in time for fall

Fall's coming. And I'm still not 100%. While work is slightly better, even spending the last weekend with my fiance, he managed to get me glutened (I'll blame the skillet he used for grilled cheese sandwiches).

In Phoenix, it's barely 100 degrees, so we call that fall. We celebrated my nephew's 4th birthday party. My new cousin-in-law helped me decorate the Caterpillar truck cake I made, and my nephew loved it. She's becoming my new best friend. We're doing a girls movie night out tomorrow. And she helped me pick the location for the wedding.

I booked it! I love it. It has my garden fantasy with waterfalls next to the old west town look as well (it works). I love the planner for the site - I know I'm not going to have to worry about forgetting anything.

The wedding site I was going to buy my favors is going out of business. So I bought my favors already on clearance. I love them, and now I'll have plenty to send to people who can't make it.

I was hoping to do some sort of romantic get away with my lovely fiancee in November to kick off the one year countdown. But with some of my family coming to down to visit, I don't know if it'll happen. So instead we're surprising my dad with a couples weekend in Jerome, AZ with my dad for his birthday in October (just a few weeks away).

in the worst possible place

I have been neglecting this. I've just been too sick to deal with this. And it took me almost two months to realize why I was getting sick.

It's my job. It's in part my fault for agreeing to do this project. But I learned bomb caliometry to justify them keeping me employed since my reason for being there wasn't working out. And bombing tissues shouldn't be a problem.

But until that project gets started, I'm getting comfortable with caliometry by bombing foods from the vending machine study. Gluten filled foods.

In prepping samples for caliometry, the moisture has to go away by freeze drying (like the one in the anthrax case). You're left with a dusty powder of gluten filled food.

You try NOT to breathe that stuff in. But you can't help it but get it everywhere. So I'm sure that includes my nose and throat.

Monday, I feel pretty good and get started in the weeks food prep. By Friday I'm feeling horrible, tired, crampy, sore, and just overall sick. I'm getting lesions again on my legs that I only get from chronic gluten exposure.

I don't know what to do. I signed the contract to do this stuff, without considering the toll it'd take on my health. Since the job market sucks, I can't just quit.

So I've been just putting up with it for the most part. I finally figured out how "big" the gluten molecule is, and I doubt I can find appropiate protection from it. If you want to know, the molecular weight of a gluten molecule is about 2,000,000 Da. But to but that in scale, that's 1/6,000 the size of your entire DNA genome!

I'm glad I'm getting out of town this weekend and going camping. The fresh clean air will probably make me feel a lot better.

so little time

I've been bad.

Since I started up a myspace account, I started blogging there too. Eventually I'll have to probably give up one of these.

I thought cutting out the hydrogenated soy proteins would help me feel better starting last week.

It hasn't.

I hope I don't have to bring a doctor into this since I don't have a local gastro doc yet. But the worst started last night.

Stomach pains woke me up at night. Generally, nothing can wake me up at night (to the distress of my cats). By this morning, I could recognize last nights dinner in the toilet.

So basically, very little of my tofu stir-fry was put to good use.

Today was the worst day in a while to feel so crappy. I got through the day - barely.

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The worst is that you still feel hungry. I tried a chicken frittata tonight, so hopefully I'll get some of the protein from the eggs (if nothing else).

Alamo

It took me about three and half hours to get there because I had to get some groceries, lunch, and gas. And I got caught in a couple nasty thunderstorms. Yes, thunderstorms do happen in Arizona.

So the weather was bad Friday. We were under shelters for most of the night.

Saturday was on and off rain. The high at the ranger station was 67, and the lake temperature was 68-70 degrees. So the water was warmer than the air. But it was still too cold to stay in. And the rain came and went all day, so after a couple hours huddling under shelters, we gave up trying to spend the day on the lake. But we had a fire that night and made smores. My cinnamon Chebe rolled thin wasn't too bad as a graham cracker substitute not too bad.

Sunday, we woke up to sunlight. So we went for a day on the lake. It was too cold to float in the water, so we pulled up to a cove, set up a shade tent, chairs, and kicked back and drank. One of the guys tried to fish, but after his pole broke in half, he gave up with his one small trout. I put sunscreen on three times that day. It wasn't my SPF 70, but I thought the 50 would be fine.

After we packed up the boat, and got the boats back to camp, we cooked dinner. Then the matchmakers and I piled in my car and drove to Wayside. Nobody has seen the new place since the last bar burned down, so we went to check it out. It was a local "dive bar" but at least there was some sort of wine to drink (don't ask). Since they wanted to close, we had one round, and drove back to camp.

Monday I woke up at 4 AM sick. Like the stomach bug sickness my fiance had the weekend before. And there was no beer there I could drink. So I tried to keep down the gatorade and water while we packed up camp. And then to add the cherry to my wonderful weekend, I was sunburned on the shoulders and feet. So wearing socks and shirt hurt with every movement.

And the group wants to come back for the 4th of July since it'll be a three day weekend. And I don't think we'll get the same luck with the weather again. So I'm expecting to be a crispy critter, but at least we'll get to float around in the lake.

more celiac rants

I have three more things that I now have to avoid (or try):

Natural Flavoring or Natural Flavor. Dryer's admitted that a natural flavor that was in the chocolate mouse ice cream was derived from wheat on their new package. So I spend the extra money and get Blue Bunny and keep that container of yummy in my freezer. But I know there's natural flavors in a lot of things, so it's going to be hard to avoid it. But I've suspected for a while now that the natural flavors was the source of my gluten.

Hydrogenated Soy Protein. I read somewhere that Hydrogenated Vegetable Protein contained gluten. Silly me, I was looking for the words "Hydrogenated Vegetable Protein" and never finding it. This weekend, I pondered out loud "isn't soy a vegetable?" Granted, the company was in various stages of intoxation, but they said "yes". And the beans that were offered in the group setting had "Hydrogenated Soy Protein". So I'm looking for that now.

Partially Hydrogenated Soy Protein. That's in most of the Balance Bars, which I have been going through the last couple of months. For the reason above, and my frequent episodes of gluten exposure, that's on my "no-no" list.

Isn't is almost easier to do the dark chocolate and wine diet? But I'm seriously bummed that after three years, I still feel like a clueless dolt that can't figure out what is okay to eat and what isn't. Hopefully I'll get past this feeling soon.

at the lake

We'll be freezing our butts off. But we're going to the lake anyway. At least we're not going to a lake on the rim because it's snowing up there right now.

Tuesday was 109 at the lake, Thursday was 62 and raining almost 1/2".

So we're bringing warm weather clothes and cold weather clothes.

If it's too cold for the lake, there's mineral sites on the north side of the lake we can go to.

In case it is too cold, I've got two boxes of wine, a bottle of vodka and a bottle of amaretto for making Capones. That should keep me warm enough.

a break from wedding woes

We're making our first camping trip of the year.

We're going here.

I'm getting next Friday off. So I'll be able to help get campsites secured with one half the matchmakers.

Come join the Redneck Yacht club of one boat with lots of people floating around it to stay near the beer.

Even though we have had a mild spring (not even hit 100 yet!), I'm glad fiance got an AC unit for our camping machine.

I'm looking forward to my version of graham crackers of thinly rolled cinnamon Cheebe crackers to make Smores.

understanding Bridezilla

Ever since well-meaning people know that I'm getting married, they ask me questions.

I know it's meant to show they're interested in what I'm thinking, but sometimes it feels to be a bit much.

Fiance and I have talked about it a bit. He put in his two cents on what he wants for a tux, and then said "I don't want to worry about anything else. So it's all up to you."

I need tell him that he has to plan his gluten filled groom's cake. Or it's going to end up being a red velvet armadillo cake.

Since I'm now having to think of all these little details, if I can come to a decision, I will want it may way. Even my maid of honor isn't rushing in to take over (something I thought she'd do). She's already looking forward to having a girls weekend making wedding favors.

So without already being one, I'm going to become a bridezilla.

I have a lot of excuses. The bride's cake will need to be gluten-free. The food will have to be gluten-free. I'm making decisions on the colors, the flowers, the dresses, the shoes, the music, the favors, the decorations, the way we're going to be married,

*poof*

Jenn the Bridezilla is born.

the missing Mythbuster

While nobody questions the nature of thermite, this guy sure likes making it and putting it to use. I'm so tempted to take some to our Memorial Day camping trip, but I think there'll be too many strangers around, so I'll wait until we do somewhere more secluded.



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this won't leave you bullet ridden

The one thing I like about going to Picazzo's is that they're frequently changing their menu, adding new things to both their regular and gluten-free menu. I was concerned that they had a couple things on the gluten free menu with blue cheese after the Newsweek article that said that blue cheese is typically grown on bread.

I didn't try the blue cheese items, but there was a new drink on the menu called The Capone. It's potato vodka and Amaretto. While it was a tasty drink, it isn't good with pizza.

So mixed my version tonight with a bit more amaretto than vodka. I used Blue Ice. It is quite tasty.

David fights the big scary company

Oh, anyway, if you're looking to start fighting big business today, the spit wad is landing on Kelloggs.

USPS can go to....

somewhere.

I've heard horror stories from the Fountain Hills USPS branch. Ever since I started working at my Phoenix area hospital, I use the mail drop there. In over a year, I haven't had a problem with nobody getting their bill paid or a card or note.

This week is the most annoying thing yet. Ever since I moved to my duplex, I've always gotten my Sprouts ad on Tuesdays. Their new sale starts Wednesday. I get the rest of the grocery store ads on Wednesday. This Tuesday: no Sprouts ad in my mailbox. Ditto with my the mailbox at my parents place.

Wednesday comes, and my parents mailbox still didn't have a Sprouts ad. Same with my mailbox.

In talking with my sister last night over dinner, I made a comment that Sprouts must not be mailing their ads because I didn't get one, and neither did our parents.

She said "I got an ad on Tuesday, like always. I would have saved it for you if I had known."

What the hell? I didn't get the ad, mom didn't either, but my sister living a half mile away got one.

I figured I'd just look it up online today when I got home. But lo and behold, there was that famous ad in my parents mailbox today. I left it with them since they're coming home in time to appreciate it. And lucky for me, mine was in my mailbox.

USPS can suck big time.

catching up

I talked to my mom tonight. They're on their way back from Chicago tomorrow and should be home Sunday. So that will free up an hour of my after work time to catch up on emails and blogging.

Cats are still fat (fluffy). I wish I could spend more time with my future mother in law.

And I'm giving up my organic shirt. Wonder if contact Maggie's functional organics would do anything.

the meeting

My future mother in law called.

She's driving near the Phoenix area and wondered if I wanted to meet her. So I'll be going to meet up with her after work.

And I just discovered my organic shirt has a small hole on the inside part the sleeve.

A sign of how the evening will go? I hope not....