read it The entire Twilight Saga (1-4) - get sucked in to the teen vampire novel series. Read it after seeing the Twilight movie, so you can put a face to the characters and get even more obsessified.
watch it The Hangover - friggen hilarious. The entire movie was hysterical. Who is in it?
I hate to admit it, but when it comes to politics I really don't know much. I can't debate b/c I don't know enough facts to back up my beliefs, however, they are still beliefs.
I rely on my husband, A LOT, for input into the political world. He and I share some similar and not so similar beliefs. I listen as much as I can and question what is what and why. I have learned a lot from him b/c he is able to comprehend and retain info like no other person I've ever met. He is my human-Wikipedia.
I'm not writing to get comments of hate and like. I am just writing b/c I want to say what's on my mind. To myself and whoever else wants to know it.
I have been one of those who didn't really realize the power of the government. I owe that to poor teaching through schooling. So poor that I didn't even know that Alaska was a state until my freshman year in college. It was a moment of pure embarrassment when a friend of mine sang the song about the states and came across ALASKA, to which I cried out in hysterics "ALASKA, Isn't a state, duh!!! LOL". I will never forget that moment. I wanted to know, was it just me who was shocked at the discovery of Alaska being a state, so I asked people from my HS if they knew that, and some did and some really didn't. Our geographical knowledge was almost non-existant. My husband is perplexed by my inability to know what states are north and south of where we live. I know the obvious like Maine (north) and Florida (south)...but those others in between, I couldn't tell you what they border. I have to laugh. I'm still learning.
Hubsy and I had a conversation in a car-ride yesterday about how he feels the school systems need to do a better job at making our young learn why things are so important and how they directly affect us (without a biased view-point). Maybe some schools do that already, but not where I come from. What we learn in grammar school counts to a small degree. Yes, I learned about the states, but after the week or two spent learning them, I never reviewed them again. Once isn't enough.
I have FINALLY felt the impact, directly, on myself from the government. Hubsy and I were married for less than 3 months last year and we felt the pain of it in tax season. "Congrats, you guys 'EARN' a living that is in a higher tax bracket, so now, b/c you EARNED it, we will take more from you! muuuhahahahahaha." Mother f-ers. We are not 'RICH', but apparently we aren't 'Middle Class' either.
I heard it mentioned that middle class should be considered those who live life paycheck to paycheck. Yes sir. I fit in that category. We do not drive fancy cars or wear designer labels. We pay our bills and don't really have a savings. We aren't living 'beyond' our means, but with the taxes hitting us -- what's the point of EARNING the salaries we have? I'm happy to say, I am no longer working F/T (not due to taxes). It is nice knowing we won't be hit as hard next year so long as I don't make the same salary I made last year. ;) -- so much for wanting to earn more and grow and prosper.
This is when it all hit me. Taxes, government (nationally and state-wide) was pissing me off. I started to do some research online to figure out WHY WHY WHY! I didn't really know what I was looking for though. I wasn't familiar with the terminology or how to stay away from biased-ness (that a word?).
I am a registered Republican, though I do not 100% conform to the republican viewpoints. I have some common interests with the Democratic party, but less so than the republican, so that is why I am registered Republican. At the time I registered, I didn't know or consider my other options besides the 'big 2'. I have been researching my other options, but at the moment, I have not been able to find a party in which I WANT to belong to.
This leads me to a WONDERFUL letter that I'm sure has circulated the net incredibly. It represents me the most (but still not to a T).
Here is an excerpt:
"Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now."
Read the rest here. I enjoyed reading something that wasn't written by a politician or political advisor, but from a regular person like you or me. I am researching topics listed in the letter, b/c I don't really know what everything is about. What I do know is that the more I learn, the more anxiety builds.
Which now leads to the interview between Glenn Beck & the author of the letter.
"... I don't want this. I don't want this fight ... I don't have the time or the energy or the financial resources for it, but that no longer matters. It no longer matters that I'm able or that I want this fight. I have to take it on. It's not a matter of choice anymore ..."
Here's a shot of my right arm. Supposed to wait 12 minutes for the allergens to react, but this was after 3 minutes. By the time 12 minutes was up, the upper left 'hives' were all meshing into each other into one big hive. LOL
Dust mites and those kind of allergens are there. I'm not sure what else they put on my arm, there were tree nuts somewhere and grasses/weeds etc. I have another 16 hives on the side of my arm, and 24 more (foods) on the other arm.
I go back in 2 weeks for more food testing.
I am allergic to grasses, weeds all trees, dust mites, dogs and cats. Last time I went, I wasn't allergic to dogs, but now I am. Interesting. I was told that if you are allergic to cats, you are allergic to ALL cats, however dogs, you can be allergic to specific breeds not all. I am NOT allergic to Cockroaches. YAY! These allergies make me sneeze like crazy, itchy eyes, hives, and have major asthma issues.
For food allergies, I have OAS - Oral Allergy Syndrome which typically affects my lips, mouth and throat. I get an allergic response that occurs when the over active immune system cannot distinguish between pollen proteins and certain similar appearing (on a molecular level) food proteins. When my immune system recognizes a 'cross reactive' protein, symptoms develop. I can tolerate cooked or processed forms of 'some' of the foods. Because, the relevant proteins are delicate and destroyed during cooking and processing. Like, I'm allergic to raw apples, but I don't have a reaction when eating apple sauce or apple pie. However, I'm allergic to bananas, even when cooked in or blended.
My symptoms include itching of the lips, mouth, tongue, throat and palate. I also get gum irritation... sometimes I have some asthmatic symptoms as well. I haven't had a severe anaphylactic reaction but there is a chance, especially with my allergy to Walnuts and Hazelnuts. The chances are low, but still there.
In most cases OAS does not require medical treatment. It is best to strictly avoid offending foods which have caused symptoms in the past and exercise caution when eating related foods (even if previously tolerated). An antihistamine is appropriate to relieve minor symptoms from accidental ingestions but more sever reactions may warrant emergency epinephrine with immediate medical follow-up. Desensitization (allergy shots) may be helpful to improve OAS and also decrease pollen-triggered respiratory symptoms. Anaphylaxis has occured in about two percent of people with OAS. The foods involved include lentils, tomatoes, apricots, peaches, pears, cherries, apples, walnuts and hazelnuts.
I found this REALLY interesting.
Here is a list of Pollen/Food Cross Reactivity. I have all pollen/tree allergies and have marked what I have noticed a reaction to in red: Birch Allergy : apples, pears, almonds, peaches, apricots, cherries, plums, nectarines, prunes, kiwi, carrots, celery, fennel, parsley, coriander, parsnips, peppers and potatoes. Hazel nuts & walnuts are also associated. Alder Pollen Allergy : celery, pears, apples, almonds, cherries, hazel nuts, peaches and parsley.
Ragweed Pollen Allergy : watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, zucchini, banana, cucumber. Even dandelions or chamomile tea can cause reaction because they belong to the same plant family.
Grass Pollen Allergy : melons, tomatoes and oranges
I'm around, just busy as heck, trying to finish up a project for my Family Reunion and had a wedding to go to, birthday party, dance recital, and all that good stuff. Work is random and allergies are fuming...
