Living Proof

For the longest time, I've been suffering with anxiety attacks or just 'fear' in general. I guess you can call them "phobias" and whatnot, but it definitely debilitates my life on certain days. Some days are good and some days are bad. Therapists are good, but they can only help so much. They can give advice (which they hardly do) or they can sit there and listen to you while the sounds of the 'tic-toc-tic-toc' morphs into one big 'cha-ching'. They say (whoever "they" are), that just by someone else listening to you is helpful. Well, I disagree to a point. I can go to the bar with a girlfriend and rant all I want. Now that helps. I'm disgusted with the cost of therapy. Do they deserve that money? Some definitely deserve it, but others, like the ones that I have come across should be ashamed of themselves for just sitting there like a zombie pretending to remember what was told to them while writing it all down just to remember your

The other night the Grammys were on. I'm more interested in catching Girls and Looking on HBO. Not a fan of watching bad performances or publicity stunts for shock value made by celebrities so that everyone will chatter about them on social media for the next six months or so. I caught some of the buzz about how they had gay marriages on the show, where couples united and everyone, (seemingly) were touched by this. Finally, equality is spreading like wildfire, some happy and some disgusted. There was a huge backlash of antigay tweets and chatter on Facebook, demonstrating their distaste for this "disgusting display".  I sort of giggled at Dr. R Joseph Milligan's tweet. Here are some of his tweets: "CBS: Shame on you, the Grammy's is supposed to be a family friendly show. It was disgusting, and sick to have gay marriages." "@TODAYshow Thought it was sick, and evil, and not appreciated this is an award show, not a Gay Pride rally, children

Richard Sherman said it right: "There's no need to be a barbaric human being, but on the field, we're playing a very barbaric sport, you can do what you please." I've had my fill of all the haters bashing Richard Sherman left and right, when in fact, most of these people ranting about how "classless" Sherman was, have all had their share of outbursts one time or another. Emotions are a funny thing. Once you've already established tension with someone, and that opportunity arises where you can just release all that anger and hopefully, in a healthy way --- that's what makes us human. Of course, our actions speak volumes about our character, however I don't believe what Richard Sherman did was such an abomination. He managed to make a touchdown right over his enemy. The emotion that came over him was more excitement, satisfaction and a final outlet for all of his pent up emotions. Even the reporter who was taken aback wasn't frightened in

Every single day, I receive at least 5-10 emails asking me if I would post their story, or if I would post a link to whatever it is they were selling or trying to promote. Sometimes, it's even just spreading the word about something. Most of it is unrelated to my blog and more geared toward monetary purposes. I'm not interested. Then, a gentleman named, Cameron Von St. James emailed me. I thought to myself, "Oh no, not another one." I read further though… Part of his email reads, "Eight years ago, my wife Heather was diagnosed with mesothelioma; a rare cancer that kills most people within 2 years of diagnosis. She had just given birth to our daughter Lily, and was only given 15 months to live. After a life saving surgery that included the removal of her left lung, LungLeavin’ Day was born. This will be the 8th year that we celebrate! The purpose of LungLeavin’ Day is to encourage others to face their fears! Each year, we gather around a fire in our bac

This past year, I have boycotted quite a few types of food that I once loved. Of course, this goes without saying that I do have a cheat day once in a while, but for the most part, in my mind, it's poison. I have eliminated sugar, bread, pasta and rice to the best of my ability. Any time I eat any of these things, my mind keeps chanting, "Poison…poison…poison." Without the option of ordering my favorite pastas out, I would then order a huge thing of steamed clams and mussels. I even started to dabble in crab, scallops and other types of seafood that goes along with my diet. It was a great alternative option besides getting steak or chicken - the same ol' same ol'. I was happy. Finally, I had options! And then, fecking Fukushima strikes again with another reactor melting down and spilling into our ocean. Not only that, but they have found a slew of radioactive fish --- fish with bleeding eyes and puss coming out of their pores, almost like a fish version of eb

Sometimes people don't notice the little things that others do that make a huge difference in their lives, until they stop doing those "little things". Some people don't even notice the big things - almost bypassing them like a huge ship. I admit, I have taken many people in my life for granted and sometimes, I feel like some people take me for granted as well. It always works both ways. Appreciating everyone and their role in life is so important. Even something as simple as a phone call from a loved one can make all the difference. It doesn't matter how big or how small their 'monetary' jobs are --- their lot in life -- their ability to help others and make a difference is what matters the most. I remember the book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven  had a huge impact on me. It showed a man with a "small" job (in most of society's view) who played an enormous role in life. He had a purpose - a reason to be here with us -- because w

Recently, I've encountered a few threads over on Facebook which had the ol' heated debate of, "to take the flu vaccine or not". Personally, I don't judge people based on their choice, but I do wonder why most people don't look into the ingredients of the flu vaccine. They're probably the same people who don't look at the ingredients listed in their boxed/packaged and canned foods, or just the people who eat that kind of garbage. Screw it, right? As long as you don't get sick for a week in the winter, all is well, even if you start to suffer from neurological disorders, Alzheimer's or respiratory problems. Those "symptoms" and disorders are just what life dealt you, right? The hardcore fact is: we're all gonna die someday, and many people feel that this is just one stepping stone into feeling better - by avoiding the flu. I remember years ago when I was a naive girl in her twenties working at IBM and trying so hard not to get sic

Yesterday, I read something about "Blue Monday" - a phenomenon that occurs on January 6th (in some reports) or the 3rd Monday of January. The info was quite spotty. The main objective here is that "Blue Monday" is supposedly the saddest day of the year for many people. Most people hate Mondays regardless, but this one I found fascinating because if you think about it -- you can imagine after all the holiday hype, we're now faced with the long, dreaded winter days before the next big holiday: Easter & Passover and of course for the young spring chickens, spring break. In November, it goes up and up and up --- Thanksigiving --- up and up and up --- Black Friday --- up and up and up --- Christmas & Hanukkah --- up and up and up --- BANG - - New Year's Eve! After the big bang-pow festivities, it's now back to school, work, dread, short days, long nights and bitter cold days with a few blizzards in between. People need something to look forward t

You know a relationship is going stale when your spouse's hands are on their iPhone more than they're on you. Technology has become "the other woman" and seems to satisfy every whim if need be. Let's face it, you can get important info, medical info, music, videos, movies, a conversation with a friend or stranger and even pseudo sex. Everything seems to "appear" better out there in cyberspace, in our little phones that we tuck into our pockets -- our prized possession. On the news, they asked viewers, "What couldn't you possibly live without?" 95% of people answered, "My smartphone." They didn't even mention their significant others nor their children. We're so focused on what other people are doing that we fail to even notice what our loved ones are up to. Status messages are more important than a little, "How are you," when your better half or child walks in the door. Even when I'm out to dinner, the phon