voyager

When I mentioned my back xrays to my knee guy (same practice as the ablation guy), he quipped, "Back xrays of anyone your age look like trainwrecks."

Yes, final procedure yesterday. I was not made aware of frightening risks. While my docs all warn against Googled advice, there is a lot out there by legitimate medical centers if you need, like me, to stick your tongue in your cavity. As with any procedure, I would consider only a provider who does this procedure with great frequency.

For maybe 20 years I've suffered activity limiting back pain. Since so many others here report periodical if not daily episodes I thought we might compare notes. Several months ago I cried, "Uncle" and saw my ortho guy who sent me to their pain management specialist. Seen and evaluated (xrays and MRI), Radio frequency back ablation was chosen as appropriate. Medicare requires two test procedures that look for the efficacy of this treatment before agreeing to it. I found profound relief from both tests, so we proceeded yesterday with the final or real procedure. While doctors and clinics may vary, I experienced 0% pain during either tests, and 4 day exquisite relief after each and before normal pain returned. Yesterday's experience was equally painless. i mean absolutely free of pain. No after treatment pain, fabulous night's sleep, standing straight and tall this morning, Mr. Google suggests modest pain after procedure and delay of relief, but not this time. This procedure is not guaranteed to provide relief and that it usually lasts for one, possibly two years. However, I will be more than delighted with that much relief. Will report progress, or regress. (For anyone in the Bay Area, I will happily share my doctor's name and recs,)

Kids are less work than sourdough starters.

Makes me wonder, too, about architectural digest. Although it shouldn't. A wonderful old home around the corner from us sold several years ago in the mid-7 figures. It has been under remodeling for three years now at a cost, according to the general contractor, of 10 mil. The coup de grace was their whitewashing the lovely old brick, trendy to be sure but a travesty to the elegance of the house. Husband quipped to the contractor, "Someone will rot in hell for this." The contractor shrugged somewhat sympathetically and mumbled, "I just work here." In a couple of years, "white brick" will probably be "out".

Coastal orientation: Haven't been here in several years but always booked first night in the area at Freres Ibarboure in Bidart. Spacious rooms, lovely welcome, quite acceptable dinners and sublime in-room breakfast service. A great stop before driving east into interior Pays Basques. Inland destination was Hotel Arce in Saint Etienne de Baigorry, a lovely foothill town from which to explore the area. This area and these people/hosts stole my heart.

Just stop it.

Braggart.

Our son is our IT. He tells us when it's time to upgrade to new hardware. Usually he has something shipped from the famous NYC camera shop, but last laptop I didn't want to wait, so toddled down to the Union Square Apple store and told dude what I wanted. He sized me up, an old lady in jeans and jacket and tells me I only need an ipad. I tell him that I came for a laptop to replace my 4th generation laptop, and he tells me I should buy an ipad. i asked him if another associate would perhaps fill my order and he finally brought me my new machine. Our son was livid, ranting that if this guy had any clue the use I put my laptop to he wouldn't have been so condescending, but madder that he was judgemental and condescending to begin with. Moral: define your needs early enough to have delivered from the famous NYC camera shop.

Based on my experience with making fish fumet with a whole halibut frame, I would give your pot a decent washing then set it out in the air (balcony?) for several days and then one more light wash. Let Mother Nature do part of your work.

I salute you! I can't imagine a spreadsheet of meals that I would actually stick to. I can see having to plan to incorporate required traditional foods/dishes and certainly the avoidance of forbidden ones, but beyond that my meal planning mindset is strictly from the hip. (When I taught and when I bought, lesson and merchandise plans were constructs I submitted to appease management. Once done, I free-styled.)

Husband did the same thing. Horrible odor but absolutely sublime interior flavor, He now keeps one mouldering/aging in a sealed container. Quite amazing stuff, so very different from normal feta.

Reminds me of the dozens of Japanese films I've watched on United and Air France.

I still boggled at growing your own bananas!

Cheese is difficult. It is alive and constantly morphing. Like they say you never dip your foot in the same river, you never eat the same cheese. We've had cheese that was very disappointing that we somehow neglected to toss, only to find it buried in the cheese bin later, now ethereal, if a little stinky.

I know better than to advise this group, but we really like Piccino in Dog Patch. Kind of reminds me of early Delfina. I have had excellent pastas, pizzas, meats. Rather noisy as are most popular places now. Sweet service.

There is little sadder than a creme brulee or creme caramel with interior tunnels and pocks on the outside walls. Such a waste of good product.

I misspoke. I guess what I meant was that some mold occurs that has become traditionally acceptable as opposed to that that, with no credentials, makes itself at home in your refrigerator or fruit bowl or bread box.

However you define it, I get silken custards by cooking them on a rack over barely simmering water. Similarly, baked custards at 300F. It takes a long time but well worth it.

My very uninformed standard is "does it taste like mold". Intention mold, in my experience, doesn't taste bad, eg brie, salami. But anytime I taste the musty-dusty funk of decaying food, I need to chuck it.

Absolutely toss. On account of the crab, not the mayo. Today's commercial mayo has so much acid in it, as well as sterilized eggs, that it is no longer considered a cause of spoilage. It's the other ingredients that become toxic.

Apropos of nothing, I’ve always been astounded that no one on the prosecution team knew that glove leather shrinks substantially after being wet.

Hello, Lippy! So great to hear your voice!

The mind boggles picturing those seated at adjacent tables.

Maybe Karma is for real. We can hope.