On Handicap Parking Spaces

Greetings!

I hope all my lovely readers are enjoying this FRIGID COLD WEATHER! Ugh, I swear Mother Nature is an evil, evil woman. When I'm not at work or doing stuff and or thangs for my resolutions I am in bed with a heat pack. Crippie hates cold weather and cold weather hates Crippie. My joints get really stiff during this time of year, it's hard to move :( which leads me to tonight's topic... handicap parking permits. Prepare for a cripple rant folks!

<rant>
One of my biggest pet peeves ever is when normals park in handicap spaces. It just makes my blood boil. Why? Partly because it's against the law and I am not a fan of law breaking in general. Mainly because it's rude and inconsiderate. Let me tell y'all a little story. At a place where I spend a great deal of time there is a smallish parking lot with one handicap space. I use this space most of the time because I freaking need to. Well... sometimes this parking lot gets a little crowded. What happens when the parking lot gets full? Normals stop caring about decency and laws and park in the handicap spot! I've seen people who I know go on daily hikes and are on volleyball teams parking in the handicap spot! There are places to park near this parking lot where these very active people could park... but no, they don't they take my spot! I actually had to say something to people high up at this place and told them to send a memo for people reminding them that it is illegal and wrong to park in a handicap spot without a sticker. Some people weren't pleased with me, but I don't care. I don't care about how crowded a parking lot gets. I don't care if it's only for a second. I really don't care if you have to walk an extra minute out of your way. You can walk. You'll live. If you are a normal these spots do not belong to you. They belong to people like me. We have earned our blue stickers and we pay a very heavy price for them.

This applies to other special parking spots too. Don't park in the "expecting mothers" spot unless you've got a really uncomfortable pregnant lady in your car. They're carrying an extra 30 pounds of small human, let them have their damn spot.

I'm not being a special snowflake here. I am not taking advantage of a system. I try to park in normal spots when my legs permit. I do park in normal spots when the handicap spots are taken. It's painful to walk sometimes, but I manage. This isn't entitlement. This isn't "oh I'm disabled... give me a good spot". No, being disabled is not just a term, there is baggage that goes with it... pain, restricted mobility, countless insanely valid reasons why I genuinely need to park closer to a building.

Being a dick is not a disability, thus you can park elsewhere!
</rant>

Yeaaaaaaahhh... Crippie gets angry sometimes. So what do y'all think? Am I being too harsh? Not harsh enough? Should I print out business cards to stick on the windshields saying "Being a dick is not a disability"? Share your thoughts, I wanna hear 'em! And yes I do know that cripples abuse the handicap sticker but for the sake of today's argument I'm just talking about normals parking in the spots without a permit.

Crippie's Tippie - Before you get mad at a car/driver, check their license plate to make sure they don't have a handicap plate. I know too many people who have bitched out cripples because they didn't see the plates.

The L-Word

Howdy Y'all!

First off, I gotta give a shout out to my Jewish readers, have a happy and healthy new year. L'shana tova!

Next, I've got a cripple question from the lovely Rachel from "Fluted Cups & Ampersands". Her post was essentially about being called lazy by a nurse at a doctor's appointment, and Rachel wanted some input from other cripples about the situation. Here's my two cents (and probable cripple rant)

If hypothetically a nurse called me a "cripple", "gimp" or any fun technically offensive word I wouldn't think much of it. I'd probably start laughing hysterically actually. BUT if some nurse had the audacity to call me lazy all hell would break loose. Being called "lazy" is probably the worst thing you could say to a cripple, if not the worst it's in the top 10. Why? Because being lazy implies that you are making a conscious choice that you don't want to do something simply because you don't feel like it. I have chronic pain and fatigue, so when I cannot do something it's not because I don't WANT to something, it's because I CANNOT! Calling a cripple lazy implies that you think they are lying, weak, annoying, etc. It's extraordinarily insensitive and extremely hurtful, especially coming from people who do not know what they're talking about.

What would I have done in this situation? Thankfully I have not been called lazy by a total stranger so I can only use my imagination here. Gauging from the fact that it was a professional setting and probably other people around, I'd probably rip 'em a new asshole... politely of course ;) The conversation would probably go as followed...
Stupid Nurse - *some snarky comment about me being lazy*
Crippie - Excuse me? I... I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Did you just call me lazy?
Stupid Nurse - *insert another well thought out comment*
Crippie - How many tumors are on your skeleton at this very moment?
Stupid  Nurse - Um... none
Crippie - I have hundreds of tumors all over my body. HUNDREDS. Do you know what that means?
Stupid Nurse - Um... no
Crippie - What a surprise! Well, let me educate the expert here. These tumors cause pain and restrict mobility. Do you know what that means?
Stupid Nurse - Um...
Crippie - I'll take that as a no. This means it physically takes more energy to complete a task. Ok? I am not lazy. I am in an extreme amount of pain, I am extraordinarily tired... and I have to waste more of my energy educating know-it-alls like yourself.

Would I have contacted someone? Yup. Depending on the doctor's office there are surveys you can fill out about your experience. Heck, I might even demand to see someone at that very moment. Why? Because in a professional environment your job is to shut up and be nice to your "customer". In my line of work, if I ever called someone an "idiot" to their face (as tempting as it may be) I'd get fired. It is not appropriate and people need to learn that.

What can be done about it? It's hard to say because I hope these instances are just caused by lone idiots. On the whole "minor" healthcare employees aren't like this. If my orthopedist or my physical therapist said something implying I'm lazy, that would be another story because they know their stuff. What can cripples do about it? Again, it's hard to say because there are those "special snowflakes" out there who validate the opinions of those stupid nurses. All we can do is try to brace ourselves for the idiots. Memorize the spoon theory, come up with a general response. Something.

Now, it's pretty obvious that being called "lazy" strikes a nerve with me. While I've never been called lazy by strangers, people I know (various degrees of closeness) have implied that I'm lazy. For example, the act of grocery shopping is exhausting for me. When I return home I generally go lay down, leaving my able-bodied relatives to put away groceries. That sounds horrible, right? That's because it is. I cannot even begin to describe how guilty I feel that I cannot help. I should be helping them! I want to help, and I do whenever possible or absolutely necessary but it hurts, a whole lot. In college I couldn't do certain household chores, leaving my roommates to do them. That's not fair to them and I know that. I try to compensate by being the sole person to do the chores that I am physically able to do, but still to a degree I am a burden. I hate being a burden. Being called lazy implies that I am willingly making other people's lives difficult. I hate being a burden. I hate not being able to do things. I hate that I am putting a weight on someone else's shoulders. Being called lazy implies that I WANT to be like this, that I enjoy it. I didn't choose this, I don't want people to do things that I should be doing. This is not a "cripple perk" and it's insanely hurtful to think otherwise.

What can EVERYONE, normals and cripples alike do to alleviate the situation? Just try to be empathetic to other people's situations. Understand that you do not know the entire story and you don't know what everyone else on the planet is going through. As for the cripples that, like me, are riddled with guilt that they cannot do everything they should... I accepted long ago that life is not fair and everything will never be as it should. Just try your best to do whatever you can.

Something tells me people might react strongly to this, so please feel free to agree or disagree in the comment section. Am I being overly sensitive? A special snowflake? Spot on? Other?

Crippie's Tippie - DON'T CALL SOMEONE LAZY! 

P.S. - I have a follow up to the Lucy stories. I'll probably post in within the next few days. I was crazy tired and achy this week. Labor day weekend weather sucked beyond all reason and kicked my ass. 

How To Piss Off Crippie

Ohai!

This isn't a giant cripple rant post! I'm just answering a cripple question... I SWEAR!

Before I get to the cripple question, I must make a tiny confession. Today (yesterday, whatever) I was going to go to the animal shelter and adopt the walking wig that is Meatloaf, but alas... he found a home on Saturday. Congrats to Meatloaf's new owners... let's hope he gets a nice hair trim. Crippie will continue to check Petfinder and Craigslist for piggies. Who knows, maybe one of these days I'll find a piggie to add to my herd. Just a quick tip for people searching Craigslist for piggies... be wary of people selling baby pigs, they could very well be "back-door breeders". These guys know little about pig genetics and you could very easily wind up with a very sick little pig. Not to mention the whole breeding is insanely dangerous for the mommy and the babies thing.

Moving on, since posting some of my infamous "STOP COMPLAINING" cripple rants I've been asked "Apart from your oh so subtle hatred of complaining, do normals do anything else to grind your gears?"

Well, the complaining thing is without a doubt my top pet peeve. I find it absolutely infuriating at times. Crippie does have some other pet peeves that annoy the hell out of me. Again, these peeves annoy me... they don't make me really angry or anything, they just piss me off.

This Is Just God's Way Of _______________

Sorry if this offends anyone, but when anyone tells me that my disability is part of God's plan for me, or God's way of teaching me something I get annoyed. The concept of God wanting me suffer seems so cruel. I can't imagine a loving God willingly doing that to a person. I hate this approach to disability in general. There is no reason for people to be disabled... it just happens. Crippie can however recognize that people are entitled to their own religious opinions. Whenever someone tells me this I usually just keep my mouth shut and brush it off. 

OMG YOU'RE SO LUCKY!!!!

There are perks to being a cripple, and these perks are nice to have (handicapped parking, etc.) But when a Normal tells me that I'm lucky for having these perks I get angry. When I was in school so many people would tell me how lucky I was that I didn't have to go to gym class. Crippie wanted to say "Don't you know how lucky you are that you CAN go to gym class?!?!?!". People don't realize that while cripples do have the occasional benefit we pay a heavy price for them. I would much rather be a normal without the perks than be a cripple with the perks. 

Stop Being Lazy!

Crippie has chronic fatigue, so I get very tired very easily. I hate when people call me lazy for one reason or another. CRIPPIE IS NOT LAZY! CRIPPIE IS GENUINELY TIRED!!! 

and on an issue unrelated to disability "You know that people eat guinea pigs right?"

OMG STOP, CRIPPIE IS AWARE THAT PEOPLE EAT GUINEA PIGS! You can stop telling me stories about how some dude on the food channel ate a guinea pig, or sending me a video of people picking out their piggie, cooking them, and eating them. First off, people don't technically eat guinea pigs, they eat Cuy, a larger version of guinea pigs. Second, my piggies are my babies, I DO NOT WANT TO THINK OF THEM DEAD! It's not funny. It's not nice. Next time someone jokes about eating one of my pigs because they are wheeking, I'll take that pig out and make them urinate on the offender. Crippie knows how to make them pee on command. I'll do it. Nobody puts my babies in a corner! 

That's about it, the piggie one probably annoys me most of all. In other news, Crippie is still trying to go to sleep. I tried playing The Sims last night in order to get me tired... it kinda worked. Tonight I tried blogging... CLEARLY did not work seeing as how it's almost 5 in the morning. Crippie wishes she were more like her babies, they can sleep anywhere at any time.

If I fits, I sleeps

Food Coma snuggles

Crippie's Tippie - If you tell a cripple that they are lucky to have a disability, there is a fair chance that they will beat your senseless with their mobility aid.

Crippie Says The Darndest Things!

Ohaiiiiiii

The Mama Pig Update - It was another off night for Mama Pig. I took her out for monitoring and she was gassy and not pooping again. I did the toothbrush massages and forced her to wee a little and eventually she pooped. While I was massaging Mama I noticed that she is experiencing some hair loss on her sides. I went on the internet to see what in the hell was going on and I didn't get any clear answers. Generally speaking hair loss on a female guinea pig's sides screams Ovarian Cysts. The thing is she doesn't display any other symptoms of ovarian cysts... at all. Crippie will continue to observe her to see if I notice any of the other symptoms of cysts. I really hope she doesn't have cysts, they have nothing to do with her current issues. My gut is telling me that Mama Pig is pulling the hair out because her tummy hurts. Crippie is gonna change her game plan a little... I'm gonna stop using the toothbrush as a precaution (I dunno if it could rupture a cyst) and will switch to letting Mama Pig ride on top of the washing machine (a gentler less concentrated vibration). I'm also gonna obtain that baby probiotic and start Mama on that.

Nooooooowwww, about that whole Crippie Rant last night... Crippie has a clearer head today, I do regret how certain things came out and I'm so sorry if I offended anyone. "Normals" complaining about trivial things has to be my number one pet peeve, and I guess seeing an overload of whining from a bunch of people kinda sent me over the edge. But overall, Crippie doesn't regret it. I felt like it had to be said. And if anyone is wondering Crippie and her friend had a dandy talk about everything and we totally patched everything up, so in that regard I'm really glad I had that little rant. But in all seriousness, Crippie thinks that people (no one in particular) need to stop focusing on how much their lives suck and instead focus on the positives. The positives might be harder to spot sometimes, but they without a doubt exist.

Since the blog has kinda taken a "cripples vs. normals" turn for the past few days, I figured I'd answer a related Crippie Question. "Why do you take offense to people calling you an inspiration? Last time I checked that was a compliment". Alright, here's the deal... it's not that us cripples find it offensive, it's just annoying as all hell when people say it insincerely or when they say something like "OMG you're disabled but you drive to work every day, you're such an inspiration". It kinda feels like we're being called inspirational solely because we're disabled. It's like saying "OMG you were a Jew in the 1940's in Europe, you're such an inspiration". It feels like an empty, meaningless statement... especially if you hear it over and over and over and over. That being said, if the cripple actually did something worth the compliment, it is seen as a such. People have said called me inspirational because of this blog and I don't see that as an insult at all... I'm actually doing something (blogging) and I'm relating it to my disability so the two things are related. BTW, thanks to all my "Crippled Comrades" who have had said those things about me... sorry if recent posts have made it seem like I didn't appreciate that.

So in MRI news... BOTH OF MY MRI'S HAVE FINALLY BEEN APPROVED!!! Now on to the next mini-battle, finding a hospital that can do them! Recently a shiny new hospital was built near Crippie so naturally we thought they would be able to handle my MRI but apparently they only do knee and back stuff. I'm still really confused about their inability to do my MRI... I thought all I had to do was sit in the damn machine. Oh well, we found another hospital that I can get the MRI done at, we just need to have the address changed with all the insurance stuff. Me thinks that this issue will be solved tomorrow (later today, whatever). Once that issue is settled it looks like I'll be able to schedule my MRI for Friday. If that's the case expect a lot of Rebecca Black parodies.

Crippie watched the final episode of House today. I must say, it was hard to watch one of my favorite TV characters go. I'm soooooooooooo glad that they ended on a high note instead of killing people just for the sake of killing people. What do y'all think? Crippie now eagerly awaits for a new show that focuses on someone with a disability *HINT HINT PRODUCERS*

Crippie's Tippie - If you're gonna call a cripple an inspiration, have an actual inspiring reason to do so

Normals Say The Darndest Things!

Sup Y'all?

The Mama Pig Update - Mama Pig was stable today to I opted to just let her rest for the night.

Crippie's been sharing that video I posted yesterday to several of my crippled buddies... we are all in agreement that it is 110% true and equally hilarious. We've also been telling one another "OMG YOU'RE SO BRAVE" or "YOU'RE SUCH AN INSPIRATION"... it's now an inside joke. 

Ah Normals, can't live with 'em... can't live without 'em ;) Seriously y'all there were a few normals that were really pissing Crippie off today. They didn't do or say anything to me personally thankfully... but here's what happened... Crippie was browsing facebook when all of the sudden she sees a status along the lines of "having foot surgery tomorrow... I can't wait to do all those fun summer things like running and hiking... oh wait". That status kinda ticked Crippie off. I wanted to write "WELCOME TO MY WORLD BITCHEZZZ" but alas... I don't think it would have been appropriate. Well, now Crippie is kinda peeved and looking at facebook, I then see a link to an acquaintance's blog. Said normal has recently injured her ankle and will be needing surgery to fix it. I figured I'd read the blog to check up on how the normal is doing... I really regret doing that. The normal was blogging about how hard her life is with her broken ankle and how she can't do anything, how she wanted to die because a boy decided to flirt with an "able bodied" person over her", just an over all pity party. You would think that Crippie would be all like "OMG I'm so glad you've seen the error of your normal ways, you know what it's like to lose something!" but no... this whole thing got me really, really, really angry... ready for a Crippie Rant people... Crippie's doing a stream of conscious rant... brace yourselves

<CrippieRant>

Alright normals, you want a pity party? Do you really expect me to feel bad for you? Guess what... I don't. I don't care about your trivial TEMPORARY problems. You broke your ankle? That sucks but guess what, you'll recover. How dare you have the audacity to complain about how hard your life is because you broke a god damned bone! You are not disabled, you have no idea how it really effects our lives. Don't you dare compare having a minor, temporary problem to being disabled. Crippie isn't being a complete asshole here... I know what the person will have to go through, she'll need surgery to fix the bones and she'll probs need some pins put in to set the bones... BIG FRIGGIN DEAL. Crippie has hardware in her ankle... IT'S NOT THAT BAD. My recovery from ankle surgery was relatively doable. Not to mention I was a whole freakin' decade younger than this normal when I had my ankle surgery. This is gonna sound horrible but when Crippie hears a normal complaining about something stupid I feel happy that they are suffering. If something so trivial makes you that upset you deserve to suffer. If these normals were in my shoes they'd be beyond miserable. I honestly think that some of these people would kill themselves if they were placed in my shoes. 

I think it's safe to say that hearing normals complain about something that I regularly go through like it's the end of their God damned world makes me really upset. It sucks that they are going through a temporary rough patch, but it's not the end of the world, and they will recover STOP BITCHING ABOUT IT. This whole thing really makes me livid... I dunno maybe it's because I am jealous of their ability to recover and go back to being a normal. I can recover from a surgery but at the end of the day I'm still crippled. I don't complain because I know there are people far less fortunate than I am, and I know that I am lucky for the things I do have. I could do entire posts about how my life is so hard and how much pain I'm in but I don't. I'll mention that I'm in pain but I don't whine about it. There is a difference between stating the facts and trying to evoke pity. Crippie doesn't want a pity party. Hearing people say "OMG I'm so sorry for you" makes me feel worse! 

I don't believe in pity partying unless it's something realllllllyyyyyyyyyy bad. Your kid has cancer? Okay, that is absolutely horrible so I'll join that party. Someone died? I'll join your pity party. If it's something serious, by all means... let it out. If it's not really bad, shut up.

It might seem like Crippie is really bitter about this, and that's because I am. These normals are so terribly lucky to be normals, seeing them squander things that I never got the chance to have hurts. It hurts a lot. So please normals, step outside of your boxes for a second and realize how much you have, sure those little glitches in life are rather inconvenient, but guess what... THAT'S LIFE. Life is full of ups and downs, you just have to recognize that those glitches are part of life. Deal with them and move on.

And last but not least... JUST BECAUSE YOU BROKE YOUR ANKLE THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE A CRIPPLE!

</CrippieRant>

*Sigh* Sorry if that made no damn sense or offended anyone. Believe it or not Crippie actually calmed herself down before writing this. Crippie was absolutely livid, and it takes a LOT to get Crippie really angry. Normally I can rationalize situations and my general delays usually help me stay calm... but not this time. Crippie is well aware that these were not personal attacks, but I take them personally nonetheless. And yes, Crippie also sees the irony of complaining about other people complaining and I might feel weird about this post later... but for now I'm still angry and I don't care.

Crippie's Tippie - Follow the 10-80-10 rule... 10% of your life is completely awesome moments (getting married, etc), 10% of your life will suck beyond all reason (something dies), the rest is in the middle... it's up to you whether or not you want your life awesome or not. I choose to let my life be awesome... I save my sadness for when I need it.

Why Yes I Can See You!

Yo! 

I hope all my readers had a lovely day, Crippie's day went relatively well. Right now I'm trying to get tired by doing things on the internet while listening to the soundtrack of "Silence! The Musical". I must say... for a musical comedy based of Silence of the Lambs, the sound is pretty freakin' awesome. 

Anyway, for tonight's blog post Crippie figured she'd do something that she hasn't done in a good long while... answer a crippie question! People have asked Crippie if it feels weird when people stare at me. The answer... yup, very much so. Crippie absolutely hates it when anyone over age 10 stares at her. Why? Small kids stare at you with honest curiosity. They really don't know what's going on nor do they know better. People who are old enough to know better don't stare with an honest curiosity. The vibe I get from them is "ew... she's walking with crutch...". They then proceed to stare at you in some attempt to figure out why I'm crippled. I really hate how people think that I can see them... guess what... I CAN SEE YOU! Even if you're not in my direct line of vision I can tell that you are staring at me! As annoying as this is... I do my best to brush it off and continue on with my day.

Now, what should a normal do instead of awkwardly staring at a cripple? If you reallllyyyyyyyy have to know why I'm crippled don't stare at me when you think I can't see you. Please just say something like "Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your cane, may I ask why you have to use it?" If the normal is polite about it I'd have no problem answering the question. 

So there ya have it folks, a crippie question! If anyone has any other cripple questions for me feel free to post a comment or to email me. I'll answer damn near anything.

Crippie's Tippie - STOP STARING AT CRIPPLES... WE CAN TELL YOU ARE DOING IT

The Hunchback of Notre Lame

Bonjour!

I sincerely hope all of my wonderful readers are enjoying their weekends. Thus far mine has been pretty good. I saw a local children's production of "Godspell" that was rather adorable and tomorrow my friend is gonna come over for pizza and a movie.
Speaking of movies, for the past couple of days Crippie has been trying to think of any recent movies that are actually offensive to the disabled community. Crippie could think of plenty of movies that have used the word "Retard" or "Cripple"... but they're all intentionally offensive. It took a while and Crippie had to redefine "recent" but she found one... Disney's 1996 classic "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"! Why is it offensive? Prepare for the Crippie Rant!

<CrippieRant>
Okay, the cripple is considered a monster and is forced to live in a tower, I get it. That's not the problem. Let's think back to every Disney movie that involves a romantic interest, how many of them end up together? Hmmm... oh yeah... EVERYONE EXCEPT THE CRIPPLE! Poor Quasimodo loves Esmerelda but noooooooooooooooo he gets friend-zoned while she falls for the "hunk" Phoebus. It's not like Quasimodo saves Esmerelda's ass on countless occasions or pulls her off a burning stake or anything... oh wait... HE DID. Did him not getting the girl he pulled off a flaming stake help the story or prove a point? Yeah, it sure does prove a point... it doesn't matter how heroic you are... if you are horribly disfigured you will never get the girl! 
While yes, Quasimodo eventualllllllllyyyyyyyy finds love in the horribly contrived sequel, it had nothing to do with the original plot and I think it was their way of saying "fine... the Cripple can get a girl too, she's from a Circus. There. Happy?" The only thing I can say in the movie's defense is that the soundtrack was awesome... almost Broadway like.
</CrippleRant>

So there ya have it folks! That's probably the only recent film that has offended Crippie. What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Did you forget that movie even existed?

In unrelated guinea pig news, my prior post on piggie introductions was featured HERE, with a lovely picture of Mama Pig. Mama Pig is beyond flattered.

Crippie's Tippie - Wanna see a good Disney movie that deals with disabilities? Go find Nemo ;)

Happy Chris... Han... Hol... Whatever

Yo!

I don't know about you guys but the weather has been kicking Crippie's ass for the past few days. I'm not usually one to complain about how much pain I am in... but Crippie is having a flair up and is thus not a happy camper. I'd probably rate today and yesterday as a 9 on the pain scale (for reference I put having a tattoo on my ribcage as an 8 with my normal pain level around 4). Everything below my skull is hurting. Not cool body... not cool. Yeah, Crippie spent the past several nights setting Sims on fire to feel better.

Moving on to the Jew-ey goodness! The question that I am most frequently asked is "What do you think about the 'War on Christmas'?" Maybe it's the pain talking... but I feel that a Crippie Rant is the only way to properly answer this question...

<CrippieRant>
Dear people in the majority... STFU YOU ARE IN THE MAJORITY! There is no great conspiracy to get rid of Christmas, there is no one telling you that you cannot celebrate Christmas. Do you think that the Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc all meet every Wednesday and discuss how to overthrow your religion? Pul-lease... we meet every other Saturday for brunch and discuss 90's Nickelodeon shows. Stop being offended when a store greeter says "Happy Holidays", it's all encompassing. Just keep in mind that just because you are the majority that doesn't mean that your holiday is the only holiday that people celebrate. Keep your Christ in Christmas... but ya know being loving and tolerant of other religions could be another way to keep Christ in Christmas ;)


The only thing I'm gonna agree with you guys with is that sometimes people try toooooo hard to be PC and all encompassing. There is no such thing as a "Holiday Tree"and "Hanukkah Harry" is borderline offensive depending on the costume. 
</CrippieRant>

Agree? Disagree? Let Crippie know in the comment section!

On a completely un-rant related Jew topic... my Grandma is making Latkes tonight... I'm really looking forward to them.

Jew-ie's Tippie- Latkes are awesome and should be embraced by everyone this Holiday season. And seriously, there is nothing wrong with saying "Happy Holidays" 

NHBPM- Crippie Remembers The Good Ol' Days

Ohai!

Soooo close to finishing NHBPM... I can almost see the finish line! Today's topic seems entertaining... I still remember... Free write a post that starts with the line “I still remember...”


Alrighty, Crippie is about to go into 90's kid mode... prepare yourselves folks.
<StartCrippieRant>
I still remember when Nickelodeon had good television shows on it. None of this "Penguins of Madagascar" or "iCarly" crap. In my day there were shows like "Rugrats", "Hey Arnold", "As Told By Ginger" that actually taught kids to be nice. IMAGINE THE THOUGHT! I still remember when the cartoons had actual morals and lessons. Now a days all the shows have back-sassing brat characters with dumb ass parents. Seriously, I think today's television shows help contribute to the nation's bullying epidemic. They teach kids to disrespect their elders and each other. I still remember when TV shows either had the bully get what was coming to them (Rugrats) or showed that the bully was living in a less than ideal situation (Hey Arnold). Now it seems like attitude is the main focus of the character versa heart. I mean Spongebob is still an awesome show, but it's gettin' up there in age. "Fairly Odd Parents" isn't a terrible show, but Timmy Turner should've been taken away by CPS years ago. This all applies to the Disney channel too. Don't get me started on Hannah Montana. 
To summarize, I still remember when children's television shows were still worth watching.
</Rant>
Lolz, I don't have any negativity towards Nickelodeon at all ;).

Crippie's Tippie- The entire series of Hey Arnold as well as other awesome Nick shows are available on www.netflix.com 


This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J 

NHBPM- Never Have I Ever

It's Black Friday, Friday, gotta make fun of Rebecca Black on Friday!

I seriously hope none of my readers were trampled in any way, shape or form today! Crippie had a wonderful time with her Jersey relatives and enjoyed a rather nomerful turkey.
Let's carry on to today's NHBPM post shall we (ONLY A FEW MORE LEFT... W00T) today's prompt is... Never Have I Ever. You stick to your guns – now tell us about what. What is something you’ve never done but want to. What’s something you’ve never done and won’t budge on?


Okie dokie...
Something I've never done but want to- Travel outside of the US. Crippie's gone on a few vacations in her lifetime but all of them have been in the US. I would love to go to the following places:
1) Norway- to visit my Norwegians
2) Ireland- I wanna walk around Ireland with an Irish accent and see if anyone will call me out on it.
3) Holland- As "not fun" as this sounds I want to go on a tour of various sites from WWII, Anne Frank's house is on the top of that list. I also want to pay my respects at some of the concentration camps across Europe.
4) Egypt- I've always enjoyed mummies, I'd love to see all the famous Pharaohs in the museum in Cairo

Yeah, Crippie is a bit of a history buff.

Now, Something I've never done and have no intentions of ever doing- I have never gotten wasted/drunk. Apart from the fact that I can't drink with my medication, I was told that a hangover feels like waking up from a surgery. I hate the feeling of waking up from a surgery so I have no intention of willingly doing that to myself. I hate the taste of alcohol. Relatives give me alcohol to sip to see my "alcohol face" which, if you can picture it, is like a lemon face times 10. It just tastes like nail polish to me. If ever I do drink alcohol I don't let myself get beyond the buzzed point. Yeah, Crippie really doesn't approve of alcohol. I won't judge ya if you drink responsibly every once in a while, but if you go out and get wasted every other night... Crippie isn't terribly fond of that.

Crippie's Tippie- Doing any holiday shopping? Don't forget to use www.goodshop.com to donate money to the charity of your choice. 


ALSO if you want to buy Crippie's BOOK use the code BUYMYBOOK305 to get 25% off your order through 
December 15th!


This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J 

NHBPM- Let It Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Ohai,

Well, it looks like today's NHBPM prompt is not quite as chipper as yesterday's... oh well. Today's prompt is... Let It Be. What’s something that bothers you or weighs on you? Let it go. Talk out the letting go process and how you’re going to be better to yourself for it.


Okay... <StartCrippleRant>
Alright, occasionally when I check out other blogs (I like pretty blogs... SUPPORT THE PRETTY BLOGS) and see posts where they are discussing things in their lives like buying an apartment, living in some big city, getting married, whatever it might be... it makes me feel... well... bad. I start thinking things like "I could've done that if I wasn't a cripple". I guess seeing random normals thriving makes me feel sickly. It's not that I'm unhappy with my life or anything, but being reminded of what I'm missing hurts. It's not an all consuming pain though, I feel happiness for the normal in their time of good fortune, it can just get me down from time to time.
As far as the letting go process, I try to be as rational as possible and think the following things...
-ENOUGH WITH THE "WHAT IFS"- There is no point in thinking this, stop wasting your time and emotions
-It is what it is - I can't change the situation so I might as well accept it
-There is someone out there reading my blog thinking "wow, Crippie is so lucky" she's overcoming her disability. She got a job, fantastic". Stop being a dick and be grateful for where you are in your life, could it be better, of course, but it could be a whoolllleeee lot worse.
</CrippleRant>

So yeah, there are times when negative feelings weigh me down, but ultimately I remember that a negative attitude will get me nowhere. I try to focus on the positives in my life and just accept the rest.

On a lighter note... ANGEL'S "BIRTHDAY" IS TOMORROW!!! We have decided to go with a deli platter of people food for her. I'm gonna try and get that on video.

Crippie's Tippie - When I am in a particularly bad mood I literally start singing "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life"... it usually helps me feel better.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J 

NHBPM- Things That Piss Off Crippie

Sup?

I hope everyone had a good weekend, let's aim for a good Monday. Speaking of Monday, today's NHBPM topic is..
Case of the Mondays. Write about something that gets you down, burns you out, or makes you sad. Purge it in a blog post. Turn it around at the end. Tell Tuesday why you’re ready for it.
Alrighty, ready for a Crippie rant? If this offends anyone I'm sorry, feel free to counter rant me in the comment section. If you wanna agree with me in the comment section you can do that too ;)
<StartRant>
Okay, there are times when "normals" burn me out and in general piss me off. When I hear a normal person complain about really mundane things I get really aggravated. It feels like "how dare they complain, do they not know how lucky they are?" or "puh-lease do you have any idea of how much I go through?". I rarely tell said normal this because they really won't get it. It pisses me off they won't realize how good their lives are until something horrible happens and they will lose something. They don't know what they have and how lucky they are to have it. I'm probably rambling a little bit so here's a quote from Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" that pretty much sums this part up...

Out there among the millers and the weavers and their wives. Through the roofs and gables I can see them. Ev'ry day they shout and scold and go about their lives. Heedless of the gift it is to be them. If I was in their skin I'd treasure ev'ry instant

I do my best not to complain about my health because I know that there are so many people who are worse off health wise than I am. I NEVER complain about my parents because I know how good they are, regardless of how I might get annoyed from time to time. (mini-rant I HATE when teenagers complain about their parents, unless your parents are literally abusing you in some way, shut up, they know more than you do). I know that things can always be worse, so I feel weird whining about something that isn't terrible. 

</Rant>

So, knowing that things can be worse also helps me deal with this little bit of frustration. When you think about it of all the things in the world that could bum me out this is not bad. It's not like people are actually being rude to me. No one is intentionally (as far as I am aware) doing this to make me mad. Would it be nice to hear more normals talk about the things they are thankful for, sure? But I still love my normals very much and it's gonna take a whole lotta bitchin' for me to really dislike someone. 

Why am I ready for Tuesday? Because I am thankful that I have somewhere to go. I have my lovely job and my car to get me back and fourth. When I come home I have a very supportive family waiting for me and some very hungry pets waiting for attention and food. How can I complain about something like that! 

Crippie's Tippie- Don't wait till Thanksgiving to realize you're grateful for something.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J 

NHBPM- Crippie Yells At Doctors

Hi Everybody!

I hope you guys had a good day, I went to go see "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas"... OMG SO FRIGGIN FUNNY, I LOVED IT. 

Moving on to NHBPM, Today's topic is... 

If I could do anything as a Health Activist... Get aspirational. Money is no longer an option. What is your biggest goal that is now possible? How could you get there? Now bring it back down to size. How much of this can you accomplish now, in a year, in five years?

If I could do anything as a health activist I would get doctors to understand this one teeny tiny itty bitty concept...

Seriously, this is the only thing I would really love to get across as a health activist. I'm tired of hearing all my crippled friend's saying that their doctors don't believe they are in pain. Listen to us and don't assume we are at your office to obtain drugs. I'm not talking just about drugs here, I went to a doctor once who refused to treat me because he thought I wanted to be cure... he clearly didn't hear me say multiple times that "I just want to manage". If I was doing this for attention I wouldn't be coming in with my x-rays and full medical record. I'd be using some lame ass story like "I hurt my ankle, I think I have this super rare disease I saw on House one time". *Does Forest Gump impersonation* That's all I have to say about that. 

Crippie's Tipper- Doctors... DO YOUR JOB RIGHT AND LISTEN TO YOUR DAMN PATIENTS

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J