Someday, I Will Have a Cat
I'm probably in one of the most comfortable, snuggly situations in the world right now: I have a kitten curled up in my lap. She was mewing for attention while I sat in a chair, reading. She actually jumped up my leg and sat on the book, obscuring my view. Then she placed her paws on my chest, looked up into my eyes and gave an even greater, more piteous meow for attention. So I put the book away and moved to the chair in front of the computer. I left my leg extended, so the kitten could jump on up if she wanted. She did, and then she settled in my lap. I pet her until she fell asleep, meanwhile playing games of Solitaire and Minesweeper (the morning is generally rather slow here at the health store). So I'm pretty much in love with this kitten right now, but unfortunately, I can't have here even if my parents let me; Mr. Catinthebag brought her into the store because the people adopting her are going to come by and pick her up today. And so goes the tragic tale of lost love, if, in fact, love can ever be lost.
I don't know yet whether Conner is doing any better. It's hard to imagine he's doing any worse, but I don't want to jinx him or anything. Especially not when fortune is currently against him.
The Patiouers move in this weekend. I don't know if I mentioned that before or not, but they are. My mom, brother, and I will help them move in today and tomorrow; my dad will be missing out on the heavy labor and organizing and whatnot because he's at a conference in Cincinnati until Sunday. Actually, he might drive back Saturday night since he's worried about Conner, too. How often fate reminds my family that our lives revolve around that little poot; his condition determines our emotions and worries and stress levels.
Working at a health food store is so interesting. I'm learning so many things, and honestly, some of those things I wish I could remain ignorant to. I've learned that many things in the average American's daily diet are actually quite toxic to his/her body. For example, sugar is a toxin. And a majority of sugar substitutes are no better, especially aspartame. Thankfully, stevia and xylitol are perfectly natural and plant-based and can actually benefit the human body. Cooking with salt is also harmful. When the salt heats up in the cooking process, it crystallizes, and then when one ingests it, that crystallized form builds up in the arteries, which eventually causes blockage. Adding salt to already cooked food is okay, though (sea salts and such, not processed salts). And there are so many other things with which to concern oneself. It's good to know, but many of these products are hard to find. Luckily, I have easy access to them since I work here, but I won't have access when I'm back at Centre. My mom will have to send me these things, I suppose. But on the other hand, it's frustrating because it limits one's options. It is so hard to find foods that don't have sugar or a sugar substitute added to them. And how am I to know if a product has been cooked with salt? Chances are, pretty much everything has been; so that means buying pre-cooked food is pretty much off the list. Cooking one's own food all the time is difficult, and I can't rely on Centre's cafeteria. Eating raw foods all the time is not fun either. It just boils down to my choice not to be 100% healthy all the time. Yes, I will make good choices, but sometimes I will consciously make bad choices because that's just what I want to do. The human body is strong enough to deal with toxins, so eating a can of soup or something isn't going to kill me, and if I don't eat it too often, it shouldn't kill me. And if it does kill me, well, that would awfully suck. To prevent that, I'll boost my immune system by exercising, which will also prevent the build-up of fat, which becomes even more harmful as one ages. Oh, and no more cokes. Regular sodas are filled with sugar, and diet drinks have aspartame. No more Snapple tea for me either. What I have recently grown fond of is a barley grass drink. Since I like raw veggies, I enjoy the taste; it's sort of milky and reminds me of a mixture of several vegetable flavors. Good stuff, and it kind of looks like mutant juice. I don't mind the rich green color, but a couple customers yesterday thought it was rather repulsive. Oh, well, more for me. Oh, and herbal teas. I love tea, so good thing it's good for me. It's not often that the things we like end up being any good for us.
I'm not trying to be on a soap box or anything. I just want to share some information, so the people I care (or at least those who read this) can take it in, think about it, and then make a decision. That whole close-minded thing sometimes results from lack of information, and if we are aware of that information, we can make informed decisions. Crap! I got off one soap box and onto another! I'm done for the day.
P.S.
Not all sugar is bad, just plain sugar. Sugar in raw fruits and such is fine. It's the sugar you cook with and sprinkle on your cereal and maybe even secretly eat by the spoonful out in your backyard tree with the Keebler elves that is toxic to the body. It's toxic because sugar in that form is not natural; it's man-made. At least I think that's why. I'll have to read up on it. Something about the chemical composition or something.
I don't know yet whether Conner is doing any better. It's hard to imagine he's doing any worse, but I don't want to jinx him or anything. Especially not when fortune is currently against him.
The Patiouers move in this weekend. I don't know if I mentioned that before or not, but they are. My mom, brother, and I will help them move in today and tomorrow; my dad will be missing out on the heavy labor and organizing and whatnot because he's at a conference in Cincinnati until Sunday. Actually, he might drive back Saturday night since he's worried about Conner, too. How often fate reminds my family that our lives revolve around that little poot; his condition determines our emotions and worries and stress levels.
Working at a health food store is so interesting. I'm learning so many things, and honestly, some of those things I wish I could remain ignorant to. I've learned that many things in the average American's daily diet are actually quite toxic to his/her body. For example, sugar is a toxin. And a majority of sugar substitutes are no better, especially aspartame. Thankfully, stevia and xylitol are perfectly natural and plant-based and can actually benefit the human body. Cooking with salt is also harmful. When the salt heats up in the cooking process, it crystallizes, and then when one ingests it, that crystallized form builds up in the arteries, which eventually causes blockage. Adding salt to already cooked food is okay, though (sea salts and such, not processed salts). And there are so many other things with which to concern oneself. It's good to know, but many of these products are hard to find. Luckily, I have easy access to them since I work here, but I won't have access when I'm back at Centre. My mom will have to send me these things, I suppose. But on the other hand, it's frustrating because it limits one's options. It is so hard to find foods that don't have sugar or a sugar substitute added to them. And how am I to know if a product has been cooked with salt? Chances are, pretty much everything has been; so that means buying pre-cooked food is pretty much off the list. Cooking one's own food all the time is difficult, and I can't rely on Centre's cafeteria. Eating raw foods all the time is not fun either. It just boils down to my choice not to be 100% healthy all the time. Yes, I will make good choices, but sometimes I will consciously make bad choices because that's just what I want to do. The human body is strong enough to deal with toxins, so eating a can of soup or something isn't going to kill me, and if I don't eat it too often, it shouldn't kill me. And if it does kill me, well, that would awfully suck. To prevent that, I'll boost my immune system by exercising, which will also prevent the build-up of fat, which becomes even more harmful as one ages. Oh, and no more cokes. Regular sodas are filled with sugar, and diet drinks have aspartame. No more Snapple tea for me either. What I have recently grown fond of is a barley grass drink. Since I like raw veggies, I enjoy the taste; it's sort of milky and reminds me of a mixture of several vegetable flavors. Good stuff, and it kind of looks like mutant juice. I don't mind the rich green color, but a couple customers yesterday thought it was rather repulsive. Oh, well, more for me. Oh, and herbal teas. I love tea, so good thing it's good for me. It's not often that the things we like end up being any good for us.
I'm not trying to be on a soap box or anything. I just want to share some information, so the people I care (or at least those who read this) can take it in, think about it, and then make a decision. That whole close-minded thing sometimes results from lack of information, and if we are aware of that information, we can make informed decisions. Crap! I got off one soap box and onto another! I'm done for the day.
P.S.
Not all sugar is bad, just plain sugar. Sugar in raw fruits and such is fine. It's the sugar you cook with and sprinkle on your cereal and maybe even secretly eat by the spoonful out in your backyard tree with the Keebler elves that is toxic to the body. It's toxic because sugar in that form is not natural; it's man-made. At least I think that's why. I'll have to read up on it. Something about the chemical composition or something.