Odd job...

So in my previous post I wrote about being a test subject for new medications. That is one way I made some extra money in my younger days. I was also a participant in the University of Minnesota's odor lab. Yep, you read that right, I smelled stuff for some extra money. It sounds really strange and I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to even give it a shot, but I was attending the St. Paul campus and saw a flier for the odor lab promising a decent wage for four hours of my time. So I figured, what the heck I'll check it out. The first thing they had me do was go through a training. I had to smell different samples contained in petrie dishes and mark them on a scale of 1 to 10 as to how odorous they were. Then I moved onto the smelling machine or olfactometer. Basically a technician put an air sample bag onto a machine and I breathed in the air and rated how strong and how pleasing or displeasing this air sample was. I found out while doing this that I met the European Standard EN 13725 which means I can detect n-butanol in very small quantities (One EROM evaporated in 1 m3 of neutral air is the standard olfactory stimulus, equivalent to 1 European odour unit: 1 ouE/m3 for those science geeks out there). So what on Earth was I smelling? Well the unit I was working with was mostly interested in agricultural waste...yep you guessed it, I was smelling air samples taken at farms for pigs, cows, chickens, etc. Overall, it was quite a gig and really not such a bad deal. I also made a good friend out of the job, although so far I haven't added this position to my resume, nor have I found a good way to make use of my European standard smelling abilities beyond that job. I figure it's a good story for my grandchildren someday though.

My life as a guinea pig...

Nope, I wasn't a small, caged, animal that squeaks and grunts but back in my younger days I was a test subject for asthma and allergy medicines. I know...why would you do such a thing? Well, I needed some extra money (these studies can pay close to $200 for 4 hours of your time in some cases) and I have asthma and allergies and it's really in my best interest to have newer medications available. I don't regret participating in these studies at all. One of them required that I sit in a park for half a day, hanging out with other strangers and documenting my allergy symptoms...not really a big deal. Another one of them required that I use a nasal spray once a day and record any symptoms in a special journal, that one lasted a few weeks. I found out about these studies by signing up through a reputable testing firm located in downtown Minneapolis. So if you're wondering, what type of people participate in this type of thing, I am one of them.

So I started to blog

Ok, so I know, a blog about everything seems impossible and yet I can't blog about nothing since that's already being done, I have an interest in a lot of things, so one simple subject just doesn't cut it...so it brings me to everything. For instance, I'm watching curling and I have no earthly clue what is going on. So far it looks like someone slides a stone across the ice trying to get it into the goal and the sweepers help it along and yet there is strategy in trying to get rid of the opponent's stones...and a lot of yelling. Somehow I can't look away from the screen. I'm going to guess that this sport has a very loyal fan base and consider myself one of the few people in the world that just doesn't quite get it. I will leave it to those passionate about it.

So why would anyone choose to read this blog? Beats me...I'm writing this purely for my own entertainment, I have lots of thoughts on lots of subjects...and sometimes some insights that other people may find helpful. For example, my husband and I went out to dinner on Friday night in St. Paul, Minnesota. We visited an establishment my husband frequents quite often but I had only eaten there once...Ruam Mit Thai http://www.ruam-mit-thai.net/ and I can honestly say, the Pad Thai was once of the best I've had and they offered Thai Iced Tea (yum!). The service was great, the atmosphere was bright and clean, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in trying out Thai food while they're in the Twin Cities. I can also say that up until about seven years ago I had never tried Thai food...or Vietnamese...or Indian food because...well I was afraid. I had no idea what to order...I was afraid of getting something too spicy. I think my sister finally introduced me to Pad Thai...and then Curry...and now I have a deep appreciation for a whole world of cuisine I was denying myself out of fear. So I encourage other people who haven't stepped outside of their cuisine comfort zone, to give it a shot...a wondrous world of food awaits.