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. 

Five Spot

Here are my 5 favorite things that I bought at the grocery store last night:

1. Concord Grapes - These are grapes to put all other grapes to shame. If you haven't ever tried a concord grape before, go to the store immediately and get some. Time is running out. They're only available in the fall. I admit that the fact that they have seeds is a little annoying and if you're not use to it, the texture is a little strange, but these things are a small price to pay for their awesomeness.

2. Gingersnap Cookies - Did I mention that Ginger Snapp (with 2 p's) is my bowling name?

3. Swiss Miss Vanilla Pudding - This stuff is goood. It's only available at certain grocery stores (Publix here in Nashvegas). It's so good that they seperate it from the other pudding and keep it in the cooler by the yogurt...

4. Horizon Organic DHA Milk - Before I got pregnant, I was a diehard skim milk drinker. When I got pregnant, I became much more aware of the nutritional value of the food I was consuming (obviously I still snack - see said gingersnaps and pudding). This milk tastes good and is good for you. 

5. Diet Lipton Green Tea - I know that Green Tea is good for me. I also know that this particular green tea probably has the least good stuff in it of any of the green teas on the market. But, I like it and it's a start. 

On a side note... My least favorite purchase last night was wheat bread. I love white bread. Rob likes wheat bread. For the better part of the three years we have been married, we have eaten white bread (mostly because I am usually the one who goes to the store and therefore has the bread veto power). Recently, we have switched back to wheat bread - honey wheat as a matter of fact (as if the honey actually makes it taste any better). We switched because Rob brought up the point that wheat bread has more nutritional value and we should try to encourage Harper to eat wheat instead of white, and what better way to encourage her, than to set a good example ourselves. Ughhh... he used the "good example" card. Low blow. It worked. 

Who You Gonna Call...

I think I was blessed with one of the sweetest babies in the whole world. Happiness and joy flow out of her and always have since the day she was born. Seriously... we have a picture of her smiling on the day she was born, and I really don't think it was gas.

On the rare occasion that she does get a little fussy, I have discovered a secrete remedy that literally works every time. When she gets upset and nothing else works, I sing the Ghostbusters theme song to her (of which I only know two lines). As you can tell in the video, the effects are instantaneous. Don't ask me why it works or how it works. I have no idea. I've tried other songs. They don't work - only Ghostbusters. See for yourself.

                                               

My Favorite Time of Year

Although fall officially began last week, today feels like the first day of fall to me. The weather is considerably cooler than it has been, the sky is blue and clear, the mums are blooming, the leaves are beginning to change... While I am looking forward to my first fall in Nashville, I can't help but think of my favorite things about fall when I was a kid. I grew up in Northeastern Ohio and we had a family tradition of visiting White House Fruit Farm around this time of year. White House is open all year round, and we went several times throughout the year, but I always looked forward to going in the fall. My mom and I would go in search of the perfect pumpkin, a job we took (and still take) very seriously. We would also get gallons of apple and cherry cider (yeah, I said cherry and it is awesome). But the best part about White House is their amazing blueberry donuts. I consider myself a bit of a donut connoisseur, so when I say that these blueberry donuts are amazing, they really are amazing. They are so packed full of blueberries that they are actually purple and to top it off, they are covered in blueberry icing. It just doesn't get any better than that. So, if any of you readers (cough*dad*cough) are passing through Ohio and want to send me some donuts...I'd be happy to receive them!