I came to the realization that I have very few CT female friends. Work is probably 85% male, Kung Fu 80% male, and Engineering classes 90-95% male. Climbing is slightly better with probably only 75% males, but I haven’t had time to climb much lately. Really, Roommate Liz is the only CT female friend that I see on a weekly/semi-weekly basis.

There are plenty of NON-CT females with whom I interact which leads me to believe that either Connecticut has a strangely disproportionate male to female ratio or CT women hide a lot. In China, selective abortion and the ‘one kid’ rule has resulted in a surplus of males nicknamed “bare branches.” This creates a huge bonus for women because they can be super-selective in their relationships. Really, I think China’s like a huge WPI.

And while CT is all about the dynasty and all about the engineering, I really don’t think that male surplus is the problem here. I think the real problem is that very few women seem to like fun. Let’s make a short list of fun activities:

1. Rocking out on guitar
2. Playing football
3. Fighting
4. Monster Trucks
5. Pretending to be Dinosaurs and/or Robots
6. Anything involving Jessica Alba

I just can’t imagine women being all about that list. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that can be done about this. It’s just the way it is.

Tonight, I am heading to the cape cod. My hopes are such:

1) the weather will be spectacular for the beach
2) the wind will be perfect for kiteboarding
3) there will be at least one really great dinner making event

I made some amazing food tonight. I decided to mix up a crazy dinner.

Here’s the recipe… for mike d’s very own Delicious Chicken Mega Onslaught of Taste.

Ingredients:

some seasame oil
1/2 zuchinni
handfull almonds
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 large chicken breast
hefty dose of soy sauce
knife tip full pre-crushed garlic
dollop worcestershire sauce
dollop oyster sauce
2 tablespoons or so honey
lil’ bit of corn starch
lemon juice
collared greens 4 large leaves?
quarter onion
scallions
little bit of Greyer (sp) swiss cheese
a peach.

Heat up some oil in a wok. Throw in garlic. Add chicken and scallions. cook a little bit as you cut the onion into little bits. Add onion. stir. Cut the carrot and the celery. Add. Cut the greens into biteable pieces. Add greens and almonds.
Add the soy, oyster, worcestershire, and lemon juice. Cook for a little bit. Add honey. Thicken the liquid with a rue (usage?) of cornstarch and water. Add the cheese. Let it cook for a little more time. Cut up a peach. Add the peach. Cook until the peaches are warm. Serve in a bowl. Enjoy!

I think it’s prime time that we give a shout out to the dinosaur Iguanodon. Iguanodon gets very little respect because the superficial cool factor is low compared to a Tyrannosaurus, Stegosaurus, or Triceratops. But I bet in social circles, this herbivore of the early cretatious was the life of the party. With a permanent “thumbs up” going on, Iguanodon probably got all the lady hypsilophodontids.

Although my picture shows the tail lazily on the ground, this bipedal dinosaur probably walked much more gracefully with tail proudly in the air. I feel I should note, yet again, that those thumbs are 100% up.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Jesse: You look different when you wear your glasses?
mike d: oh?
Jesse: Yeah. Maybe more pointy?

We broke our lawnmower last weekend. Things were looking grim as the grass slowly started taking over. We knew how it would proceed: first the grass would overpower the garden, then the driveway, and soon, the grass would surely have overtaken the house.

But today, Jesse snagged us a free lawnmower from a co-worker who was moving to Texas.

It’s moments like these, when things just seem to fall perfectly into place, that I feel most blessed.

After nearly a month of laziness, the mike d fitness routine is back. Last night I ran for a good forty minutes and followed that with some weight lifting in the House of Rock basement. I was energized and feeling great. There was also some excellent cookery going on which I will detail in a feature section soon.

It was great. This morning I’m feeling a little tightness in the calves from the hills, but otherwise I feel pretty lively.

I suspect much of the rest of today will be spent solving some China problems pre-China. busy busy!

The Question
Patrick asks:

Horses and broken legs.

Barbaro broke his leg in the Preakness this weekend, and all of these people are saying that after surgery, he only has a 50% chance of living. I’ve heard this before: that a broken leg is a death sentence for a horse.

My question is: why?

After surgery and screws and plates and casts, can’t they come up with some sort of arrangement that keeps the horse alive and it heals his leg?

Humans break their legs all the time, and it’s a non-issue. Why is it a big deal for horses?

Thanks in advance.

The Answer

It has to do with the nature of the beast. No, really.

Horses stand up. That’s what they do. They stand. They stand to eat. They stand to move. They stand to sleep. If a horse isn’t standing, it’s either freshly born, or very sick. Hence, a horse that breaks its leg is in very rough shape indeed. A horse, by nature, is moving around and stamping and the like. When a horse breaks a leg, the only way for it to heal is for the horse to not stand on it - and 3 legs just doesn’t cut it. So, the horse has to be in a body-sling, which supports most of its weight, and then it has to be willing to not thrash around for the months it takes for the leg to heal.

Horses don’t have good blood flow to their lower legs. If the circulatory system of the leg is damaged when the break occurs, chances are good that the blood flow will be reduced to the point where infection is more likely. And since horses are so large, to kill an infection you would need to fill the horse with huge amounts of antibiotics, which will kill the horse’s intestinal bacteria and give the horse massive diarrhea (while it can’t move around). Not a pleasant thought. On the other hand, the anasthetic may give the horse massive constipation, to even things out. But when the horse comes out of the anasthesia, it might thrash a bit. Horses have been known to break their other legs when they come out of it and thrash wildly. (This can be offset by floating your horse in a giant pool of warm water so it can thrash to its heart’s content, but finding a large enough pool of warm water can be troublesome). Finally, if the horse favors the unbroken legs, and puts most of its weight on them, then a condition known as “laminitis” can develop, where the hoofs detach from the bone and drive themselves into the soft flesh of the leg. Then the horse can’t stand, which means it is very sick, and it gets deadly sores on its skin.

For all of these reasons, coupled with the age of the horse and its relative health, many times a broken leg is a death sentence. Many owners do not have the resources required to handle all the issues associated with a broken leg, and others simply feel that the chances of success are too slim to risk putting the horse through all these painful and/or uncomfortable activities.

But I hear that Barbaro is doing well! And he did get the “suspended in giant pool of warm water” treatment. So, go Barbaro! Get well soon!

REBUTTAL!!!

It’s true! They do lie down to sleep from time to time. BUT for the most part, they spend life on their feet. Still, I feel the need to confess to the fact that my original sentence (preserved above) may have been misleading. Thanks Jes!

looks like we should gera up for another week of rain.

This past weekend I drove home and spent a little time with the family. Sunday morning came around and I thought I’d help my mom go through some of my boxes of stuff in the basement.

During this clean up, I found one of my sister’s tapes from the 80’s/early 90’s. I figured I might as well listen to the tape on my long ride home and review it here on mikedidonato.com.

REVIEW: Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine
8 Song Karaoke Kassette! C 1992.

As I put in this tape I couldn’t help but think that I was in for a treat. I looked over the song list on this cassette and recognized a few classics including Conga, 1-2-3, and The Rhythm is Gonna Get You. Most of the titles were familiar and I figured I might even be able to sing along with a few.

If you like synthesizer beats and faux cowbell this tape is for you. If however, you like hard rock, great vocals, and awesome riffs, I would recommend anything else. There was one measure of CONGA that I had to rewind and listen to a few times. It was during a horn breakdown and those dudes really pulled it together. They were solid. The tape was otherwise lackluster.

In fact, it took me a few tries to get through the whole tape. After Conga, there was a serious lull in quality. I hoped RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU would save the tape, but it too was a disappointment. After that song I had to turn off the tape and sit in silence for a good 35-40 minutes before I was able to start it up again.

It might just be that Gloria Estefan isn’t quite my style and perhaps her newer* stuff is better. AND it’s even possible that, this being a Karaoke tape, it wasn’t even Gloria singing. In which case, I give my apologies to Gloria.

In any case, I would give this cassette a solid D+

*does Gloria have newer stuff?

mike d: So did you bust through the tissue paper wall like a hero?
Jesse: I did. I had my towel over my shoulders and had just gotten out of bed wearing boxers. I opened the door and kind of stepped back surprised at the wrapping paper, then I read your note. I got a determined look in my eye, put the towel around my neck like a cape, held one fist in the air, and charged through the wall. It was great.

Mission Accomplished.

My friend Zoe (from ultimate blogger) has published a book! Way to go Zoe!

Everyone buy it here.

I went running this morning. It felt fantastic.

Today is Jesse’s b-day. I was going to make some pancakes but we ran out of milk and all of us were too lazy to get more. So instead, I took a bunch of colorful wrapping tissue and covered the enterance to his door. That way, when he opens his door he’ll be greeted with a wall of tissue paper. There’s a large note that says “Happy Birthday! Bust through this wall like a Hero.”

I’m really hoping that he steps back and charges bursting through the wall of tissue paper, shouting “hooorah!” with his arms pumping above his head in triumph.

I’m especially hoping this because I put a bunch of sharp tacks on the other side of the tissue paper wall so that if he does charge through he’ll get zinged real bad!!! Ha ha!

I’m Kidding Mrs. Marzullo! don’t worry. don’t worry. there were no tacks.

That’d be a great gag for a movie though.

Wow

Annnd…. BANG! it’s summer. Just like that.

Usually I try and make a list of goals at the start of each season, but this time I don’t think I’m going to confine my goals to bullets. Instead, I’m just going to coast. I feel like something needs to change for me this summer, but I don’t know what it is. I must mellow out. I need to relax and let the summer do its thing.

Perhaps I’ll take monday July third off form work. I’ll buy 4 dozen lemons, a bag of ice, and a pound of sugar and make frosty lemonades in glass mugs on the beaches of cape cod. Maybe I’ll get a haircut. I’ll flirt with the wind and my kite.

I should sing more when I mow the lawn. and whistle. I might want to start running again, but not for strength or endurance. Just to sweat. I’ll consider buying things like new pants and hot shirts, but i won’t because I’m too cheap. I’ll cook more for myself and treat myself to healthy dishes overflowing with vegetables. I don’t want junk food, chocolate, or chicken wings. I want purity and simplicity. A clean desktop and an uncomfortable chair. I want to have way too much nature. I want to completely resist the temptation to itch my bugbites. I want to lose at darts and not care. I never want to procrastinate when going to bed, and I’m tired of being sick.

Ryan Schenk said to me the other day “this is what I imagine Mike D wakes up to every day”

And while that’s not quite true, I think that’s what I want for summer 2006; sickeningly happy mornings.

It’s a crazy day here at work! My boss was unable to come in, so I’ve been on the receiving end of an onslaught of questions and tasks. Despite the hectic craze, it’s been mildly fun. I like dealing with immediate issues more than long drawn out projects. It’s far more exciting.

Sadly I don’t have too much to share with you today. so instead, here’s an old MSPaint I drew of some of the cast of lord of the rings at a McDonalds.

In an ‘every man for himself’ cage match of Office Supplies, I think the staple remover would win.

It’s small enough so that the other office supplies probably wouldn’t consider it a threat in the beginning. But then, after the obvious favorites like the letter opener and scissors fell, I think the staple remover would gnash its wicked teeth and decimate the rest of its opponents.

My china trip has been delayed three to four weeks.

This is extremely inconvenient. I have nothing more to say.

The Question

Jon Abad asks:

Does soda go bad?

I just got a Mountain Dew out of the coke machine and there is a “For Best Taste, Drink by this date” thing on the side like with certain american beers.

So my question to the all powerful Oz (aka McQuaid) is can soda go bad while its in the can? What’s its shelf life? Will it outlive us all?

The Answer

Yes —– and no!

First off, the ingredients in soda are generally water, carbon dioxide, sugar (or sugar replacement), and flavoring. Luckily, none of these will “go bad” in the traditional sense (microorganisms taking over the can and poison the drinker).

Let’s look at the ingredients individually and see what we can see.

- WATER
Water will not go bad. And since the can is sealed, it won’t evaporate. No problem here.

- CARBON DIOXIDE
The carbon dioxide WILL eventually percolate out of the can through osmosis. This means that eventually, the soda will go flat. Does this constitute “going bad”? I think not - the soda is still consumable, you just may not want to. This could indicate why the “best taste by” date is given on your can of Mountain Dew.

- SUGAR
Usually a growth medium for everything, the sugar in the can is protected by being vacuum sealed in, and by being in solution. Shouldn’t be a problem here. BUT….

- SUGAR SUBSTITUTE
Aspartame is under fire by certain groups who state that it breaks down into methanol and formaldhyde in the small intestine, and that is unhealthy. While it is undisputed that this occurs, some state that the levels are not toxic, since alcoholic beverages do the same thing. There is evidence both ways.
In any case, the argument is that the aspartame decomposes into methanol and formaldhyde if left in a metal can for too long. This probably ruins the taste of the soda if it does occur.

- FLAVORING
The flavoring components are usually matched with preservatives, so there’s no chance of them causing the soda to go bad.

In summary, I’d believe the label - for best TASTE, drink before the date on the can. Otherwise, the soda may be flat, taste too much like the can (from slowly eroding aluminum molecules away), or be otherwise compromised.

Congratulations to everyone from worcester for their successful skyline identification. Many of you were successful with the satellite image as well, which was Madrid. Well done!

This week’s skyline is here! I think you’ll find the country is easy to determine, but the city… less so.

The satellite is… here!

A) where is the skyline?
B) is the satellite of the same location?
C) if not, where is the satellite

good luck!

I didn’t bring enough food to work today.

This weekend was completely uneventful. Saturday morning I went to work and the afternoon and evening were spent on my RPI application. Sunday I spent some time outside doing yardwork, and you know? that was my favorite part of the weekend. I removed a large metal post that was uglying up our driveway and started some planning for a stone retaining wall along our side yard. I enjoy yardwork. It is very rewarding.

In other news, I leave for China in two days. I should really put together some automatic posts so that mikedidonato.com doesn’t fade into oblivion. Perhaps I’ll spend some time on that tonight.

Here’s a survey I made up, feel free to copy it, paste it into the comments and fill in your own answers.

Middle Name: Anthony
Celebrity that you think you could most easily beat up: Dakota Fanning
Celebrity that looks most like your dad: Patrick Stewart
Animal you fear most: Snakes
Favorite daytime soap: Days of our Lives (will Jennifer and Frankie’s wedding go smoothly?!?!)
Favorite type of deciduous tree: Oak
Least favorite cheese: Swiss
Favorite computer storage media: I have a deep, though outdated, respect for the 3.5 inch floppy
Do you wear your watch on the wrist of your dominant hand? Never.
Are you fatter than Sander (hint: no)? no.
What is your blood type: A+

Scenarios:

If your car ran out of gas on a deserted road and a tractor trailer pulled up being driven by a giant lizard and if it promised to bring you to the closest gas station, would you get in the cab with it? I don’t think I would.

Would you prefer to have a REceding hairline or a PROceeding hairline? Receding.

Your workplace is invaded by carnivorous unicorns, what would be your weapon of choice to defend yourself? Probably gloves of eternal fire.

An elf with severe acne walks up and offers you a piece of his candy bar (nutrageous). Do you accept or politely refuse? I would refuse.

You find out that your favorite female actress is dating Gilbert Godfried, are you disappointed? Extremely disappointed.