For something completely different… here’s Doug Gillett at SB Nation on “driving a [Dakar Rally] Mini All4 in the desert“:
… The line between “patient” and “glutton for punishment” is a fine one, and at times it’s difficult to tell on which side of it navigator Périn and driver Joan “Nani” Roma fall. The “raid”-style Dakar Rally is basically an entire World Rally Championship season crammed into two frantic weeks — thirteen days in which they may spend as many as 12 hours a day crossing some of the least car-friendly surfaces on earth.
Naturally, they are not relaxing hours. The Mini is a furious rock-polisher of a car, to the point where Roma and Périn’s conditioning regimen includes extensive neck exercises just so they can hold their heads steady enough to read the instruments and logbook. It’s also incredibly hot in there — “fifty, sixty degrees,” Périn estimates, and nobody’s impressed until they realize that, as a Frenchman, he means Celsius.
And that’s just inside the car. The real danger on the Dakar comes from what’s outside — or, rather, what isn’t. “In Africa, you are alone,” says Nani, who won the event’s motorcycle-class title back in 2004 when it was still the Paris-Dakar Rally. “Nobody’s there. When you have a problem, you’re stuck in the dunes with nobody to help you.”…
***********
What’s on the agenda, sports-related or otherwise, as we wrap up the weekend and anticipate another Cole slice-of-life?
Schlemizel
Gopher women’s hockey team won their third straight WCHA tournament championship last night 3-1 over North Dakota. They start defense of their back-to-back national championships next Saturday at home against Boston University. This year was not as good as last, they lost a game and suffered one tie, which should not be too surprising since they lost the top forward in the nation and and their #2 defender to the olympic team and the top defender and best goalie in the country to graduation. – they are 79-1-1 over the last 2 years.
max
What’s on the agenda, sports-related or otherwise, as we wrap up the weekend
Vox.com just launched. (That’s Ezra & Yggles.)
max
[‘Something new to read.’]
srv
Aren’t y’all going to watching COSMOS on Fox tonight?
I will be, even though I haven’t forgiven Neil about Pluto.
Litlebritdiftrnt
You have to see this vid from an animal adoption society in the UK. It is brilliant.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelzarrell/powerful-video-about-adopting-dogs-mayhew
BGinCHI
Making guacamole and waiting for True Detective.
Anyone else watching “Vikings” on the History Channel? I hate that channel and it kept me from trying season 1, but it’s really good.
Especially if you like Vikings, as I do.
Corner Stone
Another treacly yet sugar free diatribe including photos of blissed out bearded men and sedate large hairy animals?
SarahT
@srv: Cosmos ! And True Detective ! Then Cosmos again ! Then True Detective again !
Corner Stone
@max: In the top right corner, “Launch Sponsor… GE”
Great.
ranchandsyrup
Making pizza tonight. Letting the dough proof in the fridge this time. Gonna do a margherita with pesto.
WereBear
@Litlebritdiftrnt: That’s wonderful!
Works for cats, too, people!
For the next few days, when things are tough, I’ll just remind myself that at least I’m not driving a Mini through the desert with my neck a foot wide.
I mentioned a lack of stamina and fatigue issues here, and I was warned that this could be a sign of serious illness. So I had the doctor run all sorts of tests and he found nothing, but I suspected adrenal insufficiency and so he’s sent off saliva tests.
Don’t know what the results are yet, but I’ve been taking steps for Adrenal Fatigue and they are helping, so that’s a working hypothesis.
I know there’s no such official condition as “Adrenal Fatigue” so spare me. I have something very serious. I could barely do my day job, much less my beloved obsessive hobby of cat advice, and I already got a chronically ill guy at home and no family nearby so there’s no one to pick up the slack.
When what I’m doing is working, I consider it a diagnosis and a treatment protocol.
Violet
@Litlebritdiftrnt: Saw your update in a thread from a day ago or so. Any timetable for returning to the UK? Sounds like you’ve made the decision so it’s just a matter of details now. Big details, like husband getting a job, but details nonetheless.
BGinCHI
@ranchandsyrup: Great. Now I’m craving a Margarita.
srv
@max: But I don’t have Flash.
If only all the wingnut sites would do this.
Corner Stone
@BGinCHI: Guacamole, a margarita, raping and pillaging northern Europe…geesh, make up your damned mind, will ya?
Violet
@max: @srv: I couldn’t get it to work either. Flash? WTF?
Amir Khalid
@WereBear:
You suspect you have tired kidneys?
WereBear
@Amir Khalid: Don’t have any signs of kidney trouble. Have lots of signs of low cortisol!
WereBear
@WereBear: To expand on low cortisol:
Waking up at 2 or 3 am and not able to get back to sleep for hours.
Running out of steam after lunch, with no return of energy for the rest of the day.
Dizzy when standing up, feeling faint when exertion goes on too long.
Lots of sinus and respiratory troubles, low immune function.
Violet
@WereBear: Are you tending to your circadian rhythms? Sleep (lack of it) and messed up circadian rhythms can affect cortisol production (too much at the wrong time). It’s a chicken and egg thing, but at least sleep is one of the things you can control. Here’s a post from Paul Jaminet on it (Perfect Health Diet blog). Also, you’ve give up gluten, right? Make sure you’re getting enough safe starches. Low carb can cause problems over time and exhaustion can be a sign. If I’m mixing you up with someone else, apologies.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
Ladies and gentlemen, your NCAA tournament bracket:
#8 Boston University @ #1 Minnesota
#7 Mercyhurst @ #2 Cornell
#6 Boston College @ #3 Clarkson
#5 Harvard @ #4 Wisconsin
I’m taking Minnesota over Clarkson in the final, unless Erin Ambrose is still out next week with a sprained ankle, in which case I’m taking Minnesota over BC.
Elizabelle
@WereBear:
Sorry to hear this, wbear. Hope it’s properly diagnosed and thoroughly treated soon.
MikeJ
@srv:
No. I’ll probably watch it on Nat Geo though.
Odd that it’s on both at the same time.
WereBear
@Violet: Thanks, I am gluten free for three years now. I’m one of those people who do better with carbs from fruit than carbs from starches; turns out these are two different genetic subsets. Works for me :)
Thing is, this has been going on for MONTHS now with me doing all the things that are supposed to help: sleep hygiene, only one mug of coffee first thing in the morning, drinking rarely. I eat a healthy diet, don’t stay up late, don’t try to keep going with sugar and sodas, etc.
It’s stress more than anything… we had a hellish 2013. I have to take extra steps to get over it, seems like. So I’ve given a quart of blood for tests that say I’m looking very good on paper, given up coffee (instantly helped the insomnia) and eating a hearty breakfast after being a skipper for years.
Helps, but not enough.
My hunch is that we haven’t tested for the right things yet. Thus, the Cortisol/DHEA saliva test I just did.
jeffreyw
@ranchandsyrup: Careful where you are when you name your pizza! Some folks are particular about their pizza margherita.
Anne Laurie
@max: As long as I can read it. Because the intro video is profoundly stupid, in all the hot!media!now! ways, and listening to Ezra say stuff is in-per-dint would drive me away very, very soon.
Amir Khalid
@max:
These aren’t very new ideas that Ezra and Matty are touting. I remember writing up some similar (and, let’s be honest, fairly obvious) ideas 20 years ago, when my own paperThe Star was just dipping its toe in the Intert00bz. I look forward to reading what they and their colleagues write, but I’d take with a grain of salt the big promises about a radically new approach to journalism.
imonlylurking
@WereBear: I posted this once and it vanished, so FYWP in advance.
WereBear-good for you. I came to a similar conclusion (without the saliva test) and also started self treating, with some pretty amazing results. Furthermore, if I skip my self treatment for more than 1 day I start to regress, so I’m pretty clearly on the right track. (I can skip 1 day. 2 days and I start to feel it.)
WereBear
@imonlylurking: Oooo. Want to discuss protocols? Here’s my contact form, if so.
I ran across a really neat article on a body building forum that put modern medicine in perspective. Say the level for Cushings (too much adrenal hormone) is 60, and the level for Addison’s (virtually no hormone) is considered 20. What if you get tested at 25?
Modern medicine will say you are in a “normal range” and send you home with a psychiatrist consult. Or a prescription for antidepressants. Those are both good ideas… if that is what you need.
If you do have a physical problem that’s not getting treated, it’s disastrous.
Sorry for the defensiveness, I adore my doctor and he lets me read my own labs and discuss things. And when I said “Let’s test cortisol” he got right on it. But medicine in general has been little help.
Violet
@WereBear: I’m not familiar with that genetic variation. Got any more info?
If you haven’t looked at it before, you might be interested in reading through this discussion of safe starches and their role in glucose control. Fruit provides fructose and glucose, so it doesn’t work quite the same way.
It sounds like stress is your main culprit. It is one of the big things that affects your blood sugar and that can affect your cortisol production. Are you doing things to take care of yourself–seeing friends, getting some regular exercise, maybe meditation/yoga? That kind of thing? You have to take care of yourself because you’re the only one who can!
imonlylurking
@WereBear: Sure! We have somebody coming for dinner but I will use your contact form. It really has been a life-saver for me-I thought I was low on iron but my blood test came back almost TOO high on iron, so I had to do a little more digging. I would love to hear what you are trying.
Amir Khalid
Oh yeah, what’s new on MH370:
The Royal Malaysian Air Force think MH370 may have tried turning back to KLIA when it got in trouble at cruising altitude over the South China Sea. They are going to start searching the sea off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia i.e. the Strait of Melaka.
The Vietnamese air force think they spotted a door off the 777 in the water. They’ll be taking another look this morning.
The Austrian and Italian listed on the passenger manifest were in fact never on the plane. Their passports, stolen from them in 2012 and 2013 respectively while each man was in Thailand, were used by a pair of men travelling together. Interpol laments that almost no one bothers to check their stolen-papers database.
As the days wear on and no terrorist group opens its ugly yap to claim credit, I think the chances of this mishap being due to terrorism are receding.
WereBear
@Violet: Yep, but I tried safe starch on and off for a year and each time it spiked my blood sugar.
In Death by Food Pyramid the author explains how some people can do well on “mostly plants” and others on Paleo. It’s genetic subsets. I do fine with fruit eaten with a meal.
I’m a Paleo.
Thanks, yes, I meditate and enjoy outings with friends, I learned snowshoeing this winter. You are giving great advice.
I’m doing all the right things; I need BIG GUNS.
Have been researching about that. The only thing medicine does for adrenal issues right now is take them out and give you steroids (if you have Cushings) or just give you steroids (if you have Addisons.)
And I don’t want to take steroids.
Cervantes
@Corner Stone:
Funny, isn’t it?
Ronald Reagan (Tim’s post above) was a spokesman for GE.
WereBear
That’s good, in a way, but does not help the grieving relatives.
Cervantes
@Amir Khalid:
And those large oil slicks off the coast of Vietnam are from something else?
Violet
@WereBear: You’ve mentioned that book before. I have it on my list. Sounds really interesting–thanks!
Can’t blame you for not wanting to take steroids. They do a number on me, that’s for sure. Further to the discussion in the previous thread, have you done anything to increase the bacteria in your gut? Eating fermented foods, etc. It’s a smaller thing, not a big gun, but we still don’t understand how the gut influences everything, so it might help in some way. Hard to say.
You’re using f.lux on your computer, right? Dimming lights at night. That won’t solve your adrenal problem, but it might help support things as you go forward.
Adrenal fatigue does go along with thyroid problems. I’m sure you’ve had all that checked but I hope your doctor is following the updated narrower guidelines for normal TSH. Not all doctors are.
Gin & Tonic
@Amir Khalid: Sucks to be those two guys. I’m sure you’re nervous when you’re going through the boarding process with fake/stolen docs, but then you make it through, the doors close, the plane takes off, and you think “Awright, I’ve got it made now.” Relax, have a couple of vodkas, and then the plane goes ‘poof’ and you die. Bummer.
Suffern ACE
Went to see The Grand Budapest Hotel yesterday and really enjoyed it. Very sardonic. I don’t know if it is going to win Wes Andersen new fans, but the humor of the story matches his style perfectly.
Amir Khalid
@Cervantes:
It seems to me that RMAF is covering the less likely possibilities, just in case. Even if you took a sample and it turned out to be jet fuel, here’s no way to be sure those oil slicks were indeed from MH370. If the Vietnamese recover that door and it is indeed off a 777, that’s a more promising clue to the plane’s location even if it does confirm that all 239 people are dead.
lamh36
@MikeJ: I believe it’s gonna premiere on at least 8 Fox networks simultaneously.
@srv: I def want to want watch it, but I’ve got to drive back to NOLA in the morning so I need to get as much sleep as possible.
I read that President Obama filmed a few words for the opening credits.
WereBear
@Violet: You know a lot about this!
I did install f.lux on my computer. It’s fun!
I take probiotics periodically and yogurt almost every day. The good yogurt.
And my thyroid is optimum, not borderline. My doctor is up to date, and I checked :)
That’s why I bought a couple of books: Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by Dr. James Wilson and The Diet Cure by Julia Ross which has a great chapter about AF which dovetails with Dr. Wilson’s recommendations.
That’s why I took so long to see the signs coming… not only was I not familiar with Adrenal Fatigue, I don’t fit the profile of the high-stress, high caffeine and sugar-consuming, stay up late and don’t get enough sleep typical sufferer.
Though I did spend too much time in a toxic building; that’s what I really blame for this. Fortunately, I got a tiny promotion and I now work in a different building, with one day a week at home. It’s been Heaven Sent.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@WereBear: Please feel better. That kind of crippling fatigue (often a feature of an MS flare) is nearly impossible to explain to anyone who hasn’t had it. It was what send us down the thyroid, ruled out, oh, let’s try pituitary go get an MRI to find a tumor trail. The tumor was the good news, and so tiny that it is probably coincidental. But looking for it found the MS lesions, which explain the balance and parathesia problems also.
You’re in my thoughts. Adrenal fatigue is indeed a condition, formal dx or not. Sorry for the personaljack. Hang in there.
NotMax
@lamh36
It is co-produced by FOX and NatGeo, so no big surprise that both are airing it.
lamh36
My sister sent me a link to this Carol Burnett skit. Carol Burnett show still cracks me up.
This skit is timeless, cause can’t you totally see this conversation happening today, albeit with more social media.?
Carol Burnett Show – Wrong Number
WereBear
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Yes indeed, hope things are looking up for you. Doctors like the lab to print THE DIAGNOSIS in big red letters when the blood tests come back…
Use my contact form if you wish to chat or vent. A lot of what I do for husband’s CS/ME is supposed to be helpful for MS as well.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@WereBear: Thanks. I’m really lucky that my symptoms are pretty mild considering what they could be. We’re treating it hormonally, for a variety of reasons, but along the way I’ve learned a lot about the HPA axis, much of that from attending psych grand rounds at our med school. I might be a bit of a closet geek.
WaterGirl
@WereBear: Jumping on a trampoline, even for a fairly short amount of time each day, is supposed to be really good at getting your all the hormone related stuff going when it’s sluggish. Have you tried that?
WereBear
@WaterGirl: No, haven’t tried it… don’t know how that would work being as we’re on the third floor. But I’ll keep it in mind!
A couple of weeks ago I climbed a small mountain. I do get exercise in… and I’m starting Qigong, which is supposed to be excellent for my issue. Mr WereBear got me a DVD.
That I can do on the third floor.
Violet
@WereBear: I take probiotics too and occasionally have kefir or yogurt. I love sauerkraut though, and recently finished the Bubbies brand I had in the fridge and moved to Farmhouse Culture because Whole Paycheck had it on sale. I can already tell a difference in my gut and have noticed some mild inflammation lessen. Wanted to mention it because I think maybe it’s a sign that mixing up the fermented foods you eat introduces different strains of bacteria, which may be helpful.
If you read through that first post I linked on circadian rhythm, there are some things there that are fairly easy to do, like look at faces first thing in the morning or eat your starches in the afternoon, that can help you sleep better. Again, not going to solve an adrenal fatigue problem, but may support your recovery some.
Let us know what you find out when the test results return. I did saliva tests once and my cortisol was all out of whack, but that’s before I changed my diet and my thyroid wasn’t properly regulated yet, so I’m not surprised by that. I wonder what I’d find if I repeated the tests.
WaterGirl
@WereBear: Sorry, I mean those little mini trampolines that are meant for exercise, not the huge ones that we played on outside when we were kids.
WereBear
@WaterGirl: Oh, yeah, now I know what you mean!
Gave me a laugh, though.
Schlemizel
@lamh36:
If it were not for video tape a bright guy could produce a show recreating CB’s skits and be hailed as a comic genius. Laugh-In stole a lot from old vaudeville and almost everything from Ernie Kovacks. They were fortunate that there was very little film of his great shows and the prime demo was unfamiliar with his work.
You could not have that sort of thing today because people would have evidence of the theft up on youtube in a flash
WereBear
@Violet: I occasionally take Mr WereBear’s high powered probiotic to change things up, and I do love sauerkraut. You are so right, they are discovering just how many vitamins, and how much of our immune system, is gut-bug dependent.
One thing that helped right away, and could be good for anyone, is Liposomal C.
It’s vitamin C wrapped in lecithin, so it bypasses the digestive system and goes right to the organs. I’ve been a fan of C since Linus Pauling used it to live 30 years longer than he thought he might… but this takes it to a whole new level.
Cervantes
@Amir Khalid: Thanks.
Clearly, something horrible has happened.
Violet
@WereBear: Interesting. Do you have a brand recommendation for that. I take C, but am not sure I’m getting what I need from it.
Do you take other supplements? I take a liquid mineral formula that seems beneficial (I can tell when I don’t use it). I have also started making my own bone broth because I get a lot off minerals and collagen and things like that from it. Maybe something to look into for you if you’re not already doing it. If nothing else, it’s really comforting. It’s helped with inflammation issues too.
WereBear
@Violet: Because my energy is so low, I’m not up for making broth. Instead, I take dry gelatin; it’s the collagen. Does wonders for my arthritis. I buy in bulk and throw a spoonful in my mouth a couple of times a week.
I get Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C LivOn Labs, available on Amazon (use the BJ link!) and iHerb.com.
There’s other kinds, but I’m very satisfied with this one, which comes in 1 gram packets I can put in my purse, and take without water. Though I seem unique in that… most people seem to find it offputting and need something to wash it down.
I also take chelated magnesium, bee pollen (B5 for the adrenals) and Gotu Kola for its general tonic effect. I take Betaine HCL to help me digest my food (because I’m exhausted) and spirulina for minerals.
And fish oil! Omega 3’s are great for inflammation.
schrodinger's cat
@WereBear: Have you tried neti for sinus troubles?
WereBear
@schrodinger’s cat: No, but thankfully the sinus troubles went away when I was transferred to the new building.
I know at one point our Esteemed Blogmaster was swearing by it, but those were the first, and hopefully the last, sinus issues of my whole life.
aimai
@WereBear: I’m really sorry. I hope you catch a break soon.
Violet
@WereBear: Thanks for the recommendations. I have had trouble with taking magnesium because it upsets my intestines, which apparently means I’m not absorbing much of it. I haven’t tried the chelated version. Right now I’m doing epsom salt baths, which seems to be working pretty well.
I think bone broth is supposed to have additional stuff and not just the collagen, but I understand being tired. I save all the bones in a ziploc bag in the freezer. When I get enough, I make bone broth. Just toss in the bones, add water, throw in a few onions and a handful of peppercorns and squeeze a lemon in it. It’s not that complicated and I get a bunch of broth I can use for weeks. I do understand if it’s too much, though. I need to make some because I have too many bones and need the freezer space and I’m not very motivated. Maybe later this week.
luc
@WereBear:
I had similar symptoms for several years. Strangely enough, taking raw potato starch (2 tablespoons) as a prebiotic (google it) in the evenings with some yogurt did help.
ruemara
@WereBear: I understand and feel your frustration. I hope you get answers and soon. It sucks.
Raven on the Hill
It seems likely that Satoshi Nakamoto has been found. (There is also a 4500-word—nine page—Newsweek article, which you may have to get from your local library.) After admitting it, however, he has switched to denying it online.
If the man the Newsweek reporter found, he is pretty much what you would expect: brilliant, libertarian, paranoid. Because he is the founder of Bitcoin, he is probably also a rich man.
Raven on the Hill
In other news, Steamcon, one of the first Steampunk conventions, is planning on declaring bankruptcy. It will be missed.
NotMax
@Raven on the Hill
Sounds as if they just plain ran out of…
Never mind. Too easy.