Tomorrow at high noon is the arts and crafts birthday party. I love my daughter very much, but this week has been hell. We've been stockpiling beads and baubles for the visors, glitter glue, stickers and construction paper for the thank-you cards, and icing and sprinkles for the decorate-your-own piece of cake. Currently my right wrist is in pain from cutting fringes in fleece, which the kids will tie and stuff and turn into pillows.
I like the idea of being a homemade mom-- baking the cake myself, making the pinata (which is drying on the deck right now), stuff like that-- but there are limits. Too bad for me, I am way too far into this to go back and order the precut pillow kits online. I thought I was being so clever. Stealing their idea AND saving money. Yeah, the joke's on me for sure. Good thing my wine cellar is stocked, because it's going to be a long, achy night.
And what does T-minus mean, anyway?
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
It's a match
I found out yesterday that I will be doing my internship at Confidential Health Consultants here in Colorado Springs. They do mostly substance abuse treatment with a forensic population (read: people with a criminal record). I have no experience in that area, which I made clear in my interview.
However, I definitely want that experience, and see a connection between substance abuse and eating disorders in the sense that both are a form of mind-body disconnection. I will have finished my dissertation at that point, so will have experience looking at how yoga helps eating disorders. Maybe I can use that to work similarly with the substance abusers.
Of course, it would be a lot better if, at that point, I have yoga teacher training and can do the teaching myself rather than beg services from others. I actually do have training-- I went to Baron Baptiste's teacher training level 1 bootcamp in the summer of 2006, which was awesome. I haven't taught at all since then, however.
In other news.. ran 9 miles this morning, which was a bear. It is one of those beautiful sunny days that remind you that spring will actually arrive one day, so that was a pleasure. However, while training for the stair climb I conveniently forgot to run. Wow, I can feel it now. But I'm coming back. Mt. Evans Ascent in June, and thinking about a marathon before I start internship in October. Maybe the Portland marathon on October 5th. Has anyone reading this done that? I'd love to hear what your experiences were.
After my post-run shower (which I took about 5 hours after the run) I oiled my hair. Not a very American practice, I know. An Indian woman did it as part of a haircut I got in Kovalum, Kerala, in southern India. I found it just loveley. Since my hair is curly and tends toward being dry and frizzy, oiling it every so often really works for me. Oiling my hair makes me happy, too, because it reminds me of a really wonderful period in my life full of travel and adventure and not a whole lot of responsibility.
However, I definitely want that experience, and see a connection between substance abuse and eating disorders in the sense that both are a form of mind-body disconnection. I will have finished my dissertation at that point, so will have experience looking at how yoga helps eating disorders. Maybe I can use that to work similarly with the substance abusers.
Of course, it would be a lot better if, at that point, I have yoga teacher training and can do the teaching myself rather than beg services from others. I actually do have training-- I went to Baron Baptiste's teacher training level 1 bootcamp in the summer of 2006, which was awesome. I haven't taught at all since then, however.
In other news.. ran 9 miles this morning, which was a bear. It is one of those beautiful sunny days that remind you that spring will actually arrive one day, so that was a pleasure. However, while training for the stair climb I conveniently forgot to run. Wow, I can feel it now. But I'm coming back. Mt. Evans Ascent in June, and thinking about a marathon before I start internship in October. Maybe the Portland marathon on October 5th. Has anyone reading this done that? I'd love to hear what your experiences were.
After my post-run shower (which I took about 5 hours after the run) I oiled my hair. Not a very American practice, I know. An Indian woman did it as part of a haircut I got in Kovalum, Kerala, in southern India. I found it just loveley. Since my hair is curly and tends toward being dry and frizzy, oiling it every so often really works for me. Oiling my hair makes me happy, too, because it reminds me of a really wonderful period in my life full of travel and adventure and not a whole lot of responsibility.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Dare I admit...
that I am sore from Bikram yesterday? I know it is very hot in that room, which is kind of hard to bear, but I usually don't think of it as a terrible difficult workout. What does this say about me now?
Facts to work with:
*I feel kind of sick.
*I didn't work out for 10 days.
*I am still jet-lagged.
*I ate like a total pig on my trip and feel gross and blubby, despite having eaten well and relatively lightly since returning home 2 days ago. But I did have a glass of wine both nights.
*Weight loss takes time, especially as you get older.
What are your conclusions? I don't have a very easy time giving myself a break, it's true. Logically I know that in a few days I will (hopefully) feel fine and ready to rock and roll with my workouts. At the moment I feel fat and like I am sliding down a slippery slope.
Facts to work with:
*I feel kind of sick.
*I didn't work out for 10 days.
*I am still jet-lagged.
*I ate like a total pig on my trip and feel gross and blubby, despite having eaten well and relatively lightly since returning home 2 days ago. But I did have a glass of wine both nights.
*Weight loss takes time, especially as you get older.
What are your conclusions? I don't have a very easy time giving myself a break, it's true. Logically I know that in a few days I will (hopefully) feel fine and ready to rock and roll with my workouts. At the moment I feel fat and like I am sliding down a slippery slope.
Monday, February 25, 2008
A good day with Bikram yoga
I woke up this morning with the intense need to sweat. I never get headaches, but I had a raging one this morning, so running didn't seem like the best idea-- especially since spring training needs to start any day now, and I like the idea of going into it healthy. So the obvious way to sweat without too much exertion: hot yoga.
Oh boy, did I sweat. Yoga teachers say that every day is different and to honor your body as it is today. I am not competitive with other people-- there are always women in the class who are tons more flexible than I am. I do, however, tend to push myself pretty hard in every class, even if I feel tired. I guess that is where my competitiveness comes out. I can't out-flex you, but I may be able to out-muscle you.
So where I can really get an objective pulse on where my body is day to day is through the difference in my perspiration levels from practice to practice in the overly heated room. Some days I barely break a sweat until around eagle. Today I was dripping by the end of the (hated) opening pranayama.
Baron Baptiste says that breakthroughs in practice don't come when you're trying super-hard, but when you've basically given up, whether from exhaustion or a temporary ego break or whatever. That is what I felt today. I fought with myself all morning about going to class, and almost didn't get out of the car once I was in the parking lot. Finally I decided that even if all I did was lay on my mat and sweat, it was better than turning around and going home.
I had a great class! No major breakthroughs, but my balancing poses were a lot steadier than they often are. I wonder if that is because I haven't been running much lately. My friend Julie, who is a yoga teacher and studio owner, ran a half marathon recently. She said that as a result of her running, her balancing postures suffered greatly. Since training is about to ramp up, I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts.
Anyway, I really just relaxed into this practice and honestly and truly didn't care how I did or whether I was impressing anyone. Funny how it turned into such a pleasant class. Headache even dissipated a bit.
I always feel like I hate Bikram style, and there are lots of things I don't like about it. But sometimes it sure does hit the spot.
Oh boy, did I sweat. Yoga teachers say that every day is different and to honor your body as it is today. I am not competitive with other people-- there are always women in the class who are tons more flexible than I am. I do, however, tend to push myself pretty hard in every class, even if I feel tired. I guess that is where my competitiveness comes out. I can't out-flex you, but I may be able to out-muscle you.
So where I can really get an objective pulse on where my body is day to day is through the difference in my perspiration levels from practice to practice in the overly heated room. Some days I barely break a sweat until around eagle. Today I was dripping by the end of the (hated) opening pranayama.
Baron Baptiste says that breakthroughs in practice don't come when you're trying super-hard, but when you've basically given up, whether from exhaustion or a temporary ego break or whatever. That is what I felt today. I fought with myself all morning about going to class, and almost didn't get out of the car once I was in the parking lot. Finally I decided that even if all I did was lay on my mat and sweat, it was better than turning around and going home.
I had a great class! No major breakthroughs, but my balancing poses were a lot steadier than they often are. I wonder if that is because I haven't been running much lately. My friend Julie, who is a yoga teacher and studio owner, ran a half marathon recently. She said that as a result of her running, her balancing postures suffered greatly. Since training is about to ramp up, I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts.
Anyway, I really just relaxed into this practice and honestly and truly didn't care how I did or whether I was impressing anyone. Funny how it turned into such a pleasant class. Headache even dissipated a bit.
I always feel like I hate Bikram style, and there are lots of things I don't like about it. But sometimes it sure does hit the spot.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
I Ran the Republic
Returned from Prague last night at 9 and got up this morning at 4 to drive into Denver to do the Run the Republic stair climb. Well, I got up at 4 because of jet lag. The alarm was set for 6.
Europe in a nutshell: Prague is gorgeous but cold. Amsterdam is wonderful and 2 days was not enough to do it justice. Lithuania... is where my brother-in-law, his wife and their two kids live. Not too many superlatives about it, although it does win the grey award. And the creative use of potatoes in every dish award.
I am way too tired to go into details about anything. I feel bloated and exhausted and kind of gross overall. I did some stair climbing the first morning in Prague, but the hotel workers who use the staircase thought I was so nutty that I felt too uncomfortable to do it again. Did about 15 minutes of yoga every day until Lithuania, which felt good. But overall I feel like I haven't worked out at all for the last 10 days, which is compounded by the astounding amount of food I managed to shove down my gullet. Or maybe it's just that the food was so much heavier than what I usually eat. Bla bla bla. I spend 10 days in Europe and all I can talk about is how fat I feel. Does this cycle ever break?
Here are my official results from this morning, cut and pasted from the website. Pretty good, all things considered. If I do it next year I'd like to come in under 11 minutes.
Run the Republic Stair Climb
- Results
date: Feb 24th, 2008
location: Denver, CO
Summary number of finishers: 1877
number of females: 1033
number of males: 840
average time: 00:15:39
Debby Patz Clarke bib number: 1309
age: 41
gender: F
overall place: 491 out of 1877
division place: 23 out of 209
gender place: 132 out of 1033
time: 11:38
pace: 0:
Europe in a nutshell: Prague is gorgeous but cold. Amsterdam is wonderful and 2 days was not enough to do it justice. Lithuania... is where my brother-in-law, his wife and their two kids live. Not too many superlatives about it, although it does win the grey award. And the creative use of potatoes in every dish award.
I am way too tired to go into details about anything. I feel bloated and exhausted and kind of gross overall. I did some stair climbing the first morning in Prague, but the hotel workers who use the staircase thought I was so nutty that I felt too uncomfortable to do it again. Did about 15 minutes of yoga every day until Lithuania, which felt good. But overall I feel like I haven't worked out at all for the last 10 days, which is compounded by the astounding amount of food I managed to shove down my gullet. Or maybe it's just that the food was so much heavier than what I usually eat. Bla bla bla. I spend 10 days in Europe and all I can talk about is how fat I feel. Does this cycle ever break?
Here are my official results from this morning, cut and pasted from the website. Pretty good, all things considered. If I do it next year I'd like to come in under 11 minutes.
Run the Republic Stair Climb
- Results
date: Feb 24th, 2008
location: Denver, CO
Summary number of finishers: 1877
number of females: 1033
number of males: 840
average time: 00:15:39
Debby Patz Clarke bib number: 1309
age: 41
gender: F
overall place: 491 out of 1877
division place: 23 out of 209
gender place: 132 out of 1033
time: 11:38
pace: 0:
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
And we're off
Tomorrow we leave on our trip. Technically tomorrow. It is the middle of Monday night,technically Tuesday morning. After lots of tossing and turning I got up to do all of those things that I'm sure I could do tomorrow but can't sleep for not having done:
*print out travel itineraries
*change purse from fun everyday purse to more sturdy and secure travel purse
*email all people who have expressed interest in Finding Om but with whom I have not had contact.
*Write blog entry.
*Try to get last minute pledges for Run the Republic. Yes, the day I return from 10 days in Prague, Amsterdam and Lithuania I will drive to Denver and climb 55 flights of stairs to benefit lung cancer and my own personal fitness. Wanna help raise money for lung cancer? Pledge at http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/e01/part.jsp?rid=728420&id=1761&acct=0503206973. Namaste.
Then I think I'll go back to bed.
Once I get on the airplane things will be good, but right now the timing of this trip feels really crappy. It is smack in the middle of interviewing people for Finding Om, which is going well. I already have interviwed 5 people and have 4 participants qualified.
I feel like leaving will cause me to lose momentum. Really, this shouldn't be true, because I will leave a message on my voicemail and on email saying that I'll be away and get in touch when I return bla bla bla. If people are interested in free yoga for binge eating, they'll still be interested in a week or so, and I'll just need to get back to work when I return. But it feels stressful.
Wednesday, the day I leave, is also local internship "match day." If you apply for a national pre-doctoral internship through APPIC (Assoc of Psychology postdoctoral and internship centers, once you are done with the interview process you rank-order your choices and then wait for match day, when the rank orders of applicants made by internship sites are compared with the rank orders of internship sites made by applicants, matches are made, and your fate for the next year is sealed.
I did not apply nationally, only here in Colorado Springs. As recently as last year the process here was much more informal. However, starting this year they are doing a local match day. I applied to four places, and I interviewed at two places. Either would be good, and either would be considerably better than nothing. It is conceivable that I not get either; there is a very finite amount of local spots and I don't know how many people applied for each spot. I decided to remain somewhat ignorant of who else was applying where, figuring that this would help keep my anxiety down. For the most part it has.
But match day is tomorrow. And I go international tomorrow. The good news is that my dad's cell phone works abroad, and I gave his number as a contact to both internship sites. So I guess I'm pretty much as available as I would be at home, just borrowing someone else's phone. Somehow it feels like I'm more available if I'm actually home, though.
I supposed the good news is that if I don't get a match I will be sufficiently distracted that I won't care... at least for a while.
Sigh. Maybe I can fall back to sleep now. I doubt I'll post while I'm gone, but you never know what might happen at some bohemian internet cafe.
*print out travel itineraries
*change purse from fun everyday purse to more sturdy and secure travel purse
*email all people who have expressed interest in Finding Om but with whom I have not had contact.
*Write blog entry.
*Try to get last minute pledges for Run the Republic. Yes, the day I return from 10 days in Prague, Amsterdam and Lithuania I will drive to Denver and climb 55 flights of stairs to benefit lung cancer and my own personal fitness. Wanna help raise money for lung cancer? Pledge at http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/e01/part.jsp?rid=728420&id=1761&acct=0503206973. Namaste.
Then I think I'll go back to bed.
Once I get on the airplane things will be good, but right now the timing of this trip feels really crappy. It is smack in the middle of interviewing people for Finding Om, which is going well. I already have interviwed 5 people and have 4 participants qualified.
I feel like leaving will cause me to lose momentum. Really, this shouldn't be true, because I will leave a message on my voicemail and on email saying that I'll be away and get in touch when I return bla bla bla. If people are interested in free yoga for binge eating, they'll still be interested in a week or so, and I'll just need to get back to work when I return. But it feels stressful.
Wednesday, the day I leave, is also local internship "match day." If you apply for a national pre-doctoral internship through APPIC (Assoc of Psychology postdoctoral and internship centers, once you are done with the interview process you rank-order your choices and then wait for match day, when the rank orders of applicants made by internship sites are compared with the rank orders of internship sites made by applicants, matches are made, and your fate for the next year is sealed.
I did not apply nationally, only here in Colorado Springs. As recently as last year the process here was much more informal. However, starting this year they are doing a local match day. I applied to four places, and I interviewed at two places. Either would be good, and either would be considerably better than nothing. It is conceivable that I not get either; there is a very finite amount of local spots and I don't know how many people applied for each spot. I decided to remain somewhat ignorant of who else was applying where, figuring that this would help keep my anxiety down. For the most part it has.
But match day is tomorrow. And I go international tomorrow. The good news is that my dad's cell phone works abroad, and I gave his number as a contact to both internship sites. So I guess I'm pretty much as available as I would be at home, just borrowing someone else's phone. Somehow it feels like I'm more available if I'm actually home, though.
I supposed the good news is that if I don't get a match I will be sufficiently distracted that I won't care... at least for a while.
Sigh. Maybe I can fall back to sleep now. I doubt I'll post while I'm gone, but you never know what might happen at some bohemian internet cafe.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
The hardest 10 miles
Ever. That's what I ran this morning. I went out with my running partner, Scoop. Today is her 36th birthday-- a young whippersnapper.
I have done 10 mile runs before countless times. Seriously. I have run 15 marathons and many 1/2 marathons and lots of other strange races like run 15 miles up and down a mountain. But I think this morning was the hardest run of them all.
Weird how some days are so killer.
Or is it? My dissertation project is rocking and rolling, which is totally awesome but is also much more time consuming than I had thought about. It is also more emotional than I had realized it would be, because I am talking with so many people who are tortured by their eating issues, many of whom haven't spoken about them to anyone before.
My kids and I are leaving for Europe at 6:30 am Wednesday to join my parents and their synagogue on a trip to visit Jewish highlights in Prague and Amsterdam for a week, after which we will go visit my husband's brother, wife and children in Vilnius, Lithuania for 3 days. Gotta pack for that, make sure the cats have enough food (because I'm not sure my husband knows where supermarket is, let alone the cat food aisle). Need to eat up all the fruit and vegetables. Need to remember to bring our passports. Need to find the right hair gel for 80% humidity.
I want to interview as many people as possible for Finding Om before I leave on Wednesday. Ideally I would like to get the yoga classes and discussion group started in early March. Suddenly that feels very close. Aside from interviewing and qualifying participants there's a lot to do, like come up with the asana sequences we will use, finalize the meditations I will use in class, and solidfy the structure of the post-asana discussion group. I would also love to follow through with the yoga teacher's idea to make a DVD to help participants with their home practice. I have no video equipment or experience or anything, but that's a small matter.
We return home on Feb 23rd. I have the Run the Republic stairclimb on Feb 24th. My little one's birthday party is March 1st, and there's all sorts of art supply kind of stuff I want to have ordered before I leave.
And I feel pressure to get in a quality workout every day before I go, since I probably will not work out for the 10 days I'm away. I may try to spend 15 minutes in the morning going up and down stairs at the hotel or doing sun salutations in my room, but realistically none of that may happen.
So then when I think about how hard the run was today, it kind of makes sense in perspective. I have a lot going on, all of which takes both physical and emotional energy.
Or maybe I'm just a wussy-ass.
I have done 10 mile runs before countless times. Seriously. I have run 15 marathons and many 1/2 marathons and lots of other strange races like run 15 miles up and down a mountain. But I think this morning was the hardest run of them all.
Weird how some days are so killer.
Or is it? My dissertation project is rocking and rolling, which is totally awesome but is also much more time consuming than I had thought about. It is also more emotional than I had realized it would be, because I am talking with so many people who are tortured by their eating issues, many of whom haven't spoken about them to anyone before.
My kids and I are leaving for Europe at 6:30 am Wednesday to join my parents and their synagogue on a trip to visit Jewish highlights in Prague and Amsterdam for a week, after which we will go visit my husband's brother, wife and children in Vilnius, Lithuania for 3 days. Gotta pack for that, make sure the cats have enough food (because I'm not sure my husband knows where supermarket is, let alone the cat food aisle). Need to eat up all the fruit and vegetables. Need to remember to bring our passports. Need to find the right hair gel for 80% humidity.
I want to interview as many people as possible for Finding Om before I leave on Wednesday. Ideally I would like to get the yoga classes and discussion group started in early March. Suddenly that feels very close. Aside from interviewing and qualifying participants there's a lot to do, like come up with the asana sequences we will use, finalize the meditations I will use in class, and solidfy the structure of the post-asana discussion group. I would also love to follow through with the yoga teacher's idea to make a DVD to help participants with their home practice. I have no video equipment or experience or anything, but that's a small matter.
We return home on Feb 23rd. I have the Run the Republic stairclimb on Feb 24th. My little one's birthday party is March 1st, and there's all sorts of art supply kind of stuff I want to have ordered before I leave.
And I feel pressure to get in a quality workout every day before I go, since I probably will not work out for the 10 days I'm away. I may try to spend 15 minutes in the morning going up and down stairs at the hotel or doing sun salutations in my room, but realistically none of that may happen.
So then when I think about how hard the run was today, it kind of makes sense in perspective. I have a lot going on, all of which takes both physical and emotional energy.
Or maybe I'm just a wussy-ass.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Kids Craft Ideas Wanted
Hi Readers. I know you're out there. Right? I must have a few readers.
I NEED YOU, OH FAITHFUL!
My younger daughter is turning 7 on March 1st and she wants an arts and crafts birthday party. I am so very, very not an arts and crafts kind of mom.
Here are my ideas so far.
Make your own pizza for lunch.
Decorate your own piece of birthday cake.
Make a door hanger-- you know, you can buy those foamie-type things that go over doorknobs and buy other foamie-type things that stick onto them.
She would like a pinata, which I may be able to accommodate.
What else?
I know you can make blankets by cutting fringes around the edges of 2 pieces of fleece and then tying them together. Maybe we can make pillows like this, with an assortment of pre-cut fleece from which the kids can choose?
One website suggested having kids make cards for the birthday girl. What about making cards that she then sends back to you as a thank-you note? Cute? Tacky?
Any and all ideas are welcome.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Hooray for Finding Om
I am so excited about my dissertation! Once it got approved by the IRB I printed up a bunch of flyers and spent 2 exhausting days driving around town putting them up wherever I thought I might attract interest-- mainly the local colleges, health food stores and coffee houses. I also took out an ad in the Colorado Springs Independent (www.csindy.com).
To my delight and amazement, I have been getting respondants! I interviewed two people already, and was stood up by a third, which I suppose is to be expected. I have an interview set up for Friday and another for Monday and am in contact with a few other potential participants. I am so excited! It is so rewarding to know that it is a project that people are interested in and for which there is a need. I believe in this so wholeheartedly, and am so blessed to have the opportunity to bring this wonderful form of healing to other people's lives. Yes, I know that sounds really sappy but I mean it.
To my delight and amazement, I have been getting respondants! I interviewed two people already, and was stood up by a third, which I suppose is to be expected. I have an interview set up for Friday and another for Monday and am in contact with a few other potential participants. I am so excited! It is so rewarding to know that it is a project that people are interested in and for which there is a need. I believe in this so wholeheartedly, and am so blessed to have the opportunity to bring this wonderful form of healing to other people's lives. Yes, I know that sounds really sappy but I mean it.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
My vote didn't count
I am a Democrat. However, I am a registered Republican. When I moved to Colorado Springs 10 years ago there was a very heinous candidate in the republican primary, as well as a very wonderful one for whom any democrat would be proud to vote. It seemed imperative to vote in the republican primary so as to get the good candidate on the ballot. Which I did.
Since then I have voted exclusively democratic, yet never felt the need to change my affiliation. Until now. And by the time I realized I might want to vote in the democratic presidential primary, it was too late to change. So, back to square one: vote in the republican primary to help weed out the worst of the worst.
In theory anyway.
The elementary school where my local Colorado Springs caucus was held was packed. I had anticipated this, so was dressed appropriately for the 1/4 mile walk in 6 degree weather. I found my district, said hello to the neighbors and took my place. People were given the opportunity to speak for a minute to state their case for a candidate.
It kind of went like this:
Republican voter #1: If we don't put Mike Huckabee on the ballot then I am afraid the evangelical Christian voters will not come out at all.
Republican voter #2: The only true conservative in this race is Mitt Romney. Vote for him.
Republican voter #3: The democrats like McCain. If the democrats like him, we should hate him.
At the appropriate time I cast my vote-- a check mark in front of John McCain's name on a piece of paper which was put into a hat that was passed around the room. No shit. Check marks on pieces of paper put into a hat that was passed around the room, complete with a joke from guy near me about it being the hat Hillary wears when she rides around on her broomstick. I laughed with gusto. Not.
So here's how it came out.
Ron Paul, the rabid anti-Semite, got 3 votes.
Mike Huckabee, who loves all Jews and hopes we all move to Israel to hasten the arrival of the Messiah, got 6 votes.
John McCain, whom I consider the most palatable republican offering, got 9 votes. At least 8 people agree with me.
Mitt Romney: carried the precinct big time, with a whopping 46 votes.
Kind of depressing. But you know what? I feel a whole lot better for having cast my ballot than I would have if I woke up tomorrow and saw that Mitt Romney won Colorado (which it looks like he's going to) and knew that I had done nothing about it.
Since then I have voted exclusively democratic, yet never felt the need to change my affiliation. Until now. And by the time I realized I might want to vote in the democratic presidential primary, it was too late to change. So, back to square one: vote in the republican primary to help weed out the worst of the worst.
In theory anyway.
The elementary school where my local Colorado Springs caucus was held was packed. I had anticipated this, so was dressed appropriately for the 1/4 mile walk in 6 degree weather. I found my district, said hello to the neighbors and took my place. People were given the opportunity to speak for a minute to state their case for a candidate.
It kind of went like this:
Republican voter #1: If we don't put Mike Huckabee on the ballot then I am afraid the evangelical Christian voters will not come out at all.
Republican voter #2: The only true conservative in this race is Mitt Romney. Vote for him.
Republican voter #3: The democrats like McCain. If the democrats like him, we should hate him.
At the appropriate time I cast my vote-- a check mark in front of John McCain's name on a piece of paper which was put into a hat that was passed around the room. No shit. Check marks on pieces of paper put into a hat that was passed around the room, complete with a joke from guy near me about it being the hat Hillary wears when she rides around on her broomstick. I laughed with gusto. Not.
So here's how it came out.
Ron Paul, the rabid anti-Semite, got 3 votes.
Mike Huckabee, who loves all Jews and hopes we all move to Israel to hasten the arrival of the Messiah, got 6 votes.
John McCain, whom I consider the most palatable republican offering, got 9 votes. At least 8 people agree with me.
Mitt Romney: carried the precinct big time, with a whopping 46 votes.
Kind of depressing. But you know what? I feel a whole lot better for having cast my ballot than I would have if I woke up tomorrow and saw that Mitt Romney won Colorado (which it looks like he's going to) and knew that I had done nothing about it.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Change of plans
My original dissertation design was to include only women in the Finding Om yoga class and discussion group, mainly to make statistical analysis easier when I got to it. But as the responses began to pour (okay, trickle) in, I saw a distinct pattern: men were calling in equal numbers to women. Since this parallels the spilt of people with binge eating disorder in the population, this should be no surprise to me. It was a bit dismaying, though, because I didn't want to turn away any possible subjects.
After some quick consulation with my dissertation chair and the members of my committee, one of whom is a statistician (nice move, huh?), I decided to amend the research design to include men. Not only does this hopefully give my study greater power and broader applicabilty, it adds an interesting element: does yoga work as a treatment for binge eating disorder differently in men and women.
Well, it's my daughter's 10th birthday party today, so I guess I've gotta go.
After some quick consulation with my dissertation chair and the members of my committee, one of whom is a statistician (nice move, huh?), I decided to amend the research design to include men. Not only does this hopefully give my study greater power and broader applicabilty, it adds an interesting element: does yoga work as a treatment for binge eating disorder differently in men and women.
Well, it's my daughter's 10th birthday party today, so I guess I've gotta go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
