u/EnthuseConfuse

Hey all. So I just got my environmental panel done. In some ways, it was a relief because many things I seemed to be allergic to from my 2017 test no longer seem to register (though he's following up with subdermal injections to make sure they're true negatives) and in some ways it was a major bummer.

I knew I was allergic to cats and dogs. But this time they tested for many animals:

Cat 3+

Dog 4+

Gerbil 2+

Mouse 4+

Guinea Pig 4+

Rabbit 4+

Hamster 4+

Horse 4+ (Biggest wheel)

Hog 2+ (Interestingly, Pork is a major food allergy of mine. Lamb too! I hope wool is still okay??)

Feathers 0

My doctor told me he's never seen someone so reactive to animals before. I told him I had 3 cats at home, but they're not allowed in my bedroom. He whistled. I grew up with dogs, I owned gerbils at one point, and my wife had a hamster and two guinea pigs. I love animals. This sucks. He joked with me that the subdermal injection may reveal a bird allergy. What the hell man.

I also found out I have a bunch of food allergies from a test back in winter. Sucks.

Otherwise I'm allergic to Elm trees Sage Brush, and a bunch of wild grasses. =(

Edit: I've had my cats for 13 years, and the youngest/recent adoption is 2 years old. They're going nowhere.

I know, this isn't a new idea, and there are a lot of logistical reasons why this hasn't happened yet, but I find myself growing ever more frustrated at the lack of a long term plan. Oregon is a single state, and a great one at that! The dry side is beautiful, and has some of the most genuine starry skies on the west coast, amazing canyons, landmarks, rocks, and recreation. It is the most under-sung of Oregon's phenomenal features.

The Willamette valley, where I live, is a bustling hub of agriculture, tech, and commerce. I watched many places here shift from farm land and villages to bustling metropolises, and I love that! But, I also can't help but feel like the concentration of industry here is a result for poorly managed land routes to allow for reliable travel--by car, train, boat, any means.

The coast is a powerful asset, from food harvesting, to agriculture, to logging and other advantageous resources, because of it's proximity to the ocean, the Coast feels like it's the middle child as far as settlement and utilization goes.

Oregon is the state the size of Germany, and I find it abhorrent that at any given moment, 3+ road closures can isolate vasts parts of our country-sized state from itself. Such perilous passes that get closed in the winter mean that there is a deep divide between the 3 parts of Oregon that could otherwise enjoy great freedom of movement, and assets from all three communities.

If there is an accident on the way to the coast, and a roadslide blocking the only other through road, I have to drive an extra 150 miles to round about my way to the coast. This should be unacceptable!

I understand that digging through or putting tracks over a mountain is a lot of work, money and trouble logistically, and I also understand that some people aren't eager for that freedom of movement between our various great locations, but I also feel like this is such a massively missed opportunity that started out as "kicking the can down the road" to being almost hand waved entirely. I know folks who have lived in oregon their entire life but never once crossed the cascades to the dry side! That's insane to me!