85. Gawd, I Love My Gmail and Other Random Wednesday Goodies

The Contractor, The First In A Sticker Shock Series

I love my contractor.  He's a real cutie and what I call a "sleeper."  Deeper than you'd expect upon first meeting.  Several years ago, when he learned that Abigail was in a hoity-toity private high school for the arts, he started talking classical music and creative writing.  I gotta tell ya, there is just nothing that makes the hairs on my arms stand up like a man talking classical music and creative writing while grouting my floor. When he learned she was majoring in philosophy in college, he started talking Nietzsche and Kant.  While fixing the roof. 

*Pant.  Pant.*

So we've got some stuff to do around here, and that's a bit of an understatement.  I met with him last night to talk about some things.  Of course this is no surprise because it goes without saying, but it ain't lookin' pretty for the checkbook, my friends. Stash sale for new roof?  Could be. Anyway, in our conversation I made a discouraged statement about spring, what spring? and he said, "It's coming."  I rolled my eyes.  He said, "I know it, because the calendar says so."

Still as charming as ever.

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Recently Delurked Meets Lurker In The Wild

Good morning.  Ruby told me I should say hello to blogless Michelle in the Caspian Lake area of Vermont.  Michelle approached Ruby somewhere out there in the wilds of Vermont and said, "I read about you in Norma's blog and recognized your work immediately."  Does Michelle know me?  Nope.  Does she know Ruby?  Well, sort of, in a roundabout way.  Does she know Judy?  Nope.  But apparently reads my blog every day. Michelle, put your socks back on, since I imagine I just knocked them off.  Heh.  I live for knocking people's socks off.  Hey, Michelle, have you seen this button before?

 

Well, would it?! And maybe we should all meet up at Sarducci's again sometime soon.

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What'll They Think of Next?

Allow me to exclaim once again how much I love Gmail. Not only does it boast, "You'll never have to delete another email," and it has lots of great features, it gives me links to other things of interest, too. We've already talked at length about the links to wonderful gourmet Spam recipes, and I could go on and on about some of the other interesting things it links me to, but I won't just now.  Today I will talk about only one:

Because of all my comments and emails about my dream of owning a sweet little Airstream trailer, I was linked by Gmail to the best (or worst -- you be the judge) of all links in the whole wide world.

Cheeseburger in a Can.  

*retch*

This gives "I Can Haz Cheezburger?" a whole new meaning. It's the perfect dream gone wrong:  Me on the open road in my little Airstream, and dinner is only a can away.  So then I found a review that is good for some perverse entertainment.

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Picot, Take Two 

"If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style."  ~Quentin Crisp

I decided I didn't really want the tourniquet effect that a snug-fitting inelastic picot edge would give my sock, so I searched around for a ribbed picot.  I didn't find one, but I found the next best thing, a picot cast-on.  It's talked about in a few places, but this is the one I am using, and I think it's turning out beautiful!  It remains to be seen if it works the way I hope it will.  It might be ruffly on the top, and that's ok with me too.

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Them's Fightin' Words

So an anonymous (I'm sure well-meaning but misguided) scientist left this comment the other day:

I'm with your cynical friend. Homeopathy is unadulterated quackery. You believers have heard this before, but why don't you get it? It only "works" because we have the capacity to heal ourselves - it's nothing but the placebo effect. For an explanation, go to "homeopathy" on Wikipedia. If you have followed the logic and are still a believer in this tomfoolery, you will also believe in voodoo.

Posted by: a scientist | Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 07:57 AM

-------------------Another reader left this one:

Dear scientist:
So Frickin' What??  If it works, it works!

Posted by: Not a scientist | Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 12:44 PM

--------------------------

Heehee.  My sentiments exactly.

And to my "anonymous" scientist, who put "works" in quotation marks, I would direct you to the "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.  As pointed out by "Not a scientist," if it works by the placebo effect, it still works. 

That's what's known as being hoist by your own petard. 

AND, W.T. Fuck do you have against voodoo, anyway???????  And who's this Tom I should be fooling around with?  Is he cute?  Wealthy?  Open-minded?  Can he rebuild my sunroom?

Oh, we do have fun with the verbal jousting, don't we?

I do, at least.

 

 

 

Comments

[Anne]

Thanks, Norma. This reminded me to go bathe my sinus cavities in saline water (which has proponents in both the quackery and pill-pusher contingents).

[moiraeknittoo]

Not all of us are ready to work on a purely energetic level, and need some form for the function. I ::heart:: homeopathic approaches, remedies and theory. Dammit.

[Mel]

Here's a video of someone actually eating a cheeseburger in a can:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFQvDC6lXAY

[toni in florida]

Thanks for the link to the "quotation" site. It's a hoot!

[Cheryl S.]

Ya just never know about those contractors... I had a friend who waxed poetic about her plumber, calling him "the finest man she'd ever known". (He wasn't actually a professional plumber at that time, just a good friend who was doing some plumbing work for her and her husband, though he'd been a plumber in his youth.) About 6 years later, after I was divorced, she lined us up on a blind date and we're now married. Heh.

[Gretch]

A couple of things:
1. Unnecessary and aggressive quotation mark usage is among my pettest of pet peeves. Thanks for the link and boost in morale in my quixotic quest against them for anything but, well, quotations.
2. That button regarding commenting - doesn't she look like Morning Medusa in Ravelry?
3. Your contractor luck almost makes me weep. You're getting things accomplished, you have at least the capacity for grown-up conversations and it's all with the same person. You're a lucky woman.

[Gretch]

ETA:
4. I had that weird "she's gonna be sorry" kind of feeling when I saw your picot edge in that gorgeous yarn yesterday. Every time I've done a picot edge on a sock (only twice - I'm educable) it's been nearly too tight to put on. Thanks for a great alternative.

[elizabeth a airhart]

dear norma; its all your fault
i have your virus- ilve in florida
no snow blooming every thing
tis warm and i am sick -
and its all your fault

love your cleaning ladies
like your contacter
our very on house makeover page

[Carol]

And what's wrong with quackery? It just plain sounds cute. I thought the general idea of homeopathy was healing without drugs. So if the idea of cure is the cure itself, then didn't it work? Norma, I wouldn't have a word battle with you on a dare, my little ego would bruise badly.

[minnie]

except that some of it is proven, like chicken soup. and garlic. and tea.

assbite.

[Carole]

Does it matter why it works so long as it works? I can't for the life of me comprehend how the fax machine works. And yet, I know that if I put a piece of paper in and dial the right phone number then that same piece of paper is going to come out on the other end. I don't need to know how it works - just that it works! LOL

[Paula]

Aren't picot cast-ons fun? And should you ever have the inexplicable urge to knit toe-up, there is a picot bind-off too.

[margene]

Oh my god...hamburgers in a can before coffee and breakfast?...urp.

[Nora]

I think that was about 5 posts for the price of one, each one funnier than the last. I LOVE the quotation mark site - I posted about it a few weeks ago, along with one about apostrophe abuse. My readers were less amused than yours... but I might have sounded too English teacherish about the whole thing.

Send the Scientist a Cheeseburger in a Can and see how he likes it. Turdburgler.

[KellyS]

I don't personally do any homeopathy past the soup/tea route, but it cured a friend's horse of his ailments when nothing else did. I would like to know how you convince a horse to just *believe* in it working and get the desired placebo effect.

People used to think the world was flat, so there are still mysteries left to be solved. Of course, I still have a problem with people who say "Just pray" or "It will go away on its own", but I think I'm a bit justified there, with or without quotes...now I have to go read that linkie.

[Wendy]

Speaking of voodoo, I keep meaning to thank you for your tip on Myrrh Gum capsules. I've been taking them religiously for a bit over a month and I've been waking up with happy sinuses almost every day!

[jessica~]

That is going to be one hell of a pretty sock. Cheeseburger in a can? That is effing disgusting.

I feel the same way about religion... placebo effect. But honestly, if believing in something makes you a better (or healthier) person then who the frick cares?

[Roxie]

I tend to stick with whatever gets the job done, be it surgery, acupuncture or homeopathy. It's just a frickin miracle that we continue to inhale and exhale. (Scientists have been wrong before.)

Cheeseburger in a can. I've seen canned slugs, too. They are not to be eaten, except by starving ducks. I guess you can can anything that you care to.

[Mike]

Hi Norma,
The problem with homeopathy, as well as hundreds of over the counter
supplements and probably a few prescription drugs, is not that they
don't work. Often they do because of the placebo effect. It isn't the
"drug" (can I use quotes here?) Some folks are making a TON of money
off this effect. Modern day snake oil. Causality IS important. It's
how real effective drugs are developed: double blind, placebo
controlled, very large studies (including animals other than people)
by organizations that have nothing to
gain financially. Homeopathy fails in such studies, as does dousing,
voodoo, and a jillion weight loss remedies.

[Cynthia]

Oh dear Norma, you DO so make my day...every day!!

[CJ]

Norma, I just had to de-lurk to respond to your anonymous twerp. While I don't use homeopathic remedies myself, I do work in an ACADEMIC department at a Major Research University that investigates and teaches about Complementary and Alternative Medicine. For many years, Anonymous's view was so prevalent that no one thought to even test homeopathic efficacy. Then consumer interest in integrative medicine rose, and scientists figured they should probably look at this. We now have double-blind studies coming back showing statistically significant effects from using homeopathic medicines. Put in small words for Anon's convenience, your body can heal itself... and can probably do so even better with the help of homeopathic remedies.

[marianne]

Talk about a great sliceO'pie this morning! *thanks for the picot link, I needed that... *chzburger in a can... it 'festered'..I spewed my coffee....*sigh... just because one cannot get a grip (and so scrambles for their own 'terms') on how something works doesn't mean it doesn't work... I loved the KellyS comment about the horse...heeee. I love your contractor. Does he have brothers?

[AnnaMarie]

I think I want to smack your contractor. I keep hearing that spring is coming, there are actually robins in our yard. They are currently covered in snow as it is coming down again here. How the hell can I sell my house which apparently resides in the third level of hell if spring won't get it's head out of it's arse and show up!

Of course, I realize that I'm moving to a state that actually does get more of the white stuff but the sheer volume of knitters and spinners there does make up for that.

[Stephanie]

What a strange scientist. I would think scientists would be interested, rather than just blindly going with Wikipedia (of all things!), in studying the actual effects of homeopathy medicines. What if they're not actually a placebo? What then?

I personally have always felt better with a steamy shower when I have a cold than NyQuil. And that's from before I ever thought about homeopathy vs. drug remedies. Actually I'm starting to convince myself that that person isn't a real scientist... hm...

[Art]

As Mike said, there exist NO scientific studies that have validated homeopathic "cures" (apostrophes appropriate!). When CJ's university's researchers publish their "double-blind studies" showing "statistically significant effects" (apostrophes -- you know the drill), it will be refuted just like all the myriad other such studies have been.

Please understand also, it isn't that the remedies are harmful in and of themselves. But the next time you have an itchy mole that you treat with homeopathy for a few months, I hope to Budda that a possible melanoma doesn't metastasize. And I hope that the next time you have a persistent headache that you treat with homeopathy for a week doesn't turn out to be a slow hemmorhage.

Finally, chicken soup, garlic, and tea HAVE SOMETHING IN THEM. Homeopathic medicines have everything diluted out of them!!! Stick that in your cap minnie. Assbite, indeed.

[Margaret]

Quotation marks, not apostrophes.

[Beth S.]

New roof? GAH! The roof is just about the only part of our house that didn't need work when we bought it. The whole time the heating system was being gutted, I kept telling myself "at least it wasn't the roof". Let us hope yours has some life left in it!

And cheeseburger in a can sounds like something in the astronauts' pantry, next to the freeze-dried ice cream.

[Tracey]

Oh yes Norma, puleez, just run right over to Wikipedia, because we all know how relevant and reliable their information is. He probably grows sea monkeys at home in his mother's basement, so therefore he is a "scientist". *like the quotes ;)*

Cheeseburger in a can...yep, retch about sums it up.

[Cookie]

Ya know, it's been a while since I've wanted to smack one of your commenters. I guess it was coming.

Is the contractor cute? Straight? Single?

I think the happiest I have ever been was the day when my cute plumber looked me with his chocolate brown eyes and quietly told me that he just wanted to make me happy. This was after he put the wrong faucet in the shower, of course.

[Barb]

Of all the things I can think of that need to be invented, cheeseburger in a can was not one of them! Thanks for the picot link. I've been working on a picot bind off for a baby blanket and will try this one out

[Elisabeth]

I'm sorry this scientist was rude to you. For some scientists it seems that educating the public is synonymous with calling everyone you disagree with an idiot.

Here's the deal. As professional scientists, we cannot agree with the scientific validity of any treatment or technique unless it has been rigorously studied using the scientific method and published in a peer-reviewed journal. How much of this has been done for homeopathic medicine (which is different from herbal medicine such as chicken soup, garlic and tea) I can't say because I haven't done the pubmed searches and read the articles and so on. I CAN say that anecdotal evidence is not considered valid scientific data so no matter how many stories you can come up with for homeopathic medicine working for you or for others you know are not going to convince scientists. Period.

If someone were to approach me as a scientist and ask me how homeopathic remedies work, I would be forced to say that there is no scientific evidence that I know of to support that they do work (beyond the placebo effect) and furthermore everything I know about how the body works suggests to me that there's no way they could possibly work. And that would be the end of it. Scientifically speaking, that's the answer. Now if, on the other hand, someone approached me as a friend and asked the same question I would give the same answer but I would also say that I have met many people for whom homeopathy has provided much relief and that I cannot explain that scientifically, but it seems that for some people homeopathic medicine works well. I would also mention that there is a lot that we still don't know about how the body works and what is going on in your cells at the molecular level, and perhaps one day we might find a way that homeopathy fits in there. Or we might not.

[Elisabeth]

I'm sorry, that previous comment was longer than I intended.

[Sara]

hey - I unvented a picot rib sock thing - it's a 3-1 rib (K3, P1) with the picot yo/k2tog things happening at the P1. Or maybe it's a K4/P1 - I can't remember, and dang, I haven't gotten photos of it up on ravely yet. Though hey! There's a project entry for it LOL http://www.ravelry.com/projects/SaraSkates/austermann-step-socks

big help I am eh?

[Leslie]

I love gmail too but I don't understand how it knows about your intereste in tin-can living unless you sent emails about it. You don't send your blog through email, Norma, that I know, so I wonder if your comments are sent to you via email from Typepad?

I use blogger and have it set to forward my omments to me, so I assume this is how typepad works too?

Oh, I have a lovely picot cast off from the Ample Knitters list of yore. Right now, it's at home and I'm at work. I'll have to look for it tonight and will forward it to you.

[Leslie]

Also, the keyboard here on the crap computer at works make it look like I'm a typing illiterate. Sorry for the goofs.

[Kristen]

Re: cheeseburger in a can: oh guh-ROSS! And I'm all for a good placebo effect.

[PICAdrienne]

So is Cheeseburger in a can a homeopathic substitute for syrup of ipecac? Or would that just be causality? I have issues with sweeping statements about what works and what does not work. Our own physiology (and each body is different) is part of the determining factor.

[Seanna Lea]

I've never really been interested in homeopathy, though I know plenty of people who swear by it. My concerns with it have less to do with whether or not it works and more to do with self medicating. It's the same problem I have with people who don't finish their prescription for antibiotics and then use them when they feel sick for something unrelated months later.

Given I'm uninclined to seek medical help or to self medicate, I treat most forms of medicine whether they have the validation of the scientific community or not as quackery. At least I'm adult enough though to be accepting of what might work for someone else.

Oh, and I'm going to pretend that I never saw the Cheeseburger in a Can. It just registers as everything vile in my mind.

[Bethany]

Cheeseburger in a can makes me shudder with horror.

Thank you for the picot cast-on link! Claudia, of Claudia's Blog (surprise!) suggests casting on 4 extra stitches for the picot edges of socks, then decreasing again when you are done.

[Anne]

If it was a placebo effect when Bumps & Bruises (a homeopathic remedy for kids) eradicated (within 10 minutes, after 2 doses) the goose egg starting to form on my son's temple immediately after he ran full tilt into a doorknob when he was 2 and he never got a bruise, then I'm all for it. (He wouldn't let me near his head with ice, and B&B was the only intervention apart from big hugs and kisses) And if it was placebo effect that got us through cutting every single tooth with Teething Tablets, to the point that he ASKED for them when he cut his molars, then I'm all for that too. I don't care what the mechanism is, if it works, why not try it? But I think there is more to it than mere placebo effect myself...

[Lucia]

I'm rooting for the picot cast-on. If it works I may actually try it.

As I said before, logically or scientifically, it doesn't seem like there's any way homeopathy could work. If, however, it could totally and permanently cure my plumbing problem so that I could eat chocolate and tomatoes again, I would sing its praises for the rest of my days. (My plumbing problem is doing much, much better under conventional treatment, but that treatment still includes the severe diet restrictions.)

[jenifleur]

Well if it's in WIKIPEDIA it *must* be true!!!!!!!!!

[Gillian]

I use a homeopathic anxiety remedy for my dog. She can't be subject to the placebo effect, and the remedy certainly helps her.

[claudia]

I know you said something about cheeseburgers, but I'm still thinking about the onion soup. Mmmm. Onion soup.

[Roxie]

Your contractor has a crush on your daughter. I have NEVER had a man take a class because I was studying the subject. I am SO impressed with her mojo!

[One "l" Michele, the NEKL (Northeast Kingdom Lurker)]

Dear Norma,
It’s me, Michele, (with just one “l”).
I did see Ruby, who seemed well.
Sounds like Ruby talked to you,
and you decided what to do….
Imagine my surprise to see
that on your blog, you spoke to me.
The granny button cracked me up.
I almost dropped my coffee cup!!
My socks WERE knocked off – that is so.
I’m not a virgin lurker, though…
I’ve commented just once. You see,
it was your Blogiversary.
We had a little email chat, which I enjoyed.
Thought-“That was that.”
But now there seems to be a link…
The world is smaller than we think.

Thanks for the "HEY", Norma....It made my day!

[carol]

Hi Norma,
I'm a long time reader, first time commenter - I really enjoy reading your posts, and look forward each day to a bit of well written humor. The link to the picot cast on took me to Nona's site. What happened to her? She too was one of my favs. Hope she is well.