Small state syndrome
Just the other day, sahiya was saying how weird it is to hear me talking about just running up to Massachusetts for dinner with my parents, as going to the next state over is something of an all-day deal most places unless you live right on the border. Never mind that going through yet another state (RI) is the shorter route than just going from where I am in CT to where my folks are in MA. (Of course, it's fast becoming a much bigger deal expense-wise, so I might not be doing that quite so often - though my folks would laugh to hear it called often - as the price of gas keeps going up by something like five cents a day.)
Now I'm experiencing something of the same thing in reverse. It remains to be seen whether I'll get to work in coffee with my friend from OK while in Dallas. (She's been saying for years how much she wants to show me this massive used book store in Dallas. Note to self: just in case this actually does get worked in somewhere, get to The Book Barn in Niantic *before* July, so as to be suitably impressed before checking out the no doubt even huger one in TX.) Then it occurred to me to see whether I could work in a visit to a sick friend in Waco.
Not so much, according to Mapquest. It's about 100 miles. *sigh* Yet another reason I wish I'd had the sense to fly in a few days before Portus or stay a day or two after. It'd probably cost me an arm and a leg to try and change it now. Maybe it's for the best, though. As well as she's healing up, she might not be up for visitors even by then. And she'd try to be all hostessy, which is so not the point and a much bigger energy expenditure than she needs to be making.
Yeah, yeah, supposed to be studying now. Getting back to it. Fun with O2-CO2 transport! Oh, speaking of, here's a tip of the day for you: If you're buying an iron supplement, and you're tempted to go for the cheap stuff, look carefully at the ingredient label. If it says "ferrous" or "iron II" something (probably sulfate), it may or may not upset your stomach, but at least your body can use it. However, a lot of the cheapie iron supplements are "ferric" or "iron III" something or other, which is utterly useless in the making of hemoglobin. (Apparently the digestive system can reduce some of it to iron II, but not enough to be worth the asking price.)
On the more expensive end, I wanted to try Solgar's "Gentle Iron" because ferrous sulfate so doesn't like me, but when I checked the label, couldn't figure out if it was worth getting or not, as it just said "iron bisglycinate." Not that the average customer is probably asking, "Yes, but what fricking valence is it?" ... but I was annoyed. A bit of Googling later, and I've learned that it is, in fact iron II, and there are apparently the peer-reviewed equivalents of flame wars over its absorption rate and touted "gentleness." At least it's usable and thus worth giving a whirl. If it doesn't screw up my digestive system, and I end up less/not anemic, I'll call that a success.
Now I'm experiencing something of the same thing in reverse. It remains to be seen whether I'll get to work in coffee with my friend from OK while in Dallas. (She's been saying for years how much she wants to show me this massive used book store in Dallas. Note to self: just in case this actually does get worked in somewhere, get to The Book Barn in Niantic *before* July, so as to be suitably impressed before checking out the no doubt even huger one in TX.) Then it occurred to me to see whether I could work in a visit to a sick friend in Waco.
Not so much, according to Mapquest. It's about 100 miles. *sigh* Yet another reason I wish I'd had the sense to fly in a few days before Portus or stay a day or two after. It'd probably cost me an arm and a leg to try and change it now. Maybe it's for the best, though. As well as she's healing up, she might not be up for visitors even by then. And she'd try to be all hostessy, which is so not the point and a much bigger energy expenditure than she needs to be making.
Yeah, yeah, supposed to be studying now. Getting back to it. Fun with O2-CO2 transport! Oh, speaking of, here's a tip of the day for you: If you're buying an iron supplement, and you're tempted to go for the cheap stuff, look carefully at the ingredient label. If it says "ferrous" or "iron II" something (probably sulfate), it may or may not upset your stomach, but at least your body can use it. However, a lot of the cheapie iron supplements are "ferric" or "iron III" something or other, which is utterly useless in the making of hemoglobin. (Apparently the digestive system can reduce some of it to iron II, but not enough to be worth the asking price.)
On the more expensive end, I wanted to try Solgar's "Gentle Iron" because ferrous sulfate so doesn't like me, but when I checked the label, couldn't figure out if it was worth getting or not, as it just said "iron bisglycinate." Not that the average customer is probably asking, "Yes, but what fricking valence is it?" ... but I was annoyed. A bit of Googling later, and I've learned that it is, in fact iron II, and there are apparently the peer-reviewed equivalents of flame wars over its absorption rate and touted "gentleness." At least it's usable and thus worth giving a whirl. If it doesn't screw up my digestive system, and I end up less/not anemic, I'll call that a success.