Today starts five days of living on the amount of money one person gets in food stamps...$4.38 per day $21.90 for the five days. As students of nutrition we are striving to see if nutritional adequacy can be met on this amount of money. I have to say that my grocery cart yesterday (in preparation for the week) contained very few fresh fruits and veggies....we shall see how this goes...
one tibit i wanted to share a 6 pack of ramen is $0.89....6 packs for 89 cents...WTF....don't worry i left them right where they were...you don't even want to know the sodium content...yikes
Breakfast: 3/4 cup oatmeal, 4 oz unsweetened almond milk, 1 Tbs peanut butter, 1 banana = $0.59
Monday, June 6, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
over due update
i know that it's been way too long since i have updated this blog...and i feel like it's time...after my first four weeks of clinical nutrition work at the level one trauma hospital i transferred to SMCW 25 miles north....it's a level two trauma facility and i got a lot of experience with critical care nutrition...i was actually surprised at how much i liked that kind of work...though there are aspects of working in a hospital that are very difficult....there are a lot that are very rewarding...i could see myself doing clinical work if the need was there...it's not my first choice but it is an interest of mine...
after the clinical rotation it was on to food service management rotation...i was also placed at the same hospital for this rotation SMCW....however my daily routine would be very much different than it was during clinical...first, i had to be there at 6am...that would change to 5am a few weeks later...it takes about 30 minutes to get there...and takes me about the same amount of time to feel awake enough to drive...so that means waking up REALLY early...i was learning how to manage the patient food service side of the cafeteria...after 5+ years of experience managing busy restaurants this was a really hard rotation for me....i was bored...really bored...it was like managing a really slow cafe with a really limited menu...i did a lot of making up patient trays as their orders came in to keep myself entertained....which was fine..just i didn't feel at all like i needed my brain for this rotation...most of the other girls had been placed in school food service (public schools) and i think that would have been even harder for me...the hospital is contract managed...meaning the cafeteria and the patient food service is run by a food service company...and the management works for that company rather than the hospital...there were 4 managers for ~25 employees (patient, retail, operations and general managers)...i was shadowing the patient manager...so there was not a lot for me to do...
i was the line cook for a week....the production cook for a few days...did a high end catering for 16...handled many mini employee crisis that occurred....became friends with a lot of the employees...smiled and was calm in the face of a corporate employee who couldn't see beyond corporate guidelines...and generally just helped where i could see a need...apparently this was amazing to the hospital...the staff gave me a really nice thank you card, i got a certificate for a free cupcake from an employee and one made me home made Vietnamese egg rolls...yum...it was nice to know that i made an impact :)
that rotation ended yesterday! yeah! finally moving on to things more my speed now...my next rotation will be at the student health services building at UT...i will be working with a dietitian who does health promotion...i don't know yet what that means but we shall see...and it does not involve setting an alarm for 3.45am....or driving 50 miles a day....
also during this last rotation i got a new car :)...which i love....it's a honda CR-Z....a two seater, six speed manual transmission, hybrid....i love it...i had to fill it up with gas for the first time yesterday.. and i was a little disappointed that it had the same number of miles as my civic would have had per tank....however, as i was filling this car up for the first time...i found out that i have a tank that holds 2 fewer gallons than the civic...that made me smile...over 40 miles to the gallon...woot
and last but not least i finished my first history class which was self paced on line through UT...yeah!...the final was three hours of writing....actually writing with a pen in a blue book at a testing center...my hand hurt for like three days after...but i did great and am happy to just have one last history and then i am totally done with all of my course work...and will be graduating this summer after internship is over !!!!
so that is the long/short update that is overdue...hoping that my schedule eases a bit with the next rotation...and my history class flies by...now on to enjoy the weekend with my in-laws....and a second cup of coffee...
after the clinical rotation it was on to food service management rotation...i was also placed at the same hospital for this rotation SMCW....however my daily routine would be very much different than it was during clinical...first, i had to be there at 6am...that would change to 5am a few weeks later...it takes about 30 minutes to get there...and takes me about the same amount of time to feel awake enough to drive...so that means waking up REALLY early...i was learning how to manage the patient food service side of the cafeteria...after 5+ years of experience managing busy restaurants this was a really hard rotation for me....i was bored...really bored...it was like managing a really slow cafe with a really limited menu...i did a lot of making up patient trays as their orders came in to keep myself entertained....which was fine..just i didn't feel at all like i needed my brain for this rotation...most of the other girls had been placed in school food service (public schools) and i think that would have been even harder for me...the hospital is contract managed...meaning the cafeteria and the patient food service is run by a food service company...and the management works for that company rather than the hospital...there were 4 managers for ~25 employees (patient, retail, operations and general managers)...i was shadowing the patient manager...so there was not a lot for me to do...
i was the line cook for a week....the production cook for a few days...did a high end catering for 16...handled many mini employee crisis that occurred....became friends with a lot of the employees...smiled and was calm in the face of a corporate employee who couldn't see beyond corporate guidelines...and generally just helped where i could see a need...apparently this was amazing to the hospital...the staff gave me a really nice thank you card, i got a certificate for a free cupcake from an employee and one made me home made Vietnamese egg rolls...yum...it was nice to know that i made an impact :)
that rotation ended yesterday! yeah! finally moving on to things more my speed now...my next rotation will be at the student health services building at UT...i will be working with a dietitian who does health promotion...i don't know yet what that means but we shall see...and it does not involve setting an alarm for 3.45am....or driving 50 miles a day....
also during this last rotation i got a new car :)...which i love....it's a honda CR-Z....a two seater, six speed manual transmission, hybrid....i love it...i had to fill it up with gas for the first time yesterday.. and i was a little disappointed that it had the same number of miles as my civic would have had per tank....however, as i was filling this car up for the first time...i found out that i have a tank that holds 2 fewer gallons than the civic...that made me smile...over 40 miles to the gallon...woot
and last but not least i finished my first history class which was self paced on line through UT...yeah!...the final was three hours of writing....actually writing with a pen in a blue book at a testing center...my hand hurt for like three days after...but i did great and am happy to just have one last history and then i am totally done with all of my course work...and will be graduating this summer after internship is over !!!!
so that is the long/short update that is overdue...hoping that my schedule eases a bit with the next rotation...and my history class flies by...now on to enjoy the weekend with my in-laws....and a second cup of coffee...
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Week 2
I can't believe how far i have come in a week working at the hospital...Today I was walking home from the hospital and I was smiling. I was proud of what I had accomplished today and what I have been able to learn in such a short period of time. I'm no longer nervous to find a nurse or talk to a doctor. I also seem to no longer hesitate when I walk into a patient room. yesterday I gave a low fiber diet education to a Spanish only Pt with the help of a translator. It was totally on the fly and great. I have also been working a lot with enteral nutrition and getting really comfortable with understanding who to put on what formulas and rates and goals. Good stuff.
I get attached to some patients and i really want them to pull through...or i want to see how their issues get resolved and sometimes i just want to know their stories. I love running across the people who are really wanting to learn more about nutrition or the dr or nurse who is also really interested in how nutrition is going to help a patient get well.
I still feel like i have too much to do in a day/week/month and i am trying to learn how to say i don't have time. i sometimes envy people i see out for walks or playing football in the street thinking to my self i wish i had time for stuff like that...and i guess i would if i didn't do all the other stuff i do outside of internship like having a job and doing some other nutrition stuff and saying yes to more than i should.
this coming week will be an exercise in doing that...in saying no when i can because honestly i just don't have the time...i like my sleep, and my yoga, and my run/ride/swimming and spending time with j and the catz....all of that is really just as important to me...this will be a process and i am sure i will have some failures along the way (this week counts as one for sure) but i will try...
now off to do some relaxing and shutting off of the brain for a few hours of girl movies, chocolate, ice cream and chit chat with a few of my lady friends...much needed...
I get attached to some patients and i really want them to pull through...or i want to see how their issues get resolved and sometimes i just want to know their stories. I love running across the people who are really wanting to learn more about nutrition or the dr or nurse who is also really interested in how nutrition is going to help a patient get well.
I still feel like i have too much to do in a day/week/month and i am trying to learn how to say i don't have time. i sometimes envy people i see out for walks or playing football in the street thinking to my self i wish i had time for stuff like that...and i guess i would if i didn't do all the other stuff i do outside of internship like having a job and doing some other nutrition stuff and saying yes to more than i should.
this coming week will be an exercise in doing that...in saying no when i can because honestly i just don't have the time...i like my sleep, and my yoga, and my run/ride/swimming and spending time with j and the catz....all of that is really just as important to me...this will be a process and i am sure i will have some failures along the way (this week counts as one for sure) but i will try...
now off to do some relaxing and shutting off of the brain for a few hours of girl movies, chocolate, ice cream and chit chat with a few of my lady friends...much needed...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Practicum...the Beginning
Today I started my practicum...it is the last step in the process to becoming an RD...well technically the second to last step if you count the RD exam that i will sit for this summer...anyway...it's getting really close to the end of things...and i am really excited about it...at this very moment it's tough as i don't know what my schedule is going to be...and it's hard to plan life and training around a non existent schedule but as my professor said to today " i basically have your a** for the next semester" ah...well fine...i'll get there...
but it was fun to be back in action so to speak today dusting off the cobwebs of enteral nutrition and nutrition assement and lab values and whatnot...at this point it's all new beginnings...and i'm ready..bring it
but it was fun to be back in action so to speak today dusting off the cobwebs of enteral nutrition and nutrition assement and lab values and whatnot...at this point it's all new beginnings...and i'm ready..bring it
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
2010 Exercise Totals
Swim: 91 hours 135 miles
Bike: 150 hours 2400 miles
Run: 195 hours 949 miles
I spent just about 18 days swimming, biking and running in 2010.
yoga, core and other exercise not counted in totals...
Bike: 150 hours 2400 miles
Run: 195 hours 949 miles
I spent just about 18 days swimming, biking and running in 2010.
yoga, core and other exercise not counted in totals...
Monday, January 3, 2011
decisions
it's been a little while since i have last posted...and that by no means indicates that nothing is going on...since my last post here are some highlights...had a super time in seattle...flew back to austin to attended AC4D final presentations for the quarter...they rocked...was in austin for 36 hours then flew to arizona...hung out with my parents...got a pedicure (my first!)...saw two bob cats two days in a row...had christmas...baked 150 cupcakes for the engagement party of two friends...who surprised all the guests at the party by getting married!...attended the going away party of a good friend...reconnected with other good friends...did Bikram (hot!!) yoga twice...and actually made it past midnight on new years eve...amazing..
while all of this has been going on i had been thinking all along that come jan 3 i'm back on the training wagon gearing up for the 2011 tri season here in austin...as the day got closer...i got a little more apprehensive...and over the weekend i was down right jealous of some other friends who are taking this year to step back from all of the racing and let life fill in the blanks...
this month brings about a lot of changes...it's the end of my classes and the beginning of my internship portion of my program...j started his new job...and everything feels fresh and new...so falling back into the same old workout routine seems off to me...not to make this sound like some light decision...because if you know me...you know that i take my athletic commitments very seriously and to change my mind about a goal i set and the training i was going to do...it's a pretty big deal...and of course full of emotions...sigh...someday i won't cry about _everything_
so tonight i am off to my lil neighborhood yoga studio to get back in there and settle my mind and see where it takes me...i'm going to try and follow the tri training plan for the week and see how i feel about it all to make sure i am not just feeling the apprehension of starting a regular training plan after having 2 months off of rigid scheduling...we shall see...
while all of this has been going on i had been thinking all along that come jan 3 i'm back on the training wagon gearing up for the 2011 tri season here in austin...as the day got closer...i got a little more apprehensive...and over the weekend i was down right jealous of some other friends who are taking this year to step back from all of the racing and let life fill in the blanks...
this month brings about a lot of changes...it's the end of my classes and the beginning of my internship portion of my program...j started his new job...and everything feels fresh and new...so falling back into the same old workout routine seems off to me...not to make this sound like some light decision...because if you know me...you know that i take my athletic commitments very seriously and to change my mind about a goal i set and the training i was going to do...it's a pretty big deal...and of course full of emotions...sigh...someday i won't cry about _everything_
so tonight i am off to my lil neighborhood yoga studio to get back in there and settle my mind and see where it takes me...i'm going to try and follow the tri training plan for the week and see how i feel about it all to make sure i am not just feeling the apprehension of starting a regular training plan after having 2 months off of rigid scheduling...we shall see...
Friday, December 17, 2010
Vacation!
i have been having a really nice time on my few days of vacation in Seattle...day one was a run along the bay...a doughnut at top pot...an exploration of pikes place market...a lunch of delicious oysters at elliott's on the pier...wandering around shopping....a moment at the spa...drinks at zig zag with an amazing bartender....and a drink called the pengu...apparently from WWII...it was so delicious...discovering gin that is not clear....a delicious dinner of grilled octopus with chickpeas to start and tagliatelle with mushrooms as an entree...yum!
day two has brought more exploring...spent some time on the bike in the hotel gym this am...then off to a local bagel shop for breakfast...a quick walk through the market just to get to the other side...and then to the aquarium...where i watched the sea otters play for a long time...and totally dug seeing into the waters around the Puget sound...giant octopus! weird....then to pioneer square where i just wandered around and found the utilikilt store....i totally want one...then to sitka and spruce for lunch...i had clams with cannellini beans and swiss chard..wow...super awesome...now just a little chillin at a local coffee shop...maybe some space needle....then sushi...
i'm loving all of the food explorations...and walking...and of course loving the fact that it has been sunny the whole time here... :D
day two has brought more exploring...spent some time on the bike in the hotel gym this am...then off to a local bagel shop for breakfast...a quick walk through the market just to get to the other side...and then to the aquarium...where i watched the sea otters play for a long time...and totally dug seeing into the waters around the Puget sound...giant octopus! weird....then to pioneer square where i just wandered around and found the utilikilt store....i totally want one...then to sitka and spruce for lunch...i had clams with cannellini beans and swiss chard..wow...super awesome...now just a little chillin at a local coffee shop...maybe some space needle....then sushi...
i'm loving all of the food explorations...and walking...and of course loving the fact that it has been sunny the whole time here... :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)