Raisins Come from Grapes

That’s what a friend told me last night when we were talking about eating organic food. I am not all organic and she is, so I felt a little like I had to defend my position. At one point I told her the things I do eat organic, one of them being raisins, and she said, “You know, raisins come from grapes.” Good to know, eh? Ideally, I would love to eat only the produce I personally grow. Unfortunately, right now that would mean starving. My green thumb is a rather sickly, mint color. Instead I eat what looks tasty and is affordable. I said to D that if we strive to do everything that is “most beneficial” for our bodies all the time, we will drive ourselves nuts. Not that I want to do anything intentionally bad for me; my verdict is still out on most of the organic debate. My friend was just being helpful and wanted to share what she had learned, hoping it would help me and D. It was just an interesting conversation to reflect on.

For those of you who enjoy a good Jenae fall story, I’ve got one for you: On Sunday D took me mountain biking again. We headed off intending to complete a loop we had previously missed due to choosing the wrong path at a fork in the trail. This time we got all the turns right but were greeted by flooded trail as we approached the river. We turned around and tried to find more trails, hoping to avoid just going back the way we came. We found a few more flooded trails and then finally one that took us dryly through the low spots. The water created some challenges, but my fall was not into the drink. After crossing back over the river and clearly on our way back, we took a turn, hit some bumps and quick turns, and just as I was collecting myself after the trail’s challenges… I overcorrected my steering, pointing my front tire off a steep part of the trail. My bike slid in the sand to the left, lost traction and launched me over the handle bars. I think my jaw hit the ground first, dampening the blow to the rest of my head, neck and shoulders. Realizing what had just happened, I let out a big, “Owww!” and D came running. We started checking me for bodily injury as I moved to get up. Jaw worked. Check. Neck felt whiplash, but moved OK. Check. No blood. Check. D offered me his water bottle for what I assumed was to quench my thirst, only to learn that my face was covered in dirt. After a few squirts and lots of rinsing, I was almost ready to put my helmet back on and get back on and ride. D observed how little use my helmet was in that fall. We’re going to have to look into chin protection (or maybe air bags?). I made it back to the car and assured D that it wasn’t his fault (but still got a massage from him later for my whiplash). I didn’t go to the hospital because I was moving fine and have sustained as bad or worse falls in the past. Later I recalled weird stories about people who seem fine but die after falling on their heads. I’m glad to be OK, and guess I’ll go to the doctor the next time I fall on my head.

I guess this most recent fall on my head has now been documented and can be referred to when I have future weirdness that can only be explained by “falling on my head.”

No news on something new for Jenae. My track record has been broken though. Until this last job interview, I had received an offer from every previous job interview. I’m not terribly disappointed though because I was not entirely settled with the prospect of working for that company. I continue to send my resume out and network when I can. This Saturday I have an appointment with a local school to get more information on their programs, tuition fees and schedule. Not sure if I am headed back to school, but want to pursue the option. D’s job continues to be a good mix of challenges and new, cool stuff. He recently got invited to attend a conference with some guys from church. I hope he is able to go and gets to know the guys a bit better. We’ve been invited on a cruise with friends this summer. As usual there are more vacation options than we have time or money for this year, but a cruise with friends sounds pretty fun!