Recovery Food

Since this was (and still is) my original place to vent all the randomness inside my mind, I will return to it for some #madwriting now.  I'm enjoying an apple cider cause it's fallish-weather and we're out of coffee.  I'm planning a little service outreach project with my general chemistry students.  They seem enthusiastic about it.  It's a way to bring in other types of people to get excited about how science can impact our lives.  I've been putting off announcing it because I can't get a hold of the person at the mall where I want to hold the event.  I've left countless voicemails but I have not yet visited the office to argue my side.  A friend says I may instead be running up against apathy in which case I want to proceed with the event.  I feel like any small space would work and I would hope to create a learning environment for both the students and the audience.  So I guess I kind of decided that I would bike to work on Monday since I am not teaching and arrange this show with the Montclair Plaza.  Where will it be and can we pass out fliers?  Is there a noise limitation?  What is the maximum number of people we can accumulate before fire codes are violated?

I labeled this post Recovery because we are now recovering from some horrible germs that were exchanged starting at the beginning of when students arrived on campus and worsening until the first round of midterms.  Maybe since we're on fall break now everyone will come back relaxed and healthy.  Or maybe carrying more germs.  In any case, I wanted to post about a common household chemical HClO also known as bleach.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach
I was so proud of myself for finally getting around to bleaching some containers for fall planting, then I heard that you don't want to plant winter crops until November 1st in Southern California because it tends to have heat spikes that cause the plants to bolt prematurely.  This is what I was hoping for with my late fall planting in the Student Garden, which is blooming quite nicely.  For photos of that project, see here: http://mygreenriverside.ning.com/profile/KaylaAKaiser

Rather than acting like I know everything about chemistry, I will admit I went to read the Wikipedia article.  I think a wiki is an interesting thing because it's natural like a tree that has branches and it grows along with the group (community) that curate it.  I've been involving students in building Wikis for three semesters now.  It's only a tiny bit of coding that has to work for the generation of new pages, but I think the students should delve into that type of knowledge early on.

Since this is a cycling blog, our latest cycling adventure led us to need disinfectant in a large bottle and tape and gauze and wrap for several weeks.  Amazingly enough, the patient (who shall remain nameless but was not me) has recovered from a bicycle accident.  Luckily we were close to home at the time and there were three of us so we managed to get everyone a beer and then a way home.

This also got me thinking about the household uses of peroxide, another chemical important for our modern standards of living.  As an oxidizing agent, it destroys molecules that are colored.  When used as an antimicrobial, it destroys a wide-range of pathogens.  What potential we have in our household!  Well I guess I'm out of time and I do feel more relaxed now.  Sometimes I hold so many stories in my head and I have such big plans that it really crunches my brain.  Although I am not getting much perspective (not cycling or running or walking or swimming long distances) I am doing more yoga.  Maybe the time is ripe to focus inward.  I'm still obsessed with the Three Sisters.  It's so fall-y and comforting.  I've been trying to eat Squash, Corn and Beans together or separately throughout the day.  Pumpkins are plentiful and Corn is at the Farmer's Market.  Beans (green) or any type from a can have been in our diet these past few weeks.  Supposedly nutritionally balanced without meat.  We've been adding different onions, kale, dill, sage, all manner of spices, peppers, and cheese.  We've been so sick and tired that we've been eating cooked food just to stay alive.  Almost the consistency of baby food.  But it's comforting and sustaining.  And in some cases locally grown.  I'm looking forward to the Color Run, the Mission Inn Run, and possibly a trip to Santa Barbara.  Then we will give thanks!

What's your recovery food?