- Half.com online gift certificate from the Powells (my perennially favorite gift but not this year), which I used to purchase:
- A Different Kind Of Christmas : Various Artists (CD, 1994)
- Sun Also Rises : Ernest Hemingway (Paperback, 1982)
- Dune Messiah : Frank Herbert (Paperback, 1994)
- The Areas of My Expertise : John Hodgman (Paperback, 2006)
- Salem’s Lot : Stephen King (Paperback, 1976)
- Quest for the Well of Souls : Jack L. Chalker (Paperback, 1995)
- The Mix-Up : Beastie Boys (The) (CD)
- Regal Cinemas gift card from the Bartons
- Cash from Uncle Buddy (second favorite gift every year except this year)
- Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii from Tina and the boys (second favorite all-time gift)
- A killer party mostly organized and thrown by my lovely wife
Car on the pole
I found more on the traffic incident that happened during my bike commute last night. KATU has the story, including video from the scene. Judging by the pictures, it looks like the car went right up the guy wire. I think that means he might not have been going 100 mph as someone on the scene had theorized.
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 1932
Weight lost: 36 lbs.
South Beach days in the last week: none
Hours of sleep last night: 8.5
Hours billed last week: 40
Aches & pains: none
Current reading:: 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, Death By Black Hole by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Recent listening: This American Life, News from Lake Wobegon, Coverville, DrugMusic, NPR Story of the Day, Science Friday
Recent viewing: My Name Is Earl, Heroes, World Series of Poker, Countdown
Recent playing: Guitar Hero II (XBox 360)
Recently accomplished: Trimmed shrubs, paid bills, rescheduled birthday party
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, sift through inbox, post office, finish garage, freecycle gorilla shelf parts, sunglasses, update resume
Evening Bike Commute
Distance: 19.3 miles
Riding time: 109 minutes
Max speed: 32.6 mph
Average speed: 10.6 mph
Temperature: 75º
Soundtrack: Science Friday
Route:
- Alder to 1st
- 1st to Salmon
- Salmon to Hawthorne Bridge
- Hawthorne Bridge to Springwater Corridor
- Springwater Corridor to Powell Butte
- Various trails over Powell Butte to 162nd
- 162nd to home
What a glorious sunny afternoon to ride my bike the long way home. It was a tremendous effort to climb Powell Butte – one that found me laying down, gasping for breath on the side of the trail at one point – but it was well worth it. On my way down the north side of the Butte, I wondered how hot my brake pads were getting. My rims were plenty hot when I got to the bottom and as I touched the front rim, I heard the distinct sound of air leaking from the front tire. At least it didn’t blow out when I was flying down the hill at 35 mph.
It took me about 15 minutes to pull the tube out and install my spare. I was actually pretty refreshed when I got back on and pedaled towards home. How surprised was I when I came upon this at 162nd and Division:
The picture is pretty blurry (you can click on it to get the full-size version), but it’s a car that had run up a telephone pole and came to rest in a vertical position. Somebody at the scene reckoned he must have been going 100 mph or better. I asked around and they said it had happened about 15 minutes before.
Now picture this: me in the bike lane at that moment had my bike tire not gone flat 15 minutes before. Freaky, huh? More pictures on my Flickr page.
Classic Johnny Carson moment
We woke up thinking of Nietzsche this morning and that made me think about seeing Jimmy Stewart on Johnny Carson many years ago.
Simpson’s Theme
Be sure to check out the video responses.
Happy Birthday To Me!

I’m 41 years old today. The boys reserved Guitar Hero III for me at GameSpot. I can’t wait until October 28! In the meantime, they got me a cool GH3 poster.
Steel Bridge

Steel Bridge
Originally uploaded by bhestand
I ride over this bridge nearly every day but it doesn’t look this good in real life.
Brand It
Soda is evil
CNN reports that soda pop is the main reason Americans are so obese. Also, high fructose corn syrup is bad.
Whether you drink diet or regular, soda is bad for your health. It contains no nutrients and is essentially empty calories. Drinking too much soda is linked to several health conditions. Regardless of the type, Â here are 10 reasons soda is bad for your health:
- Weight gain: It’s not surprising that soda is linked to weight gain. The high sugar content makes it one of the worst beverages you can drink. Analysis of studies published in thirty peer-reviewed journals over 40 years indicated that drinking soda is a key contributor to the increase in obesity in the United States and have other problems like damaging organs and others parts including the skin although for this supplements from sites as healthyusa could really help with this.
- Damages the Teeth:Â Drinking soda damages the teeth due to its acid level and high sugar content. The sugar increases the risk of cavities. The various acids in soda cause tooth erosion. Tooth erosion involves the decrease in dental tissues including dentine and enamel. In one study, bovine teeth were extracted, and enamel was measured. The teeth were placed in 200 ml of various sugary drinks including different types of soda for one week. The teeth exposed to citrus sodas had significant loss of dental hard tissue. (2)
- Increases Cancer Risk: Certain types of soda, such as cola, contain caramel coloring. Caramel coloring is made with ammonium compounds. During the manufacturing process, sugars, ammonium compounds, and sulfites form 4-methylimidazole and 2-methylimidazole. In studies, both chemicals were shown to induce cancer growth in animals including liver and lung cancer. (3)
- Side Effects of Caffeine:Â Many varieties of soda contain caffeine. Caffeine can lead to problems, such as trouble sleeping, jitteriness, and anxiety. Caffeine can also be addictive, which means kicking the habit can be difficult.
- Accelerates Bone Loss: The phosphate acid in soda is thought to interfere with the absorption of calcium, which can lead to a loss of bone mineral density. In a study involving 1,413 women and 1,125 men, their bone density was measured at their spine and three sites on the hip using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The participant’s dietary intake was also assessed using a questionnaire. The study indicated that cola intake was associated with a significant decrease in bone mineral density in women. (4)
- Risk of Fatty Liver Disease:Â Soda is often sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, which has several negative health consequences including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease is a significant risk factor for developing cirrhosis of the liver and heart disease. In both animal and human studies, high-fructose corn syrup had a triglyceride raising effect, which contributed to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In one study involving 341 people with fatty liver disease, results indicated that consuming high-fructose corn syrup daily increased liver inflammation. (5)
- Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners:Â Most types of diet soda contain some type of artificial sweetener. Sweeteners, such as sucralose (Splenda), saccharin, and aspartame, are associated with several health problems, including lupus, glucose intolerance, and multiple sclerosis. (6) Aspartame, also known as NutraSweet and Equal, is associated with increased incidence of brain tumors, mood disorders, declining mental function, migraines and seizures.
- Increased Risk of Diabetes: Drinking soda also increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The Nurses’ Health Study researched the link between soda consumption and type 2 diabetes. The study involved over 90,000 women who were followed for eight years. Participants in the study that reported drinking one or more servings of sugar-sweetened soft drinks developed diabetes twice as often during the study than those who rarely drink soda. (7)
- Benzene:Â Benzene is a possible cancer causing substance that is found in small levels in some types of soda. It has been linked to leukemia. (8) Benzene levels in bottled water are monitored and regulated. But levels in soda are only monitored informally, which means the exact levels may not be known. Benzene forms due to the presence of benzoate salts, which are used as a preservative, and ascorbic acid, which is in certain carbonated soft drinks.
- Increased the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Drinking sugary soda may increase a woman’s risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. One study followed over 180,000 women who completed a food-frequency questionnaire at the start of the study and every four years as part of the follow-up. The study indicated that women who drank one or more servings of sugary soda daily had a 63 percent increase in developing seropositive rheumatoid arthritis when compared to women who rarely drank soda. (9)
