Quick Post...

 

This has to be quick this morning.  I don't have much time.  We have to get the car to the mechanic.  Here's hoping that goes well.  It's cold this morning.  The new PC is mostly together.   I did find a piece over HIV & food insecurity.  Give it a read.  It might alter how you feel about SNAP.

That's it for now, take care.

Cya...

Cooling Off & Ndjuda...

 

Next week things could start getting cooler.  Some mornings could get chilly.  I'm just hoping we don't crash into frigid weather like we did the heat this Summer.  

The only articles I found were focused on funding cuts again.  That orange ass & his people are determined to make HIV a plague again.  I hope they all get it & it's resistant.  For the hell they've caused, let it come back their way.

I wanted to try something, Ndjuda.  It's a spreadable salami.  I thought it sounded interesting & my roomie likes salami, actually better than I do.   1st issue, it's made with 30+% calabrian peppers.  They're considerably warmer than a jalapeno.  My roomie isn't the biggest on hot foods.  2nd issue, Italian salami is fairly different than American.  It's fermented & has what they called a lactic funk or sourness.   I could handle he heat, but the sour was beyond me.  I was smelling that stuff hours after it had been put away.  It was very pungent.   We haven't figured out what we're going to do with it yet.  Oh well, another food experiment gone awry.  I should've done better research.

That's it for this morning.  Take care.

Cya...

Ick Out...

 

We had a fairly plain dinner last night, but somehow it really disagreed with me.  I was getting icked out after a little bit.  I got rid of the part I thought was offending my stomach.  That didn't help.  I couldn't finish it & I stayed fairly nauseous most the night.   I was still feeling off when I went to bed.  There have been a lot of bathroom visits this morning.  So far, I haven't gotten sick, but it's felt like a very real possibility.  

Hopefully as the day goes on, my stomach will settle.  I can't understand how something so basic as meat, cheese & bread set me off.  That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Wet & Weird...

The forecast says July's going to be hot. So far, it's been wet, weird & muggy.  We've had unexpected rain 3 times, we're almost at 2" of rain in the 1st week.  3" is the average for the  month.  The 1st shower was drizzly, but long.  The 2nd was windy.  Yesterday's was a surprise & lasted most the day.  

This weather has left us well watered.  It's also left high grass, bugs & humidity.  I know, always something to gripe about.  At least grass fire chances are lower.  

My roomie & are planning for the Summer.  This time of year brings different issues.  Besides staying cool, there's also the matter of what to eat.  During the heat, I don't feel like doing much & a lot of food sounds awful.  So, this is an endeavor for us.  We'll figure it out.

That's it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

More Chilly Drear...

It's back to being dismal & cold.  There's a big chance of rain today.  It looks like the overnight temps will be in the 30's until Wednesday & then by the weekend we could see an afternoon at 80.  Just yippie. 

A while back we got a shake from a drive-in & it did me in.  About an hour later, I was exhausted, achy & slightly feverish.  I though I'd get hit with a huge dose of MSG.   I decided not to get ice cream from that place again.  It happened again yesterday from a different restaurant.  Again, not quite an hour later & I'm going down. I'm exhausted, feverish & achy.   I still feel off this morning,  Again, I suspected MSG.

This morning I looked at the ingredient lists of the 2 places ice creams.  Neither contained MSG, but did have Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate.  It's pretty common in tooth paste, but you don't swallow that.   I had to look at other sites to find out about it.   I found this site, that lists some reactions to this chemical also known as TSPP.   Some people react immediately & can have gastric issues, sinus problems & hives.  People with delayed reactions seem to have symptoms more aligned with those I experienced.

Great something else to avoid.  I'd never even heard of TSPP being used in foodstuffs.  At least I have a possible answer for my reaction to these places shakes.

Cya...

McStigma...

According to this article, a McDonald's in Bentonville, AR fired an employee shortly after learning he was +.   This is a violation of the ADA.  So was requiring employees to reveal all prescribed medications they're take.    This is an EEOC lawsuit.  It won't just disappear for the franchise owners.

I'm conflicted on this 1.  I don't want people getting fired because they're +.  But, I also don't want to have people with communicable diseases fixing my food.  These include; TB, the flu, hepatitis & yes HIV.  I know once viral levels are undetectable chances for transmission are low.  But there is still a chance & food prep involves knives.   Also, undetectable is a great measure as long as the person is sticking to their regimen & their labs are fairly current.

So, while legally this person shouldn't have been fired for being +, I'd rather not eat food prepared by sick people.

Cya...

Recovering...

Night before last I didn't sleep hardly at all.  I was too worried about how much food & $ I was going to lose due to the stupid power outage.   I'm still not sure how much exactly, but over a $100 at least.   I'll probably not know everything, until I try to fix something & it smells off.  This could easily run up to $200.  Cash I seriously don't have to fix this mess up.  I already had to fork out over a $100 to get a new microwave that died during this.  

I hate OG&E.  They never have enough people to fix things.    We called repeatedly & got nowhere.  I finally found a number & got a real-live person & exaggerated the extent of the damage to a nearby pole that was leaning due a tree falling on the power lines.  They got there & started fixing it pretty soon after that.  Turns out my stretching of things wasn't that far off.  I couldn't see the pole was actually cracked & probably near cracking.  They just needed a nudge with a bulldozer.

We actually got a lot done yesterday,  None of which was sleeping for me.  I slept last night, but I'm still tired.   I'm slowly working through the fridge to clean out the bad.  I'm learning how to use the new microwave.  Mostly, I'm tired & achy. 

I seriously hope everyone else is doing better.

Cya...

Going Healthy Backfire...

My roomie & I have been trying to eat better for a while. 1 of those ways was having beans on the weekend.  Beans are healthy, cheap & diverse.  You can fix different beans & styles & change everything up. 

We've tried an approach to great northern beans that just isn't working out for us.  The recipe cooks them as normal, but adds a bunch (bag of frozen) collard greens.  We liked them.  They didn't like us.  My stomach was a little put off the 1st time we ate them, I just brushed it off as allergy induced stomach yuck.

This time, my bodies reaction was far worse.  These beans & greens were giving me all sorts of gastrointestinal issues.   Jill Scott has this quote from her song Love Rains Down,  "Wide open, wide loose like bowels after collard greens."

My stomach doesn't need any help being difficult.  My meds do that well enough.  I certainly don't need to sympathize with a lyric like that.

So, this attempt to eat healthier is being adjusted.  The beans will stay.  But just say no to collard greens.  

Cya...

OT & Errands...

I have some more errands. This is off topic but applicable.  While growing up, we get used to things & develop preferences.  Sometimes those change as you age, sometimes they don't.

I'm not quite as sold on the childhood theory that more ketchup & cheese can make anything better as I was when I was a kid.  I still like cheese & ketchup, but they're no longer my food saviors.   I used to love the idea of supreme pizzas, the everything potato chips or the works burgers.    Now, I usually prefer simpler, more straight forward fare.

However, I still prefer boxed macaroni & canned biscuits.  I'm sure there are  others but those are the 2 of mine that get challenged most often.  I don't like homemade mac & cheese or biscuits.  Which BTW, taste eerily similar.   Someone just slapped gloppy cheese on the elbow macaroni.  

I know a lot of people who prefer the homemade versions,   That's just freaking, awesome for them.  They can eat all of that stuff they want, just leave my canned biscuits & blue box of mac alone.   But, they don't.  They feel they're right & they have to push their opinions on us uneducated, uncultured slobs who prefer Kraft Mac & Cheese.

This is a stupid clash over taste & isn't worth your time.  I can be rather cattish sometimes.  Leave me alone & I'll leave your face on your head.   Sometimes other people seem to feel they have the right to tell you how to live, what to eat, who to date... Unless, its hurting you or someone else, just do it & to hell with the naysayers.  

These things aren't worth fighting over. If these people will be rude to you over something so small as mac & cheese, what are they going to be like over the big stuff?  Totally unbearable. 

This is my life.  I like the blue box of mac & Grands biscuits.  I am chronically ill & didn't ask for your opinion on the virtues of the  homemade  versions.  I have limited energy & I'm seriously low F'cks to give.  I simply refuse to spend either on someone who thinks they're better than me & their food snobbery.  The same goes for the rest of my life as well.    If you want me to listen to your opinions on my life, then start paying my bills.  If not, shut up.

Cya...

Recovering...

After running our errands yesterday, we grabbed a bite to eat.  More like a lot of bites, we hit a buffet.  We managed not to stuff ourselves, but we still paid for it later.   

I hate it when you eat some where 1 time & everything is fine.  Then the next time things don't go as well.  I had this happen with a Pad Thai place last year.   The 1st time was great, not so much on the following visit.  The same happened at the buffet & for the same reason.  MSG.

I don't know why it is that I don't always react to the stuff.  I know plenty of people say it does nothing contrary whatsoever.  There's even been studies saying MSG does nothing bad to you.  To that, I call BS!

I don't always react to it, but when I do it's always the same.   I usually notice the taste isn't quite there, not bad, just  a little off from what it should be.  Within half an hour of eating it, I start feeling tired, bloated & get an annoying headache.  

By the time we got home, I was exhausted & my head was pounding.   I took off my shows & my feet vibrated from being so swollen.  It took me the rest of the day not to feel like crap.   I still feel a bit off & bloated this morning.  

There are worse things a restaurant can do than serve bad food.  They can have crappy service, rude staff, be unclean & any of those will make me stop going to that place,  To me, the worse thing a restaurant can do, is to be inconsistent.   I don't know what to expect from this buffet now.  I do know that at best it's a crap shoot.

Hopefully, this will be over with today.

Cya...

Beans & Yogurt...

We've altered our diets a bit by reintroducing 2 things; beans & Greek yogurt.   It's sort of a switch-off here,.  My roomie usually likes beans more than me & the reverse is true for yogurt.  But, they're back in our diet on a fairly regular rotation.

We've been trying to cook up a pot of beans (various types) every weekend.  It's means less wondering what we're going to eat.  We've copycatted fruit on the bottom, Greek yogurt with generic Greek yogurt & sugar-free pie filling.   That puts the snack under 100 calories with a lot of protein.

I think these switches are starting to have an impact on our diet.  They're both filling & less processed than a lot of foods we were eating in their place.   The boost in protein & fiber is helping us to feel fuller.  

Hopefully, this is a habit we can keep.  The price point is fairly low & they're good for us.   It's hard to find something that fits both of those.  

Green Giant has a line of fresh vegetable & veg mixes in the produce section.  They're a little higher than frozen, but they taste great & only take 3 minutes in the microwave.  I could by the regular vegetable, but a lot of the bulk produce is sketchy at Walmart & too pricey at the other stores.

Little changes like this could help us to eating better.

Cya...

Restless Roomie...

My roomie's a bit restless today.  Some things that are supposed to be relaxing & diverting for here haven't been lately.  They've been trying & this has left her wanting to get out of the house for a while today.  So, we're off to see what can find.  Probably just drive around & get something to eat, maybe from El Super Taco.   Yes, that's seriously it's name.  It's pretty much a hole-in-the-wall, drive-thru place, but's food is really good.

Cya...

Food Security...

I've talked about  food security before.   The idea of a person having access to enough food.  A food insecure person does not.  This article reiterates the importance of being food secure for + people.  Those  who weren't food secure in the beginning of their treatment were twice as likely to die as those who had adequate access to food.

This isn't about poor people living in the poorest countries of the world.  This study took place in Canada, but others have been done in other industrial nations, including the US.  Food security saves lives.  If you aren't food secure, it's hard to focus on much else, even your own health.  Many meds require food to be taken.  

I find it odd some people think we can so surely cure HIV in a reasonable amount of time when we can't even get enough food to everyone who needs it.  The problem with curing HIV & hunger is simple, motivation.  Many people & most nations/corporations really aren't all that concerned with taking care of these things.  They aren't motivated enough to change their priorities to say feeding people comes before paying politicians, athletes & CEO's out the nose.  Until then this will remain an issue.

Cya...

Tuesday & It's Cold...

Yesterday, while out running some errands, we decided to get something to eat.  This may have been my roomie's primary motivation for the trip in the 1st place.  We'd just found a new Thai place & their food was pretty good.  Especially considering, I don't think the the people who run it are Thai.  Most Asian restaurants of any kind in my area are Vietnamese.  While there are some killer Vietnamese places, their take on Chinese is seriously lacking.  We're pretty sure the Thai food was being filtered via a Vietnamese approach.

Still, it had been pretty good the 1st go around & I'm very fond of Pad Thai.  This time it wasn't quite as good, but my roomie loved her Lad Na.  I noticed the taste difference almost immediately, but didn't think much about it.  It could've been 2 different cooks.  

Later that night, the bad side of it kicked in.  It may or may not have been MSG.  I know some people don't think MSG does anything to you at all, but I think the case is open on that matter.  My roomie napped almost immediately after getting home.  I was very drowsy & went to bed early last night.    I woke up this morning, a little nauseous & spent a lot of time in the bathroom.  

It figures, we find a new place & it tries to do us in.  Hopefully, it was just a 1 time thing & not the normal for this restaurant.  Finding something around here besides glunky fake Chinese food is hard.  Still, neither of us feel all that great today.  Add to all of this, the cold has come back into our area.  

Cya...

Food Security...

I've seen a lot of articles lately about HIV & food security, or the lack of it.  This article deals with the effects of food insecurity on those with HIV.  Before I read the article all I could think was, with no food I couldn't take half my meds.  Without taking those meds, my health would be threatened & the virus in my system could become resistant.

This was a study in San Francisco that focused on 347 poor people & of those they classified over 50% as being, "Food Insecure."  

Food security means someone is able to access good and healthy food at any time,” said Jean Cooper, director of programs for the Glide Foundation.

The consequences of being food insecure are serious enough for those not dealing with a chronic illness.  For people who are dependent of daily meds that require food, it can prove deadly.  These food insecure people were twice as likely to be hospitalized.  Besides the lack of nutrients & calories, there is the inability to take some meds.   Then there is the stress caused by knowing that you're food situation is dire.  This can bring on a host of mental & emotional issues.  

The option of assistance isn't all that easy either.  In SF, making just over $1,000 a month is enough to cut off most assistance programs.  In most of urban California, rent, even on an efficiency apartment, can past that mark quickly.  So, if these people have a place to live, even a shack, they probably don't have enough $ to pay for food.  Just being on some assistance programs can disqualify you for getting aid from others.

Dealing with food security is going to have to be a factor in treating HIV.  People who aren't in a good frame of mind often make poor choices.  Without food, they may not be able to take their meds & this may cause viral resistance.  All in all, making sure people with HIV have enough food is good for the + people & public health in general.

Cya...

My Favorite Food...

Today's part of the blog challenge was regarding your favorite food.  I have a preference for the exotic & southern.  I am not a big fan of greens or grits, but I was raised with a lot of biscuits, chicken fried steak & gravy. I like things with a zing; BBQ, Cajun, Chinese, Indian, Thai.  If I can't get that then I shift to things like sea food, Italian or Mediterranean.  Basically, I like things with distinctive tastes.  Give me spices, herbs & acidity.

I've gotten more into these types of foods as I've grown older.  I'm not sure if my taste buds have matured or if the HIV has altered my preferences.  I do know that when I was first diagnosed, it was everything I could do to eat anything.  Things with muddled flavors actually grossed me out.  I went for things with sharp tastes.  So, yes, HIV can also affect the way you do & should eat.

As for my favorite.  I will go with the one I eat the most often.  I like Mexican, actually Tex-Mex.  I am not particularly talking about chain restaurant Tex-Mex.  Albeit, I am not opposed to Taco Mayo's crunchy tacos.  I am talking about the food I grew up eating & cooking in these parts.  A lot of people are surprised how much Mexican food that Oklahomans eat.    I like all your basic fare; tacos, tostadas, sanchos, chimichangas, salsa verde, churro beans, the yellow rice, arroz con pollo, etc...  I am not however a fan of tamales or Spanish rice.

I like to eat & cook Tex-Mex.  What's your favorite food.

Cya