Only me

I'm going to use the blog today for something I try not to use blogging for, venting. But I've seriously had it today. So here I go....

Today was the first day of school for me at State. I'm actually looking forward to going back to class as I feel like lately my brain has decomposed into a useless pile of mush. Let me rephrase that last statement, I was looking forward to going back to school, until I got on campus today.


ust a quick back story, for anyone that knows me at all, you know I have a tendency to get yelled at by everyone, at any time, for no particular reason. I happen to think it's for one of two (or possibly a combination of both) reasons.

1) I am a girl. I know. Shocking but true. Half the people who yell at me would never talk to a man that way. I'm not trying to play the damsel in distress card here, I'm just saying if I were able to physically defend myself people would mess with me less. 2)I look young. I think people assume I'm a lot younger than I am and therefore that makes me...dumb? a door mat? Not sure, but that is the second part of my theory. Anyway,two weeks ago a lady yelled at me at the gas station because she felt I stole her pump, she was so out of control her boyfriend kept apologizing and finally stuffed her back in the car. A week before that a guy FREAKED out at me because I almost went out of turn at a four way stop. Repeat: almost. I stopped and let him go, I wasn't sure what was going on so I started going, yadda, yadda, stopped and let him go. But man oh man he was upset. He followed me for almost a mile yelling out his window all sorts of profanities I would reserve for someone who just ate my first born. A few months before that, a lady yelled at me on the trolley for biting my nails. She actually called me a bitch. For biting my nails. I can't make this stuff up. I could go on, but you get the idea. As mentioned in a previous post, I am a crap-magnet.

So today, I get up to campus and use the restroom. Brace yourself here this is going to get not only gross, but incredibly stupid. I exit my stall-post toilet flushing -and begin doing the typical girly thing in the mirror by messing with my hair. Some very angry woman comes in to the now crowded restroom and GRABS MY ARM to tell me "Hey, you need to flush your toilet. You didn't flush and I'm not using that stall until you flush."

Stop music.

My first reaction was that I wanted to punch her squarely in her hideous face. Who does this chic think she is for God's sakes?? Also, I am extremely embarrassed. And for the record folks, I did flush okay. The toilets are automatic flushers for one, and for another, I am a flusher!! The toilets at school-or some of them at least- are old and don't always get it all the down. So yes, remnants of my seat liner may have been corroding little miss toilet Nazis pristine bathroom going experience. But seriously? So back to the dialogue:

Me: "I did flush it. If you have a problem with it use another stall."
Stupid lady: "You're so disgusting. I'm not using that stall until you flush it."
At this point she is standing RIGHT behind me as I am fighting every urge to tell this woman where to go and how to get there.
Me:" Then don't use it. I really don't care."
So now another girl has entered the restroom and goes to walk into the stall in question when dummy says to her "Don't go in there, this gross person over here won't flush the toilet."
Me:"Excuse me why don't you take your crazy a$$ somewhere else? And I did flush," I say apologetically to the girl next to me, who is caught between being horrified and amused.
SL: "You're nasty, I can't believe you won't flush the toilet. You're so rude. You're SO RUDE!"
I am really trying to ignore her but now she is shouting. About a toilet. Not her toilet. Not my toilet. A toilet in a public restroom. And I am beyond humiliated because now everyone around me thinks I am an inconsiderate non-flusher and I have this woman literally breathing down my neck and yelling at me about something so ludicrous.

Me: Laughing"Lady, you are so crazy."
SL:"Nasty. You are so nasty. God you are so gross."
I am not going to repeat what I said before I stormed out and had to go find another restroom to go wash my hands.

The whole stupid thing ruined my day. Of course I spent the rest of my afternoon running through the zingers I should have said, which is not good at all for my little aura. The whole thing also sort of made me think, and I realize this may being a bit dramatic here, but honestly, what is the matter with people? What is wrong with people that they feel it's okay to just walk up and talk to someone like that? For no reason? Ordinarily I would laugh it off but today I'm just plain old annoyed. I hope that lady had not toilet paper. So there.

Maybe not a miracle, but still pretty cool

So when I first heard about miracle fruit, my thoughts were-"Here we go again, another hyped up super food that's going to cure everything from a hang nail to cancer." As is often the case, however, I was wrong.

I was reading a study conducted by another grad student on the subject and was surprised to discover miracle fruit is actually a berry native to West Africa which has been said to cause a sour food to taste sweet. Apparently the fruit contains a protein that has been named miraculin (duh) which binds to sweet receptors cells on the tongue. During times of a low pH in the mouth, the receptors get stimulated by the protein. The sour taste in sour foods is caused by hydrogen ions dropping the pH in the mouth and causing an acidic environment. The idea is to consume miracle fruit and then eat something sour and it will taste sweet instead. Miracle!

Although I've never had it myself, miracle fruit isn't supposed to have a taste, making it a possible option to explore in the way of sweeteners. In fact, the study I read was interested in miracle fruit to help those attempting to lose weight. The idea is that consuming miracle fruit before a low-calorie diet/sour food would increase the satisfaction of the food, thus lowering the desire for sweets and extra calories. I would love to reference the study, but it hasn't been published yet.

Exciting stuff! I'm sure we're going to be hearing a lot more about miracle fruit. However, I would like to change the name to something less bombastic. I mean making sour foods taste sweet isn't exactly a miracles. Maybe-that's-pretty-cool fruit, or confuse-the-hell-out-of-your-mouth fruit. But miracle fruit? Seems a little dramatic to me. By the way, anyone ever tried it? Just curious what people think of this outside of the study.

Clarification

So my good friend who lives in the UK was kind enough to inform me that the "Daily Mail" (which published the summary of that study on Calcium supplements and their linkage to heart issues) is not exactly the most reputable source of info in the UK....

This being said, there was an actual study that found this possible (I stress possible) side effect. I did post a hyperlink in the post on this subject so you can click on it to see what the scientists found in their research.

However- a few points here: One study doesn't mean much. Several studies usually need to corroborate a finding before it will be anything more than an interesting study. Also, don't believe everything you read!! If a study is cited-look for it and read the abstract for a condensed version of the research and its findings. However, the good points this study and its related article did illuminate were that over-supplemenation is not usually a good thing, and the best way for healthy individuals to get micro/macronutrients is through food.

Thanks Dana for calling out the Daily Mail as attention whores!

Lychees! (Not leeches)

A couple years ago a friend of mine introduced me to lychee martinis. If you have never had a lychee (pronounced lee-chee), you have to try one. I think they taste like a cross between a cherry and a peach. I ate them to the point of sickness in Thailand as they are all over the place there. I recently found them at Trader Joe's and have been stuffing my face ever since. One of the few things that is just as good without the alcohol.

Now I am just trying to find something else to do with them, besides put them in martinis or eat them raw. Any suggestions?

New info about Calcium supplements

So I heard a little blurb on the radio a month or so ago about negative side effects related to calcium supplements. After some digging, I was able to find the article I think may have been referenced for the news story.

According to the article on The Daily Mail.com, a British online news mag, women who supplement calcium intake with supplements could be facing a 30% higher risk of heart disease. The information comes from a study published by the British Medical Journal which looked at women consuming 500 mg or more of calcium supplements a day compared to those not taking them. The results, as mentioned, found these women were at a higher risk for heart attack due to the fact the calcium, when in supplement form, increases levels of calcium in the blood. This has a hardening effect on the arteries, which in turn leads to a higher heart attack risk. Calcium supplements artificially increase calcium in the blood and keeps them elevated for longer, whereas calcium from a dietary source does not, which explains why those consuming high levels of dietary calcium were not at risk.

The study DID exclude those also consuming Vitamin D supplements, which helps absorb calcium.

As one reader commented "The jury is still out on this one", which is very true. Calcium supplements for those suffering from osteoporosis or other degenerative bone conditions who are on supplements through a doctors order should of course continue to take them as prescribed. However, the BEST (and possibly safer) source of calcium is always through the diet by consuming dairy (milk and cheese products ) and dark, leafy green veggies. Over supplementing is generally not a good idea.

I believe I found the study here, if you would like to read it for yourself.