seven quick takes: linky links

This week I'm giving you Seven Quick Links!

First, click here to watch a quick video of an orangutan who's charmed by the sight of a newborn human. Everyone loves babies. Even orangutans.

Next, an interesting article on why most people in indigenous cultures don't have back pain, while in developed cultures it's so prevalent. (Spoiler alert: our core muscle tone kind of sucks.) 

So apparently, in 1917, a school in Oklahoma got new chalkboards. And they just slapped the new ones up over the old chalkboards... without erasing them. And recently, while remodeling the school, the contractors discovered the untouched chalkboard drawings. Fascinating view of the past.

You've probably heard of the "Leave No Trace" policy in parks and nature preserves, which discourages folks from taking rocks and flowers, and going off-trail, and otherwise disturbing the natural environment. It seems like a good idea, right? But it's possible that by disallowing children from truly interacting with nature, we're raising up a generation that doesn't care about nature at all.

Did you see this video about the preschool in the nursing home? You need to watch it. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

Okay, this is really cool. This painting was created in such a way as to Mess With Your Mind. Even after you read the article to learn how it was done, the video is still pretty unbelievable.

Finally, how about some Catholic silliness? 25 Popes Who Just Can't Even Right Now.

Linking up with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum! Oh, and stay tuned for Josie's Ladybug Birthday Party recap. It was super cute, and one of our 3-year-old guests dubbed it "The Best Party Ever!" (And also, a recipe roundup was requested and is forthcoming. Promise.)

{p/h/f/r} - tropical weirdness & silly babies

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real}!

Pretty:

A strange thing about living close to the equator is the way the days are pretty much the same length year-round (not to mention the lack of seasonal variation in weather). It really weirded me out when we first moved here; it felt like summer, it was JULY for goodness' sake-- not that that makes much difference here-- and yet the sun was setting before 7pm. It also rises by around 6am every day... which tends to lead to early-rising toddlers as well. But one benefit of being up with the sun is getting to walk into your back yard and see this:

Happy:

I mentioned in my last post about the free printable high-contrast images for newborns that I love. I claimed newborns love them too, and here I present Video Proof! Soak in the excited baby limb-flailing and fast breathing! (Oh, and a cameo from Josie.)

Funny:

These are Faith's favorite socks. She wears them year-round. I've considered taking them out of her drawer and putting them away (on the closet shelf? with the seasonal decor? in the trash?), but I mean... if jack-o-lantern socks made ME that happy, I'd wear them too.

Real:

Having three little kids who are reasonably close in age is great. They love each other dearly. Faith and Josie play fantastically together (or, well, as fantastically as one could expect a toddler and preschooler to play). But then there are also times like these:

Sigh.

To the linkup with you!

seven quick takes - ed. 29

1. I'm probably the last person to jump on this boat, but I've been trying One-Pot Meals lately, and they are AWESOME. (In case you've been living under a rock even more than I have, one-pot meals are just that... dinners that are all cooked completely in one pot, including the pasta/rice/whatever.) We just tried this one last night, and we all devoured it: Spicy Lemon Chicken Pasta with Tomatoes. Soooo yummy. (The commissary was out of grape and cherry tomatoes this week, so I just used a can of diced tomatoes. Worked fine.)

2. The definition of terrible: going to Guam's Department of Vital Statistics and Social Security Office... in the same day... with a 4-year-old, a 23-month-old, and a newborn... and waiting for 4 hours in total. I may have PTSD. I'll let you know.

3. In case you missed it, I'm sharing a free printable baby book with you. (I posted about it here.) Share with anyone who might enjoy!

4. It's a bit of a long read, but this article does a terrific job outlining the history of medical training and summarizing why it's so messed up. I'm sure the book that the article cites does an even better job... but I haven't read it. So I can't say.

Training Young Doctors: The Current Crisis

5. This video made me laugh. A lot. It's only 15 seconds, so you should watch it too.

6. This is really cool: Step Into a Van Gogh with a Virtual Reality Tribute to his Famous Paintings

7. Finally, here, have a picture of an adorable one-month-old boy-child. Enjoy.

Head over to link up with Kelly at This Ain't The Lyceum and read more quick takes!

seven quick takes - ed. 28

1. This normal pregnancy shortness of breath (aka physiologic dyspnea of pregnancy) is killing me. Okay, not literally... obviously. Otherwise it wouldn't be normal/physiologic. I don't know if Jackson is sitting higher than the girls did, or if I just notice it more since I'm not working full-time, but when it hits hard I feel like I'm dying or something. Luckily it comes and goes, so I have periods of time where I can breathe comfortably, but man... I will not be sorry when this baby drops, even if I do start having to pee twenty times a day.

my poor internal organs, haphazardly shoved aside.

2. Vignettes from a house with two small girls:

Faith: "Mama, can put your cereal bowl in the sink?"
Me (thinking she is making a sweet offer to help): "Sure, baby!"
Faith (after a pause): "So, do it!!"

At 4:30am, I was woken by the following:
Faith: "Josie! JOSIE! Wake up! It's time to get up!"
Josie (sleepily): "Dawa? Uh?"
Me (jumping out of bed and rushing to the girls' room): "Faith! Stop!! It is not morning time!!!"
My thoughts: "WTF WHYYYYY"


3. If you haven't read this yet, do it. It is high-larious. The Presidents of the United States: In Order of Hotness. A few choice (spoiler-free!) quotes:

Here is a man whose appearance would be radically improved with the simple addition of a neck tattoo.

Nothing is sexier than a man giving a speech while covered in blood.

What’s not to love about a corrupt bad boy who plays by his own rules? He’s like the James Dean of presidents!


4. Honest Toddler makes me laugh every time.

5. Did you know you can download Facebook videos (without also downloading scammy-looking freeware)? I just figured this out. It actually works-- this was how I downloaded Faith's birthday video from earlier this week. Here's how you do it:

6. Ugh. The commissary on base has had pretty slim pickings lately, and it appears it'll be awhile before it gets better. DeCA expects several more months before Pacific commissaries return to normal. On Guam, there aren't really any civilian grocery stores in the same way we think of grocery stores in the states-- and the prices are absurd (think $8 for a gallon of milk), so we're kind of in a tight spot.

Shipments of staples are delayed often enough that it's not unusual to find shelves looking like this (photos from this past Monday, courtesy of my friend Katie):

bread selection

chicken selection

Thanks a lot, West Coast dockworkers!



7. Aaaaand I don't have a seventh take, so head back over to This Ain't the Lyceum!

on pinkeye, school clearance, and snark

One of my patients brought in this note from a school nurse recently. It made me want to punch someone.

 (If you're not clear as to the reason for the outrage, it's a combination of the school nurse feeling entitled to ignore medical clearance, and the statement that primary care doctors don't have the ability to diagnose pinkeye properly... which is not only insulting and untrue, but demonstrates a basic misunderstanding of what conjunctivitis/pinkeye actually is.) 

I posted it on Facebook and got the following comments from my pediatrician friends, which made me laugh and nod and feel better... they start off incredulous and indignant, and then devolve into hilariously sarcastic.

"That's ridiculous and how does that follow any sort of criteria?"

"This is insane."

"This is crazy! Why do they feel compelled to make folks mistrust their doc? As if there were sufficient ophthalmologists on Guam."

"That's terrible."

"This is the same thing as saying you cannot return to school until your nose stops running."

"Earlier this fall I had a mom question my diagnosis of viral conjunctivitis and get really upset with me because she was convinced her daughter had Ebola (and also wanted eye drops of course)."

"I would write back saying they add a requirement for negative measles IgM before readmission to class."

"You clearly don't have the experience to diagnose pinkeye. You should probably just give up now."

Aaahahahahaha.... the Ebola thing destroyed me. Not because Ebola is funny. But someone being convinced that run-of-the-mill pinkeye is actually Ebola, that is funny.

new year, new couch (sort of)

So we had this couch. It was a super-comfortable leather sleeper sofa that I bought on Craigslist three years ago for $160. But, it was old. I don't know how old, but old enough that the leather was literally disintegrating. I tried stitching it, patching it, even gluing it... but it just kept falling apart. (It didn't help that Josie used the rip on the seat as a handhold for hoisting herself up.) So we decided to get it reupholstered-- expensive, but less expensive than a new leather sleeper sofa. And the process was just so, so very Guam.

First off, the shop where we got it done was just... okay, you have to see it to believe it.

 

Josie and I can't decide whether to be amused or incredulous. Or horrified.

This was seriously this man's place of business. And this is just how it looks when you walk in the front door, it's not like the back room or anything.

That door IS the front door.

Gotta be a fire hazard, right? Fortunately, this is Guam, where no one cares about such things.

Second, the timeline was ridiculous. Guam is a place where no one has any sense of urgency at all, about anything, ever. When we left our couch at the shop, the owner and upholsterer (hereafter known as Upholstery Guy) told us it would be ready in "Ten to fourteen days, probably closer to fourteen." Fair enough. He said he would call us when it was done.

Day 14- No phone call, so I call to follow up. Upholstery Guy is confused and vaguely incredulous. He says it will be done by Wednesday (which is day 18, by the way). He will deliver it to our house.

Day 16- I call to clarify when the delivery will be, to ensure someone will be home. Upholstery Guy is confused and vaguely incredulous. He says it will be done sometime this week. He will call us. He cannot deliver the couch; we will have to pick it up. 

Day 20- I call to ask if the couch is done. Upholstery Guy is confused and slightly annoyed. He says it can be done by tomorrow. But maybe we could give him until day 23 instead? That would be better. But if I insist (which I do) I can pick it up tomorrow.

Day 21- Given how this has been going so far, I call to confirm that the couch is indeed ready. Upholstery Guy is confused and slightly annoyed. He says OF COURSE it is done. YES, we can come get it.

Day 21 (later that day)- We arrive at the shop to pick up our couch. Upholstery Guy tells us, "You call too much."

(Now, to give you a more well-rounded picture, he was actually very nice, and I'm sure some of the communication problems were due to language barrier issues. But still. Seriously.)

But! The couch looks awesome now! So all worth it. I guess.

(Sorry, couldn't find any good "before" pictures. Apparently I was subconsciously avoiding having any photographic evidence of such an eyesore. Bad blogger, I am.)

seven quick takes - ed. 24

1. Last week my Facebook feed was full of news stories about Gaza and ISIS. This week, it's full of articles about Robin Williams.  This one, by Fr. Dwight Longenecker, is probably my favorite: Robin Williams, C.S. Lewis and the Demons that Drove Him.

And for what it's worth, it's okay to feel sad about Robin Williams being so depressed he felt suicide was the only option, AND feel sad about the atrocities in Iraq, AND feel sad about the fighting in Gaza. One doesn't negate the others. And we SHOULD be sad about Robin Williams, even if we don't have a tearful emotional response to it, just as we should be sad when anyone commits suicide-- or honestly, when anything bad happens to anyone. All humans are connected in ways we can't understand, and a tragedy that affects one person has ripple effects that touch all of us. It hurts everyone when something bad happens, even if it doesn't happen to us directly.

2. We had an earthquake the other day! It was 5.4, but only lasted a couple of seconds. It was actually over before I even realized what was happening. Not nearly as impressive as the one a few years ago in the DC area-- which I was also there for. Fun stuff!

3. As we sat down to dinner the other day, Faith said, "Daddy, you want a beer?" And then she went and got him one. We've trained her well.

4. This is seriously one of the funniest things I've ever read.

5. Look what we spotted on our way to my workout group yesterday! He (or she?) was actually pretty big-- a good six inches across, I'd say.

6. This is pretty funny: Should you be worried about Ebola? A helpful chart. (Language warning.)

Ha! But, for serious, here's some good info: Ten Things You Really Should Know About Ebola.

7. And finally, I saw this at the hospital (no worries, it was just a checkup for the baby):

At first I was super confused, like, um, is this a common mistake? I feel like if people are drinking from toilets, the lack of water filtration is the least of their problems...

But then an architect friend of mine gave this helpful response: "You are required to post these signs if you have a gray water system. Even as we buy them we think it's ridiculous!!" 

THE MORE YOU KNOW!

Head back to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes! 

seven quick takes - ed. 23

1. Hallelujah! Our internet is finally fixed! The Navy is doing some demolition/construction in the area and apparently the line got messed up somehow as a result. But now, much better.

2. This video is too funny: Mission Impossible Squirrel. Watch as the little guy navigates a Rube-Goldberg-style obstacle course built by creative homeowners.

3. You guys have seen Weird Al's parody of "Blurred Lines," right? It makes my little grammar-nerd heart skip a beat. If you have a little grammar-nerd heart too, and you somehow haven't seen it yet, then you're welcome. If you've already seen it, well, take this opportunity to enjoy it again. (Although he did split an infinitive there at the end-- rather than "try your best to not drool," it really should be "try your best not to drool.") (#grammargeek) (But I understand that wouldn't have fit the rhythm of the song as well.) (Still, though.)

4. This happened in my office this week:

Teenage with pinkeye: "I heard pinkeye has been going viral."
Me (slightly puzzled): "Well, it can be caused by bacteria or viruses..."
Teenager: "I mean, everyone's getting it."
Me: "Ohhh... 'going viral'... gotcha."

The best part is, she wasn't trying to be funny at all. I can't decide whether this little vignette makes me feel old, or smart, or medical, or what. Amused, in any case.

5. Sunscreen will NOT give you cancer, folks. No need for panic.

6. Another scientific mythbuster article: 10 Common Science Myths that Most People Believe.

Sorry, Scarlett Johansson. The whole premise for this movie is, well, false.

7. While we were visiting family in California, everyone wanted to know what Guam was like. However, everyone seemed to be picturing it either as a collection of grass-hut villages:

Image borrowed from here.

Or an adorable brick-sidewalked tourist destination:

Image from here.

It wasn't until we got back that I finally figured out a way to describe what Guam really looks like. First, picture a lush, gorgeous tropical island setting, complete with flowering jungle trees and pristine beaches with clear aqua water (like the island on Lost).

This actually is Guam. (From Wikipedia.)

Then, in the middle of that, drop Modern Suburbia. But it's a Modern Suburbia built entirely from run-down concrete, sheet metal, and chain-link, and with no Starbucks, Target, or modern grocery stores (and a few of the roads don't exactly have names).

This is Guam, too. From here.

To complete the picture, scatter in some elements from third-world Central America, like wandering chickens and stray dogs, and random shacks in the jungle built of corrugated metal tied together.

This is real, too. Got the picture from here, but I've seen the guy many times in real life.

Finally, sprinkle in a few enormous military bases here and there.

 

Now if you managed to picture all of that at the same time, congrats! You have a general idea of what this crazy place is like!

Head back over to Conversion Diary for more quick takes!

seven quick takes friday - ed. 22

1. I finally signed up for Spotify and it. Is. Awesome. I spent way too much time yesterday trolling other people's playlists and shamelessly stealing their ideas for my own.

2. I read this article the other day: The day I left my son in the car. Very interesting take on how parenting has changed to be much more supervisory of our kids than it used to be. Is it so bad to let kids out of your sight? Or rather, the question is really-- why is it SO MUCH WORSE than it used to be?

3. I'm really doing it-- tomorrow I'm going to chop my hair short. Shorter than I've ever gone before-- the shortest I've ever gone was a jaw-length bob at the beginning of med school:

 I'm scared. But excited. But scared. I don't want it to end up looking mannish or old-lady-ish or like a frizzy mop. Pray for me. (After a quick Google search, I've learned that St. Martin de Porres is the patron saint of hairdressers. Who knew? St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!)

4. So after years of refusing to watch, I'm finally hooked on The Walking Dead (I'm only on Season Two, but I'm moving fast). I know I mentioned once that I kind of have a phobia of zombies... which is why it took me this long to start watching. (I watched the first episode a long time ago but ended up in tears from terror when Rick was under the tank.... gah!!!) I still find zombies to be fundamentally upsetting-- a point I maintain is objectively true if you really think about them-- but I've managed to realize that they're just a trope for the show. They're good for startling you and making you jump, and they're pretty gross, but really they're kind of silly. They're like the baddies in Pac-Man-- they chase you around trying to chomp you, but they don't hold any malice toward you, they won't gain your trust and then betray you, they're not plotting against you. They're not immoral, they're just dangerous animals who are horrifying because they're corpses. They're not even the point of the show; they just create a situation for the real bad guys-- the humans-- to reveal themselves. It's a good show. (It still can't be the last thing I watch before I go to bed though, or I will have nightmares. My subconscious doesn't acknowledge my reasonable arguments about zombies.)

5. Here's a blog post you should read: To the lady ashamed of being pregnant with her fourth. I know this topic has been discussed by many much more eloquent than I (cough*simchafisher*cough), but it's always worth re-addressing. When did having a lot of kids (whatever "a lot" means) become something horrifying to our society? And why, especially when the family in question is happy?

6. Two serious takes in a row?! What the heck?! Here, have a science comic:

Source: Beatrice the Biologist

7. And look! COOKIE SCIENCE! The science behind baking the most delicious cookie ever.

I think these findings demand extensive confirmatory research. In my kitchen. And my mouth.

Click back over to Jen at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!