Celiac Warrior Gal

I know I have a purpose, but, sometimes my existence can stink. Mornings are exceptionally tough for me. This large creature with bed head and bags under their eyes, stumbles into the bathroom, yanks me from my resting place, puts me under water until I’m soaking wet. Then, they squeeze this overwhelmingly minty paste on me. The worst part, they lift me up, guide me toward their mouth, and start rubbing me on their teeth. The breath! Oh my goodness! To put it nicely, it is like death. I endure 2 minutes of agony. When it is all over, I am caked in minty paste, and what ever was stuck in their teeth from the night before. Finally, the large creature bathes me in water, so I am nice and clean, and I am able to return to my resting place. From here, I watch the large creature spit out toothpaste, gargle with water, and spit again. It is really not the best thing to wake up to. (photo courtesy of: http://www.dreamstime.com/pink-toothbrush-in-cup-thumb4400122.jpg)

Here is the latest recap for "American Idol:" Randy Jackson will not be returning, and now Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey have confirmed that they, too, will not be returning for next season. This leaves Keith Urban as the only judge left on the show. Rumors have circulated that Keith Urban will also be bowing out, but, since nothing has been confirmed on his end, he is the only judge left. Now, the show is left in a critical situation. Will 'Idol' hire new judges, or will this be the end of this once hit TV show? Social Media sites have been creating polls to see who should be the next cluster of judges on the show. Some have suggested that they should hire alumni Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson to judge the next season. See, I like the idea of hiring American Idol alumni to be judges on the show, but, I also believe that the show has run its course, and should be canceled. Who would you like to see judging the future seasons? Sources:  http://music.yahoo.

When you're a teenager, you have this feeling that nothing bad could ever happen to you. You pretty much feel invincible, no one can touch you. At least, this is what many out-of-control teens feel on a daily basis. They hang out with the wrong crowd, start drinking, smoking, doing drugs. They can become violent and disrespectful to peers, teachers, authority, and even their families. These teens think it's funny, and they feel "grown up" when they act in such out of control behavior. Families are at their wits end, and this is where the show, "Beyond Scared Straight" comes into play. This show follows the destructive paths of these wild teens, send them to jail for one day, where prisoners wake them up to the harsh reality that they could be facing if they continue this destructive path. Teens are processed and dressed like prisoners, and they interact with adult prisoners. These adult prisoners get into the teens' faces and give them a dosage of toug

So the past few days, I been feeling under the weather. I been dealing with migraines, and very low energy levels. On top of that, I have been very stressed about my health insurance issues. I am on welfare because I am unable to work due to my back injury. Since I have no money coming in, I have to rely on my idiotic state for food stamps and insurance. The DSS workers in my state are total screw ups. I was approved for assistance a month ago. I received my food stamp card, but, not my insurance card. I waited a few weeks, thinking that it was just taking a while to process the new card. Here it is, almost June, and I hadn't received my card. I called DSS, several times, only to be further confused by the automated system. I left messages, and never received a call back. This morning, I drove to DSS and waited in line for over a half hour. One of the workers was running around trying to get the line moving. I am still not feeling well, and my back was hurting from standing for so

Thirteen years later, inside my head, is a horrific reminder, of where my life used to be. Feelings of bitterness, Abuse and recklessness, memories of my past, haunt me like a ghost. Memories that stalk me, taunt me. Always inside my head. Being thrown against lockers, being beat up. Horrific rumors about being dangerous. My reputation stolen from me. Always inside my head. The name calling, the teasing, set off an alarm inside me. I was overwhelmed with pain. I look at the scars on my arms, the memories of what led to the scars. These scars remind me of what was my release, my outlet, my only love.

When I look in the mirror, what do I see? A beautiful face? A beautiful me? I never saw it coming, the outside to match the in. Who thought it could happen? That I could find the strength from within. This once frizzy, curly hair, is now controlled and straight. This much rounder face, is thinner and narrow This once non-existent waist, is now noticeable. Two years of hard work, have gotten me where I am today. From unhappy, to healthy. Anything is possible, only if you believe. The ugly duckling, is now the beautiful me. This is now, my identity.

For the past two years, a woman in Connecticut has gained media attention, for filing over 70 lawsuits. She has filed lawsuits against Connecticut Light & Power, World Wrestling Federation, several towns, celebrities, rock bands, and police departments-for free. She recently filed a lawsuit against the Farmington Police Department for $2 Trillion, however, records indicate that she has never been arrested, detained, or questioned by Farmington Police. Records do show that, while she has lost many of her lawsuits, she did settle a lawsuit with the World Wrestling Federation for $8,000. Since she is of low income, her filing fee of $350 per lawsuit, has been waived. This has cost the state, and the taxpayers, around $70,000. Farmington Police Chief, Melanson has been at the state capitol in Hartford, Connecticut asking lawmakers to make it more difficult for her to file lawsuits. The new law would give judges the right to deny fee waivers for those who abuse the system. Also, t

My journey began when I was 5 years old. I was in therapy, and diagnosed with ADHD. They put me on Ritalin, and it did not help me. When I was 7 years old, I started to experience some depression. My home life was very scary and I began taking it out on myself. I started scratching my arms until they bled. I was sent to a children hospital for psychiatric illness. I was in the state system while my parents fought over custody of me. My dad won custody of me, and I moved to a small town with him and my grandparents. I was still messed up from living with my mom, and I wasn't able to settle in. My depression worsened and I was acting out a lot in school. I was sent to another psychiatric hospital for depression and cutting. High school was not much different. My depression became much more severe. I was cutting, burning my skin, and also overdosing. I was doing drugs, and drinking. I would skip school, and when I did go to school, I was very disrespectful to my teachers and other

Bipolar (or manic depression) is defined as being abnormally elevated moods which can interfere with the functions of ordinary life. Mania is a period of elevated or irritable moods. How long these elevations last, depend on the person. Some of these elevated moods can last as short as a few hours, or as long as a few months. Most people with Bipolar Disorder can become impulsive, making poor decisions in their lives. Those that experience mania, may also experience depression as well, and these moods can go back and forth between abnormal elation, and severe depression. Rapid Cycling is a form of Bipolar Disorder. Rapid Cycling is defined as having 4 or more episodes per year. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder) Bipolar is a life-long disorder, and can be treated with medication and therapy. People under proper treatment are able to function properly in society. Those that are in treatment can still have episodes, but, it does not last long and they are few and

My boyfriend and I like to go out to eat at a sushi place every month, and we've taken a liking to one down the road from the house. We have always had a great experience at this place, until tonight. When we got to the restaurant, it took 5 mins for us to be seated. The place was not busy at all, with the exception of a group sitting at the hibachi table. The hostess, whom did not seem to eager to be working tonight, seated us. The tables in the area that we were sitting at were very dirty(we have never come across this problem since we've been eating there, plus, it looked as if no one had been sitting there for quite some time). We sat for a few mins, then our waitress took our drink order. Five mins later, she comes out with a tray of drinks, asking us which drink we ordered. We told her, and she gave us our drinks. She mixed up my boyfriend's drink with one from another table. She fixed the mistake, and then went back to the kitchen. My boyfriend and I already kne

Millions of people around the world struggle with mental illness. Depression, Post Traumatic Stress, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Bipolar, etc. Living with mental illness is a struggle for both the sufferer, and their loved ones, especially if the sufferer does not have a successful treatment plan. It also does not help when the public is not educated about mental illness. Even though we live in the 21st Century, those with mental disorders are still ostracized in one way or another. While we have made strides in proper treatment for those with mental disorders, the success of the sufferer is up to the sufferer. Many people, after diagnosis, go through some levels of denial, and even rebel against their diagnosis. The sufferers feel as if they can get through this on their own, or they believe that nothing is wrong with them. This is where a proper support system may actually help someone come to terms with their diagnosis. Mental illness is hereditary, and a life-long battle. If yo

It is a soggy and cloudy Wednesday morning. Birds are not chirping as much as they would if it were a sunny day. We had thunderstorms move in a few hours ago, which woke me up. I'm thankful for the storms, because they cooled things down quite a bit. However, it will be getting hotter and stickier as the day goes on. This kind of weather is unusual for CT. We went from having cold, dry weather, to hot and sticky weather, with no relief in between. It's too extreme, even for this state. Anyways, I am determined to make it a good day, no matter what it is doing outside. I have plans to chop my long hair and make it shoulder length. I usually get my hair cut around this time of year, due to the weather getting warmer. I have very thick hair, and when it is long, it makes it harder to manage, plus my neck gets all sweaty. Of course, being the good woman I am, I asked the other half if he would like short hair on me. He said it's my hair, and I look good whether my hair is long

Article featured on:  http://www.bubblews.com/news/517093-creative-writing-prompt-nikki Nikki just moved to a new town with her grandparents. Her mother gave her up when she was a baby, and her father was never around. Thankfully, Nikki had her dear grandparents, Bev and George. Nikki was ten years old when they all moved to Kensington. It was a quaint, small town in the middle of nowhere. The house they were moving to, resided on several acres of farmland. As the car pulled into the driveway of their new home, Nikki's bright blue eyes lit up when she saw how much room she would have to run around and play. George parked the car, Nikki took off her seat belt, opened the car door, and ran into the fields. George and Bev got out of the car, laughing as they watched Nikki playing in the fields. George looked at Bev, and said, "This is going to be a great opportunity and a big change for Nikki." Bev replied, "George, what are we going to tell Nikki when sh

Article featured on: http://www.bubblews.com/news/524689-the-stigma-of-mental-illness Mental Illness affects millions of people around the world. Despite the fact that it does affect so many people, those with mental illness are still stigmatized. They are known as "psychos," "monsters," etc. Those that do not have mental illness walk on egg shells around the mentally ill, so the mentally ill person doesn't "lash out" or "hurt" them. These stigmas hurt me at a personal level, because I have family members who suffer from mental illness. I also had a very tough upbringing, spending my teen years severely depressed, and I even contemplated suicide. I spent many years in counseling. When I was younger, I was the odd child in my school. Because of that, I never fit in, and usually kept to myself. I was called many names in school. "Psycho," "Stupid," and a few others that I cannot write on here because the words

 Article featured on: http://www.bubblews.com/news/543548-finally-dunkin-donuts-offers-gluten-free-donuts-and-muffins For those of us dealing with Celiac Disease and love Dunkin Donuts, guess what? Dunkin Donuts now offers Cinnamon Sugar donuts, and Blueberry Muffins! The Cinnamon Sugar donuts and Blueberry Muffins are individually wrapped and are certified GF(Gluten FREE), so you do not have to worry about cross-contamination. However, like the rest of the baked goods Dunkin Donuts offer, these baked goods are still high in calories and fat. The cinnamon sugar donuts are not bad. They keep it frozen until they are ready to stock them at the register. They still have that different GF taste, but, is still very good. The muffin is not bad as well. It is very high in calories, so if you are a calorie counter, split the muffin into two servings. Still, if you are highly sensitive when it comes to your Celiac Disease, I would recommend taking a Gluten-zyme. So, fellow Ce

  Article featured on: http://www.bubblews.com/news/544679-poetry-your-loving-grace You have been there for me, through all of these years. Tugging at my heart strings, calling me to You. I left you hanging, never answering Your call. I sunk lower into a depression, letting in sorrow and pain into my heart. During my lowest point, I decided to give up. You tugged at my heart once more, and I finally listened, letting You into my life. How can I ever deny, Your loving grace? You have blessed me with so much, and healed my emotional turmoil. You have brought love and happiness, into my life. How can I ever repay You? I shall spend my life, loving You. +Jesus +God +Christianity (photo courtesy of: 2.bp.blogspot.com/_Y8dVgrlzuG0/S65-MBWVrnI/AAAAAAAAHZ8/VoQIErji8mg/s1600/cross+5.jpg )

It does not matter which school you have kids going to, school bullying running rampant. One woman feels that she may have found a way to stop the bullying: give the bully a dose of their own medicine. A woman in Utah received word that her stepdaughter was bullying a student for wearing daisy duke shorts. The stepdaughter called the other student "sleazy." The stepmother took to Facebook and asked for help on what to do with her stepdaughter. The stepmother had a plan: take the family clothes shopping. Everyone went, and the stepmother had the stepdaughter try on "ugly" clothes, and show them to the family. The stepdaughter did not like it but agreed. The stepmother did this because: “The goal wasn’t to select clothes that were cheap; it was to buy things that she said she hated.” She wanted the stepdaughter to feel remorse for her bullying. The stepmother had the stepdaughter wear one of the "ugly" outfits to school. Of course, she was made fun of. So

When you embark on the journey to become a writer, you learn a ton of lessons that both humble you, and help you to grow a thicker skin. In terms of humbling, you may write a piece that is absolutely amazing and reaches thousands of people, all of whom like it. They tell you that they are thankful that you shared something so personal and amazing. It gives you a great feeling inside. Just like anything else in life, you do come across some rough times on your journey to being a writer. You may have a period of time where things you write aren't connecting, and you lose the reader's interest. Or, you could be plagued with writer's block (dun dun DUNNN). Do not lose hope. One thing that I have learned on this wonderfully crazy journey, is that you keep going no matter what. A few weeks ago, as I was wandering Barnes and Noble bookstore with my Cafe Americano in hand, I came across the writing/publishing section. I was dealing with severe writers block, and was hoping that s

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer in the States. Summer sales are already under way, and you can't shop anywhere without running into swimsuits, suntan lotion, bug repellant, and sunglasses. Families are already brainstorming vacations for the summer and kids are excited that the school year is almost over. My favorite summer memory was summer camp when I was a child. I think every child should have the opportunity to go to summer camp at least once in their lives. At summer camp, I made friends with people that I am friends with to this day. I learned so much about how far I can push myself to conquer my fears. I was active, and not sitting on a couch watching daytime talk shows while the folks were at work. Summer camp gives children the opportunity to be children, and also learn a few things here and there. Even though I'm in my 30's, I still look forward to summer. I always associate summer as being a season of opportunity and romance. Isn't there

  (Original article featured on: http://www.bubblews.com/news/520957-mo039nique039s-lost-80-pounds) "The Parkers" alumni Mo'Nique is looking slimmer these days. The actress/comedian has lost a total of 80 pounds, thanks to a regimen of diet, running, walking 10,000 steps a day, sit-ups, weights, running, and yoga. Monique spoke to radio station Hot 97 FM in New York about her weight loss: "It made me say [to myself], 'OK sis, you got these babies. The twins [Jonathan and David] are 7, [stepson] Michael's 9, Shalon's 22.' And I want to meet their babies. So, I said, 'Let me stop being selfish, and eating everything.' And I ate everything . . . I was a food junkie." Mo'Nique revealed that while she was on "The Parkers," she weight around 300 pounds. Her goal is to get between 190-200 pounds. She says that she is the best Mo'Nique she has ever been in her life right now. Congratulations on Mo'Nique for h

 (Original article featured on: http://www.bubblews.com/news/525748-poetry-slipping-away) I feel a storm brewing. What is happening? A shift in pressure makes my ears pop. The smell of impending doom has arrived. The sky is becoming darker, and the wind is cold. The wind blows against my skin, chilling me to the bone. A change in emotion is happening. My heart feels heavy with burden. Piles of stress, depression, and pain, weighing heavily on my heart. My breath feels heavy, it takes all my might to breath in, and out. My body grows weak, and my energy is gone. I don't know what to do. I'm slowly slipping away. -shausil82 +Slipping_Away +Poem +Depression +Anxiety +Overwhelmed

  (Original article featured on: http://www.bubblews.com/news/538122-my-thoughts-on-quotbreaking-amishquot) One of my guilty pleasure shows is "Breaking Amish." It debuted last year on TLC. The show follows four Amish young people, and one Mennonite woman, as they embark on a journey to New York City. There, they can explore the world around them, and figure out whether or not they want to return to their communities. In the Amish tradition, it is against the rules to venture out, especially after the age of Rumspringa("running around"), which happens at age 16. The men and women on the show were shunned by, not only their community, but, also their families, which made things monumentally difficult on these men and women. After last season, the cast tells us that they received a TON of backlash due to leaving their communities behind. Amish and non-Amish people wreaked havoc on these men and women. In my opinion, I do not think these men and women di

(Original Article featured on: http://www.bubblews.com/news/539655-tornado-destruction-in-the-mid-west-us) Oklahoma, and four other states in the mid-west, have been dealing with devastation. A tornado outbreak has left a ton of destruction, and has killed two people. Oklahoma has been hit by tornadoes since Sunday. The tornado outbreak wrecked havoc on Illinois, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missori, and Iowa. It is estimated that sixteen tornadoes have touched down since Sunday, and that number is climbing. On Monday, a massive tornado touched down in a more densely populated area, Oklahoma City, OK area. Afternoon sessions with Oklahoma House of Representatives, and state lawmakers were cancelled. Lawmakers and Capitol employees sought shelter in the Capitol's basement. -shausil82 Sources: www.wfsb.com/story/22293599/tornadoes-touch-down-in-oklahoma-kansas-iowa-2-dead news.yahoo.com/large-funnel-cloud-touches-down-near-oklahoma-city-201638527.html The picture shown is of