DIABETES, FAILURE TO WATCH YOUR DIET CAN LEAD TO PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
My father in law is a diabetic. He has been one for a while and when I first met him and learned about his condition, I asked my husband "What is diabetes?" I know it sounds a little bit silly because you actually hear about the disease a lot. I knew that it had something to do with people who couldn't have sugar and might need to take insulin shots, but my husband had actually researched a lot about it when his father was first diagnosed, and he wanted to make sure that his mother really understood the nature of his illness. This is when he found out that diabetes has to do with the body's inability to produce enough insulin to effectively digest and use carbohydrates and sugars appropriately. Apparently, it is not just sugar but any carbs like cake, bread, potatoes, and so forth. The only way to treat it is to closely monitor the blood sugar and to take insulin injections to help the body process out these foods. Diet must be used in conjunction with the insulin, because the insulin does not cure the condition and over doing it with the carbs can still result in peripheral neuropathy and other forms of neuropathy, if you are not careful, so therefore my father in law must watch carefully everything that he eats.
Now whenever we go to visit him or he comes to visit us, I make sure that I keep plenty of sweet sugar free products around, so that he can enjoy a good snack, just like anyone else. Watching the carb content of foods is actually a lot more difficult than you think and understanding it is even more complicated than that. I am glad that they have all the artificial sweetening products today, to help satisfy his sweet tooth, without taking him too far off his diet. This way he can enjoy a little without risking his health to do it. The kids even like to eat sugar free fudge bars with their grandfather, so they enjoy when he comes as well.
Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 @ 9:28 AM by Brian
Watching Crime Programs on TV
I am addicted to shows like Law and Order and Monk. If the shows are on I will drop everything that I am doing to watch them. When I am cleaning my room or doing other stuff like homework or just hanging out, I'll go online to watch them to keep me entertained and I don't even have to pay attention because chances are, I have seen the episode already.
Watching these crime shows probably should make me paranoid, but thankfully I live in the suburbs in a gated community and all of the shows are based in New York. If I lived there though I would definitely have the best locksmith New York had to make sure that I was safe.
I love Law and Order so much. I guess I like the mystery and the characters are so familiar now that I have watched over like 300 episodes with them in it. There is this crazy woman who is supposedly the best locksmith NYC has to offer and they use her to break into storage spaces or find dead bodies. It really is an interesting show to watch.
I think the reason it doesn't make me afraid is because a lot of the things that happen seem so out there that I would never think that they would happen to me. But now that I am thinking about it, so many things are real and probably based off of real stories. This is why I am so thankful I live in a nice gated tiny suburb instead of the big scary city. But I will definitely keep on watching my show until it runs off the air.
Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 @ 7:20 AM by Brian
Girl Scouts
I remember when I was in grade school being a girl scout. I never really liked it (I competed in gymnastics nationally) and I was always missing events and I really didn't like to camp. But I do remember one year when we went to a different camp (it was with the boy scouts and looking back that's probably the only reason we liked it ha) and we had a blast.
I remember driving up and there were these huge water tanks all over that looked like giant pills. Our leaders told us to stay away from the rainwater tanks but when they weren't looking we would pretend we were on that magic school bus show and ride them and imagine that they were big pills and someone was sick (I know lame, right?).
But when we finally got settled into camp we found out we had cleaning ladies (ok so it was kind of like camping, more like renting a cabin) so we were excited that we didn't have to have a chore sheet like we usually did (we hated the way our leader was a creepy neat freak, she would make us wash and rewash everything over and over until it was perfect). She would even have these old shipping containers that we would keep our cleaning supplies in and she drew smiley faces all over them (she was weird) so you can see why we were happy to have people cleaning up after us.
So instead of doing chores and learning things about wilderness we got to decide what we wanted to do. We hung out with the guys (of course we chose to do that ha) and we read ghost stories and roasted marshmallows and at the end of the weekend (after having such a great time) we found out that we got our friendship badge. I wish though that all of the badges could have been that easy.
I ended up leaving girl scouts a few months later (even though I was the highest cookie seller) and I am really glad that I left at a time where I had so much fun. At the time, I thought that everyone was doing girl scouts and I figured even if I didn't like it I should stick with it, but later on I realized that so many people didn't do it and that I was normal for hating it ha.
Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009 @ 7:48 PM by Brian
Committing to your job and everything it entails
I recently heard from someone I know that just graduated and accepted a job, that when she signed on with her company she had to sign a form that she will agree to computer training or any certifications that she may need throughout her working there. Of course, the company will pay for those certifications or any CBT courses that she may need, but she has to agree to do them in a timely manner if asked to do so.
My guess is that a lot of people over the last 20 years were hesitant to conform to the technology based economy and work place that we have developed into. A lot of the older crowd were used to doing things their way and probably had a hard time adjusting or maybe weren't so eager. The fact is though, technology is constantly changing and businesses need to keep up (or stay ahead) if they are going to stay in business or at least keep up with the competition.
There are a lot of people who would prefer one bank over the other or one phone company over another one if that one has online banking or bill paying. So if you are the company that doesn't or you have employees who really haven't stayed up to date with technology on their own, you are going to fall behind and probably lose out a lot of money.
So companies need to ensure (for their own safety) that their employees will keep up to speed with the latest technology and be certified (like the a+ certification that my aunt needed for her job) accordingly.
Thankfully though the company pays for it and I think she even said that they are given paid time off to get the course completed (I think it was about 3 days or so). So they really are accommodating as long as you are as well. But I do think that people who are signing onto contracts with companies now are the kinds of people who are up to speed with the internet and technology and Microsoft office (what is expected now a days) so they shouldn't have a problem signing a sheet like that and they are also probably eager to keep up to date because it doesn't only help the company, it helps them personally too.
Posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 6:47 PM by Brian
Eureka! I did it!
So I have some great news to share everyone. Brace yourself. I just won a Nobel Peace Prize…okay, I lied. I got my A+ certification TODAY! Can you believe it? 500 hours of work later! It's taken me a few months but it is so worth it to be done. I worked on it through an online program since I obviously have work and school to attend. E-learning is new to me but I am glad I took the opportunity to do it. While I know there are lots of programs and types of e-learning, this was a great way for me to get the certificate. I have always been into computers; considering my dad was a MIS (Manager of Information Systems) and my mom works for a software company it was kind of obvious I would go for this. Now, I do not know if I wish to be a computer tech or anything but I now have the ability to be one if I want to. They make bank after all, it could be very lucrative. Now I will admit it was a challenge even for a computer geek like me to learn everything I had to. Luckily there was an enterprise learning library for me to fall back on to do research and watch videos for the training. I knew most of the things but not in the great detail required so that learning library online really helped me as both a now official computer technician and as a computer user overall. The A+ certification is vendor-neutral, meaning no company or organization is funding or promoting it for their profits, and consists of two exams. Now, in order to pass, you must demonstrate knowledge of installing, configuring, upgrading, troubleshooting and repairing desktop systems. The second exam you take, you pick from a list of three specialist exams that highlight one of the following roles: IT Technician, Depot Technician, or Help Desk Technician. I did the IT Technician exam obviously. Now if I want to make big bucks doing computer tech work, I know I will have to get more certifications to become more appealing to employers. Again, since I did it mostly without any problems, I had to brush up on some configuring protocols, I felt super confident. At least now I have a fallback if things in my career path do not work out. Well I ought to write a darn paper at this point even though I'd rather be blogging about my achievements…I swear I am not egocentric or conceited, promise.
Posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 9:49 AM by Brian
THE BEST PART OF THE WEDDING PLANNING IS THE CANDY TASTING
My best friend's wedding is rapidly becoming my biggest nightmare. First, the guy that she is marrying is such a jerk. I have tried, gently telling her that maybe he is not the right guy for her, but somehow, she believes he is and that is that. Then she is very demanding and wants things just so. She let her sister pick out the bride's maid dresses and these things were floral print and hideous. I didn't know what to say about them, because after all she and her sister thought that they were just perfect, I on the other hand felt like an idiot in the thing, but that is what you sign on for when you are in a wedding party. I think that when I get married, I am going to pick a color and then let everyone choose the style of their own dress, after all the bridesmaids have to pay for these dresses, and yet the bride gets to tell you exactly what you have to wear, like it or not. And yes, if you think about it, it is a ridiculous concept. Anyway, she keeps assigning me jobs and they have all been boring, well accept for the candy job. I got to go and order the wedding candy and I got to taste test different ghirardelli chocolate. It was incredible, I felt like royalty and actually I brought my boyfriend along, because everyone doesn't agree on the tastes of things, plus I really don't like peanuts and I know that a lot of people do including my best friend, so I figured I would need a second opinion. I had a really good time doing this job and that so far has been the only fun that I have had in helping plan this wedding. You have heard of Bridezilla, well I think that is what she has a case of. She even told the groom to be that he couldn't wear the tux of his choice and she took him back to the store to have him get something "more appropriate" and the joke of that is that what he chose was a very simple black tuxedo, very appropriate. Well, I am now looking forward to the wedding for two reason, the delicious chocolates, and the fact the wedding will put an end to the wedding planning...finally. : )
Posted on Monday, April 13, 2009 @ 12:23 PM by Brian
WEIGHT LOSS ON MY MIND
There are so many advertisements today for weight loss. It seems like every magazine I pick up has some sort of information about how to lose weight, which would be fine if they really worked. As a person who has struggled with my weight through my teen years and now into my twenties, it just seems to me that more could be done in the area of nutritious foods to help me along. I have been on several diet plans, like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, and these programs are great as long as you stay on them. My problem is not with dieting, but when I come off. I really like Oprah and have watched her battle with weight loss and exercise, and all I can think to myself is that losing weight must be really tough. I mean here is a woman, who has all the resources and money to do whatever it takes to lose the weight and even she keeps on this roller coaster ride of weight loss. I just think that shows that weight loss and obesity are a state of mind. Perhaps it has more to do with people's taste buds, or their insecurities, I am just not sure what the deal is.
All I know is that personally I do really well on diets and with diet pills and exercise, but it seems that once I return to eating regular food, I tend to overdo it. I think maybe it is because every food on the market is not made in single serving size and lacks general nutrition. I have considered going vegetarian or vegan or even raw, but I don't know if I can really eat like this at school and in the real world. It just seems to me that it is very easy to fall off the wagon this way. Diet pills do a good job of suppressing my appetite and giving me energy, so I am not really sure why I overeat, but I definitely do. They say acknowledging the problem is the first step to fixing it. I am sure this is true, but I am not really sure where to start...maybe wiring my jaw shut, who knows.
Posted on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 @ 3:41 PM by Brian
Finding a Job Wherever you can
Right now it is very hard to find a job. People are getting laid off because of a lack of money in the budget at a lot of companies (once successful companies) and it is hard to find jobs for all of those people plus the people that are graduating now and looking for employment as well.
My cousin went to nursing school and she was telling us how her and her husband are moving to Georgia in the summer because this branch of his company closed so they are transferring him to the one there (thankfully he gets to keep a job). So she is looking for nursing jobs there for when they move.
She said that for a lot of the Atlanta jobs, they are doing a pre-employment background check, which is really common everywhere for nursing jobs or any job really in the medical field but they are even doing one on her husband who has been working in that company for about 3 years so far. It's not like he is starting out new, he is just moving from one building to another and keeping the same job title and everything. So I found that to be really weird, not that it matters because he passed with flying colors (both times).
My sister though was talking about maybe going there for the summer to visit them and she was asking if there were any seasonal jobs in Georgia right now near their house that she could apply for. My sister is one of those people who can just pick up and move and be fine and have no attachments or anything. I on the other hand plan everything out to the T and make sure that I have a backup plan for my back up plan ha. So her moving out there not knowing if she'll find a job is shocking to me.
But they are supposed to leave in June I think and move in a little at a time and our family is planning a trip down there to see them in August right before we all go back to school (and to pick up my sister) so I am excited to see their new home and what they are up to and hear about how their jobs are (and the tans that they got)!
Posted on Sunday, March 29, 2009 @ 9:07 AM by Brian
MAKE YOUR SITE LOOK PROFESSIONAL WITH CRE LOADED TEMPLATES
When looking into options for your website, there are truly some things that you should know. First to understand the components of a good website. It must be secure and easy to use. You must have the best possible web hosting like oscommerce hosting or something to make sure that you have the most options available to you as well as the most up time possible. You want the pages to load quickly. Many people don't realize how important these things are, but to a customer in the computer age, not being able to access your site immediately, can quickly send them back searching through your competitors to find a more reliable site to use. There is very little tolerance on behalf of a customer to wait for your site to load, unless they are already a customer. You could have the best products and services available, however if customers can't see your site, than the rest won't matter at all.
Shopping cart is another big issue. Sure most sites have a shopping cart for customers to use, but if your shopping cart doesn't work well or deletes items when the customer leaves the site, then most customers won't want to deal with this type of intermittent service. Especially when you are dealing with a customer who wants to buy a lot. They may not be able to get their entire order into the cart and paid for in one sitting, so if you want to do the big business than you must have a reliable shopping cart.
Lastly, but not in importance is the look of your site. Your site absolutely must present an image that is different from other sites and yet holds a professional look. CRE loaded templates are great for this. They have some of the most professional looking pages I have ever seen, and while some website templates look flat, these are some really bold looking pages that look like they were made by a real pro, and that is how you want your site to look. You really want it to stand out, while looking professional. Remember, your customers can't see you, all they can see is your site, so you want to make it feel professional so that customers will spend their money with you.
Posted on Sunday, March 29, 2009 @ 8:17 AM by Brian
Taking weight loss pills
With the summer fast approaching, the theme right now within my little circle of friends is talking about a little vacation we are planning to the beach for a week. I think that this will hopefully be my favorite summer vacation I have ever had with friends, but there is one little issue I need to take care of first before I will feel totally comfortable with going through with this vacation.
During high school I was in to a lot of sports and I still try my best to stay in good shape. Since coming to school in the fall though i have found that the winters here are a formidable force when it comes to keeping you stuck inside due to the temperature hovering right around zero. So for about two months I only got my exercise when I was riding my bike to and from my classes and then I would do some sit-ups while watching television. Other than that I just packed on some nice love handles and put off recovering from that until now.
With the weather breaking in to spring I feel that now is the time to really get myself back to that point where I felt that I was comfortable with my body image. Unfortunately though my classes and responsibilities will not stop and I can't see myself getting any more free time until finals are over and by that time it will be about time to leave for the beach. I have built up a little motivation to start going on early morning bike rides as regularly as I can but I also want to couple this with a
weight loss pill of some kind. I have never used weight loss pills before and I have heard some different opinions on them. So to find the one that is right for me and for the small amount of weight and toning that I think I need, I have been looking at a weight loss pill review web site which goes through most of the ones I found in the stores. I am slowly narrowing it down to the one that does what I need it too. I think I should definitely be able to hit my goal of being toned and fit by the time the summer does roll around. Wish me luck.
Posted on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 @ 3:35 PM by Brian