Edward J. Pluchar - The Blogsplitter

I’m not actually doing this.  Do as I say, not as I do.

In any case, I read this prompt and felt somewhat motivated by it.  It’s a simple idea (presented in a bit of a cheesy way, but consider who is recommending the link).

Though I haven’t been excercising every single day, the concept of an exercise streak has prompted me to exercise more often.  In particular, it has prompted me to make time for exercise, rather than to do it when it’s convenient, or when I feel it’s overdue.

Thus, I have enjoyed a number of runs and walks with my family, and a few runs by myself.  The beautiful weather helps.

This will not be poetry, but Frango Mints deserve a poem.

If you’re a long-time reader, you’ll remember a post I had about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and its observable effects.  I used Snickers as an example.

Frango Mints (available at Macy’s) do not have HFCS.  The ingredients are all natural.

Still, I’ve had all-natural candies and cookies before; even in moderation, many of those will still leave a certain dullness of mind or general lethargy after the initial kick.

Not Frango Mints.  They are as smooth on the mind and body as they are on the tongue.  Of course, the moderation rule still applies - I only have 2 in a sitting.

If you’ve not had the pleasure, consider a trip to the cellar at Macy’s.

I haven’t been to the doctor for at least three years.  While it’s not critical to go regularly at my age, I still want to be proactive.  I’d rather establish a pattern of vigilance than not.

So I went in, had the doctor look at my bumps and talk to me about allergies and such.  Got some free steroids out of it (nasal spray for allergies).

The doctor reiterated that regular check-ups aren’t very important right now, although there are things to keep an eye on.  One of them is cholesterol, so he wrote me up to have my blood tested, because it never has been (that I know of).

The other is testicular cancer.  I was vaguely aware of this, but it’s helpful to be reminded.

Check for bumps, gents!  The doc says the testicles should feel like two smooth hen’s eggs.  I asked, “Just two?”

No I didn’t.

As he spoke about checking, however, he quickly and vaguely said something like, “We may as well check now.”  Yet it wasn’t clear to me that he actually said those words.  It sounded more like, “Blah blah may Ho-hum check now.”  What?

It’s been a while since the checks for hernia, but I mentally prepared myself to drop trow before the appointment.  So, when I heard “…check now,” I quickly jumped off the table and reached to undo my belt.

Then I reflected on the words I thought I heard, in my brain.  I realized, in that instant, that I wasn’t completely sure he was asking me to drop my pants.

So here I am, springing off the examination bed and reaching for my belt, the doctor sitting in a chair in front of me, and suddenly I have to give him a look that says, “Wait - this is what you asked me to do, right?”

He still was not crystal clear about it, but clear enough in his gestures that I followed the standard procedure, and was examined.

(”Gestures” should not be read as though he moved his two hands, palms up, as though miming a juggler).

The, uh, eggs - they’re smooth.

I feel compelled to describe my most recent blood donation to the American Red Cross, a double red donation.

When most people talk about donating blood, they’re talking about giving one unit of “whole” blood - the nurse literally withdraws a pint of blood as it courses through the veins.

Without sounding like I think I know what I’m talking about, I’ll say that whole blood, as far as the Red Cross is concerned, is made up of red blood cells, platelets, and plasma.  They can only safely withdraw one pint because of the body’s need for blood to carry nutrients throughout the body, help maintain body temperature, and so on…

But what I didn’t know, until yesterday, is that somebody takes all of that whole blood and separates it later, in a centrifuge machine, after the blood has been collected and transported (presumably to a lab).  From there, the various components of whole blood can be used in various ways - information on this is readily available.

What the Red Cross can do (and as far as I know, has been able to do for a number of years) is separate one’s whole blood into parts on site, then return the donor’s plasma mixed with saline back into the bloodstream through the same needle.  Thus, behold:  Twice as many red blood cells can be donated at one sitting and, accord to the Red Cross, the procedure is generally more pleasant for the donor than when giving whole blood.

The main reason for this is that the volume of blood circulating in the donor’s body, by the end of the procedure, is roughly equivalent to the volume before the procedure.  The saline provides hydration, which reduces the need to consume liquids afterwards - in fact, when giving whole blood the donor must stay on site for 10-15 minutes after the blood is drawn, while a double red donor may leave immediately after.

What I found compelling to describe is the sensation of the saline and plasma being returned into the body.  Since, in the centrifuge machine, the liquids assimilate themselves to room temperature, they enter the body with a cooling sensation, which immediately felt in the arm.

If you would, clench your jaws, feeling your molars lock in place together.  Still clenched, pick out with your mind the muscles that have become hard with the contraction.  Ok, release.  After a few moments of feeling the chill in my arm, I suddenly felt a chill come over those muscles, and then throughout most of my mouth.  I asked the nurse about this, and she said it was normal - some people feel it all the way from head to toe.  Shortly after she said this, I felt the saline trickle into my neck, and shivered.

As I was leaving, I could taste the saline - not only did I know it was saline for the obvious reason, but because the taste matched the smell.  It’s just what you’d expect.

If you don’t give blood, and you’re eligible to do so, you should.  Whether you currently give blood or not, you should consider a double red donation.  The Red Cross personnel said clearly that it was more beneficial than whole blood donations, since the red cells are usually the critical component in blood transfusions.  More information here.

And, if you are already giving blood and considering the double red donation, also consider that it’ll probably save you time, in the long run - double red donations are usually made by appointment, and while the procedure takes a little longer than a whole blood donation, you give in one sitting what a whole blood donor gives in two sittings.

Somewhere in the oblivion of my spiritual journey, I have encountered steak seasoning before.

Then, we met again, over french fries at Bethlehem Farm.  Very nice.

You should take the next opportunity you have to buy some quality steak seasoning, and you don’t even need to buy any steak!  Try steak seasoning on fries (as mentioned above), eggs, pasta served with olive oil, or just about anything which seems to have a “meaty” consistency, even if it’s not meat.

I’ve got a generic brand here with these ingredients:  Red pepper, garlic, onion, red and green bell peppers, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils, citric acid, mustard seed, chili peppers, and other natural flavors.

Yeah, hydrogenated oils aren’t great for you, but how long are you going to live?  Personally, I make up for it by drinking a bottle of wine at every meal.

Checking up on the latest posts tonight via Google Reader, I clicked on a new post and promptly looked away to my meal for another bite.

When I stuffed my mouth with pasta, I looked back up only to hear Danny making noise off to the side.  So I’m glancing back up at the screen only to glance away pretty quickly, and as a consequence I only see what’s in bold - “U.N. Acquires Nuclear Weapon”

Already turning to look at Danny when this registers, I nearly choke on all that pasta.  WHAT?!

I look back in disbelief, reading the fainter excerpt of the first line, “Tremble before the might of this cooperative assembly of appointed representatives,”…Then realized something is up.

So I look up - It’s the Onion.  They tried to steal a kid’s father before the kid was even born.

That figures, though, since onions make people cry.

I am now drinking pop, and with some consistency!

To some, this will be interesting (I haven’t had pop with any consistency since senior year of high school), and to others, blasphemy!  But hear me out!

These aren’t the typical pops you see in the store - these are from the natural section.  Yep - they’re all natural (I know the ingredients!) and brewed in small batches.  No HFCS (high fructose corn syrup, for the newbies).

I’ve been laying into the Ginger Ale, to ease my stomach sickness, which is brewed with actual ginger plants and made with evaporated cane juice (as sweetener).  The crisp, spicy taste of the ginger and the natural sweetness are very pleasing.

Tonight - Ginseng Cola!  Yes, they’ve brewed a cola with ginseng, which is apparently one positive side effect away from being a miracle drug.  Just imagine if it encouraged erections!

Alas, here I am, finished with the cola, and pleased.  With no headache.

The brand appears to be “Natural Brew,” and they boast of their handcrafted production.  See what you can come up with!

If there were any doubts that my readership extends into the hundreds of thousands, witness!  Cynthia1770 has voiced her agreement with my opinion of High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Next we’ll have XObama2008X writing to talk political strategy, or maybe foreign policy!

For now, see that Cynthia has provided further information on High Fructose Corn Syrup.  I skimmed through the link she offered, but it’s pretty dense in geek-speak.  You might like it, Neal, since you are allegedly familiar with chemistry and such.

Notice that Cynthia found me through a Google alert.  I feel sure someone will soon find Siko’s blog under a different “keyword.”

Cynthia1770
papierniak2004@yahoo.com | 99.140.226.117

Hi,
I picked up your post with my google HFCS alert. Yes, HFCS has invaded
our food supply. Courtesy of the Corn Refiners Assoc., go to
http://www.corn.org/NSFC2006.pdf P29-30 list all the foods and products
that contain HFCS. StopHFCS.com lists foods that are HFCS-free.
European import stores are a good bet because Europe wisely doesn’t
allow GMO foods which safely eliminates HFCS.
Take care.

My mother, brother, and I have suffered from migraine headaches for years.  I’m sure I had such headaches from a fairly young age, and I can specifically remember a migraine I suffered at a community picnic at 8 years old, until I finally vomitted, and thereafter recovered.

I am now convinced that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS from now on) has been a major culprit.  Things like exposure to the sun, extended physical exertion, and other eating habits certainly contribute, but I have noticed that HFCS almost immediately throws my brain chemistry off-balance.

Try this, for an example - next time you’re hungry between meals, eat a candy bar like Snickers.  An hour or so later, eat an organic carrot, or some strawberries.  You’ll feel better after eating the natural foods, but you might also notice that the candy bar made you feel worse than you did before eating it (I emphasize eating between meals because you likely won’t eat anything else, giving you the full effects of the HFCS).

A further demonstration from personal experience:  Starting in college I became unable to stomach pop, because it almost invariably caused a headache.  I first thought it was due to the caffeine, but in the last year or two I have grown accustomed to sweet tea and even certain coffee flavored drinks, so caffeine can’t be the issue.  Thus, I began to experiment.

It turns out that I can stomach pop made by the Mennonites in Kudztown, Pennsylvania, because they use only sugar in their drinks - no HFCS.  Furthermore, I have a hard time with teas and coffee drinks that use HFCS instead of sugar alone, which seems to ratify my theory, at least for my own body.

I should also add, as aluded to above, that I have added a significant amount of fruits and vegetables to my diet, frequently meeting the RDA of 5-9 servings daily.  V8 is a wonderful thing to acclimate one’s tongue to, and I’m sure a more balanced diet has done my body good (as obvious as that will sound).

The result is that migraines afflict me less frequently, and I can usually predict when they’ll start based on what I’m doing and what I eat.  Marcy says I’m unusually sensitive to the effect things have on my body, but I think most people will realize a significant difference in energy level and mental acuity if they start by cutting HFCS out of their diets.