Mr "The Boss" Springsteen

I love Bruce Springsteen. I know many that don’t. Let me rephrase. I know many my age that don’t. He is the voice of a generation, just not mine. And I’ll let you in on something, I don’t love him because he speaks for the blue-collared man, or sings about politics. I love him because he is the coolest person ever born. You watch one live video and you can see why people say he is one the greatest frontmen of all time. Jon Stewart introduced him during the Kennedy Center Honors and I think he said it best (especially the bit around 3:30 minutes, be patient…).

Mr. Boss doesn’t just have a microphone and a four piece band, he has the entire E Street Band behind him. It’s a wall of sound. And I also happen to really like brass instruments in music. I wish people my age would give him a chance. I’ve discussed this with my sister and she claims that he does not transfer over to our generation. However, he is still extremely respected and Rolling Stone once listed him as an older musician that is still making relevant music today. Please just watch Born to Run (my favorite song of all time) and imagine driving with your windows open with this blaring on the stereo.

Celebracion: Spanish for Celebration

It seems like my posts are less about what is going on in my life, and just whatever I am thinking about that day. Except for possibly the 29 February photos, which theoretically would document my entire month. Instead they documented the closest thing next to me when I remembered I needed to take a picture. Why am I not keeping a riveting, updated, action packed blog? Well, that may be possibly because my life is not riveting. Or action packed. It’s basically the same thing day in and day out, with a little extra flair of fun on the occasional day.

For instance, I had a delightful fondue party with the techs. I made the cheese, with a slight gaffe I’ll admit. I made it with mozzarella cheese instead of Swiss. But cheese is cheese and it was good. And oh I how I love those loving and prompt tech friends that I can let my hair down with. Emphasis on prompt, the lack of is my irritant de-jour.

In other news, I attended a breastfeeding conference on Monday. My sweet, dear mother asked how anyone could possibly talk about breastfeeding for 8 hours, or what they would say. I then told her of another 45 HOUR, WEEKLONG breastfeeding course I have to go to in August. It’s all about the breast here at WIC. I’m all for it, don’t get me wrong. And this guy that talked was totally convincing. His name is Nils Bergman, and he is totally legit. He has got a ton of little letters at the end of his name: MD, PhD, MPH (woohza). Also, he is from South Africa, so that added a little extra spice in the beginning trying to figure out what he was saying. As much as I tire talking about breastfeeding, it was nice learning more so I can help people better when I am counseling. Throw me any problem, I’ll fix it. Give me a reason you can’t, and I’ll give you reasons why that isn’t a valid excuse. Moving on….

Today is also Registered Dietitian Day. My first as an official RD, and a day to pat ourselves on the back and talk about how much of an impact we make. I do love being a dietitian, mostly because it means I get to talk about my favorite thing all day. FOOD. Really though, it is super life applicable, and it is definitely a growing field with a lot of great research coming out of it. However, it is overshadowed by an even greater holiday. And that is Pi Day (3/14). That glorious mathematical constant that helps us find the circumference and area of a circle. Which only makes sense that we celebrate by eating a similar shaped object. Pie. So, here is some advice from a RD, go eat a slice of pie today. Revel in the fact that Pi (π) has a never ending decimal and that pie is delicious and can fit in any balanced diet. (I made this pie in the picture FYI)

Side note, wanting to do something fun with my hair. So I may have a different color next time I post. Or haircut. Probably neither, but you never know.

So, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to do this “picture a day” thing for February. I don’t know where she got the list, I’m guessing on Pinterest, or Instagram, or something of that nature. I don’t ask questions.

Anyway, as I am technologically non-savvy, I apparently didn’t do it right. I was informed by dear Jennie of the savvy persuasion that I was using Instagram wrong, and my pictures didn’t make sense because I didn’t tag them right. These words: tag, cloud, synch, hashtag, etc are very difficult for me to comprehend. Am I not of the technology generation? Theoretically yes, but it takes me longer I guess to figure it out.

Anyway, here are my 29 pictures of February so that at least someone sees them. I guess that is the point.

1) Your view today: I work a lot. 2) Words: I work a lot. Those children are not property of WIC by the way. Merely a coincidence. 3) Hands: Since Christmas I have found that I can’t do without chocolate after lunch. I’m such a girl. 4) A stranger: family at Subway. It was very tricky taking this picture. I was very very sly. 5) 10 am: Did I say I work a lot? 6) Dinner: I took this one way late because I forgot. It was a delicious Taco Bell dinner before I went out with friends. I can’t be bothered to make dinner some nights. Also, it is universally agreed by dietitians that Taco Bell is delicious. 7) Button: my new sweater. I luff it. 8) Sun: on my way to work. I quite frequently take pictures of the sky at sunrise and sunset. Especially when there are clouds. 9) Front door: my front door. My friend Avery says it is like a dungeon door. Other friends have agreed. 10) Self-portrait: drew this at work. It was very tricky trying to take a picture unnoticed. 11) Makes you happy: Rolling Stone and Food Network magazine make me happy. So does Coke and David sunflower seeds. You’ll see more of those guys later. 12) Inside your closet: my mom bought me a rack for my dresses hoping it would make me hang up my clothes more. Jokes on her. 13) Blue: I only set up the bottom post it pack in this picture. Other than that, it was totally like that on my desk. How perfect. 14) Heart: cookie from the neighbors on Valentine’s Day. I don’t think the non-frosted part in the middle is intentional. 15) Phone: How do you take a picture of your phone that you are taking the picture with? This is an old phone I still have for some reason. 16) Something new: this is a new chocolate my boss brought in. It’s a Dove dark chocolate and raspberry swirl. I give it a 5. Out of 10. 17) Time: I couldn’t get a good picture of my clock, so I drew the time. I also snapped what the gorgeous sky looked like at that time. 18) Drink: Coke again! 19) Something you hate to do: readers of this blog may understand this one 20) Handwriting: my planner never leaves my side. I will not go paperless. 21) A fave photo of you: we were in Venice when my lens popped out. I found the humor after I was able to pop it back in. 22) Where you work: I love post-its!!! 23) Your shoes: These should be organized better… Layers and layers…. 24) Inside your bathroom cabinet: This is only ONE cabinet containing hair tame-ing tools and other toiletries. I have many more where this came from. 25) Green: I wore a green scarf and sweater that day. How convenient. 26) Night: Our garage lights are shockingly bright 27) Something you ate: There are those little devils again. Not the same pack though. Pack numero dos. Also, Los turned me on to the lovely Sangria. Mucho delicioso. 28) Money: thank you friends for paying me back for Hunger Games tickets. I am busting with cash. 29) Something you are listening to: BRUUUUUUCCCCCEEEEEE

I found looking at other people's, that you really can tell a lot about a person based on the pictures they take. There are many reoccuring themes in mine: post-its, work, clutter, coke....

Hair, It's Everywhere

My hair. Oi vey, what a topic. I can’t think of a time where we got along. During my most tenderness of childhood, I had a whole lot of curly, fro-type hair. It was pretty intense. It also grew quite quickly, so by age two I had lots of frizzy curls, as evidenced by this photo here. In preschool it was at my waist. It had lost its curl because my hair was also so incredibly heavy, that it pulled it out. Throughout all childhood, I was known for having such long hair I could sit on it. My sister now lovingly refers to it as “a rats nest.” To make matters worse, I had two very definite cowlicks at my bang line, so I had to grow my bangs out in 4th grade because I looked like a nutter. I finally trimmed my hair in 6th grade to below my shoulders, then went above shoulders in junior high. Since then I have never had long hair, it’s been a perennial bob. Why? Because it is too darn hot and heavy to have long.

Fast forward to two years ago. I was getting my hair cut by a lovely girl who worked at Los, named Claire. She was going to hair school at Paul Mitchell, so it was dirt cheap ($8) for a haircut. Plus, she was the best. Everyone even at the school knew it.

When she graduated, I didn’t really know how to contact her, plus I was so busy I didn’t have time to drive to Provo to get it cut. So, I did the tried and true method of just letting it grow. I did have to get a small trim at one point because I, who never gets split ends, was getting split ends.

So, basically I am saying that in 2 years, I’ve only had a trim. So, now it is long long long. I’ve debated getting it cut. But there are other reasons than just being completely lazy. 1) I love being able to pull my hair back into a bun. Anyone who has met me within the last year probably thinks that is the only way I do my hair! 2) I don’t have to round brush my hair when drying it. Just the flip it upside-down treatment.

Over the years I have tried creams, I have dried gels, I have dried other liquids to tame it. At one time, there were 5 separate products going into my hair before I even styled it. I have wittled it down now to about 2. For those of you thinking that I should just wear it curly, let me present this picture to show you how unruly it is. There are no uniform curls or waves. It is a shock of uneven, messy kinks. (This hair picture has been tamed with gels, mind you, so not as big as it can be)

Every hair lady I’ve ever had does this the first time she touches my hair: “Oh my gosh, it is so thick! I have never seen hair so thick!” Then following the cut: “Look at all that hair on the floor, holy cow! There is more on the floor after your trim than is left on other people’s heads.” My long time hair lady said that not only do I have more hair follicles (causes the thickness), but the strands themselves are thicker (makes it heavy), and about 30-40% of the strands are black black and kinky (makes it frizzy). I enter this photo as evidence of the black, kinky nature (both of these strands come from my head).

I write this post because no one ever believes me when I complain about my hair. They only see it after it has been shellacked, preened, and forced into submission. And probably pulled back. I submit these photos as evidence, though they can’t even really show how thick it is. And, might I add, I look terrible in these photos as it is early morning, so note the sacrifice.

It’s not all bad, there is a positive. What I love about my hair: it is so thick, and has such coarse texture, I don’t even have to wash it every other day. Every 2nd day for me, thanks! And honestly, I can go even longer without washing, but I usually don’t….. Unless I really don’t want to and then Hello dry shampoo!

(This is the process from hair dry to straighten. The second picture shows one side done, the other side not)