The City of the Future

When my parents were kids, the world was still imagining flying cars in the year 2000.  At least, I think they were. 

Now, we're not sure if we're going to have any petrol to power those flying cars by the time we get around to inventing them.  Instead, we're scrambling to try to figure out better, more cost-effective ways of doing things like getting from point A to point B and generating electricity.

We're scrambling, that is, if we haven't already figured out that there's a better way, and that the Way rolls on two wheels and burns coffee and carbs for fuel.  That Way is called 'Bicycle,' and -- from its humble beginnings as a plaything for the idle rich -- it has become a fine and wonderful machine that really may contribute a great deal to saving the collective bacon of humanity as we know it.

For those of us who follow the traditional Christian church year, Lent is nigh upon us -- a time of penitence, reflection, and re-dedication to our faith (some other traditions probably do that kind of thing this time of year, too).  Rather than observe the rather tired 'give x up for Lent' formula (which rarely seems to achieve its objective of creating a sense of reflection, penitence, and spiritual focus), my particular church has decided to undertake a neat program called 'Lent 4.5,' wherein we focus, rather than on simply depriving ourselves of some or another enjoyable indulgence, on trying to live simpler, more-Christlike lives: lives in which we reduce our own footprints to afford a little more breathing room for everyone.  I think this is a pretty good thing, and -- of course -- I think that riding a bike is a good place to start.  Likewise, using less non-renewable fuels.

In that vein (and because both DD and I are currently in end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it mode, because we keep watching movies about the impending end of the world's oil supply), DD and I have recently been kicking around ideas for various bike-powered machines: one that would power a washing machine, for example; another that would generate electricity so we could watch movies after the end of the world (at least 'til all our DVDs and so forth wear out).  Thus inspired, DD stumbled upon this neat resource full of bicycle-powered machines that a fellow in Guatemala has designed to help smooth life in an area where electricity and gas power are already pretty unusual (URL, just in case: http://mayapedal.org/machines.html).

I think it's full of pretty inspiring ideas, and I also think it's a great way to celebrate the life-changing power of two wheels and a bunch of cogs.

My 'City of the Future' is powered by bikes (even the washing machines).  How about yours?

It's SCIENCE!!!

First, I haven't been on a bicycle in like SIX WHOLE DAYS. I am pretty sure that at any moment I am going to A) burst out of my pants, having gained 286 pounds (even though they seem to fit exactly as they did before I went to the doctor way back on Tuesday) and B) die. Of lack of exercise and/or bicycle withdrawal syndrome. Etc.

Hm.

The following may be kind of gross. I invite those who would rather not read an in-depth exploration of the current state of the inside of my mouth to visit Cake Wrecks instead.


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It's okay, I won't be offended.


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No, really, you can go. We're good.


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Still here? Okay, well, don't say I didn't warn you.

So, here goes.

I am mostly over my bronchitis/sinus-infection thingy — and that in and of itself is actually a good thing.

However, I had conveniently forgotten that the medication I normally wind up taking for these things because I'm allergic to penicillin, amoxycillin, and erythromycin — co-trimoxazole, a combination of sulfa drugs sold under the name 'Bactrim,' if you actually feel like paying a brand-name price for a medication that's been around since the 1960s — has one very unpleasant side effect: oral thrush.

So now I no longer have bacterial squatters livin' it up in my sinuses and bronchii, but I do have flesh-eating fungi going to town in my mouth. Jeez.

I guess I'm actually kind of happy that the thrush isn't terribly bad. The last time I had this, it was violently unpleasant, and I couldn't eat for a week. Switching to another antibiotic and direct treatment with liquid Nystatin saved my bacon that time; this time, I don't think I'll need to go that far.

Rather oddly, it appears that artificial sweeteners help keep this stuff in check. I got a bunch of those sugar-free flavoring tubes to put in my water, since my sense of taste had gone all screwy and I couldn't bring myself to drink plain water, and it seems that whenever I drink some of the stuff from the little tubes, my mouth feels a little better.

It also seems to kill off some of the fungi, though not all of them. At least, however, I don't have furry white plaques all over the inside of my mouth. It just kind of looks like I got punched in corner of my lip right now, which is okay. It's also nowhere near as painful as previous episodes I've had.

Now, I suppose I could see this as solid evidence that the little drink tubes are, you know, basically poisonous (and, in fact, since they contain aspartame — whose metabolites contain formaldehyde, among other things — I would have to agree that's true). However, the same argument can be made in favor of most medications. Sulfa drugs will kill you if you take too much (and not just because you will slowly be turned into a giant yeast mold); even caffeine will kill you if you ingest too much.

I, for one, think it's fascinating, and once I figure out how to plan a formal experiment that does not involve my mouth or anyone else's (petri dishes and agar jelly should work, right?), I think I would like to conduct a study to see which substances other than Nystatin actually do help control this stuff (because my connection could be erroneous, and it could just be that my immune system is working better than before, largely thanks, I would hazard, to all the time I spend on the bike).

Thus far, artificial sweeteners look promising (sorbitol-sweetened mints also seem to help, which doesn't surprise me, since both sorbitol and xylitol have antiseptic qualities), and I suspect honey may help as well (honey is semi-famous for its anti-whatever properties).

In other news, I'm planning on starting a big ol' retrofit on the Swift some time soon, and as of the 23rd DD and I will have been seeing each-other for six months officially. Huzzah!






P.S. If I was Jens Voigt, candida spores would fear me too much to try to infest my mouth.

Sadly, I'm not.