October 2009

Only a few days left until Halloween and somehow I managed to make it this long without having any major candy obsessions. BUT caramel apple pops have once again made me realize that they are the true meaning of Halloween. Nothing could be better. It’s kinda like my peppermint taffy Christmas obsession. Except I can eat just one apple pop and stop. Taffy on the other hand …

There was a really interesting article on CNN today. Actually before that – CNN is the home page on both my work computer and my home computer so basically every few hours I’m checking to see what’s going on in the world. I have this huge fear that something gigantic will happen and every else in the world will know about it but me. But I’ve been having trouble even looking at it the past few days because of the horrible story about the California teenager who was gang raped in front of two dozen people at her highschool Homecoming dance for TWO HOURS and no one even bothered to call 911. Reading a story like that really makes me question not just “how could that happen?” but “what would I do if I were in those bystander’s shoes?” Of course we all know what our initial reactions are to that question. That of course we would report it. But the more times I see the story the more I wonder how I really would act. I think that’s what makes me even more sick than the story itself.

But back to the interesting article that didn’t leave me soul-searching. Is Monogamy Realistic? It’s one of those questions that we also don’t want to ask ourselves because perhaps we are afraid of the answer. I think the thing I like most about this article is that it presents a question that we all should think about in our own lives. It gives facts about some of the background of relationships in this country and others around the world. AND in the end it recognizes that whatever your thoughts on the matter in the end it is always a choice. Regardless of what is in our nature, thankfully we have the privilege to be able to think through the consequences of our actions and choose what has the best outcome.

I’ll leave you with this excerpt:

“It’s realistic that some people can mate for life in the same sense that some people can play the Beethoven violin concerto or other people can ice-skate beautifully or learn a new language,” said psychiatrist Judith Eve Lipton.

Added evolutionary biologist David Barash, “It’s within the realm of human potential, but it’s not easy.”

Sometimes I wish that I could go to the doctor once a month just for a check up. You know – a full body check for moles and lumps and bumps, blood work to make sure I’m not coming down with mono, listen to the heart, check the lungs, the whole nine yards. It’s not that I consider myself a hypochondriac because I don’t actually go to the doctor or ER for anything. I do my self-breast exams, I check my tonsils and lymphnodes for swelling, and I keep an eye on a few suspicious freckles. It’s just that it would be nice for my peace of mind to get a “just in case” check up once a month so that when that super dark mole on my right arm starts looking “just a little misshapen” when I’m procrastinating at work and need something new to obsess over I’ll know that it’s no big deal. Is that weird?

It was a fantastic weekend in terms of weather and good company. Jerald was home from Mississippi so entertainment abounded (ha ha that was for your sake Mom). Pat was in town, although I think he may have gotten more one-on-one time with Todd than with me. Megan’s wedding shower on Saturday gave me the chance to hang out with my best friends. I even got to see my sister and Mert! Of course then today it poured all day and only reinforced the dreary Monday of having to be back in the real world.

You know what else is in the real world? Freaking weird people. Like this guy, who got caught smuggling pythons and lizards on a plane by taping them in little bags to himself.
Seriously who thinks these things up? Who are these strange people?

But I don’t want to leave you with that horrible image so instead I’ll post this cute one, courtesy of Cute Overload. Would it be too cheesy to say “Hoppy” Monday?

(photo courtesy of Cute Overload)

I kinda feel like I may or may not have had this look on my face for the majority of the day.

Yes it was a day where I decided with little thought of consequence to not take Sudafed AND not have a Diet Coke. And to put Stevia in my coffee (that stuff sucks – who knew that I could miss Splenda so much?). Let’s just say when the day was done I had eaten 5 mini packs of Whoppers and if I don’t go upstairs and take a shower within 5 minutes I’m likely to have 5 more. I told my mom that no I didn’t put on the freshman fifteen in college but I’m likely to put on the Texas fifteen if I’m not careful. Yikes.

In other news, seriously aren’t dogs just so cute when they are wearing hats?

Perhaps it is fitting that my “Bag o’ bliss” Pearls Before Swine comic came the day before Blog Action Day 2009, for which the theme is Climate Change. Let’s face it, most of us have our heads in a bag o’ bliss (myself included) when it comes to climate change. We laugh and say “seriously this summer seemed hotter – must be the climate change”. We watch disaster movies where the ice caps melt and huge waves crash into New York City and for some reason wolves try to eat Jake Gyllenhaal (that guy is pure muscle – find someone with more meat). And maybe we consider buying a Swig water bottle, as much for the trendiness as for the love of the earth. But I never really sit down to consider changing my lifestyle habits for the sake of climate change. Hell I never really sit down to think about climate change at all.

It was easier in San Francisco. You had to recycle. And since you had to they made it really easy. The simple fact that I recycled made me feel good about myself and so I probably thought even less about all of my consumption and waste and impact. I walked more or took public transportation. Plus I drive a Kia, mainly because I can’t afford an SUV, and so I feel good about my high gas mileage and relatively low emissions. And I’m a vegetarian so that gives me a few bonus points. So I give myself some points in the “plus” column and don’t give it another thought.

I think this is how we got into trouble with climate change in the first place. We think to ourselves “well you know I don’t really make THAT big of an impact”. But then you add yourself to your family and your friends and your neighbors and your coworkers and all of the rest of the world, all of whom think they are relatively good compared to the rest and boom roasted. Literally.

So what’s next? Well here’s a few things I need to start doing because they’re easy ways to be just a little more green. And wouldn’t it be great if we all decided to be a little more green? If instead of saying “well I’m not doing that poorly compared to the rest” we started trying to do better.

• Bring my own grocery bags. I did this all the time in SF. I do it 0% of the time now. I think because no one else does so it’s kinda embarassing and weird. Oh well – maybe I’ll start a new trend.
• Set up a recycle bin at work for aluminum cans. It’s tough to recycle here since it isn’t picked up for you. BUT my mom takes our cans so if I put up a bin at work I can easily just bring them home and add them to our pile. Plus there’s a few extra pennies for mom.
• Choose reusable over disposable. I sometimes don’t realize how many things I use could be exchanged for something greener. For example, I use cotton balls to take off my eye makeup. Why not just use a wash cloth?

I’m starting with three but there’s no need to stop there. What’s next?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had a personal bag o’ bliss to put over our heads when life got confusing/frustrating/sad? It’s tempting you know. The whole “if I can’t see it then it doesn’t exist”. This is often times my strategy for keeping up with the news. Avoidance at all costs. Or emotions in general for that matter.

Although I guess it really is like having a bag over your head in that sure it might feel safe but (a) you can’t go anywhere in life like that – I mean literally you would run into things and (b) you can’t see anything coming your way. After awhile don’t you get tired of living in a world defined by escape? Because unfortunately when you try to escape the bad you inadvertently escape the good at the same time.

And don’t you get tired of the smell of produce? The same ‘ol same ‘ol. Life is about adventure. And not knowing how those adventures might turn out.

I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.

After that I liked jazz music.

Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way

- Donald Miller

Check this post out from HorsePigCow. Great post and although I don’t agree with it all I am so glad that it really got me thinking on so many issues. We do have a tendency to externalize. To make our lives about what we do, what we have, what we say, what we wear, how we label ourselves, who we are with. We seek to be validated by others rather than to simply be valid because we are.

I will say though that although I don’t require religion to make me a better person – it DOES make me a better person. I don’t need a political label to tell me how we should be treating people in other countries but I do need one to vote for those who I believe will make decisions I support. Love is about the “fit” but it is also about so many other things that are part of the dance. Sometimes the things that may begin as a way to validate your image in the world can become something incredible. I may have begun in my faith as a child following my parents but what it has become is lifegiving and amazing. It may sometimes be hard to find our way in love but it will certainly be worth it in the end.

And sometimes shoes that start off giving you blisters can turn into your favorite pair.

Bachelor parties mean strippers, booze, and bad decisions. Bachelorette parties mean wine, panties, and plenty of good gossip with friends.

After my long first week of work I had a fantastic (although tiring) weekend with girlfriends celebrating one of my best friend’s wedding that is coming up in just a little over a month. There’s nothing like singing “Livin’ on a Prayer”, wine-tasting, eating good Tex-Mex, talking about guys, talking about life, talking about babies, ok so lots of talking, and getting to know some of Megan’s friends from her other “life-stages” who I hadn’t spent much time with before.

It was my first time wine-tasting in Fredericksburg and it turned out to be a beautiful day, nice and cool and sunny. It was almost the same as being in Napa. Of course all the Napa people would faint that I said that. Thankfully to me I’m happy with a bottle of Barefoot so the best part of the day wasn’t the wine itself but dancing the chicken dance. I don’t think they would allow you to do that in Napa.

The funny thing is that after the week and the rain and the gloom I thought that sleeping for two days straight would have been the thing to put a smile on my face. I was wrong. Although I might have actually barely been able to keep my eyes open at times, there really is nothing better for brightening your weekend and preparing you for the week than spending time with a wonderful group of women. Spending time with a wonderful group of women and celebrating one of my best friends being in love.

I can’t wait for the wedding!

(photo courtesy of cute overload)

Sometimes starting a new job can feel like this. You know there’s so many new challenges and things to learn and it can all feel a little overwhelming. Thankfully my co-workers made sure I had some great pictures hanging right by my computer of some the wonderful patients in Guatemala who have been blessed by Faith in practice so it is a great reminder of the end goal.

Plus today Blood Centers gave away a Smart Car to a deserving blood donor. His wife started crying when he won. They both shared a car that was 15 years old. And then I got to let everyone online know about it.

Really can life get any better when my jobs let me help people AND make them smile?