Tag: health
Recently in March '26
Now that I am looking back at what happened in March, I see it was quite of a calm month. Oddly enough, I didn't perceive it as so, since I feel like it went by so fast. Let's then take a look back together, but I'm sure this will be a shorter post than in the previous months.
hand tremors and other physical disruptions to making art
a few years ago i was diagnosed with hashimoto's, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid, with one of the most self-disrupting symptoms at that time being hand tremors. when my hands shake, it makes for a very frustrating and unsuccessful session of drawing grids by hand for my pixel art paintings. autoimmune symptoms are typically heightened by the stress that they initially cause, a hilarious (laugh so i don't cry and get stressed out) and cruel cycle. to work through this adversity, i looked to...
Recently in February '26
The shortest month of the year is now ending, which means that two months of 2026 are already gone! February was quite a busy month for me, and it feels like I never had time to fully stop and rest. Let's take a look.
Recently in January '26
January went in a blur: it feels like 2026 has just begun, and yet the first month is already gone. It reminds me of what my parents always say: the time goes by very fast, and it gets worse with age. Maybe I'm sort of getting to the point where I start noticing it more and more.
Recently in November '25
November is now behind us, and there's only one month left in 2025. This year has been going by much faster than I first anticipated, and it has been full of things happening - should I call them events? Maybe that's what adult life is all about, but, for now, let's focus on the past month.
Recently in October '25
In striking difference with the past month, October has been quite busy and hectic. And no, it's not because of Halloween! Not only did I travel to two places, but there have also been many events, and anxiousness about things happening around be. Let's recap.
Getting an Eye Test in the Netherlands
A few weeks ago, Chris decided to get his eyes checked and I noticed it had already been three years since I last got mine checked. Since that is quite some time, and I had strived for getting my eyes checked every other year, I decided to make an appointment for us both at Mr. Brown Beans & Specs here in Eindhoven, an optician-café combo.
Recently in August '25
August is now coming to an end, and there is something in the air feeling more and more like the autumn. Days are becoming colder, darker, and the rain is showing up again. That's good, considering The Netherlands has had one of the driest years so far. Let's look back and see what I've been up to.
Recently in July '25
I always want to say that the past month was relatively uneventful, but then I write the post and I realized that more things happened than I first thought. So, let's recap July, which is now coming to an end.
Optimistic Wrist
Today I had the nth appointment for my wrist. Yesterday, we had done an echo just to make sure that there’s no damage or cysts. Fortunately, when it comes to those types of abnormalities, everything seems fine. The conclusion seems to be that my wrists are slightly more mobile than they should and therefore it’s just much easier to get an injury. And that the tendons need to do a lot more work than they would usually need to…
Recently in April '24
April is now in the past, albeit with some consequences for the future. In comparison with previous months, it wasn't very eventful and that is maybe a consequence of how much I read this month. I didn't really have a lot of time for other things. Let's take a look.
The Cold Cocktail
How NyQuil, the over-the-counter cold medicine of choice for millions of sniffling people, innovated by combining a bunch of drugs together in a novel way.
The Letter in the Window
The wacky and surprising history of NYC restaurant inspections. That letter grade is a lot more effective than you might think.
Dr. Koop’s Digital Korner
How famed U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, at the age of 82, became an internet entrepreneur, and why his namesake website burned out, fast.
Bye Bye, Buffet?
The all-you-can-eat buffet is unlikely to survive the pandemic in its current form—in part because sanitation already made it somewhat risky.
Eat More, They’re Healthy
The ’90s defining treat might have been SnackWell’s, a low-fat cookie brand that sold itself as healthy, but really just exposed public health policy failures.
Mean, Green Marketing Machine
During the early 1950s, you could not get away from chlorophyll at the grocery store—all thanks to a thinly sourced belief that the plant pigment fought odors.
Drip And Drive
Have you donated blood lately? Maybe you'll get inspired by reading the history of how we got modern blood donation, including (of course) the bloodmobile.
Do Not Trust
The ethical issues with getting a tattoo that says “Do Not Resuscitate,” then having said tattoo put to the test. Yes, a hospital had to deal with one.
In Case Of Emergency
The nationwide roll-out of the 911 system was a difficult endeavor, and one that only made it past the finish line thanks to a charitable foundation.
Let’s Live Forever
A recent study found that eating hot peppers could help decrease your mortality. Let’s take this idea to its logical conclusion by going as hot as possible.
Asbestos: It Isn't Snow
Asbestos is the rare example of a widely used mainstream product that was litigated out of existence. BTW, it was used for fake snow in The Wizard of Oz.
This One's For The Wounded
We haven't had Band-Aids forever—only for the last century or so. So what did we use for bandages before then? Well …