wish i had a picture for you

Yesterday in my Dysphagia (swallowing disorders) class, we had a guest lecturer on electrical stimulation therapy. Because I know the research base is inconclusive -- or perhaps more correctly, inadequate -- I went into class with some skepticism, but the presentation was interesting and I appreciated the perspectives of the presenter. I did not come to any personal conclusions about efficacy/effectiveness, but that isn't the point of this post.

So we learned that you aim for a sub-maximum motor contraction level of current to be applied to the target muscles. A max motor contraction contracts the muscles so much that you can't un-contract them while the current is being applied. It's a little bit creepy. The presenter needed someone to demo the procedure on before we would all get to try it on each other. (We were doing it on the facial nerve to avoid things like putting the electrodes too close to the carotid sinus and perhaps triggering a vasovagal attack.) Although kind of leery, I volunteered to be the "model." It felt weird -- tingly, then more like stronger pokes, I couldn't keep my eye open, and it also stimulated a nerve to a tooth (which really kind of hurt). Apparently I looked pretty funny because the class kept laughing.

pie crust timmings

What do you / what did your mom/dad/grandma/grandpa do with the trimmings from pie crusts? My mom always put them on a cookie sheet, sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar, and baked them. So, sooooooooo good. I love those little treats. I've made one pie crust on my own. It wasn't that great. Edible but certainly not stellar, especially the texture of it. I tried to make trimmings treats, but I ended up burning the sugar on them, and they had to be thrown away.

Needless to say, due to inexperience and (mostly) the simple fact that I pretty much never make pie crusts (and don't have time to), my prospects for having trimmings treats are not very favorable. However, a few weeks ago Whole Foods had a nice sale on Stacy's Pita Chips. I usually make my own pita chips, but since there was a sale, I bought several flavors. One of them was the Cinnamon Sugar flavor, and they taste so much like the pie crust trimming treats. Mmm, mmm. Harder and crunchier, sure, but tasty-tasty. I just ate these for breakfast (yes, I know how late it is; that is how I roll on the weekend).