Weight Loss

On September 9, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, Exercise, WeightLeave a comment

I have struggled with my weight since I quit smoking and gained 50lbs. I vowed to never get over 200lbs in the late 90’s, but I just couldn’t control the weight gain. I wasn’t eating anything that bad, so I never could understand what I was doing wrong.

Last year in January 2013 I made a New Years resolution to start losing weight. I was 262lbs and I dropped 70lbs and went down to 192lbs. I was so proud of myself, but then both my partner and I decided that we’re both tired of eating nothing but fruits and vegetables and weight watchers frozen dinners every day for the last 6 months, so we decided we could eat restaurant food and regular store-bought food as long as we stayed within a certain amount of calories and portion sizes. Well, try as I might, I couldn’t drop any more weight and I plateaued at 192 for a whole month. Then the weight starting slowly coming back and recently I went right back up to 235. UGH!

So yesterday I decided screw this eating whatever the hell I want crap, I NEED to drop this weight, like right this minute. I started the Noom app all over again from scratch and when I weighed in for the first time I had already lost some weight, so I was 227lbs. For breakfast and my 10am snack I had a banana. For lunch I had a Weight Watchers frozen dinner. For my 3pm snack I had yet another banana and for dinner I had a Weight Watchers frozen dinner.

Most people say not to eat anything after 6 or 7pm. Well here’s my problem, that’s when my appetite really comes to life. It seems as though I’m starving at that time lol. I mean, I can eat a banana for breakfast and snack and then a little meal for lunch and then another banana for my 3pm snack, but around or after dinner time, it’s like I’m famished, like I haven’t eaten in 10 years. That’s when I’m expected to not eat any more food? Yeah, um… good luck with that lol.

Last night around 8pm I started going into the kitchen and I grabbed a slice of bologna and then a slice of salami. I really wanted to make a sandwich, but when I go on my diet, I don’t eat bread. I could have eaten way more food than I did, but I chose to be good. I took a sleeping pill around 10pm and went to bed around 11pm or so.

This morning when I woke up I weighed myself and it said I was 224lbs, so at least I know the lunch meat didn’t affect my weight and the food I ate yesterday was the right amount. The Noom app said I could eat 2000 calories, but I logged around 1300 or so. I did log the lunch meat. The bologna was yellow and the salami was red.

If I can just stick with it, I will lose weight. I have complete faith in my ability to lose weight since it worked last year, I just need to be 100% committed and use the word “NO” when asked if I want to go to KFC or Golden Corral.

I bought some veggies at the store, like I bought 2 things of cauliflower and some broccoli and brussel sprouts and some other things. I didn’t buy any salad stuff because I don’t like salad without either thousand island or ranch, and those are definitely not on the menu for me. Although I did lose 40lbs back in 2003 or 2004 when all I ate were salads and I used ranch dressing, but for some reason it doesn’t work for me anymore. I have to find what works best and do that.

I haven’t been riding my bicycle to lose weight because of the heat. The best time to ride my bike in the summer time is at 5am, but I can’t seem to get to bed until 3am, so that’s out. Last night I wanted to go to bed early because I’m so sick of sleeping in until noon. Now that summer is coming to an end, when the heat starts going away I can start riding around 10am or so. I just can’t stand the heat, not even to go for a 30 minute walk. I feel like a vampire out in the sun about to burst into flames.

I’ve tried to go back on my diet this year, then my partner would buy junk and naturally I would eat that junk and then give up. I’m not going to pass up a bag of potato chips or cookies on the counter. I have an addiction. Potato chips and cookies are like crack cocaine to me. I just need some willpower… like a ton of willpower lol. If willpower came in a can, I would drink it. Unfortunately it does not. So I’m working on myself so that I can be healthy, it just takes time and patience. I know I can do this because it worked before.

I love positive feedback, but everyone is different, so what works for you may not work for me and vice versa. I’m sure people are going to say “Well what you gotta do is eat this and that and then do this exercise and blah blah blah” and that’s awesome advice, but I have to do what my body can handle and what I’m comfortable doing. I really do appreciate the advice, and thank you for thinking of me and caring enough about me to try to help.

I am using Noom which gives lots of wonderful advice and articles and I am in a Noom group so I get to talk to a group of about 10 wonderful people who are all in the same boat. It’s more of a lifeboat, but a boat all the same. This is just something that I have to do for myself.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

On September 6, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn Food, RecipesLeave a comment

Have you ever had Spiced Pumpkin Bread? No, I’m not talking about that cake stuff that you buy, or that grandma bakes for dessert, I’m talking about actual bread that you can make sandwiches or toast with. Yeah, actual bread. No? Well, you are in for a real treat my friend because this is the best bread that I have ever had and it is too awesome not to share.

Okay so disclaimer it is high in calories. I’m not going to lie. You know that diet that you’ve been struggling to stay on? Well, you can go off your diet just this once. I swear off bread when I am dieting, but from October to December I throw caution to the wind because screw it, your weight can wait until January 1st when you make your New Years resolution to lose weight.

Now back to the bread. This bread is so fantastic. You can literally make a ham or turkey, or ham and turkey, go wild. My favorite is Peanut butter and Jam. It really brings out the taste of the pumpkin more for some reason. You can also make toast or garlic bread. Whatever you want, just freakin’ do it!

This is what you do. If you have a bread machine then wonderful, if you have a mixer that works too. If you have neither and you are low on funds, just head on over to the thrift stores. I bought my bread machine at a thrift store for $6. I shit you not. If you can’t find one then well, get your hands ready to start kneading dough. Trust me, it is so worth it.

The ingredients are very simple. You start with the top and work your way down to the bottom. This is the recipe that comes in the recipe book for my bread machine, but I have a couple alterations for you because this recipe doesn’t make the best loaf of bread.

The recipe I use is in the middle for the 1 1/2 pound loaf. I don’t actually let it bake in the bread machine, I just use the machine to knead the dough for me. So just use the normal dough setting.

Start with 1 egg. Crack it directly into your cup. It says 1 egg with enough water to equal 1/4 cup. Well, I make it 1/2 cup. 3 tablespoons of oil. It doesn’t really matter what type of oil you use, so use whatever you want. I used canola for this recipe. 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. You can use a real lemon, or just buy one of those little plastic lemons with lemon juice. Just go down the list and add everything else verbatim.

Once you’ve added all of your ingredients, turn on the machine (or if you are actually doing this by hand, and if you are I applaud the hell out of you) and let it start kneading the dough. Don’t walk away from it, stand there and watch it. Does it just spin dry as if it were a baseball stuck to the bottom? If so, it is way too dry so add some more water, I would say about 1 tablespoon at a time. I would also suggest adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of more pumpkin. More pumpkin doesn’t hurt. What you want to see is your dough flapping against the side of the pan or bowl. Don’t make it too wet, but if you do, just simply add another tablespoon of the flour. Just keep watching it to make sure that it’s not too dry and it’s not too wet.

The bread machine should go for about half an hour or so. Once it finishes its kneading cycle, it will rise in the machine, just allow it to rise until it beeps and turns off. When it does that, what you want to do is turn the machine on again so it starts spinning the dough again. Let it work long enough until it’s back to a ball of dough. When that happens, take out your bread loaf pan and grease the sides to keep it from sticking, then dump the dough inside the pan.

I use a toaster oven since my oven doesn’t work, but that is the perfect place for me because I don’t have to wait for it to preheat, and I will tell you why. You want to put it in the toaster oven on warm, not bake, 45 minutes on 150F to rise. When 45 minutes is up, you should notice that it has risen again, and if it has, you want to turn the temperature up to 375F and switch it from warm to bake and let it bake for 45 minutes. When the 45 minutes is up, turn the temperature back down to 150F and switch it over to the warm setting again and let it warm for 20 minutes.

Oh and if you are using a toaster oven, you don’t need the rack because the bread will rise so high that it will touch those 2 coils at the top. You do not want that to happen. Just take the rack out and put it on the counter to use later. If you have 2 coils at the bottom, if they are wide enough that your bread pan sits in between them then you are golden, if not then you may have to sit it on top of them. I hate to give the advice to do that because it could break them, and we don’t want that. So if that is the case then it’s probably a better idea to use your oven.

Most people would say to take the bread out of the bread pan and put it on a rack to cool, but I found that it falls when you do that, so just leave it in the pan on the counter for a 10 minutes. When it is sort of cool to the touch, flip it over into your hand and lift the pan off. If the bottom is kind of wet, just take 2 paper towels and place it over the pan and drop the bread back in. I know this sounds odd, but it is wet because it is no longer in the oven, so it gets wet. Give it about 10 minutes and take it out and put it on the rack. It should be nice and cool by then, and the paper towel will soak up the moisture from the bottom of the bread. Let the bread sit on the rack until it cools down and the bottom will dry out.

I bought a bread slicer, it’s more of a guide that allows you to cut even slices and trust me, it really helps. You want to give it a couple of hours to really cool down before you start slicing it. Some say to wait a full 24 hours, but screw that, you want some bread now! Just let it cool down and then cut the bread to your hearts content. I use a plastic grocery bag to store it in.

Your bread should be light and fluffy and really soft. If it is too dense, you didn’t add enough water when mixing the dough. If it is too fluffy, you either sliced it too soon, or you added too much water. If you did it right, it will be so delicious that you will never want to buy regular bread ever again.

I normally don’t eat bread because I get so addicted to it that I can’t stop lol. Most people are addicted to chocolate, I get addicted to bread. I mean, not just regular bread, if it’s really good bread, then yes, but like regular bread, not so much. Give me a bag of bagels and get the rest while you can. Forget about English Muffins, those are ALL MINE! LOL. You see, I didn’t get fat because I couldn’t stop eating junk food, it’s from all that damn bread.

Facebook is too graphic for me

On September 3, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

What is the reason anyone uses Facebook or any social websites? Well, in my opinion it is to keep in contact with friends and family. Some people use it for dating or to get laid while others use it to spy on people they hate lol. I’m guessing.

In 1997 when I got my first Windows based computer, I was using America Online. I had some friends and family in my buddy list and we would chat in the instant messages and we would email each other. I would go into the AOL chatrooms and meet new people and I am still friends with 2 of the people I met way back then.

I joined MySpace when that first came out, then people switched to Facebook and Twitter and I joined both websites. I follow so many people on Twitter that it’s very difficult to keep up with all the millions of tweets per second. I usually follow certain people in lists, but even that can be difficult to keep up with so I just browse when I have a chance. I read the Facebook feed every day, in fact it’s an addiction for me. There are some good points for Facebook and then there are some bad points.

Good points for Facebook are that I get to see what my friends and family are doing. They post pictures of their children and they post about what they are up to. I never actually get to see anyone, so it’s nice to know what is going on in their lives. Before the internet, you didn’t know anything unless you called them.

Bad points for Facebook is the over sharing. Like, I see some nice posts that other people are posting with funny memes or some inspirational messages and I click the share button. I like to make people smile and laugh and I like to make people feel inspired. Unfortunately, some people like to post negative stuff, like GMO and Monsanto and pictures of dead dogs and cats, or pictures of people abusing dogs and cats. Today someone posted a very graphic picture of a woman who had been baked in an oven with the caption “What’s for dinner? This bitch you been texting.” or something to that effect. Another person shared an image that Ted Nugent shared of a man sitting with 5 decapitated heads in front of him while he is holding an assault rifle. No one wants to see this! I particularly do not want to see this.

Facebook is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be a place for friends and family to keep in touch and to share what’s going on with them, not to push people away. I am being pushed away. I’m not the type of person to give up, but I’m seriously thinking that I don’t want to be on Facebook anymore out of disgust.

Look, I’m not going to tell anyone what they can and cannot post, because when my partners sister-in-law signed up for Facebook, she immediately told me that I’m not supposed to use a picture of my dog as my profile picture, that I’m supposed to use a picture of my face. I was insulted because I don’t want to be told what I can and cannot use as my profile picture. Then she asked me to unfriend her because she didn’t like the things I was clicking LIKE on and she didn’t like the things I was sharing because it was all pro-gay stuff. Don’t tell me what I can and cannot post and like.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t post what they want to post, but if it is all negative, I don’t want to see it. It may seem hypocritical of me, but I think pro-gay things and dead people and animals are totally different. I can deal with all the Monsanto and GMO stuff, in fact, I would look at that all day long if I had to if it meant that I never had to look at another decapitated head, or another stock pot filled with decapitated pit bull heads and bodies, or male chicks being thrown into a grinder.

I have 3 pages that I have to maintain on Facebook and I usually post stuff that I share from friends and family if they are all positive. I think the only way I’m going to be able to continue doing that is to just sign into Facebook under those pages and scroll through other pages posts to find positive stuff to share. I’m going to have to stop using my regular profile to see what people are saying and doing if it means I don’t have to see corpses anymore.

Is this too much for a person to ask? I mean seriously, is it too much to ask people not to post corpses? Am I being unreasonable here? I’m feeling like an alien in my own world. Maybe I’m not a human being, maybe I am an alien from another world and this is normal for people to do on planet Earth and I’m the crazy one here. If that is the case then I would love it if my alien family would come get me so I can log on to the Alien Facebook to see what they are posting instead. Perhaps I just need a long vacation away from the internet altogether and just read books. I think that is probably what I need to do.

Please feel free to comment and tell me what you think.

10 Sizes Bamboo Handle Alumina Head Crochet Hooks Needles 1-6mm

On August 30, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn Products I LikeLeave a comment

I bought a pack of 10 sizes bamboo handle alumina head crochet hooks needles ranging from 1mm to 6mm on August 16, 2014 and they shipped from China Post and arrived in less than 2 weeks. I received them on August 29, 2014. I am very surprised they arrived so fast because according to the delivery estimate, I should receive them from September 11, 2014 to September 29, 2014.

These are numbered in millimeter and I had to find out from Google what it was that I had. 5 of them are for Filet crochet and 5 of them are for yarn. Although 2 of them are really too small for yarn, but they are too big for filet. The 3 largest sizes are G, H and I which are what I am most interested in anyway. I never do filet crochet because of how difficult that can be, but I was curious to see just how easy or difficult it would be to use them.

The coaster on the left was made using a size G hook and the one on the right was made with 1.5mm crochet hook. It is about the size of a silver dollar, well, maybe a bit bigger than a silver dollar. It is cute and if it were to be used as a coaster, it would only work for a shot glass, and come on, who uses a shot glass long enough to use a coaster? A friend has already claimed it for herself, in fact, she wants me to make a duplicate and turn them into a pair of earrings lol. Someone else suggested Christmas tree ornament. I have seen several Christmas crochet projects like Christmas trees and Candy Canes, so perhaps that is a good idea to make with filet crochet with embroidery floss and turn them into earrings.

I made another coaster with a size I hook, which is the biggest hook they sent me. It’s the same pattern as the peppermint candy, but it’s not peppermint because I didn’t use the white and red, I used tan and Painted Desert. It is a good size bigger than the red and white one and it feels so much softer. I really like the bigger size, but my partner told me that he thinks they should be the smaller ones with the G hook.

How do they feel?

They are really nice to hold. I have carpal tunnel syndrome, so when I crochet, the nerves in my palm pinches and it hurts. My hands get numb whether I’m using regular or ergonomic crochet hooks, so that didn’t change. When I was crocheting with these hooks I wasn’t feeling any pain or pinching but then again I also wasn’t crocheting for a few hours either. I don’t know if using these for an extended period of time will cause the pinching, but I don’t intend on finding out because I won’t go crazy crocheting everything in sight.

So it was a good purchase. I paid $6.23 and got free shipping. I bought them on Smile.Amazon.com and a donation went to DoSomething.org.

Dangerous Sugar Substitutes

On August 27, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, HealthLeave a comment

I’m not the guy you normally go to about this because I usually call BS on all the complaints people have about certain foods that we buy. I mean come on, I’ve been using Sweet N Low and Equal since I was a teenager and I’m still alive. Whenever I say on social websites like Facebook that I’m eating or drinking something, there are at least 3 people telling me that I could get cancer and die. Yeah okay, whatever you say. So I just stopped.

Today I was at the store and I saw they had a sale on Yoplait. I don’t normally buy yogurt because I cannot stand the taste of regular yogurt. I mean, it’s repulsive to me. I can remember the first time I ever tasted yogurt. I was 9 and my sister was eating yogurt and told me I should try it, so she gave me a taste and it was so awful that I literally vomited right where I stood. They say your taste buds change over time and to be fair that was in 1979, but believe me, nothing has changed. Yoplait is the only yogurt that I can eat that doesn’t taste like sour crap to me.

The sale on the Yoplait was 10 for $5. I noticed they had pumpkin pie flavor so I bought 4 of those and then 6 other flavors. When I got home, I ate one of the Pumpkin Pie flavors and OMG It tasted just awful. I didn’t notice this label at first. If I had noticed that and then read the back to see what they replaced it with, if I saw Sucralose, I wouldn’t have bought it. Sucralose is Splenda and Splenda does some nasty stuff to me.

This is what it says on several websites, including Center for Science in the Public Interest CSPInet.org. “Sucralose, the key ingredient in Splenda, is made by reacting sugar with chlorine.”

Splenda gives me the worst stomach cramps I have ever experienced in my entire life. I mean so bad that I have put a heating pad on my stomach and one time I almost called 911 because the pain was so bad. I’ve tried ibuprofen and that didn’t even help. I would sit on the toilet until something came out, but afterward it still gave me cramps. I learned my lesson after the 2nd time this happened and I refuse to buy anything with Splenda in it. I can’t even have 1 simple cup of coffee with Splenda in it.

The one thing that shocked me about Splenda, besides the fact that they make it by reacting sugar with chlorine, was that it is detrimental to patients with Cancer, AIDS and heart patients. The Better Health Store website and a couple other sources say this.

In animals examined for the study, Splenda reduced the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50 percent, increased the pH level in the intestines, contributed to increases in body weight and affected P-glycoprotein (P-gp) levels in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected.

The P-gp effect could result in medications used in chemotherapy, AIDS treatment and treatments for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines, rather than being absorbed by the body.

According to Turner, “The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study … confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label.”

I find that extremely shocking because of the fact that since January of 2013, I have been eating nothing but diet food. I lost 70lbs last year because of it. I am still eating diet food because I am still trying to lose weight. Well, I don’t think anything had Splenda in it, but how do I know that for sure? I’m not looking to blame anyone, but I have AIDS and according to most of my blood tests this year, my viral load has gone up. It has been undetectable for nearly a decade, and then all of a sudden it goes up and no one knows why? I take my medication religiously. I don’t even miss a day, and if I notice at 2pm that I forgot to take my morning pills, I will take them immediately. I don’t mess around with my health. These medications are keeping me alive, and if I am eating or drinking something with Splenda in it and it causes my medications to fail, well I have a problem.

Many people recommended Stevia, but that does the same, if not worse. The first time I tried Stevia, I was in the bathroom within minutes of drinking my first cup of coffee with it. I mean immediately. My stomach was cramping up so much and it gave me the worst gas I’ve ever experienced. I think I was on the toilet for 30 straight minutes crying in pain. It was just awful.

Look I’m all for trying new things, but I have health issues and I have to continue to use what works for me. I have never had any problem with Equal also known as Aspartame, even though the CPSI website does not recommend it, or Sweet N Low also known as Saccharin.

Someone recommended Monk Fruit to me tonight, and this website says it’s safe, but it also says that about Stevia and well, my body does not like that either. I won’t reject someone’s recommendation without at least giving it a try, but I also don’t want to over pay for something that I may have to throw in the garbage.

So my recommendation is if you have cancer, AIDS or have a heart problem, avoid Splenda like the plague if you want your medication to work. If you like Stevia and it doesn’t give you trouble then use that. But please don’t tell me what I should and should not try because I have a reason for doing the things that I do. Oh and companies, take notice that the Splenda you are using in your products are harmful to people like me. Which would you rather have, a happy customer, or a dead customer?

Happy Camper

On August 18, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn AdLeave a comment

I was in the Cub Scouts when I was 9 years old back in 1979. There wasn’t a controversy about gays in the Boy Scouts way back then like there is these days. I was going to try to become a Boy Scout, but I ended up quitting the Cub Scouts because they were giving me too much homework. As if school wasn’t tough enough for a boy with a learning disability, now I had more homework? No thank you! So I quit.

These days I’m reminiscing about what might have been and what if. No badges for me, until now.

I definitely want some of these LGBT merit badges from Happy Camper. They would make great gifts for gay men, am I right?

I so want to make an adult sized Cub Scout uniform and put some of these badges on it. Hey, check me out. My mother was making sure I looked good. This is me when I was 9 years old in the Cub Scouts. Good times.

Naked Reality Shows

On August 1, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn TVLeave a comment

What’s going on with all these naked reality shows? Naked and Afraid, Naked Dating, Naked Real Estate and Naked Castaway are shows that I have been hearing a lot about recently.

I am a huge fan of the nude body because we are all born naked and we all bathe naked. There is nothing to be ashamed of because it’s just skin. The body is covered in skin, so the skin on your arm is no different from the skin on your breast or your flute, so to me it’s all the same. I’m basically saying I am all for these naked shows. I don’t personally have an issue with anything.

When people watch these shows, do you suppose they strip down to nothing because they feel overdressed? I mean, I was tempted, but it would have become awkward when I was the only naked person in the room.

When the male contestants first show up, do you suppose they are worried about getting an erection since they probably don’t walk around naked all the time. I mean, I haven’t actually seen a real live naked person besides myself in years, I’m almost positive that if I was naked and someone else was standing there naked, I would be at full salute. Seriously! If I knew I was going to be naked in front of cameras, I would probably be naked for a month just to get used to the idea of being naked in front of strangers. Anyone who came to the house would have to remove their clothes to not make things awkward. You know I’d be ordering pizza’s and calling the cable company to fix things, oh and the plumber, he was cute.

The naked real estate, naked and afraid and naked castaway are all no big deal, but I have a concern about the naked dating one. I watched it tonight for the first time, the image above is the episode that I watched. They were only naked on the dates. When they all came together at the pool, they had their clothes on. They all got in the pool and eventually they were all naked again. Well, you know that’s fine, no big deal. I mean, it’s not like they haven’t seen each other naked, right? Well, at the end of the evening, there were 2 people left. They were naked and making out in the pool. No big deal right? I mean cause it’s not like they had sex in the pool.

This is where I have a concern. Okay, it’s straight people so no one will EVER question it. But… what if the show were all gay men, or all gay women? How many people are going to be all up in arms because there are 6 gay men or 6 gay women in the pool. They can be as innocent as can be not doing anything sexual, heck, they can all have their clothes on and you know someone out there is going to say that gay people are throwing their sexuality in their faces and God forbid a gay person does the same exact thing that straight people do. I mean seriously, you know that that would happen. You know it.

Straight people doing something objectionable is fine because they are the normal ones. They can get married and get a divorce and they can be married multiple times. Kim Kardashian for example. No big deal, it’s a straight person. But as soon as a gay person does something, the walls of society are crumbling with complete hyperbole.

I just had to say my peace. By all means resume your nude programming. No, seriously. I love seeing straight guys unblurred bums on TV lol.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

On July 22, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn crafts, Daily Blog, Etsy, Health, Hobby5 Comments

I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in 2007 after 20 years of crocheting started to take its toll on my hands. I didn’t just have it in one hand, I have it in both hands. I was given wrist splints to wear at night when I went to bed. I was told I didn’t have to wear them during the day, that they should help me when I sleep. Okay, no problem. I’ve worn them every night since then up until last year when I stopped using my bipap machine for my sleep apnea because I didn’t need it anymore because I had lost 70lbs. Wearing the bipap mask became uncomfortable because suddenly the pressure was too high.

I wore these wrist splints faithfully for 6 years from 2007 to 2013. They did help and last year I started making keychains and opened an Etsy shop. Since then I have added dangle, hoop and stud earrings and hemp and friendship bracelets. I received an order for 8 tassels for a company who makes purses, then they placed another order for 34 tassels and that took a huge toll on my hands. Someone else ordered 60 rainbow keychains. I made 36 of those and had to stop because it was hurting too much. She wanted them for her June wedding which apparently has been pushed back to November. That gives me more time to finish the rest of them, but I’m not quite sure they will follow through with buying them from me. I’ve had several people place a custom order and then not pay for it.

I’ve been working day and night making friendship bracelets over the last week. I really love making things. I don’t know if it is a gift or a curse. A gift that I can make something wonderful out of raw material with just my hands, but a curse that something I love to do can cause so much pain.

The pain is just too much on my hands. I wake up every morning with painfully numb hands and this morning my right hand was still numb for an hour after I woke up, and it was extremely painful. I put my wrist splint on and the pain and numbness eventually went away, but I am going to continue wearing the wrist splint for the rest of the day and perhaps wear it every day and night while I take a rest. I hope that helps.

Here are just a few things that I’ve been making. I am very proud of the hard work that have been doing that is ruining my hands lol.

I had all these plans for the camouflage bracelets. I bought the different colors to make a red version and a blue version. I also had planned on buying the different shades of brown to make a brown one. People have suggested I go with a complete rainbow and make orange, yellow and purple camouflage bracelets. I can’t see that happening now.

The rainbow braid bracelet on the bottom is actually a bracelet I wanted to make for a very long time for a specific person. I actually wanted to make 2 of them, and I made this yesterday and last night I started a second one. I listed it just because it was very easy to make and if someone ordered it, well I could make another one. But now I’m not so sure about that. I do still plan on giving this one and the other one away to the specific people just because I like to give people gifts.

Well, that’s all for now I guess. Today is the first day of my new vacation from crafting. I love what I do, so I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to stay away from it. It’s addicting for sure lol. I will try though, because my hands are more important to me than making something that no one will appreciate or even buy even though they asked for it.

California drought: $500-a-day fines for California water hogs?$500 Fine In California for Water Hogs During A Drought

On July 14, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn Daily Blog, GreenLeave a comment

Are you one of those people who have heard on the news or read in the newspaper that you need to conserve water because California is in a drought, but you just don’t care? You think “Oh this is complete BS. They have enough water. I’ll just continue to take 30 minute showers and water the lawn for as long as I want to.” Well I hate to ruin your day sunshine, but if you still have this attitude in August 2014, you better prepare to start paying a $500 fine per day.

Source: SFGate – California drought: $500-a-day fines for California water hogs?

I have been conserving water for years. When I take a shower, I literally only have the water turned on when I need it. I turn the water on just to get me wet, then turn it off while I lather my hair with shampoo and my body with body wash. Then I will turn the water on to rinse myself off. I probably only use a couple of gallons, if that. When I do laundry, I only do it once a week or maybe twice a month. I will wear the same clothes a few days in a row. I don’t do anything but sit at my desk in my bedroom, so there really isn’t any reason to keep changing my clothes. It’s not like I’m getting sweaty. My clothes don’t smell after a couple of days, they still smell pretty much clean. The only exception is when I do start sweating in my clothes during the summer, then I will change my clothes after my shower.

Our lawn has basically been dead for a few years. We have a huge patch that is basically all dirt because people are constantly walking on it, and it has way too much shade from the pecan tree. The rest of the lawn is dead because I never water it because of the drought. I usually water it once a week throughout the summer to try to keep it green, but I tend to not want to water because I know that I shouldn’t. I see neighbors watering all the time and think, if they can water, why shouldn’t I be able to? I’ve been watering it once or twice a week this past month or so, but now with this new $500 fine I’m not going to water anymore. Being on a limited income, I can’t take any chances. I mean, that’s more than half of my monthly income right there. I don’t know what I would do if I ever got a fine just because the water hit the sidewalk or went into the street. I would be screwed.

So this is just a friendly warning to all of my fellow California residents. Conserve your water usage or face a huge penalty. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Image Source: This is my character Edward watering his money tree in The Sims 3. Don’t you wish you had a money tree? I know I do lol.

Why do some people only respond to negative social posts?

On July 1, 2014 By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

I am somewhat addicted to social websites like Facebook and Twitter. I started using social websites back in the day when MySpace was popular because friends and family were on there and it was the only way that I could see or talk to them. I am not a phone person and I don’t travel, so I very rarely see friends and family, so social media is basically the only way I’m ever going to be able to communicate with anyone.

The one thing that bothers me about Facebook and Twitter is that you can say 1000 positive things and get little to no response, but the minute you post something political, everyone comes out of the wood work to criticize you for having an opinion. Why is it that other people’s opinions are more important than mine and they have to belittle me? I see people posting political posts and if I don’t like their opinion I just ignore it and keep scrolling. The reason is because EVERYONE is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that. So why is it that I’m not entitled to mine?

My mother told me that if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. It seems like I am the only person who remembered that.

Now let’s see how many people respond to this or belittle me for having an opinion, that is if anyone even reads it. I blog and blog and blog and it doesn’t seem like anyone is paying attention. Nobody ever responds. Why am I paying for this website if nobody is even looking at it? I pay $10 a month for hosting and another $12 a year for the domain and it doesn’t seem like anyone even cares about my website or my blog. So why the hell do I even bother?

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