Sunday, June 23, 2019

Vol. 2 Issue 13

Pic of the week 


This is a picture of the inside of a person's neck. One of my jobs is being a standardized patient.  That means I pretend to be a patient so medical students can practice various things - mostly bedside manner - on a warm body.  This week they were practicing ultrasound techniques.  They were looking for jugular veins for the purpose of inserting central lines.  That's where they stick a needle into your neck so they can thread a catheter down into your chest for who knows what reason.  Anyway, I was the warm body.  This isn't a picture of my actual ultrasound image, but this is basically what it looked like.  IJ means Interior Jugular.  C stands for Carotid Artery. Fun fact - your jugular vein is compressible (that means you can squish it), while the carotid artery is not. It was pretty cool to see. Turns out I have pretty typical anatomy.  And a pretty long neck. 

What's going on?

My roommate was out of town for most of the week and I am always delighted by an empty apartment.  I spent several days lounging in my underwear and got lots of reading done.  When I wasn't at home in my altogether, I spent TONS of time at Kidville this week.  There's a bit of managerial musical chairs going on with people being on vacation and pregnancy bed rest and whatnot, so I was happy to step in and earn some dollars.  I also got a couple of free lunches out of the deal, and I'll never complain about free food.

It is officially summer.  But around these parts we have a lovely phenomenon affectionately known as June Gloom.  It's basically just overcast a bunch.  Almost every morning and sometimes for the entire day for most of June.  I don't mind so much because I like a bit of cooler weather.  Our apartment only has A/C in one room, so when it starts to heat up toward the end of summer it can be pretty brutal.

Anyway, sippin' on a rootbeer.  Thinking about getting some plants.  Living the life.

What I'm reading

Still reading Seveneves.  It's a LONG book.  But it's REALLY interesting.  At least, to me, but I like sci-fi.  It's about how the human race struggles to survive the breakup of the moon and Earth's subsequent destruction and humanity dwindles down to 8 women, 7 of whom are of child-bearing years - hence the title Seven Eves - and I'm really enjoying it.  Trying to finish it up, though, cuz I've got some other library books I need to dive into.

What I'm watching


This is the story of the Central Park Five. Five teenagers who were wrongly accused and convicted of a rape in Central Park in 1989.  They were later exonerated, but it's truly the most heartbreaking story.  It's a limited series, or a mini series on Netflix.  We just watched the first episode and it was really hard to get through because it just made me so angry.  But I think it's absolutely worth watching.  Can't remember if there's any language in it, so heads up that there might be, and honestly there probably is, but I'd still recommend watching it, or if not, at least reading up on the story.  Oprah talks to the director and cast of the show along with the actual men affected.  You can watch that here.
What I'm listening to

The Salt Lake Tribune has a podcast related to all things Mormon called Mormonland.  This week's episode was about the Mormon Miracle Pageant (AKA the Manti pageant).  Being that I basically went to the pageant every year of high school and some in college, it was fun to hear some history behind it.  This was their last summer and I'm a little sad I didn't get to see it one last time. 

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Vol 2 Issue 12

Pic of the week 


Technically this is from last week, but I missed a week, so here ya go.  Celebrating Grandpa's 80th birthday by riding the Heber Creeper and getting burgers afterward.  This is only about half of the family.

What's going on?

Happy Father's Day to all the dads!  Y'all are pretty cool.  In my work I've seen examples of dads all across the spectrum, and I gotta say that I've got some pretty stellar examples of fatherhood in my life, for which I am most grateful.  Keep up the good work!

Last weekend I was traveling, and writing out this ol' thing just slipped my mind.  It was really fun to spend a few days in Utah.  Got to see lots of family and a lots of friends and smell that beautiful summer-in-Utah smell.  I love it so much.  Would have been fun to see the entire family all together, but people have work and live out of state and so that's not likely to happen until Grandpa or Grandma are Taken Up to Glory.  And even then, I'd be surprised if all 56 descendants and spouses make it to the funeral.

Riding the Heber Creeper was a really enjoyable experience!  It was my first time and I gotta say it's worth a ride.  3 hours round-trip and it's just a delightful, easy, relaxing afternoon.  Bring a book or a friend and a some snacks and enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery.

Other than a short trip to the Motherland, not much is going on here.  Summer's a pretty slow time.  Auditions slow down, Story Pirates shows slow down, tutoring slows down, my metabolism slows down.  But the weather's been beautiful, and my roommate has been gone all weekend, so it's been a non-stop underwear dance party around here.

What I'm reading


Sci-fi novel.  The premise is that something hits the moon and makes it break into 7 different pieces.  Science, science, science and the world is in danger so they're building a kind of ark in space to save humanity.  It's a long one. I've been working on it for a solid 3 weeks - including two plane rides - and I'm only about 30% done.  But it's interesting.  So, if you like sci-fi, I'd recommend giving it a whirl.

What I'm watching

This is a hard one to give recommendations for. Partly because I don't watch a lot of TV, and partly because most of the TV that I do watch is original content from a streaming service which doesn't have nearly the censoring process of your Network stations.  I guess I can recommend Godzilla: King of the Monsters.  It wasn't a great piece of cinematic art, but all I wanted was giant monsters fighting, and that's exactly what I got.  The lead guy BUGGED me.  But Millie Bobby Brown is in it, and she's a rockstar.

What I'm listening to

I think I've mentioned On Being before.  Thoughtful conversations with religious, spiritual, philosophical, and political leaders etc.  This week's episode, I thought, was great.  

Sunday, June 2, 2019

Vol 2 Issue 11

Pic of the week 

Tweaked something in my neck by doing something completely innocuous at work.  Spent my Friday night curled up with a heating pad.  36 is the new 86, apparently.

What's going on?

Went back to Disneyland this week with my Disney friend. We went entirely because of a dessert we saw on Instagram.  Cookie butter monkey bread.  It was worth the trip.  We also hit a couple of rides, grabbed dinner, and watched the fireworks show.  It was a lovely way to spend an evening.

Not much new to report around here.  I continue to spend money on things I don't need because Instagram ads get me in a way that is frightening.  I should probably stop scrolling through Instagram so much.

I'm trying to eat healthier.  A few weeks ago there were several days in a row that I subsisted on basically nothing but mac and cheese, cookies, and coke.  And that felt pretty gross.  I need to take better care of myself, and I'm attempting to do that.  LOTS more vegetables, drinking more water, etc.  I'm already pretty good about exercising, my food intake just needs an upgrade.  Any good recipes I should check out?

What I'm reading


Started re-reading this gem with a tutoring student of mine.  Can't go wrong with good old Stanley Yelnats.

What I'm watching


It's never not funny.