That is a great article, le n. Fascinating.

And the rounds of Craigslist insanity begin.

I got to spend the day looking up material related to ion exchange chromatography.

I still don't know what that means though.

I used to use Opcon A allergy eye drops and they helped a lot but weren't working as well as I'd wished because of crazy allergens. I tried Zaditor on the rec of a doctor and whoa. I don't get a full 12 hours from them but I get almost all day or a good night's sleep relief.

I know trees and dander and all of those things attack many of us, so sharing the yay.

edit: Oh and cheaper at CostCo (no script but at the pharmacy). I think I paid $11 yesterday so I could have a bottle in my purse before the wildflowers well and truly get their freaks on around me.

ion exchange chromatography.

Sounds like technobabble from ST:NG.

"Reverse the polarity on the ion exchange. Adjust the chromatography to the valence of the Romulan shield."

See, I was thinking an ion exchange was some sort of scifi key party.

It sounds like colorful static electricity to me.

See, I was thinking an ion exchange was some sort of scifi key party.

t looks at ion in hand, looks at remaining protons, sighs

I also wish I could find the magic "I only want to see your For Cooking stuff because stevia hates me so I hate it right back" button.

They're separated by Cooking and Water on the product page, aren't they?

I tossed a lemon packet into a baking recipe that I wanted to use baking soda leavening on, and the baking soda popped, but not a very lemony flavour. On the other hand I did use the same in the veal piccata and it was okay. Somewhere between fresh juice + zest and anything else I would have used instead. Better than whatever the bulking agent is in the juice you buy. Why is that so gross?

Christ, that one guy at work was baiting me all afternoon, including at the farewell drinks. I wish I weren't such a tempting target. He's really easy to score winners off of, but it's Friday, my head is hurting, and it's enforced work socialisation. I don't need my pigtails pulled on top of that.

I was grumpy heading over thinking that I'd have to at least buy lemonade or something to drink, because going out and just having water is...weird, but fuck it. The weird ship is irrelevant. I wanted water, I had water. It was stupid to think there was any reason to do anything else. And when they asked (as always) why I wasn't drinking, I told him "I don't start what I can't finish" and I think the "oooooh" I got from that should hold me over for a few outings.

Actually, kind of relieving--someone else was finally on the line when incompetent developer was unable to spot a basic reason for something not working. Finally I could point something out to a co-worker and say "You see what I fucking live with every day???" And I spent part of the socialising crying into my tapwater with the original developer on the project, who's an architect and generally brilliant about what skills his current replacement sorely lacks. That felt good.

As of today, two female co-workers have told me they have ties but they don't wear them because they don't want to deal with the commentary. I told the woman who said so today to come find me when she does, and we'll walk around together, because I've at least gotten far enough that people want to know what tie I'm wearing when it's a business formal day. Vive la/le gender indifference!

God, I'm tired and hurty. And I still have to schedule tomorrow's meetup and cake transfer with the cousin who named her son One. Like, why do that? I like all sorts of names, but why do that, seriously? And she changed her name away from a conventional name to one that's a vowel away from another cousin's exotic one--and then changed back a few years later. I can't not side-eye her.

Wow, so the company that administers our HSA credit cards, PayFlex, must've majorly fucked up- I got a letter from the CEO personally apologizing for all the issues. "A situation such as this is unacceptable..."

I haven't yet tried to use mine (my last dental bill vastly exceeded the amount currently in the account- I'll be submitting for reimbursement late in the year for that one) but I heard a few grumblings about it being rejected on occasion, though no specific details. But it sounds like it must've been much worse.