Yesterday I started a no wheat, no sugar, no dairy diet.
I. really. really. want. a. glass. of. milk.
The idea is this: I'm a sugar addict. Deprive myself of sugar and most foods that break down into sugars to try to kick the habit. My plan is only to do this for a month and then introduce some sugars/whole wheats back into the diet.
I'm roughly following a diet a friend in New Mexico gave me that her doctor/nutritionist gave to her and also a diet from a book I've been reading about Eastern medicine. While it does have *some* sugar, overall, it's minimal.
It goes like this:
Glass of lemon water before breakfast with vitamins
Breakfast is oatmeal with unsweetened soy milk and tea
1st snack is broth and a glass of tomato juice
Lunch: Barley/Kale/Onion/ 1/2 carrot/broth/fungus (umm, yummy mushrooms) bake
2nd snack, one sliced apple
Dinner: Chicken with 1/2 cup brown rice with vegetables
Before bed tea
Tomorrow I'm having the leftover chicken for lunch and making split pea soup for dinner. I'm trying to avoid meat twice in a day but I think the amount in the soup will be small. I really don't like the broth or the vegetable juice but figure I need the nutrients so I'm forcing them down so far. I don't really miss sweets yet, just milk, cheese, and butter. I don't ever really miss bread yet (which surprises me because I've given up sugar before and that was the first thing I missed).
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sewing
My grandmother was an excellent seamstress. She learned to sew and alter to help the family though a tight budget, which was fairly typical of poor southern bells in the 1950s. I don't think she ever took jobs on, but I could be wrong about that. Mostly she just made sure my aunt was well dressed and fashionable. Beauty was cultivated and admired in her house.
I didn't sew until I started to play SCA. Grandma had taught me a few tricks while growing up, but we moved away before 8th grade and she had a stroke shortly before that, so my lessons never progressed beyond simple hems and small projects. With her help I made a pair of shorts when I was probably 10, and I remember she made book covers from fabric for all of my school books in 3rd or 4th grade.
In the SCA I began sewing without patterns. At the time costume patterns were fairly scarce although they were becoming more popular. I learned T-tunics and pants and how to sew on trim to make it look a little better. Eventually we moved on to skirts and simple bodices. Before I left New Mexico I was onto Persian coats and Scottish dresses.
But I haven't sewn for probably 4 years. I decided to take Gerd to an SCA event in New York, a feast with dancing, that would be a small but comfortable first SCA experience. I must have put together and torn apart my chimis at least 4 times. The arms were cut out too high, the neckline non-existant, my sleave seams ended up on top instead of on bottom. Then the seams were inside out...twice.
Although my skirt and overskirt went fairly well (good since I came down with a head cold while doing all of this) I ended up leaving the bodice for my mother to do. It was supposed to be "help with" but she pretty much took over, for which I was incredibly thankful. We (she) finished it the day of the event, I put it on and drove to the feast. Halfway through the bodice I almost cried uncle and cancelled the outing.
Thankfully we made it. Practice dance sessions and a stuffed fox dressing contest ran until feast. I even got Gerd to dance a few with me (his garb was so much easier than mine). I then dressed up my fox (for which I won second price) even though I was sick of sewing by then. It much easier to sew an outfit for a stuffed animal when you don't have to worry about poking them or actually being able to take the outfit off again...
Kids had their own category of fox dressing compeition (which turned out so cute!) and they were given a "bingo" card where they had to find people that matched criteria on their cards...i.e. find a guy with a pony tail, find someone who had an SCA wedding, find someone for whom this is their first event, and so on. I thought it was a good idea.
The feast itself was fabulous! Five removes (courses of course) with dessert. In the past I've been to feasts that were terrible. Cooking medieval foods for over 100 people (and serving it all warm) takes a pretty talented chef I think, and I've never seen it run so smoothly before.
Lets see if I can remember what we had:
1st Remove:
Cheese & Fruit plate
Baked Brie in a pastry
Bread
2nd Remove:
A hole roasted chicken (for a table of 6-8) with rosemary sauce with a grape stuffing
Rice pilaf
creamed peas
Third Remove
Lamb
Medeival Lasagna (homemade noodles with cheese)
Spinach Pancakes
Kidney Beans
Fourth Remove
Pies of Paris (meat pie with chicken I think...kind of like a pot pie but better)
Spinach w/ Raspberry Vinaigrette
Chick Pea Garlic Thing (really the only horrible thing served...tasted like eating a whole garlic)
Crescent Rolls
Fifth Remove (dessert)
Homemade marzipan
Rice pudding
Chocolate cake (store bought, I don't know why)
Rice crispie treats (made into a huge castle that we disassembled and ate)
Eating took about 2 1/2 hours or so and then they had the ball. We didn't dance much the second time...mostly because they didn't call the steps and I didn't know many of the dances, but also because we were still stuffed. We did dance the Korabushka which was tons of fun and a nice end for our day.
I didn't sew until I started to play SCA. Grandma had taught me a few tricks while growing up, but we moved away before 8th grade and she had a stroke shortly before that, so my lessons never progressed beyond simple hems and small projects. With her help I made a pair of shorts when I was probably 10, and I remember she made book covers from fabric for all of my school books in 3rd or 4th grade.
In the SCA I began sewing without patterns. At the time costume patterns were fairly scarce although they were becoming more popular. I learned T-tunics and pants and how to sew on trim to make it look a little better. Eventually we moved on to skirts and simple bodices. Before I left New Mexico I was onto Persian coats and Scottish dresses.
But I haven't sewn for probably 4 years. I decided to take Gerd to an SCA event in New York, a feast with dancing, that would be a small but comfortable first SCA experience. I must have put together and torn apart my chimis at least 4 times. The arms were cut out too high, the neckline non-existant, my sleave seams ended up on top instead of on bottom. Then the seams were inside out...twice.
Although my skirt and overskirt went fairly well (good since I came down with a head cold while doing all of this) I ended up leaving the bodice for my mother to do. It was supposed to be "help with" but she pretty much took over, for which I was incredibly thankful. We (she) finished it the day of the event, I put it on and drove to the feast. Halfway through the bodice I almost cried uncle and cancelled the outing.
Thankfully we made it. Practice dance sessions and a stuffed fox dressing contest ran until feast. I even got Gerd to dance a few with me (his garb was so much easier than mine). I then dressed up my fox (for which I won second price) even though I was sick of sewing by then. It much easier to sew an outfit for a stuffed animal when you don't have to worry about poking them or actually being able to take the outfit off again...
Kids had their own category of fox dressing compeition (which turned out so cute!) and they were given a "bingo" card where they had to find people that matched criteria on their cards...i.e. find a guy with a pony tail, find someone who had an SCA wedding, find someone for whom this is their first event, and so on. I thought it was a good idea.
The feast itself was fabulous! Five removes (courses of course) with dessert. In the past I've been to feasts that were terrible. Cooking medieval foods for over 100 people (and serving it all warm) takes a pretty talented chef I think, and I've never seen it run so smoothly before.
Lets see if I can remember what we had:
1st Remove:
Cheese & Fruit plate
Baked Brie in a pastry
Bread
2nd Remove:
A hole roasted chicken (for a table of 6-8) with rosemary sauce with a grape stuffing
Rice pilaf
creamed peas
Third Remove
Lamb
Medeival Lasagna (homemade noodles with cheese)
Spinach Pancakes
Kidney Beans
Fourth Remove
Pies of Paris (meat pie with chicken I think...kind of like a pot pie but better)
Spinach w/ Raspberry Vinaigrette
Chick Pea Garlic Thing (really the only horrible thing served...tasted like eating a whole garlic)
Crescent Rolls
Fifth Remove (dessert)
Homemade marzipan
Rice pudding
Chocolate cake (store bought, I don't know why)
Rice crispie treats (made into a huge castle that we disassembled and ate)
Eating took about 2 1/2 hours or so and then they had the ball. We didn't dance much the second time...mostly because they didn't call the steps and I didn't know many of the dances, but also because we were still stuffed. We did dance the Korabushka which was tons of fun and a nice end for our day.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Some Figures
Okay, so back to the baby-crazed octuplet mother...
Apparently she received $165,000 in DISABILITY over the last 6 years. That means she got hurt so bad she couldn't work...but could have babies which are so much easier on your back.
That breaks down to $27,500 per year.
Now, the sperm donor was a friend, so we're going to calculate that the sperm was free. IVF could possibly cost only $5,000/per cycle with that in mind.
I believe I heard mention that two of her children are twins, so that makes 6 cycles if all of them took.
The press identified a nanny outside of her home. If that nanny worked for her, we have to assume she would earn no less than $1000 a month watching 6 children. Since mom isn't working, that could be too high..perhaps only $500/month for part time work. I think these calculations are low, but it may also be unlikely that she's receiving nanny services.
If you add this all up:
$27,500 a year
$5000 a year in IVF
$6,000 to $12,000 a year in nanny fees
That leave a monthly income of $875 - $1375
Okay, I have to add back in $5000/year because she's done with IVF.
$1,291 to $1,791 per month
To house, feed, and diaper 14 children.
I suppose it can be done. If her parents allow her to live rent free in their house she could do it. I doubt she could otherwise unless someone gave her a house for free. Food alone will take up most of the budget. Diapers, unless she uses washable and uses her parents washing machine will take up a huge chunk.
I'm still mad that she gets to do this in our society. I do not want my tax dollars supporting this woman in any way, and yet I'm guessing it's going to happen at some point. Yes I believe the government should step in and help people who need help. The problem is...where do we draw the line? This woman made choices that creating the problem...but isn't that the case in other circumstances too?
I believe in showing compassion to people regardless of their circumstance, but that doesn't mean I think tax dollars should be a free for all. Perhaps this question is more a statement of my own confusion over political ideology. It's really the same question as national healthcare, prison reform, the educational system, and the bailout. At what point do we hold people responsible for their own actions and at what point should our government intervene to show compassion?
Apparently she received $165,000 in DISABILITY over the last 6 years. That means she got hurt so bad she couldn't work...but could have babies which are so much easier on your back.
That breaks down to $27,500 per year.
Now, the sperm donor was a friend, so we're going to calculate that the sperm was free. IVF could possibly cost only $5,000/per cycle with that in mind.
I believe I heard mention that two of her children are twins, so that makes 6 cycles if all of them took.
The press identified a nanny outside of her home. If that nanny worked for her, we have to assume she would earn no less than $1000 a month watching 6 children. Since mom isn't working, that could be too high..perhaps only $500/month for part time work. I think these calculations are low, but it may also be unlikely that she's receiving nanny services.
If you add this all up:
$27,500 a year
$5000 a year in IVF
$6,000 to $12,000 a year in nanny fees
That leave a monthly income of $875 - $1375
Okay, I have to add back in $5000/year because she's done with IVF.
$1,291 to $1,791 per month
To house, feed, and diaper 14 children.
I suppose it can be done. If her parents allow her to live rent free in their house she could do it. I doubt she could otherwise unless someone gave her a house for free. Food alone will take up most of the budget. Diapers, unless she uses washable and uses her parents washing machine will take up a huge chunk.
I'm still mad that she gets to do this in our society. I do not want my tax dollars supporting this woman in any way, and yet I'm guessing it's going to happen at some point. Yes I believe the government should step in and help people who need help. The problem is...where do we draw the line? This woman made choices that creating the problem...but isn't that the case in other circumstances too?
I believe in showing compassion to people regardless of their circumstance, but that doesn't mean I think tax dollars should be a free for all. Perhaps this question is more a statement of my own confusion over political ideology. It's really the same question as national healthcare, prison reform, the educational system, and the bailout. At what point do we hold people responsible for their own actions and at what point should our government intervene to show compassion?
Official Diagnosis
My counselor called to give me her bill. I've actually been waiting on this for a month now so I can submit it to our insurance company. Apparently I have a choice of diagnosises. No idea how you pluralize diagnosis. Anyway, I can either have PTSD or Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My pick. Whoopie. I told her to put whatever would be best for the insurance to have...PTSD it is.
Now before you think, why the hell are you putting that on the web...the reason I'm writing on the web is a form of therapy for me. I can't very well hide the fact that fireworks make me cry or that I panic under extreme stress or crowded places. For me, acknowledging that something isn't right has been a long struggle.
I'm not even sure it started with the war.
I first went to a counselor when I got my first apartment and couldn't seem to keep it clean. I actually burst into tears talking to my mother one day when she was giving me a hard time about the mess. I screamed at her, "I don't want to clean my room". Why? I like a clean house, why didn't I want to clean my house? Why did cleaning make me cry?
I had one session with a counselor, and it was probably the best session I've ever had. I wish I'd gone back. I wish I remembered her name or had her card. I never, ever would have thought that other children with single mothers would have low self esteem. Apparently it's quite common. Children who "raise" their parents fail. They can't take care of the emotional needs of their parents and grow up trying to control life and be a perfect person. They want to please people. My mother, who I love very much, has an anxiety disorder herself and didn't get help until I was in middle school.
Is that a catch all? No. Just knowing that there might be a reason that I was a mess that wasn't my fault opened my mind to the possibility of becoming a better, stronger person.
What it does show is that I was probably more vulnerable than most when I went to Iraq. The irony is that it took me years to build up my esteem, I'd say I still struggle, and now I have to deal with anxiety and stress.
I think I've got a pretty good attitude about it all. Some people come back from war without limbs, others come back seriously emotionally damaged. I have a minor case of PTSD with possibly minor traumatic brain injury. I'm trying to figure out how to live with the new me. It's a very scary future because it doesn't really go away. I have good days and bad days, but mostly good days.
Now before you think, why the hell are you putting that on the web...the reason I'm writing on the web is a form of therapy for me. I can't very well hide the fact that fireworks make me cry or that I panic under extreme stress or crowded places. For me, acknowledging that something isn't right has been a long struggle.
I'm not even sure it started with the war.
I first went to a counselor when I got my first apartment and couldn't seem to keep it clean. I actually burst into tears talking to my mother one day when she was giving me a hard time about the mess. I screamed at her, "I don't want to clean my room". Why? I like a clean house, why didn't I want to clean my house? Why did cleaning make me cry?
I had one session with a counselor, and it was probably the best session I've ever had. I wish I'd gone back. I wish I remembered her name or had her card. I never, ever would have thought that other children with single mothers would have low self esteem. Apparently it's quite common. Children who "raise" their parents fail. They can't take care of the emotional needs of their parents and grow up trying to control life and be a perfect person. They want to please people. My mother, who I love very much, has an anxiety disorder herself and didn't get help until I was in middle school.
Is that a catch all? No. Just knowing that there might be a reason that I was a mess that wasn't my fault opened my mind to the possibility of becoming a better, stronger person.
What it does show is that I was probably more vulnerable than most when I went to Iraq. The irony is that it took me years to build up my esteem, I'd say I still struggle, and now I have to deal with anxiety and stress.
I think I've got a pretty good attitude about it all. Some people come back from war without limbs, others come back seriously emotionally damaged. I have a minor case of PTSD with possibly minor traumatic brain injury. I'm trying to figure out how to live with the new me. It's a very scary future because it doesn't really go away. I have good days and bad days, but mostly good days.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Free Rice!
Since I can't find a job I've volunteered to work with adults in a GED prep program. In the morning I tested a 59 year old woman on her reading fluency, then worked with a single mother of 6 from Egypt. In the afternoon I worked with a group on writing a 5 paragraph essay, with varying results. All in all it was a great day, I loved it. Not everyone was on fire to learn, but they wanted to be there and were ready to work.
After working with the students the full time teacher directed me to a vocab web site he uses with his students. Okay, totally addicted. Not only do I get to practice high level vocabulary (that I thought I'd been losing) but I can practice a few German and Spanish words (not too in depth, but still fun) AND the site donates grains of rice to developing countries for every correct answer. So, basically you can feel good about all that time wasted on the computer :)
http://www.freerice.com/
After working with the students the full time teacher directed me to a vocab web site he uses with his students. Okay, totally addicted. Not only do I get to practice high level vocabulary (that I thought I'd been losing) but I can practice a few German and Spanish words (not too in depth, but still fun) AND the site donates grains of rice to developing countries for every correct answer. So, basically you can feel good about all that time wasted on the computer :)
http://www.freerice.com/
300 Applicants
I called to follow up on a resume, and found out there are 300 applicants for one of the only four temporary Social Studies positions within the Boston Metro area. What that means is that I will not get the job. In Boston you have to have all of your college transcripts, copies of your certificate, actual letters of reference (not just names and numbers) when you apply for jobs. I'm working on getting everything together, but I don't have it. Unless the 300 are terrible choices (which is unlikely) I don't stand a chance.
What that means for the future is that there are *already* at least 300 teachers looking for a Social Studies position for the upcoming year. That doesn't include anyone who might not have applied or any of the upcoming education graduates who will also be looking for a job. Including districts in or around Boston, I'm guessing that perhaps 50 Social Studies jobs will become available for the upcoming year. I could be one that gets a job, but that's pretty darn competitive.
What I would really need to do would be to substitute teach for a district I want to work with. I've been substituting for a private school that will probably keep all of their teachers for the upcoming year, or loose elementary teachers which I'm not yet qualified for. I don't regret working with this school, it's restored my belief in education, but it hasn't helped me network for the upcoming school year.
But it's not too late to substitute for other districts, right. Wrong. The district I called has already added 100 new substitutes to their substitute list. Even if I were to ask to be added, gone out to schools to network, etc., I would see very little time within a classroom, likely too little to draw the notice of a hiring principal. I suppose I could be more aggressive, but I don't think teaching should be a cut throat occupation.
So this means another full year of substitute work with the possibility of a long term sub position in the spring of next year. Sure, it could be better than that, but it's unlikely. What I can do is take the elementary certification test to expand my qualifications. I don't know the situation with that, but it might be a little better. Since I have no experience in an elementary classroom I would most likely spend some time substituting anyway, although I could specifically request to work with the lower grades at the school I'm working with now.
Anyway, my job search isn't going very well right now...Ah well, off to my volunteer job (working with adults trying to get their GED). At least I know I can stay busy, even if I'm not getting paid.
What that means for the future is that there are *already* at least 300 teachers looking for a Social Studies position for the upcoming year. That doesn't include anyone who might not have applied or any of the upcoming education graduates who will also be looking for a job. Including districts in or around Boston, I'm guessing that perhaps 50 Social Studies jobs will become available for the upcoming year. I could be one that gets a job, but that's pretty darn competitive.
What I would really need to do would be to substitute teach for a district I want to work with. I've been substituting for a private school that will probably keep all of their teachers for the upcoming year, or loose elementary teachers which I'm not yet qualified for. I don't regret working with this school, it's restored my belief in education, but it hasn't helped me network for the upcoming school year.
But it's not too late to substitute for other districts, right. Wrong. The district I called has already added 100 new substitutes to their substitute list. Even if I were to ask to be added, gone out to schools to network, etc., I would see very little time within a classroom, likely too little to draw the notice of a hiring principal. I suppose I could be more aggressive, but I don't think teaching should be a cut throat occupation.
So this means another full year of substitute work with the possibility of a long term sub position in the spring of next year. Sure, it could be better than that, but it's unlikely. What I can do is take the elementary certification test to expand my qualifications. I don't know the situation with that, but it might be a little better. Since I have no experience in an elementary classroom I would most likely spend some time substituting anyway, although I could specifically request to work with the lower grades at the school I'm working with now.
Anyway, my job search isn't going very well right now...Ah well, off to my volunteer job (working with adults trying to get their GED). At least I know I can stay busy, even if I'm not getting paid.
Monday, February 2, 2009
14 Children
So a woman has 8 children from IVF although she lives with her PARENTS with her *6* other kids, doesn't have a job or source of income, and says she plans on making millions by talking on the Oprah Winfrey show.
I don't know what should happen here. If I were Oprah Winfrey I sure wouldn't give her an interview. I'd deliberately snub her for her irresponsibility.
But the question is, who's going to support this woman? Is there some private organization that will donate a house, food, diapers, clothes and toys? The previous octuplets had a 5 bedroom house donated by Fannie May, but there were no previous children, and the company was doing a whole lot better back then.
And there's also the medical side of things. These types of procedures are typically not covered by insurance. How the heck did an unworking mother pay for IVF? Even with a sperm donor an IVF cycle can cost $10,000- $20,000. Those babies are going to need a bunch of check-ups too.
If there isn't a group that's willing to step in and help, what will happen to these babies? If the mother can't afford her children will the foster system step in and take them away? I think it would be pretty horrible for her if in trying to have more children she lost all of her children.
I understand, once you have 8 living embryos in your body, believing that you shouldn't abort some. It's a matter of your view on life and when it begins, and although I don't particularly agree with the view (particularly as early as blasts attaching to the uteris), I know I've been an avid believer in pro-life principles in the past.
What I don't understand is if she made any arrangements ahead of time to receive help or if she just assumed that her popularity would provide for her children. If I ended up in that situation, although I wouldn't, because I don't already have 6 children, I would either have kept a smaller number of embryos or found adoptive homes for some of the children. Surely she must have known public sentiment would not be in her favor on this.
But there's something is fishy about this whole story, including the number of embryos implanted. I suppose it's possible that they implanted 4 and every one split. That wouldn't sound too extreme if they were older frozen blasts that didn't have a good chance for survival. Still, even 4 would be a lot. The excuse that she didn't want to destroy the blasts is complete horse shit because there are many ways to donate embryos or set up embryotic adoption.
I came within one month of an embryotic adoption. I actually paid the fees for an embryotic match at embryosalive.com, but my doctor wanted to use donated embryos from his clinic instead. I found a donor, I went through preliminary tests, but there was concern that I might have a heart shaped uteris. Another test was ordered that I needed to wait an additional month for. I had to schedule a test within a three day period and missed the test date, so I had to wait another month. That's when the Army told me I was likely to go to Afghanistan. I worked out a deal to come to Boston and saw a clinic here. If I hadn't met Gerd I would probably be a mother by now.
I suppose that's why I must care about this topic as much as I do. People are irresponsible all the time. People do stupid things all the time. I mean, that's why the Darwin Awards were created right? I just hope those babies have a safe, happy upbringing, wherever they grow up.
I don't know what should happen here. If I were Oprah Winfrey I sure wouldn't give her an interview. I'd deliberately snub her for her irresponsibility.
But the question is, who's going to support this woman? Is there some private organization that will donate a house, food, diapers, clothes and toys? The previous octuplets had a 5 bedroom house donated by Fannie May, but there were no previous children, and the company was doing a whole lot better back then.
And there's also the medical side of things. These types of procedures are typically not covered by insurance. How the heck did an unworking mother pay for IVF? Even with a sperm donor an IVF cycle can cost $10,000- $20,000. Those babies are going to need a bunch of check-ups too.
If there isn't a group that's willing to step in and help, what will happen to these babies? If the mother can't afford her children will the foster system step in and take them away? I think it would be pretty horrible for her if in trying to have more children she lost all of her children.
I understand, once you have 8 living embryos in your body, believing that you shouldn't abort some. It's a matter of your view on life and when it begins, and although I don't particularly agree with the view (particularly as early as blasts attaching to the uteris), I know I've been an avid believer in pro-life principles in the past.
What I don't understand is if she made any arrangements ahead of time to receive help or if she just assumed that her popularity would provide for her children. If I ended up in that situation, although I wouldn't, because I don't already have 6 children, I would either have kept a smaller number of embryos or found adoptive homes for some of the children. Surely she must have known public sentiment would not be in her favor on this.
But there's something is fishy about this whole story, including the number of embryos implanted. I suppose it's possible that they implanted 4 and every one split. That wouldn't sound too extreme if they were older frozen blasts that didn't have a good chance for survival. Still, even 4 would be a lot. The excuse that she didn't want to destroy the blasts is complete horse shit because there are many ways to donate embryos or set up embryotic adoption.
I came within one month of an embryotic adoption. I actually paid the fees for an embryotic match at embryosalive.com, but my doctor wanted to use donated embryos from his clinic instead. I found a donor, I went through preliminary tests, but there was concern that I might have a heart shaped uteris. Another test was ordered that I needed to wait an additional month for. I had to schedule a test within a three day period and missed the test date, so I had to wait another month. That's when the Army told me I was likely to go to Afghanistan. I worked out a deal to come to Boston and saw a clinic here. If I hadn't met Gerd I would probably be a mother by now.
I suppose that's why I must care about this topic as much as I do. People are irresponsible all the time. People do stupid things all the time. I mean, that's why the Darwin Awards were created right? I just hope those babies have a safe, happy upbringing, wherever they grow up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)