Critic

I just finished the last of the Twilight series. I was making some comments to a friend about what I thought of the book...maybe I am a party pooper or something but while I obviously liked the books enough to read all 4 of them, I have some criticisms.

One, I hate many of the names SM chooses for her characters. Not just dislike, but actually quite hate them, esp Renesmee (ugh). I find Bella's character quite pitiful until the last book. The fourth book I felt was rather sexual for a "young adult" = teen book, and I just don't see Edward as that loveable. He seems too controlling or something for me to find him interesting, romantically. The vampire story was much more intriguing to me than any of the relationship drama.

Maybe it all stems back to my lack of an imagination. I remember as a child fretting to my mom about how I didn't have that all too important imagination stressed in all PBS children's broadcasting. She never argued much with me.

To illustrate my point, I really have no interest in Harry Potter. Abe conned me into reading it by buying me the first book. Really didn't get anything out of it.

Am I just an ornery old critic?

Hoax!

The two so-called discoverers of BIGFOOT have admitted it was a hoax...a frozen rubber costume. Who would have thought they made it all up, and for money?

To think I gave them added advertising by posting about it on my blog. I was such a fool.

Sasquatch

Did you hear? They found big foot, Mr. Sasquatch himself. Two men were hiking "very deep in the forest" when their "luck" struck and they found the remains of our hairy friend next to a river. They were also followed by 3 other creatures. They had a video camera but could only manage to get some fuzzy pics of one of the creatures.

Now, they have joined with another big foot hunter and joined his corporation. Somehow their accidental find has turned them into experts, the "besttrackers.com." They are also so environmentally friendly that they don't want to reveal the location so they can keep the creatures safe. In fact, they want to keep them so safe that they plan to capture a live one for themselves in the near future. Thanks guys! These very elusive creatures who have never been captured or photographed (reliably) before will definately need the protection of these great environmentalists.

Workout plan

It is amazing how just writing things down can make such a big difference in goal setting. I have really been trying to motivate myself to exercise more but with little luck on following through consistently. I made a calendar last week to write down my accomplishments and it worked...There is something about checking things off a list that compels me to do it. In fact, sometimes I write things down after the fact, just so I can cross it off.

So, to prove my point, on top of my normal routine of walking to/from school, etc, I also did:

235 minutes of cardio (including 37 miles of biking), 2 hours of tennis (Abe is teaching me), and 2 hours of weight lifting, all in 6 days.

I am thinking of incoporating a real goal into this, something like for every mile I bike I get $0.10 and equivalent for other activities to save up for some big treat (we've been thinking about a Nintendo Wii). You could even go as far as to deduct cents for treats, etc. I'm excited mostly to have a plan that will seem motivating once the novelty of my calendar wears off.

School again

I've been a pretty lame-o blogger the past week or so (or maybe longer...you can decide). This has been a bit of a crazy week. Abraham finally got home from a research conference in Bar Harbor, Maine. Two weeks at home all by myself after a long week in Tennessee and youth conference, meaning all of about 3 days together in July. I never said anything because I didn't want to advertise to any blog stalkers that I was home all alone...

Anyway, I am back at school seeing patients again. I am LOVING it. I feel much more like I know what is going on and love the independence (a little surprising to me, actually). However, I am still feeling pretty puzzled about about half of my patients who all seem to be missing the same front tooth. If nothing else, I should be an expert at restoring tooth #7, the right lateral incisor (the one just right of you big central incisor in front).

I have set a lot of new school year goals for myself. I even cleaned my spare bedroom so you can see the floor and walk and open all of the doors! I am excited about this new year and the opportunity to make the last preparations toward becoming a doctor and professional both academically and in my personal life...

...even if my family is in Belize without me.

Trimming back

I always swore I would never be one of those girls who gained weight when she married. I used to wonder what changed that would cause such drastic changes in a girl's waist line. Well, now I know...a lot. I have noticed that some of my pants are fitting tighter and that I am a little softer around the middle than the day I married last year. Some of the contributing factors? I can't say for sure, but here are some guesses: I used to eat really unusual meals at times. For example, I love canned spinach (gasp!). Probably 3 times a week I would have a can of spinach and a salad or other vegetables for dinner. As a married woman who actually loves her husband, I don't think I could submit Abraham to that kind of dinner. The problem is, the food is often so good I eat more OR the things I make are probably higher in fat than the throw together meals I used to make. Not to mention, Abe is an amazing cook who loves making desserts! Secondly, there is a lot of stress that comes into marriage and starting a new life together --the wedding, moving in, establishing your sock drawer and a routine, etc. Not to say it has been bad, but big life changes mean big stress.

So, I have decided to improve upon my waist line once again through a bigger emphasis on health. This week we bought over $20 in produce (I hope we can eat it all before it goes bad). I even bought a jicama to expand the variety. I am now looking for healthy meal alternatives. Any ideas? Today I made a split pea soup and some bread bowls but I need more ideas for lower-fat, lower-cal, more veggie diets. Please share your ideas. You may have noticed that Abe's cooking blog, IronSheff, contains mostly yummy treats!

Countdown

The new Twilight book came out today. It seems all of my friends have been counting down the days. I guess even my mom pre-ordered the book. Kind of surprised me! Are you reading the book today?

I would like to read it eventually. I think I can wait a few days to borrow someone else's copy. My big question is, will Bella become a vampire or not? I'm not sure I want her to...too many questions in the air...would she really be happy, could she control her appetites, give up her family?