One Month and one day

   Just one month plus a day until Larae and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary.  There were so many that though that we wouldn't make it.  To those I give a hearty one fingered Salute to you.  We have survived rough times and good times.  Brought two fantastic people into this world.  Moved from the grey/browns of Arizona to the lush greens/browns and blue waters of Washington.  How two people of two different view and worlds got along I couldn't tell you but it works.  We just take things one day at a time.

Recipe development

So as I have mentioned else where that I am trying to develop a recipe for multigrain bread that is more diabetic friendly. I started with a recipe that I got from America's Test Kitchen and felt that though it had good texture it was using just a bit to much white flour. Now since I have just two people at home to eat this bread it takes time between batches. The bread is very high in fiber and so is more filling and with the side effects of high fiber foods it takes time to get through the two loaves. So as things sit it is taking about one week per batch.

Why is it taking so long between batches? I'm not one to waste food. The amount of waste that is generated by people developing recipes is disgusting. I have know chefs that will make a entree and feel that after tasting it feel that it is off on seasoning. So into the trash it goes. I'm not going to throw two loaves of bread or any thing that I create into the trash just because it's not perfect. The bread is edible so until I need more bread I'm not starting the next test batch. It does make good french toast and croutons.

The first problem that I have found is that the loaves are on the small side. They are not large enough to make a suitable sandwich bread which was my original goal. Even though it may cost more per loaf I am looking to get away from grocery store "whole grain breads."

I don't have nutritional information on any of the recipes that I develop since I don't have a lab to test for it and I no expert. I just take what I learn an use it to develop what I make. Of course I'm not done developing the current project. I would post a linc to the original ATK recipe but their web site requires registration to view it. Fell free to look it up via google.

So it's a new year?

Everyone is telling me that its a new year. My response is so what it's just another day, week, and month. I haven't survived another year yet. That will be later this month when it will have been 49 years from the time of my entry into this world. That's when I start to get nostalgic and start thinking about renewal.

January 1st is the day I have to drag out a new calendar and for get to write 2012 on my checks. Yep screwed up my first rent check of the year. Now before you begin to think that I'm acting kind of like an a**hole and am being a downer remember that in a few weeks I'm going to have survived another year and that is cause for celebration at least in my humble opinion.

As for resolutions I don't make them since I have broken so many in the past (weak willed I guess). The only thing that I have stuck to for any amount of time is my sobriety and my marriage. The first is just over 30 years and the second is just over 24 years to a wonderful woman and the love of my life.

My diabetes seems to be behaving it self so far except for January 1st. Even though I had been in control and sticking to my diet with numbers around 114mg for some reason that only my body knew I woke up to a blood sugar of 224mg. and that was fasting. I think that I had a bad test though since the next day was back to 109mg. So I guess it just goes to show you not every day is the same.

Happy new year to those who observed it. I hope that you didn't get too drunk. ;)

Setting Goals

Over the last few years I have been eying something that I can set as my goal prize. Since it has a weight limit of 300lbs it makes getting down to that weight my goal. So let me introduce you to the Terratrike. Made in the U.S. and from what I'm told real comfortable. Since I have problems with both balance and my right knee a recumbent style trike seems to be the answer. The Terratrike is just that type of trike. With the single wheel in the rear and the two steering wheels up front it looks a lot more maneuverable. Since someday I hope to do a lot of touring to promote more Eco related projects the new Tour II model is what I'm looking at. Strong enough to handle long rides and light enough to not tire you out after hours of riding.

Of course I still need to lose about 60lbs to get below 300lbs and since I will be adding on storage and such I need to loose even more. But if I get the trike at or around 300 then I can start riding getting use to the trike and burn even more lbs. So here's to losing to get back on the road again even if with three instead of two wheels.

Uncomfortably Numb

So I woke up this morning with severe pain in my right foot. Just in the sole right around the ball.

Now if I had been writing more often you would know about this as Plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is a inflammation of the ligament that connects the heel to the toes. In my case and the case of a lot of diabetics it is caused by the Neropathy in out feet. The pain can be equated to having several thumb tacks in the bottom of your foot. Each on right on a nerve ending that causes a leg spasm.

For the moment I have no feeling from my ankle up to my knee this makes walking very troubling since I don't know when my foot is going to hit the ground or how hard. Combine that with the fasciitis and walking is very near impossible. Some times in the worse of cases I have to use a walker and that is just a little too embarrassing for a man who use to run and bike a lot. Not to mention someone of my age. I can expect this to pass in the next few days but I'm hoping it will be gone before Christmas. The last time I had this it started on Halloween and went for a week before it was gone.

Recently I came across a blog post by a woman I follow on titter. Some of what is posted on her blog is kind of racy so I decided that instead of posting the link I would just post the article for those who would be offended by the rest of her blog. I feel the message is pertinent so please read it for your own sake.

Stop the Violence

I’m sure some of you have been reading the shocking (or not so shocking) statistics about rape and sexual violence in the US. They’ve been making the rounds on the internet, and after Cal e-mailed me just to see if I had seen the reports, I figured that it was worthy of a blog post, even though it’s not the typical cheery/sexy thing I would post here. It’s an important issue that needs to be discussed.

It’s unfortunately true that 1/5 women in the United States experiences rape or attempted rape and 1/4 women have been attacked in relationships. (This specific bit of information was released about the US, and it’s hard to find Canadian statistics, but I’d imagine that it’s a similar situation here.) This is a really awful statistic, but these numbers even sound a bit low to those in the know. The fact is, a lot of people are pretty oblivious to these numbers, and that’s a big reason why sexual violence continues to be an issue. But, it takes more than just awareness to reverse this disturbing trend.

First, I think it’s important not to try to divert from the issue. Even though it’s the minority, you read a lot of comments raising points about men’s rights, male sexual violence survivors, false accusations, alcohol consumption or the fact that someone may not have met anyone who has experienced sexual violence. The fact is that men’s rights, while important, don’t negate what is happening in terms of sexual violence. As for male sexual violence survivors, it’s a problem that affects men and women and I think it’s really important that this is more emphasized. But the fact is that it’s 1/4 for women vs. approximately 1/75 for men, so it’s somewhat understandable that a lot of resources are more focused on women. Men and women both get breast cancer too, but no one balks about the fact that most of the research is designated towards women.

False accusations represent about 2% of the reports, and there are countless other unreported experiences of sexual violence, which only shrinks the false accusation percentage. A lot of talk in comments on blogs is about how having sex with a woman so drunk she can’t say no isn’t really a crime, just a grey area. The law disagrees, and the experience of these women disagrees too. Finally, most survivors of sexual violence won’t talk to just anyone about their experience, and may not even discuss it with anyone outside a therapist or one or two close friends/family members. Just because you haven’t been approached with a specific story doesn’t mean that someone in your life hasn’t had this horrible experience.

What else can you do to help stop the violence? Making yourself and the people around you accountable for their actions. If someone makes light of sexual violence, tell them it’s not okay. If someone you know is trying to have sex with a woman who obviously can’t say no, intervene. Maybe even discuss consent as a normal part of sex. Anything where you are actively setting a good example is very valuable.

Lastly, actually get involved with volunteering for the cause. Volunteer at a shelter, raise money for a charitable organization, get involved with your local chapter of the White Ribbon Campaign. Whatever you can do to get involved will make a huge impact on yourself and those around you.

I know you’re all amazing, smart, kind people, so I hope this post resonates with you.

Camille Crimson; author and blogger.

If your not offended by it here is the link to her site. http://camillecrimson.com/blog/2011/12/stop-the-violence/

Mistakes made.

Over the last week since I have learned a valuable lesson. Never get in to an eating contest with a six year old child. While taking care of my six year old nephew to get him to eat lunch we had a peanut butter eating contest. Now as the adult I should of know the consequences of eating so much sugar laden product but since my blood sugars where so good of late I lived in the moment. Needless to say I ate the most and since the peanut butter was sweetened with a sweetener that was low on the glycemic index it took hours to affect me. Unfortunately it has now affected me for the last two days. With numbers that have gone from ninety four to a whopping One hundred seventy eight mg. My neuropathy in my feet have made walking almost impossible. But after just over two days I am glad to report that things are getting better. The pain in my feet and legs has faded to levels that are manageable and I am able to again begin my walking routine although at a reduced level.

The only good news seems to be that my fasting numbers were 134mg. this morning. Not as good as a few days ago but way better than the last two.