I have a thyroid

Ok so I don't actually have a thyroid, but I did find a super cute little pin version of my removed organ at the pharmacy on campus that really made me smile.  It now occupies the lapel of my jacket.

Apparently created by a former student with anatomical and artistic inclinations, there was a whole series of internal organs, including the very cheerful thyroid.  It's called "I heart guts" and is most definitely now on my list of favorite things.  http://iheartguts.com/  With my insanely busy schedule ( I am taking a mini-break from writing a mock NSF grant to write this) it is really important to find things that can carry you through.

I will have classes until 5:45, then probably spend several hours in the library, then finally go home to eat.  While this sounds very dull and time consuming, there is an upside: my class and library time will be spent with one of my best friends and my boyfriend.  Things like sharing the torture of film screenings really make it easier to survive the often boring movies.  Now I can add sharing my super cute thyroid with them to the list of upsides for my day.

Life can get monotonous and finding joy in things is the most important way to, not only enjoy life more, but appreciate every experience you have.

Tell me how you see it!  What simple thing made you happy today?

A Fond Reunion

Today I was on the way from work to class and stopped by the express store on campus to get a snack.  I ran into my favorite snack food ever.

I have never been a natural food fiend so let me explain: In November of last year I was diagnosed with metastasized thyroid cancer.  The treatment was a surgery, which I underwent in December, and a radioactive Iodide treatment, which I underwent during spring break.  My holidays were so much fun :-).  

Anyway, before I could consume the Radioactive Iodide, I had to starve my system of Iodide so that absorption would be maximized.  Here is a short list of things that have Iodide in them:
-Milk
-Processed anything
-Egg yolks
-Red dye
This in itself shouldn't be a problem, unless you actually read labels...then pretty much everything is off limits, except food you make yourself from scratch with fresh everything.  Ideally, I would cook for myself, but as I was not only changing my diet, but studying for finals, as well as, being deprived my thyroid pill (part of the treatment prep, it makes you insanely tired to not have your thyroid hormones fyi), I was in no condition to cook 3 meals a day.

About a week into my special diet, I was getting pretty tired of the limited food items I could have.  My hormones were also funny, as previously mentioned, so I was extremely near to a nervous breakdown trying to find snack foods in between classes on campus.  I wondered into the express store with no hope of finding food I could eat, only to stumble upon Larabar and steaz sodas.  I read the label...and I could ACTUALLY READ EVERYTHING ON THE LABELS!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was allowed to eat all the ingredients because they were all natural with no Iodide.  They were really yummy too and came in flavors like blueberry muffin and coconut creme pie.  I was overjoyed and stocked up immediately.  In my food deprived delirium though, I completely forgot about these magic healthy foods existed once I was done with my diet, until I found them again.  I will endlessly recommend these brands to anyone!  Here are links to their webpages, please visit.
http://www.larabar.com/
http://www.steaz.com/
Santa Cruz being so alternative actually came in handy!  Hurray for vegan hippies!

Do you know of any alternative brands that actually taste good and are good for you?  Let me know, I am certainly open to trying suggestions.