Another Boring TMI Update

Howdy, folks.  Just a few updates...

HOME

Husband has been traveling a lot this academic year.  A lot.  I believe he his days away numbered more than his days here.  Between August and December, he traveled 10 times.  Already in 2012, he's been to Dubai, Bangelore, Prague and upstate New York.  I had a little breakdown a couple weeks ago when he was out of town and we had painters at the house and I felt somewhat abandoned.  Of course, I was forced to clean my built-in bookshelves in the main room, a task I've avoided for four years.  My in-laws, friends and mom jump in to help, but it just isn't the same as when Husband is here. It seems he might be home for awhile now, so that makes me feel better.

The kids are doing well.  Son is really focused on video games right now and we usually just see the top of his head.  It's hard to set consistent limits, because when he is engaged in the angry birds or bejeweled or plant and zombie battles, he's quiet.  That's something new around here and is somewhat pleasant, but we know video games can be numbing.  Daughter, on the other hand, is a typical 3-year-old.  Her language skills allow her to form convincing arguments, and developmentally she is at that point where she's a bit bipolar.  Crying one minute, laughing the next.  It's a whirlwind of emotion.  Occasionally, she'll wander into the room and say, "Mama, you make me happy!  I like you!"  It cracks me up.

WORK


I'm getting good feedback from the people who matter, meaning patients administrators and students.  Academically, I'm more comfortable with lecturing and delivering constructive criticism, but still struggle to write test questions that are challenging and case-based.  Clinically, I'm finding myself better able to set healthy boundaries and am trying harder to make peace with the electronic medical record client, with whom I've had a rocky relationship for 2-1/2 years.

On April 16th, I sit for my recertification boards board exam.  I'm trying not to freak out, but I don't feel like I've done much preparation and am really worried about it.  I have study plan which makes sense and is do-able, but I know that I tend to always choose the easier route.  Study or catch up on my TV shows? You all know what I'll choose.  I need to buckle down and do it.

CHURCH AND CHOIR

I made the painful choice to not sing the Brahms Requiem because I would miss the last two rehearsals, typically when it all "comes together", because I'm scheduled to be presenting a poster in Washington, D.C. that weekend.  The director OKd the absence, but I know I wouldn't feel comfortable.  The fact that I'd have to spend over $300 to change my return ticket also figured into the decision, quite frankly.  That's a whole lotta dollars.  So I'm missing the opportunity to sing this wonderful work and will miss seeing my childhood friend, Gwen Coleman Detwiler, sing the soprano solo work.  She was talented in grade school and junior high and went on to earn a doctorate in music.  On faculty at University of Cincinnati College of Music, she is coming home for this performance and I really would have liked to have heard it.

So I love the choir.  LOVE.  Every rehearsal feeds my soul.  They asked me to serve on the leadership team, which I thought was an honor until I realized nobody really wants to do it because it is some extra work and involves a time commitment.  Well, it's only a 3 year term, and I'm meeting a lot of really fantastic people by serving on this committee.

I'm honestly surprised that I'm enjoying church so much now.  I love the worship service, the pastor's messages usually speak to me (as I'm sure everyone feels) and I find myself thinking about God a lot more in my daily life, making conscious choices to behave like the Christian I am.  I haven't found a Sunday School class that "fits" and I still curse like a sailor.  Maybe when I find that Sunday School class, the cursing will magically go away?

PERSONAL HEALTH

I ordered Just Dance for the Wii, which I figure will be a good way to ease back into regular exercise, and I'm tracking everything I eat because the accountability is good for me.  Hoping I start losing soon and I recognize the stuff going on in my head that usually ends up with a weight loss cycle.  Saw my doctor and had my labs drawn. The good news?  Even though I don't take cholesterol med, a my LDL, or bad cholesterol, is an incredible 45 (my goal is no higher than 70).  The bad news? My HDL, or good cholesterol, is 28 (my goal is more than 50) and my hemoglobin A1C is 6.0 which puts me firmly in pre-diabetic category.   More motivation to exercise and lose weight, huh?  Yep.  Like I say, I'm working my brain around it.

CYBERLIFE

Now, before I go, I have to caution you all about Pinterest, which I previously recommended highly.  Turns out the legal blurb you have to check to use it is quite frightening and I think I'm considering taking my account down.  Click here read the article which frightened me and tell me what you think?