2009-01-26 - Get to know a cantaloupe

I always see people that look like they know what they're doing when picking out cantaloupes. People pinching, squishing, tapping, listening, smelling- I think they're just a bunch of phonies. Some fruit is pretty easy to tell whether or not it's ripe. Anything that changes color when it's ripe is pretty obvious- but what about things like cantaloupe?

Cantaloupe. That's a real money melon. This one has some really interesting tips. Apparently cantaloupes don't ripen any further after being picked- so buying a shitty one with hopes of it ripening on your kitchen table is not a good plan.

One way to identify a ripe cantaloupe is by smelling it. There are a few fruits that when they are ripe- their odor permeates the skin or rind of the fruit. If it doesn't smell delicious it probably won't taste very good either. Another way to check is by pressing on the end opposite of the stem. This should give a little. You don't want the whole thing to be soft because it'll probably just be mushy on the inside- past ripe.

You might look stupid smelling a melon in the grocery store- but a good cantaloupe is a good thing.

Fun fact: Cantaloupes are originally from Cantalupo- a village near Rome.

2010-01-25 - How to care for my teeth

I got a fucking cavity. Who gets cavities? Bull shit. I brush for like 10 minutes every time. I didn't know they were serious when they said I had to floss frequently! Now my dental hygiene is personal- I have a vendetta against bacteria.

Dentist says:

Brush

Floss

Mouthwash

The order isn't too critical- they all do different things- but this is what he said. Brush first to remove all of the big obvious stuff. Floss to get the places that the brush can't reach. Mouthwash to rinse out all the loose stuff and kill what ever bacteria you couldn't remove with the other two. It's not as important to get rid of all of the stuff every single time- but to make sure that stuff doesn't sit in one place for too long.

When drinking sugary drinks use a straw. This helps for the sake of cosmetics as well as health. You don't really want to bathe your teeth in sugar and dye so using a straw helps avoid that.

Tip for flossing- take out twice as much floss as you think you need. Wrap all the excess around one finger like a spool and unravel it as you go. You can't use a section of floss more than once or twice really- so the spooling method saves you some time. I started flossing every day and it's become pretty addictive.

This one is sort of cheating because it's nothing new really- but at least a clarification and justification of the order of brush/floss/mouthwash. A few spools of floss costs a lot less than a filling. Trust me.

2009-01-24 - Sew a button

This is an easy one but it's good to know. You'll need:

• Garment with missing button
• Button
• Needle
• Thread
• Match-stick

So to start off you need a length of thread about twice as long as your forearm. Most travel sewing kits have a few different color threads to pick from so just find one that matches.

Thread the needle and fold the thread in half so the ends meet. Tie a knot at one end and bring the needle to the other. Now you have a double-thick piece of thread.

Place the button where you want it and pass the needle through from the back (inside) up through a hole in the button. This way the knot at the end of the thread is on the inside and out of sight.

The next part is where the match-stick comes into play. You can't have the button super tight against the material- you need to leave enough space for another layer from when you actually button your shirt or what ever it is. A thicker material might require a thicker spacer- but for dress shirts a matchstick is sufficient. By putting the match-stick underneath the button you can leave a good size gap. Put the match-stick underneath and bring the needle through another hole and through the shirt. You can pull it tight around the match-stick.

Go through each hole repeatedly- typically making an X across the center of the button by connecting the four holes. Repeat until you have about two inches of slack left in the thread.

Cut the needle off of the thread and tie a knot on the backside of the button- trim any excess thread. When you take the match-stick out there should be enough slack behind the button so it's usable.

Not exactly difficult- but it helps to know a few tricks.

2010-01-23 - How to put out a fire

There are a number of ways a fire can start and different types of fires need to be dealt with in different ways. You can't just dump water on every type of fire- in some cases it can make things significantly worse. Obviously if the fire is out of control and spreading there isn't a lot you can do aside from get yourself to safety and call 9-1-1. If you have any doubt of your ability to stop the fire then call 9-1-1 to be on the safe side- and specify what kind of fire it is. You should still know how to manage the different kinds of fires just in case. I'll break it down by the type of fire and what you should do.

Electrical
You need to cut power to the circuit. If it's an appliance and you can safely unplug it- do that. if not, you need to find the circuit breaker and turn off power to that circuit.

If you have a class-C or "multipurpose ABC" fire extinguisher use that. It should be clearly labeled. If you're not sure what kind it is, don't use it. An ABC extinguisher is a chemical based extinguisher designed to handle electrical fires. If you use a compressed water extinguisher it could make it the fire worse or increase the chance of electrocution.

One common household item that can be used on electrical fires is baking soda. Any sodium bicarbonate (some powder detergents, baking soda) can be used to smother the fire.

Grease/oil
You'll typically encounter these while cooking. The best way to put it out is to cover it with a metal lid to starve the fire of oxygen. If you don't have anything metal to cover it with you can also use baking soda. Don't use water. Water separates from oil- goes under it- gets super heated into steam and explodes, spreading the oil/grease. That's bad.

This is a class B fire- so you need a class B or comparable extinguisher.

Gasoline/liquids
Similar to the grease and oil- don't use water on it. Smother it.

Organics/Trash

Think campfires. Water is acceptable in this situation as long as you have enough. You can also smother the fire with sand to starve it of oxygen.

Gas/propane grill

Turn off the gas supply immediately. If the fire is contained in the grill but out of control- turn the gas off first and deal with the grill after. As long as there is enough pressure in the tank to push gas out of the hose you should have time to turn it off. If the fire is allowed to creep up the hose and into the tank it will probably explode- which is bad.

Proper fire extinguisher technique:

Most extinguishers have diagrams and labels- but you're not going to read them if your kitchen is burning down. Aim for the base of the fire and use the extinguisher liberally. It's like a bad guy in a movie. Don't just walk away assuming he's dead when he's down- because he's going to get back up again. It's not like you need to save the rest of the extinguisher for later.

2010-01-22 - Tie a tourniquet

Tourniquets are definitely a last resort method of stopping bleeding. Depending on the type of wound you would typically apply direct pressure to it to stop the bleeding. You can also try elevating the wound to reduce bleeding. A tourniquet is an extreme measure to be taken only when absolutely necessary. If done incorrectly or unnecessarily it can do more harm than good.

A tourniquet is a device used to stop the flow of blood to a part of the body. It's used when there is extreme blood loss from an extremity and the person is in risk of bleeding out. It's usually a fabric or belt of some kind that can be tightened around the limb to cut off circulation.

When to use:
Only when absolutely necessary. If you think the person is at serious risk of dying from blood loss and you cannot get the bleeding to stop by any other means. Obviously if someone is really bleeding that much you should first call someone who knows what they're doing.

What to use:
Any non-stretchy fabric or other material with which you can tie a knot. To get the necessary pressure for some applications you will need a windlass, basically a crank to get more pressure than simply tying a knot.
You want a narrow, strong strip of fabric about an inch wide if possible. Anything larger you'll never get enough concentrated pressure to stop the bleeding and anything narrower you can start doing tissue damage and act more like a garotte wire. You can improvise a handle for the windlass out of a piece of pipe or broomstick or something comparable - as long as it's strong enough that it won't break while winding the tourniquet.

How to use:
Locate the wound. It should be pretty obvious if it's bleeding enough to require a tourniquet. You're going to apply the tourniquet "upstream" from the wound. You're trying to block off the flow of blood away from the body so you need to get between your heart and the wound. The points on this diagram are also where you should first attempt to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.

Tie one knot around the limb. Make a second knot above that to insert the handle of the windlass. You'll definitely need a windlass for the leg because of the pressure coming out of the arteries down there. Remember- you're fighting a lot of pressure. The blood is circulated with an insane amount of force so it's going to have to be pretty tight to stop that circulation.

You'll know when it's tight enough because the bleeding will stop. It should be pretty obvious- like turning off a faucet. Once tight enough- secure the windlass in position so it doesn't loosen. Tie the end of the handle to the limb it's tying off.

Again- only use if completely necessary. It can save someones life- but it can also do a lot of damage. Any time you stop circulation to an extremity for an extended period of time it will start to damage the tissue. If not tight enough it will only apply pressure which can increase bleeding. If removed incorrectly it can cause a large amount of blood loss in a small amount of time (think: putting a kink in a hose and then letting it go) which can send the person into shock. Never remove a tourniquet- leave it for a professional.


info, info

2010-01-21 - Countries in South America

Growing up I was never really required to learn about world geography. We had to know the states and their capitals but anything beyond the borders wasn't totally necessary. I didn't even need to know too many for a world history class.

I feel like I should have a better knowledge of at least the capitals so when I hear about something happening in the world I know what they're talking about. South America is a good starting point because it's easy- starting off with Africa would be way too demoralizing.

Last year we all discovered Sporcle and it was pretty addictive. You could waste a ton of time on there with virtually no guilt because you were 'learning'. They do have some pretty good geography quizzes though, if you're interested. I used this one to learn the capitals and locations of all the countries in South America. I felt pretty bad about not knowing some of them- but at least I know them now. Give it a try.

2010-01-20 - How to tie a windsor knot

So this is another one of my grown-up skills I had to learn. I never really learned how to tie a tie officially. I sorta figured out a half windsor and that got me through life until now- but it was time for a real knot. I've tried using those terrible instructional videos online before- and those useless diagrams. Never really got good results.

After Pat donated a bunch of ties to me he felt obliged to teach me how to tie it properly. He showed me how in a few minutes and I just repeated it a few times. I tried again the next day just to make sure I remembered- and I'll probably have to do it periodically just to refresh my memory. Or I just need to find excuses to wear ties more often.

I'm not going to try to write out an explanation or instructions because they would be terrible and useless. Here's a crappy diagram.

2010-01-19 - TT - Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal Psychology - Theories of the Stress-Illness Link

This is something that I've always been interested in. I don't really ever feel stressed- but I know that between work and school and life in general I have to be experiencing some level of stress. By not admitting to the mental effects of stress it probably manifests itself physically.

What is probably more accurate is that as a result of a stressful life you start changing your habits and behavior. If you're really busy you probably don't have time to eat well, sleep well, relax, exercise or anything else associated with healthy living. In addition to that people pick up detrimental habits; smoking, too much caffeine, drinking. Because you stop doing healthy things and pick up unhealthy things- it's difficult to say whether or not stress and stress alone can really affect your health- or if it's just the behavior resulting from stress.

Stress can affect your body on many levels. The nervous system, hormone levels, brain activity are all subject the stress in your life. The one that is gaining a lot of interest is the immune system. Everything from the common cold to cancer is thought to be affected by stress. It's not really well defined but there have been a lot of connections made. One study linked stress to low anti-bodies in your secretory immune system. The secretory immune system is all of your mucosal surfaces- so when there aren't as many anti-bodies there you are more prone to viral infections. There are also a lot of pyschosomatic reactions as well as developing hypochondria which are the mental affects of stress.

There are definitely biological and chemical responses to stress- but I think a lot of it has to do with your behavior when you cope with stress. Next time your life gets a bit hectic try to remember that and keep yourself balanced. Healthy body, healthy mind, healthy body.

2010-01-18 - MM - The Wall

The Wall

Pink Floyd

Released in 1979, Movie made in 1982

Track listing courtesy of Wikipedia

The Wall is impressive on many levels. It is amazing as an album and powerful in it's influence on the history of music. It wasn't the first rock opera ever but it is definitely one of the best and most iconic ever produced. The difference between a rock opera and a typical rock album is that there is a story being told throughout the album. The Wall, like many rock operas, is best when listened to in it's entirety like you would any other opera, play or movie.

The story becomes a lot more involved if you read about the origins and motivation for it. It was composed during a time where Pink Floyd was playing stadium concerts and feeling increasingly disconnected and isolated from the audience. This is something that most superstar status performers experience except it was likely combined with a lot of hard drugs which probably made it a little worse. The protagonist of the story is Pink and is based on the bassist and lyricist Roger Waters. Different parts of Pink's life are told throughout the album. He progresses from a troubled child to a famous/delusional rockstar. The Wall is a representation of the wall that Pink wants to build between himself and his audience to further his self-isolation.

Pink Floyd The Wall is the film adaptation of the album. The idea of making a movie of it existed before recording the album even began. Watching the film is an entirely different experience but is also considered one of the greatest modern musicals. It's the same music from the album with a bit of dialog added. I haven't watched it in years but I probably should just to see if I view it differently now.

Listen to it. Watch it.

2010-01-17 - Jump start a car

I feel like every time I'm in a situation where someone needs to have their car jump-started there is a little bit of confusion as to what goes where. Usually there is at least one person there who knows how to do it so it's not a big deal. It's something that I feel embarrassed that I don't know for sure how to do it- so I never really ask. I'm pretty sure I'd be able to figure it out without killing myself or exploding a battery- but I figured I'd take the time to learn how and not forget it.

I found this helpful guide from this helpful website. I think I'll be visiting them again for more man-stuff skills.

1. Make sure both vehicles are off.

2. Red cable (positive) to the positive terminal on the dead battery.

3. Red cable (positive) to the positive terminal on the good battery.

4. Black cable (negative) to the negative terminal on the good battery.

5. Black cable (negative) to ground on the dead car. Clean, unpainted metal surface somewhere in the engine compartment. Never connect to the negative terminal on the dead battery.

6. Start the car with the good battery and let it run for a few minutes.

7. Start the dead car.

8. Remove cables in the reverse order. Remove from ground. Remove from negative on good battery. Remove from positive on good battery. Remove from positive on dead battery.

9. Let the dead battery recharge by running the car for 30 minutes.

+dead, +good, -good, grounddead

grounddead, -good, +good, +dead

The guide also goes on to explain how to jump-start a standard vehicle by pushing/rolling down a hill if you're interested. I'll have to learn that one too.