OOOHHH!!!! This is awesome.... I love Jeeps. I miss ours. Cant wait to get a new one.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Dog Food...
Anyone with a dog (heck even cat) needs to read about what they are feeding thier animals. The pet food industry is one that is pretty much unregulated, and what goes INTO the pet food will curl you hair.
Here is a nicely put together site that gives a good anlysis of the different foods that are available.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
I feed my brood Canidae Lamb and Rice and it has improved thier health tremendously. Thier tear stains are gone, thier fur is amazingly soft and they are at perfect weights.
If you can buy it at a grocery store - more than likely it isnt ANY good for your pet.
Here is thier snippet of how thier food is assessed:
*************************
DOG FOOD ANALYSIS - CHOOSE A QUALITY KIBBLE FOR YOUR DOG
How do we assess the foods?
Choosing a good dry pet food isn’t that easy. If you’ve ever read the ingredient label on a pet food, you’ll notice that there is one crucial bit of information missing: how much of each ingredient is in the food. That really is crucial information. As we’ve already noted, most dry pet foods are based on grains or other plant material. But the animals we’re feeding them to are carnivores and should be eating a diet that is mainly made up of meat…
You’ll see the crude fat and crude protein content of the food listed on the labelling, but that alone does not tell us very much. Grains contain protein too – but it’s far less bioavailable protein for a carnivore that lacks the digestive enzymes needed to digest plants. Protein derived from meat represents a far higher quality and species-appropriate diet for a carnivore than plant proteins ever can be. What’s the point of a protein if it cannot be properly digested?
Fortunately, it is possible to make an educated guess as to the quality of a pet food. Until or unless the percentages of the ingredients are required to be shown on the ingredient lists or manufacturers disclose that information voluntarily, it can only ever be an educated guess or assessment, based on the knowledge that we do have. But that is far better than relying on the advertising hype.
What we look for in pet foods:
Meat, meat and more meat products. Cats and dogs are carnivores, and a species appropriate diet for these animals must be based on meat. They have no evolved need of carbohydrates in their diet. Grains are in pet food because they’re cheaper than meat products, and are needed to hold the kibble bits together. Not because they’re species-appropriate nutrition for a carnivorous mammal.
Meat and fat products that are identified by species. If the species cannot be identified, neither can the quality. We suggest avoiding any products that use unidentified “meat”, “animal” or “poultry” products in their foods.
Where grains are used, we look for good quality whole grains. Avoid those products that make prolific use of grain fragments (think floor sweepings) in their foods – these are nutritionless fillers.
Whole fruits and vegetables are appreciated, especially where these replace grains in the foods.
Organic ingredients are appreciated – but note above about the need for a food to contain a high proportion of meat. Organic grains are very nice where grains must be used, but they are no substitute for meat content.
What we avoid:
Foods containing any form of by-products, most especially those of indeterminate origin (“animal”, “poultry”, etc).
Artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or preservatives – especially those believed to be carcinogenic or that are banned from use in the human food chain. In dog food, principally these are BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin, Propyl Gallate. NOTE: Some ingredients, usually fish products, may contain artificial preservatives that are not disclosed on the ingredient list; if they are not added by the manufacturer, they are not required to be listed. We therefore look for assurances by manufacturers using ocean fish products that their foods do NOT contain any artificial preservatives.
Meats and fats that are not identified by species. These could literally be anything, and are almost certainly of very low quality.
Practices and ingredients to be aware of:
Splitting
Splitting is a common practice on dog food labels and it pays to be aware. Ingredients in dog food are listed in order of their weight – so the heaviest ingredients, those that make up the largest portion of the food, are listed first.
Splitting is when a manufacturer lists different components of the same ingredient as separate items. For example, chicken and chicken meal are both chicken products. Brown rice, white rice, rice, rice bran, rice gluten and rice flour are all parts of the same ingredient – rice. Yes, there is a difference in the nutritional aspects of the different forms of rice – brown rice is more nutritious than white rice, and grain fragments are far lower quality and less nutritious than whole grains. But the issue around splitting is in determining quantity.
The reason for the practice of “splitting” is essentially to make the ingredient list look better. As an example, when there are large quantities of rice in the food, a manufacturer might choose to list the component parts separately. That way, although the total rice products may make up, say, 55% of the food and meat only 25%, it is possible to list the meat product first and then three or four individual rice products that each separately weigh less than the meat product. Combined, however, rice makes up more than double the chicken content.
Manufacturers don’t disclose the quantity of ingredients on the labelling though. So you have to make the best assessment you can from the rest of the information given. Thus, while seeing the component parts of rice (or any other ingredient) is useful for determining the quality of ingredients used, when you’re trying to assess quantity you should always mentally add those component parts together.
Splitting can also serve to increase the level of confidence one has in the quantity of particular ingredients used. When you see two forms of the same meat ingredient, chicken for example, at the head of an ingredient list that can help you come to the reasonable conclusion that there is indeed a reasonable amount of chicken in the food.
The ingredient “chicken” means fresh chicken which is inclusive of its water content. Now water content is of course removed in the process of making dry dog food. It is thus likely that the true position of that ingredient (sans water) should be much further down the ingredient list than is stated. But if that were the first ingredient in a food, and the next ingredient is “chicken meal” then the practice of splitting can tell us that there was sufficient chicken meal in the food for it to be rated ahead of the first grain despite a portion of the ingredient split off. This serves to increase our confidence that the true first ingredient is that named – a form of chicken (meat product).
Be careful though ;) That would not necessarily be the case if the grains behind it were also split, or if there are a lot of different grain products in the food.
Some examples:
Example 1:
Chicken, chicken meal, turkey, turkey meal, brown rice, chicken fat….
That looks excellent. There are “four” meat ingredients at the head of the ingredient list. And only one grain. Once we factor in the removal of water content (which is about 80%) from the ingredients “chicken” and “turkey” then it is likely that these would be more accurately placed somewhat further down the ingredient list. A more likely “true” ingredient list here is thus: chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, chicken fat, chicken (sans water), turkey (sans water).
So how does it look now? Actually, still very good. The first two ingredients are still meat products, and there are two further meat products in the food. There is only one grain ahead of the fat content. We could have a very high level of confidence that there really was a decent quantity of meat products in the food.
Example 2:
Chicken meal, brown rice, white rice, rice bran, rice gluten meal, barley, chicken fat…
At first glance, that also looks fairly good. The first ingredient in the food is a meat product – in meal form too, so we don’t have to factor in the effects of water removal. But is it really the first ingredient? Actually, we can’t be confident that it is. Once we add all the different forms of rice together, they may well outweigh the chicken meal. And in fact they probably do, by a significant margin. Note that there’s another grain right behind the rice products in the ingredient list too. In short, it is impossible to be confident that the food contains an adequate amount of meat.
While not strictly an example of splitting, you should also take note of foods that use a lot of different grain products, and mentally add all those grains together to compare against all meat products.
For example:
Chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oat groats, ground corn, chicken fat, wheat flour, corn gluten meal, fish meal, millet…
No splitting going on there, so we can read that as a true list. But we should look carefully at the overall meat versus grain content. The first ingredient may be meat, but in this case it is followed immediately by four different grains ahead of the fat content, and three more grains after that. There is one further meat product (a meal) but it’s 9th on the ingredient list. It is likely that the combined grain products outweigh the total meat products by a large margin. This too is a grain heavy food.
The manufacturers won’t tell us the exact proportions of the ingredients that go into the products, so it is really a case of making an assessment based on the information you do have. And when it comes to dog food, it is wiser to err on the side of scepticism than of blind trust.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REVIEWS
*************
To search, enter your food brand or title, or you can go through the ratings and see where your food stands in comparison to others.
Here is a nicely put together site that gives a good anlysis of the different foods that are available.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
I feed my brood Canidae Lamb and Rice and it has improved thier health tremendously. Thier tear stains are gone, thier fur is amazingly soft and they are at perfect weights.
If you can buy it at a grocery store - more than likely it isnt ANY good for your pet.
Here is thier snippet of how thier food is assessed:
*************************
DOG FOOD ANALYSIS - CHOOSE A QUALITY KIBBLE FOR YOUR DOG
How do we assess the foods?
Choosing a good dry pet food isn’t that easy. If you’ve ever read the ingredient label on a pet food, you’ll notice that there is one crucial bit of information missing: how much of each ingredient is in the food. That really is crucial information. As we’ve already noted, most dry pet foods are based on grains or other plant material. But the animals we’re feeding them to are carnivores and should be eating a diet that is mainly made up of meat…
You’ll see the crude fat and crude protein content of the food listed on the labelling, but that alone does not tell us very much. Grains contain protein too – but it’s far less bioavailable protein for a carnivore that lacks the digestive enzymes needed to digest plants. Protein derived from meat represents a far higher quality and species-appropriate diet for a carnivore than plant proteins ever can be. What’s the point of a protein if it cannot be properly digested?
Fortunately, it is possible to make an educated guess as to the quality of a pet food. Until or unless the percentages of the ingredients are required to be shown on the ingredient lists or manufacturers disclose that information voluntarily, it can only ever be an educated guess or assessment, based on the knowledge that we do have. But that is far better than relying on the advertising hype.
What we look for in pet foods:
Meat, meat and more meat products. Cats and dogs are carnivores, and a species appropriate diet for these animals must be based on meat. They have no evolved need of carbohydrates in their diet. Grains are in pet food because they’re cheaper than meat products, and are needed to hold the kibble bits together. Not because they’re species-appropriate nutrition for a carnivorous mammal.
Meat and fat products that are identified by species. If the species cannot be identified, neither can the quality. We suggest avoiding any products that use unidentified “meat”, “animal” or “poultry” products in their foods.
Where grains are used, we look for good quality whole grains. Avoid those products that make prolific use of grain fragments (think floor sweepings) in their foods – these are nutritionless fillers.
Whole fruits and vegetables are appreciated, especially where these replace grains in the foods.
Organic ingredients are appreciated – but note above about the need for a food to contain a high proportion of meat. Organic grains are very nice where grains must be used, but they are no substitute for meat content.
What we avoid:
Foods containing any form of by-products, most especially those of indeterminate origin (“animal”, “poultry”, etc).
Artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or preservatives – especially those believed to be carcinogenic or that are banned from use in the human food chain. In dog food, principally these are BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin, Propyl Gallate. NOTE: Some ingredients, usually fish products, may contain artificial preservatives that are not disclosed on the ingredient list; if they are not added by the manufacturer, they are not required to be listed. We therefore look for assurances by manufacturers using ocean fish products that their foods do NOT contain any artificial preservatives.
Meats and fats that are not identified by species. These could literally be anything, and are almost certainly of very low quality.
Practices and ingredients to be aware of:
Splitting
Splitting is a common practice on dog food labels and it pays to be aware. Ingredients in dog food are listed in order of their weight – so the heaviest ingredients, those that make up the largest portion of the food, are listed first.
Splitting is when a manufacturer lists different components of the same ingredient as separate items. For example, chicken and chicken meal are both chicken products. Brown rice, white rice, rice, rice bran, rice gluten and rice flour are all parts of the same ingredient – rice. Yes, there is a difference in the nutritional aspects of the different forms of rice – brown rice is more nutritious than white rice, and grain fragments are far lower quality and less nutritious than whole grains. But the issue around splitting is in determining quantity.
The reason for the practice of “splitting” is essentially to make the ingredient list look better. As an example, when there are large quantities of rice in the food, a manufacturer might choose to list the component parts separately. That way, although the total rice products may make up, say, 55% of the food and meat only 25%, it is possible to list the meat product first and then three or four individual rice products that each separately weigh less than the meat product. Combined, however, rice makes up more than double the chicken content.
Manufacturers don’t disclose the quantity of ingredients on the labelling though. So you have to make the best assessment you can from the rest of the information given. Thus, while seeing the component parts of rice (or any other ingredient) is useful for determining the quality of ingredients used, when you’re trying to assess quantity you should always mentally add those component parts together.
Splitting can also serve to increase the level of confidence one has in the quantity of particular ingredients used. When you see two forms of the same meat ingredient, chicken for example, at the head of an ingredient list that can help you come to the reasonable conclusion that there is indeed a reasonable amount of chicken in the food.
The ingredient “chicken” means fresh chicken which is inclusive of its water content. Now water content is of course removed in the process of making dry dog food. It is thus likely that the true position of that ingredient (sans water) should be much further down the ingredient list than is stated. But if that were the first ingredient in a food, and the next ingredient is “chicken meal” then the practice of splitting can tell us that there was sufficient chicken meal in the food for it to be rated ahead of the first grain despite a portion of the ingredient split off. This serves to increase our confidence that the true first ingredient is that named – a form of chicken (meat product).
Be careful though ;) That would not necessarily be the case if the grains behind it were also split, or if there are a lot of different grain products in the food.
Some examples:
Example 1:
Chicken, chicken meal, turkey, turkey meal, brown rice, chicken fat….
That looks excellent. There are “four” meat ingredients at the head of the ingredient list. And only one grain. Once we factor in the removal of water content (which is about 80%) from the ingredients “chicken” and “turkey” then it is likely that these would be more accurately placed somewhat further down the ingredient list. A more likely “true” ingredient list here is thus: chicken meal, turkey meal, brown rice, chicken fat, chicken (sans water), turkey (sans water).
So how does it look now? Actually, still very good. The first two ingredients are still meat products, and there are two further meat products in the food. There is only one grain ahead of the fat content. We could have a very high level of confidence that there really was a decent quantity of meat products in the food.
Example 2:
Chicken meal, brown rice, white rice, rice bran, rice gluten meal, barley, chicken fat…
At first glance, that also looks fairly good. The first ingredient in the food is a meat product – in meal form too, so we don’t have to factor in the effects of water removal. But is it really the first ingredient? Actually, we can’t be confident that it is. Once we add all the different forms of rice together, they may well outweigh the chicken meal. And in fact they probably do, by a significant margin. Note that there’s another grain right behind the rice products in the ingredient list too. In short, it is impossible to be confident that the food contains an adequate amount of meat.
While not strictly an example of splitting, you should also take note of foods that use a lot of different grain products, and mentally add all those grains together to compare against all meat products.
For example:
Chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oat groats, ground corn, chicken fat, wheat flour, corn gluten meal, fish meal, millet…
No splitting going on there, so we can read that as a true list. But we should look carefully at the overall meat versus grain content. The first ingredient may be meat, but in this case it is followed immediately by four different grains ahead of the fat content, and three more grains after that. There is one further meat product (a meal) but it’s 9th on the ingredient list. It is likely that the combined grain products outweigh the total meat products by a large margin. This too is a grain heavy food.
The manufacturers won’t tell us the exact proportions of the ingredients that go into the products, so it is really a case of making an assessment based on the information you do have. And when it comes to dog food, it is wiser to err on the side of scepticism than of blind trust.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REVIEWS
*************
To search, enter your food brand or title, or you can go through the ratings and see where your food stands in comparison to others.
Just in time for Christmas!!!
Get your American Boston Terrier Calander just in time for the perfect Christmas gifts. They are 19.95 - all proceeds go to ABTR. It is our biggest fundraiser for the year.
THIS year - Sophie made the Calander! Well - one of them. LOL We have 3 coming out. She is Miss September. And I am SOOO proud...
http://www.cafepress.com/abtr.185904757
You can flip through the calander to see her.
THIS year - Sophie made the Calander! Well - one of them. LOL We have 3 coming out. She is Miss September. And I am SOOO proud...
http://www.cafepress.com/abtr.185904757
You can flip through the calander to see her.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Thankfull...
Last night at our counseling appt., my current health situation came up. In that conversation, we started talking about my past health issues (lupus) and how things were handled then. It really brought back some memories, some not so hot, others amazing. I realize how fortunate I was to have had the people in my life that I did at that time.
I was diagnosed with Lupus about 12 years ago (gosh has it really been that long?). When I was diagnosed, I lived on my own in another city with no real contact with my family other than my grandparents (who are godsends) and a cousin who ended up betraying me soon after. Granted, I was then and am still a very independent person - not needing very much emotional support, but those times were dark for me. There were several people who stood with me then, but two stand out in particular.
The night I found out, I headed down to Norman to see Scott and Jan. Being the “Iron-Guts-Kelly” type that I am, I pretended all was well. No big deal! My doc told me that I would probably not see my 26th birthday, that lupus would eventually kill me one way or the other and that there was no cure etc etc… He has the bedside manners of a toad. Granted, at the time of my diagnosis, there really WASN’T a whole lot you could do other than lifestyle changes and going on meds. And that only delayed the inevitable. My head was completely screwed with the prospect of not living to get to see things I wanted to see, and do things I wanted to do. I was torn between ignoring the doc and going on as I had been, or making changes to try and slow things down, get out of the flare and hopefully go into a VERY long remission. I was leaning to the former until I got to Scott and Jan’s little apartment.
When I walked in, I was kind of nervous (and frankly – embarrassed) about everything. I hate people treating me weird for any reason, and I DEFINTELY didn’t want them to think of me differently or see me as some sort of victim. Their good character showed when they started joking with me and making me feel far less morbid. We discussed everything, and they helped me get through that initial shock. Being there, with them, I felt like things were going to be ok. Nothing to fear anymore.
I can remember how much fun I had at their house. We always had great times – whether we were listening to 80s music and singing along drunk and laughing, or deciding which desert best represented each person (I am the divine chocolate covered espresso bean per Scott, Jan was the American Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie, and Scott was the Irish Coffee… of course LOL). I don’t remember who else was there for the desert conversation… though I am pretty sure there WAS someone else there. I believe they were apple pie? A la mode? LOL Here I am just giggling remembering that.
On a more somber note… I made Scott the executor of my “estate” (hahaha I didn’t own anything of value save for some old records that no one but me cared about anyhow). I suppose it would seem an odd choice to those outside our little world, but it made sense then as it does now. I remember how serious things got during that conversation and how I first felt my mortality. Very weird to feel that at age 21. Anyhow, one of the things Scott said he would do for me is stand watch. I was very moved by this. More than he ever knew. IT wasn’t something I asked for – he just said plain and simple that he would be doing it and that was that. It was strangely comforting to know that he would make sure nothing happened to me that was unseemly, and that he would stay near until I was put into the ground.
Something that seems rather morbid and well... gross to some is that I promised him my hand. Yes – my actual hand... well the bones that is. I wanted to have a harp made with the bones of my hand as the support for the front of the harp. It was the best gift I could think to give his morbid self. Scott is into that sort of thing. One of the running jokes was that he would keep the harp with him at events, and set it outside at night so that when I came to haunt – I could play the harp and he would know I was there giving a good spook. The jokes evolved from that and we were all practically crying with laughter. Thing is… I still would do it. I still want him to have my hand to make the harp.
My friendship with Scott has degraded over the years... no doubt to misunderstanding and pride and god knows what else, but I cant ever forget the support that he and Jan were … (though Jan who isn’t a volatile person like Scott and I is still one of the people I love most in the world and would do anything for and would practically do back flips to see again). Last night my councilor said that it was a real gift in life to have not one person, but two people to carry me through. With out them, I am sure I would not have had the will to get myself out of that flare.
On my 26th birthday, I didn’t do anything big or spectacular. It was quiet. But in my head I was giving the middle finger to my asshat doc and thanking GOD for Scott and Jan.
I was diagnosed with Lupus about 12 years ago (gosh has it really been that long?). When I was diagnosed, I lived on my own in another city with no real contact with my family other than my grandparents (who are godsends) and a cousin who ended up betraying me soon after. Granted, I was then and am still a very independent person - not needing very much emotional support, but those times were dark for me. There were several people who stood with me then, but two stand out in particular.
The night I found out, I headed down to Norman to see Scott and Jan. Being the “Iron-Guts-Kelly” type that I am, I pretended all was well. No big deal! My doc told me that I would probably not see my 26th birthday, that lupus would eventually kill me one way or the other and that there was no cure etc etc… He has the bedside manners of a toad. Granted, at the time of my diagnosis, there really WASN’T a whole lot you could do other than lifestyle changes and going on meds. And that only delayed the inevitable. My head was completely screwed with the prospect of not living to get to see things I wanted to see, and do things I wanted to do. I was torn between ignoring the doc and going on as I had been, or making changes to try and slow things down, get out of the flare and hopefully go into a VERY long remission. I was leaning to the former until I got to Scott and Jan’s little apartment.
When I walked in, I was kind of nervous (and frankly – embarrassed) about everything. I hate people treating me weird for any reason, and I DEFINTELY didn’t want them to think of me differently or see me as some sort of victim. Their good character showed when they started joking with me and making me feel far less morbid. We discussed everything, and they helped me get through that initial shock. Being there, with them, I felt like things were going to be ok. Nothing to fear anymore.
I can remember how much fun I had at their house. We always had great times – whether we were listening to 80s music and singing along drunk and laughing, or deciding which desert best represented each person (I am the divine chocolate covered espresso bean per Scott, Jan was the American Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie, and Scott was the Irish Coffee… of course LOL). I don’t remember who else was there for the desert conversation… though I am pretty sure there WAS someone else there. I believe they were apple pie? A la mode? LOL Here I am just giggling remembering that.
On a more somber note… I made Scott the executor of my “estate” (hahaha I didn’t own anything of value save for some old records that no one but me cared about anyhow). I suppose it would seem an odd choice to those outside our little world, but it made sense then as it does now. I remember how serious things got during that conversation and how I first felt my mortality. Very weird to feel that at age 21. Anyhow, one of the things Scott said he would do for me is stand watch. I was very moved by this. More than he ever knew. IT wasn’t something I asked for – he just said plain and simple that he would be doing it and that was that. It was strangely comforting to know that he would make sure nothing happened to me that was unseemly, and that he would stay near until I was put into the ground.
Something that seems rather morbid and well... gross to some is that I promised him my hand. Yes – my actual hand... well the bones that is. I wanted to have a harp made with the bones of my hand as the support for the front of the harp. It was the best gift I could think to give his morbid self. Scott is into that sort of thing. One of the running jokes was that he would keep the harp with him at events, and set it outside at night so that when I came to haunt – I could play the harp and he would know I was there giving a good spook. The jokes evolved from that and we were all practically crying with laughter. Thing is… I still would do it. I still want him to have my hand to make the harp.
My friendship with Scott has degraded over the years... no doubt to misunderstanding and pride and god knows what else, but I cant ever forget the support that he and Jan were … (though Jan who isn’t a volatile person like Scott and I is still one of the people I love most in the world and would do anything for and would practically do back flips to see again). Last night my councilor said that it was a real gift in life to have not one person, but two people to carry me through. With out them, I am sure I would not have had the will to get myself out of that flare.
On my 26th birthday, I didn’t do anything big or spectacular. It was quiet. But in my head I was giving the middle finger to my asshat doc and thanking GOD for Scott and Jan.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Medical Update...
Hooray, fantastic... I get to be monitored every 2 weeks by my doctor. My blood pressure is still rediculously high (avg: 160/110) after a full week on Triamterene 37.5 mg / HCTZ 25mg (generic for Dyazide) - but still better than what it was avg: 186/122. I now have to take an additional pill, Diovan, at the same time in the morning as my Tr/HCTZ. Hopefully it will bring my blood pressure down to an acceptable level. The goal is under 120/85. Normal is about 120/75, very high is 140/95. I was off the charts high. Definately on the way to congestive heart failure and stroke in about ohhhhh 5 years. Luckily it was caught rather early, but I have been registering high readings for a few years now, and no doctor ever thought to look into it until now. Allright for the Fletcher Allen Health Care System in VT! Hopefully not too much damage has been done, and my youth should be a good thing here.
....sigh....
I am just too tired to deal with this again.
[SARCASM] You would think I was dealing with stress or something. [/END SARCASM]
However, I am no "victim", and I refuse to live like a sick person. My good friend Monica reminded me that I am NOT a quitter, and that I will get through this minor set back just like I did when I was diagnosed with Lupus. I did really well, and certainly gave the middle finger to my asshat doctor about that, and I will do it again. The number one thing I have to do is get rid of stress. HAHAHAHAHAHAAHHEHEHEHEHEHOHOHOHOHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I better start finding a plan B. :-)
Seriously, I am wondering if I am going into a flare again. (A flare is when Lupus raises it's ugly head and says hello. I haven't flared in about 10 years. Had some minor issues a few times, but for every one I was able to make changes and stop it from getting bad. Key is knowing what the hell is going on and stopping what ever behavior is causing it, or get out of what ever circumstance that is causing stress. Stress is my #1 enemy. hehehe.. and it also seems to be my "BFF".
Regardless, I will get through this. My health will come back to me since I just dont see any other option. Everything will improve and by this time next year I will be where I was a few years ago - running my daily 3 miles.
....sigh....
I am just too tired to deal with this again.
[SARCASM] You would think I was dealing with stress or something. [/END SARCASM]
However, I am no "victim", and I refuse to live like a sick person. My good friend Monica reminded me that I am NOT a quitter, and that I will get through this minor set back just like I did when I was diagnosed with Lupus. I did really well, and certainly gave the middle finger to my asshat doctor about that, and I will do it again. The number one thing I have to do is get rid of stress. HAHAHAHAHAHAAHHEHEHEHEHEHOHOHOHOHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I better start finding a plan B. :-)
Seriously, I am wondering if I am going into a flare again. (A flare is when Lupus raises it's ugly head and says hello. I haven't flared in about 10 years. Had some minor issues a few times, but for every one I was able to make changes and stop it from getting bad. Key is knowing what the hell is going on and stopping what ever behavior is causing it, or get out of what ever circumstance that is causing stress. Stress is my #1 enemy. hehehe.. and it also seems to be my "BFF".
Regardless, I will get through this. My health will come back to me since I just dont see any other option. Everything will improve and by this time next year I will be where I was a few years ago - running my daily 3 miles.
Monday, November 5, 2007
haunted...
I can understand the desperation in this song... and I know the nightmare.
No video.. just music....
Ich liebe dich Ich liebe dich nicht Ich liebe dich nicht mehr Ich liebe dich nicht mehr oder weniger als du Als du mich geliebt hast Als du mich noch geliebt hast Die schönen Mädchen sind nicht schön Die warmen Hände sind so kalt Alle Uhren bleiben stehen Lachen ist nicht mehr gesund und bald Such ich dich hinter dem Licht Wo bist du So allein will ich nicht sein Wo bist du Die schönen Mädchen sind nicht schön Die warmen Hände sind so kalt Alle Uhren bleiben stehen Lachen ist nicht mehr gesund, und bald Ich suche dich hinter dem Licht Wo bist du So allein will ich nicht sein Wo bist du Ich such dich unter jedem Stein Wo bist du Ich schlaf mit einem Messer ein Wo bist du | I love you I love you not I love you no more I love you no more or less than you Than you loved me When you still loved me [1] The pretty girls are not pretty The warm hands are so cold All clocks have stopped It's no longer healthy to laugh, and soon I'll look for you behind the light Where are you I don't want to be so alone Where are you The pretty girls are not pretty The warm hands are so cold All clocks have stopped It's no longer healthy to laugh, and soon I look for you behind the light Where are you I don't want to be so alone Where are you I look for you under every stone Where are you I fall asleep with a knife Where are you [1] The first few lines build on each other by adding only a word or two, yet changing the meaning of all the lines said up to this point. It can't really be fully translated. |
No video.. just music....
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Long, but very good day...
We have some friends from Florida in for the weekend Nascar races... Will and his girlfriend Ada. The boys all went to thier yearly Nascar ball scratching event, and Ada and I went to The Modern for the morning/early afternoon, then headed to the Stockyards for some good beer at the White Elephant. There was a guy singing with only his guitar Kurt South. He was amazing and turned a quick stop for a beer into an afternoon of listening to him sing, drinking MANY beers, chatting and generally having a great time. It was a perfect afternoon! I thought alot about my Grandfather ... Anytime I am in Ft. Worth I think of him. He was so proud of this city.
At The Modern, I became totally captivated by Yves Klein. I had heard of him before, but never really paid much attention. I think his work is what really struck me most there. His use of a custom blue (later patented as International Klein Blue) in monochrome paintings was incredible. He was facianted with "Void". Many after him have tried to emulate his technique - but really, you can see the innovation in his work.
The most amazing thing I saw was a display of the pure, dry pigment used to make IKB. There was a a sort of low bin, about 6 inches high - guessing about 20 ft by 15 ft just filled to the top with the deepest most striking blue I have ever seen. It was Beautiful. Sounds kinda dumb - but I swear, in the surroundings, it was incredible. My eyes needed to rest after looking at it.
If in Ft. Worth or Dallas, I MUST reccomend seeing this exhibit. Of course - you can never do wrong at The Modern regardless....
At The Modern, I became totally captivated by Yves Klein. I had heard of him before, but never really paid much attention. I think his work is what really struck me most there. His use of a custom blue (later patented as International Klein Blue) in monochrome paintings was incredible. He was facianted with "Void". Many after him have tried to emulate his technique - but really, you can see the innovation in his work.
The most amazing thing I saw was a display of the pure, dry pigment used to make IKB. There was a a sort of low bin, about 6 inches high - guessing about 20 ft by 15 ft just filled to the top with the deepest most striking blue I have ever seen. It was Beautiful. Sounds kinda dumb - but I swear, in the surroundings, it was incredible. My eyes needed to rest after looking at it.
If in Ft. Worth or Dallas, I MUST reccomend seeing this exhibit. Of course - you can never do wrong at The Modern regardless....
Friday, November 2, 2007
Daydreams...
Today I loaded my Rammstein MP3s today and have been listening to them in rotation. I have been fantasizing about singing Wo Bist Du at Bass Hall as my debut. In homage to Till (practically the hottest man alive), I want to wear a silver chainmail dress, cover myself with fire retardant gel, and then set myself on fire as the song progresses.
Another great shot of Till Lindermann.
Though I had to discontinue my Opera lessons for now, I do plan to start them back up again when things settle. It is a dream that I refuse to give up at this point. I would also like to take German when I go back to school... those of you who know me know I have a big love of the German Language. In fact, my first recital song was in German (my teacher said that normally new opera students are not allowed to sing outside thier native languages - but said that I nailed the pronuncuation and made an exception). Oddly enough, while I find German early history interesting, I am FAR more interested in "modern" German culture and history. Something about the Cold War times just facinates me. The music and cutlure born in those times captures my imagination. Perhaps it is the connection I had growing up from the Webbers who escaped East Berlin. Maybe it is the deep impressions made during my childhood and teenage years, watching the world change and seeing the wall come down. Pretty big stuff.
Anyhow, Rammstein has been a favorite of mine for close to 15 years. I dont think there has been a month that I didnt listen to at least 1 of thier cds/tapes since the first day I heard them.
I will leave you with another nice picture....
Fine Day Today....
Halloween was a smashing success. The atmosphere was perfect! The kids LOVED it and really seemed to enjoy themselves going through the scary graveyard.
Only one problem the whole night - some kid decided to pull my hair and try to look down my dress. I guess he didnt believe that someone could have such a rats nest for hair. When I went home, I was talking with John (he is staying with us until he finds his own place) and asked him what it was about me that made this kid want to pick on me. He said 2 things: Big Hair, Big Boobs. Then everything made sense. LOL He said the kid probably saw me and just didnt know what to do with himself.
Once the pics are downloaded I shall post them to my flickr account.
Only one problem the whole night - some kid decided to pull my hair and try to look down my dress. I guess he didnt believe that someone could have such a rats nest for hair. When I went home, I was talking with John (he is staying with us until he finds his own place) and asked him what it was about me that made this kid want to pick on me. He said 2 things: Big Hair, Big Boobs. Then everything made sense. LOL He said the kid probably saw me and just didnt know what to do with himself.
Once the pics are downloaded I shall post them to my flickr account.
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