Gay Guy in Seminary Day 158 (Fool)

I just finished reading Fool yet another of Christopher Moore's books, much loved author of such titles as Lamb, A Dirty Job, and The Island of the Sequined Love Nun. Fool is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear from the viewpoint of the fool. I don't really know anything about King Lear, so I can't really do a comparison of the two, but I can tell you that Fool is a rollicking good time. However, if you are sensitive to vulgarity, swearing, shagging, crudeness, irreverence, anachronisms, or just plain silliness, this may not be the book for you.

The basic story is that King Lear is getting old, and just a touch senile. Two of his daughters take advantage of this fact to bolster their inheritance, while his youngest, who truly loves him, is basically exiled. The fool, displeased with this turn of events, takes matters into his own hands, and mayhem ensues. Oh yes, and there's a ghost. There's always a bloody ghost.

In other news:

David, Terra, Ian, Gavin, Rus, Matthias and I resumed our D&D game. I think things are going much smoother now, although we still are not 100% comfortable with the game mechanics. Still, it was much more enjoyable than previous sessions now that everyone is getting more into it.

I was finally going to cook the blewitt mushroom that I found the other day, but somehow it was already riddled with holes from some insects that had been living inside of it. I literally picked it about 2 days after it popped up out of the ground. How it got infested so fast, I have no idea.

Finally made an appointment to see a doctor. Can't run out of blood pressure medication. That. Would. Be. Bad.

Gay Guy in Seminary: Day 30 (The Placebo Effect)

Another Tuesday, another trip to Berkley for "Drugs and Jesus" at Star King. This is going to be an interesting class. First of all, as much as people like to smoke marijuana around me, I have not actually done it myself. Second of all, I'm a naive sheltered Presbyterian boy from Santa Rosa Valley, CA that doesn't know the first thing about drug use, their effects, or even for the most part what they are when people mention them by name. I have the foggiest of vague ideas of what ecstasy is. I don't know what it looks like, I don't know what it feels like to be on it, how much a hit normally costs, how to recognize when someone is using it, or anything at all. So, I sit there and I listen to all of these people talking about their experiences with drugs and I feel like I have nothing to contribute to the class. All I can talk about is wine, and when you compare that to someone's trip to Amsterdam, what is there to talk about?

As these discussions often do, the topic moved to prescription drugs and what exactly is the difference between prescription drugs and so-called illegal drugs. This then moved on to a conversation about placebos and how effective they are, which led me to ask the question, "What would happen to me if someone switched out my blood pressure medication for placebos without me knowing about it?" Several people in the class seemed to think I would be just fine, even though the general consensus was that I should never actually try this. I'm sorry, but I think this is a bunch of bull. Drugs work. That's how people get high and that's what keeps my blood vessels dilated. I'm not saying that there is no validity to the power of the mind. I am well aware of how powerful the mind is and the amazing things that faith can accomplish, but I do not think that the chemicals that drugs introduce into our systems can be discounted in such an easy fashion.

We live in a modern society; we understand the scientific method, and unless we all want to jump on to the conspiracy bandwagon, I have to believe that there are actual scientists at pharmaceutical companies who are actually doing their jobs. Does that mean the companies don't exist to make money? No. Does that mean they haven't done some shady drug-related things in the past? No. But, just because there have been some incidents of corruption and unethical behavior does not mean that the entire system is defunct.

If someone were to switch out my medication without me knowing about it, my blood pressure would start to go up. This is not my belief; it is not something I'm taking this on faith. It is simply a fact. Give me my beta blockers, or give me death!