Pick #226

Jeff Bryson - "Procrastinator's Blues"

First Freecycle Transaction

I joined the Tallahassee chapter of Freecycle a while ago and I have so far been ignoring the emails since they come so often. I haven't been searching for anything in particular.

I had a problem with my fan light kits a while ago and I bought some candelabra base CFLs. They didn't work without producing an annoying flicker. I replaced them with incandescents and had 11 crappy lights that I wouldn't use. I put them up on Freecycle and the same day received emails from 3 interested people. The first emailer came the following day to pick them up.

Freecycle seems like a really cool way to get stuff out of your house into the hands of people who will actually use it. If you haven't already heard of it, check out their website.

I'm a Blood Donor

Believe it or not, I just went back to the Tally blood bank for the third time this past weekend. Erin convinced me to go with her as a date a couple months ago. We are going to try to go just a little less frequently than every 8 weeks. There is a 56 day mandatory rest interval between donations. We have to make sure that Erin meets the weight cutoff every time. We might have to consume a large dinner and breakfast plus lots of fluids to make her eligible.

The first time we went here, I got an amazing tech/nurse who poked me so nice that I started to not even notice that the needle was in my arm. The second time saw a little greener assistant who poked me in such a way that I couldn't ignore the needle and didn't want to squeeze the foam they put in my hand. The third time I got an experienced dude who did a good job. It stung when the needle first went in and he informed me that it was from some of the sanitizing alcohol getting on the needle and into my vein. It was cool to know why that sensation was occurring. After that feeling went away, I felt pretty good and the blood flowed fast.

I thought I might try to time my donations based on the gifts you get. The first time we got a Lowe's gift card, which is sweet. The second time we got a kind of weak T-shirt, but we could have rocked a way cooler shirt if we waited until the following week. The blood bank publishes their donor gifts, so I think it's a good idea to look ahead and see if there's something better on the horizon. It looks like everything on the visible time horizon is a T shirt. I didn't accept the shirt this weekend because I have enough shirts. Too bad I can't get Lowe's cards every time.

The very first time I gave blood back in Jupiter, I went running and didn't eat enough beforehand and I got a little light headed. I've made a note not to make this mistake again. I make sure to snack and take advantage of the drinks they're doling out in the vampire room. After these last 3 times of getting a pint out, Erin and I have gone to 1 Fresh Stir Fry and reloaded our bodies with tater tots and a stir fry.

I've always thought that donating blood sounded good in theory but that I couldn't do it because I was training so seriously. I guess that other areas of your life can suffer when you're training really hard. I'm not sure, but I think that it would be alright to donate blood, as long as you had at least 6 weeks until your race. I decided not to donate again until after collegiate nationals coming up in April.

Does Milk Leach Calcium from Your Bones?

There's an article on USA Triathlon's website claiming that

"Dairy products are the most acidic foods we can put in our bodies. While a serving of milk might be high in calcium, the net affect [sic] it has on the body is acidic, so the body must leach this precious mineral from our bones in an attempt to buffer. The net take-home is that you’re better off eating a cup of raw kale with 94 mg calcium than a cup of milk with 300, since the former is so much more alkaline to the body. "

What a load of crap...lemon juice, orange juice, vinegar, and soda are WAY more acidic (I'm talking 10,000 times more acidic)! I studied (minored in) chemistry in undergrad and I immediately called BS on the author, Nell Stephenson. In case you want to see for yourself, here's a reputable website that can teach you a little about pH (which deals with acidity).

While your body may decide to leach calcium from your bones in order to buffer a ton of acid, there are lots of other, more easily available options (such as the calcium in the milk itself!). Oh, and guess what else is really acidic in your body........STOMACH ACID! Putting milk into your stomach will momentarily raise the pH of the contents of your stomach (make it less acidic).

I thought that USAT could be counted on to be a reliable source of information for triathletes looking to educate themselves on how to improve their training. Apparently I was wrong.

Light Lane

Possibly one of the coolest/best lights you could put on your bike, Light Lane projects (using "lasers") the image of a bike lane so you have a bike lane wherever you ride. I'm trying to convince them to let me demo one since they aren't for sale yet.

Pick #225

Fun Lovin' Criminals - "Up on the Hill" from 100% Colombian

Stinky Washed Shoes

I can usually get a pair of running shoes and keep them smelling ok for a long time, even after profusely sweating from my feet. They only start to stink once they've been fully immersed in water. It either happens when I run through a puddle or after I wash them. It's so strange that washing shoes can make them smell worse. Too bad I can't just keep wearing dirty shoes everywhere all the time (although it's not uncommon for me to rock some dirty shoes).

Does anyone have tips on how to keep my running shoes from stinking after I wash them?