I'm a "hapa" which is a term for mixed-raced. My mother is Japanese and my father is Italian/German. I have 2 sisters, one older & one younger. I have 2 dogs named Peeps & Dibs.
More things
I'm 29 years old living with my perfect match in central New Jersey. I'm a musician at heart. I play the sax, viola & piano. Finally starting to teach myself guitar. Music is a hobby right now. I hope to get back into music performance again sometime in the near future. I'm a F/T Housewife & pet sitter. ;-) Gettin' hitched October 3, 2008.
read it The entire Twilight Saga (1-4) - get sucked in to the teen vampire novel series. Read it after seeing the Twilight movie, so you can put a face to the characters and get even more obsessified.
watch it The Hangover - friggen hilarious. The entire movie was hysterical. Who is in it?
I hate to admit it, but when it comes to politics I really don't know much. I can't debate b/c I don't know enough facts to back up my beliefs, however, they are still beliefs.
I rely on my husband, A LOT, for input into the political world. He and I share some similar and not so similar beliefs. I listen as much as I can and question what is what and why. I have learned a lot from him b/c he is able to comprehend and retain info like no other person I've ever met. He is my human-Wikipedia.
I'm not writing to get comments of hate and like. I am just writing b/c I want to say what's on my mind. To myself and whoever else wants to know it.
I have been one of those who didn't really realize the power of the government. I owe that to poor teaching through schooling. So poor that I didn't even know that Alaska was a state until my freshman year in college. It was a moment of pure embarrassment when a friend of mine sang the song about the states and came across ALASKA, to which I cried out in hysterics "ALASKA, Isn't a state, duh!!! LOL". I will never forget that moment. I wanted to know, was it just me who was shocked at the discovery of Alaska being a state, so I asked people from my HS if they knew that, and some did and some really didn't. Our geographical knowledge was almost non-existant. My husband is perplexed by my inability to know what states are north and south of where we live. I know the obvious like Maine (north) and Florida (south)...but those others in between, I couldn't tell you what they border. I have to laugh. I'm still learning.
Hubsy and I had a conversation in a car-ride yesterday about how he feels the school systems need to do a better job at making our young learn why things are so important and how they directly affect us (without a biased view-point). Maybe some schools do that already, but not where I come from. What we learn in grammar school counts to a small degree. Yes, I learned about the states, but after the week or two spent learning them, I never reviewed them again. Once isn't enough.
I have FINALLY felt the impact, directly, on myself from the government. Hubsy and I were married for less than 3 months last year and we felt the pain of it in tax season. "Congrats, you guys 'EARN' a living that is in a higher tax bracket, so now, b/c you EARNED it, we will take more from you! muuuhahahahahaha." Mother f-ers. We are not 'RICH', but apparently we aren't 'Middle Class' either.
I heard it mentioned that middle class should be considered those who live life paycheck to paycheck. Yes sir. I fit in that category. We do not drive fancy cars or wear designer labels. We pay our bills and don't really have a savings. We aren't living 'beyond' our means, but with the taxes hitting us -- what's the point of EARNING the salaries we have? I'm happy to say, I am no longer working F/T (not due to taxes). It is nice knowing we won't be hit as hard next year so long as I don't make the same salary I made last year. ;) -- so much for wanting to earn more and grow and prosper.
This is when it all hit me. Taxes, government (nationally and state-wide) was pissing me off. I started to do some research online to figure out WHY WHY WHY! I didn't really know what I was looking for though. I wasn't familiar with the terminology or how to stay away from biased-ness (that a word?).
I am a registered Republican, though I do not 100% conform to the republican viewpoints. I have some common interests with the Democratic party, but less so than the republican, so that is why I am registered Republican. At the time I registered, I didn't know or consider my other options besides the 'big 2'. I have been researching my other options, but at the moment, I have not been able to find a party in which I WANT to belong to.
This leads me to a WONDERFUL letter that I'm sure has circulated the net incredibly. It represents me the most (but still not to a T).
Here is an excerpt:
"Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now."
Read the rest here. I enjoyed reading something that wasn't written by a politician or political advisor, but from a regular person like you or me. I am researching topics listed in the letter, b/c I don't really know what everything is about. What I do know is that the more I learn, the more anxiety builds.
Which now leads to the interview between Glenn Beck & the author of the letter.
"... I don't want this. I don't want this fight ... I don't have the time or the energy or the financial resources for it, but that no longer matters. It no longer matters that I'm able or that I want this fight. I have to take it on. It's not a matter of choice anymore ..."
Here's a shot of my right arm. Supposed to wait 12 minutes for the allergens to react, but this was after 3 minutes. By the time 12 minutes was up, the upper left 'hives' were all meshing into each other into one big hive. LOL
Dust mites and those kind of allergens are there. I'm not sure what else they put on my arm, there were tree nuts somewhere and grasses/weeds etc. I have another 16 hives on the side of my arm, and 24 more (foods) on the other arm.
I go back in 2 weeks for more food testing.
I am allergic to grasses, weeds all trees, dust mites, dogs and cats. Last time I went, I wasn't allergic to dogs, but now I am. Interesting. I was told that if you are allergic to cats, you are allergic to ALL cats, however dogs, you can be allergic to specific breeds not all. I am NOT allergic to Cockroaches. YAY! These allergies make me sneeze like crazy, itchy eyes, hives, and have major asthma issues.
For food allergies, I have OAS - Oral Allergy Syndrome which typically affects my lips, mouth and throat. I get an allergic response that occurs when the over active immune system cannot distinguish between pollen proteins and certain similar appearing (on a molecular level) food proteins. When my immune system recognizes a 'cross reactive' protein, symptoms develop. I can tolerate cooked or processed forms of 'some' of the foods. Because, the relevant proteins are delicate and destroyed during cooking and processing. Like, I'm allergic to raw apples, but I don't have a reaction when eating apple sauce or apple pie. However, I'm allergic to bananas, even when cooked in or blended.
My symptoms include itching of the lips, mouth, tongue, throat and palate. I also get gum irritation... sometimes I have some asthmatic symptoms as well. I haven't had a severe anaphylactic reaction but there is a chance, especially with my allergy to Walnuts and Hazelnuts. The chances are low, but still there.
In most cases OAS does not require medical treatment. It is best to strictly avoid offending foods which have caused symptoms in the past and exercise caution when eating related foods (even if previously tolerated). An antihistamine is appropriate to relieve minor symptoms from accidental ingestions but more sever reactions may warrant emergency epinephrine with immediate medical follow-up. Desensitization (allergy shots) may be helpful to improve OAS and also decrease pollen-triggered respiratory symptoms. Anaphylaxis has occured in about two percent of people with OAS. The foods involved include lentils, tomatoes, apricots, peaches, pears, cherries, apples, walnuts and hazelnuts.
I found this REALLY interesting.
Here is a list of Pollen/Food Cross Reactivity. I have all pollen/tree allergies and have marked what I have noticed a reaction to in red: Birch Allergy : apples, pears, almonds, peaches, apricots, cherries, plums, nectarines, prunes, kiwi, carrots, celery, fennel, parsley, coriander, parsnips, peppers and potatoes. Hazel nuts & walnuts are also associated. Alder Pollen Allergy : celery, pears, apples, almonds, cherries, hazel nuts, peaches and parsley.
Ragweed Pollen Allergy : watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, zucchini, banana, cucumber. Even dandelions or chamomile tea can cause reaction because they belong to the same plant family.
Grass Pollen Allergy : melons, tomatoes and oranges
I'm around, just busy as heck, trying to finish up a project for my Family Reunion and had a wedding to go to, birthday party, dance recital, and all that good stuff. Work is random and allergies are fuming...
Here's a video of Dibs chasing a laser pointer. I just bought one today and I wasn't sure if she was going to react to it... Peeps - well, he wasn't really havin' it.
I wanted to create an online portfolio of sorts, of my photography. (non-professional, of course).
My Flickr.com site has over 3300 photos on it, and it's hard to look at everything. Great for storing though, since they store the original size and you have unlimited space if you sign up for the pro package (which is significantly cheaper than Google's Picasa Pro Accounts)
Picasa by Google starts you out with 7GB for free. Which is actually a lot of space, but if you take an exorbitant amount of photos like I do, and want to share them on the web in full size (or smaller)... 7GB ain't gonna cut it.
Here are the pricing plans for Picasa:
Flickr's free account provides only 100MB/month of uploading. That equates to about 1.2GB/year. Not great, but their pricing? Can't beat it.
I'm sure there are others out there, but Flickr has been good to me and I plan to remain loyal.
Anyway - this new site of mine, is not a blog. It's just a portfolio/web album. I plan to post my favorite photos on there. I also hope to be able to come up with some themes every month for photos to be taken. It will keep me occupied, b/c lord knows, I can't remain focused on one thing for too long.
I had originally had this logo in mind:
...But decided to go with something a little less personal.
The kids are asleep. YAY! Peeps (left) : Bichon Frise, Male, 4 years old Dibs (right) : Bichon Frise/Poodle Mix, Female, 2.5 months old
These little ones are such a JOY! Peeps has grown up so much since getting a new baby sister. He is very protective of her, and extremely patient. Anyone who's had a puppy knows how sharp their nails and teeth can be. Dibs will jump up on Peeps' face and grab ahold of his cheek with her teeth and hang from his face. He just sits there as if it doesn't phase him.
Today I pet sit for 2 of my fav's. Here they are. All fluffy and cute.
Pookie (Pomeranian)
and Gizmo (Shitzu)
Heading down their driveway to the street.
Walkin' them with 2 retractable leashes. Not the easiest thing. This is a very busy road (can't tell by this pic) and cars like to zoom through going almost 50mph. Coming over the small hill they have little time to react if one of the dogs is in the street. And Giz, he likes to walk in the street.
Pookie, on the other hand, loves to explore. Like in the woods for example. She always has ticks on her and I'm the lucky one who gets to pull them off her! It takes forever b/c she is just one big furball.
Oh my gosh, I've been wanting a haircut sooo bad, but with the economy and my current employment situation, scrapping up enough dough has been a bit tough.
I couldn't justify spending $70+ at my regular salon and I didn't want to go to the mall to get it done. I've had bad experiences there and at other small shops. I know it's bad to stereotype, but it's my hair and it's a big part of me! LOL
Anyway, today I got an email from Animal Alliance:
Hi Everyone,
This Sunday May 24, THEO'S SALON OF PRINCETON will be offering haircuts at the reduced price of $60 (normal price $100 and up) to benefit Animal Alliance.
100% of the proceeds of this special day will go directly to the 5 core programs of Animal Alliance: rescue, rehabiliation, pre-adoption spay/neuter, low cost spay/neuter outreach services, and adoption.
THEO'S is located at: 236 NASSAU STREET, PRINCETON, NJ 08542.
Appointments can be made by contacting the salon directly at 609-921-7999.
If you need a haircut, here's a great way to make a contribution to Animal Alliance.
Hope to see you there!
I'm psyched! I just made my appointment for 12pm this Sunday. Can't wait!
The price is kinda high still, and well, the original $100 is a bit insane...but hell, this haircut, this day will be for a good cause!
Found this site via StumbleUpon . It's called Cut Out + Keep, you can make and share step-by-step craft tutorials!
I find myself needing to be inspired, a lot. And this site inspired me to try a few things. So I hope to get to them in the next few weeks and have something to show for it. :-)
Check it out and if you make anything from the site, share!
It was a nice time. A lot of prep work, but good times had. It was really great hosting it at our house this time around. I enjoy being a host, to a degree, I think it's the comfort in knowing that I can do what I want within my own place and I don't have to worry about getting too tired or having to leave at a certain time.
I have been sick lately. Don't have a diagnosis just yet, but it has something to do with my lungs again.
I can't breathe all that well. It started out as just allergies, and my asthma is usually triggered by those.
After the allergies were gone, I still couldn't breathe. This is not the norm for me. I clutched my rescue inhaler 24x7...and used it at least 10x's a day. I knew it wasn't right...but I dealt.
This is all started about a month ago. So finally, a week ago, I went to the doc and told her what was going on. She thought I might have bronchitis, however I had no coughing or fever or other signs of infection. I just couldn't BREATHE. She did happen to find a double ear-infection going on though. Hmmm. Guess the breathing issues kept my focus away from that little doozy. Also my blood pressure was pretty high at abt 130/93... Usually I'm in the LOW 100's/70ish. High blood pressure could be due to using the inhaler so much though. Doc recommended that I "find a neighbor who might have a blood pressure cuff to check on me every-other-day". Uh. Hello? What?! ... anyway, it made me paranoid enough to go out and buy a blood pressure cuff that does everything automatically.
I was put on Prednisone (steroids) to open my lungs up. Z-Pak (antibiotic) to help with bronchitis (if I had it) and the dbl ear infection. Cymbicort (like Advair) for daily maintenance help for my asthma. The Cymbicort seems to help a bit. I the past few days I've only used my inhaler about 5x's a day or so. The steroids didn't seem to really do anything. I can breathe in A LOT but can't breathe out. I cough and I have to catch my breath...and doing so usually leaves me choking and reaching for my inhaler. The antibiotic didn't do crap, b/c my ears hurt so bad now.
So... now I'm on Augmentin (penicillin) and Cingulair. We'll see how that goes. Also, she called in a prescrip for some nebulizer meds, but I will have to go out and by the actual machine or rent it. So I'm not so sure I'll be doing that anytime soon at least. If i'm not better or if I'm worse by Friday, I go to see her physically, again.
She lives near the shore...it's kinda far from me. So she is gracious enough to call in prescrip changes for me if a visit isn't particularly necessary.
It's been a long time since I've updated on any lung-issues. Looking back, things were kinda crazy.
Since 2007 I've been going to the doc once a year in June (well I guess that would make that only 1 time then) for a full on check up at NY Presbyterian Hospital's - Pulmonary division.
Anywho -- I'm going to try and keep my medical stuff out of this blog, again and on to my CaringBridge.org page
Just crossing my fingers in the meantime, hoping that I just need to get my asthma in check and it's nothing else!!!
I'm pretty terrified right now, b/c I've never felt so helpless and out of control. I fear being home alone one day, not able to breathe. Choking and not being able to make a sound. Not being able to call 911 and let them know where I am and what's wrong with me and that I need help. I fear that one day my rescue inhaler just isn't going to cut it...
