- My ukulele came in! It's wee and green and I love it. I can almost play happy birthday, but I'm having issues getting my fingers to make chord changes easily. And I can strum!
- I'm having one of those things where I should have been asleep a while ago and now I'm worrying about old friends who I'm pretty sure I pissed off the last time I talked to, and have only just now realized it's been ages since I last heard from them.
- I made a list of new posts I want to write to get this blog rolling again, and closer to the heart of how I see it. Those'll start coming soon.
- This weekend, I'm starting work on a Journalling ebook! I'm excited.
- I spent too long on BuzzFeed earlier tonight, and now I want to live in a treehouse and cook everything in a waffle maker and make everything else over so that it tastes like cake batter.
- The girl on HouseHunters just now is really prissy about the weirdest things. And she keeps talking about stockpiling, which is making me uncomfortable, and I can't pinpoint why. Maybe it's just the way she talks about it?
- The book I'm reading just got really sad and I put it aside yesterday...and I don't want to pick it up again yet because I know it's still in that sad place, and I just can't bring myself to skip pages on the books I like.
- School has hit yet another hitch, which is annoying to say the least.
- I could really go for some Good Ramen (the kind at the Asian market, with five flavor and sauce packs, not the Top Ramen 10c-a-pack stuff), but I've used up my calories for today!
- ...I can't remember what #10 was going to be...
Friday, May 31, 2013
Late Night Update Because I Saw A Giant Bug In My Room And Can't Sleep Now
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Tipsy Tuesday
The best-looking recipes right out of my very own Pinterest account!
For this week, I bring you:
For this week, I bring you:
- Home made banana-cream liqueur
- Elderflower cordial
- Rose-scented lemonade, which doesn't actually have alcohol in the recipe, but would be wonderful with a little vodka or white rum, I think.
Enjoy!
Top Ten Tuesday - Things Peasants Randomly Do In Monty Python And The Holy Grail
- Debate anarchist governmental models
- Not die yet
- Farm mud
- Crawl inside baskets for no apparent reason
- Clop coconut shells together
- Get knifed by Lancelot and his idiom
- Hit walls with cats for no apparent reason
- Get repressed
- Disobey the King of the Britons with very little consequence
- Fail to remember their orders
Foodery - Elise Blaha :: enJOY it.: small diet changes.
Elise Blaha :: enJOY it.: small diet changes.:
In which Elise Blaha talks about switching to real foods. And in which I have the realization that yes, this is what I mean. I'm going to launch into a better-food compaign when I'm done with all the school stuff at the end of next month. It's a way of launching my post-school life in a better place than where I am now, and I think having good food around will do a lot about controlling the panic attacks, the weight issues, the lack of motivation, the constant fatigue that I've been dealing with these last few years. Food is slower than medicine, but I've found on more than one occasion that food works better for me than anything else--I just have to stick to what works. Which is more expensive. And requires more attention. And that's why I fall off that wagon.
But I'm also getting good at getting back on. It helps the writing and it helps my life, so I'm getting back on with intention this time.
'via Blog this'
In which Elise Blaha talks about switching to real foods. And in which I have the realization that yes, this is what I mean. I'm going to launch into a better-food compaign when I'm done with all the school stuff at the end of next month. It's a way of launching my post-school life in a better place than where I am now, and I think having good food around will do a lot about controlling the panic attacks, the weight issues, the lack of motivation, the constant fatigue that I've been dealing with these last few years. Food is slower than medicine, but I've found on more than one occasion that food works better for me than anything else--I just have to stick to what works. Which is more expensive. And requires more attention. And that's why I fall off that wagon.
But I'm also getting good at getting back on. It helps the writing and it helps my life, so I'm getting back on with intention this time.
'via Blog this'
Monday, May 27, 2013
Dichotomies are killing us
I'm just going to come out and say it: there are more options for faith than fundementalist or atheist. Gay or straight. Healthy or not. Smart or not. Democrat or Republican. Good or bad. Rich or poor. Normal or damaged.
I try to avoid news, because it's depressing, slanted, sensationalistic and whatever else, but it seems like everything everywhere is telling me that there's only two options for everything. Either you're all the way on one side, or you're all the way on the other, and that's just stupid. It sets up an antagonism that doesn't need to be there, and makes everyone feel like they have to strive to be one side or the other, when the better option is usually closer to the middle.
I hate to tell the One-Option-Only-ists, but there's middle-of-the-road Christianity, and there's Agnosticism, and there's any number of other choices between fundie and atheist. There are people who sometimes fall for the opposite of their usual orientation, and people who have no preference, and people who have specific requirements for attraction that don't depend on gender. There are people who are works in progress, and health, especially, is a constantly-moving target, something always in flux. There are people who are very smart in one way and not at all in another, and there are people who know a lot and test poorly, and people who have other scales entirely that they value. There are political affiliations that aren't the Two Big Parties, and that's what it's supposed to be like. There are people who strive to be better than they are, and those who don't know yet that they can be, and those who consider themselves very ethical inside their particular worlds, regardless of how the rest of society sees them. There are still middle class people out there, and people who don't buy into the class thing at all, and people who are on their way up or down, and people who don't really care one way or the other.
And there is no such thing as Normal. It's a false ideal.
The point is that people trying to fit one side or the other, more often than anyone wants to believe, wind up lopping off or denying or hiding large portions of what matters to them and who they are, which destroys all attempts at personal authenticity and self-knowledge. In fact, it makes even attempting authenticity an issue and a struggle that keeps people from even trying.
Worse, it sets up a world where everyone is always at war and no one is trying to find peace, and that gets amplified into a culture that butts heads with everyone and can't meet in the middle, into a culture where people never learn to get along with others, where children grow up radiacals and reinforce the separation that isn't necessary and is actually damaging everything.
I'm doing my best to stay in the gray areas in between.
How about you?
I try to avoid news, because it's depressing, slanted, sensationalistic and whatever else, but it seems like everything everywhere is telling me that there's only two options for everything. Either you're all the way on one side, or you're all the way on the other, and that's just stupid. It sets up an antagonism that doesn't need to be there, and makes everyone feel like they have to strive to be one side or the other, when the better option is usually closer to the middle.
I hate to tell the One-Option-Only-ists, but there's middle-of-the-road Christianity, and there's Agnosticism, and there's any number of other choices between fundie and atheist. There are people who sometimes fall for the opposite of their usual orientation, and people who have no preference, and people who have specific requirements for attraction that don't depend on gender. There are people who are works in progress, and health, especially, is a constantly-moving target, something always in flux. There are people who are very smart in one way and not at all in another, and there are people who know a lot and test poorly, and people who have other scales entirely that they value. There are political affiliations that aren't the Two Big Parties, and that's what it's supposed to be like. There are people who strive to be better than they are, and those who don't know yet that they can be, and those who consider themselves very ethical inside their particular worlds, regardless of how the rest of society sees them. There are still middle class people out there, and people who don't buy into the class thing at all, and people who are on their way up or down, and people who don't really care one way or the other.
And there is no such thing as Normal. It's a false ideal.
The point is that people trying to fit one side or the other, more often than anyone wants to believe, wind up lopping off or denying or hiding large portions of what matters to them and who they are, which destroys all attempts at personal authenticity and self-knowledge. In fact, it makes even attempting authenticity an issue and a struggle that keeps people from even trying.
Worse, it sets up a world where everyone is always at war and no one is trying to find peace, and that gets amplified into a culture that butts heads with everyone and can't meet in the middle, into a culture where people never learn to get along with others, where children grow up radiacals and reinforce the separation that isn't necessary and is actually damaging everything.
I'm doing my best to stay in the gray areas in between.
How about you?
Gardenation - 10 Great Gardening Websites You Must Read : TreeHugger
10 Great Gardening Websites You Must Read : TreeHugger:
Look at all these great links I have for you today! And all because I was looking for ways to control aphids that I just found on my roses.
'via Blog this'
Look at all these great links I have for you today! And all because I was looking for ways to control aphids that I just found on my roses.
'via Blog this'
Gardenation - Florida's Finest Fruit Trees & Edible Gardening Specialists! - South Florida Fruit Trees and Garden Supplies.
Florida's Finest Fruit Trees & Edible Gardening Specialists! - South Florida Fruit Trees and Garden Supplies.:
These guys sell all sorts of the tropical plants that I want--starfruit, guava, acerola, mango, even lychee!
'via Blog this'
These guys sell all sorts of the tropical plants that I want--starfruit, guava, acerola, mango, even lychee!
'via Blog this'
Gardenation - 10 Online Gardening Communities You Should Join : TreeHugger
10 Online Gardening Communities You Should Join : TreeHugger:
Good links! And a great place to look for other gardeners!
'via Blog this'
Good links! And a great place to look for other gardeners!
'via Blog this'
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Natural Remedies For Allergies
I have allergies that seem to be getting worse as I get older, so I've been looking into ways to actually fix them more than just over-dosing on antihistamines all spring and summer long. Here's what I've found:
ACV
Apple Cider Vinegar, that health-fiend's favorite liquid, breaks up congestion throughout the whole body, and gets stuck-in mucus to release. Since I started taking it, I can breathe better, I can sleep better, and I can smell the whole world--I didn't even realize how little I was smelling until I started smelling again!
Also, it loosens up lymph nodes and gets them flowing again, so that gets your immune system working better, which means it reacts less violently than it could if it was all out of whack anyway. Also also, it's a natural anti-inflammatory, so that any reactions you do get are less of the swelling-sort like clogged sinuses, puffy eyes, swollen lymph nodes and the like.
A lot of the literature I found on the web says that you should use the natural, unfiltered ACV because it still has live cultures in it like yogurt and is probiotic because of it, but I've just been using the $1 bottle of the standard stuff and it's done miracles. If I can scrape up a little extra when it's time to refill, I'll give the fancy stuff a try and see if it works differently.
Local Honey
I've been using this one for years. The idea is that if you ingest the raw, unfiltered honey from the plants that upset your system, your immune response learns how to handle them without overreacting. Since most of your immune system is in your gut, this seems to make sense to me. And it seems to work.
I take a teaspoon to a tablespoon every morning. I get my honey by the half-pint at the farmer's market or the flea market, where I can talk to the people who handle the bees and I can be sure that it's local, unfiltered and cold-processed so that all the good stuff is still in the honey.
And as a bonus, I've become sort of a honey connoisseur. Did you know that different sorts of honey can taste wildly different, and that there are hundreds more varieties than the three or so that you can get at the grocery store? I didn't, until I started using it this way!*
Herbs
There are tons of good herbs to use during allergy season. Nettles are an overall good tonic for everything; the tea tastes green and herbal in a nice way, and has a little eensy-weensy bit of zing from the leftover stinging stuff, but shouldn't bother you more than that. Peppermint tea can help ease breathing, and also rebalances the body in general, so that reactions to allergies are lessened.
I haven't tried Angelica, but it's supposed to be a really good way to train your body that allergens aren't going to kill you, and get your system to calm down. Usually found in tincture form, but if you're a gardening type, you can find the seeds in herb-heavy seed shops and catalogs. And Licorice is supposed to act like a steroid, but without the steroid side-effects (though it can mess with potassium and blood pressure, so don't use a whole lot). Ginko is meant to be a natural anti-inflammatory and and antihistamine, and has lots of other health benefits, too.
This link has a list of herbs to avoid if you have allergies to Ragweed, Latex or Aspirin, since there are herbs that can make those allergies worse instead of better!
Echinacea was the old go-to, but it can build up and get poisonous, so don't take it for a really long time, and for me, it didn't really do anything anyway.
Supplements
From Mother Earth News:
Lifestyle
The best way is to probably avoid the allergens to begin with. Drive with your windows up; keep your windows closed in your house until the worst of allergy season is past; install really good filters, like HEPA or some other high-filtration filters, in your house to catch any that get inside; avoid hanging out in places that produce pollen, like fields and forests and such, until the worst of it passes; use neti pots or other nasal irrigation tools to get the gunk out of your airways.
And always make sure you pay attention to how the remedies affect you. If you feel worse, or if you have other reactions, don't use them. If you're on medications, talk to your doctor before you use anything new, and even if you're not, add one thing at a time so you can see how your body reacts.
If you have any other allergy treatments or cures, let's talk about them in the comments!
Notes:
* My favorite-tasting honey is Gallberry, but the honey I use daily is wildflower because it has the widest range of pollen-sources. I like the darker varieties of honey the best.
ACV
Apple Cider Vinegar, that health-fiend's favorite liquid, breaks up congestion throughout the whole body, and gets stuck-in mucus to release. Since I started taking it, I can breathe better, I can sleep better, and I can smell the whole world--I didn't even realize how little I was smelling until I started smelling again!
Also, it loosens up lymph nodes and gets them flowing again, so that gets your immune system working better, which means it reacts less violently than it could if it was all out of whack anyway. Also also, it's a natural anti-inflammatory, so that any reactions you do get are less of the swelling-sort like clogged sinuses, puffy eyes, swollen lymph nodes and the like.
A lot of the literature I found on the web says that you should use the natural, unfiltered ACV because it still has live cultures in it like yogurt and is probiotic because of it, but I've just been using the $1 bottle of the standard stuff and it's done miracles. If I can scrape up a little extra when it's time to refill, I'll give the fancy stuff a try and see if it works differently.
Local Honey
I've been using this one for years. The idea is that if you ingest the raw, unfiltered honey from the plants that upset your system, your immune response learns how to handle them without overreacting. Since most of your immune system is in your gut, this seems to make sense to me. And it seems to work.
I take a teaspoon to a tablespoon every morning. I get my honey by the half-pint at the farmer's market or the flea market, where I can talk to the people who handle the bees and I can be sure that it's local, unfiltered and cold-processed so that all the good stuff is still in the honey.
And as a bonus, I've become sort of a honey connoisseur. Did you know that different sorts of honey can taste wildly different, and that there are hundreds more varieties than the three or so that you can get at the grocery store? I didn't, until I started using it this way!*
Herbs
There are tons of good herbs to use during allergy season. Nettles are an overall good tonic for everything; the tea tastes green and herbal in a nice way, and has a little eensy-weensy bit of zing from the leftover stinging stuff, but shouldn't bother you more than that. Peppermint tea can help ease breathing, and also rebalances the body in general, so that reactions to allergies are lessened.
I haven't tried Angelica, but it's supposed to be a really good way to train your body that allergens aren't going to kill you, and get your system to calm down. Usually found in tincture form, but if you're a gardening type, you can find the seeds in herb-heavy seed shops and catalogs. And Licorice is supposed to act like a steroid, but without the steroid side-effects (though it can mess with potassium and blood pressure, so don't use a whole lot). Ginko is meant to be a natural anti-inflammatory and and antihistamine, and has lots of other health benefits, too.
This link has a list of herbs to avoid if you have allergies to Ragweed, Latex or Aspirin, since there are herbs that can make those allergies worse instead of better!
Echinacea was the old go-to, but it can build up and get poisonous, so don't take it for a really long time, and for me, it didn't really do anything anyway.
Supplements
From Mother Earth News:
"Quercetin also is a natural antioxidant that helps mop up molecules called free radicals that cause cell damage, which can lead to cancer. Citrus fruits, onions, apples, parsley, tea, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce and wine are naturally high in quercetin, but allergy sufferers will most likely need to use supplements to build up enough of this compound to prevent attacks. The recommended dosage is about 1,000 milligrams a day, taken between meals."The article also says that foods high in Omega-3s help fight allergies, and that foods that naturally clear the sinuses like horseradish, hot mustard and chili, can help.
Lifestyle
The best way is to probably avoid the allergens to begin with. Drive with your windows up; keep your windows closed in your house until the worst of allergy season is past; install really good filters, like HEPA or some other high-filtration filters, in your house to catch any that get inside; avoid hanging out in places that produce pollen, like fields and forests and such, until the worst of it passes; use neti pots or other nasal irrigation tools to get the gunk out of your airways.
And always make sure you pay attention to how the remedies affect you. If you feel worse, or if you have other reactions, don't use them. If you're on medications, talk to your doctor before you use anything new, and even if you're not, add one thing at a time so you can see how your body reacts.
If you have any other allergy treatments or cures, let's talk about them in the comments!
Notes:
* My favorite-tasting honey is Gallberry, but the honey I use daily is wildflower because it has the widest range of pollen-sources. I like the darker varieties of honey the best.
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