Salt

"Why do you have so many types of salt?" This was a question posed to me by a friend as she watched me pack up my kitchen in preparation to move.

"Seriously? You, who are a self-proclaimed foodie and palette expert have to ask me that question," was my retort. "Please tell me you are joking."

"No, I am serious," came her bemused reply. "Salt is salt isn't it?"

Now, before we go any further, allow me to list my current stock of salts:

Regular Table Salt
Kosher Salt
Pink Himalayan Salt - Coarse for grinding
Black Himalayan Salt - Coarse for grinding
White Himalayan Salt - Coarse for grinding
Damp, Raw Sea Salt
Black Hawaiian Lava Salt
White Celtic Rosemary Salt
White Cyprus Flake Salt
Mesquite Smoked Salt
Rock Salt

I'm sure that you are now agreeing with her that 11 containers of salt in one kitchen are quite a bit. If I weren't the "foodie" that I am and have the self-trained palette that I do, I would probably agree. But for me these various salts are necessary for a good kitchen and there are many others that I would love to include were I able to find/afford/make them.

I will endeavor to do for you, in words alone, what I did for her with taste and words. That is, to enlighten you on the subtle, and not so subtle, differences in my salts.

Regular Table Salt: 40% sodium. Table Salt is highly processed and milled to very fine grains. Most other minerals are removed and anti-clumping agents, with oftentimes, iodine are added. The anti-clumping agent most commonly found in table salt is calcium silicate. Most U.S. Americans (I can't speak for other countries because I don't know about the particular salts they may use.) are aware of what normal table salt tastes like. "It's salty." But when you expand your palette to other salts you come to discern that if the salt is iodized you can indeed pick up that trace flavor.

Kosher Salt: 40% sodium. Kosher Salt has been processed somewhat less meaning that it retains some of its trace minerals. It isn't milled as much so the grains are much larger. Because of the larger grain size, if you sprinkle it on food after the cooking process, you will get a much larger hit of the salty flavor when it hits your tongue. Since it isn't iodized you won't pick up on that trace flavor although you may notice a very slight mineral taste. (If you are looking for it.)

Pink Himalayan Salt: 37% sodium. Himalayan Salt is primarily mined from the Khewra Slat Mine in Pakistan. It is one of the salts available that isn't harvested from the sea which gives it different qualities than the sea salts. There is very little processing done to Himalayan Salt which is why it is most often found in larger chunks that have to be hand ground at the table if adding it to food after cooking. The pink color comes from various amounts of iron oxide (yes, rust) that were trapped as the salt formed. Himalayan salts also naturally contain a little more trace minerals than their sea born relatives. Since Himalayan salts have a lower sodium content you won't experience quite as strong a hit as table salt when you eat it. The difference is very minute so you really have to train yourself to find it. The slightly easier difference to find is the level of the trace mineral taste. People who have an already well trained palette will notice this.

Black Himalayan Salt: 37% sodium. Black Himalayan Salt, also known as "Kala Namak," is a complex mineral compound with a very strong sulphur content and taste. Again, there is very little processing done to Himalayan Salt which is why it is most often found in larger chunks that have to be hand ground at the table if adding it to food after cooking. When you eat it after food has been cooked the saltiness hits quickly but then fades rapidly leaving a very rich mineral taste. I have discovered that much authentic Indian cooking is done with Black Himalayan Salt. 

White Himalayan Salt: 37% sodium.   White Himalayan Salt is generally found in the outer areas of the salt mine(s) and has a much lower iron content which is why it doesn't have any of the pinkish color. Since the White Himalayan Salt is much rarer it can be pricey but it is well worth the cost. The salt flavor hits about the same as the pink but without the iron hints. You can still taste the other minerals in it, but without that iron forefront the mineral balance has a very different profile. You can also find Himalayan Salts in varieties of orange and red colors based on the levels of iron in them. Obviously, the darker the color the higher the iron content so that will change the flavor profiles each time.

*As a side note Himalayan Salts contain all 84 essential trace elements required by the human body.

Damp, Raw Sea Salt: 38% sodium. Raw Sea Salt is barely processed at all. It is pretty much just harvested from the drying area, given a good rinse to remove any debris, dried a until it doesn't clump, and then bagged. This Raw Sea Salt will have more mineral content but also more impurities in it. The darker the salt the more impurities. Be aware also though, that because the oceans are being polluted more and more the chances of those impurities being harmful (such as heavy metals like lead or mercury) increase as well. I will often use this salt to flavor pasta water or other large liquid preparations because it is inexpensive and easily available. Also you don't have to use as much to achieve the same level of salty flavor in the water. If eaten straight, the Raw Sea Salt has a bit of a "brininess" to it's flavor as opposed to just a "saltiness."

Black Hawaiian Lava Salt: 36% Sodium. Black Hawaiian Lava Salt is a sea salt that is harvested by using a traditional solar evaporation method which allows the trace minerals and elements to remain in the salt crystals as they form. The black color actually comes from coconut shell charcoal that is added to the salt. This does affect the flavor of the salt but in a good way. When used on foods after they are cooked you get a quick hit of the "saltiness" that is rapidly overshadowed by the rich mineral and coconut charcoal notes. Together the flavor can be said to have a "nutty" aspect.

White Celtic Rosemary Salt: 34% sodium. Celtic Salt is also commonly called "Grey Salt." It gets that name from the gray clay in France that the sea salt is dried on. This salt is a little more pricey due to it being hand raked during the evaporation process. The evaporation and raking are pretty much the only processing done to this salt which also tends to leave it a little damp feeling. (Nothing at all like the Raw Sea Salt's dampness.) Because of the mineral qualities of the ocean water and clay found along the shores of France this salt has a good, clean mineral, yet delicate, taste and it is also good for restoring electrolyte balances in the body. Since my salt has had rosemary added to it, it has that beautiful, crisp, biting flavor of the rosemary over imposed onto the clean mineral flavor of the Celtic salt. Celtic Salt is one of the best salts to combine with herbal infusions due to its clean, delicate taste.

White Cyprus Flake Salt: 38% sodium. Flake Salt is sea salt evaporated in a rapid manner that changes the speed at which the outer and inner areas of the crystal form, thereby creating a flat or pyramid shaped crystal that is more brittle than the average salt crystal. This brittle, flatness creates a wonderful crunch when eaten by itself or on raw foods. If added to hot, already cooked foods it tends to dissolve or "melt" pretty quickly leaving a lovely saltiness but no iconic "crunch." Due to the process of creating salt flakes much of the trace mineral content is removed which makes the salt very white or even clear and gives it a "clean" flavor. Much more so than any other salt I have tasted.

Mesquite Smoked Salt: 38% sodium. Since the Mesquite Smoked Salt that I have is a smoked variety of sea salt it contains much of the same minerals and elements of all sea salts. But the difference comes in when it is dry smoked over hot, smokey, wood coals. In this case the wood was mesquite so the rich, aromatic flavors of mesquite were infused into the salt along with it's normal flavor qualities. Smoked salts are much drier to the touch than their regular sea salt companions, but sometimes can have a faint oilishness about them that leaves a lingering feeling on the fingers. Obviously they work great on meats but they can also add a unique flavor to raw vegetables or some candies. (Sea Salt Caramel is an entirely different beast when made with smoked sea salt. Think about that on your tongue....)By itself smoked salt's flavors are dominated by the type of wood smoke used but they still carry that unique mineral back note that some other salts do not provide.

Rock Salt: 40% sodium. Rock salt is essentially land mined table salt in its coarse, unrefined state. Most rock salt comes with all of the debris and mineral compounds it's mined with. At the very most it is washed and broken down into manageable "pebbles". Usage wise, it works best for brines or making ice cream. Since it isn't processed it does retain the flavors of the minerals and elements that formed with it, which when making a brine, come out in the final flavor profile to a small degree. (This is why you can follow the same recipe for your brine and it have small variances in flavor.) If you ever place a piece of rock salt on your tongue you will be hit hard with a blast of saltiness that you probably weren't prepared for. This isn't due to any real difference in the salt, but due to its size which allows it to cover more acreage of your tongue. Because of this intensity the trace mineral flavors are overwhelmed and you cannot taste them. This is why I believe that if you ever want to experience pure salt flavor, use a piece of rock salt directly on your tongue. You won't be able to taste anything else. At all!

 I hope that this dive into my salt collection has helped you to appreciate the world of salt and to also demonstrate my answer to my friend's question of why I needed so much salt. If you have not already experimented with varying salts, I hope this essay has encouraged you to do so. If you plan on doing any side by side tasting though, please do so just as you would wine or liquor, start with the lightest flavors and work your way up to the strongest. If you start with Rock Salt you won't be able to taste anything else for a while.

Good luck and happy eating.

I HATE stupid people and stupid companies!!!

I use a "tele-health" service for my therapy. It's just easier given my transportation issues. (For those of you who aren't familiar with tele-health, it's where you have a video session with a Dr. or therapist over the internet. Usually each company will have it's own software and programs.) My insurance uses "LiveHealth."

I was supposed to have an appointment tonight. Note that I say "supposed to." When I tried to log on I kept getting an error message. Here's where it got stupid. The error message read, "We're Sorry. Your Request Cannot Be Completed At This Time. Please use your browser's BACK button to continue your session." Whichever college educated idiot wrote this is a real intellectual. *Smell the Sarcasm?* How exactly do you propose that I continue a session that you are unable to connect me to?

Anyway, I tried to connect about 4 times via my laptop. *Side Note: My wifi varies from 2.4 - 5 in bandwidth so there wasn't a data issue on my side.* After the fourth fail I attempted to use my iPhone. I did this because their customer service once told me that their program was designed more to be used via cell phone than computer. Ok...? Anyway, I tried using my cell phone. Nope. More messages, only this time it was to tell me that I was signing in early. Seriously!?

LiveHealth send me a text message and an email about 2 hours before my scheduled appointment time with a quicklink to their video program. In each message ever sent is has requested that I, "Please sign in to your appointment 10 - 15 minutes prior to my appointment time." This is so I have time to confirm my billing information, insurance provider, and to write in what this specific appointment is supposed to cover. Sure. My appointment time was for 7:30 PM CST. I first began attempting to log on at 7:23 PM CST, 7 minutes before my scheduled time! By the time I attempted my iPhone, it was 7:28 PM CST. I ask you, how is attempting to log in 2 minutes prior to the appointment time TOO EARLY?

So now irritated by not being able to sign in, and disgusted at the programmer's inane use of the English language and their ability to connect the appropriate message to the correct error/action I begin to write a rather pointed and verbose email to customer service. I figured let them know that their software is junk and their programmers idiots would help me to get over the irritation I was feeling. Get it of my chest as it were. *And I must say, I found the email to be a gem of colorful, but not vulgar, verbiage.*

But wait faithful reader, the plot thickens! As I was finishing up my email to customer service I received a notice that I had an email from LiveHealth. I'm thinking, "ok, maybe they are letting me know that their system is down and apologizing for the inconvenience." I couldn't have been farther from the truth. The email was to inform me that I had missed my session and that since I hadn't cancelled it 24 hours in advance that I was going to be charged a non-cancellation fee. My head exploded!

It was war now! I added a PS to my email and cut and pasted their entire email in. I then proceeded to respond to it in all bold type about how exactly their entire product and technical staff was an inferior product. I then told them directly that if I received a bill for missing the session that I would not pay it and if the harassed me or put it out for collections that I would retain legal council. Oh, and I would also contact my insurance company that contracts through them and let them know exactly the quality of service LiveHealth provides - with FULL documentation. *I love printscreen.*

I can't wait to read their response. *I'll let you know about it in an edit.*

So I have to ask, did I over react? *By the way, this is the third time that I have missed an appointment or had one terminate mid session because of their "Issues." I should have said that sooner. Sorry* Please let me know your opinion in the comments below.





 

When You Just Want to Kill the Dog

       Oh My Fucking God!!!!!

       I really want to rip the head off of that fucking, psychotic dog. 

       Ok, a little backstory: 

       I live with my friend B. and his aging father S. S. has a toy poodle mix named Molly. When S. was younger he would bait her, trying to get her to bark and bark. If she asked to go to the bathroom he would encourage her to "tell" him over and over again until she learned to bark to get his attention and to keep barking until he put the leash on her collar. If someone knocked on the door he would encourage her to bark and bark until he answered the door and then to bark at the person who came in until they showed her attention. If she heard one of the family vehicles pull into the driveway he would encourage her to "tell" him someone was home until they walked in the house and up the stairs. And those are just a few examples.

       Another thing he has done is, since he's been retired, he has spent every single moment of his life while at home constantly in her presence and most of that with her in his lap or beside him, including in the bed. So if he leaves her, even to step outside and check the mail she pitches a fit. She cries and whines constantly until he comes back in, be it 5 minutes or 5 hours. She'll even have a panic attack if he is on the other side of a door from her, i.e. the bathroom.

       So to the current date:

       S. has Dementia. Part of his declining issues is his loss of short term memory and a lot of his long term memory as well. He also has a decided lack of patience with anything. He has forgotten that he created this monster and her constant barking makes him angry at her. Which also makes him want to ignore her. So she starts asking to go out and he tells her to be quiet and lay down and she ignores him and keeps barking and barking until he finally gives in and takes her out. For 15 seconds. 

       I don't know if he forgets why he is outside, or if she has already done her business, or what but he'll no sooner shut the door then he's  opening it right back up. And comes upstairs and sits down again. Which then means that 2 minutes later she is back to barking her ass off and he is arguing with her that she just went out. This will go on for 20-30 minutes sometimes. I feel bad for the dog but it still drives me nuts. Her barks are shrill and ear splitting.

       The worst is when he leaves. Dementia or not S. refuses to accept that he shouldn't be driving and B. has given up an arguing with him. B. has actually said, "Fine! Go off and kill yourself or someone else but that's on you not me since you won't listen to me or your Dr." Anyway, S. will leave and not take Molly or put her in her crate so for the next however long, until I finally can't take it anymore, she's having a very high pitched, vocal anxiety attack because "Daddy's gone and never coming home." Oh, and did I mention that in her neurosis/psychosis, she will try to maul you if you get your hand within 2 inches of her or S.? This makes locking the bars on her kennel  a skill of speed and dexterity.

       She has now also developed the habit of losing her shit, in an angry way, anytime S. stands up to do anything. Go to the bathroom, the kitchen, bed.... That is what prompted this little post. It's after 11 PM, B. is in bed with the flu, and S. decided to turn off the TV and go to bed. As soon as his recliner retracted she bolts out of his lap and begins her tirade loud enough to wake the neighbors let alone B. And if that weren't enough S. has to join the chorus yelling at her to "Shut the Hell UP!" All of which leads to B.'s dog Charlie, who is in my room, beginning to bark and my dog Freya seriously considering joining in. I managed to get Charlie quieted down before Freya added her alto. 

       But not Molly. It took the entire time for her to follow S. down the length of the house to his bedroom before she shut up. And his bedroom door is directly across from B.'s. I just wanted to go out into the hall and punt her into a wall to shut her up. 

       The final straw in this fiasco of a relationship between S. and Molly is that even if he is upset with her God Forbid that anyone else try to discipline her. I can't even tell her to get out of the trash can without him telling me to "let her be - she ain't hurting nothing." Then he will soften his voice and coddle her and give her some sort of treat because she is a "sweet little girl." She'll even bite him sometimes when he's trying to get her face out of his plate (he often times eats on the couch). If B. tries to punish her for it or even yell at her S. is right up there defending her. "She didn't mean it, she was only wanting a bite."

       Maybe I should re-title this post When You Just Want to Kill the Dog Owner. But even if I did that she would still be neurotic and I'd want to kill her too. I hope she dies before he does because if it happens the other way around she will never stop crying and whining in her abandonment.

Getting My Head Out of My Ass or When to Stop Being a "Survivor"

       Getting my head out of my ass... Sounds like it would be easy, just pull it out. But when it's jammed in there with a bunch of old baggage, psychoactive medications, and physical ailments it isn't that simple.

       Just as you think you have a grip on an ear, something shifts or a jar full of emotional slime breaks and your hand slips off. Then, after a few tries you give up. Until, after a few months or years, you get some more encouragement and you try again. Only to have more things break open, shift, or find new stuff packed around it.

       It seems like a Sisyphean task dreamed up by a doubly sick sadist. And I am NOT a masochist!

       I'm with a new therapist, N., right now. Tele-Health. It takes some getting used to and my sound software or his isn't the greatest. But I digress. I like working with N. He is very good at Cognitive/Behavioral therapy. He gets that I need homework to help me get things done and to help me gain insight that I wouldn't get in a 45-50 minute therapy session. He also doesn't accept ANY excuses even ones that disguise themselves as "reasons."

       I honestly think that with his help I have made perhaps my biggest breakthrough since dealing with the triggers of my PTSD. Let me give a little bit of background to help flesh it out.

       I was abused as a child. Sexually, emotionally, physically... you get the idea. So I was a "Victim."
Then I entered therapy and worked through some issues and changed my personal perspective to being a "Survivor!" And that was that. I was no longer a victim so I didn't have to work on that part of my identity. Right....

       Now I have come to realize that just being a "survivor" isn't the end of the process. As a "survivor" my identity is still tied to the abuse. It gave me a reason (read excuse) to behave the way I did and to react to things the way I did. I "couldn't help it," I've "survived" being abused and it shaped the way I think, feel, and act. Didn't it?

       But that mentality has been holding me back. Thinking that way has just let me sit in idle thinking that this is all I'll ever be. Someone who's social interactions, behaviors, and thinking processes are based on behaviors learned when I was being abused. And that too is a cop out. I don't have to be a "survivor" anymore either. I can just be a person.

       Sure, there was a point where I needed to be a survivor. It was a way for  me to understand why I felt the way I did and such. But not getting the information that there was something beyond "surviving" has left me in that mode, surviving. Which isn't living.

       Please don't think that I'm trying to equate myself with the people who are living in active war zones or extreme poverty or other ways that literally put their lives in moment to moment or day to day risk. I'm not saying that. But being stuck in the psychiatric "survivor" mentality I wasn't growing or improving. I was stagnating. And, as Michael Ketterer said on AGT, "When you are surviving you can't dream."

       (I'm not sure if that was his original saying or if he was quoting someone else.)

       I have achieved little in my time as a "survivor". I haven't been able to hold a job for more that 8-10 months at a time. (1 year and 7 months is my record.) I was able to get my Associates Degree but I have done nothing with it. I have a "things I want to do as a career" list 5 pages long. My bucket list is even longer. But I have had no motivation because my mind has been clogged with "reasons" why I can't do anything. Me being a "survivor" is the true reason. It has given me the excuse to be a slug, unmotivated, and plain out lazy.

       So now I'm done "surviving." I want to be a "Real Live Boy!" and that means that I can't just "survive" anymore. I have to own everything about myself. My thinking. My reasoning. My reactions. My motivation or lack there-of. My desires. My dreams. ME!

       And OMG it looks scary.

       But I'm going to suck it up and dig in. Small things at first. One or two small changes. And when those are accomplished a few more. And a few more. Set some goals of all lengths. And then just do them. Sink or swim there's no half measures here.

       Don't wish me luck. I'm going to start making my own luck from now on. Wish me "Bon Voyage."

       I'll send you a postcard....

     

FUCKING HEADACHES

**Note to the reader**

I am NOT comparing Headaches to Migraines in this post.

Migraines are a completely different animal and have no relation to the Headache I am talking about.

       Headaches can be caused by so many things. Tension. Blood pressure. Environmental allergies. Hormone imbalance. Alcohol. Diet. Sleep, or the lack there of. Posture. Having been injured. Flashing lights. Caffeine, or the lack there of. Medications. The list goes on and on.

       I'm going to be talking about the most hateful and insidious type of headache - the Sinus Headache. 

       Most people who know me know that I am plagued with annoying sinus issues. I have had multiple allergy tests and they all come back saying that I'm allergic to mold (just about all types) and the last test also added Chestnut Trees. My question to the allergist each time after the test results have come back has been, "Please tell my why it is then, that as soon as ANYTHING in the world turns green my sinuses act up?" Most of the time the answer is that "a person can be sensitive to things without actually being allergic to them."

       "Ok Dr. Frank Burns, what is the treatment for being sensitive to something?"

      "It's essentially the same treatment we would give you if you were allergic to it."

       *** Please excuse me while I beat my head into the table for a moment. ***

       "Fine Dr. then how would you treat an 'allergy' to green, growing things?"

       "I'll give you a prescription of Singulair and a new nasal aerosol called Qnsl. Those should handle things for you."

       Let me tell you, just for the record, I am currently taking: Singulair, Qnsl, Benedryl, Chlortrimeton, NiteQuel, Robitussion, and semi-regularly using a neti-pot. I will swap out the Chlortrimeton for Zyrtec about every 6 months because it seems like around that time my body gets used to whichever one I'm taking and it no longer works. I also get a prescription of old fashioned Sudafed every spring unless I want to be completely non-functional.

     You'd think that with me taking that mini pharmacy that my sinuses would be bone dry. Nope! I still have a chronic condition that I have termed "wet nose." Wet nose is when your sinuses produce just enough mucus to keep the inside of your nose wet enough that you feel like you have to blow it (and NOTHING ever comes out) while simultaneously maintaining a very fine trickle down your throat so that you have a low level tuberculosis cough that only by keeping a cough drop in your mouth 24hrs a day will it stop. Seriously, I sleep with cough drops in my mouth or I don't sleep for the constant coughing.

       Now I hear you asking, "Why is this post titled 'Fucking Headaches' if your are talking about your sinuses?"

       The answer, Dear Reader, is because for the past 10 days I have had the most ridiculous sinus headache I have ever had or heard of. It's not a migraine because there are no associated migraine symptoms. 

     It has refused to remain in one location on my head. It goes from encompassing my entire head to resting in my sinus region to feeling like I've been hit in the back of the head with a baseball bat, as well as many other manifestations. (Right now it is bulging over my right eye.) 

       Along with its migrating quality it also wants to change in severity and type of pain. It'll throb, spike like I've just been stabbed with an ice pick, thump and burn like I've been hit with a dull object, just be a steadily increasing pressure (my eyebrow right now), pinch, flicker in and out rapidly, disappear for a few hours, and hold steady for a few more hours.

       Oh yeah, and I'm CRAVING salt! 

       I have taken Tylenol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, a muscle relaxer, and a hydrocodone. The headache just laughs and taunts me with, "Is that all you got?"

     It's like the headache is a psychotic, malevolent, living thing that is bent on destroying my life. I have been sequestering myself in my bedroom this entire time, very rarely coming out to socialize or participate in any of the household tasks that I usually do. I take my dog out when she needs to go, come out once or twice to get more to drink or get something to eat and then dive back into my sanctuary. On the few occasions when the headache disappeared for a little while I have gone out and sat with my roommate (B) and his father. 
     
      As I get older, I'm 48 - gasp, I find that my sinuses are acting up more and more and the headaches are coming more frequently and lasting longer. Although, this one has been the longest and weirdest one yet. If this trend continues I expect to have "Wet Nose" 365 days a year followed by a constant headache 24/7/365 by the time I'm 55-60. Yay, something to look forward to. Kill me NOW!

       I have friends who have migraines. I feel bad for them, I really do. But for most of them it's a one every month or two kind of thing. AND, medical science has come up with prophylactics and treatments for most types of migraines. (I do have one friend who is a severe migraine sufferer who has actually been hospitalized long term for hers and has participated in numerous drug and treatment trials to little or no avail. My heart goes out to her and I have no idea how she continues to have the strength to keep going.)

       But this is different. This is a sinus headache. I'm already taking just about every sinus medication that I can take without overdosing? my body. I've already taken every pain medication I have available, even one that I'm allergic to. I've researched if it could be a migraine because if it is then I can go to my Dr. and ask for migraine medication. I've Googled brain tumors to see if there's anything out there that sounds like my symptoms. Nothing. It's a sinus headache.

       I have often asked my Dr.s if I can have a sinusectomy. (I dunno if there is such a word but it sounds like one.) All of them say no, that sinuses are what keeps your head from falling over. (Apparently they act as balloons that raise the front of your head up so it can balance on your neck. ????) At this point all I can see them being is a snot factory.

       Look, I'll wear a neck brace for the rest of my life. They can fuse my spine and my skull together. I'll braid a string with a weight on the end of it into the hair on the back of my head. I NEED some relief. 

       I'm ready to perform some sort of satanic ritual to get this thing under control. Do you think healthy sinuses are worth a human soul? How many babies would I have to sacrifice? Or maybe goats? 

       Are there any "Grandma's Home Remedies" out there that you absolutely know will work? Any ancient Chinese medicine that I can access here in rural Kentucky, USA? (I don't think they sell tiger bladders or peacock testicles at my local IGA.) I'm really ready for this to end.

       So yeah, Fucking Headaches! 


   P.S. I'll let you know in the comments if/when it goes away and if there was a specific treatment/medication that made it happen.

       

Introduction to My Blog

     I decided to start this blog because I have many things that run through my head and I really want to say them out loud but for one reason or another I am unable to. I figured that here, sharing those thoughts with the world at large semi-anonymously I could get the thoughts out without hurting people, making the mad, or just outright making an ass of myself. 

     I fully expect some people to thing I need mental help. Others will think I'm a "snowflake", hater, commie, unpatriotic, or just a loser. Hopefully some of you will agree with me, or at the very least find some common ground. I hope that most of you will at least find the humor that will be laced throughout this blog.

     Part of this is to be a form of therapy. If I write out what is going through my head then I can step back and analyze what's going on with me currently and hopefully use it to help me be a better me. Also if my therapist follows the blog he might get some insight into me that regular therapy sessions don't allow for.

     Another part of writing this blog is to be able to share my thoughts with others. My living situation has me pretty isolated and I really only have one person to bounce things off of and there are many things that I want/need to say that he won't want to hear or is tired of hearing. He's also pretty set in his ways and sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a wall with certain subjects. So I really hope that people will read my blog and chime in.

     The final part to why I'm writing this blog is because I have things to say that I really think people should hear. Things that I don't think are being said, or that aren't being said enough. I look at the world from a radically different perspective than most people I know of and I believe that it gives me insight into things that others may not see. I'm not saying I'm a genius or better than anyone, I'm just saying that sometimes I see things in ways that most people don't and that perspective may be helpful to others.

     Some days I may post multiple times a day. Other days I might not post anything. The goal is to post something at least 4-5 times a week. I will be talking about my personal life. I will be talking about entertainment. I will be talking about politics. I will be talking about religion. I will be talking about sex. I will be talking about crime. I will be talking about cartoons. No subject is off limits. I will use curse words. I will most likely insult people, in specific and in general. I will praise people, again in specific and in general. In other words, this is a no holds barred blog. If you don't think you can handle any of the fore mentioned things then this is not the blog for you. 

     I may talk about doing inappropriate or illegal things here. Unless specifically stated otherwise, please understand that those things are ideas running through my head and I in NO WAY have done, intend to do, or encourage others to do them. I'm just getting it out of my head. I have never been arrested and the only illegal things I have done are speeding, not having my passenger buckle their seat belt, and experimented with pot and LSD in college. Again, anything inappropriate or illegal mentioned here, unless specifically said otherwise, is just me talking about what is going through my head and has not been done, is not intended to be done, nor is encouraging others to do so! If you have questions about this ask them!

     If you want to share anything I have written, by all means please do so. I only ask that you attribute it to this blog and provide a link back to the blog. Tell others who you think would be interested in my writings. Word of mouth is pretty much my main way of advertising this blog. Please help 🙏.

     Thanks for reading and enjoy.