Hookah Craze

I think it's great that this person is trying to make it harder for restaurants and bars obtain hookah bar licenses. The places that offer this service should have warning labels on their front doors or something that advertises the adverse effects of smoking in general. Apparently there is not any regulation for this sort of thing but then why do bars and restaurants that offer hookahs require licenses? "Ottawa issued at least 15 licenses to restaurants or bars that offer hookahs." from the article. But according to the City of Hamilton by-law: "the Smoke-Free Ontario Act requires all enclosed public places and workplaces in Ontario to be smoke-free by May 31, 2006. This new legislation will affect some establishments in Hamilton previously governed by Hamilton’s Smoking By-law No. 02-054. " The by-law doesn't say tobacco smoke or nicotine smoke, it says smoke in general. I personally don't have a problem with hookah bars or oxygen bars or any other bars that are built for a specific purpose and give people the option to participate in whatever they offer or choose to walk on by the establishment. I would be highly irritated if after the smoking by-law was passed customers in family restaurants were allowed to smoke hookahs. Their stinky exhalant taints all the food and drinks around them as well as affects the people around them. I don't really understand why the tobacco alternative comes in a range of flavours. Your lungs can't taste apple or Earl Grey tea. And smoking kills taste buds anyways.

Day 19 Friday April 30

Tonight was the most fun I have had in a while! My little cousin came down with her friends to go out with me and my friends to the bar. We got all dressed up and watched movies while getting ready to go out. It was a great girl's night. Except when we got to the bar the bouncer didn't believe our I.D's were real and he took them! (For the record, our I.D's were real, I'm going to be 24 next month) So instead of a fun night out dancing we ended up just going home and having Kraft Dinner in our jammies. But this little lady in the picture was having a cigarette when her hair fell down in her face and set on fire! It was unreal! My cousin and I were smacking at her head trying to put out the flames. It was so funny! She wasn't injured at all, her hair was just a little singed and a quick trim fixed that right away. But I've never seen anything like it before! Of course it wouldn't have been funny if she was hurt but because she wasn't it was hilarious!

Day 18 Thursday April 29

I'm feeling a bit tired today. I'm kind of worried about all the fast approaching assignment deadlines. In night school alone I have two assignments due next week and a quiz. But I have a test coming up that's worth 30% of the mark! That's more than the exam! I've noticed this vicious cycle where when I get stressed I want junk to eat or drink while I contemplate my options and relax. The problem is that I usually end up feeling awful after eating junk. Especially McDonald's. Way back when, my employees and I were trying to do a detox diet and to help us with it we all pitched in and bought a microwave, toaster oven, and a mini-fridge with a mini-freezer to have at work. It went really well for a while, we had smoothies for breakfast and herbal tea available all day long. Until the company decided we were using too much electricity and had to have all the mini appliances removed from the store. I guess that would be one more barrier, because I can't really bring food that I microwave or toast to work, it all has to be pre-made and eaten at room temperature. I remember when we did the detox diet we all felt awful while going through sugar withdrawal, headaches, tummy aches, dizziness, etc.

Day 16 Tuesday April 27

The truck this morning was pretty large, so I feel like I had an extra morning workout. After unloading the truck, moving things so we can mark them off the delivery list, moving older products to the front and replenishing stock with new products, I'm pretty sure I walk through the store at least 300 times a day. Hmm... I need a pedometer. I think I'm accurate with that statistic though. 200 products to put away, plus helping customers locate things in a ten hour span, it's a lot of walking. I skipped breakfast and grabbed a bagel with butter from Tim Hortons on the way to school, I didn't have time to pack a lunch last night. For supper I'm thinking soup from Country Style. They had cream of chicken when I did the bank run this morning. Yum!

Day 15 Monday April 26

Nothing really exciting happened today. I went to work, went to school, went back to work. Sometimes I feel like there are not enough hours in a day. That if I slept six hours instead of eight I could get so much more accomplished! And then I realized I have this really bad habit and nobody around me seems to have it so I don't know where I developed it. When I eat I really like to watch TV. I will actually plan meals around television shows I like to watch. For example, there is this new show called Misfits and I make sure my supper is ready before it starts. I don't think that's where all my time goes because I only watch one program a night and usually it's while I'm typing up an assignment. But then there's my Pixie, that's a picture of her asking for a tummy rub while I was doing something in the apartment.

Day 14 Sunday April 25

Pixie gets groomed right before volunteering every Sunday so residents fingers don't get caught in a tangle. She puts up a little fight with the brush but afterwards she strikes a pose and looks like a Superstar! For breakfast we had cereal, skipped lunch while at work and had Wendy's after visiting the residents. It was a good day, work was fine, we watched a bit of television before attacking the evening's homework. My exercise consisted of walking around the residence (it's a huge building with about four floors). It's too big for Pixie to walk so I usually carry her around when she gets tired.

Day 13 Saturday April 24

I went to a stag and doe with my friend tonight. I was the designated driver so I would like to think my health goals were met. Except I drank tea all night to stay awake and everyone told me there would be food there so don't eat before hand. But there was no food! I was a hungry, complaining bear the whole drive home. It was a lot of fun, they had a ring toss and a game where you had to whack a nail into a block of wood and the fastest nailer won a jersey of some kind. That's my friend in the picture, he won the jersey. All my physical activity today came from doing carry outs for customers and putting away the final products from Thursdays truck delivery.

Day 12 Friday April 23

After work today, I got Pixie all dressed up and we went for a super long walk. We happened to see my mom on our walk and I got a picture of them in my lobby. Pixie's so funny. She loves to be outside but she doesn't want to walk or run or jog. She wants you to pick her up. She is crazy happy just sitting outside in your arms, twitching her nose as she sniffs the air for new and interesting smells. As for healthy eating, I had broccoli soup from Country Style and an extra large tea. But I went for a long walk with the pooch this evening and that was fun. I even put her little pink coat on her and her matching pink hair bow.

Day 26 Friday May 7

I'm going out for supper at Kelsey's tonight with my friend. I'm interviewing him for the generation assignment and he is the only person I know who is available this weekend after work. Their chicken wings are fantastic! Brunch wasn't very healthy today either, my co-worker and I had banana chocolate chip muffins while discussing daily tasks. I won a sales contest the other day and that was pretty awesome. It's really nice when your hard work is recognized even when you just receive a phone call from the big boss. One of our tactics is to make giant colourful end caps throughout the store to attract customer's attention. I'm feeling pretty good overall, a little stressed about my University application. I called admissions and one University received my high school transcripts while the other didn't. The deadlines for documentation are also very different and I feel like I'm running out of time. Guess it's crunch time.

Day 25 Thursday May 6

I learned a lot of interesting things at the O.S.A.P presentation today, for example if your parents live less than 40 km from the University you are considered a dependent and will not be granted a living allowance because you should be living with them to cut expenses. That was disheartening. Every time I start a new course a teacher asks me what my story is, why am I at this particular school. I assume every student at this school has a very interesting story, mine isn't very interesting so I usually try to deflect and end up saying something awkward. My story is pretty simple, my parents didn't really want a kid so my Grandma took care of me. I was about 16 or 17 when she passed away and the whole family was lost without her. I got an apartment and a full time job to pay for the apartment. I tried to go to school full time as well but it was just too much for me back then. I was a kid, I didn't know about student welfare or what a food shelter was or that your parents are required by law to put a roof over your head until you are 18. I think I turned out pretty good. I like me a lot! But when I see restrictions placed upon me because of my parents I find it very upsetting. I've been taking care of myself for 7 years I should be considered independent! Anyways, my mom came by my work tonight to remind me it's Mother's Day on Sunday. I told her instead of paying $700/month for rent I would give her $500/month and I was moving into Dad's room and he can live in the basement. Long story short, it didn't go very well but at least I tried. My parents and I work very hard to maintain a positive relationship and we care about each other a lot but what works for most families just doesn't apply to mine.

Day 11 Thursday April 22

One of the reasons I love my job is that I get a bit of freedom to do things I really believe in. There is this local rescue in Hamilton called the Pride Rescue and they take cats and kittens off the street, from people that can not afford them anymore, etc. The rescue spays/neuters the cats, vaccinates them, ensures they are in good health through a veterinarian and finds them good homes. Anyways, they shop at the store and we set up a donation bin to try and help a little bit. I wanted to do something more so I came up with this idea and all my employees and all the rescue volunteers are down so we are going to do it in June. At the store we are going to have a Pride Rescue day. We're going to make little t-shirts for pets that advertise the rescue as well as people size available for a donation, a wheel of meows that the girls are building out of cardboard and elbow grease, coupons, donation bins, suckers, and that's all I have right now. It's seems really silly because it's such a small thing to do but those are the kinds of things I really have a good time with. So I guess this entry would be about mental health because this kind of stuff doesn't require a lot of physical labour. Oh, it could also be considered physical health because the rescue is cleaning up the neighbourhood by reducing the cat population and in turn eliminating the cat pee smell in the area. (I just wanted to mention I don't live in Hamilton, I live in the heart of Dundas. I open my window and think wow, it really smells like flowers, almost everyday.) I do like working in Hamilton because even without brushing my hair, while wearing a uniform covered in dirt, dust

and debris from working and no make-up, I still look better than most of the rif raf. For some reason it's a freeing feeling knowing that I don't have to put on a show for work.

Day 24 Wednesday May 5

Today was the first day off work I had in a while and I had so many plans! Of course I slept in and missed out on doing everything I wanted to this morning. Pixie and I went for a walk before I had to rush to school but since I had the entire day off I was able to come home for an hour before going to night school. Pixie and I went for another walk and had a Bistro Crustini. They are awful for you, full of preservatives and fat but they are delicious. Night school was pretty good except one thing really upset me and it shouldn't have. We've had a series of tests and assignments and I thought I had perfect on everything. But I found out I had one spelling error. It was so stupid! I know how to spell simple words, when I was reading the test over I saw the missing letter but alas I did not put it on the paper. Only one question wrong! I spelled all the difficult words right like paronychia (Pair-o-nik-ia) and onchymalacia (On-e-co-mal-asia) but I messed up disease! Stupid simplicity, tricked me again. I would feel much better if I got a difficult or even a trick question wrong, but a spelling error?! Argh. On the plus side the disappointment kept me awake, no tea, no Pepsi, no donuts tonight.

Day 23 Tuesday May 4

I feel so much better today! I started my day by unloading a delivery truck, then I obtained a new Health Card and was off to the walk in clinic before driving to school. I still have the sniffles but for the most part the cold is gone or at least the head cold feeling is gone.
One of my employees had to take a leave of absence because her Grammy is very sick. She is a registered PSW going for her RN right now so she is more than qualified to take care of her Grammy until she feels better. That's a picture of her finishing up some homework. Unfortunately for me until I hire someone (which is much harder to do in downtown Hamilton than I think people realize, I've had nothing but crazy pants applicants and people that are super stinky) I'm working a double shift on Tuesday and Thursday. I start my day at 5:30 am for work, go to school and then right back to work and it's starting to wear me down. It's not the hours or the physical labour, I enjoy that, I feel like I'm doing something with my time. It's that I haven't been able to devote the necessary time to school work and I feel like I'm falling behind. I just have one more week to go but it feels like an eternity. My friend just received her acceptance to McMaster for the RN program and she did so well first year at George Brown that she is able to skip first and second year at McMaster! It's wonderful news! She worked so hard. I realize I only recently applied but I haven't received any offers and my academics are making me feel nervous, like they're always in the back of my mind. I'm not sure if it's good or bad for my mental health. My physical health is doing well what with unloading two delivery trucks a week and doing daily carry-outs for customers and Pixie walks before and after work. I have been slacking on eating well though. I've just been feeling like eating cereal lately so that's what I have been doing. Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, Rice Krispies, if the diabetes doesn't get me I don't know what will. :P

Day 9 Tuesday April 20

Tuesdays and Thursdays are delivery days at work. Basically two people start unloading a stock truck at 6:30 am. Usually I'm one of those two people. To reward ourselves for doing an awesome job we used to go out for breakfast at McDonald's. But we stopped and now I eat the breakfast that I made at home. It's usually like peanut butter toast or an apple but the other girls stopped eating breakfast completely. It's way too hard to make a full breakfast of eggs or cereal or something that can not be consumed on the run because I'm usually running late. I'm still having the medium tea for breakfast and drinking my Evian bottle that has been refilled with tap water. Pixie and I started going for sprints an extra time or two a day whenever possible.

Day 8 Monday April 19

Tonight my Uncle invited me to the racetrack in Elmira for supper. They have this $9.99 special buffet on right now. He had to book a table two weeks in advance. It was a lot of fun. He drove through Guelph for me, we saw the University's bear statue was all dressed up in some sort of costume but I couldn't decipher what the costume was supposed to be. The buffet was packed. There were people everywhere. A contest was announced that if you were wearing shoes with shoelaces and a belt you could win a prize. I happened to be wearing those particular items but I didn't know where to go and I'm not very good with directions in a crazy busy casino. Some of those seniors are protective of their machines, you can't get too close or they get a little weird. I like food, I'm a little persnickety though. I really appreciated my uncle treating me to dinner but the food was terrible! The roast beef was rock hard, the mashed potatoes were ice cold, they had chocolate cake that wasn't chocolate cake at all! It's quite a surprise when you take a big bite of what you think is chocolate and it turns out to be raspberry. Yuck! After supper my uncle went off and bet the horses and played the slots. I don't gamble so I found a table and tried to study but it was really loud. He tried to explain the slots and the horses to me but I always feel like I'm developmentally delayed because nothing about gambling ever sticks in my mind. I think it's because I find it very dull and think about all the other things I could buy with that $20. Like groceries... Or gasoline... Or I could go the movies... To meet my family you would never believe we are related simply based on our interests. My uncle has this rambunctious dog that is the cutest little thing! A customer gave me him one day at work and I gave him to my uncle. His name is Hercules and he is a brat. I got to visit with him a bit before we left. I went to the washroom and when I came out he was offering me a shoe at the door that was bigger than he was! He's great for everyone's mental health because he is a cute little rascal that does the most annoying things.

Cholera

1) What is Cholera?
Cholera is an infection caused by eating bacteria that is present in food or water contaminated with feces.
“Cholera is an acute enteric infection caused by the ingestion of bacterium Vibrio cholerae present in faecally contaminated water or food.”

2) How is it spread from person to person?
Cholera is spread from person to person through feces. Infected persons can be unaware of the infection and excrete the pathogens through their feces for 7 to 14 days. The excrement can infect others in their environment.

3) Why is it repeatedly affecting people in Iraq?
It is repeatedly affecting people in Iraq because they don’t have access to clean, sanitized food and water. Iraq is overcrowded with refugees which makes portable water, sanitation, hygiene, food safety practices, proper waste control and health education challenging. Without health education teaching preventative measures or treatment options the public is left clueless about how to prevent and treat an outbreak. Iraq also does not have the universal health care we have in Canada or the money to pay for treatment like in the United States. The people are dependent upon educated treatment centres and places that distribute clean water.

4) What is preventing the spread of Cholera in Canada?
Clean water, proper sanitation, and health education is preventing the spread of Cholera in Canada. Society teaches us to wash our hands after using the washroom, it’s also mandatory in the work field. Canada has certain food standards that an inspector of the health department ensures all food facilities follow. There are laws stating that employees must wear gloves when handling or preparing food. If an outbreak occurs we have universal health care which pays for intravenous fluids to be inserted into severely infected people to help them fight the pathogens. Canadian citizens also participate in health education in schools.

5) What are five things you learned about the spread of a disease?
I learned that Canada’s health education is highly beneficial for learning how to prevent pathogen contamination, clean water is the most important thing to fight a disease like cholera, fresh fruits and vegetables have the possibility of being contaminated with disease causing bacteria and viruses and that is one reason we are instructed to wash them thoroughly before eating them, unclean water is one of the easiest ways to contract a disease contaminate and in the case of cholera 75% of people infected did not display any symptoms at all.

Day 21 Sunday May 2

Pixie and I started the day off right with bran cereal and blueberries for breakfast. Normally we wake up around lunch time, have breakfast, I go to work, and then we go to volunteering before retiring for the evening. But the hours at work changed so we had breakfast then I had to dash to work after our morning walk. I finished work at 2pm and had about four hours before volunteering. We took a nap. That's a picture of her in the passenger seat with her Dentastix. Volunteering was so much fun today! People are starting to recognize us now. But I feel so guilty saying goodbye to the residents because Pixie only gets to visit for about six minutes with each person. And I had one scare today. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. One of the nurses asked if she could see Pixie and of course she could, that's what Pixie is there for. But she grabbed Pixie out of my arms so unexpectedly that I lost my grip. One of the rules with St John Ambulance Therapy dogs is that if you hand your dog off to someone else you are eliminated from the program. Poor Pixie was caught in a tug of war as this nurse is trying to take her and I'm just saying no no no as I grab her back. But the rest of the visit went exceptionally well. She's getting used to facility and she just walks right into certain residents rooms now. She knows who likes her. I didn't put the bow in her hair tonight and quite a few people were disappointed about that. Oh, and I saw our name on the wall! It says in big bold letters on the wall on every floor: "Sunday Pixie the dog visits!"

Day 20 Saturday May 1

I had to cover a shift at the Brantford Pet Valu which was pretty cool. Their store is so quiet that I had a few moments to look through the new flyers and plan my week's meals on a budget. After work I took Pixie for a mini walk but she just pulled me over to my parents house. She knows the route to their house but she doesn't even know her way home from there. Unless she just pretends not to know the way... Anyways my mom had made Pixie a plate of food, sausage, cheese, kibble, dog cookies all broken down into Pixie sized bites. They didn't have any food for me though so my Dad treated us all to McDonald's. It was delicious. Unfortunately my Mom was pretty intoxicated and what she said she wanted us to get her at Mickey D's was not what she wanted at all. She threw the McMini in the garbage and didn't eat anything. I love my parents but I'm still resentful of how fast I had to grow up because of them and those feelings always bubble to the surface whenever I see or talk to them. I suppose everyone has some sort of parental issues and I know it could be a whole lot worse. Like the other week I went out to the racetrack for supper with my Uncle and this family consisting of a mom, dad and two little kids ages 8 and 10 sat beside me. I was studying because gambling bores me but the parents kept taking their kids paper route money and betting on the horses and the kids couldn't understand where their money was going! It was so upsetting!

Day 22 Monday May 3

I just felt awful today. I had a migraine, was nauseated, had a head cold and felt so lethargic. I stayed in bed all day. I only migrated from the bed to the couch. Today should have been a happy day, I received phone calls from work telling me I had won some sales contests and my one awful employee is being transferred because my complaints of her single handedly hurting sales was found justified and well grounded. I get to replace her with a more qualified candidate. I stayed up late last night finished some extra assignments so I would have less work to do this week. I studied for tests all weekend and felt pretty prepared. But I realized my health card was expired today and the health card place was closed by the time I got there. So tomorrow morning I will be going to the building on King St in Hamilton that renews health cards before I go to the walk in clinic. I hope I feel better tomorrow. I just want to whine and stay in my blanket cocoon today. I even called in sick for work which is uncommon for me. I didn't exercise at all and I walked across the street to Pizza Pizza in my jammies to get supper. I feel so sick, it's depressing me.

Day 17 Wedneday April 28

I learned last week that there is not a class in my night school classroom so when I arrive early I can walk right on in, which is what I did tonight. Not wanting to make the same mistake I made last week I had a small french vanilla cappachino and no donuts. Yes, the mini Tim Hortons was out of milk again tonight as well. I think I just have bad timing. And the cashier was mentally disabled (I came to that conclusion because he was having trouble hitting the buttons on the cash register, counting the change, talking, he stuttered, had a speech impediment and he had a helper) and I was being so nice to him and he just kept giving me dirty looks. Anyways, I had a test today and I did awesome! 100% Although I am a bit nervous about the dictionary assignment we all had to hand in because it's worth so much... I tried those new Fibre Plus bars and the peanut butter ones are delicious. They taste like peanut butter rice Krispies. I went for a walk with Pixie, my pooch after class. She did not want to walk. It was so cute. She had her twinkle and planted her butt on the sidewalk. I tried coaxing her and bribing her with treats but she was not having it. She just wanted to play squeaker mouse. It's a game where I throw a toy mouse that squeaks and she chases it. It's great for my mental health because no matter what mood I am in it makes me laugh.

Day 10 Wednesday, April 21

I got to night school a little early tonight so I headed to the resource room to study because I thought there would be a class in the classroom. I was really in the studying zone when I noticed my hands were shaking. It turned out that it wasn't just my hands, I was actually mildly shaking and I hadn't noticed it. I thought maybe I was cold because I couldn't think of a reason for this weird shaking so I got a large french vanilla cappachino from the mini Tim Hortons. I really wanted a tea but they were all out of milk and for some reason I think black tea tastes not so good. I drink my delicious drink and am all warmed up but I'm still shaking! This is really starting to get on my nerves and now I'm wondering if anyone around me thinks I'm a Hamilton crazy detoxing in the resource room. Maybe my blood sugar is low, I'll have a donut until class is finished because I'm having supper in a few hours at home. Bingo. I'm starving. I scarfed down that one donut and went back for two more. Bad idea. I had a major sugar high. I was literally running in and out of the classroom before class started, up and down the halls, up this staircase and down that one. It was ridiculous. I was talking to everyone. I can't even remember a time that I was that hopped up on sugar. Fortunately the teacher appreciated my enthusiasm that class and no one around me seemed to mind my energy. I expected a sugar crash but it did not come. I just gradually went back to my usual sleepy self. I must say I exercised more today than I have in a long time. And my concentration was astonishing.

Questions About Healthy Eating

1. Mel's question: "I keep reading about the importance of getting the proper nutrients in the food I eat. What exactly are the nutrients I need?"
Your response to Mel's question: The nutrients you need are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.

2. Ameera's questions: "I heard that eating foods rich in carbohydrates is recommended for healthy living. What are carbohydrates, and what do they do for the body? What foods should I eat to increase my intake of carbohydrates?"
Your response to Ameera's questions: Carbohydrates are the starches and sugars present in food. They are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Carbohydrates are the body's main energy source, the body converts the carbohydrates into glucose and uses it right away or stores it away glycogen for later use. You should eat fruit, milk, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes like dried peas or beans, and tubers such as potatoes.

3. Joel's question: "My doctor suggested that I increase my intake of protein. What foods would you suggest I eat?"
You response to Joel's question: I would suggest you eat soybean products like tofu, animal products like lean ground beef, chicken, fish, lentils, eggs, beans, peas, nuts, peanut butter and whole grains to increase you protein intake.

4. Mei Lin's question: "I always thought that eating fat was bad for you. Now I read that some fats are good for you. What are the facts?"
Your response to Mei Lin's question: Fats provide more than twice the energy of carbohydrates or proteins. Fats transport vitamins A, D, E and K in your blood and serve as sources of linoleic acid, which is needed for growth and healthy skin. Although consuming too much fat increases unhealthful weight gain and can lead to obesity.

5. Megan's question: "I know I get vitamins and minerals from my food, but does the body store and use every vitamin in the same way?"
Your response to Megan's question: The body does not store and use every vitamin in the same way. Some vitamins are water soluble while others are fat soluble. Vitamins that dissolve in water are passed easily into the blood during digestion and they need to be replenished often as the body does not store these vitamins. Fat soluble vitamins are absorbed, stored, and transported in fat. Excess buildup of fat soluble vitamins can be toxic. Every vitamin is used for a special purpose such as Vitamin K which is essential for blood clotting and assisting in regulating blood calcium level. Now Vitamin A helps maintain skin tissue so it would do a pretty poor job at blood clotting.

6. Kwame's question: "Everyone says that you have to drink a lot of water every day. What is so important about water?"
Your response to Kwame's question: Water is important for every body function. Not only does it transport other nutrients to your cells but it also carries waste away from all your cells. Water lubricates your joints and mucous membranes which allow movement. Water lets you swallow and digest foods, absorb other nutrients, and eliminate wastes. And water helps maintain normal body temperature through perspiration.