Friday, March 6, 2020

Coffee Talk

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Let's catch up over coffee! I've got some good stuff brewing. I picked up this bag of Allegro Girls Gotta Run Coffee at Whole Foods last week. Girls Gotta Run is a foundation started in 2007 with a mission to empower girls in Ethiopia through education and athletics. GGR starts working with girls after age 12 to keep them in school by providing them with scholarships, trains them in athletics, teaches them life skills, and assists their mothers in building a business. This year, the first class of girls graduated from the scholarship program--100% of them are going to college.

Allegro Coffee has been involved with the program since 2015 and this year has pledged $10,000 from its sales of Girls Gotta Run coffee. International Womens' Day is Sunday, March 8--what an amazing way for Allegro to empower these young women! This is a cup of coffee you can feel good about drinking.

Plus, the coffee is really good! I'll have a little half and half in mine, if you please...




If we were having coffee... I'd talk about the Coronavirus aka COVID-19. Yep, it's on everyone's minds and you can't escape hearing about it. I wish I could. The news is catastrophizing the whole situation. People are panicking, hoarding hand sanitizer and masks. Events are being cancelled right and left. Come on, man! We don't do this for the flu and that has been ridiculously rampant this winter. And yes, people die from the flu.

Guys, remember what I do for a living. If you don't know, I'm a pediatric nurse practitioner in a group practice. When I walk in a room to see a patient, I don't know what's wrong with them, save for a description of symptoms. Fever and cough pretty much describes 90% of what I've been seeing this winter. I am not approaching my job any differently than I ever have. If the patient has a cough, they are asked to wear a mask. I wash my hands before I touch the patient. I wash my hands after I examine the patient. Obviously, I don't touch my face at all. I clean my stethoscope between patients. I've dodged the flu for all of my career and I don't plan on starting with this thing now. Let's all be smart about it. And stay calm.

Or lice...or scabies...
If we were having coffee... I'd tell you that I went back to my former rheumatologist. At our last coffee date, I shared that the new rheum moved out of state. It was a sign! I'm so glad I went back. We talked about what happened with that prolonged flare last year and about me getting a second opinion. It was all so good. She hugged me, lol! Her personality is similar to mine and it's a better fit. She is pleased with how well I'm doing. I left feeling much more settled. Whew!


If we were having coffee... I'd share my excitement about heading to Florida next week to see my parents and run that trail race in the Everglades. I am a little sad about going alone, though. Both boys have plans with their friends this year for spring break trips--my youngest is going on a rugby trip with the team from UW and my oldest is going to Texas with his high school friends. I'm so glad I got that week with them last year! My husband considered going with me but he doesn't want to kennel Cocoa...

Me: Trying to make the bed
Cocoa: Can't a dog get some sleep around here? The pouty lip...
It's a ruff life
If we were having coffee... Speaking of crazy Cocoa, I don't know if I've shared how much she loves fruits and veggies. When I'm making smoothies, I have to toss her a few pieces of mango, some blueberries, apples--pretty much anything goes. When I'm making my salads, she begs for cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. This past week, my husband made a bone-in ribeye for himself and my son. He gave Cocoa the bone and she was pretty excited about it, carrying it around and licking it. She didn't eat much meat off it though, and it wasn't long before we had to take it away. She's not much of a meat eater. Except for bacon. She loves bacon. Me too. Who doesn't love bacon?


If we were having coffee... I'd catch you up on the books I've read since my last post:

  • Know My Name by Chanel Miller: Wow, what an intense read. One of the best memoirs I've ever read, Chanel tells her story of waking up in the hospital after a brutal sexual attack at a college party--an event she has no memory of. She attempts to put the pieces back together. It's a great read--so well written--and a testament to her courage. 
  • American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins: This fictional story about a women and her son attempting to escape to the US after their family was murdered by a drug cartel in Mexico has become very controversial. Had it been written by a Hispanic author, would the controversy erupted? I found it to be a good read, a work of fiction. And that is all. 
  • The Most Fun We Ever Had by Clare Lombardo: This is an epic saga of a family raising 4 girls in a suburb outside Chicago. It was crazy good. It was also very long. I really enjoyed it, though.
  • The Holdout by Graham Moore: Oooh, this was a fun read-- a wild, twisty courtroom, suspense-filled whodunit. Could.Not.Put.It.Down. I have no doubt that you will probably be able to watch it on Netflix sometime in the future. 

So what would you tell me over coffee? Are you staying calm over the Coronovirus or are you nervous? Any trips planned for spring break? Does your dog like fruits and veggies? Are you Team Bacon? What books are you reading? Do you follow me on Goodreads?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date and with Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness.

 




40 comments :

  1. Our Bichons used to LIVE for carrots. Ozzy not so much. He won't eat dog treats but he sure does have a sweet tooth for human treats. His favorite though is to toss around a grape as if it were a ball. Bummer you'll be solo on your trip!

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    1. I've got some fun things planned-solo or not--and I'm hoping to see MB!

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  2. I am very calm. And I’m going I hope to run nyc half with 25k runners.

    I like my new podiatrist. She gets me. That is important.

    Next year I go back to Fla in the winter. I love escaping the cold. Enjoy. Esp that race. Can’t wait to hear about it.

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    1. I think it's so important to find a doctor who 'gets you'. I have my internist and my rheum. Lucky!

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  3. That's so funny your dog love fruits and veggies, mine do not! I am kind of getting tired of hearing about this virus. What I get alot, "Are you concerned since your a flight attendant?" Well it's my job so it's not like I can't go to work. Have a fantastic time in Florida. Hopefully you'll have nice weather while you are there.

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    1. Exactly! I have to go to work too! It's funny how people don't seem to think about how they're affecting us...

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  4. I have not seen that coffee but love the idea of it and the look. I will try to find it! Well I am trying to stay calm over here but DC is kind of nuts to begin with! The grocery stores are cleaned out of cleaners, toilet paper and all kinds of other weird stuff. I have had to talk my parents off the ledge a few times this week too. I am hoping our Vegas trip does not get cancelled next week. I am kind of looking forward to doing some new activities out there. Continue being the voice of reason out there! Thanks for joining for coffee. Have a great trip to Florida!

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    1. I know someone else going to Vegas next week as well and they are concerned about their flight being cancelled. I hope not. We have to just be smart!

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  5. I’m with you on the coronavirus—there have been so, so many people demanding to be tested for that and complaining that there’s no vaccine for it (but at the same time they won’t even get the flu shot...). The media really is not helping, haha.

    I’m glad you got to go back to your previous rheumatologist! Finding a good fit is so important! <3

    I need to add those books to my to-read list! (This list seems to be never-ending...)

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    1. Seriously, i had parents refuse the flu shot for their child JUST LAST WEEK! Even after I told them how more children die from the flu...you just can't fix stupid. What a crazy world we live in!

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  6. That's great news that you had such a good meeting with your former rheumatologist!

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  7. That picture of Cocoa & the bed is me & Lola -- every damn morning and night. Bandit tends to hang around me more (but not ON me -- not as much as I'd like).

    Speaking of Bandit, it's not hard to remember that he is the dog I had to beg to lick dogfood off of my fingers for a long time when we first got him. He LOVES cucumber, though. Lola used to like baby carrots & bananas (yes, Bandit likes those, too), but it's very hard for her to eat them now.

    They both love meat though. Love probably isn't a strong enough word!

    I got a letter from my mom's senior living community yesterday about what they're doing about Coronavirus. It is definitely a lot of hype, although of course it is still killing people (and my MIL is elderly & lives in WA). I don't remember so much stuff ever being canceled for anything. Except maybe 9/11, and even that was temporry!

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    1. I'm not quite sure why the panic but the news seems to have a lot to do with it. Plus the gross incompetence in our government doesn't help. #sorrynotsorry

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  8. We flew home from Hawaii last Thursday and are flying back there a week from Sunday. We're not wearing masks, just washing our hands and not panicking. Thanks for the voice of reason - give a virus a name and it's 1000% worse than the flu, right?

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    1. Seriously! I know it's a big deal, but so is the flu! So is RSV, but I bet you've never even heard of that...and it comes every year.

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  9. As you can probably guess I am so over the coronavirus. I even had one of the Psychologist from the college tell me how she was stocking up on staples just in case they start quarantining everyone. Really?? And she's an educated woman. The media is out of control. The news has been to my ER a few times now and it's so obvious that they are looking for a sensational story.
    Thanks once again for the book list.

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    1. I'm right there with you sister. I went to a conference today and one of the local university hospitals told their providers they were not allowed to attend. Hello? This was a small pediatrics conference!

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  10. Your Cocoa is adorable! My Benji loves carrots but only if they are cooked. He spits them out if they are raw. Crazy dog!

    Corona virus has been on my mind. We are traveling to Morocco and Portugal in a few weeks. These 2 countries have not been mentioned in the news, but I am still keeping my fingers crossed. Stay safe out there! Keep washing your hands. (Look at me telling a nurse to wash her hands!) :)

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    1. If it's in Europe, It's going to be everywhere. Wash your hands and be safe! You'll probably have the place to yourself--I call that a win!

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  11. I'm so excited for your Florida trip. And Cocoa is adorable. My Delilah is personally victimized by fruits and veggies. She used to literally hide and sulk if we offered her something even remotely healthy. She's gotten over it, mostly, but she would still rather have pizza crust or chicken nuggets than a bite of banana or carrot.

    Oh, Coronavirus. Obviously, I don't want to get sick and I don't want anyone else getting sick. Obviously. But our family is pretty hearty, and so I'm not too, too concerned. I don't think I'd want to be on a cruise ship right now (more for the quarantine factor), but I'm not really altering too many of our plans at this point. We are washing our hands and we aren't licking public handrails. I don't know what else we can really do.

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  12. Gotta love those dogs and their antics ;-) One night, Max was on the bed, on top of my pj's. I tried to pull the pj's out from under him and he growled at me...like it was HIS bed and those were HIS pj's. It's a good thing he's so cute...

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  13. I KNEW that you, as a professional, would be calm and level-headed about the corona virus. The level of media-induced hysteria is just simply ridiculous. I refuse to be fearful about it.
    I am so happy for you that you have the perfect fit with your rheumatologist! It makes such a huge difference!

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    1. I guess I needed to get that second opinion to know how good I had it!

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  14. 100% team bacon here! The last good book I read was Long Bright River and you've sold me on The Holdout.

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  15. I love the story behind that coffee!

    So glad things are working with returning to your rheumatologist - that level of comfort is so important!

    So funny that Cocoa loves fruits and veggies - my German Shepherd is a pure meat eater!

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    1. I've only had carnivore pups in the past--but Cocoa is really a different dog all around!

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  16. I don’t feed Scooby much besides his dinner, but I started a bad thing of letting him lick the peanut butter knife, so now he comes running if he hears me open the jar. :-O. Thanks for the book recs. The Holdout sounds good.

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    1. When I pull out the cutting board and start cutting fruits and/or veggies, Cocoa comes running. Crazy how that happens!

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  17. Thank you for the sound advice about the coronavirus. It's been pretty upsetting to see the media sending everyone into hysterics. Like you, I've been doing what I always do - washing my hands numerous times a day, avoiding hand to face contact and just trying to stay healthy.

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    1. It's all we can do! But the media coverage is definitely overwhelming.

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  18. Yeah, I don't think people should be panicking and hoarding hand sanitizer. Have fun in Florida next week and the trail race sounds exciting!

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  19. I'm definitely over all of the panic and fear-mongering about the virus. Common sense, people! I've travelled by plan several times since the 'crisis' and I can't tell you the silly stuff I see people doing. I have the news on now, and they just reported that Amazon is selling the single small bottles of Purel for $122. I say if people are stupid enough to pay that, let them. I'll just wash my hands as usual...

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  20. We have stupid stuff going on here although our area does have toilet rolls! We've just got back from a trip, however, and I'm a little concerned about how dirty other people are and how we touched stuff at the airport ...

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