Vino

Was in a funk until Mr. Ho forced wine down my throat. Feeling better.




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Night Assessments

I can't do it anymore.  There is absolutely no way I can go out two nights in a row.  We went out Friday for Jim's Dirty 30 and again on Saturday for Alain's 29th.  

I definitely had more fun on Friday - SIL, her friend Jenny and I checked out a new place called The Gibson - this unmarked bar with really great drinks and the most amazing cheese + meat platter, but with the strangest crowd.  Afterwards, we went to Shadow Room to meet up with Mr. Ho and friends.   And wow, the dancing was non-stop.  What I noticed:

1.  Desperation looks good on no one.  When a girl walks away from you numerous times, get the hint.  It's not going to work.  

2.  Even if you are a horrible dancer, if you exude energy and good spirits, it's a party to be had. 

3.  Cops can be nice people.  Especially cops named Walter.  

I was absolutely tired on Saturday, but I geared up for the night's festivities.  We went to Policy, a new restaurant/lounge, where one of Mr. Ho's co-workers is an investor.  This is definitely more my scene - great music, delicious food + drinks, and a more mature crowd.  Unfortunately, the boys wanted a change in venue so we went to K Street.  My observations for the evening:

1.  Clear bra straps are an oxymoron.  They are not INVISIBLE, people!  I absolutely abhor these things, and friends, I will let you know you shouldn't be wearing them.  There are these things called strapless bras - invest in them.

2.  Brussels sprouts are so yummy.

3.  Men shouldn't wear white linen pants whilst clubbing.

Today, we had our 4th Book Club meeting.  I really love these gatherings.  Everyone always brings great dishes and we chow down.  We discuss the book for about 30 minutes and then we talk about anything and everything.  A few discussions we had today:

1.  Epidurals/water births/kegel exercises

2.  Bed bugs/allergies/lice

3.  Weddings/photograher drama/albums

Rocky is spending the night at Daid's house to see if him and Wilson get along ok.  That way, he can stay with them rather than stay alone while we are on vacation.  Mr. Ho and I are in major withdrawal right now.  The house is so quiet without his snoring, barking, and whining.  We miss him already, but I know he is in good hands.  

How crazy is this weather?  90 degrees already?  Where did spring go?  I am in denial and refuse to turn on the air conditioning in the car.  I was very sweaty afterwards.

Oh!  Before I go, you should definitely watch Tell No One, a french thriller.  It's really good.  So good they are going to make an American edition of it.  Did you know Beyonce's new movie, Obsessed, was #1 this weekend at the box office?  Who woulda thought?

And what about this swine flu?  So scary.  

Clearly, I have too many things going through my mind.  Necesito dormir.  Buenas noches!  

Red in the Face

Here is an article my friend on Facebook posted about when it may mean when your face turns bright red when consuming alcohol:

Drinkers’ Red Face May Signal Cancer Risk

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

People whose faces turn red when they drink alcohol may be facing more than embarrassment. The flushing may indicate an increased risk for a deadly throat cancer, researchers report.

The flushing response, which may be accompanied by nausea and a rapid heartbeat, is caused mainly by an inherited deficiency in an enzyme called ALDH2, a trait shared by more than a third of people of East Asian ancestry — Japanese, Chinese or Koreans. As little as half a bottle of beer can trigger the reaction.

The deficiency results in problems in metabolizing alcohol, leading to an accumulation in the body of a toxin called acetaldehyde. People with two copies of the gene responsible have such unpleasant reactions that they are unable to consume large amounts of alcohol. This aversion actually protects them against the increased risk for cancer.

But those with only one copy can develop a tolerance to acetaldehyde and become heavy drinkers.

“What we’re trying to do here is raise awareness of this risk factor among doctors and their ALDH2-deficient patients," said Dr. Philip J. Brooks, an investigator with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and an author of the report published on Monday in the journal PLoS Medicine. “It’s a pretty serious risk."

The malignancy, called squamous cell esophageal cancer, is also caused by smoking and can be treated with surgery, but survival rates are very low. Even moderate drinking increases the risk, but it rises sharply with heavier consumption. An ALDH2-deficient person who has two beers a day has six to 10 times the risk of developing esophageal cancer as a person not deficient in the enzyme.

Reducing drinking can significantly reduce the incidence of this cancer among Asian adults. The researchers calculate that if moderate- or heavy-drinking ALDH2-deficient Japanese men reduced their consumption to under 16 drinks a week, 53 percent of esophageal squamous cell cancers in that group could be prevented.

There is some anecdotal evidence that young people treat the flushing as a cosmetic response to be countered with antihistamines while continuing to drink. Ignoring the symptom and continuing to drink is likely to increase the incidence of esophageal cancer, researchers said.

To determine risk, doctors can ask their patients two simple questions. First, do you flush after drinking a glass of beer? Second, in the first one or two years after you began drinking, did you flush after having a beer?

The second question covers the possibility that a person has become tolerant to the effect.

Dr. Brooks said that the two questions give doctors an easy way to find out if the patient is ALDH2-deficient. There is also a patch test in which an ethanol-soaked pad is applied to the skin. If it causes reddening after 10 or 15 minutes, there is a high likelihood that the person is ALDH2-deficient.