Swine Flu

Obviously, Swine Flu is in the news, and New York is one of the outbreak locations in the US, so I'm paying attention to facts and trying to avoid the hype that the media is creating.

The CDC has a lovely page called "Swine Flu and You" which is questions and answers about the disease, how to stay safe, etc. I thought I'd check it out, just to see if there was anything new that I hadn't yet heard.

There was no new information; it was a lot of basic information. My favorite part of this cleverly titled document is this:

What should I do to keep from getting the flu?
First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

If Americans in general followed this advice, particularly "be physically active" and "eat nutritious foods" we wouldn't have an obesity crisis in the country. Do we think that people will do this only to prevent the swine flu?

I'm seriously wondering if the people who approved this guide laughed a little about the basic ideas expressed here.

But if it takes the Swine Flu scare to get people to wash their hands, be active and eat healthy, maybe the road ahead is a good one. It could be an unintended consequence of the alleged epidemic...even though it is some of the most common sense information out there.

Spring?

This past weekend was gorgeous in the Northeast. Actually, it was almost too hot. We had a record breaking high of 92 in Central Park on Sunday and as you can see below, tons of people flocked to the park to work on their tans and enjoy the rays. Because as Northeasterners, we all know that as fast as nice weather comes in, it can go away just as quickly.
These are not my pictures, I actually do not enjoying sweating in the park with thousands of my closest friends.

But these pictures do make me smile and remember when my cousin first visited NYC with his family from Florida and wondered why girls were tanning in bathing suits in the park. I told him it was because it was our makeshift beach.

Hopefully we have some more gorgeous weather in May!

April 20...

4/20 as April 20th is commonly known is a weird day. It is a day to get high, because of 4/20 being a police call for drugs. But it is also the anniversary of the Columbine shootings.

10 years ago today that terrible school shooting happened; the first school shooting I remember and sadly, it was not the last.

I was a freshmen in high school then and the whole event really hit me hard. I remember watching the news after it happened and being so disturbed and sad, but I couldn't turn away. I think it was because these people were my age and it just seemed like it really could happen anywhere.

I still get sad and scared when I think about it and consequently, always have an uneasy feeling on 4/20. I heard about a new book that details the shooting and the shooters to show that there was more going on inside their heads besides that they were social outcasts. I really want to read it; it would not be the first book about the tragedy I've read. There is something about the experience that I feel almost connected to.

A women's magazine this month also looked into some of the survivors, the victim's families, and the principal of the school to see where they are 10 years later. All are doing well, but undoubtedly, their lives have changed. It was reassuring though to see good come from the tragedy.

Anyway, an extra prayer today for all of the victims and their families, as well as for school safety in the country so that hopefully it won't continue to happen.

Home Improvement

When I first saw the apartment I live in, there was really one thing I was interested in changing. There is a hall closet and it had very basic cream sliding doors and I thought I would really enjoy having mirrored doors there. There isn't a place in the bedroom for mirror doors and not really a perfect spot for a full length mirror, so I thought a small upgrade would spruce the place up, make it my own, and be a great full length mirror.

Nearly 3 years after moving in, I just got the mirror doors installed this week.

For a long time, I really thought I'd do the project soon, so I didn't even own a full length mirror. I used to just check my outfit at the mirror by the elevator on my way out the door. And if I ordered new clothes online or wanted to try out an outfit; I'd conveniently have to take the trash out, or drop off the recycling.

And now, after two much more major home improvement projects, I have mirrors. And they're great! Pictures below are a little hard to tell what you are seeing since it is walls reflected in the mirror, but you get the idea.

I caved

I caved. After thinking about it for a while I joined Twitter.

Honestly, I just couldn't take the idea that I was missing out on some interesting social networking/news/information platform.

You can now follow me @ tlchristo.

I don't have a lot of friends/contacts yet, but I'm learning the deal and figure if the fad ends I can close my account and if it stays strong, then I'll be all set for the future.

Flying on September 11

I'm looking into going to St. Louis for a weekend in the fall for a baseball game and to visit friends. One of the weekends I'm thinking of going is Fri 9/11-Sun 9/13. Yes, that's September 11- September 13.

Here's the question; would you fly on 9/11?

I know the first year after 2001, airlines were offering all kinds of specials for people to fly that day because there was a lot of nervousness and hesitation. But now, 8 years later, is this something to be concerned about?

Part of me thinks I am above superstition and shouldn't worry of copy-cat events. And then the nervous-nelly in me thinks absolutely not should I be at an airport, on an airplane, etc on September 11th.

Needless to say, there are other details to work out on the trip, but the date of travel is number one. If I decide to travel that weekend, I think I might go for a Thursday the 10th flight, just in case.

But what do you think?

Sickie

No posts since Easter, which was a great holiday. I had a lovely day of mass, brunch at the French Culinary Institute, a nap and then dinner with friends.

However, it was upon waking up from that nap that I really started to not feel well. The little spring cough I had was rearing its head as something worse.

I went to work on Monday and probably spread a lot of germs, stayed home sick Tuesday and after lots of cold medicine and rest, I finally felt better today (Thursday). I still have a cough and a little bit of stuffiness, but my head doesn't hurt and I can make it through the work day.

Even though I felt like a bit wussy taking a sick day for a cold, whatever this strain is that is going around is really bad. A couple of other people I know that have it are also suffering pretty badly.

And the good news is, feeling better by the weekend :)

Bunny Bread

When we were little, my mom used to make Bunny Bread for Easter. I remember getting up Easter morning and have hard boiled, dyed eggs and bunny bread for breakfast before church. I think one year we tied ribbons on the bunnies and I'm sure some were given as gifts. So, this year, feeling a little Easter-y, I made my own bunny bread.

And...the memory is definitely better than the actual product. My bunnies aren't as pretty as I remembered them to be and I had some trouble keeping all the raisin eyes intact, but they were fun to make and I have about half that are gift-worthy that I can take to Easter dinner with friends tomorrow.

The other thing is, I'm a little scared to work with yeast, so this was my first foray into bread baking. Considering that, I'm pleased they rose and came out okay.

Pictures below are before, after, and one of the cuter bunnies.

A little bit of spring!

I went to Trader Joe's on Saturday (post about that soon I promise) and right by the register, they had bunches of 10 stems of closed daffodils. TJ's is smart, they know at the register, after waiting in the humongous line, people are likely to add the flowers to their cart. And the price was right; $1.29 for 10 bunches. So I bought two bunches, came home and put them in water and I have the most beautiful flowers in my room.

Seriously, this was the best $2.60 I've spent in a while, they make me so happy, so that even when it is gray and cloudy outside, I have a bit of sunshine and spring inside. Not sure how much longer they are going to last, but they started opening on Sunday so I think I'll have them through Friday.

Happy Spring!