Neato

Did you know that your white blood cells make bleach to kill invading bacteria? I didn't. I can't believe no one told me!

How very cool. Also, the article says that overproduction of bleach may be a contributing factor in several inflammatory diseases, such as IBD and arthritis. Interesting. Here's another article about how the bleach might be leaking out of the white blood cells and causing problems.

I remember reading a while back that swimming in chlorine-treated pools was thought to play a role in asthma. I wonder ... did the chlorine hurt the proteins in the lungs, or possibly damage any bacterial colonies that live in healthy lungs (do we have bacteria in our lungs? I can't imagine that we don't).

Also interesting is recent news that bleach water baths may soothe the symptoms of eczema and new news regarding bacteria colonies on healthy skin. So, is there some imbalance in the bacterial colonies on skin that contributes to eczema? Could be, given a recent study that says giving babies probiotics reduces the risk of eczema by 60%.

Oh, I love science. Perhaps after I get my PhD, I'll go get my MD.... Just kidding, Mick!

No wonder it gives you wings

Red Bull is being banned in Germany because cocaine was found in the drink. Apparently, the makers of Red Bull use decocainised coca leaf extra as a flavoring. I guess in the same way that decaffeinated coffee still contains caffeine, decocainised coca extract still contains cocaine. No wonder Red Bull is so popular. Myself, I call it "heart attack in a can" and tell Mick he's not allowed to drink it. He doesn't listen to me, but that doesn't stop me from telling him!

Chew and Me

So, it turns out that the movie Marley and Me is not the best one to watch just a few days after your dog dies of old age. Silly me at the movie store: oh, look. Jennifer Aniston and a puppy, that looks cute...

Rest in Peace Dear Chew

Chew passed away this morning about 9:00 AM. He didn't move at all last night, and was unresponsive this morning, so we decided the most humane thing to do was call the vet. Our vet was wonderful and postponed the start of a surgery to make a house call to give Chew peace. (Seriously, Dr. Kellogg at Burlingame Veterinary Clinic is a wonderful vet and if you live in Portland, you should consider him.)

Sir Chew the Defender was born on October 5, 1994 and lived a long and mostly healthy 15 years. Chew was an AKA certified chow chow; his mother was Ming Yen How and his father was Bobbie Lee. Chew is survived by his adopted brother, Ben. Chew was good dog when he wasn't being bad. Chew answered to the following aliases: chewbacca, poochie pants, poochie, chewper pooper, chewie, chewie pie, poop master, chew-chew, old man.

I met Chew when he was 3 years old. After getting to know him, I maintained the fantasy that he was a reincarnated Chinese man. He had been bad in his former life, so had been reincarnated as a dog. He resented being a dog. He was very smart and understood me when I talked to him; I could see it in his eyes. He was very prissy for a dog. He didn't like mud or getting his feet wet. He was very dignified while eating and drinking. He never made a mess, unlike some dogs who shall remain nameless. He was mischievous to the end. There weren't many fences that could keep him until the last couple of years when his arthritis got bad. When he was a young man, I used to have to be very careful when opening doors, because he would shoot out and run like the wind. He used to bark so viciously at the mailman (from inside the house) that some would refuse to deliver to our home. I never worried when I was home alone when Chew was there. Despite his breeding, Chew only bit three people. (1) Sam, our niece, who for some reason thought it was funny to pounce on Chew when he was sleeping. Chew gave her numerous warnings, and after about the 50th time, gave her a good nip, but did not break the skin. (2) A groomer who had the unfortunate task of grooming him while he had a soon to be discovered wheat allergy which made his hair fall out and sores grow on his skin. I think he was hurting, but his nip also did not break the skin of the groomer. (3) Bert. If you don't know Bert, suffice it to say Bert was asking for it. If you do know Bert, I'm sure no further explanation is required. I do believe he did break the skin when biting Bert. I think Chew was quite justified in this case.

Chew, you were a good dog. Rest in peace, sweet chew-chew.

Pobre Chew

I think Chew is dying. To be honest, I have thought this many times and have been wrong. I swear that dog does not want to die. Many mornings when I get up and go downstairs to let the dogs out, Chew is breathing so shallowly and, since he's deaf, he doesn't hear me and keeps sleeping. I always think, oh, this is the day he's really dead, and then he feels Ben jumping around on his bed and wakes up. Then, I feel silly.

Lately, though, his arthritis has been worse, he's been less interested in food, and has been sleeping very, very soundly for long periods. It's gotten to where I have to put the food in his mouth and remind him what food is for.

Earlier this evening, I saw Chew hanging out with Ben. He seemed alright. I checked their water bowls and topped them up. I went out to Costco with Mick, just to hang out. I came back a couple hours later and went out to find and feed the dogs. Ben, of course, came to find me right away and started eating. I found Chew and saw he was sleeping, and did the, ha, look at me, I think Chew is dying again, how stupid am I thing. Then, I noted he was breathing differently, very deeply and rapidly, and his mouth was moving like maybe he was eating or barking in his sleep. I put food near his nose, because usually that will wake him up. It didn't work. I clapped my hands really loudly and that didn't work. I usually don't like to touch him when he's sleeping, because it startles him so. However, I touched him softly, and then with more force while making loud noises, but he didn't wake up or move.

It was a little warm today, in the 70's, and I thought, well, maybe the heat was too much for this old guy. I went and got a syringe and filled it with water and squirted it in his mouth a few times. He didn't respond.

I went out a few minutes later and his tongue was in a weird position, sort of overly relaxed, and he was making a gurgling sound. He had peed in his sleep. There was a lot of drool coming out of his mouth. Oh, sweet Chew, is this the end?

New Love

I have had my trusty Trek 730 hybrid bike for probably 16 years. Granted, it spent about 7 of those years sitting in the garage, but I would say that it was a good purchase. I rode that bike a lot and didn't do much maintenance apart from the occasional tune-up. This past year, though, I noted that it seemed to be getting more difficult to ride. At first, I thought I was just tired. Then, I thought it was the new tires I put on it, or maybe that I wasn't putting enough air in the tires. It just kept getting worse and worse. I took it into a shop and they told me nothing was wrong with it, grrr. Then, last Friday, I noted that I was having to pedal with force to go downhill. That was the last straw.

I went to a bike shop and bought a new Trek. I would show you a picture, but I am too lazy to download the photos off my camera, so you can go to this link to see it. It's so pretty. It even has flowers on it! At first, I was uncomfortable because the frame length is very short; the handlebars are very close to the seat. After riding it for a while, though, it is much more comfortable than my old bike. Also, it is much more stylish! Of course, I ruined the stylishness by strapping a milk crate to a rack on the back so that I can carry my stuff. Now, it just looks Portland ghetto, which hopefully means someone will be less likely to steal it or stuff off of it.

The difference between my old bike and this bike is the difference between wading in waist-deep mud and flying.

Pickly

I've wanted to try rinsing my hair with vinegar for quite a while, but never got around to it. I heard a few things about it:
1) Britney Spears does it
2) it makes your hair have more body
3) it makes your hair shiny

Yesterday, I tried it and yes, I think it made a difference. One notable difference is that I smell slightly pickly. I thought that I rinsed really well, but I guess I could have done better. It's not bad, though. I love pickles. My hair does seem to have more body and I do think it's shinier. Could I be imagining this? Yes, I have quite a strong imagination. However, I do think there is some change. I also think that the bit of natural curl I have came out more. I could ask Mick for an opinion less swayed by imagination, but he never notices anything about my hair. Once, I hacked off about 6 inches off of my hair and he didn't say anything.

What I did: I took a couple cups of white vinegar into the shower with me. After shampooing, I poured the vinegar over my hair and massaged it in. I left it in while doing my other shower business, and then rinsed it out.

Words to the wise: When dumping the vinegar on your head, tilt your head back and close your eyes. Also keep in mind that any little skin abrasions you might have (I had slightly chapped lips) will sting if the vinegar gets on them. Before you open your eyes, make sure that you rinse your face really well. I made the mistake of thinking I had rinsed well enough and got a little vinegar in my eyes (ouch!).

Impending

I am currently sitting in my pajamas on the couch. Yes, it is Monday morning at 11:00, but don't judge me too harshly. I am actually working. I started to wonder if maybe I should go to school, mostly because the Internet speeds are much faster there and I am doing work using a GUI that is running remotely, so it's a little tedious. I commute by bike, because dang it if I want to pay Trimet $2 per ride just to get a couple miles down the road, and dang it if I want to pay $10 to park for the day. It's not currently raining, so it seemed like a good idea until I looked at the radar.

Hmm, see that big bunch of heavy rain coming towards Portland? Maybe I'll just work at home today. Sometimes I love being a grad student.