Caveman Cuisine

The Paleolithic Diet, often referred to as the Caveman Diet, is a nutritional plan based upon the presumed hunter-gatherer diet of our paleolithic ancestors. The regimen consists of meats and fish, vegetables and fruits with a decided lack of processed/refined sugars and fats, grains, spuds, alcohol and dairy.

The concept here is that man (or human person, if Your Name Is Amanda) is more genetically suited to eat the way he evolved, or something like that...

Much of it makes sense to me, but upon further reading of various articles it appears that too many can not agree in it's application. I don't like complicating the simple, yet I haven't seen mammoths walking around in numbers sufficient to support even a token human population anywhere. Add to that, if everybody alive today hunted, there wouldn't be anything left to eat next year, and we'd be back to farming again, killing ourselves until the next nutrition fad came along to save us.

Short opinion shorter: yeah, whatever...

But I would grant more credibility if so many of the studies were not based upon the energy levels of athletes and marathon runners cause there is no evidence that human Paleolithics engaged in systematic weightlifting or jogged 20 miles just for the fun of it.

Things I Learn From Blogging

Among them: there is a sizable interest in Wild Turkey bourbon among the British google searchers, if Stat Counter results are any indication.

Getting Gouged

Toward the end of last April, I paid another follow visit to my ENT specialist. At this point, I had run out my 90-day follow up period included with the surgical package from last December. My insurance changed January 1, from an 100% coverage HMO to a PPO 80/20 type thing.

This was my first visit under the new insurance coverage.

The doctor did what was expected: as an ENT specializing in laryngocolgy, he used a scope to quickly glance down my throat into my larynx.

All was well, and I went home.
I received the bill two weeks ago:

• Physician $136.00
• Surgery $243.00

What surgery? I called billing and informed them that I did not have surgery that day. They looked into the matter and informed me that that was just the code entered for billing, and I was actually being charged for a laryngoscopy (the scope down the throat thing).

Oh, I see... And what is the 'Physician' charge for? To see the physician, she says.
O.K... so, you charge me to see the physician but I get charged again if the physician actually sees me back? I don't think so, ma'am. Try again.

She explains that the laryngoscopy is billed as a separate procedure that I need to pay for. By this time I was getting pissed.
"He's an E.N. fucking T! A laryngocologist. He supposed to look down my throat. That's his physician job."

Then she goes on about how I could make payment arrangements.
I told her that I am refusing to pay for the laryngoscopy. Remove it from my bill, or forward to collections, it matters not. The result would be the same.

Cool Deals...

About six or seven years ago, I was helping a distressed friend move out of her townhouse. It was a messed up affair: she was 8 months along, her jackass husband had left for another, her rent was months past due, and she had to leave.

Among the stuff she was tossing were several bottles, most unopened, of some of the finer priced hootch. Seems Jackass had some image conscious tastes: Patron Tequila, Stolichnaya, Hieneken, some cognac I couldn't pronounce, Ballantine's, other stuffs ...and Maker's Mark whisky. She told me to go ahead and take it home. I did, and most of it ('cept for the Stoli and the Hienies, which I kept) ended up with friends and step-sons.

Personally, I'm not much impressed with labels and price tags and was even less so with this collection, which I had disparaged as 'Jungle Juice', in honor of Jackass's ethics and ethnicity.

Recently, I had a slight change of heart at the local liquor store when I saw Maker's Mark on sale for $16.99. It's normally closer to the $25+ and up range, and I'm like "Oh?"...
It was a holiday, as in last Christmas, 'gift pack'. OK, so this hootch has been sitting a while and now they want to move it. Cool, I'm in.

The gift pack consisted of a bottle of juice, some extra packaging and a goofey bauble to go with, which turns out to be a not so goofey bauble after all.

You see, it says right there, on the overstated packaging, that this bauble is actually a hand-dipped (Maker's Mark employs a marketing fetish that involves wax dipping of it's hootch bottles) Christmas Tree ornament, special edition... the design of which was personally chosen by a named distillary supervisor.
Imagine that...


Knowing that I might have an actual collector's item of some value, I did a search of Ebay. I found none listed.

I'm guessing everybody else is holding on to theirs, waiting for the price to go up.

"No, I'm not moving."

He honestly believes that he owns this chair.

Grousing...

The Famous Grouse: a tickle of alcohol in the nose that gives way to slight honey; spicy burn up front, almost peppery with a smooth dry finish. I get the thought that something is missing or incomplete. Similar in character to a more complete Grant's, but not as sweet.
About $20 at Trader Joe's for 1L bottle. My advice: go with Grant's at the more agreeable $12 price.

Safe to say this is my first and last bottle of The Famous Grouse. It's a decent sip, but when Grant's can be had instead, why bother? That, and I think I'm becoming more of a bourbon drinker than scotch sipper.

Taking Sides

Baseball great Roger Clemens has found himself in a bit of a pickle with the feds. Last year or so, he proclaimed his steadfast innocence before a congressional bullshit committee investigating something we that all know is a primary constitutional concern for the federal government: steroid use in Major League Baseball.

Seems there are a few snitches who've been ratting Roger out as a steroid user. Like who the fuck cares? All of major League Baseball was shooting up for years, the League knew it, the fans loved it, and the money was being made hand over fist by all involved.
It's called entertainment. What's the big deal?

Now, Roger faces trial for 'Lying to Congress'. You kidding me? Why is lying to Congress a crime when Congress is itself a pack of liars? Lying to Congress is like cheating on a whore. It should not be a crime.

Fight The Man, Roger!
I'm on your side.