tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40195370845335891192024-03-18T21:20:49.007-07:00Journey of IsaJennieA simple but random blog about my not-so-simple but random life and the random musings it inspires.@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-11541015378694154392016-02-15T00:11:00.002-07:002016-02-15T00:11:46.464-07:00Demands on Celebrity<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Content Warning: assault</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1;">I feel like I'm watching Kanye West livetweet his mental and emotional decline, or at least turmoil, and I watch people continue to poke and prod him, make demands, and call him out. They believe they are <b>still </b>entitled to him and always will be. This prompted me to think about the demands we place on celebrities. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We, as a society, have decided that if someone is extraordinarily talented in some way that it means that we no longer have to treat them like human beings but rather like a spectacle, like an animal at a zoo. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If a person doesn't have mental health issues before they become famous, the fish bowl we force them into certainly can (and does) create them. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we tell these individuals that that's the price they pay for being talented, for being compensated for their talent. They must sacrifice their: privacy, freedom, relationships, ability to trust easily, spontaneity, sense of safety, and often their mental health. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">How does this price disproportionately affect members of marginalized communities (LGBTQIAP, POC, poor, Disabled/sick/mentally ill, and intersections of them). How does it deter them from pursuing their talent and dreams?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Need I remind people that celebrities must have round-the-clock security teams to ensure their safety? That celebrities have been assaulted by fans? That celebrities and bystanders have been killed in pursuit by paparazzi and also by fans? We tell these celebrities, again, this is the risk they take, that the success, the fame, the riches, and the pursuit of their dreams outweigh the things they must sacrifice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Average social media users (including myself) complain when we get bothered by a few trolls online, or when a handful of people target us all at once because they disagree with our content, but then we turn around and do it to celebs with no issue, with no remorse, with no awareness of the blatant hypocrisy, because we do not view a celebrity as one of us. Many of us discuss consent constantly but completely ignore consent and boundaries when it comes to celebs because we have decided that we are entitled to their bodies. They are public property and they cannot escape us or our agents that do our bidding, the paparazzi. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all for now! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please comment and share! </span></span></div>
@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-2917676158007490212015-07-13T17:47:00.000-07:002015-07-14T08:38:56.717-07:00Autistic EnoughHello Readers!<br />
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Thank you for continuing to join me on my journey! </div>
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I want to continue to discuss Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and my experience with it, so if this appeals to you, keep reading!<br />
I'd like to also take a moment to thank @petitpadthai for the blog post title idea! </div>
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TRIGGER WARNING: mention of abuse </div>
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Autism Spectrum Disorder. That second word is so crucial yet so few people (including loved ones, advocacy organizations, and health professionals) seem to acknowledge the existence of a <b>spectrum</b> of symptoms and presentations of the disorder. </div>
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<h3>
High Functioning Vs. Low Functioning</h3>
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Currently, health care professionals characterize Autistics as either high-functioning or low-functioning with high-functioning meaning a person is able to be more independent and fit in more "appropriately" in neurotypical society and low functioning meaning a person <i>may</i> not be as independent and be less able to fit in "appropriately" in neurotypical society.</div>
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But here's the thing, the people who decide what is and isn't appropriate behavior aren't Autistic and the functioning labels are completely arbitrary, not to mention incredibly ableist. </div>
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These labels pit Autistics against each other and devalue individuals' experiences. </div>
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<h3>
My Experience</h3>
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When I'm doing well and functioning in a way that you deem appropriate, you erase my Autism and fail to accommodate my needs. You don't seek to understand how my brain works or how to make the world easier to navigate. You do not attempt to lessen the heavy burden you place on me with your assumptions...because I am not Autistic enough.</div>
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When I ask for an explanation because what you said doesn't make sense to me, or when I'm overwhelmed and overstimulated, or when I can't find something because the object doesn't look like what thought it should, or I don't want to spend time with people because it's exhausting to constantly monitor myself...suddenly I am too Autistic. </div>
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I am always Autistic. My excess of neural connections will not suddenly disappear just because they make you uncomfortable. My Autism is not diminished, it will not be erased because I have made an incredible effort to fit into this hostile society that only values neurotypicality and<a href="http://www.speakforyourself.org/2014/02/22/accept-behavior-towards-non-autistic-child/" target="_blank"> literally abuses** </a>Autistic people until we display your desired behavior.</div>
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Sometimes, you say I don't seem Autistic, and yet so often when I've been abused and bullied by my peers (and even adults) it has been for being Autistic.</div>
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I guess my question for you is...</div>
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#DidISeemAutisticWhen in 3rd grade, my teacher put my desk in a corner and mocked my accommodations in front of the class?</div>
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#DidISeemAutisticWhen I was in 4th grade and started pulling out my hair and eyelashes as a form of stimming? </div>
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#DidISeemAutisticWhen in 6th grade when my teacher got sick of me and locked me in a dark closet for over 10 minutes?</div>
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#DidISeemAutisticWhen I couldn't read facial expressions or body language? </div>
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#DidISeemAutisticWhen in 9th grade when my teacher planned with the rest of the class to mock my Autism? Allowing all of the students to come in late and imitate me? Falling out of their desks, dropping their pens, asking questions.</div>
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#DidISeemAutisticWhen in 11th grade students locked me in a cabinet as a prank? </div>
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I am Autistic enough. </div>
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@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-58975477724923999762015-07-06T20:03:00.000-07:002015-07-06T20:16:42.299-07:00My Journey With AutismI had this blanket as a child that I called Woobie that had lace trim with satin ribbon running through it. When I rubbed that satin ribbon between my forefinger and thumb, it was as if my whole existence shrunk down to a pinpoint. All the noise and chaos in my body was drowned out by that feeling.<br />
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When I was 8 years old I was diagnosed with Non-Verbal Learning Disability. When my mom asked the doctor what that meant, he replied that it was why I was such a freak. Over the course of my life I've been misdiagnosed with a lot of mental health and behavioral conditions but Non-Verbal Learning Disability, while wrong, was actually closer to the truth than most.<br />
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I was an extremely unusual child that didn't fit in in any social setting including my own home and school. I couldn't read body language at all so I missed those subtle clues that people were starting to get upset with me, or that posture that would have let me know that that person was annoyed and I shouldn't go up to them in such an upbeat and effusive manner. At that point of my life though, I didn't know that I was missing social skills. I just knew that I was being bullied and had no friends.<br />
It wasn't until much later in life when I realized I had no social skills and I tried to teach myself body language that I started to put the pieces together. <br />
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You see, while there are books teaching people how to read body language, apparently that skill is inherent, or at least, it's supposed to be. But when I tried to find books to learn social skills as an adult? Almost impossible. And the more I looked, the more books I found for certain adults, so I finally checked out one of them, specifically "Be Different" by John Elder Robison. When I read that book everything made sense.<br />
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When I met with my psychiatrist the following week, I told her I thought I had Asperger's Syndrome. She asked me why I thought so and when I got half way through my reasoning, she stopped me and said, "yes." I asked her if I needed to take a test. She said there was no need and she didn't know why she hadn't seen it before.<br />
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I'm IsaJennie and I'm Autistic. I'm on the Autism spectrum. I don't want to be cured. Autism makes me who I am. My brain is different. It functions in a spectacularly complex way that neurotypical people cannot fathom and it is wonderful. What I want to "cure" is the way I am treated by neurotypical people. I want to make the world easier to live in for Autistic people.@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-69791891956310311462015-05-04T11:59:00.002-07:002015-05-04T13:13:00.979-07:00Ableism..What The Heck Is It?<i>Dear Reader,</i><br />
<i>Addressing issues of inequality is not about being politically correct. In fact, many of those politically correct terms so many people use are actually just the ill-informed attempts of people (who not are quite knowledgable about real issues) to feel like they are doing something useful for "those poor tragic people." I do not use words for the sake of being PC or because my friends use them. I think about my word choice because the words we use have meaning and impact on the people around us. Words matter. My actions matter. If you disagree, that's fine, but I implore you to at least attempt to read this with the mindset that I most likely have a different life experience than you do and my life experience is valid, just like yours is. You do not have to know my pain and life to acknowledge that it exists. </i><br />
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<i>I've been putting off writing this for months, maybe longer. Why? Because ableism is a constant in my life and it encompasses so much. Trying to define ableism is like trying to capture a dark sky full of stars with a cheap camera...you might capture some of the light but you won't capture that awe-inspiring feeling of being so small yet so big. You won't know what you're looking at. I thought I'd try though. Bear with me and please ask questions in the comment section so I can address any shortcomings, make the post more understandable, etc. I'll mostly be defining ableism using examples as I've always found that helpful and it makes it more tangible! I hope you enjoy and share this post! </i><br />
<i>Please note that while I am solely addressing ableism in a vacuum in this post, it absolutely DOES NOT exist in a vacuum. Intersections of oppression exist and make ableism more difficult. The way each person experiences disability is unique and is valid.</i><br />
<i>CONTENT NOTE: this post could be potentially triggering. Mentions of ableism, non-specific mentions of abuse</i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">~*~</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Ableism</u> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>What Does The Dictionary Say?</u></span></span><br />
<b>n. discrimination against people with disabilities. </b><br />
<b>n. a set of practices or beliefs that set inferior value to a person with a real or perceived disability (including mental, physical, developmental, etc). </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Via StopAbleism.Org</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>What Makes An -Ism?</u></span><br />
For something to be a true -ism, it has to go BEYOND the individual! This isn't about one bigot not letting a Blind man with a guide dog into his restaurant, though this is a real problem that happens daily.<br />
Ableism is bigger than individual behavior and is quite literally built into our society. Ableism is about power and privilege versus oppression. In fact, ableism is one of the oldest forms of oppression. Abled/non-Disabled (ND) people did not do anything special to be born Abled/ND, they just were, and yet, society values them more for the way they are. ND people earn exponentially more money (post to come), are able to access public and private spaces easily (their body and design of space allows them to), are viewed as equal (on the axis of Dis/ability), are seen as capable and autonomous, etc. (You can read more about privilege and oppression here: <a href="http://theadventuresofisajennie.blogspot.com/2015/01/privilege-oppression-everything-in.html" target="_blank">Privilege, Oppression, and Everything In Between</a>.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>The Words You Use</u></span><br />
How often do you use these words: d*mb, st*pid, r*tard/ed, -t*rd, m*ntal, cr*zy, ps*cho, n*ts, handicap, cr*pple/d, handicapable, differently-abled?<br />
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If you're like most people, I'm guessing you use them every day, if not multiple times a day. I'm not writing this to judge you or to make you feel guilty, I'm writing this so you can be educated on something that has a measurably negative impact on the lives of real people (in your life) with real feelings. I'm writing this so that at the very least, you take a moment to think on your words before you use them.<br />
So. Why is it not just "bad" but oppressive to use these words?<br />
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First of all, many of these words are rooted in historical abuse (cr*ppled, h*ndicap, m*ntal, cr*azy, ps*cho) and we haven't forgotten. Those words are still used negatively against Disabled people.<br />
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Secondly, these words are used as value judgments. Examine how you and others treat people after labeling someone cr*zy or st*pid. It suddenly becomes okay to no longer listen to them or treat them with respect. It becomes okay to treat them as lesser than and it is honestly terrifying to me that the act of verbally or otherwise labeling someone with a word associated with disability makes it acceptable to heap all manners of abuse on them.<br />
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Thirdly, when it comes to terms that relate to intellect, you are saying that something or someone is less worthy of respect, of dignity, of kindness if it/they is perceived as less intelligent, on the flip side, you are saying that something or someone is more worthy of respect, of dignity, of kindness if it/they is perceived as more intelligent. Even if you're referring to an object, those words transfer to real people. That same logic, that the more intelligent the more worthy of basic human decency and kindness and the less intelligent the less worthy, has been used for literally thousands of years to excuse the most heinous crimes against Disabled people, specifically intellectually Disabled people.<br />
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Also, though I didn't include them in the list, using terms like Blind and Deaf for ANYTHING other than someone who is Blind or Deaf is ableist!<br />
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Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I included the terms handicapable and differently abled. SOME Disabled people like them but the vast majority do not and the reason is two-fold.<br />
1) they're inaccurate. We are not differently abled, that is to say, we don't have some awe-inspiring other ability that you non-Disabled folks don't have. To quote my amazing friend "It's not like I walk on my hands!"<br />
2) It erases our very real disabilities and the role society plays in their maintenance.<br />
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Even if you're not using the above words in a directly negative way, that doesn't change their original meaning and it doesn't change that they still hurt people. .<br />
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Finally, you may be thinking to yourself "they're just words...they're just feelings...people are too sensitive." While I think that that is an incredibly upsetting opinion to have, I'll pretend that I agree for a moment. If you don't care about feelings, consider this: those words that you utter so casually because you can't be bothered to use the word you actually mean? Those words are almost always used when Disabled people are being beaten and abused by "loved" ones and even strangers on the street (70% of Disabled people have reported being abused). So those words are not "just words" they are triggers and they are violence, even if you don't mean them to be.<br />
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So instead of...<br />
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<li>...that party was crazy last night!</li>
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<li>try: that party was ridiculous/too much/wild/out of control</li>
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<li>...that's a stupid argument!</li>
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<li>try: that's an ill-informed/ignorant/illogical/ill-thought-out/incorrect/tragic/poor argument</li>
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<li>...the weather is bipolar!</li>
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<li>try: the weather is all over the place/mercurial/hot and cold/indecisive/rude</li>
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<li>..."the political blindness of millennials" or "Deaf to objections"</li>
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<li>try: "the political ignorance of milenials" or "obstinate to objections"</li>
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Examine your word choice. It may take some practice, it's easier not to do it at all, but not only are you making a positive impact on those around you, you're also actually saying what you mean! Maybe you can do what I did and institute a jar in your home and every time you or your housemate says one of the above terms, some sum of money goes in the jar. The proceeds in our jar went to a disability charity! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Let's Get Specific</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(* denotes it actually happened to me)</span></div>
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<li>Ableism is having to prove you're Disabled/sick so you can get "accommodations" while simultaneously having to prove you're not too Disabled/sick so your teachers coerce you into dropping the course*</li>
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<li>Ableism is your teacher saying that people who don't exhibit appropriate body language (squatting down, open body language, etc) in the child study lab will be marked down and when you tell her why you don't do it, being told, in front of your peers, that the teacher is "having trouble (believing) with that"...and still getting marked down*</li>
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<li>Ableism is being so sick that you are in and out of the ER, 2 weeks post major surgery, getting procedures done, but still doing assignments, and being told to do a medical withdrawal for missing lab classes...and then being failed in the course despite trying to do a medical withdrawal*</li>
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<li>Ableism is not providing an ASL translator at events because it's too expensive</li>
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<li>Ableism is not having a audio descriptions available on a show ABOUT A BLIND PROTAGONIST </li>
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<li>Ableism is constantly being asked "don't you want to be healthy and take the stairs"*</li>
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<li>Ableism is being accused of faking for being able to walk while using a wheelchair*</li>
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<li>Ableism is being accused of being a drug addict for being thing due to illness and for having stomach problems*</li>
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<li>Ableism is asking someone "OMG ARE YOU BLIND!"</li>
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<li>Ableism is joking about a life threatening disease someone has*</li>
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<li>Ableism is valuing some Disabled people over others because they don't need accommodations </li>
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<li>Ableism is valuing some Disabled people over others because they have normative bodies (in this case, meaning they look ND)</li>
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<li>Ableism is valuing some Disabled people over others because their disability doesn't make you uncomfortable.*</li>
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<li>Ableism is valuing some Disabled people over others because they allow you to use ableist language.*</li>
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<li>Ableism is valuing some Disabled people over others because they fit your idea of what disability is.</li>
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<li>Ableism is telling someone who is very sick "but you don't look sick" thus downplaying their illness*</li>
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<li>Ableism is telling someone who is thin due to extreme illness that you want their illness*</li>
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<li>Ableism is dismissing someone's concerns because "they should get it"*</li>
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<li>Ableism is assuming someone is/isn't Disabled</li>
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<li>Ableism is using terms like Blind and Deaf as metaphors for situations...implying that they are a choice</li>
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<li>Ableism is using the phrase "stand for ____" instead of "solidarity with _____" </li>
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<li>Ableism is assuming walking is universal </li>
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<li>Ableism is being unable to access a classroom and class content</li>
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<li>Ableism is thinking it's okay to say and do ableist things because no one Disabled is around (or so you think).*</li>
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<li>Ableism is someone saying that they are more Disabled (because of their unique oppression) than a Disabled white woman when they aren't Disabled at all.*</li>
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<li>Ableism is denying Disabled people their sexual selves while simultaneously pathologizing them if they are not sexually active.</li>
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<li>Ableism is thinking that anyone who chooses to be in a relationship with a Disabled person is a saint.</li>
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<li>Ableism is sympathizing with abusive parents of Disabled kids because really, how much can one person take? </li>
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<li>Ableism is having a professor not considering you missing class because you dislocated your shoulder valid but telling a kid who drunkenly cut his hand on a beer bottle that he didn't need to come to class.*</li>
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<li>Ableism is the entire education system.</li>
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<li>Ableism is the belief that physical disability looks a certain way. </li>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-56817045404494523512015-01-13T16:33:00.002-07:002015-01-13T16:36:04.516-07:00Privilege, Oppression, & Everything In BetweenAlmost everyone has privilege, and almost everyone has oppressions. These are terms often used in the social justice realm and I thought I would take the time to break these terms down from my point of view.<br />
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<u><b>PRIVILEGE</b></u><br />
When you tell someone they have privilege, often times their reaction is "But I'm not rich! I've gotten everything I have because I work hard!" In this case, people are thinking of privilege as it relates to wealth. In reality, when people, especially people involved in social justice work or marginalized communities, refer to privilege, they're referring to a social advantage that is only available to certain groups. Admitting you have privilege isn't denying any hard work you've had to do to get to where you are, it is simply admitting that, through no fault of your own, society values some aspect of you that you have no control over and this has given you certain advantages.<br />
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Under the heading of Examining Your Privilege & Oppression you can find some tips for coming to terms with privilege.<br />
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<b><u>OPPRESSION</u></b><br />
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Oppression is the counterpoint to privilege. In a phrase, it is unjust treatment, particularly of a group of people.</div>
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There is a tendency in the United States and other "developed" countries, to downplay the extent to which oppression exists. I believe this has to do with the values Americans in particular claim. It is very difficult to reconcile the degree of oppression we have in this country with our values of freedom, equality, and justice for all. Despite this contradiction though, oppression does exist and it has been studied extensively. I can direct you to scientific experiments, Department of Justice reports, books, survey responses, people's personal stories...all of these sources prove that oppression is alive and well. Oppression is also not a competition. I frequently hear people say that women in the United States aren't oppressed because women in Pakistan have it worse. There is no prize for being the Most Oppressed and it does no good to compare incomparable struggles. Oppression exists everywhere and it needs to be addressed. It is best to focus on the oppression we can most directly influence and then signal boost the struggles of those with oppressions we don't experience.<br />
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It is important to note that the oppressions and -isms discussed are SYSTEMIC and SYSTEMATIC meaning they are built into our institutions and our society. When I discuss racism, I do not use the dictionary definition but rather the social justice definition of racism. When we use the dictionary definition of racism, we are erasing the long and ugly history it has and decentering those that experience it most. White people love to claim that we experience racism because we are called crackers. Racism is deeper than this. The deliberate genocide and enslavement of Brown and Black bodies by our society is racism. The levels of police brutality experienced by Black and Brown bodies is racism. Being called a honky is not. However, PLEASE don't take my word for it! I am white and it's really not my place to discuss racism so please check out <a href="http://racismschool.tumblr.com/">racismschool.tumblr.com</a> and this amazing TedTalk <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0acvkHIiZs">The Power of Privilege</a><br />
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<b><u>AXES</u></b></div>
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Privilege and oppression come in many different forms that exist on an intersecting continuum. At one end, there is privilege, and on the other end, oppression. Axes of privilege/oppression include, but are not limited to: race/ethnicity, dis/ability, religion, sex, gender, age, class, and size. I have created a matrix that should help clarify how they all coexist and intersect. There are some fuzzy areas and plenty of overlap...consider the matrix a rough visual! </div>
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*Please note that in dominant US society, sex is viewed as a binary so I only included man and woman as options for sex although that does not reflect my own views.*</div>
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<b><u>EXAMINING YOUR PRIVILEGE AND OPPRESSION</u></b><br />
Often, those that have privilege are completely unaware that they have it and of the advantages that have been afforded to them. Finding out you have privilege often comes as a shock and it can cause many people to react negatively: to lash out, to shut down, and to deny what the person is saying without taking the time to listen and process. STOP! Take a breath! Clear your mind. Now put yourself in the other person's shoes and forget everything you thought you knew. Now listen and learn!<br />
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CHECK YOURSELF CONSTANTLY! Here's a great source to examine how much privilege you have: <a href="http://helloquizzy.okcupid.com/quizzy/take">The Social Privilege Test</a></div>
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Your privilege can help ease some of your oppression and your oppression can whittle away some of your privilege. Where you fall may change and may depend on the groups you're in. </div>
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<b><u>FULL DISCLOSURE</u></b><br />
I urge you all to examine your privilege and oppression and in the spirit of open sharing and exploration, allow me to tell you where I fit:<br />
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Privileges: White, Educated, Cisgender (not trans), Upper Class, Gender-conforming</div>
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Oppressions: Young Woman, Pansexual, Disabled, Autistic, Chronically ill, Atheist</div>
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Any questions? Comments? Suggestions?</div>
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I plan to discuss ableism next so stay tuned for that! </div>
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That/s All For Now Folks, </div>
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-IsaJennie</div>
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<br />@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-38549565023806562812015-01-01T20:44:00.000-07:002015-01-13T15:15:45.314-07:002014…What Happened?It's been a long time since I've last posted so I'm sure you're all wondering...What the heck happened in 2014?! To sum it all up: A LOT!<br />
This post is just a quick overview of the highs and lows of the last twelve months!<br />
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Highs:<br />
- elected to ASU undergraduate student government<br />
- re-elected president of the LGBTQA Coalition (now the Rainbow Coalition)<br />
- moved back into my condo with one of my best friends<br />
- 2280 Twitter followers (@IsaJennie)<br />
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- I GOT GUMBY THE CAT!<br />
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Lows:<br />
- impeached from ASU undergraduate student government<br />
Read more: article that started it all >>><a href="http://www.statepress.com/2014/10/06/black-face-cause-for-concern-for-black-and-african-coalition/">ASU Black and African Coalition, student government fight blackface</a>, <a href="http://www.statepress.com/2014/10/21/asu-senator-impeached-for-violating-tempe-usg-guidelines/">ASU Senator impeached for violating Tempe USG guidelines</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-reimold/arizona-state-student-sen_b_6060638.html">Huffington Post Article</a>, <a href="http://www.collegemediamatters.com/2014/10/28/asu-student-senator-impeached-for-speaking-to-state-press-without-informing-her-superiors/">ASU Student Senator Impeached for Speaking to State Press Without Informing Her Superiors</a>, <a href="http://www.statepress.com/2014/10/23/asus-tempe-undergraduate-student-government-media-guidelines-unfairly-limit-dissent/">ASU’s Tempe Undergraduate Student Government media guidelines unfairly limit dissent</a>, <a href="http://www.splc.org/article/2014/10/arizona-state-u-student-senator-impeached-after-speaking-with-media">Student Press Law Center Article</a>, <a href="http://www.statepress.com/2014/12/04/legal-experts-defend-impeached-asu-student-government-senator-isabelle-murrays-point-of-view/">Legal experts defend impeached ASU student government senator Isabelle Murray’s point of view</a><br />
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- had to have an emergency appendectomy (turns out I didn't have acute appendicitis but rather I have endometriosis that had completely grown over my appendix)<br />
- f*cked up on Twitter with my privilege<br />
- my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers%E2%80%93Danlos_syndrome">Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome</a> is still kicking my ass<br />
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So…that's my 2014 in a nutshell! Any questions? Comments?<br />
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I really need suggestions for blog topics! Please either leave comments on here, email me, or send me suggestions on Twitter!<br />
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Lots of <3<br />
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-IsaJennie</div>
@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-744681316477068672014-06-08T09:54:00.002-07:002014-06-08T09:58:49.259-07:00Whaddya wanna see? Hello Readers!<br />
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I'm going to be blogging at least once a week (and I'm thinking about starting a YouTube channel) but I'm not sure what I should focus on? I renamed the blog "The Adventures of IsaJennie" because the intention was that this blog would be about my thoughts, observations, things I'm passionate about, and occasionally, about my past and health. But I feel like it needs more focus...I mean, who wants to read about ONE white woman? I'm really nothing special (except for the genetic disease) and I'd rather not bore anyone.<br />
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So..the question remains... what would you like to see from this blog? From a potential YouTube channel? Any ideas? Oh! Any ideas on the blog design? Do you like what you see or do you think an update is in order? What would you like to see there?<br />
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I'd love to get your feedback so please comment and keep reading!<br />
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-IsaJennie<br />
<br />@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-35391542841200248882014-05-30T13:20:00.000-07:002014-05-30T13:20:46.505-07:00An Open Letter to Jane Doe<h2>
Background:</h2>
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Jane Doe is a 16-year-old trans girl of color that is currently in an adult prison in solitary confinement and has been for over 50 days. She is there despite not having been charged with any crime. </div>
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For more information about Jane Doe: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chase-strangio/we-must-not-forget-jane-transgender_b_5413317.html">We Must Not Forget Jane Doe's Humanity</a></div>
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To write a letter to the governor: <a href="http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/cwp/view.asp?a=3998&q=479084&malloyNav=|">Email Governor Malloy</a></div>
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To write a letter to the Commissioner for the Department of Child Services: <a href="mailto:Commissioner.dcf@ct.gov">Email Commissioner Joette Katz</a></div>
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To contact Jane Doe: <a href="mailto:Justice4JaneDoe@gmail.com">Justice4JaneDoe@gmail.com</a></div>
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<h2>
Open Letter to Jane Doe:</h2>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Dear Jane Doe,</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
My name is Jennie (I'm 25) and I'm one of the thousands of people that are supporting you. I know you must feel incredibly alone right now. I know that in your letter to the governor you wrote that you felt forgotten and thrown away...I know that the so-called "justice" system is neglecting you...I know that you are almost always alone physically, but despite all of that, I want to let you know that in spirit, you are surrounded by people that care about you and that are fighting to get you out of the horrible place that you've found yourself in, through no fault of your own. Most of us have never met you, don't even know your name, but we care. We will not forget you. You are not trash to us but a wonderful teenage girl that deserves so much more than what life has given her. There are people around the world that are writing the governor, signing petitions, writing the commissioner, and spreading the word about the injustice that you are experiencing right now. </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I'm a college student and I also have the privilege of being the president of my university's LGBTQA Coalition and I have let everyone in our coalition, and everyone I know outside of the coalition, know about what is happening to you. I, along with thousands of others, am tweeting #JusticeForJane every day and I've let all of my Facebook friends know what is going on. People are writing articles about your mistreatment by the "justice" system. Organizations are fighting for you. You are not forgotten. We will not rest until you are free and in a safe and healthy place where you don't have to be scared or lonely. </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I've told you what we are trying to do for you, but if you need anything that you're not getting (other than freedom, which we're trying to get for you), please let me know what it is so I, along with others, can provide it for you!</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I know that the world must seem like a horrible place to you given what you've experienced, but there is good out there. Don't let the darkness that you're in right now dim the brilliant light inside of you. </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Hang in there Jane! Stay strong! I hope to hear from you soon! </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Sincerely, </div>
<span class="HOEnZb adL" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #888888;"><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #000066; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">
Jennie</div>
</span></span></div>
@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-84058654629554754042014-05-30T13:10:00.000-07:002014-05-30T13:10:28.660-07:00It's Been A Long Time...Wow!<br />
It's been a LOOOOOONG time since I've blogged. So much has changed since I've blogged last. I'm still in college, I'm still chronically ill, and I'm still writing, though now it's mostly on Twitter.<br />
The biggest piece of news (other than the fact that I no longer have an appendix and I kinda have a dog now...and an awesome BFF Shelby-Lynn) is that I'm now (for the second time) the president of my university's LGBTQA Coalition and have been elected senator for Undergraduate Student Government. I have always been passionate about social justice and LGBTQIA rights, but after my diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, I've become even more involved. As I was laying in my bed that year out of school, in constant pain and struggling to find a reason to not give up, I discovered activism and now I'm hooked. Everyone deserves rights. Everyone deserves respect and dignity and equal opportunities...and I'm working to make that a reality! So...stay tuned!@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-61904505779301127432012-01-06T10:18:00.000-07:002012-01-06T10:18:12.824-07:00Hello 2012!Hello my dear readers! If there are any of you still left!<br />
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I hope you all had a positively fabulous time this holiday season! Like most people I've reflected on the past year and resolved to do some things differently this year!<br />
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I think it's safe to say that this past year has been a life-changing year to say the very least; going from thinking and generally feeling like I was perfectly normal to getting sick over the summer and then finding out I have an incurable genetic disease that will bring degenerative changes, as well as a most likely permanent autonomic nervous system, was quite a shift in my perception of who I am and what my future holds. I went from being a conscientious student to being a patient...I've decided to take this spring semester off as well...<br />
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Well, this year I'm starting things off in Pensacola, FL taking care of my adorable three-year-old niece Annika for about a month and then who knows? I do know that I need to quit wallowing in my physical and mental pain and get on with things. The only thing I have planned beyond nannying is going back to school in the fall. I would like to take a true vacation where I can totally relax and not worry about doctors appointments, responsibilities, or feeling guilty if all I want to do is lounge around and read books!<br />
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I've also made some resolutions like so many other people!<br />
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<ol><li>Blog at least twice a week</li>
<li>Do physical therapy exercises every day.</li>
<li>Follow doctor's orders: my new high sodium diet and other lifestyle changes for my POTS</li>
<li>Live instead of exist!</li>
<li>Journal every day.</li>
<li>Get to a more comfortable weight.</li>
</ol><div><br />
</div><div>Now here are my questions to you, my dear readers: What have you learned this past year and what do you plan to do this new year? Have you resolved to do things differently? If so, what? How will you keep your resolutions?</div><div><br />
</div><div>Hope to hear from you soon!! </div><div><br />
</div><div>That's all for now folks! Keep reading! </div><div>-RRR</div>@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-30064355275070988472011-09-13T07:32:00.000-07:002011-09-13T07:32:18.987-07:00Finally! A diagnosis!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Oh dear <i>(bread and beer| if we were dead | we wouldn't be here) </i>it's been a super long time since I've posted. My b my b. =(<br />
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So much to say and so little time (especially since I'm 'sposed to be catching up with my school work).<br />
To catch you up with what's been going on...:<br />
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</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Last time on 'The Story of A Girl'..."</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>She was hurt; she had fallen and she couldn't get up. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Left to die on the cold tile floor of her bathroom, covered in makeup...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Until...she got up.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Her brand new white bathroom rug was covered in carnage--makeup everywhere.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Her back was bleeding, her ribs aching, her head pounding.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>She had been sick for awhile now...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>With no explanation for what was causing all of the seemingly unrelated health issues</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>No explanation until....</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>She saw a specialist.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This is her story.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This is <b>"The Story of a Girl"</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(cue intro music)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Hehehe. It made <b>me </b>giggle, therefore it has to be funny, because it's not like I'm <b>biased </b>or anything! Lol. Annnyyyywhhooo...I finally found out what's wrong with me, and apparently, has been wrong with me my whole life. Alas, if only my family would have listened to me one of the ba-ba-ba-bazillion times I told them something wasn't right....like the time <i>(one of many)</i> I told my dad that it felt like my hip was popping out of place <i>(of course he responded that wasn't possible); </i>apparently, not only is it possible, it's been happening to me for years! My shoulders are even worse (as are my knees, elbows and wrists); I can pop those babies out of place just by moving normally. Nothing says "I'm an old lady trapped in the body of a 22-year-old college student" quite like having your whole body smell of Bengay and then...<i>snap, crackling, and popping</i> louder than a bowl of Rice Krispies as you kneel down on a kneeler in Church...next to an old lady whose body is much quieter than yours. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Damn...I got off track again <i>(typical)</i>. Like I said, I've known for years something wasn't right and I didn't think it was a coincidence or just bad luck that I had continuous health issues. I figured it was all related, since the chances of them not being related seemed next to impossible. In the last couple of weeks I've researched some things and guess what, I correctly diagnosed myself with a rare genetic disease. <i>(Of course, my parents thought I was just being a hypochondriac and even now they aren't *quite* believing..."oh 'they' of little faith). </i>I originally suspected I had a condition known as Marfan Syndrome, but after ruling that out it was pretty obvious, to me at least, that I had Ehler-Danlos Syndrome.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> When I met with my geneticist he confirmed it: I have <b>Ehler-Danlos Syndrome </b>or <b>(EDS)</b>. It's a pretty rare genetic connective tissue disorder. When I told some of my so-called-"friends" that I'd been diagnosed, they thought it meant it affected my skin...<i>(and also that I was an attention whore and a hypochondriac...as well as some other things that might offend some readers)</i>. </div><div style="text-align: left;">So let me clarify, connective tissue is <b>everywhere</b> in the human body. Ever hear of collagen? Yeah, the type of EDS that I was diagnosed with <i>(though I think they got the type wrong)</i> occurs because of "a defect in the synthesis of collagen". This defect affects my joints (the ligaments and tendons around it), my blood vessels, my organs (including my skin), etc. People don't seem to think this is a big deal, but people with EDS are at a much higher risk for aneurysms (including abdominal aortic aneurysms); this is a common cause of death (among those with EDS) most often seen in a person's 20's and 30's. EDS also affects the heart and the brain (in the brain it can lead to migraines, and POTS...both of which I either have or am suspected of having). As I age I'm most likely going to develop osteoarthritis <i>(if I don't already have it)</i> and osteoporosis. I could list all of the health issues that come along with EDS (like delayed gastric emptying, acid reflux <i>(both of which I have)</i>) but we could be here for a very long time. So suffice it to say: "my shit's fucked up" <i>(pardon my French)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i>The great irony is, not only is what I have rare, but among people with EDS, the degree of hypermobility <i>(or range of motion greater than normal)</i> I have in almost all of my joints, as well as the number of joints the disease affects and what joints it affects <i>(notably my spine and neck...and every other major joint)</i> is <b>EXTREMELY </b>rare. So basically I'm a freak among freaks :-p. My sister had come with me to my appointment and she said, <i>"we did't need a doctor to tell us you're special...we've always known you were 'extra special'." </i>It made me laugh. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> I have mixed feelings about my diagnosis...it's nice to finally have a diagnosis because I can quit searching and now I have resources and a community of support (the Ehler-Danlos National Foundation); it's also allowed me to let go of the past and start living in the present because, honestly, who knows how long I have left; who knows how long anyone has left? I've learned life is too short to worry about hurtful, rude people or makeup for that matter. It's too short to waste any time at all. I contemplated taking a semester off of school but then I realized, I don't want to waste time, even time taking care of my health, because I want to be a doctor and I feel like I'm already racing an hourglass that is far from full. Of course, I've talked about all of the good things; I feel like the bad things are pretty obvious: having an incurable, relatively untreatable genetic disease sucks! I'm going to be in constant<b> </b>pain my whole life, and chances are, it's going to get worse. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to pretend I'm a normal healthy college girl; how much longer I can keep faking it. I don't even know how much longer my joints are going to hold up because, right now, I feel like throwing in the towel and getting a wheelchair my hips hurt so badly. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> I have learned though, well, I suppose I have <b>ALWAYS KNOWN</b>, that someone always has it worse and that complaining does absolutely nothing, except, of course, pissing off my mom and dad. I took care of a man who had what I consider to be the worst disease in the world: <b>Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerois (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's Disease. </b>It is the worst way to die, robbed of your ability to walk or move at all, talk, eat, or even breathe unaided, and through it all being in constant pain with seemingly endless muscle spasms. </div><div style="text-align: left;">And the life expectancy after diagnosis? 1-3 years *typically* after diagnosis, although lately I've heard about quite a few people who died within months of diagnosis. But the man I took care of, Stuart, never complained (he was able to talk by sacrificing some of his air (he used a smaller trach tube even though it meant he could never get enough air)) instead he spent his remaining time on Earth helping others: writing letters with messages of hope, volunteering with the ALS Association, being a mentor to me, etc. </div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm going to try much harder to live the way he taught me to live. He always told me: <i style="font-weight: bold;">"do well my gift"</i> and that's what I'm going to do with whatever time I have been given.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> My plan? Go to class and learn all that I can, work to help those with ALS and their families, make people smile, go to doctors' appointments and physical therapy, become a doctor so I can help people with ALS...I'm going to <b>do well </b>(with a smile on my face).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b><i>(so...don't cry for me...blog readers(?)) </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Thanks for listening. Have a fantabulous day! </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>--Jennie the Nerdette </b></div></div>@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-86611194633221534502011-08-04T03:39:00.000-07:002011-08-04T03:39:20.042-07:00Help I've Fallen & I Can't Get Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">Dear RRReaders,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> Ouch so the title of my blog post made me chortle<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(you know those horribly acted Life Alert commercials?Heeeelllpp I've fallen and I can't get up...*extend arm weakly*)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">and laughing hurt like a bi-atch. (<i>And when I yelled “ow” from the pain of laughing I guess I sounded like a cat because my cat started meowing at me (although that could be because he was concerned because he can always sense when I'm in pain)). </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Anywho... back to the point...I feel like I should win an award because Tuesday (I think...) I fell and couldn't get up when I attempted to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. I had just woken up after a long Sleeping Beauty-esque sleep. Picture it: Tempe, Arizona; the day: August 2nd, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> I woke up as I heard “Don’t worry ‘bout a thing ‘cuz every little thing’s gonna be alright” for the umpteenth time. Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds is my mom’s ringtone </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(every Saturday she’d crank up the Bob and all of us (all 4 kids and my mom and dad) would clean the house top to bottom). </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I immediately texted her back because I hate phone calls, and I assured her, yes I was alive despite the fact I’d been asleep for 24+ hours. She relayed the message to my dad.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> I spent a little more time waking up until the “urgent pressure on my bladder” assured me I could wait no longer to make a much needed bathroom run…exactly 3 feet away from my bed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So I crawl out from under my little burrow and as I approach the porcelain pedestal, I start feeling funky (ahem, funkier) and my vision starts dancing, going spotty and fading, and my body starts shaking and twitching and then my body goes numb and I lose all the strength in my body…<i>Crap...I can't lean on my towel bar or I'll rip it out of the wall. </i>I can just picture that happening so vividly. <i>I should try to make it back to bed before I collapse</i>.</span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Next thing I know, I’m waking up and, praise the Lord Hallelujah, I didn’t wet myself haha, but no seriously, I wake up sobbing hysterically and my back and ribs and my HEAD are throbbing and I’m covered in makeup (no, not my face, my body….I guess I pulled <b>all </b>my makeup off the counter (when I fell down <i>and I had just washed my white rug). </i>And the first thing I think is FUCK (pardon my French) my mom is going to kill me…there’s no way I didn’t get <b>another</b> concussion** (see note).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> As I attempt to haul myself up, my back is screaming, so I pull my shirt up and I see big cuts up and down my back. My head starts throbbing…the throbbing morphs into a massive migraine: <i>grab some Zomig, pull cap, insert into nose, pull trigger, toss away, pinch nose, tilt head <b>forward</b>, wait for relief.</i> My ribs are so tender and sore it hurts to breath. As the day wears on it just gets worse.</span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">_____________________________</span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Today aka Wednesday (<i>since I haven't been to bed...can't sleep</i>), I can’t touch <i>(or even think about touching)</i> my ribs and there are 2 big lumps on my head. I’m thinking I hit my head on the wall when I went down and then again on the floor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> I guess I can kiss my dreams of winning Miss America good-bye since I’m pretty sure you need poise for that haha! But no, seriously, I’ve been having this weird shaking dizziness for years and my mom says it’s because I stand up too fast…but nowadays, I can’t stand up fast lol so hmm (*<i>strokes imaginary beard*)</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Who wants to see a picture of my back?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u7aTgQayYRz1t4hEfB10rw6JfczICxyuS5j3jrbPpU6f515djo-tQUL8ys8hig4Frin86wnrgsbfp-EGGtRzqL2lchtzzSnlZ2Nn3s7Iq2OvRWTVdrq17550ghYa9U8HLLB0sybUkos/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u7aTgQayYRz1t4hEfB10rw6JfczICxyuS5j3jrbPpU6f515djo-tQUL8ys8hig4Frin86wnrgsbfp-EGGtRzqL2lchtzzSnlZ2Nn3s7Iq2OvRWTVdrq17550ghYa9U8HLLB0sybUkos/s200/back.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="125" /></span></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">not my most flattering pic<br />
& I didn't feel like taking a pic today of the bruising and bumps</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">That's All For Now Folks! Keep Reading and Commenting! Muwah!</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">-</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><3 </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">RRR</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Handwriting';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Handwriting'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Handwriting'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24px;"></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20px;">**I had my first head injury (traumatic brain injury)@ age 8 months…then age 8…with multiple concussions in between (age 6, 9 &12, etc) and a major concussion @ age 17 and then after that @ ages 18, 19, & 20, &22. & Even a slight head bump now has a profound impact.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div></div>@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-62072054878683908172011-07-31T22:17:00.000-07:002011-07-31T22:17:46.805-07:00Health Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">Dear Readers,</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">If you know me and are close to me in real life, then you</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></i></span><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">probably</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></i></span><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">know I haven't been doing super fabulously health-wise. If you don't know me in real life, well, you're just going to get to know me a whole lot better haha! </span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"> Have you been waiting with bated breath to find out the results of my fun tests from Wednesday? I'm guessing you probably weren't lol but I'll pretend, just for a moment, that you were all on the edges of your seats!</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"> <span class="apple-style-span">The whole testing process was as pleasant as can be expected and the staff at the hospital was top-notch!</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">It was so funny--as I was wheeled into the procedure room and they hooked me up to "my own private oxygen bar" (as the nurse called it--shower curtain flavor she said) the doctor asked me: "What's been going on?" I, rather stupidly I might add, replied,"Do you mean in general?" The doctor laughed,"Oh yeah, what'd you do last night, what's your favorite TV show, what are your hopes and dreams! Silly, I meant what brought you to my procedure room?"</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">That definitely lightened the mood and after describing my inability to eat or drink and the constant acid reflux and heartburn I was experiencing despite taking Prilosec twice a day and chugging Maalox like a frat guy chugs cheap beer, they paused to make sure I was aware of the procedure they were doing, etc and then they administered some sedating medication and put a camera down my throat...and up elsewhere! Touchdown for the doctor!!!</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">_________________________________________________________________</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">When I woke up in the recovery room the first thing I asked the nice nurse as I opened my eyes was: "am I a hypochondriac?"</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">She looked at me quizzically and responded: "No (<i>dramatic pause)</i> there were some findings. Your father is on his way. You should rest."</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Later, when my dad strode into the room, seeming to fill up the whole space with his tall frame and air of authority, my doctor came in with my test results and nifty pictures of my stomach and intestines. She spoke to my dad and my father complimented her on the recovery facilities: “These are way nicer than the ones we have at the hospital.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She told my dad how much sedation medication she had given me and my dad gave a low whistle and said to me; "You won't remember any of this or anything you studied before the procedure when you wake up tomorrow, the medicine causes antegrade amnesia." <i>Fabulous, </i>I thought to myself, <i>I could have been relaxing when they ran that IV and gave me those enemas instead of studying. </i></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">Then the doctor and my dad got down to business and my dad reviewed the results. I heard bits and pieces: "scalloping" "intestines""hernia" "motility""more testing"....and then I just slept. When the doctor left the nurse asked if I wanted juice. My dad told me to say yes so I said yes.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">As the nurse went to get juice my dad told me: "They won't let you leave until you drink 2 glasses of juice."</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"> <span class="apple-style-span">So even though I was scared to drink the juice (yep...scared. to. drink. <b><i>juice </i></b>(hey man acid reflux hurts)) I sucked it up and chugged that juice faster than you can say...chug. Then the nurse told me I could get dressed and my dad took me home and I slept all that day and the next day (after briefly waking up at 3 am and thinking it was 3 pm and getting really scared).</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">When I was more with it, i looked at the nifty pictures they took and read the results: Hiatal hernia (stomach <b>in </b>my esophogas) and scalloping of my intestines (which could <b>possibly </b></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">indicate Celiac disease).</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">Here's a nifty pic of my stomach:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IbLxKLOOqMPX1vQzFq7wADnC_G3hqwiRXI2UAf55dzVdt1arv4Z3FbI9TvgPBUENOT8Wh2XnwmL3JyzVx5-RYsGnpJqbz-YEOJgNXtMzK2HTFBysnwWqKei7BkFpJITZCvVtShZ4q3Q/s1600/Stomach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IbLxKLOOqMPX1vQzFq7wADnC_G3hqwiRXI2UAf55dzVdt1arv4Z3FbI9TvgPBUENOT8Wh2XnwmL3JyzVx5-RYsGnpJqbz-YEOJgNXtMzK2HTFBysnwWqKei7BkFpJITZCvVtShZ4q3Q/s1600/Stomach.JPG" /></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <br />
<span class="apple-style-span">___________________________________________________________________</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;">On Friday I met with my GI guy, Dr. Patel, and he said I <b>don't have Celiac Disease </b>(yay!!!!) <b><i><u>but</u></i></b> during the tests, my stomach didn't move at all and there was still food matter in it (remember I haven't eaten in forever) so he's pretty worried about that. See...your stomach breaks down food by churning (contracting and relaxing) as well as by chemical (acid) means. But they're worried my stomach isn't contracting which means my food is just sitting in my stomach for days on end...but they won't know for sure until they do more tests (a 7 hour one) and I have to wait until AFTER my class finishes on August 5th because my teacher hates me and won't let me miss any more class!!</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">But yep, that's what's going on in my tummy tum!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Are you asleep and drooling on your computer yet?? ;-)</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Well, stay tuned for more fun stuff haha! Tomorrow my dad and I are meeting with my professor (she wants all sorts of medical documentation that she by law can't have so that should be really interesting!!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But that's all for now folks! Keep reading!!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlXtRq2I7pD76JoaChYrG6hNpgCxTXcm4uA4987U3r_W8-os_9wx0QE62Tljfy3ne1BR0YWq_yjyJS4LFkMJoe1UfUospo85tI8UC46ij4-UMPDefBS5wIn6eP1zUgZKHqN0WvVH5Nlw/s1600/porky_pig-5171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlXtRq2I7pD76JoaChYrG6hNpgCxTXcm4uA4987U3r_W8-os_9wx0QE62Tljfy3ne1BR0YWq_yjyJS4LFkMJoe1UfUospo85tI8UC46ij4-UMPDefBS5wIn6eP1zUgZKHqN0WvVH5Nlw/s200/porky_pig-5171.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">-RRR</span></div></div>@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-68134206544705673212011-06-16T14:00:00.001-07:002011-06-16T14:11:39.986-07:00Poetry Post<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>So I finally tackled some of the squalor that has become my condo and as I was cleaning my office I unearthed copies of the poetry magazine from my high school. As I thumbed through issue after issue and read over some of my old work, I realized I haven't written any poetry in eons! Which is downright bizarre considering I have stacks of notebooks filled with my poetry. It used to be my refuge; my solace. So I sat down the other night, slightly sleep-deprived and I wrote some poems. I hope you like them. </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>______________________________________________________________________________________________</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<u>We are Numbers </u><br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
We are a series of numbers<br />
40960585<br />
85327403120<br />
Social Security number<br />
Drivers license number<br />
Student ID number<br />
Patient number<br />
<br />
You take an exam,<br />
You fill in your number<br />
Your name, irrelevant<br />
<br />
You call your doctor<br />
You tell her your patient number<br />
Your name, an afterthought<br />
<br />
We are just another number in an endless sea of numbers<br />
Undulating wildly<br />
Ebbing and flowing<br />
But always a number<br />
Just 1 of many<br />
<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><u>Dreams</u><br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
Dreams stay with me like a heavy fog that won't lift<br />
Won't let go<br />
Entangling in my reality<br />
Blurring the lines<br />
Which is which<br />
Each leaking into the next<br />
Until<br />
Reality, Dream, Indiscernible<br />
Until<br />
They become totally, utterly enmeshed<br />
Become one singular entity<br />
<br />
What happened<br />
What didn't<br />
What was dreamt<br />
What was done<br />
<br />
That once faint blurred line<br />
Obliterated<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<i>So what did you think??</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>That's all for now folks!</i><br />
<i>Keep reading!</i><br />
<i>-RRR</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span>@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-47195809574843066912011-06-13T22:04:00.000-07:002011-06-13T22:04:48.947-07:00We Want What We Can't HaveWe want what we can't have; it's a fact! If you ever want a 3-year-old boy to eat his food, just use reverse psychology and tell him he can't eat it and watch how fast he eats his dinner. When we're kids we want each other's toy cars and Barbie dolls, when we're adults, it's each other's boyfriends and spouses. The whole world is filled with toddlers who want what isn't theirs to have.<br />
<br />
I am no exception. A lot of times, people will ask me how I have time for a boyfriend. I usually laugh and say I don't. The dad of the little boy and girl I now nanny for asked me the other day, "You're so busy between working and then school in the fall and Quiz Bowl...how do you have time for a love life?" I answered him honestly: "What love life?" This made him laugh but it's true.<br />
<br />
I don't date, not that many people try to sway me lol. But every once in a while, I want what I can't have, what I don't <i>really </i>have time for; sometimes I think it would be so fun just to date some guy (and by "some guy" I mean some guy that's "just right"). I mean, I'm in college right? But I have rules for these kinds of things (and no it's not nearly as boring as it sounds); I don't date. I can hang out with a guy. I can have a great time with a guy, but I don't date. Aren't I just the little masochist? Constantly tempting myself but never letting myself get what I want.<br />
<br />
As I write this, there's a certain song that's running through my head. You know the one. By the Rolling Stones? <i>You can't always get what you waaant. You can't always get what you wa-ant. You can't always get what you wa-ant, but if you try sometimes well you might find... you get what you neeed oh yeah! </i> Except, am I getting what I need?<br />
<br />
<br />
That's all for now folks<br />
Stay tuned for more Randomocity and keep reading!<br />
-RRR@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-70671547776441041672011-06-13T21:45:00.000-07:002011-06-13T21:45:45.941-07:00Oh So SorryHow long has it been since I've written?<br />
I'm not even sure.<br />
I see I've lost a reader, and I can't blame them! What's the point in subscribing to a blog that never has new posts!!<br />
I wish I had some super cool excuse like-- "Hey guys sorry I was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and I didn't have internet soooooo yeah....my bad!"<br />
Unfortunately, I don't have some awesome excuse like that. I'm sorry. Forgive me?<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for frequent blog posts though!!! I'm going to be stuck in bed for 5 weeks soo expect lots of fun posts!<br />
<br />
That's all for now folks! Keep reading!<br />
<br />
-RRR@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-43581822843027009852011-04-15T01:13:00.002-07:002011-04-15T01:32:57.877-07:00A Letter to My High School English Teacher(Note: I apologize for any *bad* words or any other grievous errors in this post)<br />
<br />
I found out today that my beloved English teacher, we shall call her Ms. S, was "let go" by one of my high schools (I went to 3). To say that I am upset about this turn of events is like saying BP spilled a "little" oil in the Gulf.<br />
My two years (more like a year and a half) spent with Ms. S was one of the high points of my junior and senior year of high school; maybe that makes me a nerd, but it's the truth.<br />
<br />
The first year (my junior year) at my new school, I was so nervous about failing and my performance anxiety was so bad, especially when it came to my academic performance, that I literally vomited . To this day I still can't eat bananas (Sorry TMI). Fun fact! Any who, I remember I always used to go after class and after school and constantly bombard Ms. S with the same questions over and over about the assignment she had given us; amazingly, she was patient with me and she took the time to make sure I understood everything and tried to reassure me.<br />
You might think this is no big deal, but many a teacher before her had tried and failed to teach me while also actually being nice. Also take into consideration that my own mother once said that I could "drive Mother Teresa to drink." (She does have a point.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvo0j-pYQdQFBVTyqz3WH_-Sku8XeDxCj83yvfEAnzIvd2PtYXzECcRM8fSRsRTH6YOCGsT6EThbykY9TEoiCs61FKJSa5waEmnWCwYOvJrxUOakjEqd1AGse7UEwT-u2U-0R2mtbopiU/s1600/beowulf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvo0j-pYQdQFBVTyqz3WH_-Sku8XeDxCj83yvfEAnzIvd2PtYXzECcRM8fSRsRTH6YOCGsT6EThbykY9TEoiCs61FKJSa5waEmnWCwYOvJrxUOakjEqd1AGse7UEwT-u2U-0R2mtbopiU/s320/beowulf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The time she took to help me was worth it, at least to me. I never got anything less than an A on any of her writing assignments (or tests for that matter) and I did some of my best writing in her classes. I also read some of my new favorite books: <i>Tess of the D'Ubervilles <3, Lord of the Flies </i>(minus the whole Piggy dying thing) <i>One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, MacBeth, The Good Earth, etc.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>(Oh and who could forget that *fabulous* movie adaptation of Beowulf we got to travel to KC to see in the theaters?)</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><br />
I honestly think that one of the reasons she may have been let go is because, well, you know that teacher who is really <b>good </b>and ethical, the type of person whose moral compass always points true north and who believes that you "get" the grade you earn? The kind of teacher we need more (not less) of? Well, I think the reason Ms. S was fired was because sometimes the people in power at a school aren't always the people whose moral compasses point true north. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">(I should know...I graduated a semester early and I actually spent a year in therapy thanks to some rather unethical treatment by the school. Hopefully I'm not scarred for life...but that's a story for another day.) </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Or maybe they're just idiots. Sorry I know that's not very flowery or even very nice but let's be honest, sometimes, its the gosh darn truth! (<i>Not that I'm bitter or anything!) </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
But here's to you Ms. S! The best English teacher I've ever had! Maybe one day Hollywood will make an awesome movie about you featuring a young Katherine Hepburn (because she's classy and well-spoken)!<br />
<br />
-RRR@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-53131726311744295162011-04-03T15:41:00.000-07:002011-04-03T15:41:19.050-07:00Sunday Confessional Pt ?G'day mates!<br />
Another Sunday, another wasted weekend! And lucky for y'all, another confessional! And away we go!<br />
<br />
#1: This is hard to admit but *gulp* but my cat Shnookums aka Choop has a drinking problem.<br />
Unfortunately A.A. is not nearly as welcoming as they claim because when I brought him in they were less than friendly. Jerks.<br />
But no seriously. Choop has kidney failure so he is constantly drinking water. He even has a drinking fountain that purifies the water!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UBn58s6akvACKPqJIi-LqQw3SxJTnXpKqWiyOe8vR1T5ACZZBF16ysMOfllAbZCp7pR9ZFnqb8-sOdFrrVJdkyyxOTwymDZJswFwM4nRap9ScwgNwEMmz34o2xYty1QONrhvO3ruvB4/s1600/7131_102915726392171_100000212334027_76628_2127990_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UBn58s6akvACKPqJIi-LqQw3SxJTnXpKqWiyOe8vR1T5ACZZBF16ysMOfllAbZCp7pR9ZFnqb8-sOdFrrVJdkyyxOTwymDZJswFwM4nRap9ScwgNwEMmz34o2xYty1QONrhvO3ruvB4/s320/7131_102915726392171_100000212334027_76628_2127990_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>#2: I'm struggling with Arabic this semester. I got an A+ last semester but I honestly think it was just because the teacher loved me. We didn't learn nearly enough and now I'm behind in this semester's class since they all had a different teacher. Ugh<br />
<br />
#3: I most likely have Aspergers. I was diagnosed with a NVLD when I was a kid but now my doctor is thinking it's more likely that it's Aspergers which is weird because I totally understand figurative language..you should see me in my Hispanic Literature class!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>#4: My dearly departed AWESOME dog KJ was a swimsuit model. Not really, but my sister took a photo of him on the beach near our house in Florida and his hair was all a-flowin' and I thought to myself "if dogs had a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, my dog would totally be on the cover" lol.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wDJGvLZyzPFLegE0pbbLQTQZRHQp_EFGfwrzCqXAqe5c8e4x3f_kZkw-qxKST6yJvG256wGlGZeRwvZUZn1VXwpKXjXp-jEiCZGwtdCx4F8ZvyNPfpMarGmTAucUvyVxG2KnSWqr3gM/s1600/KJ+Beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wDJGvLZyzPFLegE0pbbLQTQZRHQp_EFGfwrzCqXAqe5c8e4x3f_kZkw-qxKST6yJvG256wGlGZeRwvZUZn1VXwpKXjXp-jEiCZGwtdCx4F8ZvyNPfpMarGmTAucUvyVxG2KnSWqr3gM/s320/KJ+Beach.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
#5: I clearly have an unhealthy attachment to my pets lol.<br />
<br />
But yep, that's all for now folks!<br />
<br />
Keep Reading!<br />
-RRR@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-44942502759183738112011-04-03T15:02:00.000-07:002011-04-03T15:02:27.474-07:00A Clear Winner in Honey-Flavored Greek Yogurt!Greek Gods' honey-flavored greek yogurt is delish but it has just a few hundred calories too many than I'm willing to spend on something that's sposed to be healthy; and greek yogurt is in fact healthier than its wimpy American counterpart: can you say protein (it's pronounced pro-teen)?!?! I've been trying to eat healithier lately and that's lead me on a quest to find a healthier, but still tasty, variety of honey-flavored Greek yogurt. I know there are tons of reviews out there reviewing other flavors of Greek yogurt, but there are none out there for honey (RACISTS, trust me I've actually checked. So I went to three different grocery stores, I kid you not, and picked up a slew of different brands of yogurt and the results were oh-so-conclusive; but alas, in order to find out who the Big Kahuna is, you'll have to read on!<br />
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#4: <b><u>Oikos</u></b><br />
<b><u></u></b>(In VERY last place) Yuck. Just yuck. I am not exaggerating when I say I literally almost vomited when I ate this yogurt. If you've ever had the unfortunate experience of having the stomach flu, then you know what stomach acid tastes like. Well, if you were to mix some yogurt with that and put it in a yogurt container, seal it up, and send it off to the grocery store to be sold for a ridiculous amount of money, you would be the Oikos company, because that is clearly what they did. I did not taste any honey, or any yogurt for that matter, just a horrible very bad no good overpriced blob of stomach acid. Needless to say, I don't recommend this yogurt.<br />
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Tied for the <b>#2 spot: <u>Fage </u>and <u>Open Nature</u></b>:<br />
Fage is a favorite in the Greek yogurt world and I see why: they're product is so creamy it's almost custard-like! Plus it has really honey on the side! My one gripe is that the honey didn't seem to mix well, both physically and taste-wise, with the actual yogurt!<br />
Open Nature is a fairly new brand but I think it's going to wind up with quite the following if for no other reason than their 6 oz container of organic honey-flavored Greek yogurt containing only 140 calories and 16 grams of PROTEIN! 16! That's more than some protein bars! Plus it tastes pretty darn good!<br />
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<b>#1: <u>Dannon Greek</u>!</b><br />
What a surprise huh? I highly highly recommend this yogurt! It is everything I want in my Greek yogurt-- low in calories, high in protein, creamy consistency, delicate honey flavor. It is mmm mmmmmmmm good! I mean day-um! I'm glad I bought 3 of these bad boys on a whim when I was at the grocery store because they are so going to be one of my new breakfast staples!<br />
Also, if you're like me and trying to find a filling breakfast look no further...I have found a great combo: oatmeal with wheat germ, an orange (high in fiber and super high up on the satiety index) and a container of Dannon's Greek yogurt! Nom nom nom nom!<br />
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Your welcome lol!<br />
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Keep reading<br />
-RRR@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-13499592104706737692011-04-02T22:46:00.000-07:002011-04-02T22:46:35.320-07:00Monthly Goals!!!Okey dokey so I'm going to be posting a bunch of posts after this one but I wanted to keep em all separate because that's how I roll ya know??<br />
Any who, research shows that if you tell people what your goals are, you're more likely to follow through and accomplish those goals so what better way than to post em here?<br />
My big goal for this month is something I need YOUR help for: I want to reach 500 page views this month!!! So tell your friends, lovers, neighbors, cats with opposable thumbs, and even that homeless guy down the street to head on over to my site! It'll be a grand ole time!!<br />
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Another thing I want to accomplish: I want to lose 7 pounds!<br />
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And that's all for now folks!<br />
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KEEP READING!!!@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-28789004788721481582011-03-30T21:41:00.001-07:002011-03-30T21:44:08.120-07:00I Think I Just Won the Nobel Prize in Medicine...I'm not normally a two-blog-post-a-day kinda gal but I decided to make an exception just this once.As I was trudging home from my bus stop I had a pretty nifty theory randomly come to me. This always happens to me at random times. I really wish I could just test all of my theories in my basement whenever it struck my fancy (....I also wish I had a basement...)! But anywho yeah, I think my theory might make sense! Check it:<br />
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So I have migraines...a lot. They hurt like crazy and it seems like the medicine never works fast enough! On a side note though, I've found that picturing using a tomato stem remover to gouge out my eye seems to help! It hasn't yet been approved by the FDA but I have my fingers crossed for that patent baby!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkxPtrwKxlCNeY1hPLKTxAj82gUYuskBc_yf_r9WtKkFd1gTclczMeuG8u1u1aSV-HaoE7Q3Gx7rtN0I7zaohgx2FVukcD5O8tO7nHqK2AizvVjnX1Tlgr9eC2n4xRD_lHNr-4dNUd4w/s1600/tomatoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkxPtrwKxlCNeY1hPLKTxAj82gUYuskBc_yf_r9WtKkFd1gTclczMeuG8u1u1aSV-HaoE7Q3Gx7rtN0I7zaohgx2FVukcD5O8tO7nHqK2AizvVjnX1Tlgr9eC2n4xRD_lHNr-4dNUd4w/s200/tomatoe.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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As I made my way homeward bound I smelled this horrible tree that just...mehhh! It smells horrible and it's not even pretty! The smell of it gives me migraines. I'm super smell sensitive but only with certain smells. But I realized as I was walking that I have always associated the smell of those curs-ed trees with a bad experience I had awhile back. And then I thought hmm...what if some of my migraines aren't triggered by the actual smell of the tree but of the bad experience I had when the trees were present.<br />
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I mean...smell is one of the senses that is most closely linked to memory. You might smell something and immediately you subconsciously think of something that happened eons ago in which the smell was present. Seriously, it does happen.<br />
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Anyways, keeping this in mind, what if my brain, rather than actually being affected by a certain chemical or whatever in the plant (or whatever else bothers me...the tree is just an example) my brain is being affected by my mind...a psychosomatic effect in which my subconscious is recalling a painful experience after being triggered by a certain smell. As if my mind has automatically linked a smell with pain but even when the actual pain is not physically present, my mind has been so trained to associating that smell with pain that it "conjures" it up. It's like...well one of my friends did chemo and she told me that even though she was no longer on it and had no reason to be nauseous, every time she went to her old school she would vomit because her body just associated early mornings at this particular building with the nausea and vomiting. I guess that's the theory I'm getting at. A psychosomatic migraine. And, to quote my old paid pal (aka my old therapist), if you "don't believe that psychosomatic illnesses and symptoms are real, you're crazy." Think about it! Have you ever gotten really stressed out and then wound up with "digestion" issues?<br />
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I think I might be on to something!<br />
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What do you think?!?! Seriously!!! I realllly want to hear what y'all think!!!<br />
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That's all for now! I'm going to go take my brand-spanking new migraine meds that I hope do not kill me via serotonin syndrome :-)<br />
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Keep reading!<br />
-RRR@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-41096046097361420032011-03-30T07:16:00.000-07:002011-03-30T07:16:23.889-07:00Pro-AnaFirst of all, I owe you all another apology...it's been far too long since I've posted but again: MIDTERMS! Ackkk! Today's post is really random but stay with me here!<br />
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Pro-Ana<br />
For those of you who do not know what this seemingly harmless "phrasette" is, let me explain: there is a community of (primarily) girls on and off the internet who are trying to promote anorexia; they give tips and "thinspo" otherwise known as thinspiration encouraging girls to do all sorts of crazy things in order to get to an unhealthy weight.<br />
There are some people whose pro-ana sites are different; they offer support to girls who are trying to cope with and overcome their eating disorder; unfortunately these types of pro-ana sites are in the minority.<br />
Now that you know the background, here's my rant!!!:<br />
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True anorexia is not a trend and it is not a diet; it is a mental and physical illness that never goes away. Every day can be a constant struggle; in my opinion it is similar to alcoholism in that it's something that you have to deal with one day at a time and that is omnipresent, but in a way, I think anorexia is worse because it involves a distorted view of your body and it involves food (or exercise but technically that's different). With alcoholism you can avoid bars and situations in which alcohol is going to be present (that isn't to say that alcohol isn't a major presence in our society but a lot of the temptation can be removed) but this isn't the case with anorexia. Food is something that is always around and is an integral part in not only our culture but also in our survival.<br />
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I'm not anorexic but....I've struggled with my eating for quite a while. Few people know this but when I was about 5 years old, maybe a little older, I came to the realization that I would never be the prettiest, the smartest or the most popular girl but I could damn well be the skinniest!! Being on stimulants most of my life made it pretty darn easy too!<br />
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Back to the pro-ana thing: a lot of these girls go to these websites asking for tips to become anorexic and it drives me nuts! Like I said before, it's a mental and physical disorder, not a flipping diet! They have no clue what they're getting into either! It affects almost every aspect of your life! The lengths that people go to in order to achieve that oh-so-sexy Auschwitz look are absolutely ridiculous! And the horrible part is that many anorexics know it! They often times know that what they're doing is totally illogical and unhealthy but that desperate need to be skinnier is so overwhelming that they're willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goal!<br />
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However, a lot of the girls doing the posting on these sites are giving advice that has the potential to cause immediate (rather than gradual in the case of anorexia) death: recommending dangerous diet pills that can cause cardiac arrest; telling girls to drink outrageous amounts of water that can lead to dangerous electrolyte imbalances...the list goes on and on!<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">((Side note: I'm friends with an amazing group of girls who are all recovering from various eating disorders. I try and give them gradual tips to be healthy*er* and to do certain things to try and deal with some of the serious health issues that can arise with eating disorders. I personally think that one of the BIGGEST mistakes that doctors who deal with people with either anorexia or bulimia make is putting them on medications that can cause extreme hunger and a lack of control when it comes to food...leading to sudden and overwhelming weight gain. Yes it's important to get these girls up to a healthy weight, but by doing so so quickly, it makes it almost impossible for the gals to cope! To go from being skinny for most of your life (as in my case) to blowing up like a flippin' big beluga whale just exasperates the problem!! In my opinion, the doctors should gradually get the girls' weight up starting with baby steps! It may sound silly but it can be as simple as suggesting that a girl drinks Powerade Zero to ensure they're getting electrolytes and not causing a dangerous imbalance; or recommending Instant Breakfast, a drink that has very few calories but a lot of crucial vitamins and minerals.))</span></i><br />
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I try and tell girls about the consequences of anorexia and bulimia: sometimes the best way to reason with them is to explain that they make look skinnier but that they're burning protein instead of fat and they'll lose their muscle definition; or that it will make their teeth yellow. An appeal to vanity can be an important one!<br />
However eating disorders have SERIOUS consequences: heart failure, organ failure, severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies, lung collapse, internal bleeding, gum diseases, ulcers; the list is endless!!!<br />
Unfortunately, it seems that these potentially life threatening consequences fail to discourage so many girls flocking to these ridiculous pro-ana websites. And those suffering from the devastating diseases of anorexia and bulimia...well they may know the effects but they are literally dying to be thin!<br />
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I hope this post was informative and made you think!<br />
For more background info and for an AWESOME read lol, I posted an essay I wrote on eating disorders <a href="http://rantsravesrandomocity.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-essay-on-eating-disorders.html">here</a> so feel free to check that out!<br />
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That's all for now my Kool-Aid drinkers!<br />
Keep reading!<br />
-RRR@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-27567356681538250332011-03-30T07:12:00.000-07:002011-03-30T07:12:48.752-07:00My Essay on: Eating DisordersI wrote this essay my freshman year of college (last fall) on eating disorders and thought I would share it with you all to provide some perspective on my most recent post on pro-ana sites! I'd love to hear your thoughts! (Also, I wrote an essay last spring on the stigma attached to having Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia; the essay is being published in ASU's literary magazine but if y'all are interested in reading it let me know!)<br />
Anywho, here's my essay!<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><u><span style="color: black;">Eating Disorders: Dying to Be Thin<o:p></o:p></span></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">What psychiatric illness affects 10 million people in the United States alone (more than Alzheimer disease and schizophrenia combined) and has the highest premature mortality rate of any psychiatric illness (Sullivan, 1995)? No, it’s not bipolar disorder or even depression; it’s eating disorders, which includes bulimia and anorexia. Millions of adolescents, primarily girls, are affected by an eating disorder. Although many people associate their childhood with happy memories of playing with dolls and worrying about boys, for many adolescent girls their time is consumed by body image concerns and, in some cases, eating disorders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“While the most common age of onset is between 14 and 25 years of age, eating disorders occur in a wide range of ages, and are increasingly seen in children as young as 10” (Cavanaugh & Lemberg, 1999). </span><span style="color: black;">Among girls polled in a far-reaching survey, 50% of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as overweight, and 80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight. (South Carolina Department of Mental Health [SCDMH], 2006). Although dieting isn’t necessarily cause for alarm, in a child as young as 11, it can often be an indicator of the beginning of a long, and often times fatal, battle with an eating disorder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the constantly rising number of people suffering from an eating disorder, it is of the utmost importance to recognize both the symptoms and the warning signs of anorexia and bulimia. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Anorexia has four primary symptoms: a resistance to maintaining a healthy body weight, or a weight above the minimum standards; a fear of gaining weight; a denial of weight loss or changing of body shape; and loss of menstruation. Other warning signs include refusal to eat certain groups of foods, development of food rituals, denial of hunger, avoidance of meal times, and rigid exercise (National Eating Disorders Association [NEDA], 2006). Bulimia, on the other hand, has three main symptoms, which include a loss of control over eating accompanied by regular excessive consumption of food, regular use of inappropriate behavior to compensate for overeating (i.e., self-induced vomiting and use of laxatives, diuretics and ipecac), and an overwhelming concern about weight and self-image. Some of the warning signs of bulimia are calluses on the knuckle area (from self-induced vomiting), swelling of the cheeks or jaw area, discoloration of the teeth, a sudden creation of complex schedules to allow time for purging, and excessive trips to the restroom to purge. (NEDA, 2006). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Help for many girls comes too late, with the mortality rate of anorexia nervosa at 5%-20% (Sullivan). Recovery is a long, tedious and often very expensive process that can continue for the anorexic or bulimic person’s entire life. Not taking into consideration the physiologic aspect of treatment, recovery usually begins with intensive in-patient care in an eating disorders treatment facility. Although treatment in an in-patient care facility usually consists of “reprogramming” the people’s dysmorphic views of their body and the way they treat their bodies, their treatment also often includes cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT), group work, pharmacologic therapy, consults with nutritionists, discussions with self-esteem experts, and sometimes art therapy. Several types of drugs are considered a staple in the treatment of eating disorders. These include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), </span></span><span style="color: black;">paroxetine (<span class="apple-style-span">Paxil) and </span>escitalopram<span class="apple-style-span"> (Lexapro) and antipsychotic agents, such as prochlorperazine (Compazine), quetiapine (Seroquel), risperidone (Risperdal), and olanzapine (Zyprexa) (Mickley, 2007). Most of these medications treat the anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder that are considered to be the primary illness, with the eating disorder being the secondary coping mechanism. Incidentally, most of the antipsychotic medicines also cause extreme weight gain. While in treatment, patients rarely have alone time, or time when they aren’t being watched, since health care professionals usually have to keep constant watch over them to make sure that the patients aren’t purging or reverting to disordered behavior. Despite the fact that in-patient treatment is absolutely necessary and is life saving, many insurance companies refuse to cover the soaring costs. On average, a month of inpatient treatment costs $30,000 (SCDMH), and treatment usually lasting three to six months. Some of the best treatment centers, such as Remuda Ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona, charge up to 1 million dollars. As the cost and numbers of people suffering from eating disorders continue to rise, many people wonder whether the media, and society in general, is to blame.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When a health crisis of the magnitude of eating disorders occurs, people often want to play the blame game and point their finger at one individual thing such as the media. It is true that the face of the media is changing and is a far cry from the media in the 1950s. Marilyn Monroe, one of the most famous icons of the 1950s, was 5’5, weighed 120 pounds and wore a size 12. Kate Moss, an icon in today’s fashion industry, on the other hand, is 5’7, weighs 101 pounds and wears a size 2. The average model in today’s industry has a minimum height of 5’8 and weighs between 108 and 125 pounds, with 125 being the absolute maximum. According to the Center for Disease Control, however, the average American woman is 5’2.7 and weighs 163 pounds (2002). Also, in the world of competitive sports, lower weight is considered a plus and, in some cases, a necessity. For instance, in ballet the prima ballerinas are often the thinnest as well as the best. So who is to blame? Maybe everyone; maybe no one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whether people choose to blame the media, genetics, preexisting mental illnesses or even their mothers, the one thing that everyone should agree on is that something needs to be done…not next year, next month, or even tomorrow, but now!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">References<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span">Cavanaugh, C. and Lemberg, R. What we know about eating disorders: facts and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span">statistics. In Lemberg, Raymond and Cohn, Leigh (Eds) (1999).</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span"><i>Eating Disorders: A <o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><i>reference sourcebook</i>. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span">Center for Disease Control. (2002). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Body Measurement.</i> Retrieved from <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span>http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/bodymeas.htm<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333;">Mickley, D. (2004). Medication for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa</span></span><em><span style="color: #333333;">. Eating Disorders <o:p></o:p></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><em><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today,</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></i></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #333333;">2(4), 1 & 15<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">National Eating Disorder Association [NEDA]. (2006). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anorexia Nervosa </i>& <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bulimia Nervosa</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Retrieved from </span></span>http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/index.php</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">South Carolina Department of Mental Health [SCDMH]. (2006). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eating Disorder Statistics.</i> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Retrieved from http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Sullivan, P.F. (1995). Mortality in Anorexia Nervosa. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The American Journal of Psychiatry</i>, 152,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1073-1074. Retrieved from </span></span>http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/152/7/1073</div>@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-39884058345716144682011-03-22T11:50:00.000-07:002011-03-22T11:50:47.862-07:00Tips on Tuesday: Spring Cleaning Tips<i>First of all WOAH 39 followers? When did that happen?!?! You all are awesome! I truly value your readership! I kinda feel like Jim Jones: Don't drink the Kool-Aid!</i><br />
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Finally the second installment in my "Tips on Tuesday" series, which hence forth will be called ToT (Tips on Tuesday takes up too much space). But I digress! My dear friend Libby requested that I do a ToT on cleaning since it's that time of the year when the weather has warmed up enough that people might actually brave the outdoors to leave their house and come to yours! I'm pretty darn good at organizing and cleaning if I do say so myself and I've also "discovered" some nifty double-duty items that can help you clean! So hold on tight folks because here. We. Go!!!<br />
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<u><b>Organizing:</b></u><br />
If you don't have an organizational system in place, how can you think that you'll be able to keep things clean and tidy all week long? If you're one of those people who starts off with a clean room on Sunday but by the time the following Sunday rolls around, you're surrounded by squalor and chaos, chances are you don't have an organizational system in place! So set one up!<br />
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<ol><li><b>Open bins:</b> I got a bunch of awesome black cloth bins at target and they really help streamline my closet and keep everything in its place! Because they're deep but also open on the top, its perfect for someone who is frequently in a hurry because then you can just toss things in when you're done using them! (If you put things away as you're done using them it saves tons of time in the long run!)</li>
<li><b>Laundry hamper</b>: I know this sounds silly but it's not what you think! If you're like my lovely former roommate Megan, getting dressed in the morning requires trying on 10 different outfits and then rushing out the door because you're late for class, leaving the carnage of discarded clothes in your wake! Or, if you just don't have time every day to put everything back where it goes (I know sometimes I don't) then try using a laundry hamper! I have 2 of those pop up mesh laundry hampers: 1 for dirty clothes, and 1 for all of the "stuff" that seems to breed and multiply every day! So when I'm in a hurry I just dump all of the "stuff" in the hamper and at the end of the week (or if I have time during the week) I sort and empty it! </li>
<li><b>Plastic storage</b>: is great for crafts! I have a cart on wheels and it really keeps things organized! </li>
</ol><blockquote>It doesn't matter what kind of system you use as long as it works for you! Think outside the box! Make it functional</blockquote><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWM7AvsRUSpiyiGZ-85VsLPy5Rf43aVWp2X7xqJBhYMePcjiHyppaVc2h9oxwAHiOvcqLH6amkvT8gplamyErFsU0ROxnFrFkjopQGTleskVMryK_TB8edLKij7t_S7K31EcTNmmPOI3o/s1600/closet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWM7AvsRUSpiyiGZ-85VsLPy5Rf43aVWp2X7xqJBhYMePcjiHyppaVc2h9oxwAHiOvcqLH6amkvT8gplamyErFsU0ROxnFrFkjopQGTleskVMryK_TB8edLKij7t_S7K31EcTNmmPOI3o/s320/closet.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My closet with the bins on the right and a curtain to divide it from my storage area</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cleaning:</div><blockquote>Tip: Divide and conquer! I often times get overwhelmed when I'm facing a disaster area aka my messy kitchen, office etc. So what I do is I break the chaos into little sections and focus on one section at a time! </blockquote><br />
<blockquote> </blockquote><blockquote> <u>Double Duty Items!</u></blockquote><blockquote><ol><li><b>Baking soda</b>: it's your friend! Not only can it be used as an exfoliant, but if you have a stained coffee cup you can use it to get rid of the stain! Just place some on a clothe and gently run the stain until *ta-da* it's gone! Another nifty way to use baking soda is as a drain cleaner or a garbage disposal cleaner: Just pour a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a generous amount of vinegar. Immediately put a stopper in the drain so that the volcano aka the cleaning solutions can work on the drain...not the sink! (If you have a double sink (like you often see in kitchens, make sure you plug both sides! Wait 20 minutes and then pour extremely hot water down the drain! And now you have a clean and better smelling garbage disposal!! </li>
<li><b>Vinegar</b>: in addition to cleaning a garbage disposal and being an awesome for a volcano, vinegar is also great for general cleaning around the house! It is a natural antibacterial but without all those harsh chemicals people so often use! To get great looking hardwood floors, put a small amount in a bucket and then fill with hot water! It cleans the hardwood, disinfects it, and keeps it looking faboulous! Vinegar can also be used if your cat has an accident (ahem Shnookums): just soak up any excess liquid and pour some vinegar on! (If that doesn't work rubbing alcohol is amazing!) Finally, if you have weeds in your yard, you can dilute some vinegar and spray in directly on the weeds and BAM they're gone!! </li>
</ol></blockquote><blockquote> <u><b>Cleaning Products I swear by:</b></u></blockquote><blockquote><ol><li><b>Scotch's Fur Fighter:</b> it really picks up the copious amounts of hair my cats seem to leave behind every where they go! I HIGHLY recommend it!</li>
<li><b>Magic erasers</b>: I've heard they increase your risk for cancer, but let's be honest: it seems like everything can cause cancer nowadays! Plus they actually work!</li>
<li><b>Resolve Deep Clean Carpet Powder</b>! It really makes carpet look brand new and smelling great but not overpowering...the next day any smell is gone so if you're picky "fuhget about it"! oh and there's a coupon right now for it (and all of their stain/carpet cleaning products): <a href="http://offers.e-centives.com/registration/col.cfm?type=portal&id=37AF4AB6-409E-4DAF-BE04-E17CA2A914B8&CFID=3459721&CFTOKEN=59504192">PowerofResolve.com coupon</a></li>
<li> <b>Rubbing alcohol:</b> Great for getting stains out of clothes and for getting kitty vomit out of carpet (I'm pretty sure Sweetie is trying to tell me he has an eating disorder...). Get up as much as you can then pour plenty of rubbing alcohol on the stain. Leave it for about 5 minutes then blot it all up!</li>
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So...did these tips help? <br />
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That's all for now!<br />
-RRR<br />
<blockquote> </blockquote>@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4019537084533589119.post-54371129284470638642011-03-20T10:48:00.000-07:002011-03-20T10:48:47.809-07:00Sunday Confessional Pt 1I mentioned quite awhile ago that I was going to do something called "Sunday Confessional" on Sundays but I slacked off (blame my course load) so this is actually my very first installment! Some of the things I'm going to confess are hard for me to say so I'd appreciate it if y'all tried to be understanding about it all! That being said, these aren't going to be the juiciest of confessions because well, it's the internet and I'd rather not have everyone know all of my deep dark secrets! Anywho....Here. We. Go!<br />
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<ol><li><b>I have OCD.</b> I joke about it now but when I was younger it <b>was so bad that I couldn't sleep, eat, or interact *normally*</b> with people. Luckily for my peers though, it gave them plenty of material to work with for their taunting! Now, I barely notice my OCD!</li>
<li><b>I think I joke around so much about myself because if I make the jokes, other people can't...think of it as a preemptive strike!</b></li>
<li><b>I still sleep with my childhood blanket aka Wooby</b>...but it's for "medicinal purposes." I get really bad migraines and when I get them I become really ridiculously sensitive to smells and my blanket smells neutral...like me so when I get one I crawl into bed in the fetal position and put my blanket over my face to block out all the smells. </li>
<li><b>I broke my pinkie sleepwalking on my 8th grade trip to the mountains in Georgia</b>...to make matters worse, I apparently went to everyone's cabin and asked them to take me to the bathroom. I then proceeded to fall down a flight of stairs (or something) down the side of the mountain which our "cabins" were built into and woke up crying in the bathroom! Fabulous!</li>
<li>*Gulp* <b>Despite my own religious beliefs, I sometimes think that the world would be a better place if there was no religion.</b>..STAY WITH ME HERE: religion and faith is something that people often are the most passionate about (and I'm not saying that's a bad thing) but so often, religion and faith is also the absence of logic...religion explains the unexplainable and that can be a problem; when someone is so fervent about their beliefs (that usually defy logic) that they're willing to base their life around it and even willing to die for it...well that can be problematic. I think religion is, and has been, most definitely a component in a lot of conflicts between people and groups throughout time. It's the whole ingroup-outgroup thing and when people believe THAT strongly in something that isn't necessarily rational...well it can be a mess. <i>(Note: I also think religion can be a wonderful thing that brings people happiness and brings people together peacefully)</i></li>
<li><b>I can't stand the song <i>Born This Way </i>by Lady Gaga!</b> Don't hate me! Everytime it comes on the radio I scream "NOOOOOOOOoooo" and then immediately turn the station! Don't get me wrong, I like the message of the song but yikes it's just ugh! It reminds me of something you'd hear during the end credits of some made-for-TV Disney movie. Also, I feel like Lady Gaga is kinda exploiting her audience. It's no secret that a lot of her audience is made up of gay men and now she has a song called <i>Born This Way</i>...not so subtle</li>
<li>Very few people know this but, <b>my third grade teacher (who hated me with a passion) wrote in a report that she thought I was a sociopath.</b> When I first read the report I was so hurt but now, it almost makes me laugh! I mean, if you know anything about me or are close to me then you know I feel things really deeply and that I empathize almost too much! (I also have issues with extreme guilt) When I was about 5 I hung up pictures of starving African children on my wall and went on a hunger strike because I thought me not eating would mean they'd get food. I used to "save" leaves that I saw blowing around in the wind because I felt bad that they were alone and cold so I'd shove them in my backpack and bring them home with me (it drove my mom crazy because at the end of the week when she'd empty my backpack it would be full of crushed leaves). Don't I sound like a sociopath?!</li>
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</div><div>Sigh, but that's all! I hope you don't all hate me now! I'd love to hear your comments!</div><div>-RRR</div>@IsaJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568711411913427864noreply@blogger.com11