MONO Lessons (Part XIV: 271- 299)

Meditatively Obtained, Novel, and Observational (MONO) Lessons


271. I think someone has ADD…

272. Almond Breeze is my favorite milk replacement.  Mmmm

273. They make butters other than peanut butter.

274. Oats are a major topic of conversation.  Especially among Celiacs.

275. Immune systems are actually supposed to stop a cold from taking over your body.  Mine did that for the first time in years!  Hooray!

276. The Stanford Prison Experiment.  Ryan and I rocked this thing.

277. Gluten antibodies attack and chop down the villi in my small intestines.  Lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, is created in the tip of the villi.  Hence, I will seem “lactose intolerant” until my villi grow back.

278. “Wheat-free” does NOT infer “gluten-free.”

279. Blogging is like a disease.  A rather contagious disease.

280. I’m a gatekeeper.

281. I live my life as an oxymoron.  I love oxymorons and paradoxes.

282. Mayonnaise is evil.  Of the devil, if you will.

283. I am eternally grateful for my past.  Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

284. I am infinitely relieved to have made it through the reconciliation brawl physically alive, psychologically intact, mentally resilient, and spiritually affirmed.

285. “He’s not cute enough to be gay!” – SH.  I then burst out laughing.

286. Late at night, even regular humans can suddenly become cute, cuddly zombies.

287. I attached to UTemps like it was a person…

288. These tremendously complex bodies are bound to have a few minor errors.

289. Slumdog Millionaire is simply unbelievable and moves me in a way no movie ever has.

290. Really.  It’s not me!  It’s everybody else…. Trust me.

291. It’s not fair.  And that will continue to resonate in my mind.  It’s simply not fair.

292. Outback is a GF Mecca.  P.F. Chang's can be Mecca #2.

293. I think about them every single day…

294. “When in doubt, leave it out.” – Danna Korn from Living Gluten-Free for Dummies

295. Gluten could be the answer behind everything.

296. Some servers can really surprise me with their gluten-free skill and memory.  Really, though, he should have written it all down…I’m complicated.

297. I will meet my soul mate at Whole Foods.  I’m convinced.  See “Aaron the Whole Foods Boy."

298. Windows 7 doesn’t like power outages.

299. That said, F6 is the secret, magical, earth-saving button.

Gluten

So.  I'm sensitive/intolerant/allergic/whatever to gluten.  

First, I shall vent.  Here we go:

I'm mad.  I'm angry.  I'm PISSED.

Gluten is in everything.  Not really, but it sure appears that way right now.

I hate drawing attention to myself in restaurants.
I hate asking for a gluten-free menu.
I hate discussing my food allergy with strangers.
Eating out, just the thought of it, gives me anxiety.
I'm now a burden on society! Ah!

Have you ever had a freaking bun-less hamburger in public?  Yeah, I have.  It's weird.  And your friends stare in awe as you you eat it.

Now I'll get real.  Here we go again:

If one continues to eat gluten even though they are sensitive, they can/will develop celiac disease where one's small intestine gets so severely damaged that nutrients are no longer absorbed from food.  I don't want that.

Hence, I'm glad to know that gluten is one of the main reasons I've continued to feel so crappy.

So in the end, I'll do what it takes.  But it's not going to be easy getting used to this.

Any gluten-free restaurant suggestions, recipes, or other various product suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.