The quiet voice at the end of the day.

Oh. From Dr. Scott's blog: 'Never After'

“We’ll get an EKG.” It didn’t expect it to tell me anything I didn’t already know, but it would tell her that someone cared. A doctor’s valentine.
“I won’t be here this week. Dr. Blonde will take over for me,” I told her with mixed feelings.I was glad to take care of her again but I was a little relieved to be going off service too. Youth and beauty still make me nervous, especially in these grim tales. I learned early that princesses don’t always get to live happily ever after.
You have to play your heart card close to your chest. And hope no one is listening to it.


People involved in the medical profession constantly change my perspective on life. I've been reading Dr. Scott's blog for more than 8 years (yeah, that number scares me too), and I'm always touched by his honesty, candor and semi-gritty look at married life and his rewarding/heart-rending work as a doctor. Every time I think I'm having a bad day or want to cry or go postal on someone-hearing a story like this will break my heart. I guess when you're dealing with issues of life and death on a daily basis, everything becomes enhanced-and everything else that seems so big to you, suddenly seems so small. It makes me want to take better care of J.; not because I think he's a god or anything, he's only one person, with plenty of funny personality quirks and faults just like me. But at the end of the day, somebody is counting on him to make a difference.

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow." Mary Anne Radmache


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Oof, my booty has been getting a little too big for my comfort lately. Time for a return to salads, working out, walking to work more and possibly some tap lessons. From MSNs Ten Reasons You're Not Losing Weight. This 3rd Reason, I'm like - What? I'm not quite sure I get it. Oohhhh...if you're too hot, you actually reduce your desire to eat. That actually makes sense, when it's super hot, I don't want to ingest anything.

Roadblock No. 3: You crank the AC.
What's wrong with that? Al Gore wants you to lay off the thermostat to save the planet. Here's how it can save (the shape of) your own ass, too: In a study published in Physiology & Behavior, researchers found that exposure to temperatures above the "thermoneutral zone"—the artificial climate we create with clothes, heating, or air conditioning—decreases our appetite and food intake. "At a slightly uncomfortable 81 degrees, the women in the study experienced a 20 percent decrease in appetite and ate 10 percent less than at 72 degrees," says lead author Margriet S. Westerterp-Plantenga, Ph.D., a professor of food-intake regulation in the department of human biology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Detour: Instead of cranking the air conditioner every time you feel a little warm, learn to endure slightly steamier conditions. Hitting the "off" button is well worth a little discomfort if it helps you lose the saddlebags.

Roadblock No. 10: You never think about potassium.
What's wrong with that? A recent Canadian study concluded that getting more potassium might help lower your weight and blood pressure. Levels measured in study participants were proportional to their diet and weight. "That makes sense," says Blatner. "The richest sources of potassium are beans, vegetables, and fruit, so the person with high potassium levels is consuming a lot of these foods, which are low in calories and are the most filling."
Detour: You should aim for 4,700 milligrams of potassium each day. Supplements may help you hit that target, but doctors don't recommend them for everyone. Try filling up on white beans (1 cup: 1,000 mg potassium), winter squash (1 cup: 494 mg), spinach (1 cup: 840 mg), baked potato with skin (926 mg), yogurt (1 cup: 600 mg), halibut (4 ounces: 566 mg), and orange juice (1 cup: 473 mg).