Snorting Olive Oil

Yes, you read that right.

But first, look what was on my desk at work yesterday:

To B, Love Damon

It was a huge cookie, apparently left there by my secret admirer, Damon.  If you don't watch the Vampire Diaries - and you should - this is Damon:

Source

I hate to break his heart because he obviously has it bad for me.  But I'm like, Damon!  I'm spoken for, man!  Time to move on!  You better hope that G doesn't catch wind of this...

**Riiiiiiiight**

Yesterday I had lunch with a rep from my college.  I have to hand it to them, I have only lived here a little over a month, and I only updated my address with them a couple of weeks ago.  They did a fabulous job of locating me quickly and reaching out to me.

Last week, I got an email from a rep asking if we could meet for lunch and catch up on all things Razorback.  I wasn't sure what to expect; I'm a member of the alumni association and part of me was hoping they weren't gonna hit me up for money.  They would soooo be barking up the wrong tree for that these days.  Ha.  Seriously.

But she was young, a doctoral student, and was in CO for a friend's wedding.  We had the best conversation!  We talked about my college town, the campus itself, the recent snafus of our football program...then we branched off into the value of a liberal arts education and how colleges are changing these days.  I'm telling you, sometimes I forget how much I truly loved working in the college atmosphere (other than the difficult students, whom I don't miss, not even in the slightest).  It was a refreshing conversation and it felt like coming home again.

She left me with a folder full of recent info from the school:

And lastly...I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon because I think this altitude might be killing me.  I haven't written about it on the blog, but I have been getting some killer headaches.  They are not migraines, but they are incapacitating and I thought it might be some form of altitude sickness.  Turns out I was right and I was wrong.  A bit of it is altitude and there's nothing I can do about that, other than wait.  She said it takes the body about 6 full months, minimum, to fully adjust to the altitude, so I should just hang in there and drink lots of water.  Geez, thanks.

But then she said she doesn't think it's only the altitude causing the headaches; she thinks it is the dry climate.  She said the dryness affects the sinuses adversely, and even if you drink a lot of water, they remain dry and cause killer headaches.  And then she told me there is a very simple step I could take.

I was like, anything!  I'll do anything!

Famous last words.

She said that every night before I go to bed, I should rub olive oil all around the inside of my nose.

I'll let this sink in for a minute.

I just stared at her and she said I would be surprised to know the number of people all around Denver who do this nightly, herself included.  She said she has lived here for years, and still does it because the dryness affects her.

You guys - I did it last night!  I'm trying hard to see if I notice any kind of difference, but so far I can't.

My apartment smells like Italian food, though...

On being an introvert

I don't think I have always been an introvert.  I think back to my school days and pretty much know that I was an extrovert.  But somewhere during college and grad school I introverted.  Then over the past few years I seriously introverted.  It has little to do with how much I like people (which happens to be a lot!), or like being around them (my preference is one-on-one).  It mostly has to do with a mental energy level - as in, mine is waning and I need more and more time to myself in order to get it back.

At this point in our culture's awareness of personality types and such, I don't think the whole introvert/extrovert classification is a big mystery anymore.  I do think, though, that many people confuse introversion with shyness (untrue), social awkwardness (also untrue), or a general dislike of people (sort of untrue - ha!  JK!).

Introverts, due to the active life of the inner mind for lack of a better description, are often quite articulate, quite social and quite lovable.  When people somehow find out that I'm an introvert, they often don't believe me.  Adamantly.  As if I don't really know myself and somehow missed this trait.  They say, "But you're so nice!" and "But you're so good around people!"  What they don't know is that after a particularly busy/social week at work, I will often crash on the couch for hours, reading, watching TV, or sleeping.  I need the solitude to get my mojo back.

I have been thinking about this because this week I was supposed to go to happy hour on Monday and Tuesday after work, and both were cancelled.  The thing is, I was looking forward to them (truly) and when they were cancelled, I was happy just to go home and have a normal night (truly).  Now, the difference is that these events were not with close friends; in that situation I really would have been disappointed.  You guys know I like my time with you.  But notice how it is usually one-on-one?  And in those cases I can talk to you until you're blue in the face and are begging for another glass of wine?  And I have been known to get up and follow you into the kitchen as you pour the glass, blabbering all the while?

The fact that I'm able to open up to you like that is that we have a connection and also that we talk about things that capture my interest; and in those cases I can go on...well, you know, too long.  Ha.

It is an interesting thing, being married to an introvert as well.  Now that we are living apart for a bit, there are many phone calls that consist of...silence.  We talk for a while, catch up, and then there are long stretches of nothing.  Because it is enough just to be on the line with each other; we don't have a need to fill it all up with words.  When we Face Time, G will often leave the phone facing Orca so that I can watch her, and we don't even say anything.  To me, that is like being home.  It enables me to be myself, and be with my family, and get my energy back.

When G and I go for hikes, or lay around and read on the weekends, or walk around a shopping mall, he will often break a LONG silence by exclaiming, "Just two introverts having fun on a Saturday!!" and it is hilarious.

To me, the hardest part about being so far away from you, my friends, is not the distance, it is the introversion.  Phone calls are not only hard for me to fit into my schedule, but they are not the best way that I express myself.  It is not a case of not wanting to talk to you - in fact, I think of you many times a day and if you were with me, I would be able to see you, read your gestures and mannerisms, and connect with you on a very deep level.  But on the phone, all we have are words, and to me, that is like only being able to see one corner of a picture.  And it is hard for me.  Which is why I text all the time, and email when I can.  I get my point across in a comfortable way for me, and I try to connect with you that way.  Notice how it is nonverbal?

You may think, what is so hard about a phone call?  But you would be surprised.  I always thought something was wrong with me until I read "Quiet" by Susan Cain.  She goes into great depth explaining introversion (brain development, personality traits, and how these play out in today's world).  It felt like someone was holding up a mirror to me and saying, this is what you are like and this is why. Or, at least partially why.

Source

I highly recommend this book if you are an introvert or if you're not.  It elaborates on extroverts as well, and sheds light on the differences in how the two process information and communicate.

The bottom line?  Buy a plane ticket and come visit me!  I could use some time with you in person.  :)

Easy Veggie Chili

Well, I've started cooking again.  It turns out that walking five miles a day doesn't do much good if you have cheese dip for dinner every night.  It is truly a fallen world we live in.

I have also realized that as wonderful and magical as it is to work near a myriad of restaurants, it is also expensive...and caloric.  So I am summoning all the will power I have, and am taking my lunch a few days a week now.  The weird thing is that in the summer, a salad will work just fine, maybe a small sandwich.  But when the weather turns cold my stomach does not register it as a meal unless it is hot.  So soup it is these days.

I found this recipe here.  She is an avid runner and lists tons of good (healthy) recipes on her site.  The good thing about this one is that it is quick, but still packs a lot of flavor, and you can spice it up or down depending on your tastes.

Easy Veggie Chili

*  1/2 onion, diced
*  1 carrot, thinly sliced
*  1/2 green pepper, chopped (I used red - the flavor tastes spicier to me)
*  1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced (I didn't use these - mushrooms in chili?  No thanks.)
*  1/2 zucchini, sliced (I used squash b/c I had it on hand already)
*  1 Tablespoon olive oil
*  2 garlic cloves, minced
*  14.5 oz diced tomatoes w/chilis, not drained (Rotel's lime cilantro tastes really good)
*  15.5 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed
*  8 oz tomato sauce
*  1.5 Tablespoon chili powder
*  1.5 teaspoon dried oregano
*  1 teaspoon cumin
*  1 teaspoon paprika
*  dash (or more!) of red pepper flakes
*  1.5 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1.  In large pot, saute the onion, carrot, pepper, mushrooms & zucchini in oil until tender.

2.  Add garlic.  Cook one minute longer.

3.  Add the tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce and seasonings.

4.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (Definitely keep an eye on it and add water to keep it from sticking.  I had to add water a few times.)

5.  Stir in vinegar.

Enjoy!

African Art

When we went to Africa, we assumed that we would buy a print of some kind to hang in the house.  Or maybe a few wood carvings of animals and such.  Although there were plenty of both to be found, nothing really did it for us, so we were content to take pictures and figured we would frame a couple.

I was a little disappointed but since we were in the middle of downsizing the house for the Denver move, I kept it all in perspective.  The last thing we needed was more stuff.

On our last full day there, we went to an animal preserve and rode elephants.  The entire experience was designed to make the audience bond with and learn to appreciate the animals.  First, they bring the elephants out and give you time to pet them and talk to them.

If you have never touched an elephant before, then imagine petting a tire.  You know how tires have those little rubber spikes all over them, when they are new?  Elephant trunks are like that, too.  They are incredibly tough but also sensitive; they have thousands of muscles and nerves in their trunks to help them eat leaves and bark.  It is a weird sensation, to feel something so tough and know you need to be so gentle.

Next up, going for a ride.

Riding an elephant is an interesting thing.  It is a core exercise, first of all.  Also, elephants eat almost constantly, so they venture off the "trail" and grab tree branches often.  It is so cute to ride along, with leaves blocking part of your view, while you listen to crunching and smacking.

To complete the elephant experience, the riders got to give their elephant treats at the end.  I don't know the name for them, but they look like wine corks and are a mixture of hay and molasses.  Designed to satisfy a big sweet tooth!

So what does this have to do with art?  Well, the guides explained that part of their effort to raise money for the herd is to create and sell as many custom gifts as they can.  One idea they came up with was to have the elephants step into paint, then step onto a sheet of paper, creating a unique footprint.  As soon as I saw this, I knew this was what we were looking for.

When we got settled here, I took our print to a frame shop and just got the final product back a few days ago.

It is an original, novel way for us to remember the trip, and "our" elephant, Coco.  Not a bad decoration, either!

Using up my inheritance

My family has a history of passing down things from generation to generation.  Not so much with money, and not so much with valuables, just things.

To be from such a small family (only a handful), I have accumulated a lot.  I think this is because I was born into a young family; my grandmother had my mother when she was 18, my mom had me when she was 20.  That was the norm back then (and in the south), and so I was blessed to have young grandparents and to know both of my great grandmothers well.  They were alive until I was in college.

As we downsized to move here, we had some serious decisions to make about what to keep and what to give away.  No longer would we have a huge basement where we could just store things.  And we refused to put a bunch of stuff in storage out here, just to pay an additional fee every month to have it out of sight.  So, I had to face all of these family things - my inheritance, if you will - and decide where it was all going.

In a way my decision was easy: I do not have kids to pass these things down to (even if I did, they would not know these family members at all), and my brother has his own inheritance.  What I have is mine and I am free to do with it what I want.  Some stuff I did get rid of; random dishes, a cedar chest, some knick knacks.  But what I kept, I made a conscious decision to use in the apartment.  What is the point of keeping it if I'm only going to stash it away?

The decision was very liberating and has made me feel closer to my family (to those who are gone) than I ever imagined.  I am using the quilts made by my great grandmothers to add some much-needed color and warmth:

We didn't want the living room to be too brown; the quilt really livens it up.

The rest of the quilts are stashed under the bed.

I also inherited my Papa's book collection.  This is very meaningful to me because some of my favorite childhood memories are hanging out with him and Gama in their living room while we all read.  I would walk up to their bookshelf and gaze and gaze at his books.  Now they are on my bookshelves.

Not only do I display them, I read them.  I have found his old bookmarks in them, along with score papers that Gama used to keep from their domino games.  He has written notes and questions in some of the theology books and to turn the page and see his handwriting is a jolt - a good one, though.

Once again I will say how happy I am that we "had" to downsize.  It was a pain but it was also refining.  The things we are left with are the things we value, the things worth holding on to.

TGIF, people!

Drinks & Dating

Hope you & your kiddos had a great Halloween!

One of my coworkers said that his kids were planning to score as much candy as possible because their dentist's office has a buy-back candy program.  Actual cash in hand - $1 per pound of candy!  And the best part is that the office then wraps all the candy up and sends it to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I just happened to have a few bags of candy in my office for a candy bowl that still hasn't made its way to Denver, so I gave him all of them.  I was like, I know one guy over there who could use this chocolate!  :)

Spicy Bloody Mary goodness

So get this - I can no longer drink wine.  You know, my beverage of choice.  My go to drink for every occasion.  I don't understand how this happened, and believe me, I've experimented with everything I can think of.  But white, red, champagne...a small glass, or three sips, four sips...gives me a massive headache.  Is it the altitude?  It's either that or I'm aging, so once again the altitude takes the blame for this one.

I'm going to sound like a lush (and I'm not!) but I am attempting to fill this wide chasm in my life with other spirits.  Beer is great, but not always my fave.  Bloody Mary's - especially in this area - are fantastic but I feel like the sodium will kill me immediately.  The other night I tried a Dark & Stormy:  ginger beer mixed with rum.  Hello?  LUV it.  Whoever came up with ginger beer is a genius. I could have gone without the rum and just had it straight up.

Dark & Stormy deliciousness

In my attempts to stay hydrated during the day, there are times that looking at plain water makes me want to gag and throw myself out the window.  I get sick of it, people.  As good as it is for me, and actually as good as it makes me feel, sometimes I cannot abide another sip.  Also, after hoofing it to work and crawling up several flights of stairs, once I calm down, my body temperature plummets and I freeze to death for about two hours every morning.  So I have taken to heating up water with lemon.  It's a winner: the water doesn't taste like water and it warms me up.

Daily Office concoction

There is also the ol' stand by: the glorious Pumpkin Spice Latte that I will continue to order well into the new year, despite weary looks from the barista.  I have gradually worked my way down to the smallest size, with no whip cream, but that is as far as I am willing to go.

My Fall Lover

And speaking of drinks, I went out on a limb yesterday.

Backstory:  last week, one of the neighboring offices on our floor threw my office a welcome party.  It was a nice, casual shindig and everyone socialized for a couple of hours.  I had a great conversation with one of the girls, and I've been thinking that I should get in touch with her and try to strike up a friendship.  So yesterday I marched over to the office, asked the receptionist to give me her email, and I shot her a quick note.  With my friends spread all over the country at this point, I gotta have something...

People, I swear.  I felt like I was on the dating scene again!  I actually got nervous and started to second guess myself.  Did she really seem to enjoy the conversation as much as I did?  Or was she just being polite?

I really need to get out more.

She responded very enthusiastically, though, and we're having drinks next week!  I'm not a hermit failure after all!  :)  I will continue my drinking experiment...

Cheers!

Look at the guy's expression behind me!  Haaaaa.