Extra adjectives

If you are going to get in your car, most people don't say "I'm getting into my automatic minivan". If you are drinking milk most people don't announce "I'm having a glass of 2% white milk". If you are putting on a tshirt most people don't inform you that they are going to be wearing "a cotton/polyester blend tshirt".

Why then do many that eat organic foods feel the need to clarify that they are eating such foods?! "I'm cooking organic chicken with organic green beans and organic brown rice" "My son is eating organic gluten free cookies" "For dinner tonight I had a salad with organic lettuces".

Are they seeking approval from their fellow organic peers? Are they trying to elevated themselves above the non-organics out there? What is your agenda? There has to be a reason why some feel the need to prove they are eating this way.

You had rice for dinner. In this context, rice is rice - white, brown, organic or not. I can see labeling packages and menus as such and but in conversation it makes me wonder your motive for adding in that adjective. If you tried a new variety, sure, provide the descriptive (I tried Spanish rice; it was delicious). Otherwise, just eat rice.

Now I have no problem with discussions of food and life style choices, blog post, conversations, etc. My radar goes up on the constant insertion of these "extra" adjectives into millions of statements and status updates.

And yes, I do know a number of people who eat organic or natural foods or special diets that do not broadcast their choices, thank you to you!

Accomplishing "Nothing"

Sitting down to lunch, at 2:40, again I was plagued with the feeling of accomplishing "nothing" to this point in the day. As I sipped my tea and thoroughly enjoyed me grilled cheese sandwich I reflected on my morning to see why I did not get to any of my project list items. What had my nothing day been filled with?

Early breakfast for 2, late/second breakfast for 3, lunch for 3, nursing numerous times, a couple diaper changes, a bath for 1, my shower, a couple loads of laundry, paying bills for Justin's business, helping the kids making thank you cards, snack time, more coloring and cutting...and cleaning up from coloring and cutting, reading the kids a few stories, having Katrina read to me, putting out a few fights, responding to potential renter emails...

So what I have realized is that these nothing days are truly something days! It may not be visible to others - the house won't look miraculously cleaner than it did when Justin left, my to-do/project list isn't really any shorter, I haven't invented anything or cured diseases - but I did something!

So for all of you out there that may also be struggling with plaguing thoughts of little accomplishment as you answer "nothing" or "the usual" to the "What did you do today?" question, remember we did do something today, even if it goes unnoticed.

A Vent

Now I appreciate that online banking, etc have security measures in place so they don't hand out your password to anyone who calls in but it is very frustrating that they won't give the information to a wife if it is in the husband's name. Many of our accounts are in Justin's name but I am the one that logs in for day-to-day transactions. We have a joint bank account but the log in info was created by the bank under his name so when I mistyped the password, got locked out, tried to call to get it unlocked, I was unable to be told the new password. It is frustrating when I'm not on the account (ex. a mortgage only in his name) but the bank account I'm listed on! Ugh.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

Fun List

I took this off of another blog (thank you Carole) who got it from Heidi at Mt. Hope Chronicles.

Items in blue, I have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (flute, bassoon)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (it was more of a rap but it was part of chorus so I'm going to count it)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (over my dead body)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (when you are little you are so easily pleased...)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (does Justin's count?)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (thank goodness for overdraft protection)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square (did we go there with volleyball?)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (chipped it actually)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (not super speeding, just with the flow of traffic)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

My Past Life

Where have they come from, I can not say, but I bet they've come a long long way. - Dr. Seuss
Where I am now is do drastically different than what I ever imagined it is often comical!

I went to a good high school and knew from the start I would go to college. I actually remember learning of a friend who was graduating a few years before me who was NOT going off to college. I remember being completely confused by this concept. What was this person going to do with their life...work at McDonald's!? At that point in my life, college and jobs were a black and white issue. The correct path was go to college and get a good job. The wrong path was do not go to college and live in a box. So off to college I went. I spent four fantastic years at the University of Rochester and graduated with a degree in Molecular Genetics...and now needed a job. I had been working at various part time jobs since I was 16 but now this was the real deal.

My first job was in the lab of one of my professors. It was a small lab and I worked closely with one of the graduate students. It was an excellent learning curve/confidence gaining situation. The project I was working on lost its funding which put me at an intersection...continue working and hope our funding would be reinstated or look for a new job. I chose B. This decision brought me to an HIV research lab at Strong Hospital.

Here I was doing both research and clinical work. Here are two papers from my time in the lab:
http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/content/full/44/6/1930
http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/80/5/2380

So here I was minding my own business, working 40 hours a week, teaching dance, and playing volleyball. I assumed I would end up married to a college graduated professional, raise a few kids in a nice housing development while I continued my work. Enter Justin, fast forward time.

The most scientific thing I have done lately (aside from teaching at Academy) is read a butterfly book to Katrina during "B" week of preschool. I've thought about playing volleyball again but haven't played competitively in four years. I certainly don't live in a development and I don't work outside the home.

I'm often asked if I would do it again knowing how things ended up; would I go to college (spend the time and money)? ABSOLUTELY! Your past makes you what you are today. I'm very thankful for all of my "failed" plans. I wouldn't trade the past nor would I trade the present.

Words of Wisdom

Reading a post from an old friend, I was impressed by the following: "...my goal in life. To experience life, not just survive. To sample and choose, not just take what is given to me. To learn and lead, not just follow the crowd."

Experience life, not just survive. I think many of us fall into that trap. Get through another day, get through another week. On Monday you hear people saying, "I can't wait for Friday" or "If only the weekend would hurry up and get here". Why survive 5 days to live for 2? So much of life will pass you by. There is so much to do, to learn, and to experience every day.

To sample and choose, not just take what is given to me. Sometimes what you are being presented with is not the best but is the easiest. It is easier to buy a pre-made microwave dinner instead of preparing something healthy at home. It is easier to take a job you don't really want than to work hard to do what you are passionate about. If you don't feel something was done well and you feel you can raise the bar, don't settle for what is given to you! But how do you know if something is good? You need to get out there and experiance life so that you can choose what you want to accept. If you are surviving life, you won't know if you are accepting mediocrity. It is so easy to passively accept what is out there instead of striving for excellence every day.

To learn and lead, not just follow the crowd. Again, passivity is killing us (I'm sounding just like my father-in-law!). Learning and leading both require active engagement in life. Following is passive; it is surving life. I'm not saying that you should go against the crowd just to go against the crowd. That is following since there is already a whole group that feels the need to do that! I'm saying formulate your own decisions and know why you are doing what you are doing. Take upon yourself the learning process. Own what you do and why you do it. When you believe why you are doing something you are more apt to do it with excellence.

Wise words my friend. Something we should all take to heart.