I prefer my "dumb" meter

I have also been doing more research about those darn smart meters. Thankfully they have not shown up at my door to install one yet, cause I don't want to decide.

I thought I was comfortable with the wireless device (see my Feb 9th post), but now there is so much complaining about hydro bills increasing after the smart meter is put in, and even more recently the lack of security that goes with a wireless grid.

What does the "wireless grid" mean to me?  Well apparently there is no such thing as a computer system that cannot be hacked.  There are very secure systems that are really hard to hack, and very expensive to even try to hack, but that is not to say that someone, someday couldn't do it.

Now the information on your smart meter does not include your personal information, so do I care if someone hacks it?  Not really!.... what we are supposed to care about is, if someone were to hack into the "smart grid" that takes all the info from the smart meters and uses it to dole out the power.  If the smart grid is hacked and turned off, no one has power, or maybe our power is redirected to the evil side!  (think the villains in batman comics, only probably worse)

This is probably a better information link than me:
http://www.davidchalkinc.com/blog/

So why didn't the government research all of this before spending billions of dollars on these smart meters?  Maybe they did, and deemed it all to be an acceptable risk?

I am not comfortable with any of this, so I think I am sticking to my old meter as long as I can.

No, I am not a health nut (I just want to feel better)

I have spent the bulk of my morning today and yesterday, researching "the dangers of Fructose".   I was hoping not to find anything that really relates to me, cause I do not drink pop or eat junk food, (not counting cookies and chocolate of course, because it's not junk to me!).  


It was about 5 months ago that I decided to try 30 days without wheat, after my personal trainer read me an article about that "wheat belly" book.  So yesterday she starts telling me about how bad sugar is (well she didn't just start telling me yesterday, she has been telling me for years), mostly because she thinks that sugar is the cause of some of her recent health problems, including hang overs.  


So my research started with sugar (sucrose) and quickly lead to Fructose & Glucose (which are both in regular refined sugar)  There is so much information on the Web about fructose, a lot is not proven, but most everyone agrees we consume too much sweet stuff.  The worst being High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS, because it is hidden in so many things, ketchup, BBQ sauce, Salad dressing, snack foods, whole wheat bread & cereals.  


Basically the human body is designed to digest sugar in fruit, even small quantities of refined sugar are ok, because it has both fructose and glucose together.  However the body does not know what to do with too much fructose, or this new HFCS, so it just gets turned into fat.  Here is a simple explanation from Dr. Oz's website:

 "Your brain doesn't recognize the fructose in HFCS as regular food, so you can eat a lot of it and still be hungry, which means you eat even more. Our bodies have a nifty feedback mechanism -- a protein called leptin, which is released by our body's own fat -- that turns off our hunger signals, letting us know that we're satisfied and can step away from the buffet. But when we consume fructose in foods or drinks containing high fructose corn syrup, that feedback mechanism gets disrupted. So not only don't we get the message that we're full, but because the brain doesn't recognize this stuff as real food, it still wants us to eat.

• Sugar also sets us up for some wild swings in blood sugar highs and lows that make us crave -- you guessed it! -- more sugar, which in turn prompts the body to store more fat. Indeed, when people who are even slightly overweight -- in other words, most of us -- eat sugar, we store a whopping 35 percent of it as fat. All sugar does this, not just HFCS. But unlike regular sugar, HFCS is cheap and shelf-stable so you don't have to park yourself in the candy and cookie aisle to get a lot of it.

• The fructose in HFCS also seems to overwhelm your liver's ability to process it. "The liver doesn't particularly like it when there's fructose in there," Dr. Oz said. "It's irritating and the liver responds by producing inflammatory compounds." Among other things, like laying the groundwork for artery damage and heart disease, these compounds also encourage your body to store more fat. "You're literally turning the major organ responsible for detoxifying you into fat, which is hindering your ability to get thin," he said. "Fat people have a tougher time getting thin than thin people have staying thin. The odds are stacked against them because their livers can't keep up."

I can't help thinking how much HFCS I have let my kids eat in the past.  Not to mention what I have been consuming.  Then I discover websites, about IBS (irritable Bowel Syndrome) and fructose intolerance, now this really relates to me.  I have spent so much time trying to find the cause of my digestive problems in the past months, I am surprised I have not stubbled on this before.  

"Dietary Fructose and IBS

Dr. Rao's research team has shown that of the patients who have come to their clinic at the University of Iowa Health Care suffering from IBS symptoms (gas, bloating, belching, nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort/pain) over one third were found to have a fructose intolerance problem (malabsorption). Further, they found there was a direct relationship between escalating digestive symptoms and increasing the test dose of fructose.

Approximately 15% of North Americans suffer from IBS, so the connection between IBS and fructose malabsorption means many sufferers may be able to put down their medications and pick up dietary guidelines instead. Fructose intolerance can be effectively managed through dietary modification and lifestyle changes. So this is very good news for millions of people!"

Apparently there is a test to see if you have Fructose intolerance, or you can just do the elimination diet, to see if you feel better.  Every site seems to a different list of things to eliminate, starting with Honey, anything that has HFCS on the label, apples, pears, peaches, wheat etc.  


I think I am going to find a good dietitian to help me with this.

Sunny Huatulco

 This is a photo of Secrets Resort & Spa, in Sunny Huatulco, Mexico.  This was taken from one end of the beach, and the photo below, is a pretty good view of the pool, it was so large that it was hard to get into one photo.

The Beach does look nice, but notice no one is swimming, which was because of the jelly fish.  I am sure this is a seasonal thing, we were just there in the wrong season, April is really Hot!  And that is just the beginning of summer.

If you check the weather forecasts, and histories (as I did) on theweatherunderground.com the temperature looks great at 28-31C, but notice in the small print "feels like" 37-40C, which was really more like it, during the day and at night.  Without a breeze, a pool to jump in, some shade and the air conditioned room, it would be hard to handle, even for a diehard sunbaker like me!                                                                                    

We did have a great 7 day get away for a good price $885.00 pp plus tax 340= 1225.00 ea.  This is a resort and a city we have always wanted to go to, so when we saw the price, we researched the resort, reading trip advisor reviews, and checking the weather.  I think 2 weeks after we booked the price went down to $645 +tax, grrr  but how could I have predicted that.  Sometimes if you wait, it is sold out.


The Good:  New Resort, Adults Only, New Beds, Nice Rooms, all have an ocean view, great pool, heated (maybe too much), Palapa's at the beach, good wine, top brands of Alcohol, Guacamole, No wrist bands, No dinner reservations (except the Teppanyaki table), good service most of the time, Moises in the skybar was the best bartender and most helpful employee we met.
The Disappointing: (notice I am not saying Bad, cause it really wasn't that Bad)
Beach, too short for a good walk, even with the path to the other bay (30 mins tops), not swimmable, either because of the high waves and undertow or the Jelly Fish.  Not enough shade by the pool, they need Palapas of some sort there.  The food, either the portions were too small, and service too slow to order more, or the fish was overcooked, or the selection was limited.  Maybe there are not enough fisherman in this town?  We both got a mild but yucky case of Montezuma's for a couple days, and didn't feel well enough to go into town.

This Secrets Resort only opened in Dec 2011, so it will hopefully improve as the staff gains experience.  During our stay we had some great meals, and some overcooked disappointing meals.  There was very little fish and too much beef offered for a Mexican resort, and we had to wonder what training the chefs had to overcook fish in Mexico, where it is their speciality.   The teppanyaki Chef at the japanese restaurant was young and new to the job, he did not know how to time the cooking of the meal, steak, fish and chicken were all cooked for the same amount of time, if was really bad!

The rooms were great, new beds that gave us a great nights sleep, great water pressure in the shower, although a very weird bathroom layout.  Not sure who designs these hotels, but for some reason they forgot about shade, in 10 years when the palm trees grow it should improve, but what about now?  They have some umbrella's, not enough of then and not strong enough to withstand the afternoon breeze, so half of them are broken, and all are put down by the staff around 3PM to prevent more breakage.  So the only shade is a Palapa at the beach, but you can't swim there, and there is no bathroom near the beach, again poor design.

We met many fun people mostly from Canada, and most everyone had something good to say about this resort. No one spent time complaining, we were all so glad to be under the blue sky and out of the cold and rain!

Having said all that, we enjoyed our stay and would recommend this Resort if you got a good deal, no more than $1000 pp + tax.   If we had a choice though we would pick a Riu palace for better food.  Also the Valentin Imperial Maya, had much better food.

I have seen Secrets Resorts regular prices up to $3000.pp and I am sure you would not be happy with the food and service if you were paying that kind of money.

Wohoo! Miley Cyrus is Gluten-free

I just got back from a little vacation to the hot and sunny Huatulco, Mexico....I'll write a blog about that later, (or see my review on tripadvisor.ca , I am carcar47)

So catching up on the news, I hear Dr Art Hister talking about Miley Cyrus, .......(strange combination if you follow Dr. Art at all), anyway he wasn't impressed that Ms. Cyrus was encouraging people to go gluten free to loose weight.  Dr Art has celiac disease and has to be gluten free, so he is an expert on the topic.

Dr. Art says that only about 1% of the population needs to be gluten free, there are others like myself, that have intolerances and feel better without wheat or gluten.  Changing your diet can cause weight loss, but once you get used to the new way of eating, the weight will come back if you consume too many calories and don't get your exercise.  Dr. Art says for the average person it is more important to have whole grains in your diet.  (Trust me gluten free does not taste as good either)

So yes, it appears that Miley Cyrus has lost some weight, but telling her followers on Twitter that gluten is "Yuck"  and no one should eat it, is just her opinion.

My opinion, after being at an all inclusive resort for a week:  A lot of Americans could benefit from removing some carbs and hamburgers from their diets.   (how do I get Miley to tweet that)

Digestive Problems ..........to be continued

• It was Nov 17/11 that I decided to give up wheat as a 30 day trial thing, I did not ever consider it to be a lifestyle change I wanted to make, but so far I have not been able to eat wheat again without tummy trouble.
• It was Dec 19/11 that I went to a Naturopath for the first time in my life, and had the blood tests done for food allergies.  Yes the same blood tests that are now in the news, as a waste of money! (over $500 I spent)

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20120319/food-allergies-sensitivities-120319/#.T2tS4cfF-m8.email

• When I got the results in January of this year, I thought it might have been a bit questionable, as the test did not show I had a problem with wheat or dairy, just eggs, bananas, sesame seeds and garlic.  The funny thing was that I ate eggs or bananas almost every day, and hummus (garlic and sesame) quite alot.  The wheat and dairy did not show up as a problem because I wasn't eating that stuff in December. (I have used Lactose free milk for years)
• So I stopped eating eggs & Bananas, tried adding in some whole wheat bread, that did not go well, so I haven't tried that again.  But do I feel better without eggs and bananas...NO!
• I want to try to add eggs back into my diet, but it has to be on a day when I feel great so I will know if it is the egg or not.....I can't say I have had more than one day of feeling great since January when I got those results.

I was actually supposed to go back to the Naturopath for a follow up on Mar 20th, I cancelled the appointment, because I am not ready to spend more money there, and I feel I have to find the food that is causing my continuing problems before I go back there.  The next day that story broke in the news, I have to say I feel like I was taken, hoodwinked or whatever you want to call it.  Although I guess I already knew that the test was not accurate for me, as I am not feeling better.

I was looking for the easy way to find the cause to my digestive problems, the Naturopath did say I could use the cheapest route, of starting with a bland diet and then slowing adding things to see what reacts, but that can take months, so I opted to pay the money and take the quick test.  

Over the past couple months, I have been taking pills every night to keep me regular, (cleanse more, and a magnesium), I stopped taking the Ichol Plus (digestive vegetable capsules) cause I didn't think I needed them.  This helped until last week, now I don't need the cleanse more, (you can guess why).  I have restarted the Ichol plus, as that does help with digestion, the naturopath gave those to me because I do not have a gall bladder.

I have also been reading about food combining, which tells you to eat foods in the proper order, and don't combine starch with protein at the same meal.  Alot of rules, I tried, but found it hard to follow, and no improvement at all.

I have been eating a very healthy diet, no fast food, very little processed food (gluten free cookies, and chocolates are my greatest weakness).  We don't eat carbs at dinner, and only drink Alcohol on weekends now.  I have lost 2 lbs, and gained some muscle back thanks to my 2 days a week with my personal trainer.  

This week I gave up chocolate, and Almonds too.  I still have random tummy aches, and run to the bathroom......so thank god it is not chocolate! (Yahoo!)

My research includes writing down everything I eat, and today I discovered that I may have a problem digesting protein.  I found several articles online that describe my symptoms, and I just may be onto something here.  I am not going to get too excited about this yet, cause as you can tell I have been incorrect before (don't tell anyone, I hate to admit I was wrong).  I do have an appointment with my Doctor next week, and I know there are supplements I can take to help digest protein better.( I think the Ichol plus maybe one of them) 

I have my fingers crossed, I'll keep you posted,

Have a Great Day!

Tolling & Tranlink update

The other thing that I missed telling you, is that I sent my blog to Mayor Diane Watts of Surrey.  She actually sent a response, (well it could be from someone in her office but I choose to believe it was from her personally)and if you have been following the local news, she is on board to spread tolls evenly for all.  Of course, not everyone likes this, but obviously there are others who share my opinion, as I doubt she is just doing it for me?  (I'd like to think I have that kind of power, but I know that might be a dream, but sometimes it has to start with one person...so I'll keep dreaming)

Good morning Carolyn,

Thank you for your email, which I received on February 25 regarding your suggestions about tolling on major entrances and exits to Vancouver.  I appreciate that you have taken the time to outline the points in your blog entry as they relate to the current discussions that are taking place between TransLink, the Provincial Government and the affected municipalities in the Metro Vancouver region.  In the complexity of these discussions, I will be keeping your insight in mind as Surrey City Council and myself continue to lobby for decisions that are in the best interests of the residents of Surrey.  In the meantime, I encourage you to keep in contact with your local MLA and TransLink to have them consider the suggestions you have outlined.

Sincerely,

MAYOR DIANNE WATTS

14245 - 56 Ave, Surrey, BC, Canada V3X 3A2
T 604.591.4126 | F 604.604.591.5175 | www.surrey.ca

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Nothing like a sunny Monday

I know, it has been such a long time between blogs, but you will be happy to know (well I am happy so you should be too!) that my parents have moved into their new house.

• The reno is mostly done, still need a light fixture and some tile for the kitchen back splash, and alot of unpacking and organizing, but they are in!
• The old house is sold and emptied (which is a total miracle, I do not know where they kept all that stuff).  
• There were a few set backs, like the floor having to be redone, as the first one was installed incorrectly.  The kitchen countertop was also installed that day, but was not ordered correctly so had to be taken out and replaced after they moved in.  (talk about a bad day)
• All quite stressful, and to make it worse, their dog had to be put down just a couple weeks before the move.  (too sad, you can imagine how hard this all was for older folks)

When I talked to my Mom this morning, she was happy to see the sunshine, and off to volunteer at the church.  Life is returning to normal.

Last week when it was snowing (or trying to) I found a great vacation deal, and after looking at it for a few days the price dropped to $885. pp for a week of Adults only, all inclusive food, drinks, airfare, accommodation, sun and sand.  We couldn't pass it up.  So we are not going to Hawaii, but Huatulco, Mexico.....which has been on my list of places to see, so I am very Happy!

If you are doing any vacation planning, check out this website I found last week, www.triplink.ca

I have not seen this site before, but it is great for finding the best time to travel to a city, or your favorite hotel.  You put in your destination, and if you choose, a hotel name, and it will come up with a calendar showing you the prices for each day, for the next 6 months or so.  

So if you want to go to Vegas, and stay at Bellagio, it will give you all the prices from a large selection of air/ tour companies, so you can choose the best price.  So easy!