Thanks Par and Beck, you guys rock!

on another note, fucking aspartame...
I have a friend whose mother developed an allergy to all things synthetic as a result of her over-use of aspartame... and I mean anything synthetic, vinyl chair lining, her bed, new car smell... she broke out in hives for over a year, nearly killed herself and now has to carry a piece of leather around with her just so that she can sit on other peoples' furniture.

Now, not to defend aspartame, I can't stand the taste of it. It's not a very good sugar substitute. However, that story makes absolutely no sense. How can over-exposure to aspartame make you allergic to anything synthetic? That's like saying you were stung by too many bees and now you're allergic to anything yellow. There's no connection between cause and effect.

have a gooder Leo!

Leo/Andy - Sorry I couldn't make it out! Happy Birthday and Happy Medicine Hat!

Does anyone have Andy's phone number? Andy I need to get a hold of you! I'm going to email, but if anyone could send me the number, and doesn't want to post it on this board for privacy issues, please email it to me on my work email:
peter.haggard@su.ualberta.ca

Thanks so much!

Sorry I couldn't make it out last night, it's been too long since I've seen most of you. Oddly, I also ended up at the same Art Auction as Eric as part of my night class (I get to write a journal entry about it, ya!) and then my ride home did not get me home until late.

um... yes.

good to be back, I think. it's interesting what happens, though, when you're not paying attention. or when you're not around to pay attention... I think I shall commend Paras on his statements and leave it at that... because doing any more would be, um, inappropriate.

on another note, fucking aspartame...
I have a friend whose mother developed an allergy to all things synthetic as a result of her over-use of aspartame... and I mean anything synthetic, vinyl chair lining, her bed, new car smell... she broke out in hives for over a year, nearly killed herself and now has to carry a piece of leather around with her just so that she can sit on other peoples' furniture.

plus, I discovered that the Swiss don't leave anything to the blissfully ignorant imagination, if you want artificial sweetener in your tea, instead of a sugar cube, you drop in a pill. They don't even attempt to disguise the stuff as a sugar-like substance, it's a bloody, fucking pill, and personally I just don't like the idea of dropping additional chemicals (blatantly obvious or not) into my hot beverage of choice.

well, I apologize for the unnecessary expletives, I guess I missed out on expressing myself a bit over the past two months. HAVE A SAFE TRIP LEO!! and North America is weird. I don't know how much I like it any more, but I don't know how much I like the other alternatives either. perhaps it's time to start a revolution.

No! Your science is bad!

So says the Calorie Control Council (http://www.aspartame.org)

Aspartame Causes Cancer in Rats

Good thing I've never had aspartame... how 'bout you?

So here we go, last post from Edmonton for a while... thanks to everyone who showed up for "andrew's birthday party," meant alot to have you guys send me off, and thanks again for the gift.

And now, off I go...

No don't celebrate me getting a job. That's what the Type S is for!