It Changes Your Pee

***DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT a medical doctor, therefore this is not an all inclusive list of everything that could be the cause of abnormalities.  If you have any questions or concerns about things mentioned here, discuss with your doctor.***

I originally was going to write a post about how I simplify complex information for patients at work that undoubtedly makes someone laugh.  However in thinking of examples for this entry, I realized many things affect your pee, and decided instead to tell you about the magic of pee and what it can tell you.

First, the ones from the original post idea of how I simplify things.  A common example is someone comes up to the counter with a vitamin bottle in their hand asking if it is, in fact, what the doctor was trying to recommend to them.  Their next concern is usually what would happen if they were already getting enough of it or another vitamin that is in the pill.  Now, one could go into the whole explanation that your body won't absorb it if it's one that is water soluble.  My response is usually: you'll pee it out.

My favorite vitamin to explain is B-12 though.  As a vegetarian, I was concerned about getting enough of this one and often others are as well when they ask questions about it.  Here's a fun way of knowing if you need to be taking B-12 in pill form:  if your pee is green, you're getting enough then and you are wasting your money on the vitamin.

One thing drug companies like to add to meds is hydrochlorothiazide or, hctz.  For example, a person can be on lisinopril and the doctor decides to change it to the combination of lisinopril/hctz.  Patients usually have no idea what hctz is.  I wouldn't either had I not had this job.  Most understand when one tells them it is a water pill.  However, when that doesn't work, I tell them it just makes them pee more which then jogs their memory of what their doctor had told them.

Interesting factoid (that I'll let you look up yourself which one it is): a particular drug is actually made from pregnant horse pee.  Of course, I would never break this disturbing news to someone picking up their prescription for it....unless they are really rude to me for no reason.

Your pee can also be an indication that something is wrong.  If your pee smells and you haven't eaten any asparagus recently, then there is probably something wrong.  Like, you have a UTI or yeast infection wrong so get thee to a doctor or minute clinic.  If it is cloudy, ye should also seek medical advice as it could be an infection like mentioned before or an STD.

Now, the color of pee can be alarming too.  If it's green, you probably are getting too much of a particular vitamin.  Consult with your doctor.  If it's a bright orange, it's probably the cause of a medication you are taking.  If it's clear or a very pale yellow, it's probably because you drank a lot of fluids recently.  A good way to tell if you are dehydrated is if your urine is a dark yellow/orange.  Fun fact: your urine will typically be the darkest in the morning when you first wake up, assuming your're not dehydrated or drank a full glass of water in the middle of the night.

Lastly: if there is blood or it hurts to pee: see a doctor immediately as this is something serious.  Not going to tell you what because I would rather scare you into going than you ignoring it for a few days, especially if you are a guy because why you don't go to doctors is beyond me.  Hint: women go to doctors and live longer than men on average.....just saying.


Now I'm sure I have either grossed you out, entertained you, or have made you think about your pee in a whole new way.

My Novel - A Preview

Due to not having much to write about, I decided to post the prologue to the novel I've been working on.  It's short, but it's a prologue. I am currently working on chapter 5 and no, I will not be posting what I have so far as it needs massive editing as this part most likely does as well.  The book is a mystery novel which follows another character, Carla, with inserts about Sally every few chapters.

Sally looked around the empty apartment one last time.  She had sold almost everything that was in there and the rest was donated.  The only things she had left were stored in the back of her car.  She had to sign some final paperwork in the leasing office and then would leave for good.  Though it would be a long drive to her parents, she knew driving in the middle of the night would be safer.

After a few minutes in the office, she was finally ready.  Taking a deep breath, she started the engine.  She did one last check of the amount of money she had.  She had closed one of her bank accounts since she wouldn’t be coming back, at least not in the foreseeable future. 

Sally couldn’t help smiling, despite the situation.  She still could tell everyone what she was doing and glanced at her phone.  Her hand reached towards it but she quickly snatched it back.  She needed to keep quiet and it was all because her friend had unintentionally convinced her to do this. Her friend who had no idea what was happening.....

Who Am I?

I thought about this simple question the other day: Who am I?  Simple question right?  I mean, if anyone can answer who I am, it would be me.

Ask yourself who you are.......No seriously, do it.......Did you think about it and respond to yourself?......No?  Well then do it!

Okay, now that you were supposed to answer, how did you respond?

Did you use any of the following in your answer:

• Name
• Mother, father, daughter, brother, friend
• Religion
• Occupation
• Nationality
• Dreamer, creator, realist, pessimest, etr.
• Personality trait
• Current emotion (ie, I am annoyed)
• I don't know

That last one was part of my answer.  The other part is the question: what specifically do you want to know?

See, there are so many ways one can answer this question because there is not one thing that defines us.  Your name does not tell anyone anything, especially when your name is as common as John Smith.  There are millions of mothers, brothers, friends, Catholics, Muslims, teachers, doctors, lawyers, happy, confused people in this world.  So when asked who are you.....who, exactly, are you?

I don't like this question, because in most cases, I'm not telling you who I really am, just what you want to hear.  For example, when going for a job interview and asked by security who I am, the correct answer would be my name (followed by displaying my license).  

But what if this question was more open-ended and someone wanted to truly know who I was?  How you answer the question says a lot more about you than what your saying.  For example: you answer with your name.  That shows you are straight to the point and that your name defines you in your mind (and your name better not be John Smith in that case).  Or if you answer with your religion, you probably value your religion deeply.  If your answer includes words along the lines of dreamer or someone who views the world differently, then you probably don't view what you are as who you are.

So what is my answer? 

I don't know.  

I don't know how to describe who I am and I am perfectly fine with that.  Why? Because that is just who I am (yes, I made a non-answer into an answer, college makes you a pro at that).  I'm sure if I ask my parents or friends, they'll have their own answer to describe me but remember, that is their view of me.  Plus, no matter your age, you will always be at a point in your life where decisions you have to make will define you more.  So who you are will always be changing (no one was always an angry I-hate-the-world overworked employee). So if you don't know how to answer the question, my belief is you shouldn't worry as you know who you are well enough to know you don't know.

How Ditching Cable Gave Me More Free Time

A few months ago I got rid of my cable.  I realized the other day that because of this, I have more free time or rather, I spend less time watching tv.

How did this occur?  Well for one, I now only have about 25 channels (my antenna is awesome though half of them are Spanish religious channels) which means I don't have the freedom to switch through hundreds of channels to find something to watch, or watch reruns on demand.  Though with netflix I have plenty on demand, there are few shows that I would actually want to watch every episode of, and only how much I can stand to watch in one sitting of one show (I do not do good with marathons save for Doctor Who with friends).

In the cable days, I was able to dvr shows while working or, at the time studying, and would then skip through the commercials when I watched them.  Now, the majority of the shows I watch are online the following day.  However - random fact about me - I can't just sit and watch something.  I have to be doing something else (like blogging or surfing the internet) while to television is on.  When I watch from my computer, I can't do these things which makes my chances of watching something even less (unless it happens to be during dinner time).  Therefore, I hardly watch any of these shows anymore.

So what do I do with this new extra time?

1. Job applications

Still trying to find a job to call my own.  (spoiler alert: I will be writing a blog post entitled interview roulette)

2. Working on my novel.

Six chapters in.

3. Entertaining my cats.

They enjoy the extra time.  Though....now I wake up with one of them sleeping on the other pillow in the morning.

4.  Volunteer work.

5.  Cooking.  Or trying new recipes.

Anyone want a spinach riccotta stuffed shells, sweet potato lasagna, baked pasta with tofu topping, or mini zucchini pizzas let me know and I'll send you the recipe.

Why Being a Drug Dealer is Bad For My Health

First off, let me state two fun facts that actually do have to do with this post:
1. I asked a drug rep if his company was hiring when he stopped by work today.
2. My colleagues already know I'm writing this.

My current job is bad for my health (and some of my colleagues probably as well).

Before I go into why, let me explain some things.  I like my job and I like my colleagues.  If it paid more, I'd probably wouldn't be so desperate to find a new job to afford my student loan payments.  It does not injure my mental health at all.  It doesn't increase my stress...or at least not when I leave the place or right before going in.

The problem is what we voluntarily do every day.  We order out.  Or at least some of colleagues do.  Most days, if I have a decent lunch/dinner I'll pass for two reasons:

1. It costs money

2. I would get fat

Let's look into these reasons more in depth shall we?

It costs money
When you order out, you have to pay for it.  A post I wrote long ago (okay, less than a year ago) said one way to decrease your spending is to bring your own lunch to work, or brown bag it.  Why does this save money?  Let's look at a common example from my job.

We order pizza often.  And with pizza usually breadsticks (or a second pizza depending on how many people are in).  The average cost per person is $7 if three people are ordering.  I just bought a Kashi pizza yesterday for myself to heat up for $5.99.  So if I wait until I get home for my pizza craving, I would save $1 and get a healthier pizza which I will discuss later.  My lunch usually consists of a lean cuisine or smart ones or something I cooked at home and divided up portions for the week.  Average price: $2.  With a piece of fruit, some pretzels, some chocolate and yogurt for breakfast, my total food cost at work is somewhere around $5, less if I bring in leftover crockpot meals (average total recipe cost $10 and I get a good 6 portions out of it).  If I get in on the pizza, I'm still going to want a snack and still have to eat breakfast.   which would bring my total cost up to around $10.  That's $10 a day or $50 dollars a week versus $25 at most if I bring my own lunch a total savings of $25.

My goal right now is to spend less than $30 a week in food (goal met the last couple weeks since I started by the way).  Eating out at work blows through almost double that and I still have to worry about two meals for the rest of the day.


I would get fat
I chose to word it that way because one colleague told us all to tell them if they start to get fat.  Basically, it leads to poorer eating habits on my part.  As much as I love it, pizza is not healthy.  I try to work around it with the Kashi mediterranean veggie pizza which gives the added vegetables.  Thai food also seems to be a favorite at work as proven today.  Now, you can eat healthy when you eat out bu most places that deliver do not have too many options.  And besides, you don't know the fact/sodium/other crap content of that container of food.  McDonald's is another favorite at work, enough said (given I do usually get a large fry from there if I have the $2).

When I order out a lot, I gain weight.  I don't want to gain weight.  Therefore, if I plan my meal(s) ahead of time, I can avoid surprises, especially since the portions won't be larger than I would normally eat, like most are when we order out.



Basic point: I eat healthier and save money, both of which are very important at this point in time.

The Victims Called U.S. Citizens

I have become a victim along with thousands of others in my generation, hundreds in older generations, and the potential millions of the next generation.  I am a victim because I was born in the U.S. and decided to further my education.

Why are U.S. citizens victims?  Because we have been tricked into debt.  My debt is currently $80,000 (give or take).  And my debt was due to investing in myself.

It is no surprise to those my age that college costs a lot of money to go to.  Most of us now are paying the the penalty of going to school (pun intended).  I got one of the shortest ends of the stick currently:

1. I have debt from grad school on top of college

2. I graduated when the economy still hasn't recovered

3. I have no job-job that allows me peace of mind when it comes to paying the loans back

4. I have no health insurance (well, from a job. I paid for some in case I end up in the ER one day)

I'm living the American way: land of the free, home of the brave, and in a ton of debt.

Of course, no one actually tells you this when you're applying to schools (except maybe your parents).  When looking at schools in high school, I remember the guidance counselor told us all to not worry about the cost of tuition, there are student loans for that.  Well, student loans ends up getting a bunch of graduates in trouble, especially if they don't find a job right away.  There lies the problem: we are being told to not worry about debt.  But what if you don't find a job by the end of 6 months?  Then you not only have a feeling of failure but also a monthly bill from the loan fairy.

I thought about it the other day.  If I didn't have all these loans to pay back, my current job would give me all I need to live comfortably.  Maybe we have it all wrong.  Maybe we shouldn't go to college right away and instead, work for a few years.  That way we have some money saved up to avoid massive loans.  I was able to save a decent amount of money the year between undergrad and grad school where all I did was work.

So what can we do about this?  Well, for 7% of college grads, the answer is to default on their loan.  Another option is to decrease payments by increase the loan term from 10 to 30 years (something I really would like to avoid doing).  A third option is to opt for the cheapest school or the one that offers the biggest scholarship (kind of what I did for undergrad since I knew I wouldn't stop with a Bachelors).  The last option is to go into a field that either allows you to be self-employed or advance in your current company.

Why does America make it feel like a punishment after attending college but yet more and more job fields makes having some sort of college education mandatory?