Being Grateful At The Pakistani Circus...

I stayed at my friend Neelam's last night.  I was comfortable and felt safe.  Her house is like a Pakistani circus.  There's always yelling in Erdu, and although I know that it isn't yelling in a negative way, it makes me cringe because any yelling takes me back to an abusive childhood.  The house has huge vaulted ceilings and Neelam has a booming voice that echoes when she talks, so the amplification is doubled.


Neelam has three daughters and one son.  The children are all amazing, but struggle through the cultural issues of being caught between our wasteland of a melting pot and their own Muslim heritage.  I respect her husband's drive to keep their daughters' attire modest and faithful to the religion.  I try to keep my daughter free from the nastiness that surrounds her everyday... It's tough in our country, but we have to make a concerted effort together.   


I have known Neelam and her family for about 6 years and she has seen me through many tough and good times.  When I was diagnosed with Celiac's, Neelam cooked chicken and rice for me so that I wouldn't starve.  It was the first "real" food that I had eaten in a week.   Sometimes, I think that she feels sorry for me because I am this skinny, too-big boobed, American girl with an abusive husband that doesn't love me.  Or maybe that's just me feeling that way.  


This is probably the worst that she's seen me.    I have cried on her shoulder, but haven't ever had to live with her.  


She and her husband say that I do do much for them, but they have done so much more for my daughter and I than I could ever repay.  Just the fact that I have a friend is worth the world to me.  

Gluten Is A Four-Letter Word

My BlackBerry rang Friday with a call from my MD and she told me that I have Celiac's Disease.  If you don't know what that lovely medical term means... It is code for "your life sucks and you can't ever eat anything with flour in it AGAIN!"  EVER! 

You have no idea how many things have GLUTEN in them....  Gluten is now a four letter word.  and I hate it.  Not to mention the fact that I stopped eating it, and I don't feel any different.  Not one little teensy bit.  I still feel like crap!

If you have this, you also know how tough it is to shop for yourself.  And expensive.

Great.  Thanks a lot.  It's bad enough that I have Asperger's, then the dairy allergy....Now this.