Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Hey, Ho, The Dairy, O

I've been congested for the past week or so. I'm not coughing or sneezing, I don't have a runny nose, I'm not running a fever or feel run down, I'm just congested.

I've read and continue to read a lot about food and the more I read, the more I realize how fucked up the American diet is. We've taken basic ingredients and fiddled with them, turning them into additives, preservatives, fillers, the list goes on. The result, a diet that our bodies cannot handle. Food allergies and food intolerance seem to be increasing. Is it because they simply went undiagnosed until recently or is it because the more we invent, mutate, create, construct "food" the more problems we encounter?

Back to my congestion, I've been wondering if my congestion is due to a reaction to the foods I'm eating. I've been researching (Googling) which foods can cause sinus congestion. It's been interesting. First thing to note, the search results typically lead me to "alternative healing" or the like, websites. For instance, I wasn't directed to WebMD. That could simply be the search criteria I used but it's worth noting. The consensus among the sites I visited was the main culprits in food allergies are typically dairy, gluten, sugar, meat. The fact that none of this was surprising to me makes me think that although this isn't mainstream news, it's not just kooky fringe elements saying this. I've also consistently read that the best way to determine if you have an allergy (or at least an intolerance) to a certain food group is to avoid it for a length of time and see how you feel.

With that in mind, I've decided to give it a try. I'm going to attempt to give up dairy for a week. I really don't think a week is enough to determine if dairy is a factor in my congestion. I decided on a week because I want to see if I can go a week without certain food group. I think the hardest part will be to remember I'm doing this in the first place...and cheese, it will be hard to give up cheese. After a week I'll decide if I want to continue with dairy or move onto something else such as gluten. At very least, I will be refocusing my attention on what I'm putting in my body and how it might affect me. I need that. There's been way too much mindless eating on my part lately and maybe, just maybe, I'll learn more about what foods work with, rather than against my body.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Calculate That

So I put two calculators on ebay last week. Both are HP scientific calculators, one also graphs. It's crazy, the calculator I had in the mid to late 80's sold for $157! The graphing calculator from the 90's only sold for $24. Who knew a calculator could be so valuable?

I've also sold a wetsuit on ebay and a few books on Craigslist. I'm not getting rich, but it is bringing in a little extra cash.

Here's my ebay/craiglist picture taking setup. Pictured is the calculator that sold for $157. As you can tell it's very high tech setup.

With my extra cash and with closing my "Scuba Fund" savings account, I was able to send in $1300 to Citibank. Yay! That brings my remaining balance to $2200! This is so exciting. Hopefully Christmas won't get out of hand and I can still make a decent payment in December. I definitely want to get my balance below $2000.

Side note - the "Scuba Fund" saving account will be reopened but with a different bank. It was only $230 so it's not like I completely ruined my vacation fund, and honestly, the yearly Blackbeard's trip is up in the air for now so the fund isn't a priority right now.

100th Post

Oops, my last post was my 100th. I should have celebrated or commented on something more profound than my piggy bank.

I'd like to thank my loyal 3 readers. It's nice to know someone out there is paying attention. :)

Saturday, November 13, 2010

-$2.79

I hate money.

Last night I balanced my checking account and came up with -$2.79. This was after I had just purchased an iced mocha for $4.27. It's frustrating that the majority of my money issues are self inflicted. I know what I need to do, but I don't do it.

Today I emptied my piggy bank and took it to the bank so I would have some cash until I get paid on Monday. I got back $46.71. Not bad. I deposited $25 and kept the remaining $21.71 for the weekend.