Back Again

Wow - 3 month's past since our last blog update. Our camera broke and life got pretty busy around us, it still is, but I really would like to keep up with our blog and diary. :)

So, let's see, if I can recapture the last 3 months:

We had gone for a winter hike in the northwest corner of our state with our "best man" and his wife, we also went to a dinner with them and another German+other culture couple. It is a lot of fun, but we all are busy with research so finding time to hang out is rare.

Also, we had started a Charleston Swing Dancing Course, but had to give it up again. It was soooo much fun, but N. was just way to busy this semester. He often works all night long, or stays at school until after midnight. Maybe next semester we'll give it another shot.

And we had seen how to make tap a maple tree at Coggeshall Farm. It was really fascinating, and we learned a lot about the process and how easy it actually is, to get the syrup from the tree.

At school I am now active at the Curriculum Committee and I am the Recycling Representative and got recycling up and running at our department. YEAH!

My research progressed, although a bit staggering sometimes - turns out the experiments need a big redesign of the setup. Anyways, I have some pictures, which I will show at a later time.

I learned about Beeturia - apparently only ~10% of the population experience this - peeing red after eating beets. It can be sign of iron deficiency, but does not have to be that way. Beets contain betalain, which is a red colored pigment. Betalain is a redox and pH indicator. In acidic conditions it turns red and yellow and it looses its color in alkaline solutions. Oxalic acid can stabilize betalin while it passes through the colon. The more oxalic acid present the more red betalain will be found in the pooh. I think, that N and I had been eating too much oxalic acid (found in a lot of green vegetables, such as kale). In a similar way iron absorption can play a role. But I don't think that is a problem for us, as we have a pretty balanced diet.

Anyways, I will continue my resume of the last months in my next post :)