Dairy Mayd and Prayers for Alabama

We were so saddened to see the destruction in our home state this week. Our prayers are with all of you there. While we're incredibly thankful that our families are safe, our hearts are hurting for those who have lost loved ones. It could so easily have been any of us. I have an aunt and uncle in Phil Campbell, a tiny town of about 1,000 people that lost, I believe, 25 of their residents. Their house was severely damaged, but they are OK.

There are so many news stories, pictures, and ways to help that I wasn't even sure what to link to. If you don't know where to start, though, leave a comment, and I'll put you in touch with resources.

On a much less important note, since this blog is serving as my resolution record-keeper and accountability place, I wanted to post that I'm giving up dairy in May. Doctors have advised me to do this for years because I have severe sinus problems. Also, though, it's just a cleaner and healthier way to eat. So I'd like to maintain it beyond May if I can make it.

However, after cutting out sugar and meat, it's going to be tough. Really, really tough. Because I'm a cheese ADDICT. I could take a bath in a tub of cheese...and eat my way out.

I drink almond milk already, and we've used non-dairy "butter" for years, but all the fake cheeses I've tried make me gag. It's like eating fat-free cheese or drinking decaf coffee. Thanks, but no thanks.

If you have any suggestions for tasty faux cheese products, I'd love to hear them. Also, thanks to a vegan friend, I've found some apps that clue you in about hidden dairy products, which I was also concerned about. But any of you have tips on being sure to get enough calcium and protein when not eating dairy or meat?

So, I'll keep you posted on how the non-dairy thing goes in May, and let's all keep praying for Alabama.

Fun All Summer Long?

I'm finishing up my residency requirement this summer (yay), so things should slow down in the fall. But it's going to be a busy summer. Here's the class schedule:

May: Organizational Behavior and Analysis (my first management course!)
June: Research Methods
June-August: Information and Communication Measurement

We also just bought a house, so life is a little crazy right now. But I am working on a review of Pigs in the Pulpit that I'll try to finish when this semester ends (but before the next one begins).

Happy Easter, and have a great week!

All this time like a vagabond...

We bought a house. :)

This is it.

I'm excited and humbled and ready to see what God wants us to do with this tremendous blessing. The first thing I want to do is paint! ;)

{FYI...this post title is from "The House You're Building" by Audrey Assad. If you haven't checked it out, do it!}

Spring Tunes

I tried to make a Spring playlist, but I can't stop listening to a Kate Spade playlist that came out a few months ago. It's 30 minutes of Zee Avi, Mayer Hawthorne, and She and Him, Volume 1 of which is also on the playlist {that's not really a playlist}. 

Light. Peppy. Bubbly.

Highly recommended bliss.

April Additions

Hasn't this Spring weather been wonderful? I love seeing pretties like these everywhere...

Meanwhile, Meatless March was a great success! I feel much lighter, and my conscience is clean. :) Haven't missed meat once.

However, I haven't really slimmed down any, so my April habit is going to be tracking my eating through Lose It. Have y'all heard of this app? It's awesome! I've had it for awhile, but I've been hit-or-miss on actually using it.

After the first five days of tracking, it looks like the chips are going to have to go! While I haven't missed meat, I have struggled with replacing it with salty and sweet snacks. I tried to stay off the sugar through March, too, but that plan was as blown as my bracket. {Don't you just love blogging accountability?}

So I've made a new deal with myself for April. If I eat something sweet, I have to eat meat, too. So far, it's worked pretty well. I was drooling over the sprinkle-covered donuts at church on Sunday morning when I remembered that I would have to eat the kolache next to it. So I just walked away and headed for the coffee. {Hey, you can't expect me to give up everything!}

There was a Radio Lab episode about this same kind of deal-making, too. So I got some "scientific" confirmation that I'm doing the right thing. :P

Besides not eating meat and continuing on with school and work, we've also been doing this...

Can't share too much more yet, but I'm hoping to fill everyone in soon!

Information, Instruction...and Puppies in the Library

Congrats to UConn! Of course, I had picked Texas...and four entirely different teams to go to the Final Four, but that's the way it goes. This librarian was more accurate. As was my husband, who used some kind of statistical analysis to pick his teams...and predicted VCU making it. Next year, everyone...next year...

Has anyone read The Information? It's going on my TBR list, and I'm curious about it {of course} from the librarian's perspective.

Also, does anyone have experience with LibGuides? I've seen some great ones, and I've been fiddling around with them. But I'm graphically challenged apparently because I can't make them look that good!

I've become more interested in library instruction recently, and this article is a great one about how to teach students to read journal articles. Sometimes you can't read every word of every one--especially when you get to the doctoral level...and there are just.so.many.

It's a long video, but apparently research is showing that having a good library school at a university can help with the effects of poverty.

And, I saved my favorite for last. Freddy gets to come to work with me once a year, but what he if got to go EVERY DAY? Squee!

Letters to Rosy

Letters to Rosy by C. Ellene Bartlett

Letters to Rosy is primarily the story of two families--Ken and Bridget Mitchell and Trevor and Mendy Arnold--as well as the surrounding characters of their tumultuous lives. All of the stories are told in light of letters between the mysterious Rene and Rosy.

After facing personal tragedy, Ken sets sail for Europe, where he meets Bridget. Meanwhile, Mendy and her daughter, Misty, are kidnapped, and Trevor must put aside his moral failures to search for his wife and daughter.

I was initially intrigued by the idea of a semi-epistolary novel, but the letters tell little of the plot and don't seem to be a significant part of the novel until the end. Unfortunately, this was not the only disappointing element of the book.

It was difficult to tell when the book was set. Clues pointed to present-day, but some scenes seemed better suited to the 1980s (where the timeline would loosely indicate the bulk of the book was set as well). Meanwhile, much of the dialogue and observations sounded as if they came out of the 1950s.

This could be forgiven if the plot or characters were strong, but there were so many twists, turns, and overdramatic developments that it seemed like a typical week on a soap opera in book form. I just couldn't suspend disbelief enough to believe in either one, and, as much as I hate to hate a book, I can't recommend Letters to Rosy.