More of the Same

Hey, Everyone!

I haven't written in a while, so I thought I should so an update. You haven't missed much.

• I didn't get the job at Game Stop. They hired a guy instead. I took a day off to bawl and then got back to filling out applications... I applied to that particular Game Stop back in March. Maybe one of the places I'm applying to now will call me in another 3 months for an interview.

• Just for fun, I also applied to be on the game show Minute To Win It. And they're the place that ended up calling me back! Anyway, I went down to the audition and got to play some of the games (like "Stack Attack"), but I didn't get chosen. They were more interested in people who came as a team/couple. They put a mark on my application and said they "might" call me back if they need more single players, but I'm not going to count on it.

• We weren't able to catch Robert's Mom. We had to return the trap to FixNation. We actually haven't seen her in a couple weeks. We think she went somewhere and had her kittens. If she turns up again, we'll get the trap back from FixNation and try again.

• Since I don't have a job or a whole lot else going on, I've been working even harder than usual to stay on top of my health. My hypoglycemia was still pretty much under control, but I was starting to get lazy in some areas, so I've been re-reading my books. I have several books on the subject, but my favorite is Hypoglycemia For Dummies. Not only is it the easiest to use for reference material, but it also says this on page 107, "Recent research appears to show that soybeans may be a bit of a mixed bag." That's what made me really fall in love with it. The first book I got on hypoglycemia was written a long time ago and really pushes soybeans as a substitute for everything. It's pretty enraging because a.) I'm allergic to soy! and, b.) soy isn't really good for anyone! (you've all read my report by now, right?). So yeah. Good stuff.

• I've also re-joined "Body By Glamour." I don't use the recipes or anything, but having an online Food/Exercise journal is very handy. I'm able to log in my meals and see if I'm getting enough of what I need and make adjustments accordingly. I've used their website in the past for this purpose and it was quite helpful and I looked and felt better because of it.

I guess that's about it. Ramiro and the cats are doing fine. Hope you're enjoying the Memorial Day weekend!

--Lauren*

For Dummies

Okay, so I'm a bit sick right now. Haven't been feeling my Smurfy best for the past couple days. Not sick enough to stay home from work mind you (threw up, but no fever = usually not contagious to others), but sick enough where I feel pretty darn crummy by the time I get home from work.

On the other hand, not feeling well always has the advantage of slowing me down enough to catch up on my reading. Here's a list of what I have read or am currently reading as of late:

• THE LOW BLOOD SUGAR HANDBOOK by Edward and Patricia Krimmel
• HYPOGLYCEMIA THE CLASSIC HEALTHCARE HANDBOOK by Jeraldine Saunders and Dr. Harvey M. Ross
• THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA by Roberta Ruggiero (she's super nice--she sent me an e-mail not too long ago!)
  
• SUGAR SHOCK! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life-- and How YouCan Get Back on Track by Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C, with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
• HYPOGLYCEMIA FOR DUMMIES by Cheryl Chow and James Chow, M.D.

Okay, I'm going to stop for a minute. That last book is by far the best in that list. I was very skeptical about the "For Dummies" series of books, but they are honestly fantastic (or at least the ones I've read so far have been!). They have good information and are written in a way that can usually make me laugh, or at least stay in a relatively good mood. This is important since most of the books I've gotten from them are about very "serious"/hard-to-deal-with subject matters (which some books make relatively depressing). In fact, the "For Dummies" book on Hypoglycemia is so good that's it's actually referenced in a couple of the other books on that reading list of mine!

I also have/read:

• BIPOLAR DISORDER FOR DUMMIES by Candida Fink and Joe Kraynak
  
• SPANISH FOR DUMMIES by Susana Wald
• SPANISH FOR DUMMIES AUDIO SET by Jessica Langemeier
  
• INTERMEDIATE SPANISH FOR DUMMIES by Gail Stein, M.A.
• STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR DUMMIES by Allen Elkin, Ph.D.
• BACK PAIN REMEDIES FOR DUMMIES by Michael S. Sinel, M.D. and William W. Deardorff, Ph.D.

Those last two came in the mail just earlier today. I read a few pages into each of them and so far they're both pretty good. I have high hopes.

Speaking of back pain, I treated myself to an early Christmas (maybe birthday?...since my family isn't exchanging Christmas gifts again this year) gift: A back massager for my chair. With heat!

As I write to you, I currently have a ThermaCare heat wrap on my back. Which is fantastic. But, I got to thinking: with all the money I spend on disposable heat packs, I may as well invest in something a tad more permanent. And, hey, bonus!--Maaaaaaaaassssssssssaaaaaaaaaage. I can't wait.

Ever since my back sprain last summer, my back hasn't quite been the same. I try to be vigilant about the exercises the Physical Therapists gave me, but it's hard. They're so time-consuming! But I try to at least do the twisty one for sure and maybe one or two of the other ones before I head off to work each day. But, lately, I've been having a lot of back pain in spite of things. So much so that it wakes me up at night. Hurts.

In other news, I'm working on a short black & white comic. It's going to be only about 4 or 5 pages long. It's "creepy." It may be for something or it may not. I don't know yet. But I'm having a lot of fun doing it and I'm sure that you'll get to see it either way. (Though don't expect it any time soon since they've increased my work hours and I don't have a lot of free time anymore...and what free time I do have, I'd rather spend with Ramiro).

Until next time...

--Lauren*