and in large

These are the roses that were in the Thanksgiving bouquet.

and in large

and in large

In that large one, I like how you can see the lighter veins and the fuz that is on the edge of the leaf (albeit a bit blurry).

and in large

and in large

I had a lot of trouble getting that shot. I needed to get the flowers angled more so that I could get my tripod to look down at the center of the flower. I think that sometime, I'm going to need to invest in (or make?) some kind of stand that is adjustable in height and has some sort of frame to brace or rubber-band vases in place so that it can be tilted more. My lens is so heavy on my camera that I can't utilize the full tilt of the tripod head, or it just falls to a pointed down position. It is hard to describe and not worth taking a photo of. But suffice to say that sometimes it is quite difficult to get the shot that I want.

and in large

I think that last one is my favorite. That and the first one. Well, actually I like all of them for different reasons. But the variations in color really show up well on the first and last one.

Posted by danielle at 02:50 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

After 3 days of taking naproxen (Alleve) my jaw/teeth were feeling much better. I'm also using Sensodyne and Pronamel that Texas Seestor told me her dentist recommended. I'll be using it for 2 weeks and then switching to Crest that doesn't have any special whiteners or anything in it. Evidently, the dentists are starting to think that those toothpastes are too tough on teeth.

So, I was able to eat Thanksgiving food without any problem. :-)

I was really glad about that.

Posted by danielle at 02:48 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

and in large

I hope all of you have a very blessed Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for all of you.

Posted by danielle at 10:04 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Well, I have good and bad news, depending on how you look at it.

The good news is that I don't have a crack in my tooth, and I don't have any cavities. I also don't have any obvious gum or root issues.

The bad news is that I don't have a crack in my tooth, and I don't have any cavities. I also don't have any obvious gum or root issues. Thus, they can't "fix" what hurts.

*sigh*

The dentist told me that if things would get worse, it would be more obvious what is wrong. He and I discussed the possibility that I'm clenching my teeth and how that might fit with the pain I'm describing. There isn't much to do to make it better other than take over-the-counter painkillers. I'm just hoping that I can chew normal food well enough to enjoy Thanksgiving....

Posted by danielle at 03:27 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Warm weather penguins.

SeaQueen and I went to Sea World at San Diego. Here are a few highlights of that trip - flippered friends.

Emperor penguins, among others.

Swimming penguin - doesn't he/she look cool! I love to see them swim.

Dolphins - many close up shots are coming soon to a Flickr near you.

I love this shot of a killer whale.

I think this photo helps you appreciate their (large) size. Can you imagine coming out of the water on a jumping whale?

Hope you have a good weekend. If I get to it, I'll be putting more pics on Flickr and creating a Sea World set. :-)

Posted by danielle at 08:39 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

So my jaw/mouth has been hurting since Sunday. Mostly when I chew. When the pain is bad, it goes up into my ear and down my neck. Consequently, I called a dentist here at the University and scheduled an appointment ASAP - which is Monday of next week. In the meantime, they recommended that I see my general practitioner to make sure it isn't a muscle/gland issue.

I went yesterday, she looked around my mouth and felt all of my muscles, bones, and glands. After discussing it all, she concluded that it is a dental issue (oh, joy). When I asked her if she saw anything in my mouth that looked suspicious, she looked again. She thinks, and I agree, that it looks like there is a crack in my back molar. *sigh* She reassured me that crowns are pretty straightforward and not painful. But now, I just want to get it done and not wait until Monday. I'm just hoping that it isn't some kind of major cavity. I'm not sure which is worse, but somehow a cavity seems worse.

Ugh.

This is the first major teeth issue I've had since I had my impacted wisdom teeth taken out. That was such a joy too, let me tell you.

I'm hoping this isn't as bad.

Posted by danielle at 01:54 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Well, here it is Wednesday and I'm just now putting up the exercising post for the past couple weeks.

I hope that all of you have been exercising away! How have you been doing?

Posted by danielle at 10:21 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

I've been in San Diego since Friday now. I'm here for a scientific conference. I fly back to Minneeeesota on Wednesday. It has been really terrific. I have photos from some of the fun things that I've done since I've been here, but I'm not sure when I'll get to them. It might be after I get back to MN. I might have some free time in the evening, but it all depends on how much hanging out I do with friends before going to bed.

I have learned a few things while being here so far.

1. It has been way too long since I took some time off on a weekday to do something fun.

2. If the hotel uses down pillows and comforter, it is VERY important to ask for non-down versions. I ended up feeling semi-sick the day after I slept with the down stuff and couldn't figure out why I felt so terrible. Then something my roomie said made me realize it is probably the sleeping materials. After sleeping with foam pillows and a traditional blanket, I feel much better.

3. I'm excited about my research again. I'd gotten pretty bummed out about being stuck on something, but presenting my work and having people tell me it is really good and exciting got me excited about it again.

I think that is all for now.

Talk to you later!

Posted by danielle at 03:03 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack