Bronze Medalist Bowlers

(iPhone quality photos)

I think I mentioned that Kelvin and I participated in a Thursday night bowling league this fall/winter with members of other clinic sites. I was, to put it mildly, NOT a very enthusiastic participant, usually hoping to get called out to a delivery rather than have to attend and bowl three painful and long games each week (my attention span is about one, 1.5 games, top and, unfortunately, Thursdays between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. was not a hot time for babies this year). However, Kelvin likes (and is quite good at) bowling, so I thought I was being a good, supportive wife in going, too, although I can think of about a bazillion other things I could have done (and would have rather done) the past ten Thursday evenings.

I am not a very good bowler. I did not really become a better bowler in the weeks we did this. I am not sure I plan to ever bowl again, as I think I have put in my lifetime's worth of bowling games. However, with the adjusted "handicaps" that they assigned to us, our team (comprised of K, me, Elise, and Kelly [MAs in K's clinic]) miraculously came in third place (out of eight). Kelvin got two individual awards-- I think for the highest raw league score (214) and something else I can't remember...

As you can see above, we got an actual trophy which, despite its female figurine, is displayed in K's office now :)



And, with that, I am retiring on a high note from the sport of bowling :)

Tiger children

My dear (and very musical) friend, Laura, posted this You Tube video on her Facebook page yesterday, and I just had to steal it to share.

Having recently read Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (a scary but entertaining read about the "superior," Asian way of parenting), I found this clip both relevant and remarkable.



One of the comments read, "No matter how good you get at ANYTHING, there is always an Asian kid half your age with twice your abilities." So true.

With my years of music education and Kelvin's Asian side, maybe (with or without Chua's extreme style of parenting, and someday, far in the future) we can produce children who can perform like this-- check it out! Thanks for sharing, Laura!

A Very Groomy Weekend

Serena kept commenting that our doggie looked too shaggy (in pictures). Her paws do get quite muddy in this damp climate (although we have continued to be blessed with more than our usual share of fabulous weather), and we agreed that she did need a clipping... however, we wanted to make sure that she was good and settled before subjecting her to a long (and potentially scary) grooming session. She tolerates daily coat brushing, tooth brushing, and toenail clipping (I was terrified I'd hit the "quick" and cause a lot of bleeding, but it went just fine!) quite well, so we figured we were ready for the next step. With the confidence that my husband now lets me regularly (q3-4 weeks!) cut his hair (you can read about the inaugural haircut here!), I figured I could tackle Pepper's hair without too much difficulty.

In fact, I used to be the official hairdresser for Toccata, the miniature schnauzer we got when I was about 10 years old (although I don't think I was allowed to cut her hair until I was in high school). I got a WAHL clipping kit (the same brand as we use for K's hair, although this was an actual animal one!) to be prepared to clip our pooch's locks.

It took Kelvin holding her for most of it (the electric part for her back, chest, and sides), and a few treats, but she did really well! We actually think she's quite cute with "some" shagginess, and so we didn't go really short, but did take off quite a bit. I wonder if she'd do any better at the groomers'-- I think they would do her hair for about $30, so we could consider taking her there if it got out of control or just to give us a break. However (like with taking the responsibility and time to cut K's hair), it was kind of satisfying to do it ourselves.

Before


During


After (doesn't she look more like a puppy? Serena, do you approve? :))





Despite that, following the haircut, I gave her a bath and then blow-dried her hair totally dry before we took her for her afternoon walk, she was still my best friend at the end of the night.


The next day, we tackled the adult's hair-cutting, which took about half as long (but that's just because I have had practice ;).

My two babies, post-grooming, watching football:


Besties

Name that fruit!

There has been some "discussion" in our house recently about what the true name is of the fruit pictured above (which we often buy in netted bags from the grocery store).

I always called them clementines.
Kelvin called them tangerines (I always thought tangerines were citrus fruits similar in size as oranges, just with a "nubbin" and looser skin which made them easier to peel).
Mandy, my medical assistant, called them "Cuties" (really? Is there a "Cutie" tree out there?).
My clinic administrator, when she handed some out last week, told me they were mandarins.
We all (especially I, the self-proclaimed Queen of Fruit) were convinced that we were right.

It took a google search to answer our question. I was led to the ehow sites entitled, "Difference between Tangerines & Clementines" and "What is the Difference between a Clementine and a Mandarin Orange?" to break it down for me.

I learned that both clementines and tangerines are members of the mandarin orange family (which includes tangerines, mandarins, and satsumas, or "emerald tangerines"), native to Asia but now grown in many other locations.

I learned that a clementine is actually a hybrid between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin (again, maybe JB, the permaculture expert, can comment on the accuracy of all this), but is actually still considered a "tangerine," and still considered a member of the same species, Citrus reticulata. Tangerines and Clementines are rather similar, except clementines are a little sweeter/less bitter, are the smallest of the mandarin oranges, and do NOT usually have seeds. Confusing? I think so.

But I guess the bottom line is that we were all right-- even Mandy, as "Cuties" are one of the most popular brands of Clementines/Mandarins/Tangerines sold in stores in California.

Dental Torture

I absolutely hate going to the dentist (sorry, Rachel!). If patients hate going to the doctor as much as I hate going to the dentist, I feel bad for them. I would rather have daily pap smears for a month (or possibly even have a toenail removed without anesthesia) than have my teeth probed and cleaned once or twice a year. Last week, I finally had my initial dental appointment since moving here, after about a year since I had my last cleaning in Sac, and after a 3-month wait for a "new patient" appointment (which, in a town of 17,000, seems ridiculous to me but hey, I'm just a family doctor who has to see new patients demanding narcotics nearly every day).

In any case, all the staff and dentist at this clinic are fabulous. When I went in on Tuesday, they greeted me by name as soon as I walked in the door, which was only the second time I had been there (after the 1.5 hour "new patient" appointment with xrays, they then have you come back a second time for the cleaning which, again, is quite annoying if you are working most of "normal" business hours" but hard to be annoyed at because everyone is so darn nice). The dentist was really friendly, and gave Kelvin a whole new patient kit, including an electric toothbrush (which I believe retails for about $80 and even has two heads so we can both use it! Neither of us has ever tried anything other than a manual toothbrush). They were also very respectful of my schedule (i.e. my anxiety that I was on call during my appointment) and my time.

However, I still hate going there. I do brush twice a day, and perhaps a bit vigorously (the dentist told me I may have what he calls "LA smile," i.e. some receding gingiva due to overzealous brushing). Never before have I been accused of brushing too hard. Every time I go in, I cringe because I know they're going to tell me to floss more (while Kelvin is a diligent flosser with those plastic floss-pick-thingies, I tend to do it "prn," i.e. when I have food stuck in my teeth. It is just so hard to add more "little" things to my day.) I also worry that they'll tell me I drink too much coffee or tea (which, in this cool and damp climate, has become even more frequent!). They didn't.

However, the hour they spent digging at my plaque with those horrific metal hooks and polishing with the disgusting toothpaste seemed extremely lengthy. I also hate the suction in my mouth and the "rinse" which turns into a facial shower. While I know that regular teeth cleaning is good for preventative care and, as a family doc, I should really be all about prevention, I totally see why (with the pap analogy) patients put off their well woman exams...

Additionally, I am not the only one who gets lucky for dental care/(pain). I have been told (not by the dentist, but rather the vet and Serena) that I should be diligent about Pepper's dental hygiene, too, so, with a finger brush and some yummy chicken-flavored toothpaste, her little teeth get brushed a few times a week, too! Dental torture for everyone!!

A Costly Boulder

1 rock in the road
2 people working full-time (3 with Kimie here)
3 "estimated business days" of car repair
$4/mile = towing rate
5 hours stuck on Highway 96
5 miles = previous AAA towing allotment
100 miles = current AAA towing allotment
120 miles of towing required
7 days straight where we needed a rental car
8 days straight of "q 1" (24/7) OB call
10 phone calls to repair shop
11th of January = current date
2012= current year
15 min = amount of time you can park for free at the Arcata airport (to get our rental car)
17th of December = date of accident
20% insurance discount on rental car
24 days of my car in the shop
$25/day of car rental charges
$26 = current 6-month charge for adding rental coverage to our current auto policy for one car
30 = approximate # of gray hairs I've gotten from this repair process
$500 deductible
$4,942.90 = total damage
37,000 miles on my car
1 strut still needing to be replaced

Having my car back (even with having to bring it back, probably next week, for the additional part to be added) = Priceless

Where's Waldo?

Can you find Pepper in these pictures?





After her weekend excursions, I gave her a bath. While I'm not sure any dogs really like baths and most try to escape from the tub, she does pretty well, and I can also control all ten or eleven pounds of her without much difficulty. After I toweled her dry, however, she scampered around and found herself a nice cozy spot...



... amidst our extra (guest) towels. Aww!