INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose (sugar) levels are too high (hyperglycemia) due to a lack of insulin or a tissue insensitivity to it. In general terms, type 1 diabetes is more serious because your body (pancreas) doesn't make any insulin, whereas with the type 2 variety your body doesn't make or use insulin efficiently..  Both forms can be fatal if not treated.  All type 1 diabetics need insulin shots on a daily basis, whereas a large proportion of type 2 diabetics can manage their condition with special diets, weight loss and exercise. Type 2 diabetes is much more common and is linked to obesity, which causes tissues of the body to be less sensitive to the effects of insulin — essentially ignoring its impact. Insulin can't be taken by mouth (orally) in order to lower blood glucose levels because stomach enzymes interfere with its action. People with type 2 diabetes tend to be overweight and develop their symptoms slowly, whereas type 1 diabetics experience symptoms quickly and they tend to be more severe. The most common symptoms of type 1 diabetes include: increased thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, unexplained weight loss, sweet smelling breath (due to ketone breakdown), severe fatigue, irritability, blurred vision, slow-healing sores and frequent infections.  Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, although it usually appears during childhood or adolescence. Diabetic kids are usually very thin, gaunt and tired looking. Type 2 diabetes can develop at any age, although it's most common in people older than 40 who are obese. Without insulin treatment, diabetes can progress and lead to nerve damage (neuropathy), heart disease, kidney damage, blindness, numbness in limbs and various skin conditions. Having diabetes and needing to inject insulin on a daily basis is sometimes like walking on a tightrope. Injecting too much insulin can lead to hypoglycemia due to having too much glucose removed from your bloodstream. On the other hand, not injecting enough promotes hyperglycemia as too much glucose is left within the blood stream. Your doctor can estimate the amounts, but it depends on your dietary choices. As such, diabetics must monitor their own blood sugar levels and determine for themselves when to inject.  Symptoms of hypoglycemia include: excessive sweating, shakiness, weakness, hunger, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, heart palpitations, irritability, slurred speech, drowsiness, confusion, fainting and seizures.  Skipping meals and exercising too much can also promote hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can be treated at home in most cases by consuming quickly absorbed carbohydrates, such as fruit juice, ripe berries, white bread with honey and/or glucose tablets.

SUMMARY: Distinguish between diabetes types. Recognize the symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Understand the risks of injecting insulin.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Soaps and detergents are great at cleaning most cookery, but they should be avoided when it comes to cast iron pots and pans. The sulfides in most detergents bind to the oils in the skillet and strip them, leaving your skillet as naked and vulnerable as it was on the first day of its life. It still can be re-seasoned, but it ends up being more work than necessary. Different process, but same reasons. This process can eat through the non-stick coating you've created and promote rust. While steel wool is effective at removing food and other buildup, it cuts right through the seasoning and forces you to start at square one again. Far better to stick to the potato method for cleaning (no pun intended).

SUMMARY: Avoid using soaps and detergents. Never put the skillet in the dishwasher. Try to avoid using steel wool to clean your cast iron cookery unless in dire need of cleaning.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Light up or turn on your grill to medium-high heat. Leave it to heat up to 375 °F (191 °C). You can use a wood, charcoal, electric, or gas grill to cook the sweet potatoes. Transfer the washed sweet potato to a cutting board. Hold the sweet potato steady with one hand, and with the other hand use a sharp knife to slice the sweet potato in half lengthwise. Use a butter knife to spread ½ tablespoon (7 g) of butter onto the cut side of each sweet potato half. Sprinkle each half with salt and pepper, to taste.  You can also season the sweet potatoes with any herbs or seasonings you like, including cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, or even rosemary. You can also replace the butter with margarine or your favorite oil. Cut two pieces of heavy duty foil that are each 12 by 18 inches (30 by 46 cm). Place one sweet potato half in the center of each foil sheet and wrap the foil tightly around the sweet potato. Use tongs or a metal spatula to transfer the sweet potato halves to the grill. Cook the sweet potatoes for almost an hour, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. The sweet potatoes are done when they are soft to the touch and tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Unwrap the foil from each sweet potato half, being careful not to burn your hands when the steam escapes. You can finish the sweet potato halves with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of grated cheese, a drizzle of honey, or any herbs and spices you like.

SUMMARY: Preheat the grill. Cut the sweet potato in half. Butter and season the sweet potato. Wrap each half in foil. Grill the sweet potatoes for 50 minutes. Serve hot with your favorite garnishes.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Taking care of your own schedule should be fairly easy, but the hard part is figuring out how to make sure your partner is free. If you plan the trip for a weekend, you may have less interference from work. If you plan it on short notice, you should be able to find out if they have plans already.  A good trick you can use is to get a friend of your partner to make plans with them for the same time that you are planning the trip. Tell the friend that you need them to make fake plans. Your partner should end up keeping their schedule clear. For example, call your partner’s best friend and say, “Hey, I want to take John on a surprise trip this weekend. Would you make some fake plans with him so he’ll keep the weekend open?” If you’re planning a multiple day trip, you may only need the fake plans to be for part of that time, as long as your partner keeps the rest of the time open. If you are willing to give away part of the surprise, you can simply tell them, “I’m making plans for us for this weekend, so keep your schedule open.” It accomplishes what you need, but it does not give the whole surprise away. So many people travel around holidays that it can be a little tricky to take your romantic getaway at those times. Tickets and housing can be a little more expensive, and travel can get more hectic. All of this can add some stress to the situation which can easily take away from the romance of your getaway.  If you want to make the trip part of the holiday experience, you can plan the trip for a weekend before or after the holiday time. Sitting in traffic, walking through crowded airports, and dealing with packed hotels will most likely cause stress, not romance. For these reasons, holidays are best avoided. A great way to surprise someone is getting tickets to an event they would enjoy. You could pick a concert, a stage play, or a convention of some kind. If you find a fun event, this will determine the date of your trip and you can work the other details out around it.  Most events are scheduled pretty far in advance, so this will help you with planning. Focusing on an event will also help you narrow down where you’re going to travel. You could also start with a location that you want to visit and find out what events are going to be in that area. This will most likely give you a good number of specific dates to choose from.

SUMMARY:
Clear your schedules. Avoid holiday weekends. Plan the trip around an event.