SWM 2009 - Day 5

These are my cowboy boots. They are amazing!! I got them on a trip to
Astoria with my good friend, Corey. They are Frye's and terribly
comfortable. Usually these babies cost between $300-$400. I scored
them for under $90!!

I wore these today because it was western wear day at school. Next
week there are more dress up days. If my costume is especially awesome
I will be sure to post tide as well.

Vegan: 0 Non-vegan: 5

For those who don't know, vegan shoes are those which are made with no
animal products. Leather, silk, etc.

SWM 2009 - Day 4

I love these shoes! They are made by Simple. They are blue suede
shoes. My favorite part is labeled arrows on the sole of the foot
that says, "toes go here."

Vegan: 0. Non-vegan: 4

SWM 2009 - Day 3

Today's shoe is an Aerosole elastic slide. I have no idea how long I
have owned these, but I think I remember wearing them my first year of
teaching...10 years ago!

I'm adding a new feature to these posts; a vegan count!

Vegan: 0. Non-vegan: 3.

SWM 2009 - Day 2

I haven't forgotten about this project I was just kicked out of school
for a week by the principal. I promise that it has nothing to do with
cute teenage boys. In fact, I had the swine flu and was bannished from
the premises.

Anyhow, today's shoe is a leather mule sandal by Patagonia. I got it
on sale at Marshall's for ten bucks. They are super duper comfy. And I
really like the flower details.

Shoe Wardrobe Meltdown 2009 - Day 1

> One of my colleagues was disappointed last week when I wore a pair
> of shoes for the second time this year. She had looked forward to
> the new shoes I would sport each day. Natalie's comments sparked an
> idea.
>
> I will wear a different pair of shoes each day that I go to school.
>
> Since I have NO IDEA how many shoes I own, there is no way to tell
> how long this will take. Any guesses???
>
> Each day I will post the shoes that I wear and tell you everything I
> know about them. Today's shoes are a silver Privo flat in leather
> and elastic. They were purchased for $5 at the Goodwill. Regularly,
> these shoes run for $100-$120. They were nearly new when I bought
> them and are SUPER comfy. It's like wearing a stylish slipper.
>

Health News.

So my doctors and I have been struggling to determine the cause of much widespread pain all over my body...along with a variety of other odd and interesting symptoms. I tested positive for System Lupus Erythematosus (or Lupus for short) an auto-immune disease, but it was a low positive and none of the other tests were positive. Some of the other blood labs were elevated, some low. But after it is all said and done the doctors have all concluded that I have Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

For those of you who know my family, this is what my mom has (she also has some other fun things, but the root of all evil is Fibromyalgia). So I sort of have an idea of what is in store and really not looking forward to all of the future aches and pains.

I did crazy in depth study on Fibromyalgia and possible treatment options. I even spent a full afternoon up at the medical school reading journals and watching videos. I have read more books in the last month than perhaps the last several years of my life.

One of the problems with treating Fibromyalgia is that there is still no clear understanding of what causes the syndrome to exhist. Everyone has a different hypothesis and so of course, there were lots of different treatment options. Some proved more medically sound than others, but even the quacks had proof that improvement in pain was evident following their method.

To give you an idea of some of the wierd treatments let me list a few for you:

• sleep on an infrared heating pad
• drink alkaline water
• take a high dose of guinefasen (an expectorant, Musinex)
• eat only vegatables and avocados
• sleeping pills
  
• eat a vegetarian diet
  
• take lots of antidepressants
  
• take NSAIDs like Aleve or Advil
• take narcotics like Vicodin
• exercise
• vitamin B shots
• steroids

That's all I can remember off the top of my head. So I was totally overwhelmed with all of the information in front of me and wanted to synthesize all of it so I could make the best educated decision about course of treatment.

Well, I was ready to organize my research when I felt prompted to start my search in the scriptures. I read all of the scriptures about health in the Bible, Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. To my absolute surprise they were all about prayer. One scripture, Proverbs 3: 5, said to rely on the Lord and not on my own understanding. Well, that was a big enough kick in the pants. I began to pray that day for an answer to my quandry.

The answer came the next morning. I felt strongly that I needed to adjust my diet. I prepared to pray and made a long list of all the things that I eat. As I prayed I took a Sharpie and started crossing things out, making notes next to some items, and adding things to the list. By the time I was done I had a new diet and when I needed to start it...the next day!

It is basically vegan, but I eat fish and egg whites. For the record, I am not eating vegan because I love the animals, though I do. I am eating vegan because the Lord told me to and because it is doing remarkable things for my health. It has been one week and the pain that I have felt for the last several months has dissipated almost entirely. It is amazing!!

I know that it is still the honeymoon period, but I feel better than I have in a long time. And if that means that I miss out on steak and bacon and hamburgers with cheese, then I am glad to do it.

A Horrid Jiffy Lube Experience

This is the letter I sent to Jiffy Lube today because of my visit to one of the Hillsboro locations this afternoon:
~Malia

Dear Sirs and Madams:

I had an experience today that left me mortified and humiliated. The lack of professionalism was repugnant. It surely requires attention from the local manager as well as other regional representatives. I would like to share my experience with you.

I had called earlier in the day to check the price of an oil change for my vehicle for conventional oil. The man on the phone told me that it would be the standard $35.99 because my car, a 2008 Toyota Avalon, did not require more oil than the included 5 quarts.

I brought my car in for the service and the technician who brought me the air filters and told me how much the bill was going to be was a little arrogant and was insensitive that I did not want the air filters replaced. In fact, he indignantly asked, "So you want me to put these back in your car?!?" I thought that I had made that clear, but again stated that I did not want new air filters.

He then told me what the bill was to be and I became concerned because it was nearly $10 more than the base price. I expressed this concern and that I had called earlier to verify the amount. He became very defensive saying that we can't give estimates over the phone unless we look at the car because we don't know what kind of engine the car has, etc. (Never mind the fact that all Avalons come with a V-6 3.5 liter engine.) He also danced around what part of the additional charges were for. I felt like he did not explain them to me because I was a woman or couldn’t understand the technical jargon. (Fact of the matter is, I am well-versed in automobile repair and until this vehicle have done major repairs on all of my cars, including oil changes.) I still do not know what the additional charge is for. I think it is for a special oil filter. Anyhow, I simply stated that I was frustrated because if all they needed to know what kind of engine I had, then whomever I spoke with earlier could have and should have asked that question, but did not and now because of false information I am stuck spending more money than I had anticipated. He gave me a $2 additional discount (I already had an $8 coupon) so it was now $34. I said thank you, but insisted that I was still frustrated by the lack of communication.

I sat down in the waiting room and as I did so, this young man (whose name I do not know, but we was a slender man with tattoos up his arm and a short buzz cut) went out into the bay and shouted, "Who gave a phone quote for a 2008 Toyota Avalon?" Someone responded and then the argument began. He kept shouting about how "people don't do their research before buying cars to know how much oil they take" and "now I have to deal with her while she's complaining." The argument, complaining and strong words went on for several minutes. There was another customer waiting in his car in the bay while all of this took place. After about four minutes, I walked out the sliding glass door into the bay and simply said, "Excuse me, but would you please stop complaining about me while I’m waiting here and can hear you?"

This same young man kept complaining and tried to make excuses, I repeated what I had heard him say and that I was offended that I was being talked about in such a manner while I was paying them for a service. I didn't curse. I didn't say anything directed to this particular worker. I didn’t yell. I just wanted the complaining and harassment to stop.

I went back into the waiting room to wait for my car. The bay was thankfully quiet except for requisite noises and words. A few minutes later a different man came into the waiting room and said, "That will be $33.58." I paid, signed the form and left. He did not say “hello” or “we’re all done” or “sorry.” Nor did he explain everything that was done to my vehicle. Another young man opened my door and said, "Sorry about all the drama and miscommunication." With this one exception, no one apologized for the unprofessional manner in which the situation was handled.

I am still flabbergasted by the behavior of the entire team at this Jiffy Lube location. I will NEVER go back to this Jiffy Lube again. I am EXTREMELY hesitant to ever go back to another Jiffy Lube. I feel belittled, humiliated, and degraded. I should not feel this way after any kind of professional service.

Thank you for allowing me to share my story. I look forward to a follow-up.

Sincerely,

Malia Hite

A Tragic Recycling Accident

Four weeks ago I was recycling some soda cans to help my friend's daughter earn money for her swim team. I was getting in the groove, up to my elbows in stale, nasty soda (luckily no beer cans...phew!), and cramming as many cans into the machine as possible.

For those of you who are not familiar with the recycling process in Oregon, you take your cans and bottles to machines that scan the bar code and then give you your nickel back.

Some may say that I am a determined soul, others may call it stubborn. I had a Coca-Cola can that had been crushed, perhaps even stepped on. Because of its crushed status, the machine was unable to read the bar code. I was determined to get my nickel back, and no I did not have a desire for some punk music. So I pulled apart the can. It took a great effort and Herculean strength, but I was able to reconstitute the can with minimal pain and suffering.

Or so I thought.

The next day my two middle fingers were sore. A few days after that only my ring finger was swollen and sore. I iced it and took Aleve, but it was still the size of a kielbasa.

I went to the doctor and she said it was a strained tendon and tendinitis. She gave me a splint and said this injury would "take a long time to heal." It's now been 4 weeks and the finger is still just as bad, if not worse.

I am planning on going back to the doctor this week. Any guesses as to what she will say this time?

A New Movement

My sisters and I have realized that we lack a certain amount of financial responsibility. Though some of us are getting better than we used to be, there is still much room for improvement.

To assist us in this quest, we have started a new blog: Poor Hite.

Please follow our search for self-reliance and financial freedom.

To start this movement, I am stealing an idea from my friend, B. It is a Financial Fast. It is how I plan to save some money and see how much I frivolously spend...which I am sure is a lot.

The rules:
Spend no money...other than the necessities, of course. Necessities are defined as the following:
- rent/mortgage
- loan/car payments
- utilities/insurance
- gasoline
- groceries and personal necessities (i.e.-deodorant, tampons, Tucks pads, and Preparation-H)
THAT IS IT!!!!

No restaurants. No shopping. No stops at the 7-11. No movies. Nothing extra.

Now, there are some who say that is unrealistic. There may be a need to have a set amount of flex-cash for entertainment, etc.

I am kind of a purest and think that a true financial fast should be done without the flex cash.

I would like to start the Financial Fast as soon as possible. Any takers?

Blog Roll!

I have been noticing that I have a lot of visitors from all over the world. I have no idea what would make my blog so interesting to someone in Antalya (where ever that is?!?) come for a visit. I am sure that I do know some of these people, but I don't know who you are.

So here's the drill. If you are reading this, leave a post telling me who you are, where you are and what you are doing here.

Can't wait to see who you are!!