Community

Part 1:

So I have been trying to write this post for over 24 hours now and I just can't seem to get out what I actually want to say. I consider myself to be reasonably articulate except when it comes to trying to express things that are very close to my heart. This is one of those things. So... instead of messing it up, I'll keep it short and sweet. Community is essential. It prevents me from becoming a small human being. The community I had have in Cincinnati was life-changing. The community I am becoming a part of here in Nashville is wonderful and I'm excited to go deeper with all of you. Ok, enough of that.

Part 2:

I am wearing cool shoes today. I know what you're thinking - "What does this have to do with community?" Well, these are special shoes. They're called Toms (Shoes for Tomorrow). Go to their website to find out all of the good details (and pick up a pair while you're at it). In short, this company was started to provide shoes to people who would otherwise go without them. The way it works is that for every pair of Toms shoes that you buy, one pair is given to a person who needs them. Before I heard about Toms, the thought that there were people (many people, most of them children) in the world that couldn't afford shoes really never entered my mind. However, this is a huge problem in places like South America and Africa. Going barefoot in impoverished areas is very dangerous because it significantly increases the risk of contracting soil transmitted parasites like hookworms - very nasty little creatures that can lead to some serious consequences especially if you aren't the healthiest person to begin with. The bottom line is that I often forget that I am part of a much bigger community of human beings and owning a pair of Toms shoes is one small thing that helps me remember that. 

Think of it as an appetizer...

Ok, so I'm still working on my real blog post for today. But in the meantime, here are 5 things that you probably don't know about me:

1. 99.9% of the gum I chew, I swallow. 

2. I feel compelled to put equal amounts of deodorant under each arm. I count the swipes to make sure. 

3. I have pretty much quit all competitive activities in my life because I am way too competitive and it takes all the fun out of playing. 

4. I am a horible speler. 

5. I hate the feeling of bare feet on grass. I even hate just sitting in the grass. 

On another note, the following story will probably only be funny to our friends in Cincinnati, but I feel compelled to share anyways. Rob and I went out to dinner on Friday night at O'Charley's (near our house in Nashville). We were enjoying the rolls when all of a sudden Rob says, "These rolls are really good. They remind me of the rolls from that restaurant in Cincinnati. You know, the one on Crookshank." I say, "You mean the O'Charley's on Crookshank?" Rob says, "Yeah, that's the one." I laughed. Really hard. Like I haven't laughed in a while. I love him. 

Giant Steps

It's official. Harper is no longer stationary. She is crawling - well army crawling. She can efficiently zip from one end of the house to the other. With this newfound mobility, new phrases have precipitated in our house. These include: "Harper, don't suck on the guitar." and "Cat food is for kitties." among others. It's funny that Rob and I spent a lot of time over the past few months waiting for Harper to do these little developmental tricks and now that she's doing them, I wish she would just slow down and be my little baby girl for as long as possible. Oh well, such is life. Here's the evidence.

And here's another video just for fun. In this one, Harper is playing with my very first toy, Bun-Bun. It's amazing how well good old Bun-Bun has weathered the years.

Miscelaineous Music - October Edition

Because I have a blog and because I can, I am going to subject you to my musical taste. Perhaps this is an abuse of power. I don't care. Every month, I am going to post a piece of music that I think you should be aware of. I will call it Miscelaineous Music (get it?).  This first one may be a bit of a stretch for some of you. It's Samuel Barber's violin concerto. I think it's my favorite piece of classical music. Every time I listen to it, I feel like my heart gets bigger (and then promptly shrinks back down as my husband will attest to). Below is a video of Anne Akiko Meyers playing the first movement of the concerto (side note - she's using a Stradivarius violin from 1730 that once belonged to the king of Spain). If you like it, listen to the second movement here. If you don't like it, think of it like eating your vegetables - you may not like the taste, but it is indeed good for you. And yes, Miscelaineous is my rapper name. Happy listening!

                                 

I Hate the Dentist

I hate the dentist - or should I say, I hate what the dentist told me this morning. Let me preface this by saying that I have always had (what I thought to be) good teeth. I'm 28 years old and have never had a cavity - which is very surprising considering the copious amounts of candy I eat. My teeth are straight (after only 8 months worth of braces in 4th grade). Even my wisdom teeth are small, straight, still in my mouth, and don't hurt (we'll get to them in a minute). So... imagine my surprise this morning when I went to the dentist and he told me that:

 

1. The amount of ware on my teeth do to grinding them is equivalent to what he would expect to see in a 50-60 year old patient.

2. Because I grind my teeth and have worn them down (especially the back molars), I will need to have one root canal and crown immediately and I can expect to need 3-4 more crowns in the future.

3. My wisdom teeth are infected and the infection is spreading to the neighboring teeth (what???).

4. My wisdom teeth should be removed asap and I should get injections of antibiotic into the neighboring teeth to kill any residual infection.

Awesome. 

I know that many of you are thinking that you have had one or more of the above conditions and that it's really no big deal. This is of no real comfort to me. I am afraid. I am afraid of the pain that I may experience. I am afraid of being put under anesthesia. This totally stinks. And to top it all off, I almost burst into tears (at work) today after reading Ryan's post on his blog for today - and I don't even like dogs!

Bottom line - I think I'm going to get a second opinion. So if any of you know a good dentist in Nashville, please let me know. 

What's Your Life Motto?

Under promise, over deliver. That's my life motto, well one of them anyways. I love to be underestimated. It's a little game I play any chance I get. I played it in school, I play it at work, I play it in life. For instance... I have my PhD in molecular and developmental biology. Do I look like a molecular biologist? No. Do I dress like a molecular biologist? No. Do I act like a molecular biologist? Only when I have to. And that's the way I like it. Does this cause people to underestimate my abilities as a scientist? Probably sometimes. But I'm ok with that. In fact, it motivates me to be the best. (Did I fail to mention that I am the most competitive person I know?) And so far, it's working for me. 

I have other life mottos. One of them is Love Wins. This is a phrase that many of you know well. To me, this little phrase changes everything. It means that in any situation, the best course of action is always to respond with love. Way easier said than done. A smarter and more articulate guy explains it much better here. Take the time to listen to it. 

Another life motto is It's not about me. I'm even worse at living this one out. I wish that I had the heart of a servant. Sometimes I do. In fact, I like to serve others (ie. people I don't know all that well). I really like doing outreach and volunteering at my church. I even find satisfaction in holding doors open for strangers and making a point to thank the guy that bags my groceries. What I totally stink at is serving people I know well and love. I'm working on it. Please be patient with me. 

I have a theory about why I am not as good as I want to be about walking out Love Wins. and It's not about me. I think that in the critical moment that I need to remember these phrases and what they mean to me, I forget them. In fact they are the furthest things from my mind. So... How do I remember them when I need them. I'm still working on that. The best solution that I've come up with to date is to get each of these phrases tattooed in bold black ink on my arms. Any suggestions? What is your life motto?

Home Alone

A kind of funny thing happened to me on Saturday. It's funny now, but it wasn't at the time. To tell you the truth, it really freaked me out at the time. It was about 6:30 in the evening and only Harper and I were home. We were playing in the back bedroom when I thought I heard a knock at the door. I just let it go because I wasn't sure I heard it and I really didn't want to be bothered. But then I heard it again and again. It was at that point that I started to get a little nervous. Rob wasn't home and sometimes I have an overactive imagination. I left Harper (on the floor) in the bedroom and went to investigate. The knocking continued. I crept to the door to look out of the peep hole and saw a big guy wearing a baseball cap. When I say big, I mean big. Certainly not the kind of guy I would open the door for. I wasn't trying to be rude. I was just being smart. Anyways, the knocking continued. I think he could tell we were home (the lights were on and he probably heard me come to the door). Eventually he gave up and left. I was totally freaked out! Later that night Harper and I met Rob for dinner at our friends' house. Over dinner Rob told us that he met our new neighbor. His name is Dan and he's a mix martial artist that fights in the UFC. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was Dan who came to the door. He was looking for Rob. But seriously, if this guy knocked on your door and you were all alone, would you answer?? 

Not me. The funny thing is that I guess he's a super nice guy - kind of like a Todd B. (for those of you who don't have the privilege of personally knowing Todd, read this). Rob and I are big UFC fans and actually remember watching Dan on the Ultimate Fighter. It should be fun getting to know him. It will also be fun to tell Dan and his wife this story someday.