Mouse Farts in a Wind Tunnel

April 26, 2003

SARS much more deadly than first estimated

Heh. I was just at my pulmonologist's office yesterday and asked the nurse whether they were taking any particular precautions against SARS. She said that they weren't yet. She works there part-time, and she said that every time she came to work, she asked about it. She seemed to think that they wouldn't unless it became more prevalent in the area.

Of course, what can you do about a respiratory virus at a pulmonologist's? Everyone has the symptoms; that's why they are there in the first place, only they are being treated for asthma, tuberculosis, emphsema, and a variety of other things that make it very hard to breathe. She said that it reminded her of the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. She was working in a trauma hospital in Las Vegas at the time and they did not respond to AIDS for a long time. Of course, when they did, it was a wild swing in the opposite direction, gowned and covered from head to foot. I remember those days, before anything was known about HIV.

Definitely a much more interesting conversation that I usually have when I go to see a doctor. Her hands sure were cold, though.

The doctor said he was thinking about going to the Dorothy Lane Cooking School. That was also more than marginally interesting, mainly because it reminded me oof the school's existence.

I got a copy of the doctor's new Privacy Policy while I was there. I was somewhat alarming, to tell the truth. Not because I am particularly worried about someone wanting to know about my health. Just ask me and I'll bore you to death. No, it was this particular clause that makes me somewhat paranoid:

We may use or disclose your personal health information to the extent that such use or disclosure is required by law and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law. Examples of instances in which we are required to disclose your personal health information include: (blah, blah, blah the usual suspects, such as disclosure in case of suspected abuse, disclosure in accordance with government benefit programs, etc.) (j) national security and intelligence activities, protective services of the President and others; (k) medical suitability determinations that are components of the Department of State; (blah blah a couple more).

I suppose I was laboring under the misapprehension that my medical records were private, but of course, this is America in 2003. The right to medical privacy has been slowly eaten away by insurance and pharmaceutical companies until the clauses that give them the right to my information don't even stand out against what is presumably meant to be anti-terrorist access, but which is open to much wider use and abuse.

Is it just me, or does protective services of the President sound like secret police?

link via metafilter

posted by el goose on 4/26/2003 10:55:10 AM | link

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April 24, 2003

I think that Amazon.com has some really nice kitchenware, and since I've been building from nothing, I'm in hog heaven. As with everything, if it seems like too good a deal, it probably is. However, I got this 9-inch stoneware au gratin and I have to say yay! It came today and it's so cute I could just scream!


I only have one, but now I want a whole set! Au gratin potatoes for everyone!

posted by el goose on 4/24/2003 04:32:02 PM | link

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April 23, 2003

Cooking again the past couple of days. I can't remember if I have put this recipe up before or not, and I'm too lazy to look. I have no idea why it's considered Romanian. Because of the tomato juice and the sourness of the sauerkraut, it's sort of gazpacho-ish, but really is better warm than cold.

Romanian Sauerkraut Soup

1 carrot, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
½ - 1 green pepper, chopped (to taste - I'm not big on the green bell pepper creature)
3 T uncooked rice
3 ½ c sauerkraut (I use a big jar of Gundelsheim Barrel Sauerkraut, which is easily available here, and well worth it)
2 cans beef broth
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 c water
1 big can tomato juice (48 oz.)
½ t salt
¼ t pepper

Saute carrot, onion and green pepper in oil. Add rice and stir until rice begins to turn transparent. Add sauerkraut and keep stirring. Add broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and heat. Add tomato juice. Heat to boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Puree and serve. Garnish with dollop of sour cream if desired. Makes 4-5 quarts.

I also made this, late last night, in a fit for some comfort food:

Tuna Noodle Casserole

3 ¾ c (6 oz.) uncooked egg noodles
2 cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
¾ c milk
¼ c sliced green olives

Cook noodles in boiling water 4-5 minutes, drain. Combine noodles, tuna, soup, cheese milk and olives. Turn into 2.5 quart casserole. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Since it's comfort food, I use more shredded cheese than is called for in the recipe (which came from the back of the noodle bag) and then sprinkle some on top, too. I expect that the amount of cheese is in direct proportion to the amount of comfort desired. All I know is that I've already eaten the whole thing. Mmmmmm.

posted by el goose on 4/23/2003 04:23:29 PM | link

I don't know why I'm so fascinated by internet personality quizzes besides sheer self-centeredness. It's all about me. It's all about my neurosis! But at least I can try to be entertaining while totally self-consumed...

So which fairy tale archetype are you? Hmm??
made by Michelle at EmptySpace.

posted by el goose on 4/23/2003 03:30:19 PM | link

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April 22, 2003

I finished Paradise Alley by Kevin Baker earlier this week. Set against the background of the New York Draft Riots of 1863, it tells the intertwined stories of three households in Paradise Alley of New York's squalid Fourth Ward. The historical detail is wonderful, flashing back to the Irish potato famine and the escape of a ship-building slave to New York. I was in the mood for something that gave me smelly old New York at its worst, and this novel pretty much filled the bill.

The most interesting character in the story is smelly old New York itself, followed closely by the mob that rampages through the city's streets, burning, looting and lynching. The supposed-main characters are actually a sentimental mishmosh, with the proud made humble and the selfless made martyrs. This follows the patterns of the type of 19th-century popular American fiction referred to throughout the novel. This level of self-reference is the most interesting narrative characteristic about the novel itself, which otherwise swoops backwards and forwards in time in short-story-like nuggets of chapters. This makes it an easy book to set down and pick up, as there is little genuine suspense until the very end.

An enjoyable read, but little that will stick for long.

posted by el goose on 4/22/2003 01:29:15 PM | link

Wierd Blogger shit going on here -- it's happened before when I've been posting around midnight. The dates get out of order and everything gets frapped up. I should just stop while I'm only marginally behind.

posted by el goose on 4/22/2003 02:14:44 AM | link

So now I'll try to get back to what passes for normal on my blog (and in my life). Dinner tonight -- Masur Dal. Mmmmm.

This is the recipe I had:

1 cup masur dal (red lentils)
3 1/2 cups water
1 inch ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash the dal well and drain. Boil the water and add the dal, salt, turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the dal cooks, heat the oil in a skillet and add the cumin. Fry until golden brown and add onions. Stir until onions start to brown. When the dal is done, pour the contents of the skillet into the dal and heat on low heat, until the dal thickens.

I also added 1/8 tsp. of cayenne pepper to the oil, and after the onion/spice mix was added to the dal, I also threw in a can of diced tomatoes. Eat with basmati rice. Fight the dogs off, because they love love love rice and lentily things and tasty food in general.

posted by el goose on 4/22/2003 02:13:35 AM | link

Fanfiction never fails to amaze me: The Law and Order/Dark Shadows/X-Files crossover universe.

Worse than you can possibly imagine, and not just because there are multiple authors and a meandering serial format. No, not just because.

posted by el goose on 4/22/2003 01:18:40 AM | link

Top Geek: my friend John.

posted by el goose on 4/22/2003 12:21:23 AM | link

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