I've been bugged.

Just as I was starting to brag that I haven't gotten sick since September... Boom!! It hit me.

I felt really tired on Friday for no reason. Saturday, I felt sniffly, but tried to attribute it to dog or cat allergies. Sunday, my nose was drippy, but it wasn't too horrible- just annoying. It wasn't til we were walking around the severely overrated auto show Sunday afternoon (stopping every 5 feet to wipe my nose) that I noticed my coat rubbing on my neck as we strolled. My skin was sore. I ached everywhere. I went home and slept. Sunday night was awful. Monday wasn't much better.

So I went back to "work" today to find out that many other people had a similar weekend. We were a ball of fire on rounds this morning with two very sick residents, sick me, and my preceptor sick as well. Very peppy! I then found out that the attending from last week had it, too. It must be pretty contagious, because I'm the germ freak with the Purell in the pocket of my white coat...

Anyway, that was my exciting weekend. I look like Rudolph and my throat sparks a flame every time I swallow, but I think I'm on the mend. Now I just have to conquer the mental spacey-ness that accompanies all this.

As I was laying around yesterday- too tired to do anything useful but too miserable to sleep, I wrote a poem. I know that it will win many literary awards, so I wanted to share it with you:

Hazy misery
Lazy, wasteful day
Torment through the night
Wake me up when it's over, if only I could sleep
Head stuffed with lead cotton balls, sinking deep into the flannel pillow
If only for a blissful moment
Snot shifts, threatens to drip
I morph into a mouth-breather
Groan, sneeze, snort, and wallow
Can't swallow
In the hazy misery that is "what's going around"

Unapologetic product/company promotion

I love Beaner's Coffee. I owe my success in school partly to Beaner's. Not only was it my source of caffeine for marathon study sessions, it was also the location of such intensity. Plus, if I had any questions about exam material, I only had to drive on over to find at least 5 people from my class who were studying the same thing...

I sent an email to the company (now with a new "unoffensive" name- Biggby Coffee). I received a detailed, informative response from the VP of operations. I haven't had such a thoughtful response since I started contacting companies. Basically, he provided me with a list of ingredients that were gluten free, and then also the corresponding safe drinks (which included most of the big hitters). Most of their options were on the list. He also warned me that the powder used in their "Big Chill" smoothies was made in a facility that also processes wheat.

If I wasn't already impressed with the company, I sure am now. Thanks.

Go to Beaner's/Biggby Coffee.

Millenium Force

I know, I know. It's been over a month. For those two or three of you who ever check my blog, desperately hoping to imbibe my wise words of inspiration, I apologize. Profusely. I must not have my priorities straight.

Either that, or I just don't have anything useful to say. I often think of topics that say in my head Hey, maybe I should blog about that but by that time, I recognize that it would probably just be me ranting. The world is full of enough ranting people, you don't need to hear it. Just watch the presidential candidates... You can talk you can bicker, you can bicker you can talk... Ok, there's the beginning of a rant, we're going to stop that subject before it starts.


I keep going on my celiac roller coaster. I start to feel the click, click, click of the chain beneath my feet, and then I'm suddenly whooshing back to my starting elevation (with that sick G-force feeling in the pit of my stomach...). I start thinking Hey- (I say Hey a lot in my brain) this gluten-free thing is pretty cool. I'm starting to feel like my old self again! I'm less tired, less foggy, and trips to the bathroom are relatively pleasant. If only I can keep this up for awhile...

And then I start feeling nauseous when I eat. And I'm so pooped I can barely keep my eyes open. And I start the mental checklist of all the things I could possibly have eaten that have the remote possibility of glutenization.

Whoosh.

Not even I'm convinced that it is always gluten, but it's possible. Christmas Day was proof of that. I spent most of the morning in the bathroom, and I had an awesome DH blister on my toe. First one to reappear since diagnosis.

At least I now have a great GI doc who knows a lot about celiac. I saw him for the first time in December, and I was so relieved. He talked to me like I have a clue. He didn't panic about my tTG and want to order ridiculous tests this early in the game. I had done my research and knew that it was too early to panic, but I needed to hear it from another informed health professional. We were on the same page, and it read well.

Ok, if you've made it to this point in this post and you still care, you win a prize. How about the Hamburger Helper that's been sitting in my pantry for at least 6 months? Mmmm, cheeseburger macaroni...

Christmastime is Here

Yes, the season is again upon us. My favorite part of the holiday season is the music. Unfortunately, it's also my least favorite part. I love turning on the radio to hear a great arrangement of a Christmas tune.

But then- the next song is something atrocious, like the one I heard last night- "The hat I got for Christmas is too big". I just sat there, staring incredulously at the radio speakers, wishing so hard to make it end, but also too much in shock to actually reach for the power button. Some guy with a horribly fake Mexican accent was lamenting the fact that Santa had brought him the wrong size sombrero. Excuse me while I gag. It's bad enough that Grandma got run over by a reindeer, but now this?!

Basically, when it comes to real Christmas music, I have two rules:

1. Do it right. Traditional songs, in a relatively traditional manner, preferably the original. Don't just be another voice doing the same song the same way with some generic background music and a few soulful riffs. I'll undoubtedly compare to the original, and you'll fail miserably.
OR
2. Do it completely differently. Make it so unique that I recognize the song, recognize its link to the season, but it has its own character. For example: Mannheim Steamroller and/or Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Pretty much anything by Andy Williams. Winter Wonderland done by Avalon. Let It Snow done by Gloria Estefan. Or (going out on a limb here) Deck the Halls done by She-Daisy. Most of the music we did for our Christmas show a couple years ago. Good stuff!

I'm sick of mediocre music, or ridiculous music like the sombrero song. Next to rampant commercialism, it's what disgusts me about Christmas.

I guess I'm just Picky.

But it felt good to rant, just a little bit. Now, I'm off to listen to my carefully-selected playlist of holiday music :)

A break!!

So- I finally have a much-needed break for awhile. It hasn't really sunk in yet, and I still will have quite a bit to do, but my huge presentation is OVER!!!

I might venture into the world of gluten-free baking. I may take a trip to the health food store tomorrow to stock up on all the weird flours I can find.

I'm a little scared. I used to be a decent baker (I mean, come on, I did win a few awards in 4H back in the day), but I am completely inexperienced when it comes to GF baking. At least I'll have some sort of a guide, between the Gluten Free Girl blog and some of Bette Hagman's books.
And where the heck do I find sorghum flour?! Guess I better start looking for it while I'm still living in the "big" city.

I'll let you know how it goes...

It's cold.

That's about it. It's cold. I hate being cold. Yuck.

Time for a cup of tea?

C is for Cookie

I tried Pamela's Products Chocolate Chunk cookie mix yesterday.

Procrastination cookies, more or less. I used to make a lot of stress and procrastination cookies. How things have changed...

My hankering for cookies started during THE game (which ended up not being that exciting anyway), so I decided that instead of working on my presentation(s), cookies were in order. Given that I haven't had the time or the ingredients to try any of Bette Hagman's promising recipes yet, the mix was calling my name from the pantry.

I'd probably end up giving it a 3.5. Not essential, but a HECK of a lot better than the horrible sand cookies I made earlier this year. A little crunchy for my taste, and still a hint of sand-like quality, but they tasted good. Especially warm. It's been a loooong time since I've had a freshly-baked cookie.

My dear hubby tried them and told me that they were gross. But- his mom is the best cookie baker I know, and he is used to wonderful gluten-filled creations that he can eat.

That's ok then, more for me.