Dietary sensativityApril 19, 2008
A few months ago, Meredith went to get some tests done to see if there were certain foods she was sensitive to, and while I was watching her get the test done, I was curious to try it out myself. Unfortunately there is a 2-3 month wait time to get an appointment, so I had to wait until today to go.
I didn't suspect much if any dietary sensativities, although I was curious about what she'd say about sugar, since I've often felt like it sapps my energy a couple of hours after I consume a significant dose of it.
As she tested the various things, both diary and wheat came back as being ok, but low and behold, sugar did not. The test indicates that my body has a sensitivity to cane-derived sugars, and that while my body doesn't outright reject it, the sugar has a negative effect on me that manifests itself over the next few hours, eventually causing me to feel fatigued and somewhat unwell. This seems to fit how I have observed my body behave, so I was quite impressed!
Next, she tested for bacterial infections. The bacteria test came back positive, so I was curious what specifically the problem was. After drilling down a bit further, the test indicated that there are strep bacteria present in my body. This was another impressive result, since I struggled with repeated strep infections during my teenage years. The doctor told me at the time that the strep bacteria, even after you have recovered from your illness, will tend to lay dormant within your body until your immune system is sufficiently supressed for it to flourish again.
Next, she tested for parasites, of which there is a very long list. The test indicated that I do infact have
a parasite. Great. I don't have any symptoms on this one, so I can't really confirm or deny how accurate this may or may not be.
Finally, she did some vitamin and mineral tests, which indicate that I'm not absorbing these nutrients very well, especially the B vitamins. Again, I don't have any noticeable symptoms here, but I'm willing to heed her advice for taking a different multi-vitamin. She tested a range of the vitamins in the store to determine which one would best suit my needs, and singled one out.
So, I get to take a specific anti-parasite remedy, an anti-strep remedy, and some new multi-vitamins each day for a couple of months, after which she will retest me to see whether the conditions have cleared up... and ideally I would try to avoid cane sugar where possible.
Interesting stuff.
Planning for EuropeApril 18, 2008
Meredith and I are starting to get excited about hopefully travelling to Europe this summer. As we plan, there is a real tension between wanting to see a lot VS wanting the trip to still be somewhat relaxing and enjoyable. We admittedly tend to be a bit psycho in terms of how much we want to experience!
Here's a current rough plan: (2 week trip)
  | Fly to London, then fly to Amsterdam, and then hop on a train to Belgium |
| Brussels, Belgium |
| Strasbourg, France |
| Zurich, Switzerland |
| Florence, Italy |
| Rome, Italy |
| Naples, Italy |
| Fly from Rome to Lisbon |
| Lisbon, Portugal |
| Madrid, Spain |
| Barcelona, Spain |
| Nice & Cannes, France |
| Monaco |
| Fly from Nice to London, then fly home |
Doesn't quite seem realistic does it! Like I said, we're a little psycho.
Goodbye, dear AccordApril 17, 2008
Ever since Meredith and I got the 1998 Honda Accord back from her sister Emily, we've been talking about what to do about the car situation.
We would like to be a one car family in terms of living moderately and being environmentally friendly, but once you're used to the independence of each having a vehicle, it's hard to give up. And it still leaves the question, which car to sell?
My theory was that Honda engines can last a long time, and so it would be cheaper in the long run to keep the '98 Accord instead of the '04 Civic, putting money into the Accord as necessary to keep it going.
Good in theory, but boy was I shocked when I took it in to Honda to have them give it an overall assessment. The report came back that there were several major parts of the car that were badly rusted and in need of immediate replacement... $2500 worth! The brake and fuel lines were badly rusted, so much so that the brake lines had perforated and started leaking. The right CV boot had cracked open and lost its grease. The engine mount was about ready to give up the ghost, etc. Wow. In the end, we sold it for all of about $700 to a guy who was going to hire a mechanic friend to deal with the rust issues and give it to his son.
This experience was a real eye opener in terms of how rust can eat your car to pieces from the inside out. Nasty. We should definitely oil spray our Civic!
Rust issues aside, it's tough to sell a car that you love! I have many fond memories of that car -- probably the favorite of the cars that we drove as a family growing up. It had a great interior and exterior, and it was the first V6 car that I've ever driven... over 200 horsepower. If you were alone in the car (to lessen the weight of the car) and you floored it accelerating onto the 401, it would give you that split second of "Holy cow!" feeling as it downshifted and put you in the back of your seat.
Farewell dear car, I'll miss ya!
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