The Ruins by Scott Smith

The Ruins by Scott Smith

This book is not for the faint of stomach. It definitely is in the same arena as some Stephen King books... so if you like King, check this one out.

While I thought it started out a bit slow, it quickly became a book I couldn't put down.

Four friends head to Mexico on vacation only to take one adventure too many. They head out with another traveler, on a mission to find his brother out by some Mayan ruins. But what they find there is nothing short of horrific.

Scott Smith has a pretty cool website set up for the book which you can find here: http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/ruins/flash.html

Check it out...

5 out of 5 bookmarks!

My High Blood Pressure Adventure

Lower Your Blood Pressure in Eight Weeks
by Stephen T. Sinatra, MD, FACC, FACN & Jan Sinatra, MSN, CNS, APRN

OK. Most of you, or at least many of you, know about my recent "high blood pressure" adventure. If not, let me recap:

I was told about 2 weeks ago that if I didn't get on high blood pressure medication immediately, I was at great risk of having a stroke. Needless to say, I kind of freaked out a little. I say, "a little" because I have known for a long time that my blood pressure is higher than the medical "normal" of 120/80. The freaked out part came when I was faced with having to swallow little pills that came with not only a laundry list of side effects - yippie - but also the fact that my "medical professional" didn't take the time to sort out the cause.

Since high school, I have been told that, "Oh, it's a little elevated." But that is as far as it ever went. Until now.

Ok, maybe last year. Last year I was told that I needed to go get blood work due to my high blood pressure reading. I did that. It was normal. I blew off the rest until March of this year when I decided to lose weight. I figured that would help the blood pressure and viola problem solved.

Well, I lost 15 lbs, and when I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago, I was told that, again, I needed blood work and to get on medication for my blood pressure.

Blood work - all normal. But the amazing thing was how the doctor so easily gave me a little bag of pills and said - take these. Bye!

Well, being who I am - and Rob being who he is - we decided to try alternative methods to get the blood pressure down. Needless to say, I did a lot of research and reading and was AMAZED at the things I wasn't doing!

The best resource to date is this book - it helped me soooo much in dealing with vitamins, supplements, herbs, food choices....

I have cut my sodium intake to less that 2000 mg a day, 1500 if I can manage it, and increased several minerals that I was severly lacking. I take potassium, magnesium, calcium, vit E, omega fish oils, and a GREAT multi (not a grocery store kind - those suck) and almost immediately I saw the change.

Here is the proof:

My blood pressure on 6/12 - 150/98

My blood pressure this morning (6/23) - 131/83

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's only 11 days and I'm nearly normal! (Well, my blood pressure is anyway. haha)

So, if you are a person who is dealing with the prospect of medications or are already on medications for high blood pressure, give this book a serious read. It might just change your life.

Nineteen Minutes - by Jodi Picoult

Nineteen Minutes - by Jodi Picoult

This book was another GREAT book by Jodi Picoult. If you haven't read any of her other books - DO. They are fantastic.

This one makes you think about your kids and how much importance they put on being popular, fitting in, being liked... the stress they feel at school, at home.... the pressure.

And, what happens when something in them gets a little twisted, a little bent, a little broken- and the unthinkable happens.

You will question your abilities as a parent, if you have kids. You will question your behavior towards others, past and present.

Eerily similar to the recent events at Virginia Tech - even though it was written before. Makes you think about just how common - and how extreme - the pressures for any teenage kid.

Let's Get Digital....

Hey you great friends of mine. I want you to do something for me.

Check out this local band that I LOVE <3.

DIGITAL SUMMER

Here's how:

Visit their MySpace page:

www.myspace.com/digitalsummer

Visit their Official Website:

www.digitalsummer.net

Listen to their songs - buy the cd! I have it, I love it.

Let me know what YOU think!

Adventures in San Diego - May 2007

California....
California......
HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, well, we're back.

I have a few things to tell you - so read on, my friends!

PART ONE - California - here we come!

Every year, my family (Rob, Austin and I) make at least one trip to San Diego. It's about 5 or 6 hours from Phoenix - so not a bad drive at all. This year, like every other, we hit the beach, rode beach cruisers, hit some shops, restaurants and Birch Aquarium.

This year, my friend and her family were also there, so it was an added bonus to hang out with them too.

PART TWO - El Cajon Blvd

If you have already heard this story, I apologize for repeating it. Again. But, I have to tell it.

If you have ever been to California, you know that the freeway system is NOT like the one we have here in Phoenix (although, I guess that would also require you to have been to Phoenix. Well, just know that in Phoenix, we have a grid system. In San Diego - Not really.)

Anyway, we had been out one night and I had to drive us back to the hotel, which was in La Mesa (it's cheaper to stay outside of San Diego). I figured I would just reverse the MapQuest directions I had made to go from our hotel to our friends place to get home. Seems simple enough, right?

This was how I saw it: When we were heading West into San Diego, our exit to get to the hotel was El Cajon Blvd. So, it would stand to reason that when coming back from the beach - heading East - we would also take El Cajon Blvd. Right?

Wrong! If you do that like I did, you will end up in the City of El Cajon which is past the City of La Mesa. And, if you do this at 11:30 at night with a passanger who has had his share of spirits, it's a little frightening. I got off the freeway and was placed in the center of a business district type street and was not sure which way to go. There was little traffic - I was convinced that any car I did see held criminals. I kept my hat down low, and my body language as cool as I could. We made so many turns, trying to figure out which way to go that I was sure we were going to have to stop in some deserted lot and sleep in the car until we could see. I knew that if I could just find the ocean, I could figure it out. But, not in the dark.

Somehow, and while laughing at my nervousness, Rob managed to help me get back to the I-5 and back to the freeway headed West. Granted, I did have to drive up the off ramp at one point to get to where I needed to be, but at that point, I didn't care.

My only consolation was that the following night while Rob was driving, he did exactly the same thing and ended up where I had the night before. This time, we were prepared for it.

CONCLUSION

I can't wait for my next trip to San Diego. Beaches, here we come!