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So . . .

Jul. 14th, 2009 | 03:33 pm

Just when I'm about to wallow in despair because of my joblessness . . . I see a few bright lights in this dark, dank, tunnel. 

Today, I got a call from Kroger grocery stores for an interview on Thursday.  Awesome. The hold-me-over-job might come through for me!

Then . . . I got a call for an interview for a REAL job! That's right, a 40 hour a week with benefits job doing brain injury research with this group at OSU.  That interview is on Monday!  I need to practice my interviewing skills and find something professional looking to wear!  Yikes! 

Say lots of prayers for me, peeps!!!!!



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More bread . . . and a car stereo.

Jul. 13th, 2009 | 03:26 pm

So, here's the latest on my bread making escapades.  The wheat rolls I made last week did not actually seem to turn out that great.  They looked OK after coming out of the oven, but once they cooled off, they seemed to have not actually risen enough in the oven.  So, I chucked them.  But the loaf turned out just fine, and we've been enjoying it all weekend.

Today, I tried another loaf of white bread, but this time with regular active, dry yeast, instead of RapidRise yeast.  So, it took a LOT longer and needed two sessions of approximately one hour's worth of rising, but I think it was worth it!  These are the best, fluffiest loaves I've made yet!

 
For some reason, it was a little harder to shape this batch, I'm not sure if that has to do with the kind of yeast, or what, but the dough just did NOT want to stretch out like it was supposed to, and I was worried that I was working it into shape too much and that it would fall in the oven.  But, no, no.  It came out beautifully.  And, I've decided to keep glazing the top with butter from now on, because it's just so dang pretty.  Who cares if the crust gets a little soggy?  I think I'm going to either make oatmeal bread or cinnamon swirl bread next.  Mmmmmm. This is quite a tasty hobby.

( My Car Stereo )
( Other News )
And that's the update. 

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Another Day . . . Another Loaf.

Jul. 9th, 2009 | 03:42 pm

For my second attempt, I used the same bread recipe as last time, only this time I substituted 2 cups of wheat flour for 2 of the cups of white flour.  I noticed that the dough was a little more stiff this time around while I was stirring it, I think because of the wheat flour.  The dough rose just fine, but it seemed to sink slightly once it was in the oven cooking, and I was a little scared that it would turn into a wheat bread brick, but it turned out just fine!
I still don't have another loaf pan, so I decided to make rolls out of the 2nd part of the dough.  It's a lot harder that I thought it would be to get the rolls to be perfectly round! Anyone have any suggestions on how to shape rolls?  Also, the bread seems to be a little more dense than the white bread.  It's not quite as fluffy, and I'm not sure if this is because of the wheat flour, or if something went wrong with the yeast (i.e. I didn't let it rise long enough, it fell a little bit in the oven, who knows?).  It definitely doesn't taste or feel like the yeast didn't rise at all, though, and it actually seems just fine, just more dense compared to the white bread.  Is this normal with wheat bread?  Any thoughts on that, peeps?

Also, I want to find a sweeter recipe for wheat bread.  This one only had 3 tablespoons of sugar in it, and it wasn't quite as sweet as I want my wheat bread to be.  Maybe I'll try one with honey soon, to see if that helps.  Anyone have a sweeter recipe?  

And finally, I just used up all the RapidRise yeast in my house.  For some reason we have an absolute TON of regular yeast, though, so don't you worry.  Now I get to make bread using regular rising time yeast, which I think will take considerably longer.  Hopefully it won't be harder.

So, now that bread making attempt #2 has been reported on, it's time for a report on the rest of my life, which I will put in a cut, so you don't have to be bored.  ( Non-Bread Stuff )
So, that's about it.  I'll keep you all posted!

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A Success!

Jul. 7th, 2009 | 03:01 pm

Today, I embarked on my unemployment bread making venture. After several days of research, I have come to the conclusion that there is not one standard white bread recipe.  Sure, everyone uses flour, and yeast, but everyone has a different idea about how much of those things you should use, and what kind.  Some people use milk instead of water, or a little of each. Some people use honey instead of sugar, or both.  Some people use all purpose flour, some use bread flour, and some use both of those as well. Then there are the people that add powdered or dry milk to the recipe, or those that add potato flakes. And then there are all the different ways to shape the dough into a loaf!  What I think is really annoying, is that everyone has a different method to "activating" the yeast, and a different temperature as to where the milk or water should be.  It is WAY too confusing to try to figuring out which recipe is the "best" recipe.  I wanted to try just a basic recipe first, with no fancy flours, or dried flakes of anything.

I ended up finding and using this recipe on sparkrecipes.com which seemed to have all my desired "simpleness" about it, and also a fairly, but not overly, detailed explanation of how to do everything.  Also, it only made TWO loaves, as opposed the the FIFTEEN a lot of the other recipes I found yielded.  C'mon, people, FIFTEEN loaves of bread?! Seriously, who makes that much bread at one time?  It's not like we're trying to feed the five thousand here, and even then they used a LOT less bread!  Also, I only have 1 loaf pan at the moment, so I made a regular loaf, and then turned the other one into a "round" loaf that I cooked in a round cake pan.  Here are the results:



 
That's right. I, Erin Huff, FINALLY got some dang bread to rise--and it's really tasty, too.  About 5 minutes before it was done, I checked on it, and it looked like it was getting pretty brown, so I put a foil tent on the loaf, and left the round one un-tented, just to experiment. I don't think I'll need to tent them again, the round loaf turned out fine. I also put melted butter over the top of it after it came out of the oven, because I've seen people do that before, but I don't think I will do that again.  It made the top a little soggy.  But it does look a little prettier.  Also, the recipe said to cook it at 400 for 30 minutes, but I did it at 350 for 35 minutes, just because 400 seemed a little high and because another book I found ("Handmade Breads from start to finish in just two hours" by Kathy Summers--Kristin had a copy of it) said to cook it at 350.  

So, what's next? I think I will try this again, just to make sure I can get it right twice in a row.  Also, I think I could let it cook a little bit longer, and maybe that would make it a little more firm and easier to cut.  Also, I've realized that I REALLY need to invest in a better bread knife and maybe a second loaf pan.  After I make sure this yeast-rising-event wasn't a fluke, I want to move on to wheat bread.  And then, maybe to some flavored breads  or specialty breads (cinnamon bread, multi-grain bread, french bread, pretzels . . . the possibilities are endless!)
 

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Unemployment: Day 2

Jul. 2nd, 2009 | 10:04 am

So, in an effort to keep myself from dying of boredom, falling into a deep depression, or generally wasting my days away whist I'm embarking on the world of unemployment, I have decided that I'm going to try my hand and domesticity and learn how to bake bread.

You see, bread (and yeast -requiring products in general) have been the thorn in my side for quite some time, now.  There was one year when I lived in Provo, where I was a rock-star when it came to getting yeast to rise. I made white bread, I made Marla's Buns, etc., etc.  It was great and tasty.  Then something happened, and the yeast gods decided to curse me.  Since then, I have only had successful bread making ventures about twice.  And one of those times doesn't even count, because Tamsin and Nick were helping me bake my mom's oatmeal bread, and I think we put the rising bowl of dough in our bathroom at the Peach Palace, cranked on the hot water in the shower, and even turned up the heat-factor on the water heater itself to get that dough to rise!  Gah!

But, since I suddenly have all this time on my hands, since the ingredients to bread are generally cheap enough for the unemployed, and since my mom gave me loads of wheat flour before she moved to New Mexico (not to mention the 2-fifty pound buckets of wheat I could grind myself if I got desperate),  I'm going to try again.  I tried making wheat bread yesterday.  It rose just great at first, but then when I had shaped it and was letting it rise in the bread pan, it didn't do so great. Once I stuck it in the oven, it sank, and came out a nasty clump of yeasty-smelling wheat brick.  

I've been told I should use a thermometer to make sure I get the water the perfect temperature, but I refuse (at the moment, anyway).  I feel like women have been baking bread and getting yeast to rise for hundreds of years, without using a thermometer, so I should be able to learn how to do that too! Right?!  Right, guys?! 

So, I will try again.  Trial and error, and all that stuff.

Any tips, or suggestions-or good wheat bread or white bread recipes- would be greatly appreciated. 

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Because I'm Unemployed and now have lots of free time . . .

Jun. 30th, 2009 | 03:56 pm

Time for a Book Quiz! Hooray!

1) What author do you own the most books by?
It's a toss up between Paul Farmer and Chaim Potok.

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
Book of Mormon (if you count copies of it in other languages and shortened "kids" versions)

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Noticed, but could care less.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
I don't think I'm in love with any fictional characters.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon)?
The Catcher in the Rye and The Poisionwood Bible

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
The Witch of Blackbird Pond, or maybe one of the Baby-sitters club books?

7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
Environmental Health:From Global to Local ed., Howard Frumkin (that dude's last name just SCREAMS boring)

8) What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
Pathologies of Power, by Paul Farmer

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
I don't care.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Anything written by Dan Brown, oh, wait . . . crap.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
I don't think I dream about books.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
It's a toss up between The DaVinci Code and Twilight (the Stephanie Meyer book, NOT the Elie Wiesel novel written much earlier)

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
An African Niche Economy: Farming to Feed Ibadan, by Jane Guyer.  Once I waded through all the economics gunk, it was actually very interesting.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
As You Like It, not that obscure, I know, but it's the most obscure one I've seen.

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Russians hands down.  Those Frenchies are pansies.  (plus I love books like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich- I love feeling all oppressed and up in arms against "The Man" after reading stuff)

18) Roth or Updike?
I have never read them, and likely never will.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
No opinion.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Milton.

21) Austen or Eliot?
Austen

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
This is a pretentious question and I refuse to answer.

23) What is your favorite novel?
The Woman Warrior and The Poisonwood Bible

24) Play?
As you Like It

25) Poem?
America (cliche, I know.  But it totally appealed to my 17 year old adolescent rebellious self when I first read it.  and I pretty much hate poetry, so since I have to choose, that's what I'll put)

26) Essay?
None

27) Short story?
The one Mark Twain wrote mocking Oberlin.  (I guess there's speculation as to whether it was about Oberlin, but whatever.)

28) Work of nonfiction?
Pathologies of Power by Paul Farmer

29) Who is your favorite writer?
Paul Farmer

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Dan Brown

31) What is your desert island book?
Something large and heavy that I could bonk myself on the head with to put myself out of misery.

32) And... what are you reading right now?
An Agatha Christie "Poirot". 

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Commencement Crazies!

Jun. 21st, 2009 | 04:03 pm

So, I graduated.  FINALLY!  I am never going back to school, again!  It was nice while it lasted, but I am SO ready to be done with it, and SO done with the "academic" lifestyle.  Ugh ugh ugh!  But, the last couple of weeks have been really fun.  Here's what I've been up to:

The week before graduation: Karen Merrell came to visit me! It was so fun to have her here, and to spend some good, solid time with such an old friend, who knows me so well.  We talked and talked, and ate and ate, and saw the sites of Columbus, and just generally had a great visit.  And of COURSE, it would not have been complete with out a Karen Merrell cinnamon roll.  I totally talked her into making them for me while she was here.  She's so wonderful, that she not only made a batch (as well as dinner), for me and a bunch of my church friends, but she also made me my own batch the next day!  What a friend!  

The week of graduation:  So, Karen left on Tuesday, and Paul, Melissa, and Caleb came in on Wednesday night!  I thought I'd be tired having so many house guests, but I absolutely loved it!  We did a ton while P, M and C were here, including but not limited to visiting the Dayton Airforce Museum,  going to the Columbus Zoo, playing at playgrounds, watching The IT Crowd, doing the whole OSU commencement thing, having a meeting of "the Families" (aka, when Paul, Melissa and Caleb met Ben's parents), and eating, eating and more eating.  I love my family, and was so glad and honored that they flew all the way out to Ohio for my graduation.  And they called it a "vacation" too!  Seriously, who goes to Ohio on vacation?!  Any way, they are the absolute best, and Caleb is hilarious.  

Now: After all that craziness, I have just been slowly winding down at work, getting ready for my last day on the 30th, after which I will officially be unemployed.  We just moved offices, so it's been crazy trying to get work done while packing and moving stuff, and I've also been training my replacement student, which has also been crazy. I'm really excited for it to all be OVER, though.  It was nice to have a job that paid for my school, but I'm seriously excited to move on to other things, even if those things might be McDonald's french-frying at the moment.  :)  The jobs search is grueling.  I've got a ton of resumes/applications in to a ton of different places, and am just waiting to hear back from them all.  This week I'm going to hit the pavement hard, and try to land a "hold me over" job wherever I can (hopefully NOT food service, but at this point, nothing is beneath me).  So, that's what's going on right now.  I think I should be a lot more worried about money, and health insurance, and all that stuff than I actually am, but for some reason I'm not as freaked out as I thought I would be.  Maybe because I've pretty much done the homeless thing before (shout out to Tamsin & Nick for putting up with me), so I know how to work the system to get insulin for free and all that stuff.  I don't exactly know what's going to happen, but I do know that Heavenly Father will take care of me, and that I don't have to worry. 

Anyway, that's it for now.  Stay tuned.  Hopefully I'll have a job when I post next!  :)

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Finally!

May. 31st, 2009 | 10:37 pm

Well, folks.  I'm done!  I had my defense a week and a half ago, and passed!  My committee only made me change on thing in a figure in my paper, and that was it!  It had been a crazy couple of weeks leading up to it all, but fortunately it all worked out just fine.  (Also, just FYI, I even wore the most amazing red heels to my defense.  Yowzas! ) Also, I passed my credentialing exam, so I am now also a certified health education specialist.  So, I guess I can sign stuff "Erin Huff, MPH, CHES" now.  Except I won't, because I'm not pretentious.  :)

So, other than a few weeks of "class" left, I'm done with school!  My graduation is on June 14th, for which Paul, Melissa & Caleb, as well as Ben's parents, are coming to Columbus.  Yipee!!!

Here is an incomplete list of what I have been up to other than defending/celebrating:
  • TRIPS: Ben and I went to North Carolina for Memorial Day Weekend to visit his family.  Ben's sister Racheal just had a baby, and it was being blessed that weekend, so we went to Ben's home ward for the baby blessing.  We spent most of our time there hanging out at home with his family, which was a ton of fun.  There are so many of them, that there is never a dull moment!  Also, while we were there, I got to video-chat with my family (Paul, Melissa, Caleb, Mom, & the Beechers) while Mom was in Utah visiting.  It was really nice to be able to do that.  I miss my family!
  • JOBS:  I've been furiously trying to search for a job.  What's sad, is that I feel like I spend SO much time looking for jobs to even apply to, and very little time actually applying.  The job market really stinks right now! Why, oh WHY did we have to have a recession right when I need to find a job?  I am wanting to stay in Columbus, which makes it even harder to find a job,  but the market is bleak everywhere right now.  I have a suspicion I might be offered a part-time temporary position at my current job, when my GRA position is over, but I'm trying to do everything I can to NOT have to take it.  It's not a very healthy work environment.  That's all I'm going to say, I'll leave it at that.  Needless to say, I'm feeling an increasing need to high-tail it out of there.  (Upon which moment I will turn to everyone in the office and yell "Suck it monkeys! I'm goin' corporate!)
  • OT CHALLENGE:  I'm in 1st Samuel.  I just read the David and Goliath story, and knowing everything that lead up to it makes it a lot more meaningful than just a kid defeating a giant.  It makes a lot more sense now, what with the whole he's actually the new king-thing, and it's a way for him to prove to the Israelites that he's the king that God is with, and that Samuel just anointed, and that Saul has had the kingdom taken away from him.  Reading the OT is going a lot slower than I anticipated, and I will definitely not finish it in a year like I wanted to, but I'm OK with that.  It's still pretty rad.
  • I've found a couple of Jeeves & Wooster books at this awesome used book store here in Columbus, and I've been reading those lately.  It's been nice to have some time to just read for fun.  I'm slowly beginning to remember all the things I liked to do when I wasn't in school! I keep having to tell myself "Hey, you can relax now, it's OK".  I'm having trouble not feeling like I should be studying or writing. 
And, that's about it.  Sorry for the disjointed update, but that's what you get.

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Public Health & Pigs

Apr. 28th, 2009 | 12:02 am

Swine Flu.  So, I shouldn't be as excited about this possible pandemic as I am.  I mean, it's sad, and a little bit scary and all that.  But, it's also pretty exciting to see everything I've been learning about these past two years in ACTION!  I can read CDC updates, and totally understand what they're saying!  And, I'm pretty proud of our world's little public health/possible pandemic response.  Yay WHO, CDC, and all the other health organizations that have mobilized over the past few months!  

So, even though the age old adage in public health is "if you don't know what public health is, or what it does, then we're doing our job right,"  I'm still proud of my field and especially what's going on with it right now. 
 


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Updatertin

Apr. 15th, 2009 | 10:32 pm

Hello one and all.  Here are some updates, posted under LJ cuts, for your convenience, so you can read the ones you're interested in.

( Easter & the OT Challenge )
( That Phone Interview )
( Culminating Project/Thesis )
( Wrapping Up . . .  )
And, that's about it. 

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More Pictures!

Apr. 7th, 2009 | 09:43 pm

Hey Friends, here are some great pictures our friend Dave R. took of me and Ben at our church Valentine's Dance.  I'll post my favorite and then give you a link to see the rest.  Ben looks great in this picture, I think I look weird without glasses.  But I also like this a lot.  :)
 

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Posting More Often

Mar. 11th, 2009 | 09:55 pm

I'm here, I'm here! In an effort to make up for the long silence, I am going to attempt to post more often. Unfortunately, this may mean my posts get annoying, dull, boring, or a combination of all of those things, but, I guess you can choose to read them or not.

( The Reason I'm Posting Pictures )



 

So other than pictures, what else is new?  The quarter has ended.  My classes are all done, and I'm just finishing up one paper before spring break. Yessssss!!!!!  Also, I'm applying for a CDC Apprenticeship here in Ohio, and needed a letter of reference from my adviser, and she wrote me a SMASHING one! I don't normally like to brag about stuff, but I was just really surprised by how good it was.  The bulk of my grad. school experience I have spent feeling really incompetent, not cut-throat enough, and just generally really out of place in the world of academia.  Getting a recommendation from her like the one she wrote gave me a little bit of renewed faith in myself and my abilities.  And it also made me realize that the skills I do have, while they may not be 'valued" in the academic world, are indeed valued in the "real" world.  :)

Well friends, that's about all for now.  I'm SUPER sleepy and must retire to my ultra-quiet room in my awesome new house to get some rest.

P.S. I find it interesting that livejournal does not recognize the word "blog" as a properly spelled word.  Isn't that a little bit ironic? 






 




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Sorry it's been so long . . .

Mar. 6th, 2009 | 01:33 pm


Okay, so this is a long time coming. Sorry for being so silent the last little while! I’ve been WAY too busy for my own good! So here’s a quick-ish update:

 

Real Life: Life is GREAT for me right now, in spite of all the craziness that is going on around me. I’m happy, I’m productive, I’m doing really well. Ben and I are still dating, and that is going better than ever. He’s amazing in every way and is literally the best man I have ever met. He’s not perfect, and neither am I, but he tries SO hard, and is SO wonderful to me.  If you want to know more about us or him, just call me and I’ll be happy to fill you in, but in as much as this is a public forum, I will not be getting to googley here.  I feel like I’ve been making some better steps in the right direction spiritually lately. I’ve changed some things up, and am trying to work harder at listening to, heeding, and getting closer to God. And, I like the changes I’m beginning to see and feel in my life. I really feel like these changes have also made me be able to find peace amidst all the hectic things that are thrown at me by the parts of life that don’t really matter, but are the necessary evils. It’s really been refreshing. I feel like I’m living, or attempting to live a much more balanced life. 

 

The Other Stuff: I moved! We finally got out of that noisy apartment complex and into a nice town home. The move happened at the worst possible time, but we had tons of help and it went really well. The new place is not as new or fancy as the other one, but it’s perfect, and QUIET, which has been SO much better. I’ve been getting much better sleep, which has made a huge difference. And I can literally get on a bus to campus right outside my door. It takes 40 minutes to get there, but it’s saving me gas, and miles on my car, which is definitely a good thing right now!.

 

School is going pretty well. It’s been pretty crazy as I’ve been trying to get stuff done for my culminating project and finish stuff up for the quarter, but it all seems to be moving in the right direction now. I’m all set to graduate in June, and I just found out that Paul, Melissa and Caleb (just a note: P, M & C should technically NOT be listed under "the other Stuff", but rather in "Real Life", but it fit better here.  Sorry!) are coming out for it, so that is definitely exciting! I can’t wait. I am slowly starting to look for jobs in the area. I think I might have trouble finding work here when I’m done because the economy is in the tank, but I’ll say a lot of prayers and have a little more faith, and I know something will work out.

 

I’m still doing all that activities stuff at church, it’s being going pretty well. We got some new people on the committee, so that means a lot of delegation, which means less work for everyone! Woot! We just had a service auction for the local Ronald McDonald house, and raised over 1300 bucks! Our next activity is a Film Festival, and I think it’s going to be pretty sweet. We’re getting one of those movie theater pop-corn poppers, we’re giving out awards (like the Oscars, only funny), and we’re going to have a “walk of fame” too. It’s going to be pretty sweet, I think. Can I put “event planner” on my resume because of this calling? 

 

Any way, that’s about it for now. Sorry I’ve been so absent from LJ recently! 

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Because everybody's doing it . . .

Jan. 18th, 2009 | 11:30 pm

and because I can stay up late because I don't have school tomorrow:


A Quiz . . .
1. Where were you 3 hours ago?
The Daves' house
2. Who are you in love with?
Ben! Ben! Ben! Ben! Ben! Duh.
3. Have you ever eaten a crayon?
I think so, at least I know what they taste like . . .
4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
A Pillow case. I'm pretty sure it used to be Annika's
5. When is the last time you went to the mall?
With my brother. A few days before Christmas.
6. Are you wearing socks right now?
Nope.
7. Do you have a car worth over $2,000?
Ha.
8. When was the last time you drove out of town?
News Years Day. Ben and I drove to Kentucky to meet his parents for lunch.
9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
No, there's absolutely nothing I want to see right now.
10. Are you hot?
Oh yeah.
11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water.
12. What are you wearing right now?
Karen M.'s old sweat pants, and a short sleeve t-shirt and a long sleeve t-shirt, it's cold outside.
13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it?
I let the rain wash my car. I've never washed it since I bought it.
14. Last food that you ate?
Milk and chocolate chips.
15. Where were you last week at this time?
Sleeping.
16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
Please, like I have money for that.
17. When is the last time you ran?
Last monday.
18. What's the last sporting event you watched
The steelers game tonight.
19. What is your favorite animal?
Ducks. It's my second favorite animal, behind dolphins . . . ;)
20. Your dream vacation?
Any place warm, relaxing, where I can just lay on the beach all day.
21. Last person's house you were in?
The Daves'
22. Worst injury you've ever had?
I broke my ribs at a ward activity. That hurt pretty bad.
23. Have you been in love?
Check and check.
24. Do you miss anyone right now?
Lots of people.
25. Last play you saw?
I can't remember the name, but it was in Circleville, and it was not very good.
26. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?
Um, I am the least seductive person on the face of the planet. So, yeah, I got nothin' here.
27. What are your plans for tonight?
Sleep, and sleep and sleep some more!
28. Who is the last person you sent a Facebook message or comment?
Carrisa.
29. Next trip you are going to take?
North Carolina maybe?
30. Ever go to camp?
Ho Mita Koda. What!
31. Were you an honor roll student in school?
Oh yeah.
32. What do you want to know about the future?
If there's going to be a cure for diabetes in my life time. 
33. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
No, I dont' really like scents.
34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor's visit?
Yeah.
35. Where is your best friend?
Sleeping.
36. How is your best friend?
Awesome.
37. Do you have a tan?
Riiiiigggght. I live in Ohio.
38. What are you listening to right now?
Law & Order:SVU
39. Do you collect anything?
Purses, apparently. And occassionally lint.
40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know?
I don't think I can say that here.
41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over?
In Utah. I had a headlight out.
42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?
Sure. This is a dumb question.
43. What does your last text message say?
"No, but they saw Kevin Sorbo, Denise Richards, and Paul Giamati".
44. Do you like hot sauce?
It depends.
45. Last time you took a shower?
This morning.
46. Do you need to do laundry?
Oh yeah.  It's been way too long.
47. What is your heritage?
Norwizzle!
48. Are you someone's best friend?
Pretty sure.
49. Are you rich?
Compared to most of the world, yes.
50. What were you doing at 12AM last night?
Sleeping. 

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Not my best moment . . .

Jan. 12th, 2009 | 11:06 pm
mood: sick sick

Current Blood Sugar=592.

Gotta love the combination bad batch of insulin/Panera dinner.  :)

I'm pretty sure that's the highest I've been since I was diagnosed . . . welp, let's see what 10 units of Apidra will do, shall we? 

Here's to a night full of peeing and drinking lots and lots of water.  Fun times!
 


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(no subject)

Jan. 7th, 2009 | 10:56 am


Much apologies for the silence on my blog as of late! I’ve been pretty busy, and just haven’t had the time, energy, or desire to sit down and blog.

 

Here’s what’s happened since I last wrote:

 

Christmas

I spent a glorious Christmas in Utah with my brother, sister-in-law, and adorably cute nephew. I also spent much of it with my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents, including getting snowed in on Christmas day. It was great! My mom, unfortunately, could not make it up from New Mexico because the weather was so bad, so that was a bummer, but for the most part I had a great time. It made me miss my familia very very much, however. It was also hard to be away from Ben for so long! I missed him terribly, but we talked/chatted almost every day. He was WAY sad and mopey while I was gone though, so I felt bad, but not bad enough to stop enjoying my family! Some highlights from the trip:

  • Caleb kept saying to me: “You’re short. Are you a kid?” or “You’re not very tall, are you a kid?” Hilarious!
  • I got to tour Paul and Melissa’s possible new home.
  • Spending Christmas with my grandparents and The Beechers and the Jeans. I love my cousins!
  • Hanging out with the North/Robole family. I went with Nick and Tamsin and Tamsin’s parents to the “This is the Place” monument/park where they put on this whole Christmas village thing. It was very cool, and Tamsin’s dad spent the whole night telling me stories about Norway. Also, we ate some amazingly yummy Norwegian cookies. Mmmmmm.
  • Eating, eating, eating and eating again.

 

So, Christmas in a nutshell: Great. Thanks Paul and Melissa for the best Christmas present I’ve gotten in a long time (the ticket to Utah! . . . although I like the Miles CDs too Paul, but the ticket trumps it by far).

 

New Years-ish Time

So, between the day I got back (Dec 30th) and when I started back to school/work (Jan 5th), I basically spent every waking hour of the day with Ben. We did a lot of fun things on New Years Eve, because it was not only the eve of the new year, but also his BIRTHDAY! 27 years old! The old man! We went bowling, went to PF Changs, etc., etc., etc. We had a New Years Eve party at our house that night, but it was pretty low-key, which was nice. I realized I’m getting old, because I had trouble staying up that late! But, it’ was really nice to spend SO much time with Ben. Ben’s parents were driving back from Utah, after dropping his little sister off at BYU, and the called us up and asked us if we wanted to meet them in Kentucky on New Years Day for lunch. So, we drove down to Kentucky on New Years Day and had lunch at a Cracker Barrell with Ben’s parents. It was so much fun! I really like his parents, they are great. 

 

School

School has started up again. I’m taking a class called “Settings and Special Populations in Public Health”. It’s basically just a how to practice public health with “special populations” class (i.e. immigrants, refugees, women, adolescents, elderly, rural, prisons). I’m also taking a class called “Psychosocial Aspects of HIV/AIDS”. Bascially, a how to practice public health with different populations of those infected with HIV/AIDS. They’re both taught by the same professor, who I’ve had before and who I LOVE. I’m also taking an independent readings course which I will be using to work on my literature review for my culminating project. 

 

Well, that’s about it. Hope you all are doing well!

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The Flight Delay Boredon . . .

Dec. 20th, 2008 | 10:44 pm

 . . . has caused me to fill in this list

One Word Answers
1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? Ben
3. Your hair?  blonde
4. Your mother?  Librarian
5. Your father?    German
6. Your favorite thing?  right now? Ben! Ben!
7. Your dream last night? forgot
8. Your favorite drink?  coke
9. Your dream/goal?  MPH
10. What room are you in?  basement
11. Your hobby?   reading
12. Your fear?  complications
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?  married
14. Where were you last night?  Ben's
15. Something that you aren't?  Republican
16. Favorite vacation spot?   warm
17. Wish list item?  car
18. Where did you grow up?  Oberlin
19. Last thing you did?  eat
20. What are you wearing?  pjs
21. Your TV?  BBC
22. Your pets?  phoeph!
23. Friends?    Great!
24. Your life? interesting
25. Your mood?  sleepy
26. Missing someone?   Ben!
27. Your car? old
28. Something you're not wearing?  scarf
29. Your favorite store?  Panera
30. What you ate last?  pizza
31. last book you read?  words
32. Your favorite color?  blue
33. When is the last time you laughed? tonight
34. Last time you cried? yesterday
35. One place that I go to over and over?  Ben's!
36. Last phone call?  Paul
37. One person who emails me regularly?  boss 
38. My favorite place to eat?  panera
39. One place I would like to go right now?  ben's!
40. One TV show I watch all the time?  Bones


Bah, I want to get on my plane.

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Christmas Update

Dec. 16th, 2008 | 10:44 am


Here’s the latest update. I finally finished what felt like the longest quarter ever! And I got straight A’s! Well, one of them was an A-, but I think that totally counts. This means that I have two quarters left. Next quarter I will take two, pretty easy, classes and do one independent reading with a professor that I will use to start my literature review for me culminating project. Then, in my final quarter, I will have sign up for 6 credits of my culminating project, and just have to take one 3-credit class. I’m a little bit excited about that, because I will most likely have some free time that quarter that I can use to search for jobs. I’m going to try as hard as possible to stay in the Columbus area, so I think I’ll need a little extra time to look for a job, since I’m not going to be able to relocate. So, that’s school.

 

I don’t have to be in charge of another church activity until January, so I’m pretty happy about that. It’s been SO nice to relax the week or so and not have to worry about planning any upcoming events! Oh, also, in church-y news, I’ve been slacking a bit on my Old Testament Challenge, I haven’t stopped reading, but I haven’t always read the three pages a day I need to finish by the end of the year. But, I really like that I’ve been reading it more regularly, and am actually enjoying the Israelites travels and travails in the wilderness. Sometimes I read what they do and think “Bah! You foolish people, you keep making the same mistakes over and over again!” and then I think about the things I do that are stupid over and over again, and laugh. Thank goodness God is patient! Any way, I just started Deuteronomy and am enjoying listening to Moses’ account of how things went down during the Israelite’s travels. So, that’s church.

 

Let’s see, what else . . . I’m leaving for Utah on Saturday night! I’m super excited to see my family! I miss them so much, and I’m also super excited for the hair cut I’m planning on getting while I’m there, as well as the food I’m planning on eating. Mmmmmm. I will be a little sad to leave Ben, though. He’s stuck in Columbus for Christmas, and I won’t see him for 10 whole days! But, I get back the day before his birthday and have many sneaky plans for it. Also, I have supplied Ben with a string of Christmas lights for his window as well as an “almost ugly” mini-Christmas tree, decorated by yours truly. And I am doing the 12 days of Christmas for him, and he’s decided to save all the presents and open them on Christmas, so he will not be without presents. I still feel bad that he has to be here all by himself, but that’s the way things go sometimes, I guess. Any way, I can’t wait to visit Utah! I miss my family and friends!

 

Well, that’s enough for now. Merry Christmas!

 

 

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Bah-Humbug: A Christmas/Birthday List

Dec. 12th, 2008 | 09:46 am


 So, I hate putting these lists on here, mostly because I can never think of anything I really want/need. Also, it's two weeks before Christmas, so most people have already done their christmas shopping, but I guess I have a birthday too, right?.  Here are some things I thought of:
 
  1. The Health Education Specialist: A Study Guide for Professional Competence, 5th Edition (it's the study guide for the CHES exam I have to take in the Spring)
  2. Socks
  3. Kroger gift cards (cause I'm poor)
And really, that's it. 

In Happier Christmas new, I get to wear my santa earings today, because we are having an office party. Yessssssss!

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Pictures, for the masses . . .

Dec. 11th, 2008 | 04:35 pm

 . . . or at least for those who are anxious to see what Ben looks like.  These are from the Winter Dinner/Dance extravaganza thing I had to do the other night.  These pictures represent the two-ish minutes that night where I wasn't running around like a chicken with my head cut off. :) 

I look really good in the first one, and Ben looks either like he's trying to pose all GQ-like, or is annoyed that he's having his picture taken, I can't quite tell.  


In this second one, Ben is FINALLY looking straight into the camera and not making a funny face!  We were trying to be funny and take one of those fake prom-photo-like pictures, but I just ended up looking horrible.  But, hey, at least Ben is actually looking into the camera in this one, right?



And there you go. Hopefully that will placate you all for a while. Merry Christmas!

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