The future of food

Just read about eating insects will be better for society because they are more nutritionally balanced and better for the environment. Growing them takes less food. They can eat our leftovers. And they can grow in a small space.

I wonder if due to global warming, depleting resources, and overpopulation the future sources of protein will be biomeat and insects. I can picture it now: in every home, the fridge contains mass-produced biomeat, rotating containers of insects grown for food (hmm...cockroaches and spiders), and a kitchen compost.

It'll be very hard for me to get used to the idea of eating insects. Hairy caterpillars. Hairy spiders. Crunchy spiders. Crunchy everything. And I think it is very much a socially-bred disgust towards them. With my kids, it might be fun to change that. Give them bugs to eat so they don't develop as strong of an aversion to them.

Saturday morning

Woke up to a beautiful foggy morning. Took Butters out to his morning ritual and found the swimming pool wrapped in fog. What is it about fog that makes it seem so mysterious? Perhaps it is the expanded personal space we feel since fog blocks and muffles our surroundings. It reminds me of walking to early morning classes at UCSD. I miss those days.

Rule 2 of 48

Currently reading The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene (tip of hat to Mr. Perkins).

In rule 2: Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies, frankly, I just don't get it. If you are supposed to be using enemies, then doesn't that imply a degree of confidentiality and hence trust and friendship? So once they become friends to a certain degree, am I supposed to ditch them and treat them as enemies?? So my whole life will be a cycle of turning enemies to friends and friends to enemies? Am I not getting his point?

Dog day

Took Butters to the dog park today. We told him to sit and stay in the unleashing area which he managed to do with a little excited whining. We released him from the command once we were inside the park itself. A couple saw us and was very impressed with that considering he's four months old. Unfortunately, Butter's good day lasted about ten minutes as he angered a little black chihuahua dog and was chased. He then became very grumpy and vicious. His usual playmate the French bulldog repeatedly barked at him for no apparent reason. In his play with Achilles, the Pembroke corgi, he viciously growled while standing over him. I've never really seen him like that before. So I took him to the other side of the dog park and played chase with him for awhile, but he was just done with the dog park. Before I left, the lady whose 10-year old bichon died last June came over to me to give me the pictures that she took of Butters the other day. There was one picture of him standing while the French bulldog chomped down on his back leg. It was cute.

L and I went to watch 9 at the Edwards theatre. I thought the ending was going to be different from the way it came out. Also, I realized that from futuristic movies that deals with machines vs. humans, I am now very afraid of classic machine noises like their metallic clackings and creakings and wooshings as they move and slither about. Also, why do we use metal weapons against their metal bodies? It just doesn't seem evenly matched because knives and guns are supposed to be for the flesh. Since metal bodies are supposed to be more resistant to physical damage than naked flesh, I think we should have more advanced weaponry against that. Maybe something like targeted EMP that shoots like a laser.
Analogy:
guns: flesh:: EMP laser: machines

There! That looks better. =)

Bow and arrows

I loved archery when I was introduced it in PE class back in junior high. One of these days, I think I'm going to figure out a way to get a traditional looking bow (instead of the crazy stuff used in the Olympics) to practice shooting. That would be lots of fun I think. Maybe I'll make one myself.

Butter's 3rd vet visit

5 lbs and 12 oz. Jeez Butters. I would call you a fat ass, but I know you are not. Muscle developing properly, and the puppy teeth should come out any time now. Possible ear infection, got ear drops. Everything else checks out properly. I'm so happy that he's done with shots. Now we can take him to dog parks. Yay!

I must say that I really like our vets at the Rose Canyon Veterinary Hospital. They are fairly priced, awesome people, and are not pushy about anything. They are also extremely patient and has always answered all of our questions. The vets take the time to try to get the dog comfortable. Highly recommend them.

I'm thinking that the first time he goes to the dog park that we keep him on a leash and make him sit when meeting people/other dogs. I wonder if that's excessive?

The Great Honey Experiment

One of the very first lessons in immunology is the various types of immune systems. We don't understand any of them completely. One of them is the natural anti-bacterial properties of honey. We don't know what it is, but honey can keep for a long time even after the bottle is opened.

I gashed my finger pretty bad while bbq'ing over the Labor Day weekend, stripping off a slice of skin on my left index finger. Without the strip of skin to cover the exposed dermis underneath, it really hurt. I thought that healing will take awhile too since cells have to slowly close the gap as opposed to "glueing" the two sides together. I put a band-aid on to keep it from hurting, but I also needed something else to keep the moisture from providing a good place for the bacteria to grow. What to put? Neosporin? Honey? Am I certain enough about the anti-septic properties of honey that I will risk the possibility of my finger rotting and falling off? Yes, why not? No, in biology, in theory things should work, but in reality, they never do. After much mental debating, I decided yes. It's not as big as a cut to the bone, let's try it. The thick viscous liquid will seal the wound, preventing air and moisture in, and who knows? Maybe the famed anti-bacterial properties will kick in and actually help.

The first time I put it on, the finger throbbed for a good while. After that, whenever I replaced the band-aid as it got moist, it only tingled. After two days, I am without the band-aid and painfree. The wound it mostly closed and sealed except for the deepest part. There is not redness or puffiness or other signs of infection.

Of course, this is one data point. It could totally be my awesome kick-ass immune and repair system. Or it could be my sterile technique. Or it could be me really trying to rip it open whenever I put on or take off the band-aid. Or it could be honey. Either way, it certainly didn't do any harm. And I think in the future, I will try again.

Remember the band-aid commercials, or perhaps it's the Neosporin commercials where a kid falls and the mom rubs on the anti-septic or puts on the band-aid? I am going to be the crazy mom that puts honey on the wound and tells him to beware of ants.

Word & Books

Word of the Day: holt - a small woods

Finished A Zookeeper's Wife. Am currently preparing to read The Canterbury Tales. Also on the reading list (besides my current library books): The Elegant Universe and Metamorphoses

Also, the auto-didact's course catalogue from Johns Hopkins Magazine.
Of interest:
American Constitutional Law & the Supreme Court
Quantum Physics
Business management
International affairs
Biochemistry & human evolution
Classics
Social stratification
Everyday design
...among others that are maybes.

Apple sauce

I had some apples sitting around since beginning of August when L decided to get his wisdom teeth pulled (I thought I'd make smoothies). After realizing that there was an inverse relationship between the time the apples are in the fridge and the likelihood of them being eaten, I found a recipe for apple sauce written down on the back of an envelope in my cookbook. The results were great. Sitting around the fridge dehydrating actually concentrated the sweetness. It was so sweet that I had to add juice of half a lemon to it to give it a bit more tart flavor.

3-4 lb of various apples/qt of sauce (ex: red delicious, gala, fuji, rome)
water
sugar/lemon juice to taste

1. Peel, core, and slice the apples and put in a pan.
2. + 1 in of water on the bottom.
3. Heat on high with lid on till boiled.
4. Turn the heat down to simmer till apples are soft.
5. Mash w/ potato masher or food mill.

I processed it with a blender and I think the texture was a little too smooth. I'm thinking of getting a food mill sometimes.

After I made it, I also tried canning. I steamed the jars upside down with the lids for 20-30 mins. Removed the jars when ready to pour the sauce. Closed it right away. We'll see how long that keeps. I need something to grab the hot jars.