nutmeg: 2013

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Another MS

My weekend has been rather low energy. By 3:00 Sunday I was in PJs ready to start a movie. This usually poses as a problem considering my inability to sleep if I've not expended enough energy during the day. But wine can act as a nice remedy.
I'm currently listening to Mississippi John Hurt with a glass of cab. Sunday nights. Fall Sunday nights. Makes my heart happy.

My folks were in town last weekend.
I have company visiting for Thanksgiving.
Maybe this was the "gearing up" weekend.

Last weekend..
I grabbed my parents from Union Station and headed straight to Edendale in scrubs. Felt so good to see em. I think it's been the longest time I've ever gone without seeing them-maybe with the exception of when I studied abroad.

Immediately my mother cracked me up by reading the wine list and mentioning aloud the footnote stating that this was the "som-ol-e-ers" choice.
Of course the waitress wanted to know what was so funny...Of course my mother has a good sense of humor about her absent mindless. The waitress said she had just watched a documentary on Netflix about sommeliers. I logged this in my memory.

We had a great time.

In California.

The land of great wine.

Great wine with great family makes for plenty of laughs.

So back to Sunday..
I sifted Netflix. And it didn't take me long to pick Somm. The doc our waitress mentioned. Not to be confused with D.O.C.
I wouldn't say I drink a lot at one time but I would say I drink rather frequently. I'm pretty sure we learned that a glass of red was pretty good for ones heart in RD school. And I'm pretty sure parents are supposed to be good role models.
So I've got some heart. Some schooling. Some folks. And lots of laughs and love.
And now a new desire to be a master sommelier considering the invites to travel all over the world, teach, eat extraordinary cuisine, drink wonderful wine and make for a healthier, happier heart.

S'pose I could make a trip or more up the 1.

I've got a decent handle on the food science and biochemistry.

I've got a love of travel and wine.

And I've already got an MS.

...Unfortunately not to be confused with Master Sommelier.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Call Me Dr. Nick

I had the pleasure of driving back in time the other night. Or back in location. Or back in food habits. Regardless it was pretty special.

I was invited to Culver City for some live music at a little dive called the Cinema Bar. For some reason, although at 5:00pm in my day I had only eaten a sprinkled doughnut and a disgustingly large chocolate chip muffin that I picked up from a mom&pop shop on my way home from the bar the night before-only? Did I really say "only?", I was feeling like some corn beef.
Maybe once you start sliding down that slope it just gets a bit easier to keep sliding. That grease is just so slippery.
But man I'm glad I did.

Sue is a yelp freak. I mention a craving and Sue is on it like flies lap swimming in Kool-Aid at a summer picnic in Illinois. 2 seconds later I got a link to Johnnies Pastrami.
Prayers answers.
It was heaven. And maybe the place I'd go after eating a doughnut, a disgustingly large chocolate chip muffin and something on Johnnies Pastrami's menu.
...also I failed to mention, rather purposely left out the fact, that after the bar I had a coconut doughnut before going to sleep too. Oh the shame.

Ok, getting back to the beginning.
So as fate would have it, Johnnie was located just 1minute walking distance from Cinema Bar. I know that doesn't sound like much but really, this is LA. And don't believe Cher's father when he says "Cher! Everything in the valley takes 20 minutes!" He's a liar.

I digress.

So Sue and I were to meet at Johnnies for a bite before the live music. I got off the 405 in Culver City and something in me just felt like I had landed in Illinois. I relayed this fact to Kevin later, who is from Illinois mind you, who said "yep. Culver shitty."
I didn't know if I felt bad for Culver City or defensive about Illinois or ...well I don't really know. Or bad for myself since I had really liked the feeling.

I arrived first.
Sauntered up to the diner counter seating and became immediately hypnotized by the man preparing pastrami.
Maybe it was Johnnie?
The lady taking my order had easily worked there for 40 years. I don't know if she knew it. But she had.

I asked what beer she had.
Miller Lite. Bottled. Sorted.
This was Illinois after all.

And then I waited for Sue while watching this man pile croissants with juicy meat. Like 16oz of juicy meat. And served to one human being. It was truly amazing.

Sue arrived.
Corn beef on rye with swiss and fries arrived.
(at this point you should really have a look of the websites gallery)

And I'm glad that I survived another day to tell the story.
I'm worried about the waitress though. She may not have as many story days left in her.

After Johnnies we drove 1 minute instead of walking...because I mean really, that would just be too much effort now. Walked into a bar no bigger than my family room and ordered a canned PBR. Then I saddled up for some live listenings of Mr. Sean Faycullen rocking an acoustic Katy Perry cover. Oh Illinois. How I missed you so.

Sue, also from Illinois, truly brought it home with this little memory.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

#Reduced Guilt Crakers

I’m hitting about two years in my current dietitian position. It feels like I already hit my two year mark because I just had my annual observations this week and I have my annual review in about a week and some change.

It was about a year ago that my roommate moved in.
It was about a year ago that I visited Schlaflys and Royale and Bridge and of course my STL friends ;)
It was about a year ago that my best friend visited.

Oh what can happen in a year. It’s been a rather weird one. I thought that they’d get less weird as I got older. Guess not. But weird is good. Weird is growth.
But weird is still weird.

My position has taught me a good amount in the last year too...
Learning counseling skills up the wazoo,
Learning how not to let 398# women push me over the edge,
Learning general surgical processes involved in any GI surgery and their feeding implications or malabsorbative implications
...which leads to vitamin and mineral recommendations and their particular timing, dosages, ways for administration
...and feeding administration whether that’s tubes and formulas or TPNs and D20AA9F3 @ 42ml/hr...
Learning about permanent employment and life and politics and the likes. Which is the hardest part to learn, really.
Learning how to work within mixed matrix management, learning how to do my job while meeting needs of patients, doctors, insurance, bosses, inpatient versus outpatient, time constraints, resource constraints, electronic medical records initiation...

This week was a bit heavy. I think I lost weight from the weight.
Being too busy to eat any lunch properly...
Being too upset to have much of an appetite...
Continuing to exercise like I do...
Running around, stressing out, carrying weight.

So today I haven’t done much at all. I’m coming down from the week.
It’s actually really nice when I’m a little too tired to even feel guilty that I’m not taking advantage of my Saturday.
Because it is gorgeous outside.
And my mother might be, correction, would be appalled by this course of action.
And I’m having Midwest, Irish Catholic guilt.
Hashtag: Jack on 30 rock. Hashtag: crippling.

But I have the apt to myself today and all I want to do is eat “Reduced Guilt Trader Joes Whole Grain Crackers” to appease the feeling. And rest up.

Rest up for next week. Rest up for my upcoming trip to Georgia next weekend. Rest up for my performance review. Rest up for my Chicago friend visiting the weekend after that. Rest up for my roommates birthday after that. Rest up for my family visiting. Rest up for the holiday. Rest up to take advantage of California. Rest up to conserve energy to start a new chapter of my life at my real two year mark. Rest up for future permanent employment and life and politics.
And rest up for tonight to see Dr. Dog and Lumineers at the Greek..

I'm feeling guilty I finished a box of reduced guilt crackers in three days.
Hashtag: crippling.

I always thought hashtags were pounds on the phone then I realized they were pounds on the body but now we have to use kilograms...
Hashtag: transitioning to electronic medical records.

#learningaboutlifewithreducedguilt

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

A Hearty Hiatus

I'm here!
I forgot my password....

Don't believe me?
...I tried ;)

I took a hiatus.
A summer hiatus.
I was busy having fun and figuring out life.
And the kicker! I'm still figuring out life. But aren't we all :)
Sounds about standard for me really.

Since writing last I've been up and down the coast. Eating and drinking until my heart and arteries content.

Food and drink from...

Coastal Traveling. Farmers Markets. Wineries. Baseball Stadiums. Outdoor Cemetery Movies. Weddings. Birthdays. Graduations. Concert Venues. Holidays. Happy Hours. County Fairs. Beaches. Families.