I have the gout.

It's a mild case, but the intermittent pain and swelling in my left big toe joint is definitely the gout, given that it runs in my family, and well, because that's basically all it could be.

There are hereditary factors and dietary factors. Hereditary, as in my dad has it on and off (the same toe even), and dietary ... somehow my eating habits over the years have gradually transitioned from ascetic vegetarian healthfoodism to my current fare which consists mostly of seafood, hard liquor, and coffee. Definitely a high gout risk diet ... if I just increase my consumption of organ meats I'll probably lose the ability to walk entirely.

I think I'll take responsibility on this one and not blame it the genes I got from my dad. I give him a hard enough time already. For example, this morning I complained (via email) that he had never introduced me to Spinoza (the works and thought of Spinoza, that is). After reading a bit about the guy, I realized that he was on to the whole idea of free will being a continuum, corresponding directly with the application of conscious-awareness to one's own impulses and motivations. What I had thought was a relatively new line of thought (Dennett, Wilber, et al) had in fact been well worked out by a gruel-eating Dutchman who walked the earth four centuries ago. Kind of takes the wind out of one's intellectual sails, to find out you're four centuries behind in the Conversation.

So I wrote my dad ... why didn't you talk to me about Spinoza?

He wrote back immediately to say that in fact he had, around 1980, after sharing a fourteen hour flight with a professor who was an expert on the works of Spinoza.

I wrote back that in 1980 I was eleven, and not exactly intellectually mature enough to really appreciate a discussion of the unified continuum property of space, early ecumenicalism, and the semi-illusory nature of self control in the human being.

Haven't heard back yet. I guess technically he has his ass covered. I actually do vaguely remember the conversation.

Once again it's on me.