My first book signing last Sunday at the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Kati did a wonderful job setting up my table:
and assisting with sales. First people arriving at the coffee hour:
My message helped me make many wonderful connections!
Leave a CommentAfter submitting my latest report on a more sustainable chemical reaction I am heading out for a lunchtime walk in the woods. Walking the three-mile trail around the campus always recharges my batteries, and brings clarity to my short- and long-term purpose. My life has recently been expanding in so many directions with incredible speed, I need to maintain my focus.
After one mile I take a break and sit down on a bench to talk with my Dad. “Daddy, I want to tell you, that my life has so much joy and abundance. I am healthy, and have tons of energy. Sure, some things are difficult, but most of the times I can see the why-s and able to appreciate the challenges pushing me forward relentlessly. But doing it all, and doing it well, is overwhelming. I really enjoy my green chemistry job, but I would love to promote my book as well. I want to touch millions of hearts! To let them experience a mindful and soulful way of living! But I am no publisher, and no marketer! Where do I start? I would really appreciate some hints, like the time when I overheard two people talking about Reiki (remember, I took the class as soon as I could), or my colleague a few weeks ago commenting on someone else’s tennis game (did you enjoy my awesome backhand yesterday? Third time on the court, I think I play better now than in my prime ten years ago!). So you see, I follow your breadcrumbs without hesitation. And now I need some help pulling all this together: healing the environment, and healing people’s hearts.”
Leaving my plea in the woods, I head back on the trail. Suddenly my inner voice answers. “You can do both, and do them well. You were meant to take on both responsibilities.”
Awestruck, I stop in my track. I raise my head toward the sky with deep gratitude. When I became aware of the woods again, I notice two people jogging toward me. Oh, it’s him again! He always shows up in the exact moment! The man on the right…he looks just like my dad.
They pass by me. I wipe away my tears. Time to return to the other world.
A few minutes later I am walking toward a man exercising at one of the fitness stations. The logo on his back…it catches my eyes. Nowadays anything starting with “green” grabs my attention…
The GREEN SAGE restaurant
GREEN SAGE
Yes. I’ll take that!
Leave a CommentEarly 2012 I joined the newly formed Green Chemistry Team at my pharmaceutical company. Over the last year we have done extensive research on more sustainable chemical transformations, in the lab doing the actual chemistry, and in the office, compiling data to rank the chemicals as more or less green, dropping the most toxic, and least sustainable ones into the red category. We recently published the resulting guides to help fellow chemists working at other companies in making a more informed choice regarding sustainability. The article is available via subscription at the Green Chemistry Journal, however the tables containing reagents used for 15 major chemical transformations are free under the Supplementary info tab.
Happy Greening!
Leave a CommentOne month ago our rescue dog Baxter received his first Immiticide injection to kill his heartworms. Yesterday morning he got his second, and this morning his third shot. He is a bit sluggish now, but otherwise seems all right. We give him painkillers to ease the discomfort in the injection sites. Now he only needs four more weeks of quiet…
1 CommentMy second rendezvous with the yellow fuzzy balls went terrific. Blasting forehands and backhands with abandon, I had never had so much energy on a tennis court. Playing at last without the thick mental fog and physical exhaustion caused by my food allergies, only a growing blister on my right palm forced me to stop after one hour.
I arrived home flying high with excitement, and was greeted by my 7-year old Elena: “Momma, tennis is your passion. If you don’t follow your passion, you will never find out who you really are!”
Some low-cost ideas for greener living:
1…Use your own bags to buy groceries, clothes, shoes, etc.
2…Get reusable bags for shopping for fruits and vegetables in grocery stores and farmers’ markets
3…Take your Tupperware to restaurants for leftovers, and to farmers’ markets for baked items. Just throw a bunch, along with reusable bags, in your trunk!
4…Start a compost pile to cut down on municipal garbage
5…Install rain barrels to water landscapes and gardens
6…Open windows when the air is cooler and not too humid outside
7…Designate one or more days to vegetarian meals only
8…Bike or walk instead of driving
9…Consider electric cars: prices are falling (the 2013 Nissan Leaf is now less than $23000 after tax deduction) and the 70-80 mile range covers most people’s daily needs
10…????
Happy Greening!
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Here we go, my first tennis lesson in almost a decade. Before the kids were born, I was a tennis junkie. Playing three or four times a week, with friends, in leagues; and at home watching every match broadcast on tv. When Kati was little, I took her with me a lot; either set up a baby swing by the courts or had my best friend, my tennis-sis watch her. Then Elena was born and we moved to NC.
But today I am chasing down that yellow fuzzy ball again. After 15 minutes I am totally out of breath. After 22 I am getting nauseous. The one-hour mark brings me much relief.
Driving home, drenched in sweat and nursing an aching back, I am already contemplating my next rendezvous with the yellow fuzzy balls.
A few months ago my 7-year old daughter came to me: “Mommy, your passion is tennis. Your journey will not be complete without it.”
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I had my first public reading yesterday. Well, I had a few readings two years ago at my spiritual home, the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, but this was the first one outside of the safety of ERUUF.
I arrived one hour early to make sure to get on the list. As it turned out there were only 8 readers for 15 spots, and I ended up first on the list. The reading went well, and I received a generous applause. When everyone else finished, I packed up my bag and made a bee-line to my car. I needed to get to Dancing Moon Book Store before closing and I did not have time to linger. I turned on the car and was trying to figure out which way to go, when I heard some urgent tapping on my window. I opened the door and was greeted by two women from the event. They had hurried after me to let me know how much they enjoyed my memoir. They also inquired about my accent, and started laughing when they learned that I am from Hungary. One of the ladies’s family was also from Hungary, I recognized her last name, Biro – it means Judge. They told me that they are looking forward to hearing more of my writing, then they bid me farewell.
I arrived at the book store ten minutes before closing; I found the owner, Cherry and her assistant tidying up the place. I asked Cherry if she would be interested in selling my books. She took a long look at my proof copy, then agreed to stock a few copies once I receive my order. I got so emotional that I gave her a big hug.
Cherry smiled. “I wonder, what kind of breadcrumbs you will be leaving on my path.” she said.
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The stress of an over-committed life has just caught up with me. Again. Fortunately the Universe ha its was of getting the necessary message through using surrogate situations and objects. But I am a good listener, and most of the time I get it in the first round. But this one took two rounds.
Last Fall I was running around like a maniac, shuttling kids, keeping up with commitments, often driving above the speed limit. Then one night Blue Leaf, my electric car, my pride and joy, got hit. No fault of mine, someone backed into it in a parking lot. But the event forced me to slow down, to get out of the frantic pace.
Apparently I did not take the message to heart. Self-publishing my first book, often staying up past midnight battling my picture editing software, then CreateSpace’s submission guidelines; in the meantime trying to be the best Mom, the best Wife, the best Green Chemist, and the best Foster-turned-Permanent Parent to a dog filled with heartworms.
So it happened again. Yup, my car. I drove over a gravel-filled crack in the road, and the screeching started immediately. A mile later it was so loud that my daughter Kati greeted me in front of the house with a horrified look on her face. Next day I called a tow truck and scheduled a service at the dealership. And I reflected again on the pace I have been living, and what would happen if I came to a screeching halt instead of my car. I promised, again, to my stressed-out body to take it easy from now on.
A minute before the tow truck was supposed to arrive, I gingerly backed the car out of the garage. Nothing. Not even the faintest scraping noise. Then I saw the tow truck coming down the street. Oh, oh… The gentleman was nice, he waited while I drove around the block, then looked under the hood. He and I came to the conclusion: a stone had been wedged in the wheel, then came loose when I backed up.
“You got off easy, but we are begging you, please go slower!”- The Universe
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“The only completely consistent people are the dead.” Aldous Huxley
Last Friday we took Baxter in for a second opinion regarding his heartworm treatment. For three weeks we have been doing the slow kill method, which is coincidentally the prep for the fast kill, also; he would be due about now if we changed our minds. The new vet did manage to change our minds. He estimated Baxter’s age at about four years, and his infestation about two years long. In his practice the average time for slow kill is another two years. That was an eye-opener. A lot of damage has been done by the parasites, and a lot more will be done in two more years.
So the family talked it over and we felt that Baxter would want these gone as soon as possible. So we decided to go with the fast kill:Â a series of 3 injections with an organo-arsenic compound called Immiticide. It can be rough on the dogs, but a lot better than its predecessor Caparsolate.
Baxter received his first injection today, and we are surprised how well he is doing. We had to work at keeping him not bouncing off the wall, when he saw the girls again.
Keeping our fingers crossed…
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