Wellness #42: Staying Well

Mayo Clinic Symptom Checker

Since I'm not currently taking medication, I decided to test out the Symptom Checker. Fortunately I don't have persistent body pains but on occasion, my arm will be numb. I looked up my symptoms pertaining to arm/hand numbness and the top cause is Carpel Tunnel. I do spent most of my time using an electronic device whether its my work desktop computer, home laptop, or cell phone. But according to the description, carpel tunnel isn't caused by that. I don't think I care too much for this symptom checker and have used WebMD more often because it narrows symptoms by gender and allows you to select the area of the body than to choose what types of feelings you are having. But I did do a keyword search for other issues I deal with and found pertinent information about my recurrent problems. I like how the site breaks down diagnoses with a general description, symptoms, causes, and so on. I can definitely see this site useful for clarification purposes on other "illnesses."

MedlinePlus

I found this site to be very useful; I can't believe I've never used this before! I was able to look up support groups as well as contact information for the support groups. I also wanted to find information on Nutritionists and according to the site, there are 11 businesses near me. I think this is a site I can use for other needs as well. Although I have a set of doctors through my insurance, I have friends and families needing help so I can definitely direct them to this site for information.

Family History

I attempted to create a family tree and didn't realize how large my family is! Both parents come from a large family and I don't any of my uncles or aunts too well. I do recall three of my dad's brothers passed away from stroke-related events. It seems that heart disease is prevalent on my father's side and diabetes and cancer run on my mom's side. This would be helpful for genealogical studies to see what reoccurring diseases pop up and thus mean I am more susceptible to.

iHCPL #41: Going Green (1 & 2)

Going Green Part 1

Prior to reviewing this blog, I felt like I was a fairly green individual. But to my dismay, inactivity (as opposed to pro-active choices) is just as bad as purposely living a non-green lifestyle.
I took the Carbon Footprint text and it says I emit 12.3 tons of Carbon Dioxide a year! To be honest, I'm not sure what it means exactly but compared to the average emission per person and the number of individuals living in the states, I take it that the amount I emit is not good. I already air-dry my clothes and I've gotten into the habit of unplugging SOME appliances when not in use. I know to make small improvements, I can get into the habit of always turning of my power strips when I'm not using those devices.
As for moving around town, I can probably ride my bicycle to the grocery store if I can buy small amounts of items OR make a stop right after work. I have gotten into a bad habit of eating out during the work week which is bad in more ways than one. Apart from letting out more Carbon Dioxide, I choose unhealthy places and spend money I should be saving. I am willing to attempt a stricter workweek diet which will help with spending money and keeping the air a smidgen cleaner.
As for Green Dining, I am not very familiar with local Farmers' markets. I did use to go with my dad when I was younger and he would purchase veggies for the restaurants but I never went for personal shopping. I am most interested in visiting a market b/c the weather is much more tolerable and it may be nice to browse around a market as a pastime. Also, I would be supporting our local businesses and I am always a fan of local shopping.
Also, I just recently befriended a lady who grows her own produce in her backyard. The last time I saw her, she gave me a sweet potato! I am hoping our friendship will inspire me to dabble in the garden and try harvesting my own foods!

Going Green Part 2

After reading tips on how to green my daily lifestyle, I see there is room for improvement. I review the 5 tips for a green home and I can definitely benefit from sealing and topping holes and open slivers around my home. The windows are pretty old and eventually, I'd like to purchase better windows. I am also proud to say I use the compact fluorescent bulbs already.
As far as things I'd like to consider is the make your own non-toxic cleaning kit. Apart from spending money on a variety of products, I would like to invest in a general all-purpose cleaning set. I also checked out on the site about mosquito repellent and the site lists recipes as well as products. I also liked DIYlife which has how-to videos which are more suited for me since I'm a visual learner.
A task I'd like to take up is recycling. Unfortunately my area does not have curbside recycling which makes it harder to save my recyclables. I am currently in the process of tidying the porch so that I can designate plastic bins for different types of recycling. Luckily I found a place that is open on Saturdays where I can drop off recyclables. I hope once my lil' station is set, I can schedule monthly drop off times.

iHCPL #40: Fitness

I am a fairly large person but I do aim to do some sort of (added) physical activity each day. I love walking at the park because it helps me de-stress and also burn a few calories. However, if I want to lose weight, I know I have to increase my cardio immensely.

I reviewed the Mayo Clinic's 5 Step Program and I know I have a lot of room for improvement. One thing I would like to do in the near future if the weather allows is go on a hike. I went on my first hike sometime in August and thoroughly enjoyed it (apart from bug bites!). I would like to continue this activity if the weather gets under 80 degrees!

I reviewed FamilyDoctor.org's suggestions to keeping at it and I agree with sticking to activities you enjoy and finding a buddy. I have a hard time motivating myself to go and work out but if a friend is interested in accompanying me, I am motivated to go and I get my gossip-fill for the day. I enjoy walking the most so I try to do that but other things need to be done such as cleaning the yard. I have to remind myself that the added benefit of cleaning the yard is burning calories. Another thing I am considering if shopping for an exercise machine via Craigslist and using that while watching my daily dose of TV. There are a number of shows I watch on DVD which I think I can easily convince myself to watch while working out.

Calculators & Questionnaire
So I once I tried out the calculators and questionnaire, I don't think I'm horribly off the trail. I am considered morbidly obese (such a harsh term, don't you think?) but my life expectancy is about 86.3. I don't think I'd want to live that long, but if I did, I want to try and make the best of it. My areas needing improvement are psychological, CAD (coronary heart disease), and Diet. I think they are all interconnected because I tend to stress out about minor details and if I can balance that, I wouldn't be so inclined to snack on serotonin-inducing foods such as carbs and chocolate. I think I am very capable of creating a healthy lifestyle. Apart from my love for research and sharing information with others, I joined HCPL's Wellness Committee so I can educate myself on healthy living and resources. I'd like to try Pilates because I hear a lot of people say good things about it. Not only do you practice relaxation, you stretch your body (which helps release those feel-good chemicals, and burn calories- awesome! I think once I get a handle on a good amount of activity, my body will crave fresh fruits and vegetables. I started buying apples and carrots again and I started adding frozen vegetables to my meals for added sustenance. Even if these are small efforts, it's better than nothing, right?

iHCPL Wellness #39: Nutrition

Since I volunteered to be on the Wellness Committee, I feel more pressured to be healthy..or at least know more about my choices.
I checked out NutritionData and was hoping I would be able to find the date for The Tea House' Taro Cream Blend Bubble Tea. That stuff is so good and I'm sure it has to be more on the unhealthy side of the nutritional spectrum. Since I couldn't find Bubble Tea, I opted to search for a 2nd favorite treat: Taco Bell's Chili Cheese Burrito! I can easily eat 2, maybe even 3 if I try, but after I eat it, I feel so sluggish and get heartburn. I looked up the Chili Cheese Goodness and...surprise, surprise- the fullness factor is a 2.0! No wonder I could eat an entire box of them! It is also high in Saturated Fat and Sodium. I don't know much about fat (other than my body seems to like it) but I'm pretty sure saturated fats are bad.
Although I think the Recipes.Sparkpeople is useful, I hate having to list out ingredients (could it be b/c I don't want to really know HOW MUCH I'm eating?!). I don't cook all too often from scratch but I do occasionally make enchiladas with cream of mushroom (don't knock it til you try it!)
Here are the estimated ingredients I entered:

Ingredients:

* 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom 1/2 cup, 1 serving
* Corn Tortillas, 4 tortilla, medium (approx 6" dia)
* boiled chicken drumstick, 3 serving
* Olive Oil, 3 tbsp
* *Kroger Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese shredded, 1 cup
* Salt, 1 dash
* Garlic powder, 1 tsp
* Onion powder, 1 tsp

Here is the nutritional data:

Calories 1,081.3
Total Fat 78.0 g
Saturated Fat 26.9 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 30.6 g
Cholesterol 125.0 mg
Sodium 1,623.7 mg
Potassium 244.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 60.2 g
Dietary Fiber 7.9 g
Sugars 3.3 g
Protein 37.6 g

Did I mention cheese is a weakness of mine? I adjusted the amount of cheese I would use and that made a huge difference. Instead of a cup of cheese, I put 1/4 cup and the calories dropped down to 781. I then substituted my regular cheese for Fat Free Mozzarella (1/4 cup) and the calories drop down to 731.
So what is the lesson?! Eat less cheese!

#59: Credit, Money Management, and Saving

I was surprised to make such a good grade on the credit score quiz. I hate to admit but I never actually requested my credit score and I have been meaning to do that. I am very punctual about paying my bills on time. If it weren't for online banking, I'd probably be in a lot of trouble.
I am very interested in starting a budgeting plan. I have high hopes once I am done with graduate school that includes taking at least a month long vacation. I also like my electronic toys and would like to purchase a new computer, camera, and other electronic goodness. I am a horrible online shopper. I can spend a bunch on impulse buys online, such as last night, and I need to tighten my control of spending. I looked at About.com's Build a Budget and the concept is fairly simple. Although my actual budget is pretty flexible, I know I spend more than I should on eating out, going out with friends, and treating myself (as well as others) too often. My biggest expense is tuition but I'm fortunate to have received a small scholarship from school and also can opt for the installment plan which makes the thousand plus bill less daunting.
I attempted to view BankRate's article on advice from top financial advisers and the second page was unavailable. I am sure the key to financial stability is minimize frivolous spending when possible. I love gadgets and books and music and spoiling myself. In the end, I still listen to the same tunes, I read a minimal amount of books, and my gadgets gather dust. If I could be strict with myself, I am sure I can save for a nice vacation for the future.
After reviewing the TCDRS site, I found the resources page most useful. Not to act like retirement isn't a big deal but I have a way before I can think about retiring so I never paid much concern to it. I see the resources page has a glossary which is ideal for me! I never knew the official definition of "being vested" but I see it is important and a great thing to accomplish if possible.

#58: Money & Finance

I am all about saving a couple trees here and there and I find online banking suitable for my needs. I spend the majority of my time in front of my computer and I never carry cash. I use online banking to send myself reminders when bills are due and automatically transfer money to savings twice a month. My bank does not charge for online banking and I feel it is beneficial for both parties because you save them paper, ink and postage AND you save time. However, this may infringe on the need of bank tellers thus creating a job shortage and such.
I am not too worried about using sites to manage my accounts b/c I feel that my online information is already susceptible to tampering and third party views. This may be naive of me but most banks have some level of protection against identity theft. I decided to create a profile with Mint and received a couple of emails about my weekly expenses. I haven't seen the full potential it offers and plan to cancel the account b/c I don't have time or interest to add in monthly bills that do not extract from my bank account. I think online banking is sufficient use for now. I set up automatic transfers from my checking account to my savings and I also get email reminders when I have bills to pay.
After reading the Consumers Report on spending less, I feel a bit more confident about my spending habit. I recently purchased a water pitcher for myself and my mother for Mother's Day. We constantly purchased water bottles and I've been told that is one habit good to nix b/c of the plastic waste. I definitely think I can be more careful with my debit card as well. At times, I withdraw money but don't make an effort to find my bank's ATM. I've noticed the fees add up fast.

#55: Facebook Challenge

Unfortunately, I have a Facebook account so that I can tinker with the library's page. Its not that I don't like Facebook; I jumped on the social network bandwagon with Myspace and I am used to their layout and features.
But I do admit, I get sucked into the endless memes in Facebook and write my status practically on a daily basis and leave comments on other people's profiles.
Today, I used the Friend Finder for my high school classmates in 2000. I found a good number of people and sent requests to add them. I don't really know if "knowing" them on Facebook will deem beneficial but it never hurts, right? Besides, either party can choose to ignore the add or the user entirely. It is nice to have someone find you though. Recently a friend that I knew in my art class befriended me in Facebook and she is now a missionary. I feel that it was kismet to cross paths b/c I am contemplating volunteering abroad when I graduate.
As for applications, I have trouble deciphering these. I've taken the occasional quiz and when I try to send it to friends or get my results, I get an error page. However, when I go back to my homepage, the results are posted. I recently added the Living Social: Books application which I haven't perused much but I like sharing my reads with friends. I also updated my Flixster application and added a couple of my favorite movies to my list. I want to see if I can add my Netflix info onto FB which would be great!
I know some people feel that social networking is lame or for losers. I am even reading articles for class that debate whether the internet is a good or bad thing for individuals. In my opinion, I think everything has good and bad in it and everything can be enjoyed in moderation. Either way, Facebook and other networks make everyday life a little more lively.

#54 Social Networking Through Books

Part 1: My thoughts on Book Clubs
I would love to join a book club but I never have the time to do so. I also think whenever I plan to read a book, I lose interest. The same applies for dieting and other stuff like mowing the lawn. If I say I will do it, I inadvertently don't. A close friend of mine started a book club that was supposed to read a book each month but we would meet every week and read short stories. As interesting as this was and fun to see friends every week, I was unable to commit to it.
Part 2: Implementing a Book Club
I think it would be easy to start up a book club, however, getting people to stick to their guns is another story. I feel like that my opinion and ideas are biased b/c I know the process of setting up a book club. The general public is unaware that they can book meeting rooms at the library. If I had time, I would love to set up a book club on romantic comedies or possibly books that were made into movies. I know one of branches does the books/movie adaptation and there is a database (Mid Continent I believe) that lists the books and movies.
The Houston Great Books Council site is useful; however I am sure they are many more book clubs in Houston. I looked at Meyerland Borders book selection which is appealing. They are currently reading The Best American Short Stories by John Updike.
Part 3: Testing
I decided to use the Dictionary of Failed Relationships as my test subject (and that is collecting dust somewhere in my home)and see if anyone has written reviews about it. On LibraryThing and Facebooks' Living Social, the book has a ~2.5 rating (out of 4). There were a couple of reviews on Facebook that state the women are whiny and the other states its different and interesting.
From my experience, most chick lit books do deal with whiny women. But I enjoy that kind of stuff.

#53: Finding Books Online

For this exercise, I looked up bookstores in my area and reviewed their online presence.
Doing a Google search for "Bookstores 77054," I retrieved a list of stores. The closest are Half Price Books, Brazos Bookstore and Inner Harmony. Half Price has a general website that lists their locations. This store is my favorite bookstore b/c 1)they're discounted books and 2) they have a wide variety of topics including my favorites: art, fiction and graphic novels. Brazos' site is aesthetically pleasing but hard to navigate and takes too long to upload pages. I am impatient; if I'm going to browse, I'd rather do it in person. As for Inner Harmony, no site or online reviews are provided.
To test the search features, I chose to look for The Dictionary of Failed Relationships. Brazos does have this title online and provides a short synopsis of the book. I searched HCPL's catalog and Bartleby, both do not own copies. Amazon does have this title as an eBook for as little as $8.80. Luckily, I went to Half Price recently and stumbled across this book in their CLEARANCE section for $2.00! Although it is convenient to purchase online, I do enjoy visiting real locations b/c it is rewarding when you find great deals. I use Abebooks.com frequently which has books as little as $1 and most sellers will lower their shipping and handling for multiple purchases.
I briefly reviewed the book swapping sites and I am weary to try those b/c I would have to pay for shipping and there is still a chance that someone may not honor your service.
Another part of the exercise is to explore eBooks. I downloaded the required software to read ebooks from Harris County Public Library's Overdrive and started reading a non-fiction book. This isn't my preferred method of leisure reading (on my computer screen) but it is convenient for when I have to be online for long spurts and am interested in testing out a book before I buy it.
I don't ever intend on purchasing ebooks b/c I enjoy having a book at hand and getting the tactile experience. I don't know if its being old fashioned or resisting change, but reading the traditional bound book is more appealing than reading an electronic version.

Still Exercise 52- Pt. 3

A customer tells you that he's read every book written by Dean Koontz and asks you to find an author who writes similar books. Using two of the sites listed above, find three new authors to recommend to your customer. Post the sites you used and the results in your blog.

Dean Koontz is renowned for his suspense novels and there are many authors like him. I used What Do I Read Next and Novelist's Read-alikes to find suggestions. Other authors the patron might enjoy include Clive Cussler, W.E.B. Griffin and John Saul.

A customer has read Alanna: the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce. She would like to read the other books in the series in order. Using one of the above resources, post the series title, the order of the books in the series, and the resource you used.

This one took an extra step to find b/c it does not specify if the series is for adults, teens or children. I used Mid-Continent Public Library's series finder. I searched by author and found the series Song of the Lioness which is comprised of four books:
Alanna: the first adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman who Rides like a Man, and Lioness Rampart.

#52 What to Read- Pt. 2

Using one of the resources listed above find two books suitable for a fourth grade girl interested in animals and another two books for her thirteen year old brother who is interested in ghost stories. Post which resource you used and the books you located.

I used Novelist Plus because it allows you to search by subjects, age level and other terms. This comes in handy because patrons do not always have a specific title or author in mind. I used their advanced search which allows me to search by subject (animals), determine age and grade level (older kids + 4th grade) and choose what types of titles to pull (books, series and reading lists). I found a number of options but I chose A Dog's Life: the autobiography of a stray and Urchin of the Riding Stars which borders on Fantasy Fiction.
For the teenager, I used Ghosts as my subject search and chose The Restless Dead that is short stories and Restless: a ghost's story.

Books, Readers and Beyond: #52 What to Read Pt. 1

I am back exploring the infinite where cyberspace and libraries coexist. For this exercise, I played around with Reader Advisories.
I am a huge fan of Novelist, an online database that helps find books by author, title, genre, etc. I used it frequently to find new stuff to read. For this exercise, comparing databases and what they retrieve, I used Steve Martin's Shopgirl as my test subject....
In Novelist Plus, the top three results were Shopgirl (tsk tsk), Undead and Unemployed and Wolves in Chic Clothing. On my current reading list is Undead and Unemployed, which is the book preceding Undead and Unemployed. However, I don't see a direct resemblance between Shopgirl and the latter.
My second test involves What Should I read Next? The results were odd because it retrieved graphic novels. I enjoy graphic novel but I don't see any correlation between Shopgirl and graphic novels unless it was made into a comic book, in which case I would be thrilled! It was not a complete failure as I have found a book within these results that caters to my taste: The Dictionary of Failed Relationships.
Finally, I tested Library Booklists and Bibliographies with the same novel. This site appears to be the more difficult of the three to navigate but I like how titles are divided by themes and the themes are divided into more themes! Searching Steve Martin's name brought me to a list of Humor lists but not all links worked. I tried Dark Comedy, Contemporary Humor and a third that were not accessible. The general Humorous fiction did work and a few titles suggested included Jennifer Crusie whose novel I have read and enjoyed.
All in all, these sites are very entertaining and more engaging for the users. I think using these sources for patrons to use will allow them to get a better variety and a higher exposure to lesser known authors.