Some of you may have noticed that I'm not blogging, or even interacting with the internet in general, as much as I used to. Well, starting work again for my old company has made me more busy, during the day (Notice the drop-off on the number of posts per month starting in March of '08). So I haven't had the time to do as much research as my old job gave me. Of course, that's one reason why I left my old job, so I'm not complaining.
There's also the time that I'm spending with my little girl. When the days got shorter and colder, Munchkin began spending more time indoors. She's been very inquinsitive for quite a while, but being stuck indoors has increased that dramatically. We've spent a great deal of time with her doing everything from construction (Leggos, Lincoln Logs, and your standard wooden blocks), reading (helping her learn to sound out words), learning to tell time, playing cards (Uno Attack is her current favorite), various computer learning games, and quite a bit more. That brings me to the main reason for my absence.
When Princess and I first got married in 2000, we weren't in a hurry to enlarge our family. We didn't feel like we were stable enough to raise a child. Eventually, we met our goals and started trying to conceive.
Unfortunately, it wasn't as simple as a night of passion and nine months of waiting. Instead, we spent a year trying before we sought professional help. Tests were ran, chlomid was prescribed, and a month after Princess started taking it I found out she was reading What to Expect When You're Expecting. From that point until March 1st, 2004 we spent our time getting everything in order for the arrival of Munchkin.
For the next couple of years we spent the time getting used to being parents, and learning things about being parents that aren't printed in books. Eventually, we started attempting to conceive a sibling for Munchkin. However, this time things didn't go as well as they did with the first attempt.
According to what I understood there were conception problems with both of us. No single problem with either of us would have necessarily made conception impossible, but when you add them all together it made it much more difficult. After a few months of Chlomid it became clear that wouldn't be enough this time. Eventually, the doctor suggested IVF.
(Note: the following might be TMI for the more conservative, so you might want to skip to the end.)
Most people, at best, understand a simple definition of IVF. An egg is, or several eggs are, retrieved from the female, the male's sperm is used to fertilize the egg(s) in a petri dish, and then the fertilized egg(s) are transferred back into the female's uterus. Then, nine months later you have your own bundle of joy. Of course, the actual details involved makes that idea of IVF similar to saying that the sky is blue because of light refraction. While the overall idea is true, it barely scratches the surface of the details.
For the average attempt, those details for the men aren't too bad. A period of abstinence, hoping that the magazines and movies supplied meet your tastes, and a few days of taking over the wife's workload. The last part is actually the most difficult, and the most humbling.
The normally expected period of abstinence is about two weeks. Part of it is building up your sperm for implantation, and the rest is to prevent interference with the eggs implanting into the endometrium layer of the uterus. Two weeks may not seem like a long time, but my wife and I aren't conservative when it comes to sex. Add to that over a year of trying to get to Carnegie Hall, and the sudden shut off can be frustrating. However, it made it much easier when I thought about what those two weeks would help to do.
The magazines and movies were a completely different issue. While the sight of a naked female body, either in still or moving pictures, can be stimulating it takes much more to bring me all the way.
There were several magazines that seemed to cover the various fetishes. Coeds, big breasts, and girl-next-door was a common theme. Most of the time, the title of the magazine would give you an idea of the content, and even if that was too vague the cover photo or article listing would suffice. Unfortunately, none of those magazines had anything to do with a hot-blooded latina RN who can make my blood boil with a kiss.
So I was left looking at the possibilities of the movies. I'd heard rumors that porn-with-a-plot had come a long way since my teenage years of flipping to the Playboy channel while the house was empty. Unfortunately, the plots had improved, at least in the descriptions on the DVD covers, but the acting still kept my imagination from becoming involved enough for it to really work. Eventually things did work, but even those times when Princess and I "weren't really into it" were stellar by comparison.
Fortunately, the first time I had to deal with this issue was when I was giving a sample for testing. Since this was a worst case scenario, I thought that if I could find a way to improve it for the "final exam" it would increase our chances. So, I asked Princess if she'd be willing to make a video, with or without me. We have a camcorder that can download directly to a laptop, so I thought this would be a great use for it. If it was too uncomfortable for her, she could even make the video alone. Nope, she didn't buy that either. I can almost still hear the laughter and "Good try though" involved in her response. The eventual promise of a reward and the description of it, no she didn't let me record that either, indeed psychologically helped with the process.
I appreciate the "behind the scenes" work Princess does in order to keep everything in order. Taking on those duties just makes me appreciate her even more, and humbles me at the same time. However, things happened that extended my taking on of these responsibilities. There's a relatively rare side effect of IVF called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, or OHSS for short. Princess's OHSS was of the mild to moderate variety, and didn't last the 10 weeks that it can last for some. She did go from her normal look to looking about 6 months pregnant in less than a week. Before the fluid retention started to recede, she seemed to look about 8 months pregnant.
For those who may not fully understand the effect of OHSS think of it this way. Normally, looking six months pregnant takes six months. In the case of OHSS the body had to deal with those changes in a matter of days. The skin doesn't have time to adjust to the swelling, and the pressures inside the body make things extremely uncomfortable. Not only could Princess not do anything around the house, but she had to miss work and was put on "desk duty" when she returned to it. So on top of dealing with the OHSS symptoms, she was stuck not being able to do anything. As someone who knows her, I can tell you this went over as well as my video idea but not with the humor.
Well, eventually the OHSS subsided and she was able to start returning to her normal routine. She had to take it slowly, because her body still had some residual side effects from the OHSS. One day, she was able to finally get back onto her elliptical for some exercise. Unfortunately, this resulted in a severly twisted ankle, more time off from work, and more time being unable to do the things that she's used to doing.
On a side note, nothing that I had to deal with holds a candle to what Princess had to go through. The only invasive procedure I had to deal with was giving blood, where it seemed that every step involved something being stuck into her. My advice for any partner is to be supportive of the one going through all of this. When you combine the emotions involved when she finds out that it's extremely difficult for her to naturally conceive with the implements that they have to use on her you're getting the good side of the deal.
On December 26th Princess had a blood test that confirmed that she was carrying at least one child (her sprained ankle occured after this). I say "at least" because there were three embryos implanted. To give you some idea, there were 20 eggs retrieved in a not comfortable procedure. After my contribution was introduced we received a phone call the following day telling us that 15 eggs had become zygotes. However, of those 15 only 3 were viable 3 days later.
The end result was finding out on January 14th when an ultrasound was done that two of those three survived until that point. Somewhere around September 1st our household is expecting the arrival of twins, so we're preparing our lives for that.
January 26, 2009
What I've Been Doing
January 21, 2009
The Illusion of Perfection
A common assertion is that the world is perfectly made for life. Usually, this argument is made to support the existence of a deity. Examining the evidence actually supports a different conclusion, though.
One of the problems with the "perfect world" argument is water. While water is necessary for life, not all organisms can survive in water. Approximetly 70%of the Earth's surface is covered by water, but if you were to drop someone in the middle of the Pacific, without a liferaft, their life expectancy would be dramatically shortened. Without the proper equipment, human beings can only remain underwater for a limited time. Even whales and dolphins have to surface periodically in order to breath. Fish are able to survive underwater, but their respiratory system has adapted so that most of them can't survive in open air for very long.
The main reason for humans needing water is to prevent dehydration. The percentage of water that the human body contains varies, but it is necessary for us to live. The best way for us to take in water is through drinking, but only about 1%, of that 70% I spoke of above, is actually drinkable by human standards. If you do the math, that means approximately 0.7% of the Earth has one of the key ingredients for human life.
However, we do have ways to improve the quality of water, and we can even treat sea water so that it becomes drinkable.
Then, there's the problem with temperature. If the temperatures are too hot or cold, our bodies employ thermoregulation to keep us alive. However, when the temperatures go below what our bodies can handle hypothermia sets in, and when our bodies get to warm heat stroke occurs. Both of which can be fatal.
The average temperature of the Earth's surface is about 59°F (15°C). However, the humans start to feel cold at about 77°F (25°C). Of course, that only means the average temperature of the Earth is below our comfort level. The actual temperatures vary across the entire Earth (see figure 9.6 here) varying according to latitude, season, and local climate.
The highest temperature ever recorded was 136°F (58°C) in El Azizia, Libya. That's plenty hot enough to fry eggs on the hood of a car (but maybe not on a sidewalk). Since El Azizia is also in a desert, that could make finding water a problem.
The coldest temperature ever recorded was 130.5°F (-89.2°C) in Vostok, Antarctica. I expect that's plenty cold enough to freeze the tail off of a brass monkey. Along with the extreme cold, you would also have to contend with Antarctica also being a desert. Even the water that is available is only in the form of ice.
Additional criticism of the argument about the "perfect world" involves natural disasters. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, volcanoes... The list of natural occurences that can shorten our life span is quite a long one.
So, how is it that life is able to survive at all with all of these detrimental factors? The answer is adaptation. Wild animals long ago adapted, and some still are adapting, to their environments. Polar bears have evolved to survive in their climate, desert animals have evolved to survive in theirs. However, what about humans?
Well, acclimation helps us adapt to different evironments over time. However, we are able to adapt to climates in another way. Technology. Now, I don't mean technology as in iPods and Playstations. I mean "the art and application of tools, machines, materials and processes to solve human problems." Human's have been using technology adapt to the local environment ever since the first one figured out that you can use an animal's fur to insulate you from the cold not to mention the weapon/tool that they used to kill the animal. Instead of adapting ourselves to the environment, we adapt the environment to our needs.
While we have made use of irrigation to channel water to normally arid areas, that's not what I'm referring to. I'm talking about how we adapt our local environment to our needs. We use some form of environmental adapting almost every day. If it helps, think of your house/apartment as a stationary adapted environment and your clothing (or even your vehicle) as a portable one.
Where you live has heating and air conditioning to regulate the temperature, and it also has indoor plumbing to provide water for you to drink, cook, and clean with. Your vehicle has a heater, and most also have an air conditioner, to regulate the temperature. Unless it's an RV, it's doubtful that it has any sort of water supply, but there are numerous convenience stores that you can purchase water at.
Now, how can clothing be considered an adapted environment? Clothing has been developed to protect us from the environment. During the Winter we wear insulated clothing to prevent hypothermia. During the Summer we wear lighter clothing to protect us from harmful rays of the sun, or to allow our skin to tan.
By adapting our clothing for our needs we've developed methods for living in conditions that would kill us within seconds if we were naked. Thanks to clothing we can survive in conditions that range from Antarctica's cold to the heat (and cold) of deserts and even more hostile environments.
Those who think the Earth is perfect for life have ignored the advantages that technology has given us over other species. Thanks to technology there are human settlements on all over the globe, including Antarctica. We even have a "home" that circles the Earth. Without technology such as clothing, heating, air conditioning, and water transfer (let alone electricity) the area of the surface of the Earth that we could live on would be greatly reduced.
The "perfect world" is an illusion. Perhaps the person who believes that simply takes technology for granted, and has no idea what has to be done in order to keep their home liveable. The world is a beautiful place but it takes the efforts of several people to make it liveable for the rest of us.
January 19, 2009
One More joins the One Less
TS brought it to my attention that Amanda has deconverted. A few months ago she left a comment that had me wondering, but I didn't expect her to publicly out herself.
As TS pointed out in her comments, we can't welcome her to a team. There's no secret handshake, language, or set of rules that you have to abide by. We're not even very well organized. There are scattered group meetings, but they aren't as numerous as the churches that she's used to.
However, there are some benefits to non-belief. The main one, that I've noticed, is starting to think for yourself. There is no book or authority figure who tells you right from wrong, so you have to figure all of that out on your own. For some, this may seem like a downside, but for me it's actually been a benefit. Any time you have to think, you learn something. Not only about the world around you, but also about yourself.
Welcome to the self-accountable, Amanda. It's not an easy path but it is a rewarding one.
January 18, 2009
Meh
Recently I took a hiatus from blogging, and actually my internet usage has been sparse also. Work, family, and those festivities surrounding the winter solstice have been taking up my time. During that time, I've been checking email, but that's pretty much it. I've found the time to do a couple of posts, but as some seem to have noticed I haven't been as "prolific" as I sometimes am. Regardless, I have seen some claims about me on the internet.
There is an article that came out, about faking deaths on the internet, around the time the P-Momma/PennMommy drama started. Of course, the comment thread on it seems to have been taken over by the whole ordeal. According to a few, anyone who comments defending P-Momma is a sockpuppet of someone on her side. Usually P-Momma, me, or Calladus. Ironically, I've only commented on that article once.
One reason why I've put all of that on the backburner is P-Momma's divorce. However, there's another blogger who did a post guest post regarding the divorce. The post seems to have been sent by email, or some such, because it still has the bloggers name on the byline. The beginning part starts off by criticizing P-Momma, because the obsessive emailer found circumstantial evidence that a psychiatrist had become involved with the divorce. The emailer/guest poster (I'm going to refer to them as Nut, from now on) then makes the leap that the psychiatrist must be for P-Momma, because "I don’t see why the little ones need to be evaluated". Of course, Nut failed to do any research of their claim.
There's also some claims about Calladus/Mark/Martin. Again, Nut failed to do any research. Calladus and Mark are the same person. Perhaps the confusion comes from Mark's position in an atheist group, and Martin's association with another one. Who knows, or really cares, at this point?
If either of them want to correct the inaccuracies further, that's up to them. However, the part I want to deal with are the assanine claims against me.
"Berlzebub has been very vocal in both his fund raising and his defense of her during her outing as Penn Mommy. I recall a recent comment that was directed at a detractor. It went something like, “Go away, you troll, and enjoy that San Antonio sun.” My oh my. Berlie checks IP addresses. So, since PMomma has already been linked to Bethanna/bethanna, mrs.bethannabanana, Karen, and all those others who so conveniently pop up and comment when it suits Pmomma’s credibility, why didn’t Berlie notice that the IP’s were the same? And Berlie, it is also very easy to find out your real name as well. “Berlzebub” is not a stretch. It was quite easy to contact the 3M man you mentioned as well. Can’t wait to read all about the “window film” when the house goes on the market because of the divorce. It’s sure going to add value to the home! Oh, and one more thing, Berlie. You are a mod on PMomma’s blog. She blames you or Sean the Blogonaut for letting Karen’s now deleted comment through, asking if ANYONE WANTS TO DONATE TO HELP WITH THE COST OF THE DIVORCE, LIKE BERLIE HELPED WITH WINDOW FILM. Ya should have noticed the IP, eh Berlie? Or not."
The first part about IP addresses just shows Nut's ignorance. The comment they're refering to can be found here. However, the deleted Karen comment can be found here. You don't even have to go to the links to figure out what's wrong with Nut's conspiracy theory. The "San Antonio" comment was on my blog, while the "Karen" comment was on P-Momma's. I added SiteMeter to my blog in early October of 2008. In doing so, I had to add some code to my blog. Now, I don't know if P-Momma has SiteMeter or not. Even if she does, it's a non-sequitur to claim that having SiteMeter on my blog means I'm able to see the IP addresses of anyone who comments (or visits) P-Momma's blog. I was added to help her moderate her comments, not make changes to her blog.
Now, concerning my moniker, Berlzebub. WOW! Nut really did their research. I didn't pick Berlzebub to remain completely anonymous, I picked it because some friends made it into my nickname. I do find it interesting that Nut said "Berlie" six times in the paragraph. It almost seems like they were trying to scare me by letting everyone know who I really am. Throwing that into the middle of the assanine rant was a nice touch, too.
So it may surprise a number of people that involvement of the FBI, attempts at character assassination (charges of sockpuppeting and claims of my involvement with fraud), and obsessive personalities possibly knowing my real name causes me to react with a resounding meh. There's much more goin on in my life that this online drama.
Taking time out of my life for an FBI investigation would have some impact on my time doing other things, but it doesn't concern me. I still have all of the records of the UV filtering film fundraiser, and don't feel the least bit worried about criminal charges being brought against anyone.
The claims of sockpuppeting and fraud on my part don't bother me in the least. Those making the claims don't know me, and I honestly don't care to ever know them. Those I'm close to know me better than that.
As far as my name being a some sort of secret, it's not. Some of my friends have my berlzebub@gmail address, and a few of those know about my blog. The claim coming from someone who didn't identify themselves at all, makes it especially humorous.
Eventually, I will get back to blogging, but right now there's other things going on that have priority on my attention. If you somehow think that somehow means I'm involved in some fraud, or a sockpuppet, then I would suggest that you see a psychiatrist like you so desperately need P-Momma to be seeing.
January 13, 2009
Pareidolia
Have you ever played the game where you look up at the clouds and talk about what each one looks like? One may look like a teddy bear, another like a honey pot, and still another like a tree. If you play the game with other people, they may even see something different than you.
This is called pareidolia. The sense of sight isn't the only thing that can cause pareidolia. All five senses can be fooled. With hearing white noise can make people think they are hearing electronic noise phenomena, with touch a slight tickle may make us think a bug is crawling on our skin, with smells odors can be mixed to make us think we smell roses, and with taste artificial additives can make us think we are tasting oranges. We take cues from what we know, and apply them to vague observances.
However, pareidolia is also useful, if not critical, to our survival. It helps us recognize faces of friends and loved ones, and identify a poisonous snake using its natural camoflage to hide in the grass. It also has more mundane uses like watching a movie, visiting an art museum, or reading. Even reading this post involves your brains ability of pattern recognition.
It could be argued that those, since you are actually seeing the things you "think" you're seeing, aren't pareidolia, but the two are wired together. Without being able to see things that are really there, you wouldn't be able to claim that a cloud looks like a fish. If you haven't seen a fish, then you would have no idea the cloud looked like a fish, and you may even claim it looked like something else.
There are some that claim the patterns you see say something about your mentallity, such as with the Rorschach blot test. Although, there's some doubt to that claim. It seems more likely that anyone's interpretation of some seemingly random stains would give an idea of their experiences, interests, and imagination. Where someone else sees the face of Jesus in a kitchen cabinet, Phil sees the Wolfman, and I see a Wookie.
I'm RICH!! Wait... Damn.
I got this in my email, over the weekend:
(Note: All spelling and syntax is from the email)
reply-to info@cbp-customs.info
to undisclosed-recipients
date Sun, Jan 11, 2009 at 9:10 AM
subject Your Consignment.
We hereby bring to your notice that a Diplomat carrying a consignment to be delivered at
your residence had been stopped by us.This is a security measured put in placeby United
States of America check terrorism and money laundry through the sale of illegaldrugs
locally and internationally.
After examination, we found out that the consignment contained the sum of US$3.7Million
which upon further investigation revealed that the fund is your inheritance.
We have done our due diligence and have confirmed that you are the legitimate beneficiary .
Consequently, your consignment will delivered at your residence by the diplomat without
delay after all protocols have being duly observed .
However, before the delivery is made we need you to reconfirm the followinginformation, so
that the delivery will be made accurately.
Full Name:
Residential Address:
Date of Birth:
Occupation:
Telephone/Mobile Numbers:
We await your response.
Regards,
W. Ralph Basham
Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
419 scams are apparently still prolific, but they also seem to be becoming more desperate. Now they're claiming to be the commisioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and yes he's a real person and in that position.
However, even ignoring the spelling and grammar, there's a couple of signs that this is a hoax.
to undisclosed-recipients
The only way I've seen this in a "to" line is when all of the recipients are blind copied on the email. So, this most likely means they've sent the same email to several people, hoping one of them will bite.
...upon further investigation revealed that the fund is your inheritance.
And the first I'm hearing about this is from U.S. Customs? Plus, there's no mention of what country the "consignment" is from. Regardless, I'm pretty sure that "US$3.7 Million" would warrant a phone call from the lawyer of my late wealthy relative.
The list of things wrong with this, and even just not quite right, goes on and on. However, the most damning thing is the email address it was sent to. It was sent to my GMail address. Yeah, the government is going to send me an email about such a "consignment", but they are going to send it to my GMail address. The government doesn't send emails on this sort of thing, for this very reason. They'll contact you in some other way. Considering the amount of money involved, I would expect they would even contact you face to face.
If I were to pursue this, they would start asking for "fees" to release the money, and then just disappear when they felt the con had run its course. The bad thing is how many people have actually been taken in by 419 type scams. There are always desperate people, and I'm concerned about how desperate they may be in today's economy.
