Thursday, December 30, 2010

Vacation: Day 4


Helicopter Tour!

Vacation: Day 3



On Day 3, the boy learned to snorkel, and we ate at Bubba Gump's.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Vacation Day 2



Gin & guava, some splashing in the pool, and some coconut whacking.

Vacation: Day 1







23 hours of travel with 2 kids under 5 is a lot, so we had some photo shoots on the plane. And some wine.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Traveling Books

I got a lot of reading done on my recent trip. There's nothing like solo travel and hating to talk to seatmates on planes to amp up the reading time. A couple of weeks ago I finished Vinegar Hill, which was well written, but utterly dark and hopeless.

I needed something light after that, so started in on I'm With Fatty. The story itself was interesting, a journalist sets out to lose 50 pounds in a year, but I wasn't nearly as taken by the story as I was by the writing. Witty and entertaining doesn't quite cover it here. Ugel whipped out more novel similes and metaphors than I could count, almost all apt. If you're looking for entertainment and self-loathing, this is it.

I finished I'm With Fatty on my first flight, and started in on a book I had to read for class, Still Alice. It's a fictional account of a 50 year old professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. It's written by a neuroscientist, which makes me think it might be accurate? Accurate or not, it's engaging. It's written from the main character's perspective, so you descend with her into the Alzheimer's and see life from her perspective. Even though it was assigned for my Acquired Disorders of Language and Cognition class, I would have read it (and enjoyed it!) even if it wasn't. Fascinating.

A few weeks back we got into a discussion of Arminianism vs Calvinism at my small group, which left me at a loss for articulating the tenets of Calvinism in a way that made sense to people from outside of the tradition, so I grabbed Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport off of the shelf. I've read it before, way back, but didn't realize Richard Mouw was the author. I recently listened to him on Being, talking about Christian civility in politics, and LOVED it.

So I had started the book a couple of weeks ago and had a chance to finish it on my trip. It was really interesting to come back to it after a number of years outside of the Christian Reformed Church. There are things that still resonate for me and things I question and need to think through.

At the same time, I was also reading Exponential because someone at church asked me to. The two books could not be more opposite. I disliked Exponential almost from the beginning, but couldn't quite figure out why. Reading the two at the same time made some of it clearer. There are some values from Calvinism that were informing how I read Exponential, though that may not have become clear to me had I not been reading Mouw's book at the same time. I have to say I wouldn't really recommend Exponential unless you are looking for something to challenge your thought...or maybe you will agree with it.

I am currently without a book, which feels very shiftless. I'm looking for a new one, and have a few ideas. Crazy as it sounds, I heard Jay-Z on Fresh Air and have some interest in reading Decoded. I'm interested in The Hunger Games as well. Whatever I choose may have to wait a couple of days until Thanksgiving is over, and maybe even a few weeks after that until the semester is over. Christmas break, though, is for reading. I'm making my book list, checking it twice.

Monday, November 22, 2010

ASHA

So much going on lately, where to start....let's start here--I hate this semester. I really do detest it. It needs to be over now. And people need to have clearly stated expectations and quit surprising us with stuff, etc. etc. And I need to stop getting Bs.

On to more interesting things.

This week I was in Philadelphia for the ASHA convention. It was fabulous! I'm used to TESOL conventions which must be smaller (ASHA had 12,000 ppl this week) because I was not nearly so overwhelmed by the program book and options for sessions. ASHA could also help by organizing the sessions by time instead of subject area, but I would still probably only be able to get to about 1/5 of the sessions I want to see.

I saw quite a few really interesting sessions. One I really enjoyed looked at transition strategies for young adults who use AAC. It was really practical, and presented well, which is just as important as the content.

Another interesting research presentation looked at predicting stuttering onset in the context of the Early Language in Victoria Study. They found that you can't really predict it, so that's not great, but it was a good presentation and had some other useful information.

I was really interested in a presentation I went to on starting a private practice. It was exactly the kind of information I was hoping for too, not too detailed but not too broad either. It definitely helped me think through some of the options there.

My very favorite presentation though was Christina Santhouse talking about having the right hemisphere of her brain removed due to Rasmussen's Encephalitis. It was fascinating because not only did Christina recover from the hemispherectomy, but she finished college, earned a Master's degree and became an SLP. The PhD who presented with her said that either this type of success has not yet been documented, or does not exist. I wouldn't say it's the presentation I gained the most factual information from, but it was by far the most interesting and inspiring. Christina even had her SLP in the audience for the presentation.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

When All Is Well

Last week was pretty crappy. Think breaking down in a professor's office crying, snot running down my face, hyperventilating. Kind of a mental breakdown. This semester in general has been difficult, and last week it just felt like there were far too many expectations, internal and external to live up to. Thankfully, it is in the past.

Tonight was my small group night, and we talked about our childhoods, and laughed. And laughed some more, and ended up singing the song from the commercials for My Buddy. After a crappy week like last week where there was more doubt in my mind than anything else, it just felt incredibly good to really share with people, and know that in that place I can just be myself. It was one of those nights when I left small group and just felt content.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The First Snow!

It is a good morning. I woke up to an email that 2 classes for the day are canceled, and the quizzes in those classes have been postponed to next week. Hooray!

It is also snowing, and today that makes me happy. It makes me thankful that seasons change, things die and also come back to life, and there is a feeling of incredible coziness being snuggled in on the couch in my PJs drinking my coffee under a blanket while the wind whips the snow around outside. I'm sure I won't feel the same when I'm actually walking across campus this afternoon in the wind, but for now it's nice.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Today, thankfully, has been a much better day. My family came up and we went out for dinner last night. Resources are much more in balance today. There's still a lot to do, but it'll happen.

Plus, there are still pretty trees like this, and it's the end of October.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

I had a dream last night that I got a B on an assignment, and completely and utterly freaked out. Today it happened. I got a B, but did not freak out. However, I realize how much this should NOT matter, but it does. I know exactly how many Bs I've gotten as a graduate student, and the fact that I know that and let it get to me sucks. What's the saying-Bs get degrees? Ugh.

the overwhelmedness

I'm taking a class called Professional Issues right now, and in that class we talk about...well, professional issues...certification, licensure, burnout, stress. This past week, or maybe it was two weeks ago, the professor talked about stress in terms of resource allocation, which made a lot of sense to me.

She described stress as an imbalance between the demands you feel and the resources you have. I previously had a notion that stress was an accumulation, or something heavy, and always progressing or regressing, but I didn't see it in a sort of give and take, back and forth mode. But this makes far more sense to me experientially.

There are times when you have heavy things on you, and it's fine. You have the support, the internal resources, etc. to deal with it. There are other times when your resources are extremely limited, maybe you're sick or hurting, and there's nothing to balance the stress and someone's tone of voice can lead to tears.

I'm so there. Not tears, but overwhelmed. The demands right now are overwhelming the resources I have to deal with them. It's temporary, yes. But a very ugly feeling. I'm still trying to take care of myself, but finding that recently the things that should help mange the demands are becoming demands themselves...exercise, eating well, church, devotions, etc.

And, at the end of it all, this too shall pass. The next few weeks will be over soon, as will the semester. With the cholera epidemic raging in Haiti, I am reminded that it's a luxury to be stressed out about school work and obligations instead of food and shelter.

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Het Weekend

It's a 4 day weekend and I couldn't be more thankful. While you all may be celebrating Columbus Day elsewhere, in SD it's Native American Day. And I love it.

My schedule has felt really busy lately, and I've found myself with just an hour here or there, with no big chunks of time to really dig into something. So this weekend I'm doing just that. I am ignoring the very strong pull to get out of town for the weekend, and instead getting some important things done, and also celebrating having some free time.

Yesterday I started the weekend out with drinks and dinner with a friend. Today was cleaning and running errands until late afternoon, when I went on a bike ride with a friend. The sky was somewhat ominous, but we went anyway. We got sprinkled on, and eventually rained on, but it was warm enough that it wasn't miserable, and we finished 22 miles on the trail, some on parts I'd never seen before. That was fun.

Tonight has been spent laboriously reading and taking quizzes on research ethics and the protection of human subjects. I totally get the importance of it, but as I was reading it through, somehow it struck me as absurd that we have a billion little rules and processes to protect human subjects in research, but we do so little to protect humans from disease, famine, etc. etc. I know, totally random, but it's where my mind went.

Tomorrow is baptism of Ang and Ryan's littlest, which I am very much looking forward to, and then starting in on a paper for my Articulation and Phonology class. I'm going to be writing it about the use of sensory feedback in articulation therapy, which I'm really interested in. What I'm not really interested in, however, is actually writing the paper. We'll see how that goes.

Monday is so far planless, other than a bike ride with another friend. My hope is to use the day to organize closets and cupboards and get rid of things I don't need anymore, but we'll see. At some point I'd like to go and see The Social Network too. Hooray for long weekends!

Sunday, October 03, 2010

It is a wonderful day. Not only because it's an amazing fall afternoon, but also because...

I rode my 500th mile on my bike today!!!

I went to church this morning and then out to lunch with friends. When I got home, I was really pretty much certain I was not going on a bike ride. I had a bunch of reasons it wasn't going to be great, like it's coldlish, there was too much wind for my liking (more than none, basically) at 15 mph, etc. etc. Basically I was whining to myself about it. But, the other options were 1) workout at the gym, or 2) go for a walk outside.
Here's the problem with #1, go to the gym. This is the view out my living room window right now:

Going to the gym on a day this nice just seemed like a travesty. I am really, really enjoying fall this year, and trying to soak it in without fretting about the impending winter. So #1 was out. And #2, going for a walk, is just kinda boring after starting to ride bike...it's way too slow.

So I thought I'd get out on my bike, and if it was really awful, come back after a few miles. Thankfully, that was not the case. The portion of the bike trail south of my house has been closed most of the summer so I haven't ridden there much, but did today. What I hadn't realized is that a lot of that section is in the middle of parks with tree breaks, making it much more impervious to the wind than the wide open section by the airport.

The other great thing was that after much deliberation I seemed to have come up with a good biking outfit to suit the weather today. I was neither too hot nor too cold, which made for a really pleasant ride. That, and a new Shakira song from zumba on the iPod. A little Waka Waka is good for everyone.

This Morning's Oats


Oats, milk, plain yogurt, raisins, trail mix, & honey

Saturday, October 02, 2010

My New Favorite

My new favorite, and current obsession, is overnight oats. I don't think I blogged about it, but I've been thinking about oatmeal lately. It's good for you, and though I ruled it out as a kid, I thought I might like it.

So a few weeks ago I made some hot oatmeal in my rice cooker...and it was okay. Not really any flavor though, and by the third or fourth bite the texture was making me a little gag-y.

Enter overnight oats. Ryan and Ang introduced me to them on our Okoboji weekend. And then I realized that my current favorite blog, Kath Eats Real Food, has been talking about them too (somehow I assumed she cooked them).

So the idea is simple--mix oats with yogurt and/or milk, let them sit overnight, and voila. They are a bit chewy, flavorful, cool, and ready to be topped. I am a huge fan.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Okoboji Weekend

I spent the weekend at the lake with some amazing old friends. We've hung out periodically, but with kids it's not always easy to really connect, and this weekend was a great time of doing that. And of course, there were obligatory self-portraits with the oldest kiddos.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Nothing much important

This week I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed. The semester is busier than those in the recent past, but mostly it's my own fault since I'm going out of town over the weekend and trying to get everything done. And it's not like things are unmanageable, but adding a night class and 12 hours a week of GA work means I need to be more organized and focused. And when I forget something or end up going out to eat because I haven't planned a meal ahead of time, that sucks because it's stuff I should have written down or gotten done. But such is life. And I have to say, as much as I hate dropping the ball on things, I am enjoying the pace in certain ways. Weeks go by quickly, and I feel very productive. Now if that could happen and I could do everything perfectly, I'd be all set.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Brrr....

I was dumb this morning. I checked the weather and it was 48 degrees, so I thought it would be perfect bike weather...I always get too hot, so this morning would be a nice break from that. Only I've never biked in cooler weather and made some fatal mistakes:

1) I didn't wear socks in my bike sandals. Numb toes and feet.

2) It's kind of a darker day, so I didn't wear sunglasses. This meant wind in my eyes/face, and tears/snot streaming down my face.

3) Capri bike pants.

4) No ear protection.

5) No gloves. I have these sweet wristwarmers a colleague gave me when her mother-in-law gave them to her and she didn't like them. But, when I left I thought wristwarmers might be overkill. Yeah, no. Here's the thing...it's not like you can put your hands in your pockets on a bike. You kind of need them to make sure you don't run into anything. And can stop. So freezing fingers too.

All in all, I was fuh-reez-ing. Adjustments will be made. The good part? My average speed was a bit faster than usual because I wanted to get home and warm up!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

If only riding 26.2 was as awesome as running it...ah, well. It does make for my longest bike ride ever, and brings my summer bike miles up over 450. Whoo-hoo!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

So physical ability has never been my thing. I can kick ass academically, be at least moderately creative, and cook enough to eat quite well. But gym class? Well, let's just saw I was the last one picked for teams. Always. Well, I guess unless we include lesser known sports like bocce ball and laser tag, and most people don't.

When I bought a bike this summer I was excited about it, but about 99% sure I would fall off early and often. So far that hasn't happened...so far. And actually, I love riding. Mostly when it's a flat surface, but still.

I also think it'd be fair to say I am a rule follower and like to plan out anything unknown. If I can't study it, read about it, practice it by myself, you're not likely to find me doing it in public. Which is why I almost exclusively ride on the trails. Riding on the street with cars, other bikers, etc., is just a little too intimidating.

But I would like to do it. The bike trail is great for fun, but unfortunately the grocery store, library, etc., are not conveniently located directly off of the trail. If I want to ride my bike to these places, and I do, I will have to ride on the street.
Enter community education class Traffic Skills 101.

The class was awesome. We learned basic bike maintenance including how to change a flat, hazard/crash avoidance, and how to cycle in traffic. It was one of those things where I wanted to do it, was excited to do it, but really had to push myself, as I was generally terrified to show up at each class. The fear was mostly about doing bike maneuvers in front of other people, which turned out to not be quite as terrible as I thought. Sure, I was the least skilled person there, but no one laughed out loud which helped. The instructor was also really nice and helpful.

And today we did a road ride. Again, much anxiety about being able to keep up with everyone, etc., but mostly unfounded, with the exception of a couple of not giant hills (still kicked my ass). What was awesome was learning how to negotiate traffic in Sioux Falls. The map below shows our path, through some major intersections in town. I can't say I want to bike those streets any more than necessary, but I would feel a lot more comfortable doing so if I needed to.

So yeah, I did not die. I did not even fall off of my bike, although I did hit too many of the tennis balls in the parking lot drills. And I learned stuff! I love learning stuff.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Zumba

Tomorrow is the first day of school, and I should be hole-punching syllabi and finding a binder to put them in. But somehow, as organized as I am about other things, it works better for me to get that all done after the first day.

So today I spent most of my day in 2nd grade, which was fun. I had the time free, so I helped Jenni do reading assessments with her kids. They were sweet. One girl wanted to hold my hand, another kept asking me who I was going to take next, I think hoping it was her turn. When it was, she wanted me to make sure I knew what a good read she is.

And then I came home and things kind of just went south. Nothing big. Just some little things that added up to a sour mood. But, that was okay, because I was going to Zumba.

That's right, Zumba. Where a roomful of white women try to pretend they have rhythm. Actually, some don't even pretend. And that's half the fun--you are just as awkward shaking your booty as your neighbor is. And, it's almost always guaranteed that there will be someone so awful that watching them in the mirror is so entertaining it takes your mind off of how hot and sweaty you are.

Tonight there was a substitute instructor. She's been in the classes before, but I've never taken a class she's taught, and if I can help it, I won't do it again. She is super enthusiastic, and I think that's why we don't mesh. I'm never very extroverted, but especially not while exercising. And if you want me to sing along to the music and shout out Zumba every once in a while, I need a drink or two first.

But all in all, the class was great. I went with a great friend, and the endorphins helped me kick the sour mood. And, tomorrow's the first day of classes. What could be bad about that?

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Farmer's Market

I rarely wake up, have coffee, and do whatever I do on Saturdays (bike, watch Project Runway) with time to spare to make it to the farmer's market before it closes at 1 PM. Today, I made it, and found these glorious looking items from Seedtime and Harvest. The tomato is already half gone (open faced toast/sandwich thingy with tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella), and I'm super excited to put the giant shallots to use. I'm not sure what I'll do with the carrots and eggplant yet, but I think reading through cookbooks and websites is half the fun.

Friday, August 27, 2010

PR

Anyone else out there watching Project Runway? I just watched this week's, and I have a few things to say:

1) In reference to the ending, Go Tim Gunn!!!

2) If Gretchen and I ever had to work together on anything, we would have words. And I would win.

3) What is up with Casanova's man boobs/V-neck sweater this week?

4) I can't wait to see next week's episode where Michael Kors describes an outfit as something someone would wear to a "Church Bring a Pot Dinner." Apparently he doesn't attend many potlucks.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Books a plenty

Lately I've been reading books I might not otherwise pick up. Not because I'm trying to branch out, but more because I haven't found any recommendations that seem like the kind of books I would pick up.

But, I've read some good ones. First, I read Lucky, which is Alice Sebold's autobiography. Or memoir...I'm not sure what the difference is. It was not particularly easy to read. The first few pages detail her being raped during college. And you keep thinking that the book will get past the rape eventually, but never does. Which I suppose is the point--you don't just get past rape. So I'd probably recommend the book if you want to read a memoir about rape, instead of just a memoir about Alice Sebold. It does explain a lot about The Lovely Bones though I think.

I also read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I will not be reading another book in the series. Probably ever. But not because it sucked. In fact, the characters were interesting, but the random violence and suspense got to me. I don't like horror movies or thrillers, and this book was some of each. I actually had nightmares from it, which almost never happens to me. So, despite being interesting, I'm not subjecting myself to that again. If you're not bothered by it, go for it. You'll also learn a lot about the Swedish social welfare system and the author's views on economics, which was kind of interesting. Also amusing were the precise descriptions of each and every electronic device used. It wasn't just a laptop, it was an Apple Powerbook 450GHz computer.

The last book I finished recently was The Glass Castle, another memoir, this time by Jeannette Walls. The writing in the book wasn't really very impressive, and I didn't like the ending, but the story of Walls' life growing up with a drunk father and somewhat crazy mother was super interesting. And surprisingly, she doesn't demonize either of her parents, though she easily could. They do some awful, selfish things, but Walls still recognizes their humanity. The one complaint I would have is that I felt like Walls describes a lot of events in her life, especially the latter part, without really going into depth. I would have like to know more about how she moved from being poor and homeless to being so successful. Her childhood and descripts are colorful enough though that I would still recommend reading it.

I just started reading The Help, and I think I'm really going to like it.

Monday, August 23, 2010

For the love of...

I have now lived in Sioux Falls longer than anywhere else in my adult life. I've grown to like, and maybe even love it. Really. But occasionally, I get restless and wonder about pulling up the roots I've worked hard to put down, and moving on to a new adventure. And as much fun as it is to think about, right now I'm tied down pretty securely, given 2 more years in my school program. But a girl can daydream.

This weekend I went to Minneapolis with a friend, and started thinking about all the things I could do in a city like that. We went to horse races, which I wasn't sure I would love, but did. I picked horses solely on their names, and only won with Abounding Aptitude. Of course.

We also visited the Schells brewery on the way home. Schells Stout is probably one of my favorite beers ever, so it was great to get a free glass at the end of the tour. And the grounds are beautiful, though maybe charming is a better word. Old brick buildings built on a hillside, along with gardens and a mansion, make it feel more European than Minnesotan for sure.

I think my favorite part of the weekend though was a bike ride on Saturday. The idea had sounded good, until I saw the heat index predictions. I love riding, but riding when it's hot, sunny, and humid is more torturous than pleasant. But, the weather was perfect. It was cloudy/foggy, and cooler for the entire ride, and the sun just started breaking through as we headed back to the hotel.


What amazed me most was how bike friendly Minneapolis is. I have heard it advertised as such, but since I just started riding this summer, I've only started noticing these things.

Our ride on Saturday took us around three of the lakes nearish downtown Minneapolis. The great thing was that most of the paths were one way, bikes only, which made things really simple. We also accidentally ended up on a greenway that you could take all the way downtown, or to light rail. It ran past some of the most amazing community gardens I've seen. Sitting downtown Minneapolis Saturday night we saw people using the dedicated bike lanes (cars have to park away from the curb, out of the bike lane). We also saw more pedicabs than regular cabs, and a lot of different kinds of people riding. It was great.

And, Sioux Falls is a good place to bike too, despite a biker being hit and killed last week. I'm thankful we have the bike path we do around the city, and despite my recent wanderlust, I'm happy to live where I do.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Sunday

I spent the day yesterday running video at church (let's not talk about how that went), and then geocaching. We found 16 caches, which was a good day's worth, but the best part was exploring Palisades State Park.


For a couple of the caches we hiked some trails into the area, and walked over the bridge at Devil's Gulch, where Jesse James supposedly jumped. I didn't get any pictures of that, but I found this sign really interesting. Not sure why mystery gets short-changed and remains uncapitalized.


We also saw three of these caterpillars on one of the paths. They were really quite beautiful. I'm curious what the spiky horn on the head (or rear?) is for. I'm also a little afraid to ask.


Not the most flattering picture, but a nice view of the scenery.

I had never been there before, but it's well worth the visit. It certainly doesn't feel like something that should exist in South Dakota.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Giddy!

So I am giddy tonight, because tonight I saw a movie at Filmdrome. Art, classic, and independent film. In Sioux Falls!!!!

Now I'm not someone who loves every indie film or only watches art films or whatever. But, I do like some, and more than that, I love the idea that my town, a town like Sioux Falls, has something like this!

As cheesy as it sounds, walking into a museum every once in a while, or watching an independent film in a theater feeds my soul. I just walk out feeling like all is right with the world.

Wow, that does sound cheesy.

Anyway...

THIS. IS. AMAZING.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I am eating cherries I paid $11 for, and it is worth it.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Prayer

I love the language in the Book of Common Prayer, and this prayer has been on my heart the last few days:

O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that
thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men:
Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom
our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy,
nourish his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of
thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon him, and give
him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Marielle

Ang and Ryan had a baby, Marielle, and I got to hold her. Isn't she cute?

Thursday, July 29, 2010

This is getting a little ridiculous

I made guacamole on Tuesday, and there is still hot pepper oil from the jalapeno on my hands. Now, I made guacamole last weekend, the same way, and had no problems. This time, I maybe handled the seeds a bit more, and wasn't as aggressive in trimming out the white part (which I learned is called the placenta...ew). Apparently that is where the capsaicin resides.

I didn't know I had actually acquired the oil on my hands until I went to take out my contacts Tuesday night, and my eyes burned. And teared up, and I generally wanted to claw them out. There was much hand-washing with soap and water and googling to find out what might help get it off. Apparently alcohol could be tried, so a quick wash with vodka and I called it good.

Wednesday morning more burning. Intense burning. I thought I had done serious damage to my eyes. I rinsed with rum this time, thinking my classmates may think I have a drinking problem if I show up smelling like a mojito, but oh well. The worst part is that the only way I can tell if it's still there is by sticking my finger in my eye and seeing if it burns. Rum didn't help.

Then I remembered I have latex gloves in my backpack from school, left over (but unused) from an oral mechanism exam I did. I donned the gloves and finally got my contacts in. Someone recommended milk, so yesterday I soaked my hand in milk. No better. So I'm still using the gloves to put my contacts in and take them out, but this is getting a little ridiculous.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

This is where I leave you

Last night I went to bed early, 9 PM. It was downpouring, making the living room a few decibels too loud, given the rain on the skylights. Plus, I had a good book. So I stayed up late finishing it, and like any good books simultaneously wanted to read it all the way to the end, but also knew that meant I would soon be finished with it. Tear.

This is where I leave you was a book I don't really remember picking up, other than that I remember getting the recommendation from NPR books. The thing about the book is that it's about some incredibly hard stuff (affairs, divorce, infertility), but is done in a way that doesn't make you want to claw your eyes out (Revolutionary Road style). In fact, I really liked Judd Foxman, the protagonist.

Somehow, Jonathon Tropper lets you really get the gravity of what the characters are facing, but also lighten it up with humor. At times the characters lean toward caricature, but not often enough to really bother me. They do fight a lot, I will say that. Like physically punch each other out.

Anyway, if you need a little relationship drama (who doesn't?), I would highly recommend it. Or if you want to read about a family sitting shiva.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Class

I'm in the second week of my second summer class, Craniofacial Anomalies. Today we heard 14 presentations on genetic and other syndromes that include craniofacial disorders. All I can say is this: It is a miracle babies are born without craniofacial anomalies, and if I ever have a baby, I will be paranoid.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Sore

When I was in California last week, I missed my bike. I actually thought about it at least 3 or 4 times throughout the week, wishing I had it with me so I could ride a bit. That's weird.

Tonight I finally got back on it despite some wind, and it was great. Not quite as great on the middle miles where the wind was blowing hard, but still great. Only about 20 more miles and I'll have ridden 300 so far this summer.

I also played kickball tonight with people from church, and it was really fun. I was maybe not the worst player (there were 2 eight year old boys playing), and even made a couple of catches. I think mainly I was afraid the ball would hit me so I caught it, I'm not sure.

I do know that after a 14 mile ride (after missing my bike for a long time!) and an hour and a half of kickball, I will be sore tomorrow.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Must Read

I would never have picked up A Dirty Job on my own. But, I joined a summer book club, and already missed the first meeting...so I thought I had better make sure I make it to the second one.

And I loved the book.

Describing the plot would just make it sound dumb, and anyway you can read that for yourself. Here's why I liked it--Charlie is an interesting protagonist. And there is an amazingly interesting cast of supporting characters, including someone named Minty Fresh. The book is clever, somewhat plot driven, and although the ending was somewhat unsatisfying to me, I would highly recommend it. Who wouldn't want to read a book about Death? (I wouldn't, but having read it, I'd recommend you do)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Skymall

I should be going to bed. Actually, I should be in bed as my alarm is going to go off at 5:45 AM tomorrow, and that is early.But going to bed before it's completely dark just seems wrong. And, there are some very disturbing items in the Skymall catalog that must be discussed.

1. Sperm ShoesI'm not even really sure what to say about these. Other than why, oh why, do they have a sperm on the side? Seriously, why? Because of sperm's athletic prowess?

2. Giant Chair
This I just do not understand. It looks so...uncomfortable. The poor man's feet aren't even touching the ground.

3. Mermaid Fins

Weirdly awesome, for every girl who ever wanted to be The Little Mermaid. When I first saw them, I thought the girl in the middle was the mom. Which would have been weirder.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

It's late, and everyone else is long in bed. But I wanted to say how grateful I am this week for old friends. Situations have changed, I've moved away, but it's still amazing to be able to talk about everything and still feel comfortable enough with old friends to rummage around in the fridge.

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Barbecue at John and Donna's

Annabelle wasn't quite sure who I was after having not seen her since Thanksgiving (she quickly warmed up to me)


John, the grillmaster


A lovely dinner and night in San Jose

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Things I Learned from Eclipse

Here's what I learned from the movie Eclipse last night:

1) Vampires carry backpacks from The North Face, and they also carry ginormous tents up gigantic rocky mountains, when a smaller tent really seems much more practical.

2) Vampire families do an excellent job of color coordination, and their wardrobe would make a great winter collection for some designer. Also, when preparing for battle, they don only gray and black.

3) If your boyfriend is a vampire, and you are camping in a ginormous tent from The North Face on a rocky peak and it is snowing outside, you will become hypothermic. You must have a wolfboy to keep you warm. Wolfboys are also good when you get sick of hiking because they can carry you everywhere.

4) If your boyfriend is a vampire, you will no longer have any interest in doing any activity outside of laying down and staring into his eyes, sitting down and staring into his eyes, or standing in a group of people while staring in his eyes.

5) Edward and Bella wear the same lipstick color (Sarah McQ noticed this too).

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Books

I realized I haven't blogged about what I've been reading lately. Or even recently...or in the distant past. It's been way too long.

Being in school and all I didn't read a ton this spring, but when I went to Hawaii with my parents I finished up Censoring an Iranian Love Story, and read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Censoring an Iranian Love Story was interesting...I wasn't sure what to make of the narrator, or what to make of the entire story really, though I liked the writing style.

I was (and am) a big fan of Pollan's books. I definitely think those will be worthy of re-reading. I was also a big fan of a book called Little Bee, a fictional tale of an immigrant, as well as In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, which reminded me a lot of Jhumpa Lahiri's writing.

I started The Lacuna, but didn't finish it. I'd like to sometime, just somehow let it slip by me. I did finish Marilyn Robinson's Home, which I liked, but not as much as Gilead.

I was really excited to read some of Kate Braestrup's writing after being fascinated by an interview she did on Speaking of Faith. The first book I read was Here If You Need Me, and I'm glad I read that one first. The writing wasn't compelling, but the actual, gritty stories about the day to day realities of her job kept me interested. I then read Marriage and Other Acts of Charity, and found it so uninteresting I'm not really sure why I read it all the way through. I guess I was hoping for more vignettes about her job.

I'm currently reading The Lonely Polygamist, and I'm not sure yet what I think. I'm about halfway through, and it's not boring enough to stop, but certainly not a page turner.

Wisdom

On Friday I was driving somewhere, Target maybe, and NPR was on as it usually is in the car. The program was Fresh Air, and Terry Gross was interviewing a man who turned out to be Dr. Dan Gottlieb. The man speaking was a quadriplegic and was discussing how his injuries had changed him. I heard a lot of wisdom in his words, wisdom that applies to so many situations in addition to his. Here are a few things he said that struck me most:

GROSS: I know that the car accident that left you paralyzed nearly killed you. So that forced you to change your life. Youve had a few close calls with death in the past few years. Did those close calls almost allow you to change your life, you know, allow you to make changes that you actually wanted to make and felt like you couldnt?

Dr. GOTTLIEB: Yes. Yes. What a great question. The vision I had - have - about my accident is that when my neck broke, my soul began to breathe. I became the person I always dreamt I could be and never would've been if I didnt break my neck. And with each time I faced death, I became more of who I am and less worried about what others might think of me.

That question struck me as wise, but also made me wonder that it takes something so severe to stop caring what other people think.

More along the same lines:

GROSS: I mean did you feel that there were certain pressures that you or other people had put on yourself to become somebody who you weren't particularly?

Dr. GOTTLIEB: We're all like that.

GROSS: No.

(Soundbite of laughter)

GROSS: Not me, ever.

Dr. GOTTLIEB: Most people I know spend their lives trying to be the person they think they should be and never get to discover who they are. And that's the gift - one of the gifts - the fact that I can't run away from my demons, literally. I have to sit with them. The person I wanted to be - I had always dreamed of being a visionary, of being a peacemaker, but I had to be a psychologist. I had to be a father. I had to be the kind of man I thought I was supposed to be. And when I broke my neck, that was gone. I had to be the kind of man I was.


And finally, thoughts on the moment of the accident that paralyzed him:

GROSS: I imagine that you dont remember the moment of impact.

Dr. GOTTLIEB: No.

GROSS: Is that a good thing, that you dont remember that?

Dr. GOTTLIEB: I think it is. The last thing I remember is a big black thing in the sky, and that's the last thing I remember. I think, though, all of us, if we can use that metaphorically, all of us have been hit by a big black thing coming out of the sky.

You know, it's a lump. It's a doctor saying, I think it's malignant. It's a spouse saying, I dont want to be in this marriage anymore. I'm no different than anybody else in that regard.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Here's something I love about my church. The guy who sells beer at my favorite bar in town is also the guy who helps out in Vacation Bible School teaching the story of David.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Kid Overload

My 4 year old nephew came up yesterday, and we went to the pool. It was probably the hottest day so far this summer, and the pool was packed. The picture is actually a slightly cleared out pool, after a few daycare groups left.


There were a few mandated rest breaks, so I made the kiddo take pictures with me.


I'm also helping with VBS this week, so that's a lotta kids.

Friday, June 18, 2010

MSP

I spent the last three days up in Minneapolis, and it felt so much like a weekend away that I've had to stop a number of times today to figure out what day it is (Friday, not Monday). That's the nice thing about a mid-week getaway, you still have a weekend.

A trip means that school is indeed over, and I was really happy with how things turned out. Our group earned the high score on our final (as we did on our midterm), which I thought was quite an accomplishment with six different people contributing to the final result.

Minneapolis included some quick shopping, a lot of good eating that can't be done in SF, like thai food, pizza luce, a downtown St. Paul brewery with wheat beer brewed with lemongrass, some geocaching, attempting a Twins game ($40 for standing room only tickets was a no go for me), and a quick visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center's sculpture garden. I was a little disappointed at the MIA because the collection of photographs of the South were gone, and the other photographs on display were closed because they were finishing a new installation. Boo. But it was still worth going.

Oh, and I forgot, Chipotle. Mmm.

On the way home it hailed on my car, and despite fearing the worst, there isn't any hail damage, for which I am grateful.


Hail


Garlic mashed potato pizza at Pizza Luce


A view of the St. Croix river from a park in Hudson, WI, while geocaching

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Lake Weekend

I can't decide which photograph is my favorite from this weekend.

Joy at being at the lake house.


Joy about a new princess bike (for the future, obviously).


Baby rage, which looks a lot like joy.


Or baby surprise!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Midterm

I am officially halfway through my first summer class, after only 8 days of class. In fact, I just finished writing part of the midterm exam. I have to say it feels very strange to be writing a midterm two weeks into the class, like you're pretending to know things you don't really know yet.

Only I have learned a lot. More than a lot. In some ways, I can see the wisdom of doing more classes this way. The intensity of it keeps your mind focused on one thing at a time. However, I find that I don't have any brain space left for other inputs, like music or reading or other people.

It's my first time taking a class from this particular professor, and although I find her analogies somewhat colorful (and unprofessional....like comparing taking her quizzes to having sex), it makes me realize how much I appreciate good teaching, and how I really want to get back into the classroom, particularly at the college level. I loved teaching a college class!

This weekend I'm heading up to the lake with the fam, and unfortunately have to study while I'm there. The task this weekend is to understand tests of central auditory processing and how they work in the brain, a task that doesn't come particularly easy to me. I will be reviewing. A lot.

Sunday, May 23, 2010


SoDak on a Sunday afternoon bike ride

Thursday, May 20, 2010

It's the small things, really

I put on a skirt this morning, since I am doing an observation in the clinic this afternoon, and was pleased to see that after 3+ months of working out, my cankles are decidedly less cankle-ish.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Processing, processing

So here's random...last week I was off of school, with all the time in the world to sleep in, and sleep was elusive. This week I'm back to school, and am having no trouble sleeping. Go figure.

My class right now is intense. It's a semester course packed into four weeks. Two and a half hours a day, four days a week, for four weeks. Which equates to somewhere around 50-100 pages of reading per night, a quiz every other day, and a midterm project both assigned and due next week.

It's a good thing I like school.

I wasn't really sure I'd like the class, Central Auditory Processing Disorders (CAPD), but I've liked it better than I thought. One reason is definitely the professor. She's one of the foremost experts on the topic, so she really knows her stuff. Also, she's a really good teacher. And as exhausting as it is to be learning at such a breakneck speed, her teaching is impressive, and it really makes me want to have a chance to teach college again.

So if you're wondering what CAPD is, keep reading. If you're not, stop. Seriously, I've heard/read/thought about it so much already in the past three days I'm bound to ramble on a bit.

So basically, CAPD is a processing problem somewhere in the central auditory nervous system, in other words, your brain isn't hearing so well. You have no actual hearing loss, but what comes in isn't being processed appropriately, so you can't make sense of it. So far we've talked about historical problems defining it, some neuroanatomy and a bit about neuroplasticity and neuromaturation. We've also discusssed information processing, modality specificity, how speech and language tie into CAPDs, types of CAPD (Right hemisphere, Left hemisphere, Corpus Callosum), and typical indicators of CAPD.

In 3 days.

And I've got 3 weeks and a day left.

There will be more.

Thursday, May 13, 2010


It's a little old now, but this is making me laugh today.