Via Scientist, Interrupted: Scientific American is offering its July, 2007 issue for free download as a PDF. The offer is only good through June 30. Click the pic!

I shop at fancy grocery stores. The kind where they have olive oil tastings, and big wine sections, and jewel-like mounds of produce, much of it organic. I made a tuna salad yesterday, but befitting the kind of place where I shop, I did not open a can of Chicken of the Sea and stir in some mayo. I do that–well, I open a pouch these days, but its the same thing. But for dinner, I’m more likely to eat a bit more self-consciously. And the grocery store is a really good place to be self conscious, for a lot of reasons.

Tuna Salad Nicoise
(serves 6) Read More »

I am typing veeerrrrrry slowly cause I’m typing one-handed (and not for any prurient reason). And guess why Hugh Laurie is my picture today–aside from the fact that I’ve had a crush on him since he was Mr. Palmer in Sense and Sensibility. That’s right: Vicodin!

No, really. Had the hand surgery. As far as I can tell, everything went well, although I wish they’d taken a picture of the cyst in place, just so I could see it. But so far, other than having to keep my hand up in the attitude of someone taking a courtroom oath, and being a little, um, spacy, it’s all good. But understandably, my Brain is abbreviated today. I had the surgery in an ambulatory care facility staffed with half a dozen cheerful, businesslike nurses, an anesthesiologist, and my hand doctor. Two highly furnished operating suites, and recovery room, and an ante-room where they got me settled. As always happens when I have some sort of medical care issue, I chatted cheerily about all manner of stuff (mostly what sort of things I write, and why having a right hand was important to me): I think I chat entertainingly with the staff because I want them to like me and want to take good care of me. I’m sure they’d take good care of me even if I wasn’t funny, but why not give them incentive?

And now I’m going to doze off again, because you know what? Vicodin!