I saw this great sign once that said, “Lord, give me patience, but hurry up please!” People who are waiting for me on facebook-I’ll get there, promise. Kristi actually created a page for me, but until now, I haven’t had the chance really for login and to explore it, I know-it’s absurd it’s taken me this long. I had to ask ‘em for a new password, but facebook has asked me to be patient, and it is on the way. So when I get it, I will be running along to catch up to the rest of the social network.

Sweet Donnie had a good reminder, (see previous post for people who were interested in that)-fish oil can be very bad-only get high grade stuff that you know has been tested. He also provided the link to the info we watched, which I then digested  and regurgitated in shorter form. Wow, that last sentence was colorfully disgusting. Here, a happy thought for you to make up for it. Raw Cacao is a delightfully complex substance that really appears to be excellent for you. You can get your chocolate fix in raw form, get the nutrients missing from a candy bar, and it’s easy to mix up into whatever to take the slightly bitter edge off.

No link to this thought, but here we go….

More good things that have been happening….Wendy moved back to town, for which I am SO grateful and blown away by that I can still hardly even believe it. I am still going through spells where I don’t want to get too excited for fear she might go away again. For example, I often dream it’s Christmas and she’s leaving again to go back to MN, but that keeps NOT HAPPENING in reality! Awesome! She and I are going to be neighbors very soon, and her fiance Mike will be arriving shortly to complete the happy package. I am so looking forward to it, and so happy for her and Mike.

De Seestor and Aric are going to take over the world. However, that information is classified and I cannot share it. You’ll know about it soon enough. And you’ll like it. Really. Patience!

I miss Elise a lot, but I will just have to be scheduling a trip to Brazil in the cold, horrid, MT winter months to go and see her.Patience for her and for me. I miss my Reiki Master though-and my friend.

Sweet Donnie is planning on remodeling the kitchen while I go on a retreat with my company next week. I believe he is extremely brave to be doing this project. I am reasonably certain he will actually have it done, except for the island by the time I get back. The island can wait. He began the process last Saturday when I woke up to “wham! bang! smash! wham! thud! crunch!” I got out of bed with a bad headache and found him in the kitchen with various tools, including a sledgehammer, crowbar, and mallet, and inquired as to whether the house had made him angry. Dust was everywhere. He said no, he’s just getting started on the kitchen project. Go Donnie GO! I went to the horseraces for the rest of the day with my mom and lost for the first 5 races, and then by the time I had gotten more conservative, I was winning, but not enough to recoup the losses. Ah well, it was only $50 bucks or so. We had a really good time. When I arrived home, I realized that I was mildly sunburned, and the worst part was my eyes-I think the glare off the program got them, because of course, I could not find my sunglasses. NO. That would have been too organized for me. =)

I would like all my items to respond to voice command, and come floating gently towards me when I call them. Or state to me in a pleasant voice, “I am located under the bed.” “I am located in the reusable bag.” “I am located in your green purse which is on the second closet shelf” Etc. Then they will never really be lost, as long as they are within vocal range. I’m sure we have the technology….but I’ll just have to be patient. Certainly improving my organization skills would be a longer wait than the tech for it.

Damn I have been busy! First I got married, I changed jobs (very very thankfully, as it resulted in WAAAAAY less stress and a substantial salary and benefit increase), NO MORE DYSFUNCTION JUNCTION. YAY! What I do now is therapy for parents and children and also help manage state Medicaid funding for a state that shall remain nameless. I moved in with my husband, because once you get married, you gotta do that. It seems that it took forever, and it did. I was so busy and burnt out during the weeks that I did very little actual packing except on weekends. I am so grateful for the help of friends that made the move easier. Bridgy, Shawn, and Colton in particular made it a lot more bearable. Wendy helped me wrap small precious things. Donnie coordinated people to pick things up, put them in trucks, and unload them. People who have always known that I am a clutterbug, to say the least, will be very proud to know that I gave away nearly my entire kitchen as well as about 75% of my old wardrobe. I got rid of anything and everything that I thought would be  useful to someone else if I didn’t have an immediate use or great fondness for it.

Warning: Rant Ahead: Read if You Want To Know Which Foods Are Truly Good for You

I have spent numerous hours with Donnie researching what’s actually really good for a person to eat, and what is crap. As near as I can tell, really, truly, once and for all, it really does come down to this: Eat as many whole, raw foods as you can. Fat content really doesn’t matter much if you are eating that way, because you will be eating very little fat. Most of the fat you do eat when you eat fruits and vegetables will help you absorb nutrients, not gain weight. The medical reality is that you will absorb the nutrients from a salad BETTER IF YOU HAVE A NICE FATTENING DRESSING ON IT LIKE RANCH. How AWESOME IS THAT?

Organic IS better, and here is one reason why. There is a big fat evil company that you should research called Monsanto. (I think of them as MonSatan). Here is just one naughty thing they did. Without anyone in the public, such as farmers or consumers actually asking, they spliced genes of RoundUp RT (Yes, the weed killer) into all their wheat and corn seed. This is a BIG deal. It is such a big deal that many European nations will not buy grains from the US unless it is non-GMO. Many European nations refuse to allow genetically modified ingredients. (Smart move, in my opinion, when it comes to things like adding effing weed killer to ALL the wheat and corn.) MonSatan has also put many small, medium, and large size farms out of business by claiming that the farms “stole” their seed. How did the farmers do it? Well, they sprayed a little RoundUp RT near their fence lines to keep the weeds out of their crops. And the RoundUp moved into the crops via the wind, and the result was that farmers who had been using the same non GMO seed for 20 years suddenly found they had GMO seed, which was indistinguishable from the MonSatan seed. Guess who won in court? It wasn’t the little guys, even though they didn’t do it on purpose, and just wanted their regular seed back. All gone. And the wind blows…

There are many other good reasons to eat organic, especially if you buy it locally. You are supporting local stores and farmers, which is a plus. Is it more viable, in terms of nutrients? Not really sure, but I like knowing that I am eating a tomato that is not spliced with the genes of a coldwater fish in order to make it grow in cold climates.

Taste is a factor in some cases. I am not a big fan of bananas (thank you Gwen Stafani for the most annoying song that taught an entire generation how to really spell BANANA), but I really like organic ones. They tend to be sweet tasting, and they haven’t been gassed in most cases. I also really feel like I can tell the difference with tomatoes.

The reformulated food pyramid should pretty much go like this: 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Nuts and soy are ok. Really. Most oils should be used sparingly, but again, you do need fats to help you absorb the nutrients anyway. Yogurt is good for you, even the fattening kind, although dairy, in general, should be used sparingly, like sugar. The best sugar according to the latest medical research is date sugar. Stevia is harmless, but doesn’t really do anything for you. White sugar, brown sugar, agave, honey, etc, all come out pretty much the same. Aspartame IS A NEUROTOXIN. Period. It is bad as hell for you. It creates brain tumors, depression, ADHD, and is linked to many other diseases including cancer. The FDA says its safe, but research from all other countries shows it is toxic. All those other artificial sweeteners are also toxins. MSG is also a neurotoxin, and can have immediate and long-term effects on the body. Many times MSG will be disguised as “spices” on boxes. There are about 50 (not kidding) different labels for MSG. Bottom line, if  you’re going to drink a Coke, drink the regular stuff. Chinese food-order without MSG. Try to avoid it if possible-it’s in almost everything boxed you can think of. Avoid food dyes and artificial colors and flavors. Many of these are linked to allergies, hidden allergies, as well as things like mental health issues, particularly ADHD. Breads and grains should not be the base of the food pyramid, just used with common sense. The latest medical research shows that you really CANNOT have too many fruits and vegetables. The health benefits do not taper off, they just keep increasing. The ultimate cancer preventatives and stoppers, (that’s right, they actually KILL CANCER CELLS) are Garlic, Onions, and Leeks. The more dark leafy greens you eat, the better. Spinach is not actually the most amazing source of iron, but it is the number one “lettuce” for health benefits. The more vegan your diet is, the more weight you will lose. Even people who eat meat 1-2 times per month have more weight on them overall than vegans. Lacto-ovo vegetarians do not have the same amount of benefit as total vegans. I’m not a total vegan. I’m just telling you what I found out.

The worst meat? Amazingly-Chicken. And what really distressed me is that apparently cooking meat releases a carcinogen (we are cooking a muscle after all). I LIKE CHICKEN. I LIKE STEAK. I LIKE CHEESEBURGERS. But that’s what the research says. The other awful thing to stay away from: FISH. This is no problem for me, I don’t like fishies, unless they are shellfish. If you are getting your supplements through Fish Oil, make sure it is a a high quality fish oil, such as what a ND would dispense.

Most important Vitamins? All the Vitamin B’s. Vitamin D. LOTS OF VITAMIN D. Low levels of Vitamin D are linked not only to most forms of cancer, but also to strange things like increased risk of falling. To quote Dave Barry, “I swear I am not making this up.”

If you try out a whole foods/raw food diet for about a week, you will most likely feel like hell for the first few days. That is junk leaving your system. Much of the information I wrote in this blog is attributable to an MD who researches studies that have been done every year, and then puts out a DVD with this info. I think his website is veganmd.com. I could be wrong, and if I am, let me know, and I will find a correct link.

This has been your public services announcement.

There are many other things to blog and rant about, but right now it is time for bed. If any readers know of helpful websites or recipes on raw foods, or whole foods diets, please let me know!

I will never forget where I was when I heard the news. I will probably never go through this day entirely without fear that something bad could happen. I will never forget to say a prayer on this day that’s a little different from my other prayers. I sincerely doubt anyone else who lived through it feels any different, and many people feel worse about it. PTSD for a nation. And every year, I breathe a sigh of relief that nothing blew up and no people died again because of terrorists. I am grateful to be alive every day, but particularly so on this day. And if any of my readers is a family member or friend of a victim of the attacks, then my heart and prayers go out to you, and have ever since the day our nation was wounded so deeply. We will never forget.

So dramatic sounding, I know. So emo. But on a slightly lighter note, I take great pleasure in the fact that the people responsible for so much misery and horror, whomever they might be, definitely have negative karma in store for them. I’m thinking no virgins in heaven…I’m thinking more STD-laden whores who have never heard of any religion, with fetishes for hot pokers, no mercy, and a taste for vengeance. At the minimum.

The most interesting thing I saw today was while I was at the doctor’s office in the waiting room. LA was having a very geriatric car chase through 3 counties where the driver was actually obeying the traffic laws….stopping at red lights, etc. I rather suspect the poor person may have a severe mental illness, or maybe dementia. Grand Theft Auto it wasn’t. I recommend playing the game rather than watching the news, the game is infinitely more entertaining.

The best thing that happened to me today was being with my husband.

The thing I cherish the most today is peace in any form it takes.

Crazy makers. Some wise author, psychologist, or social worker coined the phrase. I can’t think of who it is, and I am too lazy and tired to google it at the moment. But I succumbed to a crazy maker today. My mother got up out of her bed for the first time in 3 weeks, and I was so overjoyed by it that I agreed right away to meet her at “Worst Buy” after work to help her get a computer. She has desperately needed a computer for about the last 8 years, the rotten thing she has being an ancient and crippled EMachine that somehow manages to limp along, when it doesn’t crash. The other thing she has is an HP so old as to be considered a dinosaur, and although I’ve wiped the harddrive 3 times, and installed various virus protection, it just can’t seem to get along properly. It’s too old to handle high speed.

The other huge issue of course is that mom is one of the few that still uses dial-up. She has no problem waiting 20 minutes to get on the damn internet, although patience is not something that I would list among her virtues, and neither would she, actually. SO. I was SO HAPPY that she was OUT OF BED, and wanted to GET A GOOD COMPUTER that I agreed to meet her after work. Sweet Donnie had already agreed to help out after all. I figured by the time I got to Worst Buy that they would be checking out, we might all have some dinner, and although I would miss my beloved nap, that I would at least make it in time to have pie and coffee with Wendy. Did this happen? OF COURSE NOT. You know it didn’t because I wouldn’t be blathering on about it if things had gone according to plan. So I arrive at the store, and find my sweet husband and my mother surround by not one or two, but three tech people, none of whom seem to understand how to even SELL this computer. You see, even though they had it in stock, they had not sold one of these before. It had a Verizon Air Card inside, where you pay monthly to have access to the internet. But they had never set this up. So after multiple phone calls to Verizon, all that could be discerned was that although the cell phone account had a “zero balance”, the effing computer at the store that links to Verizon INSISTED there was a balance. We left the store in total confusion, and out of hunger, and out of irritation, because only my father is authorized to discuss the Verizon account. We sent mom away, because she was starting to try to talk to the poor woman who was trying hardest to help her while the lady was on the phone. Even after we told her it was time to go, she continued to talk. We gently removed her by means of an elbow grip. The store people gave us looks that said they were sorry they were losing a potential sale, but they kind of hoped they wouldn’t see us back, at least until tomorrow, if ever. Donnie and I ate. And I got ahold of my father. And he agreed to come to the store. That, in itself, is AMAZING. It was approaching 9 when dad arrived, talked disgustedly with the Verizon people, who will NEVER EVER for any reason EVER tell you the same information. Each rep you talk to will tell you something slightly different. That’s so you get customized service. Like when you buy a crap artifact from a third world country and it tells you that slight defects are no big deal, that’s what makes it handcrafted and unique. This is not a good model for a corporate monopoly, in my opinion, if you actually WANT to make people happy. But if you just want to give them the bare minimum and make money through confusion, it’s good. It worked very well for AOL (AO-HELL) over the years, and I think they may have shared business practices with Verizon. I believe the psychology of it is that if you confuse the consumer enough, or frustrate them enough, they will eventually go away, or pay you more money to make you go away, or pay you money because they say you owe them money. In this particular instance, Verizon claimed that there was a “separate account” that a small balance was owed on, and THAT was the reason that this particular computer could not be sold with the Verizon card activated. This small balance, I happen to know personally, was paid MANY MOONS AGO, and was paid by yours truly, when I moved my business cell into an account in my name. I HAD to pay all the balance in order to do this. So, was money really owed? No. But corporate giants have creative accounting software. At this point, I paid this apparent past due balance on this old ass account that had my old phone and my mom’s old phone on it, and FINALLY we were able to buy mom a computer. We completed our transaction 30 seconds before the store shut down for the night. The moral of the story is: A crazy maker is always a crazy maker. If you decide to get involved, plan on forfeiting any plans you might have had and prepare to adapt to the new agenda. Corporate giants are crazy makers. They just do it on a different scale. The total effect is that when one crazy maker’s magnetic field collides with another crazy maker’s field, they twist, mate, and you don’t know what you will get. In this case, the quantum mechanics of it produced a favorable result. In some parallel universe, we are still in that store, and will never leave it, and will never have solved the problem, being trapped in the crazy maker field.

I’m so grateful my consciousness resides in THIS particular universe. And although my mom is a crazy maker, I love her anyway. She’s my mom. The only one I’ve got, and the only one that can annoy the Worst Buy people more than they annoy anyone else. It was probably their karma. I did wind up thanking the gentleman in the end, and I believe Verizon will probably reimburse the “past due fee” that was “owed.”

Since Sweet Donnie has given me a laptop, I expect I will be blogging a lot more than I have been. You poor creatures. Months of silence….and now it is monsoon season.