Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Birth

I went on a binge of watching More Business of Being Born today. It amazes me, the state of maternal care today. I don't get how women can go through the 40 weeks of pregnancy and not be informed. Giving birth is one of the most amazing things that a woman will ever do, so not knowing everything that you possibly can about that process is an absolute shame.

There are so many different options out there, from the standard hospital birth, to birth centers, to home birth, to elective c-sections. They all have their pros and cons, although electing to have a c-section is crazy to me. I mean, that is major abdominal surgery, so why do it unless you absolutely have to? I'm also appalled by the rates of induction, which it seems the majority of the time is done simply for convenience or because it is routine.

It's like, mom is tired of being pregnant, doc has a tee time to meet, so let's pump mom and baby full of drugs, because that's okay now when the entire pregnancy you're not even allowed to have cold medicine, and try to force that baby out. When in reality inducing doubles the risk of c-section, and can make labor take longer when done too soon. No one seems to be telling the moms this though, so we need to be informed before it happens, instead of learning these things after the fact. It's not that hard to research. The information is readily available, all you have to do is look. Do your research!

*~*Tabby Marie*~*

Monday, January 28, 2013

Bitterness

It is very easy to let the things in life get to us. To make us bitter and forget everything that we once believed in. To let ourselves become jaded. It is easy to let ourselves just say 'what's the point?'. It is a far far greater feat to maintain our beliefs through the hardships in life.

What defines us, if not our beliefs and what we stand for? I feel like allowing oneself to become bitter or jaded is cheating oneself. It makes you less than who you could and should be. I believe that we should take the hardships and things that life throws at us and apply them to ourselves in a manner that is positive. We should take what we believe in and apply it to life, rather than letting life define our beliefs and values.

When we allow ourselves to become bitter, we limit ourselves. We cease to try. We go through life just existing and getting by rather than trying to better ourselves or go after our dreams. We begin to believe that we aren't capable of doing anything other than exist. We become sheep. Don't be a sheep.

*~*Tabby Marie*~*

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Kids Shows

I am absolutely convinced that preschool kids shows are making our kids oblivious. How many times has Dora stood next to a giant red apple and asked 'Do you see the giant red apple?'. I've watched several children, and when asked to find something, even when it's right in front of them, they can't seem to manage it until it is blatantly pointed out to them, and even then they seem to have trouble sometimes.

On the subject of Dora, what is the deal with 'Swiper no swiping'? Because, you know, when someone is trying to mug you if you tell them no three times they'll stop. That is SO how life works. It's seriously one of the most perplexing things I have ever pondered. I mean, who even thought that up? They should be slapped.

Then you have shows like the Wonder Pets. Ling Ling speaks with a strong lisp and it's made out to be all cute. To me, it's saying that it's okay to speak improperly in order to be cute. I don't think so. I don't even approve of baby talk. Speak properly to children and they will in turn learn to speak properly. It's that simple.

In closing, pay attention to what your kids are being taught by the stuff that they watch. You may be surprised when you sit and think about it rationally instead of just assuming that since it's supposed to be educational it should be good.

*~*Tabby Marie*~*

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Intracranial Hypertension

I have idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. A lot of people have no idea what that is. 

According to wikipedia: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), sometimes called by the older names benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) or pseudotumor cerebri (PTC), is a neurological disorder that is characterized by increased intracranial pressure (pressure around the brain) in the absence of a tumor or other diseases.

What does that mean for me? It means frequent headaches and regular migraines. It means episodically blurred or distorted vision. It means random dizzy spells. It means a pretty much constant ringing in my ears. There is no cure. 

There are a few avenues of treatment, though. The first being a drug called acetazolamide. This is typically used for glaucoma. It's very expensive, being $500+ if you don't have insurance. It has it's own fun side effects, as well. The fingers and toes get tingly, like they're falling asleep only worse and it alters your sense of taste. Some people opt to have regular spinal taps to drain off the extra fluid which in turn reduces the pressure. One spinal tap was enough for me, thank you. A last there is surgery to put a stint inside of your head in order to drain the fluid constantly. I'm personally headed towards the surgery eventually, I believe.

I just thought I'd throw this out there, because people ask me frequently. This is one of those illnesses that you look fine on the outside, so when you tell people you are sick, they don't always believe it. But there it is.

*~*Tabby Marie*~*

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Tattoos

I have tattoos. Six, currently. They all mean something to me, and I find them all to be attractive. Not everyone agrees. In fact, what is probably my favorite tattoo I am constantly told by others that it is 'ugly'. Which I find rather insulting. I mean, who are they to judge? The majority of the time, the opinion of said people was not solicited.

My tattoos are a part of who I am. Once they were inked onto my body, they became a part of my body. Telling me that they are ugly is just the same as telling me that I have an ugly nose or weird looking ears. Only worse, because they are something I consciously chose to put on my body and put thought into what they are and where they are placed. Not to mention the meaning behind them.

Furthermore, I really am perplexed by the question 'what do you think those are going to look like when you're older'. The answer is obvious. Awesome. Wrinkled, but awesome. What really, really, REALLY gets me though, is when people tell me that I have ruined myself. My tattoos are GORGEOUS. They are works of art, and my skin is the canvas. These people need to just stuff it. I mean, I actually had one person in the same breath tell me that I ruined myself and that she thought the tattoo was really pretty. Seriously?

*~*Tabby Marie*~*

Monday, January 21, 2013

Appreciation

The magic words. Please and thank you. Something we've all been told from the time we are little. So why is that so many people seem to have missed the lesson of appreciation? Is it really that hard? Someone does something for you, at the very least say thank you. Hopefully you can do something to pay it back or pay it forward.

I am frankly astounded by how selfish and entitled people tend to be. I honestly don't understand it. It bothers me deeply when I have to depend on others for things, not out of a sense of self-sufficiency, but because I feel like they shouldn't have to be put out for my sake. It would be incredibly self-centered and egotistical of me to think that they should.

Having people that you can depend on is wonderful. However, when you start to expect it, that's when things get murky. People start to resent things. They start to resent YOU. It breeds discontent. It drives wedges between previously close relationships and sometimes breaks them completely and irrevocably.

All of that can be avoided just by being appreciative and showing the people that you depend on that you are thankful that you can depend on them and try to help them in whatever way you can, allowing them to depend on you in return.

*~*Tabby Marie*~*

Amusement

I'm in a goofy mood tonight, and everything is amusing me, so I don't think we're going to get my usual 'don't be an asshole/idiot' blog. I'm having very fun mental images. Take a moment, and think about random sayings, and then imagine them in a literal sense. It's rather entertaining.

Like shooting fish in a barrel.

Butter someone up.

Cat got your tongue?

Kick the bucket.

More than you can shake a stick at.

Pleased as punch.

Sleep tight.

Colder than a witches tit.

Seriously. Imagine these things in the literal sense. Incredibly amusing! Have fun!

*~*Tabby Marie*~*