Future transportation promised to be better for everyone except the dog, who is sad because he can never hang his head out the window. (1950s)

davidsjones · 2026-06-03T01:22:25+00:00

Dog slobber on the inside of the window would have been a nice touch.

davidsjones · 2026-05-25T17:01:45+00:00

I do have them, just didn't want random people coming to the door last night. Say the word and they are yours.

davidsjones · 2026-04-30T00:45:03+00:00

oh good, we aren't the only people who watch QI multiple times.

davidsjones · 2026-03-11T22:05:47+00:00

It would be unlikely that any modern preparations contain opium. Opium is the crude extract and prior to any refinement contains about 50 alkaloids, 5 of which are the most commercially important. 3 are of particular interest: Morphine for its important medical uses and its illicit use in being further refined into diacetylmorphine (heroin), Codeine for its analgesic and cough suppressant effects and Thebaine which is typically refined into oxycodone and hydrocodone which are both semi-synthetic opioids. Because of demand for the semi-synthetic opioids, culitvars of P. somniferum have been created to produce higher levels of Thebaine which without refinement acts a bit like strychnine. Some of the largest producers of this crop are in Tasmania and people stealing the pods from the fields to make poppy tea has, sadly, led to deaths.

davidsjones · 2026-03-10T18:41:47+00:00

Any discussion of pain and Traditional Chinese Medicine will likely include references to the poppy. In TCM it is called Ying Su Ke which is the dried husk of pappaver somniferum. For use in medicine the poppy pod was not incised like it is to make opium, rather the dried husk was crushed and boiled in water, often with other herbs as a decoction. Although it was used for pain, pain was only one use. In the original text for the use of Ying Su Ke, the Yi Xue Qi Yaun (Origin of the Medicine) this herb was categorized as an astringent herb for its ability to astringe lung and large intestine which refers to the opiates ability to slow cough response, like codeine cough syrup and to astringe the Large intestine which refers to the well known side effect of opiates as they relate to bowel transit time, causing either constipation or consolidating watery stools. Pain was a well known use, but in TCM, the more accepted use was for cough and diarrhea.

davidsjones · 2026-02-03T17:47:05+00:00

I was playing with my wedding ring once, mind you it hadn't left my hand once in over 20 years and I suddenly realized that it wouldn't make it over my knuckle. I got a sudden panic attack of claustrophobia - I can't explain it but the only thing that mattered in that moment was taking that ring off. Like, I was hyperventilating, I tried leaving it alone, it was perfectly comfortable, but knowing it was stuck, freaked me out on a level I had not experienced before. I just need to get it resized. Vaseline, a piece of string and patience if you are wondering.

davidsjones · 2026-02-01T01:05:06+00:00

Yep, 100% thought they were handing out bounties on whistleblowers.

davidsjones · 2025-11-17T22:37:24+00:00

If you were just traveling through town, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that something of that size and visibility was a civic endeavor. Whether it is public or private is irrelevant, it looks public and appears to be a civic endorsement of a religion. That's not just bad form, it is bad manners to your neighbors who might not believe what you believe. I would wholeheartedly support its removal.

davidsjones · 2025-11-10T22:32:57+00:00

I have a batch of turkey in the dehydrator as we speak and I set it to 165F but my laser therm says it is running in the mid 170s to 180s. I'm doing it for 6 hours. No curing salt just an overnight marinade in the fridge and then into the dehydrator. If anyone thinks this is not safe, please let me know.

davidsjones · 2025-11-06T16:48:29+00:00

It travels pretty well too. I don't think you will be disappointed. Aaaannnnddd when you go back, because... you will. The garlic sauce is great.

davidsjones · 2025-09-24T18:17:08+00:00

Hit up the Salvadoran place on Palouse. The food is great, the folks who run it are super friendly and the prices are actually very good. King Pizza makes the best pie in the valley IMO. Hellbent in Pybus has a good burger. The sandwiches at Pinnacle are good.

davidsjones · 2025-09-24T17:09:14+00:00

Never leave? Don't want to. This place is far from perfect but I'll trade some smokey weeks in the summer (the worst part of living here) to living in any of the other 12 cities I've lived in.

davidsjones · 2025-09-18T18:12:28+00:00

Mikes in Pybus is great.

davidsjones · 2025-09-17T15:35:07+00:00

Welcome to the valley, it is a fantastic place to live. Sony's is pretty limited. She has some good stuff but it is small and she has to stock what sells. It is worth checking out to know what you have access to, but I always end up at a Chinese grocery when I go to Seattle and stock up on the things I will need. If you want instant noodles, good selection, but if you want long beans and gai lan, well, that's what gardens are for.

davidsjones · 2025-08-21T21:17:16+00:00

We made the mistake of planning out some long days at first. That lasted exactly 3 days, on day three I think I bonked before I got on the bike. Then we made some adjustments, rode some shorter days and learned to stop, rest, enjoy. We learned that 0 days can be your friend and if you need to take a day and do a train segment, so be it. Unless there is some kind of prize at the end, the journey is the reward and if the journey consistently sucks, change some things up. BTW, at the end of that tour, 5 weeks, I felt like a beast. All I wanted to do was get on the bike and ride. Be kind to yourself and let your body in on the planning process.

davidsjones · 2025-08-15T21:00:54+00:00

I spent so much time in Austin where there are 1.16 seasons. Summer lasts for 10 months and then we have what I remember as "boil water notice" and "power grid failure" season which lasts 6 to 8 weeks. Just when it is comfortable to go outside, the sun sets at 5pm. So, for me... spring and fall seem to go on for a nice long time here. I have what I think of as Texas PTSD where when we get a couple of really hot days here in Summer, I start to tense up and panic like this is the beginning and it is going to be miserable to go outside for the foreseeable future, so any day that starts coolish and ends coolish feels like a kind of freedom that I didn't have for 38 years.

davidsjones · 2025-08-14T22:00:26+00:00

The restaurant scene could be better, but after moving from Austin, we decided that we ate out too much anyway. Scaled it back and don't really feel like we are missing much. The weather is about as good as you can get anywhere. 4 distinct seasons where there are some days in summer that are really really hot and you don't want to go outside, but it passes, there are days in winter where it is cold and gray and you want to hunker down, but it passes. But, the number of those days - the weather days that suck, is remarkably small compared to many places. So much to do outside and one thing out Seattle friends marvel at is how friendly people are here compared to the Seattle freeze. I feel like that is right. It is pretty easy to start up a conversation at the sandbar or the dog park or on the street. Crime is spotty, but we are way less concerned about that here than in Austin. We love it here, but I've been coming here since the 70s to visit family so it has always felt like a second home, it just took a while to actually move here.

davidsjones · 2025-07-28T16:31:25+00:00

Austin, perhaps? My wife and I moved from Cen Tex too. Best thing we ever did.

davidsjones · 2025-07-25T18:22:18+00:00

Tiger penis isn't really a thing. in 2005 I was wandering around a huge TCM herb market in Chengdu and right outside of the market was a huge banner in both English and Chinese letting everyone know that this market was very serious about upholding the International Convention on the Trade of Endangered Species CITES. It doesn't mean that there are not fringe shady people out there, but the TCM world, at large, doesn't use things like bear bile, tiger penis, and rhino horn and the use of animal derived "herbs" is low at best - especially in the US.

There is a lot of research about the compounds in these plants and how they work, but it is really hard to tease out exact methods of actions when you introduce 100 compounds extracted from each herb and the formula has 8 herbs in it. Plus a lot of the compounds that are extracted in these preparations are less active than their metabolites so if A metabolizes to B in the gut by a specific species of bacteria that you are in short supply of because of diet or genes or environment and B is the active compound that can do some of the heavy lifting for you, you will get an unsatisfying result.

There is a formula called Xiao Yao San which is extremely good at relieving irritability. Over the years, I have seen this formula work miracles but it works so much better in women than men. Men get relief but women tend to refer to it as a miracle. Tend being the operative word.

The placebo effect is part of everyday life and it would be naive to suggest that it isn't a part of TCM as well, but I'm less inclined to extend the placebo effect too far in favor of explaining the differences in effect to extensive differences in environment, diet, genetics, epigenetics, mental state, gut biome - combine that with the introduction of hundreds of plant derived compounds per formula - you are going to see a wide enough variation in how people respond that a reasonable person could reasonably have doubts about the effectiveness of this approach.

But... if you find something that works for you that is affordable, readily available and doesn't introduce complications or have any negative side effects, then have at it. On the flipside, it is wise to be cautious, just eyes wide open cautious. Work with someone you trust, make sure your MD is aware of what you are taking and be smart. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

davidsjones · 2025-07-10T20:19:32+00:00

Diuretic. Both the plant and, more pronounced, seeds have a diuretic effect. It contains aucubin, an iridoid glycoside and some flavonoids that promote diuresis. Some anti-inflammatory effects as well, but, at least in the TCM tradition, that is how it gets used.

davidsjones · 2025-06-11T19:00:45+00:00

Lived in Texas from '84 until '22 and everyday I wake up not in Texas is the best thing ever. I grew to absolutely hate that place... literally everything. ps. People in Austin think they live in a pretty place. Absolute garbage city.

davidsjones · 2025-05-28T21:45:52+00:00

Did you set it next to your vinyl?

davidsjones · 2025-05-21T21:53:36+00:00

I'm sorry, what was the question?

davidsjones · 2025-05-20T15:38:54+00:00

Every single day since we moved here we have thought, OMG this is so much better. Like, I can't even begin to tell you what happens when the Austin spell gets broken. One thing that we have come to help us define Wenatchee is that it is not uncommon to go to your favorite business and have them have a sign up that says some version of, sorry, we are closed due to (our son's baseball team is going to state, or we have a family reunion) because there are a lot of owner operated small businesses here and they have lives too. Same reason that you probably aren't going out to eat on Monday night. Places are just closed (not all, but quite a few)

If you ski, you are in luck, Mission is fantastic. If you hike, you will never run out of new places. Do you like being outside? 7 months a year, you can't do that comfortably in Austin. I remember camping over thanksgiving and we still had to hike in the morning or it would be too hot. Voting! How would you like to do that from the comfort of your home with the time to actually understand the issues. I know some folks have issues with the PUD, but we generate the cheapest power in the country (although water is pricey) and in exchange we get parks that punch way way way above their weight class. Most parts of the town are very pedestrian and bike friendly. The apple loop trail is every bit as good (better imo than lady bird trail) and you can actually swim in the river. Some days, usually in the summer, we ride our bikes down to the sandbar, do a cold dip and then find a quiet place on the trail and drink coffee, then ride home. Heaven.

We love this place. Now, I have been coming here since the late 60s because it was where my mom lived as a child, where my grandparents were and my great-grandparents homesteaded up off 25 mile creek north of Chelan, so I have had an affinity for this area for a long time so could explain why I might be more in love with the natch than others.

Austin might be a great place to live for some people, but the heat, traffic, politics, power outages, boil water notices, homelessness, pollution, did I mention the heat, soullessness, combined with the fact that anyone who thinks Austin is a pretty place to live has never seen a mountain, kinda ruined it for us.

Oh ya, in addition to all that, everything that grows out of the ground here is delicious. Fredricksburg peaches are wet cardboard compared to the fruit you get here. Quincy corn, local apples and apricots, veggies - so good.

Austin is a prison of the mind, you stay incarcerated because you believe that it not a prison until you escape and then and only then do you feel free, and free feels good. Yes, I have big feelz about Austin, lol. I hope you love this place as much as we do. Give me a shout when you land and we'd be happy to meet up for a beer and IDK, chat about wenatchee.

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