Maternity Leave

I'm currently writing a paper on maternity leave. I set off to write about how it's important, how it stinks in America, and how it needs to be changed. The articles I have read have all affirmed my suspicions: maternity leave is undeniably vital to families and our country. It's an important message for women like me who have large ambitions and also want to be mothers. I'm not sure what both of these things will entail, but one thing is sure: I'll be taking a mean maternity leave.
One of my favorite articles on the importance of maternity leave:
http://healthland.time.com/2011/07/21/study-why-maternity-leave-is-important/

Princess Kate's Fashion 'Evolution'

A collection of pictures of Kate Middleton highlighting her fashion.
Although I know nothing about her, and hardly anything about fashion, these are really fun to look at.
They also reveal to me that:
a) Kate Middleton is stunningly beautiful.
b) Kate Middleton looks especially stunningly gorgeous in creams and silvers.
c) Her husband is ugly. (I guess that's the king. Prince. Anyway, he's not very attractive, especially compared to his wife.)

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2065084_2313170,00.html

Ice Cream Fans Rejoice

It's all here. Every flavor. New New Years resolution? Try every flavor of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. (While everyone else is trying to lose weight...)

One thing that is especially noteworthy is that they now have greek frozen yogurt. That is revolutionary. I absolutely love frozen yogurt, and greek yogurt, so I absolutely have to try this. I'm starting to think I should have a blog about greek yogurt. I have a recipe for fettuccine alfredo using greek yogurt on this blog that is really good.
Anyway, if you need to enjoyably waste some time, check out the web site for ben and jerry's.

http://www.benjerry.com/

A Much-Needed Reminder

This is a blog written for the New York Times in which a mother looks at the humor of the college search process. If only I could see things from  her point of view. I've visited two colleges, and I've got three more over spring break.
 For some reason, it's beyond stressful. Maybe it's missing school constantly. Maybe it's straining to know every detail about a school. Maybe it's the pressure to live up to expectations, or 'reach my full potential', or whatever you want to call it. Maybe it's that this is the first very real, very large decision I get to make. It's about my future, and my money, my education, my faith, my friends, my life.
Okay yeah. Maybe I do need to chill.

http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/momu/

Photography Exhibition: Domestic

This is a really interesting photography exhibition. Catherine Opie is a very artistic photographer who captures pictures from the stillness of icehouses to the adolescence of high school football players. Here,  she photographs domestic life. While edgy at times, what makes it most shocking, perhaps, is that it's probably very close to reality. My favorite picture is the eleventh one.

http://www.regenprojects.com/exhibitions/1999-04-catherine-opie/

Wendy's > Burger King

I've always been a fan of Wendy's, and I always have been somewhat grossed out by Burger King. Turns out, the rest of the world agrees. For the first time in history, Wendy's is second place in the burger restaurant industry. While it has always been McDonald's, Burger King, and then Wendy's, now Wendy's is in second place. This article explains that over the past several years, Burger King has focused on it's advertising, while Wendy's focused on it's food. Wendy's has come out on top. Go frostys!

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/03/dethroned-how-wendys-slayed-burger-king-in-the-fast-food

Maaike Mudde? I'm screwed.

Make Mud. Mickey Muddy. Mike Moody. Life is hard with the name Maaike Mudde. (Micah Mooduh) I say that with a smile, but in reality, not many people understand what it's like to have a hard-to-pronounce name. And it's one thing to have a unique first name, or a weird last name. But Maaike Mudde? It doesn't get much worse than that.
Unfortunately for me, this article reports on a study that reveals that people with easier to pronounce names are more favored and leave better impressions than those with hard to pronounce names. The study was of 500 lawyers around the country, and found that the lawyers with the most pronounceable names, not the ethnic origin of the names, were more likely and quicker to rise to superior positions in their firm.
I can understand why this is true. I can see why people subconsciously look more positively on names that don't give them trouble to say.
I've seen the wrath of having a bizarre name play out already. Recently, I emailed the president of a health clinic to inquire about a volunteer position. When I went to the clinic to interview and tour the facility, the president made a comment like, "wow, I have to say I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm really glad you're joining the team!" I wasn't sure what she meant or how to respond. "I mean... your name...." I realized that all she knew about me before this interview was the email I wrote and, most importantly, my name. She had judged me by my name, and the foreignness of it had made her completely unsure of me as a person, even before she had met me.
Yeah--it's a hard life with the name Maaike Mudde.



http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/03/having-a-simple-name-is-good-in-the-workplace/253555/

I Believe In... Being Mean?

In class we have been listening to NPR's This I Believe Series. These are essays that have been written and recorded about the truths and beliefs that people hold and live live through. Most of these essays I agree with. Most of the beliefs I can understand. But this one jumped out at me, and I'm unsure of what I think about it. This essay is about how toughness, steeliness, and meanness have gotten the author through life and are characteristics that she has found to be of greatest importance. It seems to me that this would conflict with the Bible's teachings of kindness and love and forgiveness. But I think her essay doesn't point to what I immediately think of when I hear those words. I think what she's really getting at is never giving up, never giving in, and holding yourself and others to the highest standards. This 'This I believe' really caught my attention because it made me think whether or not I agreed with the author.
The essay isn't too long; listen and read for yourself, and tell me what you think!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100338235

Go See Mitt!

I'm not a Republican. But the other day, a voice (yes, you read that right-- a voice) called our house telling me to go to Mitt Romney's town hall meeting in Kalamazoo. Unfortunately, I can't go. In all honesty, though, if I could go, I would. Politics really interest me, and I feel that we are blessed to have a political system that works so smoothly and fairly with its transfer of power. I believe everyone has a role to vote for our leader and vote educated. Go see Mitt. He want's to become president, and you should go to his town hall meeting to decide whether you want him to be president, too.
A small press release on this event:

http://whtc.com/news/articles/2012/feb/24/romney-comes-to-kalamazoo/

A Website Dedicated to My Favorite Food.

This past year, on July 27 (my birthday), I biked home from cross country practice to find a watermelon sitting on my porch. My friend had written a note on it with sharpie. It was a birthday watermelon, and also my favorite gift that year. This friend and I have, over the years, developed a steady obsession with the watermelon. It's not uncommon for us to go to Meijer's after running in the summer and buy a watermelon to split in half and eat. In the summer, I probably eat an average of four watermelons a week. We share sales and comparative prices at local grocery stores, cutting methods, recipes, and stories of mass watermelon consumption.
One thing about watermelon is that it's about ninety percent water, and it fills you up.
Quick.
Most people don't know this when they eat a slice or two at a time, but when you can't stop eating it like me, it's a known reality. Eating half a watermelon is not an easy feat. It also requires not doing anything physically strenous for about two hours afterward, and thirteen trips to the bathroom.
It's worth it, though. Watermelon is sweet and refreshing and addicting.
My world might have flipped when I found this website.

http://www.watermelon.org/

Take a look at it for recipes, information on the nutrition in watermelon, and fun facts about the fruit.
Watermelon is really healthy!

Taking Over the Family Kitchen

My mom is a full-time kindergarten teacher. And while my mom is also remarkable cook, lately she hasn't had the time. This week, I think I'm going to ask if I can make a meal for our family to help out.
It is going to be:
Salmon Baked in Foil
Lemony Dill Brown Rice
Steamed Broccoli

Feel free to check out the recipes I found. The salmon is a recipe for a very basic and simple way the French and Italian prepare salmon. The rice recipe is a just a guide to a side dish staple. The best part about this meal is that I only need to get three ingredients from the grocery store: salmon, shallots, and broccoli. The rest of the ingredients we already have in the house

Here are the recipes:


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/salmon-baked-in-foil-recipe/index.html

http://highlevelwellnessonline.com/wp/hlw-recipe-jazzy-brown-rice-with-yummy-lemon-dill-dressing/

Ten Steps To Driving A Stick Shift

About a month ago my dad surprised my family with the news that we were getting a new car! (Well, it's his new car.) But it benefits everyone in our family because previously my parents and my twin brother and I were sharing two cars, but now Jon (my twin) and I get my dad's old car to use. The only problem? It's a manual transmission. Jon was an old pro at the stick shift, but I hadn't had the time to learn yet.
So, at ten o'clock on a Friday night in blizzard conditions, my dad announced I was going with him to learn how to drive 'the stick'. Oh. Okay Dad.
I picked it up pretty well at first, but after a week of driving it, I was still stalling and having a lot of trouble. Driving a stick shift isn't easy. I wish I could tell you it is. I can't. After being stuck at a stop sign and stalling the car five times in a row, and may or may not having an emotional breakdown, Jon walked me through the clutch. And I got it. All of a sudden, I was the manual transmission master.
Driving a stick shift is fun, confidence-boosting, and down-right respectable. If I can learn, you can, too. It takes patience and focus and determination. maybe I'm making a bigger deal about it than it deserves, but for some reason, I feel like a noticably cooler person now that I drive around in our nice little gear-shifting vehicle.
Or maybe it's just that I don't have to take the mini-van anymore.

This is a really helpful article to read over before you get in a manual transmission car to learn how to drive it. the best thing I can advise, though, is that you find a proficient teacher who is caring and has a lot of patience, stability, and poise. (In other words, they will remain calm and won't scream like a maniac when you accidently stall in the middle of an intersection.)

http://jalopnik.com/5230172/how-to-drive-a-stick-shift-in-ten-easy-steps

Cell Phone Ear Can Determine How Your Brain Works

 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/hfhs-sbm022112.php

This is a really interesting article that I found. It concluded that your choice of ear when you are using your cell phone reveals whether you have your speech and language centers dominated on the left or right side of the brain. It found that if a person used their cell phone (or any phone) on the right side of thier head, then they would be more likely to be left brained.
Left Brain                                                 Right Brain
math, science                                            imagination
logical                                                      "big picture" oriented
reasoning                                                  religion
fact and detailed oriented                          feelings and beliefs

I wonder if I am more left brained or right brained? I'm sure that everyone is a mixture of both, but some people lean towards one or the other. From my reading on what it means to be left brained or right brained, though, I can only see myself as a torn mix between the two.
For example, my favorite classes at Christian High have been: Freshman Religion, Honors Biology, Critical Reading and Writing, Communications and Culture, and Pre-Calc.
I love algebra and theology.
I love human anatomy and journaling.
And, by the way, I use my right ear to talk on the phone.

The Last Supper

Read the Last Supper story as found in Luke:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+22&version=NIV

My church has focused on a sermon series about Baptism, Profession of Faith, and Communion in these past few weeks. That, along with different moments and teachings at school, have made me realize that Communion is really, really important.
Communion is all about remembering. We join together to remember and take part in the Last Supper. Although I have done this since I made Profession of Faith in middle school, it is now that I am understanding more completely the beauty and weight of the story of the Last Supper.
The Passover is a celebration of God's people from the Old Testament times. It's a holiday when Jews would (and do today) eat unleavened bread and sacrifice a lamb to remember and celebrate God saving them during the plague of the first born. This was when God killed all the first born sons in Egypt, but if the Israelites sacrificed a lamb and put the blood on their doorway, their sons would be saved from dying.
It was a celebration that was practiced by all followers of God throughout time. Isn't their something beautiful about the fact that Jesus did too? But there was one time when everything changed. Jesus prepared the passover for his disciples, but in the Last Supper, he broke the bread and passed the cup to explain that he was offering himself as the passover lamb. He was going to sacrifice his blood, once, and for all, for our salvation. The passover would take on a completely new meaning. And after Jesus died, we have a new celebration. We have Good Friday, and then we have Easter. We have triumph over death and the Son of God laying himself down for us, taking the place of the passover lamb and completing the story that has intertwined the history of God's people and the world.
This is why communion is so important. We can picture ourselves in that upper room, Jesus' heart heavy, hurting, and scared. We can listen to his words to the disciples and to us, saying, we don't need the lamb anymore. It was okay for a time, but now I have come to fulfill what God has promised. I am the lamb. I am the sacrifice. Take this bread, take this cup. Remember and believe. For this is my body, broken for you, and all sinners. And through it. Through it I give you life. It is through my death that you will truely, truely

live.

Facing Your Future

I was recently nominated by my church to be a part of a program at Calvin Theological Seminary called "Facing Your Future". It is a month-long program with about 50 other junior and senior high school students to explore ministry, Christianity, and theology, and to discern our calling. I applied, and just found out that I have been accepted! I'm really excited for this opportunity to grow in my faith and especially for the last week, which is an 'excursion' week where we go on a trip to either Texas, Oregon, or Canada and have a week of ministry abroad. I can't wait to form a community with other passionate Christians and learn and grow with them!
This is a link to the website if you want more information:
https://internal.calvinseminary.edu/fyf/

Fettucine Alfredo!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-303-504-13456-0,00.html

I am taking a little break from the skiing theme. I was browsing the runner's world web site because my other passion is running, and I think I was hungry, because I was looking at recipes when I found this one for fettucine alfredo. It looks delicious and really easy. And, apparently it's healthier than most fettucini alfredo recipes. All I know is that if it tastes as good as it looks, I'm in.

It's True: I Will Die on Skis

It's true: I will die on skis.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jan/17/skiing-snowboarding-study-deaths-injuries

This article compares skiing and snowboarding, and the risks associated with each. I found it interesting for two reasons: 1) Skiing is obviously superior to snowboarding, and I was looking for facts to prove this. 2) I should stay informed about the dangers of the sport I spend way too much time on.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Jasper Shealy, a professor emeritus at the Rochester Institute of Technology who has studied such injuries for 40 years, concluded that while snowboarders were between 50% to 70% more likely to get injured, they are also around a third less likely to be killed on the slopes than skiers. Most of the skiing deaths were "due to collisions with fixed objects, where somebody is going at a relatively high speed","

Wait. Stop there.This is going to be me.
Some day, I promise you, I will be another statistic in this study. I ski way too fast, and I have an unhealthy lack of fear. I know I should change that. I know it's my choice. But there's something deep inside me that knows I won't change. I have a need for speed. A thirst for thrill. That feeling of flying fast, wind whipping by, plunging down a mountain. It never gets old.
I will probably die on skis.
And for some reason, I'm okay with that.

"Inside the Ski Racing Mind: Don't Talk About Results!"

http://skiracing.com/?q=node/11377

This article talks briefly about the psychological and physical effects of focusing on the results of ski racing and the anxiety involved. It encourages focusing on the process necessary to ski your best instead of your finish and end results of a good race.

The article is eerily applicable to my life, because it addresses the very problem I have been dealing with.
     Last year I joined our school's ski racing team. Mr. Vanderkamp, knowing I loved to ski, highly encouraged it. It turned out to be an awesome decision. It has taken two years, hours of hard work, inspecting courses, waxing skis, and broken goggles, ski poles, and ski boots. It's taken crashes and wipes, concussions and constant bruises. And finally, I am a very competitive ski racer. I have the possibility, if I ski my best, to finish in the top 15. And that's when the pressure and anxiety and fear are interjected into the scene. I race and miss gates, and lose skis, and blow out of courses. It's heartbreaking and frustrating.
     This article, though, shows me that I'm thinking about it all wrong. I'm so focused on the results of a good race, that it detracts from me racing well. Instead, I'm going to focus solely on training at practice, and on race day, I'll focus on tightening my boots, inspecting the course, and setting up my turns early. I'll note every gate combination in the course and how I'll ski each of them. I'll line up at the start, and stretch out my legs to get warm, and when the starter says, "go when ready," I'll give it all. I'll pop out of the start and give it all. And when it comes to the finish?
We'll see.