Category Archives: Politics

7 Quick Takes: Gluten-Free, Soccer Moms, and Morons Taking Selfies

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Soccer mom. Daniel had his first VIP soccer practice with AYSO tonight. We only made it through about 35 minutes until he melted down and wanted to be “all done” but hey… it’s a start. Since I’m now officially a soccer mom, I’ll be starting a GoFundMe to pay off my current car and buy a minivan. Any recommendations? [/sarcasm]

— 2 —

Gluten-free take #1. My doctor hasn’t gotten back to me with my biopsy results yet from last week but I’m planning to go completely gluten-free in October to see if it helps me at all. A complicating factor is that I’m allergic to eggs and that limits what I can eat even more, which is the reason I haven’t tried going gluten-free before now. (There’s also the “my-bloodwork-did-not-show-celiac-disease-and-I-do-not-do-fad-diets” thing but that would be snarky.) If you are gluten-free and have any recipe suggestions or possible substitutions, leave them to me in the comments.

— 3 —

Gluten-free take #2. I grabbed some “rice pasta and cheese” from Trader Joe’s to see if it was any good… and it was fabulous! It tastes like the cheap $1 mac n’ cheese from Kraft that contains all the yellow dyes banned outside the USA but without the evil dyes or the gluten. Yay!

— 4 —

Fibro flare. I’ve been dealing with a fibro flare since Sunday and this has meant that I’ve been spending mornings sleeping because I’m fighting insomnia at night. It’s impeding my ability to get things done so I’d appreciate prayers that it goes the duck away. Please and thank you!

— 5 —

Because we *TOTALLY* need more cat memes! This is one of the better Kim Davis memes I’ve seen recently:

Schrodinger's cat meets Kim Davis

— 6 —

I shouldn’t laugh but… I read an article today which claims that more people have died from selfies this year than from shark attacks. I am totally unsurprised that there are people stupid enough to take selfies while running with the bulls and doing other dangerous things that require one’s full attention. This one, however, takes the cake. (I’m guessing he’s probably at Loma Linda University Medical Center given where he’s from and the fact that “Venom ER” doctor Sean Bush is there.)

— 7 —

Prerequisite baseball take. Jon had the time of his life at the Dodgers game last week while my experience was kind of “meh”. We were pretty high up so the players on the field were like little action figures and I felt pretty disconnected from everything that was going on. (The other downside: the Dodgers won.) The bus ride to and from the church was an experience in claustrophobia for me and that probably didn’t help.

Anyway, it’s pretty likely that the Dodgers are going to take the division unless the Giants can pull a serious miracle. (The magic number is “4” so the Dodgers have to win 4 or the Giants lose 4 and it’s close to the end of the season.)

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 20, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 20, 2015

Outside my window… dark and down to 87F right now from a high of 102F earlier. I hate southern California heat!

I am thinking… about my plans to go gluten-free for a month once I can get some meal plans together. I’ve been resisting it because all of my bloodwork has come back showing that I do not have celiac disease and that I am not gluten-intolerant; but it’s the one thing I haven’t cut out of my diet so I’m willing to try it. (I’m also not one to jump on the fad diet train so I have very intentionally not pursued it until now.)

I am thankful… that Daniel heads back to school tomorrow. 100F temperatures mean we’re stuck inside and he was acting out because he was booooooooooored!

In the kitchen… ramen and roast beef. A throw-together thing.

I am wearing… charcoal v-neck and navy/white striped pj bottoms.

I am going… to do some Core tomorrow morning. Everything last week has thrown me off of my routine.

I am wondering… how to explain my position regarding Planned Parenthood to my friends on both sides of the issue because OMG TEH DRAMA!!!!!!

I am reading… I finished The Alpine Xanadu by Mary Daheim and have shelved The Complete Father Brown Mysteries by Chesterton in favor of Post Traumatic Church Syndrome by Reba Riley which was loaned to me by a woman in my Bible Study who has emotional scars from her Conservative Baptist upbringing.

I am hoping… the weather cools down significantly soon and that we get all of the forcasted rain — California needs it BADLY!

I am looking forward to… Bible study on Wednesday morning and choir practice on Wednesday night.

I am hearing… the A/C.

A Daniel story for today… he went to church this morning wearing his “Grandpa Jim” hat which is a copy of a hat that he tried to “appropriate” from my dad when we were in San Jose last month.

Daniel with his Grandpa Jim hat

Around the house… quiet. Loving it.

A favorite quote for today… This is a long one:

As I heard Bernie Sanders crying out to the religious leaders at Liberty University, in his hoarse voice, with his wild hair – this Jew – and he proclaimed justice over us, he called us to account, for being complicit with those who are wealthy and those who are powerful, and for abandoning the poor, the least of these, who Jesus said he had come to bring good news to. And in that moment something occurred to me. As I saw Bernie Sanders up there, as I watched him, I realized Bernie Sanders for president is good news for the poor. Bernie Sanders for president is Good News for the poor. Bernie Sanders is gospel for the poor. And Jesus said “I have come to bring gospel” – good news – “to the poor.”

And lightning hit my heart at that moment. And I realized that we are evangelical Christians. We believe the Bible. We believe in Jesus. We absolutely shun those who would attempt to find nuance and twisted and tortured interpretations of scripture that they would use to master all other broader interpretations, to find some kind of big message that they want to flout. We absolutely scorn such things, and yet somehow we commit to the mental gymnastics necessary that allows us to abandon the least of these, to abandon the poor, to abandon the immigrants, to abandon those who are in prison.

I listened to Bernie Sanders as he said he wanted to welcome the immigrants and give them dignity, as he said he wanted to care for the sick children and mothers and fathers who do not have health care, as he said he wanted to decrease the amount of human beings who are corralled like cattle in the prisons, as he said he wanted to do justice for those who have nothing and live homeless. And I remembered the words of Jesus who warned his disciples that there will be judgement, and on that day he will look to his friends, and he will say “Blessed are you for you cared for me, for I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was in prison and you came to visit me, I was homeless and you gave me shelter.” And his disciples said, “When did we do any of those things for you?” And he said, “If you have done it for the least of these, you have done it for me.”

Those words echoed in my heart as I listened to that crazy, hoarse-voiced, wild-haired Jew standing in front of the religous leaders of the Evangelical Movement, calling us to account, as a Jew once did before, telling us that he intends to care for the least of these, to clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless, to care for the sick, to set the prisoners free.
— An evangelical pastor responding to Bernie Sanders’ speech at Liberty University

One of my favorite things… praying Compline at night.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Bible study on Wednesday, helping to count money for the Pride Stride at Daniel’s school on Thursday morning, and maybe helping to fold bulletins on Friday.

A peek into my day… André Rieu conducting the Johann Strauss Orchestra playing “I Will Follow Him”. I love watching him play and conduct because his face is so expressive and you can tell that he loves what he is doing.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Basques, John Boehner, and Daniel’s Dentist Appointment

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Basque DNA. Facebook had a fabulous link to a study on Basque DNA on their sidebar today. I found it to be interesting reading and it also explains the uniqueness of the Basque language.

— 2 —

What Obamacare looks like. One of my email lists reported that Rep. John Boehner’s lawsuit against the Obama administration regarding the Affordable Care Act has been allowed to proceed. Instead of harping on the 35+ times the Republicans in Congress have tried to repeal it and failed (each time costing taxpayers around $35 million), I’ll just post a picture of what the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) actually looks like:

The first time I was able to hold Daniel.

For those new to this blog, that picture is of me the first time I got to hold Daniel almost 6 1/2 years ago when Daniel was 3 1/2 weeks old. Before that, he was on a ventilator so I couldn’t hold him. Because of his premature birth and the health problems that resulted, no insurance company would have covered him that wasn’t an employment benefit of Jon or me. In addition to our two insurance companies, he thankfully qualified for SSI and Medicaid because of his size and his prematurity. That knocked out $300K of hospital bills that would have economically devastated us. With the passage of the ACA also came rules that insurance companies could not put a lifetime maxiumum on Daniel’s care (a good thing because he has literally been my “million dollar baby”) and no insurance company could refuse to cover him. The ACA has also meant that I can’t be denied coverage based on my medical history (and Daniel’s birth alone would have been reason for that as I almost died and ended up with complications that I’ll have for the rest of my life) and that any further pregnancy of mine (if I ever get pregnant again because I am super high-risk) will be covered.

— 3 —

Denali and renaming airports. When President Obama officially changed Mt. McKinley’s name back to Denali, the local Athabascan name for the mountain, the Congressional delegation from Ohio (at least the Republican ones) had a screaming hissy fit because President McKinley was from Ohio. (It *IS* kind of stupid that a mountain in Alaska was named for him instead of some geographical feature in the Buckeye State). In response to this, a couple left-leaning PACs decided to circulate a tongue-in-cheek petition to Boehner to have Reagan National Airport’s name changed back to Washington National Airport because it *IS* in the Washington DC area and Reagan did some nefarious things to the air travel industry. If you want to sign it, it’s here.

— 4 —

The prerequisite “vaccinate your freaking kids!!!” take. Can I just say that I’m happy to live in a state which requires parents to vaccinate their kids unless there is a compelling medical reason other than “I read the scribblings of some pseudoscientific moron on the Internet who allegedly has an MD and is illiterate but claims that vaccines cause ____________ based on research that has been disproven and also based studies from which I have carefully cherry-picked data despite the fact that I have no science background and a high school chemistry student can refute everything I say” or “I had _____ or my sibling had _____ and it wasn’t that bad”? Anyway, an ER doctor friend of mine posted this picture on Twitter and I thought I’d share:

Iron lungs, yo!

Just for those who are playing along at home, I *DO* know people who have had polio and I cannot fathom why anyone in their right mind would choose not to receive this vaccine when it causes lifelong damage and then comes back later on in life to kill people painfully.

[/steps down off of soapbox]

— 5 —

You know it’s hot when… We’ve had several days of temperatures over 100F in my neck of the woods and our local power company has been having so many problems that it has been having rolling brownouts which means that our A/C has been cut at some point every day. This has meant that it has gotten so hot in cupboards in the house that I found my new jar of Noxzema had melted when I opened it tonight! (Coconut oil is a main ingredient and it melts around 95F.)

— 6 —

Weeping. You know you miss living in a place with four distinct seasons when the Lands’ End and L.L. Bean catalogs arrive and you burst into tears with envy for a climate that isn’t bloody hot 6 months of the year.

— 7 —

Daniel’s dentist appointment. The sedated appointment went well this morning. There were no problems with the sedative (Versed) and they were able to do everything they needed to do between that and the nitrous oxide they gave him. He does not have any cavities (this is fabulous considering that it takes almost 5-point restraints to brush his teeth) and the front two teeth are loose. (I forsee some super-cute pictures coming!) His dentist and hygenist are in love with him and spent time at the end of the visit cooing over how cute he is and how beautiful his eyes are as he was coming out of sedation. He was loopy enough that I had to carry him to the car and then to his bedroom when we got home but he had no other issues. Yay for this being done!

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 6, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 6, 2015

Outside my window… dark and probably 75F. We’re getting to 100F or higher toward the end of this week. My mother-in-law refers to it as “county fair weather”. I refer to it as “Purgatory”.

I am thinking… about the blood draws I had on Friday and the tests coming up on the 15th and 16th.

I am thankful… that I’m not Kim Davis. She is sitting in jail AND the misguided souls at Westboro Baptist Church are coming to protest HER for causing gay marriage. (I couldn’t make this up if I tried!)

In the kitchen… sitting here eating a Cup of Noodles and drinking a Coke.

I am wearing… aqua shirt and capri sweats.

I am going… to IKEA tomorrow, I think, to keep Daniel entertained as it’s a day off of school. (I’m seriously hating three-day weekends right now.)

I am wondering… about if I have to do both of the colon prep things I got from the G-I specialist. They gave me a kit in the office and then I discovered a prescription for GoLYTELY when I was picking up another prescription at Target today. Given that I was puking the GoLYTELY up pretty violently before my last colonoscopy (14 years ago), I’m hoping that I don’t have to do that one!

I am reading… The Alpine Winter by Mary Daheim. I finished Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews and read/finished The Alpine Vengeance by Mary Daheim.

I am hoping… for a good sedated appointment for Daniel on Thursday and that we don’t have to postpone again.

I am looking forward to… Bible study with my church ladies on Wednesday. I’ve missed them for the last two months!

I am hearing… the sound of the grandfather clock in the living room.

A Daniel story for today… Mr. Boy went to my room where I was unplugging the power cable for my laptop and climbed on the bed. I told him to go get his blankie and turn off his light if he wanted to come have cuddles… and he did! He fell asleep not long after.

Around the house… cats and humans going to bed.

A favorite quote for today… “It’s no use crying over spilt milk — it only makes it salty for the cat.” — Random Quote Generator

One of my favorite things… iced vanilla lattés made with whole milk.

A few plans for the rest of the week: PT on Tuesday, Bible study and my FIL’s birthday on Wednesday, Daniel’s sedated dental appointment on Thursday, and two gatherings on Saturday.

A peek into my day… I missed church this morning so I’ll probably be watching this later…

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: André Rieu, Doctor’s Appointments, and the Kim Davis Debacle

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

My newest addiction. I have become addicted to the music and performance videos of violinist André Rieu. He was the one who recorded Sir Anthony Hopkins’ waltz with his orchestra, the Johann Strauss Orchestra. He has such a joy and passion when he plays and conducts as well as the ability to have fun (conducting “I Will Follow Him” from Sister Act, for example). His YouTube channel is here. I also recommend anything involving him and South African musicians or the Harlem Gospel Choir as they get him dancing and jumping.

— 2 —

Because I apparently hate myself. I’m doing another plank challenge like I did in January. I hate doing planks but it is so incredibly good for my core. I’m also back to beating myself to a pulp on my core ball 2-3x a week to atone for my iced vanilla latté habit and my Coca-Cola addiction.

— 3 —

The week of epic medical appointments: Jen-style. PT went fine on Tuesday and my G-I appointment was yesterday. He recommended a probiotic called Align which has been shown to help IBS patients and ordered some bloodwork to test for various things like celiac disease (gotta love being Irish!). The BIG thing is that he ordered an endoscopy/colonoscopy for me and I consented to both. (I have PTSD from the prep for my last colonoscopy 14 years ago and refused one two years ago which, in hindsight, was stupid and could have illuminated some of the digestive issues I have.) The reason for both (and the abdominal ultrasound that I was supposed to have last month and got rescheduled to the 16th): I have IBS and a history of ulcers.

— 4 —

The week of epic medical appointments: Daniel-style. Daniel was supposed to have a sedated dentist appointment today but we had to reschedule it to next week due to some respiratory issues (coughing and needing breathing treatments). Instead, he and I went to a radiology place in Rancho Cucamonga to get some x-rays done on his legs for his orthopedist appointment tomorrow. (He wasn’t happy at having to wait but he was relatively cooperative when he was on the table.) I’m thankful that his teacher was chill with this and is fine with me picking him up tomorrow so that we can get to his appointment in Rancho on time.

— 5 —

Totally a good product for California. I’m wondering if people will start buying this in droves due to the drought.

— 6 —

The Kim Davis debacle. For those living under a rock, the Rowan County clerk in Kentucky has been ordered to jail. Kim Davis, the clerk, has refused to issue any marriage licenses to same-sex couples (and I think to any couples in general) and three courts have told her that she is required to do it based on what she was elected to do. Davis has refused based on her religious principles which are that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Here’s the problem: it’s an elected position so they can’t fire her. However, she is refusing to do the job that she was elected to do and the judges ruled on that basis. I understand her religious principles but I disagree with how she is going about this. If performing these duties is such an abhorrent thing to her, she needs to say, “I cannot uphold the civil law in these matters and for this reason, I am resigning my job.” That would be a statement that I think both sides would recognize and respect. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has even told her to do her job or resign which I think is interesting, given that Graham is against same-sex marriage.

— 7 —

Coming soon. I want to write something on my habit of prayer-walking in the morning but haven’t had the time to do it. (Silly kiddo wanting Mommy to pay attention to him!) I’m hoping to have it up in the next couple days.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Ramblings from Tiredness

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

504 plans and IEP’s. Around this time of year, the question of 504 plans vs. IEP’s comes up in the groups with whom I hang on Facebook. This is the definition of a 504 plan and this is how it compares with an IEP. (The difference is accommodations vs. specialized instruction.)

For those keeping track, Daniel has an IEP.

— 2 —

For moms of non-verbal kiddos… Daniel’s 1:1 buddy from VBS at my church sent me this. It also works for elderly adults who may wander.

— 3 —

Prerequisite baseball take. Currently, the Dodgers are losing to Cincinnati and the Giants are beating the Nats. Life is as it should be. 🙂 (Why yes, I am conveniently ignoring the fact that the Giants are 3.5 games behind the Dodgers in the standings and am instead baiting my husband with tonight’s scores.)

— 4 —

Cosmo and controversy. Last week while heading somewhere with Daniel (I think to get x-rays), I heard something about Rite Aid and a couple other national supermarket chains putting Cosmopolitan magazine behind a screen in checkout stands because the titles are too lewd for kids to read; and apparently, kids are asking their parents some pretty uncomfortable questions based on them. (We’re talking questions about sex acts and anatomy that their parents aren’t comfortable explaining to a 4 year old.)

So… should Cosmo be put behind a screen: yea or nay?

— 5 —

Don’t piss off women! Donald Trump insulted Megyn Kelly last week by blaming her hard questioning of him on her being on her period so there’s now a hashtag on Twitter with which women are trolling him with their period announcements.

I’m also heartened by Donald Trump being uninvited from the RedState Gathering for being such a jerk to Megyn Kelly. Even better: Megyn Kelly was invited in his place. It shows that Republicans are taking women seriously this time.

— 6 —

Eschet chayil! Dr. Frances Kelsey, who protected Americans from thalidomide, died last week at the age of 101. Because of her, the US was spared the scores of kids born with deformed arms and legs, deformed eyes and hearts, deformed alimentary and urinary tracts, blindness and deafness born in other countries where the use of the drug hadn’t been restricted. (It was used as an anti-nausea med and crossed the placental barrier.)

Irony of ironies, it is actually one of the chemotherapeutic agents used for my father-in-law’s type of cancer but they are meticulous about making sure that anyone prescribed it has no chance of getting pregnant or getting anyone else pregnant. It is also used to treat leprosy.

— 7 —

For Potterheads. This is funny but mildly NSFW.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Why I Am Not Watching the GOP Debate and Other Parts of My Week

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Reason #1 why I am not watching the GOP debate. I can only deal with so many bloviating people before I want to drink myself into a stupor.

— 2 —

Reason #2 why I am not watching the GOP debate. The election is not until November of next year. I honestly don’t give a crap at this juncture about who in the GOP thinks they should run. When we’re 6 months from Election Day, I’ll possibly start paying attention.

— 3 —

Reason #3 why I am not watching the GOP debate. Donald Trump. Enough said.

— 4 —

Reason #4 why I am not watching the GOP debate. I don’t have a TV. 🙂

— 5 —

Jen and her food issues. I find that I really resonate with this piece from Buzzfeed on picky eating. Between food allergies and having to avoid certain foods (and cuisines) 6yto keep from exacerbating my G-I issues, I get quite a lot of flak for being a picky eater. Thing is… I’m not rude about it and for me it comes down to the fact that I don’t want to eat something that is going to cause me pain or aggravation.

There are also just some foods that I just don’t like and I’ll take small portions of those to be polite; but I’m not going to eat large amounts of something on my plate and praise it unless I actually *LIKE* it. To do otherwise would be a lie and will cause me problems down the road when people assume I love it and make it for me in large quantities.

— 6 —

The prerequisite take on vaccines. Some of the most vociferous objectors to vaccines that I’ve found have been Catholics claiming that it isn’t allowable because of their derivation from cell lines taken from aborted fetuses.

Actually, it *IS* allowable regardless because of the effect on public health.

— 7 —

Daniel’s dental appointment. Daniel had a consultation at a pediatric dentist in Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday. He was relatively good for it but definitely refused to let them do the full exam with x-rays, cleaning, etc. The dentist is totally used to this and can sedate him for the exam so we’re seeing his doctor tomorrow to get medical clearance for the sedation. Once we have that in hand, we can schedule the appointment. Denti-Cal has to pre-authorize all this so I’m thinking we’ll have at least a month before they can get it scheduled. If you could pray that this all comes together sooner than later, I’d appreciate it. Please and thank you!

Daniel also lost his second tooth last night while we were brushing his teeth. Given that they thought they might have to extract it, this is good news.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.