Wind my way through TX and into NM...

It's been awhile, yet again. Somehow, my summer schedule increased in busy-ness. No sleep til Brooklyn...

Memorial Day weekend was fantastic, although my liver might disagree. Shots of Jameson? Seriously? Red and his Ft. Collins crew are trouble of the best kind. Minus the superfluous drinking, my belly left CO in a happy state. I highly recommend Cuba Cuba! and Steuben's (the latter especially for lovers of pork: bacon-infused-vodka bloody mary's- not my thing, but the other members of our party could not stop raving about these greasy-looking drinks).

The trip to Denver and the mid-May Seattle visit reminded me of the benefits of city life. Fantastic food, places to walk (and taxis to scoop you up when your feet get tired), interesting architecture, lots of entertainment to choose from... All factors that suddenly seem more important when thinking about my internship year.

After a frantic trip to the vet on Friday, I've banned myself from ever reproducing. It's possible that if my schedule gets hectic enough, I might not notice that my children haven't eaten in a week... Probably not the best trait for a parent to have. (In case you were worried, he'll survive. The vet isn't sure what's put him on hunger strike, but his appetite strangely improves when I give him tuna instead of the boring dry food. I'm feeling manipulated, but too guilty to not give in.)

Teaching has taken over my life. Lecturing two hours a day is beyond intense, but I lucked out and got a good group of kids. They ask questions and participate, far surpassing my expectations in that realm. But... the first test was Friday, and I'm feeling a bit like a failure. Class average was 66.4. Ah, dilemmas. I want them to do well, but I don't feel I should have to dumb down the material. My goal this week is to come up with some supports that don't compromise the integrity of the course, but give them additional tools for success. I'm ready for the month to be over- working all day Saturday & Sunday is no bueno.

Team dinner tonight to brainstorm names. Our top contenders right now: 6 Degrees at Elevation, The Third Leg is the Hardest, and Show Us Your Splits. Today was my my second 2-a-day- it felt surprisingly good. Less than two months- time to pick up the miles.

I've been down, I've been down too far to care
I keep getting in my car, but I'm not going anywhere
And I've been had, well, at least that's how it looks
And it's not funny like on TV and it's not smart like it is in books
And I wonder, yeah, I wonder how the world keeps spinnin' 'round
Where's a boy with bad intentions gonna settle down?
And I don't know what you've been told
The streets of where I'm from are paved with heart instead of gold...
-Old 97's

A New Chapter

I am now the "proud" owner of rather disturbing pictures of my internal workings. Still no closer to an explanation for all this fatigue and anemia, but I'm hopeful that in a week or so, the mystery will be solved. Meanwhile, I'm learning the hard way that medical compliance is no easy task (rather ironic, since we're in the midst of designing a new study to explore adherence issues in peds oncology). I'm diligently taking my iron supplements, but refusing the Centrum until I can find a vitamin that meets my own approval. In Seattle, I followed the "no running" rule because we were walking a million miles a day, but yesterday, got back on the road. It was a sad excuse for a run, but I have to start training again. August is fast approaching and I am behind schedule...

This week was crazy and my ability to regulate emotions went out the window. I've been working too many nights, which I usually don't mind. We have a great team- I'm lucky to work with people whose company I enjoy. I realized last night, in the midst of preparing a veggie feast (lentil/brown rice cakes, roasted cauliflower & broccoli, and steamed artichokes with roasted red bell pepper dipping sauce), that it's the lack of cooking that has me stressed. I like to have control over my food- I've gotten to the point that I hate eating out (although Seattle restaurants almost changed my mind on that front). There's also something therapeutic in the preparation- the chopping, measuring, following steps, improvising- that all results in a concrete, hopefully tasty, final product. With my mental health in mind, I've joined The Daring Kitchen. My sporadic posts will now be interspersed with photos of my culinary adventures. More than anything, it's to remind myself to take risks and take time.