Collected Thoughts

I have managed to lose some weight. About 7 pounds! Which is really amazing, I think part of it is due to the lack of carbs because I'm fairly certain anything that's been enriched with vitamins gives me problems.

And trying to find things that are not enriched is really hard/expensive. I finally found Arrowhead Mills Puffed corn cereal that looks like it's normal corn that's been puffed.

But I'm excited because the weight loss took awhile but it's here and even if that's all I end up losing it's 7 lbs less.

Today I've been symptom free all day without meds. YAY, so now I'm working on being symptom free for 7 days and then start adding foods back. And I'm being really careful about what I eat so if I flare I'll know what it is.

Also it's another week down on work.

I've become a weee bit addicted to World of Warcraft, I've never used the forums so I wasn't too worried about the current issue but I was paying attention. It's something else Second Life Now Real Life boyfriend and I can do and it's something else to do since my tv died.

Although I'm reading more, I did pick up this book called - I can't remember. It's a urban fantasy about a woman who is a blacksmith and works with CSA and low budget movies and turns out dwarves and dragons are real. But she is just finding that out. Also she's a lesbian but is having issues because she grew up in an ultra religious household and her current gilfriend is her only girlfriend and the first girl she kissed. So she's struggling with her upbringing and her issues that she has. So far it's interesting.

oh the title is Black Blade Blues.

It is a little slow at first and the main character Sarah has a lot of self doubt and some self loathing and a lot of doubt about the whole dragon and dwarf thing but it's interesting. I was reading it at lunch and got caught up and almost was late for going back to work .

And now I think having symptoms of lactose intolerance. And I was reading more that some people are triggered by the stuff that is in enriched breads and pastas.

My new plan of action is to just cook meat, veggies, and maybe quinoa or rice for my meals for the next week. I think the safe seasonings for me are garlic, rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley and sage.

So I have been mostly good about eating the IC elimination diet. But this week has been stressful, I didn't have a/c for three days, well for upstairs, downstairs was fine, but I was sleeping on the couch.

So there have been some times when I ate something and didn't realize there was a forbidden ingredient. Like the Wendy's chicken sandwich that had (what tasted like) a ton of pepper and I had a minor flare of pain.

Or today when I was just frustrated and doubting if this will work. So I had a hamburger with mustard, mayo and pickles (all on the list) and fries with ketchup (tomato products can be a trigger) and a rootbeer . Oh and a slice of lemon cake on my break.

and I'm in pain. My very hard to describe yet still painful side pain - back. Burning sensation when I pee is also back.

So now I know eating all those things a BAD BAD idea. I'm not sure if all the things are triggers or some of them. But I'm goign to try one more week of bland eating and then start adding things back. Black pepper is going to be my first test. I already have it planned - I'm going to cook some chicken and season it with salt and pepper. I've been day dreaming about it.

What Iv'e been cooking has basically been some form of veggies with some chicken and pasta. I was using Ricotta, but still wasn't feeling great so I looked on the label. Vinegar. I checked at the grocery and they all have vinegar. At the natural foods store I found one with "cultures" but I also found ricotta insalata which was milk and salt so I might try that. I also found some fresh cheeses but they listed cultures and since yogurt is on the avoid list I think I'll be avoiding these as well.

For cheese right now I think I'm down to cottage cheese and mozzarella. I am really trying to look at this as an adventure, I really am.

So, this wasn't so bad. It was tasty but I did go an easy route. I did a Beef and Veggie Saute over Quinoa.

I had bought some sliced beef that's for stir fry and fajitas. I seasoned it with salt, dried thyme, and a little bit of sage (although I never tasted it, but I was just trying for something).

The veggies were sliced red pepper, carrots, garlic, and sliced fennel.

I cooked the beef first, then took it out of the pan and then added all the veggies at once. Seasoned with salt and then let it saute.

After it cooked some I added dried thyme. Let it cook some more and then added a handful of fresh parsley and fresh oregano and thyme - I don't know how much I just pulled the leaves off the stalks and chopped.

Then I finished it with a little butter, since it looked dry.

Overall not bad. I should have waited and added the fennel later and not cooked it so long, it wasn't the strong fennel taste I was looking for. But it was very flavorful and mostly satisfying.

Funny how when you can't have something you immediately crave it, I was thinking how it needed black pepper and some lemon juice.

The doctor was only slightly helpful. The in office test showed no UTI, but they are going to culture it.

Then the PA said maybe I have interstitial cystitis only there's no test for it. So she gave me some med ication for the symptoms and there's diet.

A very bland diet, but I'm going to try it. Of course most of the stuff on there I bought the other day so I'm going...I don't know what..I don't want to give it away, but maybe give some stuff to my dad.

My keys are still lost, I have to confess this at work. And my desk key.

tomorrow is going to be stressful.

Guess what also makes IC flare up -- stress!

yay

For Father's Day (yeah it's tomorrow but Dad is super busy so we celebreated last night and today) we went to he beach and walked around. I took pictures, only about 35 or so. It wasn't really low tide so I wasn't inspired to take a bunch.

But there was a great blue heron and a pod of dolphins -- they even were jumping out of the water at one point.

And family.

I went and took pictures because although this beach isn't directly on the Gulf, it's a sound on the Gulf side of Florida. So, there will be oil here it's just a matter of time.

I took pictures so my nephew will know what it looked like (although I have a ton of pictures already but still). Because he's 2 and he may not be able to get down here before the oil gets here.. and it's depressing.

But also it makes me mad at myself because I'm partly responsible for this because of my use of plastic products and my lack of recycling. And my huge energy bill -- omigod May/June was hot and my bill has floored me, really the highest it's been since...well a while.

I digress.. there's a great blog called Fake Plastic Fish about living plastic free, or as close to it as one can.


I've been trying to make better plastic free choices. Today I totally failed because just about everything I dealt with today was disposable, throw away mostly made with plastic.

while I was looking to see what I have that is recylcable plastic I realized that a couple of the lotions I use regularly are primarily petroleum based. Plastic containers made from petroleum and then the 3 or 4 ingredient - petroleum. The one all natural no chemical lotion I do have is in a plastic container that's not marked recyclable.

I went to the grocery store the other day and looked at all the containers that used to be glass and are now plastic. I looked at all the individual serving stuff, individually wrapped in plastic, and then collectively wrapped in plastic.

It's daunting and it's easy to get overwhelmed and think -t his is just the way it will be. But I try to remind myself that it doesn't have to be. Ever change helps.

There are, right now, food products with labels proudly proclaiming - Now HFCS Free. That's because of consumer demand.

So if that can get changed because of consumer demand, how many other things can be changed?


Here are some things Iv'e been working on changing - reusable shopping bags and produce bags (or not using produce bags), buying bar soap instead of body wash, trying to remember to turn off the lights, turn up the thermostat and make sure that things are unplugged ( esp after this bill). The pharmacy I go to gives prescriptions in clear plastic zip bags with their logo. The last time I picked one up, I took out the medicine and the information and handed it back and asked the tech to reuse it. (She started to ball it up and throw it away).

I go through about 3 prescripton bottles a month. they are #5 plastic and can't be recycled in my city. But Preserve is a company that makes products from recyced #5 plastic and they have drop off places OR you can mail them (not the caps unless they are marked 5 and with the labels removed) they make toothbrushes and razors and kitchen stuff from them. It clearly states you can send the toothbrushes and razors back to be recycled, I'm not sure about the other things I'm going to clarify.

http://www.preserveproducts.com/aboutus/index.html

They have drop off spots at Whole Foods and other locations or you can mail #5 recyclables into them. I'm going to start collecting them and doing this.

So I'm going taking small steps to be come more of a recycler and also to use less plastic and petroleum products.

Am I being unreasonable if I say I don't think a woman can be considered a feminist if she supports discrimination against lesbians?

I saw that someone who claims to be a feminist can't be if they support a federal ban on gay marriage, Prop 8 and other laws that would discriminate against lesbians.

But I'm being told that's just unreasonable, feminism is about ending sexism, and those issues are just about gay rights.


I'm also being told a woman can be a racist and a feminist at the same time.

Which sounds insane to me.

I an't remember i posted an update on my procedure thing yesteray.

anyway went down to teaching hospital. Had my third cystoscopy with retropaleograph this year.  This doctor had to take a look. And he didn't talk to me czu I wouldn't remember anything.  But he told mom one of the vesital stumps is a lot longer than the other. And alos he's not sure removing them could help. But he's going to do some reseach.

I'm home trying to recover which is good because this morning wa really bluury. Also I have a fever and a cough with phlegm and if it continues tomorrow i need to call back.

woo.
 

I'm watching the Sam and Dean are characters in a book episode. It's interesting, I'm pretty sure those are drawings from the comics.

It was weird seeing them do laundry. Obviously they do laundry it's just odd to see.

Also -- SAM DRINKS RUBY'S BLOOD? SERIOUSLY???

I mean. Seriously? I thought he was just following her lead and paying attention to her and ignoring Bobby and conflicted about the demon blood in himself and Dean coming back from Hell.

Which I'm sure he is and all but...

He's drinking Ruby's blood.


Dean's going to be pissed when he finds out. Pissed and freaked out, and quite possibly blame himself for it. Because he wasn't there to protect Sammy and he was in Hell torturing people because he gave in.

And Alastair, wow really good at the torture. Being held on a rack and still finding ways to cut Dean to the core. He had enough issues of self worth and self esteem and feelings of not living up to John and now he finds out John lasted for 100 years and never broke and escaped.

And that broken look on his face, geez and those tears. Poor Dean. I want to comfort him. And try to shake some sense into him and convince him that he is worth loving and he deserves to be happy and deserves to be loved. And it's not his fault he's been trying to keep his family happy since he was a little kid, he should have never been put in that position. He was going to need therapy BEFORE Mary died and John became a hunter.

With Sam I just want to slap him up side the head and yell. You are DRINKING Demon's BLOOD! Do you want to be the anti -christ? Because that's where you are headed.



I don't quite see the Castiel/Dean slashiness going on just yet. But man I loved watching him doubt. Just the little looks on his face, really well done by the actor.

I think I need to 1) watch more and 2) start reading some Dean/Castiel fic.