The Twenty Healthiest Vegetables

These Are the 20 Healthiest Vegetables Of All Time, According to Registered Dietitians (yahoo.com)

Here's the list if you don't want to read the article:

avocado

broccoli

tomatoes

cauliflower

hot peppers

bell peppers

spinach

eggplant

peas

beets

carrots

sweet potatoes

brussel sprouts

onions

kale 

cabbage

leeks

jicama

spaghetti squash

celery

My thoughts:

hooray! 

I like a lot of these vegetables!

My favorites are avocado, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and peas.

I want to eat more onions, spinach and sweet potatoes.

I don't usually eat bell peppers, celery, spaghetti squash, leeks, cabbage, or eggplant, but I like them. 

I don't care for kale, beets or brussel sprouts but I have tried them. 

I don't like hot peppers. 

I've eaten jicama once - it doesn't have much of a taste, but it was okay. It reminded me of apple. 

I'm surprised that kale and spinach weren't higher on the list. 

Three vegetables that I eat frequently that didn't make the list: zucchini, yellow squash, and cucumber.

librarianintx

Netflix Dahmer Docuseries - SPOILERS!

In case you missed it in the title - SPOILERS

I am fascinated by serial killers, and true crime in general, but I only knew the basics about Dahmer. 

So the first thing you're going to say is, you are interested in true crime and serial killers, but you can't handle gore? 

Point taken, dear reader.

I don't do well with gore. 

But I will watch at least some of Ryan Murphy's shows. 

Because he is a genius, and his shows are brilliant. 

I will deal with gore if it's a Ryan Murphy production. 

Now that we have that out of the way....

I'm not here to talk about the gore. 

I am here to talk about the unfathomable, unspeakably horrifying, 100% blatant RACISM and HOMOPHOBIA on the part of the Milwaukee police department that allowed Jeffrey Dahmer's killing spree to continue. 

He committed his first murder in 1978, and his last in 1991. 

Despite reports from neighbors of suspicious behavior and foul odors coming from his apartment, PLUS the fact that he was a convicted sex offender, Dahmer was not considered a suspect, even though men of color were disappearing from his area. 

Three black women called police when a young, mixed-race male of unknown age was found nearly naked and apparently heavily intoxicated outside of Dahmer's apartment building. Dahmer told police the boy was an adult, that they were live-in boyfriends, and that the man (boy) was very drunk. Dahmer allowed the police to follow him and the boy back to his apartment. He allowed the police INSIDE his apartment. He explained away the foul odor in the apartment. AND THE POLICE BELIEVED HIM. Because he was white. And because they didn't want to deal with the situation of a gay couple. 

This is how much the police fu**ed up:

The boy was 14, not 19.

They did not press to see an ID

They did not wait until the boy was coherent.

They did not look in the refrigerator (to investigate the smell)

They did not search the apartment, even though Dahmer gave consent. 

If they had, they would have seen the body of Dahmer's previous victim on the bedroom floor. 

They did not listen to the black women.

They did not believe the black women. 

They did not wait around to listen to, or believe, the mix-raced man (boy)

They did not take him into protective custody. 

They only listened to, and believed, Dahmer. 

I know there is a lot of controversy regarding this series. 

People say the show is glorifying Dahmer.

And I know the families of the victims are very upset. 

I am not at all trying to minimize or disregard their pain and outrage. 

At the same time, I am glad this story is being told. 

Evan Peters said it best, when he accepted the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Limited Series earlier this month, "...I want to thank everyone out there that watched this show...it was a difficult one to make,  a difficult one to watch...but I sincerely hope some good came out of it..."

Yes, it's sad that many people, myself included, are having to learn about such a horrific time in our nation's history from a television show. 

But at least we are learning about it. 

librarianintx

Caveat To My Last Post

I know what many of you are saying if you read my previous post:

I work full time

I have a family

I am taking care of my parents.

How nice for you that you can section your tasks and activities.  

I don't have that luxury. 

I hear you.

I apologize. 

I understand that I can live my life this way because I have fewer responsibilities. 

I am going to offer some suggestions,  with the stipulation that they are not options for some.

When it comes to your job:

Request a flexible schedule 

If you have a disability, ask for reasonable accommodations 

Invest in short and long term disability insurance through your employer 

Take sick leave 

If you are low on sick leave, ask if there is a sick leave pool.

When it comes to family responsibilities:

Talk to spouse and children about pitching in more

Ask family and friends to help. There are web sites where loved ones can set up schedules to share duties

If financially able, hire a maid service and/or have food delivered, or do curbside

Ask siblings to help with parents, or to take on more responsibilities for a period of time.

I hope these ideas can help.

librarianintx 

Do What You Can

It is imperative that when you have a chronic illness, or are recovering from a transient one, that you only do what you can manage.

You need time to recover and heal.

For me, that means sectioning activities into small amounts of time. 

I do what I want when I feel like doing it.

Fatigue and some brain fog are affecting me as I recover from COVID. 

So, for example, yesterday i:

Read for a few minutes throughout the day

Played one or two games of something at a time

Wrote a note or two

Exercised for a few minutes at a time

Organized my bathroom throughout the day.

Accomplishing activities in batches can make it easier when you are unwell.

Be prepared for frustration that completion is taking longer than usual - but giving yourself grace during this time is vital for your recovery. And if you have a chronic illness and then get sick or injured in addition, this means giving yourself grace until you return to baseline health, then continuing to give yourself grace as you deal with constant health issues. 

For many people who deal with chronic illness or disabilities, they already implement these concepts of short duration activities, patience and grace.

I'm still learning.

librarianintx 

Year in Review 2022 - Accomplishments

Accomplishments:

I started playing Wordle at the beginning of the year, then added Spelling Bee. 

I took Pickup for the first time (Austin's answer to Uber)

I fixed an Internet outage in the apartment.

I've learned to enjoy the challenge of figuring something out (never thought that would happen)

I read 27 books. I need to update my Goodreads account.

I learned how to take a COVID test. :-/

I'm studying a little Spanish and sign language (emphasis on little)

I have made surprising and exciting strides in my mental health:

My storm phobia is not gone, but it is much improved. I don't check the weather obsessively, and I can now stay by myself during a storm - sometimes. :) 

My re-entry anxiety from the pandemic is also much better. I haven't been to a big event like a concert for health reasons, but I can be out in public without anxiety - most of the time.

I can also talk about my mental health, which is huge for me.

Finally, I am becoming more open about my physical health. I started using a rollator a few months ago. Her name is Poppy - more about her in future posts.

librarianintx 

Year in Review 2022 - Cooking

I'm surprised at how much I accomplished this year.

Rather than one long post, I'm writing a few.

Topic one: Cooking

My friends gave me an Instant Pot, and I LOVE it! I can cook independently with ease using an IP, and that is a game changer! This year I made:

Black Beans

Pinto beans

Taco pasta

Tuna casserole 

Chicken and barley soup

Chicken pasta alfredo

Creamy turkey tomato pasta

Only the tuna casserole was a fail. :)

I also did some baking. 

I have made egg bites previously.

This year I made several batches of...

Vegan sugar free banana blueberry muffins

and

Sugar free chocolate muffins (sweetened with honey)

Also, probably my biggest accomplishment this year -

I made Filet of Chicken (a family recipe) by myself. The apartment stunk for three days, but the chicken was yummy!!! It wasn't as difficult as I expected, and totally worth the effort. 

librarianintx 

Damar Hamlin

So many thoughts about what happened to Damar Hamlin last night during Monday Night Football. 

Too many thoughts.

So I'll keep it to a few.

First and foremost:

This is about a human being.

A son

A brother 

A friend

And yes, a teammate.

It was absolutely the right decision to end the game.

I think more games should end after a serious injury.

Players have suffered serious concussions, broken bones, and possible paralysis. 

But the games continue.

What message does that send to our society?

We have become desensitized to the brutality that football has become.

The sport has to be made safer.

Safety protocols that have been developed apparently aren't sufficient.

Are they being adhered to?

If not, why not?

Also if not, are the punishments strict and swift?

What can be done to make the sport less dangerous?

Is padding to protect the chest possible?

Will it help?

They wear helmets, but they still get concussions.

So many questions still. 

Football is a tremendous industry.

And risk is an inherent part of life.

Freak accidents and injuries happen every day.

Also, anyone can have both a natural talent and innate love for football.

Last night a former player said, "I loved the game from the moment a ball was put in my hands. I never wanted to do anything else. I had no Plan B."

So in my way of thinking, you don't end football. 

You make it safer.

You strictly enforce safety.

You create a culture of safety.

And no one plays football until this happens.

librarianintx