(no subject)
A lengthy recap of the last three weeks or so:
My class held a graduation party on June 11th. My speech was well received; the slideshow I made was a hit. Everyone dressed up and looked nice, and it was fun to meet my classmate's family members. It was a very nice party, although nothing too earth shattering. I'm really glad I didn't ask my parents to come all the way out to Seattle just for that, haha. Click here for pictures.
On June 13th John and I flew into Albuquerque, NM, rented a car, and drove to Santa Fe. We stayed at the Santa Fe International Hostel for three nights. It was an interesting place. On our first day we wandered around the historic section of downtown Santa Fe. On our second day we drove to this place called Nambe Falls and were all set to go hiking when it started to thunderstorm. We got out of the car and started walking anyway, figuring that a little rain wouldn't hurt, but when it started lightening we high-tailed it back to the car. Walking up to the top of a mountain in lightening is not a good idea. So we went back to Santa Fe, spent a long time in really awesome museum about the history of New Mexico, and wandered around some more. It rained off and on all day, which was a drag and kinda messed up our original plans, but we still had fun. We capped off the day by playing hacky sack with three little kids in the Plaza of the city...for like an hour. Downtown Santa Fe is awesome, I love the pueblos and old churches. The rest of Santa Fe though... ugly, sprawly, yuckiness. On our third day we drove to Bandelier National Park, a site near Los Alamos where evidence of human presence dates back 10,000 years, when early humans were slowly migrating from Canada to South America. Permanent settlements date back to the 12th century. It's hard to describe Bandelier, it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. In fact, it was so awesome I occasionally forgot that my lungs were about to explode from lack of oxygen (altitude around 7,000 ft). Best bet is to check it out in the pictures we took. After Bandelier we drove all over for about 4 hours. We saw a lot of the state- it was beautiful. We drove up and down mountain switchbacks and through wilderness reserves. Even considering time spent on the highway (where the speed limit is 80), I think we saw about 5 cars the entire day. We had dinner in Santa Fe that night, then went back to the hostel. The next morning we went for a short hike nearby, then back to the airport and flew to Maryland. Click here for pictures from New Mexico.
The day after I arrived in Maryland, my parents and I drove South to Shenandoah National Park in VA. We stopped along the way at Luray Caverns. I'd visited some other caverns years ago, but never Luray. I think all three of us were half expecting Luray to be a cheesy tourist trap, but it turned out to be awesome. The caverns were beautiful; I kept thinking about how amazing it would have been to be one of the first people to discover and explore the caverns back in the 1870s. Of course women didn't do much discovering or exploring in those days.
After Luray we continued on to Shenandoah. Our first evening at the park was relaxing- it rained and we hung out in our hotel room and went to dinner in the park. The next morning we went for a long hike on a trail called "Stony Man". Then we went for a shorter hike down to a waterfall. Both of the hikes were perfect. Click here to see pictures of both Luray and Shenandoah.
My parents and I drove back to Maryland right after our last hike. On the way home we stopped at a mall and I bought an iPhone. Its so funny, John has owned an iPhone since the first week they came out (about 2 years ago), and has been bugging me to get one ever since. Over the last 2 years I've played with John's a few times and always thought it was okay but nothing that great. However, 15 minutes with my very OWN iPhone and I was hooked :) How did I ever live without it???
June 19th-20th was devoted to Erin's wedding. Rehearsal, dinner, and sleepover on the 19th, wedding on the 20th. The wedding was really beautiful, I am so happy it turned out as perfect as Erin and Mike deserve. It was so funny, 10 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to begin (outdoors and unsheltered), it started pouring. Now, I don't mean a Seattle, passive-aggressive, drizzly, gray, rain, I mean an East-coast summer rain, with black skies and winds whipping the rain so it's pelting you from a horizontal angle. The guests took shelter under the tent where the reception was to be held, and the ceremony was delayed. Of course everyone was freaking out, but Erin held her cool and in 20 minutes the rain had vanished and the sun was shining brighter than ever. Another 20 minutes to wipe off the ceremony seats and gazebo, and the wedding was back on track :) Professional pictures are likely on the way, but here are 4 to tide you over:
After the wedding John and I went to St. Mary's to wander around the campus a bit. We didn't stay long because I was so tired and wanted to make sure that I would be able to drive us back to my house without falling asleep at the wheel. We visited all the places we used to live and oohed and ahhed at all of the new buildings. Oh, also it was Maryland's 375th birthday and a huge celebration occurred at the college and Historic St. Mary's City earlier that day. The concept of a State having a birthday party amuses me.
On Sunday John's family and me and my parents met for lunch in Bowie, then John went back to Seattle and I stayed in Maryland for another week. I had a great time- Andrew came down from New Jersey for two days (hooray!), and my parents and I spent time hanging out at home. I have so much fun with my family and it sucks that I moved so far away. I constantly think about moving closer to them, but my parents are retiring in a few years and will be moving somewhere as yet undecided, and Andrew may or may not be moving at some point in the near future as well. Also, I love Seattle. I am throughout convinced that of all the places my family members live, Seattle is just plain better. Why can't everyone just come live with ME?
It was hard leaving Maryland because I had such a great visit, but I was looking forward to starting my first fieldwork. As I'm sure I've mentioned, I'm doing a three month fieldwork at a skilled nursing home in Seattle. So far: one week down, eleven to go :) I had a good first week, I really like my clinical instructor (the OT responsible for my inexperienced ass) and all of the other OTs, PTs, SLPs, nurses, and Rehab Aides at the nursing facility, and of course I absolutely looove the patients. I'm working on the TCU, a 22 bed Transitional Care Unit for people who have been discharged from a hospital and are in need of short-term, therapy-intensive services. So TCU patients may be a the facility anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before they are discharged home, or to assisted living, or to a long term care facility, etc. So basically it's like a laid back hospital for geriatric patients who are more or less stable and are undergoing rehabilitation in order to reach their previous level of function, or as close as possible. The OT I'm with sees between 5-7 patients a day for 30-60 minute occupational therapy sessions. This week I was able to jump in and do some assessments, an evaluation of a new patient, and a few treatment sessions, all under the watchful eye of my supervisor who sat in the corner and took copious notes on (what felt like but really wasn't) my every move (which served to increase my clumsiness approximately 10 fold). Next week I will have one patient of my very own, the week after that two, etc etc etc until I've assumed my supervisor's caseload. I really like the geriatric population and I think I like the Skilled Nursing Facility pace- it's serious rehab for patients with very extensive and complicated medical histories, but without the hurried, harried, somewhat impersonal vibe of a large hospital. I'm also glad the pace is more relaxed because all week I was absolutely exhausted. I have to work 7am-4pm, meaning I have to catch a bus at 6am, meaning I have to wake up at 5:15am. This is not my idea of a healthy schedule.
Finally, I would just like to say that I am really sad that Michael Jackson died. He was such a brilliant artist, and had a really hard life. He made amazing music, donated millions of dollars to charity, and was a great father. I'm not sure if he really molested any children- I can easily see the parents of those two children inventing the allegations as a way to make some (relatively) quick cash (millions!). Granted, the man's elevator did NOT go up to the top floor, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was a pedophile. When I was in elementary school I was a huge Michael Jackson fan- I had all the tapes and knew all the songs, video taped his Superbowl performance and watched it over and over and over, and of course, attempted the moonwalk on a daily basis in my room. When the first molestation charges occurred I was in 4th or 5th grade; I didn't understand what was happening and the allegations didn't change my opinion of Michael Jackson (although I did realize that it was no longer a good idea to mention MJ at school). When the second allegations came out I was old enough to understand, and to instantly believe everything I heard (it was on TV and in the papers so it must be true). At this point I may sound like one of those crazy people who thinks OJ is innocent, but still, I think it's important to view all the charges against Michael Jackson with a critical eye. I'm not saying I think he's innocent, I'm just saying that I don't know whether or not he's guilty. Regardless, the guy was a genius and will be missed by millions, including me.
Michael as remembered by his "famous" friends (20 stories in all, keep clicking "next" at the bottom of each one)
My favorite video of Michael Jackson
Well, that's about it for me. This was a long entry. Kudos to you for making it though (or jumping right to the end). I'm off to enjoy a well deserved weekend.
My class held a graduation party on June 11th. My speech was well received; the slideshow I made was a hit. Everyone dressed up and looked nice, and it was fun to meet my classmate's family members. It was a very nice party, although nothing too earth shattering. I'm really glad I didn't ask my parents to come all the way out to Seattle just for that, haha. Click here for pictures.
On June 13th John and I flew into Albuquerque, NM, rented a car, and drove to Santa Fe. We stayed at the Santa Fe International Hostel for three nights. It was an interesting place. On our first day we wandered around the historic section of downtown Santa Fe. On our second day we drove to this place called Nambe Falls and were all set to go hiking when it started to thunderstorm. We got out of the car and started walking anyway, figuring that a little rain wouldn't hurt, but when it started lightening we high-tailed it back to the car. Walking up to the top of a mountain in lightening is not a good idea. So we went back to Santa Fe, spent a long time in really awesome museum about the history of New Mexico, and wandered around some more. It rained off and on all day, which was a drag and kinda messed up our original plans, but we still had fun. We capped off the day by playing hacky sack with three little kids in the Plaza of the city...for like an hour. Downtown Santa Fe is awesome, I love the pueblos and old churches. The rest of Santa Fe though... ugly, sprawly, yuckiness. On our third day we drove to Bandelier National Park, a site near Los Alamos where evidence of human presence dates back 10,000 years, when early humans were slowly migrating from Canada to South America. Permanent settlements date back to the 12th century. It's hard to describe Bandelier, it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. In fact, it was so awesome I occasionally forgot that my lungs were about to explode from lack of oxygen (altitude around 7,000 ft). Best bet is to check it out in the pictures we took. After Bandelier we drove all over for about 4 hours. We saw a lot of the state- it was beautiful. We drove up and down mountain switchbacks and through wilderness reserves. Even considering time spent on the highway (where the speed limit is 80), I think we saw about 5 cars the entire day. We had dinner in Santa Fe that night, then went back to the hostel. The next morning we went for a short hike nearby, then back to the airport and flew to Maryland. Click here for pictures from New Mexico.
The day after I arrived in Maryland, my parents and I drove South to Shenandoah National Park in VA. We stopped along the way at Luray Caverns. I'd visited some other caverns years ago, but never Luray. I think all three of us were half expecting Luray to be a cheesy tourist trap, but it turned out to be awesome. The caverns were beautiful; I kept thinking about how amazing it would have been to be one of the first people to discover and explore the caverns back in the 1870s. Of course women didn't do much discovering or exploring in those days.
After Luray we continued on to Shenandoah. Our first evening at the park was relaxing- it rained and we hung out in our hotel room and went to dinner in the park. The next morning we went for a long hike on a trail called "Stony Man". Then we went for a shorter hike down to a waterfall. Both of the hikes were perfect. Click here to see pictures of both Luray and Shenandoah.
My parents and I drove back to Maryland right after our last hike. On the way home we stopped at a mall and I bought an iPhone. Its so funny, John has owned an iPhone since the first week they came out (about 2 years ago), and has been bugging me to get one ever since. Over the last 2 years I've played with John's a few times and always thought it was okay but nothing that great. However, 15 minutes with my very OWN iPhone and I was hooked :) How did I ever live without it???
June 19th-20th was devoted to Erin's wedding. Rehearsal, dinner, and sleepover on the 19th, wedding on the 20th. The wedding was really beautiful, I am so happy it turned out as perfect as Erin and Mike deserve. It was so funny, 10 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to begin (outdoors and unsheltered), it started pouring. Now, I don't mean a Seattle, passive-aggressive, drizzly, gray, rain, I mean an East-coast summer rain, with black skies and winds whipping the rain so it's pelting you from a horizontal angle. The guests took shelter under the tent where the reception was to be held, and the ceremony was delayed. Of course everyone was freaking out, but Erin held her cool and in 20 minutes the rain had vanished and the sun was shining brighter than ever. Another 20 minutes to wipe off the ceremony seats and gazebo, and the wedding was back on track :) Professional pictures are likely on the way, but here are 4 to tide you over:
After the wedding John and I went to St. Mary's to wander around the campus a bit. We didn't stay long because I was so tired and wanted to make sure that I would be able to drive us back to my house without falling asleep at the wheel. We visited all the places we used to live and oohed and ahhed at all of the new buildings. Oh, also it was Maryland's 375th birthday and a huge celebration occurred at the college and Historic St. Mary's City earlier that day. The concept of a State having a birthday party amuses me.
On Sunday John's family and me and my parents met for lunch in Bowie, then John went back to Seattle and I stayed in Maryland for another week. I had a great time- Andrew came down from New Jersey for two days (hooray!), and my parents and I spent time hanging out at home. I have so much fun with my family and it sucks that I moved so far away. I constantly think about moving closer to them, but my parents are retiring in a few years and will be moving somewhere as yet undecided, and Andrew may or may not be moving at some point in the near future as well. Also, I love Seattle. I am throughout convinced that of all the places my family members live, Seattle is just plain better. Why can't everyone just come live with ME?
It was hard leaving Maryland because I had such a great visit, but I was looking forward to starting my first fieldwork. As I'm sure I've mentioned, I'm doing a three month fieldwork at a skilled nursing home in Seattle. So far: one week down, eleven to go :) I had a good first week, I really like my clinical instructor (the OT responsible for my inexperienced ass) and all of the other OTs, PTs, SLPs, nurses, and Rehab Aides at the nursing facility, and of course I absolutely looove the patients. I'm working on the TCU, a 22 bed Transitional Care Unit for people who have been discharged from a hospital and are in need of short-term, therapy-intensive services. So TCU patients may be a the facility anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before they are discharged home, or to assisted living, or to a long term care facility, etc. So basically it's like a laid back hospital for geriatric patients who are more or less stable and are undergoing rehabilitation in order to reach their previous level of function, or as close as possible. The OT I'm with sees between 5-7 patients a day for 30-60 minute occupational therapy sessions. This week I was able to jump in and do some assessments, an evaluation of a new patient, and a few treatment sessions, all under the watchful eye of my supervisor who sat in the corner and took copious notes on (what felt like but really wasn't) my every move (which served to increase my clumsiness approximately 10 fold). Next week I will have one patient of my very own, the week after that two, etc etc etc until I've assumed my supervisor's caseload. I really like the geriatric population and I think I like the Skilled Nursing Facility pace- it's serious rehab for patients with very extensive and complicated medical histories, but without the hurried, harried, somewhat impersonal vibe of a large hospital. I'm also glad the pace is more relaxed because all week I was absolutely exhausted. I have to work 7am-4pm, meaning I have to catch a bus at 6am, meaning I have to wake up at 5:15am. This is not my idea of a healthy schedule.
Finally, I would just like to say that I am really sad that Michael Jackson died. He was such a brilliant artist, and had a really hard life. He made amazing music, donated millions of dollars to charity, and was a great father. I'm not sure if he really molested any children- I can easily see the parents of those two children inventing the allegations as a way to make some (relatively) quick cash (millions!). Granted, the man's elevator did NOT go up to the top floor, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was a pedophile. When I was in elementary school I was a huge Michael Jackson fan- I had all the tapes and knew all the songs, video taped his Superbowl performance and watched it over and over and over, and of course, attempted the moonwalk on a daily basis in my room. When the first molestation charges occurred I was in 4th or 5th grade; I didn't understand what was happening and the allegations didn't change my opinion of Michael Jackson (although I did realize that it was no longer a good idea to mention MJ at school). When the second allegations came out I was old enough to understand, and to instantly believe everything I heard (it was on TV and in the papers so it must be true). At this point I may sound like one of those crazy people who thinks OJ is innocent, but still, I think it's important to view all the charges against Michael Jackson with a critical eye. I'm not saying I think he's innocent, I'm just saying that I don't know whether or not he's guilty. Regardless, the guy was a genius and will be missed by millions, including me.
Michael as remembered by his "famous" friends (20 stories in all, keep clicking "next" at the bottom of each one)
My favorite video of Michael Jackson
Well, that's about it for me. This was a long entry. Kudos to you for making it though (or jumping right to the end). I'm off to enjoy a well deserved weekend.