So as many of you read this weekend may have been a little stressful for me. Just ask the garbage can littered with wrappers from all things chocolate and peanut butter. SO GOOD! However, they were all properly counted and swagged for. So no major spikes. I avoided my morning spike too, but that may have been due in part to my breakfast….

Yeah, there may have been a small bacon incident on my egg sandwich.  It was so good, but I am not sure about how I actually feel about the entire meat thing. I may not dive head first in, but I am also going to do it slowly and snobbishly to avoid getting sick. However, I do share my solidarity with the DOC in my fascination with and apparent consumption of BACON!!!!

I had a goal and a plan that this month I was going to try my best to post a blog every day. I started out strong, but well to put it blankly. Shit happens. I know its crude language, I would have been more delicate. I blame it on my emotional state. That is my excuse and I am going to stick with it.

Yesterday, November 5, 2011, my grandmother passed away at 4:45 in the morning. She had been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer, which had matasizied and spread to her liver and lungs. She refused treatment, but can you blame her?? She was 83, what would the chemo and radiation do for her? Prolong her life by two years, but have her in pain the entire time. No, I don’t blame her. So even though she was given a 3 – 6 month time frame, something happened and she was called home to Lord. It is sad, I will miss her and the trouble she caused dearly. (She gossiped and spread rumors and trouble like an Irish Banshee).

So her passing yesterday upset the flow of everything and well I wasn’t feeling all that blogging. So today, I thought I would look at a moment of wonderful I stumbled upon. I went shopping at Target for supplies, mouth wash, Cars 2 DVD, Chobani Yogurt, Fall Scented Air Freshener, and of course low blood sugar supplies. AKA discount HALLOWEEN CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For $5 I found this:

125 Pieces low treating stuff. I am so Happy, I mean I can’t get that many glucose tabs for $5. BEST MOMENT OF WONDERFUL today.

Who are your friends? Who are the people you turn to when you are in need? Who do you trust? We all can answer that question pretty easily. Friends, family, the DOC, whomever we all have the one person or group of people who are there for us when and if we ever truly need them. It is awesome. This month when we are so seeking others to help us and support us during Diabetes Awareness month, we have a sure and certain sign of the advocacy out there. Every Friday throughout the month we encounter  Blue Friday’s.

Granted we must be careful. Some people who may be wearing blue today, just well may be wearing blue. How awkward would that be. “Hi five for D-Advocacy!!!” “????” “You are wearing blue to raise diabetes awareness right??” “No” (AWKWARD). I can think of a few people who may fall into the awkward hi fiving people category. I won’t name names. Kim you know who you are.

The thing is that this month especially as many of us advocate for diabetes awareness, we know we are not alone, unless you hi five the wrong person.  Yet there are more things out there to realize as well. We truly are not alone, even when we think we are. There is someone else there to help us out. GOD. Yeah, the big guy is there for us as well.  Lately there has been a song stuck in my head, I mean stick your head in a microwave trying to pop the kernel of it out of your head stuck. The song is called “Jesus, Friend of Sinners” by the band Casting Crowns. The lyrics are great, the melody is haunting, it is a quality song. The album in fact is pretty amazing as well. If you want to hear the song, I am linking you to a video I found of it.

The lyrics though are what really caught me. Two different reasons though, the first part makes me wonder about how our “efforts” affect those around us, especially when we slam our opinions down their throats, whether they like it or not.

“Jesus, friend of sinners
We have strayed so far away
We cut down people in Your name
But the sword was never ours to swing”

Mind you I am not saying what is being done should not be done or is wrong. Yet at the same time our efforts, our over zealousness can shoot us in the foot. It can be more than people can bear. Sometimes we need to be tactful, subtle, maybe in how we address and handle people and their “ignorance, stupidity, cluelessness.”

That was just a random thought, the other part of the song/message is the more important, what we hear in the refrain from the song:

“Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world
At the end our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Break our hearts for what breaks Yours”

Let our hearts be led by mercy, the mercy that you show us. The care you have for us. The support you have for us. Let our hearts realize you are good. Let us remember that in our dark days, our times of need you are there for us. You have given other people the ability to help and support and guide us along the way. What more can I say? We trust our friends and families. We turn to them, when we are truly in need. We must also trust the Lord, believe that what is happening, is doing so for a reason. We cannot understand said reason, at least right now. But we must trust Him who watches over us and guides us. The Friend of all people who believe in him. 

Today is November 3, 2011. I know that because my calendar told me that. It is a good day, so we think about everything that is troubling us. ‘Cause that is some serious stuff. We evaluate it, think about it, dwell on it, and than guess what happens????

 

(New Paragraph) Sorry old habits die hard. The seriousness will always be there. I realize this. Life can be difficult. We reflect on the issues at hand. Yet we never know, when the #complexcrab will attack, complete with #rosespit (another story, another day). We embrace it, run with it. Find the humor and move on. Don’t dwell on it to much.

I was exhausted last night getting ready for bed. I had just put my pump in my pocket so I could take off my belt and stuff. I was so tired I did not notice my had had gone through my excess tubing and I had tied myself to my pocket. I was also to tired to figure out how I did it. Yet I did have time to take a picture. Sigh. What an idiot.

(Added at 3:00 today. If you are curious I thought I would post a link to my other “tied” incidents with my pump, Murph, now Blue)

It’s true. I have many reasons to hate the DOC some days. Today you get the reasons in list form. Hey I’m lazy.

10.) Time: Do you know how much time I waste reading incite full blogs, comments on twitter, trying to follow all that is going on with my friends, while also trying to work?? Impossible.

9.) Twitter: Up until last year Twitter was something I had, but barely used. I followed some friends, but really it was an annoyance more than anything else. Now I can’t help but have to use twitter, my phone, my ipod, my ipad. All have twitter so I can keep an i on things… Get it and i???? Oh I kill myself.

8.) Laughter: My office used to just have music coming out of it. Now I have to be careful that I don’t start laughing to hard. People walk by, they look at me, ask questions. Yet how can I explain to them half of the reason why I am laughing my ass off. Usually Kimpants is the culprit. The conversation about the “fixing” of Billy Corgin was by far one of the worst for both of us.

7.) Tears: The same thing as laughter or more induced. I don’t normally laugh so hard that I cry. Yet sometimes now more than ever in my life it happens so often. The conversations, again on Twitter, in Google Hangouts, on blogs are to much sometimes. I laugh, I cry, thankfully I don’t piddle. It is amazing.

6.) Exercise: I hate to exercise, even though I try to do it daily. Some days I just DO NOT WANT TO. Yet on those days, I see the posts from various bloggers and twitterers and I know it is the right healthy thing to do. They inspire me.

5.) Cluesless: Mind you they are not clueless, I was. I did not know until I found the DOC how many people were in the same boat as I was. Some people having the same motivation issues I was having. Some having less. Others who had different problems. Yet we are all bonded as one sharing thoughts, ideas, time, and energy.

4.) Mothering: I have now adopted more mothers who worry about me. Yet it is good. You mention a low and people worry about you if you don’t say anything after awhile.

Yeah that one low resulted in a me who had gone to bed early getting a text to check on me. Followed by me getting goaded into a Hangout. Mind you this is not a complaint.

3.) Mail: I got more mail now. None of it is spam or people asking for money, well sometimes. But postcards, jokes, CANDY!!! It is awesome.

2.) Bacon: I know this is a weird one. Apparently the DOC has this weird thing for unicorns, sprinkles, and Bacon. I’m a vegetarian who has developed an unnatural craving for Bacon now. Seriously guys, knock the crap out. I have only so much will power and I am convinced that Bacon is the gateway drug back to meat.

1.) Money: or lack there of. I have a decent job, the pay is not great, but I have no kids, I have no college to save for. So what money I have is mine. Yet I know it really isn’t I seem to be bleeding money since I wandered into the DOC oh so many years ago. From #FFL11 last year where so much money disappeared into. The trip I am planning to visit Jess and Josh. The more money I have to spend for next years #FFL12 meetup. My money is going fast. I am fine with it. Money spent on friends is well worth it.

Yet had I known all of these things when I wandered into the DOC a few years back, would I still have done it??? Hell yeah. I hate them for it. For making me at home with them. Becoming my friend. For listening to me, humoring the bad jokes. I hate them for the laughter and tears. But if I go back to eating bacon, you guys are all dead. It is only a matter of time.

Weird…..

Who the heck comes up with these titles anyway?? Oh wait that’s me!

Last night, I had a costume contest with my Youth Group. It was so much fun. Two kids came dressed as me, which was awesome. Others came dressed in well clothing I would not let my 30 yr. old friends leave the house in, let alone a high school aged kid. I really enjoyed my costume. It was an “ironic” costume. I came dressed as a bowl of Halloween candy. (Basically I taped a bunch of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups” to myself. It was awesome. When people mocked the costume, I would say
Eat me!” and toss some candy at them. It was AWESOME.

The irony of course for those who knew was that the person with Type 1 Diabetes was covered in yummy, scrumptious, candy……. (drool) Yet, I was good, I did not eat myself. That did get me thinking though. The candy, not the jokes and innuendos and such. Halloween and Candy. Well truthfully it was less Halloween and more Candy. That “forbidden” fruit to all diabetics, kinda like Ice Cream it is something we should avoid at all costs. Just ask our friend Wendall. (Purposely not looking for him, it is better this way).

I would like to present to the court a different notion. We all know that if we plan it out and it is done in moderation, us pancreatically challenged individuals can enjoy the “forbidden” fruit just as much as anyone else. Bolus, eat, or eat, bolus, it doesn’t really matter. There are those who in the past my parents included thought the right thing, the best thing to do was to give sugar free candy. Yes, that lovely fake chocolate or candy, that was supposed to make the withdrawal easier. You know where I am going with this.

SUGAR FREE CANDY IS EVIL. Yep, I said it. EVIL!!!!!!! It looks okay, usually tastes fine. Yet there is this small unexpected surprise when you eat this stuff. It’s not the surprise at the bottom of a box of Cracker Jacks. Oh no, that would be nice. It would be the surprise to your poor tummy and well poop shoot. You know what I am talking about. The d-word and I don’t mean “diabeatuuus”. I mean

“This is thanks to the part of the sugar alcohol that isn’t absorbed. It goes through the intestinal tract and gets digested by bacteria of the gut. Discomfort ranging from gas to diarrhea can result — depending on how much of the chocolate you consume and your individual intestinal tract.
“The sugar-free chocolates have definitely been helpful for my clients,” says Tamara James RN, CDE, diabetes educator for the University of California-Davis Medical Center. “But they don’t realize that too much of it will cause them intestinal problems.”
The key to avoiding discomfort: “Just don’t pig out on it,” says McNutt.
The American Dietetic Association advises that more than 50 grams of sorbitol or 20 grams of mannitol per day can cause diarrhea. You can tell how much sugar alcohol is in a serving of each sugar-free chocolate product by reading the nutrition information label (be sure to pay attention to the listed serving size)”


I only linked to page 2, yet the entire article is quite interesting. 

So back to the title of this article. With Halloween fast approaching, think about how to best handle the candy and sweet needs of yourself, your friends, or any children who may have type-1 diabetes. Allow them their fun and candy. Do it right. Let them eat it. Don’t show your heart by making them fart… or worse. 

Thank you, thank you. I am here all day.

I know it’s been all of like a week and I am already revisiting my thoughts on laughter. Well maybe not revisiting. Because what I said last week is true. What I say today is true as well. Well true to me, you can come up with your own darn opinion. Today, I will do my best to not pick on anyone or have this post require any bonus links. Allyourpageviewsarebelongtome. Yeah, inner nerd is attacking again. Blast it.

So this past week, I have been more or less by myself at the parish. My boss was on a pilgrimage to Italy, which is nice, but that means all of the work falls onto my shoulders. Again, this is fine I can handle it and deal with 90% of the problems. I am a big boy and I even have my big boy pants on. (I have no idea where the line comes from, oh well).  The thing is just like my D, how do I handle it? HUMOR AND LAUGHTER.

Life can be stressful, work can be stressful, things will happen. Yet do this we must. The stress can either cause you to pull your hair out. In my case, I like the hair I have left so I am hoping to keep it. The stress can cause you to go nuts. (Been there the hugging jacket was nice and all, but so not my color.) Or you can just laugh about things.

That is what I did I have been in rare form, I have laughed about it all. Maybe sometimes scandalized people. Sorry again Amanda.

That one killed me. The thing is that this is what keeps me going. Not in the bad sense again. If you are always stressed, angry, annoyed, etc. You will lose it so fast. Yet if we keep a smile on our face and the laughter flowing, well we can make it through anything. I can do this, hell I did it. You can do this. I was so close this time. It is true though. No matter what, 99% of the time sense of humor can see you through the problems we have. If we find the laughter we are golden. If we don’t well we are just “cotton-headed ninny-muggins”.

Word. (Please don’t ask).

Not just an ordinary watch. Yes it is my iPod as well. I have a “sport” band in the mail too. So happy!

Continuing on my random theme of being me the posts from Thursday(Wednesday night), Friday, and today all kinda are tied together in the big picture. I am not a funny person by nature. Maybe funny looking, but my humor in all of its glory has taken me years to develop. Yet, I would not change it in the least. Yes, my sarcasm is varied, it can be funny, it can be critical, it can be judgmental. It can be all of the above, but it is part of what makes me, well me.

My jokes, suck 98% of the time, they are corny, I mean like I should be from Iowa or Nebraska or something corny. Yet, the thing is that people will laugh at them. Not the sympathetic or just plain pathetic laughter. Instead the get a chuckle out of the stupidity of what was just said. Why though? I mean I know my jokes are horrible, yet people laugh at them. Two reasons actually, 1.) I laugh at my jokes first so people feel they need to, in fact sometimes I think it is my reaction to my jokes that causes people to laugh at them. 2.) Timing. It is all in the timing. There is a joke about two comedians discussing what makes a joke funny. I wish I could record it and or tell it, but the one comedian answers with timing, at an awkward moment. More so, it is kinda like the the knock, knock joke:

Knock, Knock!
Who’s there?
Interrupting cow!
Interrupting cow (MOOOOO) who?……

If you mistime that joke it crashes and burns faster than a run kills my sugars. So yeah, humor is key. Laughter is important. I can be serious, but I would much rather be goofy. My friends, family, and other people tell me how strange it is how I can turn it on and off right before mass, I am a total goof somedays, yet once the music starts, FR. BRIAN wanders out not Fr. Brian. But truly humor is so important.

When I have a bad day I look for something funny or fun to do. It brings up my spirits but others as well. Maybe sometimes I do provoke people in my delivery or how I handle things, but me = not perfect. Yet I think humor is what gets me through my days. When I am happy it is a joy to share, when I am sad it keeps me happy. It keeps my spirits up. It keeps me going. If I had to give it up, not only would I have a busted pancreas but also a busted Brian (shoulda said brain, but Kerri gets confused sometimes and it is easier for her to not have to reverse the letters).

I don’t know, if I had the choice between a broken pancreas or a broken sense of humor. I don’t know what I would choose. I mean my insulin pump can keep me going, I don’t think there is such a thing as a laughter pump or anything like that. Without my humor I would not be who I am. Without having diabetes I know I would probably be someone different. The two things on some level go hand and hand and I am not sure I who I would have been without them. It’s weird. But oh well. I would most likely though, keep my humor. Otherwise, the pas two posts would not exist, especially the one from Thursdays. If that didn’t exist the comment I posted on Sara’s blog would not exist. If that comment (fifth one down) did not exist, I would not be getting tweets like this from Sara.

Sara you know I love you. (END)