Been a while since I've blogged...

Wow. I can't believe it's been about four weeks since I last put in a blog entry.

I'll start with an update...

• I started seeing the environmental medicine (clinical ecology) doctor for my own condition. So far, I've found out that I might be "yeasty" as my tounge is "coated" and that I am allergic to just about everything (except eggs, which my younger daughter has an allergy, too). Also, what is interesting is that I don't show allergies to either apples or bananas, which I suspected I was allergic to. I am awaiting the results of my blood, stool, and saliva tests.
  
  The allergy technician recommended that I start sublingual immunotherapy, but remain skeptical that this can work in my case.
  
• During my food allergy testing at the environmental doctor, I met a very interesting guy. He works for World Vision (his name was "Charlie") now after having an inspiration 22 years ago to shift careers from being a salesperson to working with a charity. He has one daughter (now 30), who was brain injured at birth and one normal daughter. Through life challenges in caring for his brain-injured daughter, he saw how charity can enrich people's lives and decided to devote his career to charity.
  
  He recommended a book to me which I've now read by Bob Buford called Halftime. Buford also has a Web site - http://www.halftime.org. This book, despite its heavily Christian point-of-view overtones is quite good.
  
• I was introduced to another startup company. I enjoyed meeting the founder, who was the inventor of the T9 text input method for mobile phones. Unfortunately, he was more interested in having me potentially part of a permanent management team rather than as a consultant
  
• I am happy with my older daughter's school - the new elementary school at the bottom of the hill. Going to the curriculum night and again seeing her principal and meeting her teacher gave me more confidence to keep the kids in their current schools at least through elementary school...
  
• The work is done on our house now. We've decided not to sell our house anymore for the time being. The impending event of switching before my older duaghter started this school is over, and we also recognize that we won't get all the money back for the new siding, the roof work, etc. I have already called the person who is staged our home to take her toys home. Unfortunatey, her dad died, so this may take a while.
  
• I went to a friend's wedding in Louisiana. It was a decent time. While I didn't necessarily "connect" with anyone in particular, I did enjoy touring through Natchitoches (pronounced nak-a-dish) by myself and took a number of photos. I was also very happy for my friend, the groom, as both his family and her family just seemed like very great people who will get along well. Outside of the last day in Natchitoches after abusin my body at the wedding on meat pies, my waking blood sugars were lower in Lousiana just as they were in Houston.
  
• My photo kiosk arrived. I am still working through some logistical issues, so it's not operational yet, but at least I have a unit... Yesterday and Friday were largely spent trying to get everything working...
  
• I have discontinued my psychotherapy. I just wasn't feeling like there was new value added from this. I'm tapering down my chiropractic as well...
  
• I don't know if it's the new TV season or if I'm starting to stagnate a little bit. While I traditionally haven't watched much television, I kind of got hooked on this show on TV now called Desperate Housewives - basically a nighttime soap. How sad.
  
• We're also dealing with some issues with my younger daughter. With her eczema, I think she's figured out that health issues get her attention, and I believe she has been feigning a sour stomach to get attention. My wife and I are now taking the approach of "tough love" which is that we are treating her as if she was really sick - so she can't go anywhere or eat any good stuff right now. I hope it works...
  

Other thoughts are that I suck at Hold 'Em Poker, I spend more time watching baseball rooting for Boston (weird), and that I am truly torn about the presidential election. I don't like either candidate, but for some reason I think I like Kerry less despite that I know what damage has been done under Bush. Very odd feeling here...

My wife has been in the process of "detox" swapping out tupperware for glass and our teflon cookware in favor of cast iron and enamel...