2009 March

A Day at UVa Medical Center

I had a full day planned. Breakfast with a client and friends at the Chamber of Commerce Commonwealth event at 7:30am, a meeting with a new client, a call with my supervisor, working on a project for a community partner, returning phone calls and touching base with my freelance colleague and finishing up with my weekly appearance on CBS-19. It was going to easily be a 13 hour workday and I was looking forward to it. (I’m weird, I know).

But when the girl got home from school, she had persistent abdominal pain and swelling. Since the girl had an urachal cyst, we just don’t mess around with issues in that region. So I called UVa Pediatrics and got her a morning appointment. We spent about two and a half hours on that adventure which ended with a second appointment in radiology booked a couple of hours later (and lasted another two hours). Fortunately, nothing scary turned up in the ultrasound. Unfortunately, a diagnosis for the pain has not yet emerged, although the girl is doing better tonight.

In short, my day was sidelined as I hastily sent emails and made phone calls to rearrange my day and let people know I was not going to be where I was expected. Instead, we spent the day together at the hospital. The docs at UVa took good care of my girl and let us know what they were thinking every step of the way. It’s great to have a team at work that is understanding and caring when your priorities change suddenly; it’s also great to have doctors nearby who listen and work with one another across departments to care for a patient.

Bringing back “May I?”

I was on an airplane with a colleague. When the flight attendant rolled up with the drink cart, I asked for a Diet Coke. My colleague said, “May I have a glass of orange juice?”

I thought about that. I thought about it for a long time (we were flying from India to Germany. I had nothing but time.) I realized that I’d somehow let “May I” drop out of my vocabulary. My mother had insisted upon it, and I knew that I’d used it for a long time, but I wondered, when did it disappear, and when was the last time I heard other people using it?

I decided then and there to bring it back, as an example for my kids and for anyone who might be listening. So for the last six months, it’s been, “May I have a grande nonfat vanilla latte?” at Starbucks. “May I just have a warning, officer?” on the road, and “May I purchase the winning lottery ticket?” at the convenience store.

Seriously, though, I think it’s making a difference.

Think about it. The last time you ordered at a restaurant, did it sound like this: “I will have the petite filet, rare, baked potato with butter and a side salad. Could I have the dressing on the side?”

May I? Bring it back.

Knitorious MjJ

Back in October, I decided to learn how to knit. It was a rough start, but once I figured out the basics, I was off and running. I have completed a few scarves and an entire baby blanket. People warned me about the addiction of knitting and they’re right; I’m obsessed. I can knit uninterrupted for hours on end. I flew to San Francisco and back and knitted the whole way. A scarf takes me a few weeks; the blanket took months, and had a deadline as that baby was going to be born whether I was done knitting or not.

I am finishing up a scarf for a friend now, and will start another blanket for my cousin who is having a baby in July. It’s gotten so I am already thinking about the next project while I’m finishing the one I’m on. I can’t say enough good things about the selection of yarn and the kind advice from The Needle Lady. Sometimes it just takes someone telling you, “you can do this,” to get you going.

Mom Blogs that Rock: Say La Vee

This week’s Mom Blog that Rocks is by Blackbird. Her blog is called Say La Vee. I’d show you a photo, but Blackbird is shy. In fact, I don’t know her real name, even though I tripped over myself to approach her when I spotted her name tag, BLACKBIRD, from across the room at BlogHer. YES. I’ve met her. Jealous? You will be when you read this post and begin to understand why I love her so.

When we met, she was gracious and charming, as I knew she would be.

I think one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed reading her blog (and truly, hers is one of the blogs I’ve read the longest) is because her sons, Oldest, Middle and Youngest remind me, in all the different stages, of the boy. Blackbird has also somewhat recently transitioned from stay at home mom to working mom; her delight in her new job and all that goes with it, is infectious.

This is the airport post that led me to discover her blog. I believe it’s what has made Blackbird somewhat famous amongst bloggers.

Do you know Blackbird? You should. She’s one of my all-time favorites.

Going Vegan: The Sequel

Back in 2005, the boy and I went vegan for a week. I’ll link to that week’s worth of posts at the end of this one, in case you want to reminisce with me. Lately, I’ve been feeling the need to drop a few (40, for example) pounds. Trust me, there’s nothing like seeing yourself on television weekly to make a person go, “Whoa! I’m HUGE.” The scale confirmed it and before you argue with me, know this: you can hide a LOT of sins on an almost-six-feet frame.

Tuesday, I read this article in Newsweek and it got me to thinking about my dieting failures and realized that I was more successful with sticking to a really restrictive diet, so on Wednesday, I went vegan again. I’m on day five as I write this, and, as I remembered, it really isn’t that bad or difficult. What it does force one to do, is really think about what one is going to eat. Being really conscious about what you’re consuming is, I think, overall a really healthy approach.

Why vegan? Why not just vegetarian? I was allergic to dairy products as a kid, and even though I outgrew it, I have to avoid certain cheeses to this day. Removing dairy from my diet is a good thing — for me — and I’m very consciously replacing the calcium with supplements and other foods with high calcium content. As far as eggs go, it’s easy to eliminate them and I’m not concerned about consuming something that might contain egg.

Since my version of veganism doesn’t come from any moral conviction, I don’t mind continuing to cook meat and fish for my family (my husband is a confirmed meatatarian). I also don’t agree that honey is a restricted item for a vegan diet (some other vegans agree). For the record, my daughter and husband think I’m crazy for doing this, but that’s OK, it’s my choice.

I’m lucky that I live in a rather vegetarian-friendly community and resources for veganism abound. I’ve long been fond of Eat Air – A Vegan Food Log written by two fellow Charlottesville residents. Yes, living on a restricted diet is weird, and I feel a bit self-conscious about it as I order a side of vegetables as my entree at a resaurant, but soup and salad is a great meal that you can get just about anywhere (although, sometimes it’s tough to get a soup that’s vegan).

So what am I eating? Lots of steamed veggies, rice, soy milk, veggie cakes, fruit, marinated grilled tofu and noodles, peanut butter and whole-grain bread, vegetable and tomato soups and salads. Last night I had whole grain pasta with marinara, a salad and a slice of homemade French apple tart for dessert. Not a bad way to “diet,” eh?

I’ll let you know how it’s going, as one friend commented, becoming more pasty and yellow (not that I think I WILL just so you know).

The First Vegan Experiment linked below:

We Decide to Go Vegan