Switching up the layout and template

I decided this morning that my blog needed a bit of a change.  I have switched templates and played around with the layout.  I hope this is a little more pleasing to the eye. 

Back to work!

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2010 and the Improbably Research Award

Announced today!

Physics and medicine were previously announced.  You can follow along for the rest here.

The article below is copied directly from NPR [source]:

American, Japanese Scientists Share Chemistry Nobel

by The Associated Press

October 6, 2010

American Richard Heck and Japanese researchers Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki won the 2010 Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for developing a chemical method that has allowed scientists to make medicines and better electronics.

American, 2 Japanese Share Nobel In Chemistry

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the award honors their development of "palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic systems."

The academy called that one of the most sophisticated tools available to chemists today, and one that is used by researchers worldwide and in commercial production of pharmaceuticals and molecules used to make electronics.

Heck, 79, is a professor emeritus at the University of Delaware. Negishi, 75, is a chemistry professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and 80-year-old Suzuki is a professor at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan.

Negishi told reporters in Stockholm by telephone that he was asleep when the call came.
"I went to bed last night well past midnight so I was sleeping but I am extremely happy to receive the telephone call," he said.

Officials at Hokkaido University were delighted by the news, said university spokesman Hidetoshi Nakatsuka.

"Professor Suzuki has been mentioned as a candidate in the past few years and we've been waiting for this to happen for all these years," Nakatsuka said. "We were standing by and we are extremely delighted."

The method has been used to artificially produce discodermolide, a cancer-killing substance first found in marine sponges, the academy said in its citation. It added that no cancer drug based on the substance has been developed yet.

"Only the future will tell if discodermolide turns out to be a life-saving drug," it said.
The 2010 Nobel Prize announcements began Monday with the medicine award going to 85-year-old British professor Robert Edwards for fertility research that led to the first test tube baby.

Russian-born Andre Geim, 51, and Konstantin Novoselov, 36, of the University of Manchester in England won the physics prize Tuesday for groundbreaking experiments with graphene, an ultrathin and superstrong material that scientists say should be a versatile building block for faster computers, transparent touch screens and lighter airplanes.

The literature prize will be announced on Thursday, followed by the peace prize on Friday and economics on Monday, Oct. 11.

The awards were established by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, and are always handed out on Dec. 10, the anniversary of his death in 1896.

Update:  I should include a link to the IgNobel prize for improbable research.  Hilarious!

My thoughts on The Marie Claire Article and what blogging has done for me

I was incredibly disappointed and angered by The Marie Claire Article that targeted Healthy Living Bloggers, most of whom I follow.  I have to say that I thought the article was poorly researched and gave a very incorrect perspective of Healthy Living blogging.  I posted a comment on the website, which I will share here (there was a character limit):

I am a blogger and a magazine reader, and I do follow most of the blogs mentioned.  I was disappointed by this story, because I felt it was very hypocritical.  Marie Claire has published articles suggesting that readers keep a food and fitness journal, yet according to this article they seem very against it.  The blogs that I follow show women who have trained to run races, because they enjoy running and racing.  That is the reason I follow the blogs, because I enjoy running and racing too.  I am currently training for my first marathon, because it is a goal of mine and I am running a marathon that supports breast cancer in honor of a family friend who died.  I am not running the marathon to lose weight.  I also enjoy both magazines and blogs for new recipes.  I get sick of cooking the same food, so I look forward to new recipes, especially if they incorporate food I don't often eat.  I noticed a negative comment about one of the bloggers making parsnip fries.  Well don't you sometimes get sick of plain old french fries?  When was the last time you tried a parsnip?  I thought the recipe was great because it involved something I wouldn't normally eat.  It is nice to get nutrients from food rather than just vitamins.  The photographs included with the recipes in both magazines and blogs entice me to try them.  Unfortunately, with any public written word, whether it be a magazine or a blog, some people will compare themselves in a negative way.  But then there are those of us who look for inspiration.  It is nice to read about non-celebrity women my age who can balance work/school/family/social-life/and especially a limited budget and still be healthy and active.

I could go on and on, but instead I decided to make a list of positive points that I have learned/gained/experienced from blogging and reading other blogs, specifically those attacked in the article.

1. Good food- Thanks to others posting delicious blogs and accompanying pictures, I have tried several new restaurants in my area as well as delicious recipes.  This is the reason I post pictures of food in my blog.  I personally do not keep a record of what I eat, but if I enjoy something tasty, I like to share it with others.  
2. Reviews-  I enjoy reading the reviews of different races or products.  Races and running gear are not cheap, especially not for a graduate student.  It is nice to get opinions before I invest my hard-earned money.
3. I'm not alone-  I like reading that I'm not the only person who is balancing work/school/family/budget while living a fulfilling and active lifestyle.  It's nice knowing that others bounce back from obstacles to succeed.  
4. More people-  It is nice chatting with others who enjoy the same things I do.  I have even made more friends through running and have joined running groups.  
5. Accountable-  Am I going to die from not running?  No.  But do I feel better when I work-out consistently?  Absolutely.  Since I started this blog, I have gone through phases where I set aside running to focus more on school/work/life, but I have always found that I feel better and more balanced when I take time for myself to run.  Posting my 2010 Challenge (to run at least 3 days a week) has helped me hold myself accountable for my goal.  I am more likely to stick with it knowing that I am keeping track of it somewhere for people to read.  No, the world will not end if I do not complete my goal, but I feel better and stronger because of my goal.
6. Journal-  Ultimately, my blog is my personal journal.  It is a way for me to keep track of my runs/posts about graduation/various goals I have accomplished, so I can look back and say, "Hey look what I accomplished?  Hard work really pays off!"  It is where I post pictures of fun events in my life, people I love, and what is going on in my life for my family and friends to read.  

I hope that you all have a great week!  I'm off to work!

Beautiful Bob Marley Quote...

I absolutely love this.  I originally read it on Rachel's blog.

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life."


— Bob Marley

More 30 Days of Self Love Catch-Up!

I have not forgotten the amazing 30 Days of Self Love.  It is almost over, and I have not posted on my blog about most of them.  I absolutely love the concept, so I am going to start catching-up.  Enjoy!

Idolizing our bodies (check out Tina's post here).

What ways have you put too much emphasis on your body?  How can you change that?

I have always been good at picking out the little imperfections and thinking negatively about them.  What I should do is focus on how they make me unique. 

Quote:

Revel in your imperfections.  Be entertained by your problems, and know that once you looked ahead, and wished you were where you are now.  And once again you will look back and smile. ~Unknown

Perspective (check out Tina's post here).

How do you witness the power of perspective in your life?  Do you currently face something where your perspective could make a difference?

My dad loved to play Devil's Advocate and make sure that I always considered others point of view.  I think this is most important in every type of relationship in life, because trying to view situations/arguments/ideas through other people's perspectives expands your own. 

Quote:

Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.  It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.  ~Unknown

 I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet. ~Denis Waitely

Perfection (check out Tina's post here).

In what things do you try to seek perfection?  Why do you even want it?  How does perfection actually hurt that area of your life?  What would letting go of the hope of perfection do for you?

I am by nature a perfectionist, and it is a constant form of stress when everything does not go perfectly.  Stress does not go well with confidence and happiness, so I am working on not caring how perfect something is.  I'd rather focus on how I can complete something to the best of my abilities and feel good about it. 

Quote:

Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing. ~Harriet Braiker

Certain flaws are necessary for the whole.  It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks. ~Goethe

Gifts of the body 2 (check out Tina's post here).

Take a few moments to think about 3 new things you appreciate about your body.

(1) My hair.  It makes me... well... Me!  I tried straightening it a couple times.  Not only did I look sick because it was so thin, but I did not look or feel like myself.  I love my quirky crazy curly hair!  It makes me feel unique.  (2)  My butt.  That's right!  I said it.  It catches me when I fall, looks good in jeans, and is fun to shake when I'm dancing around the living room.  (3)  The shape of my ears.  I typically would say that "I hate my ear", but they run in my dad's side of my family.  It is just something else that reminds me of him. 


Quote:

The body is an instrument, the mind its function, the witness and reward of its operation. ~George Santayana

ExerciseTV quickies

Yesterday I did a 4 mile solo run in 38:30.  I was happy with the pace; although, it was tough.  Tonight I tuned into ExerciseTV and did a 10 minute killer arm work-out then 10 minutes of abs.  The arm work-out was killer considering I have zero upper body strength.  The work-out may have been short, but it felt great! 

I have been having troubles sleeping lately, so I am hoping a weight work-out will help me sleep.  I'm off to drink some Tazo Relax tea and try to.... well... relax!  I hope you all are having a great week!

I leave you with some more picture of my beautiful purple flowers.  As the dye is washing away, the flowers are turning many shades of purple.  I love it!

 

 

Afraid of losing the people I love...

[source]

This picture describes my feelings exactly.  I know it is morbid, but I am always afraid of the late night phone calls or worry when Chris doesn't answer his phone when I know he should have left work.  The latest Love Bomb really breaks my heart.  If you have a few minutes today, please spread some love to Bonnie, who just lost her second son.