Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wednesday musette

I'm taking niacin to reduce my cholesterol. It's only 100 milligrams, but I bought the regular niacin not the 'no-flush' pills. I took one this morning just before leaving for work. Within a few minutes, my face and ears were uncomfortably warm almost as if I were blushing deeply. Not that I've had occasion to blush, of course, but I'm told that's what it feels like.

When I went outside to get into the car, the temperature was about 25F. It felt good! My ears were warm!

Maybe that could be the cycling tip of the day with some caveats. If your head and ears get cold, take some niacin. The problem, though, is that when the skin is red and flushed, it's because the body is pushing blood to the surface. This causes rapid heat loss.

...

Since I can't have beef, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed has been making veggie burgers for me. The texture and flavor are very close to the real thing, and I'm particularly fond of the southwest style burgers. They have a bit of added spice. The only problem is that they're made from beans. I can eat one without problems, but two.....

One morning after I'd over indulged in burgers the previous evening, mother and daughter were talking in the kitchen while I made coffee. "You tooted all night long," She said. "Once, you were so loud you woke yourself up, sat up in the bed, and said 'What was that! What was that!"

"I don't remember waking up," I said.

"I told you to go back to sleep," she replied, "and I told you to stay on your side of the bed!"

Number One Daughter was giggling so much she nearly dropped her coffee.

...

I went in to see my doctor for the annual checkup. He renewed my prescription for blood pressure meds, went through the ritual of poking and prodding, and wrote up an order for some of the usual lab work. Basically, I'm good for another 50,000 miles.

I asked him about getting back onto my bike and if he had any recommendations or cautions because my knee is still hurting. "Don't over do it," he said, "and back off if it hurts."

Now, I've started from zero a few times before, and I know how hard it is to get started. Even short rides can be difficult, and I already know it's gonna hurt. There's a difference between 'good' hurt and 'bad' hurt, but I wasn't going to try to explain that to the doc or he'd probably refer me to a shrink.

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