Category: Health

I’ll Give You 4000 Reasons To Quit Smoking And Start Vaping

On By Michel McDonaldIn Health1 Comment
Image Source http://www.stopsmokingtip.us
Image Source http://www.stopsmokingtip.us

When I was fifteen-years-old, I started smoking for the wrong reasons.  I wanted to be able to hang out with my sister in the smoking section of my high school.  She didn’t really want me to hang out with her, so her friends told me that because I didn’t smoke, I didn’t belong in the smoking section.  I decided to start smoking.

I had an eleven year addiction that I couldn’t get rid of.  When I was nineteen-years-old I tried to quit smoking with this system where you put a plastic filter on the filter of your cigarette that was supposed to keep you from getting the harmful chemicals.  Every pack of cigarettes had a new filter and that seemed to work and I actually quit smoking.  It was difficult to remain a non-smoker when everyone around me was telling me it wasn’t going to last long.  Instead of encouraging me, they mocked me and even blew smoke in my face.  It didn’t last very long and I took up the bad habit because I was shamed back into it.

In 1996 I was living in an encouraging environment with my partner Darrin.  He never discouraged me from doing anything that I wanted to do.  I told him that I was sick of smoking and we both decided to go to the drug store and buy the Nicotrol patch to help me, and I finally quit smoking and I haven’t smoked since.

I have told that story to everyone that I know who still smokes and they tell me that the patch hasn’t worked for them, or it’s too expensive, or this excuse, or that excuse.  Listen, you don’t have to quit just because I am telling you, because believe me, I hated all those ex-smokers who tried to get me to quit smoking when I didn’t want to.  I vowed when I quit smoking that I would never become the typical preachy ex-smoker.

However, I have found something that will be worth listening to.  There is a relatively new technology out there called an e-cigarette, and I know you have heard of it, but haven’t bought it because it’s “not the same” as a “real” cigarette.  Well, let me just try to show you something you probably already know, but don’t want to know.  These are the harmful chemicals that are in your “real” cigarette.  There are 4,000 chemicals that you are exposing yourself, your spouse, your co-workers, your children and your pets to every day.  Here is just a handful.

    • Benzene (petrol additive)
      • A colourless cyclic hydrocarbon obtained from coal and petroleum, used as a solvent in fuel and in chemical manufacture – and contained in cigarette smoke.
      • A known carcinogen associated with leukemia.
    • Formaldehyde (embalming fluid)
      • A colourless liquid, highly poisonous, used to preserve dead bodies – also found in cigarette smoke.
      • Known to cause cancer, respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal problems.
    • Ammonia (toilet cleaner)
      • Used as a flavouring, frees nicotine from tobacco turning it into a gas
      • Often found in dry cleaning fluids.
    • Acetone (nail polish remover)
      • Fragrant volatile liquid ketone, used as a solvent, for example, nail polish remover
      • Found in cigarette smoke.
    • Tar
      • Particulate matter drawn into lungs when you inhale on a lighted cigarette. Once inhaled, smoke condenses and about 70 per cent of the tar in the smoke is deposited in the smoker’s lungs.
    • Nicotine (insecticide/addictive drug)
      • One of the most addictive substances known to man, a powerful and fast-acting medical and non-medical poison.
      • This is the chemical which causes addiction.
    • Carbon Monoxide (CO) (car exhaust fumes)
      • An odourless, tasteless and poisonous gas, rapidly fatal in large amounts
      • The same gas that comes out of car exhausts
      • The main gas in cigarette smoke, formed when the cigarette is lit
    • Others
      • Arsenic (rat poison)
      • Hydrogen Cyanide (gas chamber poison)

So that is what you are getting when you smoke a cigarette.  What do you get when you vape with an e-cigarette?  You are still getting the nicotine, but when you buy (or make) your e-liquid, you can order it with less nicotine every week or every month (it’s your decision how fast or slow you want to quit) until you are no longer dependent on the nicotine.

The chemicals you are getting in an e-cigarette aren’t harmful compared to a real cigarette because you are most likely exposed to them on a daily basis, but let’s take a look at what they are.

Propylene glycol is used as a ‘humectant’ which means it maintains moisture levels in food products, cosmetics and tobacco products. Humectants are what make hair conditioning products work as well as create the ‘moisturizing’ effects of many common cosmetics and consumer products we take for granted such as: make up, mascara, hand creams, body lotions as well as shave creams, shampoos and soaps. Additionally, propylene glycol is used as a solvent to enhance the ability of artificial flavorings to remain suspended in solution in products such as toothpaste and mouthwash.

Vegetable glycerin is also known as vegetable glycerol. It is a carbohydrate that is usually derived from plant oils. It is used as a sweetener and as an ingredient in a number of cosmetic products. Vegetable glycerin is also used in place of alcohol to extract botanicals.

You can read more about Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerin at the Zeus E-Juice website.

When they mix your e-liquid for your e-cigarettes, they generally mix 50% of PG with 50% of VG, depending on how you like it, and they add whatever amount of Nicotine for the milligrams you request.  The final ingredients are food flavorings to give it a pleasant taste like Strawberry, Banana, or even Chocolate or Vanilla Ice Cream.  The list of flavors is long, but you get the idea.

Zeus e-Juice is a great website for buying e-liquid.  Why?  Because you are saving a crapload of money, that’s why.  Consider this.  You are paying $4 or $5 per pack of cigarettes.  A 5ML bottle of e-liquid is only $2.49.  1ML of e-liquid compares to 1 pack of cigarettes which means you are only paying .50 cents.  A 30ML bottle of e-liquid is only $10.49 which breaks it down to .35 cents a pack.  If saving money doesn’t convince you then I am at a loss.

So when you switch to e-cigarettes, you are moving away from the dangerous chemicals that can basically kill you, to something that tastes good and doesn’t kill you.  You will also prevent the weight gain by continuing the motion of smoking long after your addiction has faded.  When I quit smoking, I gained 50lbs and have gained another 50lbs since because I replaced smoking with food.  You can keep that from happening because the sweet flavors will keep your taste buds satisfied long after you’ve kicked the habit.

Does this convince you to quit smoking and switch over to e-cigarettes?  I hope so, because I don’t like knowing that friends, family and heck, even strangers that I don’t know are getting cancer, emphysema, leukemia, heart diseases and even dying because they refused to kick the habit.

For more tips on kicking the habit, please visit http://www.stopsmokingtip.us.

Image Source http://www.stopsmokingtip.us.  Other sources http://www.stop-smoking-programs.org and https://www.zeusejuice.com

My Zeus E-Juice Has Arrived!

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette, HealthLeave a comment

My Zeus E-Juice has finally arrived in the mail today.  I got 8 flavors total, all in 5ML bottles with NO nicotine and 50/50 VG/PG.  I don’t know if this is true or not, but I read on a website that 1ML is basically 1 pack of cigarettes, so basically I have 4 cartons of cigarettes on my desk all in the form of e-liquid, but they taste better and they won’t kill me.

I am still waiting for my Joye eGo-T eGo Tank 1100mAh e-cigarette Starter Kit to arrive all the way from Singapore.  I bought it from DH Gate through eBay because it was only $32.75 with free shipping.  I can’t afford to spend $50-$100 on an e-cigarette when I don’t even smoke.  I only bought it to help me lose weight and I don’t even know if it’s going to work or not, so I couldn’t justify spending too much money on something that may not even work for me.  Unfortunately they haven’t given me, nor are they going to give me a tracking number as it is untrackable for some odd reason.  When I check on the progress, it says it will take 20-50 days to arrive.  YIKES!  But I was reading the reviews where someone said that they got their product in 10 days, but I don’t know where that person lives so that doesn’t give me any information.

I don’t understand why the starter kits are so expensive.  I personally think they should sell them for $20 for 1 e-cigarette plus the charger and the 5 cartridges instead of making you buy 2 e-cigarettes.  That way it would be easier on someone who is trying to transition from smoking cigarettes to vaping to help them quit smoking.

The flavors of e-liquid that I got are Chocolate, Toasted Marshmallow, Caramel Cappuccino, Vanilla Ice Cream, Raspberry, Caramel Apple, Strawberry and Zeus Juice.  I can’t taste them, but I opened all of the bottles and smelled them and they smelled really good.

I am very impressed that all of the bottles have a child proof cap on them, not that I need to worry about that.  They also have printed right on the label an expiration date and how much nicotine is in them, although mine doesn’t have any nicotine in them so I don’t have to worry about addiction.  The bottles are plastic, which is something that I was kind of worried about since they were mailed to me.

Edit: I said glass is better based on the fact that people are always complaining about plastic taking a long time to decompose, but I just realized that you can’t squeeze glass to get the e-liquid out of the container and into the cartridge.  Plus, these can be sent back to be refilled again.

I saw a friend and his wife at the grocery store last night and was quite surprised to see that she was on oxygen and was using the Albertson’s motorized wheelchair to shop.  She told me that she hasn’t smoked a cigarette in 96 days, she had to quit cold turkey because of her health issues from smoking cigarettes all her life.  I went to tell them about e-cigarettes, but she already has one.  It’s not the same one that I will have, but it’s a good thing for her that she has switched over.

So I look forward to getting my Joye eGo-T e-cigarette in the mail one of these days so I can try these wonderful flavors lol.

Possible Weight Loss and Health Benefits With E-Cigarettes

On By Michel McDonaldIn HealthLeave a comment

I have been thinking about Vaping a lot lately.  Not just for the benefit of smoking an e-cigarette, but to help me lose weight.  What if you could lose weight simply by “vaping” with an electronic cigarette?  Here me out on this one because I’m really seriously wondering if it would help.

When I smoked cigarettes as a teenager and in my 20’s, I wasn’t always hungry because as we all know, cigarettes are an appetite suppressant.  Although I did still eat food, I just didn’t eat as much, I especially didn’t eat as many sweets as I do as an ex-smoker.  When I quit smoking in 1996, I gained 50lbs almost within the first few months because I had replaced the bad habit with another bad habit, ice cream, twinkies, donuts and sunflower seeds.  All of a sudden I had a craving for everything sweet that I denied myself when I smoked.  Here we are 16 years later and I am over 100lbs overweight and I can’t seem to lose weight at all.  I have been able to maintain it, but every so often it goes up a bit.

This company named Zeus E-Juice sells E-Liquid for your Ego E-cigarettes in many sweet flavors.  I was wondering if perhaps that might cure my sweet tooth so I’m not going to the store and buying junk food.  I try to stay away from junk food because I am diabetic now, so I’m not supposed to have any sugar, but that doesn’t stop me.  If I “Vaped” with sweet tasting E-Liquid, would that take away my cravings altogether so I can lose weight? I mean, I just want the sweet taste in my mouth, you know?  But we all know that I’m not going to chew on something sweet just for the taste and then spit it out into a napkin.

I did a Google search and I think I might have found my answer.  Someone asked the very same question in an e-cigarette forum.  Vaping to help with diet urges…  Here are a couple of short responses.

  • Some people have reported losing weight after starting to vape, some haven’t. It’s not really intended for that purpose. But to each their own.
  • Look up Steeljan on Youtube and shoot her a message. She actually started vaping as a way to curb sweet cravings and lose weight.  (I intend on asking her)
  • Since beginning vaping there have been no more trips to the snack machine at work or stopping at the convenience store for a snack while driving. That alone has helped and although I haven’t stepped on the scale the trousers are a little more comfortable.
  • I smoked (quit) about 30 years ago and have been dying for a cig ever since. Even dreaming I took up smoking again. Long story short, I heard about vaping about a month ago and bought them at a gas station for my smoker son. I started vaping too and LOVE it. Needless to say, I no longer buy them at the gas station!! I have also been dieting for a year and took off 30 pounds. I haven’t weighed myself in a while but I CAN tell you that vaping keeps me from snacking. btw…I also have asthma and I have no shortness of breath vaping. The best news is my son hasn’t had a cig since vaping either!

Those are certainly the responses I was hoping for.  The only problem now is, why would I want to start vaping if I don’t smoke and have no current urges to smoke?  Well, you can buy the e-liquid with NO nicotine and as far as I know there are no risks of addiction, but at the same time I don’t know that for a fact.  I mean, if I vape only when I have a craving, there is no harm in that, right?  I’m sure a puff or a toot, as I heard someone say on YouTube, a few times a day isn’t going to cause an addiction.  It’s just going to curb the cravings, right?

So this is my question if anyone will respond.  Is it a good or a bad idea for me to start vaping for this very reason?  Do you think it will actually help me lose weight?  Your responses are greatly appreciated.

Vape with Zeus E-Juice for Ego E-Cigarette

On By Michel McDonaldIn Health2 Comments

I quit smoking in 1996 for many reasons.  I was sick and tired of the gross taste of cigarettes and it was getting way too expensive.  I would never recommend buying cigarettes to anyone, until now.

I have known about e-Cigarettes since they first arrived on the scene.   E-Cigarettes are more acceptable to smoke indoors because you aren’t blowing smoke out of your mouth for others to breathe, it’s all vapor, which is where the term “Vape” comes in.

A friend has introduced me to something that I wasn’t ever expecting to see.  Flavored juice that you vape.  So if you have a Ego e-cigarette, you can buy the juice and pour it directly into the cartridge and you get some awesome flavors instead of the standard gross flavor of a cigarette.

Naturally I wasn’t aware of how it worked so I had to do some research.  I looked at a video of a guy who showed a chest x-ray from 2008 compared to a chest x-ray from 2011 and his lungs were cloudy in 2008, but they were clear in the 2011 after vaping for a couple of years.  So the health benefit is there for those who are concerned about that.  You can also adjust how much nicotine you are getting when you buy Zeus E-Juice.  If you are a heavy smoker, you can get the 18MG or whatever it is that your cigarettes contain, and then every week or so when you place your order for another bottle, just add less nicotine until you aren’t getting any nicotine at all.  Now if that isn’t a great way to kick the habit, I don’t know what is.

If you have never used an e-Cigarette, but are a heavy smoker, what are you paying for cigarettes now?  $55 a carton?  You can buy the Joye E-Cigarette starter kit for like $50-$85 (shop around) which is less than what you would pay for 2 cartons of cigarettes.  The starter kit pays for itself after the first couple of weeks.

When I smoked I was buying 2 or 3 cartons a month, I kid you not, so that is a huge savings.  The Zeus E-juice is only $2.49 for a 5ML bottle and I assume your cartridge uses about 1ML.  I don’t know how many packs 5ML adds up to, but I would bet it’s a few.  You could buy a 30ML bottle for only $8 more which is way less than what you are spending on cigarettes now.

Ok, this is the fun part.  The flavors.  When I first heard about e-cigarettes, I was excited for those who smoked because I heard you got a few flavors like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.  Oh no my friend, Zeus E-Juice has way more than just those few flavors.  You can get APPLE FREAKIN’ PIE!!!  I kid you not!  They have cappuccino with or without caramel, blueberry muffin, caramel apple, root beer float… the list goes on and on.  Where are you going to buy a brand of cigarettes that comes in root beer float?  No where, that’s where.

Just choose your flavor, choose your nicotine strength and choose your PG/VG mixture.  Speaking of mixture, if you want more flavor, do 100% PG, if you want to ruin your Joye machine, do 100%VG.  It’s probably best to just go in the middle and do 50% which is the default setting in the website when you are placing your order.  I mean, if you want more flavor go for it, it’s your choice.

Want to know the best part of all?  You get rewards for buying Zeus E-Juice.  You get 1 point for every dollar that you spend which you can use to get free E-Liquid.  You also get 5 points for ever review, so you get even more chances at getting free E-Liquid.

All new customers get 15% off their first order AND you get double points just by adding the code “grandopening” at the checkout page. You also get free shipping on orders of $50 or more.  So what are you waiting for?  Go to Zeus E-Juice now.

Why are you still reading this?

Diabetes Update

On By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, Doctor, Health1 Comment

Last month my doctor gave me a new medication to help lower my triglycerides called Gemfibrozil 600MG that I take twice a day.  I was told to make sure I take them exactly 12 hours apart for it to be effective.  I created a schedule on my cell phone to remind me twice a day, once at 10am, and then once at 10pm to take my pills.  It has worked out so far and today is day 30.  We went to the doctor’s office on Thursday and they drew blood to test it to see if it helped so I will find out on my next appointment which is May 24th.

In the meantime, he gave me a prescription for a blood glucose meter to check my blood twice a day.  He told me to check it in the morning before I eat and before I have dinner at night.  So far it hasn’t been that high.  Thursday night I did a reading and it was 112 then the next morning it was 132, last night it was 100 and this morning it was 112 again.  Why is that so important?  Well, when they did that blood glucose test a few months ago I was near 200, so this just tells me that I have gone way down.  I have been eating a lot of chocolate lately, this just shows me that it hasn’t really affected me as much as I thought it did.  Although now that I have this meter, I have been staying away from the bad foods because I know if the number goes high, it will make me feel guilty.  Perhaps guilt is the kick in the pants that I needed to get me to stop eating so much sugar.

This is my new meter, the One Touch Ultra 2.  I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to do it because Darrin has a meter, but it’s a different one with different strips.  He couldn’t get the hang of his and he was going to just give me his since he stopped using it, but I didn’t want his, I wanted one of my own because, well I just did :p.

The needles that you use to prick your finger with (in the zippered pouch on the left) aren’t very painful.  The skin on my fingers on my left hand are so thick that even at the highest setting, which is 7, hardly any blood comes out so I have to use my right hand.  I have to really milk the blood out because even at the highest setting it still doesn’t penetrate enough.  So when I say I am thick-skinned, I’m not exaggerating LOL.  My first test was an error because I didn’t milk it enough, but I learned to really get as much blood out as I can so I don’t waste test strips.  The wound heals up so fast that I am only able to get that one little drop, if I try to milk out any more after the test, nothing comes out.  Not that I need to, but I was curious to see if any more would come out for S&G’s.

So this is what it has come to, I have to test my blood every day, as if the constant medication every day for 18 years isn’t enough.  I really hope that the triglyceride medication and the guilt from the meter really helps me lose weight so I am no longer diabetic.  I hope the day finally comes when I no longer have to go through all of this nonsense with health issues, although we both know when that day will occur, and it’s not going to be a good day.  Oh well, life goes on.

My Dry Skin

On By Michel McDonaldIn Health3 Comments

I don’t know if it’s because I live in the desert or what but my skin has got to be the driest it has ever been since we moved to Bakersfield 11 years ago.

In my entire life I’ve never had to worry about my skin being so dry that you can see where I scratched myself on my leg.  Also my feet are so dry that they are constantly cracking.  I know it’s not a beautiful image but there you go.

My hands are especially dry probably because when I do the dishes I don’t use any gloves to protect my hands.  The reason for that is they don’t make rubber gloves for men with thick fingers and big hands.  I have bought the large gloves and they are still too tight.  As a result, the skin on my fingers bubble up and then the skin dries out or gets scratched or peeled off and the remaining skin dries up and scratches me when I touch my face.

I grew up to think that body lotion was for girls, actually any lotion is for girls.  It is acceptable to put lotion on your hands when they are dry every once in a while but the way I was taught was even then you do that in private and never EVER let anyone know you used lotion.  My family sure did screw me up didn’t they?

So screw all that noise.  I am so tired of my dry skin so I went to the store I would say about a week ago and bought some Suave body wash and it came with a little bottle of Suave body lotion.  I used it all up on my hands but then started thinking about my feet and my legs.  When that was all gone I bought a big bottle of Suave Cocoa Butter w/Shea body lotion and I use it on my whole body after every shower.

I’ve used it for the last 3 or 4 days and I gotta hand it to them, my legs don’t show scratch marks anymore, my hands are nice and soft and the skin doesn’t bubble after dishes anymore and my feet are starting to look normal again.  The cracks in my toes and my heels seem to be healing.

And to top it all off I smell really good.  I know, men don’t smell like cocoa butter w/shea, only girls do right?  Screw that, who says that men can’t smell good too?  I don’t care what anyone tells me, I like it.  I like how soft my skin is and I like how I smell now.

I think it takes a real man to take care of his skin, I don’t care what people tell me.  It’s happening!

Why Can’t I Lose Weight?

On By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, Health2 Comments

I don’t understand why I’m not able to lose weight.  I have changed my diet completely, I have basically done a 180° and yet I still can’t lose weight.

I stopped drinking soda, coffee and tea and I only drink water but that didn’t make any difference because I’m still gaining.  I stopped making pasta meals and started eating more veggies and sometimes only eat veggies and yet that hasn’t made any difference because I’m still gaining.

I haven’t started exercising though because I’m in too much pain.  If I had a back wheel for my bicycle then I would be able to ride my bike, although it has a weight limit of 250lbs and I’m 258 now so I would probably have to wait a bit to do that.  I tried walking but I get back pain after like 5 minutes then I have to sit down.  I have degenerative disc disease in my spine which makes it very difficult to do anything really.

I am seeing the doctor this week on Thursday and I know he’s going to bitch at me for not losing weight again this month.  But nobody can say I haven’t tried because I have made the change to my diet.  Until I can get an easier way to exercise, I’m kinda stuck.

Another Diet

On By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, Exercise, Food, HealthLeave a comment

I went to the doctor’s office yesterday for my regular visit and found out how much weight I have gained. Over 20lbs.

Here’s the story for those who aren’t familiar. I was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this year when I weighed 252lbs. I went on a diet and went down to 215lbs.

Our diet wasn’t very inventive but it was good enough for me since it had protein, grains and vegetables. I had cut out all breads from our diets (mine and Chips) and my diet gave me so much energy that I was always cleaning.

One night Darrin said to me that he didn’t want to eat this anymore, you’re working too hard and it makes me feel bad. Well, I had lost 37lbs and by telling me that, he discouraged me. He started asking for pasta and for other things and next thing you know, he’s buying cookies and donuts.

I started gaining weight again and before I knew it I was losing all of my energy and becoming lazy again. Now, I’m 239 according to the doctor’s office. The doctor said 20lbs but that’s according to where it says 218 in my chart.

What happened was, I was 218 then went to the doctors then lost more weight and before my next visit I had already gone back up to 218 because of Darrin not wanting to continue the diet. Then I just kept gaining more and more weight.

So now that he has a job, he can’t tell me what I can make for him for dinner or to not clean and I’m going to tell him flat-out that he needs to just let me do what I’m gonna do to help us lose weight. I can’t keep up with this yo-yo dieting. I have to lose this weight.

I’ve already started cooking vegetables for dinner again so when Darrin comes home from work he has a balanced dinner to eat before he collapses on the couch for the evening. I’m going to get off my M&M’s binge and stop eating sugar and breads altogether again. I can do this, I know I can.

I have a feeling I will be hosting Thanksgiving this year which means I gotta get this house clean lol. In order to do that, I need to eat balanced meals to give me the energy. I just drank a Red Bull to give me the energy to mop the kitchen floor which takes all of about 10 minutes to do lol.

You know your energy levels are at 0 when you can’t even do the simplest chores such as mopping the floor. I seriously don’t know how I cleaned the bathroom and living room last week.

If I am hosting Thanksgiving this year then I have a lot of work to do to get this house up to snuff. I’m sure I can do it all by myself… UGH! I’m gonna need a LOT of Red Bull. I wish I had the money to hire a housekeeper a couple of days before they arrive to make damn sure this house is spic n span.

Drunk Bus Station People

On By Michel McDonaldIn Doctor, Health, PeopleLeave a comment

Since Darrin is working now and my bicycle is missing a wheel, I have to take the bus to my doctors appointments and anywhere else that is too far to walk. I don’t mind taking the bus, in fact, I recommend it to anyone because it’s green.

Unfortunately, our city has a station in Downtown Bakersfield where all the busses come.  If you have to transfer then you just go downtown and walk over to your next bus. If it’s there great, if not wait.

So I took the bus to my doctor’s appointment, all is well with bus travel. I leave and have to go to the bus station to transfer to the 2. It’s not there so I have to wait.

I’m sitting in one of the seats waiting and the number 2 (going in the opposite direction that I need to go) comes and people get off. I hear a guy taking his bike off the bike rack in the front and turn around and look at how nice his bike is and watch him struggle to put the rack up.

Out of nowhere, another guys face is literally 1 inch away from my face. He said “why were you looking at me just now?” and I could smell the beer on his breath. “I wasn’t looking at you, I was looking at the guy taking his bike off the rack” as if I owe him an explanation.

He backs away and sits across from me, staring at me.

Uncomfortable, I get up and walk 40 feet away. I’m staring off into the distance so that it doesn’t appear that I’m looking at anyone or anything in particular. I don’t want to get accused of looking at anyone again.

I feel like I’m being watched and I turn around and he’s sitting down 2 feet behind me.

Are you serious?

He comes up to me, again 1 inch from my face but whispers into my ear “I bet you watch anus videos all day long, don’t you?” I smell the beer on his breath and it is not pleasant.

“Uh, no, I don’t think so” I say to him with a dirty look on my face. Trying to convey to him that he has the wrong impression of me and hoping he’ll leave me alone.

I’m trying not to look at him, not even for a second and he tries to start a conversation with me but I’m giving him 1 word answers, trying to let him know that I am uninterested in talking to him.

He asks if I have a badge.  Why are people always asking me if I’m a cop?  I mean seriously!  Does a Lego Indiana Jones t-shirt scream cop?  No, it screams video game geek.  I tell him “I don’t have a badge, if I did have a badge it would say ‘The Nerd Herd’” (you know from Chuck) and he laughed and said “well at least your honest.”

He’s asking me questions and finally I said “Look, I don’t want to get into a fight with you, I just want to go home” but apparently that was the wrong thing to say because now he starts laughing as if I just told the funniest joke. “You think you can take me HAHAHAHA that is so funny because I will kick your ass so hard….”

I just walked away. I figured, he’s not going to just let me walk away and wait for my bus, no he’s going to stalk me until my bus comes. And for all I know he might get on the bus and follow me home. Then he would know where I live. I can’t have that. So I left.

I left the bus station altogether. I just kept walking until I got to the corner that City Hall is on right next to the police station. Not to go make a complaint, the bus stops there.

I didn’t have to wait long but if he were on that bus I would’ve hoofed it all the way to the house which is about 25 blocks. My leg is still injured and walking to that bus stop which was about 5 blocks was causing a lot of pain but I would rather suffer a bit of leg pain to avoid that guy knowing where I live.

What makes people do things like that? I looked at the time on my cell phone when he was harassing me and it was only 11am and he’s already piss drunk. I don’t understand alcoholism.

First of all, I don’t know if he was hitting on me or if he was trying to find a gay person to beat up. You can never tell anymore what someones motives are. He didn’t look like a typical gay person, he looked like a typical red neck which Bakersfield is most known for.

And if he was gay trying to get a piece of this action (yeah right, that’s hilarious) why wasn’t he a little nicer about it? I mean seriously, you catch more flies with honey that with vinegar.

Anyway, I NEED to either get my bike fixed or get a new bike before my next appointment because I am NOT taking the bus again. Period! End of discussion.

My Leg is Better

On By Michel McDonaldIn Doctor, Exercise, HealthLeave a comment

Just thought I would give an update about my leg. A week ago I posted about My New Leg Injury describing what happened to me on Sunday, October 17th. How I ran for the ice cream truck, ran faster then my calf muscle popped and stopped me dead in my tracks.

I was on crutches for a few days then I went to 1 crutch then no crutches. I was supposed to be out of commission for 4-6 weeks (or 6-8 weeks for my overestimation, just in case) but it turned out to be way less.

Over the last few days I’ve been walking on my foot instead of walking on my toes and limping. I think that has stretched what was tightened so that I can walk normal again. The doctor said ice for 20 minutes several times a day for the first 3-4 days then heat. Well, I did the ice and heat and it did help some but I think the best therapy is getting up and walking around. Sure it was painful as hell but no pain no gain right?

Every morning when I wake up I limp at first but once I start walking on my foot it starts to limber up and I can walk. Occasionally the pain will start up again but it won’t last too long then it’s better again. And actually I’m having pain in other places now. All the way down my leg from my knee along my shin down to my foot. I don’t know why the pain has moved from my calf to my shin but I’m sure it will go away in time.

I’m not 100% healed but I’m not too far from it. I rather enjoyed having a few days off and not having to take the dog out 20 times per day and having to make all the meals. Of course when I was able to walk on my own again I was forced to continue daily life as if nothing had happened. I could be laying in bed pretending for another 5 weeks but I’m a terrible liar lol.