Startitis

Startitis: n. Inflammation of the starting.

Symptoms: Not wanting to work on anything that’s already been started, and wanting to start new things. This may apply across life domains, or may be limited to a single aspect. It is not generally considered a disorder if the results are productive, such as when the patient is excited to work on the IRB application for a dissertation data set, and is ready to jump back into programming after “a little while” of not doing it. It can cause problems, as well as generate a large volume of materials when all of the patient’s current knitting (and other craft) projects seem relatively uninteresting and so she starts a new sweater for the dog. He will undoubtedly appreciate it, but he probably could have waited until the mittens, scarf, and shawl were at least a little further along. Or the quilt that has been waiting in pieces for the patient since at least last Spring Break.

Cure: A schedule. A plan. Even a vague commitment to finish off a few things. Tomorrow…

Happy New Year!

I know it’s a few days late, but the internet has been a bit spotty around here since our neighbor, with whom we were legitimately and legally sharing the internet, moved precipitously.  The blog just wasn’t a top priority whenever I could get to a coffee shop or some other source of sporadic internet access. 

In any case, I’m wishing all of you a happy and reflective new year.  I always enjoy the clean slate the new year brings, and am looking forward to planning out my semester (without teaching, and with only a single class) of work toward my dissertation.  I’m also planning on continuing to knit a bunch, and have added a yearly tracker for my knitting to the side bar, since now I will actually have a full year to track! 

All the best for 2010!

Dog Snuggie

Before you judge, look at this picture:

Walter loves it, and even though people look ridiculous in them, I think he pulls off the Snuggie with a quiet dignity. He is currently snuggled in it on the couch, loving the warmth it provides when combined with another blanket. (The slightly crazed eyes are just because I pulled the blanket off of him and took his picture...)

Dad, Jodi, Jake, and Cosmo, consider this your thank-you note from the dog!

A real break

Now that the holiday crafting, baking, and driving are finished, the real break begins.  Apart from some AMSA work that needs to be finished this week, and some crafting goals that will let me start fresh for the new year, I have nothing on my calendar!  The dog even recognized this and slept until 8:30 this morning.  It was amazing.

I hope everyone had a happy holiday, and is gearing up for an exciting new year!

So close…

I am almost done with my gift crafting. I’ve let go the idea that I will send out holiday cards before the Solstice, since that was yesterday, but am still hoping to finish them up tomorrow. Today was my first real day off – I finished grading yesterday – and it was truly wonderful to knit, sew, and snuggle the dog all day. Alicia has accused me of spending my day documenting where the dog is sleeping and taking pictures of my knitting. She is closer to correct that I would like to admit…

Today he found some sheets waiting to be laundered and decided they did not yet contain enough dog hair:

Santa’s Sweatshop*

Now that classes are over and almost all of the grading is complete, I’ve turned myself almost entirely to the crafting of Christmas/Solstice gifts for friends and family.  Though I have been diligently knitting many of my gifts since July or August, there remain a number to be sewn/knitted/crafted.  I am pleased to report that there are only a few remaining items, and that I will be completely done before the holiday.  I may even send out holiday cards before the New Year!

*I would like to note that I actually take labor practices very seriously.  My crafting is only like a sweatshop in that I have set somewhat unrealistic expectations for the amount that I will get done in the amount of time that I have, and in that the lighting is not the best in my study.  Otherwise, I am taking plenty of bathroom breaks and have relatively little fear of being fired.

Weird stuff found on the bus…

I am hoping that this won’t become a series, but when I got onto the bus a few days ago and saw this:

I was puzzled. I mean, you aren’t supposed to have any food or drink on the bus, and I’m assuming that includes beer. Add to this the fact that it was not quite 2pm and it becomes even more bizarre. Add to this the fact that it was finals time, and perhaps all is explained, but I'm not sure. I’m glad I wasn’t on the bus to see the person drinking it (as I tend to become irrationally angry when I observe others blatantly breaking the bus rules). I'm also glad I wasn't on the bus when some weird girl was taking a picture of beer cans on the bus, as that would have also seemed strange but blog-worthy...

Winter Wonderland?

I don’t know how much longer I can take these wild fluctuations in temperature. While it’s nice that it gets warmer periodically, it makes for truly messy dog-walking, and an unattractive landscape. Everything is browner than it should be at this time of year. I think it freezing rained last night, so now there is a layer of crunchy slush on the ground. It is quite unsavory…

Here is a picture of Walt, attempting to navigate last week after a little melty snow/rain/wintery mix.

A chilling twist of fate…

I enjoyed November.  It was cool and even a little bit sunny, and I even went so far as to call it the fall I didn’t get in September and October, when it was downright hot.  I even got excited about the snow earlier this week.  I prefer winter over summer, and would rather wear layers of clothing than sunscreen.  As a direct result, I’m sure, it is currently 12 degrees Fahrenheit outside.  It is slightly sunny (which I appreciate a great deal), but it is windy, and it is cold.  This leaves only one appropriate description: “the skin-burning cold.”

Every year I forget about the skin-burning cold as anything other than an entertaining story with which to terrify new students from warmer climates.  Every year I forget that there really is no fabric on earth that can stop this kind of wind.  Every year, I get cocky and do things like not putting the liner in my coat even though I have been informed that the high for the day is the same as the low for the previous night, which was approximately 18 degrees.  And then, every year like clockwork, I’m shocked to feel the biting wind on my face, the bizarre feeling of the condensation on my eyebrows (blown up from my scarf) freezing, and the irrepressible urge to close my eyes to keep the delicate fluid inside them from freezing too. 

But take heart, dear readers, as not all is lost.  I have great plans for new knitted goods for just this sort of day, and within days, I’ll have enough free time to actually start/finish them.  That should make the winter just bearable enough that over the spring, summer, and fall, I forget how awful it really is.

Snow

It snowed a little yesterday, but nothing that really stuck. It’s coming down tonight though, and I got a picture that makes it look sparkly and nice.

Also, a cute picture of Walt chewing his ropes…

Solstice Decorating

I haven’t wanted to celebrate Christmas, per se, for quite some time. I love giving (and wrapping) gifts, enjoy spending time with family, and although I could do without the stress the holiday season seems to bring with it, overall I like celebrating, I just don't like the Christian part of the holiday. Don't get me wrong, Jesus was an amazing person, but that's about as far as I go. Over the last few years, I've been more decided about celebrating the solstice, and welcoming the (too slowly) lengthening days and shortening nights.

Since I've had a place to decorate, I’ve only been variably good about doing so. This was due in part to ambivalence, in part to being really really busy around this time of year, and in part to being overall less than thrilled with the Christmas-iness of the decorations. This year, I've hardly had second thoughts. After deciding that the tree is a lovely symbol for the coming solstice, and the decorations decidedly wintery, secular, and crafted by generations of family crafters, I put them all up.

By the door, there is the jingly Rudolph with a surprising sprig of holly coming out of his forehead. To the best of my recollection, this was crafted by my paternal grandmother, and I like the bells just inside the door.

On the wall is the amazing advent calendar created by my maternal grandmother during her Sequin Period. Some of the ornaments have been lost over time, and this year the 21 remaining are perfect for a countdown to the solstice.
The star ornament has long been lost so I use my favorite one, fondly termed the-many-eyed-bunny as the top of the tree. His lovely sequined face makes him look a little bit like he was exposed to a lot of radiation in utero, but he's so sparkly and cute anyway.

Finally, I set up the little tree I got from dad and Jodi when I started college. I managed to wrap the beautiful tree skirt mom (somewhat preemptively) made for me a few years ago when I started medical school, and it makes the whole area look more festive. It's sitting with some little snowmen, two made my Grandma Rita, and one from Alicia's mom several years ago. They look so wintery and happy that I almost (but only almost) want it to snow.

Happy December!

I passed!

Things I have learned this week:

1. Do not send e-mails under acute stress.  Something will be wrong with them.

2. Do not compile important pdfs under acute stress.  Something will be wrong with them.

3. Even if every little thing that could possibly go wrong does, it is still possible to pass and feel like a good person. 

Yay!

A moment of panic, not a moment too soon…

My prospectus defense is tomorrow, and I realized, incredibly fortuitously as I was answering another e-mail a moment ago, that I had not, in fact, sent my entire committee the lovely revised draft (with my name on it, and the pages numbered, all of those little things) of my prospectus.  I am now mortified, but at least it’s out now and they have more than 24 hours to look at it.  Thankfully not much has changed since the draft went out a few weeks ago. 

My heart rate is starting to slow…

Forgot the camera…

but the phone did a decent job! Here we are at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, 2009, all bundled up. You may notice that only one significant other made it out, and this was his first year in attendance. Alicia was home sick (with Nurse Walter), but I don’t know that she would have been up for it even with out the dreaded cold virus she’s been harboring.

Thanksgiving Desserts

I am in charge of desserts for Thanksgiving, so here is a little narrative of my Wednesday-bef0re-Thanksgiving morning and afternoon. I started early, making the peach and blueberry filling on Monday night, and the crust dough on Monday night and Tuesday morning. I assembled the first pie Wednesday morning, and it smelled amazing as it baked.

To roll out my crusts, I used the amazing sheet my mom gave me for Christmas last year. It has incredibly helpful circular measurements in the middle, and is also the right size to cover most of the area that would be dirtied by the rolling.





Here is the pumpkin pie, right out of the oven. It still looks a little fluffier than it ended up, as it hadn't cooled and relaxed yet. I had a bunch of filling that didn't fit in the pie crust so you can see that in the photo below.






Also pictured here is the baked crust for mom's mincemeat bars. This was the final Wednesday morning photo, and then I went to teach and also to buy mincemeat...













Several hours later, I finished an apple crisp to bring to Alicia's mom's, and also finished up the mincemeat pie bars, shown below.

I’ve been so good…

at posting all through this semester, but it’s getting to the exciting time now.  It’s getting to where I can actually see the end of the semester, and it’s a beautiful thing.  Thanksgiving seems late this year, and the semester seems to end early, which is a recipe for both disaster and wonderfulness all at once.  I think I’ve overcome the disaster (and feel relatively good about defending my prospectus Dec 4), and am looking forward to the wonderfulness…

Wish me happy sleeping…

Whitmore Lake Yarn Company

A couple of weeks ago, Cindy (Ash’s mom) e-mailed me to let me know that she had discovered a new yarn shop (new to us, at least) in Whitmore Lake, MI. I quickly invited myself for an excursion that took place yesterday. I think Ash is probably relieved that it’s over, as she’s been hearing from both of us how excited we were for the last few weeks. Sorry Ash!

The Whitmore Lake Yarn Company is a really lovely little shop. They are incredibly friendly, and even have a little girl who likes to greet patrons at the door. I’m under the impression that she’s not employed there, but is a regular shopper/shopper’s companion. Yesterday she was picking out blue yarn for a hat. At any rate, everyone was chatty and it seemed bustling for a Tuesday late-morning-early-afternoon. (Though it is a small shop, so it doesn’t take many people to make it feel full…) I happily found some yarn for a project that I cannot reveal here, due to the potential readership and kin of readership of this blog, but trust me that I’d been hoping to find it for a long time!

Thankfully, the shop carries more of the basic fibers and colorways I love. They had a great selection of Plymouth Galway, Brown Sheep Worsted (and Bulky, I think), Cascade 220 and 220 Superwash, as well as some other yarns I hadn’t seen before, most in lovely solids and heathers. They also stock a great array of baby and child appropriate yarns, with nice acrylic/wool blends that will wash and dry without much distress.

I think this will be a nice foil to Knit A Round, which as many of you know, does not carry the same variety of solid and heathered yarns. I’m pleased to report that this year seems to show an upswing in yarns that I like, but it is notable that almost everything I like ends up in the sale bin, suggesting that their primary clientele love other things. (Ultimately, this works well for me when I’m in a pinch, but results in me buying yarn elsewhere for lots of projects.) I’m excited to have another local option for yarn, and look forward to returning to Whitmore Lake when my yarn budget is once again replenished.

Just get started?

I read a post on the Career Center’s blog about PhD candidates looking for non-academic jobs (for general interest – that’s neither a plan of mine nor something I’ll be dealing with for quite a few years), and they had an interesting post about conquering “job search apathy.” As I read it, it occurred to me that these three steps cover the best way to get going with just about anything:

1. Just start, just do something

2. Break it down into manageable pieces

3. Do something every day

This makes so much sense, and is something I’ve been doing (on and off) for a long time, but is something I think deserves constant reminding. My most recent need of a reminder was this:

A full draft of my prospectus!!! It’s been a crazy semester, with all of the teaching and travel, but I finally have at least a draft of what I’m proposing to do, which sounds like it should be written entirely in some sort of distant subjunctive tense, though I know that it will be “time to just start” on actually doing the work soon enough. And for those of you wondering, I did, in fact, take a photo (with my phone) of the finished draft printed and sitting in my advisor's mailbox...

GLMA Press Release

It looks like the AMA is catching up to AMSA on a few things…  GLMA said it well, so I’m just going to paste it here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 10, 2009

CONTACT: James Beaudreau | jbeaudreau@glma.org

AMA Says Gay Marriage Bans
Contribute to Health Disparities

Gay and Lesbian Medical Association Praises AMA Policy Declaring
Same-Sex Marriage Bans to be Harmful to the Health of LGBT Families

The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) today praised the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) adoption of policy declaring that gay marriage bans contribute to health disparities for gay couples and their children.

“We hope the newly adopted policy will inform future debates about expanding the right to marriage to gay and lesbian couples,” said GLMA Education and Policy Director James Beaudreau. “The science on this issue is clear: the health and well-being of gay couples and their families is directly affected by the right to marry, and denial of that right has many serious health related consequences.”

As part of the newly adopted policy, the AMA “supports measures providing same-sex households with the same rights and privileges to health care, health insurance, and survivor benefits, as afforded opposite-sex households.”

A 2008 report published by GLMA, Same Sex Marriage and Health, documented evidence about the affects of same-sex marriage bans on the LGBT community. The report noted that:

• Access to health insurance through a spouse is an important component of obtaining quality healthcare;
• Research indicates that being married can contribute to overall health and longevity;
• Hospital visitation and decision making rights conferred by marriage are important to the quality of care; and
• Children of LGBT parents benefit when their families are respected and accorded legal protections.

“As members of the medical community, we must bring our knowledge and understanding to the conversation about marriage equality and its positive effects upon health and wellness,” said GLMA President Rebecca Allison, MD. “We know that denying lesbians and gay men the opportunity to marry denies them multiple benefits of marriage that support relationships and promote health. As an act of discrimination, it compounds stigma against LGBT people in our society that has been linked to psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression.”

The AMA also adopted policies requesting a repeal of the U.S. military’s 'don't ask, don't-tell' law. The AMA said ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ creates an ethical dilemma for LGBT service members and the healthcare providers who treat them by putting service members in the position of having to choose between forgoing appropriate medical care by lying to their physicians or risking discharge, as well as healthcare providers in the position of having to choose between documenting the care they are providing incompletely or inaccurately or risking the service member's discharge.

– 30 –

GLMA's 2008 report, Same Sex Marriage and Health, is available at www.glma.org/MarriageEquality.
GLMA is the world's largest association of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) healthcare professionals. Since 1981, GLMA has been working to ensure equality in healthcare for LGBT individuals and healthcare professionals through advocacy, education, research and referrals. Please visit our website at www.glma.org.

Before and after

Here is Walter on the couch. In all fairness, this is actually the after picture, but it also illustrates what he looked like before the other picture was taken as well.

Here is the after picture, with his cute little head sticking out of the blankets. Not pictured: horrifying gas that prompted him to stick his head out for air in the first place. Dogs are gross. But so cute...