Ask the forum

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Spartan26
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Re: Ask the forum

Post by Spartan26 » Wed Mar 03, 2021 2:41 am

Madrigal wrote:
Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:43 am
Spartan26 wrote:
Tue Mar 02, 2021 4:39 am

I have not tried it but apparently Adolph's Meat Tenderizer is a miracle worker. I don't know if you make a paste with the stuff or just rub it in to the bites dry. Maybe you can research it but a place I volunteered at that had lots of kids who have zero ability to lay off scratching found relief.
Image
I wonder if just having some papaya in the freezer would help, then. Or pineapple if bromelain works as well as papain. That would be easier to find at a store.
Maybe not now but that stuff was pretty ubiquitous in kitchen cabinets during the 70s & 80s, and I would suspect even earlier, right up there with a box of jello, a bottle of vanilla extract, Worchester sauce, and a can of cream of mushroom soup. No one would be able to tell you the date of purchase on any of those items but no pantry or shelf would be complete without them. It'd get sprinkled on every pot roast along with a whole host of other ingredients, so, hard to tell how much the stuff actually works. I don't know if they dropped the ball on branding or not, if someone was to say "get the meat tenderizer out of the cabinet," most people would know to look for the white container. Could anyone tell you the brand name? Seriously, I doubt 1 out of 50. But they had the market covered. You may not know what's in it but there was no other brand or substitute people would get in place of it.

starla
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Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2021 12:28 am

Re: Ask the forum

Post by starla » Wed Mar 03, 2021 10:03 pm

Utisz wrote:
Mon Mar 01, 2021 8:28 pm
But they were all Latin American, so it's possible they've built up some resistance or something? Or the mosquitos see me as a more exotic vintage?
They were all doused in perfume/cologne while you still smelled like meat.

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Ferrus
Posts: 270
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Location: Barcelona

Re: Ask the forum

Post by Ferrus » Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:40 am

Utisz wrote:
Mon Mar 01, 2021 8:28 pm
Senseye wrote:
Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:55 pm
Utisz wrote:
Mon Mar 01, 2021 4:43 pm
Anyone allergic to mosquitos? They're not so common here, but the odd night I will wake up with swollen itchy bites. They only ever bite me. Clearly they are partial to a Château d'Irlande '85.

Any remedies? Was thinking of having antihistamine tablets handy.
I don't know of any remedies, but doesn't everybody get some swelling from mosquito bites?

Generally, early season bites (after their dormant winter which they have in my parts) I will get a bit more swelling, but after the first few dozen bites (it may be time gated too) they don't affect me as much.
Not sure if everyone gets swelling or maybe some people don't get bitten as much. I was in Cuba for a week at a conference on a cayo (small offshore island) and I was eaten alive, like maybe 20-30 very swollen bites despite soaking myself in repellant. Of the maybe 10 other folks there I was hanging out with regularly, only two had some bites that were itching them a bit. They were horrified when I showed them my back at one stage. But they were all Latin American, so it's possible they've built up some resistance or something? Or the mosquitos see me as a more exotic vintage?

Basically not sure if the others were being bitten and just weren't reacting, or were not being bitten at all. I guess maybe a mix of both.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science- ... -10255934/

Which of the 9 options here applies to you?
Ex falso, quodlibet

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Utisz
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Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:35 am

Re: Ask the forum

Post by Utisz » Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:03 pm

Ferrus wrote:
Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:40 am
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science- ... -10255934/

Which of the 9 options here applies to you?
Interesting!

Blood Type - I don't know my blood type. (Don't judge me.)
Carbon Dioxide - I am indeed elongated with big lungs.
Exercise and Metabolism - No exercise these days. Metabolism generally good but slowing down.
Skin Bacteria - Probably. I haven't named them or anything.
Beer - Yes please.
Pregnancy - *scratches balls* Nope.
Clothing Color - My clothes have colours (but mostly bitten at night, mostly naked)
Genetics - I have some of those.
Natural Repellants - Sign me up for some!


Should really find out my blood type. I think my brother is O, so that might be a big factor, along with the beer and CO2 at least.

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Senseye
Posts: 270
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Location: Canada

Re: Ask the forum

Post by Senseye » Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:47 pm

One thing I hate about these comments is they don't quantify how much "more often". Are we talking 10% more or like double?

I suspect it is closer to the former but I might be wrong. Or I might be one of the delicious. But from my experience, if the mosquito situation is bad (i.e. there are lots of them) everybody is complaining about the evil little blood suckers. If you are expelling CO2 and radiating body heat (two factors very hard to avoid) they will come for you, regardless of everything else.

On the clothing front, I know from experience, dark colors are bad.

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Madrigal
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Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2019 8:59 am

Re: Ask the forum

Post by Madrigal » Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:59 pm

Senseye wrote:
Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:47 pm
I suspect it is closer to the former but I might be wrong. Or I might be one of the delicious. But from my experience, if the mosquito situation is bad (i.e. there are lots of them) everybody is complaining about the evil little blood suckers. If you are expelling CO2 and radiating body heat (two factors very hard to avoid) they will come for you, regardless of everything else.
I have to say they don't care for me. I also no longer remember a mosquito situation that was "bad". I lived in the Caribbean for 4 years and we used to use those spirals that you light and burn through the night, but I recall being more annoyed by the buzzing in my ear or the moment of the bite itself than by what they left on my skin.

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TeresaJ
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Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:32 am

Re: Ask the forum

Post by TeresaJ » Sat Mar 06, 2021 7:39 pm

How do I turn dark mode off? I turned it on but now it's bugging me, and I can't find wherever I found it the first time.

Also, is there any way to make the text size on everything bigger? I'm going blind, and it's worse on my phone.

I have no sense of direction over here. :cry:

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Utisz
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Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:35 am

Re: Ask the forum

Post by Utisz » Sat Mar 06, 2021 8:24 pm

TeresaJ wrote:
Sat Mar 06, 2021 7:39 pm
How do I turn dark mode off? I turned it on but now it's bugging me, and I can't find wherever I found it the first time.
Yup! You can go to your username in the top right, in the drop-down select User Control Panel.
Under Board Preferences, My Board Style > prosilver. Hit submit.
Also, is there any way to make the text size on everything bigger? I'm going blind, and it's worse on my phone.
Best to do it in your browser. It might even be zoomed out.

If in Chrome, go for the vertical three dots, and play with the zoom setting.
In other browsers you should find a similar zoom setting.
It should remember the setting for next time.
I have no sense of direction over here. :cry:
We'll get you sorted :)

post-modern
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:44 pm

Re: Ask the forum

Post by post-modern » Mon Mar 08, 2021 5:43 pm

Utisz wrote:
Mon Mar 01, 2021 4:43 pm
Anyone allergic to mosquitos? They're not so common here, but the odd night I will wake up with swollen itchy bites. They only ever bite me. Clearly they are partial to a Château d'Irlande '85.

Any remedies? Was thinking of having antihistamine tablets handy.
At summer orchestra camp, my roommate opened a dorm window. The mosquitos chose me 134 times over the person sharing the room with me.

None of the advice in that link mentioned a deficiency in B-vitamins. My father and I both have a genetic disorder of Vitamin-B12 metabolism, most likely due to both his parents being alcoholics. When I take my B vitamins, mosquitos seem to leave me alone. (There are tons of articles debunking this myth, but it seems to be working for me.)

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Utisz
Posts: 676
Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:35 am

Re: Ask the forum

Post by Utisz » Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:12 pm

post-modern wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 5:43 pm
At summer orchestra camp, my roommate opened a dorm window. The mosquitos chose me 134 times over the person sharing the room with me.

None of the advice in that link mentioned a deficiency in B-vitamins. My father and I both have a genetic disorder of Vitamin-B12 metabolism, most likely due to both his parents being alcoholics. When I take my B vitamins, mosquitos seem to leave me alone. (There are tons of articles debunking this myth, but it seems to be working for me.)
Uff.

Never heard of the B vitamin thing, will give it a try!

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