I have to warn you, if you have not already seen the move Snakes on a Plane, DO NOT - I repeat DO NOT - waste your time, money, thoughts, etc on this movie!!!
Unfortunately someone (I will leave this person unnamed) reccommended this movie to myself and my classmates. So three of us went to see it last Saturday, and we were severely disappointed in this disgrace of a film. I wish I could explain why the movie was so bad, but it's just one of those things that is inexplicable. I think the three of us kept waiting for the movie to redeem itself, and then when it ended with no redeeming qualities, we realized just how bad it was. The only decent part of the evening was that we saw it at the drive-in theater here in Atlanta, which was pretty cheap and a nice alternative to the $8-9 per person at a normal theater. Other than that, the whole evening was a waste.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
This Screen is Ginormous!
Seriously, I can hardly see from one side of the screen to the other without backing up... I am at a desk/computer terminal station in a new area of the GT library. This screen must be at least 20 inches across - that's horizontally, not diagonally. So the diagonal measurement has to be something like 24 inches. It's so big that I have to reduce the size of the viewing window just to keep things under control!
So now that I got that off my chest, I'll get back to the books.
So now that I got that off my chest, I'll get back to the books.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Hi, I'm "---------", May I Touch Your Feet Now?
The above introduction characterizes one aspect of the first week of class for me and my classmates. First we were shaking hands and finding out where everyone is from... next thing you know, we are palpating each other's bony landmarks. I actually asked someone on Friday if I could please feel their subtalar joint, and that was ok (it's just in the foot). Anyway, I'm sure this is a common encounter in medical academia, but it has been a first for me. It was not uncomfortable, as we are all equally in the position of knowing this is just how we will have to learn, but I found it rather amusing how quickly we progressed from introductions to palpations.
Other thoughts from the first week...
I don't know if I will ever be able to read fast enough to keep up with all of our reading assignments. I didn't do the math, but I think we have averaged about 500 pages per week for the first 2 weeks.
Despite the fact that we will be VERY BUSY and quite challenged to keep up with all the info, I couldn't be more excited about this stuff.
I am wicked excited about starting our clinical rotations. For this semester, they are assigned and pre-determined. My roommate and I lucked up and got orthopedics first, so we will be watching ortho surgeries for our first two rotation weeks (which is just one day a week).
Note to self: ALWAYS carry umbrella in Atlanta.
Other thoughts from the first week...
I don't know if I will ever be able to read fast enough to keep up with all of our reading assignments. I didn't do the math, but I think we have averaged about 500 pages per week for the first 2 weeks.
Despite the fact that we will be VERY BUSY and quite challenged to keep up with all the info, I couldn't be more excited about this stuff.
I am wicked excited about starting our clinical rotations. For this semester, they are assigned and pre-determined. My roommate and I lucked up and got orthopedics first, so we will be watching ortho surgeries for our first two rotation weeks (which is just one day a week).
Note to self: ALWAYS carry umbrella in Atlanta.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Momma's Girl
This morning I took my dog for her first visit to the dog park at Piedmont Park. The experience surprisingly felt like I was taking her to her first day of kindergarten. The park is set up so that once you are inside the fence, which has a double-gate secure entryway, your dog can run freely off of a leash, play with other dogs, or play fetch. I fully expected Kelsey to dart off and start mingling with the other dogs, of which there were many, as soon as I took off her leash. Instead, she all of a sudden became shy and stood right by me, nervously looking around at all the other dogs as they played. Due to her tendency to run off at any given opportunity and ensue a chase, I was extremely surprised by this reaction. It was nice to know, for once, that she trusted me and looked to me for security when facing this new group of "kids". Eventually, she did warm up to the crowd and start walking around. At first though, instead of playing with other dogs, she was walking up to people and seeking attention, which she easily got. I hate to admit it, but my dog is a much better and more successful flirt than I am. Later she ventured away from humans and played with a few other dogs, and she actually came right back to me when I called her! I was so relieved, having pictured an embarrassing scene of chasing her around when it was time to go, as all the well-trained dogs and refined dog-owners looked on. By the end of our 30-minute visit, Kelsey was whipped, which was the general goal of the morning. All in all, we had a succesful first day at kindergarten.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
New Beginning
My new classmates and I are currently a little over half-way through our first week as students in the Georgia Tech MSPO program, and I could not be more excited about what lies ahead of us. I admit that I am a little anxious about the amount if information that must be learned, the rigor of our schedule, and the reality of learning to work with patients for the first time. However, the slight amount of anxiety is far outweighed by a feeling of privilege to be here along with sheer joy that it has finally arrived. If you have kept up with my blog for any amount of time (all three of you), then you know the path that I have traveled – mentally, physically, and emotionally – on my journey to this point. As I have met my new classmates, soon to be my nine best friends, and as we have been introduced this week to the program for which we are here, I have become more excited each day with anticipation. There is some element of the already-but-not-yet feeling (for those PCAers out there that know the phrase), or the realization that I am here but that the road ahead is a long and potentially never-ending one. I am seeing the reality that two years of school followed by two years of residency will hardly scratch the surface of being able to learn all there is to know and understand in the field of prosthetics and orthotics. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to get started, and I am so thankful of the constant reminder that we are here to help people. This end goal is a refreshing one after working so hard in an environment that revolved around the almighty dollar for so long. Granted, the nuclear industry is focused on safety and other very important goals also, but at the end of the day if the dollar isn’t there then the plants wouldn’t be either. I am seeing in the world of prosthetics and orthotics that the dollar is important to the extent that everyone will hopefully be able to feed their families, but otherwise the focus is wholeheartedly on serving people with limb loss or muscle/nervous deficiency. From what we have been told so far, our class will hit the ground running next Monday morning, and we will hardly breathe again until our graduation, which will be one year and nine months from now. Thankfully, we have been given the motivation to jump in feet first and embrace this challenge with all that we have and are. I fully intend this to not only be my second but also my last and best career. Let the journey begin!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Vacation: Over
Alas, the time has come. My freedom to travel, relax, and basically bum around is finally over. I feel that I took the most advantage I could, on a budget, of the time I have had off this summer. The last several trips were to Tennessee, the Florida Keys, and Lakeland, FL (in the titillating County of Polk). I’ll summarize the best I can each of these trips, though I lack photos for most of the great adventures. This post should probably be split into many, but I am just not in the mood, so here goes...
Julie and I drove up to Tennessee for the last weekend of July to take advantage of a lovely log home there which is owned by a previous co-worker of mine. The home is situated high on a mountainside just outside the city of Townsend, TN and just north of the border of Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Despite simple furnishings, the place is well-appointed with all one might need, including a full kitchen, audio/video equipment, garden tub, and our favorite perk – a Jacuzzi on the back screened-in porch. While I had preceded this trip with another trip, and thus was sufficiently rested and relaxed, Julie had extracted herself from the tiring busy-ness of life, thus she particularly needed the R&R. We spent most of the drive there catching up (having not really done so for almost 3 months). After arriving, we made a quick side trip to Pigeon Forge to visit a friend of Julie’s from her school years who happened to live in the area and was recovering from knee surgery. Friday and Saturday nights were pleasantly identical: dinner at the house, movie on DVD while relaxing on the leather sofa and lay-z-boy, and last but not least a relaxing visit to the Jacuzzi. Saturday morning we woke to the sound of rain on the tin roof of the house, and we gladly stayed inside to enjoy the comforts of the cabin while waiting for the rain to subside. I tried unsuccessfully to start a fire several times (only as we were cleaning up Sunday afternoon did I discover the “fire-starter” logs). Late in the afternoon, the sun came out, so we decided to hike the Chimney Tops Trail. As you can see, it is touted as a strenuous hike on the sign, and we found that to be exactly the case. I suppose the view was worth the climb, as the sign also claims, but I think it would have been nicer on a less cloudy day. Needless to say, the Jacuzzi felt even better on Saturday night after the “strenuous” hike. My muscles weren’t terribly sore until Sunday, but I obviously got a good workout on the way to the chimney top.
The following week, on Thursday, I flew from Atlanta to Miami to visit Christine and Adam. Christine planned on picking me up at the airport, and all was going well until… we had touched base after I landed, and she was going to call me when she reached the airport to meet up. Well, while I was waiting, I managed to drop my cell phone, which split into two pieces. Despite frantic efforts on my part, I could not get the phone to turn on again, so I had no way to contact Christine and vice versa. About 45 minutes later, I decided it would be worthwhile to leave my spot outside and try to call a mutual friend, because I could not remember Christine’s cell number. I tried Holly, which cost me a dollar in change, and left a message to have her call Christine and explain my location. About 20 minutes later, when I still hadn’t seen Christine (who, in the meantime, got frustrated with the Miami airport and decided to park and go inside to look for me), I miraculously remembered her cell number and begged from a stranger for 15 cents so I would have another dollar in change. So I was able to finally reach her, and we found each other in the airport about 10 minutes later. Whew! What a start to the trip! Thankfully it got much better from there. Every day was a new adventure as we explored the Keys and saw exotic animals of various kinds everywhere we went. My favorite day was Saturday, when we went sailing together on Adam’s sailboat, which I think is about a 12-footer. I have never experienced the excitement and slight fear of capturing the strength of the wind in order to go from place to place. After the initial fears wore off, though, I was in awe of the mixture of complexity and simplicity with which a sailboat operates. The idea is of course fairly simple: raise a huge taut sheet and turn it so the wind blows into it. The complexity comes in when the sails must be angled precisely in order to maximize wind usage while avoiding boat tippage. It’s also interesting how simple each pulley and rope is, but the sheer amount of pulleys and ropes is enough to challenge the driver each time a sudden move must be made. Thankfully, Adam knows just enough about sailing that we were able to get around quite well despite the fickleness of the wind, which absolutely disappeared a few times. We stopped at two different keys, or islands. At the first one we ate lunch (which we had packed), Christine and I went snorkeling, and we all swam down a small channel in the middle of the island. We felt like we were on Lord of the Flies or something, exploring around the little island. Thankfully we weren’t actually trapped, because we probably would have starved or been eaten alive by mosquitoes pretty rapidly. At the second island we got out and walked around in some shallow water, saw a few fish (I can’t remember which kind), and then headed back as it was getting late and we were getting hungry. Other highlights of the trip included seeing the local Key Deer and large iguanas, hanging out with some of Christine and Adam’s teacher friends, and a walk on the Seven Mile Bridge during which we saw some huge starfish and stingrays below us in the water. For those of you who know Christine and Adam, let me recommend to you a visit to their new home. It is worth even the hassle of the ridiculous Miami airport, though I would recommend flying directly into Key West if you can afford it.
My most recent trip, following the Keys, was a visit to Lakeland, FL with my mom to see some of our relatives. We stayed with my mom’s cousin Donna and her husband Tom, and also saw their kids (who are close to my age) Rachel and Curt as well as my mom’s Uncle Curtis. Curt and his wife also have a baby, Jackson, who we met for the first time. We used to go to Florida once a year, but we now rarely make the voyage, so it was a long overdue visit. On the way down, we saw a family carrying their Aunt Edna on top of their car, as seen in the photo.
Julie and I drove up to Tennessee for the last weekend of July to take advantage of a lovely log home there which is owned by a previous co-worker of mine. The home is situated high on a mountainside just outside the city of Townsend, TN and just north of the border of Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Despite simple furnishings, the place is well-appointed with all one might need, including a full kitchen, audio/video equipment, garden tub, and our favorite perk – a Jacuzzi on the back screened-in porch. While I had preceded this trip with another trip, and thus was sufficiently rested and relaxed, Julie had extracted herself from the tiring busy-ness of life, thus she particularly needed the R&R. We spent most of the drive there catching up (having not really done so for almost 3 months). After arriving, we made a quick side trip to Pigeon Forge to visit a friend of Julie’s from her school years who happened to live in the area and was recovering from knee surgery. Friday and Saturday nights were pleasantly identical: dinner at the house, movie on DVD while relaxing on the leather sofa and lay-z-boy, and last but not least a relaxing visit to the Jacuzzi. Saturday morning we woke to the sound of rain on the tin roof of the house, and we gladly stayed inside to enjoy the comforts of the cabin while waiting for the rain to subside. I tried unsuccessfully to start a fire several times (only as we were cleaning up Sunday afternoon did I discover the “fire-starter” logs). Late in the afternoon, the sun came out, so we decided to hike the Chimney Tops Trail. As you can see, it is touted as a strenuous hike on the sign, and we found that to be exactly the case. I suppose the view was worth the climb, as the sign also claims, but I think it would have been nicer on a less cloudy day. Needless to say, the Jacuzzi felt even better on Saturday night after the “strenuous” hike. My muscles weren’t terribly sore until Sunday, but I obviously got a good workout on the way to the chimney top.
The following week, on Thursday, I flew from Atlanta to Miami to visit Christine and Adam. Christine planned on picking me up at the airport, and all was going well until… we had touched base after I landed, and she was going to call me when she reached the airport to meet up. Well, while I was waiting, I managed to drop my cell phone, which split into two pieces. Despite frantic efforts on my part, I could not get the phone to turn on again, so I had no way to contact Christine and vice versa. About 45 minutes later, I decided it would be worthwhile to leave my spot outside and try to call a mutual friend, because I could not remember Christine’s cell number. I tried Holly, which cost me a dollar in change, and left a message to have her call Christine and explain my location. About 20 minutes later, when I still hadn’t seen Christine (who, in the meantime, got frustrated with the Miami airport and decided to park and go inside to look for me), I miraculously remembered her cell number and begged from a stranger for 15 cents so I would have another dollar in change. So I was able to finally reach her, and we found each other in the airport about 10 minutes later. Whew! What a start to the trip! Thankfully it got much better from there. Every day was a new adventure as we explored the Keys and saw exotic animals of various kinds everywhere we went. My favorite day was Saturday, when we went sailing together on Adam’s sailboat, which I think is about a 12-footer. I have never experienced the excitement and slight fear of capturing the strength of the wind in order to go from place to place. After the initial fears wore off, though, I was in awe of the mixture of complexity and simplicity with which a sailboat operates. The idea is of course fairly simple: raise a huge taut sheet and turn it so the wind blows into it. The complexity comes in when the sails must be angled precisely in order to maximize wind usage while avoiding boat tippage. It’s also interesting how simple each pulley and rope is, but the sheer amount of pulleys and ropes is enough to challenge the driver each time a sudden move must be made. Thankfully, Adam knows just enough about sailing that we were able to get around quite well despite the fickleness of the wind, which absolutely disappeared a few times. We stopped at two different keys, or islands. At the first one we ate lunch (which we had packed), Christine and I went snorkeling, and we all swam down a small channel in the middle of the island. We felt like we were on Lord of the Flies or something, exploring around the little island. Thankfully we weren’t actually trapped, because we probably would have starved or been eaten alive by mosquitoes pretty rapidly. At the second island we got out and walked around in some shallow water, saw a few fish (I can’t remember which kind), and then headed back as it was getting late and we were getting hungry. Other highlights of the trip included seeing the local Key Deer and large iguanas, hanging out with some of Christine and Adam’s teacher friends, and a walk on the Seven Mile Bridge during which we saw some huge starfish and stingrays below us in the water. For those of you who know Christine and Adam, let me recommend to you a visit to their new home. It is worth even the hassle of the ridiculous Miami airport, though I would recommend flying directly into Key West if you can afford it.
My most recent trip, following the Keys, was a visit to Lakeland, FL with my mom to see some of our relatives. We stayed with my mom’s cousin Donna and her husband Tom, and also saw their kids (who are close to my age) Rachel and Curt as well as my mom’s Uncle Curtis. Curt and his wife also have a baby, Jackson, who we met for the first time. We used to go to Florida once a year, but we now rarely make the voyage, so it was a long overdue visit. On the way down, we saw a family carrying their Aunt Edna on top of their car, as seen in the photo.
Most of the time in Lakeland was spent visiting and eating large delicious meals. Not bad for a final summer vacation. I went out one night with Rachel and a friend of hers for sushi and then to the happening bars of downtown Lakeland. We had a good time visiting and catching up. One night my mom and I drove to Brandon (near Tampa) to visit a good friend of hers and stay the night. We also did some shopping and saw the movie World Trade Center. I’ll have more to say about that later. My mom’s Uncle Curtis is 89 years old and still getting around quite well, which we were happy to see. He has a predictable but nice daily routine: mow two strips of yard for exercise, get dressed in afternoon for dinner, stop at country club and have two beers with friends (none of whom can hear), go to Donna and Tom’s house and sit in personally reserved chair for 5-15 minutes, eat dinner, return to chair, drink half a cup of coffee, say goodnight and return home. We are all a little nervous about him driving, but he seems to do just fine. Also of interest is the family cat, Tigger. Tigger is 17 years old and is the most relaxed cat I have ever seen. This ability to relax is not a function of age, for Tigger has always had the gift of relaxation. I took a little video so you can see for yourself.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Places to Go and People to See
I am happy to report that I did finally fall asleep last night, maybe around 1am, but I slept. Thank goodness. And now I am preparing to try to go to bed shortly (around 10pm) so I can wake up at 4am and head to the airport for my 6am flight. I don't know what I was thinking when I booked this flight except that I wanted to get to the Keys as early as possible to hang out with Christine and Adam. Sounded good at the time.
I wish I had time to write a little about this past weekend in the mountains in Tennessee, but I guess I missed my chance during the last few days. I managed to stay pretty busy despite my lack of job - in fact, I think I got a job today. I am succumbing to the need of the hour and will be working for $10/hr as a server for downtown hotels and country clubs. If I learn bartending, which in these cases is basically pouring wine and maybe mixing whiskey and cokes, I can make $11/hr plus tips. I kind of joked about bartending while I am back in school, and I honestly didn't realize that was an option when I sought this job, but hey I think it will be fun. And lets face it, the bills must get paid. Anyway, that is one of the little things that got taken care of this week.
I don't know when I will be back to blogging, but eventually I will try to record all the vacation activities, including the Tennessee trip. After the Keys, I fly back to Atlanta and then my mom and I are driving to Lakeland, FL for 5 days. When I return from that trip, my grad school orientation will start the next day. Yikes! I have to say, I have made the most of my time off this summer. A trip to Italy would have been nice, but I am not complaining. I love the Southeast, and I have hit most of it in the last month.
Ok, off to bed. I hope I am not back at the computer whining about not being able to sleep anytime tonight!
I wish I had time to write a little about this past weekend in the mountains in Tennessee, but I guess I missed my chance during the last few days. I managed to stay pretty busy despite my lack of job - in fact, I think I got a job today. I am succumbing to the need of the hour and will be working for $10/hr as a server for downtown hotels and country clubs. If I learn bartending, which in these cases is basically pouring wine and maybe mixing whiskey and cokes, I can make $11/hr plus tips. I kind of joked about bartending while I am back in school, and I honestly didn't realize that was an option when I sought this job, but hey I think it will be fun. And lets face it, the bills must get paid. Anyway, that is one of the little things that got taken care of this week.
I don't know when I will be back to blogging, but eventually I will try to record all the vacation activities, including the Tennessee trip. After the Keys, I fly back to Atlanta and then my mom and I are driving to Lakeland, FL for 5 days. When I return from that trip, my grad school orientation will start the next day. Yikes! I have to say, I have made the most of my time off this summer. A trip to Italy would have been nice, but I am not complaining. I love the Southeast, and I have hit most of it in the last month.
Ok, off to bed. I hope I am not back at the computer whining about not being able to sleep anytime tonight!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Insomnia
This never happens to me, but I am so amazed by it that I had to at least make a quick note about it. I tried to go to bed tonight at around 10:30 (in anticipation of getting to bed early tomorrow night for a very early flight Thurs morning) and I have succeeded only in tossing and turning for an hour and a half. I haven't even slightly dozed off - I am just completely wide awake. I have not had any caffeinated drinks tonight, though I did take 2 caffeine-containing Excedrin before dinner. I had one very small glass of red wine, which typically makes me sleepy, especially if I have more than I did tonight. Anyway, I am baffled, and frustrated, and awake. So I just thought I would share. I apologize that this could not be more exciting news.
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