• Health And Fitness

    The Scary Season: US Healthcare Renewal Time

    Yes, it’s terrifying trying to pick a healthcare provider in the US, because of our awful for-profit health insurance system. I’m keeping my current plan because their app made it easy to find a new primary care physician. But I still had to talk to two customer service reps to set it up, and have to call my old doctor’s office to inform them of my new doctor and request a records transfer ‘This is not freedom,’ Swedish man tells newspaper as he learns costs of American medical care He’s not wrong, that Swedish guy. I’ll meet my new doctor…

  • Cycling - Health And Fitness - Home Improvement

    Diabetes Sucks, But My A1C Is 5.8

    It’s a numbers game, and currently I’m on the winning side. My first A1C (long-term average blood glucose) came in at 5.8, down from 6.6 when I was diagnosed in December. So that’s great, right? Yes, and despite the claims medical hucksters who’ll sell you a cure in a kit, I still have diabetes. It’s just well-controlled at the moment. I’m lucky that at this point it’s not advanced farther. I’ve raised 1405.00 toward my goal of 2000.00 for the Tour de Cure charity ride, with just a month to go.  You can help me achieve that goal by visiting…

  • Cycling - Health And Fitness

    The Fitness Bug

    Something interesting seems to have happened. I’ve caught the fitness bug. Either that, or Bug has gotten into fitness (my dad’s nickname for me was either Bugginia or Bug). I spent all of last spring and part of the summer not riding the bike I bought, which was a fairly decent women’s step-through that wasn’t quite the right fit or size for me. I went for a few rides, and made it around the 20 mile course for Tour de Cure last year, and I liked it all right, but never felt very comfortable on it. Also, I wished I…

  • Health And Fitness

    My new BIKE and other updates

    So yesterday after a really rough day at work (my main reservation system was down all day, ALL DAY, and I had to stick around waiting until a tech IMed me at the end of the day) David took me to our local bike shop. And look what followed us home! We’re keepin’ em! My bike is a Specialized Crossroads Sport Step-thru (that’s what they call women’s bikes now) and David’s is a Specialized Allez Elite. He’s serious about road riding, I’m just getting back in the saddle (heh). I still have a mountain bike that I haven’t ridden in…

  • Health And Fitness - Hot Off The Presses

    As A Red-Headed Mutant, I Find My Lack Of Waterproof Sunscreen Disturbing

    I heard a reference to this on the radio the other day… as it happens I’ve never relied on the “waterproof” part of sunscreen claims (especially when swimming or snorkeling), but always re-apply after coming out of the water every so often. New Food and Drug Administration regulations mean that, by the summer of 2012, there will be no such thing as “waterproof” sunscreen. That’s because, frankly, there already wasn’t such a thing. A sunscreen might be more water resistant than a competitor. But you can’t assume that one application of the “waterproof” stuff will stay with you through hours…

  • All Things Interesting - Health And Fitness

    Salt Lake Air Quality Even Crappier Than Usual

    I used to get bronchitis every winter in Salt Lake until I left for college in clean, green, environmentally conscious Oregon. Then I moved to the Chicago suburbs, where it’s every OTHER year or so, but I can usually stave it off with my cold-weather asthma regimen. Just Don’t Breathe If you have to be outside Thursday along the Wasatch Front, try to not breathe, deeply, at least. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality has issued a “red” air quality alert for Salt Lake, Davis, Weber and Cache counties. That means that residents of those regions are banned from burning…

  • Health And Fitness - Mini-Posts

    My Supplies Cycle

    Oh, THERE you are, unwelcome visitor. What’s it been, since August? Then February? At this rate I’ll only have to buy “supplies” twice a year. Guess my teammates joke about “manopause” due to the excessive heat n the office was better than he knew.

  • Food, Glorious Food - Health And Fitness - Traveling Along, We're Adventurers

    So Far on Maui

    Once again, I’ve let nearly the whole vacation slip by without keeping up with blogging about it – but this time, it’s now much easier to get photos uploaded to Flickr, which act as an informal timeline of our activities. Dinner at Five Palms was very, very nice – this time we sat outside. Missed the sunset, but enjoyed the ambiance anyway. Then on Saturday, we went to the Whale Day parade and took some photos, then met up with some Twitter acquaintances (although we got a late start and missed the beginning of the parade). It was pleasant to…