interesting

 Ever since I quit coffee, I've had some issues with afternoon fatigue. Around 2 I would just feel sleepy. I thought about this a little and concluded that lighting might be the issue. You see my office has standard craporific overhead lighting. Since most programmers have OCD or some other neurosis, they turn it off. I had a crappy desk lamp, but it wasn't very bright. So I splurged and bought a Verilux desk lamp.

I'm not going to pretend it's beautiful and it did cause some heckling from officemates, but I've been using it for two weeks and so far my energy levels are much better. Of course going outside would be even better, but it's been kind of crappy outside lately. 

It might help my mood, but this afternoon it failed to counteract the effects of listening to the new Radiohead album, which made me feel emo. 

I also got some nice blackout curtains. I had been using aluminum foil because I was being cheap, but it fell down and made creepy noises in the wind. I noticed that the price for the curtains had dropped on Amazon and I bought these. They are MUCH better than aluminum foil. 

I also noticed that the price for those light-alarm clocks had dropped and I bought the cheapest one, but I noticed it's gone now and I understand why. It's SO much better than my cell phone as an alarm, but my model is truly buggy. 

Hmmm...just got done doing chores and it's time for bed? Nope, it's time to disobey Robb Wolf's wise advice about sleep and continue December's theme of heroes gone wrong.

Today it's Vilhjalmur Steffansson, Arctic explorer who unintionally became a low-carb hero because of his experiments with an all-meat diet and his books on life with the Inuit.

Apparently he was also a sociopathic liar and it's quite astonishing he managed to keep up his reputation over the years, though there was plenty written about him during his time that was critical. That's because he led or planned two notably disastrous expedition and afterward engaged in nefarious behavior to cover up his wrong-doings. But he was charismatic and even people who had suffered under him remained loyal.

One of the disastrous expeditions was to a small island on the coast of Siberia called Wrangel Island. He sent four men to claim it for Great Britain. Problem is that the men weren't so experienced and Great Britain didn't even want the island! Along with the men went a Inuit woman named Ada Blackjack. I just finished an excellent book about her.

She was an acculturated Inuit, which means she had spent her life in a town eating white people's foods like bread. She did know how to sew though and the men brought her along to keep them outfitted, which was important on the cold and desolate island. Ada took the job because her son was suffering from tuberculosis and the money would help pay for a good hospital.

VS said that life in the "friendly arctic" would be easy and that he'd be back to pick them up and resupply the new colony next year.

Two years later, a ship finally arrived. Ada and the expedition's cat were the only ones left.

Admittedly the young men made mistakes. One of them overcooked all his meat and didn't realize he had scurvy until it was too late. The others went for help and supplies. Their fate remains unknown.

But thing's weren't like VS told them. At first game was plentiful, but the next winter it was scarce and starvation became a reality. Thick ice blocked any ships from arriving. When the three men went for help, they left Ada and Lorne Knight, the man suffering from scurvy. Soon Lorne died and Ada was left by herself. Amazingly, she taught herself to hunt and managed to survive. She had nothing to keep her company besides a cat and a Bible. Her desire to get back home to her son keeps her going on the lonely and desolate island. Her story is incredible and I couldn't put this book down and missed my subway stop because of it.

The part that was less fun starts when the rescue ship finally arrives. The boy's families struggle with VS and the rescue's commander for the diaries left behind. Both VS and the commander wanted to use them for profit and spin their contents to suit their stories. Ada is a reluctant star and simply wants to live a quiet life with her son, but she struggles financially and with the memories of the tragedy on the island.

If you are interested in adventure books I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy.

One of the best things about the paleo movement is how it brings nerds and jocks together. Me? I've always been a nerd. As a kid I did like running around outside, but I also liked RPGs, comic books, fixing computers, science news, robotic Legos, and STAR WARS. My parents made me do sports because maybe they thought it would help me be more well-rounded or something. I spent much of my time on swim team trying to figure out ways to get out of swim team. I was the weird shrimpy clumsy kid who turned blue on exposure to cold water. 

I disliked *those* people. You know, the ones that were tall, had perfect tan bodies, and didn't bump into things randomly. They just weren't part of my world anyway.

But paleo has caused me to rethink things. First of all, just because you like to read Dune doesn't mean you have to be out of shape. Do you think Luke Skywalker could have brought balance to the force with a belly bloated by pizza and Mountain Dew? I don't think so. Feeling more energetic gives me more energy to do the nerdy things I love, though I confess that honestly I'd still rather read than exercise. I'm glad jocks are around to come up with programs that encourage me to get out of my reading chair and actually use my body.

And now jocks are interested in a diet that involves all kinds of nerdy talk about biochemistry and anthropology. Paleo jocks are smarter than your average jocks and paleo nerds really do stand out at tech conferences by not looking completely terrible.

Hooray for paleo :) 

Earlier I posted about my maternal grandmother, who is over 90. Some of you asked what my maternal grandmother eats. She's never eaten a particularly special diet, but I called her to clarify. Grandma A grew up during the Depression with many siblings in Eureka, Illinois. She moved to New York City and then during the war she moved to DC to work on something classified. Later she moved to Florida, then to Georgia, and now she lives in a retirement community back in Eureka. When we visited her as children she always had good snacks: shortbread, bowls of nuts, jello, yogurt, and fruit were some I remember. Here is a short interview with her, roughly transcribed:

What did you eat growing up? 

Mostly fruits and vegetables from my father's garden, which mother also canned for the winter. We drank raw milk and cooked with butter. Mother liked to bake pies and make fudge. We ate the chickens we raised and sometimes had beef from the local butcher. Occasionally we had some canned salmon. Margarine was sold in ugly white blocks with yellow coloring you had to mix in. We tried it once and never bought it again.

Did you or any of your siblings have dental problems? Crooked teeth? Wisdom teeth removed?

No. But my brother Paul overate sweets. You could buy them in town and we also made some at home. He lost all his teeth when he was about 20 and was obese later in life. But no one else had that problem.

How do you think your diet differs from what modern children are fed?

People eat too many prepared foods and too much. They also don't walk enough. There is a trend towards making things easier and people don't cook from scratch anymore.

What did you feed my mother and her siblings?

Grandpa and I were "health nuts." We didn't buy prepared foods, read labels, and I cooked from scratch.

Did you cook much meat?

No, I never cooked much. I don't really like cooking meat. (my mom's reaction: "but, but, but, we did eat meat when I was growing up, mostly beef, cheaper cuts, almost never chicken, no bacon, had ham at Easter, but ate beef in stews, etc. several times a week...guess Grandma has forgotten cooking beef stew, lasagna, etc. And antipasto salad every night with dinner!").

Mom always complained that grandpa made them eat "weird stuff"? 

No, most of our food was normal. Well, one thing they didn't like was seafood stew called bouillabaisse. Grandpa sometimes ate traditional Japanese food for breakfast, but nobody else wanted that. Grandpa was very thrifty and we sometimes ate canned fish too.

So what do you eat now?
Well, it's very strange. But growing up I had some constipation issues and when I got older I read that eating fruit in the morning would fix that, so I've eaten that ever since. Your mother has told me this is not a good breakfast. I enjoy whatever fruit is in season, as well as four prunes. I really like coffee and drink two cups a day with a splash of milk. I don't drink much milk, but I enjoy cottage cheese. Your mom was reading that paleo book (Robb Wolf's) and told me that dairy might cause weight gain though...I recently lost some weight by trimming portions and eating fewer sweets.

For lunch I often eat coffee yogurt, hardboiled eggs, and egg salad. When I enjoy a sandwich I use an English muffin or only one slice of bread. I like peanut butter mixed with a dash of Hellman's mayo and yogurt on an English muffin.

For dinner I have two vegetables. Tonight I had acorn squash and green beans. I also had a tomato salad and some cottage cheese.

Do you eat out? 

Not much. When I moved back to Eureka my friends and I would eat pie at Busy Corner, but I stopped because I gained weight. I only eat pie when I am at someone's home now and they made it themselves. 

Why are you so healthy?

Many people in my retirement commmunity have many health problems, but I don't. I never go to the doctor or have any aches or pains. Maybe they don't eat well or walk enough. I walk every day.

What are you favorite foods?
Fruits and vegetables. And ice cream, but I try not to eat that too much. Hey, I've been enjoying shelled peanuts a lot lately and your mom said legumes aren't that good for you, are those healthy?

Err, well I think true nuts are healthier, but if they work for you and you enjoy them, don't give them up!

Yes, but real nuts are quite expensive and I like shelling peanuts.

When I was a kid you used to keep real shelled nuts in a bowl on your coffee table...

Oh, well maybe I'll do that again! 

Thanks for the interview grandma!

Overall my grandmother's diet is very interesting. It's very low in calories...could calorie restriction account for her succcess? Good upbringing? Good genes? I know if I ate that way I don't think my system would work very well (the coffee in particularly would make me INSANE), but maybe I got that from my dad. Both my sister and I had braces and wisdom teeth removed...

YES, other grandma, I will interview you if you want! I will also hopefully have an interview with a 99-year old relative soon.