nonsense a la mode

Baby Amie

2011-06-24T01:39:00.000-07:00

Baby Amie has been in our Infant Feeding Program since she was 2 weeks old. When she was born she weighed 3.7 pounds. We followed her in our feeding program to make sure she was gaining enough weight for surgery. She had to make it to 8.8 pounds in order to qualify and by May 30th she was 9 pounds! She had a sucessful surgery and went home with her mom a few days later.

Some days working in Africa is frustrating and discouraging but then seeing sucessful surgeries like Amie's makes the sweat, tears and long hours worth it!

Blood!

2011-04-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

Today I gave blood! And not just to anyone, but someone actually in surgery at the time. A few weeks ago I signed up to be a blood donor. They don't take your blood right away and store it. Instead if you are cross-matched with a patient, they notify you if and when they need it.

The patient I gave blood for had a large facial tumor and they had started to need blood during the surgery. The operating room notified the lab, who then called me to see if I was available, and within the next few minutes I was lying in a bed next to the ICU ready to get my blood sucked out. Maggie, the phlebotomist, or vampire as she calls herself, stuck a giant needle in my arm and sat holding the bag while the blood drained into it. A little more informal than a usual blood bank.

My favorite part was that afterwards I got free Coke and Oreos. The only thing better would have been if they were fried Oreos, I miss those.

First Weeks in Freetown

2011-03-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the past 6 weeks. It has been an amazing experience and I certainly don't feel like the same person anymore. My time here in Freetown started 2 and 1/2 weeks before the ship arrived. I arrived with 30+ others who I had been training with in Texas. Our time in Freetown before the ship's arrival was meant to be a time of serving, as well as bonding with each other and experiencing the country we will be serving in. Here are some of my thoughts and experiences from my journal....

February 11, 2011:

One of our poda poda's

We arrived around midnight Febuary 9^th after 3 long flights, first from Texas to Washington, DC, then DC to London and from London to Freetown. The last two flights were the longest, about 7-8 hours each. Airports in Africa are nothing like airports anywhere else, arrival was a dirty, sweaty, smelly experience. After arriving we took a water taxi to the part of Freetown we were staying in. A “water taxi” is really a very old, small, barely motorized, minimally seaworthy vessel that somehow manages to pound through the waves and make it to the other side of the bay. It was a harrowing experience in the pitch black darkness. We all miraculously arrived safe and sound at the other side and continued our journey in taxi vans called poda podas which sped through the dark, bumpy, smelly streets of Freetown.

Street in Freetown

The only lights visible in the streets were little oil lights lit by roadside street venders. It was hot, humid and smelled like a mixture of urine, garbage and smoke. I kept expecting to drive out of the “bad” section of town and into a nicer section, but it never happened. That was Freetown, nice as it gets. Now I've learned there are nicer sections, with actual houses and buildings instead of shacks. It was quite shocking that first night, it really hit me that this was going to be my life and I wasn't in America anymore. Driving less than a mile from where we were staying we suddenly heard a large clunk and the vehicle shut down. Turns out the drive shaft had fallen off. With no explanation, our driver took off running down the street. For a few minutes we were pretty worried, but he came back in a few minutes with another van.

My room at the hostel

Arriving at Stadium Hostel was another experience in itself. Set up with a couple of single beds in each bare room, complete with mosquito nets and air conditioning units. The bathroom is a tiled room with a toilet, sink and a pipe sticking out of the wall for a shower which sometimes has hot water. Soon after we arrived the power went off in the hostel and the entire place went pitch black, which we soon learned was a common occurrence. We learned to say the phrase "this is Africa" (TIA), very quickly.

February 13, 2011

Garbage along the street

Yesterday we went to have a look at the Hospitality center. Driving through the streets I was again overwhelmed by the amounts of garbage and poverty everywhere. People really do live in shacks; they live, bathe and play in the streets. I was so overwhelmed and felt like I had nothing I could really offer them. I truly felt culture shock, it was like nothing I had ever seen or experienced before. I don't think there is anything that could have prepared me either. Until I came here and experienced it I don't think it would have ever been real to me.

The hospitality center is right next to the docks; perfect location, since it will be really close to the ship when it arrives. It will be used to house patients who need longer to prepare for surgery and house our dental clinic. When we arrived the hospitality center was just an empty building with no running water (so no toilets). It will be our team's job to put up walls to create patient rooms and wire the building for electricity and air conditioning for burn patients rooms. A few of us are going to volunteer at a local orphanage for disabled children called the Cheshire Home.

February 21, 2011

Kids at the Cheshire Home

A small group of us have been working at the Cheshire Home doing teaching and helping repair some of the buildings. Our program theme is the Fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We painted a tree on a big sheet of wood and have been hanging a different fruit of the spirit on it everyday. We do teaching and then fun, silly-songs and they have been teaching us their songs as well. Afternoon is craft time, and each day we come up with a different craft that kind of goes along with the fruit of the spirit theme for that day.

The kids love crafts and doing any kind of art. They will sit for hours and just color with crayons. Some of them have mobility issues with their hands so we try to come up with crafts that everyone there can do. The kids range in age from 6-18 years old. Some of the disabilities are from polio, birth defects, or burns. Some kids are in wheelchairs, some on crutches, but all are amazingly mobile. There are not adequate ramps or facilities for the whole property, but the kids will just throw themselves out of their wheelchairs and pull themselves up over steps and into seats in the classrooms.

One of the older kids, Foday, was telling us there really are no rights for handicap people in Sierra Leone. There are no special ramps or doors and employers may not hire you if they see that you have a handicap. There needs to be major reform in the government for these kids to have a chance at a normal life. I hope I get to visit the orphanage even after the ship arrives and keep doing crafts with the kids. They love working with their hands and spend hours doing whatever project Herma and I think up.

Febuary 27, 2011

The Ship is the little white dot!

Today the ship came. Everyone was pretty excited to leave the hostel. We left at 6:45AM to head over to the docks. When we got there there the Africa Mercy hadn't arrived, there was a ship in our berth space and the dock workers were on strike. Some of our team had to help remove the mooring lines for the other ship to leave the berth space. Then we all watched the Africa Mercy sail in. It was a pretty awesome sight. It is seemed really big, yet small at the same time. I feel so overwhelmed about the prospect of getting to know so many more people and knowing this is where I will be living for the next two years.

February 28, 2011

One of the wards before cleanup

I started my job today by helping set up the hospital. Everything has been packed away for the sail so we are cleaning and basically building a hospital! So far the rest of this week most of the hospital staff will be helping set up the hospital and preparing for screening day which is in week.

My box of dietitian stuff

It feels so weird to be here on the ship; it doesn't feel like we're in Africa. I feel such culture shock. The ship is another world far away from Freetown. It is controlled and clean, with familiar food, consistent electricity, and most of the comforts of home. Which is wonderful, but some reason it is hard to get used to after our experience living in Freetown. I'm getting acclimated quickly though, I only got here yesterday and I already feel like I've been here a week!

March 4, 2011

So much has happened in the past few days. I've jumped right into my job this week. One part of my job is going to be working with the infant feeding program, making sure the cleft lip/palate babies who come to us gain enough weight to qualify for surgery.

Ola During Hostpital

On tuesday I went with the infant feeding program leader to Ola During hospital, a maternity and pediatrics hospital just around the corner from the port. It was dimly lit inside, and the wards were large rooms with patients lying next to each other in iron beds. It reminded me of how they depict hospitals in WWII movies. There is a clinic for malnourished infants started by UNICEF at the hospital. They have a inpatient center as well as outpatient and a weekly clinic. All is free to children under the age of 5 as part of a government program in Sierra Leone providing free healthcare for pregnant women and children under the age of 5.

There were so many textbook examples of severe malnutrition in the patients there. Something I never thought I would see first hand when I was studying in school. One thing is certain, I am going to do and see things here as a dietitian that I would never see or do anywhere else. It's both exciting and overwhelming. I am praying that God will equip me to do my job very well and show what I need to concentrate on and do each day.

March 7, 2011

Today was screening day. We made it through Freetown with little traffic and got to the stadium. Right when we got there the power went off. Very typical for Freetown. Thankfully a few people brought flashlights and the sun had just started to come up.

My job was to help schedule the patients appropriate for the infant feeding program. Our first baby had several birth defects and was extremely malnourished, 3 months old and weighing 1.75kg (3.85lbs). She was rejected for surgery because she's too small but we're following her to see if we can get her up to weight and for surgery. Our translator from Sierra Leone, Helga, was telling us that it is believed that when a baby like that is born it is a result of a demon that entered a women and became a baby. She says she knew of a woman who left her baby like that at the base of a tree and watched as it turned into a snake and slithered away. It is a common practice here for women to abandon babies with clefts lips or deformities to die.

The rest of the day was intense, the crowds outside the stadium became out of control and some of the people waiting in line were trampled. Part of the chaos was due to the sheer number of people who had showed up for the screening. Sadly a lot of the people in line were not appropriate for what we treat and we didn't get to see half the patients we needed to screen.

They pulled everyone who was screening out of the stadium. It was a very long quiet ride back to the ship. Everyone was in shock that something like that happened. The desperation people have here is like nothing else.

Today

There have been so many changes in the past 6 weeks. I am so far out of my comfort zone I can't even remember what or where my comfort zone was to begin with. My view of the world has certainly changed and in the process I have learned to trust God in more ways than I can count. If I've changed this much in the past few weeks I can't imagine what will happen in the next 2 years!

Mercy Ships Training in Texas

2011-02-03T22:14:00.000-08:00

I got here to the Mercy Ships International Operations Center in Texas for training safe and sound. So far I've been here 3 weeks but I feel like I've been here much longer. Everyone here is very nice. Many different countries are represented including Australia, Germany, England, New Zealand, Wales, Canada and of course the US.

The first day we were here it starting snowing! They only get snow every few years here so it is quite an event. It means all of us who packed for hot Africa are a little chilly though. Fortunately they give us plenty of opportunities to go to the local Walmart to stock up on warm clothes.

Our common room

We have training classes from 8am until 5pm. In between we trek up to the cafeteria and eat a hearty home-cooked meal which usually includes lots of Texas beef. After class and dinner we can go back to the dorms.

Miriam, from New Zealand

Harriet, from England

There are 2-4 people to a bedroom and there is a nice common room as well as kitchenettes and a laundry. I have two roommates, Harriet and Miriam who are from England and New Zealand. They both make me laugh all the time.

At night we do homework, play games, puzzles, or hang out in the common room. Recently we discovered there is a Wally-Ball court on the campus which is a really nice stress reliever.

This week we are learning Fire safety and first aid. So far I've learned how to put my fire gear on in less than a minute and practiced fighting all the different types of fires. Tomorrow we are going to practice water safety and rescue.

We are also spending this time to prepare for the Field Service project we'll be doing for 2 weeks when we get to Sierra Leone. There is an orphanage for disabled children in Freetown and we will be working with them to repair the building and do activities with the kids.

I only have one week left in Texas before we leave for Sierra Leone. I've gotten to know a lot of great people so far and I'm really excited that I'll get to serve with them once I get to the ship as well. It's like I already know my co-workers before I start work! I still miss home and all the people I love, but I'm getting more excited. I also found out that I'll be living on the ship in a cabin on the 4th deck with 3 other roommates. It even has a little window!

Mercy mission | News Virginian

2011-01-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

The wonderful Augusta Health Skilled Nursing and Rehab facility I work at raised over $1500 to support me in Africa! So amazing, more than I could ever ask for.

They also got me on the local news and on the front page of two local newspapers! Here's a link for one of the articles: The News Virginian article.

I still have a lot of money to raise, but their help was such an inspiration and encouragement in this whole process. I couldn't ask for better co-workers and friends!

On the news!

2010-12-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

The Next Adventure

2010-12-14T20:06:00.001-08:00

Chattanooga Weekend

2010-11-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

"So where is this house you all come from, where everyone is beautiful and talented?" -Morgan

Okay, KB has the best sister ever. She managed to get us all together for an amazing weekend in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was a weekend of surprises, new experiences, old friends and beautiful landscapes. We surprised KB and Annie surprised us all by driving up from Atlanta on her weekend off from touring with Invisible Children.

We arrived in Chattanooga around 1am in the morning. I knew Annie was coming but it was a surprise for everyone else, so I had told Annie to meet us at a grocery store parking lot. When we pulled into the parking lot we saw a man in a nice Lexus waving us down. Since I've watched way too much Law and Order; I figured we were about to get gunned down by this drug dealer/pimp so I peeled out of the parking lot. Turns out it was KB's really nice cousin who had come to lead us to the cottage. Embarrassing.

Ashley had planned for all of us to go to Raccoon Mountain Caverns for a 6 hour Wild Cave Expedition. We got to wear headlamps and kneepads and crawl through tunnels called dubious names like "the birth canal" and the "teeth scraper". I never knew human bodies could fit through holes so small. We came out caked in mud and completely amazed by what is under the earth.

Chattanooga is a beautiful city with an amazing art district. The sidewalks even have dance steps printed on them!

Walking around Chattanooga we found a beautiful walking bridge, a giant hill to sled down on old cardboard boxes and awesome crafts for sale, most of which you can buy on Etsy. One of the crafters was Reuse First, sellers on Etsy.com who make beautiful things out of things people usually throw away. I loved their etched jars and wood grain books which they silk screen using old house paint! I think I'm in love. We also went to an amazing dessert house, Rembrant's Coffee House; magical is all I can think of to describe all the desserts and pastries they have. I got Tiramisu and a pumpkin truffle. Amazing!

Such a good weekend. It was amazing to have us all in one place and it made me realize how magical and epic great friendships can be.

Petaluma Whiskerino!

2010-10-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

So ridiculous, ridiculously AWESOME.

PETALUMA WHISKERINO: "Beardo Optico" from TINBIKE on Vimeo.

Time Lapse: My Hairy Commute from Petaluma from :: Fred Abercrombie on Vimeo.

Mowgli

2010-10-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, this means I'm a cat lady.

playing farm

2010-07-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

This week I get a farm vacation! I'm house sitting for my friend Mary Beth. Her and her husband Jason, their two little munchkins, Caleb and Kathryn, have a beautiful house with chickens, a garden and two great big labs, Hank and Maggie. Every night I go and gather eggs and then go pick my dinner from the garden!

A few things a city girl like me did not know:

1) Vegetables have WORMS and BUGS on them! Fresh corn taste so wonderful, but not when there's little worms all over the tops. eeeeeeeEEEKKKKKKKKSSSSSS. All I have to say is gardening gloves are the best invention ever.

2) Dogs must be the friendliest creatures ever. It's great being greeted everyday by Hank and Maggie who act like they love me tons and tons even though they just met me. The chickens act like they love me too, but I know its all an act.

3) Chickens are not potty trained, they poop everywhere, including on their eggs. Almost made me stop wanting to eat eggs.

Chickens can be freakin mean too. All of Mary Beth's hens are very nice except for Big Momma Chicken. I never thought I would be afraid of a chicken, but I am. If you met Big Momma Chicken you would understand. Big Momma could be confronted by a flesh-eating-wolverine and still would not get off her eggs. I have never been so against being a vegetarian as I am now. She truly deserves the stew pot.

Staying at Mary Beth's is such a wonderful vacation from my house and Harrisonburg. I get to pretend I have all this wonderful land and animals for a week and then go home without actually doing all the work! I feel very safe too since Mary Beth's sister, grandpa and parents live within sight of the house. Her Grandpa even came by and gave me some vegetables from his garden! I'm going to miss all this country goodness when I go back home to the city!

do it.

2010-07-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'm doing it.

free music

2010-06-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

Annie told me about the best site, different free music on weekdays, good stuff too.

summer music

2010-06-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

Symphonies started this. It's a Dan Black and Kid CuDi kind of summer.

The Council of Dads

2010-06-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

A great TED talk. When Bruce Feiler found out he had cancer he asked male friends in his life to be there for his twin daughters in case he should die. He took the advice they gave him for his daughters and compiled it into a book, The Council of Dads. Read the article he wrote, A Father's 10 Lessons's for His Daughters. Definitely worth reading.

Dublin...starts with an AWE and ends with a SOME

2010-05-09T00:14:00.002-07:00

We got into Ireland yesterday around noon straight from Malta. It is so cold in Ireland! We got off the plane and immediately realized we would be needing our coats. I lost my shoes somewhere in Greece and all I have are my sandals so my toes have freezing since we landed; and no, mom, I'm not going to wear socks with them. Ireland is such a complete change from all the Mediterranean countries we've been in so far. It's so green!

From the airport we hopped a bus to Dublin city and got off at the city center to walk to our hostel. You can tell a lot about a city by how friendly people are when you stop and ask for directions and Dublin is very friendly! We stayed at the Four Courts Hostel which is right on the River Liffey and right down from the Temple Bar district. This was the first time we've stayed in a hostel where we didn't have a room to ourselves. Our 12-bed dorm was packed out. The best part was meeting a few girls from Wales who were getting ready to go on a pub-crawl. Everything they said was funny to us because of their accents. They had the cutest clothes and the shortest skirts and they said they didn't care how cold the weather was. We wanted to go on the pub-crawl with them but we had been out late our last night in Malta and were completely pooped.

We found out food in Dublin is pretty expensive, 10 euro and up for dinner. So while everywhere else we've tried to eat authentic, we decided to go cheap in Dublin. Jeanne and Stephanie went to subway and I got a kebab. Then, even though we felt incredibly lame we went back to the hostel and went to bed! We're hoping that we're going to be getting a little more rest in Ireland than we've been getting so far.

Four Courts hostel is a great place to stay. Its really in central location , the staff is really friendly and the beds seem clean. When we checked in the staff-guy said, "Noow say what all Americans say that starts with an Aw and ends with a Some". The best part about Four Courts is there is free international calling. The connection isn't the greatest but for ten minutes you can talk and not worry about how much it's costing.

Now we're off to Galway city and hoping to see the Aran islands and Cliffs of Moher. We'll be back in Dublin in a few days. The bus system is pretty cheap in Ireland if you use Go-bus or CityLink. Iit was only 8 euro for about a 3 hour bus ride to Galway with free wi-fi included.

I leave April 15th for Dublin and then....

2010-04-03T07:05:00.001-07:00

Scribbler Too

2010-04-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

Awesome online drawing program. I didn't even try all the different effects you can use. Draw your own....

Mercy.

2010-03-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.mercyglobal.com/stories.htm

Griffin House

2010-03-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Mumford and Sons, may I be your groupie?

2010-02-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~My new favorite band.

worth the effort

2010-02-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited, I made croissants this weekend and they turned out just like they're supposed to, flaky, buttery and fattening.

It's a rather long process, you make regular bread dough, put about a pound o'butter in the middle, fold the dough around it, roll it out, fold it again and stick it in the fridge to chill. You then do the roll-and-fold-and-chill process two more times before chilling the dough overnight. The next morning I rolled it out as thin as I could get it and cut long triangles that I then rolled into croissants. I was really skeptical that they would turn into just blobs of greasy bread, but they are amazingly crispy and flaky; exactly how croissants should be!

I used a tutorial on Wiki-How: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Croissants

Auntie Emma

2010-02-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

Please pray for my Auntie Emma, she is in the hospital after having emergency surgery from a perforated bowel.

She is out of the ICU but not out of the woods yet. Keep praying for her healing and recovery!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday. It's not because I love hearts, roses or have a boyfriend. My love for Valentine's comes from being taught from a young age that it shouldn't just be about romantic love.

Valentine's Day should be about telling and showing the people you care about that you love them. Yes, you should do that all the time, but its always good to have an excuse to show it. How often do you really give the people you care about flowers, candy or cards? Yup, thats what I thought, not very often.

Some look at Valentine's Day as a made-up card company's holiday. I see Valentine's Day as a great opportunity to make life more interesting by celebrating something with people I love. Plus, February is a gross month, why wouldn't you want an excuse to celebrate something?

A Love Letter

2010-02-12T21:23:00.000-08:00

My Daughter,

You may not know me, but I know you everything about you (Psalm 139:1). I know when you sit down and when you rise up (Psalm 139:2). I am familiar with all your ways (Psalm 139:3). Even the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matthew 10:29-31). For you are made in my image (Genesis 1:27). In me you live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28). For you are my offspring (Acts 17:28).

I knew you even before you were conceived (Jeremiah 1:4-5). I chose you when I planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12). You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book (Psalms 139:15-16). I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live (Acts 17:26). You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14). I knit you together in your mother's womb (Psalms 139:13). And brought you forth on the day you were born (Psalms 71:6).

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me (John 8:41-44). I am not distant and angry, but I am the complete expression of love (1 John 4:16). And it is my desire to lavish my love on you (1 John 3:1). Simply because you are my child and I am your Father (1 John 3:1).

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could (Matthew 7:11). For I am the perfect father (Matthew 5:48). Every good and perfect gift that you receive comes from my hand (James 1:17). For I am your provider and I meet all your needs (Matthew 6:31:-33). My plans for you future have always been filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Because I love you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

My thoughts towards you are as countless as the sand on the seashore (Psalms 139: 17-18). And I rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). I will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40). For you are my most treasured possession (Exodus 19:5).

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul (Jeremiah 32:41). And I want to show you great and marvelous things (Jeremiah 33:3). If you seek me with all you heart, you will find me (Deuteronomy 4:29). Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart (Psalms 37:4). For it is I who gave you those desires (Philippians 2:13). I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine (Esphesians 3:20). For I am your greatest encourager (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

For I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you (Psalms 34:18). As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart (Isaiah 40:11). One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Revelation 21:3-4). And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered here on this earth (Revelation 21:3-4).

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus (John 17:26). For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed (John 17:26). He is the exact representation of my being (Hebrews 1:3). He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you (Romans 8:21). And to tell you that I am not counting your sins (2 Corinthians 5-18-19).

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you (1 John 4:10). I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love (Romans 8:31-32).

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me (1 John 2:23). And nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Romans 8:38-30). Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen (Luke 15;7).

I have always been Father, and will always be Father (Ephesians 3:14-15). My question is...will you be my child (John 1:12-13)?

I am waiting for you (Luke 15:11).

snow love

2010-02-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

I have discovered a new found love for snow. We've gotten 3 snowfalls this winter and we got over 20 inches this weekend. Far from being sick of it I now think it's one of the most beautiful weather phenomenons. It truly makes everything look magical!

Fortunately when 8 girls, 1 Tim and a Mowgli are snowed in together fun things happen. First, we put on our bathing suits and made snow angels in the snow, the only proper way to christen a blizzard. Then we sledded our brains out, getting multiple injuries and burning hundreds of calories so we could entertain the bartenders at Jack Brown's Beer and Burger Joint by eating masses of deep fried oreos at the bar. I think Jack Brown's is my new favorite place, not to mention its always open when it snows (they have Belgium beer Janoodles!)

We're supposed to get 10 more inches of snow tomorrow and more this weekend. I'm excited.

Hot Chip

2010-02-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

tree obsession

2010-01-17T11:20:00.001-08:00

Are there old, ugly vegans?

2010-01-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

Since I'm a dietitian (which means I'm anal about food/nutrients/everything), I'm really worried I'm not going to get enough fat and protein from a vegan diet; my skin will dry up and wrinkle, my hair will fall out and my nails won't grow. Basically, I'm scared 21 days of veganism is going to turn me into an 80-year old woman. Extremely ridiculous, but that's what I'm worried about.

So I did a nutritional analysis on all the food I ate today with the Nutrition Analysis Tool the University of Illinois puts out.

What I ate today:

Breakfast: cinnamon oatmeal, walnuts and raisins;

Lunch: a peanut butter sandwich and apple;

Dinner: pinto bean and butternut squash stew, kale and pumpkin seeds, and basmati rice with avocado.

Its a good thing I don't have a husband because I'm pretty sure he would pack his bags after a day of rabbit food like that.

Surprisingly according to my food analysis; I ate more than enough protein and fat, the only thing I was deficient in is calcium, riboflavin, sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Not bad, not bad at all.

Unless a diet deficient in sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol will make me old and ugly after 21 days, I'm good.

As for riboflavin and calcium, the main sources are animal products but there are some good veggie sources. According to Northwestern University, almonds, soy nuts, spinach and wheat germ have a good amount of riboflavin in them.

It looks like calcium is a little harder to come by in vegetable sources. Fortified cereal, oatmeal and soymilk look like the best sources. White beans and soybeans also have a good amount of calcium. The problem with vegetable sources of calcium is the bioavailability of the calcium and the amount you have to eat. Generally dairy sources have the largest amounts and the type of calcium most bioavailable to the human body. The USDA says:

"Both calcium content and bioavailability should be considered when selecting dietary sources of calcium. Some plant foods have calcium that is well absorbed, but the large quantity of plant foods that would be needed to provide as much calcium as in a glass of milk may be unachievable for many. Many other calcium-fortified foods are available, but the percentage of calcium that can be absorbed is unavailable for many of them."

So that means my best bet is to keep taking calcium supplements, and a multivitamin probably wouldn't hurt either. My former nutrition professor, Dr. Brevard, was right; take your vitamins!

Beans and Day-4 Vegan Kickstart

2010-01-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

Err, actually I'm on Day-3, not Day-4, I cheated on Day-1 (it was New Year's for pete's sake).

Anyway, beans, beans and more beans. Here's what the USDA says about beans:

"Dry beans and peas are the mature forms of legumes such as kidney beans, pinto beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, and lentils. These foods are excellent sources of plant protein, and also provide other nutrients such as iron and zinc. They are similar to meats, poultry, and fish in their contribution of these nutrients. Many people consider dry beans and peas as vegetarian alternatives for meat. However, they are also excellent sources of dietary fiber and nutrients such as folate that are low in diets of many Americans.”

Here's what I've learned about cooking beans so far:

Soak them in a lot of water overnight.
Rinse them with lots of water.
Cook them in lots and lots more water for a hour or more.
Basically if you don't have lots of water, you're going to have bad beans.
Alicia Silverstone, author of The Kind Diet, says that cooking beans with bay leaves and skimming off the foam on top will make you fart less. Alicia Silverstone's book shows her eating beans with her very hot boyfriend/husband/lover/paid model, so I'm going to believe anything she says when it comes to farty beans.
Paula Dean does not have any bean recipes that don't call for ham, ham grease, bacon, or some form of chicken, turkey, cow, rabbit, squirrel, or deer. I'm guessing that neither Paula Dean, nor any of Paula Dean's friends are vegetarian .
Don't fill your crock-pot all the way up with beans and then leave the kitchen. Beans expand when they cook.

21-Day Vegan Challenge

2010-01-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

Yup, I might be crazy, but I'm going to be a Vegan for 21 days. Mary Beth inspired me and since I always think Vegans are ridiculous, I figured I should at least try it.

The official program is called the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart and is sponsored by the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine. So basically it's very responsible and professional, not some quack telling us to eat Edamame for a month. They have meal plans and information on how to do vegan right.

Even though I'm a dietitian, I really have no idea how to eat not to animal products and yet get enough protein, calcium, B12 and vitamin D. So really this is a very valuable experience. I also want to see if veganism is cheaper. Meat and dairy products are expensive but so are fruits and vegetables. So it will be interesting to see how much money I spend on food.

I already had to go to the Grocery this week (without cheese I literally had nothing to eat) and spent $10.52. Right now I'm cooking the 3 pounds of dried red beans, chickpeas and pinto beans I bought. Needless to say I'm learning how to cook beans. Surprisingly, fresh-cooked-from-dried beans taste a lot better than canned beans. Who knew?

free snow

2009-12-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

blizzard `09

2009-12-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

The snow is here.

It started around 3'oclock when I was at work. By the time I got off work @ 4:30 there was already an inch on my car!

I'm pretending its a blizzard Laura Ingalls-style where we'll be snowed in for months and have to braid straw for fuel.

I love snow days, I hope we're snowed in all weekend. MJ will probably dig out our entire driveway so we won't be, but I'm just going to ignore that.

my new love

2009-12-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

::::TUMBLR::::

....is always a good idea

Easy Cookies

2009-12-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

Easiest Cookies Ever.... Annie made them:

This sums up our relationship Jeanné

2009-12-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

http://himynameisannie.tumblr.com/post/275387050/jeanne-you-should-do-stand-up

WHAT IS ON MY CAMERA

2009-12-07T19:58:00.003-08:00

I came home, and THIS was on my camera.

I don't even know what to say.

Adventures with Kristen

2009-12-07T19:58:00.001-08:00

Hmmmm, that looks familiar

2009-12-02T19:51:00.001-08:00

Bwahhahaha. Read the small print. Good collaborative effort Annie and Janoodles.

Grecian Aventures

2009-09-03T15:59:00.001-07:00

THE COAST OF GREECE.....
.....is phenomenal.

There is crystal clear deep blue water with pebbly beaches and loads of private coves to swim in. Jeanne, Missy and I took a bus up the coast to Sounion, where the temple of Posiden stands.

One thing is for certain, God is not small. It is an impossible thing not to realize standing on rocky cliffs hundreds of feet above the Aegean Sea looking out over miles of mountains and sea framing a magnificent sunset.

GREEK MEN.....

.......Ahhh, where does one start.
a) They dress extremely well, always have nice clothes on and look very, very nice.
2) They are very, very friendly, LOVE women and aren't afraid to let you know it.
3) We found out that Greek men have a lot of trouble accepting the word No. Once presented with it our conversations frequently went something like this:
"Probleem? Probleem? Oh yu have probleem? I have no probleem, yu have problem? I have no probleem. We meet here at 10 tommorow, why yu have probleem?
4) If you're not careful you may find yourself agreeing to marry them and go bungie-jumping off the Eiffel Tower for your honeymoon.

We also noticed Greek men really like to wear fanny packs. Yup, you read that right. They also always have bluetooth headsets on. So they should look like incredible dorky loony bins, yet somehow they pull it off.

I tried to catch this guy wearing his fanny pack and his ear piece on the ferry...I wasn't stealth enough though, I think he spotted me.

GREEK FOOD.....
....is like none other. It is fresh and flavorful and unique. I couldn't get enough of it.

Greek salads, and Gyro's and Slovakis, calimari, it was all delicious.

Our wonderful host Phyllis took us out to lunch one day and we stuffed ourselves on salad and fried cheese, tzaziki, and calimari. I tried to eat as much Greek food as I possibly could while I was there. One thing is for certain, I will never get a Gyro from Dave's ever again, there is just no comparison, they shouldn't even call it a Gyro.

I even tried Orzo, which seems to be an acquired taste.

For their fruit and vegetable shopping the Greeks have Laikis.

They are open air markets held on certain days of the week with what seems like miles of fruits and vegetables for sale. A little bit like a farmers market/flea market but a lot larger.

Everything was fresh and beautiful and many things you would think should be refrigerated, like eggs and fish, were not.

Some of the foods were the same as in the US, but some things, like weird little pears, were very different.

GREEK COFFEE....
.....I could live on it.

Jeanne introduced me to the most wonderful Greek coffee drink in the world. It is drink of the gods. We could not figure out for the life of us how they make it. It has 3 layers, the bottom one is warm coffee, then a layer of cool ice, and then a creamy milk foam on top. Sweetened or unsweetened, it's amazing. I'm pretty sure I had one at least once a day, and usually more.

ATHENS....
.....is hot, dry, busy and full of marble, both ancient and modern.

Ruins are everywhere, even in the metro station. Its a surprisingly safe city as well. Jeanne and her friend Phyllis were wonderful hosts and Phyllis's apartment was beautiful with an amazing view.

Phyllis's cat Epidavros provided loads of entertainment. He used to be a street cat which she found at the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus, an ancient theatre. There are hundreds of stray animals wandering Athens. Apparently the Athenians don't fix their animals and abandon them to the streets when they go on vacation.

While it was blistering hot when we went, they views from the theatre are incredible. The most amazing thing is the accoustics are so perfect that they still use the theatre for live shows since there is no need for sounds systems.

ANCIENT RUINS....

....were everywhere. Unlike the US where there might be a couple civil war battlefields here and there, in Athens ancient ruins are like Mcdonalds, they're on every corner.

Theatre of Dionysis, Temple of Zeus, the Acropolis....

Seeing ancient Greek history right in front of my eyes after studying it over and over in school was surreal.

Its one thing to read about something or see something on television but when you get to see it for yourself; I would imagine its like being blind and experiencing color for the first time .

In high school Humanities class I had to build a scale model of the Parthenon (thanks Mrs. Graham). I think I used paper mache, lets just say there is no comparison to the real thing.

ATHENS.....

....stays up late. We hung out at Moussiki, Sigtagma Square, and just hopped on the metro home (except when we found out it closed before midnight!). People eat, sit, drink, make-out and people watch. Its beautiful weather at night too, cool and breezy.

The last night I was there we stayed up until my flight left at 4am and tried to find some dance clubs. The Greeks aren't much for dance parties but we got the party started.

One night we went to see The Hangover in an outdoor theatre (english with Greek subtitles). It was crazy watching an America movie in another country. It was interesting to see what people laughed at and what they didn't. Its interesting to think about how people in other countries view us as Americans if all they know of us is the movies we produce.

It was the most amazing setting to watch a movie in, the sun was setting and Athens was in the background. It can't get much better than that.

GREEK ISLANDS.....

.....make me want to live on one and raise goats all day.

I hopped a ferry early one morning from Pireas to the island of Aegina. Pulling out of Pireas, the water got clearer and clearer the farther we got from Athens. Soon the water was as brilliant blue as the blue on the Greek flag.

Aegina had cute litte shops and restaurants and beautiful pebbly beaches. I walked everywhere, mainly looking for a freakin public restroom. I found the ancient temple of Artemis, which was closed, but I swam at a secluded beach right below the ruins.

I came across cute stray kittens and little Greek men mending their fishing nets.

It was the most beautiful day and at sunset I hopped the ferry back to the mainland.

THE END.....

a change of perspective

2009-07-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Travel changes your perspective on yourself and on life in general. It is really disconcerting to step into another country in which you look like a foreigner, sound like a foreigner and everyone knows it. Its an interesting mix of imprisonment and freedom all at once. Its also a giant leap out of your comfort zone. Realizing that you are going to have to look and sound like an idiot whether you like it or not can take you down a notch. It's funny and frustrating and an experience like none other.

Switzerland, is full of bikes and Alps and cathedrals, at least Zurich was. Since I was bumped to an earlier flight (and got a free plane ticket and to sit next to a very fat man who had lived in Athens many years ago) I ended up having over 8 hours in Zurich.

I caught a train out of the airport which took me straight to the city. I walked tentatively out of the train station since I thought I might be in the middle of nowhere, but I was right in the heart of Zurich!

A beautiful river runs through the middle of the city and there are cobblestone street running everywhere else.

Bikes are free for residents of Switzerland to use and they are everywhere. Non-citizens can also rent one for free, but they have to put a down payment first. The weather was rather crisp, I suppose because of the proxmity to the Alps.

I wandered in and out of a few cathedrals, including Fraumünster Cathedral with stained glass windows by Chagall. I was so exhausted, it being about 3:00 am my time, that I fell asleep in Grossmünster Cathedral. I felt pretty safe taking a nap since it was a church after all.

I ate lunch on a bridge overlooking the river and a little old Italian man took a photo for me.

After wandering up the cobblestone streets I found a park overlooking the city. There were a bunch of men playing a giant game of chess! Some of the streets seemed to go straight up, and almost all of the buildings had flower boxes outside of their windows.

Mowgz

2009-06-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

A few nights ago Mowgli was hit by a car. We didn't think she would make it at first, she was bleeding from her nose and mouth, but she's doing better now. She's moving around more and while she's still not eating or drinking much she is breathing better. We're praying she keeps getting better and like MJ says, she's a tough cookie.

windowtable

2009-06-03T20:27:00.001-07:00

I finally finished it! It was a window; now it's a table. The pictures in the panes are from a bookstore in downtown Harrisonburg. Unfortunately I'm not very good at building furniture, so it's a little wobbly, but it's finished!

Annie

2009-05-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Annie's visit to Harrisonburg:

Dave's
riding bikes
sitting on the porch
ShitTaco
The Magik Maker
Matt's ridiculous wrong number
sleeping on the porch
Taco Truck

Just read Annie's blog post about it....it says it much better.

P.S. Annie, google "Taco Truck Harrisonburg"....your blog post is the listing!

harrisonburg sunsets

2009-05-30T14:45:00.001-07:00

Harrisonburg has some of the best sunsets.

On another note; interesting reading:

Fear and Loathing in Prison - The lives of inmates in Pocohantus State Prison. The link is to one of the posts describing what it feels like to be in prison. Pretty interesting.

Gu.e - good writing, good reading.

progress

2009-05-30T14:09:00.001-07:00

I told LittleNeighborBrian that we were all moving away. He said "what?!! why?"; I told him it was because we were all done with school.

I asked him what he had been learning in school; he said, "progress" and I ask him what that meant. He said "You're all done with school and you don't know what progress means? Sounds like you didn't learn nothing".

Brian wasn't too upset we were all leaving when I told him the girl who owned the Playstation would still be here.

stencil art

2009-05-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

I keep seeing stencil graffiti in Harrisonburg; maybe they used to live in Knoxville. I was mowing the lawn and found one right outside our house.

Turned out it was our neighbor Derek and Sinnabun...

I'm not endorsing, I'm just saying

2009-05-30T12:17:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have trouble waking up and getting pumped to go to work?

I just found the solution....Flo Rida R.O.O.T.S. album.

I'm not kidding, it works.

who am I going to be entertained by?

2009-05-30T12:09:00.001-07:00

You guys are ridiculous and I am going to miss you!

Mind you, they went to I.H.O.P. looking like this. The best thing was, no one thought Janoodle was dressed any different than normal.

make something cool everyday

2009-05-30T08:25:00.005-07:00

Make Something Cool Everyday 2009

From LaserBread in the "Make Something Cool Everyday" pool on Flickr.

rave season

2009-05-30T08:25:00.003-07:00

Spring is Rave Season:

Rave #1: Zombie party; not so awesome but ScoundrelMatt was the DJ (come on matt, I don't really think you're a scoundrel, I just say that to differentiate between all the other matts in the world) which was awesome.

Rave #2: T-Home Annual Rave; different than last year but some things were the same. Couches in the yard, ravers, glowsticks, and the POlice.

just enjoy the show

2009-05-30T08:25:00.001-07:00

I realized I never updated on what happened in Seaside.
So in a nutshell our trip consisted of:

Hours and hours crammed in the Buick
Hours of entertainment from Lydia's dreadlocking adventures
Chadwick and Ashley's apartment and Psycho-Samson-Attack-Cat
alligators in Alabama
Janoodle's slight obsession with Piggly-Wigglies and small towns in Alabama named Eufaula
Seaside; beautiful cottage with bunk-beds in the hall
Ocean kayaking!
Surrogate grandparents galore
is anyone NOT sunburned?
2 bikes for 6 girls = 4 girls on 2 bikes = PAIN
Shopping in Seaside; meeting our man-drama-laiden-Next Door Neighbor-who-works-at-the-juice-bar-and-gets-to-shower-outside-year-round.
Live music from Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes and hanging out band/playing Partner-Tag
House dinners on the deck
Sunsets/sunrises
Dolphins
Shells and sharktooth and sandcastles/coldtubs (do you know who our 5th president was?)
Charades on the beach and Lydia's made-up Book Game
Seaside food; bracelets; key-lime pie! and goodbye beach...
Hello massively long drive home
NO MORE SUBWAY
More of Janoodles obsession with Piggly-Wiggly and Eufaula
Natanya's friends in Charlotte
Kristen's home and one amazing and well needed home-cooked dinner from her parents
Our Anthem: Lenka "The Show"
WELCOME HOME!!

P.S. Not all the photos are ones I took; the good ones are from Ashley Brammer :)

chimneys, all natural

2009-05-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Somewhere I haven't been before; Natural Chimney park. The drive is absolutely beautiful and definitely worth it. There is also a great trail which takes you to the top of the chimneys. Of course you aren't supposed to climb on them, but not much is stopping you either. The park is a little run down; but the chimneys are still beautiful. I wonder what it would be like to be hiking along in the wilderness and just come across something like that?

The only other thing I can't figure out; why isn't it "chimnies" when it's plural?

invisible children

2009-04-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

The LRA rebel army in Africa continues to massacre people and abduct children.

The Invisible Children organization works internationally to bring the leader of the LRA, Joseph Kony, to justice and rescue the abducted children.

Watch The Rescue, or read about the Current Situation in Uganda, the Congo and Southern Sudan.

great beard, great music

2009-04-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

I bought Ray LaMontagne's new album a while ago and I truly can't stop listening to it.

I actually bought the album without listening to it first. I may have been slightly influenced by his nice beard. Fortunately nice beards don't often disappoint.

garden bug

2009-03-30T17:21:00.001-07:00

Turns out we're not the only ones with the gardening bug. Girls House, White House, whats the difference really? We haven't planted anything yet, but we're digging and digging and digging...

it worked!

2009-03-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

1) I made Greek yogurt and it Worked!

Me: I really love Greek yogurt...
Natanya: You should make it
Me: is it hard?
Natanya: My mom has 8 kids and she makes yogurt all the time, it can't that hard.
Me: in that case....

It is really easy, I used this website:
Bean Sprouts: How to make greek yogurt

2) Janoodle definitely loves avocados more than I do.
This is her food shelf:

No judgement, I'm just reporting the facts.

3) Natanya and Jesse are ENGAGED!!!!

WHOOHOO! Natanya LOVES being engaged but reports that having a huge diamond on your hand can make it very hard to study Russian.

you smell like....

2009-03-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Men wear what they think will smell good to women and women wear what they think will smell good to men, right? Or do we all wear what smells good to us and hope for the best? If a guy smelled like a girl and a girl smelled like a guy would we think it smelled good? Do we like what we're used to smelling on ourselves or do we like to smell something different?

We have some AXE Snake Peel body wash in our shower and I'm wondering if I smelled like that all the time would guys think I smelled good or would girls? Would men like it if women smelled like them? I mean it doesn't smell bad, its earthy and clean smelling, but will guys think I smell good or will girls? Why do we like to smell what we smell on who we smell it and would we like to smell it as much if it smelled like that on someone else?

Smell is such a weird word.

17 hours of solid daydreaming

2009-03-06T17:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow 6 of us will get in Grandpa Buick and start driving 17 hours to Seagrove, FL. Pit-stops to drop off Mowgli and pick up Kristen, then 11 hours to Atlanta where we pick up Kristen's sister. The next morning its on to FLORIDA. Ahhhh, Sun, Beach, OCEAN.

I can't wait for the car ride. With 6 girls in one car for 11 hours, it can't help but be interesting. One of my favorite things is riding in a car and watching the scenery go by; you get the best daydreaming ever. As long as no one is grumpy and you don't get too carried away and miss your exit; I think car rides are right up there with a nice hot bath.

The best part is we rented a cottage; so we'll have a whole new Girls House in Florida. Its going to fly by, hopefully we'll get to do at least a little bit of everything planned.

Where's Waldo?

2009-03-05T10:48:00.001-08:00

I will always remember this past weekend. You wouldn't think Saturday night and puzzle would go in the same sentence unless you're 90 years old, but...you obviously haven't been to our house.

Thanks to the Puzzle Nazi we were up until 5:30AM. I'm not sure if that means we're really good at puzzles or amazingly bad. Seriously, I probably won't be touching a puzzle for a long time. Unless we find one at the beach.

Puzzles at the beach, now there's a good time. Truly, anything at the beach is a good time.

Queen of the castle no more

2009-03-02T17:48:00.001-08:00

Mowgli has been dethroned.

Party Party

2009-02-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

LoBo and Janoodles are leaving this weekend, so in honor of missing them already: here's what happened a couple of weekends ago. Lauren's Surprise Dance Party!

cool shades

2009-02-02T16:17:00.001-08:00

Make a lampshade, save a lamp.

Murphy's Kids

2009-01-31T12:53:00.001-08:00

For once we actually left the house and O. South High on a Friday night. Only me, Kristen and Jeanne were home and we decided it was time we got out more. First it was D-Hall, then we got a hankering for long island ice teas at Dave's. Dave's turned into the Blue Nile where we got to see Murphy's Kids perform and Janoodles caught a free t-shirt.
We also met a guy named Juan who is from Columbia (not Neighbor-Juan). After I told him I was thinking of moving to Hawaii, he kept coming back every ten minutes and telling us I should move to Hawaii, or rather that I HAD to move to Hawaii. Its pretty interesting to have a drunk Columbian guy tell you what to do with the rest of your life.

Sasha Fierce

2009-01-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've never been a Beyoncé fan, but like Janoodle, I really like the new music videos by director Jake Nava. If I Were A Boy gets good at the end. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) has some pretty amazing dancing too and such a cool concept! Both are by the same director. I tried looking up his other stuff but it wasn't as good.

Why would anyone knit that?

2009-01-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

My friend Hope-The-Archeologist showed me really funny site. Why WOULD anyone knit that?When Janoodle saw the knitted poop picture on the site she said "Oh my goodness! lets knit poop and leave it lying around!!".

Can I have this house next?

2009-01-28T18:07:00.000-08:00

Sled-arrific

2009-01-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

Oh sledding, I hope I'm never too old. We went across the street and since they demolished the baseball diamond we now have the perfect steep, fast and treacherous, sledding hill. Needless to say there are going to be some sore bums tomorrow. We even met a guy who lives in a house-with-the-number-pi who let us borrow his awesome toboggan for a bit.

Lisa, showing off her Princess gloves:Lauren and Kristen, getting ready to beat the rest of us:Me and Jeanne, getting ready to almost kill everyone by going the wrong way:
Lisa, getting ready to almost be killed by me and Janoodle's crazy sled driving:
Lauren and Kristen's victory march:
And Lisa showed Kristen and me a little bit of snowboarding skills. Hopefully snowboarding will be easier if we try it on real snowboards. Hopefully I will remember my warm, happy sledding thoughts now when the bruises set in tomorrow.

Ice cubes and pajamas

2009-01-27T19:29:00.001-08:00

So I go in the Bathroom-that-is-always-full-of-laundry last night and Janoodle and Kristen are in there looking awful guilty. What are they doing? Dropping ice cubes in the toilet of course. Lauren's post explains this well. It was supposed to make snow come and school be cancelled and it must have worked because it snowed and school was canceled. I still had to go to work though. Real-Persons don't get snow days apparently.

recycled beads

2009-01-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

Beads made from plastic bottles. I'm sure they take a long time to make but what a neat idea.We certainly have plenty of plastic bottles too.

So beautiful, yet so pricy, as most beautiful things are

2009-01-22T18:10:00.001-08:00

This fabric is amazing, Marimekko fabrics. They make me want to learn to sew, or at least drape them all over my walls.

I have to watch it with commercials?

2009-01-21T15:11:00.000-08:00

DON'T FORGET......LOST! TONIGHT! I'm really excited.

Santogold

2009-01-17T15:21:00.001-08:00

Weird music videos are so great. Santogold makes a really weird one of their song L.E.S Artistes. I watched it with ScoundrelMatt and Kelly last night and I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

Bear!

2009-01-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

I just found from Jeanne's Blog that Bear Grylls has a blog. I love Bear Grylls. You should read his book The Kid Who Climbed Everest. He's had some pretty crazy stuff happen to him.

This I like

2009-01-09T18:42:00.001-08:00

I just found Here We Go Magic. They remind me of Sigur Ros, except in english.

Now this I want to remember

2009-01-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

Daytrotter.com: free songs from artists like The National...and other artists not heard of.

Art for your day

2009-01-09T16:36:00.000-08:00

Urban Sketchers Blog; people from all over the world post sketches they've done of their cities. There's a flikr group too. Really beautiful.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

New Andrew Bird Album for Free

2009-01-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, if you are a fan of Andrew Bird; you will be a fan of this. In honor of his new album, Noble Beast coming out, NPR is letting you listen to the WHOLE album for free! So listen to Noble Beast. So great.

Catchup From 2008 (Its Finally Finished!)

2009-01-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

I Finally got the sweater finished right before Christmas. It ended up working out well, not being too big or too small and no major disasters happened before I sent it. I couldn't stop taking pictures of it once I was done; it was like it was my child. Guess where the people live who ordered it? Hawaii. I'm not kidding, how crazy is that? I think its a sign.
The woman who ordered it gave it to her grandfather who just had his 70th wedding aniversery. The reason he wanted a wool sweater in Hawaii? To sit by the ocean and mend his fishing nets of course. She even sent me a photo of him in the sweater. Its hilarious; I think I'm going to frame it.

Catchup From 2008 (Painting the Ugly Bathroom That is Always Full of Laundry)

2009-01-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

For Christmas break this year Kristen and I decided to paint the Ugly Bathroom that Always Full of Laundry. Everyone thought reddish was a good color to go with and so Kristen and I decided on a reddish color called Late Tomato.

Before painting....
During painting....
After painting....

Catchup From 2008 (Graduation...DONE!)

2009-01-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

I've never been a big fan of graduations but this one was amazing. Perfect in fact. My family, the Longs', Kristin and Luke, Kristen, MJ, Katie, and Annie all came to watch Julia and I graduate. They made signs and yelled so loud the Dean got a little startled and told me I had quite a cheering section. Since it was a master's degree I got to be hooded and I made sure not to bend over when they were placing the hood (bend at the knees, bend at the knees). I got to see Julia, and neighbors Kevin, Carolyn and Scott all graduate too. It was phenomenal and so wonderful to have good friends there to celebrate with. When Julia and I got back to the house we saw that Annie and MJ had stayed up till 5am the night before decorating! Streamers and balloons with pictures of hairy bearded men were everywhere.

We all went to Dave's and then Klines to celebrate. Which is the perfect way to celebrate anything. It was perfect; the perfect celebration for being DONE!

Catchup From 2008 (JMU Football!!)

2009-01-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

Annie, Kristen and I made a lovely night of candlelight dinner and FOOTBALL! JMU was in the running for the Championship and they played against Montana. Obviously we couldn't miss it, being the rabid sports fans we are (just kidding). Anyway, we braved the cold and the crowds and it was great. This is randomly bizarre; but the guy sitting next to Kristen? I actually sat next to him at the last JMU game I went to a couple of years ago. Weird, just plain weird.Football is actually pretty fun when you're watching it live and it's team you care about. I almost lost my voice I screamed so much, but they lost anyway. So sad.

Catchup From 2008 (Fondue and Presents and Group Photos)

2009-01-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, all of us in the house had each other as Secret Santa's so we had a little Party to give each other our gifts. We had food too of course; massive amounts of melted chocolate and cookies and cake and fruit and cream puffs to dip in it. Heavenly. Everyone got each other the perfect presents and ate tons of chocolate and took group photos and played games. I got the Best Mug Ever, tea and an 'I heart my pet' bicycle bell (perfect!) from my Secret Santa, Lauren. It was like Christmas morning; only better.

Catchup from 2008 (Chickens, (-)Heat, and Kung Fu Salsa Xmas Party)

2009-01-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

The Cornerstone House had an International Ugly Sweater Christmas Party. Janoodle and I got dressed up in our Christmas Finest.Lisa and MJ however had a different reaction when they saw us. When we got to the party Eileen from the Pink House greeted us with the comment "Nothing about this is SAFE". Janoodle and MJ got right with the spirit of things and started testing out the gymnastic rings hanging from the trees.
We then tried to convince Bread Brian not to kill his non-egg-laying chicken, Sarah Palin.

After failing miserably we checked out Bread Brian's solution to not having heat in his house. Definitely make a Man Cave in your room if you don't have heat.
We then ended the night with learning how to do Kung Fu Salsa Dancing. Painful, but fun.

Research=Hell (and) Hell=Research

2008-12-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

I am convinced hell will consist of one or perhaps both (if you are in need of extra punishment) of the following options:

1) An eternal research project which will never end but yet will have ever looming deadlines. There will be an eternal literature review in conjunction with an eternal research proposal and defenses and absolutely endless data collection and analysis.

2) An eternal car ride in a small compact car going nowhere. Just endless driving, FOREVER. No bathroom breaks, no getting out to stretch your legs, not even asking where you are, because you are NOWHERE. No scenery, no snacks, no magazines, just you and the car. Perhaps for extra punishment there will be a couple of people you really don’t like to fight with for eternity.

I’m not really sure which of these options would be worse. Its a toss up.

I think I need to cut back on my WOOT time

2008-12-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

I was on WOOT again, and I found this shirt as one of the derby options to vote for. I almost laughed out loud in the library.

Therefore I:

a) want one;

b) will wear it with pride;

c) need to start dumpster diving again. I miss having more bags of salad than I know what to do with.

Hmmm, I don't know about you WOOT

2008-12-01T09:03:00.001-08:00

I bought a WOOT shirt. Only $6.66 too, wait a minute, isn't 666 a bad number? What is WOOT trying to pull. The deal is you don't know what one you are going to get, so it could be a really crappy shirt, but its only $6.66. I probably should wait until there's one I really like and pay the extra $4 but what's the fun in that?

It won't die on my watch

2008-11-28T22:26:00.001-08:00

Don't worry Lauren, I'm watering the tree. Just in case you don't believe me, this is for you:

I guess I would hallucinate tootsie rolls too

2008-11-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving: movies, key lime pie, apple cider, Chinese buffets and Mom getting a Gmail account. Family, food, food, more food and Mom trying to get the mouse to work. What more could you want for Thanksgiving?

P.S. the Red Panda Buffet has sushi! All you can eat sushi. Now true, its not great sushi but its all you can eat.

Have you noticed nobody really talks to each other at buffets? Its more of a "Wow, this is really good"; "I'm going to get more of this"; "Aww, its all gone, are they going to put more out?"; "Oh, this is not so good, don't get that"; "Hey, where did you get that?"; "I'm so full, I'll just eat this last thing"; "Where is the dessert?".

The whole meal you are either getting up to get more food, thinking about what you are going to get next, deciding if what you are eating is good enough to get again, worrying if it'll be gone before you get up again or trying to figure out how to get the most food in the least trips. Basically there's not much room to think about the people you're eating with. Its really all about you and the food.

Who's ready for Christmas?

2008-11-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

Last week, with Chipper's help; we went across the street, and over the fence, and through the woods, and over the creek, and watched out for the campus police, and cut down our Christmas tree! P.S. I stole these photos from your blog LoBo, so if they look familiar....It turned out to be a little bigger than it looked in the woods, but Janoodle trimmed it up nicely. It only looks slightly pregnant from a certain angle, but that's appropriate considering the room it's in. We do call it the Living Womb after all.

Pardon Me (I Didn't Knit That for You)

2008-11-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

Hahahhah! So ridiculous....

Aquariums ARE pretty important

2008-11-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

My new camera came! I haven't had one since running down Main street on Halloween night. Its a long story...

I bought a Canon SD790 thanks to Nantan's recommendation. Same price range as my old camera but the photos are ten times better! I still don't know how to use 99.9% of the features but I'll work on that. The camera manual is over 200 pages long. I've had textbooks shorter than that.The camera maker must have thought aquariums were pretty important since they included a mode just to take photos of aquariums. Not underwater, there's a mode for that too; this mode is just for aquariums. Good thing I have an aquarium, hmmm?

There's one in every family

2008-11-20T12:37:00.000-08:00

Last night we found out Mowgli is even weirder than we thought, or rather Kristin did.

Its never dull when you're giving people drugs

2008-11-19T21:38:00.001-08:00

I spoke with an elderly couple today and this particular couple had gotten married many years ago when they were young. They then got divorced rather quickly and married other people. Thirty years later both their spouses died and they got back together! There they sat today, back together and happy as Mowgli eating pumpkin bread. Neither of them could stop giggling long enough for me to do any kind of teaching.

When no one's looking...

2008-11-17T16:12:00.001-08:00

Its always been a mystery what Princess Mowgli does to my laptop to make it collapse into a comatose state. So what does the little bugger do when she thinks no one is looking? Sleep? Eat? Chase mice? Oh, no, that would be too normal. Apparently Her Majesty's forbidden pleasure is violently jumping up and down on my laptop keyboard. Explains a lot.

Christmas Is The New Halloween

2008-11-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

Come to think of it the weekend actually started with Halloween which we decided to skip and celebrate Christmas instead.
We figured Halloween and Thanksgiving are rather dull holidays anyway and so why not get things started early?

MJ wanted to dress up as a JMU Girl but we convinced her to wear clothes.

We tried our best to spread holiday cheer everywhere we went. The bus we ended up riding seemed like it held enough people to populate an entire country. A very small, loud, smelly and inebriated country.

The rarest sight of the night ended up being LoBo Riding A Bike. She didn't seem to enjoy it much but Janoodle and I did.

Posh Horse Races and Salami

2008-11-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was full of all sorts of fun. It started out with craving salami and going to visit Hope and friends at Montpelier where she's an archeologist. I love saying I have a friend who's an archeologist; it makes me feel exotic.

Anyway there were horse races on the grounds and we got to tour the mansion as well. It was all very posh and beautiful and the weather was perfect.

Rich horse racing people pay enormous amounts of money to drink lots of wine and watch the horses run around. Fortunately we didn't have to pay thanks to Hope and we got to eat amazing salami and delicious cake I can't pronounce or spell the name of. We also saw some pretty ridiculous hats.

It's Alive!

2008-11-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

Its amazing how much TV you can watch even if you don't have one. We watched all the debates live online and now all the big networks have live online election coverage. Its amazing! Soon we won't have people sitting all day in front of their giant televisions; instead they'll spend all day in front of their giant computer screens.

CBS online LIVE

MSNBC online LIVE

CNN online LIVE

ABC online LIVE

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me It Was So Great?

2008-11-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

After getting emails for 50 million weeks telling me to vote; I did! And you know what? I don't know why I haven't been voting all along.

Even though I went through unit after unit of US history and government; I don't think I understood until tonight why people fight so long and hard for the right to vote. Now I finally understand what all the fuss is about.

It gave me this great feeling that I mattered and contributed something worthwhile to the world. It sounds weird but it made me feel like a Real Person. Like I said, it sounds weird.