The Power of the Fork

I am presenting to the Utah State Cancer Support Group tomorrow night. Come on out and have a listen, or check your iPhone for Instagram updates while I speak. I'm used to it.

Click here for more info.

            

December 3rd at 6:30 PM

                   Sorenson Unity Center

                  1383 South 900 West, SLC

Anjee Barber, MS, RD, CD

Clinical Dietitian at Huntsman Cancer Hospital

“Take Charge:  The Power of the Fork”

Let’s get ready for the holidays and New Year’s resolutions with information about the best healthy diet.  She will inform and motivate.  Questions are strongly encouraged.

       As usual, the presentation will be for about an hour; the second hour will deal with any issues raised by us.

ALSO:  We will have a lot of Christmas/holiday prizes for those who attend.  Let’s make this a party.

The Prostate Cancer Support Group is sponsored by the Utah Urologic Society and is a member of US TOO.  Refreshments provided by Abbie.  Meetings are at the Sorenson Unity Center on the first Wednesday of each month (except holidays) at 6:30 PM.

Call John Merryweather (801-278-0234) or David Dodd  (801-560-2542) about  meeting information or mailing list.

Park in the lot on the south side of the building; come in the southwest door.  If the lot is full, park on 13^th South to the north of the building or across 13^th S. in the Head Start lot.  DO NOT PARK ON 9^th West.

Big Girl Pants

So guess what? I actually grew up and became a real life dietitian. It only took me about 4 years and about $25K more than I had planned on, but here we are.

Since finishing my internship or dietetic residency as some would call it, I took and passed my RD exam. And after 5 years of studying, crying, whimpering, laughing, celebrating, whining, sweating, paying, breaking, rebuilding, panicking and all the seven dwarf's names, I became a gainfully employed dietitian.

For about the last year, I have been working in the bone marrow transplant unit of an oncology hospital whose name will remain anonymous lest I seriously bother someone with my nutritional musings. I LOVE my job and all the heartbreak, frustration and genuine friendships that come out of it. It is maybe the most satisfying thing in the world to help someone going through the battle of their life. I am continually amazed and inspired by my patients. It is also fairly terrifying.

The really good news, however, is that I will now be passing along some of my symptom management tips as well as ways to integrate supplements into cancer care.

It's maybe also worth mentioning that my dad was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma about 2 years ago, and a very, very dear friend of mine just lost her own father to a loooong and painful battle with esophageal cancer. So some of these posts will have some personal meaning.

I would love to welcome any of your own tips, tricks, questions, etc., if you or someone you know is dealing with cancer. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned being in oncology is that my patients teach me about as much as I teach them.

Oh and...

I suck.

I suck at a lot of things I try. I suck at putting on makeup. I am pretty sucky at tennis. I REALLY suck at swimming, which makes triathlons interesting. I suck at remembering details. I suck at holding onto things, like hotel keys, cameras and cars. I also recently discovered I SUCK big time at surfing.

Actually, to say I suck at surfing would imply that I am good enough at it to lack skill. So I negative suck at surfing. I assumed once I moved to San Diego I would instantly become a good surfer. My friends Jason learned to surf when he moved here and does it all the time now! But for me, this was  not true. As a matter of fact, I  think I may be getting worse.

I went a few times when I first moved here on a foam board. Since then I have been on various sizes of boards hearing that "You can catch anything on a long board." Oh really? Like what? Seaweed? Humiliation? I thought that "catch anything" meant any size of wave, not so. Turns out you need some semblance of skill to be able to do that, no matter what size board you have.

Oscar, who is an excellent surfer, has taken me a bunch of times and has tried, unsuccessfully, to scare me into learning to surf. He will yell things like "Don't do THAT! Don't ever do that!! You'll kill yourself!" causing me to yell back "Don't do what?! There was just like 50 things I just did! What do you-" cue wave smashing into my face. So our little "surf lessons" turn into me scared to death trying not to do anything but cling to my board for dear life while Oscar then yells at me for not doing anything. This usually ends with me getting out of the water and reminding Oscar that when I teach him how to snowboard it does not include me yelling at him that he may die or kill someone. This reminder is usually delivered with a slew of various curse words.

Aside from surfing with Oscar I have also surfed a few times with my friend Tara. Tara, who is the picture of calm, was apparently not warned that every move you can make on a surf board is a potential death wish. I know this because she is not afraid to paddle out and get thrown about by the waves which leads her to eventually catch one. Needless to say I much prefer surfing with Tare except last summer while we were surfing together I got stung by a sting ray. In addition to being fun to surf with, turns out Tara is also very good at picking me up and carrying me out of the water with blood dripping from my ankle.

So as you can see, my surf stories mostly consist of me being really crappy at the sport or getting injured by various aquatic life forms. However, a couple years ago my good friend Ashley was kind enough to pass along her surfboard to me when she moved back to Utah.I have the board, I have the wet suit, I just lack the skill.

So here is my new resolution: I am going to conquer this surfing thing. Even if it just leads me to decide I  don't really like it, I am going to at least get good enough to figure out how in the hell to do it. I know 33 is a little late in life to learn a new sport but you know what? My Dad was in his 40's before he learned to snowboard and he kills it now so it can be done. If you're like me and looking to try something new in 2011 but can't get beyond that initial frustration, just picture my 40-something Dad on a snowboard in the middle of a blizzard and realize you probably can't look as stupid as he did. Thanks Dad!

Beets and leeks and radishes oh my!

So another couple, Oscar and I decided to join a CSA about a month or so ago. We joined the Be Wise Organic Farm in San Diego to commit to buying local. I am somewhat ambivalent about the organic part, but I do believe in eating food locally and Be Wise has a great reputation.

Anyway, every Tuesday we meet up and divide our box between the two couples (we are signed up for weekly deliveries). The box is fruits, vegetables and herbs and boy oh boy is it a ton!

Produce from the box, I actually left out quite a bit. Note the beets, laughing at me.....

The fun thing about CSAs is that, to quote Forrest, you never really know what you're going to get. For the past few weeks I have been trying to get creative with beets, fennel. leeks and radishes. Thank God for Allrecipes.com, and an understanding boyfriend. I mean truthfully, there is only so much you can do with beets. I have made salads, I have made soups I have made salads and soups and dyed our kitchen sink purple every week for the past month and a half and every week, more beets!  Beets are extra good for you but I am running out of ideas....Any suggestions?

Some of  my CSA creations include: carrots and fennel (not good), carrot and celery soup (delish!), cream of broccoli soup (with healthy modifications, delish!), LOTS of salads and fruits and seasoning with lots of dill, parsley and marjoram (I think it's marjoram). Aside from the random vegetable issue, I really love having our produce coming locally. I know everything is in season, and luckily living in Southern California, we have an awesome year round growing season so we always have a great selection and it also forces me to find new ways to cook!

Bummer

So last week was the marathon I had been training for this summer. Well, guess who didn't run it? I spent last weekend training in the exercise physiology lab for some research project myself and another grad student are working on. And feeling sorry for myself. We ended up moving over the summer, then I went home for a couple weeks, then school started. Anyway, I tried to keep up on my training but my schedule wasn't allowing for 2-3 hours a weekend day for running.

So to make myself feel better, I've decided I'm going to run one in December or January. I really hate setting goals and not following through. I had the time off from work and was really looking forward to it. Oh well. I'm not going to dwell on it for too long, just kind of a bummer....

Only me

I'm going to use the blog today for something I try not to use blogging for, venting. But I've seriously had it today. So here I go....

Today was the first day of school for me at State. I'm actually looking forward to going back to class as I feel like lately my brain has decomposed into a useless pile of mush. Let me rephrase that last statement, I was looking forward to going back to school, until I got on campus today.


ust a quick back story, for anyone that knows me at all, you know I have a tendency to get yelled at by everyone, at any time, for no particular reason. I happen to think it's for one of two (or possibly a combination of both) reasons.

1) I am a girl. I know. Shocking but true. Half the people who yell at me would never talk to a man that way. I'm not trying to play the damsel in distress card here, I'm just saying if I were able to physically defend myself people would mess with me less. 2)I look young. I think people assume I'm a lot younger than I am and therefore that makes me...dumb? a door mat? Not sure, but that is the second part of my theory. Anyway,two weeks ago a lady yelled at me at the gas station because she felt I stole her pump, she was so out of control her boyfriend kept apologizing and finally stuffed her back in the car. A week before that a guy FREAKED out at me because I almost went out of turn at a four way stop. Repeat: almost. I stopped and let him go, I wasn't sure what was going on so I started going, yadda, yadda, stopped and let him go. But man oh man he was upset. He followed me for almost a mile yelling out his window all sorts of profanities I would reserve for someone who just ate my first born. A few months before that, a lady yelled at me on the trolley for biting my nails. She actually called me a bitch. For biting my nails. I can't make this stuff up. I could go on, but you get the idea. As mentioned in a previous post, I am a crap-magnet.

So today, I get up to campus and use the restroom. Brace yourself here this is going to get not only gross, but incredibly stupid. I exit my stall-post toilet flushing -and begin doing the typical girly thing in the mirror by messing with my hair. Some very angry woman comes in to the now crowded restroom and GRABS MY ARM to tell me "Hey, you need to flush your toilet. You didn't flush and I'm not using that stall until you flush."

Stop music.

My first reaction was that I wanted to punch her squarely in her hideous face. Who does this chic think she is for God's sakes?? Also, I am extremely embarrassed. And for the record folks, I did flush okay. The toilets are automatic flushers for one, and for another, I am a flusher!! The toilets at school-or some of them at least- are old and don't always get it all the down. So yes, remnants of my seat liner may have been corroding little miss toilet Nazis pristine bathroom going experience. But seriously? So back to the dialogue:

Me: "I did flush it. If you have a problem with it use another stall."
Stupid lady: "You're so disgusting. I'm not using that stall until you flush it."
At this point she is standing RIGHT behind me as I am fighting every urge to tell this woman where to go and how to get there.
Me:" Then don't use it. I really don't care."
So now another girl has entered the restroom and goes to walk into the stall in question when dummy says to her "Don't go in there, this gross person over here won't flush the toilet."
Me:"Excuse me why don't you take your crazy a$$ somewhere else? And I did flush," I say apologetically to the girl next to me, who is caught between being horrified and amused.
SL: "You're nasty, I can't believe you won't flush the toilet. You're so rude. You're SO RUDE!"
I am really trying to ignore her but now she is shouting. About a toilet. Not her toilet. Not my toilet. A toilet in a public restroom. And I am beyond humiliated because now everyone around me thinks I am an inconsiderate non-flusher and I have this woman literally breathing down my neck and yelling at me about something so ludicrous.

Me: Laughing"Lady, you are so crazy."
SL:"Nasty. You are so nasty. God you are so gross."
I am not going to repeat what I said before I stormed out and had to go find another restroom to go wash my hands.

The whole stupid thing ruined my day. Of course I spent the rest of my afternoon running through the zingers I should have said, which is not good at all for my little aura. The whole thing also sort of made me think, and I realize this may being a bit dramatic here, but honestly, what is the matter with people? What is wrong with people that they feel it's okay to just walk up and talk to someone like that? For no reason? Ordinarily I would laugh it off but today I'm just plain old annoyed. I hope that lady had not toilet paper. So there.

Glutton for punishment

Since school has ended I have been searching for new ways to torture myself. I came up with two pretty good plans.

My first is to pick back up learning Spanish. This is actually more fun than torture-of course it may be torturous for those listening to my Spanish. My second plan is to start training for a marathon again. This is fun in a sadistic, painful sort of way but it's summer and a great time to get outside and exercise. I'm not implying everyone should go out and start sacrificing their weekends and obsessing over mile splits like I do but the warmer weather is a great excuse to get out and start moving. I put together a few tips that I make routine anytime I'm embarking on outdoor physical activity. Most of these come from the fact I have NOT done them at some point and ended up sunburned, dehydrated, in pain or a combo of all of any/all of the above.

1) Get some good shoes. I LOVE holabird sports shoe selection. They are so cheap and shipping is free. I prefer Saucony or Asics to run in but they have pretty much any shoe you could want and always for way less than you would pay at a retailer.

2) Sweatproof sunblock. Whenever I forget sunblock I end up looking like I tanned through a screen door because I freckle so easily but I used to forget it all the time. Living in San Diego has made me much better about applying it often. Seriously, who wants skin cancer??

3) Music. I don't know about you but I need tunes to distract me. I'm constantly updating my playlist.

4) Eat right. If you're going to be heading out for a long day of physical activity, you should start preparing the night before. Eat a diet of complex carbohydrate-whole wheat pasta, stir fry or meat/fish with brown rice- for dinner so you have a good glycogen reserve for the next day. If you're hiking, biking or something like that then pack some snacks to take with you. If you're running, I take a carbohydrate gel with me (I prefer GU gels) so I can replenish my glucose.

5) Water! Pretty much goes without saying but I can't tell you how many times I walk out of my house without my water bottle.

The marathon is September 18th. We'll see if these old bones have another race left in them. If not, look for me at the local cantina.

Only me...

There are certain things that only happen to me. This is one of them.

Monday after school I had to unload a bunch of boxes from my car. I parked in the alley behind our apartment building and had to take them upstairs one by one so I left the hatchback to my car open. Anyway, finished unloading everything and came back down shut the hatchback. End of story.

Fast forward to yesterday morning. I go for a run, come back and my neighbor knocks on my door. She is a nurse and had just gotten back from work.

Neighbor: "Hey Anjee, did you know there is a cat in your car?"
Me: "A CAT??" (I thought she said hat)
Neighbor:" Ya a cat. I just parked next to you and it looked at me from inside your backseat. "

So I go to my car, and sure enough, the resident alley cat is perched (literally) on my backseat. Just hanging out. HE must have hopped in there the previous night during my unloading and spent the night in my car. I open the door and try to scoot him out but he is pretty excited to be in there.

Me: "Do they like poop or pee or anything?"
Neighbor: "Ya but you would be able to smell it right away."

Now I know I may offend some cat people, but I am not cat fan. Of all the cars for this thing to have a sleepover in, it had to choose mine.

Now I am late for school, so I hop in my car and am racing to campus. I am on the lookout for fleas because of course every animal living in an alley would have them. And then I notice it. The little puddle on my passenger seat. Cat pee. Awesome.

After school I spent $60 to get my seats and carpets shampooed. Luckily I have seat covers and was able to wash them. I really hope it doesn't' smell. On the bright side, my interior looks awesome. On the not so bright side, this experience has deepened my distaste for the feline species.