Here's what I've been up to:
1 - Work. Soon our lab will be getting ready to dispose of a large number of samples from patients who didn't want them kept after the study was over. It will be time-consuming because the samples are kept in various freezers and refrigerators that can't be opened for more than a couple minutes at a time. So right now we're trying to quickly wrap up the project we're working on before starting on the samples. But until we get the list of patients to get rid of, we can't really start anything new. The timing couldn't be worse for me because I was hoping to have July 31st as my last day, but that turns out to be the deadline to get rid of the samples and we'll probably be working on it right up until the end. So I'll probably have to go in for an extra couple of weeks in August to wrap up my things. But it won't be the end because I'll probably start coming in for a couple hours a week once school starts.
2 - School. I just registered for classes for the fall! I am so excited to start :) I'm taking Intro to Food Science, Food Chemistry and Functional Foods, Nutrition Education and Counseling, Food: Safety, Risks and Technology, Food Service Operations Management, and Food Service Operations Management Lab. It will be interesting to see how it goes after not being in school for a couple years, but I think it'll be ok since I am taking these classes because I want to know this stuff. I'm also glad I get to take a mix of hard science and social science courses. The two I'm looking forward to the most are Food Chemistry and Functional Foods and Nutrition Education and Counseling. One gives me the theoretical basis of nutrition and the other gives me the practical application.
3 - Volunteering. I'm volunteering at two places right now. One is through an Elder's program in my neighborhood. I was set up with a woman who lives near me. She is 86 and can no longer drive, so I help her with groceries and other errands from time to time. She's the kind of person that doesn't like asking for help, but has no other option since driving is out of the question. In most other aspects she is self-sufficient. The other place where I'm volunteering is a nursing home in Saint Paul. I work in the late-stage Alzheimer's unit, helping out with lunch on saturdays. It's interesting because I've never really been around people with Alzheimer's but it's also challenging because of the communication.
4 - Upcoming trips. I'm going to Las Vegas around July 4th for the World Series of Poker. Brian is playing in it, so I'm going there to watch him. There's also a chance I might end up spending some time lounging by the pool... hehe. I'm looking forward to the back-to-back family cabin trips in August. I'm going to DuNord with Brian's family the first week and Bay Lake with my family the second week.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Finally...
Sorry about the lack of updates! I've been pretty busy the last two weeks. On Tuesday I got back from a weekend trip to Door County. We drove there on Saturday and camped three nights in Egg Harbor. For the most part, the weather was great. We visited Newport State Park and Peninsula State Park as well as a winery and brewery. We also played mini golf and ate at a great restaurant called Fred and Fuzzy's that was right on the waterfront in Sister Bay. The food was really good and because the restaurant was away from the main road, it was very cozy and almost felt like you were at somebody's lakehouse or something. The tables were set up on the lawn and there were kids playing in the lake in front of us. I definitely recommend it to anyone who might visit Door County.
On Wednesday I had a meeting with my grad school adviser and it looks like I'm going to start the master's in the spring after taking one semester of classes in the fall as an undergraduate. This way I can take more credits and won't have to pay graduate tuition for undergraduate-level classes. I'm very excited about all of it because the classes look really interesting and my adviser seems really great.
I made an apocalypse-esque meal today. I have a large supply of dried beans in my cupboard - not because I'm expecting the end of the world, but because I buy them and forget to use them - so today I cooked a brown rice blend in vegetable stock and mixed it with some lentils. Then I added a little salt and pepper and voila! It was surprisingly flavorful because of the veggie stock and the different types of rice - especially the wild rice. I had an egyptian dish called Koshary at the festival of nations that was also made with rice and lentils. In addition, it had chickpeas, onions and a chili tomato sauce on top. It was really good and I think I'm going to try it with my leftovers.
On Wednesday I had a meeting with my grad school adviser and it looks like I'm going to start the master's in the spring after taking one semester of classes in the fall as an undergraduate. This way I can take more credits and won't have to pay graduate tuition for undergraduate-level classes. I'm very excited about all of it because the classes look really interesting and my adviser seems really great.
I made an apocalypse-esque meal today. I have a large supply of dried beans in my cupboard - not because I'm expecting the end of the world, but because I buy them and forget to use them - so today I cooked a brown rice blend in vegetable stock and mixed it with some lentils. Then I added a little salt and pepper and voila! It was surprisingly flavorful because of the veggie stock and the different types of rice - especially the wild rice. I had an egyptian dish called Koshary at the festival of nations that was also made with rice and lentils. In addition, it had chickpeas, onions and a chili tomato sauce on top. It was really good and I think I'm going to try it with my leftovers.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
go go gadget grad school
Yesterday I got an email from the professor I wanted as my grad school adviser asking if I was still interested in joining her research group! I had pretty much given up hope - partly because it had been more than a month without hearing anything and partly to protect myself against rejection - but now I can really get excited! I'm going to meet with her soon to talk about everything before making a final decision, but most likely I will be starting the master's program in the fall.
The professor's name is Joanne Slavin and she studies the effects of dietary fiber and oligosaccharides (which are indigestible sugars that get fermented by intestinal bacteria) on cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. I think this is interesting because of the prevalence of these diseases right now and also because of the importance of intestinal bacteria. Whole grains and other whole foods (vegetables, fruits and legumes) promote growth of certain types of beneficial bacteria (like bifidobacteria) while the absence of these foods allows other, less beneficial and sometimes harmful, bacteria (like E. Coli and bacteroides) to grow. A few of these other types of bacteria are thought to reverse the actions of antioxidants by converting substances into carcinogens in the gut. And the best part of using whole foods to prevent diseases is that it's a lot cheaper (and easier on the body) than trying to reverse these diseases once they start.
The professor's name is Joanne Slavin and she studies the effects of dietary fiber and oligosaccharides (which are indigestible sugars that get fermented by intestinal bacteria) on cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. I think this is interesting because of the prevalence of these diseases right now and also because of the importance of intestinal bacteria. Whole grains and other whole foods (vegetables, fruits and legumes) promote growth of certain types of beneficial bacteria (like bifidobacteria) while the absence of these foods allows other, less beneficial and sometimes harmful, bacteria (like E. Coli and bacteroides) to grow. A few of these other types of bacteria are thought to reverse the actions of antioxidants by converting substances into carcinogens in the gut. And the best part of using whole foods to prevent diseases is that it's a lot cheaper (and easier on the body) than trying to reverse these diseases once they start.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
it's a small world after all
Ok, I guess I didn't write a lot this weekend like I thought I would. I've had a pretty uneventful past week.
I'm not sure I'm cut out for the 9-5 life. I feel like so much of my time is spent at work and then when I get home, I'm too tired to do much. It's the worst in winter when it gets dark before I even leave work. I have the weekends to do what I want, but I don't like running errands or driving around then because of traffic and how many people are in the stores. Maybe it's just a matter of finding the right job, because mine is far from ideal, but I'm not thrilled about the prospect of having to wake up and go to work day after day after day and having such limited time off. There's too much to enjoy in life! Americans work way too much!
I can't wait for the day when I can work for myself. I'm not sure what I'll do exactly, and I certainly don't have much to offer right now, but it is my ultimate goal to be my own boss. I'm optimistic. What I have to do right now, though, is find something that will be of value to other people. Hopefully I will find that while I'm in school!
I looked at these pictures today, and my heart started pounding. I am so small!!!!!!!!
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/2706/spaceb.jpg
I'm not sure I'm cut out for the 9-5 life. I feel like so much of my time is spent at work and then when I get home, I'm too tired to do much. It's the worst in winter when it gets dark before I even leave work. I have the weekends to do what I want, but I don't like running errands or driving around then because of traffic and how many people are in the stores. Maybe it's just a matter of finding the right job, because mine is far from ideal, but I'm not thrilled about the prospect of having to wake up and go to work day after day after day and having such limited time off. There's too much to enjoy in life! Americans work way too much!
I can't wait for the day when I can work for myself. I'm not sure what I'll do exactly, and I certainly don't have much to offer right now, but it is my ultimate goal to be my own boss. I'm optimistic. What I have to do right now, though, is find something that will be of value to other people. Hopefully I will find that while I'm in school!
I looked at these pictures today, and my heart started pounding. I am so small!!!!!!!!
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/2706/spaceb.jpg
Friday, April 24, 2009
crabbies
I woke up at 5:30am to one of my hermit crabs making an annoying scratching noise and couldn't fall back asleep, so I thought I'd write a blog entry. I've had three crabs since July. Recently I gave them some new substrate (soil plus calcium sand) and they don't seem to like it much. With the old substrate, they'd spend most of their time buried underneath, but now they climb onto things instead. They wouldn't even walk over the substrate at first. I thought I'd give it a little time in case they were just throwing a hissy fit in response to the change, but it's been long enough now and they still won't dig much, so there must be something about the substrate they don't like. I bought some of the stuff I used before, "Ecoearth", made from coconut fiber, that I'll use to replace what they have now. I mix it with calcium sand, which is edible and beneficial because the crabs need the calcium for exoskeleton growth.
The crab making the scratching noise was climbing upside-down across the wire-mesh cover of the tank. Just climbing across makes enough noise, but he also seemed to be scraping his claws against the wire... maybe he was trying to break through? This was the same crab who, since the beginning, had always been very active and curious, and almost escaped a couple times. I had to get a new cover because of him. Now I have a coconut-fiber climbing wall attached to the side, so it's easy to climb to the top, but this crab was able to reach the top before I added that, when he only had the silicone in the corners to grab onto.
Yesterday I spent 1.5 hours walking the four miles home from work. It was such a nice day that I decided to start walking home, and then just kept going. By the end, my legs were getting very tired but it was too late to catch a bus at that point. I find it's easier to exercise when I have a destination, rather than making a special trip. When it gets consistently nice out, I'm going to start taking my bike with me on the bus to the way to work and then bike home. Another thing I do is take the stairs at work. I'm on the eighth floor, and coming up from the 1st or 2nd floor is surprisingly difficult, but I've been doing it for a couple months now and it's slowly getting easier.
This week, I started taking fundamentals of management as a summer class. I need it as a prerequisite for one of the nutrition courses, so I thought I'd take it now to get a head start. So far it seems pretty general and common-sensical, but as someone who doesn't have any management experience, I think I will learn a lot from it. I'm not really looking forward to the exams though. I think exams are harder with general courses, especially in the non-sciences, because less detail is given, the information is less concrete, and there is more of it. Because there is less detail, it requires more memorization because you don't have the whole concept to use as context. But all in all, I think it will be good for me to learn a bit about how businesses work and what makes a good manager.
Ok, I have to get ready for work. Check back, because I'm planning to write a lot this weekend!
The crab making the scratching noise was climbing upside-down across the wire-mesh cover of the tank. Just climbing across makes enough noise, but he also seemed to be scraping his claws against the wire... maybe he was trying to break through? This was the same crab who, since the beginning, had always been very active and curious, and almost escaped a couple times. I had to get a new cover because of him. Now I have a coconut-fiber climbing wall attached to the side, so it's easy to climb to the top, but this crab was able to reach the top before I added that, when he only had the silicone in the corners to grab onto.
Yesterday I spent 1.5 hours walking the four miles home from work. It was such a nice day that I decided to start walking home, and then just kept going. By the end, my legs were getting very tired but it was too late to catch a bus at that point. I find it's easier to exercise when I have a destination, rather than making a special trip. When it gets consistently nice out, I'm going to start taking my bike with me on the bus to the way to work and then bike home. Another thing I do is take the stairs at work. I'm on the eighth floor, and coming up from the 1st or 2nd floor is surprisingly difficult, but I've been doing it for a couple months now and it's slowly getting easier.
This week, I started taking fundamentals of management as a summer class. I need it as a prerequisite for one of the nutrition courses, so I thought I'd take it now to get a head start. So far it seems pretty general and common-sensical, but as someone who doesn't have any management experience, I think I will learn a lot from it. I'm not really looking forward to the exams though. I think exams are harder with general courses, especially in the non-sciences, because less detail is given, the information is less concrete, and there is more of it. Because there is less detail, it requires more memorization because you don't have the whole concept to use as context. But all in all, I think it will be good for me to learn a bit about how businesses work and what makes a good manager.
Ok, I have to get ready for work. Check back, because I'm planning to write a lot this weekend!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
MJD school update
Here's an update on what is happening with school for the fall. I received an email saying I was "deemed admissible" to the master's program in nutrition at the U, but that my application needs to be circulated to the faculty members to see if anyone has a research assistant position for me, or is willing to advise me without an immediate lab project. Only fifteen MS and PhD students, out of about 50 applicants, get accepted each year, but I'm sure some of those do not meet the requirements for the program and some end up going to other schools. So my chances are a little better than 15 out of 50. Another factor that might affect my getting in is how many people turned in applications before I did. They are looked at on a rolling basis, so if all the research assistant positions were filled before I turned in my application, then it wouldn't matter if I qualified for the program.
I'm not sure what I'll do if I get accepted with an adviser who isn't one of my top choices. I'll have to do some reading about the professor... maybe I'll realize he/she is a good match for me, but if not I suppose I'll apply again next year. I can't wait forever, though, and I'd hate to decline acceptance and then not get in next year, or have the same thing happen again.
I don't absolutely need to get into the program this year because I can get started on my dietetics certification without being a masters student. Being a certified dietician is much more important, in terms of job prospects, than having a masters. Having a masters without being a certified dietician is pretty much useless, as far as I can tell. If I get into the MS program, I will intermix the dietetics certification courses with the masters ones. If I don't get in, I have already been accepted in the undergraduate program, so I can start taking classes through that, and the upside is that I won't have to pay graduate credit!
So it looks like things are going to work out, even though I don't know which direction I will be going. The only snag will be getting into the classes I want. Registration has already started for returning students, so I'm worried some of the classes will close by the time I get to register. I don't know if spots are saved for new students registering late, or if I'll have finagle my way in.
Yesterday I went to the driving range and putting green at the U of M. I've never actually golfed before, even though I've done plenty of mini-golfing and went to the driving range once in high school. Driving was a bit frustrating when I kept swinging and couldn't hit the ball, but I think I made a little bit of progress. It was surprisingly hard, and I think getting anywhere at all will take a lot of practice to learn the technique and to build the muscles in my hands and arms. I want to keep learning, though, because I like doing the putting and it seems like it would be fun once I got past the difficult part.
This week is full of sports... I joined a kickball team and our first game is this evening. Then tomorrow I'm probably going to the twins game. It's so nice to finally be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors!
I'm not sure what I'll do if I get accepted with an adviser who isn't one of my top choices. I'll have to do some reading about the professor... maybe I'll realize he/she is a good match for me, but if not I suppose I'll apply again next year. I can't wait forever, though, and I'd hate to decline acceptance and then not get in next year, or have the same thing happen again.
I don't absolutely need to get into the program this year because I can get started on my dietetics certification without being a masters student. Being a certified dietician is much more important, in terms of job prospects, than having a masters. Having a masters without being a certified dietician is pretty much useless, as far as I can tell. If I get into the MS program, I will intermix the dietetics certification courses with the masters ones. If I don't get in, I have already been accepted in the undergraduate program, so I can start taking classes through that, and the upside is that I won't have to pay graduate credit!
So it looks like things are going to work out, even though I don't know which direction I will be going. The only snag will be getting into the classes I want. Registration has already started for returning students, so I'm worried some of the classes will close by the time I get to register. I don't know if spots are saved for new students registering late, or if I'll have finagle my way in.
Yesterday I went to the driving range and putting green at the U of M. I've never actually golfed before, even though I've done plenty of mini-golfing and went to the driving range once in high school. Driving was a bit frustrating when I kept swinging and couldn't hit the ball, but I think I made a little bit of progress. It was surprisingly hard, and I think getting anywhere at all will take a lot of practice to learn the technique and to build the muscles in my hands and arms. I want to keep learning, though, because I like doing the putting and it seems like it would be fun once I got past the difficult part.
This week is full of sports... I joined a kickball team and our first game is this evening. Then tomorrow I'm probably going to the twins game. It's so nice to finally be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
beggars and soup
I often get stopped by people asking for money when I'm out shopping. Last week, I made a quick trip to rainbow and on my way out of the store, a guy asked me if I could spare three dollars. I told him I'd buy him some food from the store, because I'd heard that was a good way to make sure the money isn't spent on alcohol or drugs. He didn't seem too crazy about that idea, and told me he wanted the money for mcdonalds. I was still reluctant but before I could say anything else, a woman who had overheard us came up and told him she'd give him the money. But it turned out all she had were a few coins, so he turned to me again. This time, I just gave him the money because I didn't want to seem stingy or condescending. As I drove out of the parking lot, I saw him walking toward mcdonalds and was glad he was telling the truth, but then he walked past the door and to somebody's car window to ask them for money. I don't know whether or not he ended up going to mcdonalds.
I'm not sure I did the right thing because he was so quick to turn down my offer to buy him food at the grocery store. That made me think he might not have been so interested in using the money for food. I would hate to refuse him if he truly did need it for food, but there's no way of knowing. I want to be able to help, but not if my money is just going towards drugs or alcohol. That encounter made me wonder if a lot of other people, like that woman, are willing to give money without asking questions, and then does it even matter what I do personally?
I don't always give money when asked. It depends on the situation. I give it when I feel bad or sometimes when they are particularly persistent, just to make them quit asking. I should probably stop doing that because it's just reinforcing the behavior. I've only tried to buy food for people twice, and it didn't work either time. I guess if I really wanted to help, I could refuse to give cash unless I know what it's going towards and instead make donations to or volunteer at a shelter or something. Anybody have any ideas for how to deal with people asking for money?
I got some noodles, seaweed, and spices from the asian market near my house, and I'm going to try to make some ramen-like soup tonight. I'm not exactly sure how to season it, but I'll start with my "asian spice blend" and maybe throw in some soy sauce, ginger, or some veggie broth. A hot noodle soup sounds so satisfying right now. Also on my list of things to make is seven-bean soup. The bag of pre-mixed beans was so colorful and pretty at rainbow I couldn't resist buying it. I hope it's as beautiful after it's cooked and I suppose I should try to make it taste good too.
Speaking of making things, I was digging through my fabric and got some ideas for bags to make. I started one over the weekend and should be able to finish it sometime this week. I like making purses/bags because they are fast and pretty easy. Getting the fabric and doing the designing is what I like, and the sewing is just a necessary step in order to get the finished product. With practice, though, it will get easier and hopefully I won't mind so much.
Ok, soup time!
I'm not sure I did the right thing because he was so quick to turn down my offer to buy him food at the grocery store. That made me think he might not have been so interested in using the money for food. I would hate to refuse him if he truly did need it for food, but there's no way of knowing. I want to be able to help, but not if my money is just going towards drugs or alcohol. That encounter made me wonder if a lot of other people, like that woman, are willing to give money without asking questions, and then does it even matter what I do personally?
I don't always give money when asked. It depends on the situation. I give it when I feel bad or sometimes when they are particularly persistent, just to make them quit asking. I should probably stop doing that because it's just reinforcing the behavior. I've only tried to buy food for people twice, and it didn't work either time. I guess if I really wanted to help, I could refuse to give cash unless I know what it's going towards and instead make donations to or volunteer at a shelter or something. Anybody have any ideas for how to deal with people asking for money?
I got some noodles, seaweed, and spices from the asian market near my house, and I'm going to try to make some ramen-like soup tonight. I'm not exactly sure how to season it, but I'll start with my "asian spice blend" and maybe throw in some soy sauce, ginger, or some veggie broth. A hot noodle soup sounds so satisfying right now. Also on my list of things to make is seven-bean soup. The bag of pre-mixed beans was so colorful and pretty at rainbow I couldn't resist buying it. I hope it's as beautiful after it's cooked and I suppose I should try to make it taste good too.
Speaking of making things, I was digging through my fabric and got some ideas for bags to make. I started one over the weekend and should be able to finish it sometime this week. I like making purses/bags because they are fast and pretty easy. Getting the fabric and doing the designing is what I like, and the sewing is just a necessary step in order to get the finished product. With practice, though, it will get easier and hopefully I won't mind so much.
Ok, soup time!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
fine dining
Wow, it's been a busy but fun week. I think I went to more nice restaurants in the twin cities in the past week and a half than in the past year or more.
On Wednesday the 26th, as a girl's night, some friends and I went to Palomino for happy hour and then to RENT at the Orpheum. We got some appetizers and pizzas to share at Palomino and the happy hour specials on food and drinks were really good so we ended up having a pretty inexpensive meal. It was my first time seeing RENT, and I really enjoyed it. I got the feeling a lot of people in the audience had already seen it because they kept cheering at certain scenes when I had no idea what was going on. It took me a little while to figure out who the characters were, but by the end I was emotionally attached and even got a little teary-eyed at one particular scene - those who have seen it probably know which one I'm talking about!
That Saturday, one of Brian's friends was in town from California, so we got dressed up and went on a little double-date to Morton's steakhouse in downtown Mpls. We went all out getting a couple bottles of wine, appetizers, and dessert. I don't eat meat, so I just had a chopped salad (really good!) and dug into the side dishes.
Next on the restaurant checklist was Fogo de Chao on Monday night. It's an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse in downtown Minneapolis that has a giant salad bar and staff members who bring cuts of meat around to the tables. I was a little wary about going there at first, since it's a steakhouse, but then I heard about the salad bar and thought I'd give it a try. I'm really happy I did. I probably wouldn't go there very often because it's expensive for just a salad bar, but the food was very good. There was a big variety of food in the salad bar and the hot side dishes delivered to the table were interesting (in a good way!). They brought grilled plantains, something that I think was fried polenta, cheesy biscuits, and one other thing I can't remember.
Finally, on Friday, I went to Chino Latino in Uptown for a combined birthday dinner. My friend Imke, who is visiting Minnesota from Germany, came out with us. I hadn't seen her in two and a half years, so it was really great to see her. In total, we had a group of fourteen girls. We split some dishes between us, which was good because I could try a few different things from the menu, but I can't wait to go back because there are a lot of things I still want to try. After dinner, we met some more people for drinks at Stella's fish cafe. It was a rare night where a lot of people I knew were out in the same place, so I had a lot of fun.
I also did some less exciting things in the past week that I will save for my next post. I think this is enough for now... plus I'm getting hungry from all this food talk!
I'll just leave you with this interesting website I saw the other day: http://ecoworldly.com/2009/04/02/11-extinct-animals-that-have-been-photographed-alive/
On Wednesday the 26th, as a girl's night, some friends and I went to Palomino for happy hour and then to RENT at the Orpheum. We got some appetizers and pizzas to share at Palomino and the happy hour specials on food and drinks were really good so we ended up having a pretty inexpensive meal. It was my first time seeing RENT, and I really enjoyed it. I got the feeling a lot of people in the audience had already seen it because they kept cheering at certain scenes when I had no idea what was going on. It took me a little while to figure out who the characters were, but by the end I was emotionally attached and even got a little teary-eyed at one particular scene - those who have seen it probably know which one I'm talking about!
That Saturday, one of Brian's friends was in town from California, so we got dressed up and went on a little double-date to Morton's steakhouse in downtown Mpls. We went all out getting a couple bottles of wine, appetizers, and dessert. I don't eat meat, so I just had a chopped salad (really good!) and dug into the side dishes.
Next on the restaurant checklist was Fogo de Chao on Monday night. It's an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse in downtown Minneapolis that has a giant salad bar and staff members who bring cuts of meat around to the tables. I was a little wary about going there at first, since it's a steakhouse, but then I heard about the salad bar and thought I'd give it a try. I'm really happy I did. I probably wouldn't go there very often because it's expensive for just a salad bar, but the food was very good. There was a big variety of food in the salad bar and the hot side dishes delivered to the table were interesting (in a good way!). They brought grilled plantains, something that I think was fried polenta, cheesy biscuits, and one other thing I can't remember.
Finally, on Friday, I went to Chino Latino in Uptown for a combined birthday dinner. My friend Imke, who is visiting Minnesota from Germany, came out with us. I hadn't seen her in two and a half years, so it was really great to see her. In total, we had a group of fourteen girls. We split some dishes between us, which was good because I could try a few different things from the menu, but I can't wait to go back because there are a lot of things I still want to try. After dinner, we met some more people for drinks at Stella's fish cafe. It was a rare night where a lot of people I knew were out in the same place, so I had a lot of fun.
I also did some less exciting things in the past week that I will save for my next post. I think this is enough for now... plus I'm getting hungry from all this food talk!
I'll just leave you with this interesting website I saw the other day: http://ecoworldly.com/2009/04/02/11-extinct-animals-that-have-been-photographed-alive/
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Second post
Thanks for your comments on the last post. I like hearing from ya. JD, yeah you should start one, and MJ I know you like to write... I could see you starting one as well. It's nice to be able to write about whatever you want.
KN, yes it feels good to finally have a plan, even though I still have doubts from time to time. I think it was you who was talking about what to choose for a career versus what should be kept as a hobby, and you probably didn't know, but that actually helped me quite a bit!
Doubts and second-guessing seem to be part of my nature, and I'll probably have them no matter what I choose as a career. I've never had that one thing that stood out as "Aha, that's my calling" but there are a lot of different things that I find interesting and would like to do. It was difficult to choose one thing because I thought it meant I would have to leave everything else behind. But then I realized I can still do most things I want to (with a few exceptions - I don't think "surgery" or "curing AIDS" would work well as hobbies), I just can't necessarily get paid or get recognition for all of them. So I decided to go into nutrition partly because it's flexible enough for the other important things in my life, and, of course, for many other reasons.
At first, I became interested in nutrition because of all the different diets, like atkins, south beach, etc., as well as the different detox methods such as master cleanse and saltwater. I wanted to know what they did and which ones were the best. I did some reading into it and found that there are a lot of differing opinions. I was more confused than when I started! There is some evidence that the atkins diet is effective in weight-loss, but some nutritionists think it might be unhealthy to eat a diet high in protein and fat and low in carbs, some veggies, and some fruit. It is supposed to starve the body of carbohydrates, and thus the fat stores get broken down and converted to energy. Many people have lost weight using the diet, but some nutritionists think the weight-loss is due to how restrictive the diet is, that people on it simply don't eat as many calories. It certainly is good to elminate many of the refined carbohydrates that are out there, since they get converted to fat when they are in excess of the body's needs. Another positive of the diet is that it promotes exercise, unlike some of the other "magic pill" diets out there. I think part of the reason there is still a controversy over this and other diets is that they work for some people and not others. Plus, there are so many environmental factors that contribute to a person's health that it is hard to say definitively that the diet was responsible for the problem. (Some of this I got from my "Understanding Nutrition" textbook and I know WebMD has some good info.)
Overall, from what I've read, it is much easier to prevent weight-gain than get rid of it. Fat is not used up as readily as it is stored, and it seems to me the best way to get rid of it is to reduce the number of empty calories like fats and refined carbohydrates while still eating nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
I know weight-loss can be a sensitive subject, and I hope I didn't come across too preachy. I just wanted to explain what I've read about the topic. One thing I definitely understand is that everybody is different, and has their own weight/diet/exercise issues.
Well, I wrote more than I was planning to and should probably get on with my day.
KN, yes it feels good to finally have a plan, even though I still have doubts from time to time. I think it was you who was talking about what to choose for a career versus what should be kept as a hobby, and you probably didn't know, but that actually helped me quite a bit!
Doubts and second-guessing seem to be part of my nature, and I'll probably have them no matter what I choose as a career. I've never had that one thing that stood out as "Aha, that's my calling" but there are a lot of different things that I find interesting and would like to do. It was difficult to choose one thing because I thought it meant I would have to leave everything else behind. But then I realized I can still do most things I want to (with a few exceptions - I don't think "surgery" or "curing AIDS" would work well as hobbies), I just can't necessarily get paid or get recognition for all of them. So I decided to go into nutrition partly because it's flexible enough for the other important things in my life, and, of course, for many other reasons.
At first, I became interested in nutrition because of all the different diets, like atkins, south beach, etc., as well as the different detox methods such as master cleanse and saltwater. I wanted to know what they did and which ones were the best. I did some reading into it and found that there are a lot of differing opinions. I was more confused than when I started! There is some evidence that the atkins diet is effective in weight-loss, but some nutritionists think it might be unhealthy to eat a diet high in protein and fat and low in carbs, some veggies, and some fruit. It is supposed to starve the body of carbohydrates, and thus the fat stores get broken down and converted to energy. Many people have lost weight using the diet, but some nutritionists think the weight-loss is due to how restrictive the diet is, that people on it simply don't eat as many calories. It certainly is good to elminate many of the refined carbohydrates that are out there, since they get converted to fat when they are in excess of the body's needs. Another positive of the diet is that it promotes exercise, unlike some of the other "magic pill" diets out there. I think part of the reason there is still a controversy over this and other diets is that they work for some people and not others. Plus, there are so many environmental factors that contribute to a person's health that it is hard to say definitively that the diet was responsible for the problem. (Some of this I got from my "Understanding Nutrition" textbook and I know WebMD has some good info.)
Overall, from what I've read, it is much easier to prevent weight-gain than get rid of it. Fat is not used up as readily as it is stored, and it seems to me the best way to get rid of it is to reduce the number of empty calories like fats and refined carbohydrates while still eating nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
I know weight-loss can be a sensitive subject, and I hope I didn't come across too preachy. I just wanted to explain what I've read about the topic. One thing I definitely understand is that everybody is different, and has their own weight/diet/exercise issues.
Well, I wrote more than I was planning to and should probably get on with my day.
Friday, March 27, 2009
I Started a Blog
I never thought I would start a blog, but here it is! The purpose of this blog is to keep people updated on what is going on in my life and to discuss things I've been reading or thinking about lately. I'm planning to update at least a couple times a week, but it might be more or less depending on how busy I am.
For those who don't know, I'm a 24-year-old living in Saint Paul, MN. I have an interest in food and nutrition but for now I work in two research labs in the University of Minnesota medical school: one with group B streptococcus and the other with streptococcus pneumoniae.
In the group B strep lab, we do serotyping (testing to see which sugars and proteins are on the surface of the bacteria), DNA fingerprinting (separation of DNA fragments to see which strains are related), and opsonophagocytic assays (to see how well different components of the human immune system destroy the bacteria). Early this week I submitted my first manuscript to the "European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases" and am waiting to hear back from them. If it gets accepted, this will be my first publication!
I am still training in the streptococcus pneumoniae (a.k.a. pneumococcus) lab, where I will be testing patient serum samples for pneumococcal antibody levels.
I will be working in these labs until the end of August, when I plan to go back to school for nutrition. I applied both to the master's program and as a transfer undergraduate in case I don't get into the master's program right away. On Wednesday I got an email saying I "meet the requirements for admission to the master's program" but now they need to pass my file around to different faculty members to see if anyone has an opening in their lab and is willing to advise me. If I don't get in this year, I will start taking the courses needed for a certification in dietetics, which can be taken as undergraduate courses.
I've also been trying to exercise more, but with the weather being cold again, it's hard to get motivated to do anything. I've got to be more diligent though, because I'm planning to run the Mpls 5K at the end of May, and would like to improve upon the time I got at the TC 5K back in October.
So it looks like I'll be doing a lot of waiting in the next month or two - to hear about the master's program, the undergraduate program, and the manuscript. I'm done with all the hard work and now it's out of my hands. This is one of the few periods of time where I have nothing important to do when I get home from work. I'm used to always having something - like homework, studying or filling out applications - that could be done. I try to read and study on my own but it's different knowing there's no deadline. It's nice having the extra time, but I do feel a bit lazy.
Ok, I think that's enough for one post! I'll try to write again this weekend.
For those who don't know, I'm a 24-year-old living in Saint Paul, MN. I have an interest in food and nutrition but for now I work in two research labs in the University of Minnesota medical school: one with group B streptococcus and the other with streptococcus pneumoniae.
In the group B strep lab, we do serotyping (testing to see which sugars and proteins are on the surface of the bacteria), DNA fingerprinting (separation of DNA fragments to see which strains are related), and opsonophagocytic assays (to see how well different components of the human immune system destroy the bacteria). Early this week I submitted my first manuscript to the "European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases" and am waiting to hear back from them. If it gets accepted, this will be my first publication!
I am still training in the streptococcus pneumoniae (a.k.a. pneumococcus) lab, where I will be testing patient serum samples for pneumococcal antibody levels.
I will be working in these labs until the end of August, when I plan to go back to school for nutrition. I applied both to the master's program and as a transfer undergraduate in case I don't get into the master's program right away. On Wednesday I got an email saying I "meet the requirements for admission to the master's program" but now they need to pass my file around to different faculty members to see if anyone has an opening in their lab and is willing to advise me. If I don't get in this year, I will start taking the courses needed for a certification in dietetics, which can be taken as undergraduate courses.
I've also been trying to exercise more, but with the weather being cold again, it's hard to get motivated to do anything. I've got to be more diligent though, because I'm planning to run the Mpls 5K at the end of May, and would like to improve upon the time I got at the TC 5K back in October.
So it looks like I'll be doing a lot of waiting in the next month or two - to hear about the master's program, the undergraduate program, and the manuscript. I'm done with all the hard work and now it's out of my hands. This is one of the few periods of time where I have nothing important to do when I get home from work. I'm used to always having something - like homework, studying or filling out applications - that could be done. I try to read and study on my own but it's different knowing there's no deadline. It's nice having the extra time, but I do feel a bit lazy.
Ok, I think that's enough for one post! I'll try to write again this weekend.
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