June 26, 2008

Nothing to See Here

I do believe in responsible environmental stewardship, but global warming is another example of our American excesses.  Too many people believe that if an ounce of something is good then five pounds of the same must be eleventy times better.  If something is bad, we must eliminate every possible trace.

Everything we eat is fortified with Vitamin C.  All of our cleaning products are anti-bacterial.  Former industrial real estate must be cleaner than cosmic background radiation would allow. 

Global climate change is another battle of excess.  If pollution is bad, every bit of it must be erased from production and eventually the planet.

That has as much to do with the NIMBY crowd as anything.  Radiation is bad so any amount of radiation is dangerous.  It doesn't matter if it's hidden or contained or buried under a mountain in a desert nobody visits.  It's bad and must be shunned.

But, some things aren't that bad.  Carbon in the atmosphere is a good thing.  It means plants have a great source of nutrition.  It means greater crop yields.  It means healthier, more robust plants.  It means more plants.

Don't buy the hype.  Use your air conditioner, drive your car, barbecue some ribs.  Do what you can to contribute to atmospheric carbon.  The crops will thank you, and they will reward your pocketbook.

The climate won't care so much.  It has bigger things to worry about.

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June 16, 2008

Some Bad Workings. Some Good.

I spent today (and tomorrow) working my ass off for community service.  It was an interesting experience.  I realized within moments of my participation that not one person gave one fucking hoot that I was there.  I was simply a series of letters and numbers, and a tool to be used to accomplish a number of tasks.

I went to the Pride Festival on Saturday.  It was enjoyable.  People saw me.  I have tunnel vision so I didn't see people.

I need to find resonance.  Being an adult is hard.  If you have the manual, please comment.

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June 07, 2008

No Strings Attached

So, I'm not normally one for hook-ups, but I met a cute guy and, yeah, we rolled in the hay.  It was quite fun, in case you're interested.  I don't think he's interested in dating and such which is a shame, because he's sexy and smart and not one of those nelly guys that irritates the hell out of me.

I'm fairly conservative and probably the most shy fellow you're ever likely to meet, but I do like sex.  Every now and then I meet some guy that wants to fuck and I'm not retarded, so we take a trip to the bedroom.

I found this guy to be an interesting experience.  My hook-ups have typically been one night stands where I've actually hoped there might be a relationship and realized I would rather have a roll in the shattered glass.  This was strictly sex.

We chatted for five minutes and fucked for an hour.  End of story.  Guy was comfortable and completely uninhibited.  I was significantly less so. We were responsible and safe.  And it was a heck of a lot of fun.

It brings up an interesting question.  Most every guy likes to have as much sex as he possibly can.  Straight guys I've talked to go for months and even years without having sex (with a partner, that is).  My dry spells typically last for months, but I can live and work at home, spend all of my time with doggy and computer, and still find guys willing to shag like bare-assed baboons.

Again, I'm not one to get nasty with every (or even most) guys I meet, but is it really that hard for guys to find chicks willing to have sex?  If that's the case, I have to admit that being a big flaming homo is fantastic.

Also, what do you do with somebody who doesn't like kissing?  What kind of person doesn't like kissing?

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June 06, 2008

Chinese Beef Stuff

I love to cook and the spicier the better.  This stuff is inferno hot and insanely tasty.  I suppose you could use less of the hot stuff, but I can't imagine why you would.

Anyhow, here it is:

1 each Yellow, Red, Green Bell Pepper
1 large Onion (I prefer the pungent white ones)
1 Habanero Pepper (with seeds)
1.5 cups Chillies de Arbols (the dried red jalapenos)
1 large Sirloin Steak, sliced very thin*
2 tbsp Garlic
Soy Sauce
Fish Sauce
Ginger
Mongolian Fire Oil
Steamed Rice

Prep work takes some effort.  You need to chop everything and have it ready to throw in the hot oil at the right time.  Chop everything into bitey bits (and make the beef as thin as you have patience for; when I'm doing it right, paper thin beef slices are best, but damn, I don't have that much patience).  Heat the oil until it smokes a bit.

And here's the really tricky bit.  You have to cook the garlic, habanero, arbols and about 1/4 of the onion first.  But if you do it wrong, you'll get maced square in the mug.  Seriously, you can trust me and that crumby one-night-stand I needed to get rid of on this one.  Toss the onions, etc. into the hot oil and STAND BACK.  After a few minutes you can step in and stir and saute.  And then you can throw the beef strips into the oil.  In just a minute or two hurl the chopped bell peppers into the pan and stir fry everything for a short bit.

Splash a bit of soy sauce, fish sauce, and ginger into the stuff and give it a few minutes to percolate.  I recommend using 2:1 soy to fish sauce, but it's a matter of taste.

Honk it down with as much rice as you can stand.

* Chicken, pork, or shrimp work as well.  I wouldn't recommend slicing the shrimp.

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June 04, 2008

Umm. DUH!

This article makes me a little angry.  Mostly because it gets me to thinking about two topics that would seem to have blindingly obvious solutions.

First, is germophobia.  The human body is pretty well designed to handle bugs.  In fact, we're supremely equipped to fight off most infections, it's actually a big part of why our species exists at all.

You see, we have several defense mechanisms against infection.  We have preventative measure like the mucous membranes, sneezing, coughing, and runny eyes.  Our bodies cough and snort and honk when something foreign enters our bodies (like ground pepper, or  pet dander).  Over time our biology figures out that these things are not harmful and ignores them.  Sometimes we don't figure that out and end up with an allergy

There is a genetic influence to having allergies (I have them myself, along with eczema), but genetics doesn't explain the increase in reported allergies.  If I could find them, I would link some studies I read a few years ago that suggested environmental sterility was a cause of allergic reactions later in life.  You shouldn't doubt my veracity though, since I've admitted I'm willing to kiss Pete Doherty.  I clearly have no concept of falsification.

Anywho, besides our prevention mechanisms, we have cells and proteins floating around in our bodies that protect us against bacteria and viruses.  Until fairly recent recently, we've maintained a pretty good balance between fighting off  innocuous bugs and suffering from the bad ones.  Today, medical science has given us the tools we need to fight off the bad ones as well.

But we've abused medical science in this regard, especially in the last three decades.  I'm think just old enough to remember how this situation has changed.  I recall a very specific push towards cleanliness and hygiene and public health throughout and since my childhood.

While a few of these ideas make good sense, most of them are just flat out stupid.  If you have sniffles, get a box of tissues and a bottle of bourbon.  It will pass.  Should you have a hairy purple infection growing on your foot?  See a doctor.  How hard is that?  You do not need to sterilize every surface in your house, car, restaurant, grocery store, day care center, school, or church.

If fact (if you promise not to tell), one of my guilty pleasures is encouraging youngsters to eat dirt and stick things up their nose.  I find it to be amusing and a community service.

Superbugs
are more dangerous than their normal cousins and they are becoming more prevalent.  Be responsible and rational.  I know we're talking about your health and your childrens' health, but please.  I don't want to die of meningitis because your brat had a bit of a cough.  Your grandma's technique of soap and water is good enough.  You will not die and neither will your kid.

Hospitals?  Stop it with the wipes.  Use a bucket of soapy water.

more...

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