Trains

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Naima

Trains are fabulous. They take people to their jobs, across the country and to countless appointments. If you live in an area with trains is there a need for a car? Unfortunately you can’t get everywhere on a train… Yet.

But trains must be done right. They must be reliable, accurate and quick. The Dallas DART has yet to embody all of these adjectives but its not their fault. There a are numerous train lines that run on the same tracks through downtown Dallas. That means if a train mechanical problem or car accident on the tracks occurs it shuts down everybody. The other day I was stranded downtown due to a car trying to cross the tracks early and totaling their car. Had I not caught a ride I would have been stuck for hours!

But I love taking the train. Sure you get some strange people but most of the time you are not smashed right up next to them. And nothing better than a little entertainment to brighten your commute! My favorite so far is probably the guy talking on his house phone in a plastic bag. That’s right house phone. The old kind with a curly cord and stand. I kept having to check down at the bottom to see if it was somehow actually plugged in somewhere!! He was goooood.

As I sit at west end station a bit worried that someone will come jack my dozen donuts and run off with them but its probably not going to happen. Don’t think someone didn’t try!

Mass transit is the way to go. Save money. I pay about $40 a month for my pass. If I drove it would be about $150 per month! Not to mention the frustration of Dallas traffic.

The train is of course the more green way to travel. Takes less energy for this big hunk of train to travel then if we all took our individual cars. And that is the number one reason I found a place to live that had easy access to the train. Luckily I found it.

So next time you move keep the trains in mind and think about hopping on. It’s actually cozy and fun!

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Sliver of moon in morning sky.

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Naima

My morning started off with a fresh start and a cute sky. I say cute because the colors were pastel and warm and the sliver of a moon shined down. To me the scene was cute, happy, smiles. The picture doesn’t do the feeling of quiet and warmth amidst a freezing morning justice. It was a good morning walk to the train.

It made me think of optimism. “a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.”

I am reminded to be optimistic everyday and in every situation. Take a breathe and find your silver lining.

And now I expect a favorable outcome.

Sliver of moon.

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I survived my first Dallas Zoo Camp!

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Naima

This past three days I subbed in as an instructor for the Dallas Zoo Winter Break Camps!    It was absolutely fabulous just arriving the morning of and teaching for the day and not having to plan and prep the entire thing!  It was so nice to just enjoy the camp itself and add my tidbits in here and there.

The cold weather really brought out the crazy in the kids especially while we were out exploring the zoo but man we had some HILARIOUS moments!  I taught the K-2nd graders for all three days and had some very smart and wild kids.  I really hope they hold onto both traits as they grow older.   I like to think of myself as a bit smart and wild so I can relate to these crazies!

Here are some of my highlights:

  • Many of my made up games including zebra zebra lion, animal says with lunge like a hippo and swim through the ocean and the oh so popular animal charades.  Oh my how much these kids loved these crazy games.
  • Running across Cat Green (an open space in the zoo) as an “ostrich” while the campers chased me down as “cheetahs”.
  • Little kid first crush on a fellow camper.
  • The cutest shout out of “look there’s a swwwuiiirreeelll (squirrel)”
  • Singing all kinds of random songs.
  • Helping kids get over their fear of touching some of the animals.
  • Animal inspired inventions – love this theme!
  • Making a Chihuly craft – a Dale Chihuly (glass sculptor) inspired craft.
  • My first time in Lorikeet Landing!  Where you can feed the lorikeets some nectar.  Below is a picture of my lorikeet experience.

There were far more fun experiences and I know all of the kids had a blast, learned a lot about wildlife and hopefully picked up a conservation tip or two as well!

Lorikeeeets!

Lorikeeeets!

Although I have been sick the last four days, when you are a teacher you have to put your game face on.  And that I did.  But every time I was away from them I looked sick!  Thank goodness for the weekend to rest up and get healthy… hopefully.

Camp was a blast and I hope I have to sub in a day or two in the next one.  But for now I have a ton of work to do on my programs!  EEEEK!

 

Squiiwwwel!

 

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Lets talk vitamins.

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Naima

Do you take vitamins?

Dealing with some health issues I take a lot of supplements.  And recently I’ve been questioning where they come from and have found more questions than answers.  Although after all is said and done taking these supplements is far better for me than taking steroids so either way I’m not going back.

But I do want my vitamins to be high quality and come from a sustainable clean all natural source.  Did you know there are synthetic vitamins?  How do you know which ones are synthetic? The easiest way to tell is if the amount on the bottle states the potency in one pill or serving size is higher than anything you would find in nature (example 1000% Daily Recommended Allowance of Vitamin C per serving), the product contains synthetically produced ingredients, no matter what the producer of that product might claim.  (from organicconsumers.org).   Crazy because I have always looked at these as being better for me because I am guaranteed to get what I need and then expel what I don’t.

The problem with synthetics is that our bodies are not made to digest them.  In the case of fat soluble vitamins they can build up inside our bodies instead of being metabolized.  In addition to being synthetic the vitamins in a bottle do not come along with their naturally occurring counter parts that help them to be absorbed into your body.  Nature usually packages things together to help each other be absorbed into your body.

I recently read a claim that B vitamins are made from petrochemicals!!  The horror!  What?  So I ran to my cabinet and pulled out my B12 sublingual vitamin made by “Natures Bounty” and it says percent of daily value: 41,667% !!!! WHHAATT!  I have no idea what that even means but it surely can’t be good.  All I know is that I studied wildlife in grad school, and I have not taken organic chemistry in years and do not have a pharmacy degree but someone better tell me the truth about what I am putting into my body that I think is “good” for me.

This blog post is to make you aware of vitamins.  I think they are good.  But unfortunately I think companies have taken advantage of us thinking they are “good” and have now started putting crap in them.  It’s time to learn more and fight back.  So go to your medicine cabinet and read your labels.  I started with the % daily values and was shocked.   Then I tried to search for any petrochemical clues.  To be continued, because now I am furious and full of questions!

Ever feel like life is so hard and time consuming because you spend your time making sure you aren’t getting screwed over… by the bank, by the doctor, by your 401K, by the dentist, by your credit card, by your phone bill and now by “natural” vitamins!

So here is my current intake of supplements that keep me going strong medicine free  everyday for the past almost 3 years (diet is a big part too):

  • Fish oil
  • B complex
  • B12
  • Mutlivitamin
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin D (recently added this about 3 weeks ago)

I am off to gather more information on this vitamin fiasco.  I hope to report back soon with good news.

In the meantime… check your medicine cabinet and start asking questions!

To Be Continued.

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Make your noodles. Green?

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Naima

Did you know you can make your own homemade super fantastic pasta noodles?  And all you need is the ingredients, a rolling pin and a knife.

It may not be exactly “green” to make your own pasta because you still have to buy all of the ingredients in their packages.  But I think making your own pasta is far better than buying it out of a box and full of random ingredients and the hidden preservatives.  I try and buy the “best for their money” ingredients and then make my own. Most of the time, all of the ingredients are already in your pantry so you don’t have to buy new.  Buying the pasta in the box is just another box to recycle!

Or maybe that’s not the “green” I’m talking about!  Yes, you can make these noodles green with spinach which is yummo.  Just add one cup of cooked spinach to the recipe below and WHA-LAH!

If that doesn’t sell you the flavor of the fresh noodles after they soak up all the broth when cooked definitely will!  Or maybe the arm workout from rolling the noodles out entices you?

So here is my favorite egg noodle recipe.  Pastas can be made with only flour and oil but I have come to prefer this recipe because of the chewy/aldente texture.  Yumtastic!  Plus these noodles are much easier to roll out.  The versions without eggs and milk are like rolling out rubber.  Taste great but you will be working up a sweat.  These are fairly easy to roll out.

  • 2.5 cups flour
  • little pinch of salt
  • mix the above
  • mix the below together:
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • add all together plus:
  • 1 Tblsp of butter (soft)
  • Kneed the dough till all mixed and then let sit for 10 min.
  • Take pieces of the dough and roll out as thin as you’d like.  I prefer them kind of thick for that chewy/aldente I’m referring to.
  • cut them with a knife in the length and width you prefer.

The best way to cook these noodles is in a soup or broth.  They soak up all of the flavor so just plain water is too boring.  My favorite is in my home made chicken soup.  You want that recipe?  It’s my grandmothers recipe but I have never made it to taste exactly like she did.  Her’s was to die for and my moms is a close second.  Sorry the recipe you are getting is third from the best, yet I think still fabulous.

Place into a crock pot or soup pot on the stove:

  • Chicken – I usually buy a pack of chicken legs – with chicken I definitely buy the organic stuff.  After living in Arkansas and seeing chicken farms up close and personal I try and stay away from Tyson.
  • carrots – about 3/4 bag of baby carrots – or 3 large carrots diced
  • a decent sized piece of ginger root.  If you don’t have ginger root the powdered stuff works well too (about 2 tsp).
  • 2-3 Tblsp of dried cilantro
  • 2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • fill your pot with water.  Leave a bit of room for noodles later on.
  • THAT’S IT! Keep it simple!

Simmer the above until the chicken starts falling off the bone.  Now the rough part.  Take the chicken out and pick out the chicken from the waste.  Place the chicken back in the pot.   Bring back up to a boil and add in noodles to cook.  Cook noodles about 5 minutes or until they float to the top.

Here are some pics of the last two times I made the noodles and chicken soup.  You can of course make the noodles in whatever broth and eat them with pasta sauce.  But, you should make your sauce home made too!  Perhaps I’ll post my sauce recipe one day too.  You can also put the uncooked noodles in your fridge and keep them for a few days.

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Ok onward to work on the publication of mine.

 

HOME MADE!

 

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Kicking my life into overdrive. 2013 Resolutions.

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Naima

As I wrap up one more year I have HIGH hopes for another year. My optimism impresses me. Even as I sit here on my couch on January first feeling the dreaded… sick. Is this an omen for 2013? I sure hope not.

Starting off the year in El Paso and ending the year in Dallas has taken quite a bit out of me. I look forward to “catching up” in 2013 and embarking on many adventures. So here is my list of “resolutions”. Most are really goals or things I need to remind myself to do and strive for. But my number one resolution is… I am kicking my life into overdrive.

  1. Adventure more.
  2. Eat right for me.
  3. Visit one country I have never been to.
  4. Visit friends.
  5. Drink at least 64 ounces of water every day.
  6. PUBLICATION.
  7. Volunteer – pick an organization and commit.
  8. Exercise – this never used to be on my list because I always did it. 2012 was a year of laziness and my body could use a tone up.
  9. stay healthy – as I write this blog sick, I hope this is my last sickness for the entire year!
  10. Be green – buy less, make more, throw away less. Think.
  11. and the last one… I am scared to write this as if you write it down you must commit. Here goes nothing. I am joining the 365blogging. In my own way though. For me it will be a 260 challenge. That means I must blog 260 days this year. I decided to try and complete a blog a day on the train (mon-fri). The train will probably provide me with unique inspiration and if blogging my adventures (with a green/wildlife/conservation twist) is what I want out of life, practice practice practice! So look forward to an inspired more regular blog.

I’ve had lots of inspirations lately and it’s time to kick all of them into overdrive and pull through. So here I go. I hope this blog (past, present and future) inspires you to put your life into overdrive and push forward to your goals. I figure, if we don’t get there, we will at least have some great stories to tell!

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Overdrive!

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Lately. And something you must hold me to!

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Naima

Lately, it was my birthday.  Lately, I started a new job.  Lately, it’s been crazy.  Lately, I have been feeling that “where in my life am I?” feeling.  So I decided to become inspired to make change happen.  I don’t want to become one of these people: “Everyone gets so excited and thinks they can do everything and then does nothing.”

Lately… Lately I’ve been filling my brain with inspirational knowledge.  With that I mean, I have been reading everything I can get my hands on, watching all kinds of inspirational shows and recently pulled out something old to work on (that you will later hold me accountable for).  First let me share with you 4 of the fabulous items I have found and that I truly believe you should take a look into.

1 – Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie – a book – not just any book.  The book is about the founder (Blake Mycoskie) or TOMS shoes which you will learn is not about a guy named Tom but about “tomorrows shoes”.  It’s one of those books that has lots of references you are going to want so it will stay on your bookshelf.  It is just inspiring and good to hear that something big started from so small.  A company forging forward for profit is still doing good in the world.  “The story” of your company is extremely important.  Oh and it is a super quick easy read.

2 – Do schools kill creativity?  by Sir Ken Robinson – a 2007 TED video –  If you don’t know what TED videos are… TED: Ideas worth spreading = Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.  TED talks started off small key, but now thanks to the internet are easy to find (or the app on my phone!).  Talks are usually about 20 minutes long with little hooplah except the person talking on stage. Anyway, I saw this video a long time ago but I forgot about it or it didn’t hit me as hard at that time.  This video is one I will put in my collection to watch over and over.  It’s 20 minutes long of where are education system is and where it really should be.  Creativity is a strength and should be fostered.  Our current system… well watch the video, I promise it is worth it.

3 – NPR – talk radio.  Yup you heard me right.  I listen to NPR.  I also listen to rap music, pop, country and blue grass but probably most people would not know I listen to NPR.  I have the app on my phone as well, and I use it… lots.  Just by listening to a bit of NPR I feel more connected to what is going in the world and more importantly locally here in Dallas!  Plus little tidbits I learn along the way I have actually already used in my knowledge base!

4 – Half the Sky – Book and Video – I watched the video on Netflix.  An hour and a half about the mistreatment of women around the world.  Holy crap it is crazy!!!  The amount of injustice going on throughout the world is heartwrenching to say the least.  Young girls that are raped and then kicked out of their house because of it.  So sad and really gives you perspective on your life.  I highly recommend watching or reading the book.  Or at least take a look at the webpage.  Ignorance is NOT bliss.  We need to know what is going on and do something to make a difference.

 

These were just a few of the random things I have been diving into.  This has pushed me to do one thing at a time.  And first… I am going to publish my research.  Research I completed from my thesis, all nicely put together in my published thesis but not in a scientific journal.  I made the decision and promise to my advisor that I was going to focus on finishing my thesis and then work on the publication… Well, I finished my thesis, defended and graduated with my masters, but I never kept the promise to seek publication in a scientific journal.

But times are changing and I can’t break a promise.  That’s right, I said it.  That means I have to do it.  And you reading this are responsible to keep me moving forward.  I started tonight.  I pulled out my old computer, found my old files and opened them up!  The last time I worked on the publication was February of 2010, almost three years ago.  Honestly the time may have been a good thing.  My writing has improved over the years and I look forward to kicking this publication’s booty and adding it to my resume!  All and all, with my masters work included, this will be about 5 years of work for one line on my resume.  One line that I can’t wait for!

So with future blog posts, at the end, I will give an update on where I am with this publication.  If you don’t think I am at the right place and dragging my feet, yell at me, scold me, embarrass me, something to get me going again!

Because lately, I want to be more than lately!

 

Lately.

PS: of course a blog post can’t go without a picture! African Penguin from the Dallas Zoo.  Best camera is the camera you have at all times.  Mine = my phone. 🙂

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A step closer.

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Naima

I always think about life in steps, as in climbing a ladder.  I really don’t know exactly what is at the end of my ladder but I am always trying to take the next step and the next step and keep pushing forward.  I think I’ve taken a few steps lately…

1. A step towards a greener life.  I take the train everyday to work which is fabulous!  The train is about a 5 minute walk from my house and there is a stop at Dallas Zoo.  Not many Dallas peeps ride the train but hey, that means I get a seat most of the time!  I love riding over the highway and looking down at all of the cars stuck in traffic.  Little by little more and more people will start riding… if I have anything to do with it!

2.  A step towards an insightful life.  This one ties in with the train above.  Since the ride takes about 30 minutes each way plus wait time at the station, I have started reading!  A friend told me someone read 99 books in a year on the train.  I am not sure what my challenge will be yet but expect some more involvement on GoodReads!  PS: goodreads is a social network to share what books you are reading and make suggestions and recommendations for others.  Check it out and tell me what books I should read!

3.  A step towards exploration.  There is sooo much to see and do in Dallas.  I have not gone to 5% of what I have on my list but have started slowly checking a few items off.  Today (Oct 1) my mom was in town and we went to the Dallas Arboretum.  It is Amazing.  This time of year was perfect with the a beautiful warm day, flowers blooming, over 50,000 pumpkins set up in a pumpkin village and booming with color blown glass in the Chuhuly exhibit intermixed with the natural beauty of the arboretum itself.

4.  One step over.  Saturday was Science Day at the Zoo.  Before a month and a half ago I really had no idea what this event was and now I have survived my first Science Day!  Science Day is a fun 4 hour teachers workshop in which teachers visit 16 tables that offer unique activities they can duplicate in their classrooms.  After they visit all the stations they earn credits and receive a flash drive of all of the curriculum from the stations. That is 64 curriculum to take home!

Well for my first year… it rained and rained and rained.  We had to go to our back up plan but all in all I think it worked out!  I am very proud of all of our community partners, zoo staff, zoo volunteers and most of all the teachers and general public that showed up in the pouring rain!  I would have never guessed that many people would have attended in the rain!

I was swamped running around and didn’t snap many pictures… but here are a few!

A few steps closer!  I have lots of steps to go but at least a few are on their way.

“Step”

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Let the Dallas Adventure begin…

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Naima

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind and I am incredibly grateful to my brother and sister in law who have let us stay with them until we found a place to live. Let’s just say finding a place was no easy task. If you are in search of a place in Dallas email me and I will fill you in on all of my tips I learned the long way. At this point I feel like I could become a real estate agent in this town! Unless you know a good realtor or want to live in a cookie cutter apartment complex, you are basically on your own and don’t count on Craigslist in Dallas to be of any use to you. The place I ended up finding (after seeing probably over 20) is amazing and can not wait to move in this week! Some of the best parts… backyard and recycling bin pick up! That means I will fulfill my pledge I made back in April for Earth Day to start a compost bin. Can not wait to stop throwing all of that organic material into the landfill! Twenty four percent of our trash could be composted (as stated by the EPA)!

Of course, I started my job at the Dallas Zoo as well! Day one = played with a penguin. Day three = fed a stingray. Day five = visited my childhood favorites, koalas! All in all it was a fabulous first week. One of my favorite parts of the Dallas Zoo is the creek running through it with tons of native plants (huge trees!) and tons of turtles! One of my lofty goals is to get down to that creek and create some water quality curriculum for kids to study the creek… oh to dream.

I am now about to enter week three and my email inbox is full and my to do list is huge! How quickly that happens. I am excited to dive in, just can’t wait for a few more months when I start to know everyone a bit more and all of the systems in place. Starting a new job is exciting and terrifying all at the same time.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So if you’re feeling uncomfortable right now, know that the change taking place in your life is a beginning, not an ending.” Neale Donald Walsch.

The past few weeks have also been a treat because I have spent a lot of time with my cutie pie nephews and even had the chance to make it back to Connecticut for one of my BF’s weddings.

Take a second to view the plethora of pictures I have taken over the past few weeks. I hope the pictures inspire you to get outside, create some journeys and take lots of pictures!

One other thing I am extremely excited about is I will be taking the train to work everyday and losing a 2-4 hour commute everyday! My lifetime dream to not have a car is getting closer and closer, so close I can smell it!

Another new beginning!

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A year in El Paso

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Naima

The Chihuahuan Desert is a diamond in the rough, you just need to know how and what to look for.  Most people see a desert and see a barren landscape, but as you look closer you will find many different species of plants and animals.  I was lucky enough to live in El Paso for a year and see a few of these species in the wild.  Everyday I tried to make the desert come alive and intrigue people with what is found in the Chihuahuan desert.  I hope I inspired a few kids and adults to explore their backyards and local parks.

On a hike exploring the Franklin Mountains with a fab view of El Paso. About 20 min drive to trail head from where we lived.

To find out where to explore in and around El Paso view some past posts: El Paso is Beautiful and Checking out the Scene are two good ones to start out.  Then get out more with Gila Gila Gila and Get out and Camp.

I am extremely thankful for the opportunity given to me at the El Paso Zoo.  The best part of my job was the freedom to be creative and to research, plan and implement any program.

Some noteworthy experiences in the past year:

  1. the fabulous staff at the El Paso Zoo – I mean, I have crazy off the wall ideas sometimes and most staff was excited to jump on board and help out in any way they could.  For that I am extremely thankful, not just for me but for the participants that truly enjoyed the experiences they received and will remember them for their entire lives.
  2. One of my favorites was a Build a Bathouse Workshop in which all the participants learned about local bats, their importance and built a real life bat house to take home with them and use at their house.  All of the participants got so into it and excited to make the best box they could!  I hung up the one I made on zoo grounds for all visitors to see and hopefully question “what is that?”
  3. Spring Break Camp 2012 – a ton of prep/reservation time but man those kids had a blast doing habitat chalk art, nocturnal maze, classification relay game and much more.  Read more and see pictures here.
  4. Teacher Workshops – in my final two weeks I had a big teachers workshop that ended up being a perfect last project.  I loved creating the schedule and curriculum and then implementing it on that day.  Overall it will lead to their science teachers being excited to teach it to their students and bring their kids to the zoo for more programming!
  5. the class from Ysletta that I worked with and helped organize them taking the city bus (to save $ and energy) to attend their field trip at the zoo (including curriculum class, scavenger hunt and day at the zoo)
  6. The animals – need a creative moment or stressed out about budget/finance/admin stuff?  Well it’s easy, go hang out at some of the exhibits and magically you will feel happy, refreshed, and creative all over again!
  7. All of the people I collaborated with throughout the community!  Thank you to everyone I collaborated with and for all of your support, creativity, open minds, and productivity!
  8. Volunteers were there many many times to assist me with anything I needed to make the programs a success!
  9. Chairing the Poppies Fest 2012 was an awesome opportunity!  Read all about that and see the pictures here.

Here are some pics from the last few weeks:

What a fabulous year!!!  And what a fabulous last few days!  I had the opportunity to be close to many of our animals, experiences I will never forget!  THANK YOU ALL!

If I had any advice from this experience it would be:  Get out there and do it.  Do the best job you can possibly do and make things happen.  Explore the area you are in, not only will you like the experience it will make you happier and more knowledgeable/influential in your job.  Eat lots of Mexican food!  Ceviche, spicy tomato juice, queso fries, limes limes limes and El Taco Tote!

I miss my peeps from El Paso but as soon as I find a place to stay here in Dallas, you guys will always have a place to stay!

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