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end of the experiment

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

Hmm, so my problems aren’t solved - though they do seem to be better. And I’ve lost and inch or two in my waist - so it would seem I’ve been living a bloated life for the last few years …

So I’ve decided to cut out obvious dairy (milk, cheese, ice cream) but not worry so much about the incidental stuff (like in bread).

And with my food diary, it would seem that potatoes, corn and rice seem out to get me - which leads me to think it’s not really a food tolerance, and perhaps more of a need-to-eat-more-complex carbs issue …

Next experiment: non-dairy south beach (maintenance phase, not that awful induction phase …)

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hmmm, what if it’s not the dairy?

Sunday, July 27th, 2008

So two days into my no-dairy experiment, and, well, nothing much seems to have changed. I’ll spare you all the details of my exact digestion woes, but my after-eating state of being seems much the same.

So it looks like I may have to move on to wheat. :’( Not for another week though, I need some time to get used to the idea …

On the plus side, I did discover rice milk! One of my neighbors who had her son on a lactose and gluten free diet for awhile tipped me off to it. Apparently, if you suddenly go crazy with the soy, you can really mess up your hormones.

When it comes to milk alternatives on cereal, I vote for vanilla rice milk over vanilla soy. It’s obviously not the real deal (i.e., the cat won’t touch it), but, at least for me, there’s no bitter after taste. And it’s way less sweet than lactose-free milk, so I can eat sugar cereals with it!

Cheddar-flavored rice “cheese” slices - fuhgeddabout it. Might be ok for cooking, in small doses. Not good on sandwiches. Or plain. In retrospect, I should have gone with American-flavored - at least American cheese is barely cheese to begin with …

Vegan parmesan-flavored … bits - ok on pasta with marinara sauce. It’s not the real thing, but with just a dusting, it adds that parmesany essence. More than that, and it becomes obvious that you’ve just covered your food in parmesan-flavored sawdust. Mmmmm, sawdust.

And of course, fresh fruits and veggies! In addition to strawberries, this week I splurged on cherries and sugar snap peas. And some more grapes. For the freezer.

Dairy-free, chocolate soy “ice cream” bars - surprisingly good! Though not wheat-free, so that means I’ll have to eat them all this week. (Such a sacrifice, I know.) They’ve got the texture of ice cream down, and the chocolate ice-cream flavor seems to mask the non-milk aspects of things better than some of the vanilla soy “ice creams” I’ve tried.

So, even if I never go dairy-free, I’ve discovered some new foods! The rice milk and soy ice cream might just stick around.

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sometimes i feel bad after i eat

Saturday, July 26th, 2008

Since high school, I’ve noticed that sometimes after I eat, I feel … unsettled in my stomach. Occasionally it results in the sudden purging of my stomach contents, but usually, if I just take it easy for an hour or so, I’m fine.

I’ve never really thought much about it, just been annoyed by it when it hits when I’m out running around and don’t have the pleasure of just waiting it out.

I have long suspected that I have some kind of food sensitivity/intolerance/allergy, but I’ve never wanted to do anything about it because the most common triggers (according to the internets) are milk and wheat. And I loooooove me some chocolate chip cookies and milk. And ice cream. And breakfast cereal. And pizza. And cheese in everything. And my daily chocolate. My dear, dear, daily chocolate.

It’s seems that the last few years, things have really ramped up, so I’ve decided to finally do something about it.

So, this week, it’s goodbye to dairy. :’( And do you know that there is dairy in EVERYTHING?? And if I give up wheat, too, that means I can’t eat anything except for lettuce and strawberries. Good thing I like strawberries.

Posted in food, general complaints | 4 Comments »

Party time: day 12 part 2

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

Broke the internets (or at least the antenna on my router). So the blogs are being written in old-fashioned word, until the mail man brings me my new internets.

Overall, the day was bad, and the husband came home after a bad day at work. And so we did what any couple does after a double-bad day: we went to Maggie Moos for a shake and a little piece of heaven.

I tried the dark chocolate, fudge, strawberry and nut concoction – and it is the best thing ever. Total chocolate buzz on the first bite. I am in love with Maggie Moos dark chocolate. Even if I can only eat 6 bites before my intestines pitch a fit. It is sooooooooo worth it. Especially after a bad day.

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party time sucks: day 12

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Up early for more patching and sanding and cleaning off dust and patching and sanding and cleaning off dust.

I hate this part of painting. I rather like painting itself. But I sure could do without all the prep.

My ceiling patching efforts aren’t getting rid of the ceiling crack.

And the cats will NOT leave me alone. Right now, as I type, Havok is cramming his entire body on the 4 square inches available on my lap, between my arms and the laptop. Because he knows that as soon as he steps or sits on my laptop, I will usher him away.

And my vacuum cleaner broke. That’s right, my 5-year-old $50 Wal-Mart vacuum cleaner that nobody even makes bags for anymore broke. The vacuum cleaner that I NEED in order to get rid of all the dust I am generating. Oh, and buckets of cat hair. I do not want buckets of cat hair in the basement once I start painting. Cat hair and paint do not mix. I already have basement trim full of dog hair (courtesy of previous owners). I do not want to add cat hair to the mix.

I am toying with the idea of running to BB&B for a 20% off dyson. Because, you know, I’m not earning any money at the moment. And what better thing to do than SAVE $100 on a vacuum cleaner that doesn’t lose suction. Because my current vacuum cleaner has given all its suction away.

Grrr. I think I might be about ready for a real job …

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are your wipers on?

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Then turn on your headlights.

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paaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiin

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

I woke up monday morning with a sore throat. I woke about 4 am on account of the pain when I swallowed. And I woke up every time I swallowed thereafter. I finally got out of bed at 6 am - a handful of drugs and a chamomile tea later, and the pain was bearable.

I woke up tuesday morning with half a sore throat. That’s right, just the right half of my throat was sore. I woke around 4 again, and dozed on and off till finally getting up at 6 am for some drugs and tea.

I woke up today and it was the same drill. Except the pain never subsided. I managed to get a doctors appointment today over lunch. The doctor told me to that my throat would stop hurting when I got better. And that they never give anything for the pain. Only antibiotics. On the hope that my throat infection is caused by bacteria.

I stopped for lunch on my way back to work. As I sat in the Taco Bell in the parking lot after a quick run through the drive through, it was the most painful bean burrito (no onions) I have ever eaten in my life. There were literally tears running down my face, but when it comes to me and lunch, I’m gonna eat lunch.

After work I picked up my antibiotics and everything google told me I could gargle to help a sore throat: listerine, hydrogen peroxide, and children’s liquid tylenol. I have since gargled it all to no avail.

I just want to be able to eat and most especially sleep without pain. :’( I don’t know how parents with new babies get no sleep and then still get up and go to work anyway. Three days of no sleep and I am useless, I’m lucky I made it home without falling asleep at the wheel.

So how do I get rid of the pain? I skipped the gargling tobasco suggestion from google, but I am about ready to try it …

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cruise control pleeeeeeeze :’(

Monday, March 31st, 2008

In July, while on a mini-roadtrip with the sis, I discovered that my cruise control wasn’t working. I made a mental note. On my next oil change, I had them take a look, and they determined that I needed a new cruise control deactivation sensor - a part that they didn’t have in stock and would need to order. (Trip 1 to the mechanic.) They said if I’d call a few days ahead of when I next brought my car in, they could order the part.

So, early March, I decided I should get the cruise control fixed, on account of a mid-April roadtrip the husband and I are taking to celebrate year #4 of staying-married-ness. I called a week ahead of time to make an appointment for an oil change and to get my cruise control fixed. I TOLD the man they would need to order the part, that they should know which part, it should be in their system. He told me they didn’t keep past service records AND that they could get ANY part same day. Whatev, I knew he was lying through his teeth to me, the stupid li’l girl, but I figured I had the following Saturday free as well. So I planned to take it in one Saturday for the oil change and for them to say, “oh, durrrrr, lemme order that part, it should be in by next week.” So I took my car in for the oil change that Saturday. (Trip 2 to the mechanic.) And scheduled another visit for the following Saturday, after they realized they needed a part from Ford, and that it would take a few days to get it.

So I went back the following week. They had ordered the part. They were ready to install. But, oh, it was the wrong part in the box. Could I come back in a couple days? (Trip 3 to the mechanic.)

So I went back one afternoon, after work. I took off a little early to get there. I forgot to pick up the car that evening, so I dropped the husband off at the mechanic the following morning on my way to work. (It’s the car he drives.) They got another mis-boxed part from Ford. So the husband told them to shove it, that he’d find somebody else to fix it. They didn’t care, and agreed that might be best. (Trip 4 to the mechanic.)

I made an appointment with a Ford dealership, in the hopes that they would possibly have the part in stock. I told them what I needed, but they said they’d want to check it out to figure it out for themselves. I also had a long overdue recall on the car (the back latch sometimes flies open in a wreck, apparently), so I figured I’d have them fix that while they were at it. The day arrived, they fixed the recall, but needed to order a part. Could I come back next week? (Trip 5 to the mechanic.) I scheduled my next appointment.

I returned to the Ford dealership today, to finally get my cruise control fixed. They replaced the faulty part. And then they discovered there is ANOTHER part of the cruise control that is also broken. Could I come back Friday? They’ll give me a loaner and everything! (Trip 6 to the mechanic.)

So, I will be returning on Friday. For my 7th attempt at getting my cruise control fixed. The road trip is April 10, so here’s hoping this one last part is all they need …

Posted in general complaints, life | 1 Comment »

more bad news from the mold man

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

I was supposed to get my house back tonight. I was supposed to be able to resume my normal life. And sleep in my bed.

But the mold man didn’t dehumidify the bathroom. He thinks it’s my fault. He thinks I went in and turned off his stupidly expensive machinery.

But I didn’t touch it.

So they came and plugged in the dehumidifier. And they will be back on Friday. :’(

So two more nights in the basement.

At least I have my kitchen back. And both the horrendously loud particle scrubbers are gone.

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no more please

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

Being a grown up is something you spend years working toward. When you are 15 and burdened with curfews and not enough allowance, you dream of the day when you will be free.

I’ve been here for almost 10 years now. And its not nearly as fun as I had hoped it would be.

There’s bills. Mortgage, two types of phone, internet, tv, water, gas, electric, student loans, car loans. Everybody wants a piece of your pie.

There’s more chores than your folks ever made you do. You have to do all the dishes. And all the garbage-taking out. And all the kitty poo scooping. And all the lawn mowing. And all the grocery shopping. And all the cooking. And all the cleaning. And all the laundry. And all the appointment making. And all the animal feeding. And all the car maintenance. And all the house maintenance. Even if you have other people take care of the actual work, you have to find said people. And pay them.

There’s retirement planning. With the demise of pensions and possibly social security, you have to be diligent with 401ks and IRAs. You have to start young and make up a guess as to how much you’ll need, how much the return on your investments will be, and how much your salary will increase over the years.

There’s money management. Emergency funds, vacation funds, house maintenance funds, family travel funds (if you live in Virginia and have family in Washington state and Texas, you need a family travel fund …) You have to pay attention to how you spend your money in order to make sure you get to do all the things you want to do. Otherwise you’ll end up with 80 movie ticket stubs. And another year of not seeing your mom.

I guess it’s not really all so bad, but it sure seems that when it rains, it pours. I really can’t wait for this month to be over. And from the way things are going, probably next month, too …

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