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Okay, I might be exaggerating.
Last week I wore a heart monitor for two days. Now, don't get all freaked out, I'm okay, just a few skipped heart beats... But the heart monitor was worse than the skipped beats. The whole process is a bit like torture. I certainly looked like I'd been tortured after a couple of days of wearing the thing.
First you go in and take off your top, bra, etc. Then they put clamp-type things on you and do a quick ECG. Then they SANDPAPER the skin on your chest. No joke, real sandpaper. Then they stick the suction cup thingys with the wires on you and tape them down. They hook everything up to the monitor, make sure it's on and working, and then sent you on your way.
Here's a picture of the monitor and an old hairy guy wearing it (no, that's not a picture of me!).
I ended up with marks that looked like hickeys where the wires chafed against me. Of course, I also had a reaction to the tape they used. Under the tape and where the sandpaper had scratched me I came up with welts. It felt like someone had splashed acid on my chest. It was burning burning. Super painful and annoying itchy-painful-burning feeling. I got them to take off the tape the next day when I went in, but I still have marks days later.
Needless to say it was not a good experience. I didn't even have any of the symptoms during the two days I was wearing the thing, so it seems like it was a bit pointless. I don't know if they still analyse the results, but I don't think there will be anything unusual. If I get a report back, I'll let you all know...
Posted by Me @ 02:24PM [Link]
A few thought provoking quotes (from various different articles) in the Globe and Mail this morning:
"We've all heard some of the first reports, and it sounds... almost inconceivable that certain things could happen this way" - US General Richard Meyers chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
"The early reports that one gets are always changed... They're always wrong" - US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
"I'm sure a lot of people there are in the mode of shoot first and ask questions later" - David Steigman, a former military officer who is now an analyst with Teal Group, a Virginia-based avaiation consullting company
"Look, the point is, of course, that accidents happen, that war is confusion writ large... The wonder is that anything goes right" - Jack Granastein, military historian and former director of the Canadian War Museum
"I'm not sure there's any difference between friendly fire and hostile fire. It's all bad." - US 191st Ordnance Battalion chaplain Terry Jarvis
"We play with stuff that kills people" - unidentified US military spokesman [emphasis added]
It makes you wonder why we pay to let them play with their deadly toys.
Posted by Me @ 09:23AM [Link]
Not that I'm complaining. Today was perfect. Low humidity, 29 degrees celsius, sunny. Gorgeous.
But two weeks ago we had 10cm of snow.
I don't know what we'll do when the weather starts getting even funkier. I've heard most of the arguments saying that global warming isn't happening - that's right folks, it's all just a big hoax - or that it is hapenning but it won't make much difference. Often, the argument I've heard is that we had more of a temperature change in the last ice age, or that there was more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere when the dinosaurs were around. Yah, like that was a good time to be alive. huh. I just don't believe the arguments against it. Regardless of weather C02 is "natural", regardless of the politics involved, regardless of the uncertainty of the models... we just need to quit spewing out so much junk. We need to kick our dependance on fossil feuls (they won't last forever you know). We need to be a lot more careful about the environment. If global warming does turn out to be a hoax, and we end up with enviro-friendly, sustainable energy sources, the money spent on reducing CO2 will be money well spent.
But I think that global warming is real. There's tons of info out there about it so I'm not going to repeat it here. But the weather does seem to be getting more and more crazy.
We should be doing more to slow the trend to higher temperatures. The US should ratify the Kyoto accord. At the very least we should all stick to the accords and agreements that we've already agreed to. Maybe we should stop trying to weasel out of them by trying to scare up "extra credits" and do our fair share. Shame on us Canadians! And quit trying to say that it costs too much. I'm sorry, but not doing anything will cost WAY more.
We should put a lot more money and effort into finding and (making affordable) green energy alternatives. The new Honda Civic Hybrid is a good start. These energy alternatives should be subsidised for developing countries. Imagine what it would be like if the whole world used as many resources as we in the West do. Subsidising green energy for developing countries will benefit all of us. Let's quit farting around and make the world a better place instead of letting it become a complete sinkhole.
'Cause I'm just not ready for 30 degree weather in January - unless I'm on vacation ;)
Posted by Me @ 11:01PM [Link]
This is an edited version of a post I made to the chat list on evolt
If you are travelling on an extended vacation/trip there are some very important precautions to take that will make your life a lot easier if you have an emergency.
These tips come from personal experience. My parents (50-somethings) are on a year-long round the world trip. First they were in a terrible motorcycle accident in Thailand. They both had fairly serious injuries and I had to go take care of them in Thailand (not my idea of a fun trip in the sun!). It took two months to recover before they could continue on their trip. They're now in New Zealand and my mom has discovered that she has gallstones and now has to have an emergency operation to remove her gallbladder. She's in Christchurch, New Zealand. A long way from home (Toronto). As my mom wrote in an email they are "INTREPID travellers" and still have a sense of humour about it all. My mom jokes that she's doing research by trying out the health care systems in all the countries she visits to see which type of system is best!
Be careful out there. Be prepared for the worst and expect the best. Oh yah.. and have fun on your holiday!
Posted by Me @ 04:55PM [Link]
Maybe we'll hire him to be our general contractor. Oh crap, we have more than one room in our house :p
Ha ha ha...
Posted by Me @ 07:30PM [Link]
If you're changing information at Network Solutions make sure that you read EVERY SINGLE instruction document, click on all links from their primary instruction documents.
Here is the link to the document that explains how you change your info if your email address has changed. Nowhere in this document does it say that if you are an individual you also have to fax photo ID and proof of your address. But if you click on "Additional Instructions are available here" it tells you all of the information for different situations. But why would I click on that link? They never said anywhere else that sending ID was neccessary, so why would I assume that I needed additional instructions? Urg. This is supposed to be "help"? Thanks NetSol.
Posted by Me @ 11:14AM [Link]