T-Day/B-Day Weekend

My parents were in town for the Carolina Designer Craftsmen show over the weekend - per usual - so birthday celebrations were thrown into the mix as well.

I stayed home Saturday to watch the Heels play NC State, to whom we unfortunately lost. Grrrrr. After the show we had dinner at Mez - a favorite eatery of mine. I've never had a bad meal there. Best guacamole ever.

Sunday I headed to Raleigh in the late afternoon to check out the tail end of the show. Mom did pretty well, but I didn't walk around much because I, on the other hand, have no money to spend! Stuck around to help take down the booth - not my favorite way to spend my birthday - but it was worth it to have dinner with mom and dad again.

At Weaver Street my mom came up behind me and just said, "I'm sad." When I asked her why she said that when she stopped for gas she must've lost her phone holder that I made for her years ago. It made me sad, too! Replacement is already in the works.

For the b-day I got a great Vera Bradley purse and wallet from Maria, Todd & Abby; an adorable pottery piece (pictured below) from mom & dad and a fabulous painting of Zoe, Bailey and me on canvas from Abby (also pictured below). She's such a tiny Picasso!





On top of the gifts I got countless birthday greetings from friends - I was a bit overwhelmed! Thanks to all!

Eve Carson Memorial 5K

I participated in the 2nd annual Eve Carson Memorial 5K on Saturday morning in Chapel Hill. While not a race in the true sense for me (I walked), I was more than happy to participate in an event towards such a great cause. Last year Jen came with me, but this year I was alone with my ipod.

Truth be told, I almost bolted after collecting my t-shirt and gift bag only because a separate event taking place on campus made the parking outlook quite grim. (Not that parking on campus at UNC is ever an easy task). But I would've felt guilty had I bailed, and my astonishingly early arrival on-site gave me ample time to scout out alternative parking.

I have no idea how many people turned out for the race - there aren't currently any results online - but it looked like a good crowd. There were several dogs there, which made me sad I hadn't known they were allowed because I would've brought Casey, my brother's dog who is currently bunking at my house. Neither Bailey or Zoe are good at "endurance" walks/runs; but with Todd and Maria running a gazillion miles a week, Casey has adapted to lengthy jaunts. I would've loved to have had him along!

The weather was perfect - I was happy the earlier predicted rain did not come to fruition - and Eve's spirit was definitely present in full-force. I don't remember there ever being that many college students that bright-eyed and bushy-tailed that early on a Saturday morning when I was in school at UNC!

I will do my best to race (walk) for Eve again next year.

Tiny bear ornaments

I fell in love with these tiny teddy bear ornaments created by a woman named Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits. Her work is of course much better than mine, but I made my first tiny teddy bear ornament last night (pictured left).

I thought of making them while I was brainstorming for my Operation Christmas Child boxes, so if I decide to include this little "beta" bear I hope the recipient likes it!

I wanted to make a test bear before investing in materials, so I used green and cream yarn I already owned and made my bear a polar bear.

There are two versions of the pattern - one that makes a dress (the one I used) and one that includes legs as well as arms. For my "beta" bear, I thought less limbs was best.

I didn't have the correct size of double-pointed needles (I sold all of mine on ebay, save one pair, when I gave up knitting in the round) so I used a set of US size 5 double-pointed needles for my bear. Yarn used was cheap-o left over from my knitting practice days. My finished bear (minus ribbon loop) is approximately 3.75" tall.

What do you think? Suggestions?

Huge win Saturday

It was a fabulous football Saturday with the Heels beating Miami 33-24, but still a bit sad seeing as it was the last home game of the season. It all went by so fast.

We did far more tailgating this season than we have in the past due to later game times, and I think Abby really enjoyed the whole spectacle of it. The weather cooperated for the most part, with the last two games taking place under gorgeous Carolina Blue skies.

For the last two games Abby and I got to visit with the Burleigh's on the other side of the stadium, too. Abby loves seeing Felton and I think the trip (which is NOT short) provides a distracting activity. We usually come up with some silly game to pass the time on the way over - like how best to maneuver the path - duck and shimmy or dash and weave.

We needed that win Saturday. It provided some redemption for the Heels and the fans. It really was fabulous.

Until next season - with some basketball in-between!

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I finished this book last night and absolutely loved it. I enjoyed The Kite Runner, but I LOVED this book.

After forcing myself to make it through My Life as a Traitor, I had to distance myself from tales of political unrest, war and cruelty. I indulged myself with the Twilight series, Charlaine Harris' books and the Ghostgirl books and then finally came back to a serious read.

A Thousand Splendid Suns spans over more than 40 years, and tells the story of two (maybe three) families, eventually intertwined by both love and tragedy. A boiled-down synopsis might describe it as a modern-day history of Afghanistan told from a woman's perspective.

I completely disagree with the reviews online that state that the characters lack depth. I easily envisioned each of them while reading: Mariam, Laila, Tariq, Rasheed, Aziza, Jalil and Zalmai.

In fact, for some inexplicable reason, I pictured Zalmai as the little boy in "Thirteen Ghosts," which is a terrible movie and shouldn't have been memorable in any way, but there you have it. Oh, and I pictured Mullah Faizullah as somewhat Gandalf-like. I do NOT mean that as even the slightest insult. I adore both Mullah Faizullah and Gandalf.

A Thousand Splendid Suns begins with scandal and lost-youth, moves forward all the while with non-fictional war-related details, and by the end tells the heartbreaking story of an unlikely yet fiercely faithful friendship. The history behind the scenes never overshadows the central story, but instead makes it all the more powerful.

I highly recommend this book. It is beautifully-written and surprisingly suspenseful - a story expertly executed.

I had a good cry when I was finished - largely in part because I'd reached the end.

Doggie Supplements – Advice?

Following Zoe’s less than favorable recent test results, I’ve been supplementing her food with both milk thistle and Nutri-Vet Probiotics.

The milk thistle is in powder form – emptied from 150 mg capsules – added by a few sprinkles per meal. Milk thistle is believed to be a natural “liver tonic,” and its use is widely accepted in veterinary practices across the country. It is often used in the treatment of liver cirrhosis. Since the only adverse side-effects usually extend to mild diarrhea, milk thistle doesn't scare me much. I've taken it myself off and on for years. Zoe has had no problems so far.

The Probiotics supplement is in liquid form and hopefully helps to mask the herbal tinge added by the milk thistle. Thus far Zoe hasn’t turned up her nose, but I’m still trying to arrive at the perfect balance for regular feedings.

Probiotics is chock-full of Omega-3 essential fatty acids, which help maintain immune health. The formula also promotes healthy digestion via naturally occurring microorganisms and enzymes. It smells quite fishy, but again, Zoe doesn’t seem to mind at all.

I suppose the real effectiveness towards my personal goals for Zoe’s health will be revealed when her blood is re-tested next month. Either way, the lack of counter-productive effects encourages me to continue with our current regimen.

I’m curious if anyone out there has any experience with similar supplements, and if so, were the results positive? As I said before, I don’t know yet if Zoe’s slight upturn in relative healthiness had anything to do with the recent supplementation to her diet. Only time will tell!

Quote of the day

"I really love it here. I think the freedom of this place is just so beautiful. To me I wouldn't move for $10,000,000, unless I had to. So I'm contented here in the desert and I'm livin' where I wanna live, and ah, I think good gets better..."

- Leonard Knight as himself in "Into the Wild"

I wish more people could exude the sunny disposition of Knight. His lines are among my favorite in one of my favorite movies.

Go HEELS! Boo DOOK!

I'm not one for bragging about Tar Heel football this season, but Saturday's game was a sweet victory over DOOK, 19-6.

The 3:30 pm kick-off gave us plenty of time for tailgating. Todd made veggie burgers, Maria made veggie chili and I brought potato salad and BEER. The weather was gorgeous - perfect game day skies.

I know very little about football - the bare minimum - but I do know how to throw one. Abby still struggles a bit. Below you can see my attempt to steer her in the right direction.


Self-portrait of Maria and I (you can totally see my outstretched arm in the reflection of my sunglasses):


Around half-time we met up with Kerry and Felton. I really wish I could've gotten a photo of Abby and Felton chasing each other around the stairwell. I think they both had a blast. Got a photo of Mommy (Maria) and Abby instead:



Todd and Maria watching the game, listening to Woody, enjoying the defeat of DOOK:


I am positive that the 3-3:30 kick-off time is my favorite. I can sleep in, we get to tailgate and I make it home before 8 pm. PERFECT - especially when we spank DOOK.

Tiny terrier news

I expected the call from Dr. Geyer Thursday (she called me, but not with results) but received it Friday. Zoe's albumin was 2.4, up from 2.2 last week. "Normal" is between 2.7 and 4.4 g/DL according to my vet's lab, but "normal" levels seem to vary across veterinary clinics. We'll go back in a month for another albumin check.

On Thursday when they drew blood, I also had them weigh Zoe and check her glucose.

She's back up to 6.75 lbs, and her glucose was up to 115 from 64. Since low glucose is a huge cause of doggie seizures, I was ecstatic that her glucose is now within the normal range (70-138 mg/dL).

Her behavior is VERY regular Zoe (extremely active, alert and demanding of attention) so for now I'm breathing a bit of a sigh of relief, but we're not out of the woods yet. There are strong indicators of kidney/liver disease. Only time will tell.

Zoe, Bailey and I are so thankful for all of your well-wishes. It really means a lot to know that others are pulling for us - especially my tiny terrier.

xoxo, T, B & Z.

Gran Torino

I picked up Gran Torino from my local redbox last night. I'd heard nothing but good things about it and thus I was excited to tuck in to a good flick. I was not disappointed.

I do love Clint Eastwood - I always have. Now I'm not talking Dirty Harry or The Dead Pool - I fell in love with Clint Eastwood through watching In the Line of Fire, True Crime, Blood Work, The Bridges of Madison County and Million Dollar Baby, just to name a few. And by the way, he may be 79-years-old, but I still think he's one of the most handsome men on this earth.

I'm always a big fan of so-called no-name actors making a good movie great. Ahney Her (Sue Lor) made an excellent debut in Gran Torino. Bee Vang (Thao Van Lor) really didn't impress me, but I found the character he attempted to portray endearing.

Eastwood's character seems to suffer from the same tortured soul syndrome his character experienced in Million Dollar Baby, but I didn't feel like I was watching the same story with different scenery. Walt Kowalski (Eastwood), was quite a unique character in my opinion. Yes, he was a curmudgeon who spent most of his days growling at people. But he also had a yellow lab, Daisy, who was obviously his best friend after the passing of his wife, Dorothy. Through his "conversations" with Daisy and his interactions with Sue and Thao, we get a clearer picture of the real Walt. He's a good man. A little damaged, but still a good man.

Gran Torino addresses war, racism, familial estrangement, gang violence, poverty and many other complex issues.

I found it sincere rather than trite, moving rather than cheesy and realistic rather than unbelievable. I really liked this movie. Highly recommended.

ghostgirl: sincerely light reading

My dear friend Jen loaned both of these books to me: ghostgirl and ghostgirl: homecoming. While both are a bit over-the-top dramatic, I enjoyed reading them. When I first started ghostgirl, I thought, "Wow, Abby would really like this cute book." But after the initial "cute" death of the heroine - she chokes to death on a gummy bear in physics class - the plot turns down a few too many inappropriate corners for an eight-year-old.

My best description of the first book is Beetle Juice meets Heathers. Quirky outcast Charlotte Usher longs to be part of the in-crowd - Petula and the Wendys - and to be with her dream-man, Damen, who happens to be Petula's boyfriend. When Charlotte is matched up with Damen as a physics lab partner (book published in 2008, anyone smell a Twilight rip-off?!) she thinks her dreams have come true. Too bad their first class ends with her meeting the reaper via gelatinous candy.

Charlotte attends "Dead Ed," and learns a bit about the afterlife and her former life a little too late. Chock full of references to popular culture and a killer graduation much like the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 3, ghostgirl made me laugh, reminisce and thank my lucky stars that I'm done with high school.

ghostgirl: homecoming read like a soap opera on overdrive. The cultural references were dripping with an effort at humor; and the plot, which never came around to making any sense, was all over the place. Therefore, I'm sure I'd be no good at trying to describe the story because I'm not even sure what it was.

What's more disturbing is that the second book ended the same as the first - with a strong suggestion that a third book will follow. It shouldn't. I realize I said I enjoyed reading it, but I read it on an elliptical machine for the most part - a place where reading advanced physics is more enjoyable than concentrating on the minutes left in my workout.

I started A Thousand Splendid Suns on Sunday and it is thus far a phenomenally huge step up - at least intellectually - from ghostgirl. Happy reading!