Surreal and scary- those are the two words that best describe my experience at Barack Obama’s inauguration. Surreal for the sheer impact and meaning of the thing- the culmination of so long a wait and so much seeming to ride on the man’s shoulders. Scary for the same reasons- the weight of a nation on one man and the knowledge that he could be snuffed out so easily. There- I said it- I thought about the possibility of Obama being assassinated at least 157 times in the 3 days I spent in the capitol. Mostly it just didn’t seem possible that it could happen- that any of it had happened, despite all the moaning of the cynics and pessimists- that we had a reason to be happy after these long 8 years. You heard it during the campaign over and over again, floating on the mouths and faces of people, he made a good speech, but he’s all talk. OK, he won the primary, but he can’t win the election. He’s too smart, he’ll sell out, he’s too black, not black enough. People say they’ll vote for him, but they’re lying. Everything about Obama’s run for office from the beginning had been plagued by a nagging sense that it was all fairy tale, too good to be true, to crazy to believe in. My fear for his safety stemmed from that feeling that there was still this hurdle to go over, one more big splashy chance for it all to evaporate into thin air. At the same time, the knowledge that I was going to watch him get sworn in was ethereal, just out of reach, like something I could reach for and not quite touch. So I carried both of those emotions with me to Washington, DC, to witness whatever was destined to happen.

I got to Washington the day before the Inauguration in a little over 3 hours- a record time considering the bus was late and I barely got a ticket. I had heard all the hysterical news anchors talk about the 4.5 billion buses or whatever number were supposed to come to DC that day, so I was fully prepared to get in 12 hours after my departure time of 8:30 in the morning. I had packed several meals and was in full survival mode- cooped up in my seat with 3 movies. In fact I was so nervous- reliving in smaller part the emotional breakdown/ sickness that characterized my experience on election day- that I ate all my food within two hours on the bus and promptly passed out from exhaustion. Imagine my surprise when we arrived an hour later, half an hour early. As if you needed another reason not to take cable news too seriously. Another moment of surrealism. I almost wondered if I had gotten the dates wrong.

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RTFA: http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id…

TASTELESS, colourless, odourless and painful, pure capsaicin is a curious substance. It does no lasting damage, but the body s natural response to even a modest dose such as that found in a chili pepper is self-defence: sweat pours, the pulse quickens, the tongue flinches, tears may roll. But then something else kicks in: pain relief. The bloodstream floods with endorphins-the closest thing to morphine that the body produces. The result is a high. And the more capsaicin you ingest, the bigger and better it gets.

Which is why the diet in the rich world is heating up. Hot chilies, once the preserve of aficionados with exotic tastes for cuisine from places such as India, Thailand or Mexico, are now a staple ingredient in everything from ready meals to cocktails.

Wait for it …

Among other things, that may give a scientific explanation for the habit, not formally researched, of snorting the “pink fix” (a mixture of cocaine and chili powder).

Crikey!

This is a fabulously informative and interesting article; all “heat geeks” must RTFA. In addition to describing the neural pathways and scientific studies regarding our perception of spicy foods, the article is chock full of hilarious tidbits and has good external links.