BTW, the blue cheese and pecan dip and pumpkin cranberry crisps that Jesse talked me into buying - totally delicious.

Right??

I am bummed to miss the work Halloween party -- apparently it's really fun! I wish I had known when I made this stupid orthodontist appointment.

when I edit articles that show hard data on how sugar is the devil and how whole grains do actually lower mortality risk.

Define "whole grains". Will grocery-store bread do it, or do I have to go full artisan?

Grocery-store bread, but I think stuff like Brownberry or Colon Blow or whatever. I think some grocery-store breads now say on the wrapper how many grams of whole grains they contain (as opposed to grams of fiber, which is what I thought was important). (I am the wrong person to ask about bread.)

"Replacing a serving of potato with a serving of whole grains was NOT associated with reduced mortality."

Ain't giving up my taters, nohow. So we just add whole grains on top?

Maybe I said that wrong; what it meant was, you DON'T need to get rid of your potato; whole grains were no better than a potato in terms of reducing mortality. It means a potato is A-OK.

I wanna read that article. Where might I find it when it's published? That must have been a very long study.

It'll be on the JAMA website in (I think) December some time. And it was pretty damn long. Too many tables.

articles that show hard data on how sugar is the devil and how whole grains do actually lower mortality risk.

It's kind of a bummer to be sure. Much as I enjoy my quinoa and my brown rice, neither feels much like a treat. Also a bummer? Those studies that suggest a vegan diet reduces cancer risk because my fear that I am cancer-prone is HUGE and my love of cheese is deep and fervent.

As far as boys and the HPV vaccine goes, it isn't just to protect one's girlfriend. It reduces incidence of genital warts by a big percentage, and genital warts are a bummer. Also reduced incidence of HPV-related oral cancers, and I would assume others as well.

Has anyone checked out Windows 93?

It's a desktop GUI for the nonexistent Windows 93 that runs in a browser. Exploring it is a great time-waster. A lot of the programs are fun--"Hydra" made me laugh.

Well, I sent an email to an old manager about transferring to the Bay Area. He's in the org I'd like to join, so he should be able to give me some useful advice.

Those studies that suggest a vegan diet reduces cancer risk because my fear that I am cancer-prone is HUGE and my love of cheese is deep and fervent.

My friend K that just died of cancer was a vegan, so.

Shrift, there are Google buses from the East Bay, where rents are cheaper and brogrammers are fewer. Also great parks and plenty of good restaurants and cheap dive bars.

what it meant was, you DON'T need to get rid of your potato; whole grains were no better than a potato in terms of reducing mortality.

Wait, what? After all these years believing that a potato was essentially the equivalent of teh demon sugar and whole grains were the Holy Grail of Health, you mean I can keep eating whole potatoes and I don't have to shovel grains down my face to be healthy? Well, well.

And it was pretty damn long. Too many tables.

I feel your pain. We don't even edit tables anymore; we turn whatever the author gives us into a .tif and put it in the paper. If he wants to change it? Send us a new table. Ain't nobody got time fo' dat.

It's kind of a bummer to be sure. Much as I enjoy my quinoa and my brown rice, neither feels much like a treat. Also a bummer? Those studies that suggest a vegan diet reduces cancer risk because my fear that I am cancer-prone is HUGE and my love of cheese is deep and fervent.

Yeah, but it doesn't have to be all-in-or-all-out. A little sugar won't destroy you, and lots of other things also reduce cancer risk, and it's not like everyone who eats cheese gets cancer. You can't control it all, and past a certain number of variables, you can't know exactly what's best to do. So instead of giving up your beloved cheese and occasional dessert, you're probably better off focusing on an overall healthy lifestyle with, you know, enough vegetables and exercise and not-smoking. I get what you're saying, though; I have a HUGE fear of dying of the same disease that killed my mom, and I'd do just about anything to avoid it - except no one knows what causes it, much less what to do to avoid it. I think if we're not careful, we can lose some of the enjoyment of life now in fear of the possibilities of later.

(Sorry, that sounded more preachy than I meant it to, I've been pensive and melancholy all day.)

Thanks Zen and Nora, I love how buffistas are always so quick to remind each other to enjoy the life we have now.

And it didn't sound preachy, no worries, or at least it wasn't stuff I don't already know. I already practice a Zenkitty-like approach, so to speak. I don't think diet changes, even dramatic ones, can magically make one's cancer or heart disease disappear. I haven't seen any study that says eating the right foods will help you live longer, but I do put stock in the research that suggests diet plays a role in keeping you healthier over the long term.