You Tube Tuesday #88

Every Tuesday I like to take a break from diabetes and share a video clip that I think is either funny, interesting, strange, or in some way entertaining.

The clip for today falls into all of those catagories.

My Aunt used to love Magnum P.I. and after seeing this clip I can understand.

Enjoy..

BTW - Did you read Kerri's blog post today? She made a little announcement about Yours Truly. :)

I Can't Has Cheezeburgerz

A vital part of my diabetes management has been neglected for the past month or so. I didn’t really think about until Saturday morning.

Since my kids have been back at school and my wife has also returned to school, I have found that I have no time to play racquetball or disc golf. Those are the two ways that I, in my very small way, actually exercised. Disc golf is not rigorous at all but does lend for a good long walk which at a few times a week is a lot better then what I have been doing which is nothing.

Racquetball on the other hand is pretty much high level exercise for about an hour that typically knocks me out! I love it and miss it but to find an hour of time to spend on playing a game is next to impossible right now.

This Saturday I was able to get in half a round of Disc Golf since we had a soccer game and a convention we had to be at. In that half course, essentially 9 holes, I was wiped out. I huffed and puffed up and down the hills at La Mirada Regional Park for the short game we played. One thing I will say was it was a good half round for me even if I sounded like a panting dog the entire time.

The other topic that I have avoided is my desertion of Weight Watchers. Since my ATM card was stolen and cancelled I just let the membership cancel and grabbed a cheeseburger. I can feel myself inflating and with that, not caring at all.

Life is squeezing me in and my expanding waist line is not helping at all.

I am confident I will get my act together sometime soon but for now I will try to get in a little exercise here and there.

And hopefully stay away from the cheeseburgers.

It's Saturday and I'm Vlogging!

So here it is! I hope you enjoy it.

It has extra dorkiness!

Let's Vlog About It

No, I have not recorded my vlog for this week yet. I will not be able to do it tonight either. I plan on recording tomorrow while the sun is out so I can open the blinds and make Scott happy.

What I do need is something to talk about. I have some ideas but I really enjoyed just answering your questions.

So comment and ask me a question or something you want to know about yours truly.

I would even be willing to do like a "Dear Ninjabetic," type vlog. You can ask for my wisdom or lack there of. LOL

Thanks and come back on Saturday to check out the vlog.

I Cannot Stop

I cannot stop.

With kids in soccer, band, choir, and track I cannot stop. They have to get to where they need to be and it is my responsibility to get them there. Dinner is a must as well as making sure homework gets done and is understood.

With the economy the way that it is and the financial woes we are facing in our home I have to get up each day and work my tail off. I am not sure I am happy with my job. I guess I feel that it is just a job and not a career. But they pay me well and most of the people I work with are great. I am blessed to have the job that I do with the small amount of education I have.

With my commitment to church and VDC I get to praise God through music. My church has me on staff and pays me to lead the worship band. I would do this without pay in a heartbeat but my church knows that when you have a paycheck, you are more likely to be treated differently and treat your job differently. I see it as a ministry but still one that I cannot stop and rest from. It takes time to come up with music, learn music, teach music, and then be prepared to play that music come Sunday.

I cannot stop.

With my diabetes I check my blood, go to the doctors, attempt to exercise, and keep my disease on my mind. It’s why I write here and on dLife. It keeps me reading. It keeps me in the know and it keeps me thinking about my health by reading about all the others in the online diabetes community.

At times I want to quit it all. I just want to stay in bed and not drive the kids to school. I dream about driving right past my exit at work and continuing off to who knows where forgetting about everything. My wish is to not have to think about diabetes. To never worry about what I eat or what this disease has planned for me in the future.

I want to stop.

I cannot.

Sometimes You Have to Laugh

Lately I keep writing and tweeting about how tired I am. It’s true. I am. Always it seems. Last night was no exception.

I had the chance to go to bed early so I took it. By 10 o’clock I hit the hay and fell promptly asleep.

It was like a sauna. I was tossing and turning. I kicked off my covers on to my wife to cool off! Ugh, then I started sweating horribly which finally forced me to wake up. I checked my blood and saw I was at 53 but it was 12:30. Jasmine made me a PB & J to keep me from dropping through the night.

I sat on the edge of the bed waiting for the sandwich and was swaying back and forth. When I heard my wife walked in I was laying down again, which I do not remember doing. I sat up and she handed me the sandwich (really what would I do without her?). It was weird because it was freezing. I mean, so cold I knew there would be no way I could eat it.

I saw the paper plate with the sandwich in my hand but I could not pick it up. I was looking at it, trying to pick it up to eat it but still feeling how cold it was. It was the most confusing thing I have ever had happen to me.

My left hand was holding the paper plate with the sandwich and my right hand was touching this cold sandwich but I could not lift it. It was at this point that I realized I had my hand on a diet soda that I asked Jasmine to bring for me to wash the sandwich down.

I started laughing hysterically.

“What?” My wife was half asleep too and had no clue what the heck I was cracking up about. How could I explain it?

“Nothing. I’ll tell you tomorrow. Thanks.”

It was so funny for some reason. Probably not the time to laugh your butt off but you know this disease can catch us off guard which can be funny.

Have you ever had a low or a moment that cracked you up like this? I have been disoriented before but this was a new level.

Let me know. I would love to laugh too.

Laughter is good medicine.

You Tube Tuesday #87

This video made me laugh out loud this morning. I came into work in a lousy mood but this helped.

At first I thought, "what the heck is this?" Then I thought, "man, entertainment has come a long way!" And then I thought, "this is so weird." Then I started to giggle and finally exploaded in laughter.

Enjoy.

Living on Fumes

As far as I can tell, days have not gotten longer and yet, we seem to cram more and more in each day! This weekend was filled with so much stuff. Good stuff mind you but a lot of it.

With that, I am dragging. And for a ninja, that is not safe at all.

Friday night I spent working on the slide show presentation for our Sunday church service. I typically do this on Sunday mornings during the first (traditional) service for the second (contemporary) service but I knew I was not gong to have time come Sunday. You will understand why. After that was done I needed to get all the stuff I needed for my meeting on Saturday. And let's not forget the Vlog recording and uploading also.

Saturday morning I was up and out of the house at 6:15 and on my way to Palmdale which is an hour and a half away for my Via De Cristo team meeting. VDC is a spiritual weekend that I am involved in. You may have heard of Cursillo which VDC is an expression of.

Anyhow, while I was there until 4:30, my son was running in his first invitational cross country meet. He came in 71st with about 600 boys running in this race. He got a medal (all those finishing 90th and better did) and said that he could have had a better time without all the traffic. Oh, he is gonna love commuting one day.

My daughter’s soccer coach told the team to get the park at 2pm for the 2:30 game except that their game was at 8:30 in the morning! That annoyed not only my daughter but the team and all the parents too!

After all this stuff we were at a 50th Birthday fiesta for my mother in law and my cousin in law (if that is a real thing.) It was fun except that I was exhausted. I wish I could have had a little more energy but I ended up leaving at 10 and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow (I did wake up at 3am and tossed and turned until morning but I am becoming used to that).

On Sunday I sang with 3 other friends a song at the early service which is why I had to do it on Friday. After that service and the contemporary one where I lead the band, we went over to my cousins to spend some more time with the in laws and other family that came in from out of town for the party. It was good seeing them all.

And then Gillian and I went out to my sisters house in Upland (about an hour away) to feed her kitties and make sure they were okay. Her soon to be sister in law is checking on them also but I told her I could check on them on Sunday. That was before I thought about the whole family event. When I got home at 7 on Sunday from all this stuff I thought I was going to cry. I was so tired. I watched a few episodes of the X-Files season 3 and went to bed.

I feel like I am constantly on fumes.

Ugh.

Ninjabetic Vlog! Come check it out!

A link to the post about the co-worker who made me mad.

A link to pics of the Beat the Bete team from last year.

A link for Scott.

:)

The Week's Report - A Question for You

George did great yesterday. He said that he started off a little too strong but finished well. His coach said he was the only one who sprinted at the end like he was supposed to.

I am quite proud of the little bugger. He has his first invitational meet on Saturday where he will run only with other freshman. That should be interesting since yesterday’s run was with all grades.

I was going to attempt to record a Vlog post last night but I was too busy running around, driving my sister to the airport, and Instant Messaging a good D-friend of mine. It made for a fun night.

This week has been rough as far as my numbers go. I have been up high for a lot of the time only to get woken up but a lovely shaky sweaty low at 3:15 this morning. Then I could not go back to sleep.

Should I do some fasting basal rate checks? Why have I been running so high? Maybe if I got my fat ass back into Weight Watchers I would not run high. Maybe my co-worker was right? Heck no. Mean is never right. What am I doing? I need to sleep! Why do I love bacon so much?

And on and on the thoughts go. So annoying.

Anyhow, when I get home I am gonna try and vlog. Any thoughts on a subject? I have some things knocking around in my brain but I would love suggestions if you have any.

He is Different

This afternoon is a big one for my son. It is his very first Cross Country meet.

I think I have done a good job of sharing my son’s personality with you all but you must understand, he is different. Sure you always feel that way about your kid. They are the cutest, smartest, funniest, and most likely to run the country one day. I do recognize that there is some bias since he is mine but it is different.

He is different.

I remember back to his 7th birthday party. We had family and friends over at the house to celebrate. I was sitting down watching George walk around the party mingling. Like an adult! He would be outside with the kids playing and running around, and then come inside and sit down with his uncle. He would spend some time with him, and then go sit with his grandma to see how she was doing, over to his little sister, off to the living room to visit with cousins and friends, and then back outside. He would glide around and see how everyone was doing. Just like an adult.

He has always had this ability to fit in no matter what the situation. And when he puts his mind to something, it happens. Like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier contest. Never an ounce of conceit or bragging about how great he is. He just knows he can do it and he does. Total confidence. And he is the first to encourage others and root for all. He loves to see other succeed. It is amazing.

And now he decided he wants to be on the cross country team but on the Varsity team as a freshman. I told him that is not typically the case but he says, “I know but I think I will make it. I run with the Varsity team all the time so I can keep up.”

I know it sounds awful but I am waiting for him to fail. That probably did not come out right. I mean, he can’t do it all right? It’s just, he has to fail right? He can’t accomplish all he wants to? Can he?

Do you see? I am so terrible with my own self esteem that I assume he is the same way. Maybe my vow to make sure my kids believed in themselves came true. I guess we did do something right. We have always told both of our kids that whatever they want in life is theirs if they work hard enough and never give up.

He is different. And I am so thankful for that.

I’ll let you all know how he does. You can find out sooner via Twitter. Follow a Ninja if you dare!

No Walk For You!

I realized last night that team “Beat the Bete” will not be walking this year.

I had signed up for the JDRF Walk for a Cure this year but it turns out we are busy that day. Between my meetings, George’s track meets, his band fieldshows, and Gillian’s soccer games we are pretty much booked every weekend until after Christmas! It is unbelievable.

For the past two years we have been doing the ADA walk but I really felt as though the JDRF is where I should focus my help. This morning I read a post by Jenny at Diabetes Update letting us all know how much of the funds raised actually get to the ADA. You should check it out.

Part of me feels like a flake since I won’t be doing a walk this year but I guess I will have to find another way to help.

After yesterday’s annoying lunch at work, I have been feeling like I needed a “pick me up” to make myself feel a little better.

This is not helping at all.

You Tube Tuesday #86

It has been a while since I have featured a cat on YTT. This one is so "Ninja" that I had to share it with you all.

Enjoy

A Case of the Mondays

I have a terrible case of the Mondays today. I am tired, grumpy, sad, and just in a bad mood.

This weekend has been a blur. We are constantly going and running around and my head hurts from it all. I spent all weekend trying to get to places on time, figure out meals, and remember what needs to be done for tomorrow. I am here, there, and still back there all at the same time.

I am sitting here at work thinking about all the stuff that I have to do tonight and each night this week and I have no clue how my brain is going to make it that is if my body can make it.

My blood sugars have been running high probably thanks to the stress. And I see no end in sight. That is where this awful fatigue sets in. When you think you are getting over the last hill into the final stretch and you see that there is another hill coming up and that may not be the last one? So you feel defeated and tired since the rest you were hoping for is further away then you were anticipating? Yeah, that is me right now.

This post was not meant to be a downer but it’s hard to hide how I am feeling. The other day I vlogged about my faith and I really should call on it now. I need to pray that I will find the strength to focus on only what needs to get done right now instead of focusing on all that has to be done over time.

One thing at a time. That should be the way I handle stuff. That way I could probably manage it better.

One. Thing. At. A. Time. (I am repeating it to myself slowly)

Wish me luck!

Faith Friday - Vlog Post

My faith is a big part of who I am. So is Diabetes. Check out this post to hear about how I call on my faith regarding my disease.

And be sure and check out Sara vlogging about Faith too! (If it's not up yet, have faith! It will be soon.)

One Day

Today marks 7 years since that tragic moment in American History.

That day none of us will never forget.

Each September 11th I think about how awesome this country is. In that moment we did not divide but we all stood together. All colors, all classes of society, all political parties, all Americans.

In the middle of all this campaigning and complaining, we must remember that we are all Americans. We are all living here together and despite our differences we all share a common goal.

We all want peace and safety and a future for our children's children.

Even if it's one day, try and remember how American came together 7 years ago. Remember that when someone cuts you off on your way home from work or when your frustrated with your fellow American at any time today. Remember who we are and who we can be.

Remember.

Sleepy Time

For the past few weeks I wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. I’ve tried going to bed early no dice. Tried staying up late until I was passing out on the couch and still I will wake up.

The strange thing is I always wake right before 4am. I wake up and I look at the clock then my brain turns on. The first thing I do is check my BG since I figure it is a good idea. Then I shut the light off and try my hardest to fall back asleep.

I will lay there and think. What do I have to get done tomorrow? What happened yesterday that I should learn from? What is going on this weekend? What is my obsession with Smart Cars all about? What ever happened to Lauryn Hill?

On and on I think.

If any of you in the OC have any ideas I would love to hear them. A coworker told me to stop drinking soda. After I finished chugging down a Diet Pepsi I told her that falling asleep is never the problem. It is always after hours of sleep that I wake up and cannot fall back to sleep.

The problem is that I am a wreck the following morning. Like today. I doze off typing sometimes and realize it when I hear my PC beeping at me due to holding down a keyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Anyone have an issue with this?

You Tube Tuesday #85

We love Lisa. Lisa is like family. Lisa hates to get scared. I love to scare Lisa! That is the set up.

So this video is the one that I made Lisa watch on my Apple TV one night. My kids were in their rooms, my wife was in the kitchen, I was sitting at my desk and Lisa was surfing through You Tube. I told her to watch this clip.

WARNING! TURN DOWN YOUR SOUND! As soon as you see the chair begin to rock be prepared because a scary person pops up on the screen and screams.




So now this is the clip of Lisa watching it and me filming her from my desk. The picture is not great but the sound of her scream is awesome! TURN YOUR SOUND UP!!!!

The Ugly, The Bad, and The Good

This weekend had it all. I will list each separately and end with the good because, I would hate for you to leave on a bad note.

UGLY
Saturday was one of my worst diabetes days ever. Looking at my log book my high for the day was 600 and my low was 61. Average was 324 and that is after 28 tests. It was the worst.

I woke up high which started it all. I bolus and moved on. Tested after breakfast, still high. Bolused. 30 minutes I checked just to be safe and I was higher still. Bolused again. I was far away from home and did not have a syringe on me so I ended up changing my set. At this point I tested about 8 times and my meter just said “hello”. I mean “HI”. Yeah, not good. Luckily it finally started to drop and I mean DROP! I could not eat enough glucose tabs. It was one of the worst D days I have had in a long time.

BAD
If you are following me on Twitter then you may have heard about this but on Friday morning my wife discovered that our bank account was empty. Now normally that is not a surprise but this was. Someone has copied my ATM card and withdrew all the cash in our account on Friday. I have been reading up about this crime and apparently it is becoming more and more common. Pay at the Pump card readers are typically the place your card number get stolen. I guess there is a card reader they can use to copy the strip on the back of your card and if they watch you enter your pin then they are good to go.

Anyway, after a police report and a whole lot of paperwork, the money will be back in our account soon and hopefully some A-hole will be in jail.

GOOD
For all the crap that happens in the world there are some good things that make it all better.

On Saturday night I was surprised to see my sister and her fiancé hanging out at my pad when I got home. My soon to be brother in law Steve fixed my wife’s car while they were there on top of fixing my air conditioning last week! The dude has mad skills.

They were talking about weddings and asked me how many I have been in. I never really thought about this but I have been in 10 weddings! Steve asked me, “So would you mind being in one more?” I was shocked that Steve asked me to be his best man! I thought it was very cool since we are good friends and I am excited to have him as my third and final brother in law. BTW I lucked out that all my BIL’s are kick ass and I mean that sincerely. I don’t even think they read this.

Anyhow, I accepted since I love the guy. He has passed all the tests my father would have given him (like “Is Mickey Mouse a dog or a cat?”) had he still been here. I of course had to step in to make sure my sister wasn’t marrying a dill weed. She isn’t thank God.

So there it is. A weekend filled with ups and downs. It ended well and that is what matters!

Now I get to plan an awesome bachelor party! SWEET!

Depression - Ninjabetic Style

Depression. I seem to go there often and I am sort of on my out right now. Here is a vlog post about depression and my thoughts on it.

Enjoy and have a great weekend.

A Song for the Sick

When I was a kid we watched West Side Story all the time. I can recite every line and can do it all the different voices. My R rolling for any of the Shark dialog is perfect and my Natalie Wood fake Latina accent is also spot on. So when I sat down to write this post about how sick I felt, this is what happened.

I Feel Icky (sung to the tune of “I Feel Pretty”)

I feel Icky. Oh so Icky. I feel sickly and funky and tired. And so Icky, cause my throat feels like its on fire.

I feel shitty. Oh so shitty. A committee would pity how I’ve been. And so icky, my defense is Amoxicillin.

See that pretty box of tissue there? Can you hand it here before I sneeze?
Not another cough. Not another groan. Not another ache. Not another moan.

I feel tired. Uninspired. Get more fluids and rest is what I’m told,

For I’m Sick. With an Icky, terrible Cold!

La la la hack la la cough ahhhchoo!

S.I.C.K.

Stuffy.

My nose is all stuffed up and I cannot breathe. I hate sounding like a telephone operator (although I do not think I have ever heard a telephone operator sound like that but whatever).

Itchy.

My eyes are itchy. My throat is kind of itchy. I hate that tickle at the make of my throat. I swear, it's like I was cleaning a cat, the way cat's do it. HACK.

Coughing.

My lungs are dry and hurt each time I cough. And the cough comes from way down by my toes.

Ketones

Since my blood sugars has been over the top I keep waiting to see them show up but luckily I have been okay. I raised my basal rate in hopes to bring them down and it working ever so slowly.

Now, back to bed.

You Tube Tuesday - #84

Who knew card stacking could be so cool. Check it out!