Well, This Has Happened - Allergies!

It was been over a year since I published anything with my last post about a new project I was about to begin. As we can all see that did not happen. I wanted to start on a sewing project using the pattern shown previously. But I was too big for the largest size in the pattern and I shelved it for another time. Then Life, as it normally does, got busy.

Earlier this year I spent Lent focused on improving my prayer life and examining the state of my health. I asked myself if I was taking care of my physical and spiritual self. The answer - I can do better.

Cue going to my Doctor!! Who, by the way, is a wonderful, wonderful lady!

For quite sometime (High School was when I first really noticed it) I have had swallowing problems. It was hard to get food down; meats, breads, pies, fruit - it was annoying because some days I did not know if my lunch would go all the way down or decided to about face and greet my mouth again. About six years ago, to fix this problem, I had to go in for an upper endoscopy with dilation surgery. An out-patient procedure that took only the morning and I slept for the rest of the day. Everything was fine; food was going down without a problem, I didn't have to worry about choking in front of people and having to explain what was wrong.

However, it was not to last. Slowly over the years and before I realized it, the swallowing problems returned. Not with a vengeance, mind you, just returned. So with this returned problem my doctor referred me again to have the same procedure again.

It was pretty much the same as before, but this time they found something. I don't know if it was there before and it wasn't as noticeable or it has developed since. Maybe both.

I have Eosinophilic Esophagitis or EoE, which is the fancy term for a build up of white blood cells in the lining of the esophagus in reaction to acid reflex, food or allergens which stiffens it causing difficulty swallowing.To be on the safe side, since the EoE could be from something that I'm eating, it was decided that I should go visit an allergist.

I did and one skin test later I have allergies!!!

Granted I knew I had some environmental and seasonal allergies (I always sensed during the first blooming of Spring), and I suspected almonds since I would get that weird itchy sensation in the back of my throat when I ate them. So with environmental I am pretty much allergic to EVERYTHING that grows where I live. (to quote my nurse - "You're allergic to all the things!")I even had to get some special bedding because I 'scored' rather high for dust-mites.

And I do have a issues with food - with eight different food items.

I am allergic to pecans and oat grain. I have sensitivity to wheat, almonds, soy, corn, shrimp, and cod.

Going into the skin test I knew I would have at least one or two food allergies, but I was not expecting eight. What makes it even more "interesting" is the combination of everything. No, really - it's interesting. 

Since then I have researched what foods I can and cannot have, especially at different restaurants. I am no stranger to reading the ingredient lists when food shopping due to my younger brother being allergic to egg. So with that habit firmly established I just have to included my own newly discovered allergies. I have to count the location of where my food sensitives fall in the ingredient list; as long they are not the first four items I should be good since it is such a small amount. While I do not have a problem with gluten, I am getting gluten-free bread. I did take a look at darker bread like rye and pumpernickel, but there is still a decent amount of wheat in them. But I do have to be careful with gluten-free bread is that sometimes the alternative flour used is almond and/or soy. That is a problem I run into a lot - if something doesn't have wheat, it may have almond or soy as an alternative.


Soy and corn annoying me to no end!!!They are in practically everything that is processed as an emulsifier most of the time. While I am told that when corn and soy are processed into the lecithin or syrup the allergen is taken out. But I am working on significantly reducing my intake of them just to be on the safe side.

The thing that bums me out the most is that it will interfere with my baking. I love to bake! It's the way I de-stress  and I love to bake for other people. I also enjoy baking old family recipes. 

My mother has an old, nearly falling apart small black binder containing family recipes written down by my great-grandmother. I have so much fun with them! Many of them do not have instructions, just the ingredients and the amounts for each. Sometimes there will be maybe one sentence that's a special note. It makes a bit of sense for me why that is since at the time many mothers already knew 'how' to make something and the variation came in 'what' was put in.

When I bake one of these recipes, its a bit of a fun mystery to solve to figure out the 'how'. Now, not only do I have to figure out the 'how', I also have to figure out what non-wheat/almond/soy flour will work best.

Now I begin my journey relearning what I can and cannot eat. Hold on tight - it's gonna be a bumpy ride!!

Election Reflection

Wow.

Just wow, America.

I'm not talking about the results of this year's presidential election. I'm talking about people's reactions. And I am disappointed in many of my countrymen. Going through social media I have never seen so much hate-filled reactions as I have this morning. So many cruses, and demands to be disassociated with people who voted differently than them, and thinly veiled derogatory remarks made me very angry. Where is the 'tolerance' and 'love' that so many people claim to have (especially when things go their own way)? And don't start with the argument that 'it's all going to go away'; that's a cheap cop out.


This year's choices left much to be desired. There was no good option, just the lest bad option, and no one was going to be happy with the result. What we do now will define us. So stop complaining! We take the result that's been given us work with it and make the best of the situation. We have the right to vote, and we should not be belittled for exercising that right.



So America - respect each other!

Continuing Onward, a LS 502 Post

The more I think about it, the more I believe that I should use a descriptive methodology with a purposive sampling (instead of convenience sampling as stated before). Since I'm focusing on wanting to interview people who have a specialized area of focus. Which brings me to my newest pain in the neck - the sample size. Because I am using a 'general populace' for my sample and just basing it on a characteristic, so to speak, I have no idea how to quantify that in any way. I'm thinking about thirty just have a large enough sample without it being too overwhelming, and to get enough perspectives.

One tiny little frustration is when I'm getting my grades back. I DO UNDERSTAND that things happen in life that throws everything sideways!!!!! (Professor - I really do hope you are feeling better!!) But on my end when the assignments build off of each other and I don't know if I've made a grievous error in the previous assignment, I'm building off of that mistake. At this point I'm just hoping that if there is an error that it's a minor one.

Here's hoping and praying!!!

I can do it!

Defining, and Data, and Terms - Oh My! A LS 502 post

I am slightly stuck on what terms I should and should not define for methodology. I've always had that problem in that something may be clear to me but very unclear to others and I do not pick up on that. I have about seventeen terms that I am going to define. Mostly terms found common in the archive field, and more technical terms used not found in everyday conversation.

I am also have concerns about how to define my sample. I'm trying to find a general sense of the archival community, but I also wonder if I should include museums and private oral history recorders (like StoryCorp). Should I also talk with IT people, too? The possibilities abound.

Writing, Right?, a LS 502 Post

Ok, so all of my notes are written up and I have a fairly certain idea of what exactly I'm going to write. That's the good news, the bad news is I'm coming down with something that is making everything sluggish in thought and movement. In that light I am very thankful for the four day extension given by my professor. So the lit review is now due on Saturday as appose to tomorrow.

In other news, I found an interesting article that gives a fantastic overview about what exactly should be involved in a digital preservation program. While it's not a research article, I'm using it in my review to say 'here's an idea, what can we do with it'. I do have the five required research articles so I think I am doing alright.

I usually write everything out by hand before typing it out. Yes it does take a little bit longer, but it helps the flow of thoughts and what I'm writing makes more sense to me.

Almost there - I hope!

Blue Screen of Death, a LS 502 post

You know that sickening feeling you get in your gut when your computer gives yo the blue screen of death?

That has happen to me twice with my computers so I really know how that feels. Well I got that feeling when I was going over my articles I've collected and something clicked in my head when I realized something. I have not been looking at research articles. The articles I've been looking at have been in regards to explaining what oral history is in relation to the archives. I feel really stupid for this lapse of judgement. I may have one or two I could use, but I feel like I'm back at square one with the final countdown yelling at me.

Gggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

Breath In, Breath Out

There is a that tired feeling one gets when one has had enough. Some people call it burn out, others call it world weariness. Of the two, I think I am somewhere in between. It is a surreal sense of being alone in an overcrowded room with all the shouts and noise muffled in your own mind.

I do not really need a life line, just some prayers, positive thoughts, and so forth. Intercessory prayers with these guys would be very much appreciated.

Other Fields, a LS 502 Post

As per suggestion of my professor, I am looking at other fields (a.k.a. not Library Science) to see they handle keeping up with technological changes. I will most likely take a glance at other research heavy fields, maybe medical science (since that's an area that really cannot avoid tech. changes), or history (since they benefit from tech. advances). I don't know, really - I'm getting really deep into the unknown here and I think I need something more than little yellow floaties to stay above water.

Other reflection - there is something about the storyteller that cannot be replaced by anything else. In their stories they give us a peek from within their world and we gain a better understanding of their point of view. Story Corps is a wonderful modern day example of storytellers. Check them out!

The Idea Emerges, a LS 502 post

"Madness does not come by breaking out, but by giving in; by settling down in some dirty, little, self-repeating circle of ideas; by being tamed."
--G.K. Chesterton, Manalive

I have mentioned I'm a little freak out over my Research Methods class? I've done research before for my undergraduate degree, but I can't help but feel that I'm a little out of my depth.

But the Muse has struck!

As I was weeding a collection in the branch library I worked before my transfer, I found a book on Windows 3.1, complete with floppy disks. Now, when I say floppy disks, I mean floppy disks.

For your viewing pleasure:

Note: Advance claim no longer valid.

It struck me that there are people who probably never seen an actual floppy disk in there life. I remember explaining a floppy disk to a friend of mine who is only a few years younger than me and she gave me a confused look. So the thought in my mind is if there are no machines that can read these storage device how can we recover the information that is on there. The door is now locked, never to be open because we have lost the key.

So, with this class I want to look into how do archives make sure that the information, like recordings of oral history, that is saved on computers is not lost because of changes in technology.

I refused to be tamed!!

Frustrations

St Cajetan, Ora pro nobis

I'm entering that point in my life where I am becoming easily frustrated in my endeavors.  Hearing 'no' or 'better luck next time' more often then 'yes' or 'when can you start'.  There is no one to blame, so I really can't get mad at any one person.  It might make things easier if I could just dump all my problems on one particular thing.  If it was just one thing or person, it would be much easier to rectify.

But that is not the case.

I don't have the experience people want and it feels that no one is willing to take a chance on me.

Give me a chance - I won't disappoint.