They're here!

52 boxes of 'us' just arrived from Penang...

Our stuff

Our stuff from Penang was supposed to have arrived in Denver today.  I'm not sure when we'll get to see it, but it's being held for the time being.  We're going to be receiving 52 boxes!  While I am thrilled to get all my stuff back (hopefully intact), and some of this stuff can't get here soon enough (like my kitchen gadgets, utensils, etc.), I have no idea what the heck I'm going to do with 52 boxes!  We haven't even unpacked half of the boxes we already have here!  Sheesh!

PS I'm still looking for entrants for my portrait giveaway.  I only have a few, and I'm giving away 5 free custom portraits, so send me your photos peeps!  Deadline is Friday.

We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas!

We wish you a merry Christmas!  And a happy New Year! 

-- Lots of love fron the Hurley-David family!

Updates and stuff!

I have been so quiet since we got back from Thailand, I know.  I'm sorry.  I know you're as tired of hearing the word as I am of saying it, but my HYPOGLYCEMIA (shhh!) has been completely out of control since we returned from our trip and I honestly haven't been up for much, including photo editing and blogging.  I haven't even taken notes for the past few weeks, so when I hit this spot in my travel log, it'll go something like this:

"Weeks x-z, did stuff.
Weekends, wanted to do stuff but stayed in.
Saw some doctors and stuff somewhere in there."

Anyway, I finally hit a rock-bottom crash and I've decided.  That's it.  I am going home.  I can't be home alone with Regin and going through these crashes.  No more feeling guilty about leaving and what I should and haven't done, no more thoughts about other travel plans.  It's all done.  I need some family TLC and I really can't make the most of my stay here in this state anyway.  I was waiting on my results from a glucose monitor that I was hooked up to for three days, but then I thought, why am I waiting?  Whatever I learn from the results I can take back and use it for whatever help I get in the States where I have more people around me for support.  Anyway, I'm supposed to get those results tomorrow.

So cross your fingers for me that it goes well!

No travel plans are set.  It'll be asap.  As soon as we can wrap a few things up here and get a flight out, we'll be on our way.  If there's time, we'll have a little going away/birthday party (I'll be 31 on Friday) before we go.  The plan is for George to come with now and then he'll have to go back to Penang for a bit after the holidays.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all again very soon now!  I'm a little nervous about the weather we're heading into and whether or not I've lost my tolerance for cold.  I'm online looking for warm clothes for Regin that can be delivered to my parents' place since he has only summer stuff.  Come to think of it, we don't have much warm stuff either.  I suppose we should look for a few things for us too!

Lots of love and see you soon!
xoxoxoxo

A clean bill of health?

I had a whole series of blood/urine tests last week, then an ultrasound for some abdominal complaints on Saturday.  I brought all the results back to our doctor (yeah we're still with the same one.  It's just too much trouble to find a new one at this point.)  She goes through each line nodding, saying, "good... good... cholesterol good... nothing wrong on the ultrasound... kidneys look good... liver... pancreas... ."  And then she looks up at me and says, "you're in great health!"

Funny.  I don't feel like I'm in great health, which is exactly what I told her.  She then mentions things about stress and such.

There seems to be a common theme here.  She, the endocrinologist, and the dietitian all seem to think I could do with some psycho-therapeutic help.  While that may be true, it's not what is causing my issues, and if we're going to examine the causal relationship between my hypoglycemic symptoms and my psychological issues we would have to conclude the opposite:  the latter will be resolved by treating the former, or, put another way, the latter IS from the former.  My psychological issues are, by and large, symptoms of my hypoglycemia.

It's not unusual for doctors to dismiss hypoglycemia symptoms as psychological.  After everything I have read and researched I believe that, in truth, not just mine, but most psychological problems should be treated as hypoglycemia!  This includes anxiety, depression, alcoholism and criminal behavior, even schizophrenia!  The list goes on and on.  And then there are lists of "physical" ailments that are linked to hypoglycemia. 

GET THE PICTURE PEOPLE!  IF YOU WANT TO BE IN GOOD HEALTH AND STOP SUFFERING FROM THAT/THOSE _________________ (headaches? phobias? chronic fatigue? aches and pains? bronchitis? heart conditions? cancer? -- yes I have read about links with ALL of these to hg) STOP PUTTING CRAPPY FUEL INTO YOUR BODY!!!

It is so hard on me to see people putting crap in their bodies every day and dismissing any concerns about how their diets can put them in my shoes.  When I tell many of you that I have HG, most of you say, "sucks to be you!"  When I suggest that you may also have it (though not as severe) and that you should also change your diet you say, "no way!  Are you nuts?"  Yes.  I am nuts.  But regardless of that I have a hard time not taking your refusal personally.

I know you love and enjoy all of those foods and drinks you won't give up.  Believe me, I know how hard it would be (is) to stop.  And, realistically, I wouldn't want to give them up either.  But your refusal and immediate dismissal is like telling a mother of a drunk-driving victim that there is no way (how ridiculous!) you'd give up drinking and driving.  There are, of course, some obvious, major differences, but bare with me while I explain.

First, it says to me that you don't take your own health seriously, or the impact it has on others, or even that there are very limited ways in which you're willing to improve your current health issues, which I guess is all normal, but it also says that you won't do anything you can to avoid being in my situation, and by extension (at least in my crazy mind), you wouldn't save me if you could.

But there is little I can do to convince you all isn't there?  I mean if it were absolutely proven that my issues were actually caused by some other illness and I could go back to eating anything I wanted, wouldn't I?  I have to just let it go just like all the other things I get riled up about.  And besides, I'm getting off topic a smidge.


Back at the doctor's office...
OK so I'm annoyed that she's not taking my hypoglycemia as a legitimate complaint and that she doesn't see it as evidence of compromised health, but I have to admit, it's an awfully sweet feeling to hear that I'm otherwise doing so well.  And it was fun to think it proof that there is nothing wrong with the high protein, high (saturated) fat and high calorie content of my diet.  Proof also that mainstream nutrition information is totally bogus. 

Then George whacks my head out of the clouds with a big old baseball bat.  Maybe, for example, my cholesterol was even lower before and it's now on the rise.  We'll have to wait for future blood scans to decide anything so bold as my diet being the true ideal.

But you know, I did get the ultrasound for a reason.  When I ask the doctor about my stomach complaints, she decides it must be gas.
"Do you have a lot of wind?"
"No."
"I think it's wind."
???

How We're Doing Update

I just updated our "How We're Doing Right Now" with the following:

December 1st, 2008
We finally started traveling in neighboring countries, or 'country' rather, a few weeks ago.  We went to Thailand and had a nice time.  Since we got back two weeks ago, my hypoglycemia has been out of control.  I've been to see a doctor, a dietitian, and an endocrinologist.  I have had all sorts of tests and further tests and things are planned.  I have mixed feelings about whether or not they can help me.  For one thing, hypoglycemia is completely unheard of in Malaysia.  Add that to the fact that I am still struggling to feed myself using what's available to me locally, and I'm starting to feel like it may be time for me to consider cutting my trip here short.

There are so many things here that I have come to love, and I'm afraid I will regret a decision to leave early, but my illness affects everyone around me, and I simply can't let it go on the way it has.  At least not without trying as hard as I can to make sure everything has been investigated and everything tried.  Poor Regin has been stuck at home alone with an angry and not-fully-functioning mamma, and George has had to miss work to come home and take care of me when it's gotten really bad.

Some days I'm not sure if it's because of the illness that I want to go back or if it's because visiting Thailand has released me from my need to stay (because I haven't totally wasted my time here now that I've officially traveled), but I can tell you that I am absolutely through dealing with things like ants taking up residence in my kitchen scale, cockroaches wandering in and out of my mixing bowls, and geckos pooping on our clean silverware.  These things can be resolved with some fumigation, but that's hard for a toxin-avoiding ecophile to agree to. 

George is already talking about places we'll live in next (after some time in Colorado).  Naturally, with his Miami upbringing, he wants more of this kind of climate.  I don't.  I don't want to live somewhere where I have to choose between losing my sanity and pumping my world full of nasty chemicals.  I am also having some trouble with the lack of seasons now.  There are no cycles or feelings of conclusion and beginning.  Life is an endless, ongoing stream of consciousness with few mile-markers to let you know how far along you've come.  I suppose that must be part of why it's so hellish to live in the far north with six months of day and six months of night.  So I suppose places like that would be out for me too.  Still, they seem so romantic to me now as I close my eyes and dream of vast landscapes covered in snow and ice.

Penang -- Week 34 -- Bonfire of the Lunch Group

MONDAY - THURSDAY, November 3rd - 6th
I've decided to try and do at least one legitimate "activity" with Regin every day.  I bought a big book of activities for some ideas, so we'll see how it goes.  The first one, on Tuesday, is to use flour, sand, or sugar to practice making lines to help with skills that will be useful for writing later.  I don't have any sand, and sugar sounds like a bad idea in this ant-infested environment (like it would make much difference), so I go with flour.  What a mess!  We make lines at first, but within a couple minutes, Regin becomes much more interested in scooping the flour out of the tray and onto himself.

Wednesday is filled with excitement!  I have already written plenty about Obama's election and how it was to experience that from afar.  In the evening, our first salsa lesson is cancelled last minute, so we go to hang with some friends for a little British tradition:  Bonfire Night. 

You can see the rest of the pictures here.

I'm hosting the play group lunch again on Thursday.  I love hosting, but with 6 moms and 8 kids it's crazy stressful.  I have nothing at home to make, so I walk to the mall, shop, walk back, in less than an hour, which is nuts considering what that'll do to me.  Then, I call Shanti, and she tries to come help me clean before people arrive, but her taxi doesn't show till late, so she isn't able to help with anything until about two minutes before people arrive.  So that means I'm running around like mad in our apartment cleaning and food prep doesn't even start until people arrive.  As a result, my joint problems are flaring up and I have the shakes pretty bad from my hypoglycemia.  I love hosting, but maybe I shouldn't do it anymore, especially if George or someone else can't help. 

Lunch is nice.  My almond-flour crepes stuffed with roasted veggies and cream cheese came out pretty good.  Still can't tell if people enjoy my food.  But I guess that is just not something you make a big deal out of here.  At least not while you are eating. 

I made mint-lemonade with simple syrup on the side for people to sweeten their own drinks to taste (something I picked up in Tokyo) and with Stevia for me.  I'm barely into packet number two of four of stevia.  Unfortunately someone saw my open packet and threw it out!  Aaakk!  My precious stevia!

We're supposed to be using this meeting to make plans for future play groups, but once again, almost the entire meeting is taken up by lunch (prep, eating, clean up).  And this lunch thing is not great for me.  We tend to eat late and I get stressed, and these are both bad things for my HG.  I try to talk them into morning meetings, even though I'm so not a morning person, because afternoons are so hard for Regin and me.  But no go.  Jess can't do anything till after ten.  So 11 - 2 it is.  We'll see!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM PENANG!!!

No big turkey dinner.  We had steak, zucchini french fries, leftovers from an Indian restaurant and a bowl of pomelo.  Fancy huh?  It was cozy.

Hope all of your Thanksgivings bring you a cozy evening you're all thankful for!

Love,

The Hurley-David Family
xoxoxox

Penang -- Week 34 -- The Ball Pit and the Maid

How could I forget something else we did on Sunday?  We also went to this indoor kiddie park at the mall.  There is a toddler area, but Regin wasn't interested.  Mostly he just wanted to be in the ball pit. 

Those kids at the end were racing with George and Regin.  So cute.  And Regin LOVED the slide.  He was squealing and signing, "More! More! More!"

It was interesting.  Several kids had been left there with their Indonesian maids/nannies while parents presumably shopped.  I mention the fact that they're Indonesian because there is a whole connotation that goes along with that that I'm not even sure how to articulate.  Whatever it is though, it makes me somewhat uneasy, yet fascinated.  This whole maid-having culture is not one I thought I'd ever be a part of.  And there is a certain stigma with the Indonesian maids, and it's definitely different than having an Indian maid, like I have.  It's not better or worse on the employer's end, but I believe it's worse on the Indonesian's end.

Having the access that I do, it's hard not to stare when I see them.  I try to imagine the life of these maids, what they're day-to-day is like, what goes through their minds.  Do they hate these brats they follow silently all day long?  Do they find the work demeaning?  I'm telling you, it's different than, say, an au pair or a western nanny.  There is a smidge of prestige in that, or at least some dignity.  But here, they seem like the silent, sub-human characters that I recognize from films that have traditionally marginalized the blacks or latins in our culture.  Do they get that?  Do they feel marginalized?  Do they feel they are seen as lesser?  Do they think that's OK?

And I have heard the locals talk about the stigma against Indonesian maids.  In fact, several of the local babywearers have talked about how uncomfortable it makes them when people assume they are the family's Indonesian maid because they are carrying their babies in a sling (something that's mostly associated with the more ethnic/native/old-fashioned Indonesians.)  We had a demo of the traditional Indonesian baby-carrying technique when one of the babywearers brought her maid with her to babywearing group one day.

I'm telling you.  I'm not sure how to process it, or what I think of it, but the nuances of it all are fascinating to me.

Silly Boy

We played peekaboo ("kabeekaboo" or "I-sheeyoo" as in "I see you") with the curtain...

Penang -- Lunch at Edelweiss Cafe

On a typical Penang road...

...there's a little piece of the Swiss alps...

...with a little bit of Asia inside.