Teleidoscope

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

Yule 2008

Posted at 2:52 pm MST to Miscellaneous

I made my stollen for the year and took it to Nanette's Sunday evening. Some of our other friends -- Galen, Jann and Susan -- were also able to attend. It was a very nice evening. Jann left at a sensible hour, but the rest of us stayed up talking until well past our bedtimes.

I have been having stollen for breakfast and snacks for the past couple of days. I am beginning to figure out how I could have had food allergies for years without realizing that was what was causing my problems. At the time that I eat something I am sensitive to I don't get an immediate reaction. But over the course of a couple of hours the sore throat and cough develops, and then, if I stay away from other irritants, subsides.

If I eat something else I'm sensitive to before things settle down, the symptoms will continue or -- hours after I ate whatever it was -- get worse.

I never figured out that I was having food allergies because the symptoms were not closely associated with meals.

A little margarine (which contains whey) on plain toasted bread does not seems to cause a serious reaction.

The holiday bread I made last week had eggs, but not margarine in it. It was a little iffy, especially when I toasted it and put margarine on it, but it did not seem to give me swallowing problems or coughing fits.

The stollen contains eggs and margarine all through it. It does seem to cause coughing (but I'm still experimenting carefully.)

I'm also wondering if part of the reason goat cheese is a little disappointing is that I was used to a 'kick' from cow's milk cheeses that was actually the allergic reaction.

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Madoff

Posted at 2:25 pm MST to Current Events

Crap.

I just got an email from the ACLU. Two foundations that had pledged massive (a combined amount of 850,000.00) support for the ACLU for 2009 have been wiped out by the unravelling of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. That money is gone.

So the ACLU is taking a major hit even though they weren't the ones who were careless or duped. They are asking for contributions to help make up the shortfall.

I've already finished my budgeted charitable giving for the 2008, but I may send them some money after the first of the year. I'm going to try to spread my charitable giving out through the year better than I have in the past, so less of it hits right at the same time as Christmas shopping.

Maybe I'll make the ACLU one of the first 'charities of the month' for 2009. I think Obama is less slimy than most politicians, but with the wars and the economy I think it will be easy for the powers that be in Washington to let the recent constitutional abuses continue unless someone continues to make a fuss about the problems.

I wonder if any of my other charities got hit by Madoff's shenanigans.

I just hate it when people who have been dealing in good faith get screwed.

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