Vaccines do not cause Autism!

 Okay, I have your attention.

The truth of the matter is that I have no idea if vaccines do or do not cause Autism.  I know that there is a lot of research that would seem to support the claim that they do, and consequently there is a lot of government and pharmaceutical back lash against that research.

But let me tell you my twisted logic.  Or you can stop reading now and keep your mind in the state that it is in.  REMEMBER, I am not saying that I know which side is correct.  I am only making a personal statement from my experience.

I woke up the other morning and had this horrendous allergy attack.  Which for me is generally unheard of.  So I went to the ‘box of last resort’ and grabbed a Wal-dry from the foil encased plastic and placed it in my hand.

Now this is an amazing capsule.  It has a pharmaceutical in it that will shut down my allergic reactions in about 20 minutes.  What is really amazing is that it is smaller than the dosage in a standard round of vaccines for babies.  So even though I don’t like to take any pharmaceuticals, I put the tiny gel casing in my mouth and swallowed it.  20 minutes later the allergic reaction subsided.  10 minutes after that I felt completely lethargic.  My energy had disappeared and I felt as though I had been hit by a train.  This lasted for the entire day.

Now let me put this in perspective.  I am 6’3” and weigh 220 pounds and this tiny little pill kicked my ass.

Right there is an argument for anti-vaxers.  And for the Pro-vaxers, well, pretty much nothing will change your mind.  Yes we have eradicated polio.  Awesome!   Measles, mumps, and rubella?  Gone.  Awesome!  But here is the rub.  For every childhood disease that has been discovered they have included a pharmaceutical into a vaccine.  Currently the recommendation for vaccines from birth to 15 months (that’s months not years) is 26.

(see: http://www.vaccines.gov/who_and_when/infants_to_teens/index.html)

What may seem normal to many folks is not normal to me.  This seems outrageous.  A baby at 15 months averages between 19 and 24 pounds.  Forget about Autism, forget about ADHD.  What would make any sane person believe that this would not have a negative effect on the human body?  Has anyone seen the research that says for “20 years we tested this vaccine before putting into a human baby.”  NO…because there isn’t any.

So again, I have no idea what causes Autism in children…but I do have suspicions.

I quit...

I quit.

Sugar that is.  It has only been 4 days (on the 5^th now), but I realized something important.  Things are only difficult to do if you tell yourself they are difficult to do.  I made a decision to give it up.  I didn’t question it.  I didn’t go back and forth and wonder if it was a good decision, or if I could actually accomplish it, I just did.

Granted it has only been 4+ days, but I expected there to be more of a hunger/craving for sugar.  It’s like my body said “hey, he’s serious, let’s get on board.”

What I will tell you is something that you probably already know (because the majority of people that I know are pretty smart) is that sugar is in almost everything that comes in a box.  Even things that you don’t expect to have it, have it in one form or another.  It may not say “sugar,” but some hidden word on the box will translate to sugar.  Isomalt, erythritol, pentos, to name a few.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services there are almost 100 different words that mean sugar on a label.  If you are cautious about sugar you would help yourself greatly by learning those words.

For someone like myself, who wants to eradicate all sugar from my diet, boxed foods are pretty much out.  Fresh, home cooked meals are the surest way to do that.  Those who just want to limit the amount can be very choosy about processed foods.

Again, I may be preaching to the choir, but did you know that the position an ingredient falls within the label is in direct proportion to how much of it is in the recipe?  Of course you did.  But just to recap, the farther down the list something is, the less of it is in the box.  So again, refer to the HHS list of sugar names in determining how much you are eating.  And beware…there can be several sources of sugar in one box.

What it all comes down to though is just being picky.  As it is in every other decision in life, the more educated we are on a topic, the more likely we will make the right decision.  Unless of course you are one of those who likes to preach, but not practice.  I HAVE met a few people like that.

Mrs. Escamilla.

This is the one person in my life that I will always cherish and always give credit to when I write something.  Even though the last time I saw her was in 1974.

She passed on many years ago, but her memory is still strong and the effect she had on my life is the single greatest influence to my passion for writing.

In sixth grade, Mrs. Escamilla would come to our school and help facilitate our learning by either reading to students (individually), or listen to us read to her.  She had two daughters that attended the school, Sonia and Marina, but she spent most of the time with other students.  And the way I remember it…mostly me.

The books and stories that she would read would inspire me to write.  Not that any of the books were inspirational, but the fact that she would give of her time to fill my imagination with stories of adventure gave me inspiration.

I would go home at night and begin to formulate stories.  In fact between the summer of 6^th and 7^th grade I wrote a complete science fiction story complete with Heinleinian culture.  Which for a 7^th grader might have been a little unsettling for most.  But not for Mrs. Escamilla.  She embraced it.  She encouraged it and, as I remember, very rarely blushed.

Mrs. Escamilla was my muse.  It was her enjoyment of my story telling (I would read to her each time I had the opportunity to sit with her at school) that made me want to write more.  And even read more.

I never got to properly thank her for the gift that she gave me, although I have had the opportunity to share it with her daughters. 

I have drafted two novels since then, countless short stories, and many songs.  Now?  I just have to do something with them.   And there my friends is the rub.  But I continue to write, create, and imagine what is would be like to see my stories on the Big (or Little) screen.  I envy you Blake Crouch!  Perhaps in time someone will also envy me.

...about writing

Write every day.  That’s what every accomplished writer says is the key to overcoming the obstacles associated with the process.  Even when you don’t feel like it or you feel you have nothing ‘in the tank’ keep writing.

I know that it is the ‘write’ thing to do, but sometimes the personal obstacles are just too present to be able to clear away the minutia long enough to express a coherent thought.  When that happens I find myself writing about writing.

It has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember.  When I first learned the art of spelling and sentence structure (does anyone really understand sentence structure) I can remember writing.  Poetry, songs, and short stories were the first to come to light and then the attempt at a novel.  This was all before the beginning of 8^th grade.  I remember writing a sci-fi story about babies being born with an expiration date of 35 years old and one man’s struggle to find a way to remove the chip that would ultimately spell the end of his existence.  I also remember writing a complete Hardy Boys book about an adventure they had in Hawaii.  The sad thing is that this was long before dongles and auto save.  It was in the age of pen and paper.

What I learned most about the art of writing and the creative process is that the less distractions that one has in life the more prolific a writer can be.  The more it is necessary to work to pay the bills, or raise children, or have a social calendar, the less likely it is that you will find quality time to write. 

When you read some of the greats (contemporary) you can see why they are so prolific.  Churning out 1 or two books a year that have great story lines.  They had a moment when that first success allowed them to have that second, third, and so on.

When writing pays the bills, and it becomes the “job,” some writers excel.  I believe that is because they are (one) truly talented, and (two) don’t have the outside noise that keeps telling them that some bill is delinquent.

Of course that is an oversimplification. ALL writers have blocks.  They, we, all meet that wall at the end of a dark alley and have to find a way to scale it.  But in the long run, persistence and tenacity will have the victory.  The ones that crumble before the wall…they have ‘non-writing’ jobs.

Ramblings

I have been asked before, why do I get so emotional during certain scenes on television and emotional moments in real life I miss and don’t even recognize them?

So I have been thinking about that and here is that which I have deduced:

Television and movies have an arc to them.  There is a certain way (fantasy) in which a writer writes a story so that the ending has a somewhat predictable ending.  The good guy/girl wins, the hero gets the girl/horse/guy (whatever).  But the emotion on the screen has a believability that could happen in real life but without the disappointment that often occurs in real life.

While it is sad to admit, people disappoint.  I have disappointed.  Others have disappointed me.  Life, while wonderful, doesn’t always work out the way you think it should (even though plot twists are often better).  But in the face of disappointment, the guard goes up and the emotions get blocked. 

What I haven’t figured out is why it is only with direct connection with people in my life that this happens.  For example, when I am watching a YouTube video that someone has put up with a real life event I can get emotional.  I can connect with them.  But my kids, parents, siblings, spouse, friends, not so much.

So back to the first thought…I guess since the end is rarely like the tv/movie version I haven’t quite got the grasp on really feeling the moment.  Sad you say?  You bet.  It’s time to take a look inside to see if I can change that.  Perhaps with a little more introspection I can come up with an answer…or two.

But the real wonder I have is: Am I Alone in this Feeling?  Is it a problem that no one else but me is facing?  I guess it would be nice to know if someone else out there can sympathize. 

I am an empath, which makes this even weirder.  I feel, sense, recognize emotions.  One on one or in a room filled with people.  But then, maybe that adds to the desire to shut the immediate off and go for the safer, more predictable on screen performance.

I’ll look at that and get back to you. 

The Talk.

How many of you remember having that conversation with your parents?  You know, The Talk!  The Birds and the Bees!  The one about SEX!

I’m not talking about the obligatory conversation that goes something like this:

“If you have sex you will get pregnant and it will ruin your life!  Or: “Don’t you play with that thing in my house!” or even the ipso facto: “What the hell are you doing?”

No.  What I am talking about is an open discussion that discusses the importance of a sexual relationship.  The how’s and why’s of each part of the process and the responsibilities that go along with them.  How to achieve an orgasm for your partner and the importance of cuddling.

Okay, that just scratches the surface, but I am guessing that not many of you heard this from your parents and it is likely that none of them handed you a book and said “here you go…I can’t talk about this, but it’s all in here.”

And it doesn’t get any better when it is taught in school.  I remember in 8^th grade seeing films on child birth and it was intended to scare us rather than inform us. (hopefully that has changed since the 70’s but I’m not so sure).  There was nothing in those classes about the sensitive areas of the penis or the stimulation of the clitoris or of the female orgasm actually assisting in pregnancy.

Now these are all things I can get from watching an episode of Real Sex on HBO, but for me it’s too little too late.

I was in my early 30’s before I finally figured it out, and by then I had failed to satisfy my share of relationships.  And when I figured it out I finally realized the joy that I had been missing. 

The thing I realize though is that The Talk is not easy for any parent.  I even missed the boat with my own kids, but then I have the feeling they would have freaked out had I tried to talk to them about sex.

But thank God I learned anything at all, even if it came later in life.  I mean, hell, my 30’s was a pretty good time to figure it out.  I hope my kids are a little more prepared to talk to their kids, but I don’t plan on asking them!  Lol!

Something shiny!

What to write?

I admit that there are days that go by that I actually don’t even turn on the computer and attempt it, but it’s the days that I do…and I sit down in front of the screen and start a dozen different ideas and none of them seem to pan out.

This is one of those days.

I think about the topic of weight loss - which I am considering doing at some point.  Or moving on from a job that is not fulfilling my needs – which I am considering doing…at some point.  Or about how the apartment complex we chose to move into cannot fix a simple leak in the apartment upstairs that drips in our wall creating a hazard of mold for us downstairs.  I could write about this whole move across the country and how it is coming up on a year and I am still not feeling settled.  All great topics.

But I think what I will focus on today is global warming.  No wait…the economy.  Nah, rising gas prices!  No that’s not it either.  Coffee?

I love coffee.  Dark, rich roasts that have just a hint of bitterness.  The way is smells in the morning as it begins to wake you up…no not about coffee… it’s a subject with limited.

I guess what it comes down to is that the process of writing really is about just sitting down and writing.  Whatever it is you are passionate about (or whatever it is for which you are passionate).  Exercising the brain is just like exercising your body.  The more you do it the sharper and more focused the brain becomes.  Consequently, the less you do it, the more you sit on the couch, watch television, and lament the fact that you are not doing anything productive.  So in a sense, even though this has no particular topic to it, I am working out my brain and building new synaptic pathways in order to increase my ability to sound intelligent.

So while I look at shiny things around the room…

Oh, did I tell you that my job just hasn’t been able to find the hours to keep me busy so I turned in my notice and suddenly they are trying to put something together to keep me there.  Even the Executive Vice President of Programming reached out to me in a weird way (or should I say with strange timing).  He found me on Linkedin and sent me a request to connect.  Now that might mean nothing, but it certainly made my wife question it, or rather question my resolve to move on.  But hey, I have plans.  Goals to achieve.  An exciting life ahead of me.  It’s time to explore some more!

(sniff, sniff)  I smell coffee!