Goofychick speaks: What's Snot got to do with it?

Goofychick speaks: What's Snot got to do with it?: Did you know the human body produces over 1 liter of mucus each and every day ? Many doctors consider mucus to be the oil that holds our eng...

What's Snot got to do with it?

Did you know the human body produces over 1 liter of mucus each and every day ? Many doctors consider mucus to be the oil that holds our engines together. Check out a good article on WebMD Truth About Mucus.

I don't know about you, but I think somehow I am getting extra lube jobs !!!

My allergies have been on over drive for about a week. Many people have no concept about allergies and these lovely people keep getting "free" advice. For future reference, here are 5 things to never tell someone with hay fever/ragweed induced allergies unless you want to get that look. Or a slap upside the head. Or maybe that look and a slap upside the head.

1. Just get on antibiotics - they cure everything.

  No dimwit. Antibiotics only cure infections caused by bacteria. My ragweed allergies will not be helped by antibiotics.

2.  My mother says to eat local honey - it has always worked for her.

   And what was your mom like before she ate the local honey? I've always been a honey eater no matter where I've lived. And I can tell you that it has no affect on my allergies. In theory, I suppose for people with certain types of allergies it could be helpful or with milder reactions to certain pollen. Just doesn't work for me so stop telling me to do it.

3.  Gargle with (insert favorite remedy).

    Yes, gargling certain things can offer short-term relief. Salt can help spit up that icky mucus. However, it also leaves the throat raw. Baking soda is a milder option which offers limited relief. And yes, I already know this and do this. However, gargling in and of itself is not enough to keep the mucus from coating my throat and making it difficult to breath, swallow, sleep, talk, etc...

4.   You should get tested and take allergy shots.

    Been there. Done that. Doesn't help. Unfortunately for me, I am ultra sensitive to the certain trees and grasses that populate east Texas. I experienced relief when I moved to Ohio. I think the cold winters really helped - things DIED !! However, now that I'm back home, I just have to deal. I take my allergy meds religiously and they mostly work. There are just sometimes when I need the extra help of a cortisone shot to jump start the relief. Allergy shots for me haven't been useful - I can never get built up to a maintenance dose because I continually have reactions to the shots. If I had milder allergies, shots could be more useful.

  And I don't just run to the doctor and get a cortisone shot once a week. It basically is useful once or twice a year - when enough time has passed to know that the regular round of allergy meds is not going to be enough to kick it. So just because I've sneezed for a few days doesn't mean my allergies are really bad enough to warrant the snot shot (as my doctor calls it).

   Trust me, when I move again, I will go to a place that will be kinder to my allergies.

5.  Oh, I suffer from allergies all the time and it never gets me down. You just need to buck up.

   Oh really ? And allergies affect everyone the same way? You are a genius you are. All those medicines are just a marketing ploy too, I know.

  Allergies are like many other things - what affects one person in one way, will have the opposite affect on another. What kicks one person's ass will do absolutely nothing to another person. Just like I can eat peanuts every day, all day, and enjoy while my mom can eat just 1 peanut and immediately start to swell.

I DO buck up. I never miss work unless my doctor tells me to stay home (which he has this time to rest my vocal cords so my laryngitis will leave very soon) or when my allergies have me physically at the point where work is not an option (like when my head is ready to explode or my coughing up a lung would be disquieting in the office).

So thank you everyone for caring.

Now shut up !!

Tidbits

Even before the Internet, I was a news junkie. Drove my friends bonkers. Now I literally have the world at my fingertips. It drives my friends buggier. Here are my top 5 tipdbits for this week:


1. Nationwide poll shows Tea Party less popular than atheists and Muslims.


2. There IS a 5 second rule. Actually, even longer is acceptable for some foods.


3. The USA is still China's bitch.


4. The state of Texas has only received 40% of our usual rain fall.


5. There are over 2,000 places to buy chocolate bacon candy bars online.

Labels and hype

A recent posting on another blog (http://blog.garrisonbros.com/2011/08/10/whiskey-bourbon-and-barrels/comment-page-1/#comment-347) brings up several interesting points. Mr. Garrison ably and expertly discusses the skill of the small craft distilleries, so there is no need to add to that discussion - except to say - support your local merchants !

But it seems like a new movement is afoot to water down what should be closely guarded and trademarked names of "Made in Texas" and "Texas whiskey."

I did a quick Google search and couldn't find any definitions for "made in TX."

This is troubling.

If I buy a product from another state or country, then add something to it, I can sell that product as made in Texas.

I could buy a carton of t-shirts and tye dye them with state colors then sew on a label "Jenny's Made In Texas Ts."

I could ship a carton of thread to some Guatemalan 5-year olds, pay them $1 each to make knitted caps. Then when they are shipped back, I glue on a state flag and poof - Made in Texas.


I am proud to be a Texan. I like to support local merchants and vendors who make products in my state before buying from others. When I can't buy 'my' local, then I prefer to buy from another state's local merchants/vendors.


But there does need to be some regulation that what I buy is actually "local."

What I learned today

I'm a voyeur. There, glad I finally said it. I've always enjoyed people watching. Some would say it's because of my thespian background, others would say it's just because I am weird. Everyone would be partially correct!

Anyhoo, here are the top 5 things I learned today just by watching others. It will amaze and astound you.

1.  Don't drive while holding an ice cream cone - especially in Texas once the temps are above 70 - which is almost year round. Trying to steer, lick, avoid traffic, and talk on your cell phone is just impossible.

2.  Don't play throw the ball with your dog along a busy intersection. That is just begging to hear your child cry for a week.

3.  Don't come to work if you are heavily medicated, act like you're heavily medicated, or are just stupid. You really can't get your job done and you just annoy everyone else.

4. Telling your 3-year old child "no" in Wal-Mart only makes the kid cry louder. So just lie to the kid - by the time you get to the check out, the kid won't remember what he wanted.

5.  Eating chocolate cake for breakfast really doesn't give you a tummy ache.

Don't you want to be bi-polar?

Okay now before all of my mental health professional friends freak, this post isn't to make fun of anyone with mental illness or to make light of illnesses of any kind. That said, read on.


Raise your hand if you aren't taking any mood-altering, mood-enhancing, mentally energizing or emotionally stabilizing drug?


Just what I thought.. I am the ONLY PERSON with my hand UP.


I've actually asked my general practitioners before for something, anything, to take the edge of. I've had brutal jobs where I stayed stressed to the max and gained pounds and pounds. Yet every doctor always told me - you don't need anything; you're normal.


Now what kind of doctor tells a patient - no you don't need drugs? Am I the only person who seems to routinely find ethical doctors everywhere I turn?

Life is tiring

For the first time in a decade, I owe money on my taxes. Yes, I realize if this is the lowest point of the year, things aren't that bad. But I still want to go on record with my complaint.

In the last two years, I've moved 4 times, left a good job that directly impacted the community, sold an old home that didn't make me any money but yet left me in the hole, found a challenging and mostly fun new career, and lived with my parents while waiting on said house to sell and commuted 2 hours a day round-trip to my job.

So maybe my tax complaint is more because I'm tired... and have been tired for a few years. With all of the life changes, I haven't had much downtime. Even my vacations are spent running hither and yon - which is ok - but I think I just need to take about 2 weeks of vacation and never leave my apartment !!!