Dish Washers, Start Your Microwaves

Sponges are easy to handle. Heck, I hate to admit I prefer a loofa over a wash cloth for that very reason. But sponges suffer from a terrible problem: bacteria. There’s far more surface areas in a sponge and bacteria thrives. After a couple of days, you’re probably better off washing your dishes in the toilet. We buy lots of sponges, compromising between waste and germ-filled refuse.

 

Then last night on the news I heard that microwaving sponges or 2 minutes on high power kills 99.9% of bacteria. Something to keep in mind to clean off – and keep off – dirt and bacteria from your hand-washed dishes.

Missing more Teef

Due to an accident many years ago, I was already down 6 teeth (or "teef", if your toofless). A couple of years after that two of my wisdom teeth were removed. Yesterday, I lost my other two. Well, actually they were removed but I know exactly where they are now: wrapped up in a take-home envelope.

 

They really tried to push pain killers on me, but I just won’t have that. I was really hungry and thirsty, though, so Tracy and I went to Jamba Juice quick and then decided to stop by the Verizon Store to pick her up a new phone since it has been a couple of years. We then came back home to eat some light lunch and then I headed back to work (you can’t keep the "H man" down).

 

This morning there’s still a little swelling but I feel fine.

Healthier

Back in January I went in for a physical and found that my BMI was high (no shock there), as was my cholesterol and blood pressure. I knew I was out of shape compared to when I was very active in high school with biking, martial arts, carrying heavy drums around fields, etc. My blood pressure was over 130/90, though I don’t remember the exact numbers.

 

Since then I’ve been exercising my gym membership and have noticed an improvement, including getting old muscle mass back. Tracy and I have been eating better, too, though even before my checkup we did cut down on fatty foods and ate more chicken and fish.

 

Wednesday I went in for a checkup and the nurse had to take my blood pressure twice just to make sure she read it right, and she did: 117/78. The doctor joked about taking my picture to put up on the wall as an example that it can be done!

 

I owe a big thanks to my former development manager who inspired me. He got in such great shape that his diabetes isn’t a huge problem anymore. I even stopped drinking soda – at least during the week and limiting intake to 1/day on the weekends. I need to get my caffeine fix somehow.

Not Deaf…Yet

My left ear has been ringing for over 4 weeks. Into week 2 I finally agreed to go into the doctor (a family practitioner) and he told me exactly what I already though: the ear drum was fine (I could hear fine) and that the hairs in the inner ear were probably damaged (missing?). He said in 2-3 weeks I should go see an audiologist, and today I did. His setup was a lot more elaborate than what they had at school for our yearly exam with the school nurse during our more formidable years.

 

My right ear is pretty bad (didn’t hear about 1/3 the tones I should’ve) but that is from many, many years of percussion with a fellow obnoxious drummer like me to my right all those years (I don’t blame Jake, though – we were both loud). We made a lot of noise doing rim shots on Kevlar heads, steel rims, and oak shells. The audiologist also said a likely cause is all those years of shooting with proper ear protection. Looks like I’ll have to choke back my pride from now on and wear some.

 

The left ear doesn’t seem too bad, though. I missed some tones in the range where tinnitus (ringing) usually hangs around (a little higher than usual, I’m told). I go in for more tests when my family practitioner and the audiologist figure out where to go from here.