1. I am a HUGE fan of Too Hottie for that Body- it is such a cute, inspired, positive blog. I'm not particularly preoccupied with weight loss right now, but the nice thing is that you can be on whatever health/fitness/nutrition journey you want and still enjoy her point of view. And get overwhelmed by the cuteness of her groundhog day cupcakes.
2. I made a kick-ass salad last night. The ingredients:
- arugula, lots
- carrots shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- goat cheese, crumbled
- whole flax seeds
- cinnamon
- olive oil
- apple cider vinegar
SO satisfying! I often find myself eating salads dutifully and grimly in the winter. This one tastes like winter and manages to stick to your ribs, despite consisting of non-starchy vegetables. Nom.
3. I always enjoy learning how other cultures do things. One of my favorite courses in college was the Anthropology of Child-Rearing (or, er, something like that). One of the books we perused for the course was a study on preschools in the upper-income US, lower-income US, China, and Japan. I learned a lot and it made me think about our priorities as a country (as well as some inherent differences in child rearing philosophy and practice based on socioeconomic background). Anyway, in the Washington Post this week, in a similar vein, I found and enjoyed this article on school lunches in Japan. Particularly this line: "Schools in Japan... give children the sort of food they’d get at home, not at a stadium". Also, the children in their little chef's outfits are super adorable.
4. Do you have bum ovaries? I do! Apparently PCOS, polycystic ovaries syndrome, will get a new name, since the current one has nothing to do with the diagnostic criteria. PCOS is one of those "lady problems" that gets almost no news coverage and no one bothers funding research for it. I ask you, how many medications are there for erectile dysfunction? Yet PCOS (or whatever it'll be called now) affects up to 1 in 10 women and no one cares. Baffling. Also, my sister hooked me up to a PCOS website which led me to this PCOS Workbook. I've started it and it's pretty good. I like how it includes emotional as well as physical health. HELLO. Human beings are complex. We have bodies and minds.
5. I found this Time magazine article about guns and a person's instinctual response when their body is under threat fascinating and thought-provoking. In general I am sad and heartsick at the state of political debate in our country. Is it all rooted in our country's adversarial legal system? Did both of the parties decide that their ultimate objective was to beat the other guys, not to actually pass laws?
Anyway, I'm a big believer in science and research and data, with my political science background that's now transitioning to hard science courses preparing to pursue an RD and MPH. It makes me sad when we have a country that seems so vehemently opposed to looking at cause and effect (I'm looking at you, Superstorm Sandy and drought and the hottest July on record and tornados and derechos and so on in 2012 alone).
The science on having a gun in your home is pretty well researched- this op-ed from this morning's Washington Post includes some of that research (yes, that op-ed has a particular political point of view, recognize that if you click on it). However, the Time article (the original point of this, from which I have veered!) takes the "put more armed guards in schools" argument to its logical point of reference- how do people with weapons react in a crisis like an armed shooter trying to force their way into a school? I thought all of the opinions in it, including those from law enforcement, were interesting. As was the research. As is, as always, our body's fundamentally amazing systems for dealing with fight or flight.
6. This Ode to Joy flashmob made me cry. And that's called PMS, boys and girls.
7. This "cat people" and "dog people" video made me laugh so hard I almost cried (I presume you've already seen it but just to be sure).
8. This book, The Round House by Louise Erdrich made me unable to sleep at night for several days. Good. Intense. Suspenseful. Upsetting. Beautifully imagined and written. Arcadia, by Lauren Groff was another great one I read this month. Both were recommendations from my mom: she's in a book club and vets books for me! So convenient.
9. I have still flossed EVERY DAY IN 2013! Hurray hurray. Now that I have that in the evening routine, I have added taken a daily multivitamin to the morning routine. It's so nice to do something healthful for yourself, earning a pat on the back.
10. Locals, if you need a car guy and your car isn't American, I cannot say enough things about Eurasian Service Center, right by Tyson's. They are where my family has been going forever, so Eddie, the guy behind the counter has known me since I was 8. They'll tell you what you need and do it well and quickly and, perhaps more importantly, they'll tell you what you don't need and thus don't need to pay for. Also, they have comfy leather couches, a Keurig, and WiFi. I had to get my brakes replaced last September and brought my laptop along to study for the GRE. 7 hours later, I told them that they should rename themselves Eurasian Service and Test Prep Center. My scores were great!
6. This Ode to Joy flashmob made me cry. And that's called PMS, boys and girls.
7. This "cat people" and "dog people" video made me laugh so hard I almost cried (I presume you've already seen it but just to be sure).
8. This book, The Round House by Louise Erdrich made me unable to sleep at night for several days. Good. Intense. Suspenseful. Upsetting. Beautifully imagined and written. Arcadia, by Lauren Groff was another great one I read this month. Both were recommendations from my mom: she's in a book club and vets books for me! So convenient.
9. I have still flossed EVERY DAY IN 2013! Hurray hurray. Now that I have that in the evening routine, I have added taken a daily multivitamin to the morning routine. It's so nice to do something healthful for yourself, earning a pat on the back.
10. Locals, if you need a car guy and your car isn't American, I cannot say enough things about Eurasian Service Center, right by Tyson's. They are where my family has been going forever, so Eddie, the guy behind the counter has known me since I was 8. They'll tell you what you need and do it well and quickly and, perhaps more importantly, they'll tell you what you don't need and thus don't need to pay for. Also, they have comfy leather couches, a Keurig, and WiFi. I had to get my brakes replaced last September and brought my laptop along to study for the GRE. 7 hours later, I told them that they should rename themselves Eurasian Service and Test Prep Center. My scores were great!
Hope everyone is looking forward to a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Perhaps do a little dancing?
I will leave you with an amusing picture from my friend's wedding.
I'm Cousin Itt in the green dress. Dance like no one is watching, right?
2 comments:
I love the list Lele, especially that bit about my blog ;) I have a rule that I can only be friends with people who think I'm awesome and vise versa. Oh and by the way flashmobs always make me cry too it doesn't matter if they're playing classical music or Ace of Base. Love your blog!
I just read your post, and it may be my favorite one. The whole essence of it is a testament to how strong you are, and also how great our world is, even in the harshest of times.
You are very inspiring. I vote yes for what your diggin'.
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