About a month ago we called our local fire department. You see there was this odor. A very hard to describe odor. Perhaps like burning plastic, so we immediately checked the lights on Sandy's tank. For once they were not causing melting any plastic (those bulbs get very hot).
I had been invited to sub that day at PDS and had to leave. Don was still home (he had offered to take Ashley to the bus stop so I could be on time). He kept smelling the odor, so he worked from home.
Fast forward a few hours. Ashley came home. She immediately commented on the odor. I came home. I immediately commented on the odor. By this point, Don had turned off the lights in the kitchen thinking maybe it was related to that? Maybe?
It gets dark early the first week of January. I called the fire department to see what they thought. They were already out on a call and would swing by on their way back to the station.
I said it was a burning smell, but no smoke. They called it into the truck saying we have smoke. Three or four trucks arrived -- not just from our little station, but from Slackwood, too. Big guys with full equipment. We wanted one guy with a good nose to identify the problem.
For once I was too stunned to take a picture, but fortunately Ashley did.
They were not here long, just long enough to identify the problem as our CFLs dying and emitting mercury. Try to be good for the environment, and you end up nearly poisoning yourself with mercury.
I went outside, swept the latest dusting of snow, and answered questions from the curious neighbors.
That's it -- next time you smell burning plastic, check and see if it your compact florescent lights (CFLs) dying.
Social Media, and Facebook in particular, has really changed the way we communicate. I am now able to be in touch with people I knew as a child. I am now able to learn more about people I have barely met, but have an inkling that if we lived closer, we could be truly awesome friends. I am now able to keep in touch with family and long-time friends from all over the globe.
There is a downside to this social media, though. This week I learned something on Facebook that I had no right learning the way I did. It was something a close relative was not ready to share with the world, but someone else felt necessary to broadcast. They know who they are. They might even be reading this post. The point is not to fix the past, because that will be hard to fix. The point is to set ground rules for the future.
Things I want to learn from my family (aunts, uncles, and cousins are also included) and close friends before "the general public" gets to read about it:
1) Moving (buying/selling a house/relocation...)
2) Changes in marital status
3) Changes in number of children
4) Major health concerns
5) Deaths
Things I don't mind reading about on FB and you do not need to tell me about first:
1) What you ate that day
2) Trips (unless they are to see me, so you can get on the calendar)
3) Cute things your kids did or see
Get it? Daily stuff you do not need to tell me about in advance. Major life changes you do. I will try to give you the same respect. If I don't, feel free to call me out on it.
Feel free to add your must knows in advance in the comments.
I'm in the beginning stages of the hardest battle I have ever had to face. Late January I went in for a routine blood test and found out I had full-blown diabetes at levels described by my then-PCP as "toxic" and I "must go on meds immediately." By the way, this was a very hard call for her to make. Boo hoo for her.
Two and a half months later, I'm still not able to accept this label. I'm typing this and posting about it because each day it gnaws at me. Because each week I repeat myself and tell someone new about the diagnosis and how much emotional pain I am going through. However, I'm hiding it and only the most avid PillsPress readers will find it. If you do, please type a few words of encouragement.
If this is not the first time you are hearing about my diagnosis, it is because I felt I could trust you enough not to judge me or because I felt you needed to know because we were meeting for a meal. Most have not disappointed me. Some of you have. That gnaws away further at my damaged emotional state.
You see according to the ADA website, diabetes is preventable. It also does not have a cure. They recommend checking your risk factors to make sure you don't get this dreaded disease. Gee thanks. I had two risk factors out of 10: age and family history. That's it. Neither of which I could change.
I'm not your face of the typical diabetic. I cringe when I read posts on friend's FB pages or off-hand comments about them eating so much junk they are "diabetes just waiting to happen." Gee, is that what you think of me? I run, I eat lots of wholesome grains (or rather ate lots of wholesome grains), my weight is good (or was until I started losing so much), everything the ADA says to prevent diabetes I was doing naturally (drink black tea, stay away from alcohol, eat lots of veggies, etc.).
So how did my A1C suddenly become an 8.0 when the year before my non-fasting BS was 108?
The first nutritionist said my trying to go vegetarian probably put me over the edge. My sister said her diagnosis came 6 months after she quit smoking. Sounds like the advice is to live life to the fullest until your doctor tells you otherwise.
I've significantly cut grains and sugars from my diet. This is really hard for this omnivore like me to do. I've added fish, eggs, and much more cheese, and I'm working on adding fats back into the diet in non-sugary ways since I keep losing weight. The early advice given was "don't lose weight." Quite a challenge when you eliminate grains and sugars. What is left? Cucumbers and celery -- which are all water.
Challenges:
* The diagnosis came days before Fat Tuesday -- could not face pancake dinners
* Someone sent me an edible arrangement of fruit dipped in chocolate -- the week after the diagnosis. I gave it away with tears in my eyes.
* Having salad as everyone around me eats pizza or pasta.
* Narrowing down menu selections to one or two options because the rest are just filled with carbs.
* The escalating grocery bill (meat and veggies are much more expensive than pasta and spaghetti sauce).
* Eating 5-6 meals a day (eating every 2-4 hours to keep levels stable), and planning for those meals.
* Every time I eat I am pairing a carb with a protein -- while still trying to not have many grains. I'm sorely lacking in variety. I'd love to just grab a banana and go, but the banana has too many carbs and no protein, so a banana (perhaps the greatest on the go food) is now a sit down meal when paired with PB, and stick to only half of that banana, thank you very much.
* Feeling worthless because I allowed myself to get a preventable disease without even trying.
* Hearing about friends/relatives/selves who just lost 100 pounds and got off of all of their meds. I'd weigh less than Ashley if I "only" lost 100 pounds. I'm trying to stay off of meds.
* Being at a social event and only seeing carbs -- maybe all of the drinks are soda and alcohol, or the food is all carbs because that is what Americans eat.
* Being at a meeting where someone brings the most delectable brownie ever from the new bakery and being the only one not eating it because of this diagnosis, and because I don't know how to pair a protein with it at that moment. Do I spoil the mood of the unsuspecting person by telling her WHY I am not eating her treat that everyone else is drooling over or do I run out of the room screaming because every pore in my body wants that treat, but I know the pancreas pores would scream if I had it? So I sit there quietly pretending to be some saint and probably hurting the woman's feelings anyway.
*Turning down an invitation to a dessert party because I know I can't handle being in the room while everyone else is devouring the treats.
I thought the hard part would be giving up ice cream. The weight watchers slogan "nothing tastes as good as feeling thin" keeps coming to mind. I like that I've lost a few of those pounds that had been clinging to my calves (and preventing me from zipping up boots) and to my extra chin.
Another positive, my run times were getting faster and stronger. I feel more motivated to run because it kicks out my feelings of worthlessness.
I still look longingly at pastries, and menu options I can't choose. I look at carb counts on labels and wonder if it is worth it. I eat with friends on similar "diets," who use seeing me as an excuse for a "cheat day." No "cheat days" in my life right now.
The sister who is diabetic firmly believes we have MODY version. This is strictly related to genetics (which would eliminate the guilt factor), but cannot go away with diet. The pancreas will not heal itself. Hers responds very well to the Paleo Diet. Mine seems to, but I can't quite give up a 1/2 cup or rice at dinner or my square of chocolate. She told me which meds work for her and which ones don't. I suspect Doctor #1 would have put me on one that would not work for me and then I'd feel even worse than I do right now.
So, what does my future hold? I'm trying to be strict for this four month period (my doctor gave me an extra month on the three month test to get my diet in order). I take the A1C and a flurry of other tests (such as a scary one to see if I am really Type 1 instead of Type 2), check protein (am I over doing it with the meats?), cholesterol (am I over doing it with the eggs?), and get a better sense of what my future holds.
I test myself every morning. It has been in the normal to pre-diabetic range EVERY DAY for six weeks now. That has to help the A1C, right? The problem is I stress so much over taking that test and seeing the numbers it hurts. Not the pain of the prick, but the anxiety over the numbers. The anxiety over how did I end up with a disease that is preventable and has no cure? It is a giant loop that keeps running in my head and preventing me from enjoying life.
I'm also searching for a nutritionist/dietician that will understand me. I have a couple of good recommendations, but have not been able to connect with them.
This is long, but important. I can email the link to people as they need to know. Maybe someday I'll have the courage to tell everyone and not be ashamed or feel guilty.
UPDATE
UPDATE #2
A decline in gas prices (under $2 a gallon), and a nice day in January encouraged us to drive down to DC for the day to see Bao Bao and her parents. Bao Bao is rapidly growing up. She was just a cub when we went to see her last year. In that time she went from being a cub who slept all the time, to a sledding rock star when the world watched her play in the snow for the first time. A few days before we went to DC, Bao Bao hit another milestone: she was separated from her mother. Bao Bao, Tian Tian, and Mei Xiang all have their own enclosures, since pandas tend to be solitary creatures in the wild.
When we arrived, Tian Tian was still outside, but just about to go in for lunch. The best time to visit the zoo is when it first opens because the animals are often outside at that point and just cute as can be. Driving 3-4 hours, and often leaving after rush hour, does not make that happen. We are happy when we do see them outside in a more natural environment.
The pandas are the star of our visit, but we also love seeing all of the animals. The elephants have a great new wide open space, but we still seem to catch them inside. We have yet to see orangutans fly overhead. As cool as that sounds, I suspect if I really saw it happen I would scream or run for cover (just from the poop, not from the animals that weigh more from me, right?).
We had the pleasure of seeing the seals get fed and weighed. The zookeepers seem to have so much fun working with the animals. Lucky them!
Mostly we just walked up and down Olmsted way before heading back to the car for the 3-4 hour drive home.
It was just nice to be able to spend the day as a family and not have any other obligations.
One of my goals this year is to spend more time with friends. The flip side to that, though, is not over-schedule our lives so we do have time for surprise visits.
I am eternally grateful whenever I go to Ohio, my friend Heidi finds a way to squeeze me into her busy schedule. Though we live far away, and our visits are not nearly as often as I would like, when they happen they are like magic. The same is true of seeing Don's cousins in Massachusetts. We always end up leaving later than we should as we try to squeeze in more laughs, smiles, and time together.
I've been working on my goal of having lunch with at least one friend each week. So far in 2015, I have had lunch with Debbi at Fedora's, Karen at Fedora's, met new cousins, rang in the New Year with friends from Kappa at George and Martha's new house, had lunch with RuthAnn in prison, hung out with Canadian Chris on his rare weekend stay in NJ, and have plans to see more friends in the near future.
The real excitement for me, though, came when I heard Holly was going to be in town for a funeral. It was bittersweet. Holly moved to Alabama (which us New Jersayans know is practically another planet) 8 1/2 years ago. She has not been back since, and faithful blog readers can surmise I have not been to Alabama, either. It was fun. She looks fabulous. We were all able to laugh and smile and visit for many hours. By 10 PM, though, our coach was starting to turn into a pumpkin, and we had to pick up Ashley from Grammy and Papa John's house, and get home. We had hardly taken a breath in the 8 hours we were visiting.
Keeping an open schedule doesn't mean never making any plans. It is no fun wallowing in self-pity because no one invites us to do fun things. On the contrary, it means making plans with friend and being flexible enough to change them when the unexpected pops up (which sometimes means a snow storm, and having to reschedule). It also helps us to appreciate those days when we don't have plans and we just want to sit at home, snuggle with our pets, and read books.
It also means when you bump into someone at Target or the grocery store, you take the time to chat and not always be in a race to get to the next place. Especially if that person is a faithful reader of the Pillsbury Press (yes, you Lynda) and will be reading this.
We'd love to spend more time with you, too. Drop us an email or FB message, or just add a comment to this blog post. Let's make it happen in 2015!
One of my 2015 resolutions has been spend more time with friends. So when RuthAnn posted a link to the Mates Inn in Trenton, I asked her to go out to lunch there with me.
That alone is a nice story. The real story, though, is about the Mates Inn itself. The Mates Inn is run by inmates (get it!). It is located at the minimal security facility called the Garden State Correction Center, a part of the New Jersey Department of Corrections, at the former site of the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital across the street from Cadwalader Park. The campus is filled with beautiful old brick buildings, including a church. It does not feel at all like a prison. It feels more like a college campus. When pass the security guard, he'll point you in the right direction. He guessed right away the three of us were there for lunch.
The inmates serve the public lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30-1:30, while earning high school credits and gaining skills they can take with them once they are released. They are also the cooks and dishwashers. The place has been around for at least a decade, based on this 2004 Christian Science Monitor article. It has been reviewed in such places at the New York Times, and Trenton Times.
The room was bright and cheery. The decor was dated, but quite functional. Click on the Trenton Times article link if you want to see pictures. For once I felt awkward taking pictures.
The food was cheap. At $8.50, my cheeseburger, fries, and iced tea was the most expensive meal. My friends each had a salad and iced tea. From what our companion, David, told us, the burgers are all cooked well-done, so don't be afraid to ask for it rare. I asked for it medium-well and there was not even a hint of pink, but it was very moist and tasty.
The inmates are not allowed to handle cash, so we paid on our way out. Darlene (or is her name Charlene?) thanked us for coming, offered to divide the bill, and told us we were not allowed to leave a tip. They are just grateful we came out for lunch. She also offered to put us on their email list so we could receive the menu in advance. That was my only concern -- the menu changes every other week, but I could not find it on line. This solves that problem.
The week we went, the menu included Spring Mix House Salad (large: $4.50), Beef or Chicken Stir Fry ($6.25), Pork Roberts (Pork Chops in a wine, mustard, pan sauce, served with fresh vegetables du jour -- $6.50), and the Build Your Own Burger ($6.75). For dessert they offered carrot cake or apple crisp ($2.50 each).
Anyone up for lunch at prison? Call me!
The RunDisney world lost a rock star on Monday when cancer took Peggy Sue's life from us.
Many have written far more eloquently about what Peggy Sue meant to them. Her daughter, Jane, said it best. "Early in my life she was a single mom who took me along with her while she tried to finish her night classes. She worked full time so she could give me the childhood that most kids dream of. I'll never forget her pulling me out of school for Bloomies shopping sprees or day trips to Manhattan for carriage rides and Broadway shows. I was the apple of her eye and the center of her universe. As I got older, she encouraged me to chase every dream I had and participate in every club or activity...because she wanted me to know I do anything I set out to do. I never once thought I couldn't be a lawyer, farmer, actress, dancer, designer, buyer, international woman of mystery...because what I wanted to be, she made it so I could believe in myself and be."
Wow! What a fabulous tribute. I hope my daughter has similar thoughts about me, instead of remembering the times I made her go to school when her cat died. To many of us, Peggy Sue was the lady sitting in an ECV at the end of the race cheering EVERY LAST RUNNER with the sign "HELLO Complete Stranger, I am proud of you!" No matter the weather, she would show up before the crack of dawn to hang out with the runners in the staging area. In only a few short years she became a rock star in the PbRC (Pacebook Running Club) world, and also the greater RunDisney universe.
At some point Peggy moved from the NYC area to Florida. Jane took up running after her mother's 2005 diagnosis with "Polymyositis, a rare autoimmune disease that leads to severe muscle weakness and chronic inflammation." She was in a ton of pain.
In 2010 Jane ran the Wine N Dine half marathon at WDW. Rather than hanging in her hotel room that night (it is a nighttime race), Peggy came outside and sat outside her hotel watching the entire race. She told her daughter "she had the best time." The famous signs started appearing in 2011 during the WDW half marathon. She had some funny ones, but the complete stranger one was her favorite -- and what she became most famous for during the past four years. She came back for the Princess Half Marathon, even though Jane was not running.
Grab your tissues.. "throughout the years Mom has been at almost every Disney event I've run, and even some that I haven't. She was always trying to be at the best spots -- midway and clsoer to the end to keep people going. I would finish my races and tell her stories about the race and then she would tell me about all the wonderful people she met along the course, too. Cheering for runners brought her to life again. She could feel the love from the runners when they would run by, stop and take pictures with her, yell her name and bring her gifts. She became a one woman aid stop on the course: snacks, drinks, cold towels on hot days, safety pins, icy hot... her sole goal was to keep us all happy an moving. She was as much a part of the running community as the runners.
"Fast forward to Wine n Dine 2014 - it was cold and pouring. Mom had been ill since May -- she insisted on making it out for this race. I was injured and miserable because, let's face it, my makeup wasn't gonna hold up in that weather. I tweaked a muscle that night and my injury slowed me to a crawl and I decided to get up on the sweeper bus. It was the easiest decision of my life. I knew deep down that this was going to be my last chance to see a race by her side. So I stopped at mile 5 and went back to my momma. And we sat in the pouring rain and cheered on the runners. She smiled for hours and it was the most joy I had seen in months. It will be one of my favorite race memories for may years to come.
"The thing about Mom is she was an ordinary, extraordinary person. She was just a woman with a simple sign. Some marker on a free poster board that she picked up at a race ... but she touched the lives of so many because of her kindness and her spirit. She would selflessly get up at our 2am wakeup calls and head out to the races because we needed her. And what most racers didn't know was that she needed them too...because that's what kept her going.
"And so I hope that her legacy continues and we keep it simple. Be kind to each other. Be supportive, in life, on the course, anywhere and everywhere. You never know what one simple gesture can do for a perfect stranger, after all, strangers are just friends we haven't met yet."
Peggy Sue proves we can all make a difference. It doesn't take a lot of money to show you have a heart, and to share it with the world. Share a smile. Hold a door for someone. Listen to Ashley who says "Don't be mean in 2015." Find little ways to make a positive difference in the world. Those small ways might just grow as they did with Peggy Sue - it started with a handmade sign, and in four years turned into a legacy. You might not know how your small gesture helps someone else, but that is no reason not to share your kindness with the world.
I'm glad I met Peggy Sue, even if it was just while we were both waiting for a table at Mimi's before the 2013 Dumbo Double Dare. Reading the many testimonials and journal posts on Facebook, I can see she was inspirational.
Peggy Sue's FB fan page is HERE
BTW, Jane decided to make her post public so it can be shared. "So please feel free to share away."
