Hey. You.

Over here.

www.lemonade-life.com

Because I Like to Make Your Life Difficult

In addition to the challenges of finding a car and finding an apartment, acclimating to humidity and suffering through New Jersey freeways, I have also dealt with the pain-in-the-ass-ness that is Yahoo! Web Hosting.

A few weeks ago I decided to switch to Wordpress. I thought it would be easy. I have a domain, I'll just get Wordpress to forward it like Blogger does.

Wordpress doesn't forward. It wants the URL to forward to Wordpress.

So that's what I attempted to do.

In fact, in the process of attempting to get Yahoo to forward to Wordpress, I managed to permanently sever the link between Yahoo and Blogger, which is why Lemonade Life suddenly reverted back to the blogspot.com address.

Except, the Yahoo service that I chose doesn't allow domain forwarding, although it's one of the most basic things you can do. Instead, I had to switch service plans.

Which I have been attempting to do for the last week.

Each time I attempt to do it, I get a technical error. It tells me to call customer service, but I'm at work and busy and don't have time. Meanwhile, it has charged me nine times for an order it claims to have canceled.

Ridiculous!

So I give up.

I have gone to GoDaddy.com and ordered a brand-spanking-new URL that is still Lemonade Life related so hopefully it won't be too hard to remember.

It's: www dot lemonade dash life dot com.

Or: www.lemonade-life.com.

Or: www.lemonlemonade.wordpress.com.

All will work.

I am sorry to make everyone change their links again, but I am fed up with Yahoo and it's crappy service. Besides, GoDaddy is vastly cheaper than the service I currently have, which as a starving entry-level workerbee, I desperately, desperately need.

Apologies again but, uh, deal.

Won't Tell This Story

I found this link from a friend's blog.

It is about a man who met three other men in a small town in Indiana.

It is about a beating, a death, and a discovery.

And it is about a hate crime that will go unnoticed because hate crimes don't exist in Indiana courts.

His name is Aaron Hall and if you haven't heard about him, you're not alone.

His story.

Many Good Things

Number One:

I have an apartment!

A real live actual apartment that is mine for the next year!

My advice: Never move across the country without having a place to live. Very, very difficult.


Number Two:

I am going on my first business trip!

And guess where it is?

Give up?

BlogHer '07.

That's right. My company is paying to have me go to a blogging conference.

I think I can feel Julia's death rays from here...

Let the taunting begin!

Actually, one of the reasons why I am going is because they have a session on Mommybloggers, so I will definitely be taking notes and reporting back after the conference, which takes place in Chicago on July 27 and 28. I'm also going to a session on online communities, also beneficial for the D.O.C. as well as one of foodblogging. There are a few other sessions that are open for me right now, so if you see something on the schedule that you would have wanted to check out, let me know and I'll see if I can go and take notes.

P.S. Thanks to Kevin for christening me Lemonhead.

On My Lunch Hour

Stolen from, uh, everyone.

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Allison
2. I don't have any other nicknames.
3. This makes me sad.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My eyes. I have my mother's eyes.
2. My nose. My mother says I have the perfect nose, though I don't know what makes it so perfect.
3. The patch of freckles on my right shoulder.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My thighs.
2. My stomach.
3. My hair. It never behaves.

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Hungarian.
2. Swedish.
3. German.

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. New Jersey freeways. Oh dear G-d.
2. Losing a friend or family member.
3. Right when a plane lands. Everything else about flying is fine, but I'm always afraid the plane won't stop and we'll plow into the airport, killing hundreds of people before bursting into flames.

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Insulin, duh.
2. Coffee, duh.
3. Electricity - so my computer will turn on, my phone can charge, the lights will turn on, the A/C can work... you get the picture.

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. White t-shirt
2. Floral skirt from New York Company
3. Brown Sketchers.

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE MUSICALS:
1. The Lion King
2. Movin' Out
3. Chicago

The last two of which I actually saw on Broadway. The Lion King was in Portland.

THREE OF YOUR [sort of current] FAVORITE SONGS:
1. Talk by Coldplay
2. Satellite by Guster
3. Faster Kill Pussycat by Paul Oakenfold

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Honesty
2. Respect
3. Laughter

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS THAT YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE:
1. A sea of clouds at 37,000 ft.
2. Mt. Hood. I grew up by it and a mountain range is one thing I miss about the West Coast.
3. The city of Paris from the top of Notre Dame.

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Walking aimlessly around cities.
2. Writing.
3. Shopping.

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Get a lease to my apartment.
2. Go to Manhattan.
3. Finish getting my car registered.

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
1. Diabetes educator. Not that it will ever happen, but that doesn't stop me from considering it.
2. Magazine writer.
3. Account executive.

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Israel.
2. New Zealand.
3. Boston.

THREE KIDS NAMES YOU LIKE:
1. Sage.
2. Connor.
3. Natalie.

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Visit the birthplace of Jesus.
2. Be in a movie.
3. Get married, have children.

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A CHICK:
1. I cry at sappy commercials. Well, I may not cry, but I'll want to.
2. I hit like a girl. So says my father. To which I respond: "I am a girl!"
3. Shopping always makes feel better.

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. I can read maps. I navigated France, Georgia and New Jersey without ever having been there before.
2. Which means I have a great sense of direction. Except in New Jersey, where the roads follow absolutely no logical order.
3. I know how a computer works.

THREE CELEB CRUSHES:
1. Moby. Except he's, like, 40.
2. Zach Braff.
3. Chris Meloni from L&O: SVU.

Did you miss me?

I'm here!

I have been in New Jersey for a week and of course promptly broke my blog soon after so that I couldn't tell you all the exciting thing that have happened.

The first thing that happened to me was the flu.

Yes, that's right. My body must hate me flying more than I do, because I get sick quite often after flights. It's not fun. So I spent all of Friday asleep or watching reruns of What Not To Wear.

I finally managed to sneak out of the house on Saturday to visit a rental agent and pick up my dad from the airport.

On Sunday, we found me a car. A nice red 2001 Ford Focus. We spent about an hour and a half at this couple's home just talking. They recommended things to do in Atlantic City and my dad and the husband made fun of me and the wife about the lack of respect towards our vehicles (we're messy).

My dad and I ventured down to the shore later that day, which was a lot of fun except we realized you have to pay to use the beach. That is ridiculous. People don't own the beach. That's like owning the forest. Weirdos.

We drove up Route 35 trying to find something to eat when we realized: People in New Jersey don't eat. We couldn't find a single restaurant. So we elected to drive all the way back and had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant in Hoboken, about four blocks from the Hudson river. Then we had water ice, a.k.a. my reason for life.

I started work on Monday, though I haven't done a terrible amount of work because I've been so consumed with finding an apartment. Rental agents suck. Don't use them. I should have known better, but I am naive and hopeful.

I think I have found my apartment though, which is exciting, but I am not sure yet if it's a one hundred percent go. I won't know if I passed the credit check until Monday.

My dad is leaving on Sunday and my mom and younger brother are arriving next Friday and they will be here until July 8.

That's all the exciting news so far. There might be something else coming up, but it's not for sure so I will just keep everyone posted.

My new blog should premiere some time next week, God-willing. I don't have my computer yet so I have to do all this from work.

Okay, back to work!

Landed

Safely and soundly.

I really wanted to write my first blog post from my new blog on Wordpress.com, but the domain forwarding feature on Yahoo isn't working presently, so that's going to have to come later.

Needless to say, I'm exhausted and actually won't be writing much of a post other than to say: I'm here.

More later.

Making a Difference

JDRF created a new website for the impending Children's Congress 2007 a few weeks ago. They have been featuring blog posts by delegates and politicians who discuss the importance of Children's Congress and their hope for finding a cure. They also list the latest news articles about the delegates, they have a Flickr photo gallery so you can see what Children's Congress looks like and you can read the biographies of this year's delegates.

Today, JDRF is featuring a post I wrote about Children's Congress and why I think advocacy is important.

You can read it here.

Also, I have less than 24 hours until I leave for New Jersey and my room is a complete and total disaster.

An Interview with Myself.

So, when do you leave for New Jersey?

Thursday, June 14.

And when do you start work?

Monday, June 18.

Isn't that cutting it kind of close?

Indeed it is.

Do you have a place to live?

No, I'm going to live under the George Washington Bridge for awhile. Maybe check out the Brooklyn Bridge while I'm at it. Oh, and there's always hanging with the pidgeons in Central Park.

And if it starts to rain I'm going to sleep on Scott Strumello's couch.

Are you serious?

Actually, Scott lives a little far from my job... Oh, you mean about sleeping under bridges? No, of course not.

So where are you really staying?

At my dad's cousin's house in New Jersey. Then a hotel. Hopefully I'll find an apartment soon.

Are you driving out there?

It is not humanly possible to leave Oregon on Thursday and drive to New Jersey to start work on Monday. Unless I was Danica Patrick and drove 125 miles the entire time.

How is your stuff getting there?

Pick up my suitcase and find out. Oh, and the fine folks at UPS are picking up the slack.

Are you scared?

No, I trust the brown suits.

No, I meant about moving, leaving your friends and family and cute little kitty cat, for many months, possibly even years, to trek out into the while blue gray yonder of New Jersey...

Are you finished?

Yes.

I am a little scared.

Are you excited?

No, I find the entire experience dreadfully dull.

Of course I'm excited.

Are you going to miss your family?

Who?

Oh come on.

Yes, I'll miss my family. But not for very long. Dad arrives this Saturday, and my mum and brother arrive two weeks later. Then I will miss them.

So, what exactly are you doing in New Jersey?

I'm working at a PR agency.

Doing what?

I'll be a New Media Coordinator.

What does that mean?

Um, I think it might have something to do with blogs. Wikis, perhaps? You know, all that new-fangled technology kids are messing around with these days. But I'm not really sure...

Oh, brilliant.

I'll get back to you.

Well, thank you for taking the time to answer all these questions. People have been wondering about your Big Move.
Ah, no problem at all. My pleasure actually.

Well, thank you again. Good-bye!

Cheers!

Dr. Bernstein, Meet Your Worst Nightmare

Me: I think I'm high.
Me: I think forgot to bolus for some chips...
Me: And I was high before I even went to the bbq
Christine: yesterday i bolused for a sandwich and forgot to eat it
Christine: go me!
Me: fuck.
Me: I think my body is ignoring insulin right now.
Christine: what are you?
Me: you don't want to know.
Christine: great
Christine: bad site?
Me: No I just put a new one in.
Me: I think it might be the insulin and/or air bubbles.
Me: I am a number that should not be repeated out loud.
Christine: lol
Christine: over 400?
Me: yep
Me: second time today!
Me: go me!
Christine: good grief girl!
Christine: start a new bottle
Me: I think Dr. Bernstein would probably just take me out back to a shed and get it over with.

Later that night....

Me: OMG
Me: You know how it says on the meter to "check code" each time you turn it on?
Christine: yeah
Me: Guess who should have been doing that all week!!!!
Me: AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Christine: uh oh
Christine: you really weren't 446!

Even later...

Me: I think I'm going low too
Mes: haha. 55 mg/dl.
Me: Wonderful.
Christine: wow
Me: My day keeps getting better...
Christine: that was quite the drop
Christine: want some goldfish?
Me: I probably wasn't really 447.
Me: And I took a ton of insulin.
Christine: yep
Christine: now you need to post a renig on your blog
Christine: after you juice up
Me: what do you mean?
Christine: you said on your blog you were 447
Christine: but....you weren't
Me: oh...
Me: true.
Christine: bernstein won't hate you anymore
Me: ha
Christine: you're right in his target range
Me: he'll just think i'm an idiot.
Christine: but a well controlled one

Today's Lesson: Always always check your test strip code!

Dream Your Own Pump

The folks at Medtronic Minimed are looking for your thoughts on how to design the best insulin pump! Engineers are hard at work on the Paradigm 2 and they have solicited Wil at LifeAfterDX to help garner input on what should be included in the new design.

Hop over to Wil's blog to read his wish list and post a your thoughts! Who knows? You might see your brilliant idea in Minimed's next marketing campaign!

Hodgepodge

Number One: I shipped the first three boxes via UPS today. I got lost finding the place. Actually, I didn't really get lost as I knew exactly where I was, it's that I had no idea where I was supposed to be going. Then I discovered the UPS store I was going to was the "pick-up" only location (I had gone there to pick up pump supplies) so I had to turn around and go back home to look up a location I could ship from. Quite annoying. Total for 3 boxes: $47. I took the fourth box home and I am determined to shove the contents into my suitcase, even if that means breaking a zipper.

Number Two: One week!

Number Three: I'm currently working on a new wordpress version of my blog. I am really liking the new format a lot better than this one, and I'm hoping to reveal it later next week. Oooo, anticipation and excitement! You know it.

Number Four: I hate moving more than anything in this world. So here's a meme instead:

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? I need to get my skin clearer before I start work. I look like I'm in high school.

2. How much cash do you have on you? I have probably $2 in change, but no cash.

3. What's a word that rhymes with DOOR? Gore.

4. Favorite planet? Pluto and it *is* a planet no matter what those silly scientists says!

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? I don't actually have a missed call list. I have a Received Call list that checks the people I actually answered. The fourth number on the list that does not have a check by it is my mother's work number.

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? Right now I have the beginning to "Layla" by Eric Clapton, but I also like "Dance, Dance, Christa Paffgen" by Anberlin.

7. What shirt are you wearing? A blue t-shirt from American Eagle. It's the blue t-shirt from my photo shoot on Flickr and Facebook.

8. Do you label yourself? Only when necessary.

9. Name the brand of the shoes you're currently wearing: Del Sol. They are flip-flops with straps that change color in the sun.

10. Bright or Dark Room? Normal light?

11. Why is there always a missing question? Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid. And they can't count.

12. What does your watch look like? It's a small, pager-like box with a clear tube coming out of one end... Oh yeah, it's not a watch. It's an insulin pump.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night? Working on my new blog and watching The Nanny.

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say? It's been such a long time since I got a text it's not longer on my phone.

15. Where is your nearest 7-11? I know there is one by campus, and that's about 3 miles away.

16. What's a word that you say a lot? "Awesome." It's terrible. I need to expand my vocabulary desperately.

17. Who told you he/she loved you last? My mom

18. Last furry thing you touched? My cat, Emma.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? Just one - insulin.

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? You develop film? I don't understand the question...

21. Favorite age you have been so far? Seventeen was a pretty good year. I can't think of much that went wrong my senior year in high school.

22. Your worst enemy? I don't have one. I certainly wouldn't say diabetes because I think of an enemy as someone or something that has a personal vendetta against you. I don't think diabetes hates me. It's a disease, it's not doing this because it doesn't like me.

23. What is your current desktop picture? The Pacific from the cliffs of Mendocino, CA.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone? I think I said something like "Thanks" when I was at Taco Bell.

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, what would it be? Million dollars. You can invest it and then buy an airplane, thus having money and the ability to fly.

26. Do you like someone? As in a boy? A special someone? No, I don't.

27. The last song you listened to? A song by Rhianna. I don't remember the name. Not "Umbrella" and not "Pon de Replay." The other other single.

28. What time of day were you born? 10:48 p.m.

29. What's your favorite number? 7.

30. Where did you live in 1987? With my parents, I think we had just moved from the Brown House in Beaverton to our current house in the Quaint Little Suburb of Portland.

31. Are you jealous of anyone? I envy certain aspects of different people's lives (especially the ones with boyfriends or fiances... I am alone... oh so alone...), but there isn't someone who I would love to be or anything.

32. Is anyone jealous of you? Of course. Look at me. I'm like so totally awesome and wonderful. Gah. I certainly hope no one is jealous of me. What a waste of time...

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? When the planes hit the towers, I was asleep. I'm on the West Coast, so I believe it was between 5 and 6 a.m. PST when it happened... I heard about it on the radio when I woke up. The first tower was already down when I went into my parents room to find out why Brian Williams was on Z100. I watched the second tower fall in our family room.

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? I walk away, pissed.

35. Do you consider yourself kind? I try to be. I know I'm not always, but it's a goal.

36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? Ankle or the small of my back. Something I could hide easily or at least wouldn't be too noticeable.

37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? I took 7 years of French and can barely speak a word of it, so it would be nice to learn that again. I would also like to learn Italian and Hebrew.

38. Would you move for the person you loved? Yes.

39. Are you touchy-feely? I used to be, but now I'm very sensitive about who touches me. Hugs are good, but people who touch my arms, shoulders, hair or back make me nervous for some reason. Especially men.

40. What's your life motto? I have a few. First, the obvious, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." I also like "Living well is the best revenge" and "Tis better to light one small candle than to forever curse the darkness."

41. Name three things you have on you at all times: Clothes of some kind. That's really about it. There isn't anything I wear always.

42. What's your favorite town/city? Can I pick three? New York City, Paris, and San Francisco. Though not necessarily in that order.

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? Coffee yesterday, I think. Not sure.

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? I sent out handwritten notecards to everyone who received a graduation announcement.

45. Can you change the oil on a car? Nope. I get it done by professionals. Knowing me, I'd blow the car up or something.

46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? I don't even know if I have had a first love. I think they were mostly just crushes that broke my heart. I have never had a boyfriend. Though out of my crushes, one disappeared completely, one is going to college in Portland, and three are engaged.

47. How far back do you know your ancestry? I can go back five generations, which I believe is my great-great-great-grandfather Josef Balacz.

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? I wore a black shirt with lace trim, dark jeans and black heels that don't fit me. It was to the OCapalooza dinner in Manhattan.

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? My back, but it always hurts. I have a crummy bed.

50. Have you ever been burned by love? Of course. It's why I hate college.

51. Do you have a crush on any bloggers? Super George! Oh c'mon, look at him! You know you have a crush on him too. I bet even Scott has a crush on him! Hehe. I'm kidding, of course... Or am I? (No, I really am kidding.)

52. Where would you like to live? I would love to live overseas for awhile. Maybe London, or even Israel with my cousin Lauren. I think that would be really interesting.

Technicality Question

As you know, I am moving to the East Coast next week.

(And if you didn't know, this is obviously the first post you've ever read here.)

I have been writing a couple new biographies, trying to explain that I am from the West Coast (Oregon) and moving to the East Coast (New Jersey), but I keep stumbling across this issue of how to phrase where I am from.

Am I an East Coast transplant or a West Coast transplant?

I am so confused. It makes sense to me either way so I don't know what to put. Do you refer to the place that you are going to or where you are from?

Sigh.

Please, somebody tell me the proper way to write this!

Thanks in advance.

My Life in Boxes

Everything I own is either in boxes or on the floor. I have spent the last week or so sorting through old notebooks, school papers, clothes, and books trying to figure out what was worth hauling to the other side of the country and what just needed to be hauled out permanently.

I sorted through my library and ended up with two paper bags and a cardboard box full of books. I went to the Powell's warehouse in Northwest Portland on Saturday and made $52, which I then promptly spent on food, a movie ticket to Spiderman 3 and a tank of gas. I still have another bag of books that I missed, so it looks like I will be heading back to one of the many Powell's outlets in Portland.

I think out of everything there is in Portland, I am going to miss Powell's Bookstore the most. Probably in the entire state...

I have definitely been making sure to visit everything I love about Oregon during my last few weeks here. That makes it sound like I'm dying, but honestly, I don't know when I'm coming back. My parents were already talking about coming out to New York for Christmas, and I don't think there's much reason to fly across the country for Thanksgiving. Too much time in a plane for such a short time on the ground.

This past weekend I was in Portland for our family portraits, which turned out well. Then while I waited for the staff at Powell's to decide which books they wanted, drove across one of Portland's twelve bridges to St. John, which is north north Portland. Walked around. Went low. Had a mango juice from Mexico. Mmm, tasty mangos.

I attended my last church service in Portland on Sunday. Watched a television show about morbidly obese people with my mother and then we went to Starbucks.

I have six days left in Eugene. I probably will never ever come back. There is a lot that I still haven't done here, but I am very glad to be leaving. I did not have the greatest college experience someone could have, but I did learn a lot about myself and other people, so I suppose that's the only thing anyone can really ask for.

Part of Me

I wore a dress today.

It's green and pink and purple and aqua and has all these crazy shapes. I bought it almost two years ago and the only time I remember wearing it since then was in Orlando at the Volunteers Reception at the Friends for Life Conference.

It was warm today and I didn't have any other clean summer clothes.

This afternoon I was driving to Espresso Roma, the coffeeshop near campus where I went often during college. I was thinking about how I was going to bolus if I ate anything there. I thought "I guess I will have to go into the bathroom so I don't flash anyone."

I thought about how hungry I was because I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. I had gone to breakfast with a good friend of mine whom I hadn't seen in a few months. I was hungry and I wondered what my blood sugar was.

I don't know why I left the house without testing. I usually do if it has been more than half an hour after I last tested or ate. I guess I was in a rush.

I remembered I didn't take my Lantus that morning. It was five hours past when I was supposed to take it, and I wondered why I didn't feel sicker.

The traffic was slow, almost stopped, so I pulled out my meter and tested while driving, thinking I would need to go home to put on something that would allow easy clippage of the pump.

I was 193 mg/dl. I don't remember taking the Lantus, but then again, maybe I did?

I decided to not eat anything and I bolused two units.

----

When I left Roma almost two hours later, I pulled out my iPod. Tangled in the headphone cord was a syringe. I smiled and dropped the syringe back in my bag.

---

As I left the bathroom inside the coffeeshop, I spotted a test strip on the back porch where we like to drink and talk outside. I was surprised to see it there because I had not tested at the coffeeshop that day. Maybe it fell out of my bag when I got out my book, Life After God. I thought about picking it up, but I didn't.

The strip has my blood in it, so it's like part of me is still actually there.

--

12 more days.

-

I tested just now. I am 83 mg/dl.

Maybe the diabetes stayed at the coffeeshop too.

Later that night: I must have taken Lantus because my post-dinner reading is 100 mg/dl. Either that or I've got one of those screwy Ultra 2 meters and it's lying to me. Oh well. I'm not worrying about it.