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-   -   What might be making you a tad apprehensive, but might not, as it's too soon to tell (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=23955)

wolf 07-03-2014 05:30 PM

Not to harsh your mellow, Dana, but isn't mystery shopping a sort of phishing scam?

DanaC 07-03-2014 05:33 PM

No, it's a very commonly used way for companies to assess their employee's performance on customer service issues.

I know a few people who've done it.

monster 07-03-2014 06:46 PM

It's also common here, but if you see a mystery shopping job advertised, it is usually a scam to get your bank details.

Aliantha 07-03-2014 06:55 PM

Mystery shoppers are pretty common here too.

elSicomoro 07-07-2014 03:35 PM

Since I shut my business down last month, I've been sleeping...a lot. Too much...like 12-16 hours a night. I try to keep a routine, but it just goes out the window. I could understand depression, except I'm not feeling depressed and I regularly take an antidepressant. The sleep I get is quality sleep, thanks in part to my CPAP machine. Everything is tip-top on that. I have diabetes, which is under control. So that leaves my thyroid at this point, I think. I dunno...going to the doctor's office in a bit.

footfootfoot 07-08-2014 10:48 AM

Mystery shippers
Mystery shitters
Mystery slappers

Gravdigr 07-08-2014 12:31 PM

How do get in contact with a mystery blow jobber?

Carruthers 07-08-2014 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gravdigr (Post 903981)
How do get in contact with a mystery blow jobber?


Have you tried Gobble, er.... I mean Google?

orthodoc 07-21-2014 09:04 PM

I reserved my seat for the Board exam (October 16) today. The date is set. Now I have a specified number of days to study/agonize/panic.

It won't be easy, but then, nothing is. My spouse is struggling with his anger and retirement adjustment issues to the extent that I can't tell him about my day, nor can I mention anything about anxiety re my Boards.

However, the sun is setting and I plan to spend 10-15 minutes in the hot tub, then to bed and up at 4:00 to study. Go to work; work out afterward; study. Lather, rinse, repeat, until October 16 at 4:00 pm.

xoxoxoBruce 07-21-2014 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orthodoc (Post 905312)
My spouse is struggling with his anger and retirement adjustment issues to the extent that I can't tell him about my day, nor can I mention anything about anxiety re my Boards.

This doesn't surprise me, probably not you either. :(

orthodoc 07-21-2014 09:27 PM

No. Somewhat disappointed but not surprised. I made my deal with the devil in 2012 when there really weren't any other options, and I wasn't cold enough to walk away after accepting a huge effort and sacrifice (of sleep, energy, and pride) on his part. He asked for a second chance and I agreed. So this is something I accept and will deal with.

elSicomoro 07-26-2014 11:14 PM

I'm so used to running on chaos...I don't know what to do anymore!

I crashed hard this afternoon...I guess my body was like, "Alright...things are good...you need some hardcore sleep."

Sundae 08-20-2014 08:45 AM

Off to see the 'rents again on Friday.
Which would usually be wonderful, but I went to see them about a month ago and it caused a big family furore. I was the catalyst, not a participant, but it made me super-wary.

It hurt me so badly I swore in my head that I would never go back to Aylesbury again, ever.
But that was an immediate knee-jerk (and jerkish) response.
Mum said if I didn't come down, she would come up here, and she is SO not allowed to at the moment - she had foot surgery after her trip up here (scheduled, not because of it!) and is still on sticks.

She wants to see me. She's worried because of the delay in my hospital admission. She's concerned enough to put her own health in danger. I cannot stand against that, even though I regularly tell her I'm fine. Trouble is, she listens to the tone and the phrasing and notes when I can't answer the phone and draws her own conclusions.

So I'm off for the Bank Holiday weekend. Well, not totally. The boy needs to be considered. It'll be a dawn start one day and a late night return another.
And I admit, although I have in no way engineered this, and in fact tried to sublimate it, I can't wait to see them again.

glatt 10-10-2014 08:23 AM

What might be making you a tad apprehensive, but might not, as it's too soon to tell?


This Ebola thing. I should just stop consuming the news.
Math on the front page today made a strong case for how we're already too late. This thing is out of control.

Clodfobble 10-10-2014 08:44 AM

I'm with you, I've bought into the hype more than I intended. I read an article talking about how whether or not America ultimately sees a significant number of cases, Africa is a goner at this point, and South America's governments aren't in a much better position to handle it either.

glatt 10-10-2014 09:22 AM

I was hoping someone would come in and tell me everything is going to be ok.

We have troops in Africa building hospitals. We will have 17 hospitals completed in the next month. But by then we will actually need 170 hospitals. And that's just buildings. Who's gonna staff them?

The small companies making experimental medicines and vaccines are working around the clock, but it's a race, and the virus is spreading exponentially while they progress linearly.

By the time leaders are so scared that they are willing to do something previously unthinkable in scope, that unthinkable action still won't be enough to stop it, because it will have grown.

So that has me wondering about how I can prepare. Can it really get that bad here? I think of Katrina. But that's probably not the right model.

On the other hand, everything is fine right now. And I've got plans for the holiday weekend.

infinite monkey 10-10-2014 09:32 AM

I think we're going to have a regular The Stand going on.

I think there is much they're not telling us.

But all the cool kids are getting iBola...eBola is so yesterday. (A little levity never hurts.)

Clodfobble 10-10-2014 09:40 AM

I think the populace here is smarter (Jesus fucking Christ, my phone autocorrected that to "white"...) So you'd see a lot of people in face masks and gloves, and nobody leaving dead bodies in the street. So maybe preparing would mean stocking up on those. Large portions of our workforce can telecommute, so I bet anyone who could, would.

I think it would be more of a "everything grinds to a halt" scenario, rather than loss of basic necessities like in Katrina. Personally, I really wonder whether we're truly out of the ZMapp drug, or whether we're just keeping it for ourselves.

Clodfobble 10-10-2014 09:41 AM

On the other hand, we've got plans for the weekend too... Although Minifob IS a little sick. ;)

glatt 10-10-2014 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble (Post 911578)
you'd see a lot of people in face masks and gloves, ...So maybe preparing would mean stocking up on those.

Already have a bunch, but could probably use more. Maybe I'll take a look at our supply this weekend. Haven't checked them out in a few years.

Spexxvet 10-10-2014 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinite monkey (Post 911577)
I think we're going to have a regular The Stand going on.

Everybody just relax, get a drink, put on your Depends and HazMat suit and enjoy the ride. The president created this disease to destroy Jesus. Unless our borders are closed now, ebola will, as the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic did, kill millions of people.

The bright side is that fewer people will be great for the labor market, the pressure on scarce goods, and maybe even reduce the progress of global warming.

glatt 10-10-2014 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spexxvet (Post 911587)
The bright side is that fewer people will be great for the labor market, the pressure on scarce goods, and maybe even reduce the progress of global warming.

Fewer people is fewer consumers and less demand, so smaller job growth.

Plus, what if one of those millions of people is somebody I care about, or me?

Spexxvet 10-10-2014 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt (Post 911590)
Fewer people is fewer consumers and less demand, so smaller job growth.

Plus, what if one of those millions of people is somebody I care about, or me?

I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek. If it's me, then I don't have to worry anymore. The key is prevention. Unfortunately our country is reactive, not proactive.

Here's an interesting video. It's about H5N1, but talks about pandemic.

http://www.ted.com/talks/laurie_garr..._flu#t-1017244

Clodfobble 10-10-2014 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spexxvet (Post 911587)
Unless our borders are closed now...

Because we are already so awesome at this, I feel confident that Texas and Arizona will be the first to fall.

Spexxvet 10-10-2014 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble (Post 911592)
Because we are already so awesome at this, I feel confident that Texas and Arizona will be the first to fall.

Luckily Ebola ground zero wasn't in Mexico, eh?;)

infinite monkey 10-10-2014 11:15 AM

Well, um, Dallas...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/09/health...use/index.html

Carruthers 10-10-2014 01:06 PM

The UK Government has announced screening of passengers at the two main London airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, and the Eurostar rail terminal in London.
Flights from the worst affected countries tend to arrive at Paris and/or Brussels and passengers can then easily make their way to London via the Eurostar rail link.

One or two passages from a substantial article in today's Daily Telegraph are worth reproducing here.

Quote:

When SARS – severe acute respiratory syndrome – appeared in Asia in 2002, we were told that it had a 25 per cent chance of killing “tens of millions”. There were calls for borders to be locked down, and new arrivals showing symptoms to be locked up. But despite a spike in sales of surgical masks, and the hurried cancellation of thousands of holidays to Hong Kong and Thailand, the disease ended up killing only 775 people worldwide.
Quote:

It was a similar story in 2009 with swine flu. The chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, warned that 65,000 Britons could die, and the government duly spent more than £1.2 billion to prepare for the viral apocalypse. Yet while the disease was incredibly contagious, infecting millions worldwide, it turned out to be relatively mild. In Britain, only 457 people died – a significant number, but 25 times fewer than the 12,000 who are carried away by normal seasonal flu every year. To make matters worse, some experts later claimed that the £424 million spent on stockpiling 40 million doses of Tamiflu had essentially been wasted: its average effect, they said, was to shorten the disease’s duration from seven days to 6.3 (a finding which its manufacturer, Roche, disputed).
Quote:

Ebola’s strengths are, however, outweighed by its weaknesses. If you get it, you’re in very big trouble, but the odds of that are quite small. It is not, unlike the pathogens of our worst nightmares, airborne: it is spread via infected bodily fluids, which have to enter the body via the eyes or mouth or a cut or wound. Moreover, it is quite fragile, meaning that it does not survive long outside of its host – and can be defeated by the simple act of washing one’s hands.

As a result, the “R0” figure of the current outbreak – the technical term for the number of further victims that one sufferer can be expected to infect in turn – is somewhere around 2. That makes it a much slower spreader than Sars, smallpox or the strain of Spanish flu that killed tens of millions of people in the wake of the First World War.

Daily Telegraph


It's worth noting, that the British nurse who was repatriated to the UK having been infected by Ebola in Sierra Leone, made a full recovery.

William Pooley plans return to the fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone

Griff 10-10-2014 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinite monkey (Post 911577)
I think there is much they're not telling us.

The CDC is kind of serving two masters on this. They have the legitimate public health agenda followed by the sunshine and lollipops agenda to avoid a panic. Its an interesting tension. The funny thing is the gov sees no problem with creating paranoia about ISIS but has reservations about it for Ebola.

Fun question, who beheaded the most humans this year Saudi Arabia or ISIS? hint: Saudi Arabia

infinite monkey 10-10-2014 06:47 PM

Wow. Good points.

Wagging the dog, like.

This is very interesting to me.

orthodoc 10-12-2014 01:16 AM

Ebola is bound to slip its leash here (has already done so) and turn up all over the continent in minor outbreaks. It's inevitable, given that there are really no constraints on travel. The more important issue is whether/when it will undergo an antigenic shift, as it passes through many more thousands of humans than it ever has before, and take on different characteristics.

It could become less virulent; it could become a nightmare, infecting millions via airborne transmission. It could fade away as SARS did.

In the meantime, carry on. Has anyone noticed that Marburg virus has resurfaced in Uganda?

orthodoc 10-15-2014 10:35 PM

Seven-hour exam tomorrow on which my career depends ... so I'm grilling a steak 5 hours before I have to get up, because I can't sleep. Hopefully will sleep after this.

Undertoad 10-15-2014 11:56 PM

You're supposed to grill for an exam!

Griff 10-16-2014 06:50 AM

Just breathe Ortho.

DanaC 10-16-2014 07:56 AM

Good luck Ortho!

orthodoc 10-16-2014 07:15 PM

It's done. I'd better have passed, because I never want to have to do that again. So tired I can't think straight - just crawled into bed and don't have to move again for 11 hours! Thanks for the good wishes, they're much appreciated.

BigV 10-16-2014 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orthodoc (Post 912067)
It's done. I'd better have passed, because I never want to have to do that again. So tired I can't think straight - just crawled into bed and don't have to move again for 11 hours! Thanks for the good wishes, they're much appreciated.

Excellent. Good work, enjoy your rest.

glatt 10-16-2014 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orthodoc (Post 912067)
It's done.


Good! I'm sure you did well.

Gravdigr 10-16-2014 11:34 PM

:cheerldr:

orthodoc 10-17-2014 08:53 PM

Love you guys. :hug:

Starting today to taper off a med that has played havoc with my mind and mood for the past two years. I finally get to be rid of it! Cancer-related ... Just one more reason to be so grateful for where I am now, and for all of you.

monster 10-28-2014 10:53 AM

daughter's SAT subject test results due today. She wasn't pleased with how one of them went, but it was a one-shot deal to get them taken in time so it is what it is.....

orthodoc 10-29-2014 10:09 PM

I suppose I could start a thread titled 'What are you finding difficult today?', but it seems self-serving. Many of us are finding parts of our lives difficult.

I'm finding it a challenge coming off this med, with its predictable issues of brain zaps, incredibly loud (much louder than my normal) tinnitus, sudden vertigo, sleep disturbance, and irritability. I've gradually reduced doses with predictable effects, and today was my last dose. The next week(s) may be tough. All of this for a med that was only supposed to treat tamoxifen-induced hot flashes, and didn't even do a good job of that.

I will NEVER take another medication without overwhelming evidence of need or benefit. That said, I'm taking Femara instead of anastrozole (which gave me a fracture), but I refuse to take an anti-osteoporosis injection - urged by my onco because of Femara's side effects - that could give me necrosis of the jaw. I will deal with the osteopenia/osteoporosis, and if it becomes too big an issue, I'll stop the Femara (letrozole). Honestly ... the treatment truly can be worse than the disease.

Clodfobble 11-06-2014 05:42 PM

I'm just so tired.

Routine blood test from the neurologist showed relatively high blood sugar. "Probably because you had just eaten," says they. Except I hadn't. So I picked up a test kit at Target and have been monitoring myself. Currently my averages seem to be hanging out in the "pre-diabetic" range, which isn't terrible but on the other hand I don't eat a whole ton of carbs in the first place, so maybe I'm only accidentally/barely keeping it in check. Meh.

But THEN, Minifob sees what I'm doing and asks if we can test his. Sure, why not... Oh look, it's at 147 when he hasn't eaten in four hours. That ain't good at all. More important is the post-meal spike, so I let him eat his normal (pretty high-carb) snack and will test again in 2 hours.

Anyone want to reassure me that I bought a cheapo blood monitor that gives consistently inaccurate readings? Anyone?

Gravdigr 11-06-2014 06:21 PM

Clod, give this page a try. It compares different meters, and has some guidelines for how accurate a meter should be.

Shouldn't you check first thing in the morning, also?

Clodfobble 11-06-2014 07:06 PM

Yeah, first thing in the morning is the next thing to check... thanks for the link, it's actually very reassuring. Ours isn't listed, but the sheer number of products that are wrong more than half the time means I'm not sold on this thing.

Undertoad 11-06-2014 07:17 PM

Welcome! I got my diagnosis Tuesday!

glatt 11-06-2014 07:46 PM

I haven't been tested in about a year, but I'm just across the border into pre-diabetic too.

WTF?

I've considered getting a meter to get a better sense of what's going on, but those results are really discouraging.

orthodoc 11-06-2014 08:10 PM

UT, do you mean that you have just had a diagnosis of Type 2 DM? :(

And, Clod ... you have so many reasons to be tired, but making sure your blood glucose is where it should be is a major issue to address. I haven't checked out the otc blood glucose meters so can't comment, but if you've had conflicting results, I'd suggest a fasting glucose AND a Hemoglobin A1C through a certified outpatient lab (i.e. ordered by your PCP, I imagine).

And if Minifob has results that are concerning, the same routine for him would give you a better view of things. A certified lab will let you have more confidence regarding test results.

If results say: Type 2 DM, there are ways to deal with it, without resorting to endless meds.

Undertoad 11-06-2014 08:31 PM

Yes, I go back next week to get the complete details

Yes my toe numbness some months ago is figured to be diabetic neuropathy

I'm not too sad about it, and I feel prepared. I was kind of heading towards this kind of diet for some time now. And I don't have any other symptoms so there's that.

Clodfobble 11-06-2014 09:31 PM

Well, two hours after eating he was down to 117. Now I'm thinking maybe I did a bad job washing his finger before testing, and he had leftover raisin sheen on it or something. Still gonna test both of us first thing in the morning... Tony, are they thinking meds for you, or are you going to try to regulate it yourself first?

Undertoad 11-06-2014 10:20 PM

Don't know yet, but they didn't say "get in here as soon as possible", they said "try and make the appointment for a Wednesday because the Pediatrist is here on Wednesdays."

In any case, I got this.

limey 11-07-2014 04:54 AM

Mr Limey was diagnosed type 2 diabetic in July. Since then he has lost 16lbs (mostly through eating half the bread he used to and cutting out sweeties and, uh, sports drinks I think). All the carbohydrates in the house are now wholemeal (yay, I love 'em!) and we're both on strict portion control of those. Even I've lost one pound ( :( ). He's on metformin, but after two months of changed diet that's down to once a day, not twice.
You'll get loads of advice from everyone - find out what works/makes sense for you is what I say.
Oh, and the most entertaining thing is trying to find food (whether snack, or "fast food meal") that is low in carbs when you're out and about.

Gravdigr 11-25-2014 05:25 PM

What might be making you a tad apprehensive, but might not, as it's too soon to tell
 
This morning, when I took the boy to the vet, we were talking while the receptionist was printing my bill/receipt up at the end, she, my vet's a she, took a piece of paper and wrote down her cell number, saying "If you have any questions, or anything, just give me a call anytime."

:eek:

I don't get numbers just given to me. Been there a dozen times, never got a number before. Usually there's some light stalking involved with my getting a number.

It's the "or anything", and "anytime", that's making me apprehensive.

But, it may be too soon to tell.

footfootfoot 12-17-2014 10:00 AM

I may have mentioned that the mm hatched 4 chicken eggs with 4H this summer and now they are pretty much fully grown and it is clear we have two roosters.

Village regs do not allow roosters and require a permit for chickens. These regs are fairly new, maybe 4 years old. In comparison, there are at least a dozen families here that pre-date the revolutionary war, and twice as many that pre-date the civil war. In other words, generally speaking, tradition speaks louder than some fancy new-comer showing up and telling us how to live our lives-words. (By the current metric of residency me being here for 15 years means that I haven't actually even arrived here, much less reside here.) Despite that, I still fall under the unofficial rubric of local tradition as long as one of my neighbors doesn't drop a dime on me.

The roosters have just recently come into maturity and have started greeting the dawn with their song. I figured it wouldn't be a problem in the winter since everyone has their windows shut. The other morning at 5:45 I heard what I thought was my neighbor's dog whining. Turns out it was one of the roosters.

I'm a bit worried about one particular cranky old bastard who would be just the person to piss and moan about them. I'm hoping he hasn't bothered to read the new regs for the village.

xoxoxoBruce 12-17-2014 11:49 AM

Chicken (or cranky old bastard) and Cashews

1. Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sherry, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, and chicken(or cranky old bastard) in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch, broth, oyster sauce, and honey in a small bowl.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken(or cranky old bastard) mixture to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Return chicken(or cranky old bastard) mixture to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with green onions and cashews.

footfootfoot 12-17-2014 12:54 PM

How do roosters taste?

xoxoxoBruce 12-17-2014 12:58 PM

Ask Sheldon.

nowhereman 12-26-2014 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by footfootfoot (Post 916603)
How do roosters taste?

Like chicken ...:D

Griff 12-26-2014 06:00 PM

Ha!

footfootfoot 12-30-2014 11:10 PM

Someone dropped a dime on me and I got a visit from the zoning enforcement officer. PITA

Clodfobble 12-30-2014 11:14 PM

This is your house that you're secretly running a business out of, or what?


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