Riddles in the Dark

This is a fun series of riddles I got off a message board. It has many levels, and makes you really think about things. Be sure to read the rules, and have fun! I'm currently on level 12.

Hearing Voices...

See this post at Mama's blog for a hilarious story about the things that happen when Daddy's out of town.

Websites

I've been meaning to post that Mama has a new blog now. We're getting rid of our old domain, so I set her up a blog at Blogspot. We got a new domain name as well, so hopefully we'll have a site up there soon.

Medicines

Last Wednesday, I went to the doctor for my asthma. It had gotten pretty bad, and I was barely up to doing anything because I was having such trouble with my lungs. Last fall I had gotten on one preventive inhaler, and it made me worse and made me very lethargic, and my throat got hoarse to the point I could barely talk. Because of all that, I had wanted to avoid getting on any other medicines. I wasn't sure which drug in that inhaler had caused the reaction, so didn't want to risk it by trying something else. When I went last week, he gave me a different inhaler, Singulair, a pill to take every night for my asthma, and antibiotic for bronchitis, as he could hear the wheezing in my lungs.

After a couple of days, I felt much better, and even felt great at dance Saturday. A bit later that night, I felt exhausted, then by Sunday, I felt like I had a horrible sinus infection and ear infection, a gland in my throat was getting swollen, and I was getting a migraine. Then my throat started getting scratchy. With all the medicine I was on, I was the last person in the house that should be that sick. Yesterday morning when I got up, I couldn't talk above a whisper. Up until that point, I couldn't figure out why I was so sick, but once my throat got so bad, I thought it could be the medicine. I the stopped taking the medicine and started researching it. Sinus infections, ear infections, and sore throats are some of the more common severe side effects that inhaler can cause. Those are actually mild compared to some of the worse things that can happen. Also possible effects include delusions and hallucinations. I read about one woman whose son was hurt jumping off their deck after the hallucinations because he started to believe he could fly. They don't tell you anything like that when they give out the medicine! In the papers from the pharmacy, it does mention the infections, but not the hallucinations or delusions. I'm doing a lot better than I was Sunday night, though still not fully recovered. I can see a definite change since getting off the medicine though. I certainly won't be taking that inhaler again. I am still taking the Singulair, and I'm hoping that will be enough to keep the asthma under control. I think people should be made more aware of the dangers of medicines though. I'm just glad I realized when I did that it was the medicine making me so sick. What if I hadn't known and continued taking the medicine? How much worse off would I have gotten? And I wonder just how many people out there are made worse by medicines and don't realize it. I don't think the doctor or pharmacist believed me last fall when I said it was the medicine making me worse, as they wanted to put me on a higher dosage, though they'll probably believe me now. So how common is it for drugs to be the cause of medical problems, yet not even looked at as a possible cause? Medicine can be good at times, and I don't think it should be avoided altogether, but sometimes it can cause a world of problems. I'm just glad I realized that was what made me so sick.

Advice

"If you're ever being chased by a lion, just run under a giraffe, because the lions don't like to go under giraffes, so you'll be safe."

That's an interesting tidbit of information given to me by Rachel today.

I finished reading the book Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier, yesterday. It has more language than I would like, but it was well-written and had an intriguing plot. My only complaint about the writing is that the book seemed to end rather abruptly. However, the story is told in first person, and you know from the beginning how she ends up, so at least it doesn't leave you wondering.

I've decided my novel is going to be set in WWII, on the American home front. I'd like to write it in a style similar to Little Women, about the family's life at home and their joys and trials together. I'm doing research now so I can start writing come November and not have to worry about the research then.

Marriage

I got this in an email forward and thought it was great:

HOW YOU DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY?

1) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like
sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the
chips and dip coming.
Alan, age 10

2) No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to
marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who
you're stuck with.
-- Kirsten, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

1) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by
then.
-- Camille, age 10
2) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get
married.
-- Freddie, age 6

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

1) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at
the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

1) Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

1) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know
>each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-- Lynnette, age 8
2) On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually
gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
- Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

1) I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the
newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

1) When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7
2) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with
that.
- Curt, age 7
The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry
them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
-- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

1) It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need
someone to clean up after them.
-- Mike Schaffer, age 4

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

1) There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
--Kelvin, age 8

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

1) Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
-- Ricky, age 10

What a headline...

RELEASE OF ANY TEDDY BEARS into fish hatchery water IS NOT PERMITTED.

This second one I posted earlier, and even saw the post on my blog, but as Blogger seems to have eaten the post, I shall post it again:
You can now take lipgloss on airplanes again...as long as you place it in a plastic bag before you put it in your carryon. Just how is the plastic bag supposed to help matters any? Will it keep a lipgloss bomb from exploding? I really don't see the logic behind this.