web-goddess

I seem to be building a collection here…

Two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine are finally providing evidence that not only does the Atkins Diet work, it’s actually beneficial for your health. Take that, detractors! You can read about it here and here. (Also note that my own cholesterol, which was checked yesterday, is “normal” after nearly a year of this diet.)

Doctor’s Report: The results of last week’s blood tests are back, with most items decidedly normal. There were a couple hormonal anomalies, though, as expected. My DHEA levels are about half what they should be. Testosterone (yes, girls need it too!) is also a little low. My level of thyroid hormone (T3) is within the normal range, but it’s at the low end (and there’s some question whether what I am producing is doing what it’s supposed to). The upshot? I’m getting two supplements this week that should start making a world of difference. Get ready for the new vigorous Kris!

Cripes. Next month’s vacation itinerary:

• United States: Security threat increased to high (orange) on May 20.
• United Kingdom: Risk of terrorism.
• Italy: SARS risk.
• Singapore: SARS risk.

Bloody wonderful. Well, at least the Aussie dollar’s doing pretty well. We travelers take our lives into our own hands, but at least we’ll have a decent exchange rate.

I just jumped in on an interesting Glitter discussion about anonymity and blogging. As I’ve said here before, I like my visitors to know that I’m a real person with a real name and identity. Sure, this means I have to practice a little self-censorship every now and then, but I feel it’s a worthwhile trade-off. I also just find that I enjoy reading blogs about “real people” more. Just about every site on my links list down there is written by someone that I can identify by name and location. They’re my friends. Why would I want to read about someone completely name-less? As far as I’m concerned, that’s what novels are for.

FUN! I just had my first teppanyaki experience tonight. That’s where you all sit around a big grill while a flamboyant Japanese chef cooks your meal and performs as he goes along. It’s like an episode of Iron Chef live in front of you (except without all the naughty Bobby Flay standing-on-chopping-board grandstanding). It was for my friend Sal’s bachelorette party. I watched in amazement as our chef sliced and grilled and chopped and lit stuff on fire. At one point he handed out a couple bowls (including one to me) and then tossed raw eggs at us from, like, ten feet away. I am extremely proud to say I caught mine! We had prawns and chicken and steak and miso soup and vegetables. It was so fun. Highly recommended.

Just seen on a sign outside a nearby church: “NEO IS NO MATCH FOR JESUS CHRIST.” 🙂

Friday Five:

1. What brand of toothpaste do you use?
The Snook and I recently began sharing toothpaste for the first time, and since he’s the pickier one we go with what he likes. It’s “Macleans”, I believe. He likes it to be actual paste (not gel), and he hates spearmint flavor. I can live with that.

2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer?
Again, I’m not bothered. I usually just grab what’s on sale. When he does the grocery run, the Snook usually gets something nicer (he likes quality) or the recycled brand (when he’s feeling enviro-conscious). I like the idea of the recycled one, but the last time we had it I suddenly made the connection between the “Planet Ark” brand on the package and the “Planet Ark” that does the commercials asking people to send in their Christmas cards for recyling every year. Somehow it just feels a little wrong to wipe your bum with somebody else’s Christmas card.

3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear?
I love cheap-ass Payless shoes. Seriously. I have no shoe-brand loyalty, and with cheap shoes you can try out styles you might not normally wear. (Case in point: the chunky black 40’s style heels still sitting in my closet that I bought but haven’t found an occasion to wear yet.) My running shoes appear to be Asics, but that’s just because it’s what the salesman handed me.

4. What brand of soda do you drink?
I wish I could say Mountain Dew. Nowadays, though, it’s Diet Coke all the way. I’m addicted to the stuff. I’ve become one of those girls.

5. What brand of gum do you chew?
Wow, do people actually have gum brand loyalty? I don’t really chew it on a regular basis, but when I do it’s just whatever I happen to pickup. My favorite used to be Strawberry Extra, but you can’t get that here. Again, I have to avoid the spearmint if I want the Snook within a three foot radius of me. 🙂

New Poll: Are you properly hydrated?

I’ve been making a conscious effort lately to hydrate myself properly. Today, for instance, I’ve drank 1.5 litres of water and it’s only lunchtime. I feel great, except for one little thing… I have to go to the bathroom every hour! It’s annoying. I don’t have a tiny bladder either; I used to pride myself on never leaving a movie or having to stop too often on long car trips. I nearly burst during X-Men 2 this week though! So will it always be like this, or will my body somehow get used to it? (I know caffeine is a diuretic, but I haven’t had any so far today.) How much water do you drink a day?