Thursday, October 4, 2012

Big changes for me, and Star in a Bra Updates

Hi All! I am writing this from a cafe in Berkeley, California, just outside of San Francisco.

Many of you learned from my Star in a Bra adventure that I lived in North Carolina. I’ve lived there for roughly 14 years, but originally I was born on the West coast and lived in Oregon until I was almost 10. Gregory, my fiance, and I started talking about moving to the Bay Area several years ago, because he’s a computer programmer. There just aren’t many opportunities for programmers in a small tourist town in NC. And then earlier this summer we had the occasion to visit this area- my first time back in 14 years- and what really sealed for us that we needed to move was how I felt.

You see, most of you don’t know this, but I’ve struggled with health problems for years. Nobody could ever figure out what exactly they were- I went to numerous doctors, both traditional and alternative. Finally it was decided I had Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which basically mean “We have no idea what’s wrong with you, but we do have a handy name for your collection of symptoms!”

But then I was better in California. Surprisingly better. We began to suspect that I’m allergic to *something* in the environment in NC. And then after getting back, our house in NC started to have particularly bad mold problems. (Fairly common in humid, damp NC.) I began to have trouble breathing and broke out in hives. Yep, allergies. Probably to a species of mold which isn’t able to grow in relatively cool, dry California. Now that it’s clear what it was, it seems so obvious, yet at the same time, I’m still surprised at how much better I feel over here.

Anyway, for now I’m staying with some friends here. Gregory’s still in NC, frantically applying to programmer jobs. And we are trying to find somebody to take over our lease. And it’s generally all quite crazy.

But besides the benefit to my health, I’m really excited about the opportunities living in a bigger city will give us. I think this will also be helpful for this blog- finally I’ll be able to go to more stores, try clothes on in person, and be able to share my findings with you.

Oh, and speaking of Star in a Bra, just in case you weren’t following along on Facebook (which probably means you didn’t vote! **Wags finger with stern face**) I didn’t win- I came in 3rd place, after winner Krista Cousins and 2nd place Cristyen Fowler. I won’t say I’m not sad, because I know that I could have made a bigger difference if I’d won, than I can just sitting here blogging! But Krista seems smart and wonderful and positive, and it’s awesome that the first ever USA Star in a Bra winner was also the first ever black woman to win! So, congrats Krista, you rock! I’m super sad that Krista was the *only* top 10 contestant I didn’t get to meet, because she lives in NYC already and therefore didn’t stay in the hotel, and was scheduled for a different day of shooting than me.

Well, this is long enough, so that’s all for now. If you know anybody in the Bay area who wants to hire a wicked talented programmer, though, pass them on! ;-)

23 comments:

  1. So glad you're back! Can't wait to see what happens with Thin & Curvy now that you've moved back to the West Coast. :-)

    -Cora

    P.S. Don't forget to stop by Dollhouse Bettie!

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    1. Thanks! And yes, Dollhouse Bettie will be a must! :-)

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  2. FMS is a real condition, I have to deal with it on a daily basis. Sometimes the pain is too much to deal with and it actually affects the feel of a properly fitted bra. There are a whole slew of symptoms that come along with it, and I'm not saying you don't/didn't have it, but it's not just a shrug it off thing. Some doctors believe in it, others just don't understand or try to pass it off as something else just to fill you with pain pills and even more symptoms. Unfortunately for me, the air quality doesn't take away the pain that radiates through my body (though I suspect if I were in a very dry and warm area it wouldn't be quite as bad, pressure dropping and all). I'm glad that the move will work out for you though, and good luck! =)

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    1. I'm unclear on why you think I implied it's a "shrug it off thing." I lived with the symptoms you are describing for years. I know quite a lot about FMS, having lived with that diagnosis for 5 years and researched it extensively. I'm very sorry you thought I was trivializing it, as I would never want to do that.

      It is one of the reasons I have advocated for better bra size options, as 28 bands caused me extreme pain. I mentioned it so that people could have an idea of the symptoms I have been living with, and you seem to have interpreted that as me saying I had normal allergy symptoms that were for some reason diagnosed as FMS. If you think about it, FMS has to do with inflammation and chronic allergies would also cause widespread inflammation.

      I'm very sorry you are dealing with it- I do know what you're going through, and I have great sympathy. <3 I wish that doctors understood it better!

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    2. I wasn't really sure what kind of allergies you meant, so it was a little confusing to understand. Sorry about that =/

      That's interesting though, you find the looser band to cause more pain and with me it's the opposite. I'd take a soft 34 over a 26 any day!

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    3. No problem, I hope I explained it better now! :-)

      TBH 26 bands can hurt, too, but I tend to have some of the worst pain in my shoulders/back/neck, so not putting pressure on my shoulders from the straps needing to take the weight is the most helpful. 28 bands also tend to put blisters on my ribcage, whereas 26 bands are snug enough not to rub. My favorite option would be a 26 band with very padded wires.

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    4. Oh I get the back pain really bad but I don't know what problem it's coming from. Posture, scoliosis or FMS? IT It happens the worst in Freya Deco and after awhile the pain, which locates above the back band, just constricts my breathing. Much worse when I'm sitting too.

      Have you tried lining the wires with felt or a soft cotton/flannel?

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  3. Hi! Started reading your blog a few months ago when I got fitted into a size 30DD! Anyway, commenting now to ask if your husband in proficient in C++ and/or Python? If so I might have a recommendation on where to apply!

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    1. Yes, he is quite skilled in both! He uses C++ at his current job.

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  4. Did you mean to show your nipples in your star in a bra post? None of the other girls did.

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    1. No, they told me they'd airbrush them out. Not sure why they didn't.

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    2. Don't worry about it Brittany. In fact, it's another important milestone for busty women. I'm a 32F and I'm so jealous of the "sexy" options that my smaller busted friends have when it comes to lingerie. I can't find styles like see through or partial cups that leave the nipples exposed in my size, even though there are lots of these options for smaller girls. I've even written in to Bravissimo to ask about fully see through styles and they claim that they don't offer the right support. Do you know of any options, and what was the brand of the bra you were modelling?

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    3. Hi Brittany. I hope you're well and that you haven't given up the blog. If you do come back and you have some suggestions for sexy bras for small backs and big cups, please let me know.

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  5. Pleasr don't take my comment as critical! You are absolutely gorgeous...I was amazed at your self-esteem to do so! (Trust me, most of my lingerie show off mine as well!) Frankly, given that it was a lingerie show, I'm surprised so many of the selections were as conservative as they were. (PS: Welcome to the Bay Area...we're a lot more liberal than North Carolina!)

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  6. So glad to see you post! I've missed you the last couple of months!

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  7. I'm very sorry to hear about your health problems and happy to hear you're moving to an area that makes you feel better! I live in the Bay Area myself and find it hard to imagine living anywhere else. Most of my friends grew up elsewhere, came here to go to college, and refused to leave after graduation!

    As for your fiance's job hunt: what kind of experience in which areas of programming does he have? I'm not a techie, but I do know from my many software and hardware engineer friends that the field is vast. The odds are against my knowing anything useful to his search, but I'll see what I can do.

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  8. Hi I'm a CFS sufferer too. Though I would like to call it CFIDS (chronic fatigue immune disorder syndrome), a bit more accurate. Well, that's not correct either. You'd be better of to use the name ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) since a lot of people are advocating to use the name ME because CFS (a neurologic disease) is often confused with CF (chronic fatigue, something your shrink might want to solve)

    And contrary to popular belief, CFS isn't “We have no idea what’s wrong with you, but we do have a handy name for your collection of symptoms!” but rather "We know perfectly well what's wrong with you, we even know how to treat it, but we don't know how to cure it, and we don't know what causes it!"

    http://www.deziekteme.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Myalgic-Encephalomyelitis-International-Consensus-Primer-Physicians-12-10.pdf <a recent article on CFS, or rather ME. I'd say that's a perfect "we know exactly what's wrong with you". A very interesting article. Especially page 14 & 15. They might give you a few ideas to improve your health/conserve your energy.

    But more importantly, you are a CFS patient, and you do something exhausting like the star in a bra contest, the photoshoots and everything? Weren't you afraid of a relapse? Cherish what you have!

    ...
    Anyhow, I'm glad you get to be in an environment that improves your health, and too bad you weren't chosen. I would have liked to see you win.

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  9. Maybe you're allergic to Mitt Romney supporters? :D

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  10. It's great to have you back, and I'm so glad you were able to discover how to feel well!

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  11. How wonderful that you can feel so much better from "just" moving! (I have adrenal fatigue, unresolved yet after about 10 years, so I get feeling chronically yucky. :( )

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  12. Oh hey, welcome to Berkeley! I hope you settle in well here.

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  13. Good to have you back! Happy to hear you're doing well and now with the new move you'll be feeling even better which should make life for you and your fiancee that much nicer.

    Congratulations on getting 3rd place too! I think Laura Butler ended in 3rd place the year she entered and now she's one of the most popular models used by Curvy Kate! So maybe you'll be in the catalogue after all?

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  14. I am not surprised that you feel better in a warm and sunny climate. Here in the UK we have a lot of people who go to live in Australia and so many of them report improvements in health that are down to warmth and sunshine.

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