A Love Letter

 

This is so adorable I had to share. It's a love letter written by Bennet, a four-year old boy, to his love interest, four-year old Baily. Bennet's mother helped him type it.

It reads:

Baily,

Will you please come to my house? Let's play together. I think you are pretty like a horse or a ladybug. I'm not sure which. You should come to my house and eat cheeses with me. I love you and I lost a tooth last night. I think I would like to do a magic trick for you and then let you watch me battle robots.

Love,
Bennet

So joyful.

 

 

Fasting

I'm feeling great these days. Better than I have for a long time. I am wondering since my DNA mutations indicate drug metabolism issues if all that thyroid drug is being horded in my liver. I am still experiencing inflammation which presents itself as an intense burning itch just under my skin. It got really bad when I was on the drugs even brought back the vaginal fires of hell for a day. Now it's mostly at night. So I thought, How can I detox my liver and get rid of the excess drug?

Granted, this is a risk. It could be all that drug stored in my liver is what is keeping my energy levels stable. I am feeling great! Do I want to compromise that?

I decided inflammation is never good. It can do all kinds of bad things to your body. I decided I would do the fast in Datis Kharrazian's book Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? It's his advice to detox the liver every now and then for optimum thyroid function and if you are taking thyroid hormone medications, so they will work more efficiently. It's four days of drinking just fresh, organic lemon juice, water and Grade B maple syrup. It's the Master Cleanse without the cayenne.

I've done the Master Cleanse and it definitely cleanses. Although all directions say you must sip the drink all day long to avoid a blood sugar crash and avoid hunger, I am STILL hungry. One day of hunger is all I can handle.

Yesterday I lemonade-fasted for one day. Kharrazian says if you are hypoglycemic you will feel really poorly, but if you are insulin intolerant you will feel great as your digestive system is being given a rest from food. I felt fine, just hungry. My back also itched all day. In the evening I ate a simple green salad with carrots, onions, peppers, zucchini, lettuce and orange juice. I also ate some sardines since they are incredibly high in selenium and calcium and I was hoping the protein would counteract any blood sugar issues. I slept fine.

Today the inflammation doesn't seem to be as bad as it was and my back still itches, but I woke up with really low blood sugar, very tired, like I hadn't eaten for a whole day, or in this case eight hours. I also felt slightly nauseous until I drank some water. This is a common symptom of adrenal fatigue, but I realize it was probably my body just needing sustenance. I ate protein for breakfast.

Not sure if it did as much good as I would have liked. Maybe if I wanted to subject myself to lemonade for four straight days it might have, but I hate being hungry.

NOTE TO SELF: NO MORE FASTING! Yeah, it's good to give your liver a vacation, but the problem is my liver never wants to go back to work! Now after every meal I feel really sick and get a headache. It doesn't matter what I eat. I'm also waking up in the morning feeling sick. Not good. And it didn't really do anything about the inflammation. I read recently someone said serious detoxification should not be done by those who are autoimmune as it creates problems. Hmmm...OK.

Yatna the Jogger

I haven't been able to jog for years since the designs of most running shoes (or any shoe) cut into the nerves on the top of my feet crippling me with pain. Heck, for too many years simple walking was limited and long distance walking was out of the question. For the last ten years I have been using a pair of high quality, incredibly stiff-soled, heavy leather Italian hiking boots for walking. They worked although lugging around a pound of extra weight on each foot did not make me fleet of foot. It was definitely a workout. Unfortunately, those trusty hiking boots are wearing out. Best shoes I've ever owned.

 

New Balance FINALLY redesigned their running shoes and removed the seams on the toe tops! Hooray! It took me about a month to get used to them since my feet were not accustomed to bending while walking after years of stiff-soled shoes. Now when I go for a walk I feel like I'm flying!

 

What about jogging? If I'm speed-walking to the point of flying, maybe I can jog? I started jogging in high school before it was fashionable. Through college and career I jogged for stress relief. It's been a LONG time and my memories of pulled muscles, over-worked tendons, and blown knees did not give me confidence. Can I jog? Really?

This is where I summoned the spirit of the courageous Yatna, my brave menopausal alter ego who knows no bounds and has no fear.

YES! YOU CAN DO IT!

So this morning I decided to start slowly. I stretched for an extraordinary long time and then I jogged for about 10-20 feet every other block alternating with more stretching. My muscles would start screaming as I neared 20 feet. I worried about the obvious jarring of my joints running on hard concrete and I watched carefully where I was going so I wouldn't twist or sprain my ankle. I don't want to do that again. The memories are still painfully fresh. Everything went fine. I kept reassuring myself if those weight-loss contestants on The Biggest Loser can jog and be safe, so can I!

 

Hooray! This feels like I have a piece of my old life back!

 

Wish me luck!

When is the next marathon???

Ocean Treasures

 

Lots of nice shells on the beach today.

My Dream House! Truly!

Wow. I thought my house was crazy. There are times I'm bordering on embarrassment when I give tours and those privileged enough to have been allowed access have really odd looks on their faces. Yes, I admit I've done some unconventional things on the walls and some of the furniture is unusual, but I now realize it's all relative!

Today I found the coolest house on the planet! It's an old, remodeled farmhouse in High Falls, NY, owned and designed by Kat O'Sullivan (her art company is called KATWISE) with her partner Mason Brown. She is my new idol! I'm stealing photos off the article because it's so outstandingly beautiful a mere link is not good enough:

FROM THIS:

How much do you think she paid for this nasty piece of work?



TO THIS:



 

 

I LOVE THE DOOR BELOW - IT'S A TYPICAL SQUARE DOOR, BUT IT'S BEEN PAINTED LIKE AN OLD MEDIEVAL DOOR WITH A ROUND TOP.

 



IT'S LIKE A LITTLE FAIRYTALE HOUSE OUT IN THE WOODS.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE LANDSCAPE ROCKS. I'M SURPRISED THEY DIDN'T PAINT THEM!

 



 

LOVE THE MATCHING BUS:

I always think the fact my van matches the exterior of my house is cool, but I am now shamed by comparison.

 

BELOW IS A PHOTO WITH MASON BROWN WHO I THINK IS HER PARTNER OF SORTS, BUT NOT SURE. HE IS JUST AS COLORFUL AS THIS HOUSE. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!

 

 

 

AND THEN THERE IS THE INTERIOR:

 

WOW! SOMEONE WHO ALSO PAINTS FURNITURE!

I LOVE THE TABLES! LOOK AT THE FEET.

 

I'M GUESSING MOST OF THE DECOR IS FOUND-OBJECTS THEY USED FOR BUILT-IN SHELVES, ADDITIONS, ETC. I TRULY LOVE IT. LOTS OF COMPLEMENTARY COLORS WHICH ARE EXCITING TO THE BRAIN.

 

THIS IS THE WEIRDEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE. IT'S SO...DULL! LOVE THE WINDOWS. THAT DOOR LOOKS LIKE IT'S HAND-MADE FROM BOARDS OR MAYBE JUST OLD-STYLE CONSTRUCTION. LOVE IT ALL!

 

 

 

HERE IS ANOTHER "BEFORE" PHOTO:

 



 

FOR MORE "BEFORE" PHOTOS AND MORE ROOMS CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK.

 

MY HEART WON'T STOP POUNDING! I AM SO INSPIRED...

 

COLOR IS JOY! I NEED MORE IN MY LIFE!

 

However, I can't do that kind of painting with this house or it would never sell. That is always on my mind when I feel the urge to do something crazy and that controls me. I'll have to wait until I build my next house. It will be my last house so I can get crazy and not care if it has to sell.

 

 

 

Green Tea

I'm constantly researching for solutions to my health issues as improving my health is a requirement if I want to live a joyful life full of energy. The inflammation that resurfaced while taking thyroid medications hasn't gone away. I recently read green tea can be an anti-inflammatory for anyone who is TH-1 dominant. Due to my sensitivity to caffeine I have always been leery of green tea. Yeah, I have experienced the anti-inflammatory benefits of chocolate, but it's never worth the risk of all the other side effects: nausea, mood swings, headaches, insomnia, cognitive impairment as if I've been drugged, violent shaking of every nerve in my body, and general malaise that lasts for days after consumption.

I recently read a post by a woman who said she had an "allergy" to caffeine. I'm not sure it's an actual immunoglobin response allergy rather than an intolerance or sensitivity, but I was intrigued. So I went searching and found an article called, "How Much Mental Illness is an Allergy to Caffeine?" Fascinating. I guess I'm not the only one who experiences violent reactions to this evil. You can read it HERE.

Many say green tea, although caffeinated, is different from coffee or black tea. It's hard to ignore the list of benefits:

Weight loss. Oh! Excellent! Lack of thyroid hormone slows one's metabolism resulting in weight gain. This is a constant complaint I hear from anyone who has Hashimoto's or hypothyroidism in general. Some of the thyroid medications even contribute to weight gain. Losing weight is difficult if not impossible for many. Green tea speeds up metabolism, mobilizing fatty acids creating fat loss and feelings of energy. Hooray!

Cell damage prevention. Green tea has the antioxidant catechin which reduces free radicals in the body. This helps prevent cell damage.

Cardiovascular disease prevention. Green tea improves circulation and lowers cholesterol lowering one's risk to heart-related diseases.

Blood sugar stabilization. Green tea stabilizes blood sugar which lowers one's risk of diabetes. It also helps with insulin resistance a common issue with Hashimoto's.

Cancer prevention. Green tea destroys cancer cells lowering one's risk for cancer.

Brain function. Green tea energizes the brain which improves cognitive function. This lowers one's risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Anxiety relief. Green tea has a calming effect due to the amino acid L-theanine. Since discovering I have a gene mutation that makes me prone to worry and anxiety, I've been on the look out for something that might help. I'm tired of being a worry wart.

Energy. Green tea has caffeine so it is advised not to drink it before bedtime, however, because of the theanine it has a synergetic effect which eliminates the "wired" feeling normally associated with caffeine. This balance between energy and calm makes it tolerable for many who are sensitive to caffeine.

Adrenal fatigue. Although it is suggested not to drink or eat caffeine if one has adrenal health issues, this is the exception. Green tea is considered a nutritional support for adrenals.

Death. Green tea reduces one's risk of death. Yep, that's what I read! Considering the benefits listed above, it certainly sounds like a miracle cure for any number of life-threatening conditions. Realistically, we are all going to die, but a product claiming to promote good health and extend life? Sounds good to me.

 

Let the games begin! I decided nothing ventured, nothing gained. Practicing my resolution to be brave. Slowly. I was worried (I can't help it! It's in my DNA!), but at the same time cautiously optimistic. Or irrationally hopeful. Unrealistically desperate. I bought one tea bag. Someone warned I might not like the taste as it has a strong "plant" taste...like dirt or composted weeds. I was prepared for the worst, but found it to taste like real, black tea. I haven't had black tea in years so it felt like a naughty treat! I started with four sips. Within minutes I felt energetic and found myself talking non-stop to a friend as if I were wired. BUT it wasn't a wired feeling and I didn't start shaking uncontrollably. I felt awake probably for the first time in a long time. No headaches or nausea, and I didn't experience any unusual insomnia that night.

I tried it again the next day, only four sips. I worried about the slight headache I had an hour later, but my irrational hopefulness made me believe it was because I waited too long to eat lunch. An hour after I ate, I drank some more tea, and another headache ensued. This one tormented me the rest of the day and all night causing nausea and general discomfort. Oops.

I usually experience a secondary, delayed reaction to caffeine so it wasn't too surprising when I awoke the second day with another headache and spinal pain. I've heard there is a decaffeinated green tea, but I'm so sensitive any amount of caffeine residue would give me grief.

Green tea is not for me. Oh well!

More Block Paintings

I can't believe I forgot I did more block paintings!

The Howler is sitting on a shelf in my bathroom so I'm used to seeing it everyday which makes it easy to ignore.

After being awake most of the night listening to my neighbor's cats howl at the moon (or each other), I decided I needed to purge my hatred of obnoxious felines with art. It was the first block painting after the Bunnysatva of Binkies so I tried to keep the same minimalist style for another animal. Low VOC paints are not easy to paint with so the design always needs to be simple and flat like a cartoon.

I like the colors. I tried to stay away from black, but I needed night colors. Purple, light blue, white and yellow matches my bathroom.

Yellow is not always an easy color to incorporate into a design, but I really like the side patterns on this one:

 

 

Magic was my first inspiration for the beads, bells, and crystals. I wanted to do a sweet cartoon fairy with stars, dots and colors to match my bedroom.

 

 

 

Even though I think the bead and crystal combinations are better balanced compared to the others, I think she's a little weird. LOL. Using low VOC paints for faces is difficult. They are not good for mixing and modeling and this face was so tiny it was hard to get features that showed well, but fit on the tiny head. I guess her weirdness is fine because she makes me laugh, but I almost threw this block away. Currently she's hanging in the stairwell so I don't have to look at her too much and that makes it easy to forget she exists.

 

Here's the sides:

 

 

Oh well. Not every work is successful...art is an ongoing experiment.





Electronic Warfare

We are doomed! It seems the United States Navy is planning Electronic Warfare training which will send EMFs across Washington State. It's bad enough there are so few places on this earth where cell phone towers and Wi-Fi are not found, but this is purposefully using high levels of electronic radiation to pollute an area filled with people and wildlife. How many people already have EMF sensitivities? And the studies on bats, birds, and bees showing how EMFs affect their own natural radar and directional systems? What is the fall-out of such experimentation? Has anyone in the government or in the military even considered the ramifications of this? I doubt it.

Here is the article from the November 2014 issue of the Environmental Health Bulletin (EHB) a newsletter edited by Melinda Honn from Arizona:

Briefly, the Navy is proposing to turn a large part of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, as well as a portion of northeastern Washington, into Electronic Warfare training ranges.  A giant antenna resembling a house-sized golfball will be installed at the Naval Station at Moclips, just outside the Quinault Indian Reservation on the Olympic Peninsula.   

According to the data in the Environmental Assessment, I calculate that it will have an effective power of 5 million watts. It will be capable of sending 64 simultaneous beams at frequencies of between 2 and 18 GHz. The golfball will only be 40 feet off the ground.  In addition, three mobile, truck-mounted antennas will be moved around between 15 different sites in the Olympic National Forest, and three more mobile antennas will operate from 8 different locations in the Okanagan and Colville National Forests in northeastern Washington. They will each have a power of 100,000 watts, and will be in use 260 days a year, 8 to 16 hours a day. The city of Forks will be directly in the line of fire, right between three of these locations and the Pacific Ocean.  The locations in the Colville National Forest are next to the Colville Indian Reservation, about 70 miles orthwest of Spokane, and one is only 3 miles from the city of Oroville.  In addition, UHF transmitters will be added to an existing tower on Octopus Mountain in the Olympic Peninsula for communication with aircraft and ships.  Needless to say, the peace of the Olympic Peninsula will be destroyed forever. The radiation in both locations will impact predominantly native Americans.

You may voice your opinion until the end of this month:

https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public/CommentInput?Project=42759

I don't want EMF sensitivities nor do I want to be forced to live in a desert surrounded by car-eating rats secluded in a house lined with foil, but I might as well pack my bags for Snowflake now!

Damn.

Block Paintings

As you may recall from a post over a year ago, I had a creative epiphany when attempting to find something to hang in my newly remodeled pantry-now-shrine. I found some old pieces of 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 wood cut from larger boards and decided I needed to paint something to match the colors of my pantry. I used low VOC interior house paint as it's less toxic. I also thought small art would go well in a tiny house since there isn't much room to decorate. The Bunnysattva of Binkies was born. The pantry is still serving as a shrine. I can't seem to bring myself to put pantry things in it. The shelves and new tile counter are too pretty to cover.

 

 

What I really loved about these wood pieces is they were three dimensional so they could be either hung on a wall or displayed on a shelf. I love patterns and this afforded me the pleasure of adding designs to the sides.

Well, it took me over a year to make another only this time I got the urge to hang something from the bottom surface. I love beads and trinkets and the three-dimensionality calls for something extra. I had little shells from the ocean, beads from past projects, and lots of crystals from a chandelier I dismantled. Of course, this removes the option of sitting on a shelf. This is Sand Dollar:

 

 

I like the sides on this one: waves and starfish.

 

 

I did another using an African geometric motif. I wanted it to match the colors in my bedroom (aqua) and in my little room (dark pink).

 



With a geometric design that wouldn't have a specific orientation it could sit on a shelf, upside down with the doo-dads hanging down.

I'm not sure if I like it as it covers up the face design and makes the doo-dads difficult to see, but it is an option should your walls not work.

I'm still experimenting. It entertains me. Any ideas?

Drug Purge

I tried. I really did.

The first thing I noticed is eight hours after taking the 30 mg. thyroid pill, I'd get incredibly tired, crash, and feel the need to nap. I stopped crashing when I changed my diet so although low-level fatigue is what I was trying to address with these drugs, crashing was a newly returned symptom. My new health care provider agreed I should take a second 30 mg. pill in the afternoon. We assumed the drugs were wearing off. This seemed to work...for a short time. Then I started getting more tired in the afternoon, earlier in the afternoon each day, then waking early in the morning and beginning the day tired.  This was not an improvement.

I was also hungry all the time which wasn't new, but I started overeating.  Constant, compulsive overeating nearly to the point of vomiting. I had to pay close attention during a meal to know when to stop. I never felt real hunger and even after overeating, I'd still feel famished.

My legs and hips started hurting all the time. I read that hip pain is a hypothyroid symptom.

Then last week I started feeling borderline depressed. Just off. Like everything was not quite right. At first I thought this mild depression might have been residue from the heater chemicals offgassing. That would make sense, but it should have gone away once the heaters ceased to be a problem.

Prior to starting this Paleo with Hashimoto's Twist diet, I had severe inflammation, mostly at night. My skin would burn uncomfortably and my face was often burning red. It went away with the diet and since taking thyroid meds, it has returned. Inflammation is never good.

Unfortunately, all the muscle pain, muscle weakness and lack of muscle recovery never went away. The adrenaline rushes and hot flashes got worse. I had hoped a thyroid prescription would help with some of it. For a short time I did feel slightly more energetic and not as stress intolerant.

I worried about these new or returned symptoms and questioned whether things might get worse with a dosage increase.  I made an appointment with the formerly fired Nurse Lady.

Let me clarify. Yes, I had planned to fire Nurse Lady for failing at follow-through, but then I spoke to the pharmacist who said this was unusual behavior for her. So I thought I'd give her another chance. Maybe she was having a bad week? I know she wasn't having a bad week. She went to Hawaii. Can I blame her? Would I love to drop my life and go to Hawaii? Of course! But health care providers have a certain responsibility to their patients especially ones who's prescription needs refilling before it runs out. She should have done the research and settled her accounts before leaving. Instead she left me in a panic not knowing what to do. She never did get back to me about anything. Her failure makes that first appointment a waste of time and money.

Yeah, I should fire her, but then where do I find another fragrance-free health care provider? One who has Hashimoto's, acknowledges chemical sensitivity, recognizes my sensitivity to drugs, understands compounded pharmacies, and seems to have researched ideas relevant to my issues? Other than lack of follow-through, I really liked her. I wouldn't even know where to start looking for a new doctor. So she's not fired. I just won't rely on her to do what she says she will in the future. I really hate it we have to accept substandard health care for lack of any other choice.

My second appointment with her she said, "So, it's been over a year since you've been in?" Hmmm... I was in your office two months ago. She has no clue who I am nor what year it is. That did not inspire confidence. Did she leave her brain in Hawaii? I told her about my many new symptoms. The fatigue I have now is slightly worse, inflammation has returned, hips hurt, body hurts, and I am starving. During the course of the appointment I told her three times about the feelings of starvation and each time she stared at me with an occasional grimace. She had no clue. Her response was to give me dietary counseling. She knows I'm on the Kharrazian diet-that-saved-my-life and I know my diet is better than the diets of most Americans. It was frustrating to waste my time having someone tell me how to eat. I know my diet is what has improved my health, but she's not listening to me. I resent people who treat me like I'm a moron.

I did, however, lose two pounds which was odd since I'm eating like a horse, and my temperature is lower than the last visit (96.6). I asked her about how these meds work as I'm assuming they are killing my own thyroid's function causing more hypothyroidism which then demands a higher drug dosage to compensate. She disagreed but only on my choice of vocabulary. They suppress the thyroid. She told me people who take thyroid and want to quit can be weaned slowly off it and the thyroid will bounce back. I am skeptical. The thyroid gland doesn't just bounce back or no one would need any medication. I asked about a dosage increase since I read most people need to take three times more drug than I am, and she suggested the dose should be raised to 60mg. in the morning. The goal eventually was to take one pill strong enough to carry me through the day. I smell a drug addiction coming on. I just want to see an improvement. She ordered labs.

Breakfast...Yum.

So, the next day I took a double thyroid dose (60 mg.) and within an hour I was so incredibly hungry AFTER eating a multiple-course, multiple-helping breakfast, I wanted to eat my furniture. All day I was climbing the walls feeling like I was starving. I laid in bed that night and decided this isn't right. I checked online. There are others who have reacted to thyroid in the same way. Feelings of excruciating starvation not due to hunger. Their health care providers also had no answers for them.

The following day, I stopped the drugs. It was the first time in four months I was not hungry after eating a meal, did not overeat, and did not feel like I was starving.  Later that day, I felt no fatigue and it was the first time in four months I actually felt real hunger just before a meal. The next day I awoke to absolutely no depression and feeling really content and happy with everything.

Those damn drugs are poisoning me and messing with my brain.

Dessicated thyroid is real thyroid glandular from a pig, therefore, it has all the natural ratios of thyroid including T3 and T4. This natural balance is the reasoning behind taking it. Problem is it also comes with natural iodine, or iodide. Hmmm...I know people with Hashimoto's are supposed to stay away from iodine as it triggers immune attacks. Is this causing my reaction? Is this why I felt better at first and then slowly declined?

Kharrazian's book says taking thyroid medications unnecessarily will cause cells to develop a resistance to it creating pituitary hypofunction. The patient will feel fine at first, but then symptoms return. Hmmm....so the drug is killing off organs one by one? Kharrazian says your body's natural function will be permanently lost and dependency on medication will become lifelong. Great. That doesn't sound like anything will bounce back in fact quite the opposite. The whole thing is really frustrating and I get the impression most health-care providers fail to see the holistic side effects of any drug. Thyroid drugs are considered the easy answer, but everyone I know who takes them still suffers from fatigue which does not inspire confidence.

It's been a week and I actually feel much better without drugs than with them. I'm waiting for the thyroid lab results to see what has happened to my body while taking the drugs. I no longer think my low-level fatigue is related to just the thyroid, although I've been saying this for years. I was hoping this one piece of the puzzle would help a little. Not many people seem to know what to do with adrenal health problems. If I'm waking up every hour throughout the night with adrenaline rushes and hot flashes, it stands to reason I'd feel tired a lot. I read low cortisol incites the adrenaline rushes and this excessive cortisol will lower your blood sugar causing sugar cravings and digestive problems as well as muscle pain and weakness. I've known all along I should address the adrenal problems to support the thyroid and I've read if the adrenals aren't working properly, neither will any thyroid medication. Back to square one.

I'm currently trying to decide if I should go back to Nurse Lady or go to Gyno Doctor. The gynecologist has drug posters on the walls of her office and in the exam rooms. This indicates she will have little acceptance of chemical sensitivity, but she might know more about weird menopause symptoms than Nurse Lady. Also, her husband who shares the office with her is the only endocrinologist for miles. Still any treatments she will have will focus on chemical prescriptions and I already know I'm not very tolerant of drugs. What a game.

Health care sucks. It always feels like such a waste of money like I'm running in circles and getting nowhere. Just poorer.

Gulity Pleasure Confession

Lately television shows are really horrible. I know they always have been, but usually there is one or two that are fairly entertaining.* Last summer there was absolutely nothing on T.V. worth watching. For someone who is isolated out in the middle of no where, good television is a welcomed escape. I can live someone else's life for one hour.

 

In September, the Fox show Utopia began airing. I liked the idea of a group of strangers getting together to start their own society. Like an eco-village or a permaculture community. I think this is a great idea for aging baby boomers and/or chemically sensitive people as a practical support system so I was intrigued.

The first show I thought, Oh, good gawd, this is so bad. Why am I watching? OK, sometimes I even screamed it aloud. I knew why I was watching: there was nothing else on TV to watch! I remember thinking, Is this what my life has come to?? But the longer I watched, the more interesting it became. I like shows about interpersonal relationships probably because I don't have any.

The show was based on a Dutch television program that is getting the highest ratings of any Dutch reality show, so producers anticipated much success. To become a utopian, candidates needed to create three-minute audition videos and subject themselves to a casting process. Producers selected the first fifteen people based on their wide range of skills and experiences much like a microcosm of society.  There were lawyers, doctors, convicts, ministers, construction workers, plumbers, survivalists, hunters, chefs, hillbillies, and one pregnant woman.

My favorite utopian was the single, cat woman who demanded organic food, lectured on the use of cancer-causing microwaves, passionately supported organic gardening, sold watercolors on ebay to help support the group, and showed all kinds of evidence of being an earth-worshipping goddess. Everyone thought she showed all kinds of evidence of being a little off her rocker, too. She got a lot of flack for talking to herself, but since cameras were on them 24/7, I argued she really wasn't really talking to herself. Hey, I talk to myself so what's the problem? I loved her self-affirmations. She sometimes hugged herself.

I wondered whether these people were what they claimed to be and if it was really unscripted. Some viewers did online digging into the former lives of the utopians and found them to be actors, models, and have fake names so it's questionable how staged this "reality" show was. I wonder how much they got paid? Anyway, with this personality mix, there was bound to be interpersonal conflict regardless of whether it was staged or not. This made it fascinating. For instance, during hot weather the girls walked around naked or went skinny dipping in the pond while the minister sat on the edge of society with his hands over his eyes crying. That was priceless. Some utopians were useless and lazy while others worked constantly. Some were easy-going while others were volatile.

 

On occasion, one of the utopians would be forced to leave due to injury or family emergency. Others walked out in frustration. Once a month one person would be voted out with viewers contributing online votes and utopians voting from America's pick. Then two more candidates would stay for one week and the remaining utopians would vote one of them in as a replacement. One candidate was a topless housekeeper. HA! If I wasn't chemically sensitive and gluten-free, I might have auditioned to be a utopian just for the fun of it! If I lived in California, I would have paid to go on the tour.

It was scheduled two days a week and had planned to continue for one year. The show schedule was then reduced to once a week due to low ratings. This went on for two months, then it disappeared for two weeks during the World Series. I don't think that was a good move as it lost a lot of viewers during this hiatus. I also think they should have aired it during the summer when it had no competition from the big fall line up.

Although Fox sunk $50 million into production, property development, website construction with viewer passport and participation options, and 24/7 streaming feeds, ratings were so low they dropped it yesterday without warning. No closure sucks. We didn't even get to see them get the news or watch them pack up and leave. It's hard to believe they paid so much for this show and then instead of finding a way to make it pay for itself, the whole thing just disappeared overnight. I've read some of the comments on the website. Many viewers were very disappointed explaining they are home-bound and disabled and watching the feeds 24/7 became their entertainment. It became their life. I never got into the feeds, but I think it might have been just a matter of time!

No, it wasn't good T.V. but it was entertaining to a certain degree. Now I'll have to find a new guilty pleasure.

Not much to choose from....



*Cable television has some excellent programs, but they aren't free on Hulu.