Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on January 24, 2010
As a child, I used to stress out before auditions, some tests, performances, you name it. My mom taught me breathing/meditative techniques that helped, but what has really enabled me to control stress as an adult is the perspective I gained during my time in medicine. I’m not talking about the tests they gave us, though. There is nothing like spending time in the trenches in the hospital, and I haven’t discussed it too specifically yet because it’s taken some distance to reflect well on how it affected me.
There’s still a recurring series of vignettes that play back in my head, stories both heartbreaking and hopeful that are indelibly imprinted on my consciousness. All it takes is some quiet space, maybe a line in a news article, or an ad campaign to bring the faces of my patients and their families back to the forefront of my attention. I’m grateful for all I’ve learned, but also grateful not to be going through such emotional turmoil on a daily basis.
And so whenever I’m confronted with a particularly contrary client, an obnoxious customer service rep, or a frustrating negotiation, I take a deep breath and envision how I’d feel if I knew the whole picture. What if they’re a patient? Or dealing with the illness of someone close to them? I’ve seen how bad it can get, and how close some can get to the breaking point. Giving people the benefit of the doubt goes a long way in helping me diffuse my frustration and respond in a calm, collected manner. However much posturing and yelling may occur during the day, it’s not a life and death situation.
Looking ahead to the next milestones in my adulthood– marriage, advancing my career, having kids– I know that there will be both joy and sadness. The lessons I learned in my early 20s will help me address challenges in a constructive manner, take pleasure in successes, and grow into a role model for my future children. But most of all, I want to embrace all those moments fully, taste them on the back of my tongue and absorb them into my skin, celebrate the fact that no matter when the story comes to an end, I can still write the adventure within. And that, as Jon Stewart would say, is my moment of zen.
Posted in Carpe Diem, Retrospectives | Tagged: jon stewart, marriage, medicine, moment of zen, parenting, stress | 1 Comment »
Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on January 21, 2010
So now that we’re planning our wedding (gulp), I’m trying not to get totally overwhelmed with all the blogs and magazines and sources of inspiration out there. BUT, I saw these on ideeli and couldn’t help thinking of a certain event.
I love these simple but elegant options for a rehearsal dinner dress:
And these would look fab on my bridesmaids. I kinda want one for myself, and they’d be super rewearable, too. I don’t think it comes out on the far right dress, but there are sweet rosettes on the front. So pretty!
That’s not the best part– they’re all <$70! No, I didn’t leave off a zero. And there are dozens of other cute cocktail dresses to boot.
What do you think? Which one would you prefer to wear as a bridesmaid? I might just bite the bullet…
Click here for an invitation to the site.
(All photos courtesy of ideeli.)
Posted in Trust fund, baby!, Who's Your Stylist? | Tagged: dress, sale, wedding | 2 Comments »
Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on January 18, 2010
“In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” -Camus
In the depths of a chilly winter, I wanted a contrast to all the squash-focused and root vegetable dishes, and hearty meals that mark the season until the groundhog sees his shadow. Since it’s crab season, I decided to take on a different kind of work this weekend– shelling my own fresh crab. Yum!
I picked up 3 smallish crabs, planning at first to make crab cakes with cucumber-mango salsa, but then decided to go with a less work-intensive version. The crunch of cucumber goes so well with the softer mango and the sweetness of the crab. And I love a kick of pepper to spice things up– just the thing to satisfy a warm weather craving!
Summer Crab Salad
All the proportions here are approximate and can be adjusted to taste.
1/2 large English cucumber, peeled and diced
2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 lb crab meat (Approximately 1.5lbs whole crab)
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp paprika
juice of 2 limes
sea salt and pepper to taste
Prepare the cucumber and mangoes first, and toss with salt, cayenne, and paprika before letting it rest in the fridge. The cucumber will release water while you shell the crab; drain the excess liquid when you are ready to add the crab. Fold in the crab, dress with lime juice, adjust seasonings. Serve on a bed of lettuce with fresh French bread on the side.
Posted in Apple a Day, Domestic Diva | Tagged: cooking, crab, food, salad | 2 Comments »
Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on January 16, 2010
I love my warm, cozy boots… but I don’t love how my jeans or leggings get scrunched up inside the shaft of the boot.
Thanks to the $1 bin at Target, I’ve had a cheap, easy way to keep my pants snugly tucked inside my boots for the entire winter. Mitten holders to the rescue! Turn up the cuff of your jeans, attach these like a stirrup, and you’re set.
Hm, these look suspiciously like the stirrups sold at Stirrupz.com ($25) or JeanStraps.com ($10) but are a fraction of the price. Target for the win!
Anyways, looks like we’re in for some more cold weather, but at least my toes will be toasty inside my boots– and I know my jeans will stay put. If/when these wear out they could be replicated pretty easily, too.
Any bargain finds prove surprisingly useful this winter? Share your faves!
Posted in Who's Your Stylist? | Tagged: boots, fashion, jeans, leggings, target, winter | 2 Comments »
Posted by RenaissanceTrophyWife on January 13, 2010
Lately I’ve been reading a lot of bento sites– I bring my lunch to work regularly and thought it would be fun to add a little extra something to my midday sustenance.
There are some seriously inspiring creations out there! I mean, check out the work of these artists:
AnnaTheRed's farm bento
AIBento's decorated sandwiches
However, I’ve decided that given my cooking habits and the way we eat, bento making is probably not in my near future. Over the weekend I do the bulk of my cooking consisting of the protein and a large portion of veggies. During the first part of the week we eat these two basic dishes in a number of variations with some sort of carbs, scrambled in eggs, in soup or chili form, or on top of salad… Basically anything that doesn’t require more than 5 min of prep when I get home. Because I’m lazy like that. (Of course, the best is when he cooks and there’s NO prep whatsoever. 
)
I also bring food to work in tupperware, hence the bento idea– it’s just a different container, right? And then although my guy comes home for lunch, I thought I could make 2 every day. One for me, and one for him. That illusion was dispelled fast!
Have you ever tried to portion out a chunk of pork shoulder or pot roast into a bento box? Even turkey sliders gave me trouble. Veggies and rice are easier, but a man-sized meal doesn’t fit easily or prettily into a bento. I tried this once, dividers and all, foregoing any of the cute decorative elements. It looked, shall we say, less than appetizing. No amount of cherry tomatoes or apple bunnies or cute toothpicks could have saved that thing from its ugly (although nutritionally balanced) demise.
Nothing like the cute bentos from Lunchinabox… how disappointing.
After that, I told my boyfriend, “Think of the fridge like one big bento. It contains food with diverse colors/textures and good nutritional value, you just have to portion it out accordingly.” Tiny Japanese bento box not necessary. I guess we all have to have something to aspire to, right?
Yeah. Maybe when we have kids I’ll start making cutesy lunches to encourage them to try new foods, but I think the fridge-as-bento concept works for now.
Anyone else get overambitious in the kitchen? Oh, the stories I could tell…
Posted in Apple a Day | Tagged: bento, food, lunch, nutrition, time | 1 Comment »
