This post is a mixture of important and not-very-important stuff.  If you’re like me and getting tired of ‘heavy” and “try to change the world” issues, you might want to just read the last section which deals with autumn colors and burned-out lightbulbs. November is coming soon and I need to re-energize myself when it comes to diabetes advocacy.  I will — because diabetes never takes a vacation.

Diabetes Related:

The Big Blue Test begins today and continues until November 19.  This is a program of the Diabetes Hands Foundation where people are encouraged to exercise for at least 14-20 minutes and log the results at the Big Blue Test website. People with diabetes need to test their blood sugar before and after the exercise session. Those without diabetes just log their exercise session. Each logged test raises $1 to support diabetes programs in the US and the Dominican Republic (Learn about the 2014 grant recipients.)  The Big Blue Test is an easy and meaningful way to advocate for people with diabetes. Join me and start participating!  (BTW-If you use mySugr, you can participate in the Big Blue Test as one of the challenges. My monster is hyped and ready to go!)

The hashtag #DOCASKSFDA has been everywhere in the diabetes online community recently. On November 3, 1-4pm EST, the FDA will host a live webcast that will feature a panel of people with Type 1/Type 2 diabetes along with representatives from ADA, JDRF, and diaTribe.  Please fill out the short survey created by diaTribe to share your thoughts on important concerns for people with diabetes.  The survey deadline is tomorrow, Oct. 21, so don’t delay.  Your voice is important!  You can learn more about the virtual conference at diaTribe.

Medical Not Diabetes:

Most of us try to live a healthy life. Yeah, we make some bad decisions but we also do a lot of things right.  I always think that it is funny how many of us share photos of post-doctor appointment cupcakes.  Why do we work hard to prepare for medical appointments and then revel in “forbidden” treats afterwards?  Are we just being healthy to impress our medical professionals?  Beats me, but I always feel the need to “reward” myself after a stressful appointment or lab test.

I missed the cupcake craze so my reward used to be chocolate-covered donuts. I always swoon over these tasty treats as I walk past the donut case at my local Holiday Stationstore, but I have learned to resist them. (I have tons of other things that I can’t resist, so I’m not being overly virtuous here.)

On Friday morning I had a lab test as a follow-up to my annual physical in September. Internet searches indicated that the rogue result in September could range from meaningless to cancer. I was worried. I stopped at Holiday on the way home from the test and purchased a Diet Coke instead of donuts. I have been working hard to reduce the presence of dark sodas in my life, so Diet Coke is on my try-to-avoid list.  (Can you believe that I am still friends with Scott Johnson!!!)  I have to admit that I don’t like Diet Coke all that much any more, but I still buy it because it has such happy and friendly memories for me.

I got a call from my doctor’s office in the afternoon and fortunately my test was completely normal.  The nurse who phoned indicated that they didn’t want me to worry about the results all weekend.  My doctor earns an A+ grade for understanding how long a weekend can be when you’re worrying about medical issues.

Life Stuff:

So far I have not had a great experience with long-lasting power-saving lightbulbs.  My latest glitch was the rattling and sizzling demise of a $15 lightbulb.  I put in another bulb and it died in a day or two. Being the electrical whiz that I am, I determined that I needed to replace the burned out socket in the lamp.  A trip to the hardware store, a new socket, and a $20 LED bulb solved the problem. The new bulb is advertised to last 22.8 years and ultimately save me $231. I’ll be 84 years old when it bites the dust (unless it’s like the old one which only lasted a month).

Mid-October is a colorful time in Minnesota.  This photo was taken late last week on an early morning dog walk.  Unfortunately strong winds and cold temperatures have resulted in a blanket of beautiful leaves in my yard. But one good thing: Raking counts as exercise for the Big Blue Test!