That Feels Good

So, I did what I said I was going to do and went to an allergist last Friday. I have to say, it was one of the most pleasant doctor visit experiences I've ever had.

Luckily, I was able to find someone who takes our insurance and has an office that's about five minutes away from our house. She was just really nice and patient. She listened to everything I had to say, and even wrote down every instance of getting outrageously sick that I told her about from this year so far (and that is no small number, people).

She did a basic skin allergy test, which wasn't any where near as bad as I'd thought it was going to be. In case you didn't know: there's no needles involved. They use these blunt-tipped plastic things that have the oils of different possible allergens (gluten, eggs, diary, peanut...) on the ends. They stick them on your skin and let the oils sit for 15 minutes.

While I was waiting I noticed a little bit of itching in one spot and thought for sure it would be gluten. But it wasn't. It was peanut. Now, I know you've never seen me eat, but trust me when I say that if I were allergic to peanuts I'd be dead a million times over with all the peanut butter/handfuls of peanuts/bunches of other things that are made in facilities where peanuts are present which I eat on a daily basis.

My doc said it's possible to get false positives, so she sent me for a blood test (three vials they needed) and is having me do something I have not been able to get the nerve up for yet: a 24 hour urine test. This means that after I had my blood taken at the lab, they handed be a giant orange bucket with a lid and a plastic urine catcher. Once I start I will have to collect my pee pee in the urine catcher and funnel it into the bucket and...AND PUT THE PEE BUCKET IN MY REFRIGERATOR AFTER EACH COLLECTION.

Yeah. It's 'bout to get real weird up in here.

I meant to start Monday, but didn't. I meant to start yesterday; I even cleared a wide berth in the fridge for the bucket and laid a towel down in that spot just in case. I totally did not start. I'm going to get it done and back to the lab before the week's out. This is almost as bad as when I went to the gastroenterologist and had to collect like 5 different stool samples for him to test. You guys? That was completely unpleasant. Except for the fact that I didn't have to refrigerate the samples. I guess poo stay fresh longer?

Honestly? Having blood drawn was easier!

What kind of strange medical tests have you had to endure?

Recent Obsessions: Podcast Mania!

This photo has nothing to do with my post. Don't judge, it's almost the weekend and I'm gettin' antsy!

I love my new job. It tends, though, to be research and email heavy. This means that if I don't watch it while I'm working I'll basically fall into a meditative-like trance that numbs my mind.

What's been my savior the past few weeks? Podcasts!

I've been hearing about these things for years, but had never listened to one. But then, back in January, I found Girl on Guy, a podcast from comedian and talk show host Aisha Tyler.

I was immediately addicted.

There are literally tons of podcasts out there, but here are the ones keeping me sane as I research my days away.

1) Girl on Guy: Funny, profane, insightful discussions with Tyler and a host of actors, comedians, chefs and other public figures.

2) The Mental Illness Happy Hour: Oh. My. God. Anyone dealing with any kid of mental issue (depression, panic disorders, sexual dysfunction, schizophrenia...) or dealing with someone else who has mental issues WILL FIND SOMEONE ON THIS PODCAST WHO HAS SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I think this podcast is really important for people who feel fucked up, alone and unsolvable.

3) By the Way: One of the best parts of this podcast is listening to host Jeff Garlin's insane laugh as he talks to famous friends. The episode with Conan O'Brien is a hit.

I have to say, one of the best parts about these conversations is hearing how accomplished people (many of whom had horrible backgrounds or are living with psychological troubles) got to where they are and hearing about their creative process.

Here's another list of the podcasts I'm hoping to get into soon.

1) Nerdist
2) Star Talk Radio Show (what can I say, I'm an astronomy/physics geek)
3) Channel Surfing (I'm also a TV geek)
4) WTF with Marc Maron

Give some of these links a try when you have a tedious task to complete or even when nothing good is on TV. You won't be disappointed.

Expansion Ahoy!

Imperial caterpillar

Friends! I did something semi-bold yesterday. I spent two and a half hours in the morning volunteering at The St. Louis Area Foodbank!

Why is this a big deal? Because, it involved going someplace I'd never been before, talking to strangers and being stuck with them for a few hours. The last time I did any volunteering was for the CineVegas film festival in 2006, and that was a mostly selfish endeavor. It was also easier since I'd been there the year before and knew a lot of the returning volunteers/staff, and, you know, it's Vegas. There's no shortage of stuff to talk about with strangers.

This was different, and I must say, I aced it! I worked my ass off packing and unpacking donations. I also spent my time working with a nice retiree named Fred from Memphis. We talked! I socialized with people I'd never seen before! I got out of the house for something other than errands! I helped people! Yay!

Our volunteer group actually finished early because we worked so efficiently. At the end of our shift the volunteer manager left hand outs that listed our stats. We processed 8,811 pounds of food which translates to 7,193 meals for the hungry. Isn't that cool? I'll definitely be back.

I signed up through VolunteerMatch on Monday for this gig and also contacted a couple of other places (a no-kill animal shelter and a not-for-profit news site) about volunteering for them, also. I like this. I get to help others and myself at the same time. If I weren't so chicken around strangers I would have done this much sooner!

What have you done lately that you loved enough to wish you'd done sooner?