The Bacon Explosion

The spiral ham is just the tip of the American culinary iceberg.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/dining/28bacon.html?_r=1

A 'work' day like any other for my GM

3:57pm - She has just left the office for the day. Please feel free to drop by at any time between now and 5:30pm to make use of our stationery supplies, promotional chocolate, tea and coffee making facilities and heavy duty stapler.

2:58pm - Boss lets us get back to work so she can take a personal call

1:37pm - Boss called a ‘meeting’ so that we can spoon feed her the answers to the MDs questions about our new website that she has never logged onto herself before.

1:14pm - And she's back. To settle in with the SMH and a big sandwich

12:41pm - There she goes again. Off for a walk.

12:14pm - Boss returns to office

10:02am - Boss leaves for a personal appointment

9:15am - Boss arrives

Quick Flupdate...

First up, my sincerest apologies for not answering my phone, text messages or emails. You have no idea how many queries I get from people every day asking me if this toddler has arrived yet! I have found it easier to turn my mobile off, so if you'd like to speak to me please call me at home...more than happy to answer that phone.

Just got back from the hospital and thought I'd give you all a quick run down on the fluppy's state of affairs.

First up, she still hasn't come. They poked and proded me and did something called "sweeping the membranes" which hurt like a bastard but may possibly send me into labour. If not, I'm booked in for the latest possible induction they will allow...Monday 2nd Feb at 6pm. I'd prefer to do this by myself, but they won't let the baby stay in any longer than that and so many mothers have told me to avoid induction if at all possible (apparently is causes stronger pain in contractions and may slow the whole process down). I need to go back into hospital friday morning, if no baby, to be monitored again, but basically we're still just waiting to see if this child decides to make their grand appearance unaided.

So thank you all for your concerns and well wishes and believe me when I say you are all on the number one list (just after the families) to be told when Fluppy gets here.

Happy Friday!

And you thought YOU needed a drink....

One of the guys in the pharmacy alerted us to the below article, it's worth a read!

Ingestion of hand sanitizer by a hospitalized patient with a history of alcohol abuse

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of hand sanitizers for all health care professionals before and following direct patient contact.1 Alcohol-based sanitizers containing 60–95% ethyl or isopropyl alcohol are used in many health care institutions as a primary infection control measure. Readily available dispensers for alcohol-based sanitizer may be an inviting source for patients admitted for disorders related to alcohol abuse.2,3 We report a case of intentional ingestion of ethyl alcohol in a hospitalized patient with chronic alcoholism.

A 46-year-old man with a medical history significant bipolar disorder, chronic hepatitis C, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and alcohol abuse was treated at a tertiary medical center after being found unconscious in a local grocery store. The patient later said he ingested an unknown amount of alcohol-containing hand sanitizer and mouthwash for intentional alcohol abuse. Pertinent history included a previous admission 10 days before for toxic ingestion of ethyl and isopropyl alcohol from five to eight quarts of mouthwash and two bottles of rubbing alcohol. Vital signs were stable at the scene and on admission. A serum osmolality was measured at 407 mg/dL (the calculated value was 392 mg/dL). The patient's blood ethyl alcohol level was 0.399%, and the salicylate concentration was 1 mg/dL. A urine drug screen was negative. He was initially admitted to a medical step-down unit for acute monitoring and treatment of alcohol withdrawal.

On day 2 of admission, the patient was witnessed ingesting Avagard (3M, St. Paul, MN) foam hand antiseptic (62% w/w ethyl alcohol) directly from the self-contained wall dispenser in his room. He was warned against further ingestion, and the nursing staff became more vigilant in his monitoring. On day 3, the patient was again witnessed ingesting hand sanitizer from the wall dispenser. No acute behavioral changes or adverse effects were noted. After the second occurrence, the hand sanitizer product and wall dispenser were removed from both inside and directly outside the patient's room.

A recent hospitalwide initiative to employ methods encouraging hand hygiene practices increased the number of available hand sanitizer units in patient care areas. Because of the potential abuse of such agents and previously published reports, a recent statement recommends the replacement of all removable bottles and pumpettes with self-contained dispensers.3 Although self-contained dispensers are used at our institution, the availability of alcohol based sanitizer in the patient's room provided the means for abuse.

This patient's significant history nonpotable alcohol ingestion and multiple admissions may have increased the likelihood of toxic ingestion of this product in the institutional setting, highlighting the need for careful assessment of alcohol abuse patterns. Despite the absence of significant adverse events in this patient, continued ingestion of ethyl alcohol during a hospitalization will not only increase the risk of alcohol intoxication and metabolic complications, but also increase the likelihood of falls and potential for medication-alcohol interactions. We recommend considering the temporary removal of alcohol-based hand sanitizers from wall dispensers in rooms that house high-risk patients with a significant history of alcohol abuse as a method to discourage ingestion.

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. Volume 65(23), 1 December 2008, p 2203–2204.

Flupdate: episode 8 - possibly the last installment.....

Today we're in week 40. The final week (allegedly). I went along to the doctors today, for my weekly appointment and asked her about due dates etc since my calendar and ultrasound don't agree. Keep in mind this is my doctor who still insists on telling me I'm 38 weeks!

She ummed and arhhed and did a few calculations....then came out with "Oh yes....let's correct your due date to the 24th" THAT'S THIS SATURDAY!!!!

I asked her about the 29th and why I was given that date if she now thinks it's a week earlier and she said that the 29th is the last day they should let me go to! This means that if baby hasn't come of her own accord by Wednesday next week....I'll be induced and we should have a baby by the end of next week at the latest! scary.

The baby has now dropped down in to my pelvis so we're "engaged" and could go pretty much any day I guess....

I'm getting VERY uncomfortable, can't find a good position to sleep in, the baby is sitting right on my bladder and only occasionally shifts to sit on one of the nerves running down my legs which makes me lose feeling and nearly tumble over. I'm starving all the time. I'm getting tired again. I've got a sore back. And I am so incredibly happy to think I'll be meeting this little one so soon!!!!

I better go pack a bag.....

Happy Wedding John & Shari!

Boathouse Snapper Pie

I wanted to cook one of my favourite recipies but it had dropped off the internet, so after a quick visit to the wayback machine, I grabed it off and I'm posting it here so you can try it too ( and I can refer back to it in the future):

That famous Snapper Pie from the Boathouse at Blackwattle Bay.

INGREDIENTS

* 800g of pink snapper fillet (or blue eye cod)
* 4 dessertspoons white truffle oil
* 1kg puff pastry

Soubaise sauce
* 1.2kg sliced onions
* 1 tspn olive oil
* 400ml fish stock (homemade is best)
* 800ml cream
* 300g diced onion

WHAT TO DO
Soubise sauce: Sweat onions with olive oil and a little salt. Cook until the onions take on a very light brown colour, cool, then add fish stock and reduce by half. Add cream, and recude by half or until a thick cream consistency is reached. Remove from heat.

To cook: In a separate pan, sweat the diced onion in a little olive oil. Meanwhile, blend the onion cream mixture, then add the cooked diced onion and adjust the seasoning. To assemble, roll pastry 1/2cm thick and cut into four ovals which are 3cm wider than the pie dishes. In each pie dish, spoon about two tablespoons of soubise sauce. Lay 200g of snapper on the sauce, cover with another tablespoon of sauce and a dessertspoon of truffle oil, then lay puff pastry lid and press down the sides. Make cool shapes and designs on the top of the pie with the left over pastry. Glaze with egg wash. Cook pies for 25 minutes at 260C. Rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve with mashed potatoes and smoked tomatoes. Serves 8.

And we're off to a good start for the Oscars...

Yay!

Happy Birthday Jeff

Tool use by animals

While I'm at it.

Other animals with opposable thumbs (Wikipedia)

Apart from humans, many animals, primates and others, also have some kind of opposable thumb or toe:

Orangutan - opposable thumbs on both hands and both feet. The interdigital grip gives them the ability to pick fruit.
Gorillas - opposable on both hands and both feet.
Chimpanzees have opposable thumbs on both hands and both feet.
Lesser Apes have opposable thumbs on both hands and both feet.
Old World Monkeys, with some exceptions, such as the genera, Piliocolobus and Colobus.
Cebids (New World primates of Central and South America) - some have opposable thumbs.
Koala - opposable toe on each foot, plus two opposable digits on each hand.
Opossum - opposable thumb on rear feet.
Giant Panda - Panda paws have five clawed fingers plus an extra bone that works like an opposable thumb. This "thumb" is not really a finger (like the human thumb is), but an extra-long sesamoid bone that works like a thumb.
Troodon - a birdlike dinosaur with partially opposable thumbs.
Bambiraptor - a small, predatory dinosaur, was able to touch the outer two of its three digits together in an opposable grip.
Aye-aye - small primate once thought to be a rodent
Bonobo - a frugivorous primate of the genus Pan. A close relative of the chimpanzee.
Phyllomedusa – A phylum of frogs with opposable thumbs native to South America.

Awww

Young love.

Insanely Bored on Tuesday flashback

Was taking a little look back at today over the last few years and came across this nastiness, and this nastiness. What a traumatic time January can be!

I am now going to go and fill the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom and rearrange the printing supplies.

Call me.

Tumut Rodeo

If you want to come down for the Tumut Rodeo it’s on Saturday April 18. You're welcome to put your boots up and roll out your swag at Quidong for the weekend. Details later.

Congratulations Jeff

On your Temporary Business Long Stay visa subclass 457.

You may now feel free to live here and work.

A year in the life of a blog. Brought to you by facebook.

I’m a little late with my year-end wrap up but for the first time since the blog’s inception, I have not spent an excruciatingly dull Chrissie/NY break at the office looking for ways to wile the time away. Until today. But hey, at least it’s Friday.

We started the leap year scattered across the planet. A small Sydney contingent manned the mandatory harbourside fireworks, while representatives spread the SRF cheer in Europe, regional NSW and Victoria. Even then, amidst paint fumes, outdoor music, hands of cards and the French, did we all have some quiet inkling of the ebb and flow of life to come in this, the 10th year of the SRF?

It was a year of cultural richness. We worked in France, Hong Kong, Alice Springs and Ballarat. We got ourselves a shiny new American.

We visited faraway ports on the good ship Stacy Lee, under the slurred instruction of El ‘tan line’ Capitano, John.

We called home our attachés from Paris who brought tales of Europe and great tans. We celebrated our own bright culture on the banks of the Tumut River.

And we finally milked what we could out of our impressive connection to the Sydney Film festival.

A year in the life (cont)

Yet amid the diversions and distractions, there were stirrings in our ranks. Merely months into 08, Mattwa shocked even himself by kicking recruitment to the curb. Others soon followed as Nicolai quit the SFF, John shook Cerner loose, Noodle stormed triumphantly out of uni and Gretta left working life behind altogether. Even little George got tired of the womb and decided to come out and play.

We celebrated several other births that took place many decades ago. Nicolai, Mattwa, Gretta, John, Richie, and B Sam all threw us a bash for their 30th and Flit sponsored much beer swilling for his 40th.

Drinking was also the only way to farewell the iconic Wiglet after his untimely but spectacular demise,

as was it for the Swans semifinal victory

and a house-sitting opportunity.

While some things were best toasted in other ways…

A year in the life (cont)

New to the SRF calendar were a few events, such as The Best Thanksgiving Ever

and various sport-oriented challenges.

The Tangara girls found a way to get together

and the Northies found a way to get away from it all and get together with further flung friends.

But as Gretta grew larger,

so the year grew older, till it split its pants in the usual extravaganza of calories and booze. The SRF got into the Christmas spirit once more before another diverging of paths.

And there goes 2008!

Here's to a fun and prosperous 2009.

Over and out,
your evil blog administrator.