INTERESTING TIMES

This lovely amoeba is the one that likes to live in the hot water that exudes from the earth in hot springs. It is present in some of the springs in the Black Canyon of the Colorado, where I visited over Thanksgiving. There are signs posted over some of the hotsprings there, that you should not get the water in up your nose because of the risk of the amoeba infecting your brain.

In this news piece they're saying that two people have died of amoebiasis after using neti pots with tapwater. I wonder if Naegleria is really found in tapwater. It likes steady hot temperatures, and is somewhat resistant to salinity and the various minerals that can be in hotsprings. Perhaps it can live inside a hot water heater? Or perhaps it was really in the tapwater--in Louisiana. I've been using Oregon tapwater for my nasal lavage, and I'm not dead yet. I am still going to use tapwater for my neti pot, but I am going to boil it first, then rinse the neti pot with the boiled water. This seems like a better option than buying distilled water in a plastic jug. The neti pot is indeed one of the best tools I know for fighting upper respiratory conditions that involve the nasal passages and frontal sinuses.

I'm a omnivore and opportunivore. Sometimes a cheapivore though occasionally my food makes me feel rich. Tonight I opened the fridge not wanting leftover curry again and made a soup that is so good I have to write it down. The soup itself was premade: Sweet Potato Bisque from Trader Joe's. It was the garnishes that made it delish. I added feta cheese from Israel (the brand is Pastures of Eden, also at TJ), some freshly slivered basil leaves (8 or so) and a bit of sweet red pepper chopped small. In this order: Heat soup, and leave the other ingredients cool. After the soup is hot toss on basil slivers first, then feta, then red pepper bits. Sprinkle a bit of Zatarain's creole seasoning (from New Orleans) over the top, serve. YUM. Won't be an accident the next time.

I wonder how long it will be before cheese from Israel isn't worth the shipping anymore.