Oh, The Places I'll Go.......

To be fair...

2010-08-27T10:11:00.000-05:00

Time changes perspective, doesn't it? The things you previously chose to ignore or overlook resurface with increased clarity. My last post was overly dramatic. Yes. Unnecessarily honest, yet inaccurate.....

So the truth: I'm happy with the way things have turned out. I had doubts all along that I chose to ignore because the positives outweighed the negatives. Qualities that I knew I needed in order to feel fulfilled in the relationship weren't there, but I was willing to overlook the fact that those qualities were lacking. Not to detract from the amazing qualities that were there....

The bottom line is: deep down I knew what I wanted and needed and my decision was the right decision, regardless of how the other party felt. We both knew something was missing. We will both be OK.

I promise the next post will be more lively and I will refrain from airing my dirty laundry in the future. No one wants to read it....it was more of a cathartic exercise for me.

Not that anyone is reading this anyway :-)

Two years later....

2010-05-08T13:35:00.001-05:00

Chicago!

I'm actually surprised that my blog is still here. After all, it has been two years since I've blogged about anything or even checked the site. So I guess a bit of a catching up session is in order. I'm now living in Chicago. It's an incredible city and even though I've only been here a year, my past lives in different cities seem distant. Kyle started his residency here (hence the move to Chicago) and he's about to finish his first year as a real, actual doctor! He's turning into a great doctor and he's worked incredibly hard to get through this first year.

And I'm leaving him. When I agreed to move here with him (in lieu of a proposal) I told him he had a year to figure out what he wants for us and well, he still has no idea. So, after almost 5 years together he doesn't know if he wants to propose and I'm tired of hoping he will. I've found a new place to live and I move out at the end of the month. You may be wondering how I can admit this and, at least on the surface, not seem too upset? Hmmm, well, I was upset....I still am upset. I was upset when he said he was going to propose before match day over a year ago and then decided he wasn't ready. I was upset over the next year when time was ticking by and he still hadn't proposed.....I'm upset because I've known all along that he is the guy I wanted to marry. And now I'm upset that I'm making the difficult choice to leave him when all I want to do is stay.

So there is my dirty laundry---I'm airing it out. I'm starting over at 32 and I'm scared and unsure of what the future is going to bring, but I have a fabulous family and friends and a great dog. A great dog unless there is another dog within 50 feet of us and then he's a barking terror on a leash. A behavioralist/trainer is coming on Monday....

I'll be back with more updates soon. But now it's time to turn on some music and start packing......

WTF?

2008-04-28T20:54:00.002-05:00

Why do I feel guilty? Some random teenager knocked at my door at 9:45 tonight to tell me that I have an opossum living under my front porch. Of course I was immediately suspicious of someone knocking at my door that late, never mind that it is some funky-looking guy. Cooper was barking like mad (good dog!). The guy tells me about it, then says he can show me where the hole is by my porch and I'm like, "yeah, I know where it is" (which I do) and I thank him for letting me know.

I close the door and I feel guilty. Why? Because I was suspicious? Because I kept the porch door closed and locked? Maybe this kid was just honestly trying to be nice and helpful and I'm all paranoid.

I'm pretty certain I know why I feel guilty......but that's an entirely different matter.

Even Cooper is sleepy

2008-04-13T00:10:00.002-05:00

Kyle and I slept in this morning. We had a late night last night, so sleeping in was appropriate. The only problem is that it's now after 1 am and I'm awake and watching an episode of Modern Marvels about Disney World. Kyle went to bed hours ago--he has the amazing ability to be sleepy no matter what time he woke up. I, on the other hand, have become a creature of habit. If I *can* sleep in past 9, I can't freakin' fall asleep that night. I guess the gratuitous chocolate consumption around 11 pm didn't help.....

Cooper (who has been asleep constantly--besides a few potty breaks, dinner, and a good brush-out--since I picked him up from doggie day care around 1 pm) has buried his head under a pillow on the sofa as a "it's too late for the living room lights to still be on" protest. :-)

Easter snowfall

2008-03-23T20:53:00.003-05:00

Thursday was the first day of spring.

Friday it snowed several inches.

Kyle and I went to our favorite cuban restaurant for dinner and it was very odd to look out the window at the beautiful snowfall. That morning Detroit NPR announced a "spring storm watch" to include several inches of snow. How weird is that? I'm incredibly ready for spring.........

hello?.......

2008-03-11T18:18:00.003-05:00

.....is anyone out there (and still checking)? Doubtfull, but I'll blog anyway :-)

Wow. It's been since August since I last blogged and not too much has happened. I started my new job and I love it. I'm an Infection Prevention Specialist. What that means = I tell doctors to wash their hands and to not drink their coffee on rounds. Honestly, it is definitely more involved than that; I perform surveillance for hospital acquired infections......have you ever heard of MRSA? I'm all over that! The benefit to this new job is that I have something different to do each day and I still use my public health training. Actually I was just accepted as a presenter for the National Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology conference. I'm very excited about it not only because of the honor, but also because it's in Denver, CO and I've never been!

Cooper is getting to be one big dog; in fact, I bought him a new crate and it has a picture of a Great Dane on the front of the box. He isn't that big, but he certainly is tall and long......but not like a Great Dane. Yeah. I'm thinking about adding to my little family by raising a Paws with a Cause puppy. I would apply for a puppy that I would raise and train to be an assistance dog. Cooper would love the company and I would get to play with (and train) a beautiful little golden ball of fur. Kyle isn't too thrilled by the prospect of another barking puppy, but I'm thinking about it......

Kyle threw me a surprise 30th birthday party in December! Kyle is doing well as a mini-doc--rotating through the different departments in the hospitals. I certainly have become an independent woman! He's currently on a week of nights delivering babies. But, we do get to see each other rather frequently otherwise. In all honesty, I can't wait until he's done with all of this, but then I remember the six. years. of. residency. At least we'll get to spend next year together taking fun trips around the country and possibly visiting Africa for his "easy" rotations :-)

nephew Josh and Cooper

Updates!

2007-08-29T20:09:00.000-05:00

Sorry it has been a while, but I've been busy:

Preparing to start............MY NEW JOB!! Yes, yes, that is right. I finally found a new job. And it is a job that I am going to love.
Researching and buying a new car (way overdue!)
Getting my haircut fixed. I went to a different stylist to get my first cut "fine tuned" and now it looks short, but stylish.
Tending to my hospitalized boyfriend. He had a spontaneous pneumothorax, aka: his lung collapsed without warning, while he was eating lunch on Monday......all because he fits the "tall, slender, 25 - 35 yo" description. They can't tell him anything else about why it happened.
Being super-sleepy.

goodnight!

Productive me (?)

2007-08-18T21:48:00.000-05:00

First, Steph and Matt's wedding was fantastic! I could certainly feel the love, so much so that I fought back tears a few times during the ceremony (as most of the women there did.....). At the ceremony I caught up with friends that I haven't seen in a while, some since leaving Ann Arbor over a year ago: Mer and Alex, Alison, Gaby and Greg, Mary and Jeremy, etc. What fun! AND, get this: Steph's cousin, who sat at the same dinner table as Kyle and I, grew up by me in Georgia and went to the high school I almost went to and then we found out that she atttended the small Michigan liberal arts college that Kyle almost went to.....two random connections to one person! Crazy.

Since then I've been filling my time by making my way through my Netflix que, walking Cooper, cleaning my house (dog hair EVERYWHERE!) and I ordered a random On Demand movie one night. Did anyone ever see "The Pirate Movie" circa 1982 starring Kristy McNichol and Christopher someone? Horrible musical about pirates, but my sister and I used to watch it over and over again when we were little and I still remember the words to the songs. I was worried that my new haircut looked bad, but it looks stellar compared to some of the 1982 hair :-)

And one other little thing: I got a new job!! It's a job in a field that I've been trying to break into for several months now, so I'm obviously ecstatic. A pay raise, a entirely different field of work, new coworkers, more responsibility.......I'll divulge more details once I get the offical offer letter from HR and let my current employer know I'm gettin' the heck out of there!

3 inches?!

2007-08-03T20:15:00.000-05:00

I went to get my hair cut today. It had been since April! I searched online for a few pictures representing what I wanted and brought them into my stylist. He was very excited about my choice and, being a 15 year-or-so veteran of the hair cutting industry was positive that he could make my hair look fabulous.

The good news is that he gave me a great hair cut, the bad news is that the length is about 3 inches shorter than we had originally discussed. He said he got "scissor happy". I definitely don't look like I had imagined I would. I feel I look like a german school girl. My hair is just above my chin....at the longest. And it doesn't help that the McDonald's drive through guy addressed me as "miss" more than once--I believe that affirms my "I look like a german school girl" insecurity.

We'll see what I can pull off tomorrow when I style it for the first time in preparation to attend Steph's wedding!!

Music

2007-07-28T23:44:00.000-05:00

Nope, I'm not feeling too snappy tonight when it comes to post titles. Sorry. My nephew is now back home in VA and I have a lot of free time all of a sudden. You'd think I'd spend all of this free time cleaning my house, which is now a disaster. I believe Cooper has been sleeping on the pile of "clean" clothes on my bedroom floor....clean clothes that have spilled over from my laundry basket, the laundry basket that has been sitting on my floor for over two weeks now. That's how a) busy I've been, and b) unmotivated I am now that I have free time. Instead of cleaning I have been taking the time to just relax. I think this "just relaxing" is really code for "taking a day or two to be sad now that my nephew has left".

Cooper doesn't seem to mind my lack of cleaning activities. I left him out of his crate tonight when I ran a quick errand--the first time he's had that freedom. I came home to a happy Cooper and a decimated bag of peanuts. I had left a paper bag full of peanuts-in-the-shell on the dining room table and Cooper climbed up on the table and ripped the bag to shreds. I would have loved to have seen that scene. Oh, and he finished a small bag of animal crackers, too. For a dog who doesn't get people food, he must have been in doggie heaven.

On to the title of my post: music. I've been filling some of my free time by listening to music. I miss music. Music and I have a long, passionate history, but this past year in Detroit was rather music-free. I started listening to some random songs I downloaded from iTunes: Klaxons, Guster, Stereophonics, and the new Interpol album. I then started craving some of my past favorites: Jeff Buckley, Coldplay.....I'll be reacquainting myself with music and I'm looking forward to it.

Sunrise at Kyle's cabin

Can it be.....

2007-07-22T19:16:00.000-05:00

......do I post once again? It has been 5 MONTHS since my last post. Kyle gave up checking my blog and only because he'd been checking dilligently every day or two until I told him about two months ago to not waste his time. I have occasionally felt bad for not updating, but that twinge was soon overtaken by a twinge of laziness. Does that make sense? Anyway, I haven't been lazy in my daily life, which is what matters.

I have been spurred into action by a friend's tag--thanks are due to Kara
Here are the rules of blog-tag (apparently):
1. Let others know who tagged you.
2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

So, here are the facts of what has been happening in my life over the past 5 months:
1. I moved out of Detroit and into a 2 bedroom bungalow in Ferndale (thaaaaank gooooodness!).
2. I adopted a coon hound mix puppy that I named Cooper. He is my new best buddy :-)
3. Kyle has been studying for the boards and is now a rotating through the hospital as a 3rd year med student.........therefore, he's had one day off of work in two weeks.
4. I never see my boyfriend.
5. My nephew is in town visiting me for 10 days! Between taking care of a puppy and a 4 year old, I'm exhausted.
6. While taking care of my nephew over the past week there have been times that I believe I'll make an excellent mother (when the time comes) and there have been times when I fear for my (future) children's lives. :-)
7. I'm looking forward to a new career (details are top secret).
8. Another one of my high school friends has gotten married and another one has had a baby. I feel old.

Unfortunately, I only know a few bloggers and most of them have already been tagged.
1. Steph, who is studying for the bar and may not have time to respond
2. Goat, who may not be checking my blog anymore......

Below are a few pics for your viewing enjoyment.

Josh and Cooper taking a nap together. And yes, they did this all by themselves.

Kyle got tired and Josh did some pulling :-)

My boy Cooper (isn't he adorable!?)

Recap

2007-02-19T20:39:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick recap of the past month's happenings:

I found a perfect pair of shoes to match my dress AND they were on sale!
Kyle and I looked goooooood at the med school gala:

I joined a local gym and I love it
Call me supervisor: I'm supervising 3 people at work
Thanks to the Myers-Brigs, I now know what "type" I am (you know, extroverted/introverted, thinking/feeling, sensing/intuition, judging/perceiving, etc) and the past few months' frustrations at work seem to all make sense now.....
I really want a dog
I really want to move out of Detroit
My sweetie made me a very romantic Valentine's Day dinner
I've eaten way too much Valentine's day chocolate (GYM!!)
I have four special vacations planned in the next two months
Netflix is awesome!

Wanted: Fancy Shoes

2007-01-21T22:43:00.000-06:00

Today I went shopping for a dress to wear to the med school Gala and I realized that I have expensive taste, which is unfortunate because I won't pay for expensive things. Being poor in grad school really restructured my spending habits. So I ooh and ahh over gorgeous things and then walk away........unless there is a sale (that's the only reason I own a pair of Coach black leather pumps and other beautiful shoes). And today there was a sale! I found a perfect dress that satisfies my craving for expensive things that also happened to be 50% off. Now all I need is a pair of fancy shoes. Of course the ones I love are really expensive.......

In other news, I started running again. And apparently the "in" thing to do at a certain local park is to sit in your car and smoke pot. As I ran that's all I could smell. I then realized that almost every car that I ran past had at least one person sitting in it and sometimes there was a towel covering part of the window. How sketchy is that? I suddenly started feeling a little unsafe in my mid-day surroundings. It was kinda like one of those pictures where at first glance you see one thing and as you keep looking at it a whole different picture emerges.

Happy New Year 2007!

2007-01-02T20:35:00.000-06:00

It's a new year and I'm still not quite sure where the old one went......I've been busy (obviously, since I haven't posted in ages). Here are a few things that have happened since I last posted:

I spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with Kyle's family.
I celebrated my 29th birthday with 2 fun outings (and no, I'm not freaked out about "the big 3-0").
I now officially dislike my job.
I visited my mom in Phoenix for Christmas, where Jess and Josh joined us.
Kyle and I made plans to go skiing---but there has been NO SNOW!
I've eaten at a few great restaurants.
I now know what the swim cap and goggles joke is all about.
Kyle and I went to friends' new house for a fabulous New Year's Eve party.

I've discovered that I love giving more than receiving when it comes to Christmas gifts--or gifts in general. Now don't get me wrong, I love getting presents, but I was more excited about giving the people I love meaningful gifts than I was about getting gifts. I put a lot of thought an effort into this year's gifts. I'm especially proud of what I gave Kyle: an autographed Bo Schembechler photograph. I framed it and everything! I was excited because I knew it was something he'd absolutely love. His gift to me was equally impressive: jewelry! Typical girl, right? ;-) He gets bonus points for braving a jewelry store on his own and for making an excellent choice in earrings.

My mom is all about giving meaningful gifts as well. I received my great-grandmother's antique cake platter and some other amazing things. Christmas in Phoenix was wonderful. I hadn't seen my mom in over a year and hadn't been out to Phoenix in over three years. It was a sunny and warm 75 degrees! Josh is growing up so fast and becoming a typical four year old boy: cute with a little snotty mixed in.

Kyle and I took complete advantage of his lengthy Holiday break and spent lots of time together. We actually rented a movie to watch! Even more amazing is the fact that he willingly went to the mall with me to find shoes (for a man with very limited time, I took this as a sign of his over-flowing affection for me). As a sign of my over-flowing affection for him, I watched three Michigan sporting events in the span of 24 hours. Yes. Two in person and all a disappointment to us Michigan fans: Michigan Basketball vs. Georgetown (the Georgetown fans at Crisler arena were obnoxious!), Michigan Hockey vs. MSU at the Joe, and then of course the let down of them all.....the Rose Bowl. Oh well. Good try, boys.

After almost three years in Michigan, I finally made it to Canada! I live literally across the river from Canada and I've never ventured across the border. I mean, we aren't talking Toronto or Montreal here, it's Windsor. Full of 19 and up bars and one Casino Windsor, soon to be a Caesar's Windsor Casino. So we went because it is absolutely smoke-free and it is in Canada and we both walked away winners. Once you get past all of the 19 and up kids roaming around in their ball caps and Hollister gear, the Casino is really nice. I'm not a casino pro, so I ended up feeling a little overwhelmed and nervous, but I started with $20 on the roulette table and walked away with $60!

Now it's back to work (blech) but I have a few fun activities planned for January and before I know it, February will be here.

Santa Kyle

Happy New Year!

Happy, Happy Weekend

2006-11-06T20:13:00.000-06:00

Yeah, 6th row at the Big House!

This past weekend was full of fun things!

Dinner at an excellent restaurant and going to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to watch the Wizard of Oz as they played the movie score was a perfect way for Kyle and I to celebrate one year together.
On Saturday we had 6th row tickets to the UM vs. Ball State game (don't get me started on how we almost blew the game to Ball State).
Piddling around Ann Arbor Saturday afternoon. The piddling was good.
We met up with friends Matt and Steph for dinner and then Alison and Kyle's friend Matt for drinks at Ashley's bar. We had a table right by the window, which is my favorite spot.

I miss Ann Arbor. I miss it a lot.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T19:28:00.000-06:00

Once again it's Halloween and I'm on the sofa in my pjs (remember last year's post?) And once again, I partied like crazy prior to Halloween so I could just sit on the sofa in my pjs tonight. Kyle and I went to the med school post-test/Halloween party last Friday night and had (too much of) a good time. I went as a "Stud Finder"......aka, a 40's pin-up girl with a toolbelt, a hard hat, and lots of leg :-) Kyle went as Capt. Jack Sparrow and I didn't think it was possible, but he looked even taller than his natural 6'5" stature. I think it was the hair. Anyway, we both looked fantastic and had an amazing time.

Of course we spent all of the next day on the sofa, watching the UM game (go blue!) and trying not to move too much for fear of exploding heads and eternal dizziness.

Sunday was another Halloween-type day. We went to a local cider mill for apples, donuts, and pumpkins! Then we headed out to Greenfield Village for their family-friendly Halloween walk. We were surrounded by tykes in costumes and ghoulish decorations and hundreds of jack-o-lanterns. And no Halloween is complete without watching "It's the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown", which we did while carving our pumpkins :-)

Back to work!

2006-10-17T21:23:00.000-05:00

Potomac River

I'm back to my usual routine after my trip to DC, which was excellent. After my meetings during the day I enjoyed spending time with my family and one night I met up with my friend Julia for dinner. It was great seeing a SPH friend!

I took the Metro into Bethesda one day during rush hour and vowed never to do it again. I love the Metro. I think it is a fantastic system for avoiding horrendous traffic....except when you are packed tight, there's "traffic" in the tunnel (turning an hour commute into an hour and 45 minute commute) with lots of starting and stopping, and you suffer easily from motion sickness. Ugh. Needless to say, I drove the next day. But I happily took the Metro for all of my other DC adventures.

The fam is great. I miss them terribly. Dad and I took a walk along the bike trail by Reagan National and I realized how much I miss having an outlet for outdoor physical activity!! Detroit isn't so hot for the walking trails.

Kyle flew in on Friday night and on Saturday the two of us, Josh, and Jess took the Metro in to explore a few museums. Also, Kyle and I had the extraordinary luck to get to go up to the top of the Washington Monument! I hadn't been up there since I was 10 years old (pre-restoration days) and it was worth the wait. Dad met up with us later in the day and we had a huge family feast that night. Ahhh, family :-)

Now that I'm back, work is more frenzied, I have to catch up on my classwork, and I need to figure out what the heck I'm going to do for Halloween! I've been slacking on my costume decision.....

Jess, Josh, and Kyle goofin' off ;-)

On the road

2006-10-08T19:18:00.000-05:00

I'm posting from a remote location this week. My company sent me to DC for a few days of training before our big study starts and it just so happens that my training location is only a few miles away from where my family lives. Consequently, I don't see this week as training, but as a little vacation where I get to spend a whole week with the fam. So nice.....

AND next Friday Kyle is flying in to spend the weekend with me and the fam! I just know that this time is going to go by way too fast. Luckily, time in general is going by fast so it won't be long until I see the fam again. :)

Work!

2006-09-14T22:09:00.000-05:00

I find it funny. Really. Well no, not really....it isn't funny. I'm frustrated with my job. I love the company. I like my co-workers. I can't stand the apparently "normal" development process of a large study. It's essentially like having 10 very important, very intelligent, and very busy people in the same room and trying to get them to decide on something--just. one. thing. Except that everyone is talking via conference call. No one can make up their mind and once they do, they change it.

As the Project Manager, I'm responsible for the logistics of the study: making sure what is decided on is carried out. Ah, you see my dilemma. I make preparations, work for days on something, then I get the word that so and so changed their mind and we're doing it "this" way now. I'm really good at my job. What makes me good at my job is my attention to detail, thinking through tasks and being thorough. I like timelines, knowing what needs to happen when, how things need to happen. Unfortunately, the traits that make me good at my job also make me prone to endless frustration at how these studies typically run. What I didn't know about large multi-center studies is that people are always changing their minds, nothing is ever set in stone, the details are constantly changing. I can't rely on the study protocol in order to get tasks completed because the study protocol is obsolete 10 minutes after the "final" draft is created.

We're 4 weeks away from launching this large study. I'm freaking out at this point, seeing as how I need to do 4 million things in the next 4 weeks and we're still discussing the details. Aaarrgghhh!! Just to be clear, this is how things typically run. I either need to adapt or find another job! I think I'm doing a pretty good job at adapting.

Luckily, I have a full, lovely life outside of work (why I haven't been updating my blog) that keeps me happy!

Ah, such relaxation!

2006-08-27T21:22:00.000-05:00

I really needed it. Kyle needed it more. A weekend to just get away from work and school to just relax. The weekend bags were packed with only t-shirts, shorts, and bathing suits, with a few books that have nothing to do with anything remotely related to our daily activities.

After a trip to the med school post-test party on Friday night we headed up north to the family cabin. The car ride was full of random conversations, crazy moments and lots of trying-to-stay-awake activities. We pulled in around 4 am and naturally got a late start to the day on Saturday--but that's what we were there for! To relax, not worry about timelines, and do whatever the heck we wanted. It rained and stormed like crazy on Saturday, which was actually really nice and peaceful. There was a break in the storm long enough for us to take the new sailboat out on the lake and to get some dinner. After dinner we enjoyed more gazing at the lake, reading..........and ultimately falling asleep while reading. That was me--I just couldn't keep my eyes open! Sunday was a beautiful day and we took the sailboat out again for a trip around the lake. I was very impressed with Kyle's sailing skills and by the end of the weekend he had me sailing, too--well, at least pulling on the right ropes.

All in all it was exactly what we had wanted it to be--an incredibly nice getaway where we didn't have to think about anything at all.

Congrats are in order!

2006-08-21T17:48:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Stephanie and Matt, who became engaged this past week! At a picturesque Oregon waterfall of all places :-)

So over the past few months friends Mary, Gabby, and Steph, and Kyle's friend Andy have all become engaged. Something must be in the water--or maybe it's just that time in life.

On to other news, I've been keeping fairly busy here in Detroit. I've put in an application to volunteer somewhere, I've found a gym to work out at, my apartment is coming together (I found a dinning room table!) and I'm looking into taking a few classes in order to go to nursing school next year.......
Yeah, I know:
1) more school?
2) no PhD??
More school--yes. No PhD--not necessarily. I can always get my PhD down the road, but right now I'm more interested in putting my research skills to good use, while having the ability to help (little) people directly.

Kyle took me to my first Detroit Tigers baseball game last Friday. It was a ton of fun, with a quite impressive fireworks display after the game. On sunday I went out to support him at another mountain bike race--a 20 mile race--and he did a fantastic job. I'll post a pic or two soon.

Right now I need to get back to my laundry and keep on hanging pictures..........

Shedding my skin

2006-08-06T22:33:00.000-05:00

I finally have internet at home. I'm starting to amass more things at home, which is good because I gave so much away when I moved that I'm seriously lacking things like a coffee table, or any table for that matter.

My apartment is starting to feel more like home. I have a new sofa. I'm learning my way around Detroit....sometimes it takes a few wrong turns through some interesting scenery....

But I can't help but feel as if my life in Ann Arbor was ages ago. There isn't much left of my life there. Or should I say that I didn't carry much of my Ann Arbor life to Detroit with me? My sister and Josh are in Virginia now, I have a full time job (no longer a student), my social circle is completely different, my lifestyle is different. It's almost like I've shed my skin and I'm starting a new life. Kyle is the only thing in my life that has remained constant over the past few months. Unfortunately for him, that means he's been the go-to-guy for me during this adjustment period. And he is most deservingly showered with love because he's been completely wonderful and understanding when I've become emotional and needy :-)

This is probably reading as if I'm miserable and having a hard time. Honestly, I'm doing great. I'm enjoying my new Detroit life and I love my apartment. I do miss some aspects of my days in Ann Arbor and I miss Josh and Jess terribly, but I handle change rather well.

When I'm not missing my family I'm doing fun stuff with Kyle. We went mountain biking yesterday. He's a champ, having raced competitively (most recently last weekend--see pic below) and yet still willing to go out on the trail with me and my no suspension old-school Specialized mountain bike. I hadn't done any serious riding in over two years! Kyle says that I did I great job :-) It was a 9 mile trail and there were times that I was worn out, but overall I think I did pretty darn good for not riding in a while. For Kyle it was more like a walk through the park ;-)

Other than driving around looking for more furniture, going to work, seeing Kyle, and missing my family, not much else is going on. I'll update more regularly now that my freakin' internet is working (only 3 weeks post move-in)!

Can't post now...

2006-07-31T10:22:00.000-05:00

I haven't had internet since I moved into my new apartment (over two weeks now....stupid comcast) so this quick post (on my lunch hour at work) is to say that as soon as I have it all worked out I'll provide massive updates.

hugs,
Janine

Yes, I am still here!

2006-07-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

You may think: "Janine's working, she's not in school anymore, so why the heck doesn't she update her blog?" Well, I just have not had the time. The only reason I am updating now is because I'm forcing myself to take a break from packing up my apartment to post a "hello".

In the few weeks since my last post I've finished my thesis, apartment hunted in Detroit, watched the Detroit fireworks from a friend's 20th floor balcony right across the street from the Renaissance Center (basically where the action is), spent a long weekend up north with Kyle and his family for the 4th, and started packing for my move into "the D".

Yes, I am moving to Detroit. I am a little apprehensive, not because of the location, but because I'll be living by myself for the first time in three years. That and I know I am going to miss Ann Arbor's perks. I don't think I'll be doing much running around my new place. But--my office is only 5 miles away, Kyle is 2 miles away, and I got an amazing deal on a one bedroom-loft apartment. It is pretty cool. The sad news is that Jess and Josh are moving far, far away. They're moving to Virginia. At this point I honestly don't know how I am going to spend my days without them around! Josh has lived with me since he was 10 months old. Just the thought of not seeing him every day completely breaks my heart. Luckily for me I have a job, a salary, and a rent payment that won't suck up my paycheck, so I'll be making frequent trips to visit them. Alas, I still fear I am going to be a very lonely girl.......with a huge phone bill.

I've been packing up the apartment this weekend and it's amazing how you think it will only take you a day or two and yet, you spend two days just sorting through crap that's been lying around, trying to figure out if you should keep it, toss it, or donate it. I thought I'd get most of my packing done this weekend and now that it is Sunday night I see a massive mess and very little progress made. WTF? This process sure does help to cleanse the debris from you life, though. I am a reformed pack rat and with every move I toss more stuff that I previously thought I couldn't live without. Like those class notes from high school or the old New Jersey license plate that was on my dad's '87 Jetta. One thing I never throw away on principle are photos. Ooohh, I take that back, I threw one away today. So I have a large U-haul box full of photos, all organized, that I lug around from apartment to apartment; I tell myself each time I move that I'm going to put them in a photo album, but that obviously hasn't happened yet.

I only have 5 days to finish packing, while working 8 hours/day, and 7 days to spend with Jess and Josh before they leave. Unfortunately, work will be extra-busy this week. Our collaborators from the NIH are flying in tomorrow to finalize the details for the study we're conducting, which means that I have a "Team Dinner" tomorrow night, meetings all day Tuesday, I'm skipping out on Tuesday's team dinner, and meetings on Wednesday. I think I can handle it, but I do believe my brain is rebelling. As the Project Manager of this study I am responsible for the logistics of all steps involving our patient population--which means I need to track and take care of over 4,800 people. That's a little mind-numbing. But, I'm looking forward to the challenge and I like to be organized, so it should end up fine. If not, then I guess I'll never work at the NIH ;-)

OK, I've sat still for long enough.......but I'll leave you with some pics from my trip up to Kyle's cabin for the 4th--which was a great time! Me and 11 members of his family went on boat rides, tubing down a river, at TONS of food, and managed to get some sun.

The boys: Kyle's cousin, Kyle, his brother, and his other cousin

Sunset over Lake Michigan by the Charlevoix lighthouse

I'm Back!

2006-06-14T17:06:00.000-05:00

It has been quite the hiatus, I know, but I've been adjusting to the daily commute and vacationing--two very good excuses. The days have been going by very quickly and I've been running around doing various things in the evening, so time in general is flying by.

First things first. Kyle and I had an amazing vacation in Northern Michigan. Amazing. We stayed on Mackinac Island at an adorable B & B for one night and went horse back riding and biked around the island. Mackinac is truly unique because they don't allow motorized vehicles of any kind on the island. When we were on our trail ride we saw two huge draft horses pulling a ginormous cart......they were the garbage service! Everywhere you went you saw horses and carts transporting people, cases of beer, store supplies, and garbage. This lead us to wonder: do they have ambulances on the island? What if there is a medical emergency? Granted, the island is tiny (the road that goes around the island is 9 miles long), but still......

Mackinac Horses

Me in front of the B & B where we stayed

Me and Kyle in front of "the arch" on Mackinac

We left Mackinac Thursday evening after a mad dash to catch the ferry and headed into the Upper Peninsula--or U.P.--for a night of camping near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We arrived as the sun was setting and after we put up our tent we decided to make a run for Lake Superior to catch the sunset. Lake Superior was 1.5 miles away down a densely-wooded trail and it was getting darker by the minute, but I put my thoughts of bears and strange mountain men aside and grabbed the flashlight. We passed the "bear-proof cans" on the way to the trail and I remembered the NPS warning about locking all food in your car and not washing dinner dishes anywhere near the campsite.........

We ran the trail for quite some time in order to catch the sunset, and I think it definitely was worth the bear-fear and effort:

Sunset over Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

On the way back to the campsite Kyle sang a bunch of random songs--I thought he was just being funny--but his intention was to keep my mind off of the darkness and unfamiliar trail, and it worked! Such a sweetie.

Both Kyle and I packed poorly. The weather report didn't look too bad and the temperature on Mackinac was perfect. But up in the U.P., with the wind coming off of the lake (yes, those are waves in the picture), my t-shirt, hoodie, old worn-out sweatshirt, topped off with my jean jacket barely cut it. Consequently, I would be wearing these same layers for another 28 hours (with a new t-shirt, of course ;-). Luckily we weren't sweating, otherwise we'd have been a pretty stinky pair.

The next morning our very U.P. campsite neighbors pointed out that we had a flat tire. Crap. Luckily people in the U.P. were incredibly friendly and a guy patched the tire and got us back on the road for only $12! The friendly U.P. park ranger (sense a theme?) gave us a suggestion for the best day hike in the area and we headed out. The day hike was a 10 mile loop within the park that took us by two waterfalls and along the cliffs of Pictured Rocks. The trail started out flat, open, and easy, but once we hit the cliffs it was single track and quite treacherous in places. The ranger's suggestion totally paid off. The loop scenery was gorgeous! After a strenuous 10 mile hike, having hiked/ran for about 4 miles the night before and gone horseback riding on Mackinac, I was exhausted! Fighting-off being cold for almost the entire time didn't help.....but Kyle's trusty Camelbak stocked with lunch, snacks, and water kept us going.

The first of two waterfalls on the hike

The rock at the park is quite soft, leading to beautiful scenes like this one

Kyle on the trail by the cliffs and carved-out caverns

Collapsed rock and the arch it created

Kyle on 'Mosquito Beach'

Mosquito Falls--the second waterfall of the hike

After our hike we left the U.P. to head down to Kyle's family cabin for the rest of the weekend. There we relaxed, ate, went on boat rides, had s'mores, and just enjoyed the time together. I certainly wasn't ready for work on Monday morning--it took about 2 hours for me to get my brain working at full capacity again.

Me at Torch Lake after dinner

It was a wonderful trip :-)

Greetings from Detroit

2006-06-07T09:27:00.000-05:00

No time to post now......Kyle and I are heading off to the great Michigan north for a (much needed) vacation. But, work is good, the commute is horrible, having a paycheck is great, everything else is peachy. :-)

Stay tuned.......

The time has come.....

2006-05-14T22:37:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the day. I venture out into the working-world once again. Actually, tomorrow is a day long orientation to familiarize us new hires with the company and to get us "pumped-up" about working there. They even gave me a brochure about the Orientation. Huh.

Nevertheless, I am excited. The other night I spent two HOURS sorting through my work clothes and ironing all of them. I even cleaned, polished, and waterproofed my good (expensive) heels in preparation for more frequent use. I bought a really nice leather tote/purse, because I believe that I'm supposed to have one as a "working woman".......it was on super-sale.......

Now I just have to adjust to getting up really early to commute. That'll be interesting.

So here's to all of my friends out there who have already started their new jobs, summer or permanent, Good Luck! I, too will be trying to get used to sitting in one spot (my OWN office) for hours on end. And I thought a three-hour lecture was rough........I hope I don't develop a case of "I can't stay in this little room all day with only minimal breaks". Ooohh, or I may have a hard time staying awake--the coffee addiction just might return. Ah, I'm sure the rewards of putting all of that Public Health training and education to good use will be stimulating enough ;-)

Transitioning to "Summer Janine"

2006-05-09T23:12:00.000-05:00

Who is "Summer Janine" you ask? The girl who drives a lot (thanks to the new job location), but loves it because she listens to music that she's either discovering for the first time or rediscovering after a school-driven-music-hiatus, the girl who thinks a lot (while listening to music and driving), the girl who goes for lots of runs (because there really isn't much else to do in the summer besides exercise and organize), the girl whose room is really clean all of the time (reference "organize"), the girl who is just peacefully happy.

Happy because I like to think. And my world is pretty much together. And I'm in shape.

The first sign of this transition: I bought "The Fray" CD from itunes and the first thing I did was burn a copy to listen to in the car while I drive. So far, since my commute hasn't really started yet and my car-time has been limited to random 15 minute spurts, I've been listening to it on my computer using headphones (the only way to really listen to a new CD for the first time if blasting it in your car isn't an option). I love it. I believe it will make for a great driving companion. So anyone out there who is interested in good new music (Solomon), check it out!

Tonight I met up with some friends to go to Vinology for the first time. While I can't verify the accuracy of Solomon's Mojito recommendation, all of the wines we sampled were excellent and the atmosphere made for a nice grown-up evening out. AND they gave us all chocolate covered grapes in lieu of after-dinner mints or candies. Excellent.

Tomorrow night will be more hangin' out with friends and some long overdue trivia.

Yes, summer is here. :-)

Free time is good

2006-05-08T14:31:00.000-05:00

Graduation has come and gone and with my new-found free time I've been running around and being very productive. I drove into Detroit twice last week for new job preparations and lunch with Kyle. I took Jess out to dinner at the Chop House as a 'thank you' for being a supportive sister during my two years of grad school. And I FINALLY got my car fixed, an oil change, and tires rotated in preparation for commuting every day.

I was able to meet up with friends on Friday night when Kyle and I joined the group for Julia's birthday dinner and to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! Hopefully there will be lots more socializing this coming week before people head out to their new locations and ventures.

The great thing about not being in school is that I can enjoy the outdoors more. Jess bought Josh a kite and we went out on Saturday and tried to fly it inspite of very sporadic, and at times, non-existant wind. Oh well, he had a good time regardless.

I'm going to continue to enjoy my time off and try to be as productive as possible before I start work next week......because who knows what'll happen once I start commuting!

Here are more graduation pics:

The Graduate

2006-04-30T22:32:00.000-05:00

Me and Kyle
(no, I'm not sleepy--it was an ill-timed blink)

That would be me! And quite a few of my friends, too. Graduation weekend has come and gone and what the frenzied time it was.

The rest of my family: dad, his girlfriend, her kids, and Kyle came in Friday and provided quite the cheering section at graduation. After the ceremony, which I thought was pretty good, we headed out to our dinner spot and indulged in a few pre-dinner celebratory cocktails. It was also my dad's birthday and grandma special ordered an amazing cake--seriously, one of the tastiest treats I've had in a long time. Ah, family. We had a good time.

There was an abundance of activity Saturday as the fam rushed around in final preparations for the graduation party Saturday night. Jillene (my dad's girlfriend) and her sister went above and beyond in the planning of this party and it was a truly beautiful event. Unfortunately, it felt as if my family was gone before I even realized they were here. I miss them already.

So now I'm a graduate. Life doesn't feel much different, but I'm sure everything will hit me at some random moment in the next few weeks when I suddenly realize that friends have gone away and I'm working an 8 to 4 job. Yes, I accepted the job. BUT that doesn't mean that I'm not doing the PhD thing. I have faith that everything will fall into place in due time. In the mean time, while I'm trying to adjust to no homework, no classes, few friends, and a commute, I'll be buying a new mountain bike with some graduation money, revamping my (previously nonexistant) work wardrobe, and patiently waiting for Kyle to finish his first year of med school. How much am I looking forward to the summer? ;-)

There will be actual graduation pics soon, but here are a few from the party:

Kyle and some of the fam

Josh and his great grandpa out for a walk

Some of the party guests

Arrrggghhh!

2006-04-27T22:13:00.000-05:00

No, I am not a pirate.

That was a manifestation of my frustration. Apparently the UM email server that 'serves' me is down. It has been down since 1:15 pm today. I am waiting for a very important email. I can't tell if that email has arrived because the server is down. Not to mention a little thing called graduation that is taking place tomorrow -- I found out through a friend whose server IS working that SPH sent out a summary email today regarding the graduation ceremony. Oops.

Can there be any worse timing than now for the server to fail? Don't respond to that.

So if anyone is trying to reach me regarding graduation stuff or the party on Saturday--call me!

OK, so some of this frustration may be due to sleepiness. I'm super sleepy. So sleepy in fact that I had to cut out of a party tonight to come home and go to sleep. I washed and waxed my car today--maybe that has something to do with my sleepiness.......

Regardless of the email malfunction and my inability to function socially at the present time, I'm excited about graduation and seeing my family. Gma and Gpa arrived today and took me out to dinner. Dad and the entourage are arriving tomorrow morning. The apartment is sparkling clean and my car is waxed (so hopefully dad won't freak when he finds out that I hadn't washed it in about a year). I've had free time to hang out with friends since I finished my last final on Monday AND I've come to a conclusion regarding my job/PhD dilemma. But, that news will have to wait for another time......

An offer I can't refuse....?

2006-04-23T22:23:00.001-05:00

I had a second interview with a particular local (big) company last Thursday. I think it went well.....well, they offered me the job so I guess it couldn't have gone much better. The rub: I'm still trying to work out PhD funding. And I'm not getting very far. I told my (maybe) future employers that I need a few days to think things over and I hope that's all that it takes to sort out my funding situation. I can't pass up a good job opportunity if PhD funding isn't going to be there! A salary would be nice.....a PhD would be nice, too.

The interview in Detroit meant that I was able to spend some time with Kyle afterwards. Friday night we went to the wedding of two of Kyle's high school friends and the evening was quite the food and dance extravaganza. Of course I forgot my camera, so hopefully pics will be coming from a friend soon.

Saturday was the birthday party for Solomon and a great chance to see friends. Sorry that I couldn't head out to the afterparty-party! Jess and I ended up watching "King Kong" and while I'm not going to spoil anything for particular readers, I'll just say that I was a total girl while watching this movie :-) So be prepared!

Tomorrow is my last final! Family is arriving and I'll be a graduate by the end of the week!

Music selection of the night

2006-04-18T23:12:00.000-05:00

I have to share what music I'm listening to right now, well, because I think it's pretty good. Check it out:

Sufjan Stevens: Chicago
His voice on this song reminds me of Ben Harper, only the music is very theatrical and grandiose. I'm a fan.

Gillian Welch: Revelator
Gillian and David Rawlings are geniuses. Even if you don't like bluegrass-esque music, you can appreciate their style and delivery. Beautiful.

Interpol: Untitled
This is good, but I think I'm a bigger fan of the songs off of "Antics".

Dixie Chicks: Godspeed
I know...Dixie Chicks. I don't own the album, just the song. It's a lullaby for her son (I believe) and I think it's beautiful. I'll make a copy for Josh to play at night when I'm not around to tuck him in.....tear.

Is it really over?

2006-04-18T22:44:00.000-05:00

Today was my final day of classes as a masters student. Two years certainly has flown by! I graduate in a week and a half and it really hasn't hit me yet. Is there anything to hit me? Yes, graduating certainly is an accomplishment, but it doesn't have the same feeling as my high school or undergrad graduation. Maybe it's because my thesis won't be done until the end of May (that's my deadline). Maybe when my thesis is done I'll feel graduated.

I am definitely excited about my family coming into town for the ceremony. Dad, gma and gpa, dad's girlfriend, her two kids, her sister, sister's husband, and their two kids are all gonna throw me a party! Hopefully Kyle won't be too overwhelmed by my crazy family.....but I'm pretty sure he can handle the unexpected.

Speaking of Kyle, we had a great time celebrating his birthday last weekend. Festivities included competing against one another in a very heated, very close game of putt-putt (I got a hole-in-one!!). But alas, my never-used putting skills failed me on the very last hole and I lost by one.......or did I? It was Kyle's birthday after all ;-)

Josh, Jess and I colored Easter eggs and successfully prevented Josh from:

drinking the easter egg dye
submerging BOTH hands in the dye glasses
any other dye-related incidences

We had a great time and Josh certainly loved it.

Now, what am I going to do with all of this free time on my hands?? Um, prepare for graduation, work a lot, and try to finalize my post-graduation plans. I've been asked back for a second interview for a real, actual epidemiologist job and I'm still waiting to hear about funding for my PhD stuff. Hopefully I hear soon!

Chocolate overload

2006-04-16T12:39:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter to everyone!

The benefit of having a 3-year old in the house: an abundance of Easter candy. The downside of having a 3-year old in the house: an abundance of Easter candy. Looks like I'm gonna have to run a few extra miles this week :-)

Happy Birthday!

2006-04-14T10:09:00.000-05:00

Today is Kyle's birthday and how great would it be to start the day off with a hot air balloon ride?? I'm thinkin' that's definitely a future birthday activity.

But it really doesn't get any better than a great dinner and fun with friends :-) So Happy Birthday, Kyle--I hope you enjoy your day.

Haha--you're so funny!

2006-04-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

Two funny encounters:

Me: "I want to go to London. Hey, we should go to London, do you want to go?"
Friend (with a perplexed/disgusted look) : "NO...."
Me: "Why not?"
Friend (with a "what sort of dumb-ass are you?" look) : "I don't know how to speak French!!"

Friend (telling a story): "I was getting pretty nervous and so I was drawing on my balls...."
(Me laughing like crazy)
Friend (cracking up): No, no, no....I can't believe I said that.....my golf balls....golf balls!!

Ah, what fun :-)

Hmmm....very interesting

2006-04-06T14:48:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has been near the school of public health in the past two years has probably noticed the huge new building going up in between SPH I and SPH II. It will be a very nice building once it is done and apparently the extra space was needed.....but why?

There is a rather mysterious and abandoned building called the "Observatory Lodge" that sits in front of SPH II. It appears to have been part of the school at one point since "Epidemiology" is on one of the entrance doors. There are stained glass windows and some interesting architectural details, but the building is dark and silent.

No one ever goes in, no one ever comes out..........until today.

As I was passing "Observatory Lodge" on my way into SPH II this morning, I happened to see three people on their way into the building. Two were wearing hard hats and all were dressed "officially". I rather subconsiously strained my neck to try and get a better look while the door was open. How bad did I want to stop them and ask if I could tag along to finally get a peek inside? And what were they doing? Are they going to tear it down? Refurbish it? Leave it abandoned to torment the imaginations of future SPH students?

I'd just like to know what happened to the building in the first place.

So worth it

2006-04-03T18:49:00.000-05:00

Looking at the clock at 1:15 am = crap, it's really 2:15 am.
Losing one hour of sleep = cranky girl.............

7:50 pm and still light outside = well worth it.

(not an actual Michigan sunset--photo courtesy of my dad)

Da-Daaaa!

2006-04-02T15:02:00.000-05:00

Here it is...the much requested blog update. I joke, but apparently Sol and Kara were waiting for something to happen on my blog (see comments on previous post). And Kyle made a verbal comment or two concerning the lack of blog activity, but he hears everything that goes on in my life anyway.

I'm pretty darn tired from a very late night and the loss of an hour due to daylight savings adjustments---I never realized how many people vehemently dislike daylight savings because of losing one hour of sleep---therefore I am posting a-la-Solomon and providing main points in bullet format.

Last weekend I marveled at Kyle's soccer playing abilities. He scored a goal with his head. That's pretty cool. He was great--his team was great and it was definitely fun to watch.
I've had two good PhD meetings regarding funding opportunities--so stay tuned!
Friend Steph and her boyfriend Matt had a bunch of people over to enjoy a homemade pasta feast--it was delicious! And congrats to Steph on finishing her first half-marathon!!
Friend Beth celebrated her 25th birthday with ice cream, sangria, and lots of shots.
Yesterday I went to Detroit to hang out with Kyle. We went and worked out, then met up with friends in Royal Oak for dinner and a stand up comedian at The Comedy Castle. I've never been to a comedy club before (besides improv) so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this guy was hilarious! I laughed so hard that I thought my cheeks were going to cramp up. Definitely a must-do activity for those people out there who are stressed and need a mental break.

I apologize for the lack of theme to this post.....and lack of any creative aspect. I promise I'll be back to my normal blog-self as soon as I get some much needed sleep and find inspiration.

Reliving my youth

2006-03-20T22:31:00.000-06:00

Kyle and I went to the CCHA Hockey finals with some friends this past Saturday. It was great--we had general admission tickets, but there were so many empty seats that we moved down to row #7 right by the ice. Sweet. We collectively decided to cheer for Miami-Ohio since Matt went there and, well, we would never cheer for Michigan State. While the game was great and the company was a blast, I was frustrated by the arena music situation. Whenever play stopped for a second they'd start playing some pretty good songs, then cut it off after only a few moments when play resumed.

The end result was lots of song tid bits stuck in my head for the rest of the night. One tid bit in particular: "Cold as Ice" by Foreigner. Love it. The song reminds me of my Atlanta days of listening to 96 rock or Z93 classic rock. That and my dad playing his Foreigner tapes when I was younger. So tonight I downloaded Foreigner's "Urgent" and "Cold as Ice", then proceeded to download Journey's "Don't Stop Believin", "Separate Ways", and "Any Way You Want It". Definitely reminds me of my youth......and Caddyshack.

Remember that road trip I was planning in my mind, well I think I've started piecing together a great soundtrack and some future karyoke selections ;-)

I'm a happy girl :)

2006-03-19T22:35:00.000-06:00

I'm a happy girl because:

My boyfriend is a ton of fun: CCHA hockey finals, dinner, Greektown, friends, funny rap songs.
The weather has been beautiful!
My drive to work out has been rekindled.....mainly due to previous bullet.
I've stopped worrying about the whole PhD thing and decided to just let things lie where they fall. (no definitive word after the open house on Friday).
I'm almost a graduated student, which means SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!!
Spring/summer is almost here: mountain biking, swimming, going to the lake, road trips, NO STUDYING.

Life is good......just as long as I finish my thesis......

tossin' and turnin'

2006-03-16T22:27:00.000-06:00

I've been in bed for about an hour now (well, technically now I'm sitting at my computer). 10:30's early, right? I know! I was tired and have an early morning so I figured I'd go to sleep. I started to do a little reading, but couldn't concentrate. Then I tried to sleep and my mind was racing. Then I busted out my handy "relax and go to sleep" CD, but not even "John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman" can help me tonight.

Why, you ask? Tomorrow is a big day. The admissions committee has given my PhD application a seal of approval and sent it out to the faculty to find a match. If a faculty member doesn't pick me up, I don't get into the program. Tomorrow is my best (and last) chance to sell myself to the profs.........

No pressure, truly.

Then there's my thesis. Still not finished, still running out of time, but still making progress.

Sleep, please find me soon so I can find some rest and have a productive day tomorrow. Love ya!

Atleast I have green beer waiting for me tomorrow night. Or it may be sangria, I really don't care at this point. I haven't had an alcoholic beverage in weeks! And that's no lie.

Saturday will be fun time with Kyle. Friends, hockey, more beverages, and some QT.

.........c'mon sleep!!!

Realization:

2006-03-13T21:29:00.000-06:00

I'm a dork.

Just what I needed

2006-03-12T22:44:00.000-06:00

I think it is amusing when you become bogged down by the insignificant things in a given situation. Things that may obscure the bigger picture. Or worse yet, may blind you to the truth. Whenever I would drown in the details of a situation my mom always told me to "stop fretting". I would become too wrapped up in the little insignificant aspects, things that didn't really matter, and fail to realize that I had nothing to fret about. This weekend I was reminded of how important it is to just be. Let go...stop fretting...and be.

Oh, and I also learned that dogs and swans have an odd proclivity toward chasing Kyle.....

It was a wonderful weekend :-)

a lil' bit of everything

2006-03-08T21:49:00.000-06:00

Whew. There's a lot going on in my multi-faceted world right now. Wait. Do "student" and "student-worker" qualify as "multi-faceted"? I guess there are other layers present, like sister, aunt, daughter, granddaughter, friend, girlfriend, thesis-writer, PhD applicant, nursing school prospective student, chocolate lover, and broke-ass girl. Broke-ass as in I have no money. Ever.

The past few weeks it seems as if all of these layers have decided to vie for my attention and it's starting to stress me out a little. There are the things that I want to be doing, like spending time with my boyfriend, hanging with friends, playing with the nephew, etc. and then there are the things that are stressing me out, like having no money, writing my thesis, trying to decide what the hell I should do after I graduate (nursing school or PhD??--believe me, I'm actually stressed about the choice). Then the little things that are just THERE.......finding and reserving a place for my graduation party, preparing for graduation, paying bills, and trying to feed my chocolate addiction while broke.

But, today was a good day. I made decent progress on my thesis, I reserved a perfect room for the graduation party--and just so you friends out there know, it's a family thing that my dad's girlfriend is putting together, otherwise you'd all be invited.....the fam wants some quality time--, I'm heading to a nursing school informational meeting tomorrow, Kyle called me from the balcony of a friend's penthouse condo in Miami (how much do I wish I was there??), and I think I'm finally getting over this freakin' cold! Good times. But the best part of my day, besides hearing from Kyle (I know, I'm mushy): Google.earth finally put out a mac edition!! Oh, google.earth, how much do I love thee? I'm a travel nut. So much so that when I was little and couldn't yet reach the gas pedal, I actually poured over road maps and atlases......just to see what was out there. I love road trips. I love new places. So you can imagine how happy I was when I downloaded google.earth and went to the grand canyon, San Francisco, Miami, and Hawaii--all from the comfort of my desk chair. I know, it isn't the same as actually going to those places, but it still gives me the same happy feeling as looking at atlases, only better. I have found a new time-waster :)

Friends are back!!

2006-03-06T23:03:00.000-06:00

Yay! After a week of friends being gone on vacation blogs are up and running again and I have been tagged......twice. Thanks to Sol and Kara I bring you the following interesting (ha) facts about me:

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. "coffee girl" at The Coffee Beanery. Free slushies!!
2. veterinary technician/assistant. Not once, but three different times: high school, college, and last year--I needed the money. :)
3. "barn girl" at Berry College. I took care of ~70 horses--that's a lot of shoveling.
4. research biologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Yep--I was a lab rat and got to play with some pretty scary stuff......and prairie dogs are smelly.

Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Moulin Rouge
2. North by Northwest
3. Harry Potter (any of them)
4. The Notebook (yeah, I'm a total girl)

Four places I have lived:
1. Jacksonville, NC
2. Kenosha, WI
3. Chatham, NJ
4. Atlanta, GA

Five tv shows I love to watch:
1. 24
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Lost
4. City Confidential
5. stuff on Discovery Health Channel

Five places I have been on vacation:
1. San Francisco, CA
2. Key West, FL
3. the Grand Canyon, AZ
4. The Outer Banks, NC
5. Seattle, WA

Four websites I visit daily:
1. CNN.com
2. various blogs
3. weatherchannel.com
4. google

Four of my favorite foods:
1. CHOCOLATE
2. sushi
3. thai
4. ice cream

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Miami (with Kyle on his spring break)
2. Washington DC
3. Florence, Italy
4. Charlotte, NC visiting Katie

Four friends I am tagging that I think will respond:
1. Steph
2. Jess
3. Goat
4. random people....?

I met up with Steph tonight for a nice dinner and some catch-up time. I needed the break after working on my thesis. Today was the start of school again after spring break. And Kyle left for his spring break trip to Miami. Am I jealous? No......well, sorta. I'm jealous that he is enjoying the sun, while it snowed here today. But I'm happy that he gets a great vacation and a chance to turn off the brain for a week. I gave him my ipod full of fun music to listen to while at the beach and we picked out some non-medical books for beach reading at Boarders during a rare opportunity to simply hang out on a Saturday morning. It was great :)

I need it.

2006-02-28T16:47:00.000-06:00

It's been way too long.
I have to go to a concert.
I need live music.....I NEED live music.

Snow for Spring Break

2006-02-27T16:36:00.000-06:00

Ah....spring break. Historically, a week to escape the monotony of studies and prematurely induce spring fever in school kids of all ages. Today is the start of my spring break. I woke up this morning rather early for a "vacation" and looked out the window to see.....snow. Nope, I'm not in a tropical locale. Nor am I vacationing at a place where snow would be exciting and welcome--say Colorado or Canada--for skiing purposes. I'm in Ann Arbor where snow is neither exciting nor welcome, but rather dull and disappointing. This week is just like any other week for me except for not having to go to the whopping three classes I have per week. I'm still going into work and my concentration will be directed towards my thesis. Blech. I am so unmotivated! Spring fever has hit me and I'm in a town where spring is nowhere in sight. For example, I still have to finish my thesis and yet I'm daydreaming about a road trip I'd like to take this summer. Mapping out the route in my mind, where I'd like to stop, what I'd like to see, etc. but I have so much work still to do.

OK, enough bitching. I'm a big girl. I can handle the isolation. And the snow. :)

Elmo is tall in person

2006-02-25T22:52:00.000-06:00

Elmo and his gang on Sesame Street

Jess and Josh made their first visit to Detroit today and for good reason: Sesame Street Live's "Elmo's Coloring Book". The beautiful Fox Theatre provided the magical setting for all of the little people's favorite Sesame Street Characters to come to life. Even as an adult, I was entertained with songs, colors, flashing lights, fake snow, dancing, etc. Josh was mesmerized. I was incredibly impressed with Detroit's Fox Theatre--Atlanta has a Fox Theatre as well and I thought Detroit's version was going to pale in comparison. No way!! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! What a gem. After the show we stopped by the med school to visit Kyle while on a brief study break and he gave us a quick tour. Now I have a mental image of where he spends his time. A lot of his time. But I guess that's the life of a med student! Here's a *hug* for you for all of the hard work you're doing!

Do you have a certain song --or several--that no matter how bad or outdated it may seem to other people, to you it is still the song that you could listen to again and again? I came across "Love My Way" by the Psychedelic Furs when I was looking at potential ring tones for my new phone. I haven't downloaded it (yet), but I just found it on itunes :) I love this song! I heard it on the radio in the 80's and then there it was in the (bad) 80's movie "Valley Girl" starring Nicholas Cage. When I was a hostess at Ruby Tuesday's in high school it was on the house cd that played over and over and over again. This song was probably the only one that I didn't get sick of. Wait, "Don't Dream it's Over" by Crowded House definitely had staying power, too. Oh and for those of you who are younger and weren't necessarily exposed to early 80's music "Love My Way" was also in "The Wedding Singer".

I now own "Love My Way". I'm actually listening to it as I blog and I just can't help but dance a little bit. Why? I don't know.

Other 80's songs that have the same effect: "Hold Me Now" by The Thompson Twins (there is a funny story involving a late night party thrown by my parents and me waking up in the middle of it and dancing around my room in a stupor, half-asleep), a song or two by The Alan Parsons Project, "Overkill" by Men at Work (Colin Hay--lead singer--also has a great song on the "Garden State" soundtrack). And there are many, many more. These are just the ones that came right to mind.

Regarding current music, I'm lovin' the "Emblems" cd by matt pond PA. Thanks go to Kara for the introduction to their song "Lily Two" and Mark's enthusiastic review of the entire album. And thanks should go to Kyle for showing me that there IS some country music out there that doesn't involve a dog, a truck, or anything else I consider to be "country". But that doesn't mean I'm completely OK with country music set as the alarm clock....... ;)

I'm no spring chicken.....

2006-02-20T17:15:00.000-06:00

Me at the Bar Crawl!

I'm not sure what I was thinking here.....but I think it had something to do with either:
a) another drink
b) the special "find the baby" cake
c) nothing in particular

What a weekend! Friday night was the SPH bar crawl fundraiser for Charity Hospital in New Orleans and we raised over $1200! The bars were packed-full and everyone had a great time. The only downfall: lots of very cold weather and snow. Oh well, the bars were cozy and warm. I was going to try and keep it from being a late night, but I ended up getting home around 2:30 am and then waking up at 7:45 to go judge the local middle school science fair. Boy am I glad they had coffee and breakfast waiting for us! I really loved walking around looking at all of the science fair projects--there were some smart cookies! Some of the judges were a little too rough on the kids--at least with their verbal comments made to each other. I tried to be as supportive and positive as possible with my comments, while providing constructive criticism when appropriate--they were 6th graders not grad students!! It did take more time than I thought it would.....I got home around 1:45 pm and proceeded to take a long and quite peaceful nap. I love naps.

The best news of the day? Kyle was putting aside the books for the evening and coming into town to see me and go to Steph's birthday party. Steph's parties are the best! Her boyfriend Matt is one amazing chef and good food is always a given. The menu: pulled pork aripas, chicken quesadillas, sweet cornbread with green peppers, and mini tamales---ALL homemade and delicious. Kyle and I mingled and ate and had a great time :)

Sunday turned into a movie-fest and Jess and I took Joshie out for a nature walk. The weather was beautiful, but the temp was still around 19 degrees. Snotty noses all around! Oh, and for those Grey's Anatomy watchers out there: what the hell is Meredith thinking?? If she goes through with what I think she's about to go through with, then I'm definitely less of a Meredith fan. Poor George....she's gonna break his heart.

Catherine, Ly and Me at Scorekeepers (yes, that's right, Scorekeepers)

Beth, Julia, Erin, AJ, Monsine, and Me at Oz

Matt and Steph the Birthday girl

Reprising my role as "Social Butterfly"

2006-02-15T22:25:00.000-06:00

....Not really. But I have been out TWICE already this week and the week is still young, my friend. Last night Julia and I grabbed a beer and some food at BW3 after our late class. It was nice to get out and catch up. Today is Kara's birthday (Happy Birthday!!) and she had a few of us girls over for chocolate fondue and some girl time. I miss my friends! We don't have any core classes this semester so we really don't see each other on a regular basis. At least I haven't been able to make it out to get-togethers on a regular basis :-)

Friday night is the First Annual SPH Canal Street Bar Crawl. There are over 100 people signed up to run around Ann Arbor as part of a Mardi Gras themed fundraiser. Ugh. It will be crazy. Very crazy. But A LOT of fun.

It may be hard to believe, but Saturday night may even be crazier. Good friend Steph is having her Second Annual Birthday Bash. And no, she isn't turning two. Last year's bash was full of amazing food (courtesy of chef extraordinaire Matt), TONS of alcohol, and TONS of people. I think that 50 people have already RSVPd--and there are another 45 people who still haven't responded. Wow. I remember, um.......about the first 2/3 of last year's party. Hee. That was definitely the most "fun" I've had since undergrad and haven't had as much "fun" since.

I'm thinking there will be a lot of pics to post by Sunday night.

Who's sleepy?

2006-02-13T15:36:00.000-06:00

I find it astonishing how fast a mess can accumulate. I've been on the go since last Wednesday night and have let things lie where they drop. So now I'm doing laundry and trying to straighten out all the crap lying around my room! Call me weird, but I honestly love picking up. I feel so much more at peace when things aren't cluttering up my space. I wish I felt the same way about studying.....you know, love studying. I did make a great effort yesterday and this morning to prepare for today's test. I started studying last week, actually, so I wasn't that much of a procrastinator. I think I did really well on it. Ask me anything about the childhood immunization schedule or public health surveillance systems and I'll give you an answer. Hopefully the right answer. Now I'm in desperate need of a nap.

On to more exciting stuff. Kyle and I went to the med school gala Saturday night and had a crazy time! Kyle looked very handsome all dressed up and I think I pulled myself together rather well ;-). We went out for Valentine's Day dinner at Andiamo's in the Renaissance Center beforehand and ate LOTS of great food. We were going to ride the elevators up to the top of the Renaissance Center to view the city, but were running short of time and I probably would have glued myself to the elevator floor for the trip: the elevators run up the outside of the building and we would have been heading up to the 72 floor. I haven't been the same since those freaky elevator dreams, but that's a story for another time.

The gala itself was full of dancing, watching a few med students drink a lot and get crazy (they work hard so they deserve a break), and the old and new dean get down with some students on the dance floor. We had a nice time :-)
Here's a pic of us at the Gala:

Woo-hoo!

2006-02-10T14:57:00.000-06:00

This week is turning out all right. First, I found out that I'm not anemic and my thyroid is A-OK.....and I'm feeling much better, thank you. Next, I bought a very grown-up, very sexy little black dress for the med school Gala tomorrow night. Finally, I made an appointment to get my hair cut and highlights retouched (it's been since early November....) at the Aveda Institute here in town where advanced students perform the services (some people are afraid to go and receive bad hair care). Students = reduced price and no tipping! I'm all for that. I can get a hair cut for $15 and highlights for $47!! This afternoon, 2 hours before my appointment time I received a phone call informing me that my student called in sick and while I was silently panicking the receptionist informed me that I now have an appointment at the Aveda Exchange and I'll be receiving the same services, performed by a professional, FOR THE STUDENT PRICE! You guys out there are probably wondering what the big deal is. Well, I'm getting a professional color and cut (~ $250) for ~ $62. AND I'm not allowed to tip the pros either. Woo-hoo! I'm such a girl.

Now I'm off to buy a new pair of shoes, finalize Kyle's Valentine's Day present, and get my hair done. I love it!

Lotsa stuff...and the Superbowl!

2006-02-06T22:24:00.000-06:00

I guess that the absence of a new post during the past week makes it look like nothing much has been going on in my life. I have no excuse besides the lack of a drive to post. I can hardly remember much of last week (so it can't be that exciting) but I DO know that I finally got my new phone in (congrats to those of you who made "the list"--just a joke....no, really, I'm not that popular or full of myself).
The phone is pretty fun and I spent several hours:
a) downloading real-tone ring tones to represent key friends and family
b) playing with the applications and personalizing fun stuff

I also remembering studying a bit, working on thesis stuff, and going to Pizza House. Oh, and I also gave up coffee. It was kinda a spur of the moment decision, but it felt right and so far I've stuck to it. I was never a coffee drinker (and rarely a caffeine drinker) until I started grad school and then I started having a cup a day to stay awake during the 2-3 hour long classes. Next thing I knew I was drinking a cup a day, every day, and got a nasty headache when I went without the stuff. THAT's the part I didn't like.....dependence. And the gradual loss of teeth-whiteness. I had great sparkling teeth. I was worried about the no-caffeine headaches so I went with a glass of Diet Mountain Dew in the morning to help wean myself off and I think it has worked! Ah, coffee. I'll miss you. Not to say that we'll never meet again--it'll just be a long distance relationship from now on, OK?

Speaking of long distance relationships, I spent a great weekend with Kyle. He had a few friends over to his place Friday night to go check out the Superbowl happenings in "the D". We went down to the Renaissance Center and then walked around Winterfest. It was packed and great to see so many people out enjoying the festivities. Way to go Detroit! Saturday we did some studying, made dinner, and then watched the documentary on the "Grizzly Man".......the unconventional bear-guy who was eaten by a bear out in the Alaskan wilderness. Interesting. Sunday: more studying, then the Superbowl. Kyle's roommate and one of his friends were in the half-time show as part of the Rollingstones' audience. We were watching the superbowl primarily to see if we could spot them in the show, but it was impossible. Too many brightly-colored people jumping around waiving their arms like crazy to spot anyone. Oh well.

I've started formulating a back up plan to put into place if I don't get into the PhD program. Everyone keeps saying that I'll get in, but I'm not so sure. So, so far my back up plan consists of: finding an epi job somewhere in the area, or Nursing school. I know....more school? In March I'm going to an informational session on a "second degree accelerated" nursing program. It would only take 15 months to complete and I'd be an RN. I'm considering being a pediatric RN...eventually a pediatric NP. I do have an innate interest in medicine and I've always excelled in the related subjects: biochem, anatomy/physiology, etc. But they haven't been courses as part of a medical program, so I may just fall flat on my face. I was a veterinary technician for several years, so I know I can handle the practical application (at least where animals are concerned). And I volunteered at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Hospital for 2 years and loved it. All of that info was to prove that this isn't as out of the blue as it may have seemed initially.

Now, my last item to do is to figure out why I'm sleeping 10-12 hours a night (coupled with the tendency to nap after dinner), why I have no energy, why my mood is all over the place, and why my ass is getting bigger. You're thinking that this all points to no exercising, right? Possibly, but I'm worried that my thyroid is acting up again. No good.

OK, I think that's enough personal info for this post!

Here is a pic or two from the weekend:

Matt and Kyle waiting for the People Mover

Tom Brady on the side of a building

Welcome to the 7-3-4

2006-01-29T22:53:00.000-06:00

Last week my cell phone broke. I have dropped it a few times in the 1.5 years I've owned it, but for no reason at all, in the middle of a walk down South U a piece of plastic popped off of the hinge and now the darn thing won't stay closed. So now I have a rubber band wrapped around it. No better excuse to get a new phone than that! Oh, little LG, you've been good to me, but you're being replaced with a brand new Samsung model that is most superior. R.I.P.

The new phone and new service plan means that I'm finally shaking off the old remnants of my former life in Atlanta by officially moving my number from the 770 to the 734. That also means that if you don't receive an email from me with my new number you're out of luck (and the new phone will arrive no later than Wednesday so don't start panicking until say, Friday. I'll be reachable at my current number until then). What a nice way to tidy up the ol' address book!

The dress search today was disasterous! I guess it is close enough to prom season to warrant droves of moms and daughters out hunting down the perfect prom dress. Couple the dressing room waiting lines with my innate inability to make a dress decision and you have my wonderful afternoon. Typically I'm the kind of shopper who goes in knowing exactly what I'm looking for and am usually pretty speedy in finding it, deciding, and getting out. The indecision comes into play when I'm not exactly sure what I should be looking for. What do you wear to a gala? Long and formal? Short and cocktail-esque? I tried on some amazing dresses and would have come home with one if money wasn't an issue. Apparently I have expensive taste. But after reviewing my choices in my mind tonight I believe I have settled on something perfect. Now for the shoes........

Mixed Bag

2006-01-28T23:42:00.000-06:00

What a week. Both good (rest, family, symposium) and bad (sickness, not a lot of studying):

Monday: Um, don't quite remember.
Tuesday: GREAT symposium on zoonotic diseases; Laurie Garrett spoke (author of "The Coming Plague") and I have to say that I was incredibly impressed with her presentation. Too bad the topic of her talk was primarily Avian Influenza (remember: really. scary. shit.). Yep, that statement was definitely supported by the facts in her presentation. Yep.
Wednesday: Jessica's 24th Birthday!! I was also pretty sick by this point.....maybe all of that avian influenza talk traumatized my immune system.......I spent a quality night babysitting Josh and then received a great surprise when Kyle stopped by for a visit :)
Thursday: Lots of sleeping. Lots. A PHSA meeting, cancelled plans to hang out with some friends, more sleeping.
Friday: Productive day at work, improved health status, and the "Mr. Wolverine" contest. This was a last minute decision and I successfully roped my friend Alison into meeting up with me, Steph, and V. It was put on by the Law School as a fundraiser and they were pretty darn funny! My favorite part: well, let's just say that there was some lambasting. The lambasting wasn't necessarily funny, but the fact that the target of the lambasting proceeded to lambast himself, well.....that WAS pretty funny.
Saturday: Jess woke me up at 9:30 am with "I made eggs and toast, if you want any you better get your ass out of bed now". I love my sister. We took advantage of the amazing 50 degree weather (in Michigan.....in January??) by going for a walk/run with Joshie. Josh and I ran, Jess walked :) Josh insisted on holding my hand while we ran (which was adorable) and he ran the entire way with me! We're in training for Muppet Soccer. Yay Michigan Basketball!! 9 of us went out to the UM vs UW game and my loyalties were tested, but I went with UM, of course. I downloaded a few songs (a sure sign that I'm feeling better) and discovered the profession of love that every woman dreams of hearing: "I love you like a fat kid loves cake".
Sunday: Shopping for a killer dress to wear to the med school gala in a few weeks. And I guess I should do some studying, too at some point ;)

Oh, and I also found out that my mom has been in the hospital since Monday. Mom didn't want us to worry. Thankfully she's doing fine and we now have a new understanding in the communication department. She's done this a few times before--hiding medical situations. Gotta love her.

Another one down

2006-01-22T18:31:00.000-06:00

I kinda came off as frustrated in that last post, no? There's no doubt I was at the time, but what I left out of the post is the fun I had with Josh. There was fun amidst the poo. Like when he curled up in my lap when we watched "The Rocketeer" and he called me his friend. A title typically bestowed upon his stuffed animals and his mom. I'm now a part of the gang :)

I woke up Saturday and after copius amounts of coffee I dived into the literature search. I think I found some good stuff. Consequently, I was in my pjs until almost 4 pm......then I peeled myself away from in front of the computer to head to Detroit to spend some time with Kyle. On the drive over I tried to shake off the haze from 5 hours worth of lit search by listening to my matt pond PA cd and was almost completely successful--there was some residual haze when I arrived at Kyle's, but that was gone in no time. We had plans to meet up with Steph and V for dinner after the auto show, but plans changed and Kyle and I headed out to dinner in Mexican Town. I have to admit, while dinner with Steph and V would have been lovely, dinner with just Kyle was perfect. We aren't able to spend a lot of time together so what time we do spend is nice. We even squeezed in some time for watching the Michigan basketball game.

Alas, another weekend is over. Back to the real world today: studying and more studying for the both of us. I'll be super happy when summer is here and all of this thesis work is finished!!

2 posts...on a Friday??

2006-01-20T21:56:00.000-06:00

That's pretty sad ;)

It implies that I have nothing better to do--oh no, my friend, I have a ton of stuff to do. So much in fact that I'm going to regret this little "relaxation" time tomorrow. Why the quotations, you ask? It has been anything but relaxation time. I've been babysitting my nephew tonight. He's three. We had a great time dancing to music off of my mac (courtesy of a nifty connector cable that connects my mac to my living room stereo). I even made a little play list for the occasion. So, he was permitted to dance on the living room table (the only time that it's allowed--consequently, he thinks that any situation that involves music is grounds for hopping up on the table, regardless if we have guests or a party going on. Good thing my friends have a sense of humor: "oh look! The kid is breakdancing on the living room table....oops, there goes a wine glass"). This dancing session was short-lived as I left the fiesta for a phone call and he proceeded to dump all of his mini-leggos all over the floor......then kick them about. I made dinner. I then realized (after picking him up) that he had a leak. A poo leak to be specific. A poo leak that was on MY shirt, on HIS shirt, on the floor, on his Care Bear slippers, and on his blanket. My little buddy had issues. After being thoroughly grossed out, we settled in to clean up the mess in the living room, I cleaned the kitchen, we ate some Nilla Wafers, and caught an OnDemand movie. I love the little guy with all of my heart, but am I glad that he finally fell asleep!

All of this action didn't stop me from checking my email about every hour (some interesting stuff was going on--TWO SPH Talent shows??). Nor did it stop me from thinking of my friends out there having a good time on a Friday night! Kyle is out partying in Detroit with a bunch of friends--no doubt having a great time. My SPH and SNRE friends are out at BW3 for wings, beer, and trivia to help ease the pain in the ass that is thesis work. My sister is out at a party. And my dad called me after a fabulous night of wine tasting.
I had poo duty.

Ah, friends and fun......

Why will I regret this "relaxation"time? Because I found out that my study population for my thesis isn't adequate to answer the research question that I am proposing (selection bias has ruined me!). I can complete the analysis, no problem, but the paper probably won't be publishable because the results won't be generalizable to the target population (aka no one will find the information useful because they most likely won't be able to apply my findings to pregnant women in general). I was told that that's perfectly acceptable because we (those required to write a thesis) aren't expected to publish a paper out of our thesis, but we're expected to thoroughly explain the limitations of our study and why the selection bias exists, etc. My thesis work load just doubled.
Translation: I need to complete the analysis, research a whole hell of a lot of stuff, and then worry about identifying all of the problems with my study. At least in the end I can say that I wasn't the one responsible for selecting the study population :)......in scientific terms, of course.

Turn it up!

2006-01-20T13:08:00.000-06:00

Tonight I think it is time to revisit my summertime Friday night ritual of busting open a bottle of wine, turning up the music, and dancing like crazy in the living room. This time it will be a bottle of beer instead of a bottle of wine and it will be just me and Josh instead of me, Jess, and Josh. I'm babysitting tonight and my little buddy and I are going to have a blast.
Josh: dancing on the living room table.
Me: bottle of beer
And some loud music.

Yep. It's been a really shitty week.

I don't like the locker room....

2006-01-18T21:32:00.000-06:00

I had my first Ann Arbor spin class this morning.
And I didn't wear my bike shorts.

Yeah.

The class itself was good. Good music, nice people, encouraging instructor. And I was able to look out the huge studio windows at the beautiful snowfall. Alas, my several month hiatus from biking has manifested itself in a sore back, shoulders, and ass. I'm gonna be in super shape by the time this is over!

The unpleasant part: after my shower in the locker room, the ladies' swim group came in and proceeded to be naked all over the place. Being a woman myself I don't mind it, really, but you couldn't avoid them! They were talking to each other (naked), putting away their wet swimsuits (naked), at the mirror brushing their hair (naked). I mean, c'mon, why not just use a towel if you're going to have a five minute conversation with your buddy?

Before all of you guys reading this become jealous, let me just say that this was the OLDER swim group.....60s, 70s........Yeeeaaahhhhh. But, I must say "way to go, ladies for lovin' your bodies!"

I prefer to use a towel :)

In other news, I had a meeting with my thesis advisor yesterday and he illuminated for me the amount of work that I still have to do. While this would seem daunting (and it is) he is pleased with my work thus far and thinks that I may have a nice little manuscript on my hands if the data analysis turns out the way he thinks it could. And for me there's the added bonus of actually being interested in my thesis topic: the analysis of maternal factors that may influence participation in prenatal care. That's always nice.

50: Such a milestone

2006-01-13T23:37:00.000-06:00

Not really. This is my 50th post--quite the non-celebratory fact. I just didn't have a catchy title. I don't have a catchy title because there isn't a theme to this post, more like an amalgam of random stuff that'll probably bore you......I'm just having a hard time falling asleep :)

Random stuff:

I can finally access the status of my PhD application online, which will inevitably lead to frequent site visits hoping for the coveted "You have been recommended for admission" link.
I picked Josh up from day care today and we hung out for a good two hours before Jess came home. We discovered (Josh and I) that he likes red, yellow, and green bell peppers with ranch dressing. What a kid! I fed him peppers, raisins, popcorn, baby carrots, and chex mix. Does that sound bad? I guess I could have made him a sandwich, but he was lovin' the healthy stuff!
I was feeling kinda nostalgic and watched "Hello, Dolly" On Demand tonight--it is kid friendly (considering Josh and his innate ability to hone in on inappropriate movie scenes, if showing...which we definitely try to avoid!) and the movie reminds me of mom. When Jess came home she jumped right into the "Old Musicals that Remind Us of Mom" fest and proceeded to go to Blockbuster and rent "The Sound of Music", the "Music Man" and "My Fair Lady". They didn't have "Carousel".
I made huge progress in "Mountains Beyond Mountains" tonight.
I received a great email from Kyle.........
Tomorrow I'm making sugar cookies with Josh as an aunt-nephew bonding experience.
Tomorrow night is Tank IV. Solomon, Damon, and James' fourth party at their place, aka "The Tank". There will most certainly be lots of fun, with maybe some drama added in there (there always seems to be drama when certain people get together). My flipcup team "Team Bowfin" will once again dominate! Oh, and there is going to be a fish quiz. I'll try to remember my camera and take pics.....I don't know if they'll be shooting a party video this time around (those are always entertaining).
Yup, that's all I've got for tonight.

So, I lied.....

2006-01-12T15:30:00.000-06:00

I registered for a spin class! Which happens to be Wednesday morning....so I WILL get my butt out of bed (at least one day a week) to exercise. I'm partial to afternoon exercising, but with the Michigan winter bringing darkness around 4:45 my options are limited. And, this spin class has a 20 minute weights workout afterwards for "people on the go". I'd say that's me. I participated in an adventure racing spin class back when I was doing adventure racing and it killed me. But, to be fair, it was a 2 hour long class that had us up out of the saddle "climbing hills" for the majority of the time. I don't think this will be that intense. So I get some exercise, get in shape, and train for the mountain biking adventures I'll have once spring and summer arrive. Sweet.

morning motivation

2006-01-12T09:46:00.000-06:00

I'm having a hard time waking up before 9 or 9:30.....disregard the fact that my alarm clock is set for 7:20. It doesn't seem to be effective. The problem: I have a 10:00 class Tuesday and Thursday. Needless to say, I missed my class this morning (which I hate) so I'm gonna try to get motivated to get my ass out of bed in the morning! Maybe I'll start an exercise routine in the am. Yeah, probably not.

State of (my) mind: Part III

2006-01-11T22:20:00.000-06:00

Enthusiastic: about my Applied Epidemiology for Public Health Practice class. I'm all about practicality and this class is all about dishing it out.
Restless: too much sugar and not enough exercise.
Un-athletic: see "Restless" above.
Happy: I get to see Kyle this weekend.
Determined: to appreciate whatever time I can get with the people I care about.
(a tiny bit) Sad: because I can't spend as much time as I'd like with the people I care about (reference "Determined" above).
Nervous (I): that I won't get into the PhD program.
Nervous (II): that I WILL get into the PhD program.
Preoccupied: with trying to sell my piano (that is currently in storage in Atlanta).
Upset: that I have to sell my piano.
Disconnected: classes this semester are practically friend-free due to thesis work and the absence of required classes......I miss my friends!
Worried: my car is falling apart and I don't have the money to fix it (see "Upset" above).
Excited: about finishing reading "Mountains Beyond Mountains"--the life story of Paul Farmer.
Inspired: by Paul Farmer's diligence in the face of adversity, his endless commitment to doing the right thing regardless of context, situation, environment.....what an amazing man.
Loved: my nephew makes me smile and warms my heart :)
Lucky: to have a sister who is willing to put up with me.
Silly: for writing all of this down!

Heartfelt lesson of the day:

2006-01-09T23:16:00.000-06:00

You cannot predict when something natural to you, something that is just part of who you are touches another person's life by showing them that they are cared for or simply thought about. It is a precious feeling to know that you made someone feel special just by being who you are. Strive to be a good person and you may just make a difference, however big or small, in someone else's life.

I love a challenge......

2006-01-08T22:11:00.000-06:00

.....and I think that's exactly what my first attempt at skiing will be. I have confidence that I'll be able to do it and do it reasonably well, but sitting back and watching all of the skiing action going on around me this weekend has given me new perspective on what to expect my first time out.

First, let me just say that I really liked northern Michigan. It was beautiful up there! Peaceful, tranquil,....woodsy. Kyle's cabin was perfect. It was comfortable and homey and just what I pictured it to be. Hopefully I'll get the chance to visit again this summer and spend some time on the lake and just enjoy the scenery.

We went to Boyne Highlands on Saturday so the boys could ski. It was my first time being around the slopes, so I took it all in and took some mental notes for my skiing debut in a few weeks. While it would have been fun to ski this time around, I'm glad that I was able to check out how things are done, what people are wearing, proper skiing etiquette, etc. I pulled up a chair to the window overlooking the slopes, right in front of the "magic carpet" that takes newbies up to the top of the bunny hill. I watched (mostly little kids) get onto the conveyor belt with their parents standing behind them, ride up to the top, then awkwardly slide down to the bottom of the bunny hill.....some clinging to their parent's leg, some going solo and toppling over, some crouching down like little pros and making it down without problem. Then I pictured myself climbing onto the magic carpet (standing a good 3 feet above my fellow magic carpet riders), riding up to the top, and then biffing it on my way down. Hmmmm.....maybe I'll be lucky enough to only have to go down the bunny hill once or twice......

So I sat in the lodge and did my homework, listened to my ipod, and stared out of the huge windows at all of the little skiers. Now I'm super-excited to go skiing. I also have an idea of what kind of ski outfit I'd like to get.....once I can afford it :).

After dinner, a trip to the hot tub, and successfully avoiding sticking around for the Miss Hawaiian Tropics Competition, we headed back to the cabin. It was a really nice weekend--a great way to enjoy the final days before school gets into full swing again.

Pics:

Kyle in his cabin
Jason and Kyle ready to ski
northern Michigan

Venturing North

2006-01-05T16:52:00.000-06:00

This weekend I will travel north of Lansing and venture into the great Michigan "up north". When I tell Michiganders that I'm from Atlanta and just moved up here last year for grad school, they invariably ask if I've been "up north" yet. Then I say "no" and they respond with a "wow, I can't believe it! you have to go!!". It isn't as if I haven't wanted to go, it's just that the opportunity hasn't presented itself until now. My boyfriend has a cabin "up north" and has invited me and some of his friends on a ski trip. I'm quite excited, not just because Kyle has spoken fondly of his cabin since our first date, but also because I get to see the countryside that everyone has been raving about AND I get to spend a cozy weekend with him (as in, there's no heat or running water--but I can do rustic no problem). I will not however be skiing this trip. While I have never been skiing (another "what??" response-getter), I'll be waiting to test out my skiing finesse until our second trip up north to stay at a friend's cabin. I can't afford two ski-trips in a month's time :)

Kyle and Me on New Year's Eve

Welcome to 2006!

2006-01-03T21:34:00.000-06:00

2005 was a good year for me and my family. Never mind the debt due to school loans or my car progressively falling apart, my loved ones are healthy and happy. That's what matters. As my grandpa says "well, I'm still suckin' air". Well put :)

Christmas in Tennessee was nice. There was lots of great food, the bar was stocked to an insane level--grandpa, do you really need 7 bottles of vodka?? (the family tradition of offering up cocktails before dinner, after dinner, and whenever you felt like it was very much upheld). Not to say that my fam drinks a lot, because we don't, my grandparents just like to offer drinks at any available opportunity. Their house is beautiful. It sits right on the lake and is perfectly tranquil. I can't wait to go back this summer and enjoy the warmer weather and the perks associated with their pontoon boat. You may not believe it, but these kids know how to party on their pontoon boats. The residents meet out in the middle of the lake and tie their pontoon boats together to make one long fiesta barge complete with a "drink" boat, "grill" boat, and "desert" boat. People walk from boat to boat socializing, drinking and eating. The retired community definitely knows how to have a good time :)

At one point Jess, Josh and I drove down to Atlanta to take care of some stuff and visit with Mike and his new wife Laura. I had forgotten how horrible Atlanta traffic is! No joke, way worse than Detroit. Luckily grandpa let me borrow his pimped-out Ford Excursion for the journey. There's nothing like a big, black SUV to pursuade people to MOVE THEIR SLOW ASSES OUT OF THE LEFT HAND LANE!! Ohio drivers are the worst--they just don't get that the left hand lane is for passing, not piddling along. When we hit Atlanta the weather was 62 degrees and sunny, which led Jess and I to ask ourselves why in the world we left......until we heard it: our first reintroduction to the southern accent. Oh. my. goodness. And I'm not talking about the pretty southern-belle accent. I'm talking about the SOUTHERN accent that predominates. Ugh. I do love Atlanta....

After a brief visit in Tennessee again, we started the 9 hour road trip back to Michigan, arriving just in time for New Year's Eve with Kyle and his friends in Detroit. I was able to spend some quality time with Kyle and we had a really, really good time....there's a funny pic below :) We went to Summerset mall to shop around, I saw where he grew up, met his family, and when we were eating a (very late) breakfast at the Original Pancake House New Year's Day we saw Hamilton from the Pistons....I'm ashamed to say I would have had no idea who he was if Kyle hadn't pointed him out.

In the few days before school starts back up I have successfully submitted my PhD application, used all of my Christmas gift cards, and have tried to get organized for my last semester as a grad student. I keep forgetting that I have to do my thesis this semester...that's probably a bad thing. Gotta get that done.

Here are some pics from my vacation:

Me and Jess in our "Christmas Pose"
Grandpa waiting for the action to start Christmas morning
a peaceful morning view from the back deck
Kyle, Brandon, and Matt in "the cage" after a rowdy drinking game

Happy Holidays!

2005-12-23T23:26:00.000-06:00

In case I am not able to post while in Tennessee on Holiday, Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone who is traveling (or has already traveled) has a safe trip and enjoys this time with family and loved ones.

Ann Arbor has been a desolate place since all of the students have departed for their respective homes......it kinda reminds me of the summer when Ann Arbor is a peaceful, pleasant town that feels more like a great place to live rather than a crowded college town. I love Ann Arbor regardless of the state of the fluctuating population, it is just more easy-paced without the undergrads all over the place. :)

I went to the mall this afternoon to buy my sister and Josh a Christmas present and I made it in and out of that madhouse within 35 minutes! I was on a mission, weaving through the crowd, walking by all of the parents and their children in the ENDLESS line to visit with "the big guy" (not that one, the one who wears the red suit), and making split-second decisions regarding the appropriate gift to buy. I got Josh this great music-instrument set from the Discovery Channel Store. It has a drum (that duals as a container to hold all of the other musical instruments), a set of maracas, a tambourine, a recorder (as in flute-thingy), and a mini rain stick.
The guy at the counter and I had an interesting exchange:
guy at counter: kids love these [instrument set], but parents aren't too thrilled.
me: yeah, it is for my nephew and he lives with me, so I'm bringing this upon myself.
guy at counter: nice. good luck with that.

We opened all of our presents from each other and from our mom while we listened to classic Christmas music. It was nice :)

On a completely unrelated subject, thanks to Kara for introducing me to Matt Pond PA!! I downloaded their latest CD "Several Arrows Later" tonight as a gift to myself in preparation for the 9 hour car trip tomorrow. And I'm lovin' it. My favorite song so far is "It Is Safe". Once I get more money I'll download the "Emblems" CD that has "Lily Two" on it.....
Oh, I live for new, great, beautiful music.

So I leave for Tennessee in about 7 hours. Darn. I should get some sleep. You never know what grandma will throw your way, so I gotta be alert, on my toes, and prepared to field all imaginable questions and appropriately react to random comments. She's a wiley one.....which is why I love her :).

Here is a pic of our beautiful tree:

I heart Chris Martin

2005-12-21T22:08:00.000-06:00

Quote:
"We're kinda musically bisexual....we like both".
-Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, speaking on how the band enjoys being on the road AND in the studio (from their recent performance on Austin City Limits).

Michael Stipe of REM made a guest appearance on the show and he perfomed "Nightswimming", which has to be one of my favorite REM songs. I was fortunate to see them (REM) in concert in 1995.

Again, I must reiterate that I love creative people. Both men mentioned above definitely fall into that category.

So, on to bigger and better things. I'm done with this semester!! I went to a great girls-night dinner party Monday night after we finished our last final. Great food, fun girl convo, and cosmopolitan martinis. :)

Tuesday night I had an amazing dinner prepared quite skillfully by Kyle. He went all out and thought of everything--including desert! Then we hung out "at home" for the first time ever, really. It has always been catching a drink, having a nice dinner out, or studying. And I found out that he didn't quite LOVE "White Christmas" as much as I do---Beth, we'll have to watch it after break, OK?

I have to buy A christmas present (as in one) before Friday, which is gonna be interesting considering I'm completely broke. I actually had to cancel plans to see a movie that I really wanted to see because I have no money. Life as a student stinks sometimes.

Other interesting tidbits:
Check out these hilarious comics that my sister sent me:

The Best Birthday Week EVER

2005-12-18T20:58:00.000-06:00

I must say that this past week, well, Thursday night on has been great. The best part of the weekend: my Birthday celebration with K and friends on Saturday night. K took me out for an incredible dinner and after-dinner drink (with a sweet little pre-dinner surprise) and then we met up with some friends at a local martini bar to enjoy some live music. I can't help but say that K made it a very enjoyable evening. :)

Thursday night was the "Erin's off of probation and Janine's bday" party. There were tons of funny and random pics taken, with a few posted below.

I went to my friend Peter's birthday party Friday night and instead of gifts he suggested that whomever was interested participate in a Music Exchange. Basically, make a mix cd. The good thing about this was that people who made cds made enough copies so that everyone participating got one. The end result: 8 new mixed cds for my listening pleasure.
I'm so excited!

Some people I know left the party before taking their required "Dance Dance Revolution" turn......(including me) :) Peter was having way too much fun with DDR for anyone else to even compare with his mad skills.

Now afer taking quite an extended nap this afternoon I'm back to studying for my LAST final tomorrow. After that it's all about the "Holiday Feast" at Beth's, work, visiting K in Detroit, last-minute Christmas stuff, then heading down to Tennessee for a crazy Christmas with the family.

The Party Girls
Beth, Me, and Damon after drinking Erin's "Invisible Kool-Aid" Punch
Hal, AJ and Me after MORE punch :)

Wax-on, wax-off

2005-12-14T20:07:00.000-06:00

There is a point to all of this (seemingly unnecessary) work, right? Do I really need to know the derivation for the proportional hazards regression equation? Will I thank Dr. Biostats down the road when I am battling Johnny and the evil forces of SAS-gone-bad? Crane-move, my ass. (If you don't get the reference, you're too young--c'mon Sol, you should know it!!)

Ahh, studying for 12 hours straight makes me crazy.....and there's such a long way to go.

Redeeming moment in the midst of finals-hell: Christmas packages from mom arrived tonight! That means homemade breads and cookies. Mmmmmmmmm! Too bad my sedentary lifestyle over the past 4 days means that I'll have to refrain from enjoying too many of those cookies, otherwise I'll be rolling myself out of the door to head to Tennessee for Christmas. Boy do I want to go for a run.

So do I include some ghetto music on the mix cd to be distributed at Peter's bday party Friday night?.....somehow I just don't think "I wanna get to know you" by G-Unit will go over well with that crowd. It IS fun in that ghetto sorta way :).

What a happy birthday!

2005-12-13T21:26:00.000-06:00

"THE BIG 28"
Today was a good day, nevermind the fact that I had work, class, and studying to do, it really didn't matter. What made it a good day: friends and family who wished me a happy birthday :).

So thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes via text message, email, phone call, blog posting, ecards, and real cards (thanks AJ and Kara!), and just by saying "Happy Birthday". Ya'll are great.

AND YOU KNOW I'LL BE CELEBRATING THURSDAY NIGHT!!

My sister brought home birthday pizza for dinner (I actually requested it) and a really tasty chocolate cake. And Josh sang Happy Birthday to me. Gotta love that.

OK, my study break for the evening is over. Back to Global Health and the health problems of the world......the only thing is that I'm listening to my ipod and I keep thinking of songs to add to Peter's birthday cd.....FOCUS!!

As I told a friend today, the longer I'm in grad school the more I think I have ADD. I just can't seem to not multitask when I have stuff to do. I guess some would call that procrastination, too. Hee.

I can see again!

2005-12-12T21:43:00.000-06:00

I have spent the past week reading journal articles and writing papers. So much eye strain! But I finished my social epi paper this afternoon and turned it in. Now I am well versed in community-level socioeconomic status and the incidence of low birth weight in infants. It really isn't that interesting. I did have some fun, well, a lot of fun Friday night with Kyle. And today I took a little shopping break with the birthday money my mom sent me (Thanks mom! I bought a really great silky shirt for Christmas time!) and then decorated the HUGE Christmas tree my sister and Josh brought home yesterday while I was in the paper-haze. The tree is so big that we had to rearrange the livingroom furniture in order to fit it in. It takes up practically a whole corner of the room! But it smells like a Christmas tree and gives off that Christmas tree glow when all lit up. I love it.

That was probably the only break I'll get until my two finals are over on Thursday. I guess as you get older Birthdays don't really matter as much because I didn't really realize that my birthday is tomorrow until today. Besides the cards from relatives (which I appreciate) I received a really great present in the mail from my dad's girlfriend: a weekend bag. It is big and leather and just what I said I had wanted when I visited them at Thanksgiving. So now I can go away for the weekend and feel like a grown up carrying my nice new weekend bag. :)

I'll post pics of our big beautiful tree when I take some and I'll be sure to post lots of pics from this coming weekend's festivities: party Thursday night, party Friday night and then my birthday dinnner with Kyle Saturday night.

"Good things......"

2005-12-08T20:59:00.000-06:00

Tonight my fortune cookie read: "Good things are coming to you in the due course of time". How true. While I am incredibly stressed out I've felt quite invigorated and happy over the past week. Why? Don't know. But, I'm guessing it has something to do with a subconscious feeling of accomplishment for actually getting shit done for a change. I finished my big presentation this past Monday, finished my 10 page final paper for Global Health today (it was due at 3....) and I'm finally making very promising progress on the PhD front.

I am happy to report that I've had two very successful meetings this week with MDs who are interested in working with me on my dissertation. YAY!! Both are very accomplished and incredibly intelligent, and big players at the school of public health and the UM medical school. I had very little expectation going into these meetings that I'd get much more than a "yes, well, I wish you luck in your pursuits" so you can imagine my surprise when I was met with "let me know if you want to sit down in the future and really brain storm on your dissertation ideas.....let me know if you need an internship or work study......I'm going down to this conference in March, if you attend I'll introduce you around if this is the area you want to focus on......I'd be happy to be on your dissertation committee". And that was only one of the MDs at one of the meetings. The second meeting was even more promising: "....when I looked at your CV I thought that this is someone I'd really like to sit down with........I have a project in mind that I think you'd be perfect for since our interests are in line with one another........I'm excited about the possibility of working with you as either a co-chair or chair of your dissertation committee".

So now I ask: do you ever feel like you're fooling everyone?

This was way more than I expected and nothing is decided on or set in stone by any means, but just the thought that these two very influential men were interested in working with me is enough to make me a little happy. And none of this was meant as bragging :)

It is going to be non-stop studying until December 19. I have another 10 page paper to write by this coming Monday, two finals next Thursday, and my final final on the 19th. Too bad next Tuesday is my birthday--no time to celebrate! I will be going to Detroit to hang out with Kyle this weekend, if you can call writing a paper and studying for 2 med school finals "hanging out". I'm sure we'll have fun, even if it is through me making fun of his big headphones as he watches his med school lectures.....I can be brutal ; )

OK, the Mega M&Ms I was munching on are starting to make me sleepy--the down fall of a sugar high. I'll make sure to try and squeeze in some updates on the ever exciting happenings of my life when I can. That was a joke.

Here's a pic of me being maliciously attacked by my sister. She employed the debilitating face-smush manuever. Damn her.

Beauty and the Procrastinator

2005-12-06T21:18:00.000-06:00

Why am I procrastinator?? I guess it is because I just don't work well until there is pressure. I have a 10 page paper on a Global Health issue due day after tomorrow and I just now printed out articles to read in order to write the paper. We've known about it since the first day of class.

It isn't like I've been sitting around not doing anything. I have been pretty darn busy over the past several weeks.

Katie's visit was a successful vacation and tour of "Winterland". She loved Ann Arbor and loved meeting all of my friends, along with experiencing the snow and cold. She's a trooper. We had a little gathering of friends on Friday night and I think everyone had a good time.....I drank too much wine on an empty stomach, so I'm hoping everyone had a good time because some things are a little fuzzy. Comments or complaints are gladly accepted :)

I was sitting at the bus stop today and it was lightly snowing, the flakes falling slowly and swirling around in the air. A few would drift onto my black down jacket and for the first time in my life I noticed the beauty of a single snowflake. Usually they all huddle together and create the nice fat flakes that I love--you know, the "pretty snow". I was amazed by the intricacy and detail and at the accuracy of the typical depictions of a snowflake seen this time of year in store windows and cut out of white paper. I just thought people were getting fancy. Mother nature is truly good.

This is my snowflake. Pretty, isn't it?

Pics from the "Katie Visit":

Party People
Me and Katie
Jess, Josh, and Me
Scared Katie : )

False alarm and Katie has arrived!

2005-11-30T22:06:00.000-06:00

The nurse from the UHS clinic called today to give me the culture results from the freakish rash under my eye......it turns out that the culture came back negative for both Shingles and Herpes. I didn't have either, which is great news but as she said, they don't know what I had. Huh. Things are all cleared up now and I'm back to perfect health, but that doesn't change the fact that I took anti-viral meds for 10 days unnecessarily. Grumble. But I guess I'm better safe than sorry : )

KATIE IS HERE!! I picked her up from the airport tonight and it was definitely a girl-type of reunion at the airport with lots of giggles and hugs.....but none of that obnoxious high-pitched squealing. We hate that. We caught up over a yummy dinner at Prickly Pear and it was just like I said it would be: like we saw each other just last weekend. We have lots of fun stuff planned for the visit and she'll be meeting all of my close friends, so it should be a fantastic time. She's coming to some of my classes with me tomorrow (wisely opting out of the 2 hours worth of biostatistics) then social time will be upon us. I'll be sure to post lots of pics from the weekend festivities : )

goodnight!

The Holiday Season Begins

2005-11-27T17:08:00.000-06:00

Well, after my last post, which probably bordered on scary, I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better after a few nice days of family, laughs, and lots and lots of food. Too much food. I've been taking my meds 5 times a day and the bad part about that is they make me nauseous so I have to eat a little when I take them. Couple that with having lots of good food around and you get lots of eating.

Thanksgiving break was nice. I procrastinated Wednesday night and didn't start packing until around 11:30, which meant that I got about 4 hours of sleep before the flight. Oops. Our trip out to DC took forever due to a delayed flight, an occupied gate at Regan National (our plane had to sit and wait for 20 minutes before the other plane left), and a broken baggage claim carousel. After getting up at 5:00 that morning we finally made it to Jillene's house around 2:30 pm. We had "The Dinner" around 4 and then I crashed on the sofa for about an hour....I just couldn't help it! It ended up being one of those nights where you look at the time and say "it's only 7pm?? It feels like it's 10!". Dad had rented a bunch of old movies, so we watched "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (which brought my dad to tears--he's a softy) and a "classic" Burt Lancaster movie called "Come Home, Little Sheba". Yeeaaahhhh.

Friday was a beautiful day in DC! Dad took us for a tour of the Pentagon and I must say that it is a pretty impressive building. We saw the memorial for the people killed on 9/11 and looked at all of the history displays scattered through the halls. The place is a mini museum! We saw his office and met a co-worker or two. No windows, though. Then back to the house for leftovers and more movies--dad went modern on us for Friday night's selection and we watched "Dirty Filthy Love" and "Modigliani". Jess and Lydia (Jillene's daughter) went to see the new Harry Potter and get this, they left before it was even over!! I'm glad I didn't go with them otherwise we would have had some words in the theater. I was dying to see "Rent" but didn't have the opportunity....maybe when Katie's in town.

We actually braved the mall on Saturday. My dad is one of those people who gets super impatient very easily, so it was a TON of fun for him : ) I joke that he was meant to be a NYC cab driver because he honks at other drivers for no reason at all. No joke, the half hour I was in the car with him he honked at least 5 times. It drives me NUTS!! At the mall Jillene and I went into a total of 4 stores and according to my dad it was "The Longest Mall Trip EVER". We take his complaining with a grain of salt. He was sulking during the car ride back to Jillene's: after surfing the radio stations and changing CDs several times he had to listen to HIS music (smooth jazz, which sounded a lot like the weather channel) despite my and Jillene's protests. My response was "well, you didn't have to come along, now did you?" He did some more grumbling. Ah, if only I had the money to buy stuff--window shopping makes me depressed, that's why I avoid the mall if I can't buy anything. I'll be a shopping fiend after I get gift cards at Christmas. Saturday night was more of the same: food (no leftovers!), a movie, bed. It was relaxing, but the majority of the time I was thinking about all the stuff I need to get done when I get back home.

Spending time with dad is great. He's incredibly funny and everything just feels at ease when we're all together. He and I have the kind of relationship where I can tell him whatever I'm thinking and call him on being unreasonable when appropriate.....all with total respect, of course. He gets sad when Jess, Josh, and I leave.....he'll call us after we leave to make sure we made it home OK and tell us that he misses us. Jillene left for another trip to London a couple hours after we left and he called tonight and said that he told Jillene that the four people he cares most about left today. Awwww.....

Christmas will be here before we know it. SO much to do before then! Better get started........
Here are some pics from this weekend:

Dad Cookin' in the Kitchen
Me and Dad
Dad presenting his masterpiece for all to enjoy

Happy Thanksgiving! (and no shingles!)

2005-11-22T23:08:00.000-06:00

Is it almost December already?? Really?? What's up with the time going by so fast? Man, I'm about to turn another year older......28 is a good age, I think. Good thing I've never been one of those girls who has their life planned out year by year. I've always thought that to be a little silly and ultimately disappointing; what if you don't meet your deadlines? It could force you to settle and settling is never good. And I think I've finally convinced my grandma that "my time" hasn't passed (please, grandma just because I wasn't married by the time I was 24, don't assume I'm never gonna get there). Although, it'll be pretty hard to make substantial progress BEING PERPETUALLY SICK. Thank goodness Thanksgiving break is upon us--I seriously need some time to recuperate both mentally and physically! Just when I thought I was in the clear my body decided to play a nasty trick on me. I must say that it is quite a leap of faith assuming that my friends who read this blog won't treat me like a leper when they see me next.......but I do have great friends : )
OK, for those of you who aren't medically knowledgeable or haven't taken courses in virology, read EVERYTHING I'm about to write before freaking out, OK?
I went to University Health Services Monday due to a rash under my left eye. Turns out that I may have either: Shingles or.......Herpes......on my face.

Yeah, don't freak out.

It is a MEDICAL FACT that 90% of the adult population has this type of Herpes. There are two types of herpes and let me make myself clear, this isn't the type of herpes that you get from sex and see all of those late night commercials about, it is the type of herpes that brings about cold sores and canker sores and they can surface anywhere on your body, it just usually happens to be the mouth. I have never had a cold sore, but I have had canker sores in the past. I guess that since my immune system has been stressed the virus decided to wake up and pay a visit and chose my lower left eyelid as its vacation spot. Here's a quote for you: I hope I have herpes and not shingles. If you want an explanation for that statement, email me or look up the difference between the two regarding side effects in the medical dictionary (and keep in mind that my eye may potentially be affected ) : )

So here's a summary of my current shitty health situation: I have a rash under my eye that itches like you won't believe, but I can't scratch or else it'll spread (flash back to your childhood encounter with the chicken pox), I can't sleep at night, I'm still recovering from my head cold, the anti-viral meds I'm taking 5 times a day to help prevent the spread of whatever it is I have make me nauseous and run me down, and my mental health is definitely taking a hit from all of it.

Bring on the turkey and cranberry sauce!! Please!!

I've been slackin' on the posts

2005-11-20T19:15:00.000-06:00

I spent the majority of last week sleeping. I still attended my classes and went to work, but I went to bed early and tried to get a minimum of 10 hours of sleep a night; one night I even hit the 14 hour mark. For some reason I think that sleeping a lot helps heal a cold. I'll have to ask my med school friend, but I think I may be on to something there. I was feeling good all week until Friday morning after an hour in a smokey bar, half hour standing in the cold, and then getting to bed at 3 am Thursday night. Darn it! I know, I over-extended myself with social activities. Even after Thursday night it wasn't that I was feeling sick, it was just that my voice was gone. Seriously. It is funny when people you've known for years call you and they don't recognize your voice. Mike, one of my best friends, called friday morning to check in and say his last "hello" as a bachelor before his wedding on Saturday. He wasn't sure he was talking to the right person : ) I was supposed to go to Atlanta for Mike's wedding, but being broke and short on time I ended up being a bad friend and not able to make it. So, Mike, I love you and wish you and Laura all of the happiness in the world.....and I can't wait to meet her! (But don't forget, Laura may be George's step-mom now, but I'll always be his mama) ; )

Baby George after bringing him home from the Humane Society
I'll have to post a tribute to Mike. He's the sole reason I survived the 4 years in Atlanta post-undergrad, pre-Grad school. He means the world to me and I'll never be able to repay him for all he's done for me and my family. A truly wonderful man and if the stars had aligned and times were different I would have married him when I had the chance ; )

Whew, back to my very un-domesticated grad student life. I had a great time with Kyle at his med school post-test party friday night. Who would have guessed those crazy people at the club were serious students, well, until they started quizzing eachother on pancreas position or something--I've never heard such vocabulary! But, seriously, everyone was a lot of fun and very nice. Way to go Kyle for having great friends!

My voice was still non-existant Saturday when I woke up for the Michigan vs. OSU game. I met up with my friend Alison to head to the game and on the way there we passed all of the frat and house parties on State St. with drunken undergrads dancing on rooftops (literally), throwing giant blow-up penises with "Fuck Ohio" written on them around their frat lawns......ahhh, the smell of stale beer at 11 am. One younger kid walking to the game with his parents was in awe of all the "College Kids Gone Wild" and proceeded to give everyone high fives as he passed. His mother had a definite look of horror as she watched him enjoy the craziness that is game day tailgating.

Anyone who follows college football and has been anywhere near a tv in the past 24 hours knows that we lost to OSU; and to make matters worse the refs blew a call that MAY have changed the outcome. One thing I've learned about the differences between men and women when it comes to football (and sports in general) is this: women will be upset and disappointed when their team loses, but they let it go and move on (usually to wings and beer). Men sit with their disappointment. They commiserate with each other and talk about it over and over again. They bond over mutual hurt and anger. I witnessed it last night. My friend turned to a total stranger sitting behind him and started "the game" conversation. It lasted for at least 5 minutes and at the end of it you'd think they had been stranded on a desert island together, said goodbye with a "great to talk to you, man" and a handshake. I think this is the common thread between the sexes. Men and women have certain things that make them utterly happy that the other sex just doesn't understand and the same emotional reaction to disappointment, but with women it is usually relationship-related and for men it is sports-related. But I doubt any man will ever admit to seeing both circumstances as similar.....after all, it IS football. Now, I am not mocking men and sports--I'm actually intrigued and in awe of it.....I guess it is because I just don't and probably never will truly understand the bond. But I can appreciate and support it.....just as long as I'm appreciated and supported on woman-stuff like a new pair of shoes, or that concert/movie that a man doesn't really want to go to, but a woman would love for him to go to. It's all give and take : ) And really, what man is truly going to understand how that special pair of shoes can make us SO happy? Common thread, common thread....

After the game I went to the usual post-game meet up place for a beer and some wings with my friends. Usually it is just a starting place for the night; we meet there for a little while then head home to rest or nap, change clothes, and meet up later. Last night didn't quite work out like that. I had every intention of staying for only an hour or two, but ended up hanging around as friends came and went and came back again and as the beers kept coming. That's the problem when you're drinking with guys....they drink faster and they expect you to keep up, then when you finish that tall 23 oz. beer they order you another....before you know it you've had 5 tall beers and a round of shots with only 6 little chicken wings in your belly. Oops. But, it was fun. Not responsible, but fun.

Oh, and I loved the new Harry Potter movie! Not really for little kids with the return of Voldemort being quite graphic and scary, even for a 27 year old woman who knows exactly what is going to happen : )

Katie is coming to visit!

2005-11-15T21:18:00.000-06:00

Katie is finally coming to visit! To adequately understand how exciting this is to me, you need to know the background.
It all started first day freshman year of high school, 1992. I walked into homeroom knowing only 3 people out of the 375 in my freshman class......I was a little nervous. A short bubbly girl walked up to me and said (really fast) "Hi my name is Katie Dillon, what's your name?".

Katie and I were fast friends. After graduating high school we went to the same college and roomed together for all four years (and managed to remain friends in the process!). I was the maid of honor at her wedding and we were never out of touch for long while she went to grad school at Princeton and I worked in Atlanta. With our busy schedules it has been difficult to visit each other, so it has been over a year since I've last seen her!! Katie keeps me grounded, she calls me on my shit, and she knows me better than anyone else in my life. She's seen me at my best and worst and she loves me no matter what. It'll be like we saw each other just last weekend.

One of my favorite Katie moments:
Katie: "Hey Neen, do you want these vitamins? They taste horrible!"
Janine: "That's because they aren't chewable....you're supposed to swallow them!"
Katie: giggle.

I'm feeling much better after sleeping 14 hours last night......so I'll be better in no time! Perfect for the big UM vs. OSU weekend!!

I asked for it.

2005-11-14T20:21:00.000-06:00

Me, AJ, and Hal
I danced and danced and then danced some more Saturday night. It was 3.5 solid hours of dancing. People were doing some unnatural things on the dance floor--solo, in pairs, and in chains of up to 5 people. It made for an entertaining spectacle. But the atmosphere at Rick's wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Below are some pics. In one of them I look completely drunk, but I assure you, I only had 3 drinks!

Maybe it was the late night Friday, or the football game, or the late night Saturday at Rick's.....possibly the run and work out on Sunday......whatever it was, I'm now battling "The Cold of the Semester". I hate being sick. Sleepless nights--or even worse, the NyQuil Nights where you think you'll get peaceful sleep, but you just toss and turn in that strange dream world. I'm trying hard to fight it off, but I fear I'm losing the battle. Regardless, I will be better by Friday for another "Rock Star Weekend" (not my saying, really).
I have too much to do!! I can't be sick!!
ugh.

Pics from Rick's Bar:

Me and AJ
Beth, Julia, and Erin
Me (not drunk) reacting to beer being spilled down my shirt. Lovely!

Just let me dance!

2005-11-10T20:34:00.000-06:00

It's amazing how finishing a test makes me happy--IMMEDIATELY. I wasn't particularly worried about the test, but it was a daunting 2-hour experience with a "Mystery Question" that always throws us kids for a loop. There are 3 parts to the test: 18 true/false questions, one multi-question analysis part where we interpret SAS output and models, and then the "mystery" part. This test's mystery question was the following;
3. (10 points) In this last problem, you will be asked to consider data from a recently reported abstract in the medical literature......blah, blah....[excerpt from the paper outlining the objectives of the study and the findings]. Then we're given the covariates that were measured and a list of assumptions and told to "describe in detail the logistic regression models whose odds ratio are being reported on in the abstract".
Wha? Sounds like fun, doesn't it?!?
Luckily, this section is only 10% of the test grade and he gives partial credit. I ran into the prof after the test and he said "I made it through grad school on partial credit" : )

On to bigger and better things ; )
Friday night: Kyle is coming into town and we're going out for drinks.
Saturday: PHSA tailgate and UM football game followed by the "American Products Party" at Kara and Julia's house, where we have to bring American food/drinks or wear our favorite "Made in the USA" clothing. Franzia boxed wine will be provided. Then we move on to Rick's Club for some much needed dancing! While I usually avoid Rick's (yucky frat boys and girls straight out of "Girls Gone Wild") I NEED TO DANCE. I haven't been out at all since Halloween and haven't really been dancing since the beginning of September........the "dance reservoir" is full and the time has come.
Studying will be done on Sunday and in the gaps in between the other events. I know, it seems wrong to prioritize going out over studying, but I'm really not........I'll still get a lot done! AND just so you know, I declined an invite to go out to a club last Saturday night. See?

So Sleepy......

2005-11-09T22:39:00.000-06:00

I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night thanks to an ill-timed text message at 1 am. I was sound asleep, heard the little text-ring from my phone, and then couldn't fall back asleep for 2 more HOURS.

Naturally, I thought that I'd be super sleepy today, but I had an epiphany and the subsequent excitement kept me on the go for a while. We had a guest speaker for our Policy class and while the presentation wasn't great, the info rocked my world! I've been under a cloud of indecision and procrastination regarding the PhD application process. I've been trying to figure out how to combine and focus my interests in order to identify faculty members who would make effective mentors for my research and wouldn't you know, this prof laid it all out for me nicely in an hour-long presentation. He's a pediatric MD, but his interests lie in research with policy goals relating to childhood immunizations....and he is interested in the societal influence on policy and health outcomes. The PhD path is crystal clear now. I set up a meeting to speak with him, and I have 3 other meetings set up regarding PhD stuff as well--all with very accomplished professors who could really guide me (and may have the much-needed funding!). I don't think I've been this excited about anything since, well...in months! The kind of excited where you think about the possibilities and you can't help but smile big. And all of this craziness is over the possibility of 3 more years of school--so you know this is good.

That kept me awake for most of the day. This afternoon I walked from SPH to downtown to the Registrar's office and realized that my (limited-run) bus didn't start service for another 45 minutes........so I walked all the way to the park and ride lot. Who needs a bus anyway?? It was (and still is) crazy-windy today--the type of wind that when it hits you sideways while you're walking your leg is pushed from the force and you end up tripping yourself. Yep, please tell me this happens to other people......... : )
It took me 40 minutes to walk to the west side of town and the wind resistence made for a great work out. I must say that I really enjoyed the walk.

Of course, as soon as I sat down to study for my biostats test tomorrow I was overcome with sleepiness. I got a good 4 hours of studying in before my eyes gave out on me and my brain froze. I think it is time to give up and just go to bed.

whoohoo!!

World travelers, take me with you!

2005-11-08T16:13:00.000-06:00

Well, not so much "world" travelers, more like "far-off city" travelers. This week my dad is in San Francisco (one of my favorite cities) for a conference. He just called to say how nice the weather is and "what a great town". I'd really love to be there right now! I visited SF with Mike over Memorial Day weekend back in 2002 and just couldn't get enough of the city. We ate at the most amazing Chinese restaurant in Chinatown--it was a tiny dive on a side street, but the food was out of this world. We walked around the city forever, rode the trolley, took a ferry over to "The Rock", where Mike recounted his experience competing in the "Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon" (and I couldn't believe anyone would willingly get in that water to swim back to shore), we visited the original Ghirardelli Chocolate store, Golden Gate Park, and enjoyed even more amazing food in Little Italy. I think I took 4 rolls of film (no digital camera.....damn) during the trip.

I have a habit of buying a travel-guide book whenever I'm going to visit a new city. Not just any travel guide, either, it has to be the "Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guide":

They have the best pictures and maps :). Before the trip I read through the travel guide and soak up all of the info, but I'm not a "by the book" type of girl when traveling--I usually keep things random and spontaneous, but this way at least I know what I'm looking at and have a general idea of what I want to see.

In other traveler news, Damon and Solomon are in Miami this week on "school business" ;). No, really, they are picking up some stuff to bring back to UM, but still, they're in Miami and may make a brief jaunt down to Key West. Ahhh, Key West :) The only place in the world where you can get frozen authentic key lime pie on a stick:

AND it's covered in dark chocolate. Talk about a tasty treat! I was there in late November 2001, which means the temperature was perfect and the massive hoards of tourists hadn't arrived yet. We enjoyed some great food (sense a theme?), took in a sunset cruise on a beautiful sailboat, and did some snorkeling at a coral reef, where I saw an octopus and some creepy barracuda (they actually do just "sit" in the water and watch you)......shiver.

To top it all off, my dad's girlfriend is in London on business.......I think these people are trying to torture me!

SO--anyone up for a trip?? I need to get back out there into "travel-land". I can provide the road trip music :)

What's He Saying?

2005-11-06T22:33:00.000-06:00

My nephew was playing with some of his trucks this afternoon and amidst all of the "vroooommmm.....crash!" and high-pitched squeals Jess and I hear something that sounds like "Oh Crap". We focus our gaze on Josh and wait for it again....."Oh SNAP!". My nephew now says "Oh Snap". Huh. I must admit it was pretty funny. I certainly don't say that and I'm pretty sure Jess doesn't say that--the influence of day care, perhaps? I wonder what he'll come up with next (and please don't let it be "shit"....I've let that one slip a few times).

This weekend has been nice. Low key, yet still eventful. Caught up with a few friends and spent some quality time with others.

Yet, the pic below accurately portrays how I'm feeling at 11:40 on a sunday night. Must be the weather.

g'night.
Me at the Outer Banks, NC

An Enjoyable Time-Waster

2005-11-05T13:49:00.000-06:00

My friend AJ sent me the link to the "Numa Numa" clip off of the Albino Blacksheep.com website (which is hilarious, by the way and anyone who has been in a club in the past few months has invariably witnessed the phenomenon where people dance to this song while trying to sing in Romanian--Solomon even referenced it in his blog! I wonder what the lyrics translate to...the joke could be on us) and I had to share the equally enjoyable time-waster below. I think it's pretty funny. And NO, it isn't a personal comment on my life. :)
Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me

Tidbits

2005-11-04T22:49:00.000-06:00

I went for a nice run tonight before the sun set. It was 68 degrees outside and while I was lacking the energy to run, I couldn't help but enjoy the trail one last time before I get wussy and don't want to run in the cold (I'll move things indoors!). It is the same trail that I ran and biked this past summer and it seemed so different now that the trees have turned and leaves are on the ground. It made me sad. For those of you who don't know me, I definitely express the "sentimentality" gene found in most women. It seems to be lacking in my sister--definitely recessive. She gets pissed when I get sentimental. We balance each other out well :)

A fact: I'm drawn to creative people. When I encounter someone who has an affinity for creativity I can't help but be intrigued by them. I want to know what makes them tick and move and where they find inspiration. I want to understand their individuality. I love it when someone can say something that changes my perspective and challenges my perception. For instance, I ran into one of my favorite creative friends today at Amer's and had a conversation about his PhD interests and general goals for improving society :). Just by being who he is and representing his life experiences and insights he challenges my perceptions and makes me think. I love that! My hope is that I do the same for other people. I guess it's rather relative in that contributions I may make vary depending on the person's experiences and knowledge. All I can do is represent my thoughts and experiences honestly, right? RIGHT!

Song that's currently playing on my itunes: "U Can Look" by Jump, Little Children. (they're fun in concert!)
Song that's next on my itunes: "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice.
After that: "I Can't Wait" by The Sundays.
Then: "A Lack of Color" by Death Cab for Cutie.........

I could go on and on.....
goodnight!

Sign me up!

2005-11-03T22:19:00.000-06:00

You know you're a Public Health nerd when you start jumping up and down when a PBS special on Global Health comes on TV. I read the program description and the moment unfolded like this:

"hmm.....Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge: the current challenges facing the world regarding night blindness, nutritional deficiencies (voice starts increasing in pitch and I start jumping up and down) HIV/AIDS and Avian Influenza??!!! AWESOME!!!".

My sister called me a "total dork" and left the room :)

What can I say? I'm a dork. But...a well informed dork! I further demonstrated my dorkiness by insisting that she watch it with me; her response was "no, it doesn't really interest me". I glared at her and was actually speechless for a few seconds. I really couldn't understand how it didn't interest her....it interested everyone, right?? I asked her a few times more just to check to see if she was pulling my leg--she got annoyed. I called my dad and told him that I finally understood why she is his second favorite. HA! His response was, "well, you've always been cut from a different log". I think that was a compliment.....
My dad had called me last night when I was stuck doing SAS work in the SPH computer lab at 10 pm (ugh) to let me know the Rx series was on and I had completely forgotten about it until I was flipping channels tonight looking for CSI. Needless to say, I didn't watch CSI (which happens to be one of my favorite shows).

The program (only one part of a multi-part series) was like a mini emotional rollercoaster; moments of elation, sadness, promise, hopelessness, admiration for my fellow human beings who put it all out there and risk EVERYTHING for public health progress. Yes! I am ready to go and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!! :) As soon as I get my degree....

And, for those of you who haven't been paying attention to a little thing called Avian Influenza--it's really. scary. shit.

here's the link for more info:
Rx for Survival

Hee.

2005-11-02T15:49:00.000-06:00

My sister felt compelled to hide Joshie's Halloween bucket from me.

I'm. Addicted. To. Chocolate.

But, in all honesty, I've only had 3 of the mini candybars over the past 2 days. That is not reason enough to hide it, is it??
:)

Boycott, Badness, and Beauty

2005-11-02T12:49:00.000-06:00

The Boycott:
I love my Nestle's Crunch and hot chocolate, but now when I think about enjoying the chocolate-y goodness I'll see hundreds of thousands of dead babies in my mind. Morbid, right? Apparently, the Nestle Corporation is one of the major global players in the Infant Milk Substitute Market and their ethically-questionable marketing practices in developing countries has lead to a 20-country boycott of their products. The participants of the Nestle boycott accuse Nestle of not complying with the WHO's World Health Assembly Marketing Requirements and of unfairly marketing their infant formula to women in developing countries, advocating formula as the "modern" and convenient thing to do. The consequences of advocating infant formula versus breast feeding: hundreds of thousands of infant deaths from diarrheal diseases caused by contaminated water used to reconstitute the formula. Now, there are benefits to using formula in certain situations: mothers who are HIV/AIDS positive, infants who refuse to breast feed, mothers who are too malnourished to nurse.....definitely a case-by-case situation.
I had a mini-Baby Ruth chocolate bar this afternoon (courtesy of Josh's Halloween bucket)! If the accusations against Nestle are true, then I feel bad for enjoying their chocolate. Damn.

Here are two references so you can check out the facts:
Baby Milk Action Org
Nestle's page

The Badness:
So I know a guy who is in a long distance relationship. They have been seeing each other for only a short period of time, but he swears he thinks she's "the one". He says this, goes on and on about how excited he is about the relationship and it's insane how he feels about this girl......then invites a (different) girl over to hang out and make out!
WTF??
He's legitimately interested in having sex with this other girl. Now, call me crazy, but something just isn't right. How can he be so enamored with his girlfriend and still be physically interested in another girl, and more importantly, willing to act on that physical attraction? Is this the norm? Am I that naive? Is sex that removed from emotion? I just don't get it.

The Beauty:
It's November now and the trees are still full of color, the air is cool, and the sun is shining. Today's high is supposed to be 60 degrees! It won't last long....I really need to get out and take some pictures before the color is gone and the snow arrives. I'll post pics when I get around to it :)

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T19:47:00.000-06:00

It's officially Halloween and I'm already in my pjs :). I think there was enough partying Friday and Saturday to do the holiday justice this year. Sunday was spent finishing up my poster for today's poster session--unfortunately that meant I was holed up in the basement of SPH II on an absolutely gorgeous fall day. Boo!

The poster session was rather anti-climactic. We spent weeks worrying about the poster session and hours preparing for it and it wasn't worth any of the stress! 2 hours of wondering around looking at other people's posters, 1 hour of standing in front of your own poster answering questions, then the poster is relegated to the back of a closet or tossed in the dumpster. Blech. I guess it is good practice....for something.....I'll let you know when I figure out what that something is. It WAS a good time to see friends and do some socializing.....and eat gigantic Halloween cookies :)

My Cheetara costume was a success! Although, one girl came up to me today and said--"wow, that was a really short skirt you were wearing at the party!" I was taken aback because I can't even imagine a skirt as short as the shorts I was wearing and I thought that was a funny comment for someone to make--I don't even know her! But I assured her that they were indeed shorts........I wonder how many other people thought I was wearing a skirt?
I digress.

More Halloween pics:

Steph and Me
Josh as Superman (with muscles)

Halloween is over and it isn't even here yet!

2005-10-31T01:33:00.000-06:00

Very short post 'cause it's past my bedtime and anything I try to write now will be nonsense :)

Friday night: SNRE Halloween Party with lots of crazy (and I'm talking CRAZY) dancing. Fun times. I didn't even recognize Damon and Solomon when I saw them in their costumes. I went as Pippi Longstockings :)

Saturday: Great trip to Detroit to see the Rodin exhibit at the DIA courtesy of Kyle, who made art viewing a more interesting and fun experience. Dinner party with Steph, Matt and other great friends. Matt is an AMAZING cook and I'd be more than happy to come over for dinner more often, really, it isn't any trouble at all. Party time! Went out to Peter's party and had a blast. We arrived late, but it was still going strong and everyone was very creative with their costumes.

Time for pics:

SNRE Party: Katie, me, AJ, Hal, Damon
Peter as Edward Scissorhands and me
Solomon, Me, AJ
Hal, Solomon, Me
Solomon, AJ, Me, Damon

Midterms and.....porn??

2005-10-27T19:37:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right....porn! Today's topic in my Global Health class was the public health implications of breast feeding vs. formula in different cultural settings. To illustrate the general American perception of breasts and breast feeding our professor proceeded to show 4 overhead transparencies from the current issue of Playboy magazine. That's 4 pair of breasts....doing provocative things. I'm totally fine seeing breasts, as I have a pair and I see them regularly, but you could tell the class did a collective shift in their seats and the guys looked a little uncertain as to whether or not they should look at the overheads or stare at the floor for a minute or two. Our professor is unfazed by all of it and I love her for that--she's very "that's how it is" and I respect that....not just regarding breasts, either. She proceeds to say:

"no, now these are definitely fake--you can tell because of the globe-like appearance and, let me just say that a woman that skinny doesn't have huge breasts like that! Where's the transparency with the real breasts?....we searched the entire playboy and found one pair that we think are real."
I can safely say that that was an academic first for me.

Her point was this: in America breasts are categorized as sexual objects, not as motherly, nurturing objects. There is a negative social connotation associated with many things breast-related due largely to the over-sexualization of the female body by Playboy, Hustler, etc. This negative connotation carries over to activities that should be perceived as natural and innocent, such as breast feeding--particularly breast feeding in public places. People tend to be offended by the sight of a mother breast feeding her baby, regardless of whether or not breast is actually visible--how can such a beautifully natural thing be considered perverse and offensive??

I don't plan on sitting myself and my (sometime in the future) baby down in the middle of a crowded shopping mall for feeding time--I'd probably find an inconspicuous spot, but I'd hope that the people around me would respect my decision and look upon it as nuturing and not perverse.

Oh, yeah, and I'm done with midtems!! Whoo-hoo!

The Big Reveal!

2005-10-26T20:56:00.000-05:00

My costume is now complete!
I'm gonna be a little cold, I fear. While my character wears a leotard in "real life" I couldn't find a red one so I had to improvise--I'm not wearing a leotard, but I am going to be wearing something that I believe preserves the essence of my character. It's a mystery, right?

Here's the big reveal:
My character kicks-ass (literally) and has the power to see the past and predict the future.....Who am I??

Cheetara!! The one and only Thundercats heroine
To complete my costume I found a cool pair of fake eye-lashes, glitter make-up and glitter hair spray, a pair of gold fishnet tights (I couldn't find a pair similar to Cheetara's) and a pair of black hot pants in lieu of the leotard. Hopefully people will recognize me as "Cheetara"--I think the Thundercats symbol on my shirt will help ;)

Now if I only knew a "Liono" or a "Panthra".....that'd be cool.

A Student.....FOREVER ?

2005-10-25T21:38:00.000-05:00

Today I received an email from my high school friend Mark with an update on "the gang". It seems that I'm one of the last hold-outs in the marriage and career department: out of my 8 close guy-friends 5 are married, 2 are "heading in that direction" and one is doing his own thing; one couple is expecting their first child and 5 out of the 8 are living in far-off exotic places....well, San Diego, Chicago, Chapel Hill, Boston (way to go Matt on getting into Harvard Business school!!), and Seattle. Out of the 2 close girl-friends that I've kept in touch with, one is married (Katie, aka Best Friend) and one is engaged. In a weird way that makes me feel old and sorta out of place in that removed part of my life.....not because I'm (so) not feeling the need to get married and am quite happy doing my own thing, but because all of my high school friends are living adult lives, with houses and dogs and yards and full time occupations. I was once an "adult" under that definition, with a full time job and lots of free time. Currently, I'm craving some stability! I want a house, a yard, a dog, an occupation. I want to have wine and cheese parties and be a member of an art museum and voluteer at the Children's Hospital and put more energy into being creative and exercise 10 days a week and go to kick-ass concerts and see amazing movies. Oh, yes, I could do all of that now, but school is the priority and I'm fucking broke! Free time and money is what I need :) But....at the same time I'm not quite ready to leave the educational environment. Damn, it's a double edged sword, isn't it? Go back to the working world and do all the things that I currently want to do, or stay in academia and lay the foundation for a more successfull career that could enable me to accomplish more of the things that I want to accomplish in the long run? I need a job that allows me to work while going to school......hmmmm.....maybe I should just get a GSI position or something.

My solution in 2-steps:
1) Stop bitching. I'm in control of my life. It's all give and take.
2) Be more productive when I can so I'm able to do more of the things that I'd like to do, while creatively coming up with cheap ways to do them.........dollar movie, anyone? Actually, they're $1.50 after 6pm--dollar movie my ass! ;)

PS: while it may seem that I'm unhappy with my current circumstances, I assure you that I'm having an amazing time being a student, living in Ann Arbor, and grateful for the people in my life. The above rant is probably due to grumpiness brought on by midterm stress. Love ya!
I LOVE GRAD SCHOOL!

State of (my) Mind: Part II

2005-10-24T21:29:00.000-05:00

Random stuff about me:

-Song that is currently stuck in my head: "Homeward" by The Sundays (check out their album "Static and Silence")
-Best friend in the whole world: Katie Crowe (aka Dillon)
-Favorite "don't tell anyone I like this song" song: "Gold Digger" by Kanye West. Can't help but move to it.
-How many times I've had my heart broken (the legitimate "can't-get-over-it-for-months and can't listen to particular songs for fear of losing it" type): 3
-How many times I've broken someone's heart: 2
-Favorite pet: my dog "Jack", who tragically ran away while I was out of town. I should count that as one more heartbreak....
-Favorite food: anything ethnic: sushi, indian, thai, japanese, mexican, ethiopian....
-Thing I miss most about Atlanta: Mike
-Best concert I've ever been to: either Radiohead or Coldplay.....although, The Cure was pretty good as well
-How many times I've been skinny dipping: zero (it'll happen one day)
-My biggest secret(s) right now: 1) I have a completely innocent crush on a guy who's definitely taken, 2) I'm still not over the last guy who broke my heart (but I'm not letting it get in the way)
-My biggest fear: losing someone I love
-Biggest regret: letting go of a dear friend when he needed me the most
-Dream vacation: backpacking through Europe (so cliche)
-Best vacation: cross country road trip from Atlanta to Wisconsin to Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon back to Atlanta. Or, Atlanta to Yellowstone to Seattle to Sacramento (via Hwy 101) to Salt Lake City to Atlanta.
-Favorite comic strip: "Get Fuzzy"
-Place I'd like to go after I graduate: Good question!! Ann Arbor, Chicago, DC....? who knows
-Best "relax and unwind music": David Gray, The Sundays, classic Ella Fitzgerald, and many, many more
-Favorite comfy-clothes: scrub pants and a t-shirt
-What I like the most about my sister: her (blunt) honesty...she doesn't beat around the bush and I need that sometimes
-What song I'm listening to right now: "C'mere" by Interpol
-What makes me absolutely, completely happy: my nephew Josh
-How I'll change the world: solving the problem of availability of simple medical treatments in underserved populations
-What I want to learn how to do (or become better at): tons of things! photography, glass blowing, stained glass, sewing, painting....how to manage time more efficiently :)
-How I resemble my parents: I have my dad's appreciation of the arts and culture; I have my mom's compassion for other people (not to say that either lacks the other's trait)
-Scariest "I can't believe I just did that" experience: crawling through a drainage pipe and up a very tall ladder to get to a platform in the middle of a reservoir
-Biggest change in the past year: new perspective on my strengths and understanding my weaknesses
-The song that stops me in my tracks: "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" by Jeff Buckley:
"Broken down and hungry for your love with no way to feed it.......
It's never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon the shoulder
It's never over, all my riches for her smile when I slept so soft against her
It's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter
It's never over, she's a tear that hangs inside my soul forever"
-What I should be doing right now: STUDYING!!

I told you it was random..... :)

State of (my) Mind

2005-10-24T17:45:00.000-05:00

It all hit me this week and hit me hard. Time is going by way too fast and I'll be looking for a job and applying to the PhD program before I know it....well, I guess I should be doing that RIGHT NOW, but I have other things on my mind. It's all about prioritizing. This week is packed with things to do and I'm actually feeling stressed for the first time this semester. It's hard enough with the impending time change and the arrival of the eternal darkness of the "Michigan Winter", but I haven't been out to exercise in over a week and I'm definitely feeling the repercussions--both mentally and physically. As one friend put it "I'm starting to feel my body morph into its winter form"....well, it isn't that bad....yet. All things considered, I'm doing well and am adjusting my routine to the new weather and academic demands. For instance, I went to bed at 9:30 last friday night and didn't stir until 8 am saturday! It was some of the most peacefull sleep I've had in a while. Instead of choosing to watch the UM football game at Solomon and Damon's house, I stayed at home and studied with the tv on mute--I know, it wasn't the most productive study session I've had, but I did still absorb some Public Health Policy. I then rewarded myself with a trip to BW3 to join the boys and my friend Julia before heading out to the "Sweater and Cider" party. Check out the pics below. The cider was hot (and had quite a kick to it) and the bonfire was very welcoming on the cold night. It ended up being another late night, but probably the most fun I've had in a few weeks.
In other news, I've finally decided on my Halloween costume! I'm still not divulging any info, but pics will be up at some point. I just need to figure out how to stay warm while wearing my costume........
Looks like the party (or one of the parties) I'll be going to will be a totally crazy experience--at least people who went last year say that it was incredible. By that point I'll be finished with all of my midterms and my poster will (hopefully) be done and ready for monday's poster session, so a good time is most definitely in order!
Alright, my laundry is done and I gotta get back to work so I'll leave you with some pics.

Out at BW3: Hal, Sol, Me, Julia

Sweater and Cider party: Chris, Me, Erin, Sol, Kara, Drew

2 down, 2 to go

2005-10-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

I took my Global Health: Anthropological Perspectives midterm yesterday and for not having studied except during biostats the hour before the exam, I think I did rather well. I didn't set out not to study for the test. I did study some the night before, but the material is rather non-study-able....if that's a word. You either know it or you don't. So Wednesday night after studying for a bit I went and played trivia at BW3; a challenge had been issued and I went with intentions of dominating team Bowfin, consisting of Damon, James and Solomon (they are too confident in their abilities)......and my team lost.....too bad I was the one who threw the challenge out there :) Oops. Now, the Bowfin trivia team IS NOT the same team Bowfin that dominates at flip cup:

Flip cup Team Bowfin
So I guess this gives Solomon bragging rights for a while. He is a rather smart guy, for being into fishes. ;)

This past week was eventful and not necessarily in a good way, either. I let one of my closest friends in the world down...although he'd never, ever say so, I did a lot of sleeping, not enough studying, no exercising, I made a big mistake, I figured out a thing or two about a guy or two, but I also learned more about myself--so that can't be bad.

It is now friday night and I'm really, really excited about the chinese food on its way here and the wine that's going to accompany the meal. Friday nights are usually my "relax and unwind from the week" night. This summer my sister and I had a once a month ritual where we'd either make margaritas or open a bottle of wine, while crazy-dancing around the living room. The music selection was always unpredictable, Josh was permitted to dance on the living room table, and we all had a fabulous end-of-the-week-let-loose-and-go-crazy time. I miss summer! It was a wonderful, life-exploring experience.

Back to reality: I have 2 more mid-terms coming up this week, I have to submit the topic of my Social Epi final paper to Dr. Kaplan for approval, my epidemiology poster session next monday, a trip to Detroit to visit Kyle and the new DIA exhibit, and all of the Halloween festivities next weekend. Time is flying by.......

Oh, The Places I'll Go.......

To be fair...

Two years later....

WTF?

Even Cooper is sleepy

Easter snowfall

hello?.......

Updates!

Productive me (?)

3 inches?!

Music

Can it be.....

Recap

Wanted: Fancy Shoes

Happy New Year 2007!

Happy, Happy Weekend

Happy Halloween!

Back to work!

On the road

Work!

Ah, such relaxation!

Congrats are in order!

Shedding my skin

Can't post now...

Yes, I am still here!

I'm Back!

Greetings from Detroit

The time has come.....

Transitioning to "Summer Janine"

Free time is good

The Graduate

Arrrggghhh!

An offer I can't refuse....?

Music selection of the night

Is it really over?

Chocolate overload

Happy Birthday!

Haha--you're so funny!

Hmmm....very interesting

So worth it

Da-Daaaa!

Reliving my youth

I'm a happy girl :)

tossin' and turnin'

Realization:

Just what I needed

a lil' bit of everything

Friends are back!!

I need it.

Snow for Spring Break

Elmo is tall in person

I'm no spring chicken.....

Reprising my role as "Social Butterfly"

Who's sleepy?

Woo-hoo!

Lotsa stuff...and the Superbowl!

Welcome to the 7-3-4

Mixed Bag

Another one down

2 posts...on a Friday??

Turn it up!

I don't like the locker room....

50: Such a milestone

So, I lied.....

morning motivation

State of (my) mind: Part III

Heartfelt lesson of the day:

I love a challenge......

Venturing North

Welcome to 2006!

Happy Holidays!

I *heart* Chris Martin

The Best Birthday Week EVER

Wax-on, wax-off

What a happy birthday!

I can see again!

"Good things......"

Beauty and the Procrastinator

False alarm and Katie has arrived!

The Holiday Season Begins

I heart Chris Martin