Everyone told me to do it, so I did it…I applied for a promotion at
work.
I am super tired today. The weather is strange here today: overcast and
a bit muggy. I think the weather is determining my tired feeling. I
already had two cups of coffee.
My short story for my writing class is due Monday. I thought I knew
what I was writing. Now I am stuck worrying about the point of view I
want to use. But I am only thinking about it, not really taking any
action. Go subconscious, go.
Great, great, great article in The Atlantic this month. Great. So
great, I took notes:
“Factor that can help you live longer:
1. Your psychological development: how you deal with stress.
2. Education
3. A stable marriage
4. Not smoking
5. Not abusing alcohol
6. Some exercise
7. A healthy weight
Factors that don’t really matter:
1. Your cholesterol at age 50.
2. Your social abilities
3. Your childhood temperament.
If you exercise in college, then your mental health later in life will
be better.
People who are depressed die earlier.
Pessimists suffer physically more than optimists.”
I have more to say about this…but you will have to wait. Click the
paragraph to go read the article. It is really great.
5.14.2009
5.12.2009
5.11.2009
5.10.2009
5.08.2009
your teeth
Before we went to Berlin, I found out I needed to have some major dental work done. Six of my old fillings had cracked, and the other dentist I saw, had not noticed. Two crowns later, and lots of other stuff done I got to wondering about teeth. Brent has exceptional teeth...never had a cavity. My sister, Erica, the same thing...Ok she has had one cavity...My mom had horrible teeth too.
I hate flossing. But I am going to start now...every day. So, do you floss? Please take my poll over there to the right...
I hate flossing. But I am going to start now...every day. So, do you floss? Please take my poll over there to the right...
5.07.2009
5.05.2009
new favorite picture
Shot a wedding this weekend...almost done with the pictures. I really like this one I took, which really has nothing to do with the wedding...
5.04.2009
Interesting Idea: Toxic People
From: SOME PEOPLE ARE TOXIC, AVOID THEM
"There is a test to determine whether someone is toxic or nourishing in your relationship with them. Here is the test: You have spent some time with this person, either you have a drink or go for dinner or you go to a ball game. It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energised or less energised. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy you have been nourished."
Milton Glaser (by way of Boingboing, by way of the blog Orange Crate Blog (click to go there).)
Thoughts? I agree with this...but then I know some introverts who believe that any contact with other people drains them...and it is only extroverts who are energized by others.
"There is a test to determine whether someone is toxic or nourishing in your relationship with them. Here is the test: You have spent some time with this person, either you have a drink or go for dinner or you go to a ball game. It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energised or less energised. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy you have been nourished."
Milton Glaser (by way of Boingboing, by way of the blog Orange Crate Blog (click to go there).)
Thoughts? I agree with this...but then I know some introverts who believe that any contact with other people drains them...and it is only extroverts who are energized by others.
5.02.2009
Book Review: Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat
by Nancy L. Snyderman, M.D.
Due to come out this month, I found this book at our favorite book store. (I am so excited about this! Our book store often has books that are sent to book reviewers before they come out. These book reviewers are over run by books and donate them to our book store. This is the first one I am reviewing before the book comes out. It comes out on Monday, so ok, not that early, but anyway...)
The author is the Chief Medical Editor at NBC News. Does anyone have faith in the news with respect to medicine after the swine flu? And a diet book to boot?
Let’s take a look. The book’s chapters are divided into 10 myths that most people believe about dieting. To name a few: your weight is your fault, calories don’t count, carbs are good for you, carbs are bad for you, and dieting is all you need to lose weight, to name a few chapters. I liked the use of these myths to organize the book. Telling me my "weight is not my fault" made me feel a roller coaster of emotions: first I felt better, the I felt let off the hook for being fat, then I felt the chapter made some good points, and finally I felt like she was not being completely honest with me! If the weight is not my fault, then whose is it?
Interspersed throughout the book are “truths.” Some truths are more informative than others. For example: muscle does not weigh more than fat. Who knew? A pound is a pound. (Who's buried in Grant’s tomb?) Apparently muscle does burn more calories daily than fat does.
The informative almost common sense information in the book is good basic knowledge for the reader. I kept thinking while reading, wow, I should have learned this in high school. For example she explains what a calorie measures. (It is the amount of potential energy in food.) And she tells (maybe reminds is a better word here) the reader that the secret to losing weight boils down to one equation: eat fewer calories than you burn.
The book is great for picking up and reading about a few things and then setting it down.
I will be reviewing a diet book I did not like this week. In comparison to that book, Diet Myths is great. Look for it soon in your local book store.
5.01.2009
4.29.2009
ISO: Organization System for Ideas
A few years ago I came across (on 43folders, click here to see that website) the The Noguchi Filing System. I have been using it ever since. You put everything you need to a seperate file into its own large envelope. Then you mark on the outside the last time you accessed the envelope. When you access an envelope you put it at the front of the envelopes. Eventually, you archive the envelopes you never use, which end up at the back of the box. Fair enough; it works for me...for most things.
What I need is a better way to organize those little bits of paper, torn out magazine articles, the random detritus I collect. I keep design ideas and ideas for stories. I just don't know how to keep everything organized, so my desk looks like a huge mess.
Anyone have any ideas? I have tried notebooks, not big enough. I have tried piling, but the piles are about to all collapse. I have tried ignoring the problem, but alas, I must now do something.
I am thinking a nice looking box...but that might merely contain the problem, rather than organize the papers!
What I need is a better way to organize those little bits of paper, torn out magazine articles, the random detritus I collect. I keep design ideas and ideas for stories. I just don't know how to keep everything organized, so my desk looks like a huge mess.
Anyone have any ideas? I have tried notebooks, not big enough. I have tried piling, but the piles are about to all collapse. I have tried ignoring the problem, but alas, I must now do something.
I am thinking a nice looking box...but that might merely contain the problem, rather than organize the papers!
4.28.2009
4.26.2009
Progress, not Perfection
I did it again; the oven was not on because I forgot to turn it on to pre-heat. *$#*&# comes out of my mouth in a rush. Brent calmly asks what is wrong. I tell him that I am an idiot because I once again forgot to turn both knobs on the oven to have it re-heat. Brent tells me to stop being so hard on myself. And then I remember two other conversations from last week.
I have one girl friend who is hyper critical of herself. Specifically, she is hypercritical of her choices with respect to leading a healthy lifestyle. When I hear her berating herself I cringe inwardly, because I know and love her and she is great. She is one of the healthiest people I know. I can’t run a mile, yet she is able to run 4.5 miles twice a week! Yet, she is down on herself because she isn’t up to 5 miles yet.
Another one of my other girl friends posted a blog entry where she relates to her readers that a friend of hers asked her to stop being so self-critical. Her friend told her she is an amazing mom and friend and that really, she needed to stop putting herself down so much. (I can vouch for all of these things…when/if I am ever a mom, I will have this friend over to help me!)
So why are we all so hard on ourselves? Where does one learn how to put one’s self down?
Honestly I don’t know the answer. But I was recently given a new mantra, which I am trying to put into effect to counter act my own negativity.
The mantra: Progress, not perfection. In all things I am doing, especially my effort to become healthier myself, I am seeking to make incremental progress, NOT seeking perfection.
To that end, I am happy to report I have lost 8 of the 30 pounds I hope to lose this year. Additionally, my knees feel great and my jeans are fitting much better. No major changes, but definitely progress towards my goal.
I have one girl friend who is hyper critical of herself. Specifically, she is hypercritical of her choices with respect to leading a healthy lifestyle. When I hear her berating herself I cringe inwardly, because I know and love her and she is great. She is one of the healthiest people I know. I can’t run a mile, yet she is able to run 4.5 miles twice a week! Yet, she is down on herself because she isn’t up to 5 miles yet.
Another one of my other girl friends posted a blog entry where she relates to her readers that a friend of hers asked her to stop being so self-critical. Her friend told her she is an amazing mom and friend and that really, she needed to stop putting herself down so much. (I can vouch for all of these things…when/if I am ever a mom, I will have this friend over to help me!)
So why are we all so hard on ourselves? Where does one learn how to put one’s self down?
Honestly I don’t know the answer. But I was recently given a new mantra, which I am trying to put into effect to counter act my own negativity.
The mantra: Progress, not perfection. In all things I am doing, especially my effort to become healthier myself, I am seeking to make incremental progress, NOT seeking perfection.
To that end, I am happy to report I have lost 8 of the 30 pounds I hope to lose this year. Additionally, my knees feel great and my jeans are fitting much better. No major changes, but definitely progress towards my goal.
4.24.2009
writing: this week's assignment
* UPDATE: I only wrote the start of the story and only had 350 words to do it in!
This week in my fiction writing class we had to write a story about a man and a woman who have an affair resulting in a pregnancy...here was my piece:
The phone rang just as she picked up the mail by the front door. Her children last used the portable phone so she ran around the living room looking for it. The call came from the hospital; her husband had been in a horrible car accident. While she listened she absently mindedly put the mail down on the fireplace mantel. There this pile of mail would sit for the next six months, through nights of crying, through false hopes, and through the eventual post-funeral gathering at the house after her husband eventually succumbed to the injuries sustained in that car accident.
He had been texting someone when he over corrected and drove off the bridge, just before the guard railing started.
She finally noticed the mail as her daughter helped pack up the house for the sale. Her daughter handed her the mail, after riffling through it herself. Finally her head was clear again; she knew where she was going in her life. She and the children would make it through this tragedy.
The letter struck her as strange when she saw it. The handwriting scrawled on a cheap envelope addressed to Mrs. Dutton. It was rare to see her married name on envelopes. Everyone knew she had kept her own name because of her medical practice. It seemed the easiest thing to do at the time.
The letter came from his mistress. The mistress was tired of playing second fiddle, and explained in the letter that she and Cal (not Calvin, who was this man?) met in an elevator in Chicago more than three years ago. Their son would be born on what was now tomorrow, May 23rd.
Everything clicked into place. The late nights at work, the learning how to send a text message like her children even though he hated technology, the midnight calls to the house, and the woman at the funeral who said she was an employee of Calvin.
This week in my fiction writing class we had to write a story about a man and a woman who have an affair resulting in a pregnancy...here was my piece:
The phone rang just as she picked up the mail by the front door. Her children last used the portable phone so she ran around the living room looking for it. The call came from the hospital; her husband had been in a horrible car accident. While she listened she absently mindedly put the mail down on the fireplace mantel. There this pile of mail would sit for the next six months, through nights of crying, through false hopes, and through the eventual post-funeral gathering at the house after her husband eventually succumbed to the injuries sustained in that car accident.
He had been texting someone when he over corrected and drove off the bridge, just before the guard railing started.
She finally noticed the mail as her daughter helped pack up the house for the sale. Her daughter handed her the mail, after riffling through it herself. Finally her head was clear again; she knew where she was going in her life. She and the children would make it through this tragedy.
The letter struck her as strange when she saw it. The handwriting scrawled on a cheap envelope addressed to Mrs. Dutton. It was rare to see her married name on envelopes. Everyone knew she had kept her own name because of her medical practice. It seemed the easiest thing to do at the time.
The letter came from his mistress. The mistress was tired of playing second fiddle, and explained in the letter that she and Cal (not Calvin, who was this man?) met in an elevator in Chicago more than three years ago. Their son would be born on what was now tomorrow, May 23rd.
Everything clicked into place. The late nights at work, the learning how to send a text message like her children even though he hated technology, the midnight calls to the house, and the woman at the funeral who said she was an employee of Calvin.
4.22.2009
art: machines that almost fall over
Machines that Almost Fall Over from Michael Kontopoulos on Vimeo.
(K: the name of the artist sounds Greek to me!)
4.19.2009
Book Review: French Women Don’t Get Fat
By Mireille Guiliano
I listened to 2/3rds of this book at least a year ago. Stuck on the plane back from Berlin on Saturday I finished the book. On the second go I liked the book a lot more. The author is a French woman who has lived in America for 30 years. In college she put on some weight and was sent to her doctor. Whether this really happened or not, Dr. Miracle serves the important role of explaining to the author and the reader the mysteries of how French women eat.
So the bottom line you ask? Eat anything you want, in moderation and walk a lot, and by a lot I mean three times as much as you do now.
Her tips, however practical, hit home. For instance she suggests carrying an en-cas, or emergency snack. This keeps her from splurging on some unplanned candy bar and pacifies her when she feels hungry, because she knows always has a snack.
One of my favorite chapters talks about the importance of chocolate and bread in your diet, again only eat the best, and in moderation. “French women don’t eat Wonder Bread.”
In Berlin last week I wore a pedometer. I have been wearing it in DC for four months. My daily step goal is 10,000 steps, but in DC I average 8,000. In Berlin I took at least 15,000 steps daily and one day took 25,000 steps (a.k.a. 10 miles). I loved it. I felt so good. I am going to work on walking more. The author talks about taking the stairs, parking in the furthest parking spot, and trying to incorporate movement into your daily life. She might be right in thinking the machines at the gym are vestiges of our Puritanical history, and serve only to punish us in front of our community.
After listening to the audio book, I bought the hardcover book which contains some very cute little illustrations and French recipes to try. I plan to try the yogurt recipe in the book tomorrow.
I must say I saw the book as more of a fad then anything I might really like, but I was wrong. She offers solid permanent life changing options to help us all look a little more French.
4.18.2009
4.08.2009
travel: Berlin
Fire up guys...we are headed to Berlin tomorrow. So excited. I know you will miss my daily posts, but you will have something to look forward too...We are back on the 18th.
:P
:P
4.07.2009
Brent's brother: Brandon
Brent's brother, Brandon, is an oncologist who is also a cancer survivor. (He HAD cancer in 1998.) His story was posted on Lance Armstrong's "Live Strong" blog yesterday...so I thought I would share some excerpts. To read the whole thing, click on this paragraph.
Awareness:
I did not know that cancer was and is the #1 natural cause of death among young adults, and I had not considered that we may face unique types of cancer with unique biology compared to other age groups.
Science:
Despite high rates of survival, I did not know that unlike younger and older groups, there has been no real change in the rate of survival since the 1970’s, and that childhood cancer survival rates passed those of young adults during that time. There has been a lack of research efforts aimed at explaining these survival gaps.
Awareness:
I did not know that cancer was and is the #1 natural cause of death among young adults, and I had not considered that we may face unique types of cancer with unique biology compared to other age groups.
Science:
Despite high rates of survival, I did not know that unlike younger and older groups, there has been no real change in the rate of survival since the 1970’s, and that childhood cancer survival rates passed those of young adults during that time. There has been a lack of research efforts aimed at explaining these survival gaps.
4.06.2009
4.05.2009
two months salary
Who can tell me what the average American woman expects the average American man to spend on her engagement ring? Two months salary. WOW. I guess I did not know that. An artist named Lee Gainer went out and computed the two month salary for a number of professions and then took pictures, which look like ads, of the diamond rings a man of said profession could afford. I love art.
What a great idea. (Click here to see more pictures!)
What strikes me about the art is how similar all of the rings look. I can't really tell the difference between the "Cashier" rings versus the "Structural Engineer" rings. The only rings I can tell are noticeably bigger are the "A List Actor" rings. Honestly I like the simple rings more than the ornate ones...but who am I?
4.04.2009
dryer balls
Ok, stop giggling...Dryer balls are not what you think...I think...
Visiting Maureen a few weeks ago I bought some dryer balls. The balls promised to obviate the need for dryer sheets and reduce wrinkling. Brent immediately remarked that someone put their dog toy in the dryer and realized that it kept the clothes from wrinkling. Said person is now selling dog toys for $16.95 to silly Americans.
The results: We love our new dog toys. They are really helping in the dryer and we are ironing less...well we don't iron but things seem less wrinkled.
4.02.2009
thankful
Had a great visit with Erica and Tanner. They are gone. Just listening to some podcasts: basically radio shows you listen to over your computer. NPR has been doing this series called "Story Corp Podcasts." You can go to one of their traveling audio booths and have a conversation with a loved one which is recorded. They feature one story a week on NPR. (To listen to the stories click this paragraph.)
Brent does not like it when I listen to these stories because they make me cry. The stories are generally one to five minutes long, and feature inter-generational pairs. The story that made me cry today was about a woman talking to her husband for the last 30 minutes before he died on 9.11.2001. She died in the most recent plane crash in New York.
I was on the phone that morning as well. I had called my friend Nancy in NYC to make sure that Andre, her husband, was ok. She said he was fine and then we proceeded to have a normal conversation. She could see the towers on fire from her office. I asked about the dogs. It seemed so surreal. (Click this paragraph or the last to hear Beverly Eckhert tell her story.)
We both remember the conversations we had that morning.
Brent does not like it when I listen to these stories because they make me cry. The stories are generally one to five minutes long, and feature inter-generational pairs. The story that made me cry today was about a woman talking to her husband for the last 30 minutes before he died on 9.11.2001. She died in the most recent plane crash in New York.
I was on the phone that morning as well. I had called my friend Nancy in NYC to make sure that Andre, her husband, was ok. She said he was fine and then we proceeded to have a normal conversation. She could see the towers on fire from her office. I asked about the dogs. It seemed so surreal. (Click this paragraph or the last to hear Beverly Eckhert tell her story.)
We both remember the conversations we had that morning.
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