Posted on by evamarasca

Zero Tolerance to Ear Barotrauma

I am one day behind. I have been busy. I visited Edinburgh during the last bank holiday weekend and ran a half-marathon there. It was my wettest and windiest race so far. Somehow I have still managed a PB. I shaved off one whole minute and a little bit from my previous time. So I am very pleased indeed. Not that I am a record breaker but for someone who has started running mere five years ago, 2h 12m 43s for a half-marathon is a very satisfying result. I am also in a process of flat hunting, real estate agent handling, documents sorting, furniture buying and all the other -ings that comes with moving. But lets get to the point.

E in my personal grudges goes to ear barotrauma. It is a new expression that I have learned today. It is a fancy name for airplane ear – which I suffer from and when flying, I am subjecting myself to forced yawning, constant chewing and empty swallowing and a regular ear-popping exercise. In case you are not sure how to ear-pop exercise, place your thumb and index finger over your nostrils and press down. Once your nasal corridors are sealed, attempt to exhale (your mouth will stay closed). Voila – your ears pop and the pressure is released. At least for a while.

This is the medical explanation of the problem:

Airplane ear is the stress exerted on your eardrum and other middle ear tissues when the air pressure in your middle ear and the air pressure in the environment are out of balance. You may experience airplane ear at the beginning of a flight when the airplane is climbing or at the end of a flight when the airplane is descending. These fast changes in altitude cause air pressure changes and can trigger airplane ear.

Airplane ear is also called ear barotrauma, barotitis media or aerotitis media.

Usually self-care steps — such as yawning, swallowing or chewing gum — can prevent or correct the differences in air pressure and improve airplane ear symptoms. However, a severe case of airplane ear may need to be treated by a doctor.

Source

 Thankfully I have so far never had to seek medical attention but there were few cases of severe ear pain and headaches after spending time up in the air.

~

E for a serious issue goes to Education barriers and Think Global is doing something about it by promoting education for a just and sustainable world.

 

Posted on by evamarasca · 1 Comment

Zero Tolerance to Drilling on Sundays

I understand that people are working crazy hours, shifts and so on. But Sunday morning? Really? Is it the only possible time when the drilling can be done?

Drilling is nerve-tickling as it is (unless you are the one doing the drilling then it is fun. Messy, but fun.) and one doesn’t even have to nurse a hangover.

Source

~

I have also zero tolerance to dictatorships as they always end up in civil wars.

http://www.warchild.org.uk/

Posted on by evamarasca

For the Love of Notes

I have always a notepad on me. At least one. I make notes. I love making notes. I am obsessed with making notes. I also add notes to my phone and on random pieces of paper that I then stuff inside the notepads, books, my diary or to many other places where I subsequently abandon them. When I finally attempt to bring some order to my note-making, most of the time I can’t decipher any of them as any doctor out there would be proud of my handwriting. I am compiling those notes, always thinking I will come back to them. I must. One day. When I won’t be too busy making notes about making notes.

When I was little, I noted all important information on my skin, on my arm, palm, back of my hand. That way I never forgot anything. Unless the pen washed out. I started practicing this again. However I think it might be getting little out of hand!

What do you think?

20140516_161528

 

Posted on by evamarasca

Zero Tolerance to Coriander Invasion

Last weekend I was attending Feables, convention dedicated to TV series Lost Girl and Once Upon A Time. I stayed at a nearby hotel, about 5 minutes walk from the venue. The room was clean, the air-conditioning unit didn’t kicked in as soon I walked in (that is a good thing, I live in Britain not Brazil), the bed was comfortable and I could even open the window! The view wasn’t much but you can’t expect postcard scenery when you are booked so close to the airport. Ok, the twice needed reboot of electricity was annoying but overall it was a pleasant stay.

The hotel’s restaurant was small-ish but with reasonable menu and I chose the Rustic Waldorf salad for dinner. The presentation of the dish was beautiful, with thinly sliced apples arranged into a flower on the top of the green leaves smothered in vinaigrette (the traditional recipe has mayonnaise – but I didn’t mind that too much as I’ll take vinaigrette over mayo any day). But then I saw it. The green ragged leaves of what at that stage I was desperately hoping to be parsley only to be devastated to find out that it wasn’t. Waldorf salad is not supposed to contain coriander. Definitely not one that is claiming to be rustic. The recipe is simple – apples, celery, walnuts, salad leaves. Coriander is not a salad leaf. Coriander is a herb. A vile one. If I say that I hate coriander with passion, that would be an understatement. I commenced a food autopsy. The viscous herb made a quarter of the greens and the cute apple flower actually represented the only apples in the salad. I wanted to cry. At least the walnuts were plentiful. I left hungry, angry and disappointed (also fully refunded with a free drink but that’s not the point).

After this traumatic experience  I was avoiding the restaurant the next day but decided to give it another try the day after. I was playing it safe and ordered a hamburger. Again, the presentation was beautiful and I was mentally prepared not to bother myself with the side salad full of coriander. I don’t eat burgers as a normal person. I always remove the top bun and leave it on the side. I also use cutlery to eat it. Which is strange as I eat almost everything else (that isn’t runny or would make me look like a Homo  neanderthalensis) with my fingers. The third semi-chewed mouthful ended up in a napkin when the overwhelmingly foul flavour of coriander assaulted my taste buds. Seriously, what mad chef would put coriander in a burger?

I think I am a reasonable person. I know how very much I dislike the herb. I do not eat most of Thai or Vietnamese dishes for this reason and when dining out in my favourite Indian restaurant, I obsessively request that no fresh coriander is to be present in any of the meals. However it seems that the coriander invasion is out of control now and something needs to be done about it.

 ~

Something also needs to be done about child abuse. Would you help by donating to NSPCC?

Posted on by evamarasca · 3 Comments

Award Alert

I have been nominated for the Liebster Award. I am a skeptic. If I win an award, there is something behind it. You know, someone wants something kind of thing. Maybe that is not skepticism but paranoia but anyway, Awards = Suspicion. So why have I decided to accept this one?

Firstly, the nominator (and thank you for the nomination) – Marci – is one of my new favourite people who went through the A to Z challenge with a brilliant theme and you should check her out.

Secondly, one of the conditions is to answer the nominator’s questions – and I actually wanted to answer Marci’s.

Thirdly, I must tell you 11 random things about myself, which feels very liberating for a skeptic/paranoid individual like myself.

Fourthly, I have to nominate  five to ten other blogs – which means reading and discovering other people (and hope they are not as cynical as myself) which is actually the whole point of blogging community.

Fifthly, I can ask them eleven silly questions in return!

~

There are rules. Of course. I will start with those.

1. Link back and thank the blogger who nominated you in your post.

2. List 11 random facts about yourself.

3. Answer the 11 question asked by the blogger who nominated you.

4. Pick 5 – 10 new bloggers (must have less than 300 followers) to nominate. Do not re-nominate the blogger who nominated you.

5. Ask them 11 new questions.

6. Go to each blogger’s site and inform them of their nomination.

~

Rule number one is competed. Now to rule number two – 11 random facts about myself:

1. I find colouring books therapeutic and most of the time I colour the pictures to my liking, reality be damned.

2. I played Tetris to level 15 and finished it. The game claimed to have only 10 levels.

3. I have to change something about my living arrangements roughly every six months – redecorating my room, reshuffling the furniture or moving to a new place. In the past ten years I lived at nine different addresses.

4. I find men wearing different coloured socks strangely attractive.

5. ~ is my newest addiction. I change my addictions. All except the coffee. I am faithful to coffee.

6. I have tried to track down the beginnings of the Liebster Award.

7. I write best with a glass of wine and talking to myself in third person. Aloud.

8. I had to look up how to spell ‘fourthly’…..actually I have to look up quite a lot of words.

9. I have fairy lights and dream of ceilings that can handle chandeliers.

10. I can’t ride a bicycle. I have tried. I have scars to prove it. I will learn it one day.

11. One of the things on this list is a lie.

~

Rule number three – answer the nominator’s questions – now this is fun!

1.Why did you decide to start writing your blog?

For all the wrong reasons. But I’ve learned.

2. In one sentence, describe what your blog is about. There’s a twist, though: don’t use any personal or possessive pronouns! 

It is work in progress.

3.  What is your earliest memory?

Asking my mom for tea. I hated milk at a very early age. Of course everything changed when I discovered coffee.

4. Do you dream?  If so, do you dream in colour or black and white?

I do dream. When I dream consciously, it is in colour, otherwise in grayscale.

5. if you could only make one journey during your lifetime, but it could be to anywhere in the world, where would you go?  Why?

I would go straight ahead at an angle. That way there is a chance I would see the whole world.

6. What is one of your guilty pleasures (and this had better be good…I want something really embarrassing!)?

None of my pleasures are guilty. Sorry. Except watching entertainment TV – anything that has countdowns of silly things.

7. Pick one:  the Harry Potter series or the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Follow-up to what you picked:  books or movies?

Lord of the Rings. Films. Liv Tyler.

8. What is your favourite holiday, and if it’s NOT Halloween, why?

I’m not picky but Halloween is not my favourite because you don’t get a day off.

9. List three words that describe your personality.

I’m sure there is a diagnosis for me with three words but I am too scared to get me checked out.

10. What is your favourite thing about how you earn a living?

Paycheque. But the people are work with are not bad either.

11. If you could live in any time period (past, present or future), when and where would you be?

In TARDIS.

~

And the nominees for the Liebster award are:

1. My Words As Weapons because there is never enough poetry.

2. The Other Land of Oz because I want to know how Penance will continue.

3. Kris’s Chaotic Random Insights and Rambles because I like random.

4. Words and Lines because I loved his self discovering theme.

5. A MaeDay Life because of her poems and positivity.

6. Espressopinions because opinions over an espresso are the best.

7. Silvia Writes because she has introduced me to a new culture.

~

So you poor souls, if you accept the nomination, expect hard but fun work and hope you will like my 11 questions:

1. Which random fact about myself in this post do you think is a lie?

2. What is your favourite breakfast food? (If you are not eating breakfast, you should start. Just saying.)

3. If you could spend a day in a body of different gender, what would be the first thing you would do?

4. What is your favourite animal and what do you think you have in common with this animal (physical or behavioural)?

5. What are you most afraid of?

6. Who is your favourite female hero – can be real or fictional – and why?

7. If you could, what physical object would you wipe out of existence?

8. Life on other planets – possible or not?

9. What song are you listening to right now or what song was the last you’ve heard?

10. Your favourite acronym.

11. Would you prefer to know how to fly or how to breathe under water?

~

So that’s it folks. I am now going to harass the nominees. Have fun!

Posted on by evamarasca

Zero Tolerance to Bubblegum stuck under the table

or really any other place where you can unwittingly pick it up, touch it or get it unstuck from the place where it was stuck just for it to be stuck again to a piece of your clothing. I have come across gums that were old and hard, easily mistaken for a tiny stone, slimy and wet, where you can see the saliva of some moron slowly drying up and gums in various other stages with different consistency, colour and degree of stickiness.

Most common appearance of the disposed gum is on the pavement where the little parasites are waiting to be picked up by a stranger. They will suck onto the sole of your shoe and won’t let go no matter how hard you try to rub them off against the curb or how skilful you think you are with a piece of wood, plastic or anything else you find may be used as a blade to sever the ties between the gum and the bottom of your shoe.

It is not advised to try the two aforementioned methods of gum removal if you acquire the gum from the train seat. Big chance is you probably won’t notice the presence of the gum until you are told about it by a goodhearted person (depending where you work as you may also become a joke of the office) or when you take your pants off. I was told that putting the affected garment inside a freezer for a while will help toughen up the gum and it is then easier to remove. Of course I was told this after I had destroyed my trousers.

For me, the least pleasant of all of the abandoned gums is the gum that you discover under the table in a restaurant after you just washed your hands. There are so many things that can go wrong when you are in restaurant – why people leave their germs around on top of that?

~

I am sure that many of you have experienced a troubled gum and have found a way how to deal with it. However it is not always easy to deal with and step up to a bully and therefore bullying is my zero tolerance issue this week as well.

http://www.beatbullying.org/