Relocated

I finally quit being a cheap bastard and registered my own domain.

So, this blog is dead, and the new one is here.

http://www.kylefox.net/blog

All Filler No Thriller

After posting it, I realized my previous article on organ donation was a bit heavy for the first entry. I don't want people to get the wrong idea -- my blog isn't normally going to be as serious as that last post made it sound.

So, here's a bit lighter entry. It kind of goes all over the place (oral surgery, stir-fry, computer games, Michael Jackson), so please bear with..

The Wisdom Teeth
Current mood: doped

So I had my wisdom teeth taken out yesterday (thanks to those who wished me well). I really didn't know what to expect going in; some people said "oh, it's just a quick procedure, painless, you'll be good after 2 days," while others said "it was terrible! I couldn't eat anything for 6 weeks, they got infected and I lost 15 pounds!"

It's really not been bad at all. I waited around the waiting room (I guess that's what it's for) for close to two hours before they strapped me in the chair and shoved the IV in me. I've never had anesthetic before, so I didn't realize the treat I was in for. The doctor said "you're going to feel your arm start to get cold," which it immediately did. Then he said "you'll feel a funny taste in your mouth," which also happened. I started to cough, he said "you okay?" and the next thing I remember was waking up feeling really numb, disoriented, and happy (a feeling not unlike my entire first year of college).

The nurse asked how I was feeling. I burst out laughing and said "I feel so good!" and she kind of laughed. But then she forced me to drink some Ginger Ale so I didn't like her anymore. After a quick lesson on all my pills and guazing routine, she let me go.

They must have given me a good dose of local anesthetic though, because I was drooling until about 10pm -- which for me isn't unusual, it's just that I was now unable to feel the drool running down my face. And I gulped blood until late that night, a technique I would suggest to anyone looking for an effective way to suppress their appetite.

Being the analytical guy I am, I broke the experience into a list of pros and cons:

Pros

• Had a delicious meal @ The Monglie Grill* the night before, courtesy of the parents
• Got to flirt with all the cute nurses
• Tylenol 3!
• Got lots of pampering, again courtesy of the parents
  
• Will be on a strict diet of pudding, jello, ice cream and popsicles
  

Cons

• Had bone forcefully ripped from my face
• Feels like Chuck Norris has delivered a swift roundhouse to my jaw

So overall, it's been a good experience. It only took about 30 minutes for them to remove all four teeth (and they had to break some to get them out). I wish I had more teeth that needed to be dug out. If you have the opportunity to have yours removed, take it!

*Note about Mongolie Grill: My $27 bowl at the MG shattered my previous record of a mere $22. Outstanding! For those of you who've never been, it works like this: you get a bowl, go down a buffet line and fill your bowl with veggies/noodles/raw meat/sauce, and give it to a small Mongolian man who weighs it, charges you accordingly, and then cooks it for you. However, $27 is actually a better deal than $22, because I found out anything $25+ gets you a free beer! So really, at $4.50 a beer, it's more economical to break the $25 threshold. Just a quick survival tip. And since it was free, I had to order my fave import, Heineken.

One final note:
I decided to stop compaining about the procedure/pain of having my wisdom teeth removed after an "anonomous friend" of mine informed me of the procedure they recently underwent. Due to the sensitive nature of this procedure, I won't directly tell you what it was. If you are really curious, you can click here, where I address it in the most sensitive manner possible. The identity of this friend will remain a mystery, but if you click on the link you'll immediately realize that my females friends are disqualified.

Next topic.

Gish
I'm not one for computer games (other than Tetris and the occasional bout of Warcraft 2) but this is a game I really, really like. And there are very few games that I like enough to play, let alone promote.
Here's what makes this such a well designed game:

• Unique storyline
• Simple gameplay
• Perfect physics engine
• Pretty (but simple) graphics
• The music!

You can tell the designer, Chronic Logic, put a lot of thought, time and effort into getting this game absolutely perfect. You can see the official webiste and download the demo for Gish here.

The character you play as, Gish, is a charming little blob of tar-like goop. Some bad dudes kidnapped his mistress (I'm assuming she's also a blob of goop...I bet they have fun) and Gish must venture into the sewers to retrieve her. His only offense, which is also his defense, is his viscosity and gelatinous physique. You must control various properties of Gish (momentum, direction, adhesiveness, gooeyness) and maneuver him through the tight twists & turns of the underground, and crush the demented little beings determined to thwart Gish.


One of the biggest reasons I'm not into gaming is because of the complexity of most new games. I like a game that I can learn to play in under 1 minute, and then get playing! I don't want to invest 10 hours learning the elaborate background info/storyline, another 10 learning how to play the game, and another 20 hours playing through the levels. My attention span is much to short for that kind of involvement. Gish is a good game for people who just want a periodic 10 minute time-out. Highly suggest checking it out.

Next topic.

Thriller!
I know, I said "no thriller." But I just can't help myself.

Thus concludes my latest blog. Stay tuned because I've got a lot of other (more interesting) articles cooking up. And if you read, comment!

'Presumed Consent' Organ Donating

My girlfriend and I have discussed (okay, argued) the pros/cons of presumed organ donation consent, but I didn't realize such a policy was being considered here in Canada.

CBC.ca : 'Presumed consent' option for organ donations sparks debate
Thu, 16 Feb 2006 19:20:16 EST

Currently, people wishing to donate their organs must actively sign a donor card -- by default, a person's organs will not be harvested post-mortem. The advantage to this system is that those who consent to donating their organs fully understand what it is they are consenting to; there is no risk of offending the religion or family of someone opposed organ donation because only the organs from those who have given prior consent will be harvested.

The disadvantage of this 'opt-in' system is that (I suspect) a large number of people do not give consent to having their organs donated because of apathy, laziness, or lack of knowledge (they may not realize they can donate organs, or that they must explicity give consent). It would be interesting to poll random people and see how many would agree to donating their organs but just 'haven't got around' to signing their donor card.

Out of every 1 million Canadians, only about 14 donate their organs.
From above article

Presumed consent is just the opposite -- everyone's consent to donating their organs is assumed (the default is "yes, I want to donate my organs."). Those who do not wish to donate their organs must proactively exclude themselves. This system makes more sense to me.

First of all, let me clarify one point: I do not think organ donation should be mandatory. A person should not be required by a law to donate their organs. It should remain a voluntary practice so those with personal or religious objections are not required to violate their beliefs. Presumed consent != mandatory donation.

The advantage of presumed consent: it makes more organs available for the many people awaiting transplants. All those people who don't sign their donor card, other than for moral/religious reasons, are now donors.

Here's why it's a more practical system:

The people more likely to come forward and express their position on organ donation are obviously those who have a strong opinion of the subject. This means that currently, the only people who come forward to be a donor are those who feel it is important to do so. This leaves a lot of would-be donors off the list, even though they may not necessarily object to being a donor.

I expect the people who do not wish to be donors feel strongly enough about the subject that they would take measures to ensure their organs are not harvested. Doesn't it make sense, then, that they be the ones who come forward to express their opinions? That way, all the non-donors (who don't care either way whether or not their organs are harvested) are on the donors list.

Tracking the 2% who don't wish to be Donors would be easier than tracking the 98% who do wish to be Donors or don't care.
*Source:Presumed Consent Foundation.
NOTE: Statistics are American, not Canadian (although I assume Canadian stats would be similar).

The implementation of such a policy would have to be very cautious (althought it has been done in Spain and Italy). At some point people would need to have their options presented to them to ensure everyone is given an opportunity to opt-out. For example, people could be prompted when applying for a driver's license (as the article suggests). However, not all people get a driver's license, so an even better idea would be to include it as part of the application for a Canadian Social Insurance Number.

I admit that I haven't signed my donor card (purely out of apathy), but now that I'm thinking about the subject I can see why it's important do so (even though I don't plan on dying soon). I'll have to see how I go about becoming a donor...

What remains for sure is that despite a dire need for organs, Canada lacks an effective organ-harvesting strategy.

Coming up: Tomorrow I go in for surgery to have my wisdom teeth removed. Going to make the parents buy me a big juicy steak tonight, because for the next week I'll be confined to Lipton's Chicken Noodle Soup (assuming the blood I swallow doesn't provide adequate nourishment...gross).

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