40 4 40 #34 Mammogram

This is the latest in a series of entries chronicling my journey to try 40 new things before I turn 40 in March. I'm almost done!! You can read all the entries under the label 40 4 40.

I am probably the only woman in the history of radiology who was THIS excited to get a mammogram!! But I've wanted one for a long time. Soon after I had my thyroid (and its cancer) removed at 27, a co-worker lost his 31 year old wife to breast cancer. My doctor told me I didn't need a mammogram yet. Whatever. I've asked several over the years and they all say the same thing - not until you're 40 unless you have a family history; self-exams are sufficient.

So a couple weeks ago, I went to see the lady doctor for my annual visit and as soon as she looked at my age and started to suggest a mammogram, I said "YES PLEASE NOW!!". She laughed once I told her I wanted it to be a new thing :)

Today I chatted with some coworkers after school and cheerfully exclaimed, "I have to go get my boobies squeezed now"!! They rolled their eyes at me and told me to have fun :)

I chose the Azle hospital radiology because I knew where it was and it was easy to get to and all that good stuff. The woman was very nice and informative and gentle. I didn't tell her about the new thing thing but I did tell her I'd been waiting a decade and was very excited. She seemed to like my attitude.

Here's a picture I snuck of the machine. Other than that, I'll leave out the details. It was NOT painful, just a little uncomfortable. Really it was more awkward because of the pose, not the actual squishing!!

I was tempted to ask her for a selfie with me but I thought that might be weird. :D So, ladies, GO GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM!!! If you're not yet 40, do your self-exams. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!

40 4 40 #33 Shoot a Gun

This is the latest in a series of entries chronicling my journey to try 40 new things before I turn 40. You can read all the entries using the label 40 4 40.

I have vague memories of being 6 or 7 years old when the family would drive out of the city and up a dirt road to where the desert met the mountains. There, they would shoot guns at rocks, or something.  I think it was a 22 rifle. I know it was a rifle, and I know that there was a 22 in the family. I don't know that they were one and the same. I don't know much about guns except there are handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Oh wait, maybe they shot a shotgun... I remember picking up shotgun shells. But perhaps they were already there from other shooters?! I could just ask my dad but it's much more fun retelling from odd memories :)

Anyway, I am pretty sure, after asking both parents, that I never shot the gun. I was much too young and small. And other than that I do not recall ever being near a gun that was being shot, let alone shooting it, so I added it to my list... and then I went to see one of the school cops. Officer Coomer is one of our district officers who is also a certified teacher. His office is around the corner from my last classroom and we used to chat all the time while "monitoring the halls". I think that's the only thing I miss about that classroom!! I knew he had some guns. A collection of guns, really. Yeah, the man has a lot of guns.

He said he'd be happy to let me shoot a gun so we decided when the weather got nice we'd chat again. This past weekend, until last night, was basically PERFECT weather here in North Texas. We had a "cold front" last night so this afternoon it was "only" 60 and it was windy, but it was still nice enough!! I told Coomer that I just wanted to shoot a gun, not all his guns or anything. Nothing fancy. One shot and I would be happy.

I got to his house, and he was ready for me with his AR15 assault rifle. It was heavy. He said it had a heavier barrel so it was steadier. Or something like that. We golf carted down to the pond and he shot a round into the water. Didn't seem too bad. I put her to my shoulder (with some direction - that pocket isn't easy to find!) and pulled the trigger! She had a little kick (not that I know what a lot would feel like) but nothing painful. It was LOUD. I had on headphone things and still heard it quite well! He then showed me how it fires multiple rounds - 1 every 32 nanoseconds? or was it 32 rounds a minute? I don't remember but it was fast and loud and I would NOT want to be on the other end!!! I didn't try that though. I might have killed a tree or something!

And then we chatted for a minute and I left. Short, and simple :) But now I want to go to a shooting range and try a handgun :) I have no desire to ever own a gun and I don't think I could ever point one at a living thing, even if I was in danger, but it was fun just that one trigger pull!!

Officer Coomer and I

Ready for action!

Pretty sure he was thinking "WHY are you taking MY picture"

Two Years of Slugs

Two years ago this evening, a hyper pooch named Bernard came to live with me. He quickly became Slugger and soon licked and jumped his way deep into my heart!

Things I've learned in 2 years with my Slugger pooch:

- to appreciate, welcome, and even encourage puppy kisses

- that it's okay to forget what color the rug is cuz one can just not vacuum often enough

- to sleep using only a couple feet of a queen-size bed

- what dog poop looks like after its iced or rained, and then thawed or melted

- to be 110% alert and attentive while on a walk

- the sound of a trailer being pulled over the smallest of bumps

- that my heart is, indeed, big enough to miss George everyday but still love this mutt with all that I have

- that having an exuberant, chunky, apricot-colored mass barreling toward you when you walk in the door is one of the best feelings in the world!

I know there's more, but those are the things that come to mind :) I thank the Lord every day for bringing my Slugs to me. I hope he's as happy to be here as I am to have him! (read that last thing I learned again - yup, pretty sure he is!)

Here's to many, MANY more years of shedding and slobber!!

40 4 40 #32 Rodeo

This is the latest in a series of posts chronicling my journey of trying 40 new things before I turn 40 in March. You can read all the related posts under the label 40 4 40.

I kinda feel like a lot of these new thing have really been about becoming more Texan, or getting acquainted with Texas stuff. Last night was no different! I went to the rodeo!!

Rodeo is kind of a hot button amongst hard core vegans and other animal advocates. I decided I needed to see it for myself. I mean, I'm SURE that they treat those animals like family, right!? I would!! Did you know that not everyone is like me!?!!? (Thank goodness, right?!)

Anyway, several months ago, I put out on Facebook that I'd like to see what a rodeo is all about. My good friend Sheila suggested THE rodeo at THE Fort Worth Stock Show which is a MAJOR annual event here in Cowtown. I've also never been to the stock show. So we made plans and after a few adjustments, last night was the night! When I called to buy the tickets, the lady was very nice and made sure we got excellent seats since it was my first rodeo (I really enjoyed saying that - hehe).

After driving around for 30 minutes trying to figure out where to park so as not to walk across all of Fort Worth to get our tickets at will call and get in to the rodeo, we eventually ended up finally in the arena. The stock show is HUGE!! The arena does not look like an arena until you get inside!!

Basically, a football field looking dirt floor with seats all around is the arena. There were chutes at both ends. It was all quite fascinating. Oh, and all the same food and merchandise type sales that you find at any sporting event. But once inside where the dirt floor is, it smells like barn :) That's the difference! One of the merchandise pieces for purchase was a furry pink cowgirl hat with a flashing tiara on the front. I was SOOO tempted!!!

So, all the events happened. And I kept cheering for the cow or horse or whoever was being thrown or bound or otherwise tortured. Yup, I did NOT enjoy watching those poor, sweet calves being roped and thrown and left to lie there until someone got around to loosening the rope.

I enjoyed my evening because I had good company and the whole thing was fascinating. I don't need to do it again. BUT I would like to go to the actual stock show and see the fluffy cows and all that - seriously I learned that they give them baths and dry them and stuff - intriguing!! I hope to be able to take a day off next year (to avoid weekend crowds) and maybe even get to see one of my students show a cow or goat or something.

Side note: I'm kinda sad that I'm almost "done". I keep telling myself that I don't have to stop trying new things - I just won't have to count them anymore :)

40 4 40 #31 Ride Along

 This is the latest in a series of posts chronicling my attempt to try 40 new things before I turn 40 in March. You can read all the entries under the label 40 4 40.

I know I keep saying this, but I truly didn't think this one was going to happen! I can't even remember where the idea came from. Back in December at the Jingle Bell Run, I asked my cop partner if police ever did ride alongs. He said they did and I just needed to go to a station and tell them what I wanted and fill out a form. That's kinda intimidating!

In January, I actually had it on my schedule to go to a police station and inquire. I was discussing it with someone when I had the brainstorm to do it in Azle! It might be more meaningful in the community that I work in. Perhaps I'd see parts of Azle I had never been to. AND I have a connection - 2 school cop/teachers, plus 2 SROs (I teach the daughter of one of them!). So I asked the one I know the best and he said sure, ask the SROs. I did and Officer Kidd set it all up for me!!

So yesterday afternoon, I went on a ride along! I showed up about 15 minutes before shift change and met up with Officer Hearn. I filled out the form so no one could sue them if this didn't go well. And off we went!!!

We started off doing traffic. You know the cop that hides around that bend and tags ya?! Yep, that was us :) There's a highway that runs through Azle with a speed limit of 60. Don't go over 70!! We caught a few, but just gave warnings. We also then went down by the high school and caught a delinquent inspection sticker. Yeah, I work with that one. Hehe. He also got a warning.

Then we went to a different part of the highway. We caught a lady speeding and also got a flat tire when we pulled off behind her. She got a ticket. Not because of the flat tire though. Just because she was speeding. We had to wait to get a spare from another officer and then we (okay, Hearn) fixed it. I got a text from a co-worker asking about my standing on the side of the road :)

Let's see, after that, we went back to the station to drop off the tire. While there, Hearn spoke to someone (his boss?) who told him to try the new car... the brand new, less than 100 miles, Ford Police Interceptor. So we did :) It was NICE! Except the driver window wouldn't roll down properly and Hearn said it wasn't fast enough.

As it got dark, we made one more traffic stop. Poor guy had warrants out. He ended up in the back seat. While Hearn was processing him, I chatted with other officers and the dispatchers. He felt bad because I wasn't "on the street" but I learned a lot!!

At this point, we'd been on shift for 6 hours, it was 8pm. We decided it was dinner time. We went to a local bbq restaurant that I'd never been to but heard a lot about so that was a good choice. It was pretty good. Hearn drove through parts of Azle I'd never visited to show me around. It was awful nice of him.

Then we helped another officer attempt to arrest a guy on an assault charge. The woman who answered the door said he wasn't home. Uh huh. I stayed in the car and watched for running figures but nothing exciting happened. We stopped for a burger for the prisoner and went back to the station. I got a tour of the jail. Three male cells and one female cell. Interesting...

And then I left! I never felt in danger. I was proud of how all the officers did their job. Hearn was very polite with everyone he encountered. He really believes in deterring bad behavior, not "Getting the bad guy".  He explained everything to me, including his thought process about giving warnings vs. citations and such. And he truly didn't want to arrest the guy!

I found myself correlating police stuff with teaching. It's not like I WANT to fail students, but when they don't do what they're supposed to do, it's kinda required. And I hate it. I try not to go straight to detention giving when I can give a warning or two, in hopes that it'll never get to detention giving. There were other similarities, but I can't remember them now.

I must add that I was still getting over this stupid cold. I had just gotten to the couching stage. And so I coughed. And coughed. Obnoxious, crying fits of coughing. WITH cough drops. Luckily the severity lessened or I would've had to go home. But I still sucked on cough drops all night long!!!

So, I am VERY glad I did the ride along. And I'm glad I did it in Azle. It definitely was more meaningful getting to see a different side of the community I serve.

40 4 40 #30 Cooking Class

 This is the latest in a series of posts chronicling my attempt to try 40 new things before I turn 40 in March. You can read all the entries under the label 40 4 40.

I went back and forth about whether or not I should do this. Or right now anyway. I looked and looked but the best offerings were at Central Market (Whole Foods-esque but bigger and swankier) but every class cost about $60!! That's a lot to spend to make some food. But I decided I did really want to try it and I probably wouldn't spend the money just because. So yet another new thing spurred on by the challenge of this journey :)

The schedule is posted a couple months out. So when I was looking for a class in the beginning of January, I could see January and February's offering. February had a bunch of couple crap. Ew. So I perused the January classes a few times trying to decide what I'd like and what would be worth the money. I decided on Chiles Rellenos because it offered all the sides too. I do not like hot food so I was pretty sure I'd never make the Chiles again, but rice and beans and such are right up my alley!!

Turned into a very busy week and on top of it, I had a cold. But I went anyway!! And I am so glad I did!! What fun!!! Nettie Lopez was our chef and she was a hoot. I was sat at a table with 3 others. Two young ladies who seemed to be good friends, and a man. He was wearing a wedding ring but I decided not to ask where his wife was. He was very nice and actually knew most of what Nettie taught us. Except the egg white stuff. Which was the only part I DID know!!

We started by roasting our chiles. They were Poblano so fairly large. Central Market is known for their Hatch chiles but apparently they are much smaller. I was already learning stuff!! To roast the peppers one needs a flame. Yeah, I have electric and no grill. Technically you can broil them she said.

Our Chiles!

Chef Nettie showing us how to roast 'em!

We all got up and roasted out chiles. I liked the demonstration plus hands on flow of the class. Once the chiles were roasted, they went back in the bowl, covered with plastic wrap to "sweat" so it'd be easier to peel. Peel? I said!! Yup, learning all kinds of stuff!!

Then we learned how to make the rice. I believe this was my favorite part of the whole night. Partly cuz my table mates let me do the actual work on it! And partly cuz this is something I'd make again on my own! The trick to the rice is toasting the dry (white) rice and then adding it to the boiling broth mixture. then you LEAVE IT!!

Toasting rice and sampling the broth for the right amount of salt and such.

While the rice was cooking, we peeled and stuffed our chiles. The chef folks had made the filling before hand. This is quite the time consuming meal!!

Peeled and stuffed. I am not an expert...

Then came the tricky part. Okay, not really. I totally understood what was happening but others did not. I guess because I like to bake and have dealt with egg whites before. Anyway, you have to beat the egg whites to a soft peak, then add half as many yolks and beat just until mixed. And once that mixture starts to fall (or get kinda watery) you have to start over! I went last and go to make a fresh batch. Anyway, the stuffed chile gets rolled in flour and then covered in the egg before getting fried. There were lots of comments about the amount of oil. People just don't fry like they used to and that's not a bad thing!!

At this point we were done cooking!! The chefs had made the boracha (beer?) beans and churros. Oh, my tablemates made guacamole while I was finishing up my chiles. No biggie - THAT I can make!!

And then we ATE :)

our finished rice

churro and ice cream 

I didn't eat very much. I wanted leftovers, it was way too late for me, and I don't like spicy food. But I tried some of everything and it was all VERY YUMMY!!! I admit I ate the entire churro while it was hot. Not sure I've ever had a fresh churro before!!

I gave my chiles to a co-worker the next day at work and he said they were very well done. I ate the rest for dinner that next night. YUMMY!!!

Although taking more classes is cost prohibitive, I will keep an eye on the schedule in case there's ever anything that I really want to learn - pastries or something maybe. I had a GREAT time and would go all the time if it was more like $20!!!

Me and Chef Nettie :)

40 4 40 #29 Spiral Diner

This is the latest in a series of entries telling the story of my journey to turning 40 by trying 40 new things before I get there. You can read all the entries using the label 40 4 40.

When I made my dinner plans for this evening, I was not thinking of a new thing. I just wanted to have dinner with a friend! There's a restaurant in Fort Worth (there's also one in Dallas, but who cares about Dallas) called Spiral Diner. It is known for its vegan food. Years ago, when I was my vegan-ist, I looked at the menu and remember funky sounding stuff and PB&J. Three (or four?) years ago, a co-worker, Bill, even gave me a gift card to eat there. Except, they didn't have cards that day so he just gave me cash. I really did mean to go eat there, but it just never happened. So when I wanted to have dinner with Bill, I thought, hey let's go to Spiral Diner. Also, my birthday cake is being made by them so I thought maybe I should try their food :) As Bill and I often do, we included his daughter in our outing. MaryEllen is an elementary school librarian and tri-athlete.

It was today as I was getting excited to try the restaurant that I pondered calling it a new thing. I have had vegan food in a restaurant before. So I decided to wait and see what it was all about when I got there. EVERYTHING IS VEGAN!!! So, yup, my first time in an all vegan restaurant. But SO not my last :)

It is very rare that I can eat an item "as-is" off the menu. Between my attempt at being vegan-ish and my vinegar allergy, it's tough to eat anywhere! Which is why, often, vegan goes by the wayside. Sadly, Spiral Diner was no different. Except, that all I took off my order of Nachos Supremo was the onions and jalapeños!! I would guess that somewhere in something there was vinegar but since it would probably be apple cider or something even fancier, I wasn't overly worried (I'm an hour+ out and still doing okay!).

My nachos had a cashew-based "cheese", "sour cream", quinoa (what? who would've thought of putting a GRAIN on your nachos!?!?!), black olives, corn, guacamole, and maybe beans (I can't remember). SOOOOO AMAZINGLY GOOOD!!! Tasted JUST like regular nachos! But maybe even better!!! I am so putting quinoa on my nachos from now on.

Oh yeah, I took a picture.

I brought half home. Even if the chips are a soggy mess tomorrow night, I'm betting it'll still be YUMMY!!!

For dessert, I had a chocolate cupcake. I wouldn't have had dessert, but I thought I should probably try the cake to make sure my birthday cake will taste yummy. Yup, no worries!! Even if you don't like me, come for the cake!!! Bill and MaryEllen shared a slice of blueberry pie a la mode. It looked equally scrumptious. 

I should add that Bill is a carnivore who loves Spiral Diner and MaryEllen is a vegetarian who might as well be vegan and loves Spiral Diner. They both eat there often. Although everything is vegan, no one misses out on the flavors and yumminess that you'd get at any restaurant. 

We also had great conversation, as always, catching up on school stuff and travels and dogs. 

I can't wait to go back!!! (AND if I do everything I'm supposed to do, I officially will get to 40!!)