update 010011*

*originally from LJ

Another 2 months since my last update, so here's a bunch of randomness.

I've always wanted long hair and I've even tried to grow it out a few times. It never got particularly long before I got frustrated and cut it off again. When I cut my hair before grad school (last August) I devised a new plan to keep my hair away from the scizzors - I'll donate it! Since you need at least 10 inches to donate, I was guaranteed to get my hair at least that long. Well, the scheme worked, barely. My hair was almost down to my waist :) Of course then I got the itch to cut it again. Luckily, I had just 10", so off it went! Of course now my hair is the shortest it's been since I was 7.

I ended my summer rotation at the earliest possible moment - August 13. Then I took a 3 week vacation. Then I was in NY for a week (which included the Genetics department retreat), and then I went on vacation for another week. Well, not quite... During the 3 weeks I spent about a week in Florida. My parents moved there in July. Two days after I left, my mother had a heart attack and ended up getting a triple bypass. I needed to go to the department retreat, but I left for Florida right after we got back. My mom was actually released from the hospital the day I arrived, so I didn't miss much. I was in NY during her surgery and I was having really bad chest pains the whole day (they radiated up and down my back and it was actually painful to breathe). Everyone said they were sympathy pains, but they hurt like hell.

She turned 45 a month before the heart attack. I know that certainly doesn't mean I'll have the same problems but it just freaked me out a little. She's been obese for the last 20 years and I'm pretty sure that particular ailment runs in her family. So first, I'm freaked out about becoming obese, and then about the associated heart problems. And not only am I freaked out about myself, because I more or less have control over what I do, but I'm just concerned for everyone who is overweight/obese.

I was watching some moring news show a few months ago and they were interviewing a medical professional about obesity in America. This is sort of what he said (paraphrasing): "You're in a group of people and one of them takes out a cigarette and starts smoking, and someone else in the group turns to that person and says 'Stop that! don't you know you're killing yourself?' Now imagine you're in a group of people and one happens to be obese, it's not exactly appropriate to turn to them and say 'don't you know you're killing yourself? do something about it!'." It's true. Making fun of overweight people or even drawing attention to them is insensitive and hurts their feelings, but how do you approach them seriously and tell them that they are slowly dying every day?

Taking care of yourself is not something you do when you have time. There's never enough time for everything you may want to do. You have to make the time, and that's hard. I'm still working on that. I try to do cardio a few times a week but I know I could be doing more. My roommate runs something like 4-5 miles every morning. I wish I had that kind of discipline. But like most people I think - "well, I don't really have a problem yet, there's no rush." People also say the longer you live an unhealthy lifestyle, the harder it is to break out of it, and the longer you have the extra weight, the harder it is to get it off. I'm not really overweight but I'm extremely out of shape. I can't even run a mile, i have to speed walk at least a third of it.

I started this entry not really knowing where it was headed and now that I'm here I'm getting depressed about my life. So I think I'll stop now. poop.