Road Trip.

Thought it was high time I go out to Omaha. Yeah, the one in Nebraska. You know, the state next to Iowa... really, it is.




You bring a bunch of junk food too, right? Yeah, the Junior Mints melted into one Senior Mint on the way there - boo.



The long long drive ended wonderfully with quite a few of these "Moscow Mules". A mix of ginger beer (think strong ginger ale), mixed with vodka, a twist of lime, and served in a "chilling" copper cauldron (think Chester Copperpot).



Nothing beats a night of "mules" like a morning of stainless steel sliding action. These were, IMO, the most popular tourist attraction in the city of Omaha... and for good reason. There's nothing quite like a fast slide. And many of the people in the know knew to bring some waxed paper to place under their heinies. I'm not sure how, but it made the slide faster. If anyone can explain why, I'd love to hear it.


On your way back home, don't forget to stop at the last cheap gas place before IL. As noted, this is the World's Biggest Truck Stop and while I won't deny it... it wasn't the best place from the weekend. I could have used more groceries (I had to go to another place to get traveling food (see first pic)) and there wasn't nearly enough useless crap (i.e. souvenirs).


If you make your way out to "The Big O" anytime soon, let me know, I have some tips and maybe a place to rest your head.

Discuss, Poll #40, eBay.

For those that don't know, I've been an eBayer for some time. I've sold lots of things on this "marketplace", for myself and others. As I began thinking about some new listings, I wondered how many of us had used it. Let's find out, shall we?

Of course, if you have a quick eBay story/score to tell, please share.
And by all means, if you're thinking of selling something, email me first.

Results, Poll #39, Movies.

For someone that used to have a weekly movie matinee night with a good friend (when we both lived and worked in the city) - I wondered if the poor economy would send people to the theaters more or less often. Of course, for some of you "more often" would be more than once a decade...

> 1 person (10%) chose 'today' - i'll admit this was me. we all know why, i think.
> 2 people (20%) chose 'in the last 7 days' - not bad, you must like escaping reality on a regular basis? i'll see you at the Glen for Wednesday's matinee (don't pay normal prices). they do have "mommy matinees" too.
> 3 people (30%) chose 'maybe a month or so' - my guess is that this is probably the American average... but more people chose the next one. Again though, that could be more of an effect of my lack of proper responses.
> 4 people (40%) chose 'i know for sure this year, i think' - wow, someone must really like their couch and really hate people... or maybe the hate is only for high prices and being on the cusp of pop culture?
> Nobody just Netflixs (kind of a surprise)

10 lousy votes this week?! Poop. Must be the economy affecting online surfing. Ahhh, no matter - New poll up now, give it a whirl... it always pays BIG.

Discuss, Poll #39, Movies.

Just saw Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. I think everyone should go see it and then start an emo band. What have you seen lately? Was it any good? Was it worth $10?

Results, Poll #38, Picking.

A bit under the weather this week. Apologies for my delay in posting the new poll and new results. Here's the no-nonsense version:

> 6 people (46%) chose 'yes, as kids' - i think it's high time you get back out there, for old time's sake!!! and for christ's sake!!!
> 4 people (30%) chose 'yeah, lots as kids and now with my kids' (or on your own or with someone elses kids... that you kidnapped) - it's still fun after all these years, isn't it. plus, you know not to eat 5 apples in the car on the way back home, and can teach your children the same... but often let them "explore" this fact on their own.
> 3 people (23%) chose 'one or twice, but not much' - awww, this fall weather is the perfect time to get back out there. i also have it good authority that 'honey crisp' apples are just starting to be picked now too. they're like the crack of apple varieties.
> 0 people (0%) chose 'not really, i go to the store' - nuts, i wasted my final and traditionally most smarmy response for nothing this time. well, at least people have picked something before.

New poll up, go vote!!!

Navigaya.

Thought some of you pro [web] surfers would like to check out an interesting search engine, called Navigaya. After typing in your topic, it shows you the results from multiple search engines, each in their own little screen... kinda cool. There's other things on the home page I haven't even got into yet. I think it might be my go-to search page. I know, that's huge news.

The China Study, Part V, Osteoporosis.

This post doesn't mean I don't like Wisconsin, I promise.

"[Quote] Americans consume more cow's milk and its products per person than most populations in the world. So Americans should have wonderfully strong bones, right? Unfortunately not. A recent study showed that American women aged fifty and older have one of the highest rates of hip fracture in the world. The only countries with higher rates are in Europe and the South Pacific (Australia and New Zealand) where they consume even more milk than the United States. What's going on?

An excess rate of hip fractures is often used as a reliable indicator of osteoporosis, a bone disease that especially affects women after menopause. It is often claimed to be due to an inadequate intake of calcium. Therefore, health policy people often recommend higher calcium consumption. Dairy products are particularly rich in calcium, so the dairy industry eagerly supports efforts to boost calcium consumption. These efforts have something to do with why you were told to drink your milk for strong bones - the politics of which are discussed in Part IV.

Something is amiss, though, because those countries that use the most cow's milk and its products also have the highest fracture rates and the worst bone health. One possible explanation is found in a report showing an impressively strong association between animal protein intake and bone fracture rate for women in different countries. Authored in 1992 by researchers at Yale University School if Medicine, the report summarized data on protein intake and fracture rates taken from thirty-four separate surveys in sixteen countries that were published in twenty-nine peer-reviewed research publications. All of the subjects in these surveys were women fifty years and older. It found that a very impressive 70% of the fracture rate was attributable to the consumption of animal protein.

These researchers explained that animal protein, unlike plant protein, increases the acid load in the body. An increased acid load means that our blood and tissues become more acidic. The body does not like this acidic environment and begins to fight it. In order to neutralize the acid, the body uses calcium, which acts as a very effective base. This calcium, however, must come from somewhere. It ends up being pulled from the bones, and the calcium loss weakens them, putting them at greater risk for fracture."[End quote]

I'd bet most of our moms encouraged/made us drink milk as kids, especially for strong bones. I see my neices suck it down like a walk in the park.