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Weather chumming the water for Lizcats ...
Hah, yeah. You guys... keep those 80s. I don't mind a 70-degree day, that's about it.
But the weather was spring-like here yesterday, prompted a bro in the region to email me some photo of a country lane through summer meadows. And a downy woodpecker was out and about in the yard, optimistically inspecting trees for any early bug hatches.
Still then at nightfall the winter gods showed up, delivering more than a promised inch of snow and turning grassy lawns back into March again.
For awhile there around suppertime I was wondering how wise it had been to sneak a pantry order from Amazon onto the calendar for what I had seen as a long enough break in winter weather. I'm not having the guy come plow the driveways just for four inches of snow if we get a quick snowburst from Lake Ontario like gets all the way down here sometime, but it's possible the UPS guy would take a dim view of slogging through it to my deck from the road, and I wouldn't blame him. But it quit at around the two inch mark and today it's already melted off, temps in the 40s again.
So the back of winter is fairly broken now, even if we do get a nor'easter by time the season officially rolls off the calendar. The birds know these things, and they're starting to show up. Also I saw one of those damn orange ladybugs on the inside of a kitchen windowpane this morning. When those critters show up, spring is definitely right around the corner.
Hahaha, to be honest, I was a little warm
Top down action is best saved for early spring (er, normally ...) and Late Fall to Early Winter (post storm season), the humidity just disappears, weeks of perfect sunny days where __could__ wear a long sleeve shirt and not be hot.Love Ladybugs, they're good luck ...
I could take anywhere from 50s to 80s depending on cloud cover, humidity, wind...Definitely don't like anything outside that range.
The red ladybugs are good luck. The orange ones are not actually ladybugs, nor native to North America, they are Asian lady beetles and while they do eat aphids in a garden the way ladybugs do, they tend to drive out ladybugs and in a house they're pests.
www.thespruce.com
What Are Asian Lady Beetles and How Do You Control Them?
Most ladybugs are beneficial, but Asian lady beetles are undesirable, and may bite. Learn how to get rid of Asian lady beetles in and around the home.
Speaking of wind, holy smokes, we has a few gusts that were crazy - real time report from our local Ambient Weather station
Max gust ~35MPH![automerge]1583444543[/automerge]
The red ladybugs are good luck. The orange ones are not actually ladybugs, nor native to North America, they are Asian lady beetles and while they do eat aphids in a garden the way ladybugs do, they tend to drive out ladybugs and in a house they're pests.
What Are Asian Lady Beetles and How Do You Control Them?
Most ladybugs are beneficial, but Asian lady beetles are undesirable, and may bite. Learn how to get rid of Asian lady beetles in and around the home.
Well, that sounds a bit racist ...
Attachments
lol then blame the USDA, which introduced the Asian variety to the USA in 1916 to combat aphids in commercial crop farming in nine western, southern and mid-Atlantic states... and the rest is migratory history, they're everywhere now and will drive out the red ladybugs given a chance. But birds like the Asian variety so the food chain still works. Just there's no birds in our houses to do the spring cleaning...
My exact issues with pot and other types of smoke, but especially pot.
Cannot stand it: my sinuses get clogged immediately and my lungs seize.
Anyway, hope everyone is well.
Time to get ready for work.
Yes, while my sinuses react (very badly) to ordinary awful nicotine, the response of my sinuses to pot is as though pot is some sort of vile nicotine on steroids.
I'm not a medical professional, but am open to persuasion (while not at all convinced, and nor are friends of mine in the medical profession) that pot may be of some benefit when prescribed on strictly medical grounds.
There are SOME medical benefits. However, the only confirmed ones are anti-anxiety and antipsychotics. But that’s also not effective 100% of the time. As of now...from what I hear at work...except for those two, all the other claims are either being proven false...or being attributed to placebo effect. And even then, those two “confirmed” uses...are being called into question by some doctors. As more research is done, I personally won’t be surprised if it turns out that pot is NOT “medicine”. I deal with some cancer patients occasionally who were prescribed it for nausea. Out of all of them...it has only helped one. Some didn’t see any change. Some felt WORSE.
Worth mentioning though...I’m not personally a part of any research. So I can only say what I’ve been hearing about it. But I do know a lot of doctors who used to recommend/prescribe it...but won’t even consider that now.
It's big, growing business now and people think that "natural = good" for some reason. Doctors prescribe it because there is demand, especially in the US. People think that pot is fun, good, healthy, and so on. While it's certainly not the most awful thing (although I've read that research suggests that there are long terms implications, like increased risks of schizophrenia and dementia), it's also not the magic cure that some want to pretend it is. Add all the confusion and business around CBD to the mix, and you've even have a huge business. The amount of CBD stores in my area is quite impressing, and many make claims that don't even make any sense. So far I've heard that CBD oil will "decrease cancer", it will "expel toxins", and it will even make me lose weight. The truth is simple; as the Kellogg's brothers (yes, the cereal businesspeople) found out a century ago, Americans (and Europeans once they become richer) love going through one magic pill (*) to another. And that's BIG, continous business. One day is the Atkins diet, then essential oils (I was given one that "will make [me] more creative"), then it's CBD, then Keto, then Herbalife, then it's pot, then it's some other stuff. It's difficult to keep track of all of them.
(*) One of the Kellog's "pills":
In 1936, Kellogg filed a petition for his invention of improvements to an "irrigating apparatus particularly adaptable for colonic irrigating, but susceptible of use for other irrigation treatments. The improved irrigator included features such as measuring the amount of liquid entering and exiting the colon as well as indicating and regulating the positive pressure of the pumped liquid
At the Battle Creek Sanitarium, these colonic irrigators were often used to shoot gallons of water up a patient's rectum into their colon, sometimes followed by a half-pint yogurt enema to aid in further cleaning. It has been suggested that multiple people would get this treatment at one time
I wish the oil and edibles were the only legal options for medical and otherwise. I care because my health is instantly impacted when walking past, or sitting next to someone who smoked (the effects on me can last a few minutes to over an hour).
The county next to ours is working on a bill that would ban and fine anyone smoking pot, tobacco etc. $1,000 in residential buildings. I hope our county does the same so the 3 neighbors (including two in direct proximity) would be fined up the wazoo. Not apologizing, as I have zero sympathy for anyone smoking pot who is not considerate of their leases, neighbors etc.
Not surprised that CBD can be just another placebo in several circumstances.
Anyway, thinking I'll have a good physical therapy session today and a decent weekend.
I hope everyone has the a nice weekend too.
The county next to ours is working on a bill that would ban and fine anyone smoking pot, tobacco etc. $1,000 in residential buildings. I hope our county does the same so the 3 neighbors (including two in direct proximity) would be fined up the wazoo. Not apologizing, as I have zero sympathy for anyone smoking pot who is not considerate of their leases, neighbors etc.
Not surprised that CBD can be just another placebo in several circumstances.
Anyway, thinking I'll have a good physical therapy session today and a decent weekend.
I hope everyone has the a nice weekend too.
Bingo! Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but there was a time in history when alcohol and tobacco were considered "medicine". Look how that turned out!
The biggest problem with CBD...is that companies are making medical claims...without medical backup. That's a lawyer's dream! There's a store in my town that used to sell CBD products (they aren't allowed to anymore). They had a sign in the store that said it'll CURE your pancreatic cancer. (And I'm not joking). And that is the part about it that ticks me off the most. I'm not licensed to prescribe medications. (I'm only a nurse). But if I WERE allowed to write prescriptions...if I prescribed something to you and made medical claims that had no supporting or conclusive evidence...I'd lose my license. If healthcare professionals aren't allowed to make medical claims that don't have supporting evidence...why are all these CBD companies allowed to make these claims? The most dangerous thing about it...is that people ARE FALLING FOR THOSE CLAIMS!!! It won't "decrease your cancer". There is no medical or scientific evidence of that. But the average person with cancer...will believe that. And is less likely to take other measures of treatment. And when they find out that it didn't "decrease their cancer"...then what? If you don't have medical or scientific evidence to back up your claims, you SHOULD NOT be allowed to make such claims.
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It was sometime in the last year or so that I read a study being done about this. (That's where I'm getting my "placebo" claim from). Before I go on, I will say that I questioned the study a bit. There wasn't a lot of information. It was done by something like getting three groups of people. Don't remember exactly what the symptom was that they were trying to alleviate. But all three groups were given CBD as a treatment. One group was told that this WILL help your condition. One group was told it MIGHT. And the other was told that it probably wouldn't. The group that was told it WILL help...saw a VERY high success rate. The group that was told MIGHT...the results were half success/half fail. The group that was told that it probably wouldn't...the suggest rate was between 10-20%. If the study is true...you'd achieve the same results simply by giving these people a capsule full of sugar. Meaning of course CBD isn't the factor.
Is this an accurate or legitimate study? Ehh. Like I said, I'm questioning it. Especially because I haven't seen much of it since then. But my line of work brings me in contact with a lot of people who were prescribed it for their conditions. So I tend to make my opinion based more on what I see. Some of them said it helped. Some said it was somewhere in the middle. Some said it made them feel worse. (And the numbers in the "feel worse" category is significantly higher). Like I said before, a lot of the doctors I work with used to recommend/prescribe it. Now...they won't go anywhere near it. There have been a lot of patients that came back saying they'd rather go back to prescription pills instead of pot. You won't find a single doctor connected to my hospital that will recommend marijuana to a patient anymore. Whereas just a few years ago, more than a quarter of them WOULD.
One of my neighbors had her medical marijuana card because she was going through cancer treatment a few years ago. After a few months of it, she went back to her doctor demanding pills instead because pot was (in her words) a "crock of sh*t". It's one thing to listen to people who have never used it say it will or won't help. But I have a lot of first hand experience with people who have used it for medical reasons and said it doesn't do sh*t for them. (But I have also heard the complete opposite. I've seen some people who have had SIGNIFICANT improvements. Seizures, for example. But in far fewer numbers).
I know people who swear by medical marijuana and others who do not (Did not work for them. Ditto, CBD oils).
Thanks for the extensive replies, it is very much appreciated.
No problem! I mentioned a few posts ago that I AM supportive of medical marijuana. But that is a position that may change as evidence comes out...and one that HAS changed. I'm a little less supportive of it now than I used to be. As more research is done and more negative effects are confirmed (which is pretty much a guarantee)...I'll become even less supportive.
My opinions on medical are fluid. I'm perfectly willing to be proven that I'm right to support it...or proven that I'm WRONG to support it. I welcome someone to prove me right or wrong on that aspect. I encourage people to try and prove me right or wrong.
The opinion that will NOT change...is my negative opinion of recreational. It is recreationally legal in my state and I believe it has been the biggest mistake this state has ever made. I will never be convinced that recreational pot is a good thing. I don't care what anyone says about that one. My opinion is firmly on the "overwhelmingly against" side. To the point where if you're a recreational user...don't be surprised to see me hanging around you less. Or at all.
Bravo, well said, and I am in complete agreement with you.
I'm checking in for my weekly visit today.
The fasting I've been doing from MacRumors and other forums, and whatnot is working out quite well for me. I'm getting a lot more done, including the reading books and a few periodicals. I've gotten into the routine of getting into the office around 6:30 - 7:00 am ish, and leaving the computer off and the desk phone on do not disturb until 9:00 am when my assistant arrives for work. I've been spending that time reading books for professional development or writing out the days and week plans.
At home, I'm also getting more reading done. TV watching is down to almost nothing. Not nothing at all, but close. Last weekend I spent a fair amount of time, however, watching season 2 of Star Trek Discovery. I made it through 3 of the 4 Blu-ray discs for that season. I'll watch the last disc this weekend sometime. Otherwise, I'm spending far less time in front of a computer screen and enjoying my books and music even more.
Having a position where I can write my own hours is nice. It's good to be the king.
The fasting I've been doing from MacRumors and other forums, and whatnot is working out quite well for me. I'm getting a lot more done, including the reading books and a few periodicals. I've gotten into the routine of getting into the office around 6:30 - 7:00 am ish, and leaving the computer off and the desk phone on do not disturb until 9:00 am when my assistant arrives for work. I've been spending that time reading books for professional development or writing out the days and week plans.
At home, I'm also getting more reading done. TV watching is down to almost nothing. Not nothing at all, but close. Last weekend I spent a fair amount of time, however, watching season 2 of Star Trek Discovery. I made it through 3 of the 4 Blu-ray discs for that season. I'll watch the last disc this weekend sometime. Otherwise, I'm spending far less time in front of a computer screen and enjoying my books and music even more.
Yeah, I know it. However, as some may recall, I said F it to the time change last fall and I've been operating just the same all winter as I was during the summer. That is, I'm an hour ahead of y'all and I never had to go through that 2-week phase of adjustment last fall. So that means this Sunday when y'all spring forward an hour, you'll catch up with me and I still won't have to go through the adjustment phase.
Having a position where I can write my own hours is nice. It's good to be the king.
In light of all the love going around the Site and Forum Feedback subforum, I felt impelled to clarify that when I mentioned getting a job at
It's been a blast so far, and is so much more than I would've expected when I first posted this as a teen:
a few months ago, I was talking about this tech site.
It's been a blast so far, and is so much more than I would've expected when I first posted this as a teen:
Like that, right?
Don’t go to the store right now and plan to find any disenfectant gels or soaps like Purelle, bleach, Lysol, or rubbing alcohol. You may also have trouble finding vinegar. I briefly considered making some gel hand disinfectant, but you need 3 things, Alo Vera girl, tea tree oil, and isopropyl alcohol. But really at home, it’s better just to use soap. And my wife has a bunch is small bottles of Purelle for when we are out and about. My wife saw two bottles of Purelle with a price of $100, gouging bastards.
The selfish part of me was in full swing this evening when I found out that the San Francisco Symphony has canceled all concerts until the end of the month, meaning that I cannot attend the Friday concert that I paid a pretty penny for (MTT & Gautier Capuçon). All these tech conferences being canceled means nothing to me, but don't go depriving me of my classical music.
Huntn, I've gone ahead and messaged you about a retailer here that sells those ingredients to make your own hand sanitizer, and the name of a site where you can buy large containers of sanitizer meant for businesses. It's a lot, but the price is good when you consider they sell 4 gallons for the price of a few large bottles of Purell. You can also order bleach, hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol from them.Don’t go to the store right now and plan to find any disenfectant gels or soaps like Purelle, bleach, Lysol, or rubbing alcohol. You may also have trouble finding vinegar. I briefly considered making some gel hand disinfectant, but you need 3 things, Alo Vera girl, tea tree oil, and isopropyl alcohol. But really at home, it’s better just to use soap. And my wife has a bunch is small bottles of Purelle for when we are out and about. My wife saw two bottles of Purelle with a price of $100, gouging bastards.
Feel free to share the link with your immediate family. I went ahead and ordered several cases of everything the other week and it all arrived throughout this week.
My memory is a bit fuzzy, but you can skin an aloe leaf and blend it with cheap vodka and let it sit for 24 hours to gelify, too. It won't be ideal, but it's something. I'd pick up a case of Lysol spray, too, if I were you.
A friend of mine whose family has been in the business of designing and developing UV systems for companies to use in hospital ER rooms post-ops and isolation/ICU rooms, was kind enough to lend us multiple older but functional units to use in our house. Wish I'd listened to him when he said to wear sunglasses when near the system...
Can't help but wonder what our electricity bill will be two months from now...! There's no data to prove it now, but hopefully warm weather will kill the spores. Thankfully our portion, including yours, of the US sees weather temps climb around this time of year.
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The selfish part of me was in full swing this evening when I found out that the San Francisco Symphony has canceled all concerts until the end of the month, meaning that I cannot attend the Friday concert that I paid a pretty penny for (MTT & Gautier Capuçon). All these tech conferences being canceled means nothing to me, but don't go depriving me of my classical music.
I daresay that they will be rescheduled, or cancelled, and you should be refunded.
However, agreed, that such a thing would irk me, also.
I have a confession. I am responsible for the Coronavirus. Well, my refigerator is actually, but I’m still sorry.
And now my university has moved classes online for the time being! This is going to get worse before it gets better...