Friday, June 4, 2010

Fun Facts Friday and New Additions to the Library

TGIF, Woo Hoo! Can you tell I am happy it is Friday? I love my weekends, LOL. ;-) The weather here is unpleasant, but it has been worse so I am not complaining. On the bright side the UPS man brought me a nice surprise a little while ago. I will tell you all about that is a few minutes but let’s start with fun facts Friday instead.

Fun Facts Friday:

As usual I am going to ask you all to answer a few questions so we can get to know each other better and I will go first.

1) Do you have any pets and if so are they part of the family? As you all know we have three very spoiled little Turkish Angora felines that live with us.


The oldest by a few months is our only female, Luca Belle (her name means beautiful light in Italian). She is clearly the queen of the house with a diva attitude a mile wide. She definitely has the attitude of a big sister that would rather her little brothers go away because they bother her.


Then there is Massimo who is definitely a momma’s boy. He is named after my favorite wine Masi. Don’t judge, LOL. Masi has the most gentle and loving personality. He is the first one to snuggle with you when you don’t feel well. Sorry for the picture quality I took this one with my phone so I could get at least one pic with his eyes open. He has the most beautiful eyes.  Don't they look human?


Finally the bad baby of the house is Nicco (aka Binky), daddy’s little man. Dan loves Nicco, they are best friends. We call Nicco our little sweet tart because he is either being really sweet or really tart.  No in between moods for this little guy.  He is all or nothing all the time.

When Dan comes home the boys greet him at the front door every evening. Luca Belle waits for Dan is sit down then she plops in his lap. They have distinct personalities and are very much their own individuals. Spoiled doesn’t even begin to describe them. Needless to say they are an integral part of our family and we would have it no other way. Dan and I often say they didn’t get the memo that they are cats. All three of them love people and are normally either on us or within a few feet of us at all times.

2) Are you an optimist or a pessimist? This is an odd one for me because I used to be a pessimist but have become an optimist since the cancer. If you had told me this a few years ago I would say you were nuts, but it is true. I think cancer has a way of putting things into perspective for me. Things that used to bring me down like appointments that started late, people being incompetent, mean or lazy just doesn’t matter to me any longer. It takes a lot to fluster me now. My glass is definitely half full these days. I must say it does make it much easier to deal with life when the universe seems to want to teach you patience and tolerance.

3) What is on your summer reading list? Do you like to take books to the beach or the pool? I read all year long so the idea of summer reading list is somewhat foreign to me but I have lots of friends that read more in the summer. I always have 10 or books in the queue to be read. I added three more to the “pile” today in fact. I will get into that in a separate section.

New Additions to the Nutrition Library:

This will come as no surprise but I bought three more nutrition books two days ago and the UPS man delivered them today. I must say I love Amazon. Things just show up at your door which I think is great. Obviously I have not had a chance to read this books since they only arrived about an hour ago but I will get through them in the next week or two and let you know what I think. Here is what I bought:


First I ordered “An Evidence-Based Approach to Dietary Phytochemicals”. Sounds like a page turned doesn’t it? LOL, I love this sort of thing. I am such a nutrition geek.


Next I picked up “Nutritional Science From Fundamentals to Food”.


Finally I added “Nutrition in Clinical Practice” to my nutrition library. This one I flipped through first. I had to read what the doc had to say about diet and cancer. I only skimmed that chapter but it appears we are right on track. That made me very happy.

I realize that most of you don’t read nutrition textbooks for fun. This is something that I used to do either. But now I find them to be a very enjoyable read. Dan thinks I need to go back to school to get my Masters in Nutrition. I am seriously considering it but with my educational background I would have a lot of science courses to get out of the way first. This coming semester I may take a course or two to see how I do in chemistry. Since I have not had a college level science class (computer science doesn’t count) I don’t know if I can hack it or not. One of our young friends, Aimee is thrilled that I am considering going back to school and has offered to help me should I need it. Since she is a 4.0 student I don’t think I could ask for a better tutor. Thanks again Aimee for all your encouragement!  We will see what happens. I decided to get a jump on the process by reading everything I could this summer with the idea in mind that it will help me make the decision on whether to go back to school this coming fall or not.

Unrelated notes:

I have finished my errands and checked on the parents, like any typical Friday around here. Now it is time to spend a little quality time in the kitchen. Nothing mellows me out more than cooking. There is just something therapeutic about it for me.

I will be back later with a recipe or two. I hope Friday is going well for all of you. Talk to you soon.

24 comments:

  1. Well, you already know my pets ARE the family ;-). I don't think they know they are canines at all. Like you, I used to be very much a pessimist. Sometimes I still have to check myself on that, but for the most part I try to be optimistic and try to find at least one good thing about a situation. I always take at least 3 books with me for the beach. One of the most relaxing things to me is to sit outside and read.

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  2. Heather,

    Yes I do know you love the maniacs. You should post pics of them when they will sit still long enough to have their picture taken that is.

    Another thing we have in common? Are we related and don't know it? LOL

    I can't wait to hear if you like the books you take to the beach. I am always looking for something new to read. If I lived at your house I would be reading by the pool quite often. ;-)

    talk to you later,
    Ali

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  3. Your cats are beautiful! You have a nice family :-)

    I, like you, love to read and read year round. I always think it is funny that people might only read in the summer..how can they not have a book (or 3 or 4) going year-round? I have 6 different books out from the library right now and am working my way through them. If I were headed to a pool or the beach I would definitely have a book with me, although I don't see any beaches or pools in my future, unfortunately. I take a book with me just about everywhere, though!

    Courtney

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  4. Courtney,

    The felines said thank you, they wanted me to tell you, LOL.

    I thought I was the only only one that came out of the library loaded down with books. Seems to me 5 is the least amount of books I have left the library with at one time. Like you I used to take books with me to work to read at lunch. It seems I never grown tired of reading. ;-)

    talk to you later,
    Ali

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  5. Of course I love any fun facts involving kitties! It's fun to see Masi's eyes finally, and you're right, really gorgeous! You are already familiar with my Arnold and Evie babies, but I'll include a fun fact about both of them. Their names are both movie related. Arnold is named after a certain actor/governor, and Evey Hammond is Natalie Portman's character in V for Vendetta (though I changed the spelling). V was one of my favorite movies that came out the year that I got Evie :)

    I am TOTALLY an optimist and I don't get wound up about much. I don't believe in stressing about things in which the results are out of my control. I am really good at going with the flow when things don't go as planned and not getting upset about it.

    I am about to give Eat, Pray, Love a read. It was a birthday gift that someone insisted that I would like since I love travel and food. We'll see! I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy all those nutrition books ;) Have a nice weekend!

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  6. Luca Bella certainly lives up to her name...what a treat, we don't get to see pics of her too often! They are all treasures.

    Have a great weekend.

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  7. Sarah,

    I love how you named your furbabies. I have not seen V for Vendetta but I will definitely check it out now.

    It does not surprise me one bit that you are an optimist. That comes through in your blog. ;-)

    Please do let me know what you think of the book. I kep meaning to pick that one up but haven't yet.

    I hope you have a great weekend too! :-)
    Ali

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  8. Rose,

    Did you catch the look on her face? Clearly her highness did not want to be disturbed. That is the look she usually gives me when I stick the camera in her face which is why she doesn't make many appearances. LOL

    I hope you have a great weekend too! Enjoy your garden!
    Ali

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  9. We don't have any pets...I'm allergic to cats and haven't wanted the responsibilities of a dog, but we'll probably get one someday. I'd like to think I'm an optimist but sometimes catch myself being judgmental or impatient, so I'm not sure. I try to go with the flow and remember that things usually happen for a reason. Right now I'm reading books that you've recommended and I'll continue to do so! I have a science degree and find this stuff fascinating. I don't think you'd have any problem in school, especially with a tutor or someone to talk things over with. Have a great weekend!

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  10. Laura,

    I am sorry to hear you are allergic to cats. We get a lot of pleasure from our little angels. ;-)

    Sometimes it is hard not to be judgemental, I find it particularly difficult when I am in a hurry and frustrated. But most of the time I just let things roll off my back now. However, I do still have my moments generally while driving in traffic.

    I bet having a science degree makes it much easier to understand this stuff. Typically I have to read things a few times to achieve comprehension. Thanks for the vote of confidence! I hope you are right. ;-)

    I am reading the first book now. So far it is fascinating and I am learning quite a few useful tid bits which I will be sharing.

    I hope you have a great weekend!
    Ali

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  11. QUOTE:
    "It takes a lot to fluster me now."

    I think I have mellowed a lot in the last 5 years. And that's much better than being agitated all the time. And, no, there were no medications involved, just a realization that getting upset doesn't make things ()or people) better.

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  12. I know I am late commenting especially since I am on the west coast now so the time zones are different, but I wanted to share. Your cats are absolutely adorable! Me and the hubs have 2 animal companions - cats. I do not believe in "pets" - they are family! They are domestic short hair brothers - born on Halloween 2008. They are such wonderful beings and bring us so much love. I used to be a pessimist as a teen, but I am an optimist now(I'm also only 23). For my summer reading, I just finished my undergrad so I am totally turned off of any reading right now - my brain is burnt out and needs a few months to recover lol.

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  13. If you are thinking about taking chemistry you should think about a math refresher first, unless your algebra and trig skills are in good shape. You can get into real trouble otherwise. I speak from experience!

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  14. Jim,

    You may be on to something with the age issue. I think that may have helped me too. ;-)

    Ali

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  15. Possum,

    I love to hear other people think as much of their animals as we do. Dan and I are convinced they are in charge and we are here to take care of them. ;-) Thanks for the compliment we think they are pretty cute, but we may be a bit biased. LOL

    Congratulations on finishing your undergrad! Are you starting grad school in the fall so you need the summer off from reading?

    I just love to read and do it everyday. Normally I am reading things like I listed in this post. For as long as I can remember I have loved to learn. ;-)

    talk to you later,
    Ali

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  16. Elisabeth,

    Thanks for the tip. Math is the only thing I am not too worried about as it has always been a strength. Both my grad and undergrad degrees are in finance. I have always loved math and have taken differential and integral calculus and finite math. But it sounds like a good idea for me to spend a little time refreshing myself on algebra and trig.

    thanks for the suggestion I definitely had not thought of that,
    Alicia

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  17. I know what you mean about the cats running the house! The words "royalty" and "supreme being" often are used in relation to our cats lol. As far as university and school in general, the longest break I have had from it was a couple of months since I was 4. This past year, I did all 4 semesters straight with a 2 week break at xmas and in the summer, so I feel like I have missed out on "me" time and general R&R. Not to mention, I've read copious amounts of textbooks, novels and course packs per semester and written over 15 essays in the last 4 months. Grad school may be in the future, but I am looking forward to figuring myself out more before I go. I am one of those people that likes to laze in the sun and sleep in until 3pm lol as well, so I need to catch up on that. Although, I will definitely be keeping up on my health and nutrition reading and online journal perusing. Cheers to summer!

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  18. Possum,

    Your cats sound like ours. Isn't it nice that they allow us to live with them and serve them. ;-)

    I love school too but it does sound like you need a little R&R. Enjoy your summer in the sun. Sounds great to me!

    Good luck figuring yourself out. I didn't know what I wanted to do until after grad school and 20 years of work doing something I didn't really like. I hope you figure it out much earlier in life than I did! ;-)

    Ali

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  19. You know all about my pets, so nothing new to tell!
    I am a pessimistic optimist, I figure things won't work out, but when they do, I like to say, "I knew it would be ok!"

    My reading list will be composed of the entire Harry Potter saga, 7 books, and also the Twillight saga,4 books, again.
    I read them right before they come out in theaters.

    Yes, I am lame!

    I read them in the mornings and also I take them to the pool with me while I am sun bathing!

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  20. Brandi,

    I do know all about your pets. Give them a scratch from me. ;-)

    Only you could come up with the term pessimistic optimist but somehow it makes sense, LOL.

    Believe it or not I have not seen any of the Harry Potters or Twilights. I think I am in the minority on that one. ;-)

    talk to you later,
    Ali

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  21. My pets are so much a part of my family that I can't stop them from contributing to my blog! ;) Like you, I think I was born a pessimist but am trying to become an optimist. . . I'm optimistic that I'll get there! I'm currently reading Nick Hornby's latest (Juliet, Naked) and really enjoying it.

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  22. Ricki,

    I love that your fur babies insist on being on the blog. ;-) Our youngest (Nicco) is the same way. He loves to pose for the camera.

    Isn't it odd how we do seem to be born either optimistic or pessimistic? Optimisim does seem to be an easier way to go.

    Thanks for the book suggestion. I am always looking for new things to read.

    I hope you have a great week,
    Ali

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  23. The cats are beautiful! Our Customer Service Rep, Rambo*, would be proud of them!

    Peace :)

    * http://greencomotion.blogspot.com/2010/03/test-post-2_18.html

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  24. Chandra,

    Rambo is precious. I love pictures of sleeping cats, LOL.

    Ali

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