I’m writing this far earlier than usual. I have an appointment with the ophthalmologist this morning and slept well enough to get an early start. My sleep is not back to normal, I still woke up in the night, but it’s improved. I’m slowly recovering from the surgery. My discomfort level is the lowest it’s been. I’ve taken it easy the last couple of days and that’s paid off.
Yesterday’s adventure was getting my bimonthly infusion of Entyvio for my Crohn’s disease. Bimonthly is not a useful word; it can mean either twice a month or once every two months. I get my infusions every 8 weeks. I don’t mind the infusion; it’s just being put on an IV for half an hour while I sit in a very comfy chair. The problem is all the time around it. My appointment was at three and I’m me and it’s just a ten-minute walk from me so I arrived at three. I sat around an hour waiting for them to call my name. When it was called I went into the infusion room, had my vitals taken, and an IV was inserted. That was not my infusion, it was just a saline drip. I had to wait another half an hour for the Entyvio to be delivered from the lab. The entire process took almost three hours. It was so late when I got out that I decided to not go shopping. I’ll see if I can get to that today between my ophthalmologist appointment and the Met game today. I’m afraid that might be too ambitious.
I rewarded myself for putting up with all that waiting by making the steak I’ve had in the freezer for ages. I bought it when it was on two-thirds off sale. It’s the only way I can afford it. I cooked it by a recipe I learned from Ethan, it was great even though I slightly overcooked it. A hot fudge sundae for dessert capped off the treat.
I’ve been pondering sexual orientation, not the morality, not as a human rights issue, but the mechanics. From an evolutionary standpoint it’s vital that males and females mate so it’s not surprising that most people are heterosexual. Those that aren’t wouldn’t have children and propagate their genes. The thing that’s been getting me is how it works? I’m heterosexual but I have no idea how my brain knows who to be attracted to. I’ve been attracted to women since I was a little kid, but what triggers that? What details are embedded in my genes to let me know who is a woman? Clothing makes it even more surprising that we can usually unconsciously determine gender. I can get how a person can have visual systems attuned to recognizing genitalia, the same way we do for faces, but in the course of things, we don’t usually see a person’s genitalia. Yet we somehow know. The system isn’t perfect. We can be fooled by people especially those that are deliberately androgynous, but for the most part it works. In most animals there are chemical clues. Even our close relatives, the chimps and bonobos have an estrus cycle which makes it very clear by both smell and visually who is a receptive female. We get by without that. I bet it takes a significant chunk of our brains to make sexual distinctions.
That now has me wondering how much of that effects gender bias. Is misogyny, at least in part, using the same brain systems? I’m thinking of the visceral dislike some people, not just men, have to ambitious women. Ever read the horrible things that Scott Adams says about Hillary Clinton? The way he describes his automatic reaction to her is reminiscent of sexual attraction which you just experience, don’t think about. I’ve heard women say how Hillary’s voice just sets their teeth on edge. Is this all the same brain pathways? So often people aren’t rational, they are rationalizing. We feel things and then seek intellectual justification.
Now I’m going to justify making breakfast because I’m hungry. Bacon and eggs are on the menu. I’m going to serve it on naan. This is something you should try. When you cook the bacon don’t put it on paper towels to drain. Put it right on naan or any flat bread and let the fat soak in. The put the eggs right on top and eat them all together. I can’t believe that this is not a standard way of serving bacon and eggs. Give it a try, you’ll thank me.
Wise Madness 