the broomstitch

Of course the saying doesn't say that what for a long time appears to be an opportunity to achieve sainthood turns out to have been a temptation that led on the road to perdition.

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Hmm. Now, how are we to read that?

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Well, it means that one should take a fortune cookie's wisdom with a grain of salt. Or with some shrimp & fried rice, in my case.

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I'd prefer sesame chicken myself.

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I vote for General Tso, or maybe some Crispy Beef. It depends on the restaurant.

Dang. Now I'm hungry.

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Now I'm hungry too!

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::makes another peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich::

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I have peanut butter but no jelly. Maybe I'll go open a can of fruit salad.

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Got Nutella? Marshmallow fluff? Either goes with peanut butter like..well, like jelly does.

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Marshmallow fluff?
Urp.
I'm going to be sick.

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Tsk. Clearly, your inner boy has not been properly exposed to the decadence that is marshmallow fluff. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of it, coming from a Fluff-less family, but many of my friends did and a Fluffernutter is something to be tried at least once.

The saltiness of the peanut butter offsets the fluff. I can't tolerate even jelly without something to modulate the sweetness.

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coming from a Fluff-less family

Somehow I thought your nickname as a child was Fluffy.

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Hmm. If I told you my childhood "nickname", you'd have a hard time believing it. Alas, it was not Fluffy.

Oscar, maybe.

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C'mon. I might surprise you and actually believe it.

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Amongst other things, "General". The rest of them were a variation on my given name, with added suffixes for diminutive (i.e., Gingele). My partner nicknamed me "Bear", for reasons of her own. ;-)

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'General Ginger' does have a ring to it.

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Yes, it does. It was bestowed upon me more for my personality, at a young age, than for mere alliteration. I was once, and you'll find this hard to believe, rather argumentative.

No, really.

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I don't believe that.
"Yes, you do."
No I don't.
"Do too."

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Nuh-uh!

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I have gout, so I can't have too much beef or seafood.

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Sorry to hear about that.

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So is my right foot.

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That's a bummer. You don't hear too much about gout anymore these days -- do they still prescribe purine inhibitors?

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Allopurinol is what I'm prescribed.

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That's the stuff. I guess there isn't another medication for the condition.

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I'm also prescribed colchicine.

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Ah, yes. It's an anti-inflammatory agent used for gout and pseudo-gout (and one or two other uncommon inflammatory conditions). It's got a lot of unwanted effects, so patients have to be careful using it. However, it does work well for gout.

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Unfortunately, it's not the only thing I have to worry about.

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Getting old is no fun..but I think I've referred to my Dad's saying before.

My parents, my partner and I were sitting down to dinner one night, and we were discussing the various medications, lifestyle changes, and doctoral appointments that we were subjecting ourselves. My mom then commented that we were all getting to the age where all we talked about were medications, problems, doctors, etc. I had a point to all this, but was interrupted by a phone call, so now I am wandering aimlessly through this comment.

I'll just stop here and get off the bus.

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I'm only 51 (well, 52 in a few weeks).

BTW, I've been seeing adverts for a nail file for pets and I'm wondering how much of a gimmick it is (the question is purely academic since we have no pets)?

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I'm 43, and catching up. ;-)

The nail file is probably a minor gimmick -- you can buy a diamond file for fairly cheaply in the drugstores. It's most useful for small critters (small dogs, birds, "pocket pets", etc.) For a larger dog or for a cat, you're better off with some form of clipper.

If it isn't diamond-coated, then it's pure gimmick and not worth any time at all. ;-)

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It's something called 'Peticure' (and claims that filing is 'natural', unlike clipping, and that clipping can damage the nails).

It looked like a gimmick to me, but I thought I'd ask a professional. And it was aimed at dog and cat owners ('pet parents' in the advert).

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LOL..I suppose someone is referencing the "natural" action of hard surfaces (i.e., sidewalks and roads) on the nails. Dogs who spend time on hard surfaces do indeed "file" the nails "naturally". There's nothing wrong with clipping, though.

I'm not surprised they're aiming at "pet parents", as most households in the US have at least one pet now, and often more than one. With more people having disposable income, and the tendency of folks to include their pets as "family" (myself included..*), there's a strong drive to spend money on Fido and Fluffy. Other species are growing as well, and horses are making a comeback as "backyard pleasure equine" instead of as working animals. We've got more and more overweight pets, too.

*Only, I get a professional discount. ;-)

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