(Note to readers: This post is a tad self-indulgent. [On a blog! Go figure.] But hopefully, it'll help some folks who have been sidetracked on their financial and foodie journeys.)
Between September and early January, I was adopted by a cat, got married, went on my honeymoon, traveled to another wedding, got a new job, traveled for Thanksgiving, moved to a new apartment, blew through Christmas, traveled for New Year, broke my toe, and was buried in snow up to my cerebellum. Except for the prolonged limping, it was fantastic. I loved every minute with family, co-workers, and various strangers at the airport.
However.
You know all those good intentions you have stored in the back of your mind? And those behaviors you honed and practiced until they became habits? And those years and years of good financial, nutritional, and organizational practices, which you blog about almost every day, to the point where your husband asks with some regularity when you’re coming to bed?
Um.
Not to say I’ve spent the last few months buying Lexuses and cleaning out Chipotle. But I’m ludicrously out of shape, and my financial discipline has fallen way off. Part of this is (see above reasons). Another part is that I’m cooking for three different websites, all of which require an array of totally unrelated groceries. As far as the third part, I have no excuse. Spreadsheets made me sneezy? Yeah, that's the ticket.
Yet, my undies are not in bundles. It’s been a wonderful few months, which I wouldn’t trade for all 30 Rock reruns in the world. And, though it's not often mentioned in the frugality blogosphere, it's thoroughly possible to temporarily neglect budgeting and still feel okay about yourself.
But now, it's time to shape up, ship out (?), and get back on the horse. (You know the horse. It’s big and made out of money and noodles.) So here's my plan. Maybe it's applicable to your situation, too, and we can track our progress together. That would be neat.
1) Set some measureable goals, both long and short term. There's no better way to spark action and drive than having a quantifiable objective. For the short term, I'd like to get in shape, at least to the point where I'm not winded by subway stairs. For the long term, HOTUS and I would like to buy an abode before the apocalypse. So it's time to start saving.
2) Forecast necessities. First, the Commodore 64 from which I write this blog will soon be incompatible with … anything remotely technological (though it will make an incredible paperweight). Second, I'm running out of contact lenses. Actually having none would not only impair my ability to see, but impair my ability to get fuzzies caught between my contact and my eye. And last, but not least, my iPod, which I love like a child, has a big ol' line running through the screen. Is this a necessity? That's like asking, "Can I live without daily infusions of Weezer's Pinkerton?" Which – duh. No.
3) Create spreadsheets/tangible records. (*Sigh*) As it turns out, procuring a new job and a new husband kind of blows your former budgeting process to tiny pieces. Getting a handle on our spending, plus our combined financial powers, will go a long way towards accomplishing #1. Hello, Excel. Be nice to me.
4) Work out. For real, now. While dreams of being the first woman to play Major League Baseball have long been quashed by the sad acceptance of my A) total physical incompetence, and B) gender, it doesn't mean I should forgo exercise entirely. A 33-year-old shouldn't be stiff arising from bed in the morning. So, walking (and perhaps the dreaded jogging) will soon be in order.
And those are it for now. Readers, have you ever fallen off the horse? How did you get back on? Tips are sweet.
~~~
If this prolonged navel gazing appealed to you, you might also enjoy these:
Rabu, 23 Februari 2011
Navigating the Reboot: Getting Back on Track After Falling Off of It. (The Track, I Mean.)
(Note to readers: This post is a tad self-indulgent. [On a blog! Go figure.] But hopefully, it'll help some folks who have been sidetracked on their financial and foodie journeys.)
Between September and early January, I was adopted by a cat, got married, went on my honeymoon, traveled to another wedding, got a new job, traveled for Thanksgiving, moved to a new apartment, blew through Christmas, traveled for New Year, broke my toe, and was buried in snow up to my cerebellum. Except for the prolonged limping, it was fantastic. I loved every minute with family, co-workers, and various strangers at the airport.
However.
You know all those good intentions you have stored in the back of your mind? And those behaviors you honed and practiced until they became habits? And those years and years of good financial, nutritional, and organizational practices, which you blog about almost every day, to the point where your husband asks with some regularity when you’re coming to bed?
Um.
Not to say I’ve spent the last few months buying Lexuses and cleaning out Chipotle. But I’m ludicrously out of shape, and my financial discipline has fallen way off. Part of this is (see above reasons). Another part is that I’m cooking for three different websites, all of which require an array of totally unrelated groceries. As far as the third part, I have no excuse. Spreadsheets made me sneezy? Yeah, that's the ticket.
Yet, my undies are not in bundles. It’s been a wonderful few months, which I wouldn’t trade for all 30 Rock reruns in the world. And, though it's not often mentioned in the frugality blogosphere, it's thoroughly possible to temporarily neglect budgeting and still feel okay about yourself.
But now, it's time to shape up, ship out (?), and get back on the horse. (You know the horse. It’s big and made out of money and noodles.) So here's my plan. Maybe it's applicable to your situation, too, and we can track our progress together. That would be neat.
1) Set some measureable goals, both long and short term. There's no better way to spark action and drive than having a quantifiable objective. For the short term, I'd like to get in shape, at least to the point where I'm not winded by subway stairs. For the long term, HOTUS and I would like to buy an abode before the apocalypse. So it's time to start saving.
2) Forecast necessities. First, the Commodore 64 from which I write this blog will soon be incompatible with … anything remotely technological (though it will make an incredible paperweight). Second, I'm running out of contact lenses. Actually having none would not only impair my ability to see, but impair my ability to get fuzzies caught between my contact and my eye. And last, but not least, my iPod, which I love like a child, has a big ol' line running through the screen. Is this a necessity? That's like asking, "Can I live without daily infusions of Weezer's Pinkerton?" Which – duh. No.
3) Create spreadsheets/tangible records. (*Sigh*) As it turns out, procuring a new job and a new husband kind of blows your former budgeting process to tiny pieces. Getting a handle on our spending, plus our combined financial powers, will go a long way towards accomplishing #1. Hello, Excel. Be nice to me.
4) Work out. For real, now. While dreams of being the first woman to play Major League Baseball have long been quashed by the sad acceptance of my A) total physical incompetence, and B) gender, it doesn't mean I should forgo exercise entirely. A 33-year-old shouldn't be stiff arising from bed in the morning. So, walking (and perhaps the dreaded jogging) will soon be in order.
And those are it for now. Readers, have you ever fallen off the horse? How did you get back on? Tips are sweet.
~~~
If this prolonged navel gazing appealed to you, you might also enjoy these:
Between September and early January, I was adopted by a cat, got married, went on my honeymoon, traveled to another wedding, got a new job, traveled for Thanksgiving, moved to a new apartment, blew through Christmas, traveled for New Year, broke my toe, and was buried in snow up to my cerebellum. Except for the prolonged limping, it was fantastic. I loved every minute with family, co-workers, and various strangers at the airport.
However.
You know all those good intentions you have stored in the back of your mind? And those behaviors you honed and practiced until they became habits? And those years and years of good financial, nutritional, and organizational practices, which you blog about almost every day, to the point where your husband asks with some regularity when you’re coming to bed?
Um.
Not to say I’ve spent the last few months buying Lexuses and cleaning out Chipotle. But I’m ludicrously out of shape, and my financial discipline has fallen way off. Part of this is (see above reasons). Another part is that I’m cooking for three different websites, all of which require an array of totally unrelated groceries. As far as the third part, I have no excuse. Spreadsheets made me sneezy? Yeah, that's the ticket.
Yet, my undies are not in bundles. It’s been a wonderful few months, which I wouldn’t trade for all 30 Rock reruns in the world. And, though it's not often mentioned in the frugality blogosphere, it's thoroughly possible to temporarily neglect budgeting and still feel okay about yourself.
But now, it's time to shape up, ship out (?), and get back on the horse. (You know the horse. It’s big and made out of money and noodles.) So here's my plan. Maybe it's applicable to your situation, too, and we can track our progress together. That would be neat.
1) Set some measureable goals, both long and short term. There's no better way to spark action and drive than having a quantifiable objective. For the short term, I'd like to get in shape, at least to the point where I'm not winded by subway stairs. For the long term, HOTUS and I would like to buy an abode before the apocalypse. So it's time to start saving.
2) Forecast necessities. First, the Commodore 64 from which I write this blog will soon be incompatible with … anything remotely technological (though it will make an incredible paperweight). Second, I'm running out of contact lenses. Actually having none would not only impair my ability to see, but impair my ability to get fuzzies caught between my contact and my eye. And last, but not least, my iPod, which I love like a child, has a big ol' line running through the screen. Is this a necessity? That's like asking, "Can I live without daily infusions of Weezer's Pinkerton?" Which – duh. No.
3) Create spreadsheets/tangible records. (*Sigh*) As it turns out, procuring a new job and a new husband kind of blows your former budgeting process to tiny pieces. Getting a handle on our spending, plus our combined financial powers, will go a long way towards accomplishing #1. Hello, Excel. Be nice to me.
4) Work out. For real, now. While dreams of being the first woman to play Major League Baseball have long been quashed by the sad acceptance of my A) total physical incompetence, and B) gender, it doesn't mean I should forgo exercise entirely. A 33-year-old shouldn't be stiff arising from bed in the morning. So, walking (and perhaps the dreaded jogging) will soon be in order.
And those are it for now. Readers, have you ever fallen off the horse? How did you get back on? Tips are sweet.
~~~
If this prolonged navel gazing appealed to you, you might also enjoy these:
ANTI-MET TREATMENT FOR BONE METASTASES FROM PROSTATE CANCER
Dramatic resolution of bone metastases occurred in 85% of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with a wide-spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor, according to preliminary study data.
The data, from the open label Lead-in Stage of an ongoing adaptive design phase II randomized discontinuation trial, showed that only one of 62 patients had less than stable disease in bone and soft tissue as best response to cabozantinib (XL184), said David C. Smith, MD, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues.
Bone pain and use of narcotic drugs declined, as did markers of bone turnover, investigators in the multicenter trial reported during a poster presentation at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium here.
And, at 12 weeks of follow-up, three-fourths of the study patients had disease control, Smith and colleagues added.
As a result of the observed activity, the randomized-discontinuation phase of the trial was stopped, and data were unblinded.
Among patients randomized to placebo or to continue treatment with cabozantinib, discontinuation of active therapy was associated with rapid disease progression, Smith and colleagues reported.
Despite their preliminary nature, the team's findings created a stir at the GU cancers meeting.
"The bone scan changes are unprecedented," remarked Oliver Sartor, MD, of Tulane University in New Orleans, who was not involved in the study.
"The scans show that something quite remarkable is going on. This honestly appears to be a whole new mechanism of action," he said.
Added Celestia Higano, MD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, "I have never seen those kind of [bone] changes with any agent."
According to other investigators at the symposium, the bone effects of cabozantinib are not limited to castration-resistant prostate cancer. Benefits have also been observed in breast cancer, melanoma, thyroid cancer, and renal cell cancer.
Bone metastases in castration-resistant prostate cancer are associated with increased expression of MET, which has a key role in tumor cell survival, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Studies have shown that osteoblasts and osteoclasts express MET and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors.
Moreover, VEGF type 2 receptor (R2) acts synergistically with MET to stimulate angiogenesis.
Cabozantinib inhibits both MET and VEGFR2, which might block progression of osteolytic and osteoblastic bone lesions, Smith and colleagues noted.
Preclinical studies demonstrated that cabozantinib inhibits progression of prostate cancer xenografts in bone.
Smith's group reported findings from a trial to evaluate the effect of 12 weeks of treatment with cabozantinib, followed by randomized discontinuation, conducted among men with bone and visceral metastases from castration-resistant prostate cancer.
CT/MRI bone scans were performed at baseline and then every six weeks.
The primary endpoint was objective response at 12 weeks. Of 168 patients enrolled to date, 100 had completed 12 weeks of follow-up. Additionally, investigators examined data for 62 patients with known bone metastases and at least one bone scan after baseline.
Of the 100 evaluable patients, about half had progressed on docetaxel. Additionally, about half had visceral disease, 88% had lymph node involvement, 78% had bone metastases, 50% had significant bone pain, and 37% required narcotics for bone pain.
The investigators reported that 26 of the 100 patients dropped out before completing 12 weeks of treatment, primarily because of disease progression (10 patients) and adverse events (nine).
Smith reported that 53 of 62 (85%) patients evaluable by bone scan had complete or partial resolution of bone lesions, and eight others had stable disease. Of 43 evaluable patients with bone metastases and bone pain, 26 (60%) had improvement in pain as early as six weeks after starting cabozantinib.
Among 33 evaluation patients who required narcotics for bone pain, 21 (64%) had improvement in pain at six or 12 weeks, and 13 (46%) decreased the dosage or discontinued narcotics.
Adverse events were common, but severe events were not. The most common adverse events were fatigue (71% of patients), decreased appetite (52%), diarrhea (46%), nausea (40%), constipation (34%), dysphonia (33%), vomiting (29%), hypertension (25%), and dysgeusia (24%).
The most common grade 3+ adverse events were fatigue (15%) and hypertension (8%). Additionally, 5% of patients had severe hand-foot syndrome (19% all grades).
The substantial activity against bone metastases did not translate into similar activity against the primary tumor. Smith reported that only six of 100 patients had objective responses. However, 82 had stable disease. At 12 weeks, 74 of 100 had disease control.
Additionally, a minority of patients had a PSA response to cabozantinib.
The researchers also reported that markers of bone turnover decreased by as much as 80% at 12 weeks.
According to investigators, a nonrandomized expansion-cohort study of cabozantinib in castration-resistant prostate cancer has begun patient accrual.
The data, from the open label Lead-in Stage of an ongoing adaptive design phase II randomized discontinuation trial, showed that only one of 62 patients had less than stable disease in bone and soft tissue as best response to cabozantinib (XL184), said David C. Smith, MD, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues.
Bone pain and use of narcotic drugs declined, as did markers of bone turnover, investigators in the multicenter trial reported during a poster presentation at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium here.
And, at 12 weeks of follow-up, three-fourths of the study patients had disease control, Smith and colleagues added.
As a result of the observed activity, the randomized-discontinuation phase of the trial was stopped, and data were unblinded.
Among patients randomized to placebo or to continue treatment with cabozantinib, discontinuation of active therapy was associated with rapid disease progression, Smith and colleagues reported.
Despite their preliminary nature, the team's findings created a stir at the GU cancers meeting.
"The bone scan changes are unprecedented," remarked Oliver Sartor, MD, of Tulane University in New Orleans, who was not involved in the study.
"The scans show that something quite remarkable is going on. This honestly appears to be a whole new mechanism of action," he said.
Added Celestia Higano, MD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, "I have never seen those kind of [bone] changes with any agent."
According to other investigators at the symposium, the bone effects of cabozantinib are not limited to castration-resistant prostate cancer. Benefits have also been observed in breast cancer, melanoma, thyroid cancer, and renal cell cancer.
Bone metastases in castration-resistant prostate cancer are associated with increased expression of MET, which has a key role in tumor cell survival, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Studies have shown that osteoblasts and osteoclasts express MET and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors.
Moreover, VEGF type 2 receptor (R2) acts synergistically with MET to stimulate angiogenesis.
Cabozantinib inhibits both MET and VEGFR2, which might block progression of osteolytic and osteoblastic bone lesions, Smith and colleagues noted.
Preclinical studies demonstrated that cabozantinib inhibits progression of prostate cancer xenografts in bone.
Smith's group reported findings from a trial to evaluate the effect of 12 weeks of treatment with cabozantinib, followed by randomized discontinuation, conducted among men with bone and visceral metastases from castration-resistant prostate cancer.
CT/MRI bone scans were performed at baseline and then every six weeks.
The primary endpoint was objective response at 12 weeks. Of 168 patients enrolled to date, 100 had completed 12 weeks of follow-up. Additionally, investigators examined data for 62 patients with known bone metastases and at least one bone scan after baseline.
Of the 100 evaluable patients, about half had progressed on docetaxel. Additionally, about half had visceral disease, 88% had lymph node involvement, 78% had bone metastases, 50% had significant bone pain, and 37% required narcotics for bone pain.
The investigators reported that 26 of the 100 patients dropped out before completing 12 weeks of treatment, primarily because of disease progression (10 patients) and adverse events (nine).
Smith reported that 53 of 62 (85%) patients evaluable by bone scan had complete or partial resolution of bone lesions, and eight others had stable disease. Of 43 evaluable patients with bone metastases and bone pain, 26 (60%) had improvement in pain as early as six weeks after starting cabozantinib.
Among 33 evaluation patients who required narcotics for bone pain, 21 (64%) had improvement in pain at six or 12 weeks, and 13 (46%) decreased the dosage or discontinued narcotics.
Adverse events were common, but severe events were not. The most common adverse events were fatigue (71% of patients), decreased appetite (52%), diarrhea (46%), nausea (40%), constipation (34%), dysphonia (33%), vomiting (29%), hypertension (25%), and dysgeusia (24%).
The most common grade 3+ adverse events were fatigue (15%) and hypertension (8%). Additionally, 5% of patients had severe hand-foot syndrome (19% all grades).
The substantial activity against bone metastases did not translate into similar activity against the primary tumor. Smith reported that only six of 100 patients had objective responses. However, 82 had stable disease. At 12 weeks, 74 of 100 had disease control.
Additionally, a minority of patients had a PSA response to cabozantinib.
The researchers also reported that markers of bone turnover decreased by as much as 80% at 12 weeks.
According to investigators, a nonrandomized expansion-cohort study of cabozantinib in castration-resistant prostate cancer has begun patient accrual.
Green Kitchen: Five Delicious Ways To Eat Broccoli Stalks
Green Kitchen is a bi-weekly column about nutritious, inexpensive, and ethical food and cooking. It's penned by the lovely Jaime Green.
Okay, so, for how long am I allowed to open my column with some reference to my continuing, undiminished excitement to have a working oven? Because I'm still grateful and a little surprised every time I hear that tick-tick-tick-whoosh of the flame igniting, and I may never lose my renewed appreciation for oven cooking. Mainly the part where I put something in the oven and, as I never could with a pan on a hot plate, walk away. 45 minutes later I have food, and that is glorious.
 |
| From El_Matador |
The only problem is all the stalks left behind. They're good enough sliced into discs and roasted along with the florets, but they're not amazing that way, and I'd rather devote baking sheet space to more delectable florets. And so all too often the broccoli stems end up with my eggshells and banana peels, going to compost.
Compost is a very silly – and wasteful, and lazy – fate for perfectly good, edible, healthy vegetable parts. Of course, “edible” isn't exactly high praise, or high incentive for the expenditure of kitchen effort, especially when the couch is so comfy. So here – for you and for me – are five recipes and ideas to keep our broccoli stalks out of the trash, and in our happy mouths and bellies. (They're happy because of the broccoli stalks.
1) Fridge pickles. You can make your own pickling brine, or go even more frugal and reuse the brine from a jar of tasty store-bought pickles. Once in a while I splurge on a jar of Rick's Picks, a delicious NYC brand. (Pickling is very chic among Brooklyn hipsters.) When the pickles are gone there is still plenty of goodness left behind in the brine. Peel your broccoli stalks and slice into spears. Pour the brine into a saucepan and bring to a boil, and wash out the pickle jar. Put the broccoli stalks in the jar, then pour in the brine. (Add some white vinegar and water if there's not enough liquid.) Screw on the lid, and pop that jar in the fridge. After two or three days: pickles!
 |
| From Cookthink |
3) Slaw. Use a mandoline, grater, food processor with a grater wheel, or careful hands and a sharp knife to shred broccoli stems. Add some shredded carrot and mix with your favorite cole slaw dressing.
4) Stir fry. I think part of the reason I love roasting broccoli is that I can never get stir fried broccoli quite right – it's always either underdone or mushy, never as delicious as at a Chinese restaurant or my mom's house. (Mom! What is your secret!) But broccoli stalks – being flatter and more uniform than florets – are a cinch. They make a delicious stir-fry with Chinese flavors – soy sauce, garlic, and five-spice powder are a favorite combination of mine – and cook to a delicious combination of golden exteriors with creamy insides.
5. Soup. Once your favorite cream of broccoli soup (vegan or dairy) is pureed, no one will know if it started as tiny trees or trunks. Ditto chopped up in a quiche or casserole.
That's what I've got so far. (I've also heard that some cats love broccoli, and so also broccoli stalks, but unfortunately my creature isn't inclined to any such adorable predilections.) Do you use – and enjoy – your broccoli stalks? Are there any other often discarded parts of vegetables (or animals) you've got a great use for?
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