29 July 2006
News brief
25 July 2006
morning thoughts
Thanks.
24 July 2006
the perfect man

p.s. I won't be posting as often because I moved and we don't have a computer. But I'll check in at least once a week. Ta ta!
23 July 2006
A little bit of History
I'm not trying to take this out on or disrespect anyone, I'm trying to explain. Thank you all for your concern, from the bottom of my heart, but I must say:
For the ten thousandth time, I AM NOT DEPRESSED.
Several people in the last two weeks have offered suggestions to help me with my depression. I don’t suffer from depression. Now you might be saying to yourself, "that's what depressed people say." You might think I'm in denial. But let me just say that just because you don't have my condition, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. So really, don't be mad. I'm not. Now I’m going to tell you a story.
Once upon a time in 2002, a young girl was serving as a missionary for her church in Cleveland, Ohio. She loved it. When she’d been there 7½ months, she was assigned to train a new missionary and was having a difficult time. Her trainee was difficult, the congregation was not supportive, and to top it all off, she started getting really tired and didn't want to get out of bed. She was having chronic migraines and was emotional. So she called her mission president and told him she thought she was suffering from depression. A few weeks later, he sent her to a church counselor. The church counselor was a fantastic person. He listened to her concerns, asked her questions, gave her advice, and then told her that he honestly did not think that she was suffering from depression. It was a normal stress response. He said that in the LDS community, it was common for people to think that if they were having a bad day, week, month, that there was something wrong. Because if they weren't happy 100% of the time, they must not be praying hard enough or they must be depressed. (Sometimes people are depressed and they need help and I’m all for that. If that is indeed the problem. Which it oftentimes is.) He said that she was stressed out, but since she had the physical symptoms of depression, he would refer her to a psychiatrist. Because she asked him to. The psychiatrist asked her questions, looked at her like a bug, thought she was strange for coming in because he didn't think she was depressed, and prescribed her Zoloft because that's his job and because she insisted that she had depression. He said the meds would help with the physical symptoms. Well, that depends on your definition of "help." She was given a sample pack which would get the meds into her system over the course of 3 weeks. By this time, she was feeling better emotionally because of a change of scenery and companionship. She started the meds, but was becoming more and more tired. To the point that she really could not get out of bed. She thought she just needed time for the meds to kick in. But the meds were making the problem worse. Her mission president and his wife saw her at a meeting. They called her that night and told her that they loved her and that they really and truly didn’t believe she was depressed. They said that she just looked really tired. She told them she felt really tired. They asked if she’d ever heard of the Epstein Barr Virus. She had. Her father and some of his siblings had struggled with chronic fatigue believed to be caused by this virus. They sent her to the Cleveland Clinic to get tested. The results were positive. They also told her she'd very recently had mono. The doctors told her that there was no cure. That she would be tired off and on for the rest of her life, not to party too hard, and to have a nice life. She was upset. She went to the library and read some information on the condition. She found studies linking this virus to the type of cancer that killed her father. She drew some conclusions. She cried and was stressed out. She told her mission president she wanted to go home. He said he’d call her in the morning with her departure information. He called her the next morning and said that she needed to stay. He had her mother call her and reassure her. She stuck it out. It was difficult, but it was worth it.
When she came home, most people acted like she was a lazy hypochondriac whenever she mentioned her condition. She went to a doctor two years later who had a theory. He thought her fatigue was caused by constant allergic reactions that were depressing her adrenal function. (There’s your depression in case you were looking for it.) He wanted her to start a hypoallergenic diet. He didn’t really tell her how but at least he believed her. She still felt overwhelmed and alone. She felt good about what he’d told her, but still struggled with fatigue. She started eating more sugar (the chocolate box) for energy, but that made things worse. She tried to push through it. It got worse. She had to leave her friends in Provo and move to where her family was so they could help her. It was hard. She still misses her friends. She tried to eat really healthy and get lots of sleep and only worked part time. It worked for a while. She still felt tired and sick a lot, but it wasn’t as bad because she didn’t have much she had to do everyday. Then she decided to go to school. She was confident that she was healthy enough to handle 12-14 hour days. She started school. She was mostly ok for the first 6 weeks. Then she started getting stomach bugs, colds, random headaches, and then, debilitating fatigue. Everything she ate made her sick. Her poop was Crazy. Her food allergies started getting worse. Her body was reacting to everything. Last week, her mother was out of town and she was alone at her house and she was very tired and very afraid and started having some panic attacks and realized she has some anxiety issues. But these were her first real panic attacks in her life. And it was because she could not control her body and she felt alone and unsupported. But she feels that way even with her mother around. She didn’t go to school for a straight week and left a message for the school director telling her that she needed to talk about her condition. She called her sister and told her how she felt. Her sister listened, believed her, reassured her, and made an appointment for her to see a naturopathic doctor who practices traditional Chinese medicine. He reassured her, believed her, asked her about her medical history, told her that the theory of the second doctor was best, expounded on that theory, made sense, and stuck needles in her body that helped stimulate her natural energy, calm her fears and alleviate her anxiety. She finally felt like there was light at the end of the tunnel. He told her that this is what is going on in her body. I know it sounds really weird. This site explains it too. He told her to go on a hypoallergenic diet. He told her exactly how and gave her his email and phone number in case she had questions. He said that he would do whatever it takes to help her feel better.
And so that’s my story, that’s where I am, and even though this is still vague and pretty obnoxious, it gets the point across. And I don't hate you if you think I'm depressed. In case you’re wondering what happened to the Zoloft, after my body got hooked on it, my insurance fought me about paying for it. I didn’t have any for a week and started going through withdrawals. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. They approved my meds after I called them 10,000 times during my withdrawals and I stayed on it until my fatigue diagnosis. Then I slowly weaned myself off and felt like I was coming back to life.
I’m not against taking medication if you need it. If you have depression, I hope you find the help you need. If you have that help, I’m happy for you. If your body is haywire, I suggest naturopathy. Traditional western medicine has become all about masking symptoms instead of making the body whole. No one should have to live with chronic illness or pain.
The End.
No they didn't...
This made me really happy today. It's really long though, you only need a couple of minutes of it to appreciate it. | |
22 July 2006
What on earth?!
21 July 2006
Stuck up
ol' lazy self
oh yeah, if you want to get with this, read this first. then holla.
19 July 2006
feeling pokey
now i pretty much eat things that have come from scratch. or pretty close to it. because i have so very many food sensitivities i have to be super careful in order to function everyday. i'm not always careful, but i'm trying.
i don't even like to eat out anymore, because it's a pain and it makes other people uncomfortable when i start asking the server a zillion questions and send them back to ask the cook questions, check the grill for cross contamination, etc. and usually, even after they've assured me that they will take care of it, i end up reacting to the food anyway. cross contamination is the devil.
my sensitivities seem to be getting worse as i get older. so i eat pretty much the same thing everyday, but i've always been like that so it's ok. (i see you nodding ritz.)
but i have to be the one to make my food. i don't even always trust my mom. because this is the first year of my life (count 'em, 26) that she can actually name most of my food allergies. but she is definitely getting better about it.
it'll be nice to live with my sis, reb, because she has basically the same allergies as me, plus about 10,000 more. she is remarkably kind. she is letting me live with her for free and she is paying for me start seeing her acupuncturist. he is going to help me with my allergies and fatigue. because it's getting to be too much. i'm a young and vital person and i can't live like this anymore. western medicine has failed me so i'm looking eastward for help now. i have my first appointment on friday afternoon after school. i'm really excited.
luckily i'm not afraid of needles. but he's more than just needles, i'm going on a strict detox regimen as well. i know it won't fix me overnight and i've been assured that this regimen is difficult, but it's worth it. i'm at my whit's end. i'll let you know how it goes.
17 July 2006
Hey!
Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!
No thank you sir, you're older than your birfday!
| What's with the man handling? | |
Em and Ritzy's boyfriends rocking to the Backstreet Boys
| Seriously ya'll, I just about peed my pants. My favorite part is the guy in the background minding his own business. | |
16 July 2006
Oh dear...

Ok now, I had no idea that emotions ran so high about my hair. Ya'll have been cool about it on my blog but I've gotten some crazy reactions to the "should I chop my hair?" question at home. Friends family and perfect strangers alike are divided. And I've received opposition from some unlikely sources (a short haired sister among others). I'll spare you the details. Anyhow, The reason I posed this question to the blogiverse is not because I am seeking approval, it's because I'm seeking feedback. And since most of my dear friends live far away this is the best medium to receive that feedback. I trust that none of you want me to look crazy so you'll tell me honestly what you think. And I truly appreciate that. If you are attached to my hair that's cool. I love you too. If you want me to, I'll send it to you when and if I cut it off. But as
15 July 2006
Hair arguments.

This is from a photo of me and Ritzy and Natalie, but since this post is all about me, I cut them out. Temporarily! Oh yeah, and my hair is long is this photo, but all you see are the front layers.I love this photo. My hair turned out perfect by accident that day.

Another mission photo. This is notoriously the worst haircut of my life. The one I had to fix myself with folding sewing scissors. Luckily the duck-like hairstyles were in full swing.
I think I look startled in this photo.
I think I look good with pretty much any hair. I'm still really unsure what to do with my hair because I'm particular. I need ideas!
Shear clumsiness?
12 July 2006
Going to great lengths
09 July 2006
Improvements.
Life's been rough, but I can already feel a shift.
Reasons why things are better:
*Ya'll have been really supportive and I'm blessed to know you.
*As I was reading my scriptures, I found a verse that gave me the focus and comfort I needed.
*I found out that 3 of my classmates have been feeling the same way as I have and we've been really supportive of each other.
*My friend's haircut/color turned out beautifully and she gave me a big tip, even though I'd nearly mortally wounded myself in the process.
*A girl in the class ahead of me who's been a jerk told me that I do gorgeous work.
*I'm moving into my new place on the 22nd.
*I'm participating in a hairshow in August where all the salons in the valley will be able to see my work and I already have my model. I'm part of the 80's segment and I'm doing a modern version of the flock of seagulls classic.
*It's almost monsoon season, so the air is more humid and there are actually clouds in the sky.
Oh yeah, I put a chat box in my sidebar. It's towards the bottom. Leave me love notes!
06 July 2006
Reality bites...
I woke up late this morning, got ready and rushed out the door at 7am to find my car, my mother's car, and my garage door covered with drying chunks of egg. One hour more and it would be so hot the egg would bake into the paint and ruin it. I ran in the house and woke my mom up, got rags and the hose and started washing. Luckily the egg hadn't dried. Between the egg and the evil ants that attacked my feet and legs, my morning was thoroughly shot. And I was trying really hard to keep my all white ensemble clean. School starts at 8am. It takes 45 min - 1 hr to get there. School policy is that if you aren't there by 9am, don't bother coming. By the time everything was clean, my clothes were not and … you get the picture. I went back to bed.
When I started school, I wondered why there were so many pretty girls walking around with horrible looks on their faces. Now I realize that it's the stress of the environment. It makes you bitter. I love this field. I love what I'm learning. I'm angry that there are so many people around me doing everything they can to keep me down and make my life a living hell. To take the joy of learning what I love away from me. Often, these are people who don't have to support themselves and who don't have $14,000 in loans to pay back. It's overwhelming. I know that it'll be all right in the end because it always is, but the mean time is difficult.
05 July 2006
Monkey see... monkey do...
I put in several pictures cuz the website said to so you can see which pictures come up the most often.
Eva Herzigova came up the most. Usually 70% or more.
Liv Tyler 75%
Mena Suvari 74%
Carole Lombard 73%
Angelina Jolie 72%
Ava Gardner 72%
Jean Harlow 72%
Rachel Leigh Cook 71% is another one that showed up lots.
Christian Slater 70%
Halle Berry 66%
Jackie Kennedy Onassis 64%











So, how do I look like all of these people? I don't. But I'm vain and I like that so many gorgeous people popped up.
02 July 2006
Ups and downs
And while we're talking about good news, my sister Reb and I are getting an apartment together. It's going to cut my commute drastically and save me a ton of money in gas. I'll be living about 3 miles from work and 25 minutes from school. Instead of 15 miles from work and 45 min to 1 hour+ from school. I'm really excited about it. We'll be moving in towards the end of the month. Hooray!
Oh yeah! I've moved on to Phase II at school and have classes downstairs now. At school yesterday, I had to practice wrapping a perm. I have never, in my life, had anything to do with perm rods. I wish that were still true. My instructor decided that since I'm nice, she'd ask me to help other people with whatever they're doing, including showing some needy boy how to roll hair onto the rods and washing hair color out of someone else's bowls while they were at lunch. I don't know why I did it. Maybe it was all the propaganda about service I've been fed my entire life. But it just made me mad by the end of the day. Because putting an entire head of long hair on perm rods and then taking them out again took me the entire day, but it needn't have. And I'm still tired from having the flu and 7 hours is a long time on your feet. At the end of the day when we were cleaning up, I asked some of the people who I'd helped for some assistance and needy boy looked at me like I was crazy. And then he motioned for me to go away. That's when I realized my mistake all day. That I'd wasted my education hours on other people. None of them would help me if I ever needed it. I looked at needy boy and said, "Never again. Just so we're clear. Do not under any circumstances ask me for a moment of my time again. Because I'm not doing anything for you." I'm going to have to let my instructor know next week that unless she's giving me a cut of her paycheck, I'm not going to help her do her job.



