whimsical happenstance

unicorns will steal your kidneys.

oh, pointless, mind-numbing joy of the interweb!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnJAozfBq7w

also, i tried to update my kitchen experiments blog with meaty goodness, but the blog is having problems. emotional, technical, who knows? but look for new food goodness soon...

posted by megan at 9:20 AM | 0 comment(s)

hm.

looking down, I see I have abandoned my blog for too long. Myspace caught up with me and snaggled me by the hair with its claws. That and the fact that it is summer. in the world am I to sit inside talking about doing things, when I could be DOING them? I shall make my glorious return, though. just you wait.

posted by megan at 7:10 AM | 3 comment(s)

Ah, Valentines Day.

The day I hole up with a box of chox, a bottle of champagne, and watch Mr. Orange kill Mr. Blonde. Maybe I should throw in some 12 oz. Mouse for good measure.

posted by megan at 12:55 PM | 3 comment(s)

walking on water

I went to the winter carnival on Boston Common yesterday with the aim of finally seeing eighteen inches of snow on the ground--something we have been sorely lacking all winter. Okemo came in the day before and blanketed the west end of the Common in the fluffystuff, and I was all ready to play. The hills there make Nashoba look daunting, but it could still be fun grabbing a board or skis and mucking about on a Saturday morning. I arrived, I ran around, ate maple syrup on snow, watched boarders grind on the rail Okemo had set up, and signed up for various prizes. I made my way over to the ski borrowing booth. And then I saw them--snowshoes. I have never tried snowshoeing, so I thought I would give it a chance. Jon was a poop and would not try out a pair, so I had to fork over my license, strap into the bindings and venture out myself. I ran. I jumped. I nearly fell on my face. It was so rad. I have always wanted to run on the snow instead of trying to plow through it in wet sneakers. I was running around like a toddler on speed.



I tried hitting my parents up for a pair for my birthday next week, but I think they already did their shopping. No worries--my REI dividend comes in a week. Happy Snowday to me.

posted by megan at 4:15 PM | 1 comment(s)

Body, mind, and CPU

Over the weekend, Chris helped me reformat my harddrive. Oh, sweet release! Lulu Dahlin' is faster and has lost all of her annoying idiosyncracies. She is a whole new lady now--the FreezQueen no longer.

posted by megan at 5:18 PM | 0 comment(s)

All you never wanted to know: Zinc

I have come down with a cold in the past few days, so I walked up to CVS for provisions: throat drops, zinc drops, vicious green NyQuil, tissues, and liquids. With the Green Death as a last resort, I pulled out the ColdEeze and read the ingredients. I like to know what in the heck I am putting into my body. Of course, I had no idea what 13.3 x 6 mg of zinc would do to me, so I decided to investigate.

Dr. Ronald Acu's website gives a detailed rundown of zinc and its importance to the human body, as well as side effects of over/underdosing. He states that about 1.5-2.5 mg of zinc are found in the body, and that it does not produce this necesary mineral on its own. Zinc is accountable for functions of the body that include wound healing, DNA/RNA synthesis, reproductive health, growth and learning development...the list goes on. Read the article.

While one must ingest it to keep up healthy zinc levels, too much of a good thing is ultimately a bad thing. Abnormally high/low zinc consentrations in the body seem to effect men and the production of testosterone most adversely, with low levels connected to higher estrogen levels in men (as zinc is necessary to stop testosterone from changing over to estrogen) and all that this entails: obesity, heart disease, and the desire to buy more shoes than you could ever need. High levels are also found in men with prostatitis, and cause many more nasty side effects in the reproductive functions of the body for both men and women.

However, this is not answering the question of "how much is too much?" The Recomended Daily Allowance of elemental zinc is about 15 mg. However, the therapeudic range of the mineral is much higher: Dr. Acu says it is 10-250 mg/day and the U. of Maryland Medical Center says it is 30-60 mg/day (These varied numbers seem to come from different causes for zinc therapy for different lengths of time). The ColdEeze website claims that as long as you do not take more than the recommended daily dose (six lozenges/ 16 sugar-free tablets) you will not experience "Excessive dosage" with the product, and that you should not take more than 150 mg/day even under therapeudic conditions. The daily recommended dose of ColdEeze turns out to be about 80mg of zinc, which is far below that cap. It is within the therapeudic range put forth by Dr. Acu, and just outside UMM's nubers.

Conclusion: I am not going to suck down the full six lozenges per day, but I should not be too worried about side effects if I am only taking the amount over a 3-4 day period. You can feel to load up on zinc and adversely effect your repro organs if that is your bag, but I would not recommend it. The next time you are sucking down oysters (the richest natural source of zinc), think of this post. Your prostate will thank you.

posted by megan at 6:18 AM | 0 comment(s)

Local Pride Series

I have decided to give a little more...structure...to this blog. as fascinating as my sporadic musings are to the six or so people who read this blog, I am going to try a little information dissemination combined with local pride. I bring you....

Somerville/Medford

in all its glory.

I am going to tell you all about great locales, oddities, and facts in this area, are you are going to like it. How about we start with Food.

Is your idea of international cuisine take-out pizza and chinese? This area has some great international restaurants which will open your mind to new possibilities. No matter the palate or how disgusted you are by New Things, you can find something to satisfy your munchies.

Japanese/Korean:
Yoshi's in Powderhouse Square is the best Japanese restaurant in the area. It is tasty, quick, friendly, accurate, and reasonably priced. I also like the atmosphere; small but bright and clean, with a nice little sushi bar. I have never seen it crowded; I have never seen a table go unbussed for ore than five minutes. I recommend the dinner boxes: two entrees, salad, rice, a surprise sidedish and miso soup for about $14 (There is a lunch version with slightly smaller portions and a lower pricetag.) For entrees, there are choices of sushi, nigiri, japanese and korean hot items, and vegetarian options. Let the server know if you are a vegetarian or have any special requests; they are very helpful. They also have excellent noodles, bulgogi, and bim bab dishes. Just feeling peckish? Get one of their sushi appetizers and some red bean ice cream. Feeling lazy/chained to a radiator? They offer free area delivery with a $20 minimum purchase. digs& digits: 132 College Ave., Somerville 617.623.9263

Indian:
I am sure you have all seen Diva down in Davis Square. It is really too bright to miss. Go a little farther down Elm, though, to Namaskar--you will thank me. The service is better and it tends to be less crowded--except for the weekend brunch. The best part about this place is the SEVEN DOLLAR, all-you-can-eat weekday brunch buffet. Holy gulab jamun, Batman, it is phenomenal. It is cheaper than any buffet I have ever known. Weekdays are key, though, and early--it gets busy and hard to get a table otherwise. They have a tandoor in the back, and if it is not busy the chef might let you in to watch your nan cook and feel the heat. Grab an indian beer or lassi, a clean plate, and tuck in for an amazing meal. digs& digits: 236 Elm St., Somerville 617.623.9911

Brazilian:
If you think the only thing better than eat on a stick is more meat on a really big stick, try Oasis Restaurant in Medford. Not a true churrascuria, but there is plenty of skewered bife to go around. Lots of down home traditional dishes, brazilian TV, and a very tiny dining area make this place seem more like your friend joao's gramma's kitchen than a restaurant. They portions are huge and shareable. There are daily specials (very cheap) and a lunch buffet ($5.99 per pound). They also deliver to the area. Vegetarians...well, Brazilian soulfood is not usually veggie-friendly. It also helps to know a little portuguese here, but not necesary. digs& digits: 373 Main St., Medford (near the Harvard St. intersection) 781.396.8337

There are so many more...but I am a busy woman. Leave me your recommendations and restaurant contact info. Obrigado!

posted by megan at 10:18 AM | 0 comment(s)

GRE, Grad School, and Jobs! oh crap.

I am back. This time I am going to be more dilligent in my upkeep of this blog. It is sad, lonely, and barraged by comments from strange entrepreneurs.

Right now I am in the thick of jobsearches and preparing for graduate school. Have you ever tried applying for schools and jobs at the same time? Don't. Go on a walkabout across Northwestern Australia. Swim with openly bleeding wounds in the Amazon River. Talk politics with your inlaws. Do not put yourself though the stress of kowtowing to the whims of Johns Hopkins' SAIS program and explaining to 40 employers why you are the best research librarian/barrista available. Your brain will thank you.

I have scaled off the job search and replaced it with time at the Tisch Library, studying for the GRE. Sure you may ask: why study for a standardized test? Minimum requirements are easy to reach and the scores do not weigh that heavily in the grad scheme of admissions. The truth is I am a dork. I study for everything. I am one part party girl, three parts booknerd, and a splash of boyscout: Be Prepared.

That plus my dazzling credentials and beguiling charm--harhar--are hopefully going to get me into the cumbersome list of schools I have yet to whittle down. Tufts, Johns Hopkins, Seton Hall, George Washington, Duke, Harvard, Princeton, and UMass Boston (wow...which of these things is not like the other?..) all have great public policy/international relations programs. Tell you what: pick three for me and I will apply to those in the Fall. If they throw in a Juris Doctorate, all the better.

I have decided a "zen & eeny-meeny" approach will best preserve me from the stroke to which my brain so longs to succumb. peace out, all.

posted by megan at 10:00 AM | 1 comment(s)