Vegetarianism, Food Diaries, and All the Other Food Things My Family Teases Me About

"Look, LB! I'm eating meat! Does it bother you?"
"Do you want some of this delicious lamb, LB?"
"Why won't you eat the steak I made?"

Of all the things that my family, and some of my friends, don't understand, it's my eating habits. I'm a bit of an odd eater. It's not that I'm not adventurous – oh no, I mean, look at my visit to Thailand. I had no idea what I was eating 75% of the time (or more likely more, if you think about translation issues). No, it's more that I have dietary restrictions due to my body.
For example:
I'm lactose intolerant. Have been since I was really little. I can eat cheese and stuff in moderation, but straight up ice cream leaves me in pain.
I can't eat popcorn, which is a total bummer because I really love the stuff.
Meat and I just don't get along. My tummy gets upset when I do eat it, and I feel slow and generally icky for a full day. Not fun
And then there's the whole food diary thing. I used to use CalorieCount.About.com, and it worked great to lose weight, but I found myself unconsciously obsessing about the number of calories in things which lead to two things: I didn't want to eat the foods I loved, and I didn't want to log what I ate.
Logging my food and vegetarianism go hand in hand here. Yes, it's proven that people who log their food eat less, eat better, and are more conscious about what goes in their mouths (I can't tell you how much I cut down on my chocolate intake in a day). But it also helps me (and my trainer/nutritionist) make sure I'm getting the protein and vitamins I need.
What this leads to though, is me hauling around this gigantic pad of paper. Sure, could've opted for something smaller, but I'd lose it going back and forth to everything I do every day. And when it's really inconvenient, sometimes I leave it at home. The food journal still does it's job: I think about logging something before I eat it, and it often (sometimes) makes me think twice about eating that extra piece of cake.
We'll see how long I can keep it up, but I've logged four days in a row now! Whoo hoo!

Algorithms in QA and Projected Belief Patterns

I'm no math major, in fact, I hate number crunching and mulling over mathematical theories for hours on end. My eyes glaze over and my thoughts wander. But this, this stuff is facinating. It's almost up there with risk assessment, which also includes some minor equations. The numbers that I come up with in these situations have weight to them. I know what they mean and what I can do with them. I suppose if I was interested in engineering or physics, I'd love those projected paths and symbols. But instead I'm head over heels for slipping into some one else's destructive mindset and projecting the likelihood and potential damage of an attack. Not only that, now I can create a scatterplot-like layout that allows me to look at something like, say, an out break of the flu and determine if it's really just that or something that has more severe consequences.
And they want me to go into something other than Homeland Security. The advisors don't seem to understand: this is what makes me tick. I don't understnad how anyone could find anything else so driving. These studies are what push me to create a safer community and nation while making me challenge myself in stimulating and invigorating ways. Thinking like this is a natural high. There's the strain, the release, and the rush of figuring things out.
I know I titled this entry very specifically to deal with QA and PBPs, but I can't actually get into a whole lot of it on here. It's something I can't explain more for the reason that there's so much research going on with it right now. Once results are published, I'll explain more.

Little Girl Dream

Call me sick, but some days I just like to imagine what I'll be like when I "grow up". I know I'm old now in my inner child's eyes, but there's some things I still haven't done so I can dream about them. Like getting married. Sad, I know, but I think about it when my brain isn't devising escapes to far off places or working rock problems or playing with critical assessments of buildings. In other words, this is a once in a blue moon thing.

The Idea:

I'm a traditional girl. I like filigree rings from circa 1920-1949. That one has to be my favorite. It's from 1939 and is beautiul. I haven't found the dress because I have a feeling it'll be like my prom dress from way back when. Pretty, traditional, low cut, tight around the waist, and THE FIRST ONE I TRY ON. I'm not really for dress up. So much for the "girly-girl" image.

Other thoughts for today:

I'm curently reading "The Secret History of the IRA" which provides me with an international perspective on IRA weaponry deals. I also picked up "Terror and Consent" and "The Master of Disguise", the first one being commentary on the necessary steps the authors believes should be taken in these new wars and the latter an interview with a CIA ex-op. It's sweet. I also plan on picking up some books on Pakistan later this week. I can't shake this feeling that once Bush is out of office, that whole front is going to change. I'm a little afraid and I'd rather know what's coming before it smacks me in the face.

But, honestly, I'd rather think about a fairy tale wedding right now. Too bad there's no Prince Charming.

For my own use:

CSIS
CDI
The Princeton Review: IICW
IVS
Middle East Institute
PMF

The Plague

Due to my incompacitation because of illness, I've been a real boob as of late and have actually watched television since reading hurts so much. Blame it on the fever. By watching T.V., I mean wiring myself to CNN and BBC online. I zone out when it come to a lot of the Obama vs Clinton thing (it's over-covered in my opinion - I know who I'm voting for, but it's a secret). But I find myself glued to the screen when it comes to the international bit.
When I was in eighth grade, I was convinced Putin was the anti-Christ. He fit the description in my mind. But somehow he dragged the Russian economy back into the billions from the disaster it was for years previous. Now there's a president who says he'll back Putin's ways, and although this time I'm pretty sure he won't bring about the apocalypse, I'm still skeptical about a Putin-lover. Medvedev has been elected as the new leader of the largest country on the planet by what some opposition is calling unfair. Medvedev's party has accused the US as trying to turn favor against the party. I've got the old scandals of poisonings during elections running through my mind (remember those?!).
I rejoice for the Russians who perceive this successful election of Medvedev as a chance to continue the economic boom, but weep for global cooperation. After accusing the US of starting an arms race and taking a stance against NATO's expansion plans, I wonder what the new leader is playing at. Not only that, Putin is to be prime minister after Medvedev's swearing in in May.
Now for the international connections: Russia is already annoyed at US' support of Israel, if I remember right. We also have Pakistan issues coming to head now. With the accused arms race and political scene changing much at the same time, a period of rocky ground and new leadership is in order. With Putin still in the Russian wings, America will need a strong diplomatic leader to try and smooth things out while maintaining a global connection within our international organizations. Who's up to bat, then?