Andrea's Blog

Well, you wouldn't know it by looking outside. We've had a few really nice days, but it's expected to be in the 50s one day this week. It's almost April! What is going on? I know everybody up in the Midwest has had snow. I just keep looking out the door bewildered and checking the Weather Channel on my phone. I never know what it's going to be! Bundle-up or flip-flops, or my personal favorite, blue toes in flip-flops? We just take it day by day. 

I thought for sure that I'd make it outside for something this weekend, but it didn't happen. I did, however, make a cameo at the Gluten Free Expo at the St. Petersburg Coliseum. Grey and I showed up about an hour before it was over, wondering if they'd have some great speaker at the last minute or some new revolutionary products. There were, of course, TONS of giveaways and coupons and brochures. I did grab a few business cards from vendors and talked to a health coach while I was there. 

I must say, though, that I was disappointed. While I'm grateful that I now have free snack fodder for the boys' lunches for the next month plus, I'm not sure how healthy it all is. There's just so much processing going into gluten-free products these days. Nothing they were giving away or selling was anywhere near simple or resembling anything homemade. 

I talked to a baker about Paleo cooking. She said that the biggest problem for them was cutting out the sugar. She wanted to substitute Stevia--which in some Paleo circles is forbidden (no artificial sugars or regular sugars). Although I'm not sure what other ingredients she was going to substitute, the sugar, I think, was the least of their worries. 

In Diet and Nutrition, Dr. S has been teaching us all the pathways and extolling the dangers of grains, sugars, and indirectly, processing. We've linked all these starches, Omega 6s, and sugars to everything from heart disease to Alzheimer's. Of course that doesn't make it all so easy to give up, but the argument is getting more and more persuasive. So I have to think--just because something is gluten-free, that doesn't make it healthy. Whether it's the canola oil, the high fructose corn syrup, or the ingredient that I can only dissect with a piece of paper and a chemistry textbook, it may still be gluten-free, but it's also a science/health experiment. I know for a fact, that gluten-free can still be simple. The more ingredients, the more likely that there might be a problem, and that doesn't work for anyone. 

I'm beginning to explore the ins and outs of the Paleo diet and trying to marry it with my own sense of nutrition. I suspect I'll be more restrictive in many ways than what the standards are. I still can't see/justify eating huge amounts of bacon. Something just doesn't seem right about that. I'm not sure whether it's the huge amounts of fat, the salt, or the nitrates. Yes, I know that all of those are available nitrate-free, but last time I checked--we were all students, yes?--I also know that I will never eat beef or eggs again. I think there has got to be a way to balance nutrition and our evolutionary developments with the limbic system. Otherwise, we'll all end up eating only 35 cups of Romaine lettuce with steaks wrapped in bacon. And between you and me, none of that sounds all that appetizing. 

Last but certainly not least, I want to congratulate everyone on making it through midterms. We finally had our last one on Thursday. I'll spare you all the drama involved, but I know we are all extremely glad that that is over. I want to offer Dr. Ott my undying gratitude for being, perhaps, the coolest-headed professor I've ever come across. I must find for you, Dr, Ott, 5 million gold toilet stickers. You deserve them. (And if you want to know the story about the gold toilet stickers, you can email me). 

Everyone also deserves congratulations for making it through Mercury retrograde. Thankfully, Mercury went direct on St. Patty's Day--and not a moment too soon. I was tired of fixing everything, fighting and mediating fights, and just generally being in a funk.

Happy First Full Week of Spring to everyone and Happy Easter, Ostara and a Blessed Passover to all who celebrate.

This week's pictures are from Lake Maggiore--which is not far from my house. I was hoping to get some gators in there, but it was a bit too cloudy. If you enter through Boyd Hill and take the trails, I PROMISE you'll see some BIG gators. To my classmate Lauren, here's where you (don't) want to go. :) 

It's been unseasonably cold here for the last several days. I know; I know. For those of you that live in the "Great White North" (any place above Orlando, pretty much), you'd think this was a picnic. But for those of us that have been down here long enough to have "thin blood", it's freezing. 

When I think back to when I was a kid--we'd go outside in 3+ feet of snow barefoot. I can't even imagine doing anything like that now. Now it becomes parka weather when it's below 60. I take solace in knowing what the weather will be like next weekend (at least the predictions) and also that I've had to be inside studying for midterms--so it's not like I've missed anything. Next weekend will be a different story--a welcome break in between sets of exams. Ahhh. Yes. Thank You. 

I've admittedly been having a tough week. Trials and tribulations with my own issues as well as issues "back home". We all hope and work for the best, but sometimes it doesn't happen that way. We do what we can and try to remind ourselves that it's all going to be OK. I was writing that on the chalkboards in some of the classrooms. It's not just midterms and finals that stress us out. I don't know how many pep talks I've given over the last 2 weeks, but I'm extremely grateful for the ones I've received. A special thanks to Super Vito. I'm gonna make you a cape, my friend. 

It's a rarity that any of us come through this unscathed. Whether it's a health issue, a break up, a family member, a new relationship, a child, or any number of other reasons--there are more than enough things to distract us from what we're trying to do. Sometimes it's hard to keep those priorities straight. Sometimes all of those other things take priority over school. Above all, it comes down to taking care of ourselves. It's a new thing for me to stop and take a step back when I'm reaching my breaking point. I'm still working on that. 

The most important thing to remember, when I'm NOT coming through unscathed, is to be a little gentle with myself. Forgive myself. Take care of myself. It really does make all the difference. 

Our pictures today are of the St. Pete Pier--from either direction. The pier building itself is set to be demolished sometime soon. It's been an icon of the town for decades. I've seen the designs for its replacement. It's interesting--somewhere between the Jetsons, the Sydney Opera house and tinker toys--but I'm going to reserve final judgment for when it's all done. We shall see. If you're around town for the 4th of July, they usually do an AMAZING fireworks show over the pier and on either side of it. Of course, I know the best spots to watch it--without being stuck in all the traffic. But those are pics and stories for a different day. 

Study hard, folks. But most importantly, remember what's important. Only you can decide that.

If I sit there quietly, for long enough, they'll forget that I'm there and walk right up to me. Only disrupted by the errant passers-by, the herons and gulls wander around the beach, picking at freshly washed up scallops and bubbles in the sand. Snowbirds randomly dot the shores baking themselves in the sun and the cutest elderly couples hold hands, while wearing lovely straw hats and Bermuda shorts (they must be locals!). 

I'm forever grateful for having MLK day off. Perhaps that's not what it was intended for, but days off during the tri are few and far between. It's an opportunity to stretch out the weekend study schedule (just a wee bit) and give a last hurrah to guiltless goofing off. I chose to spend just a little bit of time at the beach. It's a good place to clear the head, reconnect, write a little bit, and try to catch up on the Vitamin D. For near-albinos like myself, only a few minutes will do, as many more gets me extra-crispy (with or without sunscreen). I have a nice rosy glow at the moment, as time got away from me and I spent about an hour out there (yikes!).

I try to make it a point to never take study materials with me to the beach. Some might think it'd be great to study there, but I've found it extremely important to keep at least one "space" sacred. That's one of mine. 

This week, even though it's a "short" week, there's a "quest" (that's a cross between a quiz and a test) in Cardio-Respiratory Physiology, and another of those scary diagram quizzes (I hope this one is as enlightening as the other was!) in Nutrition. I can't say I'm really looking forward to either one, but the whole studying process is when it all starts to make sense to me, the pieces of the puzzle come together, and all the links begin to form.

I look forward to solving many, MANY more puzzles over the next 13 weeks. It'll be over before I know it. Right now, it's a matter of putting the pieces together. Somehow I think the 5,000-piece puzzles will be easier (and less fun), than this.