Beano!

I was sceptical, but Maria insisted and now I'm a believer.

Ha ha ha!

Clearly pleased!
Crucifers ad libitum!

Crucifer: Any of various plants in the mustard family (Cruciferae or Brassicaceae), including many
important food plants, such as bok choy, cabbage, and radishes, as well as certain ornamental flowers.

Totally hilarious definition.

Ye olde self-portrait.
I've continued to use the Crest and sonicare in spite of the difficulties I experienced

Picture of my bed, just for Linda.

Made, only for this picutre.

I guess it's really the opposite color scheme of yours...

Great Day

I decided it's too boring to blog without pictures. This is a very dorky picture taken a couple of years ago.

Today was great. I attended another ward (stake calling), saw old friends, heard great talks, gave a little spiritual message in YW. I love going to church and being able to forget all the stupid things that stress me out and remembering that Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be happy.

Pig's Feet

Yesterday in class we learned the basics of suturing! I felt very clever. We practiced on pigs' feet--which looked like deformed hands, they've got stubbly hair and nails and what looks like a thumb.

I need to ask my friend to email me her pictures so you can see too.

I'm ready to stitch your lacerations, people.

Circumcision

I suddenly felt the need to post this. I watched a circumcision on Friday, I'm kinda feeling like it's mutilation; I don't think that skin was meant to be removed.

I did a presentation on circumcsion last month and as I was researching it I found a lot of authors strongly opposed to it. I was thinking they were blowing everything out of proportion; afterall, circumcision's been around for thousands of years, everyone does it.

However, it turns out it's mainly a Jewish, Muslim and North American phenomena. Like, not many other cultures practice it. The Jews and Muslims of course consider it a symbol of the Abrahamic covenant. In North America it started out as a response to kooky Victorian views on sexuality and then evolved into a cleanliness thing for soldiers in WWI and WWII.

Nowadays it's primarily a cosmetic issue, parents want their sons to look like everyone else. It's like piercing your ears, I guess, not necessary but some people like the way it looks.

Perhaps parents should watch a circumcision before they make that decision. The NP I was following told me if I do another rotation with him next year he'll teach me how to do circumcisions. The thought makes me queasy.

Self-sufficiency

Home repair.

Self-repair.

In answer to previous comments about self-medication and self-dentistry I write. Hey, that was Yoda-esque without even trying. Wait, I've just realized that's totally Japanese sentence structure! George Lucas, clever he is not. (And the prequels stink!)

I digress.

Rather than pay large sums of money, there are times when I do try to solve my own problems. For instance, I love the way my teeth feel after they've been cleaned at the dentist's office but insurance only covers a visit every 6 mo. Instruments are available to the general public and it's not like I'm blindly probing my gum line. Sheesh.

Skin-wise, if something weird appears why not try sloughing, clipping, anti-bacterial or anti-fungal at home before spending $20 and waiting 4wks to see the MD? No harm done and problem potentially solved.

I don't use the box-cutter on myself, that would be self-mutilation. However, I did have to cut a vacumn cleaner belt to size because hoover no longer sells belts for my vacumn. Annoying.

I once tried altering a pair of gloves (to fit my stubby fingers) by cutting off the tips and re-sewing them. Yeah, that didn't work out.

I had a friend tell me the reason I'm single is because I'm too self-sufficient. Grrr!!

It's not as though I wouldn't prefer to have someone remove my rusted out garbage disposal for me, or repair my sprinklers. This is a characteristic born of necessity, not some weird assertion of my independence! Uh oh, did she just mean that it was a weird assertion, period? Oh no!

"Would you like Cat Poo with that salad?"

Nikki is a cat; she ate out of little glass bowls kept in the cupboard alongside dinnerware meant for humans.

Certain people had no qualms about eating from dishes a cat had licked. I, knowing that cats lick their bums, had many qualms and did not participate.

Moth Catcher

Not feeling particularly witty this evening so I'll tell a little story instead.

I attended boarding school in Italy; our dorm windows had no screens, only shutters. Alas, there was also no air-conditioning so in order to create a breeze the shutters were almost always open. As you might imagine, bugs and other flying creatures frequently entered the room. Ah, la vita Italiana, so delightful except for the lack of screened windows.

I don't know about you, but I hate moths. They're nasty, beady-eyed, fluttery things that fly about one's head causing anxiety and distress.

One evening while alone in my dorm room a huge moth flew in and was flying around like crazy; it landed on the wall and I knew I had to get rid of it. I couldn't bear the thought of trying to smash it and hear/feel the awful crunch, therefore, I quickly grabbed my roommate's glass (previously a jar of jam/nutella or something like that--no sentimental value, I assure you) and caught the moth. Heart pounding, I slid a card across the top of the glass and tossed the stupid moth out the window.

When my roommate returned I related my stressful experience and resourceful action in trapping the moth. Much to my surprise she neither sympathized nor praised my cleverness; all thoughts were focused on the so-called "contamination" of the blasted jar/drinking glass! It's not as though it couldn't be washed...

She never drank from it again, but over the next two years it served as our "Moth Catcher," duly labeled, I might add. Small sacrifice for our safety and comfort, but apparently still a sore point (ref: Sonicare Comments.)

Oh, if only I had a scanner, the Moth Catcher's immortalized on film.


Epilogue
In spite of our best efforts to keep our room moth-free, senior year a mouth house--I don't know what it's really called, a nest?--appeared on our ceiling. Sick!! Actually, do moths nest? Maybe it was a wasp nest. It was gray and nasty with a circular opening, it gives me the creeps just thinking about it.