Rewards

I decided last week to start rewarding myself each time I get lose weight and surpass a number ending in 5 or 0. Earlier this week I passed a number ending in a zero, so I ordered three books from my Amazon.com Wish List. They arrived yesterday, and I've been having fun with them already!

One book is called Start Your Own Newsletter from Scratch, by Jim Terhune. I got this book because I'm planning to start a newsletter for my McLamb family line. (Genealogy is one of my favorite hobbies.) It's a fairly short book; in fact, I finished it last night! It has lots of good suggestions, even if it is a little dated in terms of technology. (It mentions modems for getting online.) I got the last copy in stock, so I'm glad I went ahead and ordered it.

One of the books I got is a cookbook called 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, And Grains. I've already earmarked several recipes I want to try! I love the fact that nutritional values (including sodium) are listed at the end of each recipe. Sodium is often left off of nutritional charts of recipes, it seems, so I'm thankful for it in this book.




The last book I got is about running! It's called Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports, and it's an autobiography of Kathrine Switzer, who was the first woman to register and get an official number for the Boston Marathon, but the race officials didn't know she was a woman until she was running in the race (a race offical actually tried to run her down!). This was in 1967,when women weren't allowed to run in marathons! I'm a couple of chapters into this book, and I think it'll be a good read! I'd love to run the Boston Marathon someday, and am thinking about signing up for a marathon training program (thanks for the link, Susan!) that starts next month.

Small World

Last evening, I went to Trader Joe's after work to pick up a few things. This is the third time I've been to the Chapel Hill store, and the third time I've been impressed by the speediness of the check out line. Amazing! I picked up some more of their yummy low-sodium marinara sauce (under the Trader Giotto's label), and got some more Diet Hansen's. I decided to try a new flavor, so I picked up some mandarin lime. I tried it this morning, and it was yummy, but low and behold, it turned out to be regular instead of diet. :-( I'll look for it in diet next time.

As I was leaving the shopping center, I pulled up behind the cars in the turn lane at the red light, and the car in front of me looked like one of Mom and Dad's cars. My eyes went to the license plate, an Alabama tag from Dallas County, and I realized it was my mom in the car! She and Dad have been in town for a couple of weeks, and Mom had been over at Talbot's, which is across the parking lot from Trader Joe's. I honked and waved, and she finally recognized me! She called my cell and we had a nice talk, laughing about the coincidence. She and Dad own a place in Durham, and it's a nice place for them to stay while they're in the area. We'd just had lunch a couple of days ago. They're heading back to Alabama today.

From the Archives: Cherokee, NC

I just ran across this picture of George, which I took in October 2006, when we visited the North Carolina mountains. We had lunch in a city park in Cherokee, NC, where this shot was taken. This is one of my favorites of him.

An Afternoon in Raleigh

Yesterday, George and I had Sunday brunch at Irregardless Cafe, a restaurant in Raleigh. I had a yummy garden (i.e. veggie, including tomatoes and avocados) frittata, and George had the chef salad. It was the first time we'd been there, and I really enjoyed it. It's colorfully decorated, and had live music. From there, we went to see the musical "Spamalot," which won the 2005 Emmy for best musical. The tickets were an anniversary present for George, who grew up on Monty Python. I did not, but we both enjoyed the show a lot! We saw friends Melissa and Robert there, to boot.

Afterward, we drove home and had a few minutes to power down before heading back to Wake County, where we celebrated Passover with George's family in Cary, a neighboring city of Raleigh. It was good to be with everyone, and I especially enjoyed talking with George's 14-year-old cousin, Jake. I first met Jake when he was every bit a 9-year-old boy. For the first time, we found a common interest in running, as he's joined his school's track team, and plans to run the Peachtree Road Race with his father this summer. It was nice to finally be able to talk with him about something besides his school. ("What grade are you in this year? What's your favorite subject?")

After being home sick since Thursday, it was nice to be around people, but there wasn't much down time, and I returned to work today a little worn out. It's been an especially long afternoon, and George and I have a covenant group meeting tonight. *sigh*

Cool Satellite Launch

ICO, the company my brother-in-law is president of, launched a satellite from Cape Canaveral earlier this week. Lisa, my brother-in-law, and the girls all flew down to watch. Found out today that the launch is on youtube.com! It's very cool to watch! Fast forward to about one minute before launch.

Sick Day

I started getting a sore throat yesterday afternoon, but I tried to ignore it (hoping it was allergies or something). This morning I woke up convinced I had strep! I slept in, and got to the doctor about 8:15. They did a throat culture, which came back negative for strep, so she said it's probably a virus. (They did a second culture to send to the lab just to make sure.) I was relieved not to have to take more antibiotics! I stopped by the store on the way home and stocked up on items to relieve the symptons, and have been puttering around for the rest of the day.

Although I hate being sick, and there's much to do at work, I have enjoyed getting the extra rest, and eating soft foods (though I've stayed away from ice cream, one of my old vices!). I've also gotten some reading and genealogy done, as well as laundry.

I just hope I'm good to go for the weekend, as we have a busy one. Saturday we're scheduled to help paint a building at church with our covenant group. Saturday and Sunday night we have Passover dinner with George's family, and Sunday afternoon we have tickets to see "Spamalot" in Raleigh.

Back into the Race

I had fun running (and walking) the Cary Road Race 5K this past Saturday! My race report is here.

10 on Tuesday: Favorite Actors/Actresses

It's been a little while since I've done a "10 on Tuesday" list. I thought this was a good one. The list below is in no particular order, and it's a moving target. Names could move into and off of my list later today or next week. Here it is for now:

Lucille Ball
Jodie Foster
Alan Alda
Julie Andrews
Meryl Streep
Dakota Fanning
Tom Hanks
Dustin Hoffman
Robert DeNiro
Denzel Washington



Who would YOU list as your top ten favorite actors and actresses?

Looking Forward to: A New Hairdo

I've had a busy few days, and have missed blogging. On the "funk" front, I made an appointment with a master hairstylist/colorist to get a new do the end of April. (I called a week or two ago, and I couldn't get in until the last week of April! Yikes, he's busy!) My experience over the past couple of years with new hair stylists is that I go to someone new, get a great first cut, but then they go downhill from there, and my hair just goes blah. I'm wondering if you really do get what you pay for when it comes to a haircut. Anyway, I'm not getting my hair colored yet, just a cut, and quite possibly a new style. The person doing my hair comes highly recommended, so I'm excited! I'll post pics after the appointment!

Looking Forward to What?

I've been in a bit of a funk today, so I went for a walk after I got home and figured out part of it. For a number of months I've had a rolling list of things to look forward to, and now I'm looking-forward-to-less! I don't have anything kinda big that I'm really looking forward to. There are little things out there, like having lunch with my niece tomorrow and with a co-worker on Friday. I even look forward to each day in a general way. I look forward to seeing George at home after work. But I'm missing some big things to look forward to!

I was looking forward to several road races until my groin strain, followed by a broken nose. I missed a couple of races that I'd signed up for and was really looking forward to. Now I've got another race coming up in a couple of weeks, and I'm a bit nervous about it. I've signed up for a half-marathon in November, but that feels like a big question mark now.

I looked forward to treating George to Easter brunch at Brasa (which was a secret until we pulled into the shopping center), and that was fun! I was looking forward to getting my nose splint off. It was a relief when that happened, but my nose still hurts a little.

I'm thinking I need to plan something, make a goal and start working on it, hopefully something sooner than the November half marathon. Better yet, map out several goals in different areas of my life, not just running races that count on me being injury-free. Some goals for me, and some with George.

On the Way to Work....

I spotted this little vehicle to the left, which was barely big enough to sport the website for Myers Motors, on the way to work this morning. Turns out it's an electrical "car" with three wheels! It's a cute little thing, isn't it? I would be concerned about safety, but for economy, it sounds hard to beat.

If you were to get one, what color would you want? I think I'd choose the teal or the dark aqua.

Nose News

I went to the doctor today and finally got my nose splint off-yay! My nose is still tender and a little swollen, and keeping my glasses on for any length of time will be a bit of a challenge, but one I'm willing to work on. :) I can start exercising gently, but it's better than nothing!

I took a self-portrait this morning, so that I could remember what it was like to have the splint and tape on my face, and I took another one after I got home. It's a big change, and it's also a reminder of how I didn't bother to wear make-up (what was the point?!) or fix my hair during these nose splint days. Simplicity was key, and actually washing and drying my hair daily was ordeal enough without adding hot rollers to the mix.

In addition to returning to exercise, I'm going to reschedule my physical therapy appointments, make an appointment for a new hairstyle, and think about getting new glasses or contacts. I'm ready for a new look, though anything is an improvement over the masked nose look!

It felt a little strange to walk out of the clinic without the splint on, since I've been aware of the white stuff in my line of vision for a week and a half. I've really enjoyed being able to scratch my nose since the unveiling, and I can't wait to wash my whole face tonight for the first time in a week and a half!

Part of Why I Do It

I just noticed an article on Yahoo about the various celebs and politicians that Obama, Clinton, and McCain, can call cousin. I find this stuff interesting, how people are connected, and it's part of why I'm interested in genealogy. I started working on my family tree some seventeen (count 'em!) years ago, thinking I'd be finished with the tree by Christmas for my parents' Christmas present that year. Funny thing is I've never stopped, at least not for too long.

Last fall, when I got a new computer, I test drove a couple of genealogy programs, picked the one I liked best (RootsMagic), and started researching and entering data again. In January, I accidentally merged someone else's whole database with mine (instead of just one family), and since I'd done too much editing without backing up when I did that, I've spent the past couple of months cleaning up my family database! Yikes! It has helped me get familiar with my larger family tree again, never a bad thing, and now I have a little over 21,000 names in my database, covering both my parents' sides of the family.

I haven't found any politicians that I'm related too, but I do have a Huckabee line that I haven't researched in a few years. Who knows, maybe Mike Huckabee is a cousin! The closest thing to celebrity that I've found is that I'm related to Sarah Ann and Adelaide Yates. Wondering who they are?! They were sisters from Wilkes County, North Carolina, who married Eng and Chang Bunker, the conjoined twins from Siam--the "original" Siamese Twins. The sisters are my first cousins, 6 times removed, as well as second cousins, 5 times removed.

I have a lot of double cousins in my family tree! In fact, my sister and I are also fifth and seventh cousins! :)

Service with a Smile

Since I fell and broke my nose (with accompanying facial scrapes), then had it reset and added the nose splint, I've been a little grumpy, though I've tried hard not to let it show in public. While many co-workers noticed the initial scrapes (so they knew I hadn't gotten plastic surgery after the nose splint appeared), and all have been sympathetic, it's been interesting to interact with the general public and observe how others react. A rare few customer service people have gone out of their way to give me an extra smile and say they hoped I'd feel better. Most have looked away like they're trying not to notice this big white bandage in the middle of my face! Many of those people I've exchanged money with recently (I go to the same grocery store a lot for little things--I'm not very good at shopping for a week's worth of groceries) have no idea how making eye contact and giving me a smile when they handed me the receipt would've lifted my spirits over the last couple of weeks. This particular grocery store I go to has little bells at each cash register for people to ring when the cashier gives good customer service, and I've been looking to ring that bell. Haven't yet.

I'm definitely not dependant on other people for how I feel about myself, but it's made me hyper-aware of good customer service, as well as how I react to other people, whether friends or strangers, when they have some sort of injury. A smile goes a long way!

A Recent North Carolina Sunrise

One morning last week, I grabbed my camera on my way out the door for work and took these shots of a pretty sunrise. Usually, I'm at the gym for the sunrise, but since my nose is in a splint, I've been called off the exercise equipment until this coming Wednesday. Although I can't wait to start exercising again, catching this sunrise was nice!

Out and About

Today has been a busy day! George and I went to get our taxes done at H & R Block, and our appointment was delayed, so we tried a new (for us) restaurant in Cary for lunch, the Tangerine Cafe. I enjoyed the Organic Salad, and followed it with the Thai Vegetable Curry. Both were very tasty!

After our tax appointments, we drove back to Durham, and stopped by Panera Bread to read and relax before attending a surprise birthday party for our minister at ERUUF. It was a big birthday for him, so it was fun to share in the celebration. I'd had a yummy banana pecan bagel at Panera, so I wasn't tempted by the birthday cake. I did have a lot of folks ask about my nose and offer sympathy. One of the most interesting conversations I had was with a little boy and his mother. I noticed the little boy (maybe 3-4) looking at me and asking his mother something. She replied, "Well, let's go ask her." So they came over, and she said that her son wanted to know what happened to my nose. I explained it all in a matter of fact, but non-technical way, that I'd tripped and broken my nose, that it was much better, but that the doctor wanted me to keep the bandage on for a few more days to protect it while it finished healing. It turns out that the mom had sinus surgery about 10 years ago, so we commiserated about the nose packing, which was irritating at best, and a bear when the nurses pulled the stuff out last Monday. I was glad that the mom encouraged her son by modeling how to ask nicely and compassionately "what's wrong."

From the birthday celebration, we drove back to Cary, and hung out for a little while at another Panera (no bagels this time), while we waited to join George's mother, brother, and grandfather at Lucky 32. I first enjoyed Lucky 32 in Greensboro, and this was my second time to enjoy the Cary location. This time I had the mixed greens salad and black bean cakes with star pasta and green beans, all yummy! Unfortunately, I couldn't even start on the last black bean cake, as I'd eaten so much all day.

Tomorrow, I'm treating George for Easter brunch/lunch (though I haven't told him where yet--it's a surprise!), and then it's back on track with the diet!

10 on Tuesday: 10 Things I'd Take a Tourist to See in My Hometown

Although I live in Morrisville now, I'm still in Durham County, and I spend most of my days working in Durham, so I'll compile this list for Durham:

1) A Durham Bulls game
2) Duke Chapel
3) A Duke basketball game in Cameron
4) Nasher Museum of Art
5) Locopops
6) Sarah P. Duke Gardens
7) Eno River State Park
8) Magnolia Grill
9) North Carolina Museum of Life and Science
10) 9th Street

What would you include on your list of things to show a tourist in Durham, or wherever you live? Have I left something especially good off?

Healing

Today I went back to the Duke Clinic and got the packing taken out of my nose. What a relief to be able to breathe through my nose again-wow! I decided to take the rest of the day off from work and rest. It's been a long weekend, between the extended headache and mouth breathing. Solid sleep had been short lived at best.

I'm planning to be back at work tomorrow, even with the nose splint, which is a cute look! :o)

Broken Nose News

I had my appointment yesterday afternoon, and no suprisingly, it was all about the nose. (So I didn't get to talk with him about a post-weight-loss tummy tuck or anything like that!) I'm going under general anesthesia at Duke Hospital tomorrow to have my nose reset, packed, and splinted. I was able to have my pre-op appointment by phone this morning, and I'll call this afternoon for my operating room appointment. Fun, fun!

UPDATE: My surgical appointment is at 9 tomorrow morning, not too early, not too late. This little bear needs to be there at 7 AM to check in, but considering I can't wear makeup or anything, that shouldn't be a problem. George is going to take me, and Tina's going to meet us at the hospital so relieve George so he can go to work. I'm feeling better already.

Another Appointment

I had another physical therapy appointment this morning at Duke Sports Medicine for my strained muscle. It's getting better, thank goodness. I got some more stretches to try between now and my next appointment on Friday.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with a plastic surgeon about my broken nose. Since it's at Duke South, I'll be able to walk to the appointment, which helps a lot. I googled the doctor I'll be seeing, and found this interesting (to me) Q&A about him:


Q. Where did you go to med school? Undergraduate school?
A. University of Berlin and Munich, Germany

Q. How long have you been a Duke physician?
A. Since 2000 with a 1.5 year break to complete PhD thesis at the University of Heidelberg, Germany

Q. Where did you work prior to coming to Duke?
A. Attending Surgeon and Plastic Surgeon, University of Heidelberg Germany

Q. Have you received any awards or honors? Do you sit on any boards or journals? If so, please list them along with a brief description.
A. Reviewer for Plast Reconstr Surg since 2001
Invited Visiting Professor:The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto (Canada), Topic: “Noma – Reconstructive Opportunities” June 2001
Two-time participant in the Biomedical Sciences Exchange Program (DAAD sponsored) between Germany and the USA
Third place residents competition: Erdmann D., Zamboni W.A., Hussmann J., Bergman B.A., Cooper M.D., Smoot E.C., Russell R.C.: Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment improves the outcome of Streptococcal myositis in mice. Annual Scientific Meeting Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, June 1995, Palm Beach, Florida
Best poster award: Sundin B.M., Erdmann D., Moquin K.J., Young H., Georgiade G.S.: Vascular delay in unipedicled TRAM flap reconstruction of the breast: a review of 76 consecutive cases. 70th Annual Scientific Meeting American Society of Plastic Surgeons, November 2001, Orlando, Florida
Best paper award European Federation Societies Hand Therapy, Colditz J.C., Erdmann D., Levin L.S.: Lumbrical tightness: testing and stretching.Congress EFSHT, May 2002, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Best paper award American Society Hand Therapists, Colditz J.C., Erdmann D., Levin L.S.: Clinical implications of differential testing and stretching of the interosseous versus the lumbrical muscles of the hand.Annual meeting ASHT, September 2002, Ottawa, Canada
Best video award American Society Surgery Hand, Heitmann C., Erdmann D., Germann G., Levin L.S.: Intrinsic flaps of the hand: anatomical study, clinical applications.ASSH Annual meeting, October 2002, Phoenix, Arizona
Best scientific paper award World Society Reconstructive Microsurgery, Heitmann C., Khan R., Erdmann D., Levin L.S., Klitzman B.: Sutureless anastomosis of a vein graft using magnets.Kongress World Society Reconstructive Microsurgery, June 2003, Heidelberg

Q. What led you into the practice of aesthetic surgery (or the field in general)?
A. Basic and fundamental techniques of Plastic Surgery are applied in Aesthetic Surgery

Q. What are your areas of specialty and how have things changed since you entered the field?
A. All aspects of aesthetic surgery including liposuction and post-bariatric surgery (gastric bypass procedures); and general reconstructive surgery including microsurgery.

Q. Are you involved with any clinical trials or research studies? If so what are you examining?
A. ‘Engineering’ of new bone tissue (animal studies); outcome after repair of decubitus ulcers (pressure sores); bone grafts for spinal fusion, and others

Q. What is the focus of your current research?
A. Clinical outcome studies; ‘engineering' of bone tissue

Q. How will your research contribute to the field of medicine?
A. Improvement of current operative techniques and postoperative treatment; replacement of lost bone due to operative resection (e.g. after tumor removal) or trauma

Q. What are some things you’ve discovered during the course of your research?
A. Expression of ‘growth factors’ in tissue, many other

Q. In a couple sentences please describe what you love about your work.
A. The two most important things for me in life are (1) make other human beings happy and (2) be happy with yourself. My profession certainly helps me to achieve both every day.

Q. Do you have any special stories to tell about your experience as a physician?
A. I participated in several Interplast missions to third world countries providing plastic surgery to children and adults with severe congenital or acquired deformities of the face, trunk and extremities. I enjoy the happiness and gratefulness of the patients and I feel very lucky to live where I live and to be in an environment like Duke.

Q. What do you think sets Duke Aesthetic Center apart from other Aesthetic practices in the area?
A. One of the rare Academic Aesthetic Centers in the country, higher safety, profound training of surgeons

Q. Do you have any personal hobbies or interests that you would be willing to share?
A. I like sports like working-out, soccer, swimming, tennis; I like to spend time with my family and children; history and arts


OK, it's me again. I'm intrigued by the fact that one of his specialties is post-bariatric surgeries, since I've lost a lot of weight and will be losing more.

Broken Nose!

Last evening I tripped up and my face met up with a concrete sidewalk, scraping up my face and breaking my nose! Ouch! The tumble also hurt my right knee. George got me to Urgent Care, where they checked me out and cleaned up my face. The nose appears to be the only broken bone, thank goodness. I have a couple of prescriptions to start taking today (the pharmacy was closed by the time we got out of the doctor's office). Monday I'll make an appointment with an ear, nose and throat doctor for a couple weeks down the road to see what needs to be done about my nose, if anything. This morning it's swollen and skinned up, but I can still tell it's crooked. Pretty! :-P

Meanwhile, George's new nephew, Evan Asher, was born yesterday--great news!

Heard on NPR: Harriet the Spy

This morning I listened to a delightful NPR podcast, the "Story of the Day" from yesterday, about Harriet the Spy, a very cute book written by Louise Fitzhugh and published in 1964. If you have a few minutes to listen, check it the podcast here.

When I read the book as a kid in the '70s, I remember thinking Harriet was cool (partly because I wanted to be a writer too), gutsy, confident, and real. I wished I had a friend like Harriet.

I never saw the 1996 Nickelodeon movie--did you?

A Visit to Earth Fare

Yesterday I visited Earth Fare, which bills itself as a "healthy supermarket." There's a store in nearby Brier Creek, so I was eager to see how it compared to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, which I've been to recently. I found a few goodies at Earth Fare, including some Westbrae Natural Stoneground Mustard with no salt added (woohoo!) and some Eden's Organic Beans (with no salt added) in cans, and a book called The Runner's Yoga Book, which I'm going to order online. But all in all, I found Earth Fare's prices to be more expensive (especially compared to Trader Joe's), and the staff not as friendly as at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

Trip to Trader Joe's

I visited the new Trader Joe's in Chapel Hill for the first time this evening, and had a fun time! I got some produce, including brussel sprouts and red peppers, two of my faves of late. I was happy to find some no-sodium whole wheat bread (haven't tasted it yet), some low-sodium marinara sauce, and Diet Hansen's soft drinks! Hansen's, like Diet Rite sodas, don't have any sodium, as well as the usual 0 calories, and they come in lots of flavors. I've got some diet ginger ale cooling in the refrigerator. :-)

The only thing that surprised me was that I didn't see any regular brown rice! I saw brown jasmine, brown basmati, and various medleys, as well as white, but couldn't spot a big bag of brown rice! Perhaps I'll ask an employee next time.

I do think the Cary store is bigger, so it may have more options. The time I visited that store, while I was still eating at the Rice Diet Program, I bought some shaving cream that was yummy! I looked for the shaving cream at the Chapel Hill store last night, but didn't see any.

Heading to Physical Therapy

I went to the orthopaedist at the sports medicine clinic today, and she prescribed four physical therapy sessions and return visit to her in six weeks to check on the groin strain. I'm looking forward to the PT sessions, which I start next week. I was told I need to work on becoming more flexible, which is a good thing overall. I wonder if I should look into yoga. Suggestions, anyone?

Lone Star

This evening I treated my mom to a birthday dinner, along with my dad and George, at the new Lone Star Steak House in Durham. I think it was a restaurant my dad want to go to mostly. ;-) I was a little concerned about what I could have for supper at a steak house, when health issues have steered me to a vegetarian diet in the past year and a half, but I don't want to be one of those vegetarians who's hard to cook for and/or go out to eat with. So I agreed and decided to make the best of it. I checked out the menu online ahead of time, and that helped. Also, we got to the restaurant before my parents, so I was able to ask the server about the salmon dish and the salads to find out how I could make the best pick for me. I ended up with a decent salad without bacon or croutons (but with tomatoes, mushrooms, and some cheese), oil and vinegar, and a plain baked sweet potato with cinnamon--my favorite part of the meal!

When they seated George and me at the table, they left us with a couple of metal buckets, one with peanuts in their shells, and the other one empty, for the empty peanut shells. I did have a few peanuts, but was able to stop with room to spare. The server brought bread with the meal, but I barely noticed it, a non-issue tonight. I was too excited about the baked sweet potato!

Interesting Week to be a Vegetarian

Since I left the Rice House, I've stayed the course on being a vegetarian, with the exception of salmon on Valentine's Day...at least until this week! I have been lulled into the complacency of thinking the healthy veggie options were everywhere, and that this would be easy! But not so much...

Our department had our belated holiday party at a local barbeque restaurant, one that's been around for decades. I remember going there with my family when we visited Durham in the 1970s, and it's still around, in the same location, even. Anyway, the gathering of people was lots of fun, but our family style eating options were not exactly healthy. On our menu: bbq, brunswick stew, hush puppies, french fries, green beans and cole slaw. I had seconds on the green beans and cole slaw, though I could taste the salt and sugar in each respective dish. I also had a taste of the barbeque and brunswick stew to see if I missed meat, and I discovered that I don't, really. It didn't taste bad--in fact I remembered why I used to love bbq, but I don't miss it now. Not a craving anymore. In fact, my stomach was a little unsettled for the rest of the afternoon, so I'm really not missing it! But, I did enjoy being away from campus for lunch, and the company was great, so I'm glad I went.

Last night, I went to the local Dream Dinners for a "Sneak Peak" promotion offered by our employee health program. As part of the deal, I got to prepare and bring home a 3-serving entry to be cooked at home. I'd heard of Dream Dinners, but never been in one, so I decided to check it out. I used MapQuest to get directions, which took me a back way, not on the interstate, and I was glad to learn a new way to that area, which was good.

When I got there, the local DD owner and a dietician from the employee health program were there to explain things. It all seems like a great idea for busy people, especially busy people with families. There were three freebie entree options to choose from last night, all three of them meat! I decided to be a good sport while I was there and put together the honey and herb grilled chicken breasts. I went to the station, where they had three frozen chicken breasts in a plastic ziplock already, and I followed the instructions on the sign for putting in the various spices and toppings to get it "cooking ready." This included non-fat buttermilk (which I passed on, very high in sodium), honey, mustard, and a variety of spices. They provided the recipe for cooking it on a sticker that's on the front of the bag in the picture to the right. It was fun enough to put it all together and bring home, but it's chicken, and I haven't ventured down the chicken road yet. I'm not sure I want to yet, so I stopped by the grocery store and got some things to make a whole wheat veggie pasta salad, which turned out very well! I didn't use a recipe this time, just picked up some fresh veggies (squash, zucchini, red peppers and cherry tomatoes) to steam and add to the whole wheat penne pasta I already had at home. I threw in some olive oil, shredded swiss cheese, and Mrs. Dash on the flip side. 30 minutes start to finish, and yum! The thing I learned from last night is that I'm having fun putting my own ingredients together and cooking.

Lunar Eclipse!

I just stepped out of my apartment to see a great view of the lunar eclipse! I've always been fascinated by astronomy, so I dig things like this.


(Image not mine, found on the internet.)

First Race Casualty

It looks like I'm going to have to ditch Saturday's 4 mile road race! &^+.}^!!(*&@! I've done a little internet diagnosis and seem to have a groin pull as a result of a long(er than I'm used to) 5-mile run/walk with a group on a Saturday, followed the next day by a hard-run 5k road race (which I ran in 35:30, a new PR for me!). That muscle area hasn't been the same since. I tried running again on the treadmill a couple days ago, and didn't make it but a couple of minutes.

So....I'm back on the elliptical machine, which doesn't cause me pain like running does, and have an appointment with a sports medicine doctor next Tuesday. (What kind of "-ist" is a sports medicine doctor--anyone know?) I'd hoped for a quicker appointment, but that was the earliest available in the local group of sports medicine doctors), and the soonest I could see my regular doctor is the day before, on Monday, as she's out of town. *sigh* I can WALK, it's just not comfortable, and if I've been sitting down for a while and need to get up and walk, ouch, ouch, ouch!

I'm trying not to be a baby about this and take advantage of cross training, but I am sticking my bottom lip out a little. I'm also avoiding my running podcasts for some reason. Could I be jealous of the podcasters because they're getting to run while I'm sidelined? Hmmm, not sure if that's totally it. Maybe I'm just being cranky, not being able to get in to see a doctor, not knowing what I can do to get well yet. Well, I do know from the internet to rest (okay, so I'm being a little impatient there), and use ice (gee, that's a little tough in that area). I am looking forward to hearing from a real person how I should proceed to get well and stronger for running.

Valentine's Day Dinner

Last night I cooked for George for Valentine's Day, and it turned out quite well! I went shopping at Whole Foods, where I ran into a coworker from the library, which as fun. I picked up some salmon and fresh brussel sprouts to go with the brown rice I already had at home. (While I was there, I also picked up some brown basmati rice to try, and some whole wheat pasta for a pasta salad.) I added some dill, onion powder, and olive oil to the salmon, and cooked it for about 23 minutes. I steamed the brussel sprouts (which George had never tried(!), but liked) on top of the rice cooker while cooking the brown rice, a first for me. It all turned out quite well...I don't think I'd change a thing!

I did miss having bread, and something sweet for dessert, but that's just old habit coming out. I was plenty full!

Smells Like Eggs and Bacon!

When George got up this morning and came into the kitchen, he said, "Something smells like eggs and bacon!" I think it was wishful thinking on his part! I was in the kitchen, but emptying the dishwasher while pinto beans cooked on the stove. So much for eggs and bacon! Not exactly on my diet! ;-)

Getting Ready

I'm getting ready to run another 5K race this afternoon, this one in Raleigh. 2PM start times are unusual on the 5K circuit, but I don't mind, being a pretty nippy morning. I'm a little out of sorts, though, changing my eating schedule a bit. I need to be fueled, but don't want to have to make a pit stip in the middle of the race. (There usually aren't any pit stops in the middle of a 3.1 mile race, which is part of the problem!

Yesterday afternoon I went to Cary to pick up my race packet at the sporting goods store that's one of the sponsors of the race. While I was there, I bought some high-tech running socks that are supposed to keep your feet dryer, as well as some gloves, which are supposed to keep your hands warmer! (I just noticed that my toes got in the lower right corner of the pictures! Oops!)

Inside the race packet/bag were several info sheets for upcoming races, was well as my bib number and the race t-shirt, which is long sleeved-yay! It's a pretty cute t-shirt.

I'm excited about today's race, but wish I hadn't gone 5 miles with the new group yesterday. I am sore! It was such a nice morning in a new setting for me (Shelley Lake in Raleigh), and it was fun to meet some nice "new" people to run with, that I just couldn't bring myself to turn around at the 2 mile point to make it a 4-mile run (which would've been MORE than enough for the day before a race)! Oh well, I'm going to take a hot bath (and some more ibuprofen) this morning, and make the best of the afternoon race.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Can Do Instead of Watching TV

1) Cuddle up with George :)
2) Play Scrabulous
3) Update one of my blogs
4) Read a book
5) Take a bubble bath
6) Go to the gym or run outside
7) Look for some new recipes for upcoming meals
8) Work on my family tree
9) Call a friend or family member
10) Plan a games night at our apartment

What's on YOUR list?!

The Things You Learn...

When I went grocery shopping over the weekend, I learned that the handy "ready rice" 2 cup packs of Uncle Ben's brown rice, which take 90 seconds to cook in the microwave, cost the same (at Food Lion, anyway) price as a 2-lb. bag of Comet long grain brown rice (with many servings) for the rice cooker (or stovetop, I guess). This shouldn't be so surprising, I guess. We pay for convenience, don't we?!

I also discovered this weekend that rice cooked in the morning in the rice cooker and kept on the warm setting until dinner doesn't taste so good, at least in the Cuisinart rice cooker I'm using right now. Otherwise, it's working well. I'm looking forward to trying out the other rice cooker soon!

Don't Let This Happen to You

Some of you know that one of my favorite hobbies is genealogy. I've been researching my family tree for over 15 years, and it's been a fun and fascinating journey. Several of my lines settled in North Carolina, some in Wilkes County and the surrounding area, and others in Sampson County and the surrounding counties. I've been fortunate to live in the middle of the state for a number of years, so I've been able to take numerous research trips to local libraries, courthouses, and cemeteries, as well as to the State Archives and State Library in Raleigh. I've also met several cousins I first met online, and have been included in an annual reunion in Sampson County, which has been fun.

Computers and the internet have really expanded my ability to search for and organize my family tree. I've tried several genealogy software programs, and my current favorite is one called RootsMagic. I've had a lot of success lately with a website called Rootsweb.com, which has a section called WorldConnect, where people can submit their family trees to share with others. The quality of submitted research varies, so I consider shared research as nice leads, and it's up to me to verify the information as I see fit.


Well, a few weeks ago, I decided to download a file (someone's family tree) from Rootsweb that was a treasure chest of information about one of my lines. I had had a lot of luck extending a number of families in that line in my database, as well as adding extra information about some of the ancestors and cousins I already had in my family tree. I'd been typing all the new information in manually, but I figured I could create a separate database for this file, and in usual Windows fashion, do some dropping and dragging. Doing that individually, one by one, was successful, but I could tell it was still going to be time consuming, and I was getting a little impatient! Next, I decided to start dragging family units over and connecting them to my own, and that was a hit too. I was excited! Next, I found someone in the other database whose ancestors and descendants I wanted to add to my database, so I clicked on the option to add everyone in that person's family tree (both up and down) intomy database. Well, that was the wrong thing to click, because it added that WHOLE DATABASE into my own! I suddenly had an extra 30,000-40, 000 names in my database, some kin to me, and many not! Of course, a good number were duplicates I'd already added to my database, but there were still thousands of extra people I didn't want mixed in with my information! It had been way too long (several hours, maybe even a day) since I'd backed up my database. I should've backed up just before I did that, but I assumed it was an innocent click. Ugh!

So, I decided to start cleaning up my database, bit by bit. A lot of the early deleting was easy. I was able to delete some families pretty quickly, others after doing some double checking. I'm also having to clean up some data fields, mostly the place notes. For some reason, the occupations field in the other person's database came over into the occupations PLACE field in my genealogy software. So, a person who was a cotton mill worker in the other database looks like he did an occupation IN Cotton Mill Worker (some place). So, I'm fixing all of those by hand, which is fun, fun! I'm glad to say that I've made a lot of progress, and am almost done with getting rid of the extra people in my database. Cleaning up the place names will take a little longer, but I'm making progress on that too.

Meanwhile, this has given me a chance to do some clean up from the conversion of my old database (from another software program) to RootsMagic. It's also given me an opportunity to learn my greater family tree a lot better, and that's a great thing, considering the fact that I've taken a 2-3 year break from this hobby. It's fun to be back in it, but I didn't expect this big bump in the road so early on.

Worse things have happened, though! It's a lot better than having deleted the whole thing without any backups! And now I take the time to back up my data a lot more frequently! I also keep backups on different drives, including a flash drive, and another online periodically.

Burning Water

Last night I decided to cook some frozen black eyed peas I'd bought over the weekend, so I read the instructions and put some water on to boil. Now, this was the first time I'd used the stove in this apartment, and I don't know that George has at all. It started smoking a little, but I didn't worry about it, figuring it to be "stove schmutz" in the drip pan or something, so I went into the next room. George smelled it, though, and exclaimed, "Something's burning!" Gee, my first burned water! ;-) The peas came out fine.

I fixed oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon for breakfast this morning, the Quaker Oats in the cylindar box and not the instant (added sodium, which I'm trying to stay away from). (I had to add the goodies myself.) It was the first non-rice breakfast I'd had in many months, and it was a nice change of pace. Afterward, I fired up the dishwasher for the first time. (George has used it since we moved in, but I haven't needed it!) I had to find the Cascade!Funny how all of this feels so new.

Well, off to work!

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things I Would Buy....

I subscribed to a weekly meme called 10 on Tuesday, and this week's meme theme:

10 Things I'd Buy if I Had a Million Dollars
(in no particular order)

New car with GPS navigation system
Digital SLR camera
Apple computer (laptop?)
Windows computer as well
Round-the-world plane tix for George and me
Local house, with room for a stocked home gym and library
Vacation home on a lake in the mountains
Sessions with a foreign language teacher (not sure what language yet)
Sax, flute, oboe, or guitar lessons
New wardrobe


Okay, so what would YOU buy with a million dollars?

More Signs of Domesticity

Okay, so I actually cooked "ahead" tonight, figuring out how to use Rice Cooker #1, a Cuisinart 4-Cup Rice Cooker. I put brown rice in, and later microwaved some broccoli to add to the rice. It felt pretty good to get that squared away, but it feels pretty basic too. I know I'll be sprucing things up pretty soon, but it's a start, right?

George had some comments to make, mostly about how rice should be steamed. It came up a couple of times, so I finally had to remind him not to rain on my rice cooker parade!

Grocery Shopping and the Kitchen

Although my last day at the Rice House is tomorrow, I decided to go ahead and go grocery shopping for the week ahead. It was an interesting experience, going up and down each aisle, thinking about nutrition, labels (both nutrition and brand name), portions, and even kitchen organization. I tried to do a little weeding out in our kitchen before we left, but when George and I got home from grocery shopping together, when had some more reorganizing to do. We started with the refrigerator and pantry, but we were both getting tired and a little hungry (and cranky), so we stopped. The kitchen IS better organized, but it's a work in progress, for sure. I feel like I'm finally making the kitchen mine, but in reality, George and I are sharing it. We moved in together last June, and I'm finally sinking my teeth into the kitchen. In all honesty, it's both exciting and stressful, everything like leaving comfort of the Rice House. It's also like when we moved in together last summer, both exciting and stressful then too.

I shopped at Food Lion (which was convenient) tonight, but I'm interested in shopping around for best prices and products in time.

End of an Era

Well, after nearly a year and a half of going to the Rice House, part of the Rice Diet Program, for my meals, medical check-in, and some classes, I'll be finishing up there this coming Monday. I'm both excited and a little nervous about venturing out on my own in healthier eating. I have yet to cook a real meal in my current apartment, which George and I moved into in June 2007. I've been collecting some cookbooks and recipes, even a couple of rice cookers (both given as gifts). I've learned so much on the Rice Diet, so I'll miss a lot about the facility, mostly the staff, and some people I met there. I'm looking forward to getting some flexibility back into my schedule, though! I've been going in every morning for breakfast before work, taking my lunch with me (very handy!), and going back for dinner before I could go home for the evening.

I've lost over 100 lbs. on the Rice Diet, but I'm not at goal weight yet. I'm thinking about joining Weight Watchers to stay accountable and get ideas from meetings.

Oh, the Weather Outside Isn't Frightful!

While George and I were at church for a class, it finally started snowing this afternoon. These pictures were taken from the balcony of our apartment, after it had been snowing a couple of hours. The latest prediction is for 1-2 inches, not much at all, but we need all the precipitation we can get! Plus, it's pretty to watch. :) George picked up some wood on the way home, so we're looking forward to a fire this evening!

George's Grandmom

Yesterday I had the honor of attending George's grandmother's funeral. She was one tough lady, and was 87 when she died on Sunday, after having a stroke Friday night. It was the first Jewish funeral I've attended, and while I didn't understand the Hebrew in the service, it was still a meaningful service. All four of the children, plus Papa, gave eulogies, then we went to the Hebrew Cemetery for the graveside service. There were some things that George, his dad, and his brothers couldn't do at the cemetery, because they're Cohains. For instance, they had to stay on the paved road in the cemetery, and they couldn't participate in the ritual of putting dirt on the casket. I did the dirt in George's place, which was very somber and sobering. George missed being able to participate in that part of the service, especially since he doesn't pratice Judiaism anymore, but he didn't want to upset his family.

I remember Bubby for often saying what she thought, and for always being a good cook. She opened up her home on Christmas night last month, when Tina had invited me (with George) over for Christmas dinner because she knew I was missing my family. Tina did all the cooking and took it over to Bubby and Papa's home, and I ended up having Christmas dinner with George, one of his brothers, his parents and grandparents! The food was good, the company even better.

Last night was the first night of sitting shiva, and it was the first time I'd ever done that. The prayers were in Hebrew, so again, I couldn't understand much, but I enjoyed the sounds and cadences. I also enjoyed seeing some people I'd met at other family functions, and meeting others who were new to me. It was touching to hear stories about Bubby from both family and friends.

Getting Things Done

One of my ongoing "New Year's Resolutions" is to improve my time management and become more efficient. This morning I tried a somewhat new approach for me, getting big things done early in the day. I checked off two things on my to-do list that I was dreading first thing this morning, before I even got to work, and it's made a difference in how I looked at the day. I got a variety of things accomplished at work today, and also took care of some things over lunch, like some banking and a call to my dentist to schedule an appointment for getting my teeth cleaned and checked.

Part of my motivation for the dentist appointment is a little vanity, I must admit. I recently swapped a Sunday with someone at church, and now I'm going to be the Worship Associate on February 3, which is sooner than I'd planned! My teeth really do need a check-up (I'm embarrassed to say it's been over a year!), but it doesn't hurt to have clean teeth for a Sunday morning service. I've also made an appointment for a haircut. :-P I really like putting my best foot forward on Sundays that I'm a Worship Associate. While looking good may sound a little vain, looking my best adds to my confidence when I'm in front of the congregation. I'm not sure what my roll will be that particular Sunday, but whatever it is, I want to be as ready as possible.

Now, the hair appointment, I'm looking forward to! The hair dresser I went to last time (as a new client) gave me a great haircut--I got compliments for days! My hair is pretty low maintenance (thank goodness!), but it's time for it to look a little more polished.

It's a Tie!

A Junior League friend and fellow blogger mentioned a poll on her blog that had 11 questions about the issues to show you which presidential candidates best match your beliefs. I just took the quiz, and three candidates tied for first place on my list with 57 points: Clinton, Obama, and Chris Dodd, who's pulled out of the race already. I like the way the answers list the issues in agree/disagree columns, in addition to links to the candidates's websites. Click here to check out the poll for yourself. It'll be interesting to see how things go in the coming months!

Busy Week

I have four meetings scheduled for this week, but thank goodness one was rescheduled! Whew! Hectic week, especially on the heels of having two weeks off.

I had a surprisingly delightful visit yesterday with someone that I didn't care for previously. It was amazing to witness the transformation, to learn more about her, to find out a little of her impressions of me. It made my day, really.

Another nice thing that happened was that the person who led last night's meeting I attended had some fresh veggies out as part of the snacks. Meeting snacks are usually salty and sweet things that I can't do on the Rice Diet, so I really appreciated her efforts.

Vacation's Over

Well, it's back to work this morning. I'm curious about what's going on at work and am looking forward to gettng things done there. I've got a busy week ahead, with three nightly meetings, but it'll be fine.

Highlights of this time off have been:

*Time with George
*Time with George's family, both local and from New Zealand, Boston, and Atlanta
*Having George's brothers and cousins over to play Apples to Apples and Zombie Fluxx
*Visits to Raleigh and Clinton to do genealogy
*Running outside in the Brier Creek area with my new Garmin Forerunner , and learning how to plug the Forerunner into my computer to download my workout info
*Working on genealogy at home on Rootsweb.com
*Christmas Eve service at ERUUF

Winding Down

My two-week vacation is winding down, and while I've thoroughly enjoyed it, I'm looking forward to getting back into the routine of work and normal things. I didn't do any excursions this week, as I'd hoped. Today and yesterday were too chilly to enjoy getting out and taking pictures in the places I would've visited, and I didn't really want to go just drive around, with gas prices going up again. Good thing I'm not on a deadline, huh?

I have enjoyed working a lot on my family tree while I've been on vacation, though. Between trips to the State Library and the Clinton, NC, library last week, and a wealth of good fortune on Rootsweb this week, I've made a lot of progress, especially on my McLamb and Tart lines. One thing I've been reminded of is how important documenting sources is. Thoroughness has helped me out in other ways too. When inputting spouses of related people, I've been including parents, grandparents, etc., of spouses when provided. It's been fun to discover connections to some of those families from other sources. It's reminded me of the phrase, "What goes around, comes around." Never underestimate the power (and fun) of a sliver of information!

Still on Vacation

I'm still on vacation, and it feels guiltfully luxurious. This afternoon I did get some errands done, including getting an oil change and a new battery for my car. I'm thinking about going on one of my "field trips," but haven't decided which direction to go in. I'm thinking of heading west from Durham, but how far I get depends on how early I get started.

For newbies to my blog, I have a goal of visiting all 100 counties in North Carolina and documenting my travels with pictures and posts on this blog. Although I've been across the state before, I decided to start fresh with this pet project. I've dubbed it the North Carolina Odyssey Project, and I've got 5 counties under my belt.

I just had a thought--maybe down the line I'll include some videos too. I don't have a video camera, but I think the digital camera I'm using (George's) has a video feature! Hmmmm.

Happy New Year!

George and I had a fun time bringing in the New Year with his family in Cary last night. (Relatives from New Zealand and Boston were also in town.) His mom had lobster for everyone, but set aside some fish cooked healthfully for me. Afterward, several of us played a game called Apples to Apples, that's a lot of fun. Every round, someone is the judge, and the judge picks an adjective from the card pile. The rest of the players, each with seven cards in hand, put down a card with a noun that goes with that adjective. To get points, the judge has to pick your noun card out of the group as the best. The judging is a bit subjective, so it helps to know the other players, as everyone takes turns being a judge. Sometimes you don't have any good matches in your hand, so you have to go with something random; sometimes going in the opposite direction makes it funny and wins you the point. This was a fun time last night, as various family members came by the table to watch or visit and laugh with us while we played, anc a couple of people even joined in on occasion.

This afternoon, George's brothers and cousins came over, and we played Zombie Fluxx, followed by another round of Apples to Apples. Fluxx is a card game where the rules change throughout the game, based on cards played by the different players. I'd played before, but never the Zombie version!

The Joy of Christmas Cards

Today I got another round of Christmas cards in the mail, and it reminded me how much I've enjoyed getting Christmas cards this season. Some of them have been newsy, and some of them have included pictures of friends and family. Some have been typed form letters, while some have been personalized letters (handwritten or typed). It's been a real treat this year.

I'm hoping that in the coming year, George and I can have a picture taken together that can be a good Christmas card picture.

Click here for a history of Christmas cards.

NC Odyssey Project: Sampson County

Today I went to Sampson County to do some genealogy research. My mom's mother, a McLamb before marriage, grew up in the town of Newton Grove. I've been to Sampson County numerous times since I started working on my family tree, and it always feels like a historical "home" whenever I drive through the county! The picture on the left is a plowed cotton field along Hwy 421. There are lots of farms in Sampson County. The picture on the right is for Spivey's Corner, home of the National Hollerin' Contest.

The county's most famous resident was William Rufus King, who was a US Representative from North Carolina, a Senator from Alabama, and the 13th Vice President of the United States! He was born in Sampson County, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1803, and practiced law for a bit in Clinton. He had a long career in Congress, and was elected VP under Franklin Pierce. He was in failing health by that time, though, and was inaugurated in Cuba, where he's gone for health reasons. He eventually returned to his Alabama home, where he died, and was buried in Selma, Alabama, where I grew up.

I enjoyed working in the J.C.Holliday Library in Clinton this afternoon, in the North Carolina Local History Room.

Sampson County is the second largest in the state in terms of square mileage behing Robeson County. One of its most unique town names is Turkey. While driving through the county heading northwest toward home, I passed the Coharie Tribal Center on Hwy 421. I wished I stopped and taken a picture.

NC Odyssey Project: Johnston County

Today I was heading to Sampson County to do some genealogy research, so I decided to follow the brown NC Historic Site signs for the Bentonville Battlefield, and play tourist. Well, it turns out that this place is in Johnston County instead! Bonus county today! I'd planned to visit the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield for my Johnston County adventure, but historical things are great too.

I was glad to find the Bentonville Battlefield open today, unlike the Battle of Alamace site earlier this week.

There's a pretty good visitor center there, and this display, with lights AND sound, showed how the battle played out between Johnston's troops and Sheman's men in the Civil War.

This is a cemetery of some of the soldiers who died from battle wounds,

This house, owned by a Harper family, became a Union hospital.

Smithfield is the county seat of Johnston County. In addition to being the home of Ava Gardner, it has an outlet mall I stopped by last summer on the way home from a McLamb reunion.

One of my childhood memories of summer travel is of going through Johnston County on our way to Atlantic Beach, NC. Early on, I remember seeing the signs for Selma (the one in Johnston County), and wondering if we were close to home, as my family lived in Selma, Alabama! After traveling in the car for 630 miles from Selma to Selma, I'm sure I was wishing for my own bed! Of course, getting to the beach was always worth it!

As My Birthday Month Draws to a Close

Your Birth Month is December

You love life and exude an outgoing, cheerful vibe. Blessed with a great sense of humor, you can laugh at adversity. Your soul reflects: Celebration, success, and wealth Your gemstone: Blue Topaz Your flower: Narcissus Your colors: Indigo, green, and blue-green

What Does Your Birth Month Mean?

An Afternoon in the Library

This afternoon I spent several hours working on my family tree in the State Library on Jones Street in Raleigh. They have a whole room devoted to the Genealogy Collection, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. This was the first time I've taken a laptop with me to do genealogical research, and it helped a lot. I used to make lots of copies or write things down until my fingers hurt, and enter things on my desktop when I got home. (They have a couple of tables reserved for laptop users, with power outlets in the floor.) It also helped to be able to look up people on my genealogy program immediately, rather than wonder if I had them in the system. They've expanded the room where the Genealogy Collection is located since the last time I was there, and it's laid out much better now.

I can't wait to return, and to check out the North Carolina State Archives again too. I've transcribed some old wills there--a very neat thing to see the handwritten wills of my ancestors!