tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63297767627685435492012-03-14T07:17:54.128-05:00your guide to balancing lifeJKSnoreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-62388874859399497032011-10-08T13:08:00.000-05:002011-10-08T17:56:23.456-05:00

I've always cooked to relax, which means when I'm under a lot of stress I tend to gain weight.  But thanks to some cholecystic issues, I've been on a virtually fat-free diet for a couple of months.  I've lost six pounds and I'm now officially classed as "underweight."  This situation has done nothing to help my stress levels.  So to kill two birds with one stone, I decided to make risotto. My

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-47271751707833483782011-09-11T10:39:00.001-05:002011-10-08T17:58:48.200-05:00

I dread September - and not for the obvious reason that the world changed ten years ago today.  For me so many life changing moments have taken place in Septembers past.  One year my car was totaled by a drunk driver while it was parked on the street.  The next year I had to have breast surgery.  The next year my dog had to be put to sleep.  In 2000 my mom died unexpectedly.  It was in

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-17749623282204919042011-05-01T13:09:00.007-05:002011-10-08T17:58:09.368-05:00

Maybe it's the stress of the past few months or maybe my metabolism has changed again (or maybe it was that box of Thin Mints I managed to eat in two days around Valentine's Day).  In any event, I've easily gained seven pounds since November - enough that my underwear doesn't fit right and I know I'll never get into that dirndl I had custom made last year.  So I began this morning with a jog

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-27936306266552049112011-04-20T16:54:00.000-05:002011-04-20T16:54:26.696-05:00

Ever wish your brain was like a computer hard drive, and you could simply delete all the extraneous files that are taking up too much space and slowing down your operating system?  Today, as I lay down for my second nap, I closed my eyes and imagined searching my brain for keywords that have been interfering with my daily life: names of former employers, colleagues, previous failures, prior

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-6714641553624517272011-04-11T06:49:00.003-05:002011-04-21T06:45:47.144-05:00

It's true! I gave up Facebook for Lent! It's been a lot easier than expected. And a lot more difficult because it's easy to find other procrastination sites on the web. Including webcomic xkcd The author of the xkcd is insightful and brilliant. He's also human and gets sucked in to online distractions like the rest of us. Here's his solution to regaining lost productivity (Bonus:

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-1507169623043386272011-01-06T02:57:00.002-06:002011-04-21T06:45:21.417-05:00

Black bean brownie bites from the American Institute for Cancer Research. These are wonderful!  Like a cross between a brownie and a mini muffin, delicately spiced with cinnamon. Perfect with coffee or afternoon tea.

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-89659620353177204082010-12-07T14:24:00.000-06:002010-12-07T14:24:27.840-06:00

These words by Cheri Huber always help me put things into perspective: I have lost my favorite teacup. I have two choices: I can have lost my teacup and be miserable. I can have lost my teacup and be all right. In either case, the teacup is gone.

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-63655320714160276932010-11-30T22:23:00.001-06:002010-12-02T21:41:18.800-06:00

Click on the image above and download it full size to your computer.  Enjoy!

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-37443013771268457902010-11-15T10:21:00.005-06:002010-11-15T11:33:20.019-06:00

"Life is what happens while you're making other plans" In the past few months it has become increasingly clear that it doesn't matter how intelligent, well-educated, eloquent, good-looking, industrious, or down-trodden you are.  None of those things matter in an economic crisis.  You can do all the right things and you may still fall victim to the budgetary axe. What can you do if you find

JKSnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-81536481827636147432010-09-21T07:10:00.000-05:002010-09-21T07:10:15.355-05:00

Be flexible and ready for anything!  This is my life motto and it serves me well in times of crisis.  For example:  I am a career academic who is being fired mid-year because of budget cuts.  The likelihood of my finding a job teaching Latin, Greek, German or a combination of these languages and cultures in the middle of an academic year is very slim.  Rolling with the punches, I've enrolled in

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-46021884180706905182010-09-15T07:29:00.000-05:002011-10-08T17:56:41.263-05:00

I don't know about you, but my comfort food is usually very unhealthy (a box of macaroni and cheese; chocolate donuts).  But there's at least one healthy dish I crave to boost my well-being and my creativity: PH's FENNEL-ORANGE SALAD One bulb of fresh fennel (should be white, no brown/yellow spots, with plenty of green fronds on top) One orange ½ a small red onion Juice of ½ a lemon or

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-78459642337188068892010-09-07T19:41:00.002-05:002010-09-07T19:49:21.538-05:00

BREAKFAST:  Should include whole grains, fresh fruit, dairy product (milk or yogurt), and water.  Add protein (ham, turkey, egg or egg substitute) a couple of times a week. TIP:  I am wild about Chobani Greek yogurt.  Unlike most fat free yogurt, it's sweetened with sugar, not Splenda or Aspartame. SNACK:  Dairy (1/2 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup yogurt) or a small handful of nuts, fruit. TIP:  

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-74300500027452570982010-09-06T10:25:00.003-05:002010-09-07T19:48:05.485-05:00

Once when I was feeling a little depressed, I went to the doctor who first asked me what my diet was like.  I told her, and instead of prescribing pills, she told me to change my diet for a couple of weeks.  If I didn't feel better, we could talk about pharmaceutical options. Changing my diet worked wonders.  Instead of pre-packaged foods and junk and canned soda, I started eating more balanced

JKSnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-23175838756424870132010-08-29T12:55:00.000-05:002010-08-29T12:55:48.152-05:00

It is a sad fact in academia that the only way to win a research grant is to have published previous research. A Catch-22 since most of us are not independently wealthy to conduct the research needed to publish, which is why we apply for grants in the first place. All this to say, I had to abandon the grant-writing venture (on the advice of the grant-giving institution) and then went off on

JKSnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-76991235610223556272010-07-17T08:18:00.003-05:002010-07-27T16:11:28.684-05:00

My very worst professional habit is the lack of following through.  I send out important emails, receive important replies, and then somehow let the topic languish, as though receiving the email were more important that the information it contains.  This weekend is my chance to correct the situation.  After culling through all my emails, I am going to a) get grant proposals ready and b) figure

JKSnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-20168026896570345552010-05-09T08:39:00.004-05:002010-05-09T09:27:24.924-05:00

Organization is an art, just like music or dance-- therefore, there should be a Muse of organization.  I wonder what her name is and what mystical rites are used to invoke her. I could really use her kiss right about now, as I sit on my floor surrounded by stacks of end-of-the-semester paperwork and a suitcase that needs to be packed. Organization is one key to success and productivity, despite

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-26531922065903722102010-05-07T17:40:00.009-05:002010-05-09T08:54:54.004-05:00

One word:  distractions. Think of all the things you need to do.  Now look at what you're doing.  That's right... you've surfed onto a blog on the internet.  My guess is it's not the first one you looked at when turned on your computer, and it's not going to be your last stop on the interwebs today. But think of all the things you need to do.  Is sitting here surfing from cheezburger.com to

JKSnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329776762768543549.post-84386925289665165712010-04-24T14:28:00.000-05:002010-04-25T07:29:38.860-05:00

A year or so ago I was awakened in the middle of the night by such horrible bedspins I thought I was having a stroke.  I was diagnosed with BPPV, a temporary condition caused by the dislocation of crystals in the inner ear which regulate a person's balance. Although this is the physical explanation of BPPV, many people believe it is a warning sign that your life is out of balance. Balance is

JKSnoreply@blogger.com0