Messages

16

General Discussion / Re: BULLIES!

« on: June 29, 2009, 07:34:45 am »

The death of Michael Jackson reminds me of a bully I encountered in high school, who always tried to tease me by telling me that I looked like him.

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General Discussion / Billy Mays is dead!

« on: June 28, 2009, 02:06:54 pm »

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/28/AR2009062800820.html?hpid=moreheadlines

I can't believe it! June is shaping up to be a bad month. Rest in peace, Billy Mays. I'll miss his enthusiastic ads.

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: June 28, 2009, 08:09:39 am »

There's no way that a 50 something year old dude that gets on stage and dances for a living and that has had eighteen bajillion plastic surgeries would have a pre-existing heart condition.

Actually, that's not true; like myself, Michael Jackson had lupus. In older lupus patients, the risk of heart attack and cardiovascular issues is quite high. You can read more about it here. Also worth mentioning, Jackson's health has been in shambles for awhile, and there are a lot of documented accounts of people involved in his O2 rehearsals commenting on how sick and listless he seemed. He even canceled a few performance dates awhile back because of his health issues. Jackson tended to remain very private about the status of his health, so I'm sure there was a lot going on that we, the public, didn't know about.

He may have died from a drug induced heart attack, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was taking drugs recreationally, or even willingly. His doctor is getting questioned over and over and over again by cops even though they took his statement already. They think it sounds like foul play.

One distinction to make here. Michael Jackson was in cardiac arrest, which differs from a heart attack. A heart attack is usually related to a circulatory problem, like clogged arteries, which blocks the supply of oxygen rich blood to the heart; a cardiac arrest is caused from an electrical issue within the heart (ventricular fibrillation). Cardiac arrest tends to be more fatal, unfortunately. There's a really good explanation of it here. The doctor in the video explains it a thousand times better than I ever could! Last I read on the case, the police said they don't consider Dr. Murray, MJ's personal physician, a suspect in any way. They say he's been cooperating with police and answering their questions. It's all up to toxicology reports now... they know he had a Demerol injection shortly before he died, which is known to cause cardiac arrest, so that very well could be the cause! I just hope his family finds the answers they need.


I think Jackson's death is getting more notoriety for a few reasons: first of all, Jackson has had a large, world-wide cultural impact, while Farrah's influence is quite a bit smaller. Secondly, the mystery surrounding Jackson's death and the investigation going on currently will give it more press. Fortunately, Farrah cause of death was completely known when she passed. Thirdly, a lot of things are up in the air because of the sudden nature of Jackson's death, like the custody of his children and his debts. Both deaths were extremely tragic and very, very sad, but I can see why Michael is getting more publicity.

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General Discussion / Re: Stuff you LOVE, baby

« on: June 26, 2009, 10:48:39 am »

Right now, I am loving the fact I finally had the guts to leave a forum I had been at for awhile; I was a moderator there. The place had such a negative atmosphere, vitriolic members and probably the most inept administration team ever assembled. I felt obligated to stay there because of my position, but I finally realized there's no point being at a place that you get no pleasure from. It's been a great load off of my back. Loving the freedom!

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: June 26, 2009, 08:13:31 am »

Denton, which has contributed to a few posts in this thread. Although it technically does have a vibrant night life, most of it at least seems terrible; a lot of the music scene seems to be quasi-Christian metal or emocore. I visited San Antonio in 2006, but only really stayed in the Riverwalk area except for a trip a few blocks away to find a renowned Mexican restaurant. I was amazed at how quick the transition from city center to what felt like "dusty barrio" took place. I loved how one leg of the river docked in a shopping mall. I was also told that falling in the river (even if you're pushed) is an automatic night in jail, but I never bothered to fact-check it; I also heard that Austin ships its homeless with one-way bus tickets to SA. What's it like living there?

I've been to Denton quite a few times! Are you at UNT? I've spent quite a bit of time at TWU for a Women's Choir Festival I participated in. I remember it being quiet and lined with some very lovely Victorian-style houses. I don't think I could live there, though; I'm too much of a city girl. As for San Antonio, there are some very beautiful parts of town. The area outside of the River Walk isn't the nicest, but there are some beautiful suburbs on the north side of town. San Antonio doesn't have a very consistent look or feel to it, I find. It's very much like you described, it has a lot of very awkward transitions. I do like the friendly atmosphere and the delicious (and cheap!) food. There's four themeparks and a myriad of things to do, so I really enjoy San Antonio. I don't know much about the nightlife, since I'm not much into clubbing or drinking; I do know there's a pretty good jazz scene downtown, though. As for falling in the river, I never heard of that, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's true. I know Ozzy Osbourne was banned from our city for urinating on the Alamo, so it seems we have a few strange policies in place.

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General Discussion / Re: Square Enix Sued for Unfair Business Practices, Unjust Enrichment

« on: June 26, 2009, 07:59:06 am »

It's a class-action lawsuit, IAmSerge; no one person will be receiving the whole sum. If they win the trial, the money will be split amongst all the plaintiffs. Also, I think most people here aren't reacting in a way that would indicate they think this is justice for CE; just having some schadenfreude. SE doesn't have a good reputation with it's fans for numerous reasons, most of which extend way past the realm of what happened with CE.

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General Discussion / Re: Square Enix Sued for Unfair Business Practices, Unjust Enrichment

« on: June 26, 2009, 03:33:38 am »

Sweet justice! I'm hoping the former FFXI fans will get their $50; considering all the BS Square-Enix has doled out to it's many fans, it's the least they could do. It hasn't been the same on any front since the merger...

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General Discussion / Re: Micheal Jackson is dead!

« on: June 26, 2009, 03:14:45 am »

He got in some trouble having to do with kids in a jacuzzi back in the first half of the 1990s, and he was always the butt of schoolyard jokes after that. I don't know if he actually had a pedophilia problem or if he just loved kids, or even childhood itself, but the way our society lampooned him mercilessly shows how much more growing up we have ahead of us.

You know, I always felt he was, in a way, trying to recapture and live his youth vicariously through the children around him. From what I know of him, he didn't get much of a childhood and basically had to grow up much too fast. Almost like he was emotionally trapped at 10 years old. I'll hop off my arm-chair psychologist position now!

But I have no idea what to believe when it comes to his scandals; all I know is that he was a fantastic singer and incredibly innovative. I didn't listen to his music a lot, but it still shocked and saddened me to hear about his death. I just never expected him to die so soon... it's a shame, because he was on the heels of his first tour in over ten years. He never had a chance to redeem himself and taste success one last time, which makes me sad. At the very least, I'm glad he finally has peace away from what was probably a quite stressful and troubled life. Rest in peace, MJ. Farah as well.

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General Discussion / Re: BULLIES!

« on: June 25, 2009, 04:36:19 am »

I was bullied back in kindergarten; a rude boy would always hit me, tease me and make me cry.   I was very non-confrontational, even as a child, so I never spoke up or said anything about it. One day, nearly 3/4 through the year, the boy teased me and I finally got sick of it; I took matters into my own hands. My kindergarten-self was somehow smart enough to concoct a plan to frame him. I had tripped and gotten a large scrape on my knee during recess, and I ran to my teacher and told her that the rude boy had pushed me. He didn't push me that day, but he had in the past, so I figured I was justified; my teacher forced him to make me an apology card and personally apologize to me on top of that. He never bothered me again! I realize now that it would have been better if I had approached the teacher from the start, but I cut myself a break, being as I was five and all.

As for later in my life, I was mainly teased for being very pale, surprisingly, almost exclusively by guys. Girls would always compliment my skin, but guys would always make rude comments about me "needing a tan" and other garbage. I usually just ignored them or gave them a snooze-inducing lecture on the dangers of the sun. In the end, I'm going to look fantastic when I'm 30 because of my devoted use of sunscreen and proper sun-protection, as well as refusal to give into the harmful habit of tanning. They'll probably end up looking like a leather sack. That in itself was enough for me.

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: June 25, 2009, 04:19:39 am »

Glad to hear you do your own medical research!
As a side note, vitamin D deficiencies can cause fibromyalgia-like pains. Sorry, I'm not trying to diagnose you or pretend like I'm a doctor (I'm not; I'm a ancient historian by training). I just happen to get exposed to a lot of cool biomedical information (my wife is a doctoral student in at a biomedical research university) and I love to share it.

Thanks for the information on the Vitamin D! I'll definitely keep it in mind. Also, you didn't come across like that at all; no worries! I love hearing new information, so if you find out anything more from your wife, feel free to share it! I'm a big pathology nerd, I'd thoroughly enjoy it. As a random side-note, you and your wife sound like a very interesting, highly intelligent duo. Between the ancient history and biomedical research, I bet you have some pretty interesting discussions at the dinner table!

Also, where in Texas do you live, Zeality? I'm in San Antonio; I noticed there were a lot of Compendium members around the Denton area! And good luck with your dental issues, Temporal. Wisdom teeth are a bother! I know I need to get mine out as well.

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General Discussion / Re: Pictures Thread

« on: June 24, 2009, 10:27:16 pm »

http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c183/ZephyrAnalea/Salon%20Featherly/?action=view&current=029.jpg

^ Wow, you look so absolutely gorgeous in that photo! What a great shoot!

EDIT: Just a suggestion, usually a non-sulfate shampoo will go a long way in helping preserve your color!

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Fan Art / Re: Radical Dreamers Sprite CT style

« on: June 24, 2009, 10:19:32 pm »

Wow, these are looking great! The revised Kid looks fantastic. I wish there was maybe another color or two for shading on her hair, but that's just a minor suggestion; it really does look great as it is. Magus and Serge are very impressive as well!

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: June 24, 2009, 10:09:56 pm »

That is no longer completely true. At least some cases of auto-immune disorders are caused by, essentially, a bored immune system. A newly developed treatment for some such disorders is to actually give the patient parasites (I would assume that viral diseases and bacteria would also be viable options, but I haven't heard of either being used). That gives the immune system something to do other than attacking the body. There has been some success in a cases of diabetes (Type I or Type I-Like forms of it), Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and fibromyalgia. However, the full implications of this discovery are still being investigated.

The new era of medicine is about patient investment in the treatment process. You doctor doesn't know everything s/he needs to know, so it is always a good idea to try to research your condition yourself. Wikipedia and WebMD are fine places to start for some diseases, but if you want cutting edge information, I'd recommend searching PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) and PubMed Central (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/) every now and then. Those are the National Institute of Health's repositories for all biomedical journal publications resulting at least partially from government funding. In short, there is more information on Lupus in those two repositories than your doctor has probably read.

Thank you for the great suggestion, but I actually have done vast amounts of research on my condition. (I was very lucky in that I went to a medical magnet school for highschool, which opened my eyes to the great amount of resources out there! Students had full access to all sorts of online databases for research projects.) Right now, I'm inclined to say there is no known cause because there isn't a definitive, medically-agreed upon answer to what causes auto-immune conditions. I've heard the theory you mentioned as well as many others, including one that believes autoimmune conditions are caused by a chronic infection, which is therein treated by pulsed doses of antibiotics over a long period of time. (Marshall Protocol, you might have heard of it!) Until there is a definitive answer from the scientific community - and not just theories and treatments with some evidence of success inside test groups - I'm inclined to say that there really is no answer, at least not yet. There certainly have been some wonderful developments, though, that's for sure.

As for the "bored immune system" theory, I'm not a doctor or a researcher, so my opinion here is completely worhtless, but I don't think that was the case for me. Before I was diagnosed, even still after, I was the type who got sick extremely frequently, mostly with bacterial bronchitis. I usually was in the doctor's office with it seven to eight times a year for most of my life. My immune system has always been pretty busy, haha! I've even had bronchitis and a lupus flare at the same time, but I don't know if my symptoms were alleviated because of it; I had a large dose of prednisone at the time, which would have taken care of both the liver inflammation and the bronchial inflammation. It's an interesting theory nonetheless, and I can't wait to see how it plays out!

Also, just as a side note, I don't believe fibromyalgia is an autoimmune condition. Autoimmune conditions usually require certain antibodies present in the blood, and from what I've gathered, they've typically found none of these antibodies in a primary fibromyalgia patients. (Interestingly enough, though, fibromyalgia tends to be a secondary condition to a lot of AI disorders. Even in myself, I have a much higher number of painful pressure points when my disease is active. 14/18, compared to 3/18 when in remission.)

As for Texas and humidity, I understand! I'm a Texan myself. You know it's bad when your jeans start sticking to your legs.

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: June 24, 2009, 01:04:51 am »

No worries, just being facetious.
But I might throw in a few of those things for good measure...

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General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread

« on: June 24, 2009, 12:58:27 am »

Zephira and Mr. Bekkler, that makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case! Next time he pesters me, I'll tell him I'm not only the devil, but that I also watch R-rated movies, curse, drink delicious caffeined tea and have six piercings. Oh, and I show my ankles and hate babies. Gasp! Perhaps if I got a Chrono tattoo like La Bella, then maybe I could push him over the edge even further, haha!