Привет всем!

Если Вы хотите написать мне личное письмо, пожалуйста пишите сюда. Все комментарии скрыты.

Спасибо,

Катя

... I am not an expert on this, but we had a problem about 3 months ago, when Valya's nanny's cat started peeing in our shoe closet.   We did some research and were able to solve the problem, so I wanted to share my experience in case it is relevant to my readers.

1. Take the cat to the vet and check for a UTI

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071203104714AA49WTX
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/88507
http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=47&pst=1138735

2. Try to see if the cat's behavior matches any of these parameters:

from MD SPCA:

http://www.mdspca.org/petcare/documents/catlitterprev.pdf
http://www.mdspca.org/petcare/documents/catlittersol.pdf
http://www.mdspca.org/petcare/documents/catroaming.pdf

If the cat (or a child for that matter) peed on a soft surface, such as a couch or a bed, soak it in vinegar, and then put baking soda on top. Works best on a hot sunny day (or put a heat radiator nearby). The baking soda will soak up the vinegar, which will bring out the cat urine. If the cat peed there repeatedly, you will need to treat several times, and there is a chance you will need to throw out the couch - sorry. Wipe the outside of the couch and any other likely surface with orange-smelling stuff (I used orange - infused floor wash to clean hardwood floors when our nanny's cat peed in the shoe closet).

good luck!

По вторникам после класса начинаются репетиции Медицинского Хора Johns Hopkins, где поют врачи, медсестры, и прочий персонал.  :-)  В мае - концерт.

JHMI Choral Society Resumes Tuesday
The JHMI Choral Society seeks enthusiastic volunteers for its spring session. Starting this Tuesday, the chorus will rehearse every Tuesday 5:15-6:45 pm in Hurd Hall, JHH. Rehearsals will culminate on May 4th in the Annual Spring Concert.

Вопрос - походить ли мне туда, или я совсем обнаглела? 

So, folks - what do you do with old LJ commentaries?  Do you archive them?  Erase them?

First of all, I would like to thank my country for providing my daughter with health insurance the year that I chose to stay home with her to manage her health problems, and the insurance package offered by our university through my husband's job cost roughly the size of his monthly salary (normally this would not happen b/c the employer/University would pay most of the premium, but Scott was on a fellowship, and so he was only eligible for COBRA for his family, i.e. we would have had to pay full premium).  Having only one graduate student income placed us below the poverty level that year, and the state covered Valentina's health costs.   That year, I went without insurance, probably more through being lazy b/c Indiana allowed catastrophic policies... but money really was tight.  The following year Scott started his postdoc in NY, which offered us health insurance for the entire family.

The uninsured children from the quoted post above mostly come from families that make too much money to qualify for federal aid, are not getting subsidized insurance through their employer, and do not make enough to buy private health insurance at full cost. 

Reading that post above gave me an idea.

Such families will not move to Canada.  They will move to MA.  MA is on its way to become the most popular state to live in for people who are not working for large corporations, or want to start a a business.

What is the best state in the nation right now to start a small business, such as teaching children to play the violin while your spouse is teaching children to play the piano?  MA - you can buy health insurance proportionate with your salary!   What is the best state to live in if a couple has fertility issues?  MA - insurance sold in that state is required to cover fertility treatments as any other illness.  What is the best state to live in for someone brilliant and independent, like Randall Munroe, the creator of www.xkcd.com ?  MA - he is able to create a little cartoon-drawing business online (cartoons are free, t-shirts and books are sold for profie) and stay secure that if his appendix ruptures, his "right to healthcare" will not include paying 25K or going bankrupt for the privilege of being treated.  What is the best state to live in if the husband is a successful freelance writer, but the wife has some health issues, making her uninsurable in, say, NY?  MA - she would not be discriminated again b/c of a pre-existing condition.   So we have two competing pressures in the state - rising health care costs vs. attractive place to live for people with a streak towards independence.

If MA voted for Martha Coakley last night, the entire country would have had a shot to become competitive with MA in this way, and MA (being a rich state) would have to partially pay for it.  So Scott Brown was totally right - MA has a good thing going, why should it share?  Instead of losing talent to other states, it will have people clamoring to move there, for the security in knowing that no matter what, their health care will be covered.  Instead of reducing their share of the national "pie", they just increased it.  Congrats folks.

Now, let's think back to another health care issue we have all seen progress over the last 20 years, namely health coverage for gay couples.  For decades, gay couples had a problem - one spouse working for a corporation was not enough to cover the other spouse's health care since they could not formally marry.  Realizing that situation, some employers (correct me if I am wrong, but I  think it started with the Silicon Valley) started covering the health care of the domestic partner, and enjoyed incredible talent moving into California.  At the time, it was considered a crazy move, especially given that much fo the US HIV+ population was gay at the time, and treatments were crazy expensive.  Given the prospect of one person working in their chosen industry, such as computer science, and the other person being able to pursue their creative side by being an artist while enjoying the health benefits earned by the other spouse, gay people went out of their way to work for such companies, and made outstanding employees because their entire family's well-being depended on it.  Eventually other businesses took notice and started changing their policies, too.  While gay marriage has not been successful so far, domestic partner health insurance is something offered by many corporations now, due to market pressure.

We are at a similar crossroads with health insurance, except we are not talking about corporations now, we are talking about states.  MA made a bold statement - if you live here, we will give you an opportunity to buy health insurance proportionate with your income (average cost nationwide to cover a family with children is $13,375, a huge sum for the coasts and a completely unaffordable sum for the Small Town America, where the monthly health care premium equals 2-3 mortgage payments):

www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2009-09-15-insurance-costs_N.htm

In a few years, we will see if that bold gamble by MA paid off.  MA has a high cost of living, so I don't see businesses moving there en masse... but if there is a brain drain from  other states to MA, people will take notice.  And then we may see state-wide health reforms, probably learning from MA mistakes and writing more efficient legislature.  This will be interesting!

P.S.  Can't fully blame MA for the failure of health care reform either - Democrats have proven themselves unable to rule wisely this year, and got swift feedback.   The Health Care bill on the table did not solve the cost issues of providing care, it only opened the national conversation by making such care mandatory.  With this kind of supermajority and mandate, my party should have done better.

Народ, отвлечемся от этих чертовых выборов - смотрите какой шедевр от neivid откопала buddzagirl !

neivid.livejournal.com/234432.html

Признавайтесь, кто отличник, а кто двоечник?

Я совершенно очевидно двоечница "духовная",  за исключением того, что готовить мне в кайф.  Но когда надоедает или взгрустнется, то и курица-грилль из магазина сойдет!  Удачная ли я двоечница или нет пока точно сказать нельзя, спросите через 5 лет.  ;-)

http://tandem-bike.livejournal.com/220232.html

Есть масса людей, которые считают, что право на лечение не распространяется на тех, кто не имеет медицинской страховки в США.  Вопрос  у них, в общем-то, естественный - почему МЫ должны платить, чтобы ИХ лечили?  Тем более, что ОНИ как правило не слишком образованны, зачастую безработны, и многиe из них антисоциальные элементы.

Я же отвечаю - давайте сделаем gedanken experiment, как завещал великий Эйнштейн, и представим себе Американское общество, где страховка есть только у Заслуживших (т.е. сам человек или его/ee супруг(а) работают на полную ставку на крупную компанию).  Экономику берем ту, которая есть сегодня:  много безработицы, много временных рабочих мест (контрактники).  Ждем 9 мес, позволяем subsidized COBRA для уволенных в этом месяце закончиться.  Затем можно рассматривать социальную динамику.

Во-первых, такое общество не будет склонно к новаторству, к созданию бизнесов на раскрутку новых идей - кто может себе позволить жить без страховки здоровья?  За последние несколько лет премиальные на страхование здоровья растут каждый год, и давно уже пересекли ту границу, когда среднестатистический семейный человек может реально заработать на эту роскошь в течении 2-3 лет, пока любой бизнес становится доходным.   Это значительно уменьшает наши возможности создания новых идей для поддержания лидерства на мировом рынке.  Два примера таких компаний будут Микрософт и Гугль, созданных молодыми ребятами как первая работа после университета.

Во-вторых, если мы сейчас считаем, что преступность высока, то давайте дождемся общества, где страхуют только Заслуживших.  В данной рецессии, многие люди из среднeго класса США потеряли работы с бенефитами, а нашли новые позиции как контракторы или в небольшой компании, и скоро потеряют свою субсидируванную КОБРА.  Хотя в случае болезни семьи постараются мобилизовать все свои усилия на покрытие лечения, реалистично говоря у кого есть 25К на обычное удаление аппендикса? 

http://ehealthforum.com/health/topic8529.html

А если что-то более серьезное, рак или сердечное заболевание?   А если больной - это ребенок?  Что сделают родители?  Некоторые договорятся через связи, некоторые найдут "спонсора", некоторые купят пистолет и пойдут искать деньги там, где они плохо лежат, а некоторые купят пистолет для того, чтобы отмстить.  Мне кажется, несколько лет назад про это вышел фильм.

Я подозреваю, что Заслужившие в таком обществе жить будут за такой стеной:



ездить будут на вот таких машинах:



и носить будут вот такие пуленепробиваемы рубашки:



Создание образованного среднего класса в нашей стране без права на резонное по цене лечение обычных распространнных заболеваний навсегда изменит характер нашего общества.  Уйдут беззаботные выходные в центре города, возможность просто смотаться в магазин за шмотками в пятницу вечером.  Вместо НЙ или Чикаго, мы сможем жить за забором с решетками на окнах, как люди живут в Буэнос Айресе или в Йоханнесбурге.  Потерять работу с бенефитами для кормильца семьи будет примерно равно потере хлебной карточки в блокадном Ленинграде. 

Я не думаю, что люди, пропагандирующие здравоохранение для Заслуживших, думают об этом сценарии.  Мне видится,я что они ожидают сохранения статуса кво, но не понимают, что количество незастрахованных в нашей стране растет очень бысто.  Это количество просто неочевидно сейчас, с субсидированной КОБРА.  Я также не думаю, что они реально рассматривают судьбы людей, которых уволили в 55-60 лет, и которым найти работу практически нереально, как и купить медицинскую страховку (а если они ранее серьезно болели, то они uninsurable ни за какие деньги).   Эти люди - наши родители. 

Люди думают, что лежащий на столе Билль о Здравоохранении мог бы быть получше.  Я тоже так думаю.  Но данный билль будет отточен с годами, сейчас всех дальноидущих эффектов все равно не измерить.  Нашей стране нужен некий минимум универсального здравоохранения.

ЗЫ.  Я совершенно не против того, чтобы у Заслуживших были более хорошие планы без очередей, с наилучшими специалистами, с новейшим оборудованием, и даже с отдельными больницами.  Я просто против того, чтобы люди приходили в больницу после трех суток болей дома с лопнувшим аппендитом из-за боязни мед. счетов, а потом умирали от сепсиса.  И я против того, что согласно исследователям из Johns Hopkins Hospital, 17,000 (СЕМНАДЦАТЬ ТЫСЯЧ) детей в США за последние 20 лет умерли из-за того, что у них не было медицинской страховки.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029102419.htm

Я не хочу, чтобы эта реальность стала обыденностью.

Голосующие штата Massachusetts, слово за Вами.

Сьездили в Висконсин, успели повидать живым и похоронить свекра, светлая память, хороший мужик.   Муж держится нормально, свекровь куда хуже, сил ей.  Про это бы надо отдельно, и не телеграфом.

Обратно вели машину 24 часа подряд - выехали в 4 вечера из Висконсина 30ого декабря, приехали домой в 3:30 вечера 31ого. Тридцатого вечером остановились поиграть в McDonald's Playland в центральном Иллинойсе на ужин, потом по усиливающимуся снегопаду 2 часа, потом убегая от снегопада до Мэриленда. Основной водитель у нас я, за сутки спала 40 мин один раз и полтора часа другой, так что приехав домой сам НГ проспала спокойно и уверенно впервые в жизни.  Дороги были такие, что я вела по трассе (highway) со скоростью 45-50 миль в час ночью, и никто меня особенно не обгонял.  Что там говорят про "как проведешь новогодний день, так и год?"  Тогда будем семьей работать как слаженная команда, достигать своих целей, и жить вне традиций.  ;-)

На НГ на полдник остановились в чудесном городе Cumberland, обязательно надо вернуться и доизучать, просто жемчужинка в горах, 2 часа езды от нас:



Вернулись домой, потекла жизнь.   Забрали ключ от дома у китайского соседа, он меня пригласил поехать с ним в китайский магазин за продуктами, вернулась домой через час с цельным тунцом.   Было вкусно, и еще осталось! 

Скучаю по ЖЖ - им надо определенно построить портал для БлекБерри, как Фейсбук сделал, а то неудобно.  На компьютере мое время очень ограничено.  Да, кстати Фейсбук я обновляю регулярно, добавляйте смело.

Раз уж я сдала сессию и мне теперь можно в ЖЖ, то напишу ответ на flash-mob о 5 ассоциациях от Тани-Багиры. Если хотите, чтобы я Вам дала 5 ассоциаций, дайте мне знать (но если хотите ассоциации из длинных таинственных женственых не-медицинских слов, то Вы зашли в неправильный дневник, проситесь у Тани!).

1. небо, полное звёзд - ответ по-английски from Thornton Wilder, "Heaven is My Destination"

"The child lay humming contendly to herself, and looking down at her, Brush seemed to observe a strange indifference to the sky. She smiled up at him, as smile that seemed to allude to their wickedness in evading her mother's rules on an early departure to bed.
They were silent for a time. Then Brush put her to her nightly test.
"What's your name?"
"Elizabeth Martin Brush."
"What do you do when you are lost?"
"Policeman"
"Where do you live?"
"Twelve twelve Brinkley Street"
"What do you do?"
"Tell the trufe..."
"Yes"
"... love God..."
"Yes"
"... and brush my teef."
"That's right."
She was able to tell what country she belonged to; she counted to twenty, and repeated a portion of the alphabet. she was then allowed to relax. After a long silence he looked down to see that her wide eyes were gazing tranquilly at the stars."

2. кринолин( Картинки под катом! )
Держится эта красота месяц. Ходить гулять по украшеным улочпод желтеющими листьями в прозрачный осенний день для меня приносит живейшее удовольствие.

Google sync ate about 20% of my contacts and interchanged (!!!!) data in some others, listing people's phones and e-mails under wrong names. I won't have time to straighten this out until after finals - I have over 300 contacts and 5 finals. If you need me sooner, please e-mail me your phone number. If anyone knows how to upload remaining Google mail contacts onto a Storm NOT using sync, please let me know.

Check your own bb - if you see duplicating contacts, chances are, there are also contacts being erased or altered the same way, it's a documented issue with Sync. From what I gather, I will have to use Outlook and Desktop Manager to sync my contacts sometime in the future. If I know your contact is messed up, I will eventually send out an e-mail or a comment. Tnx, your *very angry* Katya

OK, folks - it's done! Please join new_career - it's a community for those of us who are changing, or have changed, our career track. It's not specific to a particular field (although it's perfectly fine to post on "how to become a nurse" or "how to become an actuary", lots of folks need that info). We also hope to get lots of personal stories on why people changed careers, what they hope to achieve, how they pick a field, etc.

I made membership and posts pre-moderated to avoid trolls and robo-accounts which have proliferated on LJ lately. Only members can post. If I get requests, I will lock all the posts as community default... for now locking the post is up to the author.

I think we'll accept both Russian-language and English-language entries in the community, any objections? I think I am done with the design on the main page (if you really hate it, feel free to let me know so I can change it), but I have not yet written rules/description/moderator policy... let's just use common sense for now, and if the community grows, I will add "bells and whistles".

Best regards, Katya

Would anyone be interested in a new community created for people undergoing (or having undergone) a career change? I think it might be useful. ;-) new_career.livejournal.com - is there a better / easier way to name it? Katya

http://kotja-shok.livejournal.com/248067.html

Enjoy!!!

Would anyone care to weigh in on whom you expect to win the upcoming NY 23rd Congressional district elections and the NJ governorship race?

When I look at NY's 23rd, I start wondering whether we'll get Sarah Palin as our next president after all... Hoffman, who ran as a conservative third-party candidate against a moderate Republican with extensive local experience, does not live full-time in the district, does not know local issues, cannot hold a credible press conference, but sure stands firm on the (R) side of abortion / gay marriage, and has three million dollars from the national Republican party to prove it. Eh... not my kind of Republican, and I always vote mixed in the booth. So I hope Owens(D) gets it, but I understand it's not too likely.

I don't have a dog in the NJ governorship fight, but it would he curious who comes up on top. I am pretty sure it will be Corzine (when it comes to the election booth, people of NJ as I understand them are more likely to pick a former chairman of Goldman-Sacks over a district attorney), but I don't really know.

Thoughts, bets, reflections?

Like most cities in America, Baltimore has a reverse correlation between school quality and accessibility of public transportation. So when we chose to live in the best school district in Baltimore, I found that there are very few options to get to Hopkins without driving... and I don't consider driving one way for 40 min plus parking in an area where we had a nurse critically injured by a random bullet in September to be such a good idea. The gentleman came out for a smoking break, which is clearly detrimental to one's health. However, we were concerned about bus safety also.

I found an Express Bus that runs from Ellicott City to downtown Baltimore, where I transfer onto a subway for two stops, for a "door-to-door" trip taking the same 45 minutes. My worries about safety were drastically reduced! The bus is its own microcosmos of humanity. Nearly everyone on my bus is a scientist or a doctor or a government official... it's really impressive, and I had many great conversations. There are always seats, people are courteous. The late morning bus which I usually don't take is particularly cosmopolitan.

A couple of times I ran late after school, and missed my Express bus. Instead, I would have to take a regular bus, which does not quite get me home, but at least I find myself in the right county. It runs on the same street as the Express bus, just stops earlier. That bus is packed, and folks riding it are from a different world. Last time, a gentleman in his 60's with half of his teeth missing attempted to flirt with me while a woman two seats down was spanking her three year old because he wanted something to do other than just sit and stare. I remedied both situations successfully by chatting up the little boy. That said, I don't feel safe riding that bus carrying my phone, wallet, and sometimes a camera or an ipod with me.

So, why is there such a difference between these two buses? It's the economy, stupid, as they say.
Hopkins sells us a discounted student pass which covers regular bus fare, but since the bus is Express, I have to add $O.40 for each ride. That's the economically segregating barrier - a more expensive bus fare. People only take the Express if they can afford it, and it's not a huge difference (1.50 vs 1.90), but it's enough.

Since then, I have discovered that I can take yet another Express Bus to get home. It looks like a fancy tour bus. It has large seats, huge glassy windows, smells good, and stops right between the JH Hospital and the School of Nursing, obliviating my subway ride. It goes throught the posh business district of Baltimore, picking up professionals and health workers. The bus driver takes the time to wish us all a good evening individually. The price of exclusivity? $2.00 per ride plus the regular bus fee.

Pleasant commuting, everyone!

On Saturday, I fulfilled one of my important goals for this semester - Valya and I got our swine flu vaccinations. So folks, if you were planning to vaccinate your kids (generally adults are not eligible, I have the vaccine because I have direct patient contact with pregnant women), start calling around. The first shipments of publically distributed injectable vaccines arrived, some doctors are running clinics etc. Good luck!

angerona ,  here is the perfect cartoon to reply to your post .  This is pretty much how it worked out for me:

And you are absolutely right, the only reason it could happen is because I changed my mind before I was making Big Bucks as a chemist.   Also, I worked for 2 years after college, paying off all my debts and saving enough for a downpayment on a Midwestern house, which took away much of my anguish.  Graduate school in the sciences pays a small salary which goes a LOOOOOOONG way in Small Town, Midwest, but yet it's not the kind of money that makes quitting and starting over an impossible idea.

I do not know whether changing a career path in one's late 20's / early 30's is a good idea or not.  It seems to be refreshingly common, and there is strength in numbers - ladies who are changing their profession, we really ought to start a support group in LJ!  I suspect that people who have a stable job they enjoy by the time they are 40 will feel they made a good choice, whether they changed careers or not.  People who will hate their jobs by the time they are 40 will feel that they made a mistake.  Every job will have a couple of years when the motivation is really low, and the going is really tough.  And fundamentally no one really knows the right path for themselves, we just go by feel in a dark labyrinth.  

So I guess I just want to wish everyone best of luck, in whichever choice they have made (or are currently making).  For better or for worse, I feel that I am on the right path right now - we'll see what I say in a few years, but right now this all feels very good and very right.  However, I am not currently making any money, and in fact I am paying Hopkins tuition, so it's a good thing Scott and I were saving like crazy all of our lives - it gives us the freedom to take turns pursuing our dreams while giving our daughter what she needs.   So I guess that would be the only advice I could give anyone - if you are starting to have doubts about your career, start SAVING MONEY, so that if things get really bad mentally, you can stay home for a couple of years, regroup, and start over.  It may or may not involve extra schooling, it is likely to improve your quality of life, it's likely to be a great gift to your children, and it is applicable to both men and women.

There is new data that Chronic Fatigue disorder, considered a psychiatric diagnosis until now, is really a medical problem either caused by XMRV (murine leukemia virus) or by a related factor, such as high susceptibility to the virus.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/health/research/09virus.html

To make it even more special, the lead researcher worked in a small center established by the parents of a young woman suffering from the disease.... we can all get inspired by this story. If they could do it against all odds, we all have to at least try with the battles in our lives!

I don't know anything about that virus, as far as transmission or how common it is, but I suspect we may find out a lot more in the years to come.

A student in Hopkins found a repeat intruder in his garage, and killed him with a Samurai sword, possibly in self-defense...

http://mobile.baltimoresun.com/inf/infomo;JSESSIONID=6CA8FB2522557D80B97B.3695?view=top_stories_item&feed:a=balt_sun_1min&feed:c=topstories&feed:i=49270246&nopaging=1

The School of Nursing classmates were impressed...

NY Times today published a moving and very hopeful account about the blatant discrimination women face all over the world, and how microloans and other Western help is effectively raising families out of poverty.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/magazine/23Women-t.html?_r=1&em

I enjoyed reading the success stories. We all know women are killed and neglected all over the developing world, but it's so great to see a glimpse of hope. I would encourage you to look at the slide show for the images also.

Ностальгирую по весне, по маю, по Лонг Айленду... хотя в Мэриленде хорошо, но там я уже прижилась. Обработала фото, это за пару дней до Валиного шестилетия. Цвело на поместье Коу абсолютно все - рододендроны, азалеи, и наверное жимолость (хотя я не очень знаю, как она выглядит, но наверное она тоже цвела за компанию).

From CoeHall - May09

( Заходите посмотреть на всяческие весенние розовости! )

http://mobile.baltimoresun.com/inf/infomo;JSESSIONID=971051CF7A9285600608.3235?view=top_stories_item&feed:a=balt_sun_1min&feed:c=topstories&feed:i=48298690

This, folks, is the neighborhood my hospital is in...

At 3 pm, the water at the beach was very warm, full of seaweed, green, and the tide was high.

At 3 30 pm, the water turned blue, all the seaweed cleared up, and it was noticeably colder. It was as if someone used a vacuum cleaner on the surface. By 6 pm, it was crystal clear, frigid, and the tide became much lower, exposing about 30 feet (10 meters) of the beach.

Water is a mysterious thing.

Valya and I were discussing her elementary school at the end of the school year. Valya asked me how many kindergarten teachers there were. I recalled that there were six, and we were able to name most of them between the two of us.

Then Valya asked me how many 2nd grade teachers there were. I said that I was not sure, but probably fewer as I expect 2nd grade classes to be larger. The character of our area has not changed radically in the last three years, so the number of children in 2nd grade is likely to be similar to the number of children in kindergarten.

Valya considered that information and said something like (I am paraphrasing),

"Mama, we had a day when we got together with a 2nd grade class, and everybody had a choose a partner. There was a 2nd grade partner for every child in my kindergarten class. So I think their class size is the same as our class size. So then there are as many 2nd grade teachers as there are kindergarten teachers."

I believe that would be a proof. ;-) Age - 6 years 1 month.

P.S. More details emerge. "Actually, just in case someone was missing there were three teachers to be their partners. One teacher was Mr. A for the 2nd grade class. And then in my class we had Mrs. Gordon and Mrs. DelValle. There is only one teacher in the 2nd grade"

... but I could follow a man who thinks along these lines anywhere.

"I love those folks who helped get us in this mess, and suddenly they say, "This is Obama's economy." That's fine. Give it to me. My job is to solve problems, not stand on the sidelines and carp and gripe." - Barack Obama, speech in Michigan yesterday.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/2009/07/obama-its-my-economy-fine-give-it-to-me.php

May I always live up to that standard of self-accountability in all that I do - or in the important stuff anyway. I don't know if Obama can solve our economic problems - plenty of my lj friends think he is on the wrong track altogether, and I am in no position to judge. But if I can be this strong and dedicated in my own life (the only life I really control), then all is not lost, and all is not in vain.

Give it to me.

Сегодня, пока я спала, на часах было такое знаменательное время;

04;05;06 в 07/08/09

Такое же будет немного позже 4 часов вечера.

А сегодня у меня еще и День Рождения!  Едем с Валей в зоопарк смотреть на жирафов и крокодилов. 

Кто чем полезным занимается, а я решила облагораживать участок. Мы снимаем дом со скидкой так как мы заботимся об участке сами. Муж у меня всем этим глубоко не заинтересован, а мне наоборот нравится, и этим аспектом нашей жизни я занимаюсь сама по возможности. В прошлом году я посадила цветник спереди дома, овощной сад сзади, и папортники вбоку где стоят мусорные баки. Хозяйка была в восторге. В этом году в связи с переездом дальше посадки помидор и периодической стрижки лужайки дело пока не ходило.

Однако, вчера я постригла лужайку, а сегодня с утра воспользовалась хорошей погодой и решила рубить кусты. Кусты нам достались в состоянии крайнего запустения, покрытые ядовитыми лианами poison ivy, которые я удачно выдергала и вытравила в прошлом году. Я также постаралась их подровнять садовыми ножницами, но дало очень кривой результат и стерло мне ладони до ран. В связи с этим, хозяйка выдала мне hedge trimmer, вот такой:
( The Hedge Clipper Adventure... )Когда уборка была почти закончена (Валя помогла мне собрать и убрать лишние ветки), к нам подошел импозантный водитель грузовика по смешиванию цемента.

"Дэвушка, вот метла поудобнее, давайте мне грабли. Вы откуда?"

"Из России. А Вы?"

"Италиано. Какая у Вас дочка молодец, помогает. Мой пострел и собаку погулять не сводит!"

 Valya has been keeping a journal in school, and just brought it home.  Here are some of her thoughts on moving to Baltimore!   For those of you who don't see children writing in English every day, I will attach a "translation", with some added punctuation for clarity:

Valya learned how to use my camera for the first time two weeks ago at Coe Hall - and I am finally processing the photos!  She took this picture of us discussing some article on the news through my  blackberry. 
( It's a litte fuzzy, but I liked it anyway: )

Might be relevant for those on the list who live / work / considering a hospital visit in Brooklyn / Queens:

http://sagefemme11.livejournal.com/318118.html

Sagefemme is a friend and a midwife who works in one of the Brooklyn hospitals that is located on the border of Queens and Brooklyn. This might also be applicable to the rest of the tristate area, but I am not as sure about that - please let me know if you see something about that!

Дорогие мамы на листе - в последний месяц у кого-то дети выдавали резкую температуру 101Ф-102Ф без симптомов корме усталости?  Живот не болит, носик дышит хорошо, горло не болит.   У меня сегодня Валю домой послали с 102, с утра была здорова - сейчас в принципе тоже, только температурит и усталая.

Что это в итоге оказалось - грипп, простуда?  Как долго длилось?  Как долго держалась температура?     

Спасибо, Катя 

В ЖЖ есть замечательный врач, Анна Сергеевна Белозерова. Она работает в туберкулезной больнице города Петрозаводска.   Многие из моих друзей получали у нее виртульные консультации.  Если у меня есть вопрос о медицине, я его задаю именно Анне Сергеевне, так как умнее и проницательнее ее лично я врача не знаю.

В связи с экономическим кризисом, больнице значительно урезали бюджет - и на лекарства, и на проекты которые помогают медперсоналу оставаться в добром здравии ухаживая за больными туберкулезом в открытой форме.

http://belozerova.livejournal.com/187738.html

Американки и американцы, давайте наберем сколько-то денег и переведем туда.  Я переводила туда деньги ранее - Moneygram за каждые $250 переведенных долларов берет $10 как service fee, так что нет смысла переводить много маленьких сумм, а лучше перевести одну большую.  Анна Сергеевна всегда предлагает полную отчетность за истраченные суммы.

Кто со мной пишите комментарии, скрыто.  Я бы сделала группу в ЖЖ из желающих, набрала денег (можно присылать хоть по $1, у меня есть paypal - katyadoula@gmail.com), и потом всю сумму отправила бы в Петрозаводск, с номерами счетов / переводов / квиточков итд.  Да, я  знаю сейчас и у нас кризис, но мы не говорим о заоблачных суммах на экспериментальное лечение, а о реальном небольшом вложении которое поможет спасти жизни здоровых на данный момент медсестер в Петрозаводской больнице.

Я сама дам $100.

Катя

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day, and we went to a nearby country estate called Coe Hall to enjoy the flowering trees and warm weather. As we walked among pink and white cherry blossoms, we saw a great number of brides and photographers capturing these gorgeous shots.

Valya said to me, "Katya, is it true that somewhere in the world someone is getting married every minute?"

I said yes, not sure if it's every minute, but basically yes.

Valya followed up, "And someone is born every minute?"

I replied, "Oh yea. And someone dies every minute, too"

"And their family is very sad when it happens?"

"Of course, they are sad, but this is the natural cycle of life - people are born and they eventually die"

So we continued walking for about half and hour talking about this and that. Then we saw a well-positioned wooden bench - it was located under some old tall trees and had flowering shrubs by it. Valya said,

"I like this bench. When I have my own house, I want a bench like that. I will plant a tree next to it, and flowers, and after you die you can be under it. You let me know what you want, and I will do it like that, which flowers and all."

"????. Ummm, sweetie, we generally don't bury people in our backyard. What if you wanted to move to another house?"

"Well, that's ok, I will dig you and papa up and move you, too"

"Hmmm, it's not considered polite to dig people up after they die. It's generally preferable to bury all people in the same special place, a big lawn that we call a cemetary. You can still put the bench and flowers there."

Valya seemed agreeable to that idea, and we continued walking towards the original property gate. Beautiful afternoon, eh. Inspirational!

Today at the Met's performance of Donizzetti's L'Elisir D'Amore (The Elixir of Love), to which Scott and I grabbed last-minute tickets, the leading tenor singing Nemorino got sick, and we got a substitute.

Let me tell you a bit of the plot. So this movie-star beautiful smart girl named Adina is bored in a small village. She is loved for years by a pathetic little guy named Nemorino. A troop of soldiers stops by the village, and the galant Sargeant Belcore offers marriage to her. After several comic adventures, Adina sees that Nemorino's love is true and marries him instead.

Adina was sung by a beautiful bel canto soprano Angela Gheorghiu, and Belcore was performed by a dramatic baritone Franco Vassallo. I should look for some of her recordings - she is terrific! She sings like a nightingale in the high register, but when she goes low, she sounds like a true woman. Amazing.

Nemorino was sung by some poor fellow whom I will not name, and he fit the character perfectly. Nemorino is shy; the singer's singing was extremely constricted, especially at the top notes. Nemorino is funny looking; the substitute was a full head shorter than Adina. Nemorino is stiff; the singer would only dance is a girl gave him a good strong tug. Nemorino is earnest; the sub sang every single note and tried very, very hard. Nemorino needs a bottle of wine to speak his mind; the substitute sounded notably better when "drunk" onstage. In short, it was not good opera, but I totally bought this little guy who is in love with this impossible woman. It was real.

It all changed during the famous aria "Una furtiva lacrima" (a secret tear). It started out as the rest of the opera - a shy guy trying to come to terms with his emotions and kinda sorta figuring it out in a way maybe. Then came the moment of self-reflection in the aria when the music asks Nemorino to almost whisper a plea, and right then he had the whole Met auditorium in his palm, with his tiny voice and frame not knowing if he dares to hope... and the illusion was complete, this WAS the Nemorino for the evening.

Yea, one of those days I ought to see this with a great tenor, but today was amazing. Unsurprisingly, the applause was thin, and Adina just about fell over during the curtain call, bless her heart, poor woman.

That said, after seeing a Faust where Mephistopheles sang off-stage in between barfing in a pail due to a stomach flu, while the artistic director danced on stage and tried to open his mouth appropriately to keep up the appearances, my bar for really bad opera is sat very low. This Faust probably should have been cancelled altogether in Indianapolis 7 years ago, although it sure provided an unforgettable experience.

I have some big news - we are moving to Baltimore sometime this summer! My husband was offered a job there, and today I got accepted into the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (and hopefully midwifery in good time). If you know folks who live or work there (or plan to have a baby there, I will have time to work as a doula), please introduce me to them! Thank you, Katya
___________
У меня большие новости - мы переезжаем в Балтимор этим летом!  Моему мужу там предложили работу, а меня приняли в Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (ну и со временем возьмут я надеюсь на акушерскую программу туда же).  Если Вы знаете кого-то, кто там живет или работает (или собирается там родить ребенка, я буду продолжать работать доулой), представьте меня пожалуйста! Спасибо, Катя

It's not that I am obcessed with this topic, but after taking my nutrition class this summer I am convinced that obesity is the #1 public health problem in America.   Please folks, let's keep babies the size they were meant to be, this is not an area where bigger is better. Every time that I hear, But my close blood relative's  / friend's baby is bigger, what am I doing wrong", I  take a very, very, very deep breath before answering.

http://syndicated.livejournal.com/scienceblog/3516282.html

(I am not denying that failure to thrive is a real problem, but its incidence is very low compared to overfeeding babies to get that "Gerber" look)

Вы отмечаетесь в комментариях, а я задаю вам 4 каверзных, личных и жутко нескромных вопроса. Вы берете эти 4 вопроса и копируете к себе в журнал вместе со вступительным текстом (обещая всем страждущим задать уже свои вопросы). На вопросы отвечаете! Личные вопросы от elka1 и мои на них ответы:
 
1)why do you hang out with Russians?
Когда родилась дочь, меня неожиданно потянуло к "корням".  До этого у меня не было ни одного русскоговорящего близкого знакомого даже, вся компания была американцы и иммигранты из других стран.

2)how did you meet your husband?
В классе по математике в 19 лет.  Для мужа это был первый день в университете.  Надо бы как-то написать поподробнее.  

3)what's your favorite thing to do together with Valya?
Я очень люблю с ней путешествовать, скажем смотаться в Манхеттан и обратно на день - никаких обязательств, можно говорить о том и о другом, и она хороший компаньон.

4)are you guys planning to have a second child? ;))
Ага, все вечно интересуются.  Не знаю пока - посмотрим!  Нужна комбинация стабильной работы мужа и возможности для меня выбросить год из жизни если надо - в прошлый раз я пролежала 7 месяцев беременности влежку, и в принципе такое может повториться.  Малыша конечно очень хочется.

My kid just beat me in Blokus!

One of the neat things about one's child growing older is the ability to start playing together with really neat toys! A few months ago, I was looking through the clearance isle on Amazon.com after ordering a birthday gift for a friend's little girl, and found this on 75% off:



For $22 (I added the Blokus game to make my order exceed $25 and qualify for free shipping) it seemed like a worthwhile project to tackle. We worked on it on and off, once spending an entire rainy Saturday at the kitchen table, but mostly on weekday evenings after the homework was done. I took a few photos in progress, most of them in Valya's pajamas with her hair all messy shortly before bedtime and with poor lighting, but such is life. Every photo is clickable to take you to the entire album, with the highlights presented here.

( Building the dinosaur! )
The dinosaur has a light sensor and a motion detector. If the dinosaur is turned on and senses movement, he will turn his head back and forth, open his mouth, and roar!

Valya is lucky enough to have a great-grandmother, who just turned 90 years old. Lois lives in Arizona, and she is a mother of 7 children. Her older daughter Carol is my husband's mother (click on any photo to see the full albums in PICASA):

From Party

Lois married Earl when both were around 18 years old. During the party, the placemats were created from the old family photos:

From Party

Lois was a beautiful girl - a real star:

From Party

She and Earl had 7 children - she stayed home while Earl provided for the family by being a general contractor. When the oldest son Earl Jr. was ready to attend college, great-grandma Lois took up a job in Abbott Labs in Chicago and worked there for the next 20 years to provide college education for the children. After Lois retired, they sold their Illinois home and drove all over the country in an RV, eventually settling in Arizona with their younger daughter Betty. Earl died in 2003, the same month that I became pregnant with my daughter... if Valya turned out to be a boy, her middle name would have been chosen in memory of him, but being a girl she received a middle name Anastasia from my family.

Great-grandma Lois tells great stories and she brings her great laugh everywhere with her:

From Brunch

Женщина записала опыт ареста своего сына в Германии за неудачную шутку в школе.

http://amonit.livejournal.com/148862.html


Я бы не сказала, что опыт уникален для Германии.

Ссылка получена от Крохи Енота, у которой в журнале интересное обсуждение данного вопроса (особенно почитайте историю от Твари в Круге);

http://kpoxa-e.livejournal.com/1105265.html

 Stopped by the Dollar Bill store, bought an Egg Decorating kit.  Dissolved food coloring in cups.   Dipped the eggs to achieve a yellow, a pink, a blue, and a purple (pink+blue) egg.  Valya is sitting in the kitchen decorating the eggs, as happy as can be.  We have about 500 stickers left over from a previous Dollar Bill store craft purchase, and this kit came with real little stamps instead of markers, really cool.  



I am enjoying my computer time, hanging out in LJ at 6 PM unexpectedly (I even have left-overs for dinner), processing photos from Arizona on the side, and feeling slightly guilty that instead of being engaged in Intellectual Pursuits my child is affixing 500 stickers onto dyed Easter eggs.  
But not TOO guilty.  

On Sunday mornings, as I am a little groggy and shuffling the clean laundry into appropriate bins, my wonderful daughter dances ballet on my bed to baroque music. She moves her arms in graceful arcs during the adagio, and then jumps around with gusto during the allegro. The sunlight streams in through the windows, adding to the atmosphere, but having predictably disastrous results on picture quality. I am a parent however, so I see a familiar form and my heart rejoices. ( Valentina dancing )And here is me benefiting yet again from the $200 sweater acquisition (I must have bought 20 things for Valya and myself in the stores for that money - I have a turtleneck in this wonderful orange shade also, it's a year of the sweater just as 2008 was the year of the skirt):
( Katya's orange sweater! )

Valya was sharing her vision of a perfect house with me. She wants a huge bedroom with a huge bed for jumping, and a slide connected from the jumping bed to the outside, where a huge outdoor playground is!

Trader Joe's shopping makes creating a salad at home a very fast undertaking. Generally, each item is enough for 4-5 salads, and all the prices are from memory.

1 bag of mixed organic greens --- $1.99
1 bag of shredded carrots --- $1.99
1 box (16 oz) of cherry tomatoes --- $2.25
1 bag broccoli flowerets, organic - $2.99 (ok, I don't always buy that one!!)
1 box fried pea pods --- $1.69

Saying to your child, "yes, little girl, just a minute" to a request for more salad - totally priceless!

P.S. My favorite salad dressing is 50/50 olive oil and Trader Joe's Gyusa Sauce

Я знаю, меня читают многие из тех, кто является модератором различных сообществ. В связи со спамом о похудении (и прочими спамами) - если хотите занести меня модератором, с радостью буду стирать спам из френд-ленты. Я говорю именно о чистом спаме, то, что иногда постится в 20-30 детских сообществах сразу.

Комментарии скрыты.

Over the last two weeks I went to TJ Maxx, Kohls, and a consignment store, spent about $200 on sweaters and turtlenecks mostly for Valya and I, and now feel fully prepared for winter! All the items were in the $5-$15 range, I just bought lots of them. Suddenly I feel like one of those High Maintenance Women... but I guess in the winter I am - I often wear a knitted turtleneck and a thick sweater to stay warm.

It has been experimentally determined that Brownie the Class Guineа Pig can eat an entire carrot or celery longer than his body in a single session.

 
No wonder he is so fat!

I love all stained glass works that came out from the Tiffany workshops right here in New York.  As it happens, the family house and the artisam workshops of the Tiffany family was located right here in Oyster Bay until it burned out in the 1950's.  So when I saw that the Nassau County Art Museum was having a Tiffany Lamp exhibition, I decided to spend out New Year Eve there.  However, the museum closed for a snow day unexpectedly, making for a very frustrating New Year's Eve, and we had to go there instead on Friday January 2nd.



The quality of the photographs is exactly what you would expect from photographing lamps in a darkened room with a tiny digital camera without a flash, but hey - I think they still came out pretty good!
( Click to see the exhibit! )