Botany Quiz

HINT: It is the only fall flowering tree/shrub that I know. It is lovely!!! Seen 11/6/05 at Pokagon State Park, Indiana: 

Can Maggie pass????

Just read in the paper about a new doggie day care in the area. Remember...this is NOT California and so doggie daycares are not on every corner. This is a new concept for this area. I had talked with someone a few months ago who told me her friend was opening this place. It sounds fun. My favorite thing about it is that the dogs will be "placed into playgroups. There will be one human supervisor per eight dogs, and this leader will play games with the pups, foster activites with toys, and offer snacks and naps to those that become tuckered out" They also have boarding...where "the pooches will be tucked into soft fleece covered beds, inside individual cabins". All this and at Indiana prices. I wonder, however, if our canine will be able to pass the evaluation. They much attend at least a 1/2 day evaluation!!! Yikes!

My Christmas spirit just fizzled

So....I was getting into the Christmas spirit early this year. I think it was because we are having our work Christmas party early (Dec 2nd or something) and we do Secret Santa gifts once a week for the three weeks prior to the party. So....I was actually looking forward to it all until yesterday. Yesterday we picked names for Secret Santa and I couldn't have picked a more difficult person. MY BOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If any of you have heard me talk about my boss you would understand. A "do-everthing, good at everything" kind of person. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! What am I supposed to get him?????

The Morning Walk Routine

On the morning walk with Maggs. Walking over the bridge at The Res.  

This is Maggs in an outright sprint. She runs up and down the driveway after her morning walk because she's so darn excited to get back inside to her breakfast which is waiting just inside the door 

"I'm patiently waiting to get inside to MY BREAKFAST...com'on!!!!!!!!!" 

Old postcard

Postcard from my brother one summer when I was away at camp. Found it in a box of junk mom brought me from home 

Watching crane migration

LOTS of cranes at Jasper-Pulaski....the big gathering ground during fall migration. Took the parents there on Friday night. Too bad I couldn't record the noise of the birds! It was cool 

More cranes flying.... 

Cranes flying at sunset... 

A weekend get-away to visit the elusive red-billed Hovis

Going to a hike at Turkey Run State Park...it was lovely 

A peek into the fridge of an assistant professor.....at a big university. Kind of sad, isn't it.  

Ask the Expert

So the other day I was petting Maggs and began to wonder why she isn't ticklish. I, of course, decided to ask an expert....my friend Lizard. She sent back this comment from a memo-board-thingy on dog grooming:

"Hi there,
I'm not a groomer but I am a dog owner and I have a serious question that I'm hoping someone here may be able to answer. You see, my eight year old son (also an avid dog lover) spends much of his free time petting and playing with our three dogs. He has observed that none of our dogs are ticklish, a fact which I myself have since put to the test and found to be true. He asked me, Why aren't dogs ticklish to which I have no answer. I'm hopeful that someone may be able to shed some light on this subject. Are all dogs not ticklish and if so, why is that. Thank you. Dianna.

Posted on Wednesday, August 3, 2005 - 4:08 am:
"They are ticklish..... :o) Your son just hasn't figured out where yet.
Right in front of the ear canal opening - the "guard hairs" that stand up right in front of the hole. Have you son GENTLY and SLIGHTLY flick the hair there. Just sort of tickle the HAIR there. The ear with start flicking because of it.
Also, some dogs are ticklish with their feet. When the dog is laying down, resting - you son can "tickle" the HAIR between the pads. The hair that sticks out above the pads.I would say more "bothered" than ticklish - - but you do get a reaction :o)
Being a surgical veterinary technician for 17 years - - the ear hair flick is a good test to see how anaesthetized they are (are deep they are) and helps them to recover from anaesthetic as well :o) It's like being ticklish, an unconscious response - something you have no control over....

Weekend update

Saw this in a newspaper article: "If you're a new parent, there will come a time when either you or your spouse will say these words: Let's take the baby to a restaurant" Now, to a normal, sane person; this statement is absurd. It's like saying: "Let's take a moose to the opera"."

Well....the husband took the Moose to the South Bend Symphony last night, not the opera. I think I was pretty well behaved. However, I've taken to burping a lot more lately (it's better than barfing, right!!!). Unlike my niece and brother, however, I am not skilled in "burping on command". I thought about apologizing in advance to the ochestra last night...but I did fine and was able to remain quiet through the whole thing. The most hilarious thing about the whole concert was the beginning. The conducter came on stage, we clapped, and then EVERYONE stood up....I mean EVERYONE. Chris and I looked at each other with confused looks. THEN THE ORCHESTRA BROKE OUT IN "The Star Spangled Banner" AND THE WHOLE AUDIENCE SANG ALONG. Can't say I've ever done that before at a symphony concert!!! Sure made it feel a bit like a baseball game. (speaking of baseball...I'm thinking Lizard and my dad are pretty happy about the Cardinals these days)

A walk in the woods....

Another picture of the man and his dog....Maggie had to be at the front of the line. Always!  

OK---now this picture says it all....Maggie is totally obsessed with Chris!!! Here they are on our walk in the woods. We had to go to Michigan to get to a nice woods. It was a beech-maple woods and I saw lots of nice plants! Like hepatica, wild ginger, partridge berry, ferns, etc.  

Quiz of the day

So I got home pretty late from work tonight because my boss has abandoned me for two weeks for a vacation Italy to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary. Hardly a reason to leave me alone in the crazy clinic so soon! I'm NOT happy about it at all and think that the "crazies" and the "worried wells" with laundry lists of problems are going to send me off the deep end. ANYHOOO.....called the husband at about 6:30 and he was still at work......shit...that means the DOG and the CAT were home alone FOR A VERY LONG TIME. Good thing I got the package from Jeffers with dog toys and treats yesterday so Maggs had lots of new things to play with. We find that during the course of the day she moves all her toys from the family room into the bedroom. The ratty old squirrel toy was up ON the bed tonight. No real destruction in the house....she just tore up an old sock. No big deal. C got home first and apparently had a time with the dog and cat. The cat snuck out (remember she's an INDOOR cat with no front claws and she is grey) while the dog was jumping around crazy-excited because he was home. I had to go out when I got home and find the cat. NOW FOR THE QUIZ!!!! I brought out the cat treats and the flashlight in order to find her. Why do cats eyes glow so much when I the flashlight shines in their eyes (therefore making it easier for me to find her in the dark)? It is one of my favorite words!!!

This was Sunday's lunch for the Husband. "Damn good lunch", he says.  

Cute picture of my friend Liz's dogs Jake and Bailey. I love how their tails wag together. They are outside the guestroom window. Wanting to come in!!!! 

Office space

Here is a picture of The Husband's office. You can't quite appreciate the enormous computer screen from this picture....but it is enormous. Notice only one coffee mug. Must be early in the semester! Ha!  

Weekend update

I'm so happy that it's finally cool and cloudy! I can't believe that I couldn't wait for it to cool down. I guess a whole summer of 90 degree days and a September full of 80 degree days has cured me of the need for sun every day. I think it is going to rain today. Good! Perhaps it's also because I often feel a bit cruddy these days and when the weather joins me in "cruddiness" it makes me feel better! Let's see....went to our neighbor's yesterday for a birthday party for her 90 year-old mother! Lots of family and friends were there....including the couple that used to own our house. They built it and raised three kids here. Obviously they are very proud of this house. We learned a few more tidbits of the history behind it...like how the fireplace in the family room is built like some down in Virginia (I think?) with two extra rows of bricks to keep the witches (!) away! And how some of his students stole a graveyard ornament and gave it to him (! Claims they couldn't find the grave it belonged to)....

Also, of course, watched some of the ND game and saw them sloppily beat Washington.

I take my National Boards this week. Wish me luck. Haven't been too good at studying but I figure that going to work each day is like studying. Dr. J is going to be out of town this week....ugh...I'm a bit nervous about that!!! OK---off to swim at the pool. My goal is to start exercising more now! especially since I"m retired from Ultimate!

Random tidbits

Out walking the dog in The Res last night (the small woods across the street from our house). I take two laps through and it only takes about 20-25 min. I've been craving a nice hour long walk in a fall woods lately. I asked a friend at work the other day about suggestions of where to go around here. Her response: "Go to Michigan".

During my walk I had an overwhelming craving (nostalgia?) for eating fresh peaches and real cream with sugar sprinkled on top. I remember eating this when I was a kid up at the cabin during August. Sitting at the kitchen table,probably in my swim suit with a towel wrapped around my waist and my hair still wet from a swim, reading Archie comics, and eating out of one of those little old white bowls.....Man...that was the life!

I think I'm starting to understand.........

First ND home game was this weekend and C and I didn't quite know what to expect. We got there at about 11:30 because we weren't sure how parking would be. A quick $10 down and we got a spot in a yard near campus. A yard a bit closer to the field was getting $30! The whole campus was full of students, families, alumni, and lots of energy. Everyone was wearing their ND gear. Barbeque stands all over--many done by student groups to raise money. We picked the Environmental Group stand because they had veggie burgers (a very good one!) versus the Ballroom Dancing club (nothing veggie). The game didn't start until 2:30, so we had more than enough time to walk around and experience the traditions. The Marching Band put on a concert and I decided that Marching Bands are kind of fun---if you were part of the percussion section. Something about the drums! Finally it was time to find our way to our seats. We are behind one of the endzones. Not great, but not too bad. The worst thing was that the seats are just thin wooden slabs and people are packed in like sardines. This stadium was made when the average American adult was about 50 lbs smaller than they are now! It was pretty warm, too, so the first half was a bit uncomfortable. C went and got more water and and an lemon icy for us to share during half and the sun wasn't so warm in the 2nd half. The whole 2nd half was so tense that I didn't notice how packed in we were. It was an exhausting experience....final score 44-41 bad guys! Overtime, too! C and I finally made it home by 8:30 and the only thing that sounded good for dinner for both of us was Mac and Cheese (this trend of mine is a bit disturbing). We were both asleep by about 9:45pm!!! Wow! Now I understand why this is such a big deal to ND students, alumni, etc. I now appreciate it, too. Living in SB/Mish where there really is NOT MUCH GOING ON and then 6 weekends of the year 80,000+ people descend onto the town for a weekend is pretty exciting. Anyone want to come down for the next home game???? 

Sorry---more dog stuff

You have to check out Maggie on the petrefuge website. She is listed as the 2nd "success story" on the front page. Also, there are some really cute pictures on the Pets Connect website of the 7 puppies and Mom from a photo shoot they did. Also, look at the extra pictures for Billy the Basset Hound. Get a load of those ears! They really have great pictures on this website.

I really can't keep up with Hobbled Runner in blogging. Sorry.....

Guess the big news is that I quit one of my jobs so I'm down to just one job. And I didn't barf this morning! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Check out the Notre Dame football game this weekend. Chris and I will be there. Somewhere behind one of the endzones.

Maggie's Adventures

MAGGIE SAYS: "LOOK WHAT I DID TO THE GARAGE"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Early morning humor

The alarm clock had been set early for Friday and Saturday morning. The alarm clock is on the Husband's side of the bed and he forgot to turn it off last night. I am always quite amused by his inability to comprehend and navigate the clock radio in the wee hours of the morning (say 6 or 7 am). Inevitibly he hits the "nap" button or something and about 20 minutes later the harsh "beep, beep, beep" goes off. This morning he was making quite a racket trying to change the settings after the "music" went off for the first time and I asked what he was doing....after he said "I'm resetting it" I said "IT'S SUNDAY....we don't need to get up!" I'm glad I can find humor in all of this...more importantly I'm glad I can fall back asleep after all that commotion!

Out of Indiana!

The husband had a "new faculty" retreat Friday and Saturday up in New Buffalo, MI, a little lakeside resort town. Because I worked Friday morning (probably could have gotten out of it) and the dog, I didn't go up Friday and he came home that night. I did, however, jump at the chance to go along for the Sat. morning session. YIPEE!!!!!! a morning out of Indiana near Lake Michigan. It was only about 50 minutes away....good to know...and it was funny how the scenery suddenly seemed more lovely the minute we crossed the border. It was a much needed morning away and I even enjoyed the discussion amongst the new faculty about "Research at a Catholic University".

Another dog story

I liked this story about the Bau House Cafe in Seoul, South Korea that I heard on NPR this morning...

Me and Lance

Yeah....Lance Armstrong and I have a lot in common. We both were on sports teams named POSTAL and wore yellow jerseys. We're the same age. We know more about chemotherapy drugs than the common person (more than we both really would like to know). AND we've both picked this summer as the end of our big sporting career. He finished out with his 7th win in the Tour de France and I finished out playing with the team that won the South Bend Ultimate frisbee summer league tournament this past Saturday. UNLIKE Lance, however, I've not really been at the top of my game for the last couple years. Oh sure, I'll still play pick-up...but I don't think I want to play tournaments anymore where we play 5 games on hot and humid summer days. The legs just can't take it....because we all know I'm not 15 anymore!

An alternative news site....

Heard about this Happy News website on NPR on our drive back from Madison. Sounds like a great website to lock into your favorites and check on a daily basis. They only report happy news, or as the spokes person said...they report the more positive side of news stories. I like the article title..."one-eyed dog watches TV". I think I will go read that one now... Have a great day!

It's about time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is where my good friends Bryn and John got married this past weekend....they've only been together for 10 years. Dr. Evermore's. It is a site to be seen and surprisingly they were not the FIRST couple to get married here!!! But probably the first to do so where they gave their friends and family only 2 weeks notice! They really pulled it off, though, so may just have set a new wedding trend..... 

Google

I want to work for Google. Not only do they serve really good food for lunch, but it is free for the employees. The theory goes that if you serve good food on-site, fewer people will leave work for lunch=higher productivity. And they get to work on cool things like the moon map. How can you NOT want to work for this company?

Dog Photo

I took this picture of this little guy waiting patiently for his owner outside a coffee shop in San Diego. I think he's saying something like: "Excuse me, I could use a shot of espresso." This photo is in honor of the San Fran Dog Blog...which is totally hilarious. 

I GIVE UP!!!!!!!!

I know, I know....you are all going to fall over in your chairs when you learn that I finally caved in and turned on the air conditioner. The weather here has mostly been over 90 degrees since we moved here and I've only had the AC on 2 times previously. See...we have one of those big attic fans that makes life tolerable at night. I do really like warm humid weather and I've been away from it for three years. The poor husband has been tolerant until recently when he's been complaining that the sheets feel wet when he climbs into bed. See, we've also been getting a lot of afternoon thunderstorms. This does not make it cooler outside it just makes it sticky and damp inside. And the bath towels never dry. So, I finally caved in...not because of the heat, but because of the dampness inside. I hope this will dry things up a bit. I still only set the thermostat to 80 degrees. I'm heading out to buy a dehumidifier, too.....

Photo Fun!

Just goofing around with photos in Picasa...my new favorite photo editing program. This is a shot of my niece at her school performance in May. She's on the far right in the green shirt. They are singing....C and I listened to all of the performances in order hear her sing..the last performance of the program! I think I win some aunty points for that one!!! 

Hot weather cooking

Last night was SO humid and we had frisbee practice/pick-up. So, needless to say it was not a night for a hot dinner. So, I made this great Avocado Gazpacho. Try it out!

3 avocados---diced
2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced cucumbers
3/4 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup chopped
14.5 ounce vegetable or chicken broth
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1.5 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Throw 1/2 ingredients into blender and blend. Place in bowl. Blend rest of ingredients and serve! It is good with some crusty bread or chips!

Local Events

Saw an article in the S. Bend tribune today about a new cafe that is going to open up in town soon. It's called "Sit and Knit". Just like it sounds, it's a knitting cafe...with knitting supplies for sale and knitting classes all in a cafe atmosphere. Sounds like I should sign up for a class!

Also there is an open house at JFNew Native Plant nursery on Friday that I'm going to go check out. This company and nursery seem like an awesome place. Had I known that the husband and I were going to end up back in the midwest/prairie country and that this place was so close I may not have ditched my ecology career. Hmmmm....perhaps there is a compromise in here somewhere. Half the week as an NP and half the week as an ecologist/native plant person??????

Well, my mother tells me that there are two types of people she likes. Gardeners and knitters. So looks like I'm headed in the right direction to finding some compatible people?

You might be wondering how I'm doing on the job front....not so good....I have a few leads and am waiting to hear back. Trying to find other leads. I'm trying to study for the boards, but summertime is proving to be quite a distraction!

Off to take the Maggs for a long walk.....she looks far to comfortable sleeping on her doggie bed under the desk.

My own yoga studio...

Feels like my own yoga studio. It's been much more fun doing yoga here than in the old place. Maybe we should reconsider getting furniture in this room???? 

Roast beef sandwiches and Bacon

Drove the 5 hours back and forth to KY this weekend to see my father-in-law (step-father-in-law?). He was in the hospital after undergoing a CABG on Friday. CABG=coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Apparently he had ordered a roast beef sandwich for lunch at the office where they were doing his cardiac cath that morning (pre-op cardiac clearance for a GI surgery). The nurse said: "Uh oh..." They said: "What?" She then told them about her unscientific survey...all of the patients who ordered the roast beef sandwich before their cardiac cath ended up needing intervention. Because of the location of the blockage they couldn't just do a balloon and stent, they had to do the CABG. Yes, this surgery involves "cracking open the chest" and leaves quite an impressive scar. In the ambulance ride over to the hospital for intervention the nurse said: "I told you so". Makes you want to skip over the roast beef sandwich next time you're ordering lunch!

Bought the husband some potato salad on the drive back (he stayed in the car with the pup while I ran into the grocery store for lunch fixins). He made a strange face after the first bite..."it's different". I could see that it had shredded orange cheese in it...so I took a bite. I knew I recognized the taste, but it took me awhile to identify it. "Hmmm.....it must be smoked chedder in there". The husband took another bite and thought awhile...."No, that's bacon"! Yikes! You can't expect a vegetarian to be able to identify bacon taste after all these years!!!

The cat would like to thank Pergo flooring....

The cat has become very brave. I guess she REALLY wants to be around us (we left her for two days). She's been venturing into the kitchen (under the gate) to sit up on the kitchen table. Normally I do not let her sit up on tables and counters, but since there are few places for her to get up away from Maggs right now I let her. Today when she jumped off the table she startled Maggie, who was sleeping in the family room. Maggs tore off into the kitchen before I knew what was happening. Mao would like to now thank Pergo flooring because the only thing saving her from whatever it is Maggie wants to do to her is that Pergo kitchen floor. As soon as Maggs hits that floor running she starts slipping and sliding...even crashing into the garbage can on a few occassions...and she can't quite make the 90 degree turn past the fridge to catch the cat before she squeezes under the gate back to the dining room. It reminded me of crash I saw on the Tour de France today...Did I mention the clicking and clacking noise Maggs makes when she's trying to catch her footing in the kitchen? Needless to say, it is quite a loud scene.

Biege Blues

Recently, I've been feeling that my life has become very beige. Shades of beige....beige walls, beige dog, and now a new beige car. In order to remedy that blandness I convinced my dear friend Prof. H that we needed to paint her family room. She has a lovely pumpkin peachy orange living room and a bright sunny yellow dining room. The drab white family room just didn't fit and I took it on as my mission to change that! Prof H was a little hesitant as she had painted her bedroom alone and the 10 ft ceilings meant that there was a lot of surface area and the wide molding around the windows and along the floor created lots of fun edging challenges. The day before we went down to her place she said to me on the phone: "I'm not sure I'm fully committed to this". I said that I WAS and that was that. Well, it WAS a lot of work, but as you see in the following before and after pictures I think you'll agree that it was worth it! All the fine food and drink provided by Prof. H. was much appreciated and made the job much easier to tackle! Thanks Prof!

BEFORE 

AFTER 

Quote of the week

"If you find yourself headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns" -somewhere between Logansport and S. Bend along Hwy 31

I found this one particularly appealing as I'm really starting to miss the California liberal stoplight and 4-way stop U-turn lanes.

Quote of the week

"Stop in for a faith lift"

-This is the first in the series: "church quotes". Chosen from church signs around the Michiana area

Maggie wants to come outside too! 

Maggie with her favorite toy Alien 

Cars and neighbors

Yesterday we started the process of buying a new car. For those of you who know me well know that the husband and I have been sharing a Saturn (no power steering or power anything) for the last 6 years and I've never bought a car (except the $1 dad charged for the Honda Civic...what a great car!). We bit the bullet and are going to buy a Toyota Prius. We don't know what color yet, we just said anything but Black (they had two black ones on the lot yesterday). Will send pictures when we get it!

p.s. Went out for a walk last night with hubby and Maggs. Met Norma and heard about her cat Molly. Norma lives down the road..so we really aren't neighbors, but it was nice to have someone talk to us on a walk....don't get much of that in California.

You know you're back in the midwest (red state) when....

....there are restaurants with names like:
"Between the Buns"
"Macadoos: sausage, gravy, and biscuit outlet" (this place is about the size of our old condo)

....Many Jesus signs
...gun stores and tobacco discount stores every other block.

More keen observations to come....

The D. O. G.

If you go to the Pet Refuge website and scroll down to 'Maggie' you'll see what we did last night! We took Maggie back to her old 'home' and she got to visit with all the folks there. She definitely remembered everyone! It was cool. We also got a picture of her puppies...and heard that someone has a video of her giving birth to the puppies! I'm not sure whether or not I want to see that video! But, we made it official and have adopted Maggs (otherwise known as Mag-a-roo).

The Diane Rehm Show

Heard interesting discussions today on the Diane Rehm show while driving the pooch back and forth from the vet (all clear, by the way!) and thought that both Hobbled Runner and S might be interested in the 11:00 discussion with Richard Louv and his book "Last Child in the Woods" (You should be able to listen to it with Real Player or some such thing soon) They are doing their part by sending the niece to Girl Scout camp where, I hear, she is the only one smart enough to be sporting hiking boots for tromping through the woods. I believe there is some discussion about the Scouts in this book...many Scout groups have found that there is little to no interest in the outdoor camping and hiking activities anymore.

Perhaps the bro would be interested in the 10:00am discussion on Energy???

On a much lighter noter. I also saw this link to a festival in Idaho dedicated to last year's movie Napoleon Dynamite. A totally hilarious movie, by the way, which competes well with some of my favorite comedy classics like 'Airplane', 'Caddyshack', Blues Brothers, and any of the 'Vacation' movies with Chevy Chase.

OK---after all that...I better get off the computer and get outside and enjoy the summer!

It's raining cats and dogs

Have you ever tried to introduce a somewhat cranky aging cat to a puppy-like dog who is bigger and faster? The past two weeks have been consumed with keeping EL GATO safe from EL PERO (is my spanish even close?) We now have a baby gate up in the hallway raised up enough so the cat can squeeze through but the dog cant' We also have half the house closed off for the dog and the other for the cat. The dog is good 90% of the time when we put them in the same room, but did chase the cat once (we went a little too quickly in the introductions initially) and now whenever we try to introduce them again (all the while keeping the dog sitting and feeding her treats) the cats hair rises up off her back and she makes a horrible hissing sound. If only her previous owners had left her front claws in then she might have a fighting chance to tell Maggie who should be boss. I'm thinking that one good swipe across the nose with cat claws might make Mags think twice about chasing that speedy little grey thing. Do they sell 'false claws' or do claw inplants?????????????

70's food

Been caught up in the move for the last month so I haven't blogged much....getting settled into life here in Indiana. Thought of a good blog topic, though. I make fun of the husband for some of the types of foods he likes....for example he loves things like coleslaw and potato salad. I joke that these foods are 'so 70's'. So, I thought I would come up with a list of top 70's foods. Hope you send in your thoughts.

Here goes:
10)mandarin oranges
9)meatloaf
8)lemon meringue pie
7)jolly ranchers
6)cheese whiz
5)potato salad
4)cole slaw
3)jello
2)fruit cocktail
1)fruit cocktail jello salad!

Family Tradition?

Last night the husband announced that since no one signed up for Saturday frisbee, we could watch the NFL draft! He was quite guiddy about this. When I didn't show equal enthusiasm he said: "But we watched it last year, it's a family tradition". Help! For those interested I suppose you could go to NFL.com

Dogs and more dogs

I'm distracted these days with the upcoming move, finishing school, selling this condo, and trying to figure out what job I'll end up with or if I'll be able to get one at all! One of the things I'm psyched about, of course, is that we are going to be able to get a dog! I've been 'obsessed' with checking the local pet foster organizations. Check them out: Petsconnect and Pet Refuge. They both seem really good. I've already noted about a dozen dogs I want to meet. There is even one cat that I like...check out Lancer on petsconnect...look at his extra pictures and look at him with the pound puppies (Dewdrops puppies) in the extra photos. He seems pretty darn cool for a cat....like he really thinks he's a dog or something.

The Garage....

Yeah, so the husband is back from S. Bland and he shows me the inspection packet. He wanted me to see the pictures of the house (all with a nice snow covering) and the square footage breakdown. The most interesting aspect of all this is that the garage is 780 sq. feet. THAT'S BIGGER THAN OUR CONDO!!!!!!!!!! I told Chris that we were going to have to start out living in the garage and slowly expand into the rest of the house...just so it's not such a shock to our system!

It's Official!!!

It's official!!! The husband and I are now double homeowners on one income!!! We have our beach home and our river home....ha ha....Guess there is no turning back. I even went so far as to purchase a job interview suit today. It was relatively painless...as my friend Elizabeth (the expert shopping b*(^)%h...as I call her) came with me and directed the process. It took all of about 15 minutes and since I had two gift cards it only cost me about $60 out of my own pocket. Guess I better start getting to work trying to set up job interviews in order to make use out of the suit!!!

The Job Search

I'm REALLY enjoying my temporary retirement...one could get used to this very fast. But alas, I must begin the arduous task of a long-distance job search. I found a posting for an NP job in S. Bland...but became a little worried when I read the following at the end of the job description:

>>>>WORKING CONDITIONS

>>>>1. Works in a clinic environment requiring physical exertion, frequent changes in job demands, certain undesirable patient care activities, and exposure to biohazards.

>>>>2. Consequence of errors in performance may result in patient injury or death.


Ack! "certain undesirable patient care activities" and "errors in performance may result in patient injury or death" Nothing like laying it out to you straight!!!

I'm reading a book

I've been inspired to read a book (not a textbook). It's one of those books that EVERYONE ELSE read when they were about 12, but for some reason I didn't (probably because I grew up in the suburbs). They are now making a movie about it which is due out at the end of April. Since we have three dog-eared copies of it at home, I thought I better try to read it before going to see the movie!

Look-a-likes?

Just spent the weekend with the 'rents out near Joshua Tree. Spent the night at this old hotel spa. Very strange place,but interesting. About 8 different pools/hot tubs of different temps. Good place to relax at sunset when the air was cool or when it was raining on Saturday. Happened to be in one hottub when a young lad, about 12 years old, asks me if I know of Elissa Steamer. I said no. He said, oh, you look like her. She's a professional skateboarder. He then proceeded to quiz me on all the skateboarders. I only knew one, Tony Hawk. Oh well. I don't think I look anything like her, but she's got a pretty cool bio, so I'll take it as a compliment.

A daring escape

I'm skipping out of work today! I did GET up to go to work and even got the husband to drive me INTO work and I even WENT to work and even brought in my contribution to the potluck (Trader Joe's cheesecake) I arrived at work and they tell me I'm being floated (evil word!!!) to the OTHER hospital! Now, that's a problem! Needless to say, this was not going to happen! No one had informed me of this 'floating' thing (though they claim they left a message on my machine....they didn't), I had no transportation, looked pale as a ghost (was a awake off and on last night, and don't think I could deal with an unfamiliar unit today). With the backing of my colleagues we came up with a plan for my escape. I, of course, had to call the husband back to come get me (I made sure to give him enough time to get his coffee and made sure to bring him a piece of the cheesecake) and I took off out the front door. I get home and check my email. My friend sends me the link to this article about an 82-year-old woman who refuses to leave the hospital. IS SHE CRAZY? I'm outta there so fast even when they give me a paycheck!

Sunshine

I worked with a traveler last weekend named Sunshine. We were all ready to hate her....with a name like that. Of course she's nice and smart and all that...so we don't hate her.

I know everyone hates it when I brag about the weather here....but today is one of those days where the sun is so warm and perfect it just makes you slow down to soak it up...even in the grocery store parking lot. Saw some blossoms coming out on the plum tree just outside our door. Got some Quinoa cakes at the store and Soy Chai Latte...a way to treat myself this lazy feeling Friday. Quinoa Cakes? What is that....well....I'll tell you....Quinoa is a grain with a "light nutty flavor. Higher in protein than other grains. It expands to 4 times its volume when cooked. Good in salads, stuffing, in enchiladas." There you go. I should be doing school work of course...but I don't really feel like it. I think I need to go outside.

10 worst snack foods

Ugh,...I hate it when MSN has these little blurbs...it always makes me want to check it out.
As if we didn't already know this, they've listed the 10 worst snack foods. I'm really going to miss #7....PORK RINDS. Who in the *^((% eats pork rinds anymore? French fries, yes, Pork Rinds...yuck!

Weird internet sites!

I knew it was going to be a weird day as soon as I walked outside with my tea mug in hand...no sooner had I taken my first sip did I notice a big old mosquito floating on the top! What is a mosquito doing here!?

I was searching for a picture medical dictionary on line (for our spanish speaking patients) and came across this site Sword Swallowing Dictionary

Weird!

Tofu

Just sitting down to an evening snack of fried tofu. The pan wasn't cooperating with me, so I've smoked up the house and the husband is laughing at me. Thought I'd take this opportunity to send people a link to a website with tofu recipes....looks pretty good: Tofu recipes

And for those not convinced about the benefits of vegetarian lifestyle, here are a few tidbits from WebMD

Spent the last two days working. Phew!!! One day at work work and today at my new clinical site (another 7am start!). I was so damn tired by 2pm today that I could hardly keep my eyes open (did a lot sitting and listening today). Home by 5, asleep by 5:30 for a good 3 hour nap! How do you guys work full time!!!

The virtural exercise world

So the husband sprained his ankle on Saturday at frisbee so he went shopping while I was at work. You know what happens when HE gets the urge to shop. He buys something electronic and usually it's expensive.

This is what he came up with this time:
Yourself fitness

Actually exercising with a virtual trainer is pretty fun and motivates you to do something everyday, even if it is just 15 minutes.

Of course, he bought the Xbox version.....meaning he had to buy an Xbox.
GEEZ!!!

Fat Thighs!

Deep into reading research articles for the dreaded "Plan B" and came across an amusing article citation today....one that is perhaps quite fitting considering we are just post the holiday season gluttony:

"Contributions of regional adipose tissue depots to plasma lipoprotein concentrations in overweight men and women: possible protective effects of thigh fat."

I believe they find a postive correlation between thigh fat and HDL (the good cholesterol).

If you are interested you may find this article in Metabolism 1991; 40 733-720, authors: Terry, Stefanick, Haskell, and Wood.

Now we don't have to feel so bad about ourselves for eating all those See's chocolates over Christmas....

Wisdom teeth and the soft mechanical diet

The husband got his wisdom teeth pulled on Thursday. This weekend he's advanced from water to juice to a soft mechanical diet. I've participated in the taste testing. I mean it isn't every day that you get to eat only pudding, smashed potatoes, yogurt, oatmeal, soup, and right now we're enjoying some mac and cheese! My niece and nephew would be so proud of us! (It is Annie's brand, though). Poor husband....hasn't had a slurp of coffee or beer for three days! No wonder he's a bit crabby!

Liberals flee to Canada:

A friend sent me this and it made me chuckle...



Subject: illegal aliens



November 16, 2004



Ottawa,Canada:The flood of American liberals

 sneaking across the border into

Canada has intensified in the past week,

sparking calls for increased

patrols to stop the illegal immigration.

The re-election of President Bush

is prompting the exodus among left-leaning

citizens who fear they'll soon be

required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O'Reilly.



Canadian border farmers say it's not

uncommon to see dozens of sociology

professors, animal-rights activists

and Unitarians crossing their fields at

night.



"I went out to milk the cows the other

 day, and there was a Hollywood

producer huddled in the barn," said

Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose

acreage borders North Dakota. The producer

was cold, exhausted and hungry.

"He asked me if I could spare a latte and

some free-range chicken.  When I

said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't

even get a chance to show him my screenplay."



In an effort to stop the illegal aliens,

Greenfield erected higher fences,

but the liberals scaled them. So he tried

installing speakers that blare Rush

Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective,"

he said. "The liberals still got through, and

Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give

milk."



Officials are particularly concerned about s

mugglers who meet liberals near

the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons,

drive them across the border and leave them

to fend for themselves.



"A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario

border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking

water.

They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."



When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often

wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have

been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education

camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch

NASCAR.



In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious

ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on

bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a

half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration

authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen

passengers. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence

Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.



Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating

an organic broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies.

"I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't

support them," an Ottawaresident said. "How many art-history majors does

one

country need?"



In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice

President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the

administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to

Cheney said. "We're going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And

we

might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The president is

determined to reach out."

Angel of death?

What do I make of this: the last two times I've been to work I've had a DNR patient (do not resucitate) since I am so "calm"( apparently???). Both of these patients had been hanging on....far longer than people thought they would...and then they die on me before 11am? Hmmm...someone better warn my future patients!

It's very traditional for the Hispanic families we've had on our floor to have everyone from the family come view the body of the deceased and spend quite a long period of time with it...today we did not disturb them for hours until finally someone went in and asked if they were still waiting for someone to come. They said they were just waiting for us to take the body away!!! So much for cultural sensitivity!!!

Nothing really...

I've been avoiding entering a new blog entry because I feel that all I have to talk about is the weather!!! It's been damn cold here in SD over the last two weeks...especially at night. It has even reached the 30's! People are freaking out here. The poor husband has actually been wearing long pants to work everyday for the last week! We are in so much trouble next year!! Egads. What else...well, they fired the ND football coach and I'm actually kind of sad about it! Guess I'm starting to feel some kind of connection to the place. We are hoping to look at some houses in two weeks...probably good to go at this time of year, eh? What else.....had my last clinical visit by my professor today and she didn't even see a patient with me. Thank God. I get freaked out when she's in there observing me! Funny thing I had to ask my preceptor today "How do you DO crystal meth?" There have been lots of folks admitting to doing crystal meth this week as well as lots of alcohol consumption and I realized that I don't know too much about crystal meth...so needed to learn more about it. I'm so ignorant.

East County and SD people!

Went out to East County today to study with E and went for a hike at Cowles Mountain (sure is nice being a grad student!!) Family members may be interested in the website where I found these pictures. Check out the Mission Trails Regional Park link on the above website. I hope I can drag everyone from the family (including the kids!) out on this hike while they are here over Xmas. I've really started to like the terrain out in East County....it's recovered nicely from the fires and since we've had "so much" rain in the last month it's actually kind of green! We took the dog on the hike...1.5 miles UP to the top. Funny thing I've noticed out here in SD, when you pass someone on a hike or walk they DON'T OFTEN say hello or even make eye contact. AND WE EVEN HAD A CUTE DOG WITH US. It actually pissed me off today! One woman was jogging and we stood to the side to let her by and not even a wave of the hand acknowledging us! So I made it up a little research study on the hike down and said hello or smiled at everyone we passed....got about a 50% response rate. GEEZ!!!

There may be hope

The Husband sent me this link from the S.Bend Tribune

I'm thinking there may be hope for S. Bland after all!

Breastfeeders for Bush

A classmate of mine was distraught the week before the election, losing sleeping over the thought that Kerry might actually win the race. It's gone so far that the current top name choice for child #2 is the "W" name from George W!!! I wanted to bite my tongue until after the election to point out a very obvious inconsistency, but couldn't hold out! I finally blurted out; "But B, how can you vote for W? You are an extended breastfeeder?" (she breastfed child#1 until after age 2)I got more than a few laughs from the rest of the class with this comment....Does anyone else think this is strange???????

I did a quick search in Google with breastfeeders and Bush and came across this Blog. Thought it might be something the sister and brother-in-law might find interesting...given the way they talk politics with their kiddos!

CITY SCANDALS TO A SURFING MAYOR???

One of the only fun stories over the last few days here in SD.....

" SAN DIEGO – Surf is definitely up in San Diego politics.

Donna Frye, a surfer who sports long blonde hair and refuses to get a driver's license, is riding a wave of write-in votes for mayor that could sweep aside two graying 60-something Republicans and carry her into City Hall. The surf-shop owner has capitalized on a confluence of circumstances, including a financial scandal that threatens San Diego with bankruptcy.

The votes have not been completely tallied, but so far, the write-in ballots lead with 35 percent of the vote; Mayor Dick Murphy has 34 percent. The overwhelming majority of write-ins are expected to be for Frye, 52, who is "extremely optimistic" she will win once all the ballots are counted.

Frye, a Democrat, campaigned on change in this historically Republican seaside city of 1.3 million people, the nation's seventh largest.

Murphy was beset by a deepening scandal that has prompted federal investigations into whether officials hid bad news about an underfunded retirement plan from investors and taxpayers......"

See www.signonsandiego.com for the full article....