Category: FYI

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Educating Medical “Professionals”

Annual “permission slip” Dr. visit last week: ears so plugged up with gunk I almost didn’t mind having the same questions asked again. . . and again. . . by two different forms and three different people. #gagamaggot

At least something educational came of the visit, though. Nurse dropped in to ask the SAME QUESTIONS as on the form in her hand that I had just filled out and noted that she didn’t have to ask if I were depressed, because she assumed that anyone whistling a “happy” tune was in fine spirits.

“That’s a fallacious assumption,” I told her. “I’m simply whistling a tune I am listening to ‘between my ears’ in order to drown out the dreck y’all are playing on your sound system. It doesn’t mean I am ‘happy’ but that I’m listening to something better than that stuff that would gag a maggot.”

“Oh. So do you have feelings of depression?”

“Oh, yeh. That ‘music’ y’all arer playing makes me want to end it all.”

“Oh, OK. I’ll see if we can turn it down then.”

“Thank you. Now THAT makes me happy.”

*heh*

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Transitive Property

The old “Prepper” adage that “Two is one and one is none” makes some sort of sense, I suppose, in that if one only has one of a particular thing–tool, equipment, whatever–and that “one” is lost, broken, or stolen, then “none” is what one is left with.

But consider the transitive property of the adage. IF 2 = 1 and 1 = 0, then 2 = 0. Therefore, one could as easily say “n. . . is 2 is one is none,” and so no matter how large a number of [whatever] one has, it is equal to. . . nothing.

This is a principle that escapes hoarders.

🙂

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PSA–You Are Hereby Warned. . .

Reminder: my “scanable” medalert bracelet lists a SEVERE allergy to being repeatedly asked the same question. I’m serious. Don’t do it. It chaps my gizzard, makes me irritable, and results in raucous mocking of whatever doofus engages in the activity.

Thatisall.

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Good Sense Is Really Easy. Mocking Good sense Is Easier.

For years you have probably seen and heard folks mock “Duck and Cover” as a stupid response to a nuclear attack. Yeh, mocking good advice is really easy to do.

What? “Duck and Cover” is good advice?

Yep. But it takes someone who’s willing to stop, do their own homework, and actually think to recognize that, which is why I won’t do your homework and thinking for you.

I will say that Dean Ing’s fictional account of surviving a nuclear attack in Pulling Through (also here) might be one of the easiest pills to swallow to combat the infection of stupid mockery from those who have NOT done their own homework and who cannot (or will not) think.

Meanwhile,

Duck and Cover

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Appropriate Technology

For years I have seen all kinds of neat lil gadgets and hacks to aid in driving nails without smashing one’s fingers, and I chuckle at them all. The problem with hammering fingers from a missed hammer blow is caused by two factors: poor hammer technique and holding a nail “pinched” between one’s forefinger and thumb.

The “appropriate technology” for preventing smashed finger/thumb is present on almost everyone’s own hands. Simply turn the hand used to hold the nail for starting palm up and hold the nail between the index and middle fingers. Even if one misses the nail strike, a starter blow (should be a light tap) will not hit bone and fingernails directly but a cushion of flesh.

In the decades I have used this technique, since being shown by my paternal grandfather, I’ve not even had any noticeable bruising in the few times I’ve missed an initial hammer strike.

And yeh, few times. PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT (or nearly so, at least). Practicing holding a hammer correctly, striking correctly, holding nails correctly: all these make for a much better experience, and not just in lessening injuries from missed initial hammer strikes but also in lessening fatigue during long (whatever “long” is to the user *heh*)sessions hammering nails.

Sometimes, the appropriate technology is right at the end of one’s arms.

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Bush Hogging

About once a month (or so–depends), when it reaches the stage where vigorous brushing doesn’t result in a manageable mass of hair, The Beard begs to be trimmed back. (Yeh, I anthropomorphize the thing. You live with one on and off–but almost entirely on–for 40+ years and darned if you don’t, too. *heh*)

Below, just after stage one of trimming: bush hogging.

Note the “stragglies” (and the flat affect; this is after only one cuppa joe, so available facial expression is very limited). Stragglies require careful attention from barber shears. That’ll wait until after I am fully caffeinated.

BTW, this is as self-identifying as any photo of me anywhere available to the web gets, save for my DL, and it, at least, has some minor (very minor; almost non-existent) limitations on access. Other photos of me on the web (see my favicon for example) are less helpful to those seeking my face, not that anyone not suffering from some sort of traumatic brain damage wants to do so.

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Disturbing the Peace a Bit Too Much

Highly unusual event in America’s Third World County™, today. A homicide in a very peaceful area of the county (which makes it very peaceful indeed). Picture of guy sought looks like an in-mover, so he just might not know what he’s let himself in for. . .

Overall, though, this doesn’t change the county’s standing as one of the safest places in the world. It’s an outlier. Our first homicide (not committed by a LEO–avoiding LEOs is just Good Practice, anyway) in a very, very, very long time.

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That “War on Fats”? Yeh, Bogus

I have found the war on fats to be suspicious for over 40 years, ever since I was notified that my contribution to a fats/diet “study” was thrown out for being too atypical. Seriously: I was asked to come back to have more samples drawn because my blood lipids were too low for their model, given my high fats intake–lots of cream, butter, red meats, eggs, etc., and then was told they couldn’t use my contribution. At least they were “honest” about the dishonesty of the “study”… THAT surprised me. Second time, I was looked at suspiciously, as though I were lying about my diet. *shrugs* What can I say? I’ve always like fat. 🙂

This article is just one more confirmation–of many over the last year or so–that I was right to suspect the “war on fats” to be based on bogus info.