"A Problem Page For All!"

I'm sure there must be questions that could offend me. I mean, "Does it bother you that you're ugly as sin?" or "Did you know that you act like a jerk a lot of the time?" are more judgements than actual questions...but I don't think I'd be very happy with them. But I really do like questions of a wide variety of natures, because they make me think about myself in new ways and evaluate things about myself that I might not have otherwise considered. Ask away, dahling!

Oh, I didn't mean to mislead you. I don't have like an exercise regiment or something. ("Regiment"? Did I use that word correctly?) I mean, I've been dancing for two hours each week since the end of January; that was terrific exercise; and now that that's over, Rachel and I are planning to dance together once a week (we've been choreographing for each other; it's tons of fun). We're using a room over at the college that Stevie assured us is always empty. It's a terrific rehearsal space, with a wooden floor under the carpet, in their 100-year-old original building, on the second floor with tree branches in all the windows. Splendid!

I take walks now and then, but I tend to keep in shape (to my standards) just because I'm such an impulsive person that I generally, literally, run or walk quickly from one thing to the other -- always jumping up from what I'm doing to do something else instead -- and that provides quite a lot of exercise. I always run up stairs instead of walking. I need to get it out of my head that I'm lazy, because I'm very active just in my normal routine around the house every day.

Awwww, sweetie! I'm sorry you worry. Rachel and Stevie have quite a lot of anxiety, so I have experience in waking up in the middle of the night to find my sister prodding me, wanting reassurance that she wasn't running a fever or her heart hadn't stopped or her breathing wasn't too quick or too shallow or she wasn't breaking out into a rash or there wasn't a burglar in the alley behind the house or there wasn't a tornado approaching or I was breathing quite fine thanks or Jimmy's heart hadn't stopped or the parents were safe in bed where they were supposed to be or yes, she could come sleep with me for the rest of the night.

I don't mean to mock her. Her fears are very real, though they were more intense a couple years ago than they are now. I think diet (no refined foods, which foster yeast and and emotional stability have a big part to play in anixiety. Stevie used to be on Paxil for panic attacks until Cherie convined him to quit it because she didn't think that he needed it anymore.

I don't think any diseases run in my family. Stevie's dad has diabetes and Stevie was diagnosed with diabetes, but after changing his diet one doctor told him he didn't have it anymore. He still worries about it, but...I don't think it's a big problem. And I don't worry that I'm going to get it.

Cherie's mom and one of her sisters (or two of her sisters?) both have thyroid trouble, but I don't worry about that, either. Actually, I've become so inspired by these health books that Cherie's been reading, and pleased that we're following a lot of their stipulations, that I tend to think of myself as being on the road to great health. Would you be interested in some book titles, Cat? Do you ever read natural health/diet/lifestyle books like that?

Well, yeah, I've had a cold for literally months. Not a racking, coughcoughcough cold, but a touch of sore throat that won't go away, sometimes stomach aches off and on (though that seems to have gone away), headaches, that sort of thing, and perpetual sniffles and a bit of a cough. I think it was stress, mostly. I mean, having your mother sick with mercury poisoning, and having her take a turn for the worse and be confined to the couch for months on end, isn't exactly relaxing. I feel like there just hasn't been much time for me and my health. I'm not mad about it; nobody asked for Cherie's sickness, and we're dealing with it as best we can. But caring for your mom daily doesn't leave much room for recouperation and contemplative relaxation. It's been six months since she had her first fillings out, thus beginning her official mercury treatments. She's better than she was, but she's still sick. Sigh.

The hives I had back in September...ugh. Don't ask. I never figured out what caused them; I just thank God that they haven't returned! A touch of sore throat I can deal with; itching red blotches I have distinct Issues with!

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