Daily (or not so daily) update from L/J/E/J

Breathtaking White Mountain Vistas + a little extra prednisone + a whole lot of great New England beer = a great long weekend

2010-08-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I have been a bad blogger. Don't expect apologies and, most likely, don't expect another post for another few months.

In our annual 4 day weekend celebration of our anniversary courtesy of Rhode Island's continued commemoration of Victory over Japan day (a little non-PC, I think, but it is stupendous to have a 4 day weekend in the summer that the rest of the world doesn't have), Jim and I went away for a long weekend to the White Mountains. It can basically be summarized by rest/relaxation, beer, and hiking- not necessarily in that order.

On the way up to New Hampshire, we stopped at Harpoon Brewery for a 30 minute tour and then 30 minute sampling. I have fallen in love with Triticus- one of their new beers. If you like stouts, you will LOVE it!

Fairly uneventful rest of the drive up to the inn. Checked in then off to dinner where I had a quite yummy Headwall Alt by Tuckerman Ale.

After a yummy breakfast at the inn on Sunday morning, it was off to the top of Mount Washington. Jim was excited to retrace Ben Affleck's steps from Voyage of the Mimi. From recommendation of one of the inn folks, we took the Alpine Trail to Lions Head to view Tuckermans Ravine. Quite impressive! I do plan on skiing this next ski season. Who's in? Followed up by a great 5 course dinner at the inn (with double desserts- what could be bad?)

Next morning, after a stupendous breakfast again, off for a few more hikes to Diana's Baths, Cathedral Ledge, Falls Pond, and Sabbaday Falls. Tons of stopped cars on the Kancamangus led us to a mom and baby moose siting. Then, off to the Woodstock Brewery for another of my new favorite beers, the Old Man Oatmeal Stout. Another yummy dinner, this time at the White Mountain Cider Company.

Next morning, another great breakfast (sense a trend?) and checkout from the inn. Last minute, we decided to take a not-so-direct detour to home via Brunswick. On the way there, we did a hike of Bald Face Mountain. In Maine, we got a little (OK, a lot confused) by the "Maine Turnpike that used to be 495 now being called 95 and 95 now being called 295 and 495 being no longer" phenomenon that seems to have hit Maine since we had last been there but figured it out eventually. Then off to Topsham for the Sea Dog Brewery- I highly (and I mean highly) recommend the Hazelnut Porter. Then to Brunswick for a little jaunt across campus. Off to Portland to go to the Great Lost Bear, home of an amazing selection of beers and (although I couldn't quite order it myself) the Almighty Cheesus (go ahead, google it, you will most likely plan your whole next vacation around this thing).

And, lastly, off to home, where the last 10 miles took 60 minutes courtesy of evening road construction. Yeah well, it couldn't beat me down. It was still a GREAT trip.

Pictures to follow... maybe...

Jack's early birthday present

2010-04-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

Jack's birthday is tomorrow and Em and my mom made him this "flower" arrangement.

This is Jack eating his early present...

And this is him yelling at me for snitching some.

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At least it's something...

2010-03-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

Not that there are many (or any) of you reading this these days but I have been woefully bad at keeping up this blog. I figured though I might as well keep up with the once a month posting that I have been doing as of late.

Nothing too exciting in our house. Bball season is done for Em. Jack's hockey is winding down. They are both still loving school and having great years.

As many of you know, Jack tends to get fixated on a specific activity for weeks/months at a time. For a while it was word searches, then coloring, then puzzles, then Lego Creator series. Now, it is writing stories. Here is a little selection. I tried to get him on videotape reading his stories but he was too shy.

Insert soapbox here...

2010-02-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

I googled the cost of my new RA medicine. $52000/year.
Hmmm, at an injection every 2 weeks, that's $2000 per injection.
Jim would like to sell the $4000 of medicine that we have in our fridge on ebay.
All in all, I'm just thankful that I have health insurance that I paid a mere $40 for it.
Now, most of you know my stand on the recent Massachusetts senate election, universal health care, and all other things political...
But seriously?? $52000/year? And that doesn't include any of my other medicines, my doctor's visits, CT scans, MRIs, labwork, hospitalizations...
Obviously, if there was an easy solution to all of the woes of our medical system, it would have been figured out by now but, as a patient, a doctor, a mother, I can honestly say that the health care system that we have now is seriously broken.
Please, my friends, let's try and fix it.

A beautiful day...

2010-01-18T19:09:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, the cough/lung thing has been back for the past few weeks and I've been out of work the past week. I've been trying to maximize relaxation and family time and overall seeming to accomplish it.
Yesterday, I decided to push it a little bit and had the most wonderful day.
We spent the morning just hanging out at home, playing games, reading...
We all went to Jack's hockey game which was great.
Then off to the Museum of Science. We had an awesome time there exploring, watching the lightning show, and hit the Harry Potter exhibit. Em is such a Harry Potter fan- it's so fun to see the exhibit through her eyes. Jack, of course, enjoyed playing Quidditch. They were both super excited to use the Spend money from their piggy banks from Chanukkah.
On to the T and hit the Border Cafe for dinner. While waiting for our table, I took the kids to the Coop and let them splurge on a few books. Stupendous dinner including my favorite, fried plantains!
Then a safe, quiet ride home.
Only to be followed by a quiet day at home today including a Settlers of Catan game which Jack won. Lots of other games, reading and snuggle time.
Overall, life is good.
Now, hopefully the doctors tomorrow will wave their magic wand so health issues will all vanish away and I'll continue to feel better for work on Wednesday.

The Kleenex ad.

2010-01-10T16:35:00.001-08:00

Me: "Sorry that I haven't been able to play hockey and go skating with you lately. And that I haven't been able to play wii a lot either."
Jack: "I know."
Jack: "But, you know mom, lots of moms don't do that kind of stuff anyways. I'm just lucky that you want to do those things and I know you'll do them again with me when you're feeling better."
Jack: "And, mommy, we've been playing a lot more card games and building legos and stuff and that's really fun too"
Jack: "And, mommy, I just like spending time with you"

Seriously... took a lot to hold the tears back.

Happy holidays from L/J/E/J

2009-12-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't been the most faithful blogger lately. Maybe I'll restart again in 2010.
A few years ago, Jim and I finally gave up with holiday cards. It was a present that I gave to myself. Just one less thing for the to do list.
So here is 2009's holiday non-card.

Here goes nothing...

2009-07-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

OK... so just out with it already. I have rheumatoid arthritis (or at least that's the most probable diagnosis at this point). Now that that's off my chest...
First off, I need to apologize for those of you who are hearing the news for the first time via a blog entry. I have kept the following pretty close to home for quite some time for a lot of reasons. It's been a long few months and I haven't quite figured out how to address this with people- how to bring it up, how to answer all of the same questions, how to lie and say I feel great or how to tell the truth and say I feel like crap without getting people to feel sorry for me. I wasn't sure who I wanted to know what information- family, friends, patients, colleagues. Honestly, I was just waiting until I achieved "remission" or "flare-free status" and then I could just say that I was taking medicines and it was all behind me but I didn't quite think I would be waiting this long and still be feeling not 100%
As my cousin said to me today, "You are the most refreshingly blunt person I know" and I figured bluntness was the best way to go about this.
So, to answer the most common questions:
I started feeling sick in January- hand pain and fatigue
It got worse in early April.
Went to my primary (who rocks!!) and he did all the right blood tests and Xrays which were all normal so we were reassured.
Felt worse in the middle of April.
Went to a rheumatologist who ordered more blood tests which were all normal.
Felt even worse so went back to the rheumatologist who then ordered an MRI which showed synovitis and joint destruction consistent with rheumatoid arthritis.
Started on meds including prednisone, DMARDS and a biologic.
They didn't work so switched to a different biologic.
Now waiting for them to work.
Yes, I've gotten a second opinion.
Yes, I'm thinking about getting a third opinion.
Yes, I've thought about the role that stress might be playing.
Yes, I've thought about "alternative" treatment options.
Yes, I'm grateful that I've been handed this diagnosis in 2009 and not in previous years as they are more aggressive with meds earlier in the course to avoid permanent disability.
No, there is no family history (that I know of).
Yes, it sucks that I can't drink (especially since Jim started brewing super tasty beers).
Yes, it's hard to be on immunosuppresants while you're in the midst of an H1N1 epidemic and a doctor.
And, no, I'm not pregnant... just gained 10 pounds from the prednisone and a few more prior to the prednisone from the fatigue of the disease but I started exercising again (although at a quite frustrating minimal level) so hopefully those pounds will go away.
Any other questions... feel free to email or call.
I'm trying to fight this with my usual sense of humor and head down, plow on through attitude.
That being said,

Eight years ago today...

2009-06-25T04:55:00.001-07:00

Eight years ago today, a very crowded waiting room welcomed Emma...
Hard to believe what the next eight years will bring.

Jack reading!!

2009-06-19T18:34:00.001-07:00

The past few weeks Jack's reading and writing have completely taken off. And we found out he won the lottery and got in to full day kindergarten!! Thank goodness.
Thought you might enjoy watching Jack read. Of course, just because he is reading, doesn't mean the other crazy, active part of Jack has calmed down (as in, watch the second half of the video for crazy Jack).

Go, Emma, Go, Emma!!!

2009-06-02T05:52:00.000-07:00

My mom took Emma to a Celtic concert at Slater Mill. She got picked by the band's dance leader to come and dance with him. Check her out!

Inspired but lazy...

2009-05-23T04:14:00.000-07:00

Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Wild Suburbia, I went outside this AM to take some pictures of our vegetable and native perennial gardens. As per the usual, I was having some issues getting all the pictures over and I was just too lazy to do it manually so you can see them all here.
Our vegetable garden, as usual, is dominated by tomatoes. I think there are 24 plants. Brandywine, Supersweet 1005, caruso, yellow perfection, sungold, pole perfect purple, red grape, mountain delight, mountain princess, sweet Chelsea, margharita, garden peach, green zebra, Cherokee purple, Caspian pink, Matt's Wild Cherry. I can't wait. I got them at Russell's and the Southside Community Land Trust's plant sale. I think we'll have a tomato taste testing party. Anybody in??
We also have green beans and peas which haven't had the most successful germination rate but those that we have plants for look quite healthy. We planted onion sets and potatoes for the first time this year and they're looking pretty good. The usual cucumbers and bush zucchini which are going to go in to our community garden plot. A garden huckleberry plant and ground cherry plants too. Some pepper plants- sweet red bell, hot (Thai dragon), and Italian sweet. The asparagus patch is thriving in its 2nd year- we didn't harvest at all but are looking forward to next year. The rhubarb that we planted about a month ago seems to be doing well as well. Jim's cold frames of carrots, beets, lettuce, Swiss chard are looking great. We've even eaten some lettuce already and are ready for more harvesting.
The perennial garden is looking great. We started doing this in Rhode Island. Low maintenance year to year and minimal need for water and pest control since they're all native to our area. Most of the plants are a few years in and are really thickening up and looking great.
Here's to a spring, summer, and fall full of flowers and food!

The best birthday...

2009-05-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

Started with fun yesterday selecting my garden plants... I think the 20 odd tomato plants will be a good start for the season.
Had a great day today, yummy dinner by Jim, the traditional Carvel cake with my parents, with singing courtesy of all including cha-cha-chas by Em and Jack.
And to top it all off, I finally got my Jew's on first shirt...

Which begs to have me mention again the link to my favorite giggle source of all times. Man, I miss Jerry Remy.

In fact, I'm going to watch it right now to top off the birthday before an early bed time.

Anybody see a problem with this??

2009-05-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

So, I took the University Virginia Medical Specialty Aptitude Test. I'm wondering if the results of this test suggest some of my job satisfaction issues. Do you think Jim would be up for another 5 years of residency (a general surgery one at that??)?

Besides the low ranking of family medicine, the other humor in this list is that urology is #2 and is in my top 3 of wouldn't do if someone paid me a million dollars specialties (followed by radiology and anesthesia)

Rank Specialty Score
1 general surgery 47
2 urology 47
3 thoracic surgery 45
4 otolaryngology 45
5 orthopaedic surgery 45
6 physical med & rehabilitation 45
7 ophthalmology 44
8 rheumatology 44
9 pulmonology 44
10 colon & rectal surgery 44
11 radiation oncology 44
12 anesthesiology 43
13 pathology 43
14 hematology 43
15 neurology 43
16 occupational med 43
17 radiology 43
18 psychiatry 42
19 aerospace med 42
20 plastic surgery 42
21 obstetrics/gynecology 42
22 gastroenterology 42
23 endocrinology 42
24 nephrology 42
25 infectious disease 42
26 general internal med 41
27 allergy & immunology 41
28 dermatology 41
29 med oncology 41
30 neurosurgery 41
31 preventive med 40
32 nuclear med 39
33 cardiology 39
34 family practice 39
35 emergency med 39
36 pediatrics 35

Which is funnier??

2009-04-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

Which is funnier the contents of this article or the fact that there is a blog called jewlicious?

Vacation's coming...

2009-04-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

It's really coming and look what it has in store.

Tue
Apr 21 Partly Cloudy 79°/61° 20 %
Wed
Apr 22 Sunny 84°/63° 0 %
Thu
Apr 23 Sunny 85°/61° 0 %
Fri
Apr 24 Sunny 85°/63° 0 %

5 years ago today...

2009-04-11T03:05:00.000-07:00

5 years ago today, in a Navajo hospital in Arizona, a tiny, pale, red headed boy was born...
5 years later...

Memories...

2009-04-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Emma's fondest memory of her great-grandfather (Poppy) is his bagel sandwiches. According to Emma, "he made the greatest bagel sandwiches". Jim and I don't even recall him ever making a bagel sandwich or her eating one at his house but she swears by it.
My fondest culinary memory of him is his Matzoh-Brie. I can't make it as good but it makes me smile to try and also to see the recipe that I wrote on the back of an envelope (just as his wife, my great-grandmother Super Nana, would have done). I tried this morning. It came out OK but definitely not the same.

They're possessed (and it's caught on tape)

2009-04-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last week, the 4 of us attended the wake and funeral of Jim's uncle. The kids were perfect angels- quiet, paid careful attention, supported us and other family members through a difficult time. My mother in law said that, after how well behaved they were those two days, I could never complain about my kids' behavior again. In the car ride on the way to the cemetery, they had to get some of this perfection out. I videotaped this just as proof that they can be Jekyll and Hyde (and they turned it way down for the camera- it was a lot crazier before the camera came out).

The Greatest Generation

2009-03-25T19:06:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite books of all time was The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw. It was one of those books that is completely outside of my normal book reading- nonfiction (especially historical nonfiction) is usually not my thing. If you haven't read it, it's absolutely worth it. It is a collection of brief stories about 50 members of the Greatest Generation- those born between 1910 and the mid-1920s, some famous, some not so famous. It talks about their struggles with the Depression, World War I, post war living. It talks about their work ethic, commitment to their families, lives with less material things.

This week we lost one of my favorite members of the Greatest Generation. He represented all that was great and we will miss him dearly.

PS. For those who read this on facebook, I think the links only work on the actual blog (ljej.blogspot.com)

Another nature documentary...

2009-03-15T17:49:00.001-07:00

Another nature documentary, another tearful Emma... We watched Parrots of Telegraph Hill this evening which was a pretty good movie. The end (just like March of the Penguins) got Em a little teary-eyed. But we watched this clip a few times after the movie was over which upped her spirits. The first time it came on in the movie, Jack, Em, and I laughed uncontrollably.
Unfortunately, you have to go to the actual cnet website to view it.

Perfection (or maybe not so much)

2009-03-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

After hanging around on facebook and the blog world a little bit... it seems to be like there are a lot of super happy, perfect families out there. You get the smiling holiday card pictures or the facebook snippet where everyone is smiling with their arms around each other. And then you talk to the people and get the real story behind the picture. Oh, sister was pinching brother's butt so that's really more of an ow than a smile. Or the rosy cheeks aren't from touchup or makeup but from the screaming fight that we had getting everybody in to the car on the way to the photo session.

This blog is trying to be a capture of some of our life- the good and the bad. Sometimes (OK, lots of times) I whine; sometimes I brag. But I try and keep it real.

We were on the Cape for February vacation. Although the pictures look like we're having so much fun on the beach in February, it was really cold and Jack whined the whole time about sand in his boots. The 2nd beach of the day that day, Jack finally smiled (when the huge wave came and got me soaking wet up to my knees and, of course, I only brought changes of clothes for the kids). Oh, and the emotion captured in the absolute love of the whoopie pies is 100% real.

2009-03-15T05:29:00.001-07:00

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Quick lunch break meandering on the web...

2009-03-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Which Red Sox Player are you the most like? (A little outdated given some of the choices)

You Scored as Theo Epstein

Wait a minute, you're not a Red Sox player... you're Theo Epstein! Extremely smart and successful, you work the magic from behind the scenes. You take a lot of risks, but it always works out. You're not too bad on the eyes either!!

Theo Epstein
77%
Curt Schilling
57%
Jason Varitek
53%
Johnny Damon
50%
Mark Bellhorn
50%
Manny Ramirez
40%
David Ortiz
37%
Kevin Millar
33%

Worth a try...

2009-03-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

So, I've been a horrible video documenter of our kids lives. Seriously, horrible. Well, can't throw life in reverse to go back and get all those cute things on camera.
Flip video cameras were on mega-sale on amazon and I had a gift certificate there. So, here's to better future documentation.
Of course, when I got home and the package was waiting for me, there were no kids to document. So, let's see if I can get this video of Max uploaded...

Map of potholes in Greater Boston - Boston.com

2009-03-10T19:57:00.001-07:00

Spring is here...
Map of potholes in Greater Boston - Boston.com

Posted using ShareThis

Emma's version

2009-03-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

According to Emma (age 7):

1. What is something mom always says to you?
bo-bo

2. What makes mom happy?
When I snuggle with her

3. What makes mom sad?
When she thinks of Molly (our cat that died 2 years ago)

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
When she tells me jokes

5. What was your mom like as a child?
A troublemaker

6. How old is your mom?
31

7. How tall is your mom?
Taller than me

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Read

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Work

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Being a doctor

11. What is your mom really good at?
Typing

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Remembering things

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Family doctor

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Chili

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
That she's a doctor and takes care of people

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Smurfette

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Rock climb

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We both have brown eyes

19. How are you and your mom different?
She's older than I am.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because she snuggles with me

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Jaec's (but it's closed)

Another facebook questionairre..

2009-03-03T05:40:00.000-08:00

I thought this was too cute to pass up. We'll see what Jack (age 5 in April) thinks. Em's is coming soon...

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Maybe

2. What makes mom happy?
Doing good things

3. What makes mom sad?
Making her angry

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Making silly faces

5. What was your mom like as a child?
A baby- that's easy

6. How old is your mom?
32

7. How tall is your mom?
20?

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Hockey

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Watch tv, try and fix the hockey wii, read books

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Hockey

11. What is your mom really good at?
Hockey

12. What is your mom not very good at?
I don't know about that

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Work- that's easy

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Tomatoes

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
If she could jump to the sky- but she can't do that

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Swedish Chef

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Read book and play hockey

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We both have white skin

19. How are you and your mom different?
My mom is a girl and I'm a boy

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
She takes care of me.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
A hockey game

Do you think Jack's mind is a little one tracked?

WEML

2009-02-28T05:28:00.001-08:00

I just got "whatever major loser"ed by my 4 year old this morning... in a very cute, silly, not disrepectful way.

Just FYI...

2009-02-15T11:44:00.001-08:00

One of my resolutions for this week's vacation was putting up new pictures. One new album up, probably one more later today. Click on the picasa link or go to picasaweb.google.com/ljberman1

And this is why I want to quit...

2009-02-13T05:50:00.001-08:00

Classic email of the day from our medical biller
"her last PE was 12/19/2007 and because she had another this year on 12/19/2008 her insurance will not pay because it needs to be one year and a day"
Seriously... insurance companies suck!

Quite possibly... the Easter version

2009-02-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Some of you might recall the original "Quite possibly" blog entry which I had thought was probably my least politically correct are possibly most offensive blog entry ever. Well, here is the Easter version.

And, of course, the beach balls...
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My freakin' 25 things

2009-02-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

Within the span of about 2 weeks, I got "requested" about 30 times to do a "25 things about me" list on facebook. At first, I completely boycotted the idea. Then, I decided I was going to come up with the 25 sarcastic and untrue things about me (see #23 below). Once my sister did it though I started feeling really guilty. So, here it is in no particular order...

1) I can't believe I'm doing this... yippee, one down!
2) One of the worst days of my life was the day the National Health Service Corps opportunities list came out. After moving to Rhode Island for residency, we were sure we would be back in New England for good. Alas, the choices were between the Florida swamps, Mississippi (thought I would leave that one for my sister), and north of the Arctic Circle Alaska. Long story short and a quick summer on the Cape later, we ended up on the Hopi reservation for a few years where our freezer was always completely full since the closest grocery store was 2 hours away. In the end, if that was one of the worst days, guess everything's going OK. Although the crying at Chili's in Flagstaff on Halloween day after our 10 hours of flying out to Arizona knowing that we still had a 2 hour drive left wondering what I got our family in to was not a high point either (it was a pregnancy hormone thing I'm convinced).
3) Jack was born on one of the Navajo reservation's hospitals. They actually asked me what tribe I was affiliated with when I registered at the hospital. Not many white babies are born there and never a red head. The entire staff of the hospital came in one by one to see the red headed pahana (Hopi word for gringo) baby.
4) On the other hand, Emma was so dark skinned that a lot of my friends thought she was jaundiced.
5) Overall, I do love my job but the paperwork, hours, insurance baloney, prior authorization is just getting far too ridiculous.
6) Regarding #5, I just keep hoping that one day I'll find the job that maximizes my amazing Wheel of Fortune and sudoku skills, pays well, minimal hours (to maximize home time and exercise time) and helps figure out all of the world's problems.
7) I wish that I could read as fast as Emma and have the endless energy of Jack.
8) Over the years, I have been extraordinarily lucky to have had friends that have stuck by me through a lot and I know that, even if I don't talk to them on a daily or even monthly basis, they will be there for me no matter what. It's just comforting to know that they're out there no matter that they're all over the country.
9) One of my best jobs was being a doctor in the Massachusetts prison system. If it weren't for the frequent sleepless call nights, I would probably still be there.
10) I am a firm believer in the Farm to Table movement.
11) I can't believe that I ran a half marathon 9 months after Jack was born and I really can't believe that I didn't think that it was an amazing feat at the time.
12) I wish my sister lived closer- to spend more time with, for my kids to spend more time with, to get to know my brother in law better, and to take some of the weight of living near mom and dad away from me. That being said, I'm very thankful that my parents and inlaws live so close by and love spending time with them.
13) I read StuffWhitePeopleLike and giggle a little too much because I feel like a lot of it embarrassingly applies to me.
14) I wish that I could just stay one clothing size so I could invest in some nice made in America clothes that were made to flatter me, my body type, and my style. Yeah, well off to Old Navy to buy another pair of jeans- my kinda fat ones are falling off, my super skinny ones are just a little too tight (OK, maybe more like a lot too tight).
15) I would love to learn how to sew, do metal jewelry work, and do basic woodworking.
16) Looking through January's seed catalogs is one of my favorite things in the world. I love growing my own food and hope to do a lot more of it some day.
17) I absolutely live for chocolate and cheese. If I say "You know what?", the kids' blanket response is "We know... you love cheese" and that's usually what I was about to say. I hope some time to find a good source of raw milk so I can make more cheese- the first attempt at mozzarella was pretty good.
18) I met my husband when I was 16. It's amazing how much we've changed over the years and still like seeing each other every day.
19) I have been so lucky to have wonderful aunts and uncles to look up to in terms of their family, professional and personal lives.
20) Some day, I think I want to retire to Maine (maybe tomorrow).
21) During residency, the administrator referred to me as a "lumper" not a "splitter". The "lumpers" liked to get all of the bad rotations done all at the same time instead of spreading them out throughout the year. I still do that- I would far prefer to do 1 week's worth of dishes at one time instead of meal by meal, all of my wardrobe's worth of laundry all at once, all of my phonecalls at work at the same time. I'm working on this to try and make my life more efficient (and to drive Jim a little less crazy).
22) I truly hope some day to get to all of my books on my goodreads list.
23) I bake a loaf of bread every morning for breakfast after my 12 mile run and can't wait to go to South Africa this summer to donate my time and share the cure for HIV that I developed in my spare time and so the kids and I can get just a little closer to fluent in Afrikaans.
24) I love the little old bitties that call me "their young doctor". I also love the old guys that remind me of my grandfather- completely politically incorrect but loving and caring at the same time.
25) Although Emma got to meet all of her grandparents and great-grandparents, 2 of them died before Jack was born and 1 died when Jack was little. The sad thing about it is the 2 that we lost before Jack was born are the 2 that would appreciate his energy, goofiness, and love of food the most.

So, that's it... my 25 things. Run-on sentences and all...

The soap box...

2009-02-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'll give my full rant and rave about dietary supplements and "natural" medical alternatives another day. For now, a patient brought in her arthritis "medicine" today for me to take a look. On the front, it said for joint pain*. On the side of the bottle, the * links to this mandatory statement "This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease".
That's it... full rant another day. Look at this link for more information.

As many of you already know...

2009-01-29T06:05:00.000-08:00

Life in primary care is getting tougher financially. So we've now decided to keep our parking lot permanently an ice rink and do hip fracture repairs in the office. It keeps a steady flow of patients and income.

Never mind...

2009-01-26T11:08:00.002-08:00

It's a new moon today... yeah, well, I'm sure that has something to do with the chaos as well.

Superstitions...

2009-01-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

Before I entered medicine, I hadn't a hint of superstition. Medical school and residency changed all that. We always talked about full moons, call socks for luck, and definitely never saying the Q word (quiet) or things would get busy.

Lately, for me, it's all been about the stethoscope. The nights that I don't bring my stethoscope home with me, the next morning I inevitably have to go to the hospital to admit a patient and embarrassingly ask someone if I can borrow their stethoscope. On Friday, I knew I was jinxing myself by not bringing my stethoscope home but left it on my desk anyways and, of course, an admission awaited me this morning. Jim will be sure to rant on about how it is all recollection bias and that there surely isn't a true relationship, but I will be sure to bring my stethoscope home from now on.

And, I'm sure there's a relationship between today's sheer chaos and extra admissions and emergency room visits because of the full moon.

Upon request...

2009-01-25T17:50:00.000-08:00

Some have nagged me for not blogging lately. I must say- I feel like I don't have much to say or nothing witty enough or nothing that anybody would care about so I've been staying away. I might try to be better... or maybe not.

That being said, a lot has been going around in the news lately about some thing that I'm very passionate about... food. Not food that's in a can or found at McDonalds but actual food that tastes like food because it's made out of real ingredients.

Many are saying that the new administration might take a Michael Pollan like outlook on food or at least a foodie approach which would be amazing. My favorite quote from the foodie article is that the Obamas should just publish what they eat every day and just that alone will change how Americans eat.

Check out this article which talks about it all more eloquently than I ever could. We've "bought a piece of the White House lawn" on this website to help support the cause.

Shhh...

2008-12-17T09:30:00.001-08:00

Don't tell Jim... but here's his Xmas present. It's actually kind of for me too (if you catch my drift).

Doctor, heal thyself

2008-12-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally took my own advice and looked towards modern medicine for help. I know it sounds weird, but I just can't stand taking medication but, after a month plus of not breathing, I decided it was time to bite the bullet. Yesterday, I saw my doctor and 24 hours later am feeling great. Oxygen is definitely not overrated!

Running out of steam...

2008-12-04T18:12:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking of so many things to blog about lately but I'm still sick and am having some motivational issues. The one quick thing I could think of were two funny non-words Jack has now added to his vocabulary.
They were learning about their senses this week in school and the teachers put on a "blindfolder" so they could paint without using their sense of sight.
Jim and the kids have been reading Greek mythology at bedtime. Jack frequently asks if they can read the "smyths" tonight.

We had Em's parent-teacher conference last night. Em wrote these 2 great stories.
One started off and I'm paraphrasing a little... "Is your room messy? Let me give you a few tips to help you clean it. First you take your pet out of the room (if you have one). Second, you pick up everything from the floor." This is made funnier only by the fact that Emma takes after my lack of neatness.
For the topic of how I can help at Thanksgiving... "First, I can keep my brother entertained (or at least I can try). Second, I can help Auntie and Uncle Dave decorate (if they'll let me)."

Best get back to work...

Meme... seriously?

2008-12-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well, here goes my first meme brought to you by Jim

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago:
Wondering if I wanted to become a surgeon
Thinking I didn't want to hear about that darn blue dress with the stain any more
Finishing up thank you notes for the wedding
Playing MarioCart
Taking a pottery class

5 Things On My To-Do List Today:
Get through my pile o' paper at work
Parent teacher conference with Em's teacher
Sleep
Feel better
Coming up with more things for my to-do list

5 Snacks I Love:
I love cheese
Chocolate
Honey roasted peanuts
Trail mix
More cheese

5 Things I’d do if I was a Millionaire:
Go to the Galapagos again
Help cure the world's woes
Give everyone at the office serious raises and then
Quit my job
Buy that property near my house and start an organic farm/CSA

5 Places I've Lived:
Attleboro, MA
Polacca, AZ
South Yarmouth, MA
Cranston, RI
Iowa City, IA

5 Jobs I've Had:
snack bar worker at the community pool
Hebrew school teacher
babysitter
teaching assistant for a nuclear magnetic resonance class
director of development for feminist health clinic

And now I tag no one... any one who reads this who wants to consider themselves tagged, feel free to do so.

For those who follow...

2008-11-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

It was cold yesterday for the race- very cold. But, I went, finished, and finished without walking. I finished around 31:30 which, given the cold and the hills, I'm pretty OK with. I think I'm finally OK with the fact that I am no longer a fast runner or even a slow runner- just a kind of fast jogger.

Setting goals...

2008-11-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

So, I'm actually making it public. I'm trying to get running again. My goal is to be out there 3 days a week. Haven't quite made it there yet but I'm getting there.
I'm running my first 5K in awhile on Sunday. In fact, I think it's the first race since the half marathon a few years ago.
So here are my goals for Sunday in order of achievability:
1) Showing up (it's supposed to be 30 degrees and windy so I could very well convince myself not to go)
2) Get to the finish line
3) Finish without walking (I've been running 3+ miles lately so it shouldn't be too big of an issue, barring major hills)
4) Finishing in less than 30 minutes (probably THE goal of the weekend and the one that is most within my reach but I'm not sure I'm there yet)
5) Finishing in less than 27 minutes (this one will most likely have to wait for the spring)
Well, here goes nothing...

No longer head of the household...

2008-11-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

Jack and I went skating at the public skate today at Taunton. To make a long story short, I got completely schooled today by a 4 year old. He out-skated me, out-turned me, out-stopped me.
Tonight at dinner, Jack informed the family that he was now the boss of me since his skating skills are better. He also let Jim know that once he gets him on the ice, Jack will be the boss of the entire family.
Ah, the world according to Jack, the hockey-archy.

One of these days...

2008-11-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

One of these days I'll figure out how to actually manipulate the folders in Picasa but, for now, you'll have to weed through the good and bad pictures in the new folder Fall 08 in the Picasa link. There are Em bball, Jack hockey, and Halloween. Jack is Jason Varitek (catcher from the Red Sox) and Em is Demi Lovato (the actress/singer from Camp Rock).

Quite possibly...

2008-11-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

This is quite possibly going to be the least politically correct blog post ever but I just had to do it. I was looking through the Oriental Trading Post catalog yesterday and saw this. For those of you not familiar with the catalog, it is home of extraordinarly cheap, made in China, theme based party supplies (aka crap that I never want to enter my house). As I was browsing, I came across supplies for an entire party based on the "Happy Birthday Jesus" theme. Not just plates and napkins mind you, but cups, yoyos, frisbees, beachballs, keychains, bouncing balls, sliding puzzles, tote bags, pens on a rope, metallic banner, ornaments, coloring mats, balloons, friendship bracelets, bubbles, kaleidoscopes, pencils, fun/game books, stampers, slap bracelets, coloring sets, tattoos, slide flutes, party hats (and that's not even everything). Seriously?? I get that many of us forget that Christmas celebrates the birthday of Christ. As a non-Christian, I don't forget that that often but sometimes I can get lost in the commercialism of the whole thing. But, I think if I really wanted everybody to remember that Christmas was in celebration of something so much more, I would be really offended by this stuff. But since Christmas for me is just a fun time to spend with Jim's family, eat good food, and get and give presents, I just find this whole line of products absolutely hysterical.

Oh, and while you're at it, check out these too.

You miss some of the humor of the last two without actually seeing it in the catalog with the name next to it. Seeing the words "Smile! Jesus Loves You" Punch balls and "Smile! Jesus Loves You" kick balls all together made me giggle.

She's won the role of Queen of Nascar...

2008-11-07T04:39:00.001-08:00

I heard this quote this morning on the way in to work talking about Sarah Palin. What seems to be flying under the radar these days, is that she might actually become a US Senator in the upcoming months. Don't get me wrong... the woman deserves a little respect- she just went through a grueling campaign, travelling all across the country, where she was getting made fun of on every level on a national stage for 10 straight weeks. But here's the thing. When I go to pick a doctor, I don't want them to be like me or dress like me or talk like me, I want them to be smarter medically than me and make the right decisions about my healthcare. Same with a lawyer- I want them to be able to represent me better, write a will without loopholes- I don't care what hobbies they have or what gender they are. So, with an elected official, I want them to know more about civics then I do, be able to name some Supreme Court cases, a few newspapers, maybe the countries in North America. Now, I'm not sure what percentage of senators can't do these things (probably higher than I would like to know) but you would be darn sure (just like if I went on Amazing Race, I would start running 10 miles a day and know how to say drive faster in 50 different languages), if I ever run for nationwide office, I would at least open up my kid's civics and geography books and learn a little something before Katie Couric interviews me. I think if I were a Republican or an Alaskan, I would be offended that the Republic party couldn't find a better candidate that was "like me".
Sorry, just had to get this off my chest before the day began.

Quote o' the week...

2008-11-06T06:25:00.000-08:00

Actually, it's from Em this time.
Emma was very inspired by this week's election and was hoping that Obama would win (I'm sure it had nothing to do with Jim and my brainwashing skills, working on her infinitely caring heart, telling her that Obama cares about education and the Earth and McCain only cares about money). She was a little upset that Jack would get to go to the polls with me and she wouldn't, so I decided to go with both of them before school started.
As we were going in, one of our neighbors was leaving...
Emma: "I'm so glad that he came here to vote for Obama too"
Me: "Actually, Em, I'm not so sure that he voted for Obama"
Em: "Why would someone not vote for Obama?"
Exactly...

Overall, I'm excited and inspired by the events of the past week. I only hope that this inspiration and excitement continues and that Obama stays safe.

The most inspirational part of the whole week was seeing the quote that 78% of Americans feel that it's time for change and they don't like the direction that the country is going in. Now, I'm sure that most of the 78% don't feel that way for the same reasons that I do, but it's nice to know that I'm not alone thinking that it's time for change.

Few things make a weekend call worthwhile...

2008-11-03T09:38:00.001-08:00

There aren't many things that make a weekend of call worthwhile. Sometimes I get so much accomplished that it feels like a big weight is lifted off my shoulders. Sometimes, I help someone or someone's family through a very difficult time. Sometimes, I make some crazy diagnosis that no one else had come up with in the weeks that they were in the hospital. But, honestly, those are few and far between. This weekend a new experience made it all OK- it was a conversation overheard.

Young guy on the phone in the hallway as I walked by: "Dude, you gotta hold on a second"... pause... "Damn, how come my doctor doesn't look like that? If she did, I would be at the doctor every day."

I looked around, made sure none of the cute Grey's Anatomy like interns were around, and smiled to myself.

You pucked with the wrong ice president...

2008-10-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

Will this be the last time that I make fun of Sarah Palin?? Only time will tell. It's one of those laugh or else I'll cry things. Anyways, a friend of mine from high school posted this and I think it's hysterical- maybe even better than the prior hockey moms post.

Would you like some cheese with that whine...

2008-10-28T17:20:00.001-07:00

Sorry, bear with me... I need to whine for a bit.

For those reading that actually follow this blog on a regular basis, you know two things. One, I have started Tuesdays as the Jack quote of the week. Two, I am actively looking for a new job/profession. In honor of those two things, I am going to do a quote today but not one involving Jack. One involving the absolute idiocy of my job lately.

Phone message: Please call Dr X at insurance company

So I call, get placed on hold for 7 minutes as they have to find Dr X since he has stepped away from his desk.

Dr X: Patient Y is under your care in the hospital?
Me: Yes
Dr X: Why are they still in the hospital?
Me: Well, she was admitted for emphysema worsening and isn't getting better. There's no air moving through her lungs and her oxygen levels are dangerously low off oxygen.
Dr X: Well, are you giving her antibiotics by IV or her steroid by IV?
Me: No, I switched them to by mouth since the studies recently have shown that it's the same efficacy by mouth and I thought I would save the insurance company money since the oral medicines are cheaper.
Dr X: Well, since there are no IV antibiotics or IV steroids, she no longer meets qualifications for inpatient stay. Don't get me wrong (and the following is a direct quote), I wouldn't discharge her either but we can't pay for her stay since she doesn't meet criteria. You can always go appeal our denial.
Me: Honestly, I have appealed a few denials and the decision has never been reversed.
Dr X: Yeah, we don't commonly reverse our decisions.
Me: Well, have a good day.

In an ideal world, this conversation wouldn't happen. I could just say that a patient needs to be admitted to the hospital and isn't ready for discharge and then can paid to help make them better. But this isn't an ideal world. So what I'm asking for is a realistic world. Just save me the 15 minute conversation, don't call me and just deny the admission, and don't even offer an appeal process.

What's up doc??

2008-10-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

At last count, I think I have over 2000 people that call me their doctor. When you add in their family members that accompany them to the office or their hospital stays, that's a lot of faces and names to remember and, to be quite honest, I often don't remember them. Sometimes, I walk in to the room and people don't even look familiar to me. So, one of my biggest fears is to be face to face to someone out in public and not to remember that they're a patient or what their name is.

Well, yesterday I was at a farm festival in Weston with Emma and a young couple with their kid was walking towards me. The dad looked at me and smiled and said, "Hey, what's up doc?". I looked at him and smiled and gave him the "Oh, hey are you doing?" as I walked by. After a few steps and trying to think why none of the members of this family looked familiar to me and what in the world my patients were doing all the way up in Weston, it came to me... I was carrying two bunches of carrots and he was just trying to make a joke. Good thing I didn't ask him how his asthma was doing.

Autograph session...

2008-10-23T09:22:00.001-07:00

This weekend Em and I went to the Rhode Island Childrens Book Festival. She got to meet the author of one of her favorite books (the Just Grace series) and got her to sign one of her new books (Fashion Kitty). She also got to meet Laurie Keller and see her speak about being an author and illustrator. She is a new one to us but did a great lecture and her books are very funny- I would highly recommend them to kids and grownups alike.

Jackism of the day...

2008-10-21T17:36:00.001-07:00

Jack: "Do you know what my favorite foods are?"
Me: "Alphabet soup and chocolate chip cookies?" (What I made today... I thought he was buttering me up)
J: "Yeah, that and what else"
Me: "Apples, yogurt, bananas, peaches"
J: "Yup, and what else?"
Me: "Challah, matzah balls, spaghetti"
J: "Yup, and what else?"
Me: "Pineapple, pita chips, cheese"
J: "Yup, and what else?"
Me: "I don't know what else?"
J: "One more thing and it starts with an O"
Me: "Oranges"
J: "OK, and one more thing that starts with an O"
Me: "Onions"
J: "OK, and one more thing that starts with an O"
Me: "Oatmeal"
J: "OK, and one more thing that starts with an O"
Me: "Orangutans?"
J: "Nope, not that. One more thing."
Me: "Not sure"
J: "Well, you know I love olives. Oh, and grapes too"

A little bit comical...

2008-10-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

But mostly not... But most likely a boon to public health.
www.inspot.org

Is it June yet??

2008-10-21T05:20:00.000-07:00

I love the fall and the winter in New England but the lack of sunlight and me are not the best combination. I can't believe we're still 2 months away from the shortest day. The absolute inability to want to get anything done after 6:30 PM and we haven't even hit daylight savings time yet is ridiculous. I think we should rethink the Iceland thing and maybe move somewhere closer to the Equator at least for these months of the year.

The political blog resurfaces...

2008-10-15T19:21:00.001-07:00

Does anybody else think this is a really bad idea??

Who knew...

2008-10-14T11:44:00.001-07:00

Who knew that I needed a degree in philosophy and/or evolutionary biology to be a parent??

Jack: Mommy?? Tell me about the first people.
Me: What?
Jack: Tell me about the first people.
Me: What do you mean?
Jack: I was thinking... how did the first people get here? Whose belly were they in if they were the first?
Me: Do you wanna play hockey?

The rough life of Jacklet...

2008-10-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I was originally thinking of taking the idea from other bloggers that I know of having each day of the weekend being a specific theme. I figured that since I spend Tuesdays with Jack and since there is always a great quote/ thought process by him that Tuesday's blog entries should be dedicated to some Jack conversation. But there were so many other blog-able moments today that I will have to share his quote with other things.

First off, Jack's comment of the day:
"Mom, is an elephant's trunk full of boogers?"

Second, I'm completely bummed that our alternate country of choice, Iceland, where we were going to move pending outcomes of next month's elections is going bankrupt.

Third, Jack and I went to Bruins training camp today. I was surprised that we were pretty much the only non-media there except for a few diehards and/or guys who make their living selling signed memorabilia on ebay. Luckily, those diehards were there to point out to me which guys were which because I would have no idea who was who. All of the guys came out one by one after practice to get in to their cars and Jack got all their autographs (and even a Bauer representative and a trainer's too- he didn't care). He did care the most about meeting Tim Thomas. He got to shake his hand, get his autograph, and get a photo with him. It made his day.

Wanna be like Sarah...

2008-10-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

Silverman that is...
Just to take away from the sappiness of my previous post and go back to by political blog.

For anybody that needs proof...

2008-10-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

From Wedding pictures

The wedding weekend was WONDERFUL!! Ellen was a beautiful bride and David was a handsome groom. The smiles on both of their faces were unforgettable! Unfortunately, the smile pictures are still being developed but honestly I think this was the only time I didn't see them with an ear to ear grin the entire weekend (they were being serious for their vows).

I continue to apologize profusely and perseverate about the matron of honor toast and not saying everything or anything that I wanted to say. Somehow, I completely lost my brain this weekend. Almost losing and/or losing my wallet, keys, and multiple other things multiple other times including my speech notes twice.

Let me summarize the real speech-
1) I wanted Krista (the photographer) to take pictures of everyone except for me... like the Oscars when they photograph everyone else responding to what could or might or will be said. Since I'm sure everyone was anxiously awaiting what embarrassing stories I was going to bring up about our childhood and how obnoxiously mean I was to my sister on a regular basis while growing up.
2) I wanted to thank all of David and Ellen's family and friends who had come from near and far to celebrate such an important day and how much that meant to be and how much I knew that meant to them.
3) After all of the ribbing that Ellen got for her wedding binder... it was a wonderful weekend with so many amazing details including the shawls that all the bridesmaids and Emma are wearing that my mom and Ellen made. And that I hope that it was everything that she and David had wanted it to be.
4) How while writing the speech I couldn't remember anything of what Ellen said at my wedding. And that I figured out that it really wasn't important what she said or what I said. What was the most important was that I know that she has been and will always there for me and how I will do exactly the same.
5) How I knew from day one that David was the one for her and then every day forward confirming it. From talking to Ellen on the phone about him after meeting him, to talking on the phone with David, to talking to Ellen about deferring NYU to move to Mississippi for some guy, to meeting him at the same time as all of the rest of our family and that he fit in right away (making fun of all of the right people in all of the right way), to visiting them in Mississippi, to watching David play with the kids, to seeing the engagement ring pre-engagement, and on and on and on.
6) How I had such an amazing time getting to know their friends this weekend. It is still hard to think of Ellen as a grownup and a professional since she is my "baby" sister but I really enjoyed getting to know this other side of her through others' eyes. You can really judge a person through the people that hang out with them and I was completely in awe of the friend base that they both have accumulated over the years.
7) Most importantly, I wanted to toast to a lifetime of happiness and love. To a lifetime of being there for each other through thick and thin. And to looking forward to a lifetime filled with wonderful memories. And to looking forward to Mom now bugging Ellen about making her a grandmother again instead of me.
TO DAVID AND ELLEN!!!
So there it is... maybe I can stop obsessing and get some sleep tonight.

The Grinch is coming...

2008-10-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

I heard my first "Happy Holidays" today. I just can't deal with another "holiday" season. It's not even Halloween yet, people. Please just enjoy the season that you're in. OK, soapbox stepped off of...
In happier news, the bride and groom are coming today! Yippee!

Really... we do talk about things other than death in our house...

2008-09-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

Jack: "Mommy, who will be my mommy if you die?"
Me: "Well, I will still be your mommy. I just won't be alive any more."
Jack: "And if Daddy dies?"
Me: "Same thing"
Jack: "Emma?"
Me: "Same"
Jack: "What if I die?"
Me: "Well, we hope you and the rest of us don't die for a very long time. But same thing"
Jack: "Well, if we're all dead and buried underneath the ground together, can we play hockey under ground?"

And so it stands... it all comes back to hockey.

Continuing to be in utter disbelief...

2008-09-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

And I was feeling in the mood to get Jim just as angry as I am.
Check this one out.

Once again...

2008-09-28T09:06:00.001-07:00

I am posting politically oriented stuff. Sorry, my life's just been boring lately and this is too funny to pass up.

Getting political again...

2008-09-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

Watching Sarah Palin with Katie Couric brought this to mind...

Please someone take the hint...

2008-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Since no one bought me my "Jew's on first" tshirt after my subtlety. I'm hoping maybe someone will pick up on this if I'm a little less than subtle. I WANT TO GO!!

Not to get too political...

2008-09-15T20:05:00.001-07:00

OK, everybody knows where I stand anyways... but this is hysterical.

And... I figured out how to post a youtube video. The kids' videos are going to take a lot of manipulating. I think I figured how to load them fine on my own- they were just enormous files.

In disbelief...

2008-09-15T08:52:00.001-07:00

That 9 days from now, El and Dave's wedding day will be on the 10 day forecast! Here's hoping for a bright sun shiny day and week!

Conversation overheard (and then butted in to)...

2008-09-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

Jack: Emma, is outer space real?
Em: Yes
J: Are shooting stars real?
E: Yes
J: Are meteors shooting stars?
E: Yes
J: Are meteors dangerous to us?
E: No
J: Well, didn't meteors kill all the dinosaurs and make them go extinct (he doesn't say distinct any more)?
E: No, that's just a made up story.
Me: Actually, they do think that's how the dinosaurs went extinct.
E: Well, they don't know that for sure and they never will.
Me: You're right
E: I think it just got really, really hot one day and they all just died.
J: Can we play hockey we can get home?

No success...

2008-09-13T06:01:00.001-07:00

Well, maybe I'm not 21st century ready. I couldn't figure out the video. Guess I'll just put my tail between my legs and ask my husband for help. (I hate when I have to do that)

Trying to enter the 21st century...

2008-09-13T04:31:00.000-07:00

I'm always so jealous of those who have tons of pictures and videos on their blogs. I'm not sure if I just haven't figured out the super-efficient way to load them on or if I'm just super-lazy but it always seems like a pain to do. Well, here's my attempt to load up a video. Jack seems super-fidgety in this one. If it works, I'll try and do one of Emma doing Camp Rock. (Sorry about all the supers).

(Didn't end up working)

So far, it was easier than I thought but taking a long time to upload.

While I'm waiting for upload, I'm going to really tax the computer and try and upload other pics while I'm waiting for the video.

Pictures include
Em's first day of 2nd grade with and without Jack (who started his first day of the big kid room). My first batch of homemade mozzarella- much easier to make than the yogurt.
Pictures of mozzarella with tomatoes from the garden.

Wow, this is taking forever... maybe because it's a long video or because I'm not doing it right... will try again...

OK... well, I can't get it to work. I'm going to make one last valiant attempt to have a posting only of the video and then I must do some quick things for work before the weekend really starts.

Feeling like a dinosaur right as the meteor was coming...

2008-09-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

This article, the Collapse of Primary Care, is one just like the many others I have seen. Mainstream media writes about this a few times a year. Not sure if it's supposed to make me run for another job or proud to be where I am or what... what it does make me wonder is where is the average family doctor working 60-70 hours/week and making $180K. Not only are they making that, but they're complaining about it. Not in New England. Whatever... best get back to work.

angry at the Red Sox...

2008-09-11T05:32:00.001-07:00

Not just because they lost 2 in a row but because I'm exhausted (and they lost 2 in a row). I'm too old to stay up for these games. From now on, I'll find out what the score is in the morning.

Yet another philosophical musing...

2008-09-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

As the black rainstorm clouds are coming nearer...
Jack: "Mommy, let's hope and hope a lot so the rain doesn't come until after we get home."
Me: "OK"
Jack: "You know, mom, I don't really think hoping has anything to do with it. I think the weather has to do with the science of weather and hoping can't really change that."
Me: "You're probably right, Jackie".
Jack: "Actually, mommy, I pretty sure I am right"

That's my girl...

2008-08-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I found another addiction... boggle online. Emma was watching me play today and she said, "Does excuse count?" Why yes, it does. That's my 7 year old coming up with the 6 letter word on the 4x4 grid. Nice job, Em!

Right back at ya...

2008-08-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Yup... 10 years...
I'm not as technically savvy and have no time to figure out how to link up those videos. So here you are...

Clean, shmean...

2008-08-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

See, I am a good mom. Always with my kids' best interest in mind.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25968435/

Overly clean homes may up bowel disease risk

Disease more common among kids with spick-and-span upbringings

Just like the good ole days...

2008-08-03T11:19:00.001-07:00

Schlitz returns, drums up nostalgic drinkers

After decades of dormancy, Milwaukee's iconic beer is back on the shelves

Visitor du jour...

2008-08-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Alternate career found...

2008-07-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

I've done it... I've finally done it. The resignation letter is written, printed, and signed. New job found!

Poor Emma...

2008-07-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

She was all bummed that Jack and I went to see this guy yesterday. She really wanted to try crickets again. Jack was upset that he didn't serve his favorite- Japanese water beetle
(or whatever it was called)- the one that needs to be fileted open- but he did quite enjoy the crickets this time around. I must say I did too this time. I took the legs and wings off which made it a lot more palatable. I am a little concerned that I had symptoms similar to my shrimp allergy after eating it (please tell me I'm not allergic to all arthropods).

Boring...

2008-07-30T17:22:00.001-07:00

Not that anybody reads this anyways... but my blog layout is so boring. Any suggestions?

So where should I get my information...

2008-07-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

Please just make it go away.

The corporate sponsorship of everything on TV makes me nuts. If I had to hear the "Glad line of products" or "TresEmme hair salon" one more time on Top Chef or Project Runway, I was going to scream. Although this 30 rock clip is pretty funny.

Things sponsored in the medical world drive me nuts too which is why I stay away from drug reps and all dinners/education things sponsored by them. But since the cost of things is so expensive even the AAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians) CME (continued medical education) is all sponsored now.

I received a postcard in the mail today with the topic "Foods that foster healthy hearts: help your patients reduce their risk of coronary hearty disease" from the AAFP. Seems great from the description on the other side. Then you read the small print on the bottom. Here is the link to the webcast. Let me know what you think. I wonder what the miracle food is??

Different strokes...

2008-07-23T11:44:00.001-07:00

The Learning Collection is a local program that offers tons of great classes- basic education stuff, languages, cooking, exercise, and then various "alternative options".

Jim's favorite class option:

Divine Intervention: How to Pray and Get Results [730097]

Do you ever feel like you are having a one-way conversation with God? Are you hearing a lot about prayer in the media? Join this discussion and learn the 10 tips to getting your prayers answered. Talking and listening to God takes time, patience and faith; but the exchange is life-changing. Thursday, 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM; 1 session on September 11, 2008
Non-member Cost $39, Member Cost $29, Materials Fee $5

My favorite class option:
The Great RI Accent Reduction Program [540006]

Do you know English, but have a very strong RI accent? Would you like to reduce your accent and open the door to clearer communication? Join this unique program which uses a tape recorder so you can hear your voice improve. This immersion class puts you on track to a new, professional-sounding voice. Wednesday, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM; 1 session on September 17, 2008
Non-member Cost $45, Member Cost $35, Materials Fee $5

Always seems intriguing (yeah, right):
Exotic and Provocative Pole Dancing [140032]

Experience your sensual self through exotic dancing. Express yourself, increase self-confidence, enhance your senses, and improve flexibility and fitness. Unleash your wild side! Monday, 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM; 4 sessions starting August 4, 2008, ending August 25, 2008
Non-member Cost $79, Member Cost $69,

Flower boy's in the house...

2008-07-22T12:43:00.001-07:00

Don't feel so bad no more...

2008-07-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Well, all season long I have been looking forward to my tomato bounty. Most specifically, this one heirloom that I have finally gotten to grow (OK, I lie I finally found to buy and still have not been able to successfully sow from seed). Matt's Wild Cherry. It's supposed to be awesome but only yields a few fruits. Looks like we had about 20 green tomatoes on the plant. Dad ate the first one (or maybe it was mom, or maybe both) and it hadn't even hit the ripe red yet. Then Jim was in the garden the other day and Jack was on the patio (for those of you haven't read previous posts, my tomato addiction has caused us to expand our garden to our patio in pots and another side garden of only tomatoes).
And here goes the conversation or so I'm told...
Jack: "Hey, dad, do you hear that crunching sound?"
Jim: "No, Jack, what crunching sound?"
Jack: "The one of me eating the tomatoes"
There goes another 2.
We've been hanging in my parent's air conditioning for the past few days for Jack's breathings sake. Escaping the poor air quality caused by the air conditioning that we're sitting in... but at least Jack is breathing.
Hopefully when we return tomorrow those tomatoes will be nice and red... and I'll get to them before Jack.