To New Heights

It's off to Durango tomorrow to take the son to college. The ex-husband and I will stay till Sunday, then the now-adult child will begin his life as a semi-independent human being. (I say semi-independent because he isn't yet paying his own bills, but he will be co-ordinating his own life.) It's a good thing, it's a positive thing, he did damn good in school, he's grown up now, and I'm proud of him. But I will miss him like hell and am already manifesting all sorts of horrid physical issues because I'm actually more upset than I'll show on the surface.
If Michael decides he wants to eventually make a life in Durango, I know that I will someday move there too. Because when he has kids, I want to be there to help raise them. I'm not one of those fuddy duddies that thinks that "mommies have to stay home until their children are 35" or something like that, but kids are in day care way too much. Families tend to end up spread apart from each other. Even though unless I catch a lucky break I'll have to work till I'm 70, the one good thing a nursing license does is gives me some freedom as far as finding a job with hours that work, so I'll be able to help out. Why give a day care center the money to do what Grandma can do for free, after all?
I know it's a way in the future (I should hope at least until after he gets his bachelor's degree!) but it is a likely thing in the future, and if there's one thing I wish I'd learned earlier, it's PLAN AHEAD, DAMN IT!
As far as marriage goes, I hope my son gets it right the first time. Well, I never got married a second time, but I didn't get it right the first time. It's just that after a myriad of hideous boyfriends following the divorce, I finally said "fuck it!"
My ex and I got married too fast and for the wrong reasons. We were desperate to escape our controlling parents' influence, which we never really did, and their interference probably contributed to busting up our marriage, although he is quite capable of being a butthead all on his own. I, of course, am without fault.
All that aside, I'm a train wreck emotionally right now. I'm not showing it to my son, but I'm pretty well falling to pieces.
Parenthood--it ain't for sissies. You won't be any good at it if you don't give a shit about your kids, but if you do, it will give you gray hair and kill you with worry! Least that's how I see it, anyway.
Up, up, and away to new and greater things for my son.
I tell you, he was a little kid just yesterday...

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Death to Hackers!

The Cheese's computer was infected by a virus. I've cleaned up enough of the mess that it's usable again, but the source of the infection is still in there. I'm waiting for this software to finish scanning all the places on my computer that its tentacles could be reaching. So far this has taken three hours. I wasn't able to use the computer at all yesterday. The biggest places that these malware programs masquerading as "Anti Spyware" programs are found is gaming sites and porn sites. I do affiliate work with both. I know better than to download any videos or files from non-trusted sites, but thought that I was being asked to download a legitimate software plug, such as comes from Microsoft or Adobe or such. Instead I end up with something called AntiSpyCheck invading my computer. It caused all sorts of problems and I spent most of yesterday looking for a solution. I was stupid. Paranoia when using the computer is far from unwarranted! What these "software companies" who make these products do should be illegal. They are no better than playground bullies extorting other kids for milk money. Do not spend one dime on AntiSpyCheck. It is malware, pure and simple. A legitimate program would never install itself without permission.
I am evaluating AVG Anti-Virus and Spy Hunter. I wish they'd finish scanning already!

You Need to Know

I also published this on the Medical Hodgepodge blog.

This article originally found on MSNBC. I'm passing it on in its whole form because I think it's important and relevant. I do NOT claim to have written it.

8 Drugs Doctors Would Never Take
If they won't use these medications, why should you?
By Morgan Lord, Men's Health

Prescription For Danger?
With 3,480 pages of fine print, the Physicians' Desk Reference (a.k.a. PDR) is not a quick read. That's because it contains every iota of information on more than 4,000 prescription medications. Heck, the PDR is medication — a humongous sleeping pill.

Doctors count on this compendium to help them make smart prescribing decisions — in other words, to choose drugs that will solve their patients' medical problems without creating new ones. Unfortunately, it seems some doctors rarely pull the PDR off the shelf. Or if they do crack it open, they don't stay versed on emerging research that may suddenly make a once-trusted treatment one to avoid. Worst case: You swallow something that has no business being inside your body.

Of course, plenty of M.D.'s do know which prescription and over-the-counter drugs are duds, dangers, or both. So we asked them, "Which medications would you skip?" Their list is your second opinion. If you're on any of these meds, talk to your doctor. Maybe he or she will finally open that big red book with all the dust on it.

Advair
It's asthma medicine... that could make your asthma deadly. Advair contains the long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) salmeterol. A 2006 analysis of 19 trials, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that regular use of LABAs can increase the severity of an asthma attack. Because salmeterol is more widely prescribed than other LABAs, the danger is greater — the researchers estimate that salmeterol may contribute to as many as 5,000 asthma-related deaths in the United States each year. In 2006, similarly disturbing findings from an earlier salmeterol study prompted the FDA to tag Advair with a "black box" warning — the agency's highest caution level.

Your New Strategy
No matter what you may have heard, a LABA, such as the one in Advair, is not the only option, says Philip Rodgers, Pharm.D., a clinical associate professor at the University of North Carolina school of pharmacy. For instance, if you have mild asthma, an inhaled corticosteroid such as Flovent is often all you need. Still wheezing? "Patients can also consider an inhaled corticosteroid paired with a leukotriene modifier," says Dr. Rodgers. This combo won't create dangerous inflammation, and according to a Scottish review, it's as effective as a corticosteroid-and-LABA combo.

Avandia
Diabetes is destructive enough on its own, but if you try to control it with rosiglitazone — better known by the brand name Avandia — you could be headed for a heart attack. Last September, a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study found that people who took rosiglitazone for at least a year increased their risk of heart failure or a heart attack by 109 percent and 42 percent, respectively, compared with those who took other oral diabetes medications or a placebo.

The reason? While there have been some reports that Avandia use may cause dangerous fluid retention or raise artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, no one is sure if these are the culprits. That's because the results of similar large studies have been mixed. So the FDA has asked GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Avandia, to conduct a new long-term study assessing users' heart risks. There's only one problem: The study isn't expected to start until later this year.

Your New Strategy
Stick with a proven performer. "I prefer metformin, an older, cheaper, more dependable medication," says Sonal Singh, M.D., the lead author of the JAMAstudy. "Avandia is now a last resort." Dr. Singh recommends that you talk to your doctor about cholesterol-lowering medicines, such as statins or the B vitamin niacin. Swallowing high doses (1,000 milligrams) of niacin daily may raise your HDL (good) cholesterol by as much as 24 percent, while at the same time lowering your LDL and triglyceride levels.

Celebrex
Once nicknamed "super aspirin," Celebrex is now better known for its side effects than for its pain-relieving prowess. The drug has been linked to increased risks of stomach bleeding, kidney trouble, and liver damage. But according to a 2005 New England Journal of Medicine study, the biggest threat is to your heart: People taking 200 mg of Celebrex twice a day more than doubled their risk of dying of cardiovascular disease. Those on 400 mg twice a day more than tripled their risk, compared with people taking a placebo.

And yet Celebrex, a COX-2 inhibitor, is still available, even though two other drugs of that class, Bextra and Vioxx, were pulled off the market due to a similar risk of heart damage. The caveat to the consumer? In 2004, the FDA advised doctors to consider alternatives to Celebrex.

Your New Strategy
What you don't want to do is stop swallowing Celebrex and begin knocking back ibuprofen, because regular use of high doses of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding. A safer swap is acupuncture. A German study found that for people suffering from chronic lower-back pain, twice-weekly acupuncture sessions were twice as effective as conventional treatments with drugs, physical therapy, and exercise. The strategic needling may stimulate central-nervous-system pathways to release the body's own painkillers, including endorphins and enkephalins, says Duke University anesthesiologist Tong-Joo Gan, M.D. You can find a certified acupuncturist in your area at medicalacupuncture.org/findadoc/index.html.

CONTINUED: More input for your second opinion.

Ketek
Most bacteria in the lungs and sinuses don't stand a chance against Ketek, but you might not either. This antibiotic, which has traditionally been prescribed for respiratory-tract infections, carries a higher risk of severe liver side effects than similar antibiotics do. "Ketek can cause heart-rhythm problems, can lead to liver disease, and could interact poorly with other medications you may be taking," says Dr. Rodgers. "Unfortunately, it's still available, and although many doctors are aware of the risks, some may still prescribe it without caution." In February 2007, the FDA limited the usage of Ketek to the treatment of pneumonia.

Your New Strategy
Can't imagine catching pneumonia? The last time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated the top 10 killers of men, this deadly lung infection (along with the flu) came in seventh. Avoid backing yourself into a corner where you might need Ketek by always signing up for your annual flu shot — if you have pneumonia, it'll reduce your risk of dying of the infection by 40 percent. And if you still end up staring at a scrip for Ketek, Dr. Rodgers recommends asking to be treated with one of several safer alternatives, such as Augmentin or the antibiotics doxycycline or Zithromax.

Prilosec and Nexium
Heartburn can be uncomfortable, but heart attacks can be fatal, which is why the FDA has investigated a suspected link between cardiac trouble and the acid-reflux remedies Prilosec and Nexium. In December 2007, the agency concluded that there was no "likely" connection. Translation: The scientific jury is still out. In the meantime, there are other reasons to be concerned. Because Prilosec and Nexium are proton-pump inhibitors, they are both incredibly effective at stopping acid production in the stomach — perhaps too effective.

A lack of acid may raise your risk of pneumonia, because the same stuff that makes your chest feel as if it's burning also kills incoming bacteria and viruses. You may also have an elevated risk of bone loss — in the less acidic environment, certain forms of calcium may not be absorbed effectively during digestion. "The risk of a fracture has been estimated to be over 40 percent higher in patients who use these drugs long-term, and the risk clearly increases with duration of therapy," says Dr. Rodgers.

Your New Strategy
When you feel the fire, first try to extinguish it with Zantac 150 or Pepcid AC. Both of these OTC products work by blocking histamine from stimulating the stomach cells that produce acid. Just know that neither drug is a long-term fix.

"To really cure the problem, lose weight," says Michael Roizen, M.D., chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic and coauthor of YOU: The Owner's Manual. That's because when you're overweight, excess belly fat puts pressure on and changes the angle of your esophagus, pulling open the valve that's supposed to prevent stomach-acid leaks. This in turn makes it easier for that burning sensation to travel up into your chest.

Visine Original
What possible harm to your peepers could come from these seemingly innocuous eyedrops? "Visine gets the red out, but it does so by shrinking blood vessels, just like Afrin shrinks the vessels in your nose," says Thomas Steinemann, M.D., a spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Overuse of the active ingredient tetrahydrozoline can perpetuate the vessel dilating-and-constricting cycle and may cause even more redness.

Your New Strategy
If you still want to rely on Visine, at least make sure you don't use too many drops per dose and you don't use the stuff for more than 3 or 4 days. But you'd really be better off figuring out the underlying cause of the redness and treating that instead. If it's dryness, use preservative-free artificial tears, recommends Dr. Steinemann. Visine Pure Tears Portables is a good choice for moisture minus side effects. On the other hand, if your eyes are itchy and red because of allergies, pick up OTC antiallergy drops, such as Zaditor. It contains an antihistamine to interrupt the allergic response but no vasoconstrictor to cause rebound redness.

Pseudoephedrine
Forget that this decongestant can be turned into methamphetamine. People with heart disease or hypertension should watch out for any legitimate drug that contains pseudoephedrine. See, pseudoephedrine doesn't just constrict the blood vessels in your nose and sinuses; it can also raise blood pressure and heart rate, setting the stage for vascular catastrophe. Over the years, pseudoephedrine has been linked to heart attacks and strokes. "Pseudoephedrine can also worsen symptoms of benign prostate disease and glaucoma," says Dr. Rodgers.

Your New Strategy
Other OTC oral nasal decongestants can contain phenylephrine, which has a safety profile similar to pseudoephedrine's. A 2007 review didn't find enough evidence that phenylephrine was effective. Our advice: Avoid meds altogether and clear your nasal passages with a neti pot, the strangely named system that allows you to flush your sinuses with saline ($15, sinucleanse.com). University of Wisconsin researchers found that people who used a neti pot felt their congestion and head pain improve by as much as 57 percent. Granted, the flushing sensation is odd at first, but give it a chance. Dr. Roizen did: "I do it every day after I brush my teeth," he says.

More About Medications on MSN Health & Fitness

Are Generic Drugs Safe?
Rx for Safety
The Health Mistake Too Many Americans Make

The Monkey You See When You Drink Too Much

Ron's Redeeming Deed

It's 1985, and President Reagan is wondering where his ice cream is

I found the years that Ronald Reagan was in office to be quite scary, although I must say the political satire of the time was some of the best. Ronald Reagan had been in office four years when I first became eligible to vote and while I don't really remember that much about Walter Mondale, I remember thinking "I have to vote for him because if we don't get Reagan out of there we all may end up nuked to hell." I dreamed about getting nuked several times during the Reagan presidency. This had nothing to do with anything I might or might not have inhaled at the time--I swear it!

There was a joke circulating during Reagan's reign that went a little bit something like this:

2000 years ago Moses said "grab your shovel, load up your ass and mount your camel. We're going to find the promised land."

2000 years later, FDR said "lay down your shovel, light up your Camel and sit on your ass. This is the promised land."

With Reagan, he will take your shovel, sell your camel, kick you in the ass, and tell you that there is no promised land.

I also found a couple pages of quotes from Reagan. Here's the first and here's the second. A couple were actually amusing. Some made me realize that we had good reason to fear this man being in office.

I didn't know this at the time, but Reagan did one very good thing while he was in office. He made July national ice cream month and the third Sunday of July national ice cream day. I figure if I ever run for office I will create the Ice Cream Party, and the first thing I will do is to outlaw that crappy lowfat ice cream. What the hell is the sense of eating ice cream without the cream? The low fat stuff only uses higher amounts of high fructose corn syrup to enhance the flavor that is lost, which is not in any way healthy. My campaign motto will be "freedom from crappy ice cream!"

I found a whole article about ice cream, including Ron's redeeming deed, here.

A lobster with ice cream: an appealing bit of East Coast culture, or something far, far more sinister?

This was a very interesting and educational read, but it left me fearing. Not for the fact that Bush is in office. Not for the fact that McCain could be in office come next year. But for the fact that there is such a thing as lobster ice cream. Be afraid--be very afraid!

In all due sincerity, I've actually never had lobster ice cream. It's just weird enough that I might like it, and in my radioactive nightmares of the Reagan era, the lobsters being used would have had four claws, eighteen legs, glowing eyes, and gone around muttering "dod-a-chik" and "did-a-chum" like the malevolent crustaceans in Stephen King's Dark Tower books. I have had crab ice cream and I did like it. It just goes to show, you never know what's possible in a world where crab ice cream can taste good and Ronald Reagan actually did something that didn't threaten to leave us all nuked, homeless, or both.

Stupid Spoiled Whores Aplenty

I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually watched the movie about the "Fab Five Texas Cheerleader Scandal."

It reminded me of this:

Go here and click "watch the Full Episode" to get more Stupid Spoiled Whore action!

I hope all you fellows out there will take this quiz!

Which 1950's PIN-UP Girl are you?? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Betty Grable Betty Grable 56% Mae West 44% Jayne Mansfield 38% Betty Page 38% Mariyln Monroe 31% Audrey Hepburn 25%

I actually think I'm more like Mae West due to my snarky manner and full-figured shape!

Dating Tips for the Dumb

This is actually a pretty good article. It made me chuckle--except for I think I've dealt with every one of these guys--and I've never even tried to get a date online! They come to me. Why, I'll never know. Just lucky, I guess.

10 Fatal Online Dating Errors That Men Make
Mistakes that men make

By David Wygant Special to Yahoo! Personals Updated: Aug 1, 2008

Some men have absolutely NO sense of etiquette when they're trying to contact women online. During all my years of coaching, women have told me some amazing things men have written to them in emails.
Many men feel they can just say anything in an email when they are trying to get a woman to go out with them. If they said those same things to a woman in a bar or on the street, they might get arrested, or at least slapped. But when they're hiding behind the secrecy of their computer, too many men get abrasive and crude.
Here's my list of 10 things NEVER to do when you're online trying to get a woman to go out with you. Some of these are obvious; some you'll swear I'm making up! But all of them are things men actually do.

Top 10 email turnoffs for women
1. Don't ask her how much she weighs or what her measurements are. You might as well just tell her you only want to sleep with her and you have no interest in getting to know her, because that's what she's going to think if you ask her this.

2. Don't email her seven times asking her why she hasn't responded to your first email. Women get far more email than men do, so you need to be patient.
Instead of harassing her, relax and be confident that she's going to respond to you.

3. Don't ask her how many other dates she's been on from Yahoo! Personals. How many other dates someone has been on is not important. What is important is finding out whether the two of you click when you hang out.

4. Don't send her a nasty email if she hasn't responded to you after several emails. It's her prerogative whether or not she desires to be in contact with you. If she doesn't want to meet you, why get angry and nasty? There are plenty of other women out there who you can contact.

5. Don't ask her if she wants to have sex with you on the second email exchange, and don't send her dirty pictures of you. Women are all about connecting with their minds. Just because you're looking for a quick fling, that doesn't mean she's going to respond.

6. If she gives you her phone number, don't wait a week to call her. By extension, if you do wait a week to call her and she doesn't call you back, don't be shocked. Women have many options online. If she gives you her phone number, I suggest calling her that day. It keeps the momentum going.

7. When asking for more pictures, do so without any references to "Can you please send me a picture so I can see your body?"
Ask her if she'd like to exchange more pictures, which means you send some and she sends some. Several women have complained to me that men ask them to send pictures of themselves in bikinis or other such things, so that men can see their body. Men, don't do this!

8. Don't get offended if she doesn't want to talk to you on the phone right away and/or wants to talk to you via email first to get to know you. You need to be flexible and open to her suggestions. Sometimes you may need to email back and forth for a week, and sometimes she'll give you her phone number right away. Either way, don't be rude.

9. Do not email-stalk her.
Many of my women clients have complained to me about men who will email them several times a day for three weeks, until they are forced to block emails from those men. Men, she got your email the very first time. She just may have chosen not to open it. By sending emails several times a day, not only are you turning her off, you're freaking her out! You've become an online stalker. That's a guarantee she'll never go out with you.

10. Don't send cut-and-paste emails. When connecting with her for the very first time, don't cut and paste an email message in July that you've been sending out for six months with a tagline that says, "I love the holidays." By doing that, she knows you didn't read her profile - and that you're really, really lazy!

Want to find out what works, check my Daily Dating Blog. If you need any more online dating tips, email me. I have another batch in my blog waiting for you to devour. I always enjoy hearing your comments.
What are women's fatal online dating errors? See them here

For more fun with online stalking, and an example of a way to never, ever, ever approach a woman, take a look at my experience with the world's dumbest con artist.

Here is the bulk of the great (ONE SIDED) cyber-tryst

And here's the sad "dear Dork" letter from when I'd had enough bullshit

An Explosive Dining Experience

To read the fartastic menu plan at my place of employment for next Saturday, click here. It's a real blast from the ass if I do say so myself!

Too Hot

Looks tasty, don't it?

What more mundane topic is there than the weather? Yet this seems anything but mundane if you're in the middle of something severe. Drought isn't acute like a hurricane or tornado or such, but it can be quite serious. Especially if you're a farmer. There hasn't been rain here since late May to the best of my recollection, and there wasn't very much rain in the spring. The temperatures have been high, over 100 degrees. They say it will be in the 80's and will rain on Tuesday. I'll believe it when I see it. Hell, I'll go out and dance the jig of joy in it.

On a totally different hot subject, I hate these drecky, unrealistic romantic scenes in movies. See, when you're getting busy, there will always be this soundtrack that starts playing. And everything will be perfectly choreographed. And it will look pretty. The truth is, people messing around actually doesn't look pretty, it looks ridiculous. Which is why most of us don't invite others into our bedroom when we're getting busy, and you're damn silly if you believe that either pornos or romantic scenes from mainstream movies are at all realistic!
Although there was that one porno with the round bed covered by the cheezy zebra print blanket. The main star, one Tony Everhard, brought his partners to get busy on this bed. The bed squeaked through the whole film. I don't think I've laughed so hard in years--and I doubt that's what Tony wanted! The film was called Funky Diva, and it just went to show that black people look just as silly having sex as white people do--but they have a funkier soundtrack!

At least tentatively

The Hub will reopen soon. It will be just as lame as ever. But that's how it goes. More stupid memes, more barely political opinions, and above all, really cosmically useless shit. It's what the Hub is all about!