tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144383572024-03-06T23:58:58.486-08:00Lemonade LifeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-40261589477772611832007-07-03T05:34:00.000-07:002007-07-03T05:45:08.750-07:00Once More, With FeelingMy new blog isn't up on Headlines yet, so I guess I should probably keep posting here until it happens.<br /><br />A couple new posts are up at the new blog... including a meme!<br /><br /><a href="http://lemonade-life.com">You know you want to</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-80224220607409144052007-06-29T06:37:00.001-07:002007-06-29T06:37:42.547-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hey. You.<br /><br />Over here.<br /><a href="http://www.lemonade-life.com"><br />www.lemonade-life.com</a><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-38614162297958177752007-06-28T10:40:00.000-07:002007-06-28T10:48:45.152-07:00Because I Like to Make Your Life DifficultIn 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Wordpress doesn't forward. It wants the URL to forward to Wordpress.<br /><br />So that's what I attempted to do.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Which I have been attempting to do for the last week.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Ridiculous!<br /><br />So I give up.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />It's: <a href="http://www.lemonade-life.com">www dot lemonade dash life dot com</a>.<br /><br />Or: <a href="http://lemonade-life.com">www.lemonade-life.com</a>.<br /><a href="http://lemonlemonade.wordpress.com"><br />Or: www.lemonlemonade.wordpress.com</a>.<br /><br />All will work.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Apologies again but, uh, deal.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-42275670596595654942007-06-27T06:42:00.000-07:002007-06-27T06:45:23.653-07:00Won't Tell This StoryI found this link from a friend's blog.<br /><br />It is about a man who met three other men in a small town in Indiana.<br /><br />It is about a beating, a death, and a discovery.<br /><br />And it is about a hate crime that will go unnoticed because hate crimes don't exist in Indiana courts.<br /><br />His name is Aaron Hall and if you haven't heard about him, you're not alone.<br /><br /><a href="http://bookshop.livejournal.com/834653.html">His story</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-10984732797216416292007-06-25T13:22:00.000-07:002007-06-25T13:29:38.368-07:00Many Good Things<strong>Number One:</strong><br /><br />I have an apartment!<br /><br />A real live actual apartment that is mine for the next year!<br /><br />My advice: Never move across the country without having a place to live. Very, very difficult.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Number Two:</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />I am going on my first business trip!<br /><br />And guess where it is?<br /><br />Give up?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogher.com/">BlogHer '07</a>.<br /><br />That's right. My company is <em>paying</em> to have me go to a blogging conference.<br /><br />I think I can feel Julia's death rays from here...<br /><br />Let the taunting begin!<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><strong>P.S. Thanks to Kevin for christening me Lemonhead. </strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-51192189075529137542007-06-22T08:51:00.000-07:002007-06-22T09:34:44.853-07:00On My Lunch HourStolen from, uh, everyone. <br /><br />THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:<br />1. Allison<br />2. I don't have any other nicknames. <br />3. This makes me sad. <br /><br />THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:<br />1. My eyes. I have my mother's eyes. <br />2. My nose. My mother says I have the perfect nose, though I don't know what makes it so perfect.<br />3. The patch of freckles on my right shoulder. <br /><br />THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:<br />1. My thighs.<br />2. My stomach.<br />3. My hair. It never behaves. <br /><br />THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:<br />1. Hungarian.<br />2. Swedish.<br />3. German.<br /><br />THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:<br />1. New Jersey freeways. Oh dear G-d. <br />2. Losing a friend or family member.<br />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. <br /><br />THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:<br />1. Insulin, duh. <br />2. Coffee, duh. <br />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.<br /><br />THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:<br />1. White t-shirt<br />2. Floral skirt from New York Company<br />3. Brown Sketchers.<br /><br />THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE MUSICALS:<br />1. The Lion King<br />2. Movin' Out<br />3. Chicago<br /><br />The last two of which I actually saw on Broadway. The Lion King was in Portland.<br /><br />THREE OF YOUR [sort of current] FAVORITE SONGS:<br />1. Talk by Coldplay<br />2. Satellite by Guster<br />3. Faster Kill Pussycat by Paul Oakenfold<br /><br />THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:<br />1. Honesty<br />2. Respect<br />3. Laughter<br /><br />THREE PHYSICAL THINGS THAT YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE:<br />1. A sea of clouds at 37,000 ft. <br />2. Mt. Hood. I grew up by it and a mountain range is one thing I miss about the West Coast. <br />3. The city of Paris from the top of Notre Dame. <br /><br />THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:<br />1. Walking aimlessly around cities.<br />2. Writing. <br />3. Shopping.<br /><br />THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:<br />1. Get a lease to my apartment.<br />2. Go to Manhattan.<br />3. Finish getting my car registered.<br /><br />THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:<br />1. Diabetes educator. Not that it will ever happen, but that doesn't stop me from considering it.<br />2. Magazine writer.<br />3. Account executive.<br /><br />THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:<br />1. Israel.<br />2. New Zealand.<br />3. Boston. <br /><br />THREE KIDS NAMES YOU LIKE:<br />1. Sage.<br />2. Connor.<br />3. Natalie.<br /><br />THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:<br />1. Visit the birthplace of Jesus.<br />2. Be in a movie.<br />3. Get married, have children. <br /><br />THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A CHICK:<br />1. I cry at sappy commercials. Well, I may not cry, but I'll want to.<br />2. I hit like a girl. So says my father. To which I respond: "I <i>am</i> a girl!"<br />3. Shopping always makes feel better.<br /><br />THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:<br />1. I can read maps. I navigated France, Georgia and New Jersey without ever having been there before. <br />2. Which means I have a great sense of direction. Except in New Jersey, where the roads follow absolutely no logical order.<br />3. I know how a computer works.<br /><br />THREE CELEB CRUSHES: <br />1. Moby. Except he's, like, 40.<br />2. Zach Braff. <br />3. Chris Meloni from L&O: SVU.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-18192152619619511402007-06-21T13:23:00.000-07:002007-06-21T13:36:35.163-07:00Did you miss me?I'm here!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The first thing that happened to me was the flu.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I finally managed to sneak out of the house on Saturday to visit a rental agent and pick up my dad from the airport.<br /><br />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).<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />My dad is leaving on Sunday and my mom and younger brother are arriving next Friday and they will be here until July 8.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Okay, back to work!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-13799175394431449682007-06-14T21:06:00.000-07:002007-06-14T21:07:37.132-07:00LandedSafely and soundly.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Needless to say, I'm exhausted and actually won't be writing much of a post other than to say: I'm here.<br /><br />More later.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-24473566887402560372007-06-13T12:25:00.000-07:002007-06-13T12:37:43.786-07:00Making a DifferenceJDRF created a new <a href="http://jdrf.org/">website</a> for the impending Children's Congress 2007 a fe<a href="http://lemonlemonade.com/uploaded_images/logo_newhomepage-757004.gif"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://lemonlemonade.com/uploaded_images/logo_newhomepage-757001.gif" border="0" /></a>w 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.<br /><br />Today, JDRF is featuring a post I wrote about Children's Congress and why I think advocacy is important.<br /><br />You can read it <a href="http://cc.jdrf.org/blog/what-ive-learned/allison-blass-age-21-2001-cc-delegate.php">here</a>.<br /><br />Also, I have less than 24 hours until I leave for New Jersey and my room is a complete and total disaster.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-17077378647600686012007-06-10T22:18:00.000-07:002007-06-10T22:41:45.677-07:00An Interview with Myself.<strong>So, when do you leave for New Jersey?</strong><br /><br />Thursday, June 14.<br /><br /><strong>And when do you start work?<br /></strong><br />Monday, June 18.<br /><br /><strong>Isn't that cutting it kind of close?</strong><br /><br />Indeed it is.<br /><br /><strong>Do you have a place to live?</strong><br /><br />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.<br /><br />And if it starts to rain I'm going to sleep on Scott Strumello's couch.<br /><br /><strong>Are you serious?</strong><br /><br />Actually, Scott lives a little far from my job... Oh, you mean about sleeping under bridges? No, of course not.<br /><br /><strong>So where are you really staying?</strong><br /><br />At my dad's cousin's house in New Jersey. Then a hotel. Hopefully I'll find an apartment soon.<br /><br /><strong>Are you driving out there?<br /></strong><br />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.<br /><br /><strong>How is your stuff getting there?</strong><br /><br />Pick up my suitcase and find out. Oh, and the fine folks at UPS are picking up the slack.<br /><br /><strong>Are you scared?</strong><br /><br />No, I trust the brown suits.<br /><br /><strong>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 <strike>blue</strike> gray yonder of New Jersey...</strong><br /><br />Are you finished?<br /><br /><strong>Yes.</strong><br /><br />I am a little scared.<br /><br /><strong>Are you excited?<br /></strong><br />No, I find the entire experience dreadfully dull.<br /><br />Of course I'm excited.<br /><br /><strong>Are you going to miss your family?</strong><br /><br />Who?<br /><br /><strong>Oh come on.<br /></strong><br />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.<br /><br /><strong>So, what exactly are you doing in New Jersey?<br /></strong><br />I'm working at a PR agency.<br /><br /><strong>Doing what? </strong><br /><br />I'll be a New Media Coordinator.<br /><br /><strong>What does that mean?<br /></strong><br />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...<br /><br /><strong>Oh, brilliant.</strong><br /><br />I'll get back to you.<br /><br /><strong>Well, thank you for taking the time to answer all these questions. People have been wondering about your Big Move. </strong><br />Ah, no problem at all. My pleasure actually.<br /><br /><strong>Well, thank you again. Good-bye!</strong><br /><br />Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-61991551982527042632007-06-08T21:02:00.000-07:002007-06-09T00:08:13.127-07:00Dr. Bernstein, Meet Your Worst Nightmare<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: I think I'm high.<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: I think forgot to bolus for some chips...<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: And I was high before I even went to the bbq<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: yesterday i bolused for a sandwich and forgot to eat it<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: go me!<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: fuck.<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: I think my body is ignoring insulin right now.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: what are you?<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: you don't want to know.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: great<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: bad site?<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: No I just put a new one in.<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: I think it might be the insulin and/or air bubbles.<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: I am a number that should not be repeated out loud.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: lol<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: over 400?<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: yep<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: second time today!<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: go me!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: good grief girl!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: start a new bottle<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: I think Dr. Bernstein would probably just take me out back to a shed and get it over with.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Later that night....<br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: OMG<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: You know how it says on the meter to "check code" each time you turn it on?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine: </span>yeah<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: Guess who should have been doing that all week!!!!<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: uh oh<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: you really weren't 446!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Even later...<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: I think I'm going low too<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>s: haha. 55 mg/dl.<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: Wonderful.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: wow<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: My day keeps getting better...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: that was quite the drop<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: want some goldfish?<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: I probably wasn't really 447.<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: And I took a ton of insulin.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: yep<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: now you need to post a renig on your blog<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: after you juice up<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: what do you mean?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: you said on your blog you were 447<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: but....you weren't<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: oh...<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: true.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: bernstein won't hate you anymore<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: ha<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: you're right in his target range<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Me</span>: he'll just think i'm an idiot.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Christine</span>: but a well controlled one<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's Lesson: Always <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> check your test strip code!</span><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-33741177972300316632007-06-08T12:25:00.001-07:002007-06-08T12:25:26.754-07:00Dream Your Own Pump<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.lemonlemonade.com/pf_515_display_purplepump_small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 104px; height: 72px;" src="http://www.lemonlemonade.com/pf_515_display_purplepump_small.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>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.<br /><br />Hop over to <a href="http://lifeafterdx.blogspot.com/">Wil's blog</a> to read his wish list and post a your thoughts! Who knows? You might see your brilliant idea in Minimed's next marketing campaign!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-65812689546442696602007-06-07T15:39:00.001-07:002007-06-07T16:15:23.338-07:00Hodgepodge<span style="font-weight: bold;">Number One:</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Number Two:</span> One week!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Number Three:</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Number Four:</span> I hate moving more than anything in this world. So here's a meme instead:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?</span> <span>I need to get my skin clearer before I start work. I look like I'm in high school.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. How much cash do you have on you?</span> <span>I have probably $2 in change, but no cash.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. What's a word that rhymes with DOOR?</span> <span>Gore.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Favorite planet?</span> Pluto and it *is* a planet no matter what those silly scientists says!<span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? </span><span>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.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?</span> Right now I have the beginning to "Layla" by Eric Clapton, but I also like "Dance, Dance, Christa Paffgen" by Anberlin.<span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. What shirt are you wearing?</span> <span>A blue t-shirt from American Eagle. It's the blue t-shirt from my photo shoot on Flickr and Facebook.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Do you label yourself?</span> <span>Only when necessary. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Name the brand of the shoes you're currently wearing: </span><span>Del Sol. They are flip-flops with straps that change color in the sun. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Bright or Dark Room?</span> Normal light? <span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">11. Why is there always a missing question?</span> Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid. And they can't count.<span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">12. What does your watch look like?</span> 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">13. What were you doing at midnight last night?</span> <span>Working on my new blog and watching The Nanny. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?</span> <span><span>It's been such a long time since I got a text it's not longer on my phone.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">15. Where is your nearest 7-11? </span><span>I know there is one by campus, and that's about 3 miles away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">16. What's a word that you say a lot?</span> <span><span>"Awesome." It's terrible. I need to expand my vocabulary desperately.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">17. Who told you he/she loved you last?</span> <span>My mom</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">18. Last furry thing you touched?</span> <span>My cat, Emma.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?</span> <span>Just one - insulin.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? </span><span>You develop film? I don't understand the question... </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">21. Favorite age you have been so far? </span>Seventeen was a pretty good year. I can't think of much that went wrong my senior year in high school. <span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">22. Your worst enemy?</span> 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. <span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">23. What is your current desktop picture? </span><span>The Pacific from the cliffs of Mendocino, CA.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">24. What was the last thing you said to someone?</span> I think I said something like "Thanks" when I was at Taco Bell. <span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, what would it be? </span><span>Million dollars. You can invest it and then buy an airplane, thus having money and the ability to fly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">26. Do you like someone? </span>As in a boy? A special someone? No, I don't. <span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">27. The last song you listened to?</span> <span>A song by Rhianna. I don't remember the name. Not "Umbrella" and not "Pon de Replay." The other <span style="font-style: italic;">other</span> single.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">28. What time of day were you born?</span> <span>10:48 p.m. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">29. What's your favorite number? </span><span>7. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">30. Where did you live in 1987?</span> <span>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.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">31. Are you jealous of anyone? </span><span>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. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">32. Is anyone jealous of you?</span> <span>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...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">33. Where were you when 9/11 happened?</span> <span>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.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money?</span> <span>I walk away, pissed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">35. Do you consider yourself kind?</span> <span>I try to be. I know I'm not always, but it's a goal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? </span><span>Ankle or the small of my back. Something I could hide easily or at least wouldn't be too noticeable.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be?</span> <span>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.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">38. Would you move for the person you loved?</span> <span>Yes.</span><span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">39. Are you touchy-feely? </span><span>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. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">40. What's your life motto?</span> <span>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." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">41. Name three things you have on you at all times: </span><span>Clothes of some kind. That's really about it. There isn't anything I wear always.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">42. What's your favorite town/city?</span> <span>Can I pick three? New York City, Paris, and San Francisco. Though not necessarily in that order.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? </span><span>Coffee yesterday, I think. Not sure. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?</span> <span>I sent out handwritten notecards to everyone who received a graduation announcement. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">45. Can you change the oil on a car?</span> Nope. I get it done by professionals. Knowing me, I'd blow the car up or something.<span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?</span> <span>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. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">47. How far back do you know your ancestry? </span><span>I can go back five generations, which I believe is my great-great-great-grandfather Josef Balacz. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? </span><span>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.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? </span><span>My back, but it always hurts. I have a crummy bed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">50. Have you ever been burned by love? </span><span>Of course. It's why I hate college.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">51. Do you have a crush on any bloggers?</span> 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.)<a href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="return false;" tabindex="7"><span></span></a><br /><span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">52. Where would you like to live?</span> I would love to live overseas for awhile. Maybe London, or even Israel with my cousin Lauren. I think that would be really interesting. <span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-27609288186129765482007-06-06T18:30:00.000-07:002007-06-06T18:34:59.557-07:00Technicality QuestionAs you know, I am moving to the East Coast next week.<br /><br />(And if you didn't know, this is obviously the first post you've ever read here.)<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Am I an East Coast transplant or a West Coast transplant?<br /><br />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?<br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br />Please, somebody tell me the proper way to write this!<br /><br />Thanks in advance.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-88510857391412904622007-06-05T10:22:00.001-07:002007-06-05T10:45:30.234-07:00My Life in BoxesEverything 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I think out of everything there is in Portland, I am going to miss Powell's Bookstore the most. Probably in the entire state...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 <span style="font-style: italic;">north</span> Portland. Walked around. Went low. Had a mango juice from Mexico. Mmm, tasty mangos.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-16795232344717802172007-06-01T16:58:00.001-07:002007-06-01T20:19:05.161-07:00Part of MeI wore a dress today.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />It was warm today and I didn't have any other clean summer clothes.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I was 193 mg/dl. I don't remember taking the Lantus, but then again, maybe I did?<br /><br />I decided to not eat anything and I bolused two units.<br /><br />----<br /><img src="http://lemonlemonade.com/Roma.JPG" align="right" border="2" /><br />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.<br /><br />---<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The strip has my blood in it, so it's like part of me is still actually there.<br /><br />--<br /><br />12 more days.<br /><br />-<br /><br />I tested just now. I am 83 mg/dl.<br /><br />Maybe the diabetes stayed at the coffeeshop too.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">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. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-7558412879276753792007-05-30T00:31:00.000-07:002007-05-30T00:43:12.874-07:00Meme from the D-Moms10 Years ago...<br /><br />1.) How old were you: <span style="font-weight: bold;">11</span><br />2.) Where did you go to school: <span style="font-weight: bold;">****** Middle School </span><br />4.) Where did you live: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Suburb of Portland, Oregon.</span><br />5.) Where did you hang out: <span style="font-weight: bold;">my bedroom, my backyard, the fire station where we had Girl Scout meetings.</span><br />6.) Did you wear glasses:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> yes, my eyesight actually started going in 6th grade and it freaked me out. I thought I was getting complications. Turns out I just have sucky eyesight.</span><br />7.) Who was your best friend: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jenny</span><br />8.) Who was your regular-person crush: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ryan</span><br />10.) How many piercings did you have: <span style="font-weight: bold;">1 in each ear.</span><br />11.) What car did you drive: <span style="font-weight: bold;">I was eleven...</span><br />12.) Had you been to a real party: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Does real constitute "one that serves alcohol"? If so, no. </span><br />13.) Had your heart broken: <span style="font-weight: bold;">No.</span><br />14.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Single, c'mon.</span><br /><br />Five years ago...<br /><br />1.) How old were you: <span style="font-weight: bold;">16</span><br />2.) Where did you go to school:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Suburb of Portland High School.</span><br />3.) Where did you work: <span style="font-weight: bold;">just babysitting</span><br />4.) Where did you live: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Suburb of Portland, Oregon</span><br />5.) Where did you hang out: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sharis, Julia's house</span><br />7.) Who was your best friend: <span style="font-weight: bold;">didn't really have one... I had a large group of friends my junior and senior year in high school.</span><br />8.) Who was your regular-person crush:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Nathan</span><br />9.) How many tattoos did you have: <span style="font-weight: bold;">none</span><br />10.) How many piercings did you have: <span style="font-weight: bold;">still just 1 in each ear.</span><br />11.) What car did you drive: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Buffy, my Nissan Sentra.</span><br />12.) Had you been to a real party: <span style="font-weight: bold;">I'm going to go with yes.</span><br />13.) Had your heart broken: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Yes</span><br />14.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Single</span><br /><br />Present Day...<br /><br />1.) How old are you: <span style="font-weight: bold;">21</span><br />2.) Where do you go to school: <span style="font-weight: bold;">graduated!</span><br />3.) Where do you work: <span style="font-weight: bold;">three weeks away from working at a PR agency</span><br />4.) Where do you live: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oregon for 14 more days.</span><br />5.) Where do you hang out: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Roma, Max's, my apartment, Sharis, my house.</span><br />6.) Do you wear glasses: <span style="font-weight: bold;">I wear contacts now.</span><br />7.) Who is your best friend: <span style="font-weight: bold;">still don't have one. </span><br />8.) Who is your regular-person crush: <span style="font-weight: bold;">I actually don't have a crush on anyone.</span><br />9.) How many tattoos did you have:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> None.</span><br />10.) How many piercings do you have: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Six - two in left, three in the right, and my nose.</span><br />11.) What car do you drive: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Buffy! But I'm getting a new car soon. </span><br />12.) Had you been to a real party: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Definitely a yes now.</span><br />13.) Had your heart broken: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Yes.</span><br />14.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Single and becoming bitter...<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-6094282267939439992007-05-29T11:00:00.000-07:002007-05-29T11:08:40.700-07:00Four YearsThis past week marked the fourth anniversary of Dr. Hansen's passing. Because yesterday was Memorial Day, I decided to submit in my <a href="http://lemonlemonade.com/2005/11/how-ear-infection-changed-my-life.html">1st annual D-Blog Day post</a> to this weeks Grand Rounds over at From Medskool.<br /><br />If you're new to this blog or don't know me very well, I suggest you read this post.<br /><br /><strong>In other news:</strong><br /><br />Change of plans once again. Father unit is not driving across the country. Yeah, I knew that wouldn't last very long. Back to the original plan of him flying out a few days after me (this minimizes the amount of work he misses).<br /><br />I'm kind of sad, though. I was looking forward to buying a car this weekend.<br /><br />I also cut and highlighted my hair this weekend. What a disaster! Highlights were sheer blond against my dark brown hair, and it look ridiculous. Parents insisted it looked fine, but considering this was the day before we were supposed to have family portraits done, I insisted we cancel until we got my hair looking normal again. Of course, this means I have to drive another 200 miles roundtrip <em>again</em>. I'm really getting sick of the Oregon I-5 corridor.<br /><br />15 more days. I have five boxes now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-46206778122649058582007-05-25T10:30:00.001-07:002007-05-25T11:11:33.931-07:00Who's Excited!?!Headlines is baaaaaaack!!!<br /><br />Hells yeah!<br /><br />I don't know where it went, I don't know what went wrong, and frankly, I don't care! I'm just happy it back!<br /><br />---<br /><br />Got home last night after spending four hours the movie theater. One hour for waiting in line, three hours for the movie.<br /><br />Yes, three hours.<br /><br />It was as hilarious and swashbuckling as the first two, though I have to say, this one is slightly...how shall I say... odd. See for yourself.<br /><br />Oh! Stay until the end of the credits! REPEAT. Stay until the end of the credits!<br /><br />If you don't stay until the end of the credits, email me and I will tell you what happens.<br /><br />---<br /><br />20 days!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-89422797264941143662007-05-24T13:17:00.000-07:002007-05-24T16:00:00.323-07:00Three WeeksI am leaving for New Jersey in exactly three weeks. I have four boxes packed. Small boxes.<br /><br />I have finished the graduation announcements and my tongue has recovered. Why didn't I use a sponge? Because contrary to popular belief, I'm not very bright.<br /><br />I put pictures from my graduation picture photo shoot up on Flickr. Facebook people have already seen these, but if you're not on Facebook (and why not?!) you can see them <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amblass/">here</a>. The pictures were taken by my friend Jenny at Torrey Pines in Del Mar, California during the CWD Pumping conference (though I was already on the TOTO technique, so I'm not actually wearing the pump in any of the pictures).<br /><img style="width: 262px; height: 195px;" src="http://lemonlemonade.com/orlandobloom_withjdepp.jpg" align="right" /><br />Tonight, Pirates of the Carribean is opening in theaters. Guess who is going to the 11:41 p.m. showing?!? Oh you know there's going to be dressing up, long lines, card games, and oggling Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom.<br /><br />Tomorrow I am having lunch with <a href="http://vovhdiabetic.blogspot.com/">Lori</a>.<br /><br />My dad has decided that we are going to buy me a car here in Oregon and he is going to drive it across the country with all my crap by himself. He's crazy, but I get to go car-shopping this weekend!<br /><br />I went to Target last night to buy boxes and I also bought some cheap popcorn. Don't buy cheap popcorn. You don't get a lot and it burns easily. I went through two bags already. And I have mixed feelings about this new Peach Citrus Fresca. I like original Fresca. Not too keen on this new stuff.<br /><br />I have to go pack now. I hate packing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edit: </span>Oh yeah, and my article on blogging and diabetes management is in this month's Diabetes Self-Management. Silly me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-27740829673339055122007-05-22T15:05:00.000-07:002007-05-23T00:13:11.131-07:00Dependent Much?Am I the only one who had a mild panic attack this morning upon discovering that Diabetes Headlines and the entire Diabetes Daily website was down?<br /><br />I think I have become just a smidge too reliant upon that service to keep me connected to the rest of the O.C. I mean, when you have just under two hundred blogs listed in the Diabetes O.C. directory (we have not yet hit 200, trust me, I counted), having a service that tells you exactly which ones have been updated is not only valuable and convenient, it's a bloody necessity!<br /><br />David! Elizabeth! Please come back from your honeymoon! We neeeeeeeed you!!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In other news:</span><br /><br />Excessive dining out, alcohol and my monthly cycle has my meter average slowly but surely making its way up to 200 mg/dl.<br /><br />Aside from the medical emergency Saturday morning, the rest of the weekend was quite lovely. I drove up on Wednesday to surprise a friend who was back from college. My car was about 10,290 miles overdue for an oil changed so on Thursday I did that as well as finally buying test strips and Lantus.<br /><br />I was introduced to two French public service announcements on AIDS and condom use. There's a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmxcGALIv9I">straight version</a> and <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=axh0Cj9ajfU">gay version</a>.<br /><br />My friend who works at Portland's concert venue The Crystal Ballroom got us into the Joss Stone show on Friday. Fabulous! Really great show. We stood backstage in the security area and pretended to be security guards when Joss Stone passed by the audience.<br /><br />I spent most of Saturday watching the Heroes marathon. I love Heroes. The finale was amazing. I cried, a little.<br /><br />I've spent today and yesterday printing out my senior photo for my graduation announcements and now my tongue tastes like glue. I am never graduating ever again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-63342524793869260412007-05-20T10:50:00.000-07:002007-05-20T19:57:12.983-07:00Suspicions ConfirmedTwo hours after everyone left for the hospital, my mother calls me and asks me to pick her up.<br /><br />"He's fine, but the doctors can't really figure out anything that's wrong," she tells me.<br /><br />Typical doctors, right?<br /><br />Other than pumping him full of saline and giving him some Tylenol, there really wasn't much that needed to be done. He was home by lunch and slept for most of the afternoon.<br /><br />Although it seems that this was pretty much just a case of dehydration and/or low blood pressure from being sick, the irony of it being Eric and not me didn't escape anyone.<br /><br />And that I think is why I was more compelled to write about this whole experience. My brother, the "healthy" one, happened to faint in a house with three people. But I, the "unhealthy" one, the one with the far greater odds of that happening (although it has yet to happen ::knock on wood::), am about to move to the other side of the country.<br /><br />"Are you sure you still want to move to the East Coast?" my dad joked. It's not too late to change my mind, of course. I'm still here, fully capable of turning down the job and canceling my plane ticket. Of course, I don't want to.<br /><br />I know there are plenty of people who live successfully by themselves with diabetes. I've been doing it for awhile myself. But there was something unnerving about having that happened just weeks before I move across the country to live by myself.<br /><br />For those who have lived by yourself with diabetes, what kind of safety precautions did you do to keep yourself as safe as possible? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Edit: Comments are fixed! No idea how they got turned off for this post, but thanks to Bernard for the head's up! Okay - ideas please!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-49761294789401830902007-05-19T10:00:00.000-07:002007-05-19T10:30:16.212-07:00Wait, You've Got the Wrong Blass!"Call the ambulance! Call the ambulance!"<br /><br />My eyes flutter open. I feel slightly nauseated. But I am alone.<br /><br />I hear my mother yelling outside my bedroom door.<br /><br />"Eric, what's wrong?!"<br /><br />My parents yell back and forth about what they think is happening and about what they think happened that led to my brother lying on the floor of our upstairs bathroom.<br /><br />"I think he just passed out," my father is saying.<br /><br />I'm not sure whether the mention of a possible seizure happened before or after my mother's request for an ambulance, but I do know it was a theory.<br /><br />Sequestered in my room, waiting for my parents to figure things out before emerging, I tried to figure out myself what could have happened while eavesdropping.<br /><br />I'm the diabetic, remember? Aren't I supposed to be the one having a seizure or passed out on a bathroom floor?<br /><br />"Medical." I hear my father on the phone with 911. He gives them my brother's stats. My mother takes the phone and explains what happened. Minutes later I hear the firetruck's sirens coming down our street.<br /><br />"What's his name?" an EMT asks.<br /><br />"Eric."<br /><br />"How old is he?"<br /><br />"17."<br /><br />My father explains what they think happened. "He was feeling sick for the past couple of days, complaining of a stomach ache and extra fatigue. He was feeling pretty sick last night. He came into the bathroom this morning and we heard a crash. I think he just passed out."<br /><br />Tiptoe-ing to the window, I peer out and see the ambulance and the firetruck at the end of our driveway. I can see the head's of some of the paramedics, bodies and actions blocked by the shingles of our roof.<br /><br /><img style="WIDTH: 270px; HEIGHT: 180px" height="248" src="http://lemonlemonade.com/ambulance.JPG" width="251" align="left" />Then they roll out my brother, strapped to a stretcher.<br /><br />As soon as they leave, I come out and walk down the stairs. My mother is staring out the window at the ambulance.<br /><br />"Your brother passed out," my dad says.<br /><br />"Yes, I know," I reply. "You woke me up about twenty minutes ago. I have to say I didn't expect to wake up to 'Get an ambulance!' this morning."<br /><br />"We weren't expecting to have to get one."<br /><br />We joked mildly about the Twilight Zone-ish feel of having my brother taken away in an ambulance after fainting while I'm standing in the kitchen, and though my blood sugar was pretty high from my girl's night out with friends, I certainly wasn't in any imminent danger of anything.<br /><br />My parents just left for the hospital about twenty minutes ago. My dad says he'll call if anything happens, but the general theory is that my brother was either dehydrated, had low blood sugar or both from being sick and just fainted in the bathroom.<br /><br />Hopefully he'll be home soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-6470686932260376732007-05-15T10:33:00.000-07:002007-05-15T11:01:24.343-07:00Been A Whole WeekIt's been exactly one week since I last posted, so obviously that must be I've been very busy with no time to post.<br /><br />Not exactly.<br /><br />Mostly I've still been bored, done nothing, and thus have nothing to write about.<br /><br />I spent a couple evenings last week hanging out with friends at the bars. It's one of the nice things of not having to get up early in the morning (my 10 a.m. Lantus shot isn't early and I can just take it and fall back asleep). On Friday I drove an hour north to my parent's house. I watched television and ate Thai food. On Saturday we rented For Your Consideration, a Christopher Guest movie about a horrible little independent production that actually gets Oscar buzz before it's even finished filming. It's cute, not great, but cute. Very over the top. Well, of course, it's Christopher Guest.<br /><br />Sunday was Mother's Day and I actually spent most of the day away from my mother. She went out with my dad in the afternoon to buy plants for the front yard and then we went out to dinner at The Spaghetti Factory. Despite my best efforts, didn't do such a hot job on the carb counting. Which I knew. It's kind of stupid when I do that. I know, or at least I think that I've eaten more carbs than I've bolused for, and yet even after I have finished eating and I know I didn't bolus right, I don't do anything. Hm. Strange. I need to stop that.<br /><br />All in all, the TOTO technique is finally starting to shape up as a legitimate method to control now that I know what I'm doing!<br /><br />Lastly, I would like to mention that the O.C. now has a group on <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a>, a social networking site that is open to everyone. It's way better than MySpace and you can join either your school network, work network or a regional network based on where you live. So you should sign up and be a part of the group! If you have any questions, just holler.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14438357.post-90404754590895606512007-05-08T22:35:00.000-07:002007-05-08T23:14:22.689-07:00What Happens When You Have a Month to KillGood news!<br /><br />I got my start date pushed back!<br /><br />Which means I have even more time to do NOTHING.<br /><br />I am seriously going nuts here.<br /><br />Well, it is a good thing, actually. You see, before I was moving to New Jersey four weeks before my family <strike>was planning</strike> could actually come help me find an apartment, buy a car, move furniture, et. al. Which meant I would have to find temporary housing and/or rent a car.<br /><br />Do you have any idea how ridiculously hard and outrageously expensive it is to either stay in a hotel for three weeks or sublet an apartment and rent a car when you're under 25?!?<br /><br />Really, really hard and expensive.<br /><br />I would have spent more than my entire first *two* paychecks just to stay at a hotel. Uh, no thanks.<br /><br />So I <strike>pleaded</strike> <strike>begged</strike> <strike>threw myself at the mercy of the court</strike> inquired if I could start two weeks later than original.<br /><br />They said yes!<br /><br />Now I can stay with my cousin for a week and rent a car for eight days (which, while still ridiculously expensive as an under-25-year-old, is slightly less ridiculous). Which is great.<br /><br />Except for the fact that I still can't do anything. I mean, how am I suppose to know what apartments and cars are going to be available when I get there on June something-or-other? And I can't exactly ship a couch. I mean, I could. I'm not going to. But I could.<br /><br />There just isn't a heck of a lot of stuff to do around here. Honestly, the highlight of my day was <a href="http://tinyurl.com/36qj7f">this video</a> posted on Julia's blog.<br /><br />I cleaned my room. I made cornbread tonight. I've gone on a few walks. I go to the park religiously now. Coffeehouse on campus with friends, in between <span style="font-style: italic;">their</span> classes. Ooh! I finished Devil Wears Prada tonight. That made me happy. Considering I started it a month ago. Plodding my way through The Lovely Bones, but it's just so damn depressing.<br /><br />A lot of time on the Internet. Ridiculous amounts of time. I think I have read every Facebook profile of every friend I have. Sex and the City almost every night. Hot Fuzz last Friday.<br /><br />Okay, I guess there has been stuff to do. But it just seems like most of the time I'm sitting on the computer thinking of things I could be doing and then realizing that there really isn't that much to do. Other than get the dozen or so O.C. submission forms up in the Directoy. ::cringes:: I am a horrible person. I kept forgetting to star them so when I search my Gmail for "submisson forms" about eight popped up that I haven't done. Those will be up... soon...<br /><br />Oh, and as far as that whole "TOTO technique" thing goes, yeah, still plugging along with that.<br /><br />Lesson #1: Just because your CDE is an author, lectures across the country and has diabetes himself does <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> mean he knows everything. Case and point: I really do need two shots of Lantus. I tried evening. I tried morning. I tried 27 units, I tried 26 units, I tried 25 units. I tried different ratios. I switched my correction factor. I am either high or low. Luck of the draw. And if I happen to be a "middle" blood sugar, it's only because I happened to catch myself before I went low or high.<br /><br />Lesson #2: When "tethering on," make sure to prime the tubing at least .5 unit to make sure you get rid of any sneaky air bubbles. Might help actually <span style="font-style: italic;">getting</span> the insulin you need.<br /><br />So, if anyone is considering the "TOTO technique" (my goal in life is to one-up Dr. Edelman), keep those two things in mind.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9