Even this Meme thinks I'm running late.

( [X] Life lessons meme. )

Total total: 23
Total is the age you will be married.

Shit. I have, like, a month to find a girl and get hitched.
Of course, this doesn't make sense. You list a whole bunch of things that are basically *good* to have, and then say that the number you match is how old you'll be when you get married? So a truely mature and well-balanced person gets a score of, like, 42, and a schlub gets 12? What's with that?

FDA and the Miracle Fruit, take two.

So, I Posted about this 'Miracle Fruit thing back in February, but as it's cropped up again on my Friends Page and I think it's worth noting, I'm reposting.

The long and short is there's this fruit with a 'glycoprotein' that makes sour things taste sweet. It's apparently been used for centuries, it's heavily marketted in Japan, and has seen both low-cal desserts and relief for people with diabetes -- two things, I think, that Americans would be very interested in.

Unfortunately, the FDA has banned the Miracle Fruit, for apparently unknown reasons. It's not hard to imagine that pressures from Big Sugar and diabetes-pharmaceutical lobbyists might have had an influence on the decision. Some seem to think the FDA fears that miraculin (the glycoprotien I mentioned) might mask the flavors of Aspirin or other things that are toxic in high quantities (and kids might eat them! Think of the children!), but there seems to be a Lengthy Paper saying that won't happen (ie, miraculin won't mask said toxic thingums).

So, there you have it. The FDA is keeping us from some very interesting cuisine experiences, likely because they're being paid to by people who profit otherwise.

The Laughter Of The Damned

Tonight was definitely one of the best nights of my life. It was just great.

Friday nights are Draft nights at the Game Habitat (the game shop I'm always referring to). We usually get a mid- to large-sized draw of players, and it's a nice time, usually whittling down to The Usuals by the end of the night. Saturdays are Constructed tournaments, which usually draws significantly fewer players -- almost always just The Usuals, and the games run a bit timelier because we're all playing decks we've personally tuned to the event. I like these a little bit better, partly because I feel more comfortable with my weapon of choice, and partly because there's less riffraff (and, as noted, I'm kind of an elitist). It's just the regular guys; we all know each other and we all kick around for a few hours with our shared hobby.

Tonight after the tournament (Haven beat Rob in the finals; I was running an experimental B/W deck dubbed "Save the Pandas" by it's original creator), a group of us went around the corner to Denny's. We ate some food, drank some coffee, chatted a lot about MtG, The Game Habitat, Judging, problem players, everything. We also played a cool little card game called Gloom, which I very much want to get now; it's loads of fun. Haven, Brent, Chris and I played a couple rounds of it.

After all that I drove Haven, Brent, and Chris to their respective homes. We got to hear about when Brent got beat up by a swan, and the strange wordplay games Haven and his siblings (Lyric, Cheer, and Eden; their parents were hippies) play. Then Brent asked what the band was that I was playing -- ThouShaltNot, which I admitted was Goth music. And apparently both Brent and Haven like Goth music (in retrospect, I think the large-gage earrings Brent has should have tipped me off), and Brent asked if I'd heard of VNV Nation -- if you're keeping score at home, VNV Nation is one of my three favorite bands! So he asked if I know Apoptygma Berzerk and was surprised when I said I did -- no one knows Apoptygma Berzerk, and he thought he was showing off.

So we got into this whole thing about my 'other life' as a Goth, and I told them how Leslie says "deep down inside I have black little heart that bleeds mascara." We got into talking about Goth clubs, anime conventions, leather pants, and randomly making out with Mint.

At one point Haven said, "It makes sense now: it only sounds like giggling, it's really the laughter of the damned!" We all laughed a lot. I laughed myself to tears -- which was bad, as I was driving at the time. My sides *still* hurt, I laughed so much.

So the three of us have decided we seriously need to hang out more, outside of weekly MtG events and stuff. They both already have my email (JackOfAllGeeks) and apparently they both envy me for it -- "We didn't I think of that," Brent said.

A very awesome night.