I obviously have a lot of stress going on in my life right now. However, I am going to try to keep up with my blog and my writing. I especially need to keep up with my writing as it is my source of income. It's just like if I had a job, I'd still have to go to work.
Honestly, right now, that might be better because my mom couldn't expect me to go up to the hospital and to be able to do things for her because I'd have to be at work. It's too bad people won't hire me just because I need to be able to sit because of my scoliosis and always having a really sore back. I even have my transport wheelchair, which I maneuver on my own unless my sister wants to push me - and she usually likes to push me as it gives her something to lean on so she can walk or run and get exercise.
Anyway, X is for Xyster. Xyster is a strange word, isn't it? The Y nestles into the x if the X is capital. If it is written later than the first word in the sentence, it is xyster. It's not quite as comfy looking as it was a first, but it still has a neat type of fit for the letters.
If that was boring, don't be concerned. I'm not going to be spending time analyzing the looks of words in my blog posts.
Years ago, my sister and I came across the word "xyster." We were curious if there was such a word, since our mom would be silly and say things like "bring this to your zister" instead of "bring this to your sister."
We still remember the word, even though some dictionaries don't have the word. It is a medical device used for scraping bone, or what they call a surgical rasp or a surgical file. Briana and I maintain that we not xysters, no matter how much our mom would call use zisters. We say that the words sound alike, so we are not going to be either.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Is There a Dcotor in the House, er Internet?
I was going to try to write article today, but that didn't happen.
My grandpa tends to come by most days and see how things are going. For awhile, even when my mom was getting bad, they were okay. I could handle what was happening and just make sure she didn't do much.
However, in the past year, things have not been good. She has seemed to decline rapidly in the past two to three months.
She goes to the ER, to our GP, to a neurologist (a pretty bad one as we don't like him and cant understand him and his ratings are also the lowest of all neurologists in Lake Charles!)
The only thing that these doctors have been able to tell us is that she has depression, low blood pressure, Asperger's, and neurological degeneration. She also often has a bladder infection or a UTI (or are they one in the same?).
Now, it is no doubt that her low blood pressure doesn't help her keep her balance. However, years age when my Daddy was alive, she tended to drink. She would get drunk and then she'd fall down. So, her falling mostly started when she got drunk and it later turned into all the time even when she was sober. I can remember her falling a few times when my Daddy was alive, but nothing like she does now.
She has problems that they will not address. The one thing that was addressed is what my sister and I always tell her. She needs to exercise to keep her leg muscles strong as if she does not, her muscles will atrophy.
She has these "seizures." I don't know what to call them, but that's what they seem to be. She is unresponsive to everything around her and she shakes. These seem to happen when she is sitting.
She falls and she has hit her head many times when she has fallen. Of course, we care about her and the doctors have looked and they don't find anything.
She goes into these "episodes," where she doesn't really know what she is doing. She will often spend money on things that are not needed. She'll go out to get food from somewhere. (We didn't know that's what was happening until later). She'll do things (like unplugging the phone or trying to talk to her dog) that she won't remember. I've said that it is kind of like Sybil, if you've ever read that book. However, when she's in one of these "episodes," it's not like another personality that will remember what happened. It's just gone from her memory.
Every now and then she'll remember a little bit of something she did during one of these "episodes," but it'll be just a bit of stuff, and then if you ask her about it more, she'll change the subject. It may be related to the topic, or it may just go to her saying, "While I'm thinking of it . . ."
Briana and I can't take care of her like she needs. She is taller than Briana. She is heavier than me. She fights and argues. If we try to help her, she falls on top of us.
However, she doesn't wash up properly. That's one of the hardest challenges. How can we get our mom to showers and wash herself properly? I keep telling her to let Briana help, but she doesn't let Briana help. She says that she is capable of taking care of herself.
However, today, when she was in the ER at very first, they put a catheter in to get a urine sample. Before that, though they had to take down her pants and her off brand depends underwear. Then, they had to clean her vagina because feces was all over it! Briana and I had no idea that she had a huge accident. She didn't tell us about this. She didn't get up out of the bed.
It would be nice to find some hospice care or a nursing home facility for her.
The thing is, we can't afford it! My mom gets SSI. My sister gets SSI. I work. We pay our bills with the three incomes. We've been lucky at times that I've had money to make it so my mom's bank account is not overdrawn.
A nursing home is about $5,000 per month. If my mom lives 50 more years, that over three million dollars! I don't know of any jobs that would even pay that much (plus probably $2,000 for the bills at home) even if they would hire me.
Do any doctors have any idea what could be happening? We keep getting sent back home without a diagnosis. How can she be having these problems and not having them show up on a CT scan or MRI?
We need some type of diagnosis and we need some help.
My grandpa tends to come by most days and see how things are going. For awhile, even when my mom was getting bad, they were okay. I could handle what was happening and just make sure she didn't do much.
However, in the past year, things have not been good. She has seemed to decline rapidly in the past two to three months.
She goes to the ER, to our GP, to a neurologist (a pretty bad one as we don't like him and cant understand him and his ratings are also the lowest of all neurologists in Lake Charles!)
The only thing that these doctors have been able to tell us is that she has depression, low blood pressure, Asperger's, and neurological degeneration. She also often has a bladder infection or a UTI (or are they one in the same?).
Now, it is no doubt that her low blood pressure doesn't help her keep her balance. However, years age when my Daddy was alive, she tended to drink. She would get drunk and then she'd fall down. So, her falling mostly started when she got drunk and it later turned into all the time even when she was sober. I can remember her falling a few times when my Daddy was alive, but nothing like she does now.
She has problems that they will not address. The one thing that was addressed is what my sister and I always tell her. She needs to exercise to keep her leg muscles strong as if she does not, her muscles will atrophy.
She has these "seizures." I don't know what to call them, but that's what they seem to be. She is unresponsive to everything around her and she shakes. These seem to happen when she is sitting.
She falls and she has hit her head many times when she has fallen. Of course, we care about her and the doctors have looked and they don't find anything.
She goes into these "episodes," where she doesn't really know what she is doing. She will often spend money on things that are not needed. She'll go out to get food from somewhere. (We didn't know that's what was happening until later). She'll do things (like unplugging the phone or trying to talk to her dog) that she won't remember. I've said that it is kind of like Sybil, if you've ever read that book. However, when she's in one of these "episodes," it's not like another personality that will remember what happened. It's just gone from her memory.
Every now and then she'll remember a little bit of something she did during one of these "episodes," but it'll be just a bit of stuff, and then if you ask her about it more, she'll change the subject. It may be related to the topic, or it may just go to her saying, "While I'm thinking of it . . ."
Briana and I can't take care of her like she needs. She is taller than Briana. She is heavier than me. She fights and argues. If we try to help her, she falls on top of us.
However, she doesn't wash up properly. That's one of the hardest challenges. How can we get our mom to showers and wash herself properly? I keep telling her to let Briana help, but she doesn't let Briana help. She says that she is capable of taking care of herself.
However, today, when she was in the ER at very first, they put a catheter in to get a urine sample. Before that, though they had to take down her pants and her off brand depends underwear. Then, they had to clean her vagina because feces was all over it! Briana and I had no idea that she had a huge accident. She didn't tell us about this. She didn't get up out of the bed.
It would be nice to find some hospice care or a nursing home facility for her.
The thing is, we can't afford it! My mom gets SSI. My sister gets SSI. I work. We pay our bills with the three incomes. We've been lucky at times that I've had money to make it so my mom's bank account is not overdrawn.
A nursing home is about $5,000 per month. If my mom lives 50 more years, that over three million dollars! I don't know of any jobs that would even pay that much (plus probably $2,000 for the bills at home) even if they would hire me.
Do any doctors have any idea what could be happening? We keep getting sent back home without a diagnosis. How can she be having these problems and not having them show up on a CT scan or MRI?
We need some type of diagnosis and we need some help.
W is for Woofstock
You read that correctly. W is for Woofstock. It's not for Woodstock. First of all, I wasn't alive in 1969. Secondly, I'm not doing any research on the festival. Thirdly, I do like Snoopy and Peanuts, but I'm not focusing on that, either.
Woofstock is a Purina Rally to Rescue event (I keep starting to type a Purina Rescue to Rally event and then I realize it and am able to correct myself either before I type that or once I get to first L in "rally.")
There are a few Woofstock events throughout the United States. Obviously, this one is in Lake Charles, LA. I've been e-mailing people about donating items that are worth at least $20 for the silent auction. The donations are tax deductible, so if you or if you know of anybody willing to donate, I have the contact information for the people in charge of the event.
It is going to be a fun day. There will be a pet blessing, vendors, rescue groups, a "mutt strut" parade, a black dog showcase, a silent auction, dog contests, and more.
Any monetary donations are nice, too. They haven't been asking for them, but I know that it costs this volunteer organization $125 per vendor that is going to be there for using the Civic Center.
Then, they also need groups such as boy scouts, girl scouts, service groups, and 4H clubs that do service to help. They need people to help set up the event (starts on the evening of Thursday, October 11) and then to take down all the stuff after the event (Saturday, October 13). They want adults or at least adults to sit with older "children" (teens who can handle holding dogs) in front of bathrooms to hold dogs while people go to the bathroom. The Civic Center is going to allow use of the inside bathrooms, but the dogs can't go inside unless they are service animals. This means that "dog holders" are needed.
Like I said before, I have all the contact information. Let me know if you are interested or if you know of anybody that is interested.
Oh, and the other thing, I asked one person, but it is "yes, if she is not busy." They need people for the kids' area. They are going to have things like crafts, coloring sheets, and face painting so the kids can also enjoy the event.
Woofstock is a Purina Rally to Rescue event (I keep starting to type a Purina Rescue to Rally event and then I realize it and am able to correct myself either before I type that or once I get to first L in "rally.")
There are a few Woofstock events throughout the United States. Obviously, this one is in Lake Charles, LA. I've been e-mailing people about donating items that are worth at least $20 for the silent auction. The donations are tax deductible, so if you or if you know of anybody willing to donate, I have the contact information for the people in charge of the event.
It is going to be a fun day. There will be a pet blessing, vendors, rescue groups, a "mutt strut" parade, a black dog showcase, a silent auction, dog contests, and more.
Any monetary donations are nice, too. They haven't been asking for them, but I know that it costs this volunteer organization $125 per vendor that is going to be there for using the Civic Center.
Then, they also need groups such as boy scouts, girl scouts, service groups, and 4H clubs that do service to help. They need people to help set up the event (starts on the evening of Thursday, October 11) and then to take down all the stuff after the event (Saturday, October 13). They want adults or at least adults to sit with older "children" (teens who can handle holding dogs) in front of bathrooms to hold dogs while people go to the bathroom. The Civic Center is going to allow use of the inside bathrooms, but the dogs can't go inside unless they are service animals. This means that "dog holders" are needed.
Like I said before, I have all the contact information. Let me know if you are interested or if you know of anybody that is interested.
Oh, and the other thing, I asked one person, but it is "yes, if she is not busy." They need people for the kids' area. They are going to have things like crafts, coloring sheets, and face painting so the kids can also enjoy the event.
Monday, May 7, 2012
My Sister and my Mother Have Asperger's
This post was rejected for publication by Yahoo! Voices and I can't seem to get Bukisa to log me into their site, so I'll post this here because I do want people to read it.
I don't currently have any children. However, I grew up with my sister. When we were young, I didn't find anything all that different with her. However, by the time I got to middle school, I felt there was something different. She would yell at me for trying to help her with her homework after she had asked me for help. She would write my homework that I had started when it clearly needed to be in my own handwriting. Of course, this didn't make sense. She was old enough to know better. However, our parents didn't scold her for doing such a thing, which didn't make any sense.
As she got into high school, I could definitely tell that something was different. She stopped wanting to go to school. She would fake being sick. I knew she wasn't sick, but our parents would let her stay home. If it was a day that I did not have to go to school or if I was already back from college classes, she would be acting fine at home.
One year, our parents even made me come with them to her high school to talk about her missing classes so she could still graduate in 2002. I really wished they didn't do that and made her take the extra year of school and have her graduate in 2003 because she was learning nothing about consequences.
As much as I tried to tell them that I truly thought something was different with her and that she needed some type of testing, they ignored me. My friends and I went though different ideas. One of the ideas was that she was a chronic liar. Another was that she actually believed what she read in books. These were based on what was happening and instances from their own relatives and friends.
It wasn't until she tried to move to Minnesota to go to college and came back that she finally got tested and we found out what made her different. It started with a letter written to my parents and me by our paternal grandmother. A friend that she had made in Minnesota told our grandmother that all the things she did and how she acted, as well as some of her physical appearances pointed to Asperger's. She knew this because she had Asperger's.
I found an online test for people to take in order for them to see if they might have Asperger's. I don't know if the exact test still exists, but it was like the Asperger's Quotient Test at Wired. Everybody in our immediate family took it thinking of the answers that would fit my sister. This included herself, which she even needed some guidance to think about her own answers. Everybody, including herself, got the result that she had Asperger's.
We went to a local counseling agency called Family and Youth. They had an Asperger's program in place. They even had an official test, the Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scale (GADS). After the results came back positive that she definitely had Asperger's, we went to work to get her officially diagnosed before she turned 23. I had learned that it was important to be diagnosed at age 22 or earlier to qualify for disability. She had other disabilities due to her scoliosis surgery, but some of them were also just from her body and the way Asperger's affected her.
I went to counseling sessions with her to learn how to deal with her. She constantly has to be reminded how to behave in public. However, at least, the more that she is reminded, the more she usually learns. There are behaviors that I have to tell her that she shouldn't be doing. I often have to tell her to take her hands out from between her legs. I have to tell her to not put her hands in her pants or her skirt.
It makes it difficult because she does not see a mess in front of her face. I do not know how she can't see it, but she can't. I can't work and clean up after her all the time. I don't understand how she can't understand that it is important that she cleans up after herself. She also does not have good personal hygiene. She says that it is because of sensitivities that she has due to the Asperger's. Sometimes this may be true, but other times it seems she is being too picky. It seems that she is often like a little child that doesn't want to come and take a bath and or wash hair.
I deal with what she needs every day.
When our mom realized that she wasn't cleaning and got closer to my sister with word games, addiction to computer games, and not doing what was needed, she also took the GADS. Her results were positive. She got diagnosed as having Asperger's. Then a neurologist also said she has a mental degeneration like Asperger's, but he is difficult to understand. I do not know why she has not tried to find somebody that is easier to understand. He also does not understand the concerns that we bring to him.
So, in addition to taking care of my sister, I also have to take care of my mother. It is difficult to work and take care of two people who can't seem to take care of themselves. Sometimes the only comfort I get is from my dog. Other times, I can get it from being with people at church or with my friends elsewhere, but it is a difficult thing to get away from my sister at times to be able to relax. She is often like a puppy dog, following me wherever I go.
However, it is important to get people diagnosed with Asperger's or autism if you think they have it. After age 22, it will not be counted towards having any type of disability unless they change the laws.
V is for Valerie
V is for Valerie? Why is it for Valerie? Valerie is my mom's first name. I've written about some of the troubles that I'm having at home. This is about what is happening with my mom.
First of all, she says she has always had low pressure. I don't know if this was true when she was a little kid, but I know that she even had low blood pressure before Briana was born, and I think before I was born. It's not exactly a completely new thing, so she isn't lying about that.
Friday and Saturday night were spent in the Emergency Room at Memorial Hospital. Briana convinced her to go to get a thorough check-up and it is a good thing that she went. It was found that she has a massive bladder infection which they said could easily contribute to her having a low blood pressure and being sick.
I keep trying to enforce the importance of being clean to her, but she doesn't tend to always clean herself like she need to clean herself. Then, even though I tell her, she has a fit and goes into her mode of yelling, "Bridget, I'm an adult! I know what I'm doing!"
That, unfortunately, has become a common refrain in this household.
The problem is that most of the time, she doesn't know what she is doing.
Briana and I were looking and we found articles about how soccer players that repeatedly head soccer balls have brain injuries, but they are not detected by CT scans or MRIs because the brain heals enough so that no medical technology finds these brain injuries. However, they do exist.
With how many times my mom has fallen, from being dizzy lately, and earlier, she would get drunk and fall, she'd hit her head, even though we'd try to teach her how to fall and not hit her head. She wouldn't take the advice and lean to the back or to the side to hit her butt. She wouldn't use her arms or her legs to fall on them as it is not as good as falling on your butt, but it's better to have a broken arm or a broken leg than to hit your head.
She goes into these "episodes," where she really doesn't know what she is doing. She may remember a tiny bit, but she doesn't know overall what she is doing.
The most recent occurrence of this is when she went out to get food from Wok D'Lite. First of all, she bought three dinners and three drinks. One dinner is huge enough for all three of us. So, all she needed to do was buy one dinner and three drinks.
However, I asked her how much it was and she told me it was around $40. I got to see what she spent, and thankfully, it was just a bit under $20.
She tends to buy things when she is in these "episodes." She goes out to buy food. She knows she needs a driver's license. That stays with her, so I have her license and if it gets so bad in these episodes, we'll just have to tell her that she doesn't have one.
She's dangerous when she's "normal" as it is when it comes to driving. She doesn't tend to look at the road. She looks at the steering wheel. Awhile ago, she tilted the steering wheel down and told me she did this like it was going to help me. I had to go fix it again because what she really did was make it impossible to see the speedometer.
She was in one the other day, too, when she yelled to me that she unplugged the house phone in the bedroom. I asked her why and she said it was because she wanted it to be quiet. I asked her why she wanted that. She insisted that the phone had been ringing all day. It had rung once and that was hours earlier. It hadn't rung since then that day.
She also doesn't know where to find the time when she's in the living room. The time is always right on the cable box.
Quite awhile ago, but something Briana and I remember clearly, is how she tried to talk to Niblet (that's her chihuahua) about SSI. We know it was about some type of benefits. Of course, when she talks, it usually doesn't make sense. It made no sense, but she insisted that Niblet understood what she was saying and that we shouldn't be interrupting because he needed to understand what she was saying.
Niblet sat on the floor next to the chair where she was sitting and looking up at her, all confused. He looked at me and at Briana, too. The poor dog was so confused.
She's also called either Niblet or Woofles "Cinder." Cinder was the dog that she had when we were young. She has not been around since I've been in 8th grade.
It's really sad to watch her go down like this because she is only 52 and I see plenty of people who are much older that are much more fit than she is.
I wish that we had the money so we could afford to put her in a nursing home, but those cost about $5,000 per month. Then, we'd need to pay all the bills, so we'd probably need another $2,000 per month. I don't know of jobs that pay $7,000 per month or have a salary of $154,000 per year. Okay, maybe coaching some type of sport, but I don't play sports or know anything about coaching them!
It's no wonder those coaches have a good life and great lifestyles! My Daddy was a chemistry professor and they didn't value him more than the coaches, no matter how much extra time he stayed at McNeese to help and to work and keep things done.
It was upsetting enough for him when they took the computer lab away so his students could no longer use them to do chemistry work, then they would stuff extra people in his classes, and it was getting worse and worse. Sadly, he passed away, but I think he would have been under so much stress to know that they had cut the budget at McNeese for the Arts and Sciences.
So, yeah, Valerie, even if she says things are "fine," really isn't doing well. It's difficult to explain.
If you've ever read Sybil, you've read about what they used to call Multiple Personality Disorder. It is somewhat like this, but it's like this other "Valerie" isn't really there at all. She'll snap back to reality and maybe remember parts of what she did (but sometimes she doesn't know what she did at all), and the "Valerie" that did exist is kind of like another personality, but you can't truly access it again. It's not like when she goes into an episode that she'll remember what she did, either.
Perhaps you can link it to sleepwalking, but it's not that, either. She's awake, just not in the right state of consciousness or something like that.
If we don't know how to explain it and the doctors don't know how to explain it, we can't really explain it to other people. She's just not herself at all any longer. She doesn't even understand the simplest of jokes and puzzles when she is in one of these "episodes."
It also seems that we never truly know how long one will last. Sometimes she seems to be in one for weeks. Other times, it seems to happen for just a few hours per night.
We won't even get into the Depends and the accidents and the constant falling. Now you know a bit more about what is happening with my mom, Valerie.
First of all, she says she has always had low pressure. I don't know if this was true when she was a little kid, but I know that she even had low blood pressure before Briana was born, and I think before I was born. It's not exactly a completely new thing, so she isn't lying about that.
Friday and Saturday night were spent in the Emergency Room at Memorial Hospital. Briana convinced her to go to get a thorough check-up and it is a good thing that she went. It was found that she has a massive bladder infection which they said could easily contribute to her having a low blood pressure and being sick.
I keep trying to enforce the importance of being clean to her, but she doesn't tend to always clean herself like she need to clean herself. Then, even though I tell her, she has a fit and goes into her mode of yelling, "Bridget, I'm an adult! I know what I'm doing!"
That, unfortunately, has become a common refrain in this household.
The problem is that most of the time, she doesn't know what she is doing.
Briana and I were looking and we found articles about how soccer players that repeatedly head soccer balls have brain injuries, but they are not detected by CT scans or MRIs because the brain heals enough so that no medical technology finds these brain injuries. However, they do exist.
With how many times my mom has fallen, from being dizzy lately, and earlier, she would get drunk and fall, she'd hit her head, even though we'd try to teach her how to fall and not hit her head. She wouldn't take the advice and lean to the back or to the side to hit her butt. She wouldn't use her arms or her legs to fall on them as it is not as good as falling on your butt, but it's better to have a broken arm or a broken leg than to hit your head.
She goes into these "episodes," where she really doesn't know what she is doing. She may remember a tiny bit, but she doesn't know overall what she is doing.
The most recent occurrence of this is when she went out to get food from Wok D'Lite. First of all, she bought three dinners and three drinks. One dinner is huge enough for all three of us. So, all she needed to do was buy one dinner and three drinks.
However, I asked her how much it was and she told me it was around $40. I got to see what she spent, and thankfully, it was just a bit under $20.
She tends to buy things when she is in these "episodes." She goes out to buy food. She knows she needs a driver's license. That stays with her, so I have her license and if it gets so bad in these episodes, we'll just have to tell her that she doesn't have one.
She's dangerous when she's "normal" as it is when it comes to driving. She doesn't tend to look at the road. She looks at the steering wheel. Awhile ago, she tilted the steering wheel down and told me she did this like it was going to help me. I had to go fix it again because what she really did was make it impossible to see the speedometer.
She was in one the other day, too, when she yelled to me that she unplugged the house phone in the bedroom. I asked her why and she said it was because she wanted it to be quiet. I asked her why she wanted that. She insisted that the phone had been ringing all day. It had rung once and that was hours earlier. It hadn't rung since then that day.
She also doesn't know where to find the time when she's in the living room. The time is always right on the cable box.
Quite awhile ago, but something Briana and I remember clearly, is how she tried to talk to Niblet (that's her chihuahua) about SSI. We know it was about some type of benefits. Of course, when she talks, it usually doesn't make sense. It made no sense, but she insisted that Niblet understood what she was saying and that we shouldn't be interrupting because he needed to understand what she was saying.
Niblet sat on the floor next to the chair where she was sitting and looking up at her, all confused. He looked at me and at Briana, too. The poor dog was so confused.
She's also called either Niblet or Woofles "Cinder." Cinder was the dog that she had when we were young. She has not been around since I've been in 8th grade.
It's really sad to watch her go down like this because she is only 52 and I see plenty of people who are much older that are much more fit than she is.
I wish that we had the money so we could afford to put her in a nursing home, but those cost about $5,000 per month. Then, we'd need to pay all the bills, so we'd probably need another $2,000 per month. I don't know of jobs that pay $7,000 per month or have a salary of $154,000 per year. Okay, maybe coaching some type of sport, but I don't play sports or know anything about coaching them!
It's no wonder those coaches have a good life and great lifestyles! My Daddy was a chemistry professor and they didn't value him more than the coaches, no matter how much extra time he stayed at McNeese to help and to work and keep things done.
It was upsetting enough for him when they took the computer lab away so his students could no longer use them to do chemistry work, then they would stuff extra people in his classes, and it was getting worse and worse. Sadly, he passed away, but I think he would have been under so much stress to know that they had cut the budget at McNeese for the Arts and Sciences.
So, yeah, Valerie, even if she says things are "fine," really isn't doing well. It's difficult to explain.
If you've ever read Sybil, you've read about what they used to call Multiple Personality Disorder. It is somewhat like this, but it's like this other "Valerie" isn't really there at all. She'll snap back to reality and maybe remember parts of what she did (but sometimes she doesn't know what she did at all), and the "Valerie" that did exist is kind of like another personality, but you can't truly access it again. It's not like when she goes into an episode that she'll remember what she did, either.
Perhaps you can link it to sleepwalking, but it's not that, either. She's awake, just not in the right state of consciousness or something like that.
If we don't know how to explain it and the doctors don't know how to explain it, we can't really explain it to other people. She's just not herself at all any longer. She doesn't even understand the simplest of jokes and puzzles when she is in one of these "episodes."
It also seems that we never truly know how long one will last. Sometimes she seems to be in one for weeks. Other times, it seems to happen for just a few hours per night.
We won't even get into the Depends and the accidents and the constant falling. Now you know a bit more about what is happening with my mom, Valerie.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
U is for Underwear
First, just to say, yes, "medically" my mom is okay. We've been at the ER the past two afternoons and nights, but the only thing found was a massive bladder infection. So, hopefully she'll take her antibiotics and drink things that do not have caffeine or carbonation.
As for my post, U is for Underwear. Why is U for Underwear?
In most households, washers and dryers seem to eat socks. Now, I can't say our doesn't seem to do that. After all, they do seem to eat socks. I have a difficult time finding a pair of socks whenever I need a pair of socks.
However, the washer and dryer also seem to eat my underwear. I know that it doesn't help that the laundry is only strewn all over our den and I'd like a day when I could just sit and do laundry all day. Or, I'd love a day when people could come bag up laundry and help me by going to a laundromat and we'd do all the laundry there and we could come sort it.
My mom and Briana weren't using their dressers and then they ended up blocking the one I was using, too. So, even though it's not the neatest thing ever, I got each of us a huge blue container to hold our laundry. The problem is that they don't use these containers. Instead, they throw the laundry onto the floor.
If they just washed their own laundry in loads, it wouldn't be too difficult. In fact, one of these days, maybe I can buy another container and designate it for bedding- sheet, blankets, etc. That way those wouldn't be on the floor, either.
Yet, it always seems to be my underwear that goes missing. I'll have found a week's worth of underwear one day and set it in my clean laundry container. Then, the next day, I'll end up finding only two or three pairs and the rest of the underwear are gone. It makes no sense.
If somebody could come and take the underwear stealing monster, that would be nice. However, he seems to be invisible. After all, I never see him. My mom and my sister never see him.
It's not an easy solution like pinning two socks together so it's either they don't get lost or both of them get lost.
With all the underwear I've bought over the past year, you'd think I'd have almost enough underwear for a clean pair every day of the year, or a least for a fourth of a year. It doesn't seem that way, though.
Oh, and as for the underwear stealing beast, I'm assuming it's male. I don't know being that I've never seen it. However, why would a female want to steal another female's underwear?
As for my post, U is for Underwear. Why is U for Underwear?
In most households, washers and dryers seem to eat socks. Now, I can't say our doesn't seem to do that. After all, they do seem to eat socks. I have a difficult time finding a pair of socks whenever I need a pair of socks.
However, the washer and dryer also seem to eat my underwear. I know that it doesn't help that the laundry is only strewn all over our den and I'd like a day when I could just sit and do laundry all day. Or, I'd love a day when people could come bag up laundry and help me by going to a laundromat and we'd do all the laundry there and we could come sort it.
My mom and Briana weren't using their dressers and then they ended up blocking the one I was using, too. So, even though it's not the neatest thing ever, I got each of us a huge blue container to hold our laundry. The problem is that they don't use these containers. Instead, they throw the laundry onto the floor.
If they just washed their own laundry in loads, it wouldn't be too difficult. In fact, one of these days, maybe I can buy another container and designate it for bedding- sheet, blankets, etc. That way those wouldn't be on the floor, either.
Yet, it always seems to be my underwear that goes missing. I'll have found a week's worth of underwear one day and set it in my clean laundry container. Then, the next day, I'll end up finding only two or three pairs and the rest of the underwear are gone. It makes no sense.
If somebody could come and take the underwear stealing monster, that would be nice. However, he seems to be invisible. After all, I never see him. My mom and my sister never see him.
It's not an easy solution like pinning two socks together so it's either they don't get lost or both of them get lost.
With all the underwear I've bought over the past year, you'd think I'd have almost enough underwear for a clean pair every day of the year, or a least for a fourth of a year. It doesn't seem that way, though.
Oh, and as for the underwear stealing beast, I'm assuming it's male. I don't know being that I've never seen it. However, why would a female want to steal another female's underwear?
Saturday, May 5, 2012
T is for Termites
I didn't end up writing yesterday because my mom was at the hospital all afternoon and all night. On Thursday night, I was in tears because she was so much to handle. Anyway, T is for termites because on Thursday night I drove over to First Christian Church to see if anybody was there.
I would've gotten out at first, but I had Woofles with me. This is because my mom insisted that she has prescriptions to pick up from Walgreens. She insisted somebody had called and said they were ready to be picked up from the store.
The phone had not rang and she had not talked to anybody. I know that she didn't talk to anybody because her cell phone is broken as she fell on it and the screen broke.
So, back to the termites. Stacy came out to talk to me and try to help me find some resources that might help. I was in the car and it was getting towards dusk. The termites were starting to come out and being that I was parked near a wooden telephone pole where there was a light, they were attracted near the car. Stacy was using her cell phone to help me, so they were also attracted to that light.
They would come and hit her skin and she'd feel them. Poor Stacy even ended up swallowing one of the termites when it came near.
I've still got the list of resources. Sadly, being that my mom is 52, she doesn't qualify for the ones I could reach. She has to be 55 or 60 for most of them.
It drives me crazy that the three year age difference makes them not accept her when she needs some type of help. She is considered disabled and she is on SSI. She doesn't work. She doesn't do her crafts like she says she'll do them.
In fact, only when she was in the hospital room (not even in the waiting room in ER or being checked out in triage) did she finally start to act like herself. Of course, it was good that Briana and I could talk to her, but then, of course, the doctor and the nurses couldn't see how she acts a lot of the time. Which, honestly, has been the majority of the time lately.
I would've gotten out at first, but I had Woofles with me. This is because my mom insisted that she has prescriptions to pick up from Walgreens. She insisted somebody had called and said they were ready to be picked up from the store.
The phone had not rang and she had not talked to anybody. I know that she didn't talk to anybody because her cell phone is broken as she fell on it and the screen broke.
So, back to the termites. Stacy came out to talk to me and try to help me find some resources that might help. I was in the car and it was getting towards dusk. The termites were starting to come out and being that I was parked near a wooden telephone pole where there was a light, they were attracted near the car. Stacy was using her cell phone to help me, so they were also attracted to that light.
They would come and hit her skin and she'd feel them. Poor Stacy even ended up swallowing one of the termites when it came near.
I've still got the list of resources. Sadly, being that my mom is 52, she doesn't qualify for the ones I could reach. She has to be 55 or 60 for most of them.
It drives me crazy that the three year age difference makes them not accept her when she needs some type of help. She is considered disabled and she is on SSI. She doesn't work. She doesn't do her crafts like she says she'll do them.
In fact, only when she was in the hospital room (not even in the waiting room in ER or being checked out in triage) did she finally start to act like herself. Of course, it was good that Briana and I could talk to her, but then, of course, the doctor and the nurses couldn't see how she acts a lot of the time. Which, honestly, has been the majority of the time lately.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
S is for Shit
I'm sorry for being so graphic, but yes, S is for shit. I can't hide how terrible my mother is. She wants us to keep everything secret, but I can't keep everything secret. She thinks that it is perfectly okay to hide all of her health problems. She thinks that is okay that she never does what the doctors ask her to do. She thinks it is okay to hide that the minute she stands up, she falls and can't get back up for over an hour.
My sister knows that at times she is stressful. It doesn't help in the times that she is causing a lot of stress, but it helps to have her know it and that she knows that she needs to be responsible.
My mother, however, only yells at me. Yesterday, she yelled that she wasn't a baby or wasn't an infant. Truthfully, she is a baby or an infant.
She always falls. Every day, she falls. She can't get up for an hour after she falls. It takes her over an hour just to get to the bathroom from where she currently has her room. (We REALLY need to get our rooms switched!). Then, we need to get grab bars put on the walls so she can hold them when she's going from her new room to the bathroom.
However, what I need first is help to get our rooms clean. I know people can't do things at the drop of a hat. I know that they need to get things organized. I'm not expecting people to do things immediately or know what to do immediately.
All I know is that this is really difficult.
Oh, and why is S for shit? That's how my day started. Yep, my mother gets up and she is icky and dirty. At least she wears the store brand depends. However, even that doesn't keep her clean! She had shit ALL OVER THE PLACE. I am not joking about this at all.
I couldn't even use the front bathroom (the bathroom) and had to use the back bathroom (the backthroom). It was so disgusting that I could not even breathe when I went near the door. Briana was good today and cleaned, but I knew why she was feeling so bad.
While we did need some groceries, I said I would take her to a place to eat that wasn't too expensive. Taco Bell worked fine for us.
However, yesterday, I had to take my mother do the doctor. He told her to exercise by standing and sitting, standing and sitting, standing and sitting. She hasn't done that at all. She also insists that she's always okay, but she's not. She has Asperger's and a neurological degeneration. She spends money that she doesn't have and she expects me or Briana to always be able to bail her out of debt. We can't do this because we are paying bills and household expenses!
I wish I could afford to put her in a nursing home, but I can't afford that! It's $5,000 a month to be able to put somebody in a nursing home! If she manages to live for 50 more years, that's THREE MILLION DOLLARS.
Is the bathroom covered in shit normal? Yes, it is! It may not be daily, but it's constant. She doesn't cleaned up after herself. She has the toilet covered in shit. She has the floor covered in shit. She has the walls covered in shit. She has the sink full of shit. It is literally EVERYWHERE. Being that she has to come through my room to get to the bathroom, it's all over my room, too!
There are myriad advantages for her to be in the room I'm currently in right now. However, there are also myriad advantages for me to be in the room where she is. She wants to know if I have an ulterior motive to being in that room. It is good for me, but the thing is, if she can't be in a nursing home, it is best for her to be in the room that is currently mine.
In that room, I also need to get a direct line to the Internet, get the electrical outlet grounded, and get another direct cable line. Other than that, the house needs to be cleaned and then some heavy furniture needs to be moved.
My sister knows that at times she is stressful. It doesn't help in the times that she is causing a lot of stress, but it helps to have her know it and that she knows that she needs to be responsible.
My mother, however, only yells at me. Yesterday, she yelled that she wasn't a baby or wasn't an infant. Truthfully, she is a baby or an infant.
She always falls. Every day, she falls. She can't get up for an hour after she falls. It takes her over an hour just to get to the bathroom from where she currently has her room. (We REALLY need to get our rooms switched!). Then, we need to get grab bars put on the walls so she can hold them when she's going from her new room to the bathroom.
However, what I need first is help to get our rooms clean. I know people can't do things at the drop of a hat. I know that they need to get things organized. I'm not expecting people to do things immediately or know what to do immediately.
All I know is that this is really difficult.
Oh, and why is S for shit? That's how my day started. Yep, my mother gets up and she is icky and dirty. At least she wears the store brand depends. However, even that doesn't keep her clean! She had shit ALL OVER THE PLACE. I am not joking about this at all.
I couldn't even use the front bathroom (the bathroom) and had to use the back bathroom (the backthroom). It was so disgusting that I could not even breathe when I went near the door. Briana was good today and cleaned, but I knew why she was feeling so bad.
While we did need some groceries, I said I would take her to a place to eat that wasn't too expensive. Taco Bell worked fine for us.
However, yesterday, I had to take my mother do the doctor. He told her to exercise by standing and sitting, standing and sitting, standing and sitting. She hasn't done that at all. She also insists that she's always okay, but she's not. She has Asperger's and a neurological degeneration. She spends money that she doesn't have and she expects me or Briana to always be able to bail her out of debt. We can't do this because we are paying bills and household expenses!
I wish I could afford to put her in a nursing home, but I can't afford that! It's $5,000 a month to be able to put somebody in a nursing home! If she manages to live for 50 more years, that's THREE MILLION DOLLARS.
Is the bathroom covered in shit normal? Yes, it is! It may not be daily, but it's constant. She doesn't cleaned up after herself. She has the toilet covered in shit. She has the floor covered in shit. She has the walls covered in shit. She has the sink full of shit. It is literally EVERYWHERE. Being that she has to come through my room to get to the bathroom, it's all over my room, too!
There are myriad advantages for her to be in the room I'm currently in right now. However, there are also myriad advantages for me to be in the room where she is. She wants to know if I have an ulterior motive to being in that room. It is good for me, but the thing is, if she can't be in a nursing home, it is best for her to be in the room that is currently mine.
In that room, I also need to get a direct line to the Internet, get the electrical outlet grounded, and get another direct cable line. Other than that, the house needs to be cleaned and then some heavy furniture needs to be moved.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
R is for Responsibility
I am honestly tired of having to be responsible for everybody and everything in this house. My mom and my sister act like just because they are giving money to household bills, that makes the responsible. It doesn't. After all, the way they get money is from SSI. They don't work to earn it. They sit on their butts and don't have to do a thing.
What do they do when it comes to trash? The simple thing, you'd think, would be to throw it away in a garbage can. Do they ever do this? No, they don't. Instead, they leave it on the floor and throw it all over the place. It is on desks and tables and chairs and the couch.
They don't even put their dirty laundry in the bathroom. I have used my own money to go buy them hampers and they don't use them! I am really tired of finding their dirty laundry all over the floors of this house.
Then, when it comes to feminine sanitary items (maxi pads and depends), they also don't throw those away. Those are disgusting and all over the floor. I can't think of a day I haven't come across one and had to put it in trash.
My mom and sister are idiots when it comes to the drain blocker to block hair from going in the drain. They complain that it takes too long to drain the sink or the tub. They take the drain blocker out from the drain and then the hair is in the water and goes in the drain! They then blame me for the hair in the drain! It needs to stay in the drain and be removed after the water drains. It then needs to be pulled straight up and the hair needs to be thrown away.
Why can't they ever be clean? Why can't they clean up after themselves?
As a creative person, I don't mind a little bit of clutter. I like a house to look like somebody lives in it. However, how they keep the house is WAY TOO DIRTY. It is like living with two hoarders! How can I possibly even open the doors to the entrances of the house?
My mom and I really need to switch rooms, too. She needs to be MUCH CLOSER to the bathroom. We also need our plumbing fixed because of the toilets. It seems if the toilet from the front bathroom is flushed, it backs up to the back bathroom (which Briana decided should be called the "backthroom.")
I know part of it is the Asperger's that they have, but it's still very bad.
My mom also has some type of neurological degeneration and then she also has very low blood pressure. When she's dizzy, she won't get up and walk, so her muscles have definitely atrophied. She is so weak that she takes a half hour just to get to the bathroom from where is room is right now.
I also have to keep track of all three of our finances since they have no idea how to take care of money!
Here are some articles about Asperger's:
A Mind Like a ViewMaster: Understanding How People with Asperger's Think
Jenny McCarthy, Holly Robinson Peete, and My Experience with Asperger's
Interview with Derek Bartholomaus, Creater of Jenny McCarthy Body Count
What do they do when it comes to trash? The simple thing, you'd think, would be to throw it away in a garbage can. Do they ever do this? No, they don't. Instead, they leave it on the floor and throw it all over the place. It is on desks and tables and chairs and the couch.
They don't even put their dirty laundry in the bathroom. I have used my own money to go buy them hampers and they don't use them! I am really tired of finding their dirty laundry all over the floors of this house.
Then, when it comes to feminine sanitary items (maxi pads and depends), they also don't throw those away. Those are disgusting and all over the floor. I can't think of a day I haven't come across one and had to put it in trash.
My mom and sister are idiots when it comes to the drain blocker to block hair from going in the drain. They complain that it takes too long to drain the sink or the tub. They take the drain blocker out from the drain and then the hair is in the water and goes in the drain! They then blame me for the hair in the drain! It needs to stay in the drain and be removed after the water drains. It then needs to be pulled straight up and the hair needs to be thrown away.
Why can't they ever be clean? Why can't they clean up after themselves?
As a creative person, I don't mind a little bit of clutter. I like a house to look like somebody lives in it. However, how they keep the house is WAY TOO DIRTY. It is like living with two hoarders! How can I possibly even open the doors to the entrances of the house?
My mom and I really need to switch rooms, too. She needs to be MUCH CLOSER to the bathroom. We also need our plumbing fixed because of the toilets. It seems if the toilet from the front bathroom is flushed, it backs up to the back bathroom (which Briana decided should be called the "backthroom.")
I know part of it is the Asperger's that they have, but it's still very bad.
My mom also has some type of neurological degeneration and then she also has very low blood pressure. When she's dizzy, she won't get up and walk, so her muscles have definitely atrophied. She is so weak that she takes a half hour just to get to the bathroom from where is room is right now.
I also have to keep track of all three of our finances since they have no idea how to take care of money!
Here are some articles about Asperger's:
A Mind Like a ViewMaster: Understanding How People with Asperger's Think
Jenny McCarthy, Holly Robinson Peete, and My Experience with Asperger's
Interview with Derek Bartholomaus, Creater of Jenny McCarthy Body Count
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Q is for Quiz Bowl
When I was in high school, I was on the quiz bowl team. I loved being on the team. There were all kinds of trivia questions asked. Some had to do with things we learned in school and others were completely random. I found that I was good to questions from literature and from the Bible. Sometimes, I had no idea how I knew the answers to questions.
I can remember that the first question I ever answered in a quiz bowl tournament was the name of the RCA dog. If you are wondering what it is, the name is Nipper. The little one that added a few years is named Chipper. I remember this by remembering the phrase "a chip off the old block."
If my college would have had a quiz bowl team or a trivia bowl team, I would've joined. However, the college didn't have one. Trivia is something that I love.
I wish dictionaries would add the definition of trivia that it's taken to be "facts." Most still call it "unimportant fact" as relating to "trivial." This hasn't been true for many years. I think the common use of the word "trivia" has been around since I was born.
It seems that I don't have the phrase origin of "chip off the old block," but I do have reviews of different types of chips. Here are a few of those.
Monday, April 30, 2012
P is for Phrases
I love to write and therefore, I love to know about the origins of words and phrases. In other words, I like to know the etymology of words and phrases. Where did they come from? Why do we use them? Does anybody know these things?
There are a few that don't seem to have an exact origin. However, many phrases do have an origin whether they be from sports or from literature. Many phrases are also older than we think they are.
There is a guy that has done some research into phrases, but I like to try to do more research and see if more information can be found. Sometimes, though, the only information that can be found is the information that he provided.
I am glad that Gary Martin does this. I just think it would be nice if others provided some information about these phrases, too. My best articles are written when I can find at least one or two other sources that tell me something in the past about the phrase or how it is currently used.
I have so many phrase origin articles that it is not possible to have time to link to all of them. Therefore, here are a few of my favorites.
Knock Into a Cocked Hat
Know Your Onions
Sound Bite
Many A Little Makes a Mickle
The Proof Is in the Pudding
If you want to see other phrase origin articles that I have written, go to http://www.bridgetilenedelaney.tk and then scroll down to where it says "Search Bridget Ilene Delaney's Content." In the text input box under that, type "phrase origins" and then push the search button next to the text input box.
There are a few that don't seem to have an exact origin. However, many phrases do have an origin whether they be from sports or from literature. Many phrases are also older than we think they are.
There is a guy that has done some research into phrases, but I like to try to do more research and see if more information can be found. Sometimes, though, the only information that can be found is the information that he provided.
I am glad that Gary Martin does this. I just think it would be nice if others provided some information about these phrases, too. My best articles are written when I can find at least one or two other sources that tell me something in the past about the phrase or how it is currently used.
I have so many phrase origin articles that it is not possible to have time to link to all of them. Therefore, here are a few of my favorites.
Knock Into a Cocked Hat
Know Your Onions
Sound Bite
Many A Little Makes a Mickle
The Proof Is in the Pudding
If you want to see other phrase origin articles that I have written, go to http://www.bridgetilenedelaney.tk and then scroll down to where it says "Search Bridget Ilene Delaney's Content." In the text input box under that, type "phrase origins" and then push the search button next to the text input box.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
O is for Octopus
O can be a difficult blog post, but today, O is for octopus. I've never had a close encounter with an octopus. It wouldn't seem like choosing octopus as the topic for O would be logical. However, octopus is the topic because, what I think was a year or so ago now, I had a dream where there was a big friendly octopus in a pond by my friend's house. I've called her Jade, even though that's not her real name. It's easier to call her Jade in these journals, especially. She and I have had some people that are weird and want to make it so we are not friends and that does not make sense because we are quite different from each other by now. Yet, she and I do enjoy each other's company when we are around each other.
Anyway, the octopus was in a large lake by her house. This octopus was very big. Jade would go out to the pond or lake and she couldn't see the octopus when she saw the lake However, it could rise and it was just about as big as the lake. It just fit underneath the surface.
Jade would come out and visit it. The octopus would give her rides on its tentacles under the water and up above it again. It would also turn her around in the pond so she had different views of her garden and the neighborhood.
I wrote about this is another journal of mine and her only response was "Weee!" or something like that. I found it funny and she told me that it sounded like fun.
I don't have any articles about dreams, but here are some that may interest you if you enjoyed this blog post.
Never-never land
Pipe dream
What is Lucid Dreaming and How Do I Do It?
Anyway, the octopus was in a large lake by her house. This octopus was very big. Jade would go out to the pond or lake and she couldn't see the octopus when she saw the lake However, it could rise and it was just about as big as the lake. It just fit underneath the surface.
Jade would come out and visit it. The octopus would give her rides on its tentacles under the water and up above it again. It would also turn her around in the pond so she had different views of her garden and the neighborhood.
I wrote about this is another journal of mine and her only response was "Weee!" or something like that. I found it funny and she told me that it sounded like fun.
I don't have any articles about dreams, but here are some that may interest you if you enjoyed this blog post.
Never-never land
Pipe dream
What is Lucid Dreaming and How Do I Do It?
Saturday, April 28, 2012
N is for Networking
Even before I had graduated from college, the importance of networking was something that was being talked about all throughout the Mass Communications department. It wasn't as widespread as the importance of networking is for a freelance writer, but the importance was already there. At that time, Facebook wasn't open to the public and Twitter hadn't been created. Blogs weren't as popular as they are now. Internet networking was only beginning.
I can remember sitting with one of my classmates and we talked about networking. She explained to somebody how it would be like getting to know a janitor. That janitor might be married to a newspaper editor. Because the janitor knows you and might read your writings as a janitor in the Mass Communications building, she may tell her husband about your writing if he needed somebody to hire for his newspaper. This was all a made up situation, but it got the point across. It is an easy way to describe networking.
Basically, it goes back to "I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy." However, instead of you needing to hire that guy, that guy might need to hire you. Of course, you might need the guy, too, but that's another story.
As a freelance writer, it is important for me to network not only because I need people to read and like my writings so I get paid, but also to learn about new places to write. I need to know about new opportunities. I do research writing jobs online, but I can't take up all my time doing that. When other writers happen to see what I write, they sometimes tell me about other outlets and I can take a look and apply if I feel I could write for that outlet.
I've had a few gigs come and go this way. It's usually because the writing gigs start out good but go downhill quickly. This was the case with ghostwriting. They were all things that I could write, and then when I wrote exactly what people wanted, they still complained. How many different ways can the benefits of chocolate be written for the same person? How can there be many benefits of fried chicken?
I didn't want to write promotional items for things I didn't believe. Writing about saunas and health benefits were okay because it was true. However, I wasn't going to sell myself out writing about fad diets.
I have to network. Not only do I network on the Internet, but I network in real life as well. I don't think about it when I do it now, either. It has become a part of my life. I get to know a person. I get to know what he or she does. It helps that even though I am an introvert, I like to know people and I like to know about people. It's just that once I know about them, I'm pretty good. I'll just want to get out every now and then. I'll want to talk to people that I know and I'll want to relax and talk about things that are happening.
I enjoy writing,so when they mention anything that might have to do with writing or something I've written, it's easy to say, "Oh, I wrote about that," or "I can write about that if you want."
Related Articles:
Which is the Better Social Networking Site: MySpace or Facebook?
How to Use Google's Social Media
Basically, it goes back to "I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy." However, instead of you needing to hire that guy, that guy might need to hire you. Of course, you might need the guy, too, but that's another story.
As a freelance writer, it is important for me to network not only because I need people to read and like my writings so I get paid, but also to learn about new places to write. I need to know about new opportunities. I do research writing jobs online, but I can't take up all my time doing that. When other writers happen to see what I write, they sometimes tell me about other outlets and I can take a look and apply if I feel I could write for that outlet.
I've had a few gigs come and go this way. It's usually because the writing gigs start out good but go downhill quickly. This was the case with ghostwriting. They were all things that I could write, and then when I wrote exactly what people wanted, they still complained. How many different ways can the benefits of chocolate be written for the same person? How can there be many benefits of fried chicken?
I didn't want to write promotional items for things I didn't believe. Writing about saunas and health benefits were okay because it was true. However, I wasn't going to sell myself out writing about fad diets.
I have to network. Not only do I network on the Internet, but I network in real life as well. I don't think about it when I do it now, either. It has become a part of my life. I get to know a person. I get to know what he or she does. It helps that even though I am an introvert, I like to know people and I like to know about people. It's just that once I know about them, I'm pretty good. I'll just want to get out every now and then. I'll want to talk to people that I know and I'll want to relax and talk about things that are happening.
I enjoy writing,so when they mention anything that might have to do with writing or something I've written, it's easy to say, "Oh, I wrote about that," or "I can write about that if you want."
Related Articles:
Which is the Better Social Networking Site: MySpace or Facebook?
How to Use Google's Social Media
Friday, April 27, 2012
M is for Mom, Mother, Mama . . .
I do love my Mama. However, she is very stressful lately. Some of it is definitely just her health. She has always had low blood pressure and being that it is really low, she is supposed to take Fludrocortizone (the brand name is Florinef). She doesn't take this all the time like she should. That makes it really bad because she is so dizzy that she falls.
She also takes Paxil (or whatever the generic brand is). One of the side effects is dizziness. This doesn't help.
Then, she also takes some type of medicine like Detrol L.A.
She is not very neat or nice with her, um, bodily functions, these days. We make sure she wears the store brand depends. She calls them her "unders," but honestly, when she kept having problems that made it so we constantly had to clean the floors, I knew she needed "diapers."
She raised me, or for those who are so picky and say that you raise farm animals and rear human children, she reared me. Obviously, I turned out as a good person. However, I don't think I would have been as neat as I am (and I'm not great at being neat, but I'm not as messy as my mom - or my sister) if it weren't for my Daddy.
Right now, my Mama is in her room. However, we want to get that room switched with what is currently my room. This is difficult for three girls to do on their own. I also need money to get direct connections to electricity, the internet, and the phone where I need them. That room is not set up well.
This room, however, is easily set up for her. We just need to switch a couple of beds and a my desk with her dresser. Of course, the rooms also need to be clean. I haven't forgotten this.
However, it seems like my mom and sister have forgotten this fact.
If you love your mother and want to celebrate a unique mother's day, why won't you do that by giving her the day off?
She also takes Paxil (or whatever the generic brand is). One of the side effects is dizziness. This doesn't help.
Then, she also takes some type of medicine like Detrol L.A.
She is not very neat or nice with her, um, bodily functions, these days. We make sure she wears the store brand depends. She calls them her "unders," but honestly, when she kept having problems that made it so we constantly had to clean the floors, I knew she needed "diapers."
She raised me, or for those who are so picky and say that you raise farm animals and rear human children, she reared me. Obviously, I turned out as a good person. However, I don't think I would have been as neat as I am (and I'm not great at being neat, but I'm not as messy as my mom - or my sister) if it weren't for my Daddy.
Right now, my Mama is in her room. However, we want to get that room switched with what is currently my room. This is difficult for three girls to do on their own. I also need money to get direct connections to electricity, the internet, and the phone where I need them. That room is not set up well.
This room, however, is easily set up for her. We just need to switch a couple of beds and a my desk with her dresser. Of course, the rooms also need to be clean. I haven't forgotten this.
However, it seems like my mom and sister have forgotten this fact.
If you love your mother and want to celebrate a unique mother's day, why won't you do that by giving her the day off?
Thursday, April 26, 2012
L is for Lutheran
I grew up as a Lutheran. I was raised in an Evangelical Lutheran Chuch in America (ELCA) church. Even when I was born, I was baptized in an ELCA church up in Midland, MI. I went to Vacation Bible School there when I was small. When we moved to Lake Charles, there was only a small ELCA congregation. It was awesome when I was little and it also had an awesome pastor. Sadly, he had AIDS that he got from a blood transfusion in the 1970s. They didn't know about checking for AIDS at the time that he got the blood transfusion. The next pastor was not so great, but the youth ministry was still under a strong and caring leader.
I can't say much about after he left. I can't say much about the people who ran the music program. I stayed in handbells and choirs because I loved music. However, the people weren't very caring and encouraged competition between members and also bullied me and my sister. They encouraged the people that bullied us.
Anyway, the next pastor we had was awesome, though. I had also started going to a Seventh Day Adventist Church while going to the Lutheran church. I picked up some of my beliefs at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, but found that I was mainly Lutheran due to most of my beliefs.
However, I had also been reading books about Christianity and I had gone to a few different denomination's worship services. I learned about different things from these and from Christian friends.
I grew even more when I was in college. It seems odd, but a couple of the classes where I definitely grew spiritually were my Honors English class and my Stage Combat class.
Was I still Lutheran? Maybe not according to everything said. However, I read the basic beliefs of the ELCA and they are the closest to mine. I still have beliefs from all over. I love other congregations, too.
In fact, there was a huge to-do at the local ELCA church that made it so I am not comfortable going there any longer. It was bad. They blamed me for things I never did.
However, I still love being affiliated with the Lutheran church. However, I go to an Episcopal church in the morning and a Disciples of Christ church in the evenings. If I can't get to the Episcopal church in the mornings, I watch a Methodist worship service on television.
I'm still growing spiritually - which is also a point that made me not like the local Lutheran Church. They seemed to think that once you are confirmed (eighth grade!) that you don't need to continue growing spiritually - that's it! They said, "you're an adult in the eyes of the church." Then, they didn't treat me like one at all. I had graduated college and they treated me like a child!
It's a mess because even though this happened months prior to writing the article, I was still very emotional about it. It is difficult to not get emotional about it.
Read Review and Story of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lake Charles, LA.
I can't say much about after he left. I can't say much about the people who ran the music program. I stayed in handbells and choirs because I loved music. However, the people weren't very caring and encouraged competition between members and also bullied me and my sister. They encouraged the people that bullied us.
Anyway, the next pastor we had was awesome, though. I had also started going to a Seventh Day Adventist Church while going to the Lutheran church. I picked up some of my beliefs at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, but found that I was mainly Lutheran due to most of my beliefs.
However, I had also been reading books about Christianity and I had gone to a few different denomination's worship services. I learned about different things from these and from Christian friends.
I grew even more when I was in college. It seems odd, but a couple of the classes where I definitely grew spiritually were my Honors English class and my Stage Combat class.
Was I still Lutheran? Maybe not according to everything said. However, I read the basic beliefs of the ELCA and they are the closest to mine. I still have beliefs from all over. I love other congregations, too.
In fact, there was a huge to-do at the local ELCA church that made it so I am not comfortable going there any longer. It was bad. They blamed me for things I never did.
However, I still love being affiliated with the Lutheran church. However, I go to an Episcopal church in the morning and a Disciples of Christ church in the evenings. If I can't get to the Episcopal church in the mornings, I watch a Methodist worship service on television.
I'm still growing spiritually - which is also a point that made me not like the local Lutheran Church. They seemed to think that once you are confirmed (eighth grade!) that you don't need to continue growing spiritually - that's it! They said, "you're an adult in the eyes of the church." Then, they didn't treat me like one at all. I had graduated college and they treated me like a child!
It's a mess because even though this happened months prior to writing the article, I was still very emotional about it. It is difficult to not get emotional about it.
Read Review and Story of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lake Charles, LA.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
K is for Kris Kristofferson
I've never been a huge fan of Kris Kristofferson. What I have known is that he wrote songs. I really didn't know that he was an actor and writer as well as musician until I read more about him before writing this. I wasn't sure what to pick for K. I decided on Kris Kristofferson because he is in "The Lutherans Song" by Lost And Found.
You can hear that here:
(Google may be taking over the earth, but sometimes it is nice being able to put everything in a blog post so easily!)
I also had no idea what he was born about nine hours away from Lake Charles, LA in Brownsville, TX and then for awhile hat he worked only an hour away on helicopters in Lafayette, LA. In a way, he is kind of local.
I also learned that he was in the movie, Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia. Sometimes I play at a place called MC5 (sometimes called the Morningverse), and they have movie puns. That movie is one of the favorites that people like to use for puns. It's worth visiting MC5 for a lot of fun and laughter. You can join in the games or just read. Either way, it's lots of fun.
I don't have many links that relate to this, but I do have this video:
How to Book Lost And Found for a Concert - sorry, it's not a YouTube video, so you have to click the link to go watch it. Edit: It looks like there is code to put the video in the blog post!
You can hear that here:
I also had no idea what he was born about nine hours away from Lake Charles, LA in Brownsville, TX and then for awhile hat he worked only an hour away on helicopters in Lafayette, LA. In a way, he is kind of local.
I also learned that he was in the movie, Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia. Sometimes I play at a place called MC5 (sometimes called the Morningverse), and they have movie puns. That movie is one of the favorites that people like to use for puns. It's worth visiting MC5 for a lot of fun and laughter. You can join in the games or just read. Either way, it's lots of fun.
I don't have many links that relate to this, but I do have this video:
How to Book Lost And Found for a Concert - sorry, it's not a YouTube video, so you have to click the link to go watch it. Edit: It looks like there is code to put the video in the blog post!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
J is for Jock
You would think that it would be odd for a girl who loves literature and learning to be writing about jocks. You'd think that jocks and these subjects have nothing to do with each other. That's not exactly true. Sure, eventually jocks seem to go their separate ways from the academic crowd. However, in high school, they usually have to keep at least a C average in all their classes.
Now, it would seem that jocks would be taking the easy subjects in order to keep a C average. However, when I went to high school, my high school was awesome. I can't say much for the state of it these days, but it was awesome when I was there. I'd love for it to become awesome again.
I was in Advanced Physics class with football players! When I was a Freshman, in the SPARK (it's the program for gifted students in Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana - even higher than the advanced classes [known as Phase 3 classes]), the quarterback was a sophomore and he was in SPARK and took his English and Math classes that were available in SPARK!
He also used to eat any food he had in sight, but that's another story.
So, I'm not adverse to interacting with jocks. It's something I did when I was younger and I'm not adverse to interacting with them these days, either. I don't understand a ton about sports, but I understand enough to get that there is a point to playing, getting exercise, and having good sportsmanship.
Now that I am helping to get tax deductible charitable donations for an event called Woofstock in October, I am e-mailing and contacting many sports teams and sports organizations. I'm pretty sure I contacted all the NFL teams or sent the forms to the main organizer, contacted NASCAR, and have been contacting NBA. I need to still contact some of the MBA, I think (though I may have some of that done) and the NHL. I'm not on my computer at home because currently the Internet there is not working. It seems something has gone screwy with the cable's phone line and that is what is needed for our Internet, phone, and alarm system.
My sister can check the plug she knows once we get home. However, I needed to be able to work, e-mail, and volunteer today.
I guess it is back to being a "smart one" and also interacting with jocks! Things sometimes come full circle.
Now, it would seem that jocks would be taking the easy subjects in order to keep a C average. However, when I went to high school, my high school was awesome. I can't say much for the state of it these days, but it was awesome when I was there. I'd love for it to become awesome again.
I was in Advanced Physics class with football players! When I was a Freshman, in the SPARK (it's the program for gifted students in Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana - even higher than the advanced classes [known as Phase 3 classes]), the quarterback was a sophomore and he was in SPARK and took his English and Math classes that were available in SPARK!
He also used to eat any food he had in sight, but that's another story.
So, I'm not adverse to interacting with jocks. It's something I did when I was younger and I'm not adverse to interacting with them these days, either. I don't understand a ton about sports, but I understand enough to get that there is a point to playing, getting exercise, and having good sportsmanship.
Now that I am helping to get tax deductible charitable donations for an event called Woofstock in October, I am e-mailing and contacting many sports teams and sports organizations. I'm pretty sure I contacted all the NFL teams or sent the forms to the main organizer, contacted NASCAR, and have been contacting NBA. I need to still contact some of the MBA, I think (though I may have some of that done) and the NHL. I'm not on my computer at home because currently the Internet there is not working. It seems something has gone screwy with the cable's phone line and that is what is needed for our Internet, phone, and alarm system.
My sister can check the plug she knows once we get home. However, I needed to be able to work, e-mail, and volunteer today.
I guess it is back to being a "smart one" and also interacting with jocks! Things sometimes come full circle.
Monday, April 23, 2012
I is for Ill
I don't know of anybody who likes being ill. There's probably some strange person who likes it, but I'm not going to look for that person.
Anyway, on Saturday afternoon, I started feeling bad and felt bad all day Sunday. At least I feel better this morning, so I think it was just a bug that I caught over the weekend.
I had been really cold Saturday afternoon and by Sunday afternoon, I was hot. I still need to wash my hair and get myself all pulled together and neat again, but I'll do that before I really need to go anywhere. It's just good to be feeling better.
It's not exactly akin to being ill, but it was interesting to read that scientists think they have figured out what causes "brain freeze." I had already read somewhere that it isn't technically "brain freeze," but is actually "brain warmth" due to an increase in blood flow.
Their research confirms this. You can read about scientists figuring out why brain freeze happens by reading this article from Live Science.
I wonder if this research will help with finding out and possibly having a cure for migraines. My Daddy always had bad migraines. I rarely have them, but have had one or two, for certain, because my body wanted no noise and no light - just total darkness and silence.
Here's a Fun Kind of Related Article (but not really):
How My Sister Literally Gave Me Stomach Ache
Anyway, on Saturday afternoon, I started feeling bad and felt bad all day Sunday. At least I feel better this morning, so I think it was just a bug that I caught over the weekend.
I had been really cold Saturday afternoon and by Sunday afternoon, I was hot. I still need to wash my hair and get myself all pulled together and neat again, but I'll do that before I really need to go anywhere. It's just good to be feeling better.
It's not exactly akin to being ill, but it was interesting to read that scientists think they have figured out what causes "brain freeze." I had already read somewhere that it isn't technically "brain freeze," but is actually "brain warmth" due to an increase in blood flow.
Their research confirms this. You can read about scientists figuring out why brain freeze happens by reading this article from Live Science.
I wonder if this research will help with finding out and possibly having a cure for migraines. My Daddy always had bad migraines. I rarely have them, but have had one or two, for certain, because my body wanted no noise and no light - just total darkness and silence.
Here's a Fun Kind of Related Article (but not really):
How My Sister Literally Gave Me Stomach Ache
Sunday, April 22, 2012
H is for Heart - additions
Easy enough is that I went to McNeese from 2000-2004. Stage Combat was a theater class that I took. It sounds like what it is. It is learning to fight for the stage. It is learning that the fighting and sword fighting in movies is not real, but choreographed. However, the teacher in that glass was a really high up person in the Martial Arts fields. He was known as a grand dragon.
I'm not completely sure how to explain chakra, so I'll post from Wikipedia. It says, "The concept of chakra originates in Hindu texts and features in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning"
I'm not completely sure how to explain chakra, so I'll post from Wikipedia. It says, "The concept of chakra originates in Hindu texts and features in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning"
The chakras are believed to be a number of wheel-like vortices which, according to traditional Indian medicine, exist in the surface of the subtle body of living beings. The chakras are said to be "force centers" or whorls of energy permeating, from a point on the physical body, the layers of the subtle bodies in an ever-increasing fan-shaped formation. Rotating vortices of subtle matter, they are considered focal points for the reception and transmission of energies. Different belief systems posit a varying number of chakras; the best-known system in the West has seven chakras.
It is typical for chakras to be depicted as either flower-like or wheel-like. In the former case, "petals" are shown around the perimeter of a circle. In the latter, spokes divide the circle into segments making the chakra resemble a wheel (or "chakra"). Each chakra possesses a specific number of segments or petals.
Texts describing the chakras go back as far as the later Upanishads, for example the Yoga Kundalini Upanishad."
The image from Wikipedia is
We also did aura sight and that is the colors around the human body that are supposed to tell about a person. This was featured in an episode of "Boy Meets World," I think.
H is for Heart
I am mostly controlled by my emotions., my heart. If you believe in chakras, people will fell around and find that my heart chakra is the strongest. Am I saying I believe in chakras? I believe in something spiritual. I think God has more going on than we know. Part of my spiritual beliefs also come from my stage combat class that I took at McNeese. Most of them are very Christian and very ELCA (most Liberal Lutheran denomination), but they come from all kinds of denominations and places, too.
People, not surprisingly, think that I am led by my mind. Ever since at least the second grade, I was known as smart. It probably had to be before second grade. My elementary school tried putting the top students in a class together when I was in second grade. They were not supposed to continue this practice in the other grades, but they didn't completely abandon it. It seems that then they used two teachers and mixed in some of the lower scoring students who went to tutors during the day.
Disney has a song "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes." Sometimes, these dreams seem good and would say they are also good wishes. However, I know that not everything I dream are things I would want to happen. Strange dreams are ones that I probably wouldn't want to happen, but sometimes would not be big deal if they did.
However, I've had some disturbing dreams where people I know and care about have bad relationships. I would never truly want that to happen.
I think part of the reason is that I get very excited simply catching up with old friends and classmates. I love to reconnect and talk. I especially love doing this with classmates that are smart. I don't believe there's anything wrong with being attracted to people and not wanting to act on that attraction.
Related Articles:
If you are dreaming, you are often said to be in Never Never Land.
An unrealistic dream of fantasy is said to be a Pipe Dream.
Controlling your dreams while partially awake is Lucid Dreaming.
People, not surprisingly, think that I am led by my mind. Ever since at least the second grade, I was known as smart. It probably had to be before second grade. My elementary school tried putting the top students in a class together when I was in second grade. They were not supposed to continue this practice in the other grades, but they didn't completely abandon it. It seems that then they used two teachers and mixed in some of the lower scoring students who went to tutors during the day.
Disney has a song "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes." Sometimes, these dreams seem good and would say they are also good wishes. However, I know that not everything I dream are things I would want to happen. Strange dreams are ones that I probably wouldn't want to happen, but sometimes would not be big deal if they did.
However, I've had some disturbing dreams where people I know and care about have bad relationships. I would never truly want that to happen.
I think part of the reason is that I get very excited simply catching up with old friends and classmates. I love to reconnect and talk. I especially love doing this with classmates that are smart. I don't believe there's anything wrong with being attracted to people and not wanting to act on that attraction.
Related Articles:
If you are dreaming, you are often said to be in Never Never Land.
An unrealistic dream of fantasy is said to be a Pipe Dream.
Controlling your dreams while partially awake is Lucid Dreaming.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
G is for Grammar
If you know me at all, it is probably not a surprise that I chose "grammar" as what I'd write for the letter G. After all, I completely admit to being a grammar nazi and I also admit to being terrible at editing my own work. It does drive me crazy if I write something for anybody to read, then I go back and I catch spelling and grammar mistakes that I made for any reason.
I love all those grammar things that are critical or funny about there, their, and they're. I also like the its an dit's things even though I have caught myself accidentally typing the wrong one at times. It is pretty easy to remember, though. Its is the possessive and "it's" means "it is."
I am picky about the rules of grammar, unless, of course, it's poetry and definitely poetic license or vernacular is being quoted. Of course, I think that in order to break the rules, you need to know the rules first. So, if you want to break the rules of grammar, know the rules of grammar first. Then the breaking of the rules will be effective.
Check out the following links!
Writers' Best Friends - Free Writing Tools: Free Online Grammar Checker - PaperRater
Five Diacritical Marks with Fun Names
Top 5 Online Writing Tools
Writers' Best Friends - Free Writing Tools: Text Analysis and Keyword Density Analyzer - Textalyser
How to Write for Newspapers and the Internet
I love all those grammar things that are critical or funny about there, their, and they're. I also like the its an dit's things even though I have caught myself accidentally typing the wrong one at times. It is pretty easy to remember, though. Its is the possessive and "it's" means "it is."
I am picky about the rules of grammar, unless, of course, it's poetry and definitely poetic license or vernacular is being quoted. Of course, I think that in order to break the rules, you need to know the rules first. So, if you want to break the rules of grammar, know the rules of grammar first. Then the breaking of the rules will be effective.
Check out the following links!
Writers' Best Friends - Free Writing Tools: Free Online Grammar Checker - PaperRater
Five Diacritical Marks with Fun Names
Top 5 Online Writing Tools
Writers' Best Friends - Free Writing Tools: Text Analysis and Keyword Density Analyzer - Textalyser
How to Write for Newspapers and the Internet
Friday, April 20, 2012
Book Review: The McNeese Review Volume 49 (2011)
First, I'll start by saying that I for some of this book, I'd probably be partially biased because it contains writings by my former English professor for Honors College, Dr. John Wood, and a former classmate, his son, Dafydd Wood. Of course, there are writings by both of them that I love and writings that I don't care for, too. However, in general, those writings would make me a little biased.
Still, there are plenty of other writings in the book. Some of them are very strange and some are relatable. Stories I can easily remember are "Feeding Instructions" by Lisa Graley which when first reading the title, seems like it might have been about taking care of a dog or a cat. Once you get into it, you realize it is about taking care of an elderly woman. However, there's a bit more to that.
I also remember "Scalping." That was written by Sean Ennis. I never thought that I would enjoy reading anything having to do with scalping, but I felt myself oddly drawn to reading the story (though not like scalping anybody!)
"Average Secrets and Problems" by George Hovis also stands out once the end of the story is reached. However, to write about it would give away the secret.
One of the best set of poems that I read was by Julie Kane. It was called, "Five Things I Hate that Other People Seem to Love."
All of the other writings were good, too, but these stood out to me. The entire McNeese review is worth buying and reading. You will find you are expanding your literary tastes from the normal because these stories and poems are different from the traditional novels and short stories that you had to read in school. However, that is a great thing! Everything is enjoyable.
Still, there are plenty of other writings in the book. Some of them are very strange and some are relatable. Stories I can easily remember are "Feeding Instructions" by Lisa Graley which when first reading the title, seems like it might have been about taking care of a dog or a cat. Once you get into it, you realize it is about taking care of an elderly woman. However, there's a bit more to that.
I also remember "Scalping." That was written by Sean Ennis. I never thought that I would enjoy reading anything having to do with scalping, but I felt myself oddly drawn to reading the story (though not like scalping anybody!)
"Average Secrets and Problems" by George Hovis also stands out once the end of the story is reached. However, to write about it would give away the secret.
One of the best set of poems that I read was by Julie Kane. It was called, "Five Things I Hate that Other People Seem to Love."
All of the other writings were good, too, but these stood out to me. The entire McNeese review is worth buying and reading. You will find you are expanding your literary tastes from the normal because these stories and poems are different from the traditional novels and short stories that you had to read in school. However, that is a great thing! Everything is enjoyable.
F is for Fillings
Since yesterday, I was sitting trying to think of what I would write for F. This morning, I was eating some ice (I know, it's not really good for your teeth, but I like to eat ice), and as I was eating it, I had no idea why, but my front teeth felt funny. My front two teeth seemed normal, but it seemed like the one to the right of them (my right) felt like it was partially tucked behind my right front tooth. I looked in a mirror and it looked normal. I have long nails at the moment, so I put my nail between my teeth. It still felt funny. I did this until my teeth felt normal.
By now my teeth felt normal. I tried to remember if the one that felt like it was behind my front tooth had a filling. I have a lot of fillings. This may be partially due to how I only kind of took care of my teeth during high school, but I was pretty good with my dental routine. I always make sure to brush my teeth at least before bedtime now.
However, I apparently have "soft" teeth. It was also always difficult for me to floss because I couldn't get the floss and my fingers into my small mouth. (I am so thankful for those reach flossers they make now!)
Anyway, because of this, the cavities were not on the surfaces of my teeth. They were always BETWEEN them. I'd tell the dentist that I would try to floss, but it was difficult. This led to getting lots of fillings.
I couldn't tell you how many fillings are in my mouth. I can tell you that I got so used to going to the dentist that now the only thing I really hate is the novocaine shot to numb my mouth. It's is definitely the worst part of going to the dentist.
Of course, I've never had any procedure worse than getting fillings. Even the dentists I've seen have not been concerned about my wisdom teeth. Despite having a small mouth, my wisdom teeth seem to be fine and I've never needed them removed.
Here are some phrases (and articles about their origins) that have to do with teeth.
Phrase Origins: Sans Teeth, Sans Eyes, Sans Taste, Sans Everything
Phrase Origins: By the Skin of Your Teeth
By now my teeth felt normal. I tried to remember if the one that felt like it was behind my front tooth had a filling. I have a lot of fillings. This may be partially due to how I only kind of took care of my teeth during high school, but I was pretty good with my dental routine. I always make sure to brush my teeth at least before bedtime now.
However, I apparently have "soft" teeth. It was also always difficult for me to floss because I couldn't get the floss and my fingers into my small mouth. (I am so thankful for those reach flossers they make now!)
Anyway, because of this, the cavities were not on the surfaces of my teeth. They were always BETWEEN them. I'd tell the dentist that I would try to floss, but it was difficult. This led to getting lots of fillings.
I couldn't tell you how many fillings are in my mouth. I can tell you that I got so used to going to the dentist that now the only thing I really hate is the novocaine shot to numb my mouth. It's is definitely the worst part of going to the dentist.
Of course, I've never had any procedure worse than getting fillings. Even the dentists I've seen have not been concerned about my wisdom teeth. Despite having a small mouth, my wisdom teeth seem to be fine and I've never needed them removed.
Here are some phrases (and articles about their origins) that have to do with teeth.
Phrase Origins: Sans Teeth, Sans Eyes, Sans Taste, Sans Everything
Phrase Origins: By the Skin of Your Teeth
Thursday, April 19, 2012
E is for Early
E is for early because today, although I didn't get up any earlier than I normally would on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I did get up early for a Thursday. My sister doesn't have school until 9:10 in the mornings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I usually don't get up until 8am. However, today, I got up at 7am. This is because we needed to take her dog, Toggle, into the vet. He is going through heartworm treatment.
He's supposed to rest, but that dog never rests. Briana decided to give up on trying to make him rest and if he hurt himself with the treatment, figure that she couldn't do anything about it. However, he seems to have been fine.
Anyway, because we were early for getting her to school, I went to get my extra car key from the lady for whom I doggysit. She left it for me so I knew where to find it. Her very large dog (for which I do not dogsit) was inside the house, so thankfully I did not have to knock for the key.
However, nothing is early about when I go to bed. If I had to go to bed early, I would, but I tend to go to bed before midnight on nights where I have to get up at 7am and usually 12:30am, but sometimes 1am on nights when I need to get up at 8am.
However, my body is still acting like I was up early when it's not all that different.
He's supposed to rest, but that dog never rests. Briana decided to give up on trying to make him rest and if he hurt himself with the treatment, figure that she couldn't do anything about it. However, he seems to have been fine.
Anyway, because we were early for getting her to school, I went to get my extra car key from the lady for whom I doggysit. She left it for me so I knew where to find it. Her very large dog (for which I do not dogsit) was inside the house, so thankfully I did not have to knock for the key.
However, nothing is early about when I go to bed. If I had to go to bed early, I would, but I tend to go to bed before midnight on nights where I have to get up at 7am and usually 12:30am, but sometimes 1am on nights when I need to get up at 8am.
However, my body is still acting like I was up early when it's not all that different.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
D is for Drinking
I could write about literal drinking, as the imbibing of any liquid, but that's not what I'm writing about in this blog post. Instead, I am writing about drinking alcohol. I have never been against responsible drinking. Responsible drinking encompasses a lot. It means not drinking anything or much if you are going to be driving. It means that you shouldn't drive if you are going to get drunk. It means deciding to stay inside if you are going to get drunk.
I take Briana with me to trivia on Tuesday nights (and now, I know, if she can't go, I'll even play as a single person instead of having to join a team. It's fun, and I'll be a "Pubby Dog!") Anyway, the trivia is a round of trivia question and then a game. One of the games last night was identifying an alcohol from one of the 16 new taps at the bar.
I have never liked alcohol. I have drank some of it, but mainly it's been to try to get to sleep since it makes me fall asleep. The first time I was drunk was in eighth grade and it was because I was at a seder where they asked you to take a drink of wine after taking a bite of a certain food and after a prayer and at all kinds of times. I didn't really care for the white zinfandel, but that is what they used. I remember how odd I felt and how the parking lot looked wavy.
Anyway, this time when I tasted the alcohol, I could actually drink a little bit and enjoy it! If I left it in my mouth for too long, it still had that "alcohol" taste to me. However, I could sip it gently and then take a sip of my Dr. Pepper when needed.
I take Briana with me to trivia on Tuesday nights (and now, I know, if she can't go, I'll even play as a single person instead of having to join a team. It's fun, and I'll be a "Pubby Dog!") Anyway, the trivia is a round of trivia question and then a game. One of the games last night was identifying an alcohol from one of the 16 new taps at the bar.
I have never liked alcohol. I have drank some of it, but mainly it's been to try to get to sleep since it makes me fall asleep. The first time I was drunk was in eighth grade and it was because I was at a seder where they asked you to take a drink of wine after taking a bite of a certain food and after a prayer and at all kinds of times. I didn't really care for the white zinfandel, but that is what they used. I remember how odd I felt and how the parking lot looked wavy.
Anyway, this time when I tasted the alcohol, I could actually drink a little bit and enjoy it! If I left it in my mouth for too long, it still had that "alcohol" taste to me. However, I could sip it gently and then take a sip of my Dr. Pepper when needed.
I second guessed myself with answering and we put that it was Unibroue Éphémère Apple. (I can't figure out how to get the word before Apple to be in the normal font). Anyway, I should've gone with my first instinct and put Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale. I like orange flavored things, the the orange was not strong. The sweetness must have come from the honey. It seemed kind of like a cider, too, at times. However, I now know what I should have put and if people have that to drink, I know I can enjoy it.
It's not something I'd drink lots, but I know I can enjoy the product. I like that!
I was easily falling asleep before 11pm and I think I drank it somewhere around 8pm.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Need for Makeup?
Many women think there is a need for makeup. I'm writing this post because of the story of the Reddit user, "munner83." If you haven't read the story and want to read it, you can find it from Yahoo! at Before and After Makeup: Reddit User's Startling Photo.
Honestly, if you look at it, you can see that all she has done is outlined her one eye in a bunch of black so at first glance, it makes it look like her eye is bigger than it is. I understand that some people find this look attractive. I don't think it's "not attractive." However, the photo would look normal if it wasn't one half of her face done and the other half not done. If it were a before and after, then it would seem normal.
Now, I don't wear makeup often. I don't like it. It feels really horrible on my face. I have to have hypoallergenic makeup. However, even after that has been on my face for a significant amount of time, I want it off.
Whether or not you wear makeup is purely your own decision. With my seborrheic dermatitis, makeup could easily make my face look better. Of course, I have to wash off the makeup and make sure to take care of my face by washing it and using the acne prevention pads with aloe and then aloe lotion with vitamin E. My face can still look somewhat red, but if I remember to take care of it every night (every morning or day would work, too, but I'm finding nights to be the easiest time as I'm not rushed to do things), then it stays looking pretty good. I can't forget to do make care routine, though, because if I forget, then my face starts turning red again.
This got off on a tangent. What I was going to write about was the part that really upset me about that story. At the end, there's a statement and it says, "Another user lamented that right or wrong, men often do not have the same cosmetic tools at their disposal as women:
Honestly, if you look at it, you can see that all she has done is outlined her one eye in a bunch of black so at first glance, it makes it look like her eye is bigger than it is. I understand that some people find this look attractive. I don't think it's "not attractive." However, the photo would look normal if it wasn't one half of her face done and the other half not done. If it were a before and after, then it would seem normal.
Now, I don't wear makeup often. I don't like it. It feels really horrible on my face. I have to have hypoallergenic makeup. However, even after that has been on my face for a significant amount of time, I want it off.
Whether or not you wear makeup is purely your own decision. With my seborrheic dermatitis, makeup could easily make my face look better. Of course, I have to wash off the makeup and make sure to take care of my face by washing it and using the acne prevention pads with aloe and then aloe lotion with vitamin E. My face can still look somewhat red, but if I remember to take care of it every night (every morning or day would work, too, but I'm finding nights to be the easiest time as I'm not rushed to do things), then it stays looking pretty good. I can't forget to do make care routine, though, because if I forget, then my face starts turning red again.
This got off on a tangent. What I was going to write about was the part that really upset me about that story. At the end, there's a statement and it says, "Another user lamented that right or wrong, men often do not have the same cosmetic tools at their disposal as women:
'Now imagine you're a guy and you don't have that option.'"
Yes, beauty products are traditionally for women. However, what guys don't have the option to buy the beauty products that are traditionally for women and use them? Nobody but that guy has to know about it. It's not like it's taboo now for guys to wear cosmetics. These men, no boys, need to grow up and quit whining. They have everything available to them that is available to women. There's no reason they should be "lamenting" about these things.
C is for Cougar
In recent years, people have started calling older women who like younger men "cougars." Usually, if there was a relationship where one partner was older, it was traditionally the "male." However, I'm pretty sure that there had been relationships between older women and younger men. I never really thought age was much of anything except a number as long as people were legal.
At one point, I started wondering if people would call me a cougar. However, I'm not exclusively looking for a guy that is younger than I am. I just have ended up liking guys that happen to be younger. Yet, it's probably not all that odd to have a 30 year old (I'll be 30 next month) and a 21 year old. An 18 year old may be a bit odder,but it's still not terrible.
As I thought about this while driving home from taking my sister to school, I realized that I'm not a cougar. I like men of all ages if they are attractive to me. I have standards, of course, and my personal boundaries tell me that a guy or a man is only a friend when they are married or have girlfriends. I'm not going to pursue any relationship with that person.
I thought about some of the men that I find attractive. These men are creative, intelligent, and faithful. Sometimes they do not have the same faith that I have, but I can respect and admire the faith that they do have. I am definitely attracted to intelligence.
I don't have much in the way of articles about cougars. However, I do have a couple articles from my "dating" experiences. Okay, one is a very creepy "stalking" experience by a guy I never even dated!
Read more:
The Story of My First Kiss
Stalking: My True Story
At one point, I started wondering if people would call me a cougar. However, I'm not exclusively looking for a guy that is younger than I am. I just have ended up liking guys that happen to be younger. Yet, it's probably not all that odd to have a 30 year old (I'll be 30 next month) and a 21 year old. An 18 year old may be a bit odder,but it's still not terrible.
As I thought about this while driving home from taking my sister to school, I realized that I'm not a cougar. I like men of all ages if they are attractive to me. I have standards, of course, and my personal boundaries tell me that a guy or a man is only a friend when they are married or have girlfriends. I'm not going to pursue any relationship with that person.
I thought about some of the men that I find attractive. These men are creative, intelligent, and faithful. Sometimes they do not have the same faith that I have, but I can respect and admire the faith that they do have. I am definitely attracted to intelligence.
I don't have much in the way of articles about cougars. However, I do have a couple articles from my "dating" experiences. Okay, one is a very creepy "stalking" experience by a guy I never even dated!
Read more:
The Story of My First Kiss
Stalking: My True Story
Monday, April 16, 2012
Book Review: The Bastard Year by Richard Lee Zuras
I finished reading "The Bastard Year" by Richard Lee Zuras. I bought it on Friday night at a Banners Series poetry reading by John Wood. (Dr. Wood was my English professor for my English 105 and 106 classes - the freshman Honors College English classes at McNeese State University).
I thought, if anything, I would buy the book and read it because I bought it. However, I started on it that night and I couldn't put it down. I can't say exactly why I couldn't put it down.
I'd say that the text is very much how a main male character would describe things. Most of the things are very matter-of-fact without details about how things look. There are a few details about clothes and physical attributes and some of the buildings, but not much.
At times, I had no idea where the book was going. I wondered why I was reading the book.
"The Bastard Year" is divided into both seasons and chapters. It goes from one winter to the next. By the time I got to Fall, I had an idea of the reasons everything had been mentioned. I had an idea of why the author used the main character to tell the stories he did.
However, while the very end of the book somewhat went where I expected, it wasn't quite what I expected. It was nice to read a book and have somewhat of an idea, but still be able to be surprised by the end of it because it didn't conform to the typical outline of how things are going to happen to have that sudden, "I knew it!" moment.
I thought, if anything, I would buy the book and read it because I bought it. However, I started on it that night and I couldn't put it down. I can't say exactly why I couldn't put it down.
I'd say that the text is very much how a main male character would describe things. Most of the things are very matter-of-fact without details about how things look. There are a few details about clothes and physical attributes and some of the buildings, but not much.
At times, I had no idea where the book was going. I wondered why I was reading the book.
"The Bastard Year" is divided into both seasons and chapters. It goes from one winter to the next. By the time I got to Fall, I had an idea of the reasons everything had been mentioned. I had an idea of why the author used the main character to tell the stories he did.
However, while the very end of the book somewhat went where I expected, it wasn't quite what I expected. It was nice to read a book and have somewhat of an idea, but still be able to be surprised by the end of it because it didn't conform to the typical outline of how things are going to happen to have that sudden, "I knew it!" moment.
B is for Blog
I'm not entirely new to the concept of blogging. I read blogs. I have a LiveJournal. I have written religious reflections and somewhat kept a blog just for them. However, I figured it was finally time to get serious about blogging in a good blog format. I like LiveJournal because of how the comments are threaded. It's honestly my favorite commenting system. However, most people use blogger. I can see that it is popular because it is owned by Google and can easily have AdSense integrated. So, yeah, I'm using Blogger for this blog. Besides, "Poetry, Prose, and Popcorn" is a good alliterative blog name.
If you want to know more about blogs, here are some articles you should read:
Interview with Jen Yates, Blogger Behind the Humor Blog, CakeWrecks
Five Blogs You Should Be Reading, But Probably Aren't
Blog Records Prisoners' Last Meal Requests
If you want to know more about blogs, here are some articles you should read:
Interview with Jen Yates, Blogger Behind the Humor Blog, CakeWrecks
Five Blogs You Should Be Reading, But Probably Aren't
Blog Records Prisoners' Last Meal Requests
Sunday, April 15, 2012
A is for Autism
A is for Autism. It is now said that 1 out of 150 children will be diagnosed with autism. I often wonder how broad they are defining autism in this case. I am not making light of having autism. I only wonder because I don't know if more people are actually getting autism. I have a feeling that doctors are just better at diagnosing both autism and Asperger's. Some people have Asperger's and are extremely high functioning. Just like Asperger's is a high functioning form of autism (over what they even call high functioning autism), there's a scale for Asperger's. Some people have everything together other than the social interaction.
However, I live with two people diagnosed with Asperger's. My mom and my sister. My sister was diagnosed when my Daddy was still alive. We pushed to get her diagnosed before the age of 22 because if she wasn't, she wouldn't have been eligible for SSI (which is now "Survivor's Benefits" - all I can figure is that it changed names once my Daddy passed away).
My mom is sometimes capable of functioning at a higher level. However, in general, the two of them are no more mature than 15 and sometimes they only act mature as 2. My mom does the whole, "because I'm the mom" thing at times, but really, I'm "the adult" in the house.
It's stressful, but I love my mom and my sister.
If you want to find out more about autism and Asperger's, here are few articles to read:
Movie Predictions: Martian Child: Child Who May Have Autism or Aspgerger's
Jenny McCarthy, Holly Robinson Peete and My Experience with Asperger's Syndrome
Interview with Derek Bartholomaus, Creater of Jenny McCarthy Body Count
A Mind like a ViewMaster: Understanding How People with Asperger's Think
However, I live with two people diagnosed with Asperger's. My mom and my sister. My sister was diagnosed when my Daddy was still alive. We pushed to get her diagnosed before the age of 22 because if she wasn't, she wouldn't have been eligible for SSI (which is now "Survivor's Benefits" - all I can figure is that it changed names once my Daddy passed away).
My mom is sometimes capable of functioning at a higher level. However, in general, the two of them are no more mature than 15 and sometimes they only act mature as 2. My mom does the whole, "because I'm the mom" thing at times, but really, I'm "the adult" in the house.
It's stressful, but I love my mom and my sister.
If you want to find out more about autism and Asperger's, here are few articles to read:
Movie Predictions: Martian Child: Child Who May Have Autism or Aspgerger's
Jenny McCarthy, Holly Robinson Peete and My Experience with Asperger's Syndrome
Interview with Derek Bartholomaus, Creater of Jenny McCarthy Body Count
A Mind like a ViewMaster: Understanding How People with Asperger's Think
Saturday, April 14, 2012
It's Time to Be Serious About Blogging, I Think
I'm going to try to be serious about blogging and not just keeping a LiveJournal (which I love, but I'm going to try to keep a traditional blog).
Tonight, I got to escape the stresses of home by attending a poetry reading by Dr. John Wood. He was my Honors College English teacher at McNeese. People in the Honors College don't take English 101 and English 102. They take English 105 and English 106. I remember Dr. Wood telling us that he had to go to the president of the college because, while it is ideal that all students get As, it is not common, and there is usually a variety of grades in a class and this is normal. However, everybody in those classes received As.
The reading was great. Dr. Wood's poems are always interesting, although, he is correct that some are dark. However, as a writer, there is something fascinating about dark topics and death. I don't do well with death at all, and I find it is fascinating for writing.
Other things in the poems were imagining an electron as a bird. It was about if the place in pinpointed, the velocity changes and if the velocity is found, the place changes. I have to say, this is the case for anything if the velocity is more than 0.
Afterwards, I talked to people there. I got to talk to Dafydd, Dr. Wood's son. We were in the first Honors College class together. Mr. LeGros was also there, which was fun, as he wasn't my French teacher, but he was always across the hall and coming into Mr. Hurley's room, so he knows me from middle school.
I think I may actually do that blogging Alphabet challenge so I have content for this blog.
Tonight, I got to escape the stresses of home by attending a poetry reading by Dr. John Wood. He was my Honors College English teacher at McNeese. People in the Honors College don't take English 101 and English 102. They take English 105 and English 106. I remember Dr. Wood telling us that he had to go to the president of the college because, while it is ideal that all students get As, it is not common, and there is usually a variety of grades in a class and this is normal. However, everybody in those classes received As.
The reading was great. Dr. Wood's poems are always interesting, although, he is correct that some are dark. However, as a writer, there is something fascinating about dark topics and death. I don't do well with death at all, and I find it is fascinating for writing.
Other things in the poems were imagining an electron as a bird. It was about if the place in pinpointed, the velocity changes and if the velocity is found, the place changes. I have to say, this is the case for anything if the velocity is more than 0.
Afterwards, I talked to people there. I got to talk to Dafydd, Dr. Wood's son. We were in the first Honors College class together. Mr. LeGros was also there, which was fun, as he wasn't my French teacher, but he was always across the hall and coming into Mr. Hurley's room, so he knows me from middle school.
I think I may actually do that blogging Alphabet challenge so I have content for this blog.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Dreams of Friends
Last night I had a dream that T (T's blog) and Five (Five's blog) still lived in the city where I live. G (G's blog) and I were with them. This was a usual group when we first start with our NaNoWriMo group. Five had gotten it official and I had suggest the coffee shop (which is now closed - it's now Great Khan Mongolian Grill) where we met.
G was crying saying how much she was going to miss T. She asked what she was going to do once T was out of town. I gave G a hug and said to T, "I guess we'll have to miss you together." T laughed and responded, "I guess so."
I leaned on G's shoulder and hugged her some more as we both smiled at T. That was the entire dream.
It wasn't so weird, except that never happened. Sometimes I wish G and I were closer, but she and I are mostly into different things.
We do get along when we're together, though. It's not like we don't like each other and it's not like we're not friends. We're just not really close friends.
G was crying saying how much she was going to miss T. She asked what she was going to do once T was out of town. I gave G a hug and said to T, "I guess we'll have to miss you together." T laughed and responded, "I guess so."
I leaned on G's shoulder and hugged her some more as we both smiled at T. That was the entire dream.
It wasn't so weird, except that never happened. Sometimes I wish G and I were closer, but she and I are mostly into different things.
We do get along when we're together, though. It's not like we don't like each other and it's not like we're not friends. We're just not really close friends.
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