Gradually more energy

Gradually getting more energy. Partly because it's cooling down a bit.  Got a little cleaning and organizing done this evening, including knocking apart a filing cabinet in front of the house. I've had it for a long time and had originally intended to use the hardware on something else. Got rusted, though. Finally got rid of it. Took some used oil to Auto Zone. (I still have more. Been bad last few oil changes about taking it for disposal.) 

Right wingers still at it. One of their favorite things is claiming they want a smaller government. Here is the truth. History has shown the economy improves when the government is larger. (Except the military. Larger military generally happens when we have a major conflict and that damages the economy. Interesting thing is they want a smaller government but massive military.) Here is how I responded to one post about being in favor of a smaller government: 

Small government. Okay, let's start with subsidies for farmers. Eliminate the military altogether. Do away with OSHA, who needs job safety? Throw Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid out the window. Old people won't live that long, why do they need money? Stop spending money on infrastructure. Just make all roads in the country toll roads. FEMA can go. If you're in the middle of a natural disaster, you're on your own. Close all the courts. Get rid of the FDA and USDA and just trust food and drug companies to sell us safe products. Get rid of the minimum wage and the whole Wage and Hour Division. Trust the rich to pay you a living wage. Toss the FDIC, trust the banks to be honest and give your money back if they go under. How are we doing so far?

That was really short compared to what I could have written. Complete honest truth is that you have to keep things short for them. They cannot comprehend anything too large. Even that statement will stretch their capacity to an extreme. Of course, they always want a smaller government but the same benefits. And they only want the sections of government reduced or eliminated which do not directly affect them. 

I keep waiting for them to choke on all the feces coming out of their mouths.

Instilling fear

It appears I have become a person that the right wing fears. For very good reason. No, that does not insinuate any form of violence.

The Conservative's favorite tactics are insults, lies and violence. So strange that what were once considered Christian values are so far from that now. Compassion, charity, honesty and caring have become completely the realm of non-Christians in modern America.

Even as I was writing this, a Conservative posted a reply to something I said which referred to Jesus being against violence. "Beat your swords into plowshares." He replied with a passage where Jesus told the disciples to buy swords. In truth, he was being facetious. When they tried to use the swords, he stopped them immediately. 

I responded with the above plus a number of other quotes which refer to love, not judging, etc. 

What they will do is take something out of context and try to use it as rationale which is severely inappropriate and twists the meaning.

So, it seems my life has come strangely full circle. Studying to be a minister when I was young. Now, as a non-Christian (I still believe in Jesus as a teacher.) I am becoming a teacher of true Christianity. Because modern American Christians have become nothing that resembles Christianity as it was written. They use racism, bigotry, racism, hate, violence, disrespect, anger, homophobia, greed and hypocrisy. Then try to distort the Bible to make it support their behavior. 

I want to instill fear in them and I am succeeding in many cases. I will not lie about anything to do so. I respond with science, logic, objective published studies and their own Bible. Every time I see them spreading lies, I counter them with truth. Many times I use that truth to reflect back exactly how wrong, dishonest and heretical their statements and behavior are. I do not touch their beliefs if they are personal beliefs which do not affect the lives of others. I do respect their religion. I do not respect when they distort that religion to victimize others. 

The fact that I will use these tactics and not resort to mindless insult matches is what instills fear in them.

One of the biggest things lately is the right wing supporting Donald Trump for President. The man is abusive, racist, delusional, has a long history of disrespectful remarks toward women. The fact is, he is dangerous. One of the biggest tenets of his campaign is saying he will deport all illegal immigrants. Then says he will build a wall between Mexico and the U.S. and make Mexico pay for it. I tried logic. That didn't work on a bunch of mindless, hateful bigots. So I changed tactics and used what I actually see as a possibility. 

There is no way he can make Mexico pay for a fence on our soil. That would require the backing of the international community, which would never happen. Which means he would divert money from public assistance and infrastructure to pay for it. Our infrastructure is already badly deteriorating. Then I went all out. To screen people would require racial profiling, which is against the law. Once a person is screened and found legal or even citizen by birth, there can only be two ways to keep from having to screen that person again. Either concentration camps. Or a national ID card, possibly an implanted chip. Which starts falling right into The Revelation in the Bible.

Now he started insulting China. Big problem with that. We owe China a lot of money. If they get angry, they can immediately call in those debts. I mean $Trillions. We don't have it. Meaning we would be completely broke. Nobody else has that kind of money to loan us. This is the largest debt in world history! So, we would default on the loans. That would destroy the credit rating for the entire country. Then the world bank would instigate austerity measures. Still, if China is angry enough, they could easily declare war. Joining and supporting them would be Russia, Iran, Syria and all the other countries the GOP has been insulting for so long. Then they would "march" across the Euphrates against us and any allies. Which would fulfill another prediction in Revelation. 

Some of them that still will not stop. They are stupid enough to want this to be the end of the world as we know it. They pay no attention to the suffering and damage which would be incurred. 

All I can do is keep battling and hope to make an impact on what may remain of sanity in them.

Crappy day

Decision made. If I do not get the promotion I applied for, I'll be getting my resume out. I will take my time and seek a job I think I will enjoy but eventually I will be gone.

Honestly, I'm not expecting to get the promotion. I think I am too honest, too open, too vocal and too male to get the promotion.

The program I have written about before keeps expanding. Today I got an email saying I had processed a case incorrectly. Seems what I am supposed to do is open the regular criteria (new ones), plus open the old criteria (which takes opening up the journal and clicking on a link, all of which is in a completely separate area from the review), go through questions asked in the review, then fill in a template, one of two and I cannot choose which one to use until after the entire review is completed and it is decided whether the case is approved or goes to the Medical Director for review. 

I told another supervisor who is in charge of the program today that I would like to be removed from that program. The answer I got was virtually "Too bad, so sad, suck it up and shut up". It was not worded that way but came down to the exact same thing. 

Meanwhile the whole company is struggling with lengthening call queues, ever growing and overdue fax cases and medical director reviews days behind schedule. And more and more people getting pissed off. 

What pisses me off the most is the fact that they took a system which worked well, threw that out the window and replaced it with a system which throws the entire company at least 15 years into the past. 

What sucks is that with only a few exceptions I used to love my job. Not any more. Oh, well. Shit changes.

Cloudy

It's cloudy today. I'm hoping it stays that way all day. 

Going to push myself to get some things done today. Turn off the TV and walk away from the computer for 8 hours and just work on things around the house. 

Though I do need to go to the gas station and drug store later. I may do that first. A motorcycle ride may help energize me. 

One thing I need to do is make another to do list and prioritize what needs to be done. I'm a lot more productive when I'm organized. However, right now I just need to get some basic cleaning and organizing done before I can even be at that point. 

Something I have realized over the last year or so. I have been taking medications for years for different problems, mostly allergy related. It turns out that every single one including vitamins of them was treating the same thing and the side effects. Seems vitamin supplements help with inadequate nutritional absorption. Benadryl and Ephedrine act as adrenergic agonists, which is one of the standard treatments for ulcerative colitis which do not involve suppressing the immune system. Turns out even amphetamines (which I admit to taking some of many,many years ago) treats the same condition. 

Some new literature states that Celiac disease is a precursor to ulcerative colitis. Kind of makes sense. 

All in all, each aspect makes sense. 

9PM- I got some things done today. Not as much as I wanted but at least I got off my butt. A good part of the day I was tired and achy. Then I went and got some ephedrine, since I had been out for several days. (Tried to get some last night but pharmacy was closed. Had to drive further, to a different pharmacy today since the one across the street is closed on Sunday.) After taking that I felt better. I know, some people claim that's because of an amphetamine effect. However, that effect only lasts about 4 hours. Since I still feel better and last took it around 6-7 hours ago, that blows that theory. And I never suffer any kind of crash as it wears off. And an amphetamine effect would not explain why it makes my gut feel better. So, lesson learned. I apparently need to take it on a regular basis. 

Honestly, I don't even care any more if it is an amphetamine effect. I am so tired of feeling tired. It also has a cumulative effect, like a lot of other things. 

Activities

Today I have several things scheduled. The cloning class not too long from now. Then an appointment to fix the iPad this evening. Couldn't get an appointment earlier in the day. That sucks, since I'm going to be on that side of town.

Oh, well. Probably best. I will have live plants in the car. If I left them in the car too long they would die. 

I was going to take the bike but since I don't know the size of the plants, better to take the car. 

Last night I ordered some supplies to start trying hydroponics. There is some logic to hydroponics growing plants effectively. Nutrients go straight to the roots and there's no soil for white flies to lay their eggs in. I do need to look around and see if I can find the air pump I once had for the fish tank. If I can't find it, have to get a new one. Nutrient balance is the big thing. I know there's no need to raise the pH here, so I can use sulfuric acid to make the liquid more acidic. Not fond of rock wool because of the risks to myself and the environment, so I ordered coconut coir as a medium. 

Instead of some highly expensive starter kit, I'm just going to use a large plastic storage container, cut holes in the lid for the plants. Between the storage bin, air pump, hydroponic pots and fertilizer, I'm spending less than $30 on supplies. (Some I already have, so even less immediate outlay.) While the cheapest hydroponic starter kits I've seen cost around $90 and I think those did not include fertilizer or pH adjustment supplies. I have a pH meter, so don't have to worry about that. I may invest more in lighting fixtures before winter, though. 

I'll write more later.

2:30 PM- Got back from the cloning class, which was a bit longer than I expected. I did learn a few things. Like I have been using too much light and still not enough humidity. The instructor said if you can attain 100 percent humidity the plants would love it. (But that would cause problems with fungi.) The people in the class were all very nice. The instructor did wander off into how water has memory and you should compliment your plants to make them grow better. He kind of lost me when he went into that stuff. We all got to bring home 7 clones each. Different varieties. 

One thing is true, though. The more time I spend around people, the more I hate being around people.

9:30 PM- Good news! Got the tablet fixed and it didn't cost anything! The woman helping me restarted it by pressing two buttons at once for several seconds. Took a minute but it restarted and the display worked fine. Would have been nice if the guy the other day had just told me to try that.

The new dispensary has several high-CBD strains. Trying it first time tonight. Doing a good job stimulating my appetite. In my case, that also means killing pain. 

Going to try and get enough done tomorrow to make up for not doing much today.

There's some motivation!

Well, there's some motivation to get the house in order fairly quickly! Got a text this morning that old friends from Texas are coming here late next month. 

I don't know if they've already arranged a place to stay. If not, I can arrange things so they can stay here. I have to check back with them. In any case, I don't want to be embarrassed if they come to the house. 

Had my interview for the supervisor position today. I think it went well but several more people were being interviewed, so won't know the results until maybe Monday. If I'm not chosen, I won't apply again. I'll be fine where I'm at. Can't claim I am completely sold on the position. It pays on salary (which I'm sure is higher than what I make) but may require working much longer hours at times. I'm not afraid of longer hours but I'm making a living wage now. It would be nice to have more, of course. And I would have to talk to a lot fewer rude damn people from NY/NJ. Includes some additional benefits which aren't critical or anything, just nice to have. 

Just have to wait and see. Happy either way.

Almost 9 PM-

Had an adventurous evening. Not in a good way. Went to see if I could get the iPad fixed. Turns out you need an appointment! WTF? Nothing like using tactics to make people who spend too much money on stupid shit feel important. I'll see if I can get an appointment soon. If it were not for the money, I would toss it and get an Android. I like Android better but don't want to spend the money if I don't have to.

Then I was riding the bike home (in Albuquerque traffic) when the bike died. I thought it overheated but that wasn't the case. I ran out of gas. The vent to the gas tank allows gas to evaporate. I knew that but it's been so hot it evaporated faster than I expected. Had to take an oil bottle, walk about 1.5 miles to the nearest gas station, then back again. Take part of the fuel system apart to prime the carburetor. After that it only took a few tries to get it started. Got home okay after that. Actually got home earlier than I expected. 

Before leaving home I finally set off a bug bomb in the living room. Had a slight gnat problem. Not as bad as some previous years but they're annoying. 

Up..and then down

My energy level had improved for a while. Then back down again today. Woke up with different health issues. Unquestionably related to known conditions. Starting to feel a little better now.

I still wish the weather would cool down a bit more. Went down slightly but still nearly 90 degrees. 

Been battling tech issues for days now. Problems with the computer for several days. Even after changing back to Windows 7, I wound up with the BSOD (blue screen of death) several times yesterday. Turned out when Win 7 reinstalled, it fragmented the drive. Defragging fixed that. I ran a fast defrag and then a more extensive defrag when the system was stabilized. No problems so far today. So far. However, I have been working all day.

Then started work this morning and we had extensive network problems. Dropped calls, dropped cases... It eventually got fixed.

I have given the new program a trial for 4 days and halfway through the day I emailed my supervisor to ask that my certification for the program be withdrawn. At least until they get the criteria more organized. From my view, the new program increases case processing time, decreases profit (unless the company gets paid more for these cases), increases time after calls because we cannot choose which template to use until the review is complete, damages performance scoring, increases risk of error.. The criteria is difficult to find your way through. It's disorganized and in many cases not clear. I'm supposed to be able to click a button and it should start a "level 2 review" (my level) yet most of the time that doesn't work. Instead it wipes out any information gathered by the non-clinical person, making me have to start the entire process from the very beginning. 

In short, I cannot recall ever seeing such a screwed up mess. There is nothing about this program which works the way it is supposed to work. 

I am not, in fact, a conspiracy theorist. However, I find the Conservative GOP platform to be suspiciously comprehensive. Consider the effects of the following-
Increasing taxes on the poor while giving tax breaks/subsidies/incentives to the richest of the rich.
Eliminating abortion, forcing mothers to give birth.
Restricting access to contraception.
Reducing or eliminating food stamps and public assistance for those in poverty.
Privatizing or eliminating Social Security (so the banks and the rich can get their hands on it).
Negating any attempts at controlling cost of higher education.
Reducing public school funding.
Denying the fact that racism still exists.
Controlling education, teaching creationism along with or instead of evolution. 
Promoting war over and instead of diplomacy.
Denying the right for gay people to marry or adopt.
Promoting religious rights over individual rights.
Repealing the ACA.
De-funding infrastructure improvements.
De-regulating financial institutions and removing all oversight. 
Removing all penalties from pension plan mishandling.
Increasing the number of prisons while increasing penalties for non-violent crimes.
Rewarding companies that export jobs.
Eliminating unions.
Arming police with military grade weapons.
Allowing if not endorsing policies which suppress women's rights.
Enacting laws which limit voting rights based on basically nonexistent voter fraud. 
Keeping cannabis illegal on proven false pretenses.

The end effect of all of these policies taken together result as a comprehensive plan to stratify and divide our society. It keeps the rich rich. It makes the poor ever more poor as they struggle to work longer hours, more jobs (which do not exist or get exported), pay ever higher taxes, have reduced benefits at ever increasing expense. Deny medication which is low cost or can be grown by the patient while forcing them to take medications which they cannot afford. Decreased medical care results in worse patient outcomes and shorter life span. Get a criminal record, have a substandard public education and cannot afford higher education and you are trapped in a low wage job for life. Keep war after war going, increasing profits for military contractors while sending our youngest and poorest to die. While we struggle even further to pay for those wars, most of which could be prevented by diplomacy. 

There can be no mistake that this IS a comprehensive plan by upper Conservatives.

Computer issues

Been through a couple days of computer issues. Not only is the tablet broken, I recently changed to Windows 10. That was working okay but the video driver no longer worked, so the processor was running hot. Then I installed the new video card driver. Which made the computer stop loading the USB driver. Which meant internet, the trackball and keyboard did not work. That took a bit of work to get around and restore Windows 7. 

I dissolved some Naptha soap and put that in the garden sprayer, sprayed the garden this evening to kill insects. Especially on the tomatoes and cucumbers, where they're doing the most damage.

I'm going to start giving tomatoes away. I have quite a bit of tomato paste and getting tired of canning them for the year. Once I can the current batch done, I'll be up to around 200 lbs canned. I think that's enough for one year. 

More grass

Daughter really loves books. Now she is taking a liking to E.A.Poe. Funny because I was reading virtually everything he wrote around the same age. Any way, we went looking around several book stores yesterday. Including a used book store. She chose a Poe collection. Asked her if she wanted any more books and she declined. 

Aside from that and eating at a BBQ place yesterday, we had a mild weekend. Didn't do a whole lot. Too dang hot.

I harvested the carrots seeds from the flowers I saved a few weeks ago. Wound up with enough carrot seeds to plant the next 2-3 years! So, if the current carrot seeds germinate and grow, I'll leave a few carrots in the ground and let those go to seed next summer. Keep doing that in rotation. Right now it's still too hot for any of the cool weather seeds we planted to germinate. Hoping the temperatures don't plummet so quickly that none of them grow with no harvest. 

Trimmed most of the remaining grass in the back yard Fri evening. Didn't finish it because it turns out we have a lot more grass than at any time since moving in. It was also very tall, since I have not trimmed the grass in several weeks. Glad to have the extra coverage but need to keep it cut better. Even the areas which were absolutely nothing but clay and rocks are now starting to grow grass. 

I'm going to start giving tomatoes away. I'm actually getting tired of canning them. At least in such large amounts. Basically takes two evenings for each batch, so I have been canning tomatoes for four nights each week last couple of weeks. Now over 20 jars of different sizes. Still going to make a few jars of salsa and a few more of tomato paste. Maybe some canned peeled tomatoes. 

The solarizing seems to have done the job in most of the areas where I did that. Still a few patches of grass and stray weeds here and there but not like it was. Going to try and control what is there by pulling or spraying. 

Getting late. Need to do dishes, dinner, medication and bed.

Loooong day

Today was a long, long day. Did not sleep well last night. Then I had training today. My work schedule was seriously messed up. Never got a lunch. Then the training kept me working for an hour after my normal shift. 

All that did add up to a small amount of OT but really wore me out.

That took away the time (and energy) for trimming the back yard. Oh, joy. Have to get it done tomorrow.

Paying all the bills to get back on track after vacation bit into my savings level. Not too badly. Pretty sure I can at least catch up with my next check. Try to pull ahead next check and beyond. 

So, it's definite that I had some internal bleeding and resulting anemia. Very possible I also had Candidiasis. I seriously increased the apple cider vinegar pills and iron supplements for a while, up to double normal dose. That and a couple days on mostly liquid diet this past weekend did the trick and I'm feeling much better. (That doesn't mean lack of sleep and an extra hour of work with no lunch break doesn't make you tired.) 

The rear tire of the bike was still really stubborn about holding air. Went and got some tire sealant, put that in the tire and rode the bike a few miles. Check the air again tomorrow. It was holding air well enough to ride to Los Lunas and back but was losing air overnight. 

The training for the new program for work (Yes, another one) is rather questionable. There are indeed some new criteria. However, much of the criteria is largely the same. The documentation is different and the training for the new program documentation is sorely lacking. All that indicates very much that there was not much planning done for this change, even with months of knowledge that the change was going to take place. 

All the different programs are beginning to get confusing. I was already part of three programs, each with different standards and different documentation. This one makes it four. As a result, I have to closely watch what insurance each case is submitted under. 

I'm going to take my medicine and get to bed tonight.

Another try

Another supervisor position came open. (Or maybe the same one..) So, I applied this evening, with the encouragement of my supervisor. Hmm. Made one mistake. For got to check what the schedule for the position is. Better do that before work tomorrow morning. So, here's the thing. If I don't get the position this time, I won't apply again. I'm happy enough in my current position. Not getting rich but not doing badly. 

May do slightly better soon. Decided to change satellite TV providers, which decreases my cost by about $50 a month for a year. Then still will cost somewhat less after that year and includes a channel daughter and I would like to watch but it would take a more expensive plan with current provider.

I got tired of chasing and battling the bugs damaging the cannabis plants. So I got some foggers this evening. Placed one in the office and one in daughter's room. I may put one in my own bedroom tomorrow. Just to kill off as many hidden insects as possible. 

Not much done tonight. Ran out of time. Ran to Walmart..two days before school starts. Not worth describing. Walked the dog. Transplanted the largest cannabis plant because it was getting root-bound. Needed more potting soil for the rest of them. 

Get more done tomorrow. Still need to trim the grass in the back yard.

I broke the iPad today. Dropped it and now the display doesn't work. Have to see if I can get it fixed. If not, I'll get an Android tablet. Bummer because I use it during work between calls. Even been known to use it during calls to look up codes when there was a network problem. 

Unexpected

Well, here's one I didn't expect!

Went out to the garden this evening. Seems the tomato vines grew so many tomatoes that they snapped the trellis (largest one) like a twig! About six tomato plants on the ground. The vines took a little damage but survived. I managed to get it upright again but it took all my strength. That particular trellis had at least six upright posts which all broke. 

Guess I'll have to redesign and rebuild it for next year. 

I picked 35-40 lbs of tomatoes tonight. About 5 lbs are still a little green. But that brings me to about 120 lbs in around 10 days. Still a couple hundred lbs of tomatoes on the vines, various stages of green. 

Seems cannabis was not the problem. I was feeling better today. I think sticking with a primarily liquid diet last couple of days helped. Finally, after almost two weeks of feeling like crap. I have not been brave enough to step on the scale. I have been keeping my vitamin intake up. So, even if I've lost weight, I can function okay. 

No cannabis?

I have been considering changes which have occurred in the last few months. Especially to diet and medications, since my fatigue has been so bad.

I had begun a workout program and was not doing badly. Then felt like a truck hit me.

Then I realized a major change. I started on cannabis. Could that be the problem? Always possible. Only one way to find out. Going to skip it for a few days.

The down side to that is that it helps me get to sleep. For that alone, I would have to claim I may be addicted. Try increasing the Valerian root.

One thing that seems to help my symptoms is Aloe Vera juice. However, it tastes horrid! Oh, well. Just have to deal with it. 

When canning things, I often leave them on the counter for a couple of days before shelving them. That way I can see if they do not form a valid seal and may be able to use them right away. Had two jars which did not seal properly, they went in the fridge. The rest are now on the shelf and quickly filling the shelf to capacity. Though I need to dump some old stuff that is probably no good. Or that I just will not be eating. 

I'm going to try canning some meats, also. That goes back to survivalist tendencies. Not a fanatic but having some things set aside which would last for years would not hurt. Can always build a supply and then, when at large capacity, start using it in rotation so none of it spoils. 

Back to the cannabis. Still trying to grow some. What may be good is if I can grow enough to have CBD without the THC. Worth a shot. 

Better..on several counts

Feeling a bit better this morning. I stuck with mostly a liquid diet yesterday. I never felt well enough yesterday to get anything done but some minor shopping at dollar stores. 

I am feeling better on other counts, as well. For a long time, I have been feeling isolated in some ways. It seems like I am always doing battle with right wing idiots on FB. Until a few days ago. I looked up some Liberal groups and joined those. Since then, I have gained something of a following. Instead of people arguing with me and calling me names for my views, I have people agreeing with me. 

That isolation is not just FB. I am living in a state which is very Conservative. They may sometimes call themselves by other names but definitely Conservative. More religious than rational, in favor of downsizing government, while this state would not exist as it does without government funding. 70 Percent of the people in this state rely on some form of government income, whether food stamps, welfare, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, government jobs/contracts, etc. Even my own job relies somewhat (not completely) on government funding, through Medicare/Medicaid funding the imaging studies I process. The people here also basically are in favor of women being second class citizens. They don't see it but cannot understand the consequences of their behavior. 

In direct social interaction, I'm still pretty isolated. Partly by choice. However, I have at least gained some more positive interaction at some level. 

There was no way I could discard my views to "fit in" with people who do so much damage to our society. It's really good to know I am not the only person with some level of lucidity. 

Now, the only choice is to keep fighting fiction with facts. I know some people will never change. They're like children sticking their fingers in their ears when told something they don't want to hear. However, keep bringing up facts and there is the chance of shining light on their falsity and hate. 

Still vegging

I'm still vegging at the computer. Feeling a little better but not much.

Lately I have been getting increasingly into political activism. I have a fairly long history of that, whether I defined it as such or not. When I was younger I just considered it social activism. However, our society has become so intensely politicized over the last 20 years or so that you cannot be one without the other.

Most specifically the right wing Conservative ("Tea Party") Republicans have made a spectacle and mockery of any semblance of equal rights here. Constantly opposing rights for oppressed groups with statements like "Let's take our country back". From whom? The people who have finally gained some level of the same rights which privileged people have had their whole lives?!

The American Care Act put medical care in reach for all citizens of this country. Poor people can have medical insurance. People with chronic conditions can get insurance and not have to pay their entire income for it. Yet the Conservatives are strongly opposed to it. They tried using the argument that it would damage jobs. I predicted the opposite and I was right. Yet they continue with the same argument, even when it has been shown to be completely false. As of now, they have made 51 formal attempts to repeal it and vow to keep trying. It went to the Supreme Court and their argument was thrown out. Yet they continue to keep trying to repeal it. It is one of the main talking points of the upcoming Presidential campaign. 

Gay people gaining the right to marry has not in any way infringed on the right of straight people. They claim it is against their religion. So is eating pork or shrimp or judging others but they skip right over that. There have been claims that Christians having to perform services like baking wedding cakes or photographing gay weddings impact their rights. No, it does not. It makes them a profit, which is what business is about. Denying service to someone based on sexual identity, gender, race, religion, etc is prejudice and goes against the Constitution of this country. Don't want to do it? Close your business or convert it to a non-profit religious organization. Then see how much money you make. 

The most popular candidate on the GOP Presidential campaign is Donald Trump. This man has made statements against Mexican immigrants like saying Mexico sends illegal immigrants here. That immigrants (he did not define illegal only) are rapists, murderers and criminals. "Some, I assume, are good people. I don't know." He has also made atrocious statements about women on several occasions. Using names like "fat, pig, dogs, slobs, disgusting animals". He called one female reporter a "bimbo". He even told one game show contestant he would like to see her on her knees. Yet people are defending his behavior! 

Jeb Bush (brother of George W Bush) has said Americans need to work more. While opposing increased taxes on the rich, the ACA and public assistance for the poor. He has made past statements that women need to find a husband and "get their lives together". While opposing legislation which endorses equal pay for women. And people support this. 

With all of this indicating such a systemic disease in our society, it is depressing. The way I see the coming Presidential race and the next Congressional race is a fight for the very soul of this country. We can advance and it looks like we are doing so. The result of these next two campaigns will truly decide what direction this country takes in the future. 

TV stations use ratings as a means of support for one party or candidate or another. What they fail to mention is how many people watch these shows for the very purpose of opposing them, which is a significant percentage. 

Fox News (which I call Faux Noise) touts themselves as the most watched TV news channel or broadcast. What they fail to mention is that they are basically the only Conservative "news" channel on the air. Yes, they are the largest single news source. But when you add up all the liberal to neutral news sources in this country, the picture changes drastically. Their viewership is really only a fraction of all news viewers. Plus there is the fact that multiple studies have absolutely proven that people who watch Faux Noise are less informed on current issues than people who watch no news at all, including people who read no newspapers, news magazines or read news on the internet. That is because they most often replace news with propaganda to forward their Conservative agenda. It is a form of brainwashing. Leave out the facts and report what you want people to hear. 

Luckily, many people are not or are no longer brainwashed. And they have damaged their own agenda for any sane person by attacking the poor, minorities, non-Christians, women, gay people and many more. 

If Republicans win the Presidential election, especially by ignoring the popular vote and electing a GOP in by popular vote, I expect to see riots in the streets across the entire country which will continue until that result is retracted. This country will burn.

Ugh

Fell asleep late last night. I was restless. Then had leg cramps. Fell asleep, then woke up with stomach cramps during the night. 

I turned the alarm off and slept late, until 11 AM. 

Not feeling so energetic. Still having some intestinal cramping and general malaise. 

Have to be honest. I feel like my health is deteriorating. All due to my intestinal/immune issues. 

I'm going to hold on a few months, do what I can and hope it improves. If it does not improve by January, going to the doc and get a CT scan and some labs. I am honestly at the point where I am considering if surgery would be a good option. One common treatment for ulcerative colitis is a partial colectomy. My question is whether this would actually make my absorption problem worse instead of better. Something I would have to discuss at length with a surgeon and internal medicine specialist after a CT scan determined extent of damage. I also have no desire for a colostomy. I will not agree to surgery if that would be necessary.

I also have to admit that while surgical complications are a concern, a bigger concern is financial. How long would I be away from work? I doubt for long. I would have to have an IV for nutrition. A PICC line. If it could be arranged so I could do my own IV's that would be great. Definitely have the knowledge and skill. I would have to have someone else to change the dressing at least once a week. That would only be for six weeks, long as no complications occur. 

Going to keep it open as a consideration. Really want to avoid that if possible. 

Canning 2015

I am happy it is Friday. I've been really frustrated this week because of all the calls which have been transferred to the wrong extension. I keep getting calls for health plans which I cannot process and an increasing number of Cardiology and Chemo cases, which I also cannot process. I could probably do them but do not have the company certification for them. I'm okay with an occasional mistake but this is ridiculous.

I finally ran some numbers. I am getting roughly 30 wrong calls per day, which amounts to 150 per week. I figured an average of 300 clinical reviewers working at one time. If all of them are having a similar experience, that's 45,000 incorrect call transfers in one week. Which equates to 2,340,000 incorrect call transfers per year if it remains constant. I assume one minute to transfer the call to the correct extension and enter a note. If there is an average pay rate of $20 an hour, this adds up to $780,000 per year, completely and preventably wasted. 

That would be enough to give each of those 300 clinical reviewers a raise of $2600 a year. Plus it would mean less clinical reviewers needed, since it would result in 45,000 minutes more free time per week (1125 man-hours, I think). That's 28 clinical reviewers which would not be needed. 

Even if the finances are removed from the equation, the appearance of incompetence is astounding. 

I did write an email to my supervisor with this information, to be sent up the chain. 

Only good point is the potential that it drastically reduces my average case processing time, which we will be assessed on at a later date.

So, this week I have canned four quarts of pickles. Also 13 half pints and 2 pints of tomato paste. I still have more tomatoes on the counter and a pot on the stove. Think I'll peel the ones on the counter and make some jars of chunky tomato paste.

The GOP debate last night was like a giant clown car. The entire debate was filled with lies, insults and stuffed shirts. It was pathetic. Donald Trump was the worst of the pack. He insulted a female reporter during the debate and later posted online, calling her a "bimbo". The worst part is that he was applauded. I don't like the reporter but it's disgusting for a candidate for President to behave that way. 

Three pots of tomatoes

Got the pressure canner today. It's freaking huge! Oh, well. 20 quarts is 5 gals, so not thet shocking.

Used the food mill and processed the cut and cooked tomatoes into the pressure canner pot. Cut up and put more tomatoes in the other pots. So, I have three pots of tomatoes on the stove. Still have enough tomatoes for one more pot. 

Have not been getting things done which I had planned this week. Certain things taking up too much time. Rode the bike down to Los Lunas this evening, to find the new dispensary. Got there before they closed. They didn't have any cuttings, said they will come in tomorrow. I'll just call sometime before going back. It's a nice place though and I enjoyed the ride.

Processing the tomatoes is also pretty time consuming. 

I'm tired. Getting to bed.

More weight loss

Well, my weight is down to 154 lbs. However, looks like I may have to lose even more this week. On purpose. My distress is bad enough that I am going to have to induce diarrhea and stick with a soft diet to give my gut a rest. 

I'm not surprised at the weight loss. I lose some weight every vacation. One reason it's usually good to break up my time off. Not sure what would happen with two consecutive weeks off. 

Going to the new dispensary this evening. Think I'll increase my dosage on cannabis, also. And get another cutting. 

9:30 PM- Washed the skunk smell off the dog. Made my own mixture of shampoo, tick medicine, blended tomatoes from the garden and lemon juice. It worked quite well and the odor is gone. 

I tried to get to the new dispensary this evening. Wound up working a few minutes late. Had to turn around a couple of blocks from home, forgot my cell, which I feel more comfortable with driving outside the county. Then got behind one very slow pickup after another on the way. By the time I got there it was 9 minutes till they closed and I couldn't find the place. Gave up. Try again tomorrow but very seriously looked up directions on Google.

Going to take the bike tomorrow. Back tire needs air and I didn't have time to do it today.

Picked a lot more tomatoes! With what daughter and I picked this weekend and what I picked today, it came out to 50-60 lbs of tomatoes in the kitchen! 

I cut up a lot and put them in the two largest pots (except the tamale pot, which is way too big). That was at least 20 lbs and only amounted to 1/3 of them. Trying something different, cooking them and then run them through the food mill tomorrow. Then cook them into paste. 

Happy to say my first day back to work was not bad at all. Started off a bit slow and then picked up. Main thing is that most of the people were nice. 

Skunked

Took the dog for his walk this evening. At one point he very suddenly rushed into the brush.. Then abruptly backed up, thrashing his head and digging his nose in the dirt. I knew he wasn't actually injured, he made no sound. Took a moment before I got a whiff and realized he had been skunked right in the face! 

No, I don't feel sorry for him. I'll give him a bath tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to let him learn his lesson. 

Funny, saw on the news that the areas daughter and I were driving through just a few days ago are now flooding. I have lost count of how many times I have just missed flooding in places which I had been in a short time earlier. 

Friday, she and I planted carrots, two kinds of spinach, two kinds of lettuce and three kinds of pumpkin. Yesterday I planted dill, which I almost forgot. I still need to plant broccoli.

Before planting, I removed the black plastic from the spots where the plastic had been down longest. I did save the plastic for next year. Waiting to see what the results are, if the weeds and grass have been suppressed. I also tilled those areas. 

Realized something the hard way. Seems anticholinergic medications help my ulcerative colitis quite a bit. (It is a recognized therapy.) I've had gut problems for a few days now. Stuck with a completely liquid diet for one day. Today I also had mild bronchitis secondary to the gut problems, so I took some ephedrine. Little while later, my gut felt a bit better. Lesson learned. 

I never did get all the cleaning I had planned on this week. Wish I had figured out the ephedrine thing earlier. I was rather wiped out most of the week. No doubt I have also been anemic, so I've upped my iron intake, also. Going to take the ephedrine consistently for a few days.

Oh, well. I'll get to the cleaning this week. I'm not sad to actually keep my vacation a vacation.

 Tonight is my last night of vacation. Dropped daughter off at her mother's. This was the least exciting trip and vacation we have taken to date. However, she does like the XBox. Didn't use the Kinect much but it's kind of buggy. I need to move the sofa back further. Glad the living room is large. I can understand why some people wind up selling their Kinect, just because it requires so much room to function properly.