#Thess has health issues

[giftofshewbread]

Warnings

:: By Daymond Duck    Published on: July 8, 2023

On June 22, 2023, expert Bible prophecy teacher Amir Tsarfati said:

When many look at the world around us, they see chaos. I see something different. I see God warning the people of this world that His judgment is coming soon. The Bible shows us that this is the way He operates – warning, then judgment. God sent Noah to warn the world that His judgment was coming. He sent angels to warn Sodom and Gomorrah that judgment was coming. He sent prophets to Israel to warn them judgment was coming. And He told the whole church of the signs that judgment is coming.

On June 24, 2023, expert Bible prophecy teacher Jonathan Brentner said:

There will come a day when the signs of the end times become reality; then it will be too late for many.

God will surely judge the wickedness of our world. It’s a matter of when, not if.

It’s far better to heed God’s warnings now, before they become reality.

Among other things, these two expert Bible prophecy teachers want people to know that the prophetic signs that are being fulfilled today are warnings from God that His judgment is coming, and this is real news that should be immediately acted upon.

Understand that God did not tell people to watch for the warnings (signs) to scare them.

God told people to watch for the warnings (signs) so we will know that He exists, that time is short, and that we need to make our salvation sure (and encourage others to know and do likewise).

He is a loving God that reveals what He intends to do before He does it (Dan. 2:27-30; Isa. 46:9-10), and there are many undeniable warnings (signs) that He is preparing to judge the world.

In this article only, I intend to call the signs “warnings” because they are signs of impending danger that should be taken seriously.

Warning One, concerning world government and deceit (the climate change scam): on June 28, 2023, the World Net Daily (WND) staff reported that:

UN Sec. Gen. Antonio Guterres has called for the immediate and global destruction of the world’s energy industry because, he claims, fossil fuels are “incompatible with human survival.”

Guterres said, “All of this action must be global. It must be immediate, and it must start with the polluted heart of the climate crisis – the fossil fuel industry.”

Guterres added, “The world must phase out fossil fuels in a just and equitable way, moving to leave oil, coal and gas in the ground where they belong and massively boosting renewable investment in a just transition.”

Notice these words “global destruction,” “action must be global,” and “the world.”

Here is a warning (sign) to watch for: At the end of the age, an evil government will rule the world (Rev. 13:7b).

Here is an undeniable fact: Evil people at the UN, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Economic Forum (WEF), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), global corporations, the media, and others think they need to create a crisis to bring in a world government by 2030 or sooner.

And it is my belief that the Bible clearly teaches that the Rapture will happen before that.

(My Opinion: The world uses energy to grow and transport food, heat and cool homes, run equipment in factories, cause vehicles to move, etc. The head of the UN calling for the global destruction of the world’s energy industry should get our attention.)

Warning Two, the Tribulation Period will begin when the Antichrist confirms (strengthens) an existing covenant with many for seven years (Dan. 9:27; I Thess. 5:3).

In late Sept. 2015, delegates from 193 nations unanimously approved a UN document called “Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

This document or “covenant” that was approved by many (delegates from 193 nations) went into effect on Jan. 1, 2016 (a little more than 7 1/2 years ago).

In essence, it calls for the world to transition to a world government by 2030.

In early June 2023, UN Sec. Gen. Antonio Guterres issued a progress report on the transition to world government, and his report says most of the world is behind schedule.

It says the world is behind schedule and it has less than seven years to meet its goals by 2030.

Guterres said delaying or giving up on the deadline to establish a world government by 2030 is not an option.

The UN has scheduled a meeting called the SDG Summit for Sept. 18-19, 2023, to discuss this problem.

Guterres wants world leaders to commit to “seven years of accelerated, sustained, and transformative action, both nationally and internationally, to deliver on the promise of the SDGs” (the creation of a world government).

In my words, Guterres wants world leaders to agree (to make a covenant) to speed up world government by making more and faster changes over the next seven years.

His desired agreement (covenant) to bring in world government in the next seven years is generating questions.

Notice (in Dan. 9:27) that the Antichrist will confirm (strengthen; make stronger) an existing covenant for seven years, and that will begin the Tribulation Period.

People are emailing me to ask if the UN vote for the nations to commit to world government in seven years could be the covenant that the Antichrist will confirm (strengthen; make stronger) that starts the seven-year Tribulation Period.

We don’t know, but it is a legitimate question.

All of the signs are converging, the Tribulation Period will begin with the confirmation (strengthening) of a seven-year covenant, and now the UN is calling for a seven-year covenant.

(Note: I have pointed this out before but notice that Guterres believes the transition to a world government is behind schedule, and the Bible teaches that a Restrainer is holding back the rise of the Antichrist; II Thess. 2:5-8.)

(Note: Many prophecy teachers, including myself, believe the Rapture will occur before the confirmation of the covenant, and that makes this very interesting.)

(Something to ponder: From the SDG Summit on Sept. 18-19, 2023, to Jan. 1, 2030, is about six years and three months, not seven years. If Guterres thinks the transition is behind schedule, why isn’t he calling for a six-year covenant instead of a seven-year covenant? Could it be because God said the Antichrist will confirm—strengthen—a seven-year covenant?)

(More: How the covenant will be strengthened is not clear, but we know that there will be a brief rebellion by three of the Ten Kings, the Antichrist will subdue them, and he will ultimately wind up with total dictatorial power.)

Warning Three, concerning a falling away or a departing from the faith at the end of the age (II Thess. 2:3; I Tim. 4:1): on July 2, 2023, World Net Daily (WND) posted a Daily Caller News Foundation article that says People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has used Artificial Intelligence (AI; specifically, ChatGPT) to rewrite the Creation Story in the Bible.

They changed the Word of God to promote their idea of animal rights.

For example, following Adam and Eve’s sin, the KJV Bible says God made “coats of skins, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21), but PETA’s altered story says He made them clothes of hemp and bamboo (never mind that the coats of skin might refer to the skin of a lamb that refers to the Lamb of God that would die for their sin).

PETA’s altered story adds that Abraham and Sara adopted a dog named “Herbie” from a shelter.

To make matters worse, a PETA official said the organization may rewrite more books of the Bible in the future.

It is important for people to understand that the Bible was given by God.

God chose the words to say what He wants people to know.

He warned everyone not to add to the Scriptures or take away from them (Deut. 12:32; Rev. 22:18-19).

Those who deliberately add, delete, or change just one word, even if it is to promote a good cause, could have the eternal judgment of God fall on them.

This is the danger of church denominations, seminary professors, pastors, church members, and others changing what the Bible says about LGBTQ+ issues.

The changes will not end with just one or two issues.

They will keep coming, and it is a slippery slope into the Abyss with no way out.

Warning Four, concerning the return of Jews to the Promised Land at the end of the age: the largest concentration of Jews in the world today is in Israel, but there is still a large concentration of Jews in Russia and Ukraine.

In late June 2023, two Jewish rabbis in Ukraine warned the Jews to leave Russia immediately.

They said, “Whichever way this situation (the war) plays out, it’s going to be very bad for you” (they could face an organized massacre of Jews).

Following the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, God used persecution to scatter the Jews and the gospel all over the world (Acts 1:8; 8:1).

He sometimes uses persecution today to cause the Jews to return to the Promised Land from all over the world.

Warning Five, concerning ungodliness, deceit, censorship, the loss of freedom of speech, and the loss of freedom of religion at the end of the age: on June 27, 2023, a letter bearing the signature of more than 250 celebrities was sent to the heads of Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube demanding the suppression of views critical of LGBTQ+ issues (deceitfully called trans healthcare).

(Something to ponder: If America is “one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all, is it legal for social media to suppress the views of those that are critical of LGBTQ+ issues? Is suppressing freedom of religion and freedom of speech of Christians the beginning of forcing everyone on earth to support the views of the Antichrist and False Prophet? Will this suppression lead to denying people the right to buy and sell, or killing people to reduce the population of the earth if they do not support the views of those in power? The denial of freedom of speech and freedom of religion for those that believe the Bible should not be taken lightly, but it looks like that is where this is headed.)

Warning Six, concerning a global currency and the tracking and control of all buying and selling: in a speech at a World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting on June 28, 2023 (called the “Summer Davos”), Cornell Univ. professor Eswar Prasad said (as I understand it in my words for simplicity):

Everyone on earth could soon face the disappearance of physical money.

Programmable Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) could soon become a global reality.

Bank computers can be programmed to allow customers to make good purchases (buy food, medicine, etc.) or prevent customers from making bad purchases (buy porn, drugs, guns, ammunition, etc.), or to target people (make people obey the government, yield to government social policies such as abortion, the LGBTQ+ agenda, force people to buy from approved places, deny them permission to buy from unapproved places, etc.).

CBDCs could make the world a better place, but there is the potential for the world to wind up in a pretty dark place.

This is an admission at a WEF meeting that the world could soon have a global currency that can be tracked, controlled, and used to control everyone on earth.

Concerning Professor Prasad’s remarks (posted on sociable.com), website Editor Tim Hinchliffe reported comments of several influential people (again, as I understand it for simplicity):

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, says programming should be left up to commercial banks, but they should be allowed to put conditions on how the money is used.

A Chinese official said governments should use programmability to control what people can own and how their money can be spent.

India is studying a programmable currency that will expire.

Nigeria is studying putting customers in brackets (based on obedience or whatever) with limits on how much they can spend in a day.

It is my opinion that many of the global elite are looking at ways to control everyone on earth.

(Note: I am sometimes amazed at the things people say and wonder if God plays word games with us. Professor Prasad’s statement that there is the potential for the world to wind up in a pretty dark place could be a reminder that God calls the Tribulation Period a day of darkness, and He characterizes those that enter the Tribulation Period as children of darkness (Zeph. 1:15; I Thess. 5:3-5).

Here is a link to the Sociable article so readers can form their own opinions.

https://sociable.co/government-and-policy/governments-program-cbdc-restrict-undesirable-purchases-wef-summer-davos-china/

Everyone needs to heed the warnings (signs) that God gave and make their salvation sure.

FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

[wutbju]

Back to the Bob Jones University Faculty Meeting on February 22, 2019.

Steve Pettit, in discussing the Church White List changes, stated:

Throughout this process, one of the main issues realized in local church relationships has to do with music. The music policy has been looked at—does it address this? Where is our music policy today? A task force is working through a refreshment/revising of the music policy. 

Another “refreshment” of the music policy? Another one? This archivist was part of one in 2005. Marshall Franklin was part of one in 2010. 

This Music Statement is buried on the BJU.edu site. How are they going to “refresh” this?

Music in the Mission of BJU

The mission of Bob Jones University is to grow Christlike character that is scripturally disciplined, others-serving, God-loving, Christ-proclaiming and focused above. We fulfill this mission using a variety of methods, tools and resources, including public proclamation of the Word in chapel services and special meetings, a biblically integrated curriculum, opportunities for Christian service, and a faculty and staff who endeavor to model Christ to our students.

What role does the music that we perform and listen to play in our mission? How can we use music to grow Christlike character in our students? How can music hinder or thwart our efforts? This document is an attempt to answer those questions succinctly.

Although the answers will be based on biblical teaching that is valid for all believers at all times, we recognize that these answers involve the application of those teachings to our specific context and institutional mission. Other institutions, congregations and individuals may apply them differently based upon their own earnest efforts to reflect scriptural principles within their respective contexts and in keeping with their unique institutional, congregational or personal missions.

While biblical truth is nonnegotiable, application in specific cultural and institutional contexts may differ. In particular, since music is such a dominant cultural force in the contemporary West—to a greater degree, apparently, than it has been throughout most of history—application of biblical principles in this area is likely to be controversial, touching strongly held opinions across a spectrum of choices.

Because we seek to apply biblical thinking and decision making to every issue, we must start with an examination of what the Bible says—or does not say—about music. From there, we will examine how those truths apply to BJU and our mission.

Biblical Principles in Music

Music reflects the beauty and goodness of God and is a gift from the Creator intended for our enjoyment and spiritual elevation. It is an important part of every believer’s life, both in his worship of God—his primary mission—and in his interaction with his culture(s) as he carries out Christ’s Great Commission. Because music resonates with the spirit of mankind in ways that make it a powerful influence on our thinking and behavior, our decisions about music often have significant consequences on our spiritual health—and consequently often have moral implications as well. The Bible has much to say about the use of music in worship. It also speaks often about the motives that should govern the believer’s broader lifestyle as he moves in the world.

Music should make me more like Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). Christ’s character is perhaps best reflected in what He identified as the two greatest commandments: to love God completely and to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Matt. 22:34–40). The practical application of these broad principles appears in Paul’s summary of “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22–23). Like everything else he welcomes into his life, the believer’s music should promote truth, dignity, justice, purity and loveliness as well as be admirable to onlookers (Phil. 4:8).

Music should enrich my spirit in enjoyment of what God has created (1 Tim 6:17). The believer’s experiences need not be clearly religious in order to be spiritually profitable; God has indeed “given us richly all things to enjoy,” and there is a place for simple enjoyment of beauty and for enrichment by expanding one’s knowledge and experience. It is appropriate for the believer simply to listen to music for entertainment.

Music should edify my fellow believers (Eph. 4:11–16). The believer’s lifestyle choices are not made in a vacuum; he is a member of the larger body of Christ. Thus, his choices can affect his fellow believers. Paul warns that the believer must not encourage another believer to violate his conscience, even when that believer’s conscience is misinformed, and that the believer willingly and gladly gives up genuine rights and liberties for the sake of the health of other believers (1 Cor. 8:4–13). Similarly, even careless or thoughtless practices that create or accentuate differences between believers (e.g., 1 Cor. 11:17–22) violate the essential unity we all have in Christ (Gal. 3:28). Believers need to act with primary concern not for their own liberties but for the well-being of their fellow believers (Phil. 2:4). This is a legitimate test of our devotion to Christ’s two great commandments (Gal. 5:14).

Music should discourage in me the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19–21). By contrast, then, music that encourages contrary character qualities—sexual impurity, devotion to competing gods, division, short-temperedness, self-centeredness, carousing “and the like” (Gal. 5:21)—the believer should reject and avoid. Even beyond this, though, the believer’s music should positively empower him against these things.

Music should aid my testimony before the lost (Matt. 28:19–20) by demonstrating to them my devotion to God and distinctness from the elements of the world that are organized in opposition to God (1 John 2:5–17). There is much in the world system that signifies its rejection of God’s rightful sovereignty and will. The believer cannot appear to endorse those elements, even with the intention of building bridges for evangelism. Biblical examples of evangelism are empowered by the Spirit, not by psychological manipulation or deception (1 Thess. 2:3–6).

Sacred music should focus on the attributes and acts of God (Ps. 150:2; Isa. 12:2). Worship is primarily addressed to God for praising His objectively revealed perfections rather than to the worshiper for connecting with his subjectively perceived needs or interests. The focus of worship in the Bible is the recounting of truths about God—primarily His attributes and His works—and the consequent response of the worshiper in praise.

Sacred music should cause me to rejoice thankfully in God (Ps. 33:1; 105:2–3; 108:1, 4), fulfilling the command to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (Deut. 6:4–5; Matt. 22:37–38). As the worshiper meditates on God’s person and works—through prayer, song and the hearing of the Word—his Spirit-driven response will be gratitude and the consequent desire to trust, obey and serve God. His direction will be toward surrender to and thoughts of God rather than to his own needs and benefits. Love for God yields focus on His benefit, not our own.

Sacred music should be doctrinally sound (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:18–19), beautiful (Ps. 27:4, 29:2, 66:2, 96:6–9), reverent (Ps. 29:2), and fresh and vital (“a new song,” Ps. 40:3, 96:1, 98:1), not merely routine. Because God is holy—in a class by Himself, set apart—our worship of Him should not look like activities that are not worship or that are false worship. God forbade practices in Israel that merely resembled pagan worship practices (Lev. 19:27–28), and He expected worship to be distinct from everyday activities (e.g., Exod. 20:8–10; Ps. 29:2; and much elsewhere). Paul tells us that based on God’s great work in us, everything we do must not be “conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:1–2)—that is, the Christian is to live with the intentional aim of resisting the external pressure of the world to conform. Our sacred music, as well as all of our music and actions, must resist the natural pressure to recalibrate standards according to the musical trends of the unregenerate. Jesus frequently criticized the religious leaders of His day for their mindless, unfeeling practice of religious ritual (Matt. 6:7). When believers respond to God in worship, they will do so in ways that reflect the freshness and vitality of their experience. We can expect that every generation of believers will devote its creative effort to this end. At the same time, they will learn from God’s direction of those who have preceded them, honoring what is timeless in the rich history of God’s gift of music to His people.

Sacred music should involve the congregation as well as the platform leaders (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:18–19). While the New Testament provides for leadership positions in the church (Phil. 1:1; 1Tim. 3; Titus 1), it calls for participation in worship from all the members of Christ’s body. Believers are participants in, not observers of, worship. We are not opposed to choir numbers and special music which, when actively listened to, are scriptural forms of participation in worship (1 Chron. 16:7, 36; 2 Chron. 29:28; Ps. 40:3).

Sacred music should encourage the unity of the church (Eph. 4:1–6). All believers have identical individual standing and responsibility before God when it comes to debatable issues (Rom. 14:4, 10–12, 22). Our relationship to Christians who exercise their stewardship of this through the consecrated approach taught and called for in Romans 12:1–2 should be respectful enough to allow for differences between us that are the result of our respective earnest efforts to understand and consistently apply scriptural principles to this issue. This posture promotes unity and mutual edification in the truth (Eph. 4:15–16).

Music Policies at BJU

The following policies represent our earnest attempt to apply Biblical truth to our context as a liberal arts institution. The mission of BJU is furthered when the institution and each member of the university family use biblically-sound, God-glorifying music that promotes growth in Christlikeness. While enrolled at BJU, students are encouraged to develop spiritual and aesthetic discernment in their music choices. Because much of the music available today is instead antithetical to biblical principles, the use of such music would hinder our mission of growing Christlike character. In Christian music, truth can be presented with varying degrees of biblical accuracy and clarity. BJU acknowledges that there is a range of music acceptability that is separate from the world; BJU’s position is intentionally conservative within that range.

The following music conflicts with our mission and is therefore excluded from performance, personal listening, or use in student organizations, societies, student productions, or social media:

In our chapel and other sacred services (including student-led), we use hymns, gospel songs, and anthems, both old and new, which are doctrinally orthodox, set to an appropriate tune and performed in a conservative style, and further our mission. We sparingly use sources of recently written music outside fundamentalism that meet these criteria.

In our curriculum and in public performances, we use music that prepares students for their areas of service and that furthers our mission.

In our bookstore, online, or at any other venue, we sell only music that furthers our mission.

Students are responsible for their musical choices, and we hold them accountable by enforcing our policies.

Any music which, in whole or in part, derives from the following broadly-defined genres or their sub-genres: Rock, Pop, Country, Jazz, Electronic/Techno, Rap/Hip Hop, or the fusion of any of these genres.

Any music in which Christian lyrics or biblical texts are set to music which is, in whole or in part, derived from any of these genres or their sub-genres.

While we recognize that this policy excludes a few pieces that are acceptable (e.g., Rhapsody in Blue), for simplicity of policy, we have excluded the entire genres.

Questions and AnswersIs music a matter of morality?

At one extreme, some view music as completely morally neutral; at the other extreme, some see morality intrinsic in specific chords or other building blocks of music. The question is easily oversimplified or misunderstood. Music, by God’s design, is a subjective experience; but its various aspects—words, sounds, imagery and associations—greatly affect us. The elements of music (pitch, rhythm, tone quality and dynamics) communicate broadly but only imprecisely.

Music—the combination of these elements—can be designed to elicit moral responses both right and wrong. Therefore, we reject the idea that music is morally neutral; and we evaluate music on several levels—the words and imagery themselves, the intent of the music maker, the effects on the listeners, and even the context of the experience.

How do associations affect our music choices?

It is possible to adapt recent songs by people with whom we would not fully agree and arrange them in a style that is above reproach. Hymnals have historically contained pieces written by authors with aberrant theology, yet the pieces we use from such authors have a strong biblical text and are set to excellent music—and the writer’s theological aberrations are usually known by only a few (e.g., “Lead On, O King Eternal”). With modern technology, however, associations may more easily have negative influence. The original source of music is never remote. The more recently a song has emerged and the more popular its source, the more influence it has. So BJU exercises great restraint in the choices of music we adapt, and we issue cautions about our concerns.

Of course, the mere use of any music has never implied endorsement of its original presentation or source. And avoiding certain music is not a blanket criticism of another’s ministry or motives. All of us are imperfect vessels, and Christ in His grace continues to work in and through us. Thankfully, being careful in music choices does not mean that our worship need be musically impoverished. We have an abundance of beautiful music, readily available today, that is completely edifying, soul-stirring and above reproach.

How do we define rock music?

When compared with the characteristics of other musical genres (e.g., folk music, patriotic music, classical concert music and traditional sacred music), the rock genre is distinguished by the combination of some or all of the following characteristics—sensual singing styles, dominating beat, heavy percussion, overwhelming volume and an overall atmosphere that counteracts self-control, especially when coupled in performance with elements such as a defiant demeanor, immodest attire, sexually suggestive dancing or crude gestures. Attempts to couple worldly vehicles like rock music (and other pop styles) with sacred lyrics and settings create a moral tension for the believer and contradict the Christian’s call to a consecrated approach to life (Rom. 12:1–2).

[moys16]

Why Pet Boarding Beaumont Services Are Important

By Donna Sanders

Pets are beloved members of the family. If possible, they would go everywhere including the office and work trips. Sometimes they can go. Every other time, they have to be left behind. Rather than leaving them alone in the house there is a much better alternative. Pet boarding Beaumont is an excellent solution to the away-from-home-pet problem. Pet resorts and day centers offer 24-hour supervision for your pet. In thesse establishments, the pets get as much attention and loving as they would at home. To ensure all ends are covered, the pet boarding facilities require that owners submit a few things to the administration. The owners are asked to present a list of health issues, medication, and shots record. The checklist differs between facilities but it is more or less the same. The owner should ensure everything they have been asked for has been provided. It really is for the welfare of the pet. While looking around for the perfect facility to leave the family pet at, first on the list of musts is cleanliness and safety. The facility needs to look, smell and be clean. Unless the pet space back home stinks then it is okay to choose a facility smells of dog feces and wet wool. Safety is a key concern. The pet boarding facility should be an enclosure to ensure the pet cannot leave the premises unsupervised and risk being lost or knocked down by a dog. The facility should also perform aggression evaluation on all animals to ensure they residents do not hurt each other. A scratched up dog at pick up is unacceptable. The facility must employ lovers of animals to care for the pets. Does the facility walk the dogs or have a yard for exercise? Do the caregivers engage the pets in fun activities to ensure stimulation? If the answer to both questions is yes, then that is a valid contender to house the pet in the absence of the owner. While caring guardians and tidy environment are adequate, luxury is almost necessary. One can relax on the beach or gamble in Vegas with the assurance that their pet is not missing them. While the owner is sipping their favorite drink in an exotic country, the pet will be receiving manicures, fur blowouts and whatever other bourgeois thing pets love. Even simple things like pet mattresses and animal entertainment channels. Regardless of how much fun and pampering is offered, sometimes things just go awry. The pet boarding centre should have a disaster preparedness program. They should have a plan in place for illness or accidents. They should also keep a well-updated record of emergency contacts. Leaving a pet behind can never get easier. Animals pick up on emotions. If the pet senses that their mommy or daddy is unhappy they will be agitated and uneasy being away from him or her. Therefore, the owner should turn that frown upside down and reassure the pet that all is well. That there is indeed nothing to worry about. Being in a new place can be unsettling. To nudge the process of adaptation along, one can bring along favorite toys at drop off. This should only be done upon consultation in case the facility does not allow such.

About the Author:

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Why Pet Boarding Beaumont Services Are Important via best4dogs http://ift.tt/2BUmGgR

[imbeautyblog-blog]

Getting Advanced Body Therapy Massage

Most individuals love massages, however perceive little or no about them. That is comprehensible because many really haven't any idea concerning the strategies or science behind them. There are a number of kinds of advanced physique remedy therapeutic massage you could select from. The new stone therapeutic massage, Craniosacral Remedy, Rolfing and Shiatsu.

The hot stone therapeutic massage is probably the most well-liked. Ever seen someone on the spa, mendacity face down with black stones aligned on their again? That is the new stone massage; it's actually what the name suggests it is. The therapist offers a Swedish therapeutic massage using heated stones for stress. Proper training is required for this as you could guarantee the protection of your shopper; an novice could burn their consumer or apply an excessive amount of stress.

The craniosacral remedy might sound uncomfortable, as a result of it has something to do along with your brain. But it is really a delicate massage of the head and neck. That is carried out to deliver fluids to the mind to stability the fluid in your brain and spine. It may well assist alleviate fatigue, migraines, neck ache and nervous issues. Earlier than getting this massage, just be sure you are getting it from somebody who has experience on this approach.

Rolfing involves the manipulation of the connective tissues to align them correctly. When it first became widespread, there have been many studies about the pain you expertise while having the therapeutic massage. But proper coaching nowadays has rid Rolfing of that fame. Tissue alignments at the moment are nearly ache free.

The preferred massage is probably the Shiatsu. It's a therapeutic massage that makes use of pressure and stretching to manipulate the vitality flow within the body. This type works very similar to acupuncture, but as a substitute of needles, you could have the therapeutic massage for the stress. Shiatsu can cut back stress, improve circulation, regulate blood pressure and increase your physique's energy degree.

Superior physique therapy massage is an effective way to scale back stress and to escape out of your work. But make it possible for your therapist is a licensed one and has a proper coaching to ensure that no problems come up during the therapeutic massage. Our body's circulation and joints are very delicate to pressure, so an untrained therapist might have a detrimental health impact. Also, for many who are pregnant or those that have back issues, be certain that to seek the advice of your physician earlier than massage therapy.

Do you know, prayer is essentially the most fundamental thoughts-body therapy identified to man? In reality, despite the fact that some experts are only realizing how essential your spirit is to your physical health now, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, believed that the ethical and spiritual facets of an individual's life affected their health.

Every thought, emotion, thought or perception has a neurochemical consequence. Our brains produce and communicate with immune cells throughout our bodies by way of substances referred to as neuropeptides, chains of amino acids. As Christians, we are taught in scripture that "death and life are within the energy of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21) and as Jesus Himself informed the lady with the difficulty of blood, "Your faith has made you nicely" (Matthew 9:22).

A study offered on the Convention of the American Psychological Affiliation revealed that religion-based constructive non secular resources can help patients recover from cardiac surgery. Duke University researchers found individuals who participate in religious observances tend to have lower rates of sickness and hospitalization. Whereas these outcomes were noticed, the reason for why shouldn't be so simple.

The oldest and most elementary mind-body remedy, prayer, is our foundation. As Christians every part we do begins with prayer (1 Thess.5:17). One research revealed prayer was slightly more effective (90%) than medicine (89%) in pain reduction. But, another examine revealed that sufferers within the coronary care unit (CCU) who randomly received remote, intercessory prayer (plus ordinary care) stayed simply as lengthy within the CCU and hospital as patients who received ordinary care only.

The effect of perception, expectation and prayer on a bodily outcome are tough, if not unattainable, to accurately quantify. For instance, there are clearly defined scales for measuring depression. Nonetheless, given the variations between us, our belief systems, upbringing, self-image and attitudes, it is difficult to reduce these forces to a mathematical equation. There have been countless cases of faith-stuffed, honest believing Christians who've prayed, exercised their religion, believed for and confidently anticipated therapeutic, but did not receive it.

We hear of situations the place someone is healed of a terminal disease to go on and dwell many healthy years, like Dodie Osteen, Pastor Joel Osteen's mother, who was healed of cancer many years in the past and remains healthy to this present day. Dr. Invoice Vibrant, a mighty man of God, suffered for a few years with a degenerative lung illness and didn't experience therapeutic this side of heaven.

Are we to discount the ability of faith and prayer simply because we do not utterly perceive the way it works and we can not quantify it scientifically?

As people of religion, I imagine we should do not forget that religion by its very definition requires unanswered questions. Fairly than abandoning our religion or discounting the research being conducted on this, we can incorporate it as part of a wholesome lifestyle. The specifics of how sure normal anesthetics work are usually not absolutely understood - however they're used daily anyway. Therefore, we will use discernment, wisdom and common sense and nonetheless exercise our faith.

Do you have a continual of lifelong physical, emotional, spiritual, social or sexual downside? Have you tried to self-medicate via alcohol, prescription drugs, or leisure drugs? Are you educated about your drawback, having learn many articles & books? Have you ever tried conventional counseling, group counseling, seminars, and 12 Step groups?

The next simplified categorization of touch and holistic therapies indicates the big, largely untapped sources accessible that can assist you heal no matter ails you in your physique, your mind, your spirit, your relationships, and any aspect of your life.

Conventional Massage, Swedish Massage, and Therapeutic massage Remedy

Massage Therapy (sometimes known as Conventional Therapeutic massage, Swedish Therapeutic massage, or simply Massage) is the most effective recognized, most thoroughly researched, and one of many solely licensed strategies of contact therapy in nearly each state in this country. I spent an entire 12 months at the Swedish Massage Institute in NYC to change into licensed, although the particular sorts of touch remedy that I take advantage of in my practice are listed in some of the categories below this one.

Fastidiously draping the consumer's body with a sheet and towels, a conventional therapeutic massage therapist typically makes use of oils and lotions, in addition to natural and fragrant essences, music, gentle lighting, and basic massage strokes directly on the client's pores and skin. The aim is normally to alleviate muscular pressure, enhance circulation, remove painful nerve constrictions, deal with acute and persistent tender-tissue injuries and issues, and relieve stress by stress-free the thoughts and physique.

Contemporary Western Massage and Bodywork

Expanding upon the observe of traditional therapeutic massage therapy, Up to date Western Therapeutic massage and Bodywork methods might include the usage of water, ice, heat, chair therapeutic massage, onsite massage, medical massage, sports activities massage, pregnancy therapeutic massage, infant therapeutic massage, and extra just lately, animal therapeutic massage.

Structural, Useful, Motion, and Alignment Therapies

Structural, Functional, Movement and Alignment Therapy strategies of contact remedy (e.g., Alexander Method, Feldenkrais, Chiropractic, and Myofascial Launch) utilize techniques to improve the construction of the backbone and body alignment, organ functioning, flexibility of motion, hormonal steadiness, and integration of the body as a holographic system. These methods may contain actual re-sculpting of the connective tissue, improved flow of cerebral spinal fluid, lymph drainage, realignment of subluxated vertebrae, trigger-level release, or simply guiding the physique to move in an easier, extra fluid, and graceful method.

Asian Bodywork

Asian Bodywork strategies of contact therapy (e.g., Acupuncture, Acupressure, Chi Gong, Tuina, and Thai Massage) originated in several components of Asia and are mostly derived from Conventional Chinese Medicine Concept. This historical principle describes the health of the body by way of the 5 primary elements (hearth, water, earth, metal, and wood) and the functioning of the 12 pairs of main meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians, traces of power flowing in particular patterns all through the body.

The practitioner stimulates points along the meridians using finger, hand, foot, knee, or elbow pressure, and in some cases, nice needles. The goal is to launch restrictions in the move of vitality. Acupuncture is essentially the most acknowledged type of Asian bodywork, by way of certification and licensure, inside the medical and various medicine communities.

Energetic Bodywork

These strategies of touch remedy (e.g., Polarity Remedy, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, and Chakra Healing) give attention to the energetic fields within and surrounding the physique. These methods vary from direct contact on the skin, to oblique contact an inch to a foot or extra above the body, to distant oblique contact from one other room, one other metropolis, or anywhere on the planet. Training could also be easy to complex, requiring anywhere from one weekend of basic training, to several years of on-going instruction, to a secretive initiation course of open to only a choose variety of students.

Somatic and Expressive Arts Therapies

Somatic (referring to the Soma or physique) and Expressive Arts (referring to non-traditional methods for accessing deep feelings) Therapy methods embrace physique-centered therapies that will or could not contain precise contact. With movement, dance, sports, yoga postures, martial arts, dramatic performances, artistic expression, and visualization, as well as through hands-on touch, the body may allow us to really feel sensations and express emotions that have previously been unavailable to our conscious minds.

Analysis has indicated that memories may be stored inside the physique tissues. Deep traumas may be overcome and the emotional overtones subdued or launched. Some somatic practitioners may be educated artists; many have obtained coaching and certifications in a number of body remedy modalities, whereas others are graduates of accredited academic packages.

Somatic Body Psychotherapy

The frequent component of all physique psychotherapy methods (e.g., Rubenfeld Synergy, Bioenergetic Evaluation, Core Energetics, Bodynamics, Hakomi, Rosen Method, and Reichian Therapy) is the concentrate on physique awareness and the judicious use of touch throughout some psychotherapeutic classes. The touch might range from very mild and respectful of the shoppers needs to more-forceful contact centered on breaking by defenses and body armoring.

A physique psychotherapy session may include guided imagery, focused respiration, function playing, movement, expressive arts, in addition to emotional release work. Physique psychotherapists are skilled and licensed in both psychotherapy and physique remedy strategies or in particular body psychotherapy modalities. The time period "Somatic Body Psychotherapy" helps to further make clear the complete scope of this highly effective type of therapy.

Stress is certainly a fun-killer, especially for folks suffering from allergies and asthma. Stress acts as a double poison as it locations our physique in a state of alarm, - the so-called battle-or-flight response; it also increases production of the allergy anti-body immunoglobulin E (IgE), which leads to elevated sneezing and wheezing. In excessive cases, the stress can even improve a affected person's probability to probably the most dangerous type of asthma: status asthmaticus.

Some standard allergists imagine reducing stress will probably be a form of pure allergy remedy and bronchial asthma reduction; interests in mind-physique therapies have elevated as a result.

In alternative practices, the next mind-body therapies play a central role in allergy treatment.

- Acupressure

- Acupuncture

- Breathing workout routines

- Chiropractic

- Guided visualization

- Hypnotherapy

- Massage massages

- Meditation

- Osteopathy

- Reflexology

- Yoga

These therapies yield various outcomes. Small-scale research recommend modest benefits from acupuncture, breathing workouts, guided visualization, hypnosis, and massages. Some therapies, for instance acupuncture for youngsters with bronchial asthma, have proven short-time period improvements solely, while other therapies, comparable to a complete yoga program for adolescents with bronchial asthma, seem to have more far-reaching and lengthy-lasting effects. And then there are some therapies, akin to chiropractic for youngsters with bronchial asthma, that yield outcomes that confirmed no enhancements.

One would figure that normal stress-management therapies could be helpful since stress has been proven to exacerbate allergies and asthma. Nonetheless researchers in had been unable to find any group advantages from hypnosis or therapeutic massage in the therapy of bronchial asthma. Once they measured airflow throughout the sufferers, they found no objective distinction between those that obtained mind-physique therapies and people who didn't.

However, some doctors believe that on an individual stage thoughts-physique therapies can make an effective distinction.

The greatest potential of such therapies is on a psychological stage. Because they make the patients calm down and really feel good, these therapies encourage patients to take better care of themselves utilizing other strategies as properly. For some patients, that may imply better compliance with a traditional bronchial asthma routine. Other times the patients may adopt a leaner eating regimen or a meaner train program. Irrespective of how they take charge of their allergy symptoms, the easy indisputable fact that they've chosen to take action is empowering.

[lessonsformydaughters]

11 Lessons I Learned in 2016  

Lesson 1 of 2016: Prayer Works 💯  I began 2016 with a personal prayer: “I will focus on God, not my problems. I will listen to God, not my insecurities and I will rely on God, not my own understanding.” 

I’ve failed many times in my efforts to work in harmony with this prayer, however, time spent in prayer is never wasted. Along with prayer, God’s word offers encouragement, hope and comfort to anyone open to receiving it. God’s word encourages me (especially in difficult times) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6, with that, I feel strongly that fervent prayers produce phenomenal results. I’ve seen many of my prayers answered and I’ve been extremely blessed this year, I’m thankful.  Who knew this black girl from Ocala, Florida  (by way of Miami) would have an amazing husband, 5 beautiful children, a career and a home to create memories as part of our journey. I’ve suffered great heartache, disappointments and tribulations but it NEVER allowed me to stop dreaming. Don’t ever let your past circumstances block your future blessings. 

 “My soul magnifies Jehovah . . . because the powerful One has done great deeds for me.”—Luke 1:46-49.

Lesson 2 of 2016: Black Lives Matter ✊ “Black Lives Matter” became more than a slogan for my family and I.  Police have killed at least 263 black people in the U.S. in 2016. ... Police killed 346 black people in 2015. This year, my family was extremely affected by videos and news reports of violence by police and for the first time in my role as a  parent, I felt extremely obligated to teach my children the truth about their history in this country. I’m proud to display Harriet Tubman in our home. Our bookshelf is lined with books on Black history and African American culture. They (our children) see this too. Black pride, self -love, equality and humility is frequently discussed in our home and we plan to keep encouraging our children to stand proud and tall in their heritage and truth.  This was (is) not an easy task due to the fact my husband and I struggle with our own feelings regarding police brutality and frequent social injustices towards Black Americans. We’re southern, we have personal accounts of racism towards ourselves or family members and conveying non-bias information to children is challenging. It’s not easy explaining racism and bigotry to children. I know these conversations are necessary, and they will continue into 2017 and beyond. 

Lesson 3 of 2016: Motherhood is Magic 👑  “Look! Sons (and daughters) are an inheritance from Jehovah; the fruitage of the belly is a reward.” - Psalm 127:3

This year motherhood took on a whole new meaning with the arrival of a teenager.  India is beautiful, social and difficult. Much like I was from 15-21 years old! She's a fearless young lady and her spirit is free.  She’s a great big sister and she has my love for organization and cleanliness. However, she is strong-minded and strong willed, almost rebellious. She's at the age where she questions authority and wants to make her own decisions. It's rough some days with her smart mouth and attitude but most days, she's laughing, dancing and happy, and I remember she is still, my sweet little Indy baby. 

My girls challenge me in ways that make me feel uncomfortable. India, my firstborn, introduced me to me. It's crazy because I have never felt like I knew myself more than I know who I am today. My daughters are the part of me that was left undiscovered. They’ve made me realize my strength, my fears, all while feeling a sense of accomplishment. There are times I feel inadequate or unworthy of my role. There are times when I am too tired to give them all that they need… But I remind myself that this is my blessing, this is motherhood. We get through each day, each moment as it comes. This (school) year has been the busiest we've ever had.  My girls are all enrolled in different schools, with different schedules and different activities. I'm always on the go and to be honest I really enjoy it. Yes, I'm usually ran ragged. Our hobby this year has been cooking and we've shared many cherished moments in the kitchen. These little ladies will be excellent cooks, among other things.  

India, Laila & Alana, you are my wisdom, you are my guide. I can never promise you the unforeseen, but I promise that we will find the answers together, like we always do. And for that you will never have to walk alone....

Lesson 4 of 2016: Water is Life 🙏

For months, North Dakota's Standing Rock Sioux tribe has been protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline's planned crossing under the Missouri River, adjacent to their lands, in part due to worries about contamination of their primary water source. Though the government is using every psychological (and many physical) attacks on them, they are standing firm in their resolve to not give up the rights to their land for the purpose of transporting gas/oil. The courage displayed by our Native Americans is something to be admired and appreciated.

Lesson 5 of 2016: Self Love/Care is the Best Love/Care ❤ 

Mental Health & The Black Community 

Most people know that things like stress and anxiety will manifest physically if you don’t take care of yourself. Exercise and eating well are important, of course, but without mental health we cannot be healthy. Any part of the body—including the brain—can get sick. We all experience emotional ups and downs from time to time caused by events in our lives. Mental health conditions go beyond these emotional reactions to specific situations. They are medical conditions that cause changes in how we think and feel and in our mood.

In the African American community, many people misunderstand what a mental health condition is and don’t talk about this topic. This lack of knowledge leads many to believe that a mental health condition is a personal weakness or some sort of punishment from God. African Americans may be reluctant to discuss mental health issues and seek treatment because of the shame and stigma associated with such conditions.  

Mental illness is prevalent within my family; I want to not only understand and recognize the signs but not overlook mental health issues. In the Black community, there is a trend of overlooking, minimizing and ignoring mental health and the importance of addressing it. 

According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. Common mental health disorders among African Americans include:

Major depression

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Suicide, among young African American men

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), because African Americans are more likely to be victims of violent crime

In conclusion:  

Here are 3 self-care practices that have helped me to maintain my mental health:

- Prayer & Meditation- “Always be rejoicing. Pray constantly. Give thanks for everything. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” - 1 Thess 5: 16-18 

- Hiking- I love to hike (Cali Life) as much as I love the beach (Florida Girl). Spending time in nature is very therapeutic! - The heavens are declaring the glory of God; the skies above proclaim the work of his hands. -Psalms 19:1 

- Eat Green - Greens, greens and more greens. Fruit too. The more you eat them, the more your taste buds change and you realize just how delicious food from the earth truly is. The lighter you feel, the better your skin looks, the more energy you have.

Lesson 6 of 2016: Black Women (Girls) Are Magic 👑

Black Girl Magic is a term used to illustrate the universal awesomeness of black women. It's about celebrating anything we deem particularly dope, inspiring, or mind-blowing about ourselves.  Black women in general, our essence, style and spirit are hard to define. It’s not about black women being superhuman; it’s about black women recognizing the humanity in one another that so many others often fail to see.

2016, I fell in love with myself, again. I stumbled upon a quote by Maya Angelou (one of my favorite writers, respectively).  She wrote, “ “You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.” ❤️ 

  I  discovered, everything I need is inside of me. Like Beyonce says in Lemonade’s Formation, “I dream it, I work hard, I grind 'til I own it.” 

I’ve learned to embrace my “blackness” and not just my skin color but my culture and history, as well as that of my daughters. 

Lesson 7 of 2016:  Its OK to outgrow people, places and things (family included)💯 

If you’ve been working hard on your personal development for years while your friends and family have only dabbled, then it’s likely you may have surpassed them. And today you may be living a lifestyle that is much different from the one they became familiar with in the past.

 It's often very hard to acknowledge that you may have outgrown your family or a friendship. A fair share of your growing up probably happened right alongside your family/friend — you have years of fun memories, inside jokes, and an enormous appreciation for the times they offered a shoulder to cry on when you were struggling. All of this can make the knowledge that a relationship is no longer working for us extremely painful. 

If you’ve grown beyond a person or several people in your life, here are some suggestions for dealing with it.

Do not preach, promote, or sell your new lifestyle to others. Just be an example to them. Don’t talk about it unless they ask. If they do ask, be sure to find out “what” and “how much” they want to know e.g. summary versus details. If you don’t ask these questions your enthusiasm may get the best of you and you’ll end up sharing 10 times more than they wanted.

Establish new boundaries. Let them know who you are now e.g. an optimistic, non-drinking, vegetarian. Let them know at the first occurrence what type of conversations and activities you will not participate in e.g. hate talk and drink games. In other words, renegotiate your relationship.

Limit or end contact with anyone who doesn’t support your growth or ambitions, makes you feel bad about yourself, or brings you down when you communicate with them. Sometimes the toxicity of a relationship is so subtle that you don’t see the damaging impact until years later or after you’ve been away from them for a while. So be vigilant for this as well.

Don’t compromise your personal growth or state of mind for anyone! I should say especially family since they often feel they have the right to do and say anything they want because you’re “family.” Not so. The only relationships that is unbreakable and sacred is the one you have with God, yourself and your spouse. 

Lesson 8 of 2016: Don't give so much of yourself to people who do not do the same for you 😌

“Give and you will receive.” My whole life I've been an over-giver. When you give too much, you give away your time, your energy, your body and your heart. You give and give and give. And in the end of it, you don’t quite get what you were hoping for in return. Now, over-giving is not the same thing as generosity. Generosity is neither entangling nor aggressive, because the generous person doesn't expect anything in return. The over-giver doesn't expect anything in return either except to be petted and praised and loved unconditionally for the rest of time. The hardest part is realizing that you can’t always expect others to be looking out for your happiness.  If you’re wondering where to start with reducing, it’s very simple: Never give anyone more than they are emotionally capable of receiving.

Lesson 9 of 2016: Don’t impose your expectations on others.

We’re human; sometimes we let each other down and hurt each other. I've come to realize that while I am highly perceptive and considerate, I can’t expect everyone to be that way. And that’s OK.

Learn to enjoy your own journey and don’t expect others to understand or even able to share in the way you experience life or the world.

Lesson 10 of 2016: My husband is a better spouse than I am.

This has been on my wifely conscience for the past 3 months. It’s one of those deep, dark, nagging convictions that you know is true because you feel it in your gut. The kind you mostly try to ignore, but every now and then rears its head…. He’s better at marriage than me.

My husband and I will celebrate our  anniversary in a less than 2 weeks! It’s so exciting, this has been a great year for us. I cannot wait to celebrate our love and commitment to one another!! This has also been a hard year as well, adjusting to our role as husband and wife. I must admit I think my husband is far more loving, attentive, patient, kind and more understanding than I. I should admit also, I’ve felt ashamed. 

He never feeds into my “prompt too” attitude when something doesn’t go my way, he’s always kind towards me and consistently treats me respectfully. 

However, since this revelation and acknowledgement I’m determined to be more patient, more loving, more kind and understanding towards my husband. I shared my thoughts and he told me, “You think this year was good?!, well wait until our next year!” He’s the best. I love him so much! I’m blessed to have him. 

Here’s a few tips on How to Be a Better Spouse: 

Be nice as often as you can 

Think about what your partner needs, even when fighting.

Listen More - Talk Less.

Take care of your spouse's desires and fantasies.

 Lesson 11: I’m HSP or a highly sensitive person.

Highly sensitive person (HSP or SPS) has been described as having hypersensitivity to external stimuli, a greater depth of cognitive processing, and high emotional reactivity. HSP is a personality trait and not a disorder and other researchers have associated it with increased responsiveness to both positive and negative influences. After 30 years of being told, “I’m too sensitive,” “I’m too emotional,” or “I’m moody” I finally have an explanation as to why I feel things (especially emotions) profoundly.

How has the knowledge I’m a Highly Sensitive Person changed me?

Realization: My intuition is valuable.  I should trust myself more. Nowadays, when I feel my intuition telling me something, I listen, and I’m not ashamed of  it anymore. I can’t always explain WHY I feel the way I do, but I trust that there might be something valuable in those feelings.

Realization:  I’m gentler to myself. Deep down all those years–I knew I was emotional and everyone doesn’t understand, but I felt like I should punish myself when I screwed up or failed, because I have such high standards for myself. But now I know I can still have high standards and realize that tearing myself down doesn’t accomplish anything.

Realization:  I don’t have to apologize for being highly sensitive. High sensitivity is not nearly as known as introversion, but along the same lines, instead of apologizing for how I am, I just am. I don’t always need to explain myself and instead of pushing people away who don’t understand. I want and need to be able to say, “hey, I’m just really sensitive.” 

Signs Associated with HSP/SPS

Are you easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens nearby?

Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time?

Do you make a point of avoiding violent movies and TV shows?

Do you need to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation?

Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations?

Do you notice or enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art?

When you were a child, did your parents or teachers see you as sensitive or shy?

Do you have a rich and complex inner life?  What a "rich inner life" means to me is a person who thinks about things deeply, analyzes thoughts, feelings and actions, uses empathy to understand others positions and feelings. People with a rich inner life are complex people with many interests and can often converse on many topics. They are people who think more than they talk. I also think that people with rich inner lives have fantastic imaginations and are very creative. Often their minds are always working, sometimes thoughts just go around in circles, sometimes it can be very frustrating, but mostly I think it's a wonderful attribute.

I’m looking forward to a happy and successful 2017. My heart and mind are open to knowledge, understanding and change. Happy 2017! 

[thessalian]

Thess vs Medical Verdicts

So, doctor verdict!

According to my serology tests, whatever gluten intolerance I have is not coeliac. Which is honestly good because who wants to have an autoimmune disorder, am I right? I asked the GP what it might be if it’s not coeliac and apparently it’s either intolerance to the gluten protein or to wheat carbohydrate in specific. I’d honestly like to figure out which it is if only because I really like barley in soup and stuff, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. Better to just stick to the gluten-free diet, leave it at “gluten intolerance” and avoid gluten as much as possible because while I’m glad it’s not autoimmune, doesn’t change the fact that I suffer if I eat most gluten-containing things.

(Though maybe I could try soup with barley in it, so long as it hasn’t got wheat as a thickener, and see if that makes me ill. But maybe some other time.)

My vitamin D levels, on the other hand ... yeaaaaaaah those are still low. So I’m getting yet another loading dose of vitamin D thrown at me, and then I have to have more blood tests for calcium and parathyroid of all things, since they’re trying to figure out why I’m vitamin D deficient. I think it probably has something to do with lactose intolerance and the fact that even if I did go outside much, both those tests were done in winter when there’s maybe seven hours of daylight anyway. GP doesn’t sound overly worried but does say I should probably start taking over-the-counter supplements once I’m finished the loading dose. Yay.

I did have an amusing bit of aside with the GP when he was trying to explain to me what parathyroid meant in really simple terms and I was like, “Don’t worry about it; I’ve been a medical secretary for 25 years”. So now this one knows he doesn’t have to worry too much about his terminology with me. It’s a thing I keep having to tell doctors when I see them, just because I can hear them trying so hard to put things into simple terms while also not panicking anybody and I’m sitting here like, “no, seriously, I have typed so many letters about this, I get it, it’s fine”.

So there we go, a couple of answers and a few more questions but overall we can stick with the idea that my digestive system doesn’t like it when I go off a gluten-free diet,and it’s probably worse now than it used to be because IBS comes with the fibromyalgia bumper pack so yeah, seriously, stay away from gluten but at least I don’t have an autoimmune problem. Like I say, not exactly worried about parathyroid issues; just a lactose intolerance and British winter plus not really going outside much means I have some issues getting sufficient vitamin D and should keep an eye on that.

I was considering going out today but on balance I think not; I have a significant case of the aches after yesterday and I need to save a few spoons because Mother’s Day is coming up (19th March here; thirty years and I’m still struggling because of the difference between North American Mother’s Day and when we celebrate it here) and I wanted to make my mother some home-made caramels or maybe maple sugar candy, and at least get her a card. She doesn’t want me spending a lot of money on her, especially in the current climate, so I’ll give of time and spoons instead. Also means I break out the candy thermometer, which needs some use.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Productivity

It’s only half past twelve and I have got so much done today.

It’s particularly weird because while I went to bed at a halfway reasonable hour, I still woke up before 10am. Though that might have had something to do with a text alert from my GP saying that they’re arranging a phone appointment with me in a week and a half or so regarding my blood test results. I guess the thought of “Okay, I only got the blood drawn on Monday so if I’ve got results coming in this soon, something’s up”, tempered with, “But they’re not trying to speak to me immediately immediately so it can’t be life-threatening” is probably going to kick-start your morning.

Quick trip to the corner shop, and then I started up my slow cooker stew. I turned it on about an hour ago and already the flat’s starting to smell amazing. As per usual, I took liberties with the recipe - I added a potato, I threw in some sage and rosemary as well as the bay leaves and thyme they asked for, I at least doubled the amount of garlic they asked for (three cloves for a 4+ serving dish is all they asked for; clearly they have not met me), and I spiced the meat with some paprika and garlic pepper before I tossed it into the slow cooker. I also may have used less thyme than the original recipe calls for, but I can’t be sure because they asked for “half a pack” and I was getting the herbs from the balcony garden so fuck if I know how much is in a pack. Anyway, the only other real issue here is having had to move my kettle. There’s just about enough space on the counter but I don’t have any wall outlets spare in the kitchen and I had to borrow the power strip I had in the kitchen for my work-from-home setup. I’ll get another one eventually, but for now, if I want coffee, I’ll just have to plug the kettle into one of the living room sockets. It’s fine.

Also I’d forgotten that I boiled up some brine for more refrigerator dill pickles last night, so that it’d cool overnight and be ready by morning. So once I was done sorting out the stew, I spent some time putting garlic cloves, sprigs of dill, and cucumber bits into jars and then pouring salty vinegar water over top. Sounds far less fancy to say it that way, but that is what I did. There’s starting to be a shortage of room in the refrigerator, even though I did at least clear enough space for the jars when I removed the meat for the stew. Of course, now I’m going to have to wiggle things around a lot to find enough room for the stew, but one thing at a time. I think I can manoeuvre some things on the top shelf.

Anyway, even after all that, I decided to run the vacuum cleaner. Not my favourite job, but I’d been putting it off, so since I was apparently feeling it today, I got it done. Honestly, I’d be a lot better with it if the carpet in here wasn’t so awful. Hell, I don’t even want carpet, especially not this off-peach beige monstrosity that clings to fibres and fluff so hard that my mid-range handheld Dyson does nothing. (I especially don’t want it in the damn bathroom, but that’s another thing.) But still, probably better to at least try to deal with the dust.

Now that’s all done and I can actually relax. On one level I’d love to do something fun, but on the other, I kind of want to take a nap. That’s what happens when you wake up earlier than you wanted to and run around being productive for the remaining couple of hours of your morning, I guess.

[thessalian]

Thank you, James Stephanie Sterling.

As a disabled person who loves video games, it is depressing how many games exclude me on the basis of my disabilities. Whether it’s the straight-up difficulty level or the camera perspective / angles or just that it demands you use a controller, there’s shit I just can’t do. Ports are particularly bad because they want you to use a controller and I can’t hold one up for very long, never mind pressing the buttons on it. Some days I can barely hold up my phone for two minutes. I can’t even hold a damn umbrella. Precision timing and complicated combos? Not if I’m having a spasm day. There’s so many games that I would love to play but can’t because of that “not all games are for everyone” mentality.

I will say that Sterling brought up something interesting - how valuable being able to skip over certain sections would be for replays. I have to wonder whether that’s half the point. A lot of gaming companies don’t necessarily want you to replay the game. They want you to play the game, finish the game, and then move on to the next game. If we’re replaying old games, we’re not giving them money for new ones, you see. But that could just be paranoia talking.

Anyway. This is going to get me shit, probably, but ... I think all single-player games should have a god mode as standard. There. I said it. The times I’ve activated a god mode cheat on a game, it’s been invaluable to my actually getting good, or as good as I can get. I get the story, and I get a gentle learning curve with regards to what I can actually do. I can find the tactics that work, discover ways of dealing with the keybinds that work the way I need them to throughout the game, and when I’m roflstomping things and have figured out stuff like enemy line of sight, all that, then I can turn off the god mode and go from there.

The only people who ‘suffer’ from a full suite of accessibility options are those Gamers(TM) who have pinned their entire sense of self-worth onto being one of the Chosen who can beat a few specific games. They need it to feel skilled and important, and thus they whine when we threaten even the option to make the games they beat easier, because ... it’s a The Incredibles thing: “If everyone’s special, then no one is”. Honestly, it isn’t healthy and I worry about people like that. Anyone who looks to something like this for their self-validation is doomed to a fairly unhappy life. Not saying that it’s not good to be proud when you’ve achieved a thing; just ... that shouldn’t be the only thing, and it shouldn’t be a thing that can be stripped away from you just because someone else can do it too. When others finish a game that I’ve managed to finish, I’m happy for them and proud of them; these people see it as competition for the Elite Spotlight or some shit. These people don’t need to touch grass; they need therapy.

So. Yeah. Game companies take note - you would actually get more money if you put in accessibility options, because the disabled people who badly want to play your game would give you money for it, and they’d probably outweigh the dorks who ... well, they’d say they boycotted and then they’d buy it anyway, probably, but if they didn’t, the disabled people who badly want to play your game would still outnumber them, and you would have more money in the long run. I thought game companies were all about ALL THE MONEY. Just because the GIT GUD crowd are so vocal doesn’t mean they’re anything like a majority. They’re more and more a minority all the time, and the squeaky wheel can’t get the grease forever, especially not when it’s not a wheel you even really need.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Trust Issues

I have got to the point where I just don't trust Temp anymore, and I am truly saddened by that. I mean, fine, mostly because it makes my life miserable, but there you go.

Look, it could just be Scruffman not being overly good at communication, but when I've been at work for like an hour and I get an email from him going, "Just got a call from [Temp] and she's going to be out for the rest of the week", I have to wonder what the everloving fuck is going on, since the quality of her work has been in decline for quite some time now. I want to believe that it's just because she's having health issues or family issues or something - not because I wish her ill, but because at least then I could be sympathetic, if overworked and frustrated. But at this point, when she appears to be starting late, leaving early, generally avoiding anything she might consider difficult, and then vanishes for days on end with a call that late in the day? I cannot help but feel that there's an issue here that needs addressing. Either way, it means I get more work dumped on me, and generally more than my fair share of the Annoyances, because gods forbid New Girl ever touch them...

The fact is that we are understaffed for this. I was having pain spasms for most of the afternoon, and yet I knew that there was no way I could call in, because for fuck's sake, we have at least two more new doctors (more Annoyances, by the way - one apparently had no idea how her fucking foot pedal worked and is another one that will record dead air while measuring or thinking or whatever), and I can imagine I'd get, "But at least you don't have to commute home or anything; is it really that bad?" Hell, I recall a time I was having pain spasms and just emailed Scruffman to ask if it was okay if I stuck to shorter reports and take it easy throughout the day, and his return email gave this vibe of, "I'm confused and also slightly disappointed in you - we let you work from home to get rid of this issue". And that was when we had everyone in the office, were more or less on top of the typing, and all I was asking for was to leave the long reports for someone else because I struggle with those long ones on bad days. If I said, "I can barely move and need to be in bed", I'd probably get, "Well, do what you can as you can", likely knowing that I'd work myself too hard because decades of temping mean that oversized typing queues give me anxiety.

(Also, one of the Minor Annoyances apparently doesn't know how to mark a report as urgent, so we had a few liver and kidney biopsies that were desperately urgent because the patients' bodies might be rejecting their newly transplanted liver and kidneys that might have waited for two days if I hadn't interceded. This because New Girl sat on them all afternoon, partly because they didn't look important and they were dictated by a Minor Annoyance.)

There's some other entertainment-related trust issues as well, mostly involving Bioware. I haven't been watching the various gameplay trailers etc, mostly because they aren't showing me the things I really need to know (they still aren't being particularly forthcoming about accessibility options and it's really starting to worry me), but ... apparently there's some issues with the facial animations? Because of course there is - because they use fucking Frostbite, and EA hasn't invested in the tools to make Frostbite work halfway decently with anything but environments because it was primarily designed for FPS games. Someone made the comparison with Andromeda - gorgeous environments, somewhat frenetic gameplay, The Usual Bioware Weird Facial Animations (which at least still aren't as bad as Bethesda, but anyway). THAT COMPARISON DOES NOT FILL ME WITH CONFIDENCE, BY THE WAY. So yeah, I'm getting less and less interested in Veilguard at this point. A part of me wants to get it just because of how big a part the Dragon Age series has played in my life, but none of the announcements are really doing anything for me but putting me off. Granted, that's mostly because I cannot play ARPGs without pain most of the time, and they're still sitting on the accessibility options so all I have is guesses and hopes, but that's enough to just ... make me really sad, honestly.

Ugh. I hurt. A lot. I need to take it so, so easy tonight. I don't know how I'm going to get through the rest of this week. Even the bits that Temp does are something, and we're without that for three whole fucking days? We can't compensate for this, especially with New Girl doubling down on taking a bunch of typing, sitting on any dictations she doesn't feel like doing for literal hours, and then dumping them back into the queue on her way out the door.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Why We Fight

Another one from the bowels of Reddit, mostly because it's interesting.

There's a subreddit - r/antijob - that I follow mostly to keep track of real people's experiences in the workplace other than my own. And there was a post where the question was asked, "Why do you do more than the bare minimum?" That was the title, anyway. While the question was genuine, it was also at least half a lead-in to "If you're not stealing time back from the company that abuses you for too little pay, you're doing it wrong".

Thing is ... I had an answer. And that answer is: "I do it for the patients".

Yes, I complain a lot about how much I'm being taken advantage of by my colleagues. How management is allowing and in fact encouraging me to torture myself by taking on overtime that Occupational Health has told me I should not be doing. But the thing is ... I could technically just ... not do it. I could say, "Fuck it; you're on your own". And I probably would, except for the fucking patients.

See, I type histology reports for a living. And while some of those are absolutely routine, bog-standard stuff that shouldn't be an issue ... a lot of them aren't. They don't take out your tonsils or appendix or gallbladder unless there's something wrong. They certainly don't take off your breasts or cut out your kidneys or segments of your fucking intestines unless there's something wrong. They don't stick needles in you to take pieces of your liver or your prostate or your lungs or that weird lump on your breast, or cut off bits of skin because that mole just doesn't look right ... unless there's something potentially wrong. Nine times out of ten, they're looking for cancer.

Now, I know a lot about cancer. I've worked a few oncology departments in my time. And the main thing I know is that you have to catch it early. The sooner you catch it, the sooner it can be treated, and the sooner it's treated, the better the odds that you'll get full remission. More to the point, if you delay any of that, it might spread to another part of the body and then the odds of the patient's survival just drop into the sub-basement. The first step to catching it? Getting histology results to the right people. And even though I only do the macroscopic reports and not the microscopic ones that let you know whether a thing's malignant or not, they can't authorise a report without that information on the damn form. So, in my own small way, I am helping to save lives. That is why I do what I do. That's why I couldn't really hack anything that wasn't directly medical. Arranging the diary of the head of the Royal College of General Practitioners or handling submissions to a medical journal? Eh, I could do it, but it wasn't satisfying. I want to be helping. I want my job to mean something. And mine does.

So I answered the Reddit post with that very fact. And I got, "Well, it wouldn't be your fault if things got delayed; it'd be the boss' fault for not hiring more staff". And thankfully someone else got in before me with the reply of, "Yeah, and Thess is going to feel so much better about a patient potentially dying, potentially painfully, just because it's not technically their fault, even though they could have done something? Have some fucking empathy!" From what I can tell, half the people who read that remark of mine think I'm a hero, and the other half think I'm a doormat. I dunno; maybe both, maybe neither. I just know that reports need doing ASAP because sometimes, even a few days makes a difference.

I don't think my colleagues understand that. I don't think my colleagues let themselves understand that. They just look at it as, "They dictate, I type". I never forget that the tissue those doctors were cutting up and poking at while dictating this stuff was fairly recently attached to and/or inside of a human being, and the fact that they're getting bits cut off or out means, as I said above, that there is something potentially wrong. Best case scenario? Everything's fine, and the patient gets relief from the stress of potentially being sick a little sooner. Worst case scenario? There is a problem and the report gets to the right people quicker, and the patient stands a better chance of surviving it. Either way, it's important. What we do is important.

So I guess it's not even just work ethic, although that's a good-sized part of it. Most of all, it's making a difference, in a small way that might become something huge. And that's why I work three hours of overtime when we're this swamped.

...I just hate that my empathy and general humanity is being taken advantage of by lazy bints who only see it as "it's just a job; do the bare minimum".

[thessalian]

Thess vs the Pollen Count

Things I currently really hate:

Summer

Climate change

Fibromyalgia

The effects of the above on my immune system

Today is a particularly bad allergy day, and according to the pollen count on the weather predictions for the week, it's going to stay that way. The snuffling I can just about deal with, but the itchy and watery eye thing is really cramping my style on damn near anything I wanted to do today. And apparently all of the above bits and pieces are contributing to my allergies being so fucking bad at the moment.

See, after I checked things out and extrapolated that the pollen count is basically going to be a bitch to me all summer, I started Googling. First thing I checked was what antihistamines are best for the itchy and watery eye thing. I'll have to use what I've still got for the moment, but when I'm doing the big shop come payday, I'm probably going to have to shell out for the expensive shit. Yaaaaay comparison shopping? A lot of pharmacies do deals on antihistamines this time of year, so that's something, but finding the best deal is kind of on me. Great.

After that, I decided to check on exactly why my allergies are getting so much worse, starting with, "can allergies worsen with age?" Answer was a resounding yes, partly because your immune system changes as you get older, with a dash of "allergies can worsen because climate change".

Sooooooo ... they more or less figured out that fibromyalgia is at least autoimmune-adjacent, since some studies a few years back where they injected antibodies from fibro sufferers into mice and discovered that those mice had increased sensitivity to heat, cold, and pressure, as well as reduced movement grip strength. Those mice went back to normal when those antibodies cleared their system, so ... yeah, the antibodies those of us with fibro are producing are just ... nope. This gives hope for treatment at some point, possibly (and I will talk bout that a bit later), but in the meantime, it's entirely likely that whatever wrong antibodies I'm producing are why my allergies have been so much worse the past few years.

Of course, the fact that the pollen count has been getting more and more insane the last few years is also likely down to climate change, and obviously there are way worse effects of climate change on the planet as a whole, but I feel well within my rights to get all pissed off about how it is affecting me right now, even if it is an objectively lesser issue. I mean, I also react way worse to heat and cold than I used to, so either way, with the weather being the way it is, I'm just shit out of luck all the way around.

And yes, there is hope that the study proving that fibromyalgia is autoimmune-related might provide hope for a treatment for those of us with fibromyalgia, so we don't have to deal with this. But ... I know the pharmaceutical industry. I've seen what it does and how it operates, from the point of view of various nations, and from multiple sides of the equation (hospitals, government health departments, patients both here and abroad), and I have a bad feeling that it'll never materialise. And there are a few reasons for this, and they're all ugly as hell.

First, there's the fact that while fibromyalgia is debilitating for those of us who have it, it's an invisible disability. We all know how invisible disabilities are treated by most people. Even those with the best of intentions can kind of fumble with understanding the condition. One of my friends asked me at one point why I needed a cane; what it did for me. I guess I get curiosity, but ... it can still feel like an accusation. Like I have to be this disabled to need a cane for any distances outside my own home, and I don't look or act this disabled so... Seriously, I think part of the worst issues with a chronic pain condition is that no one takes you seriously because you don't look in pain, and not seeing the sheer effort it takes to push past that pain because we can't spend our lives curled up in a ball screaming. Anyway, far too many people don't really get why it's that important when it's something they can't see.

Then... *sigh* Then there's the fact that it mostly affects women. Apparently about 1 person in 40 has it, and 80% are women. I honestly want to know where that stands with trans people - like, do more trans men have fibro than trans women, or the other way around? A study of that would be a good idea just to see whether hormones play a part. I also want to know how many men just aren't admitting it because "it's unmanly to whine about pain" or some shit. And how many aren't included in the study because they've been self-medicating with drugs or alcohol without a diagnosis, because apparently my grandmother had it and I figure a lot of her alcoholism was self-medicating back when she didn't even have a name for the condition and just ... hurt all the time. But ... see, all of this is the point. Like, we've done the study on the antibodies, but we haven't done further studies to get a better look at the rest of it. It's just been more or less pigeonholed as "mostly women get this". Medical research on AFAB people is ... lacking. So is treatment for most anything that causes them pain. We have a hard enough time getting any kind of diagnosis in the first place, because our pain is diminished in the eyes of the medical community. So we're told it's not as bad as we're making it out and we should just lose weight or get therapy for anxiety or whatever.

And finally, there's the whole deal where the pharmaceutical industry is way more invested in palliation than cure. Palliative treatment, you're on it for the rest of your life, probably on regularly increasing dosages, but a cure would mean not needing as much palliation. Fewer analgaesics sold, less money in the pockets of Big Pharma. And if not enough people have a condition, even the single regular palliative that would alleviate all symptoms isn't profitable enough for Big Pharma to bring to market. Anyone who's seen Leverage knows - and they toned the shit the Leverage crew were dealing with down from what exists in reality. It's honestly in Big Pharma's interests to have me on a variety of analgaesics, a pill that's technically an antidepressant but is used in the treatment of neuropathic pain (which does fuck all for my fibro because it's not a neuropathic condition like people thought it was, but does wonders for my migraines), and antihistamines all summer, instead of a single pill that actually makes me feel better. They don't want us to feel better; they want money. Even in this country, where we aren't paying half as much for prescriptions (though the price keeps going up by scary increments every year).

So ... yeah. This is currently a very, very bad season for me. I have reminders everywhere of how different my life is now. Effectively having Dragon Age as a franchise taken away from me because EA Bioware have chosen "the ARPG trend" over accessibility, when that franchise has been so important to me for so long, is more depressing than I can even put into words right now. The weather and the pollen is just making me even more miserable than I am at my usual baseline of "everything hurts". I am tired of hurting all the time. I am tired of being tired all the time. I am tired of the limitations under which I exist. And if there ever is a cure, or a truly functional treatment, it probably won't be in my lifetime and it'll be fought against tooth and nail because some rich assholes would rather have as much of my money as possible with very little to show for it instead of having my fucking life back. I'm trying to be strong and solid, because some of my friends aren't doing well either and I want to be there for them, but I'm so much running out of spoons.

Right. I'mma find something to cheer myself up, somehow. I was going to get through the finale of the Horizon Forbidden West base game, maybe kick off Burning Shores, but I figure that's a bad idea when my eyes are itching and watering the way they are right now. And I can't just shut the windows because we're getting into the mid-20s temperature-wise and it'll get too damn hot in here. Blegh. Fuck summer right in the ear.

[thessalian]

Thess vs A Day Thrown Out Of Whack

My stepfather. Fucking hell.

So he pops around about twenty minutes into my workday, holding a massive extension lead. Turns out that, yeah, the electrician is going to have to turn off the power in the flat ... to everywhere but the kitchen. And he has this idea of plugging this massive extension lead into whatever socket he can find in the kitchen and let me plug all the stuff I need for work into that.

A few issues with this:

We're not entirely sure that would reach to the study. So I might have to move to the sitting room, which I already know from previous experience with the window guys is not a great place to work. Also...

There is exactly one free power socket in my kitchen, and it's attached to a surge protector where my toaster, microwave, and kettle are plugged in. Yeah, I could unplug the whole surge protector, but that leads to...

All the unplugging and the replugging would probably take about as much time as just switching everything off and letting the electrician do his thing, because it'd have to happen twice

All of this I had to explain to him as he was already examining my various bits of power cable in preparation for doing this without even waiting for a yes or no. My stepfather has this thing about things being done the way he thinks they should be done, and it's a lot of debating to get him to see otherwise. I finally explained to him that either way, I'd still be losing time that would have to be made up later in the afternoon, and started powering things down as the electrician guy came in.

And apparently, I wasn't allowed to even vaguely intimate that this was inconvenient for me. Because of course he'd already said it was fine yesterday afternoon. Which ... is honestly the source of my annoyance.

I mean, come on. I found out by talking to the electrician guy that said electrician guy was in the other flat yesterday. So when the electrician was arranging this morning's appointment, he must have asked my stepfather about it. But apparently, asking me before okaying it never so much as crossed his mind. I mean, I was two doors down. We both have mobile phones. He could have said, "Hang on; I'm alright with it but I should check with [Thess] before I agree, as she* works from home", and called me. Or texted. Or walked down the corridor and knocked. But nope. He said, "That's fine", he went home, he took a fucking nap, and woke up at about half-past eleven at night and went, "Oops; I should ring [Thess] and let her* know about the electrician".

The worst part is how he phrased it, honestly. He asked, "Would it be alright if--?" but there was no actual way I could say no. It was already arranged and there is no way my stepfather would have rung up the electrician and said, "Sorry; I didn't realise but it turns out this isn't a good time. Can we reschedule?" I was expected to just fit this into my day.

Which I did. I sat around stressed out (because, again, we are two typists down and the only other dedicated typist we have is the lazy bint who refuses to do any typing over a minute long, so work build-up), and then it was over about a half-hour later, so I went back to work, and I made up my time, but that made me later than I wanted to be for some errands I needed to run, so I had to stress about that, and... Yeah. It has not been a great day.

There will be hot bath. Food. Loaf. I need something about today that I do not hate. Especially since the Shadow Health Secretary - the guy who will be Secretary of State for Health and Social Care assuming Labour wins the next election (pretty solid bet, honestly), is going around saying that gender critical people should not be seen as bigots and "single-sex spaces" and the like is "nuanced", and he doesn't believe that a trans woman is a woman anymore. I HATE THIS FUCKING COUNTRY.

* - no, I am not out to the parentals. I never will be. I acknowledge and lament that, but they do not get it and I'm non-committal enough about my gender to be female for the paperwork and the parentals. Good thing, too, given I live on TERF Island. See above for my despair about that one.

[thessalian]

Thess vs This Fucking Survey

So, in an effort to put my money (or time, which if you listen to people is money) where my mouth is, I am doing this fucking survey from my previous reblog. And it's a fucking shitshow.

FIrst of all, when they're asking about you, the person filling out the form. They ask your sex and in the very next question differentiate that from the gender with which you identify. That and the lack of a non-binary option indicates that yeah, this one's using "sex vs gender" as a bludgeon. Again.

They don't actually make it particularly clear what you're voting for. There's no link to the guidance. The one chart they give you is talking about school years, which may have changed in however many years it's been since people went to school - and hell, I was only here for A-levels in the first place, so I'm having to Google to find out how old a year 3 student is likely to be.

Also, why are you people talking about teaching the whole "gaming is bad, predatory monetisation practices, financial scams online, this is why Mummy and Daddy restrict your internet access" thing to seven-year-olds? That's one that the parents should be responsible for.

Okay. Now they link to clear and relevant documents from the revised RSHE document. And it's bullshit. It's informed by the Cass Report, of course, and it basically says that all you're allowed to say about trans issues is the fact that trans people apparently exist, you're not allowed to transition in any way until you're 18, and you're certainly not allowed to say that gender is a spectrum. In fact, they outline specifically that you are not allowed to present as a boy at school if your documents list you as female (and vice versa), and there's separate guidance that is not listed in the PDF I found about "gender-questioning students". The most I can get is "teach them biological sex only and don't use any material that lists 'contested views' as fact" (like, that gender is a spectrum, etc). They actually say "many people do not believe that they or others have a separate gender identity" like it somehow matters to the person who very much does.

Now, I don't know what the "guidance for dealing with gender-questioning students" says, because I think finding it will take a little more time than I have today, but given that this is following the Cass Report, I imagine that it's "get them to see a counsellor and have them tested for ADHD or something", because the Cass Report has gone on record as saying "We need to make sure that them wanting to be a different gender or no gender at all isn't because of mental health issues".

This is entirely disgusting. But I'm going to fill out the damn form anyway. And like I said - Labour's gone on record as saying that they intend on implementing all recommendations of the Cass Report if/when they get into power. THIS IS WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

[thessalian]

Thess vs the Cass Report

Okay. So. Real quick, because I haven't got the heart for much else.

Yesterday saw the publication of a report by a paediatrician looking into a gender identity direction service run by a NHS hospital, and into gender identity transition in general. The findings ... I ... don't understand why no one is asking about any of these findings.

Hormone therapy like puberty blockers is "untested and dangerous": I honestly don't know. Maybe. I couldn't honestly say. But puberty blockers must have a purpose or they would never have been developed far enough to bring them to market.

Social transitioning "alters the course of children", making them more likely to become trans: Um ... this is some "chicken vs egg" argument bullshit. Maybe they want to socially transition because they're trans?!? MAYBE? But apparently not, because...

A lot of transgender people have ADHD or autism or other mental health issues, and those should be treated before they go around deciding that they're trans: This is word for word some JK Rowling bullshit about "trans men are just confused lesbians too autistic to know better". THIS IS BULLSHIT.

Some people are happy with their transition but some people regret it and we really should focus more on that: Some people regret tattoos, and vasectomies. Fuck off.

Long story short, there's a whole thing where this report is erring on the side of, "Transgender people are just confused and we should deny them any kind of treatment until they give us the opportunity to prove that their desire to transition is rooted in mental illness".

Now, we already know that Rishi Sunak and his transphobic Tory asshole government are entirely in support of stripping trans people of rights and ram them right back into the closet, if not the nearest psychiatric care unit. That's ... horrible, but we're probably not going to have them in government for much longer.

However.

Wes Streeting, the Shadow Health Secretary - the guy who'll take over as Health Secretary and basically be in charge of the NHS if and when (almost certainly "when") Labour comes to power - also agrees with the Cass Report and has pledged to implement all of its recommendations into health policy when he takes the Health Secretary job. Which means basically denying everyone under the age of 25 gender-affirming care, and effectively making sure that it's harder than it needs to be to transition. Not to mention that Starmer, the Labour Party leader, agrees with making schools out kids who are socially transitioning at school to their parents, and with allowing and in fact obliging teachers to deadname their students.

Basically, don't go thinking that it's "just JK Rowling" somehow. Her money supports this kind of shit, and so does her influence, and it's all over the government right now. This country has been getting increasingly ugly for trans people, and it's about to get worse.

I'm going to build a fallout shelter in my closet now, I guess.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Knowing Your Employees

I'm not doing very well, and I think everybody knows it. Like, not people who read my Tumblr or people I talk to on Discord or anything like that. I mean everybody.

Update on the overtime thing - apparently today was a fairly slow day in terms of reporting, so when I called at 3:30 as I was asked to, there were only about 130 dictations in the queue.

(Note: that sounds like a lot, and it is, but it was 450 on Tuesday.)

Things were chill enough at the office that Scruffman actually forgot he asked me to ring him to check in about the workload. I think that might have something to do with having emailed him a little earlier in the day about a significant issue with someone's dictation.

(Further note: our doctors use wireless headset microphones to dictate - Bluetooth, I think. Anyway, sometimes they end up sitting too far from their computers for a decent connection, and when that connection dies, the transcription software defaults to using whatever microphone is handy - which in our machines means one built into the webcam. And of course, if they're sitting so far away that the wireless connection won't work, they're not going to be very audible over lab noise either. Bad enough when it's a regular dictation, but there were two urgent cases I had to send back because they were inaudible and you don't make guesses about someone's urgent liver biopsy. I swear, half the doctors don't have the foggiest clue how to use the equipment and it shows.)

Anyway, point is, I actually had voice chat with the man. I can generally sound pretty professional under even the worst circumstances, but that's only to people who haven't dealt with me regularly. Scruffman has heard my "I am in serious pain and sucking it up" voice a lot. And to his credit, I'm pretty sure he noticed me using it. Because when I asked if I was going to be needed for overtime with our typing queue as it was, he said, "It's actually been really quiet, so we should be okay! I mean ... some of them do go crazy in the late afternoon ... and sometimes they come in on Saturday ... but no; no, you're fine on your regular hours; we'll be okay".

In those elliptical pauses, I could hear the "Oh [Thess] does not sound well. Even if we're not fine, I can push [Temp] and [Goblin] a little harder on Monday, or we can work it out after [Thess] has had an actual break." I mean, I'm sure he does actually care, but there's also an awful lot of "Working [Thess] this hard is going to result in more sick leave and we really can't afford that right now, particularly not from the best worker the department has right now", and more than a little "[Thess] got reduced hours because of a disability and if [Thess] has to go on long-term sick again, Occupational Health is going to eat my head". So not purely altruistic motives, but at least he noticed.

That said, I'm still not doing well. While I did not have overtime, I did still have to go out to pick up some painkillers and a couple of bits and pieces. A bad idea during rush hour, but needed to get to things before they shut. Painkillers aside, I forgot to order carrots and I like carrots in my Japanese curry, which is very much on the menu this month. Carrot, potato, onion, and butternut squash. Might fill it out with some sweet potato too this time.

I did treat myself a little, though. Slightly longer travel time hurt, but it meant going to the big Tesco that does the gluten-free onion rings. And sirloin steak was on sale. So guess what I had for dinner? (Well, with potato salad and some veggie crudites with ranch dip; veggies are good.) It was a much-deserved treat, and thankfully didn't require a lot of effort.

I'd love to say I'm going to just relax tomorrow, and I sort of will, but if I have to go to the pharmacy for my prescription meds if I wake up early enough, and either way I should go to the big Sainsbury's to stock up on gluten-free pasta. It's a pain in the arse; Tesco has a great range of gluten-free products but their gluten-free pasta is bullshit, while Sainsbury's doesn't have quite the same selection but does the only really edible own-brand gluten-free pasta I've found so far. I hate having to go to like three different shops to get a full gluten-free shop stock-up.

Anyway, also there might be baking. I'm going to have to order more gluten-free flour already. But then again, two cakes, one loaf of gingerbread, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies and I'm still not through the entire bucket. So that's something.

To summarise: I am not doing well, I'm still using Saturday for as much recovery as possible (sad as missing a Saturday session makes me, I would not run well in this state), and I want cookies.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Untenable Situations

Temp’s doing it again and now I’m going to have to say something. Honestly, if I were not disabled, I would shrug and get on with it. I am trying to shrug and get on with it, because getting it to change long-term is difficult to impossible without a lot of babysitting Temp’s typing queue. However, I am disabled and today was hell on more than just a pain perspective. Because fibromyalgia isn’t just pain.

Last night was a broken sleep night. I woke up every couple of hours or so, partly pain and partly For No Apparent Reason. (That’s not even counting the spam call I got about an hour before my alarm was due to go off.) Before the fibro, this would have been annoying but bearable. But it turns out that fibro fog plus sleep deprivation kicks off intense amounts of dizziness, light-headedness and nausea-inducing vertigo. It’s hard to work through that kind of shit, especially when it comes on top of pain, but I figured I could cope so long as I wasn’t overwhelmed with long-ass shit.

(I mean, also it would have been nice if I hadn’t had to dig up three separate sets of results to be sent to three separate parties over the course of the day, but that appears to be my sole and solitary job because of course I get all the shit-work. So never mind.)

Anyway, point is that on top of the digging up results and the usual day-to-day stuff, Temp was cherry-picking basically all day. The last bit I couldn’t even deal with because given the last lot of long complicated bullshit she lumbered me with, I didn’t have time to do yet another of this one guy’s overly long dictations that she will avoid like the plague given the slightest excuse. So she’s going to have to deal with that in the morning. But I got basically everything else. And obviously I was slow as fuck because I’m having trouble focusing on so many levels. Pain breaks focus. Sleep deprivation breaks focus. Dizziness breaks focus. Vertigo makes it hard to see words on virtual page. There are bad days and there are bad days, and this one was a bad day on so many levels it’s kind of ridiculous. And yet there she is, leaving all the long stuff for the person with the neuropathic pain condition with absolutely no thought of anyone but herself.

So the wording I’m thinking of is this:

Dear [Scruffman],

I know we’ve had the conversation before about [Temp] leaving the longer, more complicated dictation for others to deal with. Unfortunately, this continues to be a problem. As I understand that it’s difficult to ensure that she consistently takes dictation from the typing queue in chronological order instead of skipping those she feels unable or unwilling to type, under ordinary circumstances I would probably leave this lie. However, my experience with her doing this [today] has underlined the problems with this in terms of my disability status. I was having a particularly bad day [today], and while the pain was one issue, the more problematic part of it was the dizziness and vertigo I was experiencing for the entirety of the day, which made it difficult to type even the simpler reports. Being left with large blocks of longer and more complicated dictation made the day a struggle, both in terms of productivity and in terms of my health. I am unsure as to how best to resolve this; some days I can manage perfectly well with larger blocks of longer dictations, but I struggle with them on bad days, and it’s impossible to predict which days will be bad ones. I wonder if we could discuss what steps we might be able to take when I’m experiencing particularly bad symptoms to keep the division of the longer dictations more equitable. I am happy to do my share of the longer dictations even on bad days, but large blocks of longer and more complicated dictation left at the the top of the queue because [Temp] has taken only the shorter ones is becoming more of an issue. If required, I can provide screenshots of this.

Regards, [Thess]

I may have a bash at it some more later. Vertigo is not conducive to formal work email format. But I am going to have to say something because this is becoming untenable and it’s a disability accessibility issue now. I mean, it always has been, but I have to do something. If I have another day like today, when I’m slow as fuck because I cannot focus through pain and vertigo, I am going to lose my shit.