Oh, Facebook...

Oh, Facebook.  How do I loathe thee?  Let me count the ways…

1.   You don’t really have that many friends.  I mean, for real, how many of my “friends” are really my friends?  The ones I talk to on a regular basis and actually see and talk to IN PERSON??  Crazy, I know, yet people rely sometimes solely on social media or technology (i.e. texting) to talk to others.  Lame.

2.   People only post what they want you to know, which is typically only the best thing going on at that moment.  How much discontent or jealousy does it cause?  Someone once said it should be called JealousBook.  Don’t get me wrong, people posting great things like new jobs, engagements, having a baby, getting a promotion, passing an exam, etc. are all great things and should be celebrated.  Just remember that people struggle with things or have terrible things happen to them but aren’t posting about it.

3.   It can definitely be a time waster.  How much life is being sucked from me?  The amount of time I get on FB ebbs and flows.  I went through a phase when I’d get on at least once a day for a good 20 minutes, just sifting through my newsfeed.  Other times, like the phase I’m in now, I hardly get on and when I do it’s for 5 minutes tops.  I realized there are more things I want to be doing and more important things that need my time and attention.

Of course, my relationship with FB is definitely a love-hate one because there are other reasons why I don’t like it and there are several reasons why I do like it, such as using it to set up Skype dates with my friend from England.

Anyway, kudos to you if you’ve chosen to have or keep an account in order to keep in touch with actual friends, say, with whom you can’t see face-to-face.  A big round of applause to those of you who post the good and the bad of life.  Bravo to others who aren’t letting their account steal all their time, and hats off to those who have deleted their accounts altogether for personal reasons.

There’s more to be said about FB and technology, but I’ll save it for another rainy day.    

Blast from the Past

I’m a saver.  And I like it. 

I save all sorts of stuff: bills, papers, pens, money, pictures, letters, articles...  I may not need it in that exact moment, but I will use it eventually, so I keep it.  It could be something mundane like a twist tie.  For real!  I keep some on hand in a kitchen drawer because I use them sporadically.  I just used one to hold together a decorative piece I placed in my living room, in fact.  So, I like to think I’m resourceful, too :)

This is something only my Mom may know.  I’m totally telling on myself!  I keep my class notes.  Maybe it’s the geek in me, but, yes, I’ve used them -- again.  No, not to start a fire.  While in grad school I was taking a class on energy nutrients and we were discussing the different processes that take place in our bodies.  Think Krebs cycle, sodium-potassium pump, Cori cycle, fat metabolism, and so on.  I’d heard all of it before in an undergrad class called Exercise Physiology.  I really liked that class, especially because the professor taught everything in a very clear and understandable way.  Welp, I saved the notes from that class and looked at them for my grad class, which helped me make it through!   Like I said, keeping things comes in handy.

I’ve been cleaning and organizing as of late and have discovered notes, pictures, and all sorts of fun stuff that I’ve kept over the years!  Even though I’m throwing some things away (I’m not a hoarder!) or using it for decoration/display, running across mementos of good times brings joy.  From high school to college days, from events to travels, I’ve pulled up memories that have been filed away with an inch of dust on them and have been good to some that should have gone to the shredder to never be thought of again.  To be fair, 99.9% of things have been wonderful blasts from the past!  Here are some examples:

a letter from my best high school friend that made me laugh then and now

a small note in Francais from my freshman roommate in college (and still good friend) letting me know that she was off to her French exam and that she’d see me later

a sign and decorations and writings from my residents when I was an RA

a letter from my sweet brother saying how much he loved me and wanted me to continue to follow the Lord

a note wishing me a “happy 1^st marathon” from my best friend and running buddy

a painting from a awesome friend(s)

an acronym of my name from my Middle East team

a football ticket from one of the best games – epic win and my Dad went to it with me

It’s nice to look back and see who was in my life and loved me… 

 

Get Organized

Not the way I wanted to spend my Thursday evening, but it needed to be done.  Yep, that’s right.  I organized my stuff. 

My roommates told me I had a lot of things when I was packing to move.  Sure, compared to them.  I did throw a ton of stuff away, though, and the next time I move I plan on only taking the necessities/keepsakes like my kitchen table given to me by my grandparents, my bike, my legit mixer, and my papers and cards that I’ve kept over the years.  Pretty much everything else can go because... 

I’ve been in my duplex since June 1 and still have a box left to go.  I’ve been busy, okay?!  And procrastinating some, too.  I still need to get containers or baskets to properly organize some things, but that’s what the weekend is for… maybe.

In order to keep the things I do, I’ve gotta be organized!  Everything has a place, so everything can be easily found, and I have my own system of how I like things to be.  Doesn’t everyone? 

Being organized helps keep things in order and makes life simpler, for the most part.  It takes time, but it’s worth it.  I like things to be neat and tidy, clean, de-cluttered, and crisp.  No jagged lines.  Straight, simple, and visible.

Complete organization is a work in progress like so, so many things in my life. 

Love the Ones You Work With

Your boss and co-workers make a huge impact on whether you like, dislike, or love your job.  I’ve had a lot of miscellaneous jobs over the last 10 years of working and seem to like my bosses and co-workers just fine.  Actually, I can’t think of a boss I haven’t liked working for, though I can, unfortunately, think of a few co-workers I haven’t liked working with.  Bless their hearts.

Right now, I love my co-workers!  And yes, I love my job!  Between the super sweet IT guy, the amazingly helpful receptionists, and the knowledgeable and friendly medical staff, I can’t decide who takes the cake!  We all have a part to play in giving our patients excellent care; we all know our role yet are team players and work well together as a whole.  A doctor in the clinic even highlighted that fact just today.

There are numerous examples of how great my co-workers are from letting me use them as an interpreter so a patient receives dietetic services to simply laughing and talking about life.  Today is a good example: everyone pitched in to make breakfast possible.  We made waffles!  Someone brought eggs and potatoes, another person brought milk, another brought fruit, and so on and so forth.  It was delicious and fun! :)  

My co-workers take me out to lunch, walk or workout with me, tell me life lessons learned, and give me advice.  They also let me practice Spanish with them and they ask for diet advice from me. We talk a lot about food and nutrition, and, although I am miles away from being the food police (I hope!), they still say things like, “put that [candy] away!  Jessie is here” or “Not in front of the dietitian!” (while someone pulls out some junk food).  Comments like that are just funny, but it’s really fun to see and hear about their progress when they make changes!  For example, an MA is stoked about meeting her goal to not eat as many flamin’ hot Cheetos and a receptionist beamed to me that she had water instead of a coke.

So, yeah, I love who I work with because they are wonderful and, thus, make the work environment wonderful.  Hats off to them!!

Cooking's Company

I once had a guy want to cook dinner with me at his place.  It didn’t happen.  He had other factors stacked against him, but, in the end, it was the fact that I didn’t feel like I knew him well enough.  In my defense, it would have only been the second date.

Don’t get me wrong, I like going on dates and I like cooking.  I’m also not opposed to cooking on said date, especially when there is good food and good company.  It’s just that I cook with people I know because even then it could be disastrous.  Flashback to a friend who felt like she couldn’t help because I would think it was wrong.  Sad day.  (We worked it out.  No worries.)

Everyone has a different cooking style, whether it’s by the book or, in this case, by the recipe, e.i. it says ½ teaspoon of pepper, so I must measure exactly ½ teaspoon of black pepper before adding it, while others make a few heavy shakes and say, “That’s about ½ teaspoon” or “Eh, that looks good.”  I’m not knocking either because I definitely do both.

Everyone has different tastes.  Some crave Italian food, while others love Indian food.  There are those who can’t stand seafood or turn their nose up at tofu, though there are others who like gorgeously green salads or drool over a good, juicy burger.  Then there are vegetarians, vegans, or someone trying to keep up with the most current fad diet.  So many appetites to appease and so much good food!!  How do you decide what to devour??

Well, it shouldn’t matter.  What matters is with whom you share it.  Cooking a meal together can be a fun and great way to get to know someone better.  I have lots of fond memories whilst in the kitchen because I remember the company and the conversation, not what we ate or how we prepared it.

I once said, “If we haven’t cooked together, question our friendship.”  So, here’s to many more great recipes to be made with even better company!