How's that for timing?

Yesterday, I mention all the gross stuff I used to (and still do, to a lesser extent) follow. That prompted me to spend some time on Wikipedia last night reading about the various flavors of Ebola. I even spent some time cleaning up the entry for local favorite Ebola Reston. Then today, the WHO announces a new subtype of the disease has emerged.

"New subtype of Ebola suspected in Uganda"

Good day to be a virologist. Bad day to be a Ugandan in the midst of an outbreak.

Thanks to Lori for the Ebola scoop.

To watch, or not to watch. That is the question.

It's like a train wreck. You don't really want to watch, but somewhere, something inside you, on some primal...even guttural level...needs to.

A friend pointed out this BoingBoing post, which references a video called "Two Girls, One Cup". Actually, it doesn't reference it so much as it warns you -on the future wellbeing of your eternal soul- against watching it. With an anti-endorsement like that, how can anybody *not* watch it?

Now, I'm a relatively macabre guy. I'm OK with gross stuff. I was reading books on epidemiology and disease science (Ebola is still a favorite subject), forensic pathology and forensic anthropology well before it was vogue (and before there were 37 CSIs to choose from every night of the week). Back in the pre-internet days, I watched at least one of the "Faces of Death" video tapes (see, I told you it was "way back"). A bit more recently (tho still at the dawn of the modern internet), I spent my fair share of time on rotten.com website and the alt.binaries.grotesque newsgroup looking at all kinds of horrific photos of all kinds of horrific events. I've seen herring inserted in places herring have no business being. So, by now, I'm not too freaked out by gross stuff. Jaded, if you will.

However...



Some clever and creative soul has posted a ton of "Two girls, One Cup reaction videos" on YouTube. These are safe to watch (and quite funny), as they show first-time "Cup" viewers watching the video...they don't show the video itself. Occasionally the viewers do mention what they're seeing on the screen. And it ain't pretty.

Watching these other "Cup" virgins react gives me more than a little pause.

So now I'm seriously considering how to proceed. Should I stay a "Cup" virgin, and innocently watch the reaction videos on YouTube, laughing along oblivious to the horrors being shown? Or do I watch the video itself, so I can understand what these victims are going through, tho probably never again able to watch the reaction videos again without becoming sick. Decisions, decisions.

For those brave enough to even read a description of the "Cup" video (and be warned, I've heard the description is enough to give you nightmares), one can be found here.

If you're not as brave, for a laugh you can check the reaction videos #10 and #9. Both are quite funny (and mostly harmless).

At the moment, I'm leaning towards not watching the original. Maybe I'm going soft in my old age.

Dumbest thing I did today?

*Not* biking to work.

Let's do the math, shall we?

10 mile commute divided by 1 hour drive time equals...hmmm....lemme see, about 10mph. Fuck. I can do better than that on two wheels.

I swear, I'll never drive to work on one of the day-before-a-holiday commutes again. Rain, snow, hellfire, fucking biblical floods and plagues of locusts. I'm biking it (or taking the damn day off).

So there.

Now where'd I put my beer?





(CC licensed photo above snagged from drb62's photo stream).

...please stand by...

Sorry for the long delay in posts. It has been a busy couple of weeks/weekends. I promise I have a few in-progress posts that will be done shortly. There's the post-Bliss ride post, the post-Mexico trip post, a post about the best thing to happen to the web *evar*, a couple of posts about local weddings Ben and I have shot, and a post about a product I purchased as a goof, but now find myself really digging.

brb.




(Above CC licensed photo by Flickr user jaybowalkin).

Inventing new uses for words

beverage
bev·er·age
Pronunciation: \ˈbev-rij, ˈbe-və-\
Function: verb?

On the way in to the office this morning, I had WTOP on the radio. They were speaking with a DC cop about Georgetown's Halloween festivities scheduled for this evening. The cop said that the city would have 300 officers around Georgetown to "assist the public", "ensure nobody stumbled into the streets" and "make sure nobody gets 'over-beveraged'".

"Over-beveraged" might be my new favorite term.

"No, officer, I'm not shitfaced. I'm just a bit over-beveraged! If you allow me a few minutes to find a restroom and a Starbucks, I'll de-beverage, re-beverage with some coffee, and go on about my night. Thanks!".

Really, now? You don't say.

Pa. Coroner Says Homicide in Beating

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The death of a college student found severely beaten on a street in Pennsylvania Dutch country has been ruled a homicide..."

I'll sleep better at night safe in the knowledge that suicide by self-beating isn't on the rise in Pennsylvania. At least...not yet...

What are you doing to me, C3-C4? I thought we were friends?!

Monday I had the distinct displeasure of having my XXL-sized body squeezed into the drinking-straw-sized device they call an MRI machine. Being mildly claustrophobic, it was not an enjoyable 20 minute ordeal. Luckily, they only inserted me from head to waist. Had I had to endure a full-body encapsulation, I'd have needed tranqs.

I just heard from the doc with the results. Word on the street is that I have a "small herniation" of the C3-C4 disk. Actually, he said I have *two* herniations. One at C3-C4 and one somewhere lower (he wasn't specific), but he thinks C3-C4 is the one causing me discomfort.



I asked him what the next step was. He said for more severe herniations, we start talking about surgery at this point. However, with the size of mine, and the fact that my symptoms seem to be subsiding (slowly), we were best off taking a wait-and-see approach. Apparently, herniations never "fix" themselves. The symptoms may go away fully, but once you're herniated, you're herniated till you opt for surgery to smush the disk back where it belongs.

I asked what I should and shouldn't be doing physically at this point. He said tackle football was out (I can manage that...I've avoided it for 20 years now), and he said that "getting in a car accident would be really bad now". Check. I'll put that on my "stuff not to do" list, too. When I specifically asked about mountain biking, he said that I should be able to start again. But that I should "avoid head-on collisions". Thanks doc. Master of the obvious. That's why you get paid the big bucks.

So (thankfully), it's time to get back on the bike. I'm gonna take things gingerly at first, I think. The Bliss is just a few weeks away. Gotta determine if I'll be riding it, or driving around the park strategically placing myself (and my camera) at peak action-shot locations.

While I had the doc on the phone, I took the opportunity to explain that I was going to have to start traveling (flying) more for (wedding photography) work. I asked if he could prescribe me some Xanax to keep me sane at 30k feet. Thankfully, he obliged. Ye ole medicine cabinet is getting crowded these days!