case of a real outbreak or epidemic (of any kind). But what an obnoxious, attention-getting stunt. I mean, go free speech, and all, but what is he telling his patients? Get out your plans from 1962 and build a bunker? See, I don't think people should be hamstrung in being able to ...

It's right in the middle of the afternoon, but a couple of places are broadcasting live observing the comet Siding Spring get close to Mars. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/siding-spring-how-to-watch-comets-encounter-with-mars-live-9803981.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/siding-spring-how-to-watch-comets-encounter-with-mars-live-9803981.html

Best bumper sticker? "God was my co-pilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I had to eat him."

Interesting but not uninformative opinion piece. Virtues include being pithy. http://artvoice.com/issues/v13n42/getting_a_grip http://artvoice.com/issues/v13n42/getting_a_grip

Yes! Commentators who agree that anyone who politicizes ebola as part of their election campaign "... may be demonstrating their unfitness for office ..." Thank you! And while they respect and consider the newly appointed Caesar Filoviridae (real title: Ebola Response Coordinator) a highly regarded and effective individual, they are also concerned that this shows completely the wrong approach to and understanding of the situation, and it may not be the most appropriate or effective appointment. Then they pointed out how few people there are anymore with the gravitas or respect either in the US or internationally, never mind both, who could be appointed. Obviously, I am not watching Fox (ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding).

That is a big storm. It's especially impressive in the end frames of the video. http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2014/10/hurricane_gonzalo_to_bring_cat.html#incart_related_stories http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2014/10/hurricane_gonzalo_to_bring_cat.html#incart_related_stories

Dinner. Baked fresh wild caught halibut in a pan sauce of apples, onions, and cumin seed. Served over wild rice with delicata squash. I saved some of the apple slices so there would be something crunchy on the plate, and they are pretty. I brushed some maple syrup over the cut edge of the squash before I baked it. The sauce is made from one sweet onion (Maui's were what we had here), one honeycrisp apple, and 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds. Very thinly sliced apple and onion. Slooowly cooked onion in olive oil over low heat. Eventually added cumin seeds when onions were looking soft and tasty. Added apple slices (except ones I saved) after that and let them get a little softened. Added 2 tsp of cider vinegar and a pinch of black pepper. Stirred a bit more for about a minute. Turned off heat. Seasoned fish with a tiny bit of black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder. Placed bed of sauce in baking dish, placed fish on top, smothered with rest of sauce. Baked at 375 for 30 minutes (It was a h...

Marathon people - kick ass!

Augh! Futile ragey gestures. They've appointed an ebola czar. Who's a political dude and a lawyer. Predictable, but I can hope, can't I? I mean, I get that sometimes you need a manager to coordinate things, but we have a Secretary of Health and Human Services and all that office's staff. We have a Surgeon General. Oh, no, wait, we don't. Guess why. I dare you. Congress loves us. That's ok, we probably have an Assistant Secretary for Health. We have a Director of the Centers for Disease Control; we have a Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. How bloody much bureaucracy do you want? You want to appoint an Ebola Task Force Director, who is on an equal footing with the above and reports to Sec'y HHS? Fine. Set up a bloody task force. Oh, wait. That's what you should be having the Sec'y of HHS do. Yes, it will need coordination, but isn't that part of the jobs of all those other people with titles? And could someone p...

My brain is in some kind of hibernation mode, I swear.

I may have overdone the let's try an advanced move in yoga thing. I can't move my arms all that well and my back and one leg are threatening to disown me. There's good muscle sore, and there's bad muscle sore. This is that omg I can't move it and it aches so badly one. Even ice and ibuprofen are making minimal headway. It didn't hurt while I was doing it! So much stupid. So much ow.

Dinner tonight: fresh wild caught coho with a dijon honey lemon glaze over wild rice with slivered almonds. Super easy since I tend to make large batches of things like wild rice then freeze them in portions so I can just reheat when desired. Definitely approved for future usage.

Didn't want to hijack the thread, but Stefanie Fiskaa you should check out Alex Goddard's NYT post. The front page also has ebola stories, in one of which your favorite hospital has long been regarded as one of the finest hospitals in Texas. 'Course the headline on that piece isn't nearly so complimentary.

I can haz flu shot. Specifically requested quadrivalent, because why not? 2 A's and 2 B's is a lower grade point average than 2 A's and 1 B, but it's more flu strains.

EBOLA - oh, hi. There will be publick healths rambling momentarily. But first, the disclaimer! Disclaimer: Iterating, because I think it's important. Be scared. You should be. This is scary stuff. Nothing about trying to parse the realities, facts, and currently available evidence should or is intended to deprecate your legitimate concerns. Be cynical and suspicious of public officials. They're usually lying, manipulative scum at some point. One of the reasons I was motivated to post about how many experts and reporters were not being the usual suspects is because it was impressive that they were being transparent, informative, and reasoned. Shocking, but true. Use your fear. Be informed. Contact relevant public officials and offices. Support relevant public health measures. Vote for people and institutions that support and fund public health. Or, you know, build a bunker, if that's your thing. Regardless, use the fear, do not be used by it. Do not panic. If it helps, I wil...

Sigh. I will still try to ramble about the public health issues, and the unutterable stupidity of how we are always reactive, not proactive, which is beyond incomprehensible, but we keep doing it throughout history (stupidstupidstupid), but why are individual people so stupid? You have to be told, explicitly, that when you are under observation for exposure to a bad movie of the week disease not to travel across the country? Somebody who's better at cussing please help me out, here. Apparently, protocols and procedures are going to have to include hand delivered engraved personal invitations to get a clue. I don't care if the CDC criminally screwed up. Use your own damn common sense. You knew enough to call them, stay off the damn plane. And the common sense thing applies to answering phones at the CDC, as well. A person with ebola exposure is calling you because they have a fever and ASKING IF THEY CAN GET ON A TRANSCONTINENTAL PLANE. I don't care if it's below the omf...

The dryer might be fixed?

I have lots of thoughts about the ebola situation (oo, it's a situation). I'm sure lots of you do, as well. So, I tried writing down some of my thoughts the other day. There's an annoyingly hydra-like aspect to the complexity of a major disease situation, and I was trying to get some of my own thinking straight by writing it out for myself. Also, you can't lj-cut on g+ and  I am having a very hard time sound-biting all of this. You have been warned. The first one I'm going to include here is my trying to think through the whole PPE thing (personal protective equipment). This touches on not just the equipment itself, but on its use and the related training environment. It's not a miracle of concision; I'm thinkin' out loud, here. The gist is that I think we need: - a somewhat higher level of actual equipment than is standard for barrier and fluid precautions, - aggressive training implementation immediately throughout the US, - the training needs to be st...

Infrequently have store bought ice cream, so color me surprised when I had some - and it was soft. Not soft serve custard soft, did you leave this out and it got soft soft. Straight out of the freezer. Is this a thing, now? The chemical composition of hard ice cream is meant for it not to be hard? Because, ew. That is one nasty texture. If I want hard ice cream, I want hard ice cream. The fat and sugar and whatnot keep it from becoming inedibly hard, but it has that long lasting slow melting thing. Only now it doesn't. Good thing I don't eat it often.

Sometimes getting up in the morning is hard. #donwanna

It got warm enough to turn the air conditioning on today.

Oh, yay, the dryer is busted. Fortunately after I did my laundry. Unfortunately while my mom was doing theirs. Oops.

I am hungry and have no idea what I am going to eat since it is not preparing itself and jumping into my mouth. P.S. I would totally eat Lou Malnati's, but they have one hell of a delivery fee this far away. Plus, I think you have to at least partly cook it yourself, and what's the point in that? #feedmeSeymour

It is possible we may be getting a little tired of this, but I was vastly amused by the Scalzi #PineapplePizzaGate series of tweets, particularly after reading that excellent article some of you posted. I am a sucker for satire.

Happy birthday Tanya Bruce!

My thoughts on PPE. Brought to you by It's All About Me. I did infectious disease research in a BSL 3 lab that worked with viruses. Ebola is BSL 4, so it's a whole different ball of wax (how many categories of wax ball are there?). That being said, we had very specific protocols and procedures for wearing PPE. The physical set-up was very specific, as well. Aside from having to get through two key-code locked sets of doors, there was an outer room with autoclaves in it (pertinent because it relates to how some of the specialty infectious disease hospitals are set-up). Then, there was the room where we garbbed up and washed up and had whatever else stored or filed. After that, you got into the lab room itself. This particular lab had determined that it was more effective to use cloth gowns that could be autoclaved, rather than disposable ones, so that's what we had. They are what surgical gowns were before there were disposable ones. We used boot covers, face masks, face shi...

I know I keep yakking about CNN and Anderson Cooper's coverage. It just ends up being the only time I tend to be in front of a TV, and when I try to find something mindlessly entertaining to watch, it's just mindless, so I end up watching CNN. Anyway ... As you may know, I am highly critical of sciencey coverage and reporting in general, so the fact that I am impressed and feel it worth pointing out for praisin' and pettin' just shows how much they think like me how intelligent I am that I can recognize quality work when I see it. They are choosing well for their guest experts, by whom I am also impressed. The interviewers and the interviewees are, in general, maintaining appropriately calm, factual, considerate demeanors, neither dismissing nor denigrating the fears and concerns of the public (and some entertaining public officials). Thus far, as well, the mayor of Dallas seems to be well considered in his public statements, at least. As an example, Sanjay Gupta did ...

I almost sort of kind of ran a little. Mostly it was walking with very short bursts of bits of something vaguely resembling running. I cannot believe I am still so exhausted and muscles are weak from some stupid virus. I think I went about 2 miles. Oh, and my feet were hurting, which is new, and my achilles bursa was threatening, also new. I think I may go get some of those dorky looking compression sleeves for my calves and shins. Woo! I'm an athlete, I have gear! In fact, hoping they will help with whatever. #theblerch

I do not think "... a few light, passing showers ..." means what you think it means. #meteorologyfail

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

Things what may amuse you: "Guess which remedies found in an early 20th century medical book were once recommended by physicians." http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832741?src=wnl_edit_specol&uac=21663HG

Do any of you saavy tech folk know about those chips that you can record a short voice or music clip on? The kind you could put in a card, or a small stuffed critter (the 'squeeze here' kind)?

Overcast, and not as much leaf color change as one might like, but we went to Watkins Glen today. My Dad still has trouble walking, so we did not go all the way up this time, but it's still pretty impressive. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watkins_Glen_State_Park  

Hey, look! Information! (It is useful info about flu vaccines and the recommendations about them. There is also a link in the article to a table with all of the types of vaccine, their manufacturer, etc.) http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832236?src=wnl_edit_specol&uac=21663HG

Happy birthday David Scotton!

Ah, yes, the panic is beginning. On the upside, Anderson Cooper continues to have intelligent and thoughtful coverage (as did somebody else on CNN). In that vein, Dear Congress, Now is the time to show true leadership and Not Panic. We do not need to Ban All Flights, and we do not need to Test All Passengers at All Airports. Please do not use this as part of your re-election campaigns. You know what's awesome about this outbreak? The fatality rate looks like it's dropping to somewhere above 50%, even with the execrable care available at its epicenter. This is, so far as we know, Ebola Zaire, the one with the 90% fatality rate. Whether that means something that someone is doing is having an effect, or if it's something else, I have no idea. If it's really Zaire, though, that is something awesomely in our favor in this situation. #firstthingwedoiskillallthebats

So, Microsoft Guy. I do not wish to wait until my next life to discover if I will be an underpaid cockroach or an overpaid executive. Not precisely correct, but perhaps a visit from Wonder Woman, Black Widow, and Durga would help to clarify superpowers and karma. #yourchauvinismisshowing   #noIwillnotshutup   #Illtakethatinsmallunmarkedbills   #haventyouheardthatkarmaisabitch

Too bad. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/08/durex-pumpkin-spice-condom_n_5784808.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/08/durex-pumpkin-spice-condom_n_5784808.html

Dinner tonight: Lemon crepes with a choice of three fillings - raspberry rhubarb, pineapple orange, apple cinnamon. Yes, it's all from scratch. Dicing pineapple into tiny little pieces is a pain, btw. P.S. I used butter.  Details: The crepes had lemon zest in them. The raspberry rhubarb sauce was that plus a little sugar, cooked and pureed and sieved (for the rasp seeds) separately then combined. The apple cinnamon sauce was just thinly sliced Honeycrisps and cinnamon, sauteed in their own juices. The pineapple orange sauce was finely diced fresh pineapple cooked down with cranberry orange flavored cognac (left from the cookies I made) and orange juice.

To offset the awful, I will point out that the Shaw neighborhood, like many others in St. Louis, has gone through a lot of improving and renovating. What I said about it when I worked there is absolutely true. However, there are some nice things right in that block.  I would go and eat there right now. Really. I just wouldn't wander alone at night.  http://www.sashaswinebar.com/ http://www.mamajosephines.net/Menu.html http://www.sashaswinebar.com

I know people who've done this. It is awesome! Originally shared by Make: The Global Space Balloon Challenge is coming! Get your balloons ready! http://ow.ly/CuLqF http://ow.ly/CuLqF

I've been really impressed with Anderson Cooper's coverage of the ebola outbreak. He's had thoughtful discussions, with impressively thoughtful and non-hyperbolic guests and experts. It's even explored the real impact of cuts in research, biodefense spending, and public health. I really am quite surprised and impressed by the reasonable and considered coverage.

Lots of talking about this lately. A 29 year old is dying of a horrible disease, and she is choosing to take control of that moment. Thank whatever power you choose that she has such an option. #tinysoapbox  warning - - - It is important to have the conversations that this sparks, and this article is not too bad in discussing the need for a culture that embraces and provides palliative care. However, it also fails in its arguments in ways that are common in such discussions.  My most disagreed with quote is this: "We can more effectively promise that someone will die with dignity without the need to take precipitous measures while they still believe they can." My considered opinion, personally and professionally is that we can't promise squat. Ever. We do not have that kind of control, nor will we. This does not mean we should not do a vastly better job of caring for people for whom we cannot guarantee a greater quantity of life. But we need to start looking ourselves s...

Saw an interview on Tavis Smiley with this lady. Now I want to go read her books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimamanda_Ngozi_Adichie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimamanda_Ngozi_Adichie

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-dept-will-review-practice-of-creating-fake-facebook-profiles/2014/10/07/3f9a2fe8-4e57-11e4-aa5e-7153e466a02d_story.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-dept-will-review-practice-of-creating-fake-facebook-profiles/2014/10/07/3f9a2fe8-4e57-11e4-aa5e-7153e466a02d_story.html

But testing will solve everything. Speaking of which, it isn't the main point, so the author only mentions it once, but this is also how teachers and evaluated and paid, how school systems are evaluated and funded.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/10/08/pearsons-wrong-answer-and-why-it-matters-in-the-high-stakes-testing-era/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/10/08/pearsons-wrong-answer-and-why-it-matters-in-the-high-stakes-testing-era

So much for getting up to watch the moon. Overcast. Yay for Nasa livestreaming! Currently coming from Griffith Observatory. #lunareclipse   #liketotally

Worth reading. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/04/ebola-zaire-peter-piot-outbreak http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/04/ebola-zaire-peter-piot-outbreak

Make sure you wear your seatbelt. The quote from this article that is most concerning to me is this one. If it is true, then we need to change some laws in this country Right Now. If you want to make it a binary issue, then a citizen's safety should outweigh a police officer's. And no law should give police the power to require anything of a citizen without 'reasonable suspicion'. That sounds like a serious Bill of Rights issue that needs to be fixed, asap. "But police, in their statement, said officers "who make legal traffic stops are allowed to ask passengers inside of a stopped vehicle for identification and to request that they exit a stopped vehicle for the officer’s safety without a requirement of reasonable suspicion." (Title of article is Hammond police sued over use of Taser during traffic stop ) http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81608552/

So you can be outraged by an unflattering photo. Or you can be outraged by the fact that the people running the sport still haven’t brought forward meaningful change to ensure that women are not on the end of enduring sexism in the sport where their right to a fair wage for a professional job is still considered less important than the design of their kit. http://www.chasingwheels.com/road-racing/professional-road-racing/5-things-you-should-know-about-that-colombian-cycling-kit http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/everyones-freaking-out-over-the-colombian-womens-cycling-out#24hrokt http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/everyones-freaking-out-over-the-colombian-womens-cycling-out#24hrokt

Yay! I own a Nobel prize winning laser pointer! #funwithimprecision   #alsoinaccurate   #galliumnitrideftw

I'll be darned. Dithering got me a discount on flights on the cushy airline. 3 hour layover totally worth it, now.

Remember way back when I said I went a little nuts at the Farmer's Market? This is some of what I made. Besides what's in the pictures, there were other things, including fresh pesto from organic fresh basil and basil olive oil, which I made by taking the blossoms from said basil and infusing them into some olive oil. There were also adorably cute little canteloupes and watermelons that were exactly the right size for two servings if you cut them in half. I also ended up with a second semifreddo that was just the lemon and lime, because the balloon whisk on the KitchenAid adds way more volume than standard recipes seem to expect.