Yay Kansas!

Growing up in Kansas, was not necessarily my idea of fun times, however, compared to where I call my hometown a farm in an even smaller town of Oklahoma, Kansas had it's bonuses for sure.  It was nice to have a mall nearby to torment during those teen years.  It was nice to have a movie theater close by in Kansas as well.  Compared to the 30 min or more drive that would be necessary to even find a Wal-Mart in my hometown.

During my high school years, I kept making a promise to myself (like all children of a small town) that I would one day move away and not look back.  I was determined to "Get the heck out of Dodge" as they say.  I was sure that the size of the town, the lack of opportunities, the gossip of the people there, the general small stuffy feeling was what was keeping me unhappy.  Come to find out years later, it doesn't really matter where you live, you can be happy or unhappy anywhere.  Happiness is what you make of it.

However, I have still felt that pulling teeth was what it would take to get me to move back.  There is truly nothing in Kansas for me now, just memories of the past which isn't what I necessarily want to keep re-living.  There is this one thing, that has brought the thought of moving back to my mind... This one thing that has made me think that maybe living and raising my children (someday) in Kansas wouldn't be such a bad idea.

What's this phenomenal one thing?  Greensburg, Kansas!  Here's the story (which you can read by clicking the link for more accurate detail), in 2007 a tornado tears up quite literally all of the town (95% per article).  The town (with funding) decides to rebuild in a better, more futuristic-ly focused way, they GO GREEN!  YAY KANSAS!

 

Greensburg, Kansas is the first official Green town in Kansas, and one of the first in the US to start this new trend of building all their buildings in a greener, less detrimental way to the environment.  So maybe this statement will make me seem really country, but even the John Deere Store in Greensburg is wind powered!  :)  It makes me happy to think that people are finally paying attention and trying to change the way we do things to make this world a better place, one thing at a time to make a bigger difference in the long run.

Not only has the rebuilding of the town gotten a lot of media hype and it's own reality show on a sister channel of Discovery with Leonardo DiCaprio as the Executive Producer, it's also creating more green jobs, which promotes the greener way of living.  By one town in the middle of nowhere (essentially) going green, they have literally caused a movement, opened the eyes of millions and gotten me to seriously thinking about moving back to Kansas, if only to live in one of the new green homes in Greensburg and work one of the new green jobs there as well.

Not saying I will move back, but it's definitely got me to thinking that Kansas might not be so bad after all.  As for now, perhaps other towns nearer to me will become greener and convince me to stay away from Kansas. ;)  I feel it is absolutely necessary for me to post this article however, if only to say "YAY KANSAS!"  I am thrilled at this movement, because I feel it is in the correct direction.  Yay Kansas!  Think about it.

Organic (the best way to be)

Organic eating is truly the way to go.  Perhaps that's hard to believe, but if you look at all the statistics, I believe you'd change your mind just the way I did.  

Here lately, I've really gotten into food.  I've always been intrigued with eating healthy and living healthier.  I am quite the hippie for those who don't truly know me.  I'm all about going green and reducing my carbon footprint in any way possible.  I enjoy researching new ways to better the environment in any way... and of course better myself at the same time.

At some point my boyfriend and I started doing a lot of research on the best way to eat.  We looked into everything from being Vegetarian to Vegan to... well everything, but the best way we found was to Eat Clean!  With eating clean, you are eating food in it's purest form, Organic foods are best!  

Did you know that Dairy Cows are fed and injected with an overabundance of vitamins and hormones?  Sure feeding cows (that feed us), vitamins seems like a good idea, but too many vitamins can kill you... ever read the warning label on vitamins?  How about these hormones they feed the cows?  Any woman who has given birth knows that at some point the milk dries up... well think about that the next time you buy a gallon.  Non-Organic dairy farms feed their cows hormones to keep them producing milk.  Know how the news and doctors are always warning women that are pregnant to be weary what they put into their bodies because it goes straight to their unborn or nursing child... get the idea?  The things they are injecting and feeding to these cows are coming directly to us the consumer who is like the nursing infant, if you will.

So why is Organic food more expensive if it's all natural?  It takes more cows to produce the same amount of product if they aren't being fed these unhealthy chemicals.  Plus... there is the money game behind everything.  You can literally find a guy in a suit behind any product these days... a guy who most likely doesn't truly care about the product further than it making him more and more money.  Ok, so eating organic may be a little more expensive, but think of all the money you will save in doctor bills for unexplained pains or cramps or other unexplainable illnesses, even the most common colds could be attributed to not eating healthy or maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  

Now that you may be convinced to drink organic milk... time for me to bring up the fact that most of the things we eat, especially for breakfast contain eggs... Know what an egg is?  An egg (gross as it may seem) is a chickens menstrual cycle.  (Yes I am totally evil snickering at the thought of readers gasping at that.)  But realistically, it is true.  So... why do you think chickens lay so many eggs?  More unnatural hormones maybe? And what about if we feed chickens genetically altered food to help them produce a "vitamin enriched" egg?  Well... needless to say the best way to eat eggs is from cage free, natural fed chickens who aren't fed anything other than maybe a corn or maze meal (I grew up on a farm, if I know anything it is chickens).  :)

Ok, now that we've covered dairy products and eggs, let's move on to another breakfast favorite... Sausage?  Bacon, anyone?  Yep, even pork can be tainted.  :(  Just think of how you get a pig to grow bigger, faster... hormones, steroids?  Just saying... you may want to rethink that entire plate of food you are feeding not only yourself but your children.  

Not just Cows, Chickens, and Pigs... think about the bigger picture.  Anything you eat can and possibly has been altered in some way to help someone somewhere make more money by producing a bigger, "better" product in a faster time period and in mass quantities for mass distribution.  

So, now we realize that eating organic doesn't just mean eating more fruits and veggies... however Organic fruits and veggies are also better because the growing of them doesn't involve any chemicals or pesticides.  If pesticides can kill bugs (and birds), just imagine what they could be doing to your digestive tract.  :(  

Convinced?  How about some fun facts:

• According to Science News, 80 percent of all U.S. feedlot cattle are injected with hormones.
• A study of cows treated with melengestrol acetate (one of the artificial growth hormones approved for use in the U.S.) revealed that residues of this hormone were traceable in soil up to 195 days after being administered to the animals.
• While the average dairy cow produced almost 5,300 pounds of milk a year in 1950, today, a typical cow produces more than 18,000 pounds. 
• It is estimated that about 672 million birds are affected by large amount of pesticides used on US agricultural farms and 10% of these are killed due to these pesticides.
• More than 20,000 pesticides are registered for use in the United States. About 75% of the chemicals, some 2.2 billion pounds annually, are used on more than 900,000 US farms at an annual cost of about $8.3 billion, according to the Pesticide Action Network. Pesticide sales have increased more than 2,700% since 1962 and US users now account for one-third of the world pesticide market.
• NBC News recently reported that 9000 people die each year in the US due to food related illness. Our exposure to man-made chemicals in the food we eat is suspected of being a major factor in today's increased risk to cancer.

If everyone started eating Organic foods only, then maybe all the producers would start switching their practices and we probably wouldn't have to worry so much about the price of Organic eating being more expensive anymore.  

Eating healthy is obviously a good move regardless your age, now you know.  Don't believe me, research it.  Think about it.

Only Happy when it Rains?

Ever heard the song?  Click here to hear it if you are interested.

Ever get the feeling when you are in the middle of a rainstorm that nothing is going quite right?  Suppose you take a step back and think about the sunshine or the rainbow, would that help with the situation?  Finding it tough to see the bright side in the darkness of your day or life?

I've been reading a lot of articles lately on the mind, how it works and the reason for certain emotions, etc.  I am really feeling smart reading about the random going ons of the mind, in general.  I am seriously starting to rethink my professional career decisions with this newfound interest in the brain and it's chemicals and the entire environment vs. family vs. life reasons why we end up the way we do... in there.

There are people who thrive on pain and depression.  Believe it or not, there are people who love life when it's bad, so much so that they literally seek it out.  It's practically engraved in them to look for people to surround themselves with who will do nothing but bring them down.  They gravitate to bad relationships and create problems of their own when they can't find a relationship that's bad enough.  Your drama queen friend, think they actually require drama to survive?  Isn't it possible, just maybe?

For some people, a still life isn't living.  Being drama free is impossible.

Admittedly, when I was younger, I found myself being drawn to the dramatic, craving the chaos.  I enjoyed the games that people play, so much so that if in a relationship that didn't have them I would cringe.  I felt restless in calm situations.  Thankfully it must have been a phase that I've completely grown out of.  Because now all I can do is look back with a grin and feel somewhat sad that it happened as such.

So... putting all this together isn't working so well for me, but perhaps being the drama queen was some kind of chemical imbalance.  Perhaps now that I'm older my chemicals have readjusted and I'm now looking for the perfect situation, I'm seeking the still life.  I'm ready to settle down and have children, I no longer need to play games with the people I'm close to in order to feel excited.  Life excites me now with no need for chaos.

You be the Judge: Stalking?

Here's how I'm going to write this, I have some messages from myspace and facebook to add to this post.  I'll edit only the personal details to save the embarrassment and identity of everyone involved.  I'll add in my own comments after I have posted the string of messages.  I'm going to attempt a different font to verify who says what.  Ohh... or maybe a different text color.

Is this ******* from City, State?


You know my name is not nor has it ever been *******.  But yes, I am the girl from City... thankfully I got the hell outta there as quickly as I could.  {At this point, I was unsure if I wanted to speak to him again and annoyed that he made a joke about my name, like he used to in school.}


Well ****** I hear that, I live in City now but plan on moving shortly to State.  So how have you been?  How did you end up in State?  Any kids? Married?  Well if you don't know I have two girls 8 and 7, have been with their mother for 10 years, and we're finally getting married Saturday. My god I'm glad I found you on this thing for many years I've been wanting to apologize for anything I've ever done wrong to you, so I'm sorry I know that would mean more if this was face to face, but I've always dream of running into you some where and you were always mad at me for something, from what I can recall you were always a good friend to me, and I'm sorry.
 If I could I would like to add you as a friend on here. Well ****** I really look foward to hearing from you. Take care


It's a nice thought, you apologizing to me.  Sadly you don't know what you're apologizing for, just apologizing that I was mad at you.  So I guess it doesn't truly count then.  But whatever, I'm over the past.  I could care less about it or any of the people involved in it.  I've moved on with my life.  I've grown up and become a better person than I was then.

Perhaps it's just me being cynical, but what reason would you and I have for being electronic friends?  I never thought of us as being "close", like friends... I just always assumed the only relationship between the two of us was based on sex.  We did that and there was nothing left to do or talk about after.  So what's changed?  Except that I have no want or need to ever have sex with you now.  {Honesty, what can I say?}

Lots of  laughs ******, first of all I remember before we were anything we were friends first. I apologize for basically the way in which I treated you, you most of didn't deserve it, I treated you as nothing more than a sex object. I put our friendship second to having sex, and once again I'm sorry.  Well I'm truly sorry that you don't care for the people in your past, as for me I couldn't be more thankful of all the people in my past as they have stimulated my growth, just like you said your a better person therefore our past shouldn't even matter. Secondly I don't think you can call what we did as sex, so it really doesn't count.  And perhaps your right maybe there is no reason for us to be friends, to tell you the truth I don't even remember why I looked you up I guess I didn't expect to find you so easily a few months ago I ran into a phone number with your number on it a City number of couse it had been disconnected, but it made me reminisce I guess, and pondered what path you've taken in life, by contacting I didn't mean to infringe on your life, I was just reaching out.  Well enough said... take care ******

By now, I truly thought he got the idea and did not reply.  Plus I was a little freaked out that he admitted to trying to contact me by phone rather than electronically.  So I just left it at this... then today I received another message, this one on facebook.


Look ******, whats in the past is in the past, I thought that enough time has past that we could at least be friends, but if your still haboring old feelings then I'm gonna leave you alone. I dont want anything from you except to be friends. Why should the past even come up? I've grown up, moved on, and changed as I'm sure you have. I dont have a reason for contacting you except to say hi, hows your life been? If anything I have to give credit where credit is due because of you I am the man that I am today, so Thank You. I don't believe that we can't be friends based on our past. The last thing that you said to me on myspace was so way out of context that I coundn't think of a response. I say the hell with our past ****** because it doesn't matter. So I'll say this, if your mad then I'm sorry, if you dont response to this I understand and its fine by me. I'm not trying to fix what happened I guess all this time I've just been wanting to thank you. So once again thanks and have a nice life. Bye


So perhaps this is the best time to admit that this is not the first time that he and I have been in contact since high school.  When I was newly married he sent me an e-mail and only wanted to be friends then.  I fell for it.  Before I got through two "catching up" e-mails, he was once again trying to "ignite the old flames" and was completely and totally hitting on me, asking more or less for a one night stand, mind you he already had kids by then and was in a serious committed relationship according to him.  


So I keep thinking what has changed?  Seriously?  This guy is a douche (my opinion).  I want nothing to do with him and he obviously can't get the point.  I've told him numerous times that I want nothing to do with him and yet he still claims it's only to be friends... but why?  What's the purpose of being friends when we have nothing to discuss, nothing in common but a past?  


Here's my question:  If this guy continues to say he just wants to be friends and I continue to tell him I don't wish to be friends with him at all, never... yet he still insists, is he stalking me, all be it electronically?  What is his dire need to become friends?  We haven't spoken to (minus the electronic correspondences) each other in over ten years, something like thirteen years probably and to me that is completely fine.  I have nothing to say to him.  Why doesn't he get that?  


I accept his apology, yet he was always the charmer and then turned into the sex driven asshole only after you believed in the charm.  I fell for his shit before and I refuse to do so again.  How do I convince him to leave me alone once and for all?

Living with Diabetes

Currently I am living with my boyfriend and his father (along with his brother and sister), his father has diabetes.  I am no stranger to the disease, my mother's mother had it, along with most of her siblings.  Before I moved away from my family, my step-grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes.  My mother is sadly, on the same path and is working on bettering her diet to keep her chances low.  My boyfriend himself is considered high risk for the disease.  


Diabetes is scary.  But I've learned so much more lately than I ever knew about the disease.  Since I am literally living with this disease, I am doing everything I can to not tempt or discourage.  I have stuck to a really standard polite rule of not buying ice cream any longer, but not just that.  I am eating as if I too have diabetes, just to make this living situation work better.  I know, personally, I would hate to be tempted or cut off from dinner with my roommates or family due to their unhealthy choices when I cannot eat the same.  


So here are some of the things I've learned.  Remember when playing sports how the coach will say "carb up for the game", why?  Because Carbs = sugar.  Yep... it's not just as easy as staying away from the sweets, Carbs can also cause problems for diabetics.  It's tough.  Carbs are stored in your body as a power food, they literally turn into sugar but aren't like sugar in the fact that sugar moves through your body more quickly.  What does this mean for a diabetic?  Basically if you eat a lovely dish of pasta and bread for dinner you could be at risk of having a diabetic seizure and literally dieing in your sleep.  Yeah, not fun stuff.  


Carbs are probably the hardest thing to cut out of a diet to be honest, think about how many foods contain carbs (actually you'd be surprised to know that nearly all foods contain some amount of carbs). I was amazed!  Not eating foods high in carbs means cutting out Potatoes and all potato bi-products, no more potato chips, no potato salad, no baked, fried, or any kind of potato really.  Bread is another food that can be high in carbs, however there are now low carb options for bread (thankfully), finding a low carb tortilla is harder just fyi.  Pasta, as I mentioned before is out of the question 99% of the time because again finding a low carb option is harder than you can imagine.  Rice is the same way, I have yet to find a low carb rice.  Today I was searching baked beans (trying to find a side dish for Super Bowl dinner that would work with no luck.  Surprisingly even Milk contains carbs!  You have to cut out a lot of breakfast foods when you are eating with diabetes.  It's so depressing to think about it like this, but no more Cereal (actually in moderation you can eat just about anything but moderation is the very important word).  Oatmeal, Cheerios, Pancakes (even without syrup) are all bad due to carbs.  


At his diabetic class (taught by a specialty nurse), he learned that he is allowed 70g of carbs per meal, with a 75g allowance for dinner.  So moderation is truly the key to eating with this disease, regardless what you choose to eat.

A few interesting facts:

Fruits have a natural sugar content that you have to account for.
Splenda is not necessarily the best non-sugar option and contains ingredients that when consumed in large amounts (such as diet sodas) can cause diarrhea and irritate the stomach and intestines.
"Sugar Free" does NOT mean carb free, so essentially because something is labeled as such does not mean that it is good for a diabetic!
Fiber, however, is good.  (According to his class), For every 5g of fiber you can subtract 2.5g of carbs off the label.  Fiber though, makes you go to the restroom more frequently as well.  Fiber is being pushed as the miracle that keeps you regular... so perhaps it's the way to go since it's less likely to upset your insides like Splenda may.
Although something says it's high in fiber though... does not mean it's the best option.  While reading labels on snack bars today we found that the Fiber One bars are not nearly as healthy as the Special K bars (which look tastier as well).  The Fiber One bars did not have enough fiber to account for the large amount of carbs they contained.  While Special K bars have roughly 18g of carbs, they are still healthier in moderation (as a snack food).


Like I mentioned, this disease is really tough to live with.  Even though I am not infected, just walking down my favorite isle at the grocery store (pasta isle) makes me think how lucky I am that I don't have to really worry about what I eat currently.  However, being so close to this, in fact living with it really makes me happy that I now know what I do and can watch what I eat now to assure that I stay healthy in the future.


Think about it.

Mean Green

I absolutely love the Green movement.  I think it's hilarious!  I love how ever since I was in elementary school people have been saying "Recycle" and it's only catching on now.  I love how people work, as a whole.  I love how the movement has brought tons of amazing breakthroughs that would otherwise remain dormant in the minds of Hippies everywhere.  Solar power for example.  Before this movement, solar power was the ugly van that what's his face drove in the movie Honey I Shrunk the Kids, it wasn't real... it wasn't attractive.  It was sci-fi, it was something to laugh about.  Solar power now is hott, it's powering houses, it's cutting prices left and right... it's AMAZING!  Solar power is the "way of the future".  And don't forget about Wind Power!  OMG!  Who woulda thought?

Although many of the Hybrid vehicles now aren't solar powered (just yet) they are another way of saving money where we don't need to be spending it (foreign affairs I will not go into).  Side note:  The new Toyota Prius does have solar powered air conditioning, it's only a matter of time... Ok, where was I.  Hybrids now are a great option and are a wonderful way to reduce a person's carbon footprint.  Which is a great thing to do, research it!

The options I'm in love with:

There are tons of things you can do to make our world a better place, there are tons of resources out there as well.  This is a good start: Go Green! 

As for me, my dreams involve actually starting a garden, producing my own compost and continuing to recycle.  Also, maybe starting a small side business with a worm farm (they are great for compost).

My new favorite color is green.  It's not just a movement, it's a way of life... for us and more importantly for future generations.  Think about it.