so i’ve been doing some thinking. life is fairly busy for me now – i have an actual full time job and with it, some credibility, which is all on hold while i plow away at my internship (WHICH IS OVER IN APRIL HOORAY). but as my work load increases so do my responsibilities. and this is directionally proportionate to the amount of free time i have – as responsibility increases, free time decreases. This will require a lot out of me, physically, mentally, etc, which i would hope so since internships (also known as Careerternships) are meant to train you in your destined field one way or another. so i hate to break this to you, dear readers, yes – all three of you. i’m afraid nutrition nerd is going to have to take a hiatus for who knows how long. i’m going to be honest – i don’t have enough time or energy to post something  on a normal basis. i don’t have anything super informative to tell you that could possibly enrich your life (if you want that, try zenhabits or lifehacker). my life isn’t remotely interesting at all, at least anything that goes beyond the usual, run-of-the-mill post grad in limbo, trying to improve herself one way or another.

and this has been bugging me for a while. of course I would like a blog/website that gets several hits a day. that means you’re popular among the internets and people want to hear what you have to say. in this it validates you and makes you cool. but in order to do that you have to make your blog interesting/informative to several people, all the time. and i can’t do that right now. i don’t know if i ever will. i couldn’t do it with my previous blog (it was a personal one, aimed more towards close friends, so go figure) and i shouldn’t be bummed if i can’t do it with this one. i think i’ve finally come to terms with that. i realize now that i shouldn’t bother trying to be a blog celebrity (a blogbrity?), especially if i don’t have anything good to offer. but more importantly, i shouldn’t fall into the trap that i need something like that to validate me as a writer, a health professional, and a person. God loves me regardless. I think my time will be better spent sitting at the feet of others and reading their much better blogs.  Who knows, maybe my internship will be chock full of wacky adventures amidst the tube feedings and parenteral nutrition that i can talk about later (such as getting stared at by inmates during my jail rotation…fun!). i’ll probably still blog just to have a record of everything for myself, even if no one wants to read it.

just wanted to let those who read this know.

at a glance:

it’s a lot of work (no dude, for serious. who would have thought.).

the internship ptb apparently think there are more than 24 hours in a day.

they also think that i don’t sleep.

free time/weekends are super valuable. and awesome.

it makes me miss my friends a lot more than usual.

i still hate speaking in front of people.

at any rate, here is a punfully awful holiday appropriate type of nutrition article, stolen from the chicago tribune:

Gruesomely Good

Who needs a haunted house when you can visit the produce aisle for thrills, chills, and, EEK, good nutrition?

By Renée Enna |Tribune reporter

October 29, 2008

Can’t get to the haunted house by Friday? For thrills and chills, nothing beats a stroll through the produce ƒosection, if you know where to look.

Granted, any fruit or vegetable, left to its own devices for an extended run in your crisper drawer, can strike terror into even the bravest gourmand. Mold is funny that way.

And other items–say, Brussels sprouts–scare people … well, just because.

What we’re talking about here is produce that’s scary looking, not scary tasting (like that time you popped a tablespoon of wasabi in your mouth because you thought it was guacamole?). In reality, many of these fearsome foodstuffs are teddy bears, tastewise, with pleasant flavors masked behind the lumps and bumps and creases. And we all know that produce delivers buckets of nutrition–a fact that can frighten some kids more than Freddy Krueger.

The fruit and veggie “villains” here are not necessarily new to the produce aisle, though some remain intimidating enough to make us scaredy-cats back away, quickly, and return to the safe familiarity of iceberg lettuce and Red Delicious apples.

And that’s scary in an entirely different way.

Asked to name some of the scarier items in his store’s produce section, Frank Greco, manager of Valli Produce in Glendale Heights, chose nopales (cactus pads) and their spiky shell: “They can jump up and pinch you,” he said. “We have tongs to help people load them into the bag.”

On the other hand, the very idea of gruesome-looking grub has its own appeal, said Karen Caplan, president of Frieda’s Specialty Produce, who considers the horned melon the “scariest” item in her company’s inventory. She recalled a supermarket visit where she overheard two teenagers discussing the bumpy fruit.

“One of them said, ‘They’re green and slimy on the inside! They’re awesome!’ “

Added Caplan with a laugh, “Just because [something is] green and slimy, it isn’t always seen as a negative.”

Especially now. All Hallows Eve is an opportune time to bravely open the door to these fresh fiends. A seasonal scare today can turn into culinary knowledge tomorrow.

So read on … if you dare!

doo hoo hoo. brush your teeth after all of that candy.

well actually it was about two weeks ago. but those weeks were boring with a capital OMG shoot me please. book learnin’ stuff that i forgot already. that’s why i took some notes. but it’s hard to stay coherent when they give you a hard copy of the powerpoint that they’re reading word for word. you’ve been there. fo’ sho’.

9/8/08 – Super Big Catholic Hospital, first day of Internship rotation(s)
so i thought i was starting my food service rotation, actually found out it was clinical rotation. our interim clinical/foodservice preceptor gave us a more detailed schedule for our Super Big Catholic Hopsital’s rotations; we found out that our schedules don’t match at all with the one our main preceptor gave to us a week prior. a fellow intern and I were to start food service, but it turns out we were doing some clinical assignments today. we all (there’s four of us interns total) brought it up and Interim Preceptor figured that her Supervisor wants us to stick with the Super Big Catholic Hospital’s schedule. i’m not very impressed with the apparent lack of communication btw my main preceptor and the hospital preceptor, as today we found out that the schedules they gave to us didn’t match at all. i don’t mind readjusting and being flexible, that’s a given of course, but i expect a slightly better level of professionalism here; as a clueless intern i need things to be persistent. after a conference with the other interns, we all confirmed that we feel a little neglected – granted, our preceptors are busy health care pros with many patients to see, but we need some guidance. throw us a bone, people. you can’t expect interns who have have little to nil professional/clinical training to run around the hospital floor and know what the devil they’re doing.

after watching a short video about proper hygiene and handwashing, we went over our competency sheets/evaluations (all of the assignments and everything we are required to somehow do in a somewhat professional manner in a few short weeks) until around lunch time. after lunch in the cafeteria, Interim Preceptor and another dietitian gave us a very brisk tour of the hospital and the doctors’ offices in the adjoining building, as well as where the cafeteria and bistro were located (very important to know where teh food is, naturally). i didn’t really catch much of it since they were telling us randomly where things were located and what floor we were on and in between there talking about their personal life and things that didn’t really pertain to us at all. now i know they’re busy ladies with people to see things to do and meetings to attend but when you’re with me i expect you to talk to ME and tell me things i’ll need to know ESPECIALLY when it’s my first day in the hospital. now i consider myself pretty self-sufficient and able to generally figure things out. i don’t expect my hand to be held, but if you’re with me for only five minutes i expect you to make me feel WELCOME and not neglected for that whole five minutes. don’t get me wrong – they were friendly enough…but i’m not all that impressed. we found out from them that they get a good circulation of dietetic interns in the hospital often, except in the summer where things slow down a little. maybe that’s why. i made a mental note today that if i ever end up a clinical dietitian (i’m betting all my money on that i WON’T because of this very reason) and am asked to be a preceptor i will pay a whole lot more attention to any interns that wander my way – i won’t smother them but i’ll give them a clue and not leaving them standing in the hallway looking stupid.

in the “thinking you’re gonna die but not really” category, i took an elevator with one of my other preceptors  to see a patient about their diet. while we’re in there we’re making small talk when there occurs this HIDEOUSLY LOUD, TEETH-CHATTERING DRILLING SOUND – it did not sound like one of those whiny drills, mind you, but more like a drill designed to plow through stone and to the bowels of hell itself. so while we’re standing there with huge bug eyes as it gets louder and LOUDER while we near our destined floor, i confirmed that i was going to die in an elevator without giving my parents any grandbabies. the door opens and of course we scurry out of there, and we find out that two elevator repairmen are working on the elevator shaft right next to the elevator we had used. they stood there with big goofy grins on their faces. yeah – hilarious, chief. *blankety blank blank…*

at least i:
get to wear a spiffy lab coat

am furthering my career (gotta keep telling myself that)

am not as afraid of rush hour traffic

am staying with very generous, friendly people

have a doggie to play with (he likes to nip though)

HAVE MY OWN BATHROOM YAY

am very, very blessed

but i still have to get up at 5:30 AM. what.

meet Free Rice.

go here. learn new words. help feed people. everyone wins.

go on. you’re goofing off anyways. otherwise how else did you get here?

wow, i didn’t expect so many comments on my coffee vs. 5 hour energy post. thanks for the words, folks! i just now got to read them (i’ve been preparing for an upcoming internship, which means i’ve been ploughing away at homework that they gave me, which has also been an exercise in faith, time management, and NOT letting loose a string of salty words while everyone else is asleep and YOU’RE NOT because you’re trying to get this stupid homework done and mailed off in time so your supervisor can check it GAARghfgalsdja;jfa;hfh). Best quote award goes to Samuel: “Tasted like it was a weapon used in WW2, though.”  Cracked me up. (It does, Samuel, you are not alone.)

anyways i came across this post from the-way-better-than-my-blog-will-ever-be diet-blog.  it is affectionately named the 7 Hamburgers of the Apocalypse. Which, incidentally, would make a most excellent band name. ironic bonus points if they don’t have seven members. or if they were PETA members. maybe they could open for Whole Wheat Bread. nice.

WARNING: this post is NSFV  (not safe for vegetarians)

or, things that piss me of at WIC/in general #1

preface: i’m usually a peaceful person.  but this torked me off. it took a lot of my willpower to not…let’s say…be overtly sarcastic with these folks.

maybe it’s just because it was a long day at work. maybe it’s because of all of the changes (both unecessary and otherwise) that have occurred here at work. but there are few things that piss me off more than not having manners. it’s not that hard. i’m not saying that you have to use a salad fork for salads only, i could care less about that. i have great difficulty tolerating people who don’t even acknowledge what i’m telling them, or don’t say thank you.

children don’t usually know any better, or are shy, or are still learning the concept of manners. but you, as an adult, with children, have no excuse. you can talk. i heard you talk to your children and your spouse, but not to me. now that’s absolutely fascinating.

i didn’t say anything out of sorts or inappropriate, that’s not how i roll. so i can’t imagine that you’d be angry with me. and it’s not my fault that your child won’t cooperate when we’re trying to take her height. no, my manners aren’t perfect. no, i don’t think i’m better than you. no, i’m not perfect. no, i don’t think you should be kissing my feet. but YES, i am a health professional trying to freaking talk to you. Respond in some form or fashion. DON’T JUST STARE AT ME LIKE AN IDIOT.

the heavens forbid you actually react to something i’m saying, especially when it involves the health of your children. you must be awfully poor if you can’t afford to pay common courtesy. i don’t care if you’ve heard the same things from another nutritionist or already know what to feed your child. i understand that it’s been a long wait and you have to get back to work or to watching your soap operas or shopping at the mall. it’s not as if we make you wait on purpose. if you cannot at least force a basic reaction towards me, then you are not worth my time.*

and no, i’m not going to suck it up and learn to deal with it even that’s how the world may be. it’s not right. everyone deserves common courtesy, as i gave it to you in a professional manner. if welfare was based on it, you wouldn’t qualify. enjoy your free food from the government that you probably don’t really need.

*on a side note, this client’s children were healthy and eating well. if they weren’t then i would definitely counseled them a little longer, but i doubt anything would have gotten through.

you will always be a star in my book, starfruit. i believe in you.

even if a child says they don’t have to go, don’t listen to them and take them to the bathroom anyway. children are not fully aware of the capacity (or lack thereof) of their bladders. they just don’t know what they want, darn whippersnappers.

some children may have bathroom fetishes and just want to see what your bathroom looks like. see if they want to take the toilets out for a spin. have them do it anyway if they feel they do not.

to their credit, the layout of this building is a little wonky. the only bathrooms available upstairs are employee bathrooms, so if a client has the urge, they have to travel back downstairs. of course that’s not a big issue, but if a child is decorating your office’s carpet because they had a false alarm that became a true alarm (or if a prenatal client is enjoying some morning sickness), i think it’s fine to send them to the employee bathroom.

aren’t you glad i shared this with you?

you know the make-your-ears-bleed feedback sound a microphone will make sometimes? go find a mic and put your ear right next to it. and turn the volume up to about 100.

young children are capable of screaming louder and at a higher pitch than you think.

much, much louder and higher.

i will never cease to be amazed (not in a good way) at the capabilities of a ridiculously cranky and pampered two year old’s lungs. and no, i’m not exaggerating. i know what i heard. but i don’t really remember hearing much after that because my dang ears hurt.

Happy April  Fool’s, btw.

this is my newest favorite band ever. in history.

whole wheat bread.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_Wheat_Bread)

you can’t deny their style, yo. keeping you regular and your cholesterol low always rawks. i can just see it now. the lead singer leaves the group to form his newest project called Low Fat Dairy. then the rest of the group reincarnates themselves into Meat and Beans. Twenty years from now their “best hits” collection could be entitled Well Balanced Diet. or, going back to their roots, they could call it Twenty Five Grams a Day.

okay, i just need to stop.

btw WWB — i’m just kidding. don’t sue me. i work for the government. i don’t know what actual money looks like.