Sunday...

It's been a pleasant weekend, weather not excepted.  Walks were had (when feeling well enough, which has not been very often lately), spring cleaning has begun and Babu's shedding like a fiend so I've brushed him... twice.  Thankfully he loves it and it's an easy task.

It's nice to sit here and hear the birds again.

With said spring cleaning, there has been furniture re-arranging.  I didn't think it was possible (in livingroom) because it's not very big and I'm wall-to-wall with stuff already.  But, low and behold, a slight change and all is well.  I'm going to be a bit cramped more than usual because I've made a new purchase.  It'll be stuck in a corner but still takes up some space.  I plan to move out this year anyways, so I don't mind feeling cramped for a little while longer.  If I start to go a little loco, you know why.  Be forewarned, there may be "Not enough space, I need out NOW" venting.

I came across a couple of websites today which may or may not be of interest to you.  If you partake in Gluten Free baking, check out Gluten Free Goddess's post of Gluten-Free Baking Tips & Substitutions.  I also list her on the main page of my blog here, if you'd like to follow all her other regular posts.  I also came across "15 International Food Etiquette Rules That Might Surprise You".  A good read (i.e - when you go out for sushi, don't rest your chopsticks upright in your rice, representative of funeral traditions).  And last but not least, there's a quick-read article on Michael Ignatieff's view on politics, which is quite accurate.  Politics is dirtier than ever now and to make it worse, minister's have very little freedom at Question Period and everything is scripted.  Is this what we've come to?  What happened to freedom of speech?  Is 'democracy' an oxymoron now?  Harsh words.

Went for breakfast today at (new) potential job location.  The incidental meeting with the owner went very, very well. Keep hoping!!

Choir is still going well and we rocked it today.  We have a big (big!) evening coming up this Thursday.  I don't remember if I've mentioned this or not already, but Archbishop Collins (Toronto) was accepted to become a Cardinal (so is now Cardinal Collins) and he's from our very own parish, so we'll be doing a celebratory Mass (prayer evening? I don't know what we're calling it) Thursday night.  It'll be televised!  Eek!  We've been practicing lots for it, but wish us luck! :)

I'm going to take it easy the rest of the night and dive into the last? second last? Diana Gabaldon book in the Outlander series, "An Echo in the Bone". I'm not sure yet if I want to read The Scottish Prisoner.  Oh, btw, there's a special 20th Anniversary Outlander book.  I WANTS.

Enjoy your Sunday evening :)

Health, Expanded.. And Pictures! (but not of the health) :)

Well, I finally finished Jane Austen's Persuasion.  What a fantastic ending, to which I stayed up late reading.  I figured, I don't sleep well anyways, so what the hell's the point with going to bed at a decent time?  Now I can start reading, The Wayfinders (from the CBC Massey Lecture series - "Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World").  Looking forward to that.

I've had the a/c running the past couple days.  Waiting for this heat to break.  Babu and I are comfortable :)

Well, I don't really want to talk about it, but there's no use avoiding it.  So.. yes, it was confirmed I have sleep apnea; something I was in dire denial about.  This is the one thing I *didn't* want.  It's only moderate, he says (apparently stopped breathing 20 times an HOUR is moderate).  He kept asking me if I was diabetic (if he clued in when I told him I was PRH he would understand I'm the opposite of diabetic) and if I've had blood clots (no).  I have large tonsils (which I knew about) that factor in a bit.  Then he asks, "Has your doctor ever discussed with you metabolic syndrome?"  "No."  ... .  He said it's hard to diagnose, but I have a couple contributing factors (which apparently is all it takes).  Losing weight is mandatory, but I knew that.  He wants me to get a CPAP machine, to which I said I can't afford ("Did you know the province pays for most of it?" "No." "Yes, and they'll just leave you with a bill of $200-$400." "I can't afford that.") but we're going to have a trial run of a CPAP machine to just see how it goes.  I also have to get a stress test done and a methacholine test (asthma).  I wasn't expecting to be relayed with so much information yesterday.  I asked if there were other options other than getting a CPAP machine and he said, "Yes, but they're more expensive".  With all due respect to him and his geniusness, I'm going to do a hell of a lot more research to find out what else I can do.  I see him again at the end of August for follow-up, so I have until then to do it.  Man, I haven't even seen the endocrinologist yet - I'm starting to fear that appointment.

I feel like I'm going to be dead in 5 years.  I've never had so much wrong with me.  What's going on?!?!  I'm 34 for crying out loud.  34!!  Not 84!  Hells bells.. that reminds me.. I have to call my gram to get an update on my aunt.  Alright, well, I'm too pissed off about this health stuff, so I need to putter around the apartment.  I will leave you on a more positive note, though... with pictures! :)

.... is it Friday yet?

A tiger lily, post-rain.

Babu, with his usual unimpressed look. He lays in front of the kitchen sink.. which can make it difficult to do dishes on the best of days.

When I was waiting for the doc in the pulmonologists office yesterday, they had this pamphlet.  I can't tell you how many things I find wrong with this.  "Pandemic prepared"?!?  And we wonder why people freak out; they're already subconsciously tense because of bullshit propaganda like this!  Gah! (And yes, that is the coffee mug I use every morning and yes it's Winnie the Pooh - don't judge :) ).

A little mini path I take on my walk home (this was last night).  The park is freshly cut, crop circles around the trees and that fresh cut grass smell... mmm.  If there's ever a scent of summer, that would definitely be one of them.

In a few days, this will be covered with tiger lilies.  I'll try my best to capture them.

New Book

Wanted to let y'all know, for those that are interested, I got a new book today (discounted, thank you).  


"The Fate of Family Farming - Variations on an American Idea"


The book files itself under Agriculture/American History.  Looks interesting.  I'll keep you posted how it is :)

Animal Farm - So Far

Animal Farm has been quite an interesting read in respects to human behaviour (well, animals, but you all get the pretext). You can see right away that Orwell hates totalitarianism (get rid of the human running the farm) and to question authority. When they get rid of Jones (the farmer), the pigs set up a new system and at first, it's a diplomatic society. Decisions are made and then voted on as a group. But oddly, one pig leader (Naploeon) feels intimidated, I believe, by the smarts of another pig leader (Snowball) and ousts him. He ends up creating a dictatorship (hungry from power?), what they were trying to avoid in the first place.

Napoleon manipulates his people with lies about the previous leader, twists past occurrences to look in his favour. Over-works and under-feeds the other animals. Runs them ragged, but they keep working our of manipulation and fear.

It's then found some of the other animals have been in contact with Snowball and when Napoleon finds out he holds a group meeting to discover all who have done this. The animals, one by one, admit to having said contact and are martyred on the spot. There's this huge slaughter. Any remaining animals depart and they're very sad and depressed. Morale is low. They continue to question the authority.

We all question authority at some point, don't we?

Still Alive

Yeah, I'm still around. Haven't had much to post about lately; course is done so the brain box is done working in overtime for a while. No major personal stuff has been happening.

I have been reading Mireille Guiliano's, "French Women Don't Get Fat". It was a widely proclaimed book when it came out. It's a good read, I like it. She expands on the French way/culture of eating; even the importances of indulging (chocolate, wine - in moderation, please). Heh.. but then, the French 'indulge' in wine with every meal. I guess it's 'indulging' to us North Americans (moreso a gastronomic 'sin'). Comes with some good recipes I might give a try.

In Defense of Food, review

I don't even know where to start in reviewing Michael Pollan's book. Anything I say won't bring the book justice, it's just too comprehensive (in fact, I want to read it a second time). He brings many things to light, I think, than we've bothered to think about (how a Western-style diet is killing us, how we need to get back to whole, un-processed foods). His manifesto is, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants".

Our food has become increasingly industrialized the past few years and it's becoming more rapid as time goes on. 'Add vitamin D to this, calcium to that'. Processed foods are becoming increasingly injected with what we should be obtaining from real, whole or raw food; all to benefit our fast-paced lifestyle and health craze to consume all the nutrients we can. No one cooks from scratch anymore. The more nutrients you can inject in a one-boxed meal, the better.

Western diseases come from a Western diet. The Europeans, the Greeks, the French or the Italians don't have the illnesses we do; at least, not in such abundance. They spend a greater amount on their paycheck on food. They cook. They take more time to slow down and eat together. They don't sit on the couch, in front of the TV with a meal you can microwave in 2 minutes. Eating at the table with family or friends is very important to them... and it should be. It makes eating much more enjoyable.

I'm going to throw in a few key points he brings up and if you want an extension of these, please feel free to comment and we can discuss it :)

~ avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) more than 5 in number, c) unpronouncable or d) that include high-fructose corn syrup.

~ avoid food products that make health claims (can you guess why?)

~ you are what you eat, eats, too (this includes the quality of soil of the grass that feeds the cow that you eat the steak, butter or drink the milk from)

~ pay more, eat less

~ eat slowly

~ try not to eat alone

Try to read this book if you can. He brings up so many more things than I can ever mention here that get the 'ol brain box movin'. Michael Pollan is an excellent author that really seems to know his stuff.. and he's not afraid to challenge conventional thinking/ways.

Books

I'm almost finished reading Michael Pollan's, "In Defense of Food". What a fantastic book. Should be one more sit-down and I'll be finished. I wish I could write a small review/thoughts after each reading, but I read before bed and I'm usually *in* bed while doing so, and the computer's off.

When I'm done, I'll flip through it and try to review it the best I can (there's so much to mention, I don't know if I'll get in everything).

So, for those waiting, review is coming soon.