If you missed my guest post on DiabetesMine.com, check it out! I’m talking about how we all need to give each other a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
I haven’t written too much about Erik and I as a couple. I rarely write about my relationships in general, mostly because I don’t want to offend anyone since this is a VERY public blog and I’m more comfortable just talking about me, myself and I. I can talk about myself ’til the cows come home, but I’m a little quieter when it comes to others. Even though Erik reads my blog and is comfortable, thus far, with what I’ve written, I don’t want to push any boundaries. However, I found this cute meme on Amber’s blog (who’s boyfriend has the same name, albeit a different spelling) and it doesn’t ask any ridiculously personal questions, so I think it’s safe. We’re also coming up on our 1 (!) year anniversary in about three weeks, so I figured, it’s time you learn a little bit more about us.
Our first picture together
What are your middle names?
Mine is Michelle, Erik’s is Lee.
How long have you been together?
Since December 13, 2008, so almost a year.
How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We met online, so we “knew” each other online for about a month before we were “official.”
Who asked whom out?
Erik started the message exchange on OKCupid and he was the one who asked me to meet in person.
How old are each of you?
I’m 24 and Erik just had his 26th birthday on Halloween.
At a wedding in Minnesota
Whose siblings do you see the most?
Erik has a half-sister who lives in Westchester, who we have seen both here and also at a family wedding in June. We’ve only seen my brother one time since we started dating.
Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
We live 30 miles away from each other, which doesn’t *seem* that bad, but when you factor in the inconvenience of parking in Manhattan, the cost of gas and bridge tolls, and the cost of train tickets, it adds up. It doesn’t look like a long distance relationship, since we see each other every weekend, and at least once during the week. But it sure feels like it sometimes.
Did you go to the same school?
Nope. We were both out of school when we started dating.
Are you from the same home town?
Hardly. Erik grew up in Minnesota, near the Twin Cities, and I’m from a suburb of Portland, Oregon.
Who is smarter?
That’s tough to say. I’d say it’s about even, actually. But he went to a better school than I did (Wheaton College in Illinois) and I went to a state school (a good one, but still), and he also went to grad school and got his masters in Volcanology, while I went straight to work. Not that school necessarily makes you smarter, that’s just our academic history.
Who is the most sensitive?
I think we’re about even. We are sensitive about our own particular issues, though.
Multnomah Falls, Oregon
Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We rarely eat out at the same place twice, but that’s because I live in Manhattan and there’s so many places to choose from! But when I’m up with him, there is a breakfast place that we go to quite often. Cheap and yummy, but always sends my blood sugars for a spin.
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Portland, Oregon, to visit my family. 3,000ish miles.
Who has the craziest exes?
Neither of us. We both did not do much dating before we dated each other.
Who has the worst temper?
I probably get upset more often over little things, but when he gets upset, you know it.
Who does the cooking?
We both do. I cook at my place, he cooks at his place. But he always washes the dishes.
Who is the neat-freak?
Neither of us are neat-freaks (hahahahaha), but he is probably more overall cleaner than me. Usually…
Who is more stubborn?
He would probably say me, but I think I’m more particular than stubborn. I just like things a certain way.
Who hogs the bed?
Definitely me. I have weird sleeping positions that do not accommodate another person very well. Let’s just say we suffered some sleepless nights in my double bed at the beginning, but things are usually fine at his place since he has a queen.
Who wakes up earlier?
I think we usually wake up at the same time. I don’t remember a single time that one of us kept sleeping past the other.
Where was your first date?
Brick Lane Curry House in the East Village. And then we went to Times Square to watch Nothing Like the Holidays.
Who is more jealous?
Neither of us.
How long did it take to get serious?
I don’t know… what does “serious” mean? We were “Facebook official” after a week.
Who eats more?
Erik eats more in one meal, I think, but I probably ask to go get a snack more often.
Who does the laundry?
We don’t live together, so we do our own laundry. Even if we did live together, he’d be doing is own laundry. He’s a big boy!
Who’s better with the computer?
I have no idea. I’m better on the Internet, but as far as actual hardware, probably Erik.
Who drives when you are together?
Well Erik is the only one with a car, so usually him. But when I had my car, it was still mostly him. I occasionally drive, though, when he is tired of it. I drove most of the way to Newport, for instance.
Now it’s your turn!
It’s amazing how my sleeping habits have changed as I get older. I can do well with less sleep, often times getting up merely an hour later than normal on weekends, and my sleep positions have changed too since I now have a double bed in my room and not a twin. I didn’t realize how much I needed two pillows until I went back to Oregon and had to sleep in a TWIN! The horror, right?
I also now require a fan to sleep. For a few reasons, actually. First, my room is small, so it gets stuffy easily. Second, I have an upstairs neighbor who could be mistaken for Shoe’s little sister (if you don’t know who Shoes is, visit Kerri’s blog) so the fan kinda drowns her out. A little. Sometimes. I also have pidgeons outside my window (hi, this is New York, remember?) and they are annoying too. Lastly, the summers are very hot, and I didn’t have A/C in my room once I moved. So I had it on. Every night. And now I can’t stand the (semi) silence. It’s like a noise machine, just bigger. And windier.
Have you noticed anything new or unusual about your sleep habits since you’ve grown up? Any tips on dealing with lead footed neighbors?
Sigh…. There she goes again…
There’s a Thanksgiving meme floating around these parts, so I figured I’d jump in and share my own! Gobble gobble!
1. What are the traditional favorites?
Turkey, stuffing, candied yams and marshmallows (my favorite!), and pumpkin pie.
2. What new recipes will you try this year?
I’m not trying any new recipes this year because I’m not cooking! But we’ll be visiting my boyfriend’s half-sister and her husband, so there may be new foods on the table yet.
3. What part of the meal do you never compromise?
Pumpkin pie. Last year, at my cousin’s house, they didn’t have pumpkin pie and I was distraught. So afterward, I went to my local A & P and bought a pumpkin pie for myself. I didn’t eat the whole thing in one go, of course, but it satisfied my need to pumpkin pie. I only eat it once a year and I’ll be damned if I miss out!
4. Who gets to carve the turkey?
The one who won’t cut off their arm in the process (basically anyone but me). Usually the “man of the house.”
5. Family style around the table or buffet style and everyone sits wherever there’s room?
A mix of both, mostly because our dining table never had enough room for everything. Items that were on the stove were usually left on the stove, while other things like salad, cranberry sauce and rolls were on the dining table. But there’s nothing like seeing a long dining table brimming with yummy food! I feel like that’s part of what makes Thanksgiving special and not just any regular dinner that is dished up in the kitchen.
6. How many will be at your table this year?
Five of us – me, my boyfriend, my boyfriend’s mother, his half-sister and her husband.
7. Three best pies for Thanksgiving dessert?
Pumpkin pie. Anything else is a waste of perfectly good insulin, as far as I’m concerned.
8. Cranberry sauce… yay or nay?
YAY! Luuurve cranberry sauce of any kind.
9. What time do you eat Thanksgiving Dinner?
Dinnertime? Is this a trick question?
10. Favorite leftover?
I don’t usually like leftovers, actually. They never taste as good as the original meal, so I’m always left feeling disappointed (it’s also why I never make big meals to have leftovers for lunch – I just don’t like leftovers!). But pumpkin pie usually tastes the same, since you’re not reheating it, so I’ll go with that.
It’s that time of the year, folks! The air is chilly, the trees are trimmed with sparkly lights, and Starbucks cups have gone from traditional white to festive red…
The holidays are here!
I don’t know about you, but I can hardly believe it’s almost December (2 more weeks) and that Thanksgiving is coming ’round the bend in just a week. I’m excited, of course, as I love the holidays and I think it’s a wonderful, happy time (when I’m not being trampled by tourists…). Last year, I gathered the troops for a holiday gift exchange hosted by Elfster, an online website devoted to coordinating gift exchanges. It was a rousing success (I got $30 worth of iTunes gift cards from Scott Strumello, so I was happy!) and I’d like to do it again.
The way it works is this:
- From today until November 30, you can sign up to participate by visiting this link.
- On December 1, Elfster will automatically draw names for everyone and email you. You will be notified of the person’s name and mailing address.
- You have until December 24 to mail the person a gift.
- Try to keep the gift around $25. But that’s just a suggestion. Not a requirement. Be thoughtful, be creative, be personal.
- ONLY your Elfster match will receive your mailing address. All contact info is kept completely private.
- If necessary, you can leave once the exchange has started, but we are not adding anyone because it causes the entire group to be reshuffled and that just gets confusing.
- Remember: you must join by November 30!
This is open to EVERYONE, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Christmahanukwanzaka. Or nothing at all and you just like getting presents (and who doesn’t?).
It’s fun – it’s easy – and it’s fun! (It’s so fun, I had to say it twice).
Questions? Leave a comment or email me.
This past Saturday, I hosted a World Diabetes Day party in midtown Manhattan for about 20 of my closest D-friends. There was a great mix of type 1s, type 2s and type 3s there and we enjoyed New York style pizza and a homemade cake from one of the members of the ACT1 Diabetes support group.
Erik and I went down to the space near Penn Station around 11:00 to find Val already waiting for us! Val helped Erik and I move tables around to accommodate everyone, and while Erik went to purchase diet sodas (in 3 flavors!), Val blew up blue balloons while I taped streamers to the tables. It was very festive!
People starting arriving surprisingly on time – and we had almost everyone who RSVP’d by 12:15! Everyone took turns introducing themselves, how long they have had diabetes (or known someone with diabetes, as the case may be) and what treatment they were on.
Some of the folks just hanging out before the pizza arrived.
The pizza arrived at 12:30 and everyone dug in! I stayed simple and just bought cheese and pepporoni pizza, while Brenda brought some Asian Black Bean noodles and Val brought homemade chocolate cookies that were totally bolus-worthy!
Some of the WDD crew.
Promptly at 2pm, all the people with diabetes whipped out their glucose meters and tested, and then we marched downstairs (which was a multi-step process since the elevators didn’t fit everyone) and walked down 37th to 7th Avenue, and then back around on 36th to 8th Avenue. We arrived back at exactly 2:14 p.m. Then we all tested again! My blood sugar was already a bit high from that morning (a mystery high!) and was still high before and after the Big Blue Test. But I promptly crashed later that afternoon once my bolus kicked in.
Gettin’ our 14 minutes of exercise. Though my boyfriend was probably the only one who broke a sweat, as he kept running head of us to snap some pictures.
We were also wowed by the beautiful cake that was made in Dr. Banting’s honor. It was scrumptious and most everyone enjoyed it (a couple people saved slices for later).
The one on the left is regular, the one on the left is gluten-free.
Just a couple of ladies with the Big D enjoying some cake.
Some of you may not know this, but November 14 was picked as the day for World Diabetes Day because it’s Dr. Frederick Banting’s birthday. Dr. Banting is one of the co-inventors of the manmade insulin we use today. We wouldn’t have gotten very far if it wasn’t for him! I thought it would be a cute idea to have a birthday cake for Dr. Banting. And who doesn’t like a little cake?
A few people have commented that I shouldn’t have had pizza and cake at a party for people with diabetes because they are “bad.” But I think “bad” is sort of relative, because I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of random things that spike my blood sugar and that I shouldn’t probably eat: bagels, Indian food, and Cheerios, just to name a few. In fact, if you actually looked at my CGM after most meals I have, you’ll see that my blood sugar goes up. So yeah.
But I understand why people wouldn’t want to eat pizza and cake. Which is why I invited people to contribute other food that they would want to eat. And only two other people did (and one of those people brought cookies!). So what does that say? Either people would rather stay away from a party that has pizza than bring veggies, or they don’t actually care as much about the pizza thing as one would think. There were a couple of people who abstained from the food, but they still reported that they had a wonderful time, even if they didn’t eat anything because of whatever preference they have. To each their own I say! I have actually been to a lot of diabetes events in my time, and I often see people eating dessert or bread with dinner or something that another person might claim is “unhealthy.” In fact, I know a lot of people grimace when asked, “So, what can you eat?” because some of us believe we can eat anything as long as we know what we are eating. We all have made our peace with how we manage food.
As the party was winding down, everyone pitched in to help clean up the conference. People helped rearrange the tables and chairs, throw away cans, and clean dishes. And a few eager folks whipped out their lancets to help pop the balloons! We also took a big group picture, although a few folks (hi Val!) had already left.
Later that evening, as Erik and I were on our way to another gig – babysitting a four year old with diabetes and her baby brother – we snapped a few pics of the Empire State Building in blue. The Empire State Building is my favorite building in the city, and I loved looking out my room when I lived in Hoboken to see what color it was that day. But there’s nothing as breath-taking as seeing it lit up in blue. Our blue.
I don’t seem to be terribly good at keeping up with the NaBloPoMo this time around. I completely missed it last Friday, and I barely managed to eek out a sentence the Friday before. All I can say is that I’m simply not used to blogging this much and I’m finding it difficult to say very much every day.
A few items of note:
- World Diabetes Day was a smash success, but I’ll have more details on that tomorrow.
- I am officially visiting my fourth (out of five) new states planned for my 101 Things in 1,001 Days Challenge. This time: Nevada. I’ll be visiting Las Vegas for about four days at the end of November-slash-beginning of December. My new company hosts a yearly retreat for all their offices, and we’re converging on Vegas this year. I’ll be flying in a couple days before that, though, to spend time with a dear friend from high school.
- Next week, my boyfriend’s mother is visiting from Minnesota for the Thanksgiving holiday. We have plans to spend the big day at Erik’s half-sister’s house, and I am once again looking forward to not having to cook. I know this will only last for so much longer, so I’m trying to enjoy each and every stress-free holiday I can get! We’re also going to be hitting up the Metropolitan Opera, which I am oh so excited about. I’ve never been to the opera before and I can’t wait!
- In December, my mother is coming to visit me after the Christmas holiday, so Erik and I will both be celebrating the holiday sans traveling. I’m trying to convince Erik to take me to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes. Either that, or we’ll see The Nutcracker. I want to get as much holiday cheer as I can this year, considering I’m spending the entire month in New York City.
- Erik and I are also coming up on our one year anniversary on December 13. I can hardly believe it’s been a whole year already, neverminding the fact we’re about to enter into a whole new decade! Where does the time go?
I hope everyone’s holiday plans are coming along swimmingly! Good night!
Good morning everyone! It’s World Diabetes 2009! World Diabetes Day aims to bring to light the importance of diabetes education and finding a cure for the millions of people worldwide who lives with this chronic, devestating illness, especially those in developing countries who don’t even have basic necessities to live with the disease.
No one should die from diabetes, so that’s why I am encouraging people to visit Life for a Child to donate to help children in developing countries have access to education and insulin. Insulin may not be a cure – but it is the reason we are all alive and everyone deserves access to it. There are a few other organizations who are dedicated to providing access to medication, and I encourage everyone to see out an organization that fits with their beliefs. I just happen to like Life for a Child.
In addition, tonight, the documentary on Life for a Child will be airing on the Sundance Channel at 8pm. I wrote about this film in April 2008 when I saw the premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. I don’t happen to get the Sundance Channel, but if you do, please watch it.
Today, I’m hosting a party for people with diabetes in Manhattan. I’m excited to see everyone, although I hardly need a reason to throw a party. But I’m always looking for a good excuse to get people together. I’ll have pictures on Monday.
Whatever it is you choose to do today, I hope overall that we are able to bring some light (preferably blue!) to the diabetes cause.
This week for my Things That Make Me Happy edition, I’m going to talk about two types of people that make me happy. Enjoy!
#11: People Who Apologize When They Accidentally Run Into You
I live in New York City. Also known as: Land of People In It For Themselves. There’s very rarely a day that goes by when I don’t see someone walk into someone else. It’s never done on purpose. I mean, walking into someone hurts, so it’s not like anyone wants to do this. It’s just that they’re too busy texting their BFF, reading their email, scanning for celebrities, or simply have lost their personal self-awareness of how much space they actually take up in the universe. Please note: it’s probably more than you think. A couple of days ago, I was on the subway and some teen girl who was getting off knocked into me. I can’t remember if we bumped hands or she stepped on my foot, but some sort of physical contact was made. And she quickly said, “Sorry!” Considering how many people NEVER SAY ANYTHING, I appreciated this gesture. Just because we live in a big city doesn’t mean we can’t have a manners.
#12: People Who Are Patient and Help Other People.
I recently changed jobs and now I have to suffer through the hideous process of changing my insurance companies. I was with United Healthcare for over two years and I loved them. They never charged me for diabetes supplies and they approved my application for a continuous glucose monitor in less than a week. It was shockingly good. But now I’m on a different insurance company and I don’t know what they’re going to do to me. Throw me under the bus? Shower me with consideration and love? Doubtful, but I can hope. I had a call with one of the HR ladies at my new company today and we spent 45 minutes going over my insurance benefits, what I should sign up for, how I should handle my prescriptions. I gave her the information for my diabetes supplies and she’s going to help me make sure I get everything covered. She says it’s so much easier to help people when they let you know ahead of time what you need. I hope our proactive work will help. But it was nice to talk to someone who genuinely wants to help me figure out what I need to do to stay healthy and get the care and supplies that I need. Trust me, I need all the help I can get!
When I was growing up, I was not athletic. I’m still not athletic, as anyone who has ever met me or seen a picture of me can attest to, but I have finally found a few activities that I can stand doing for more than, like, five minutes. I vividly remember trying out for the soccer team when I was in elementary school and having zero control of my soccer ball and after ten minutes, completely giving up, throwing the ball into a corner and turning into a hysterical mess of hot tears and gulping sobs as my mother drove me home where I promptly stomped upstairs and slammed the door. The most athletic I got after that was when I was the scorekeeper for my middle school’s girl’s junior varsity volleyball team.
It wasn’t until college that I attempted another athletic activity, one that surprised even myself that I would consider doing: ballet. I have never been graceful, and being overweight, I felt more akin to a lumbering football player than a graceful swan. I took classes through my alma mater, the University of Oregon. I was not only getting college credit (albeit not towards anything remotely relevant), but my parents were also paying for it (since they paid my tuition). It seemed like a sweet deal. Although my flexibility never improved to the point I could do the splits, my hamstrings stretched well enough that I could almost put my hands flat on the ground when I bent over.
When I was a junior in college, though, my classes for my major ramped up, I started up a second minor in Non-Profit Administration, and my classes started to conflict with the times of the ballet classes. I eventually dropped dance class in favor of, you know, graduating on time. I kept my leotard, tights and ballet slippers in a drawer up at my parents for ages until I finally decided that I might want to try taking dance classes again.
The problem with starting dance class while being a working woman is most of them are during the day, or on the weekends, or they are only once a week which doesn’t really help when you’re trying to improve your strength and technique. I was taking ballet four days a week in college, and even then it really wasn’t enough. When I wrote my 101 Things List in January 2008, I put “take an adult ballet/dance class” on the list but sadly, couldn’t find any studios in New Jersey that would fit my schedule.
In July, just before moving to New York City, I lost a change purse that I used to keep my train and bus tickets. It was a Coach change purse, and I loved it because I’m a designer whore who can’t afford anything designer. I was crushed. So for my birthday in August, Erik bought me a new Coach change purse. When I opened it, I thought it was perfect, and was completely surprised that he would think to replace it with another Coach change purse (these things aren’t cheap).
While I was looking at it, Erik says, “What’s that it in the pocket…?”
“Huh?” I asked, flipping it over. In the front pocket of the change purse was a little card. I pulled it out and read, “Ballet Arts: Center for Dance.” Erik had bought me a pack of ballet classes at a studio in midtown Manhattan. (Yeah, I know, awww….)
It took several weeks before my own schedule lightened up enough that I had time to take the class. My parents mailed me my ballet clothes – shoes and all. The shoes are the most important aspect of a ballerina’s outfit. The shoes are leather and take weeks to break in, formed to the foot and worn down enough that they slide comfortably across the floor. I lost one of my shoes my sophomore year in college and was so frustrated when the leather of my new shoes would stick to the floor!
Last night was my first class, and while my mind remembered all the plies and degages, my body firmly did not. The first half an hour was actually pretty good, but then my body realized it had not done this in four years and it was pissed. My thighs and calves screamed at me and I was so sore afterward that my calves cramped terribly as I climbed the stairs to my apartment.
We’ll see how I manage another class in the future. I’m not sure how well my body will tolerate doing a ballet class just once a week, so I’ll have to fit in the time to go twice, or maybe three times a week if I can help it. Erik only purchased a 10 ticket card though, and I don’t want to use them up too quickly. Ballet classes are not cheap.
Ballet is, however, a form of exercise I’ve always enjoyed. And it’s one that I can actually do. Well, I can do it better than maneuvering that Godforsaken soccer ball (sorry, deep-seeded childhood bitterness). It doesn’t seem to damage my blood sugars too badly probably because it’s not to intense and I don’t have a rush of adrenaline. I wore my pump to last night’s class because I was wearing my gym pants, but my instructor said that it’s best just to wear a leotard and tights when dancing, to help improve the line of your body. Since I don’t wear a bra while dancing (the leotard keeps you plenty in place), there isn’t anywhere to put the gadget. I always danced without a pump in college, but my body doesn’t like to be disconnected for too long, or I spike something fierce. So I’ll have to work something out if I partake in ballet regularly.
Do you have a favorite, non-traditional method of exercise? I know Scott plays basketball with his homies. I’ve always thought team sports or dance are more fun than huffing and puffing on a treadmill. If you have any ideas on things I can try, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Anything to keep me off an elliptical machine will keep me happy!
