Sassy Black Friend

Science versus the neighbor

From an early morning discussion with my neighbor about her recent weight loss.

She talks about the hard work and rewards and that finding the best diet pill for her body helped a lot to jump start things. She thinks there’s a real future there, in developing medications that give a leg up.

And then sent me this via email later (from Wikipedia):

Another potential long-term approach to anti-obesity medication is through the development of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi). Animal studies have illustrated that the deletion of the RIP140 gene in mice by genetic knockdown results in the lack of fat accumulation, even when mice are fed a high fat diet[14]. Experiments conducted by Professor Malcolm Parker of Imperial College show that by silencing RIP 140, a nuclear hormone co-repressor which regulates fat accumulation, animal models exhibit a lean profile throughout their life, are resistant to diet-induced obesity, and show an enhanced metabolic rate[citation needed]. CytRx Corporation is developing RNAi therapeutics against this drug target for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Luigi Ambrosio, a lead researcher at the National Research Council’s Institute for Composite and Biomedical Materials in Naples is testing a new hydrogel diet pill[citation needed]. The pill, which is undergoing clinical trials at Rome’s Policlinico Gemelli hospital, is made from biodegradable polycellulose that soaks up to 1,000 times its weight in water, which the body flushes out in a few hours while giving dieters a sense of satiety. Because there are no active ingredients, successful safety trials could put this hydrogel pill on the market without a long delay.

Er, okay. I like the word polycellulose. This isn’t an area I have any experience with so I didn’t have a lot to contribute to the conversation.

Books and Beer

We’ve been in the new house for a while now, and the only things left unpacked are boxes in basement. Most of that is winter things and stuff we’re probably going to get rid of. Today’s task (before heading out to see the new Harry Potter movie) has been going through all of our books. Including the 12 new books we’ve acquired since moving in but haven’t read yet.

After an hour the boyfriend and I decided that we needed to introduce beer into the sorting plan. It was getting painful to decide what to give away, so we thought a little buzz would help out. And it did. We spent 2 hours total with books and beer and have 8 boxes to give away, and I’m in a great mood.

Labor Day planning

The boyfriend spent all morning working on plans for a Labor Day party here at the house. I reminded him that we have 2 months, but he’s excited, so he’s planning. I drew the line at talking about menus. However, I completely agreed with being tired of evites and Facebook events.

So, we’re doing paper invitations for everyone we have addresses for, and emails with an image (from J, hopefully) for those we don’t. I found some great examples of holiday invitations, but no Labor Day/Housewarming combo, so we’ll have to be creative. Will keep you posted.

Learning something new #245,972

Today I learned about business insurance. I don’t think I even knew that term existed before. Business, of course. Insurance, obviously. But I certainly had no idea what they meant slapped together. Turns out it refers to the different coverage business must and should have to cover mishaps.

Workman’s compensation is probably the best known, but businesses should also have coverage for professional liability and commercial liability. This will help in cases where a business is sued for giving wrong information, or damages to a third party (not employed by the business).

Shopping for shiny

This afternoon I had the strange experience of shopping for pretty shiny things. Not for me. One of my best guy friends is proposing to his girlfriend and wanted my help looking. He had some idea what she wanted, but I think he was just really nervous about taking to the staff at the store. I’m no expert in diamond engagement rings, but I know the woman in question ans what lovely shiny things she wears.

We spent about an hour checking out three stores, and it was kind of fun. I really wanted to buy a pair of earrings we saw, but I didn’t. My friend didn’t buy anything either, but he got a good idea of what options are out there and pricing. Good times. And no, it didn’t make me want to get engaged, or make the boyfriend buy me expensive jewels.

Home, empty home

I finally got home this afternoon. Feels like I’ve been gone for a year. I got out of the cab, so tired and happy. The boyfriend is out of town for the evening for work, so for the first time in 2 weeks I am alone. If I wasn’t so exhausted I’d be doing happy dances up and down the stairs. Instead I ordered a pizza and am laying around watching movies. Good times.

In other news, my mother’s newest obsession is rv parks. I kind of understand. We saw some on or trip and she’s been showing me photos daily. Some are quite nice. It’s amazing to see the different amenities.