Moving

I've started a different blog for my time in France. I won't be posting on this one anymore- Blogger has lost my interest. Here's the new address: chasingmyhat.wordpress.com

See you there!

My Apologies

I hear tell that the itching article is more than a little disturbing. Sorry if you all are itchier than usual...

I'm spending the day running errands, one of which is copying a bazillion things at Kinko's for my visa application. I'm still waiting on the information I need in order to make the wire transfer for my language school application fee. And I'm calling the insurance company to ask for a letter stating my coverage. The visa people sure want a lot of stuff.

Reading Material

I've been reading some interesting things lately, and I thought I'd share them with you all. Funny thing, the same person recommended all of them. I think I'll have to pay more attention to what he reads in future. I don't want to miss anything good.

The first is an article in the New Yorker, about itching. It's slightly disturbing (medically speaking) at the beginning, but don't worry, it's just that one little part. I really enjoyed this article. I've been learning quite a bit lately about how interconnected our bodies are, and this was one of the best things I'd read on the subject.

The second interesting thing is this book. I got it from the library and let it sit on my shelf for a week or so, because it just looked boring. I got it because it was recommended, but my heart really wasn't in it. I did pick it up, finally, and I couldn't have been more wrong. It is not boring in the least. It is one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. I'm having fun reading along and learning about parasitic wasp larvae and hemochromatosis and how you'll get more sunburned if you wear sunglasses. The author has been ensnared by the current evolutionary mindset, so be prepared to filter.

The third, and last, interesting thing isn't medical or scientific (well, not hard science anyway). I suppose it's more related to the social sciences. It's an article on procrastination. I can definitely relate to using type B activities in order to avoid a type C. I'm currently putting off getting my visa photos taken, so that I can avoid thinking about going to France for 9 months. I'm putting it off by blogging. I never blog. See how bad it's becoming?

The author of the procrastination article, Paul Graham, has some other good articles on his website. Quite a few of them are on computer things that I don't know about, but others are about politics or nerdiness. I especially liked "Writing, Briefly".

France

I have a friend. I shall call her Mrs. Dimble, because she takes care of people, and because she is incredibly likely to make Insightful Comments to people who are not unlike Ivy Maggs (for example, me). Mrs. Dimble has made Insightful Comments to me regularly, ever since she met me. She also makes Interesting Suggestions. One of her most recent Interesting Suggestions was that I should go to Europe for a while to work. She said it would be an Adventure. Boy, was she right. I thought this was a good idea, so I looked into being an au pair in France. I didn't mean it, really, but now someone wants me. To come to their house. In France. In September. THIS September.

So I'm looking at my visa application and wondering how I'm going to fill it out in French like it wants when I don't really remember any French.

I think, maybe, that I have enough Interesting Suggestions to keep me occupied for a while. Thank you, Mrs. Dimble, but could you hold off on the rest of them for a bit so I can get used to this one?

I got a thermometer.

I've been temperature-charting for the past few days. Temperature is a good indicator of metabolic disfunction- low and stable equals thryoid problem, low and unstable (high variability) equals adrenal problem. I always thought my temperature was pretty steady at normal, but it turns out I was wrong! I've got medium variability in the low 97's so far. This stuff is so interesting...

Pasta

Making pasta is such a satisfying experience! I made fettuccine for dinner Tuesday, and it was delicious. Fresh pasta is much more filling than dried; it's also much more toothsome and fun to eat. I served my pasta with a cream sauce that had asiago, parmesan, and mozzerella cheeses melted into it. Then I sauteed some mushrooms, garlic, chicken, and prosciutto, and mixed those in, too.

I love cooking. I do. That's just all there is to it. I think I'll make tortellini next...

Fresh Pasta

Mix 3 3/4 cup flour* with 2(ish) teaspoons of salt. Pour out onto the counter and make well in center. Break four eggs into well, and beat with a fork. Drizzle in some olive oil. Use the fork to beat the flour and eggs together (slowly, from the inside out- the eggs will try to escape and run all over the counter). Add a few tablespoons of water as you're mixing. The dough should start to come together, and will now need some handwork. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (it will be heavier than a bread dough). Let the dough rest for an hour or so, then roll it out -as thin as possible!- and cut it however you like. The pasta will expand and get thicker and wider. Fresh pasta takes only a few minutes to cook, so keep an eye on it.

*You can use unbleached, all-purpose white flour, wheat flour, semolina, or any combination of flours you like. I prefer a mix of mostly semolina, part white.

If eating fat makes you fat, why do I only weigh 157 lbs?

Seriously, how is that hypothesis not totally shot by now?

I just finished my second 29 oz. container of coconut oil this week. I take a tablespoon with breakfast and another right before bed. I'm also finishing off my second bottle of cod liver oil. I take it right after the coconut oil, in the same amounts. I started the coconut oil about two months ago, I'd guess, and the cod liver oil about a month ago. I also pop evening primrose oil gels at every meal (8 per day). I take lots of other supplements (a la Dr. Cowan's Fourfold Path to Healing), but I take more fat than anything else. Not counting whatever butter, olive oil, coconut oil, milk, avocado, cheese, or yogurt I eat every day.

And I haven't gained a pound. That's because I'm at my ideal weight for my body type, height, and age. And when you eat healthy, natural fats, your body uses them instead of storing them. I offer myself as a case in point. My body is using the fats I ingest to heal what I've messed up with previous dietary blunders. Nifty, isn't it?

Fermentation

Last night, I made sauerkraut and ginger ale. They will sit on the counter and bubble for a few days, and then I will consume them! Mwahahaha! I used a mixture of red and green cabbage for the kraut, so I think it will turn out to be a sort of pinkish colour. Maybe I can borrow someone's camera and post pictures...

I also obtained permission from the Odor Police to make kombucha again. Hopefully I can keep it from violating the their nose-space this time. :)