Family

Tomorrow is my baby niece Cara's christening. I'm very excited that I'm able to go, as it's affording me opportunities to meet and reconnect with family. I have never met Cara or her older brother Connor (2) and I'm excited to get to know them. I've seen pictures and videos of them both and am convinced that they are equally as cool as my older niece and nephews.

I will get to see my sister and brothers (and wonderful in-laws of various sexes) for the first time in months, and that is always a plus for me. I've been very fortunate in my relationships with my siblings. Although they are all (with the exception of my adopted sister Joanne) half-blood relation, we get along really well and genuinely care about one another. I love being in the company of such diverse and incredible people, and I'm glad to be part of their family.

I will also be seeing Joanne for the first time in two decades tomorrow. I'm not sure if she remembers me or even cares to, but I'm interested in getting to know yet another (albeit distant) sibling. I'll let you know how this goes.

While talking to my sister Heather, she mentioned that my brother Josh will be coming home (from TX) the week before Easter. The last time I saw him was 2003 for my grandfather's funeral, as we managed to miss one another by an hour the last time he visited. I'm hoping I get to visit with him a bit, but my plans with Trista come first as they have been set for months and I'm not one to change things around.

I'm very excited about tomorrow and am hoping to share lots of stories with you. :-)


-Jess

Just for fun

What I find endlessly attractive in a man:





All of Gerard Butler...lol






Eric Bana is nice to look at too.






Yep, him too.






Man-thighs are great. (I need to marry a Scottish man!)






Man-hands. Yum!






A nice, full, well maintained beard.

It's the little things, no?

-Jess

Journey to a healthier me

The past few months have been filled with doctor's appointments and some health-related worries. When I went for my yearly gynecological visit I found out that my blood pressure was through the roof. It was something like 167/93 (or possibly 163/97, both awful) and led to my doctor saying "holy crap your pressure is off the charts!" was I under stress? Of course, who isn't? It certainly was not enough stress to cause my body to react in such a way. My exam went well and we decided to end my once wonderful relationship with the nuvaring and go sans-birth control for the first time in ten years. My doctor said she wanted to see if it was the nuvaring that was causing the blood pressure spike and scheduled me for blood work and a pressure check for the following week. That one appointment really had me think about my lifestyle and the things I was doing to my body. In general I eat a well-balanced diet. I try to eat lean proteins, whole grains and limited fats. Do I splurge? Of course! When I have my period there is nothing that I want more than McDonalds fries! I just try not to splurge often. My lifestyle isn't overly sedentary. I am on my feet for at least 5 of my 7 hours at work and that isn't counting the walking/running/lifting/SCIP (ways of using your body to help contain aggressive behaviors) that I do throughout the day. I average 6000 steps a day at work. Some days are far more (the most I've logged was 13000) and some are less (on days we can't go outside because of weather it's about 3000) but I move a lot. I come home and play with coda, take him on walks when the weather is good and do some general house-related tasks before sitting down and relaxing. Why was my body not cooperating with my lifestyle? I picked up my book on PCOS and started to read again. That's when I decided to get control of my body and make it work with me. My follow-up with my gyno confirmed that the nuvaring had elevated my blood pressure. She wants me off birth control for a year before deciding if an IUD or the depo shot would be best for me. I then asked her to refer me to an endocrinologist so I could discuss my PCOS and med treatments more thoroughly. At my endocrinology appointment my blood pressure was fantastic. I brought up the use of two different drugs, both of which were okayed after some discussion, a physical and a 6 week follow-up scheduled. The one drug I am hoping works is called metformin (glucophage) and is traditionally used to treat people with type-two diabetes. I'm sure you're thinking "what does that have to do with polycystic ovaries?" According to the studies on PCOS, many women have problems with weight gain because our bodies do not process insulin correctly. Women with PCOS have a higher risk of diabetes, heart attack and stroke because of the hormone imbalances, weight gain an insulin resistance. Metformin has been prescribed to women like me who have tried to lose weight but cannot. It helps our bodies process our food better and therefore leads to less fat being stored. I've been on it for only 5 days and am only on 1/3 of my actual dosage so it's still too early to say if it's working. I have, however, started keeping track of everything I eat and all the exercise I'm doing since my first gynecology appointment, and am down 12.5 pounds. I'm still in my typical weight-loss range, and am not expecting to get to my high school weight (the thinnest I've been since puberty) easily. I've not really changed what I eat (except I am eating breakfast now) but rather how much and when I am eating. I'm trying to teach my body that smaller meals more frequently is better than no breakfast and two enormous meals. I've been doing zumba at least three times a week (this week was tough due to heat problems in the house) and have been doing some calisthenics and time with the weighted hula hoop. Here is hoping that keeping up with this lifestyle change will help my body self-correct. All I know is I'm glad it's almost hiking season. I can't wait to do some serious calorie burning on my favorite trails!


-Jess

Stop the whining

I have a friend from high school named Jessica. We had lost touch when I went to college but have reconnected over the years via Facebook. She has made some decisions I don't agree with (getting pregnant in high school (she lost the baby to SIDS), having three more kids with fathers who aren't around or are in jail) yet I've been listening to her troubles and I'm done.

She is currently complaining about her job situation. Jessica had worked at Winn-Dixie for a number of years and while I'm not certain why that job ended I know that since then (3 years now?) she has not had a job. She has managed to get pregnant and have another child but can't seem to find employment of any kind. She finally found a job at Lowes yet can no longer work because she can't find babysitters for her three kids. She does nothing but complain about having no money yet she is living in section 8 housing at basically no cost to her thanks to the Florida government, she and her kids receive state provided healthcare, she receives unemployment benefits and food-stamps. She has Internet and cable, food on her table every month, healthy kids and she gets to sit on her ass the whole time instead of having to work for these benefits. She essentially earns more than I do by not working.

I sometimes quip about how I'm broke but I bust my ass for my $9.50 an hour. I pay for my own healthcare because the state of NY was no help to me when I was jobless. I make exactly $1020 a month to live off of. I pay $450 a month in rent, $120 for gas (sometimes more depending on weather and prices), $110 for the cell phones for my mom and I, $20 for Netflix, $50 for car insurance because mom is nice enough to pay the rest, I have to set aside money for my electric bill that falls every other month ($50) and then I have to set aside money for propane ($100) bringing me near my total income every month. I also have had emergency expenses come up, doctor's co-pays, prescription costs and the possibility of grocery shopping factor in. I gave up Internet, cable, a house phone, my ice skating lessons and practice as well as entertainment out because I couldn't afford it. My most recent propane bill is over $700 which is going to take me forever to pay off. I need 4 new tires. I don't bitch and complain about how I'm entitled to so much more because I make what I have work. If I want a luxury, I forego groceries or find a way to make enough money to purchase it. I wanted to buy my mom something for her birthday last year so I sold my A clarinet on eBay. I've tried to receive state help but even when I was working part-time as a sub, I made too much and since I have no kids they couldn't help me. I receive $600 in heating assistance from NY in the winter yet my total winter propane costs equal about $1400. People making twice my salary receive the same benefit. There have been days I have used banked time because I didn't have enough gas in my car to get to work. I make my situation work, she needs to figure out a way to make hers work. Trista is coming up in April. I want to do things with her so I'm saving money now. I'm planning on pulling some extra hours in the residence so I can have fun over break. I am doing what I need to do. I just wish the rest of society would do the same.

Is it wrong of me to wish people receiving such benefits to shut the hell up and do something about it?




-Jess

Frustrated.

I'm aware I haven't posted in awhile and while plenty of other topics have come to mind, I feel as though I need to vent my frustration about a recent incident first.

Setting: My living room, watching Glee. I get a text message while on the phone with mom. I ignore it until I'm done only to realize it's a text from Jordan. He wants to come up and get snowed in with me and wants to "fuck me hard."

Rewind! What?! After about ten minutes of texting he says "relax, no harm no foul." Obviously Jordan had and continues to have no idea who I am as a person. No matter how lonely I am or how badly I feel as though I need sex, I cannot forget being treated like shit and invite an ex over. I may not say it every day but I sure do feel it: I am worth more. If you miss me, it's your fault. You had your chance and blew it, and I will not take you back. I am not one of those girls that breaks up with someone 20 times only to get back together with them each time. Don't give me a reason to break up with you and we will stay together. If I break up with you it's because I can picture my life without you and it looks good.

Moral of the story? Treat a woman right the first time around and you won't be sending highly inappropriate texts months after she dumps your slacker ass.

Anyway, on to the rest of my life...

*deep breath*
Winter sucks. A lot. My tires have lasted about a year and are in dire need of being replaced. In the meantime, I'm accruing a day of sick time a month and am having to risk my life driving down my mountain in awful weather on snow days until this upcoming pay day when I will have actually saved enough money from my measly pay to buy snows. Of course this means that this has been the snowiest winter. Ever. We had a snow day today (I used my only banked day) and will most likely have one again tomorrow. Considering it's supposed to snow another 8-10 inches plus an inch of ice, I'm going to brave the waters and probably go into "no-pay" time. What's worse, I don't work a day or I don't work again because I'm dead? That's what I thought.

My baby sister has turned 13. I feel old.

That is all for now. My brain isn't functioning.


-Jess

Public service announcement.

This post is for parents of school-aged children, for couples thinking of having children and teachers everywhere.

Do. Not. Send. Your. Kid. In. To. School. When. They. Are. Sick!

I know this happens in all school situations, but I'm also aware that with immuno-compromised kids such as students at the center where I work, a common cold can turn into something much worse very quickly. I have a student who came into school a terrible cough, thick green snot pouring from her nose, a raspy voice and her menses. The poor girl was miserable. She suffers from pica, a condition that causes a person to eat anything, no matter if it's food or not. I'm sure that her sticking her finger up her nose was to relieve the congestion, but the eating of her snot was not. She was contaminating surfaces left and right. I write in her communication book that day that she is clearly sick and feeling miserable. Thankfully mom decided to keep her home the next day.

What happened next? Three of the staff in the class (myself included) start feeling cold-like symptoms. Two of our other students start suffering the same symptoms. This all could have been avoided if she had just stayed at home when this began.

What happens when you send your child in to school when they are sick? Your child infects the people they come into contact with. This includes the teachers and staff. What happens when teachers and staff get sick? They call out and your child doesn't receive the education/care that they deserve. Wouldn't you rather your child watch a movie at home when they are too sick to really function instead of watching a movie during precious class time because the teacher is too sick to function?

I'm aware that finding child care or taking a day off of work is a burden, but that is something that needs to be considered when you have kids. We as teachers do our best to stay in good health so we can provide the best education (and personal care in my situation) that we can provide, and sometimes we are insulted that you think so little of our well-being.

So what next? Lots of hot tea and cold meds for me. Hopefully I can kick this from my system before Christmas!


-Jess

On a computer

Ah, it feels so refreshing to type a blog from an actual computer instead of using the tiny iPhone keyboard. There are sometimes too many ideas and not nearly enough time to fight with the auto-correct function or the numerous mistakes one's thumbs can make.

My last post was made due to some experiences I had over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, and those experiences have led me to call off the relationship I had with Jordan. The strange thing is that after being together for a year, I felt no remorse or guilt for making the decision I have made. I don't feel as though I should have stuck it out in a relationship that wasn't good for me, and I'm thankful that my support system (friends and family) have felt the same. Was Jordan a good boyfriend? Yes, mostly. Were there issues that would not have worked themselves out, causing more negative than positive moments? Yes. I appreciate the relationship we had and hope that he is able to find someone better suited to his lifestyle, as I was not the one.

It's hard not to think back on past relationships and crushes and the men you admired for one reason or the other when you leave a relationship. You try not to compare one man to another, but it's a way we women weed out the attributes that we want from the ones that are deal breakers. Out of all of the men in my past, I really feel as though a person like Luke is the type of person I need. In general I feel as though I need someone who has strong family values and a good relationship with their family. I need someone who is active and doesn't mind a hike now or then. I need someone who cares about what they eat and their body and would rather come home and have a home cooked meal than stop at McDonalds 4 times a week. I need someone who is going to be a partner in the relationship, helping me without being asked and offering to cook or clean before I ask if they are hungry. I most certainly do not mind cooking for my man or making the home a clean and comfortable place to live, but I do need someone who isn't going to expect me to do it all the time without a little help. I need someone who is going to respect me for me, including all of my preferences and pet-peeves and not get upset when I try and talk about an issue. I need someone willing to communicate with me, not keep it all in and harbor resentment.

I know, to some it may seem like I'm looking for a lot in one person, but I feel as though my friend Trista said it best:

We are high maintenance women. Not necessarily in the sense that we have to look perfect all the time, be showered with gifts or expect lavish dates, but we expect the men we are with to already have the respect for us and for themselves to have already met the criteria we have outlined for our relationship. We are hard-working women who constantly put others first and feel as though we are more than deserving of a man like that. Lucky enough, she found hers. Now it's time for me to keep looking.

I re-activated my eHarmony profile and already have received some communication requests. Who knows what I may find or what the upcoming year may bring. Lets just say I'm excited to see what happens and will definitely keep you all posted.

I'm thankful that I've become this strong, independent woman. I'm hoping I can find someone who is thankful for that as well. :-)