Category Archives: Sports

7 Quick Takes: Prison Inmates Who Crochet, The Fear Babe, and THE GIANTS ARE 4.5 GAMES AHEAD OF THE DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Hooks behind bars. There is a knitting/crocheting group at Folsom Prison and they make toys for needy kids, hats for cancer patients, and find it to be therapeutic. The story is here.

— 2 —

Debunking the Food Babe and other fools on vaccine science. I’m in the first chapter of The Fear Babe: Shattering Vani Hari’s Glass House and I’m seriously loving it. The first chapter deals with her stupidity surrounding the flu shot and you can actually read this chapter for free here. Pages 2-4 describe how vaccines actually work and they even go more in-depth into the issues surrounding thimersol and how it actually breaks down and is excreted from the body. (Spoiler alert: it does not decompose into methylmercury and it does not pass through the blood-brain barrier.) I wish this book had been around when I was doing chemistry in high school and college — I’m pretty sure it would have been on the reading list for at least one or two of my classes and it might have helped me stay pre-med longer.

By the way, this article and this article are useful in debunking anti-vaxxers.

— 3 —

All-Star game ballot time! It’s time to vote for the players who will get to take part in the MLB All-Star Game. You can go here to cast your vote — 1 vote for each position in the American League and 1 vote for each position in the National League. If you have no clue as to who to vote for, a good rule of thumb is to pick any player with “SEA” by their name for the American League and “SF” by their name in the National League. 😉

— 4 —

Rivalries. Just in case anyone hadn’t heard… THE GIANTS ARE CURRENTLY 4.5 GAMES AHEAD OF THE DODGERS AND ARE AT THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS IN THE NL WEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just thought I should point that out. 😀 My Mariners are at the top of the AL West so I’m pretty happy about that as well.

— 5 —

Gluten intolerance comedy and a caveat. My cousin’s wife shared this a few days ago and it reminds me so much of some of the people I’ve encountered who have claimed to be “gluten-intolerant” because it’s the new and hot diet trend…

My caveat to you: if you don’t actually *HAVE* gluten sensitivities and you act like a complete jerk when you go to a restaurant and send your food back because you were too stupid to actually read up on the menu ahead of time, everyone with an actual gluten sensitivity will want to beat the bloody tar out of you (and should be allowed to do so) because you are screwing it up for them. If you have celiac disease or a legit gluten sensitivity, the smallest trace amount of gluten will make you violently ill and you know to actually do your research on the menu and *TELL* the waitstaff ahead of time because they will have to take extra precautions with your food to prevent cross-contamination. Sending your food back because you “forgot” to tell your waitstaff or you “didn’t know it had gluten in it” means that they have to toss everything on the plate they’ve prepared for you and then take all those extra precautions to with your food because they can’t risk the lawsuit. I’ve had friends who have been treated really icily at restaurants when they’ve politely told the waiter their food allergies and sensitivities because so many people have claimed to have an allergy or sensitivity issue when they haven’t actually had one. Better yet, forgo the pizzerias and bakeries and any place that uses lots of ingredients that contain gluten. (I have a weird egg allergy so I tend to skip breakfast joints and having anything but juice or coffee for breakfast while eating out.)

So please… don’t pull the stunts depicted in the video. I and everyone else in my situation will thank you.

— 6 —

Prayer request. Daniel has been having lots of behaviors and sleep disturbances in the last few weeks. Please pray that we can get to the bottom of this as well as for my ability to function. I’ve had a couple mornings when I shouldn’t be allowed to *WALK* unsupervised, let alone drive, because I’ve gotten so little sleep and I’m bumping into walls.

— 7 —

Another prayer request. Please pray for the move to Washington. Everything is falling into place nicely but moving still unnerves me greatly.

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

{five favourites}: Miscellanea (LXV)

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#5Faves

One

This piece on the origins of common sayings. If you’re into linguistics, this is pretty fascinating.

Two

This acrobatic gymnastics routine from Australia. One of the things that I have gotten addicted to in the midst of fibromyalgia-induced insomnia is watching acrobatic gymnastics on YouTube. This isn’t the most amazing routine but I love that the women are having a blast and it reminds me of a vaudeville act.

Three

This episode of “The World’s Strictest Parents”. “The World’s Strictest Parents” is another late night YouTube addiction. This one involves two Aussie teens being sent to live with a strict family in Ireland. I think I love it because the family is very chill and the Irish accent is calming for me.

Four

This piece on the autism spectrum. The autism spectrum isn’t linear — it’s spherical because not every person processes things the same way or has the same deficits.

Five

Naps with kitties. I had a purry tiger (Jethro) hanging out with me this morning and he stayed on my bed even after I got up to take his brother (Homer) to the vet. (He had an abscess.) Because he is not allowed outside EVER AGAIN for a week, Homer decided to be a lap kitty this afternoon. I think he was sick of bumping into furniture because of his cone of shame. 🙂

Go love up Bonnie and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: Superbowl 2016 Edition

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY February 7, 2016

Outside my window… dark. It was in the 80’s today which is crazy for February in northern California. The Super Bowl was being played in my area so I have a feeling there were A LOT of prayers being lifted for good weather. The Blue Angels even decided to come party in my neighborhood… TWICE! #flyover #NorthernCaliforniaFTW

I am thinking… about how my week is looking and what I need to add to my planner.

I am thankful… for a relatively chill weekend.

In the kitchen… steak, baked potatoes, and caesar salad for dinner with spumoni and Lofthouse cookies for dessert. I think my parents have caught wind of my Lenten plans this year and are trying to make sure that the lead up to 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday is fabulous.

I am wearing… navy shirt and black capri sweats.

I am going… for a walk tomorrow morning if I’m not in too much pain. *shakes fist at fibromyalgia*

I am wondering… about how to best blog on this. I wrote about it in 2012 when the lawsuit was cleared to go to trial. I feel horrible for the woman’s daughter — how awful must it be to know (if nobody has told her yet) that her mother views her as an inconvenience and sued because she didn’t get to abort her? It’s not like the daughter isn’t going to discover all of this later on if she ever googles herself.

I am reading… Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber. I had to put A Lesson in Hope by Phillip Gulley down because it was due at the library and I also wasn’t in a good place mentally to read it. Lenten reading is shaping up to be Calmness by H.H. Pope Shenouda III and Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus by James Martin, S.J. which just came out in February.

I am hoping… for some direction as to how my life should go.

I am looking forward to… Lent Madness! It is, like, SOOOOOOOOO much cooler than the Super Bowl.

I am hearing… the TV on in my mom’s office.

A Daniel story for today… when the little monster wakes up in the middle of the night (usually when I’m trying to fall asleep), he turns to me and says “hi” before demanding milk/cheese/my credit card.

Around the house… the hall got painted on Friday and I think my parents are painting the hall ceiling on Tuesday.

A favorite quote for today… “But it was true. I was constantly surprised how the storied names of biblical locales popped up in the most familiar of circumstances: on a simple map, on a graffitied street sign, or in everyday conversations. ‘The traffic to Bethlehem was terrible last night!’ said a Jesuit over dinner one night. Which still didn’t beat ‘Gehenna is lovely.'” — James Martin, S.J. in Jesus: A Pilgrimage (which I *HIGHLY* recommend if you need Lenten reading this year)

One of my favorite things… people-watching during worship. Anyone who has ever sat with me in church should not be remotely surprised.

A few plans for the rest of the week: crocheting while watching Super Bowl commercials, making phone calls on Daniel’s behalf, ashes on Wednesday, Bible study/choir on Thursday, and whatever else comes up.

A peek into my day… This is just funny. #HoneyBadgersFTW

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Thoughts While Trying to Get My Kiddo to Sleep…

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Dealing with SSA is an occasion of sin for me. Every so often, the Social Security Administration makes people receiving SSI prove that they qualify medically (what… you thought “SSA” was “same-sex attraction?) so I spent the better part of two evenings filling out a ton of paperwork and copying about 50-100 pages of documentation to send in to their office in Pomona. The 50-100 pages of documentation are the assessments and IEP from March because it’s a triennial IEP. (Every three years, they do a whole new battery of tests to see if an IEP is really necessary. In Daniel’s case, that would be a resounding “YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”) I couldn’t fit the documentation in the envelope they sent so off to the post office for a Priority Mail envelope I went! The good thing about using them: I can track it to make sure the SSA office received it as I’m completely convinced from past experience that their mailbox is connected to a paper shredder with all the paperwork they lose! (Currently, it is sitting at the sorting center in City of Industry.)

— 2 —

I resonate with this. A friend sent me this article on how doctors take women’s pain less seriously. I’ve had several ovarian cysts and on a scale of 1-10, the pain is an 11. It is seriously the worst pain I have ever had and required Demerol to even remotely touch it. (Waking up after abdominal surgery is a 7.) Anyway, I agree — doctors do not take our pain seriously and I say this having a fairly high pain tolerance. This might also be why many doctors think fibro pain is imaginary.

— 3 —

Prayer request. My dear friend Mandi is in the home stretch of her pregnancy and I would like to ask if you’d please pray her through. Thanks!

— 4 —

Srsly?!?!?!?!? I’ve had a couple of friends whose younger sisters have gone through this. I get the need for modesty but subjecting young women to a hem test like this one is just wrong. Equally if not more wrong were some of the adult comments.

— 5 —

What are the odds??? All three radio stations I listen to on a regular basis (Air1, NPR, and a classical station) are having their pledge drives right now. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I could afford to give to all three, I would totally do it just to make the madness stop!!!

— 6 —

Prerequisite baseball take. So… THE METS KNOCKED THE DODGERS OUT OF THE PENNANT RACE LAST WEEK!!!!! The Mets also just took the National League pennant. (I feel that any news about Dodger losses trumps any other baseball news unless it’s the Giants winning.) I haven’t even looked to see who the Mets will play!

— 7 —

I’ve been saying this for a while… Yet another person talking about the movement of my peer group to more ancient forms of worship. Not all of us want rock n’ roll!

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

7 Quick Takes: Mining My Links Collection and a Post-Season Baseball Take

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Very interesting. My priest’s husband shared this article on Facebook and I thought it was worth sharing. If Oklahoma City can lose a million pounds, what is stopping other cities with at-risk health populations from doing the same?

— 2 —

#MedicatedAndMighty Because there is no shame in me taking antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds to keep myself healthy and I am not alone.

Me and my meds.

— 3 —

Impressed. I don’t know who shared the Fat Girl Running blog with me; but dang it, y’all need to go read it and give Mirna some love. She is freaking amazing!

— 4 —

Holy frivolous lawsuits, Batman! Did you hear about the woman who sued her 12 year old nephew for $127,000 because he was overly effusive in greeting her when he was 8 and accidentally knocked her down and broke her wrist? I mean, he injured her so badly that this “severely disrupted her life in Manhattan” and she was at a party the week before where couldn’t hold her hors d’ouevres plate. Yeah… I’m thinking she’s childless because HE WAS 8 YEARS OLD!!!!!

— 5 —

Prerequisite baseball take. The Mets play the Dodgers tonight in LA to determine who gets to go on and face the Cubs. Go Mets! #BeatLA (Bummed that the Cards were knocked out by the Cubs but I’ll live.)

— 6 —

Calvinism humor. Jessica posted this link to a page about the warning signs of adult onset Calvinism. This is totally tongue-in-cheek and scarily reminds me of some people I knew in college!

— 7 —

IKEA contest. I saw this IKEA contest in my email and wanted to share. I’m probably going to enter a recipe my dad made for my mom when they were dating. (They’ve been married for 43 years.)

— Bonus —

Link-toberfest: Week 3. Kelly’s bonus question this week is: “Who is your favorite blogger that you discovered through Quick Takes?” She shared me as hers and she is definitely mine — as she said, we’ve bonded over the struggles of special needs parenting, I love her off-the-wall sense of humor, and the fact that she doesn’t gloss over the good and bad in her life. She is very truly the definition of “authentic”. I also am pretty sure that there isn’t a place that can contain all the AWESOME if the two of us get a chance to meet. 🙂

Some others who make my favorites list are… Kathleen (another mama who I defer to when it comes to parenting a kiddo with special needs), Jeanne, Angie, Thomas (not blogging these days as being the dad of twins occupies his spare time), Emily, Kate, Jessica (a fellow CofE person and southern Californian), Beth Anne, Mandi, Bonnie, Jennifer (I prayed Joshua home), Marie, Bobbi, and so many others. My Bloglovin overflows on Friday because of Quick Takes! 🙂

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

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 12, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY October 12, 2015

Outside my window… dark. I have no idea what temperatures were here because I was gone from Friday morning until tonight but I heard something about triple digits. Yuck!

I am thinking… about whether I would have stood up and proclaimed my Christian faith had I been in the room with the Umpqua Community College shooter. I probably would have done so… which I’m pretty sure would scare the pants off my non-believer parents.

I am thankful… for Promise FM. I’m in the midst of making some hard decisions and it was really helpful to have songs outlining God’s promises for my life while I was driving through central California today!

In the kitchen… didn’t cook today but probably some gluten-free mac n’ cheese tomorrow.

I am wearing… green shirt and capri sweats.

I am going… to be playing “catch up” tomorrow after being gone for four days.

I am wondering… about a lot of things right now.

I am reading… Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson.

I am hoping… school goes well for Daniel tomorrow.

I am looking forward to… Bible study on Wednesday!

I am hearing… nothing.

A Daniel story for today… Mr. Boy usually comes and crawls onto my bed around 11 pm or midnight and he even tucked himself in tonight.

Around the house… silence — everyone but me is asleep.

A favorite quote for today… “Do one thing every day that scares you.” — Eleanor Roosevelt. I chose this one because my mom quotes it to me frequently. (Dealing with social service agencies is not for the faint-hearted!)

One of my favorite things… discovering new artists or lesser known works by established artists of the musical variety.

A few plans for the rest of the week: catching up on errands and paperwork tomorrow, Bible study and probably a quiet service on Wednesday, soccer practice on Thursday, and Matt’s Run on Saturday before Daniel’s soccer game.

A peek into my day… Some of the new songs I heard this weekend:

“This Little Light of Mine” by Addison Road

“Painting Pictures of Egypt” by Sara Groves

Hosted by The Simple Woman.