Based on a handful of tweets and blog posts, it looks like this #dayofdiabetes thing might stick around for a bit. I’m going to do what I can to keep http://dayofdiabetes.tumblr.com updated as often as possible, but with this this holiday weekend coming up I can’t make any promises.
Also, this is happening this weekend.
I recorded an episode of my podcast with Dr. Mike Sevilla tonight. You’ll hear it later this month, it’ll be well worth the wait. Among the many topics we covered was the dynamic of blogging from the perspective of the patient and the medical professional. I asked Dr. Sevilla if he had an ideal universe in which patients and doctors were engaging online in harmony – a utopia of sorts. I’ll save his response for the actual audio but I kept thinking about this hypothetical the rest of the evening. I think I’ve come to a point where I can articulate my two cents on the idea, which is why I’m here. And I suppose why you’re here, too.
I follow most of you fine pancreatically challenged folks on Twitter and/or Facebook, so I feel like I’m up to date on the happenings you share with the general public. But there’s something to be said for carefully crafted sentences and well-thought blog layouts.
I’ve been horrible about keeping up with your stories – and I feel like a horrible friend because of it.
I had this grand idea of doing a pseudo HTML/XML formatted post for this month’s Best ‘Betes Blogs list. Then I tried pasting my final text from notepad into this WYSIWYG editor. Big mistake. After some careful editing, I’m finally ready to present February’s Best. Nominated by you, the people. Selected by me, the procrastinator.
If you click just one of these links, I recommend the <Vlog> Winner, but each one of these posts is truly worth your time.
<Humor> Rolling in the D – Strip Tease (SFW) </Humor>
<Vlog> Diabetic Danica – A Diabetic Love Poem (She’s on Twitter @DeeMarieIsMe) </Vlog>
<Recipe> Raising Colorado – Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookie Bars </Recipe>
<Recipe Honorable Mention> A Girl’s Reflections – Blueberry Cornbread (for the Nutrition Facts)</Recipe Honorable Mention>
<Photography> Me. Trust, I’m just as surprised as you. </Photography>
<Advocacy> Bitter-Sweet Diabetes – Spare a Rose
Editors note: Shoutout to everyone who mentioned this throughout the month. On behalf of the International Diabetes Federation, the $2,500+ you all raised, and the children who will benefit from your generosity – THANK YOU! </Advocacy>
<Meet-up >No More Shots For Shannon – No Age Limit </Meet-up>
<Not Diabetes> Our Diabetic Life – This One’s Important </Not Diabetes>
<Type 1> Paws. Love. Diabetes. – Diabetes Has a Far Reach </Type 1>
<Type 2> T Minus Two – Silver Glitter </Type 2>
<Type Awesome> Candy Hearts – She Tried </Type Awesome>
<Mistake> Bigfoot Child Have Diabetes – Humuliation </Mistake>
<Motivation> inDpendence – Logging </Motivation>
<Art> Diabetes Art Day – 2013 Gallery
Editors note: This was an audible since it felt wrong to not highlight Diabetes Art Day in the Art category. I’m told I’m allowed to do this once but since there were nominations that included Diabetes Art Dat content, I think we’ll be okay. </Art>
Somewhere in the middle of unpacking from her country-wide move from Florida to Las Vegas, Sara asked if I would be interested in hosting this month’s round of Best ‘Betes Blogs. I see this as an opportunity to brush up on what I’ve been missing in the diabetes online community. But, I’m going to need your help.
If you’ve read something particularly awesome, we need to know about it.
For more information about the submission process, go to bestbetesblogs.com. Continue reading
I know it’s still winter, even if the DC area has received a collective total of 2 inches of snow since December 1, but i figure it’s safe to do a little spring cleaning – online at least. Mostly this means clearing out the clutter of my Google Reader. I’ve been absolutely horrible about keeping up with sites and feeds that I find genuinely intresting and I think that has made me less interesting as a result.
If I don’t have anything meaningful to share from my perspective, I figure I could at least be better about sharing meaningful moments from someone else’s perspective.
What’s good for the goose, or something like that, right?
I didn’t do a recap for 2011, and apparently my 2010 recap featured my “I’m a little teapot” pose. I need to talk to the guy who wrote that one. Anyway, because I know Kerri won’t mind, I’m swooping her recap meme for this post. Here’s the first sentence of a meaningful post for each month. Let’s see how/if my writing has improved over the year.
January: “Sorry for the long title.”
February: “Finally, I’ve made a contribution to the You Can Do This project.”
March: “There was some chatter over the weekend, some of it instigated by me, about this thing called Medicine X.”
April: “Kim “My Corgi was featured on the Daily Corgi” Vlasnik wrangled up a bunch of us people with type 1 diabetes that were diagnosed as adults for a group video.”
May: “You’d think this is the easy part of using the Dexcom.”
June: “Diabetes and I don’t often get along.”
July: “Children with Diabetes puts on a conference every year called ‘Friends for Life’.”
August: “A riddle for you, my eager-readers, on this, my 28th birthday.”
September: “Proof that I’m hanging out at Stanford with some pretty awesome people.”
October: “As of this post I’ve gone through 46 out of the opening 50 test strips that came with my iBGStar.”
November: “I’m in the middle of a creative lull, so you’ll have to forgive the lack of exposition.”
December: “48 hours is enough time to offer hyperbolic impressions of this thing, right?”
After some back and forth with my Dexcom rep I have confirmed that I’ll be upgrading to Dexcom’s G4 at the end of December. I’m excited to embrace the accuracy and range improvements and I know my pockets will appreciate the smaller receiver.
I haven’t done a good job of keeping up with blog posts of late but I went back through my Google Reader (read: dusted it off because that unread count took 10 minutes to get below 1000+) and plucked some posts that mentioned impressions about the G4. If Storify ever wants to cooperate with me again I’ll be sure to add these links to my post over there, too.
Continue reading
I couldn’t think of anything to write today and for once I didn’t immediately opt to a picture of our cats. Thankfully the fine folks at WordPress provide nuggets of inspiration, if you choose to indulge.
Today’s prompt: Pick a random word and do Google image search on it. Check out the eleventh picture it brings up. Write about whatever that image brings to mind.
I chose “infographic”.
Good news guys, WordPress (.com) blogs can now embed Hulu videos.
