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Showing posts from May 18, 2014

Funky Tastebuds

I struggle with a wide variety of symptoms as a result of my illness, Systemic Mastocytosis... anaphylaxis and losing consciousness for no known reason... breathing problems... flushing... tachycardia... gastro-intestinal problems... nausea... abdominal pain/cramping... vomiting... dizziness... overwhelming fatigue... pain in areas where mast cells are degranulating... neurological issues (tingling, buzzing, tremors, twitching, numbness, weakness) due to mast cells degranulating near nerves and/or the brain... vision issues... cognitive difficulties... rashes (oftentimes so painful they feel like a bundle of nerves are exposed on my skin)... etc. I can't handle environments warmer than around 74 degrees for longer than 15-20 minutes without experiencing anaphylaxis (cooling techniques help for short periods of time in moderately hot environments). If I eat foods which are naturally high in histamine, I experience terrible gastro-intestinal issues and possibly anaphylaxis within m

How Do You Grip a Smooth, Thin Kindle Fire HDX?

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When I first unboxed my new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9", I immediately noticed how light it is compared to my much older 7" Kindle Fire. It was even lighter and thinner than Sheila's 7" Kindle Fire HD. We were immediately excited by this revelation! The back of the Kindle Fire with the Poetic GraphGrip soft rubber case. As I tried to hold my new Kindle Fire in one hand, my excitement waned a little bit. The surface of the Kindle is smooth on all sides so getting a good grip on it is difficult. Two-handed operation was a piece of cake but one-handed was a bit dangerous. This 8.9" tablet is a bit wide for even my rather large hands to securely hold the opposing edges in one hand. I figured that maybe I just need to get used to handling this newer, larger Kindle Fire. After a week of use, I can honestly say that I did indeed get used to handling this tablet with one hand. Then again, I do have larger-than-average hands. I still felt I should protect my new tab

My Thoughts On My New Kindle Fire HDX 8.9

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For the past year and a half, I've been a very happy user of the original version of the Kindle Fire 7" tablet. This tablet was useful for so many reasons... it housed my complete magazine library, it also housed my complete book library, it provided a beautiful and easy way to show photos, it held all my maps and travel guides in one place at my fingertips, it allowed me to browse the internet quickly and easily, and my old, trusty Kindle Fire allowed me to watch movies, listen to music, play videos, etc. All in all, this trusty, first-generation old dog served its purpose and it served well. So, if my original Kindle served its purpose and served well, why did I feel the need to upgrade?  Only two reasons...  size of the screen and storage capacity. As you will see as you read more of what I have written below, there are many valid reasons to have upgraded but the two aforementioned reasons were my justification for upgrading. As I age and as my health deteriorates (b