Boiled slowly

[clevermanka]

From ms_danson is this very helpful page on living with someone who has a chronic illness.

Yesterday I got word that all KU classified staff are going to have to clock in and out for their workday, and there's some sort of crackdown for unclassified staff and faculty, as well. This displeases me. I do a lot of work outside of the office in the summer, and I often leave the office at 3:00 to go take care of stuff at the dorm, etc. How am I supposed to clock out for that? Damned if I'm going to return to the office. There was some mention of a phone app, but damned if I'm going to pay for a fancy phone (and the monthly service) just so I can clock in and out. Fuck all of this, yo. I'm becoming more and more unsatisfied here. The benefits and pleasures no longer outweigh the stress and irritations.

Kiva my wonderful acupuncturist suggested that I might have some water issues going on. My swelling isn't diminishing like it used to. I still wake up pretty swollen (up an inch and a half this morning), and it just never goes away. That, with a lot of other smaller indicators makes her think this is more water retention than it is inflammation due to food reactions. So we're trying a different treatment protocol--one that apparently requires a lot of needles. Last night I had twenty-one needles in me at one time. And then we still did some moxa treatment on my navel. Sheesh.

Today is the recruitment visit, and tonight is the reception at our house. I'm always so glad when this is over. The reception is fun, but everything leading up to the day is stressful like whoa, and for some reason, I always freak out about ordering lunch. I'm all "it's gonna be late" or "they won't be able to get on campus" or whatever. I wish we had the money to just take them to eat at the Union. But honestly, I bet we won't have the money to do this at all next year. The university is getting crazy with its limits on department expenditures. Basically, they're no longer letting the departments decide what to do with their own money. It's always been like that to some extent, but it's become draconian in the past few months (see above paragraph on benefits and pleasures =/= stress and irritations).

I need to stop spending money on boots and fabric and start saving money to buy a pasture-fed cow. And a pig. Wish deer season wasn't during the winter. As much as I love venison, I am not sitting out in the cold for hours, waiting for my dinner to walk by.

Update: This just made my day better.

Comments

[ms-danson.livejournal.com]

I'm looking into buying larger quantities of meat from a farm for my household. I've been pleased with what I've found (historical types, yak, good farming practices, etc) but I'm stuck on volume... as in, volume wise, how big is a quarter cow or a half pig? Would we have to buy a small chest freezer?

[grnvixen.livejournal.com]

Amen on the crackdown on funds! Am assuming you have heard about Endowments new policy on alcohol :). We haven't been told about clocking in yet but if you guys are going to be doing it I bet it comes over here too. Yuk!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

You'll probably want a chest freezer, yes. I have one and I love it. So handy for meat sales and storing containers of broth when I make big batches at a time. Ours was only about $100. Wish I'd bought an upright one, but there's nowhere in our garage that'll fit an upright, so chest freezer it was.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Endowments new policy on alcohol

Tonight's reception is the last English department-hosted event that'll have alcohol paid for by Endowment.

[pamelonian.livejournal.com]

I would imagine that on those days you leave at 3:00, you can "forget" to clock out and the time can be put in manually later. I don't know how KU is going to do this, but our school has classified staff clock in and out over the computer. As long as you can log in from somewhere, you can clock in or out.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

As long as you can log in from somewhere, you can clock in or out.

What if I leave at 3:00 to run errands and don't wrap up until I'm due for an acupuncture appointment so I don't get home to an internet connection until 6:00pm?

Not like that didn't happen, you know, yesterday.

We enter our time manually now, on spreadsheets. I guess people are just lying too much.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I was really impressed with the responses on that "chronic illness" thread you posted. My mother has finally received a diagnosis of stage 2 progressive MS, so it's something I have to acclimate myself to.

I also remember somebody who came to my workplace to talk about ADA and referred to everyone not living with some degree of handicap as "temporarily abled." It happens to us all, at some time, in some way. Unless we go out in a blaze of glory in our primes, which is sort of a bummer in its own way. :)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. =(

[femfataleatron.livejournal.com]

I have a weird and unresolved relationship with Chinese medicine. I was sort of forced to learn it , and while it appeals to my love of the esoteric, it sets off many warning bells in the part of me that loves skepticism. Just from the various description you've given of your symptoms I would say that you need to nourish earth. Probably weakness in the spleen, which mediates transport of nourishment... If your water element is overreacting this could be caused by a weakness in the controlling element/ organ. Anyway that's just what popped into my head.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Funny you should mention that. We're working on a spleen deficiency in addition to the water stagnation.

I went into acupuncture a complete skeptic, but I can't deny that it works for me. It might be psychological (although how that would work for a skeptic, I'm not sure), but up until recently, it's helped me more than five years of bouncing around various gastro- and endocrinologists.

Who knows why my body decided to freak out last November...and never recover.

Hope this helps.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Whole hog = 250 lbs pre-slaughter = ~160 lbs packed meat including everything, ie, hocks, soup bones, lard, liver, jowls (like bacon), head, trotters and other things.
I didn't know how to ask for what I wanted and recommend figuring that out for yourself so you can get what you want, ie do you prefer more chops, roasts, steaks or ground. I love ground pork and didn't like the steaks, so next time, I'll have them ground. Fresh hams were great cut in half, but still pretty darn big to cook. I'd cut them down next time.

Quarter cow is roughly 100lbs packed meat, and we found that sharing one worked out affordable for us, plus we could divvy up the meat based on who liked what.

The formula for guessing how much will fit in your freezer is 30 pounds per cubic foot. We have a large upright, and I love it more than I can say.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

I wish I could view vids, I seem to have been reverted to crap software again.

The more I hear about crackdowns on allowing personal accountability at jobs, the more I realize that my ire at punching a timeclock here is becoming more standard all over.
There has to be a way to work it out for situations like yours.. because hell, if someone's going to cheat on time, how is a PHONE APP going to change that?

Oh, and bloating is also a symptom of low progesterone, isn't that nice? (>_<)

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

She is displeased by the Actual Diagnosis, which has been a long time coming, but it may actually open some doors for her in terms of assistance, etc. There are worser things. Thank you. :)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I'm done. With...everything. Just everything.

Re: Hope this helps.

[ms-danson.livejournal.com]

Thank you! This is very helpful.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

whoa on the clocking in and out. I have not done that since I worked at the Red Barn, in my very exciting capacity as a fries-shoveler. And our admin also works from home...here I don't mean during business hours, but I will get emails from her on Saturdays and Sundays...because she's working.

Also, an app for the phone to more accurately track when you're working?
is creepy.

good plan on how to spend your money. also, once spent like that, the food will last you a LONG time.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I have not done that since I worked at the Red Barn, in my very exciting capacity as a fries-shoveler.

SO DEMORALIZING.

Re: Hope this helps.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. I'm happy to share the results of all my research on it, because I was just as puzzled before we bought ours.

This (http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2006/07/what-is-a-half-pig-share/) page is really helpful, and so is this page on uses of parts (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/591351)

Also, I didn't ask for the fat, and will next time, to make my own rendered lard.

Figure that your first order, you'll see what you really do use the most, and keep record of it for the next time.

Also, make sure you know if the price includes the processing, usually when you're talking to the farm, it's not, and they will be happy to give you an estimate. When we bought our beef, we had to pay the farm and the processor separately.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

At least you can have wine now?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

SILVER LININGS.

Re: Hope this helps.

[ms-danson.livejournal.com]

Taking note.
Thanks again.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_luaineach/]

We have a large upright, and I love it more than I can say.

Yes, me too, exactly this.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_luaineach/]

Yes, I was going to mention the progesterone thing. I can't remember, did you (er, meaning L and not you roya_) ever get a hormone panel done? Because I can remember way back in the day talking about testosterone and maybe you needed some of that because low levels of testosterone contribute greatly to fatigue.

[queza7.livejournal.com]

I know a few people at work who have cows. Let me know if you need more info on beef and/or calves and I can hook you up.

Re: Hope this helps.

[wetdryvac.livejournal.com]

Useful, thanks!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I did get a hormone panel done, and my levels were mostly fine. The amounts were good, but they were a little out of whack (they didn't peak when they should in conjunction with each other). The doctor thought that's what was causing my horrible periods.

Kiva and I have been working on that, too, and I have noticed my periods are much more bearable. I got through this last one with no ibuprofen or wine, even. It was a little rough one day, but I made it.

So, progress on that front anyway.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thank you!

[shrijani.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, cow! *drool*

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

SRS WANT.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Imagine how the timesheets of people who go outside to smoke every 15 minutes will look!

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that's helped. I can bet that getting all that in balance helps so much, that's what we're working toward with me, which means total symptom-tracking.

Did you have the hormone panel done by blood or saliva? Apparently it can vary wildly from one to the other. The pharmacist didn't even care to see my bloodwork because it can vary so much, even from day to day, if a woman is still cycling.

Re: Hope this helps.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I got the saliva test. It was a huge PITA. =b

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

haha! I'll bet. But I read that it's at least a bit more accurate than the blood draw.
Can you imagine doing a full panel of it for 30 days? ugh.

It's heartening to find that I'm being treated by symptoms, rather than numbers.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Can you imagine doing a full panel of it for 30 days?

NO. *shudder*

I remember I had to cut a lot of things out of my diet for the hormone saliva panel, too. Like caffeine, cruciferous vegetables, onions...

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

It was for that?
I'll add that to the Gratitude List. Symptom tracking is sooo much easier.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, the things I had to cut from my already limited diet. It was crazy. I had to stagger the tests over a month. There was no way I could do them all during the same week due to conflicting food allowances. If I'd tried to do them all at the same time, I'd have been living on chicken breast, olive oil, and zucchini for a week.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

I am frightened by the looming food cuts coming my way.
It's been discussed that I try an elimination diet.

Hey, a week without caffeine tho'.. go me!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Go, you!

It's really not that bad. I miss the taste and smell more than anything. I suggest slowly weaning, though, to avoid headaches.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

It wasn't bad, a dull ache for a day, but I'd been weaning myself down to one cup for the prior week.
What DID happen is that I sort of "forgot" that I was off it, and picked up a large Frappuccino on the way to work yesterday.

I was quite the Chatty all morning.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

HA HA HA HA!

Love that icon, too.

[carmy-w.livejournal.com]

I was just popping in to the thread to say this, also! I have several farmer relatives, and one neighbor who raises & butchers (or rather, gets it processed) beef, then sells it.
So if your nearer suppliers don't pan out, give me a shout!

[carmy-w.livejournal.com]

And here's a map I have bookmarked from eatwild.com.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=103278713038992589454.000451fee4cf97f5de1a2&ll=39.351025,-96.296539&spn=12.342937,12.854004&z=6

All of the marked places do private sales of everything from chickens & eggs to milk & butter, and mutton, pork, and beef as well, with some buffalo thrown in!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thank you!