Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Thailand 2k7 Resolutions

So I leave for Thailand is less than one week. In fact, I leave for Thailand in 6 days and 15 hours. I think we can all safely assume that this is going to be a trip unlike any other in the life of Lizzie Musar, so I've taken the liberty of making a few resolutions before I go.

1. I will not walk around Thailand with my iPod in my ears.
This may be the only time that I will ever walk the streets of Bangkok and beyond, and I don't want to miss the sounds of Thailand because I was too busy listening to John Mayer. In fact, I won't even bring my iPod with me. If anything, I'll bring my recently rediscovered discman so I can buy and rock out to the foreign hip hop I always end up becoming facinated with when I travel overseas.

2. I will sample whatever food is placed in front of me.
Including dog, if it comes to that. This may be a vicious rumor, but the good people of Southeast Asia may have been eating dog, cat, and any other cute animal for a long time now, so it's probably safe. There is nothing separating a dog or monkey from the fish that I just ate for dinner, so I will embrace the culture of my hosts (not Kristin Ritter, who has most decidedly NEVER eaten dog).

3. I will not go cheap.
Granted I have things to save for and it's never a good idea to waste money, but I don't think I'll regret spending some extra cash to experience all that I can during my two weeks in Thailand.

4. I will overcome my hated of touch and indulge in many fine massages.
Some of you know that I do not like to be touched. Well, I'm going to the capital of threapeutic massage and my neck and left shoulder have been hurting me for the past month. Coincidence? I think not.

I think that's probably enough for now.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

My Academic Experience at McDaniel College

I just found the CD that now contains all of my old papers from school. I'd like to now sum up these exercises by demonstrating the two common threads I have discovered:

Two Hours More of Mario Kart Can't Hurt:
The Endless Procrastination of Elizabeth Jean Musar and Her Subsequent Need to Pull Genius from Her Bum


I had a real problem with distraction and compound titles. Some might call it an addiction.

In related news, I found the article that I wrote for the Phoenix/Free Press that encouraged people to vote so they would be more attractive to the opposite (or same, whatever floats your boat) sex. While most of it is pretty bad, I enjoyed this closing section immensely -
Remember to always practice responsible voting. Vote sober, vote safely with appropriate ballot box protection, and always make sure Election Night activities are consensual. If you think you need a little practice harnessing your inner voter sexiness before Nov. 5th, the debates start Sept. 30th. Happy Voting!

I am a diabetic GENIUS!!

While at the gym yesterday, I had to test my blood sugar. I do this all the time. For the uninitiated, it involves using something that looks like a pen to poke your finger, then load the resulting drop of blood onto a little disposable strip that sticks out a machine that's about the size of the palm of your hand. It all looks like this:


It may not seem like a pain (except for the poking part), but it can be. Having to take out two little machines 6-10 times a day is not only inconvenient, but it's pretty conspicuous with all the visible blood and large electronics.

So, I give you this - THE ALL IN ONE, SELF-CONTAINED BLOOD GLUCOSE TESTING SOLUTION!!


It's pretty sweet, and while I don't quite understand how it would work, I have high hopes for my little contraption. See, you prick your finger and suck up the blood with the same little pen device. The strips are still disposable, and you load in a bunch of them at once. One stick out for each test, then gets thrown away. The whole thing can be kept in a small padded carrying case, and take the whole process from 5 steps to about 2 steps.

As my gift to the world, I'm not going to patent my idea. There's no way that I could produce this thing, and I'd much rather that someone at Accu-Chek get on this right away so that I can start using it. Perhaps they can name it after me.