Beer for Breakfast

I’m wondering what to eat for breakfast this morning. Most Americans eat cereal, milk, bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, orange juice, yogurt, or some combination thereof, for breakfast. But what do people in the rest of the world eat for breakfast? Is it similar, or is it a completely different paradigm? I’ve only traveled to Canada, Spain, and Mexico, so my education is sadly lacking. A lot of my hasher friends have seen much of the world, so could you please educate me?

Predictions for 2008

1. Gasoline prices will hit $3.50 per gallon by summer
2. The stock market will falter under the weight of increasing energy prices
3. Electricity & natural gas rates will continue to rise
4. A Democrat will be elected President
5. California will win the court battle to establish their own CO2 regulations
6. The US Supreme court will decide that an individual has the right to keep and bear arms---within limits.
7. Many Americans will continue to confuse government & religion
8. More people will look to H4 as an outlet for the stress caused by the items above.
9. TXIH will be a smashing success
10. Pull the Plug will continue to do his best to not be DFL. Except at the PC runs where it’s a foregone conclusion.

Another Funeral

I went to another funeral today. My neighbor’s son was struck by a car while crossing a street in Midland, Texas. He was only 25 years old. It’s all so sad. I think the hardest thing in the world is to lose one of your children. The next hardest, is to lose a spouse, and the third hardest is to lose a parent. I’m not a very religious person, so death seems awfully final to me. And funerals so close to Christmas, are even harder. My dad died in December of 1983. It ruined the Holidays that year, and I still think about him every Christmas. I have another funeral, for one of my cousins, to go to tomorrow (Sunday) in Beaumont, TX. I'll have to miss Halfmoon's anniversary run, which I really wanted to participate in.

Wasps on Trail

I was enjoying the moderate weather and cool forest conditions of the Michigan Expatriates Run. It was a nice day to be alive and I was following about 10 or 15 yards behind “Cums Happily” when I was suddenly ambushed by a bunch of yellow jacket wasps. The runners in front of me were not attacked, but I guess they annoyed the wasps just enough to put them on the warpath. It was amazing how coordinated the attack was, because a dozen or so wasps hit me simultaneously. I wasn’t sure whether it was bees or wasps, but I was certain that it was painful. I immediately picked up the pace to get away from them while yelling “bees, bees”.
“Momma’s Boy was the next runner behind me and he either didn’t hear my calls or he ignored them because he continued right into the middle of the swarm. I have only heard such swearing on trail once before when FMR was running down hill and suddenly found herself in the middle of acres of poison ivy. “Momma’s Boy” must have used the “F’ word 50 times as he was fighting off the wasps and telling the runners behind him to “go back”.
I ended up with about 8 stings. For the first 24 hours the stings were painful, but after 36 hours the pain had turned to just swelling and itching.
I once read an article that suggested that bee stings could cure arthritis. Between the bee stings that I got on trail a couple of years ago and the wasp stings that I got yesterday, I should now be immune to arthritis.

Sleeping on the same side of the bed

Ever notice how men & women develop the habit of always sleeping on the same side of the bed. I sleep on the left side of the bed and my wife sleeps on my right. We’re very comfortable that way, but how did we develop that habit? I asked my wife if she knew, and she actually remembered the story.
When we got married, we moved into an efficiency apartment near the campus of Lamar University where I was a student. It was a tiny apartment with no central heating system. My wife had already graduated from Lamar and was teaching at a Jr. High School. She had to get up each morning earlier than I did, because she had to drive to school, where as, I had only a short walk to campus.
Our apartment was cold on winter mornings, but there was a space heater located on the wall near the right side of the bed. Since my wife got up first, she got the warm side of the bed….the right side. And to this day, I’m much more comfortable sleeping on what I consider to be “My” side of the bed….the left side. Isn’t it strange how some of our habits come about?

Laughing after sex

I once heard a hasher say that she had recently had an orgasm that was so good that she just had to laugh after it was over. I gave that a little thought and then decided that it was probably true of most women. So, if a women laughs after sex, that could be a good thing……or it could be a bad thing, depending on what she’s laughing about!!

Snakes in Our Area

After laying trail for the Sept 16, Bayou Bivouac run, I’ve now seen all four types of poisonous snakes that live in Texas. I saw a coral snake while laying flour just a little west of the second Hunter’s Bayou crossing. I remembered the rhyme “Red on Black, Friend of Jack but Red on Yellow, Kill a Fellow.” And this snake was definitely red on yellow.

The other poisonous snakes in Texas are Copperheads, Cottonmouths (also known as water moccasins), and Rattlesnakes. If you’re ever bitten by one of these snakes, here’s
some good advice from the Texas Parks & Wildlife web page:
What to DoIf bitten,
1. Assume envenomation has occurred, especially if initial symptoms are present. Initial symptoms of pit viper bites include fang puncture marks; in addition, they almost always include immediate burning pain at the bite site, immediate and usually progressive local swelling within five minutes, as well as local discoloration of the skin. Initial symptoms of coral snake bites include tremors, slurred speech, blurred or double vision, drowsiness or euphoria and a marked increase in salivation within four hours; however, life-threatening effects from coral snake envenomation may not be evident for 24 hours or longer.
2. Identify the species of venomous snake that inflicted the bite, if possible, taking care to avoid another person being bitten. Identification is not necessary, but may be helpful.
3. Keep the victim as calm as possible. This helps reduce the spread of venom and the onset of shock.
4. Keep yourself and any other members of the group calm as well. This will help reassure the victim and ensure that the appropriate first-aid measures are followed, as well as preventing anyone else from becoming injured.
5. Know and be alert for the symptoms of shock, and institute the proper treatment should it ensue. Difficulty in breathing and/or kidney failure are frequent symptoms of envenomation.
6. Wash the bite area with a disinfectant if available.
7. Remove jewelry such as rings and watches, as well as tight-fitting clothes, before the onset of swelling.
8. Reduce or prevent movement of a bitten extremity, using a splint if possible; this helps decrease the spread of venom. For the same reason, position the extremity below the level of the heart.
9. Get the victim to a medical facility as soon as possible and begin treatment there with intravenous antivenom, crystalloid solutions and antibiotics. Antivenom treatment is generally most effective within the first four hours of envenomation, and is ineffective after 8-10 hours.
What NOT to Do
1. Do not make incisions over the bite marks. This can result in significant damage to already traumatized tissue, and can damage intact structures such as nerves and blood vessels, enhance bleeding caused by anticoagulant components of venom and increase the rapid spread of venom throughout the body if the circulatory system is compromised. A suction device, such as the Sawyer ExtractorTM, may be used without making any incisions. This device may remove significant quantities of venom, although its efficacy has yet to be conclusively determined.
2. Do not use a tourniquet or other constricting ban except in extreme cases of envenomation, and then only if properly trained in the technique. Such devices are of no value if applied more than thirty minutes after the bite, and if improperly used they can restrict blood vital blood flow to the traumatized tissue and possibly result in the amputation of an extremity. Unbearable pain can also result, and the improper loosening of such devices can allow sudden systemic absorption of venom.
3. Do not use cryotherapy (including cold compresses, ice, dry ice, chemical ice packs, spray refrigerants, and freezing) for the same reasons that the tourniquets should be avoided, and also because it can increase the area necrosis.
4. Do not use electroshock therapy, a method popularized following publication of a letter from a missionary in South America reporting its effectiveness in treating bites from snakes of uncertain identity. Several controlled clinical trials and at least one on humans have failed to demonstrate any positive result; moreover, the potential negative results from the uncontrolled use of an electric charge are obvious.
5. Do not drink alcohol, as it dilates blood vessels and increases absorption from the circulatory system, and thus helps spread venom faster.
6. Do not use aspirin or related medications to relieve pain, because they increase bleeding. A pain reliever not containing aspirin, however, may be used.
7. Do not use the pressure/immobilization technique, which consists of firmly wrapping the entire limb with an elastic bandage and then splinting, especially for pit viper bites. The theory behind this treatment is to confine the venom to the area of the bite until reaching a medical facility, but studies have shown the technique to be ineffective or worse with venoms which produce local swelling and tissue damage. Do not administer antivenom in the field unless properly trained in the procedure, unless evacuation to a medical facility will take many hours or days, or unless envenomation has been extreme. Intramuscular or subcutaneous application of antivenom has proven to be much less effective, and in some cases ineffective, than intravenous administration. Acute allergic reactions to antivenom can occur, and contemplated field administration of antivenom should include provision for a sufficient supply of epinephrine (adrenalin) to counteract any such potential effects.