Could we reignite this?

That is to say, if I posted this, how quickly would you two see it, and through what means? I subscribe to this through my google reader, so I'd see it there. Thoughts?

Good for your heart... not for...

BU has a really nice HR department. They recently had a 'cardiac health' fair, and if you registered, they did a screening for you. BP, non-fasting cholesterol levels, BMI analysis... they have a very rough algorithm that will give you a number that is the "percent chance of you having a heart attack within 10 yrs." Of course, this isn't meant to scare anyone, since the BMI is just your weight over your height (I'm big-boned, dammit!), and the BP is after you ran and chased a bus down to get over to the student union.

I did all this, and it turns out my 'good' cholesterol is VERY low. My 'bad' is on the upper of 'normal'. I'm still total below 200 (ug/mL? units?), but the very low amount of HDLs certainly increases my chances for bad things. So, it's more exercise and better eating for me.

Shana brought home some vitamins she got at the pharmacy that are basically horse pills of fish oils and omega 6 and 3 fatty acids... good stuff for upping the HDL level. Turns out, you should certainly see how your stomach responds to these oils before you take them with food and then go to an hour lecture and then an office hour with five kids sitting in front of you.

Ten minutes into the office HOUR, the pain hit me. I did manage to NOT shit my pants for 45 minutes while discussing electron wave functions and how the resonance of those leads to light interacting with matter and you get absorption... but barely. And then I wrecked the 8th floor men's room. I work on the 10th floor, so no harm, no foul.

And now I feel like I need to go home and get our new Wii fit to weigh me so I can improve my Wii age.

What is this BS?

http://www.ajc.com/sports/uga/ole-miss-may-drop-184268.html

Reboot.

Ok, I've now signed up with the email I use most frequently, and also set up SMS posting from my spiffy new phone, which has a virtual keyboard that rocks my balls off every time I use it. Posts from the cell will, however, most likely be poorly spelled and lack proper punctuation. So pretty much the same as posts from my laptop. I'm lazy... you two know this.

Last weekend was very awesome, with Jack and elmo coming into town and staying with us. We did a brief stint at a Halloween party at Lark's house in Cambridge, where I saw a lot of Kappas (old and young), and realized that there are quite a few St.A in Boston... discussions were had regarding getting us all together without the need for tie and jacket, and without the 75 dollar cover fee like the St. Anthony Club of Boston's last shindig had. Pizza and beer was mentioned and duly noted.

Saturday morning was the Pet Halloween Costume get-together at the local bark park, and Luke went as Underdog. Pics forthcoming.

Breakfast with Edge Coble Sat. morning also, over omelets and taters. Fantastic.

That is all so far. I got lost trying a new way in to work this morning... that's about it. Oh, and election day has never made me feel more apathetic here. I feel very unpatriotic.

Health Care Reform

BTW guys, tis is an issue that will directly affect our lives for decades to come. I know I am more politically inclined than others in the viewing audience, but make sure you are informed as much as possible about this issue, no matter where you fall on the spectrum. As important of a decision as the Iraq war was (and a terrible decision that was), this could be equally important.

Goor article on Health Care from co-founder of Whole Foods

Mackey doesn't really offer any details to solutions (which I hate), but he summarizes the health problem (which I am guilty of) and the problem with the solution (which will bankrupt US I believe). I hold a similar opinion to his, that we need, need, need health care reform on costs (and pharmaceutical industry too, btw), but this system is not the solution. If the rotting corpse of Ronald Reagan tried to sell this program to me, it would stick just as badly, notwithstanding the stench of the aforementioned corpse.

Celebrity Jeopardy Returns!

Good publicity for the website

Shouldn't a heart doctor in the deep-gravy South be too busy for this stuff?

The Wolves will Set You Free.

You have to read these reviews. A friend posted this and I took it. Beautiful.

Interesting Article on Proposed Health Care Plan

Written from an doctor's point of view, but it makes some interesting points I think.

My concern is that the same will happen to pharmaceutical care, especially community pharmacy. I guess I find it interesting that the same subset of citizens who beg for organic food and no-hormone chicken, giving the assumption that they desire things to be more pure, fair, wholesome, good for the community, also beg for a health care system that could do the opposite.

I completely agree that health care must be reformed and effiency must be improved, but I don't feel like this plan, if what is written is in fact true, is the answer. What is the answer, I don't know that either. That is why I have stayed fairly quiet on the issue. I don't really like offering criticism and not offer an alternative. That seems cheap to me.

I do find it encouraging that the top 10 health care companies have pledged 10 trillion dollars in cost savings over the next 10 years. Definitely a good start.

Seriously,

Why does Nic hate us, Ryan?

The Blog is Coming Back!!!!

Talk about throwing **good** money at bad.

Tim Tebow: Douchebag

I was really put off when I tuned in to check the score of the BCS Championship game and saw that Tim Tebow had John and 3:16 painted under his eyes. I understand he's done this before with a passage from Phillippians.

I don't have a problem with a guy being Christian, and I know he's just trying to "spread the Word", but it just comes off as a little grandiose to me. Does he really think some hopeless sinner is going to see his eye paint, go look up the verse, and accept Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior? I don't think so. I guess that makes me a cynic.

Also, John 3:16 is SO overused. Didn't one of those WWF guys use it? I think if you want to be taken seriously as and not seem like a poser who only knows a handful of popular verses, you need to change it up.

The other main argument I have for his douchiness is that when they played the clip of him at the press conference following Florida's only defeat (which, the TV crew failed to mention, was to OLE MISS. Shocking.) he was wearing a black graphic T-Shirt. I couldn't make out what the design was at first, but then I saw that it was the Roman numeral 15.

Really? Is that shirt custom made? Do you also have polo shirts with XV embroidered where the horsey should be?

I don't like the guy. Bottom line. Nonetheless, go SEC.

Get Off My Lawn!!!!

This is a concise statement on why I get so passionate about politics. I completely understand that not all people who need help are like the bass fisher (lack of ambition) in the story, but I am not so shortsighted to know that there are not a significant percentage in that category. Many of these people who have lost their homes and are in dire financial situations have two new car payments, a Wii, an XBox, new furniture, a new closed in patio, etc. We, as Americans, have to take more responsibility for ourselves. R & K are doing it, N & S are doing it, and D & A are doing it. Why is it ok that everyone is not held to this standard? Why do we want the government to get involved with extra taxes on those who earn a lot of nice nice? I just feel like we are raising a generation that it being lulled into the belief that if something goes wrong, the government will take care of it. I only wish we could find a system that helps those who need it, the truly poor, indigent, underserved, uneducated, the single moms, etc. without those who choose not to do more for themselves benefiting.

-The Crotetchy Old Man on the Porch

The Right Thing to Do.

I am glad President Bush is making every effort to make the transition to Barack Obama as quick and smooth as possible. This is the right thing to do. Even though I do not believe in the effectiveness of many of Sen. Obama's policies, he was elected and is my new president. I believe that all conservatives need to help repair some of these problems in the short term. I believe this because I do not fault the Republican administration or the Democratic Congress for the current financial situation. I believe it was greed in the business sector and unhealthy lending by mortgage companies. They knew what they were doing and they knew the readjusting rates would strap families financially. I do not genuinely believe the mortgage companies thought it would be quite this bad and cause this many people to lose their homes. That would put them out of business (re: what is happening). But I do believe that they thought is a lower percentage lose their homes, then we get as many loan payments as possible and then resale the home at the massively inflated housing prices, win-win. Enough of ranting, I am glad Sen. McCain instructed so many of his die-hard followers to get behind Sen. Obama. I will do that until it encroahes upon my morals, ethics, and standards.

I say two of these regularly. And you?

Making a list, checking it twice.

Bureaucracy at its Finest

Michael Landon, full frontal nudity?

Moving on...

Ok... can the Giants finish this one out? The Redskins are behind them (7-1 vs. 6-3), but the Giants have Baltimore, Arizona, Carolina and the Vikings to finish, plus the rest of the division (2 with Philly, one Wash and one Dallas, in dallas). The Redskins, conversely, have (other than division games, of which they have three) Seattle, Cincinnati and the 49ers... combined those three are 5-20. They also have Baltimore, so that's a wash. For reference, the Giants' remaining non-div schedule (again, no Ravens) is 15-9.

Of course, they are the SBCs, so maybe we should expect them to play a harder schedule.

So, two questions then. Do the Giants go to the postseason, and how well do they do?

And, for the hell of it, who had the hardest schedule this season, as things are right now?

Some Thoughts from Ben

Excerpted from an email from my dad re: Obama -

"I knew nothing about the man until he jumped into the primary and challenged my first choice for the Democrat's candidate, Hillary, whom I saw as more seasoned and accomplished as an operative. Obama eventually convinced me after he beat the Clinton machine.

"My mind wanders back to a time when I was about your age (a few years younger, actually) when John Kennedy excited us so with the dream of Camelot. Although Kennedy and Obama have such divergent biographical and cultural backgrounds (Kennedy, the scion of our noble family; Obama, the self-invented, fatherless offshoot), they both share personal charisma, they both radiate an exotic aura.

"JFK was the first president in the 20th century to have been born after the fin de siecle. As a man of the new generation, he gave us youngsters the same hope for a promising tomorrow, as Obama gives youngsters (and a few old geezers) today. When Kennedy was elected, we felt that we could now be included in the American political scene. We could finally count, could be heard, could realize some of our youthful ideals.

"And now we hold youthful ideals so hopefully again today. No doubt there will be some disappointing moments ahead. Who could fulfill all of the hopes and aspirations of so many who are hurting, given the dire condition of our federal government? But we will weather those times.

"For now we can enjoy the bright optimism, and we can hope that this prince will reign much longer than one, brief, shining moment-and that far sturdier than the stuff of myth-he will create good, substantial work for the nation, as I am confident that he will."

The Cheese Stands Alone

The Daily Mississippian, the student-edited daily put out by the University of Mississippi, is the only college newspaper to endorse John McCain for President. The total tally, 63 for Obama, 1 for McCain. Maybe the editor is trying to get a staffer position for the Arizona senator.

Fine. Have it your way.

I've been wanting to post, but work's been hella busy. So here I am, finally.

I wanted to ask you a question. What is the one most important topic you're considering when you vote? Or maybe, rank the top three. I just want to see what's on everyone's minds when they vote (or, like me, did vote in the past tense).

My list:
1. Affordable health insurance for everyone.
2. A focus on renewable energy efforts that will end our dependence on oil. Not just foreign, either.
3. Getting out of Iraq on November 5th, if possible, and developing a healthy working relationship with the rest of Earth, outside of the U.S.

I ask this, as on my facebook page, I posted the question, "if you're voting for McCain, I'd like to know why" and got a lot, mostly the same, issues on peoples' minds. What I saw, in no particular order:
1. abortion
2. don't tax the wealthy
3. Obama is a socialist/Marxist/communist and not an American... or, he supports terrorism.

I have to say that abortion comes up equally as often as 'not taxing the wealthy'. Is that the heartbeat of America? We're focusing on regulating a woman's body more than making sure that kids have textbooks and lunch at school? Of course, that's a bit of hyperbole on my part (no one wants kids to go hungry or without copies of 'From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler'), but I'm saying that we, as a nation (all of us) have lost sight of the basic care of other human beings. No one volunteers anymore. No one meets their neighbors anymore and takes care of them.

On that note... ideas on how to return to that? Did we ever have it?

No, really, why does Nic Hammond hate this blog?

Why Does Nic Hammond Hate This Blog?!?

Why Does Nic Hammond Hate This Blog?!

Oh, Joe McCain

What have you done?

Good Interview between T. Boone Pickens and Steve Forbes

Interview here.

Political Thoughts

Now for some political thoughts. As I have stated in the past, I believe Barack Obama is an upstanding human being and has a heart for helping people. I also have long stood against him as a presidential candidate. I feel like I have seen glimpses into his ideology and it is a bit unsettling to me. I truly don't understand his wacky tax plan of "lowering the taxes of 95% of Americans" while 40% of Americans don't even pay any taxes. But I can handle those things, no problem. Every candidate promises dinner and a movie, but you may only get a handy in the park. It is expected. But when I hear Obama say that the Warren court wasn't liberal enough, it upsets me and furthers my belief that he has fooled a number of Americans by smooth rhetoric into believeing he is more moderate that what he really is.

The Warren court was the most liberal court we have ever had, in my opinion. The Supreme Court nominees are a big issue with me in this election. I believe that Obama will appoint only those judges who he is assured will legislate from the bench, not interpret the law. Conservatives are often flogged when it comes to this point for wanting to take over the court and overturn Roe v Wade. However, what Conservative Presidents have done is to appoint those judges who are conservative but also know the role of the Supreme Court. Saying the Warren Court wasn't liberal enough leads me to believe that Obama doesn't believe in finding those judges. Let us not forget that two judges that Reagan appointed, Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy, both were int he majority when the abortion case from Pennsylvania, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, that upheld the idea of the legality of abortion. Now, you don't hear that fact much from people like Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden. They would have everyone believe that there is a vast right-wing conspiracy for everything, from Supreme Court to price of eggs and dairy.

Sometimes I just feel unsettled about Obama. I have never felt this way about a presidential candidate.

We must restart the BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry..I Thought You Said They Could Count to Four

Bees!!!!! They're everywhere. They're sting crazy.

The Long Trek, Day Four

We left Flagstaff this morning, seven hours from our final destination. Flagstaff is in the mountains and the drive was pretty and amazing. We climbed and decended for about four hours of the day. A bit scary at times, but beautiful. Much different terrain than I am used to, mountains that are rocky, not dirt-y. We arrived in Loma Linda and immediately went to our apartment complex where we had reserved an apartment. Funny thing happened - they didn't reserve us an apartment. So, we are essentially homeless and now need to find a place to stay. Oh well, we will figure it out. We will update more when we find a place to stay.

Dave and Abby