Hmmmmmm

Reading my last few posts you may think I'm an angry person or something. I'm not. it just so happens that there were a couple of thing bothering me this week. Last week I had some funny stories. It all just depends what strikes me to write aboot when I sit down to the computer.

I'll say this though, I AM very much looking forwards to the Holidays this year, Looking forward to spending the time in shul, in VT, with Robs family, and just plain looking forward to this year being over. I'll BLOG more aboot it all laterer, but in the meantime L'Shana Tova and have a good night!

It's STILL SEPTEMBER!!!!!

And yet THIS is what I saw in Stop and Shop this week. Actually I saw it two weeks ago but I forgot to BLOG aboot it. A HUGE EIGHT FOOT TALL inflatable snow globe with Frosty and Santa and a Christmas tree and "snow" blowing in on them in the Snowglobe. Amidst the Halloween costumes and candy, there's a giant Christmas Snowglobe. Why does the Holiday Season have to get earlier and earlier every year?!?!?!?!?!????

No wonder I'm such a Scrooge by the time Christmas comes along, it's been shoved down my throat for 4 months, intensity getting higher and higher as the day approaches. Who wants to think about it by then? THIS is why I so dislike Christmas. I'm sorry if I offend people by that. I know that there are those of you out there who have a meaning to Christmas beyond Hallmark. But the gross overcommercialization of the holiday is just too much for me to handle. Christmas decorations, talk, food, music, food, STUFF everywhere you turn..... I can't stand it! (not that I love the overcommercialization of all the other holidays either... Halloween, Valentines Day, Mothers and Fathers Days, etc etc etc. It's ALL too much)

People totally forget that there are other people in this world. I HATE it when people try and feel so sorry for me because I have to work on December 25th. To be quite honest with you, I really don't care. I can go to the movies and eat Chinese food any day. To me, it's just another day. But people forget that there are people out there who DON'T celebrate Christmas.
And they seemingly don't care when I try to explain it to them, or maybe they just don't understand, because they still act all sorry that I'm missing out on Christmas by working. Not all of the time but a lot of the time. "But you have Chanukah" they think, "And that's really cool because it lasts so much longer. You get presents for eight days!"

Yeah there are all the people trying to be PC or whatever by making it a Holiday Season, a Seasons Greetings and not just Merry Christmas. Ok, I appreciate the gesture. Sort of. There are those who genuinely mean it, who genuinely understand and all that, people who don't try to shove Christmas at you. But most of the time it's an afterthought. So there are a million and a half Santa Clauses and Christmas Trees, and like one Menorah or Kwanzaa decoration. And that they think makes it ALL BETTER!!!

Well I really don't know a lot about Kwanzaa, but I do know about Chanukah. Chanukah is NOT a major holiday on the Hebrew calandar. It has its place and importance but it's not a major holiday. It's not even a gift giving holiday. (Purim is the gift giving holiday. It's also the dress up and eat candy and pastry holiday) Chanukah a time to remember miracles, and eat fried food and win gelt from the dreidel game. I love Chanukah for what it's meant to be, not for what it has become. (That and I like fire. Lighting candles is great!) It has become what it has become, commercialized to make it a money maker for Hallmark and Toys R Us because it happens to fall round about Christmastime. So Chanukah is overcommercialized because of its proximity to the gross overcommercialization of Christmas. That really bugs me.

I don't always mind the random person in the hallway wishing me a Merry Christmas because they don't know any better and they are just being nice and happy and all that. I DO mind the people who should know better and don't. The people who try to get me in on Christmas activities I'm not interested in just because everyone else is doing them. Things like swapping gifts and going out, and dressing up and all that. The people who make Christmas parties at a Jewish School because they aren't necessarily Jewish themselves. And ironically, you can't get Kosher food at these parties, well you can, but you pay the expensive price to go and while everyone else gets a yummy buffet, you get a tv dinner. It's those things around the holiday season that bother me. The ignorance and stupidity which I realize I'm not going to change. But it still bothers me. But most of all at the risk of repeating myself, I truly hate all the production and music and food and decorations and just too much STUFF for sooooooo LONG!!! Not that I'll really change that either....

Why does the Holiday Season have to extend from September through until February? I think I'd better stand it if it were between Thanksgiving and New Years. I know it would be probably too much to ask for the world to open up and see something beyond themselves, to realize and respect that there are other people of other religions in this world that don't like Christmas being shoved at them every year, but I don't think it's too much to ask to make the season a month and a half long instead of six.

But then again, Christmas is a big $$$$$ maker and well I guess Hallmark, and Toys R Us have to make $$$ somehow. So thank you for allowing me my little rant, and I'll go back to my quiet, personal, try to tolerate it dislike of the Christmas hooplah.

Elevator Pet Peeve

I HATE it when people start hiting the door open button when the elevator has barely reached the floor! This happens CONSTANTLY at work.

The elevators at work aren't the greatest, they're old, and they lurch a bit, making my already sensitive vestibular and digestive systems do a flip flop. And it makes it worse when people start pressing the open button too early.

What happens: The elevators, as usual, are busy. Someone is in a rush, and they don't like that the elevator stops at most floors. So as soon as the elevator slows down to stop, they press the open door button, in the hopes that it'll speed the process along.

The result: The doors start to open as the elevator is still moving, the elevator lurches, if you're in the front, you can see the elevator slowly rise to the floor level with the doors open. The people who want to get off, wait until the elevator actually stops moving, and it probably takes LONGER for them to leave than if the elevator stopped, and then opened as opposed to opened and stopped. And in the process, your stomach lurches and it's pretty uncomfortable.

Why are people in SUCH a rush? I don't think it saves time, but even if it did, what it would save half a second? Is that REALLY going to make a difference in your day? It's like the people who rush in front of you while driving only to be one car ahead, and then stop at the same next traffic light with you, ending up in the same place anyway, just waiting stopped longer.

I don't really get it. There are some time saving strategies to cut real time, but pushing the elevator key for half a second and makeing others ill is NOT one of them. If you're in that much of a rush and don't want to wait for and in the elevators, take the stairs. I do all the time. It's MUCH faster for shorter distances, 1-3 flights, and healthier. I NEVER take the elevator for less than 3 flights. 4 or more and I'll take it. And at busy elevator times, like lunchtime, I'll take the stairs for more. We often go down (8th floor is rehab, second floor is cafeteria) and all you might get is dizzy, but not too physically hard going down. And we've taken to go up after lunch too if things are too busy. That's a bit of a challenge, but I'm getting better and better at it, ESPECIALLY as I'm getting more in shape. :) And I almost ALWAYS get there sooner than the one who waited to take the elevator. That's what saves time. Not the button pushing.

And THAT is my elevator pet peeve. That and when people take it one floor. DOWN one floor. Unless there's a physical problem which there ususally isn't (I know a lot of these people) TAKE THE STAIRS!!!!!

Back From Boston

I got back from Boston yesterday. I was there to visit Shriners Hospital for Children. I met their director of Rehab when I was in Chicago, and she invited me to visit and see what they do, and learn and all that jazz. It was GREAT! I had an amazing time! (minus the door to my compartment on the train not opening and me almost not being able to get off in Stamford, running down to the other end of the car in a panic "DON'T START THE TRAIN YET!!!!!" Kinda funny thinking back on it but not so funny at the time.

Again, I'll not bore you with itty bitty details. Just the highlights.

Boston Highlights:
I LOVED Beacon Hill. It was the cutest little neighborhood! Little narrow streets with little colonial row houses/buildings. Ivy climbing some of the walls, flower boxes, brick sidewalks, it was so cute! And i was peeping into a realtors window, and while some of the apts went for a million to buy many decent looking ones were only about 4-500,000. That seemed reasonable to me! Probably would have been double that in NYC. Not that I have 500 grand, but one can dream...

Harvard was nice. Crowded, but nice. It looked pretty much as i expected it to look. :)

Somebody hung roller skates off of Ben Franklin's statue (somewhereon the freedom trail, i think the old state house or city hall or something like that. maybe it was where he read the declaration of Independence, I don't remember exactly where. But it was a cute site. And Someone put furry boots on John Quincy's statue just across the courtyard. I'll post the pics as soon as I finish the roll and get them developed.

My new hat from Quincy market! Yay! A nice black hat (no to some of you, not a black hat black hat, just a hat that is black) to go with my nice spring/fall jacket, and it has a pink flower on it! :)

Oh yeah and I LOVED the name of this bagel shop chain around town. Finagel a Bagel I thought that wa REALLY cute! Though the bagels were only ok, not great but I've had worse. It wasn't a NYC bagel that's for sure. But the name made up for it.

Shriners Highlights:
I learned how to make and made a TON of splints! They were really generous with their splinting materials. And this is awesome because now I can make splints if our OT is away, and patients won't have to lose range of motion. So not I can make a resting hand splint, and a rotating elbow splint, and a neck splint, and a foot splint! The hand and the rotating elbow are the most exciting. They're the ones that'll get the most use. I love the elbow because it has a strap that gets pinned up and keeps the shoulder elevated and helps prevent shoulder contractures! YAY!

I got to go into the OR! It was really cool to see, and the PT's there go into the OR all the time. They do passive range of motion assessments while the patient is under anesthesia, so they don't fight you, you get to look at the wounds and see what's what, and they re-splint the patients too. it was awesome. I want to be able to do that! It would help SO MUCH!

Just watching and learning all the different things they do and techniques, it was great. The trip was SO worth it. :) I had fun and learned a ton that I could bring back and use at Bridgeport. I really had an awesome experience.

YAY for Boston, and YAY for Shriners Hospital!

Gas

Ya know, how amazing is it that I got all excited about paying two dollars and ninety-nine and nine-tenths cents a gallon for gas this morning. I thought it was so cheap!

How wrong is that! $3 a gallon and I'm happy. $30 to fill up my car and I'm happy. What has this world come to...

When I first got my car in 1997, gas was $1.01 a gallon. 10 bucks to fill up. When I first started working in Bridgeport 2 years ago, gas was about $1.60. It's more than DOUBLED since I started working there, and I put 50 miles a day on my car (25 miles each way) 5 days a week. I can't afford to drive to work anymore!!!

OY YOY YOY!!!!

I Can't Even Think of a Good Title, This Story is So Good!

My co-worker told me this story... It's second or third hand, but according to her, she knows the person it happened to and it's true.

My co-worker's sister's friend took her kids to the Mystic Aquarium. Her son has Downs Syndrome. He's about 10 years old. So they're walking around the aquarium and somehow her son goes missing. She gets frantic, can't find him and goes to security. They ask her to describe him, what he's wearing etc. She described him, said he was wearing jeans, a tshirt, and had on a backpack. It's his "security blanket" and takes it everywhere.

They go looking and looking and can't find him anywhere int he Aquarium. Finally they find him, OUTSIDE the aquarium, walking up a hill away from the aquarium. He's SOAKING WET from head to toe. And he's nonverbal so he can't tell them where he was etc. So his mom puts him in the car and they go home, but the kid stinks to high heaven, they have all the windows rolled down etc.

When they get home she tells him you're all wet and dirty, you need to take a bath, we need to wash you clothes etc. She runs the bath for him and tells him to get into the bath, she'll be right back. So when she gets back, she can't get into the bathroom, he locked the door, she can't get in and he won't let her in. And he NEVER acts like this apparantly. So she finds the key to the bathroom and opens the door, and in the bathtub is her son.... and a PENGUIN!!!!!!

Her son stole a penguin from the aquarium and brought it home in his backpack! How crazy is that! We were all ROLLING when she was telling us this story. She practically couldn't finish telling it she was laughing so hard.

My questions are How the heck did he get into the penguin habitat? How did no one SEE him getting into the penguin habitat? How did he get the penguin in his backpack? Why didn't anyone hear the penguin squawking around or see it moving around in the backpack??? And what possessed the kid to literally go in and get a penguin anyway???? And the kid can't talk, and the penguin can't talk, so all of these questions go unanswered.

The kid brought a penguin home from the aquarium in his backpack. Can you imagine?????

Oh The Patients I Had.... ( A Dr. Seuss Version of My Day)

Oh the patients I had,
Yesterday what a day.
It was not a good time,
It was not fun and play.

The first two of the morn
were in the ED,
And the Case Manager there
Should be stung by a bee.

Patient number one
was a very sick man.
He just recently left
And then came back again.

He arrived in his home
and then fell on the floor.
He came back to the hospital
for he felt very sore.

Case Manager told me
"Say he's safe to go home.
We can't keep him here,
there is no broken bone."

"He lives by himself
And he's not safe" I said,
"He may fall again,
He may hit his head!"

"I won't say he's safe
if I think he will fall.
If I do and he does,
it's me they will call!"

"I'll write what I see.
I won't lie for you,
I won't risk my job
So don't ask me to."

His balance was poor
His gait was unsteady
"Sorry," I said,
"For home he's not ready."

Discharge now harder,
but what can you do?
I then read the chart
of patient number 2

This woman I read
Had pain pretty bad
And of course some more problems
Oh the patients I had!

When leaving from rehab
I'll give you a tip;
Be careful so you don't
dislocate your new hip.

No orders were there
to get out of bed
nor to walk on that leg.
"I won't touch her I said!"

The doctor was called
He said, "Not one pace!
She can't move from the bed!
Not without her brace!"

Her brace was at home.
A long time it would take.
Case Manager upset at me.
She should jump in a lake!

Her husband came later
her hip brace in tow.
Her eval got done.
To rehab she'll go!

On the surgical floor
the third patient, how bad.
This man is NOT smart,
Oh the patients I had!

His colon was fixed
for there was a hole.
Oh how it got there!
With laughter you'll roll!!!!!

Home remedy he tried
For he couldn't poop.
Oh the patients I had
Imagine how stup! (id)

No enema for me!
That just won't work!
A garden hose I'll try,
and right up I'll perk!

Oh how wrong was he
A hole, somewhat big.
Colon surgery for him
And in future, eat a fig.

And as you can see
My morning was bad
Everyone was cranky
Oh the patient's I had.

My afternoon not much better
On the burn unit for me
That needs no more explaining
None were pleasant to see.

House fire, self lit,
hot water, and more,
Glad when day over,
to get off that floor.

I'm usually just fine
But the morning was bad
Couldn't deal with those burns
Oh the patients I had.

Cranky and painful
Arguments, a butt popped.

And as you'd imagine

I got home and flopped!

Yesterday wasn't fun
Yesterday was a drag.
not easy, but with a laugh
Oh those patients I had.

Weekend in VT

Spent this past weekend in VT. I love it up there. :)

I was SUPPOSED to work this weekend, but, I never get a 3 day holiday weekend because that's the way the cookie crumbles. I work Saturday and Sunday, and big deal I get Labor Day Monday off. I would have been off on Monday anyway. SO if I want a 3 day weekend, I have to take vacation time. I think it stinks, half the staff doesn't have to do that, I know it's every other weekend, but it should work out better than that that we should rotate the holiday weekends better. I missed Memorial Day weekend, I took vacation for Labor Day, and I have to work the whole weekend after Thanksgiving. Big Deal, I'm off Thursday. I would have been off anyway. If you have to work Friday through Sunday it's a pain in the neck being off Thanksgiving.

ANYWAY, so it worked out that my Thursday off before the weekend was switched to Friday for the month of September. So I had a 4 day weekend, PLUS I also took a vac day on Tuesday. 5 days away from work. YAY!

We drove up to VT Friday afternoon, left Monday afternoon.

Highlights include, in no particular order:
-The peacefulness VT gives me.
-Singing the Welcome to VT song. dobedobedobe
-The weather which was PERFECT!

-Finding a new hair product that I like so I can leave my hair down without blowdrying it and it's pretty manageable, and not crunchy. I've been looking for something like that for AGES!!!
-Shul both Friday evening and Saturday morning.
-Family relaxing/visiting/conversing time.
-The Southern VT Arts Center. I guess it's kind of like a cross between a museum and a gallery. I was very happy. There was a cool exhibit on the 1960's and Woodstock. And there were some really nice watercolors elsewhere in the museum. I wish I could paint like that... There were some of architecture, with details that were amazing, and so hard to do in watercolors. And there was another room with river water, and waterfalls and flowers in watercolor. These were amazing. They were light yet full of color, and so flowing... I tend to be heavy handed with my painting, I need to learn to be looser and freer and lighter. These were beautiful. There were also some nice pastel paintings, one in particular of sunflowers that was great. (I LOVE sunflowers)
-Our hike Sunday to a river with a waterfall. A not so bad hike, 2.3 miles in and out, and the falls are really pretty. Rob climbed the falls and got sopping wet while I sat on a rock and painted. Waterfalls are REALLY hard btw. But, it wasn't so bad for my first attempt.

-My trailname: Care Bare :)
-The egg and cheese sandwich and coffee I had for breakfast on Monday morning. Maybe it's the atmosphere, or the milk/cheese, but it's the best little breakfast you want to eat.
-Playing with the Dogs. (James, Elliot, Brandy and Jack) I now have white fur all over me thanks to James and Elliot.
-The painting time I had, all outside in natural light. WHOO HOO!
-The bookstore. I love spending time in bookstores. I spent time browsing and reading and then I got some really awesome watercolor technique books. One on flowers and one on landscapes. :)
-The Potatoes with Crack (aka Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary) I made with supper Sunday night.
-Cornfields!
-VT itself. YAY for VT.

Lowlights include, in no particular order:
-Wind-ey roads that make me carsick.
-The gas prices we paid to make it up there.
-My sunglass clip chipping my glasses and causing the chip to fly into my eye, and then trying to (and succeeding) in flushing it out, and the irritation that ensued for the rest of the day. My eye is fine btw, it doesn't hurt at all, I'm ok.

-The drive home. For multiple reasons. One, carsick, two, fidgety, three long way home, four leaving VT.

And that was my weekend. I'm very much looking forward to going back in a few weeks. We're spending most of October for the High Holidays (aka HiHo's according to Rabbi Bob) and that makes me a Happy Carie! :)

A Fish Named Dog

According to my latest Snapple Cap, the most common name for a goldfish is Jaws. Cute. :)

When I was a Freshman in College, I had a goldfish. I named him Dog. He was my first pet ever. Dog died 2 days later. (It was very sad) Luckily the pet store had a 7-day guarantee on their goldfish. If it died within 7 days, you got another one for free. (no joke) So I got another goldfish. I named him Dog Jr. He died within 24 hours. (I wasn't feeling to happy about my pet caretaking skills) So off to the pet store I went for Dogg the III. (He lived 9 months) :)

Why Dog? Well my first day at school the RA's and the RD has a meeting with all the freshman in the building (YAY Cleveland! Velveeeeeeeta!!!!) and they told us that we couldn't have any pets unless they were in a bowl with water. And no we couldn't buy a dog and name him Fish. But yes, we could by a fish and name him Dog. (I asked) So I did. Tee Hee!

As it turns out, Dog means fish in Hebrew. So it worked out well. He was a good goldfish. Well all 3 of them were, but I really only had a relationship with Dog the III. I was very upset when he died, I gave hima proper burial and everything, I didn't just give him a burial at sea via the toilet. I never had a goldfish after him. Ah well.....

And if I ever get a dog (and being in a relationship with Rob there's a pretty good chance of that) I may just name him Fish. :)

Childrens Names

Today I treated a little girl whose name was Brooklyn. Not Brooke Lynn, that would have been bad enough, but Brooklyn. And that's not the first time I've seen that name for a little girl. I've know 2 or 3 Brooklyns'.

I'm sorry, but that's cruel and unusual punishment for a child. She is going to be taunted HORRIBLY for her name when she's in school. Kids are mean and that's an easy target. Carie was an easy target, (ie Carry, can you Carry this blah blah because your name is Carie and that's what you're supposed to do... or Carie, you can't be yourself on Shabbas! (that was in college too..)) If that's an easy target, Brooklyn is worse.

It's like naming you daughter Sandy when your last name is Beach. Or like a girl I knew in High School whose name was Nyshea beacuse her father was a Mets fan. (NY, Shea Staduim)

Whay do parents DO that to their kids??? I don't get it.

The Stew Leonards Experience... and the rest of the weekend too.

Saturday night Rob and I went to Stew Leonards. Yeah, I know, great Saturday night activity. :) We couldn't decide what to do, neither of us had ever been, I hadn't even heard of it until recently, and Rob wanted to see barnyard animals. So we went. We needed produce anyway. It was certainly an experience. Kinda like a cross between an amusement park and a grocery store and a dairy, and HUGE! Rob got to pet a cow, which he was VERY happy about, but not a lamb-ie which he was disappointed about. We got fresh produce which I was happy about because the Stop and Shop by us has ICKY produce that goes bad very quickly. We got 2 cases of Snapple (24 bottles) for $11. That was kinda cool. And we got to eat ice cream. :) That was good too. Ice cream ALWAYS makes it a good time. It's one of life's 3 cure-alls. :)

So that was our weekend experience. The rest of it was nice, though nothing amazingly special. We went to shul Saturday morning and too our Shabbat Schluf in the afternoon, Stew Leonards in the evening. Sunday we slept in and went to visit Rob father out in Stonybrook Long Island for the day. And I painted last night and periodically through the weekend. YAY for painting!

Anyway it's Monday AM and time for work. People are in need of getting out of bed... Have a good day all!! :)

New Glasses!

I got new Glasses! YAY! It's nice to be able to see properly again.

I have officially given up on contact lenses. My eyes just don't tolerate them anymore. So if I'm wearing glasses only, I need 2 pairs. I'm keeping my old pair, though I'll get new lenses for them (the coating is coming off making things blurry) and I got a new pair. They're VEEEEERY different than anything I've ever worn before. Plastic, and dark.

I usually get minimizing frames, something that isn't too stand-outish, you can see my face not my glasses kind of glasses. These are plastic, dark, a brown tortise shell, you're definitely wearing glasses glasses, though there's a blue green in the background that peeks through a bit lightening it. PLUS I haven't worn plastic glasses since I'm about 12 years old, so it's taking a bit of getting used to the feel of them. I think it's a fun new look. I like them a lot. I never thought plastic frames would ever look good on me, but these are fun, and so different! I still can't believe it's me, every time I pass a mirror I need to do a double take.


Here's the difference. I think I look so different with each pair. Just a completely different look and feel.































Different, but fun. I like that I can choose my glasses to fit my mood or the look I want. :) YAY for new glasses! They're so much fun!!!

Shingles and Google.

Last week I saw a patient who was complaining of numbness and weakness in her left leg. She also had a rash. She said, "I got a rash 2 weeks ago, and thats when my leg got weak and I started falling." I thought that was interesting. A rash associated with numbness and weakness? On futher evaluation, I discovered that she had numbness and decreased sensation where the rash was, and that was in a dermatomal pattern. Furthermore, her weakness was in a myotomal pattern of the same level. VEEEEERY Interesting I thought.

WHAT the heck is she saying, you wonder??? Ok, in English, I had a petient who had a rash and numbness in the same area on her leg. That area correlated to a pattern known ad a dermatome. A dermatome is an area of the skin supplied by nerve fibers originating froma certain level of the spinal cord. The dermatomes are named according to the spinal nerve which supplies them. C4, C5, L1, L2 etc. There is an area of skin for every level of your spinal cord. My patient had her rash and her numbness in a specific area defined by a dermatome. She also had weakness in her leg associated with a myotome. A myotome is the muscle or muscles who get their nerve supplies from a particular level in the spinal cord. This patient had muscle weakness associated with the same area of the skin as the rash and the numbness. L3. The third lumbar nerve. As shown by the inner knee/thish area. And Weakness in straightening the knee and lifting the leg.

I was curious. I was stumped. I had heard vaguely of neurological illnesses with a dermatological presentation. But I wasn't sure about them. So I had my student look it up overnight and I looked it up also. I couldn't find anything in my class notes or books, so I did multiple Google and medical searches on the subject. Finally I found it. YA for GOOGLE!!! It was SO simple!!! Shingles. Yup! She had the Chicken Pox! Again.

It threw me off at first because shingles isn't usually associated with numbness and weakness. AND it usually happens on the chest and back, AND it's usually pretty painful! But for the location of her rash pain isn't common, and weakness is.

According to the research I read, (YAY FOR GOOGLE for giving me a TON!) the virus stays in the roots of your spinal cord after chicken pox. And it lays dormant. And any decrease in your immune status can bring it out. Usually happens in the elderly and immunocomprimised. (My patient was in her 80's) And you get a recurrance. But only in the level of the root in which it is laying. USUALLY (95%) that's in the thoracic area, giving the rash in the chest and back with significant pain. But sometimes (5%) it can happen in the cervical (referring to the neck/arm areas) or Lumbar (leg areas) regions of the spinal cord. And when it does, it is often associated not with pain, but with sensory loss and motor weakness.

TA DUM!!! I had figured out the problem. I felt so smart. :) The next day I asked one of the neurologists about the symptoms and he automatically said shingles. TEE HEE!! I was right! I felt all happy that I was able to find the answer. Granted I had to go looking for awhile, but I found it and that was perty rewarding.

So now you know. A rash with numbness and weakness is Chicken pox. And Google kicks bootie for information. When in doubt, search Google.
And then you can feel smart for knowing all that information and figuring out what's wrong with people. :)

New Student

I got a new student this week. But just for a week. They wouldn't throw a new student on me so soon after the first one/ But one of the outpatient therapists went on vacation, and his student needed somewhere to go for a week, so I got her. Which is fine with me. I actually really like having students around. So I'm glad I got to have her around.

It's a different experience though. First she's only with me for a week. Second she's on her first rotation, so she hasn't had all her classwork yet and doesn't know a lot of the hospital type diagnoses and treatments. And third she hasn't had all the PTA experience my last student had. I think I got spoiled with her, she was such an easy first student. Not that my new student is hard, it's just different. I have to alter my teaching, and give her a lot more help and explanation. Which is fine, just new. I talk a lot. I like explanations, so I assume other people want them too. So I talk a lot. She must think I'm a nut case, running around like a chicken without a head so much and talking her ears off. OY. But fun at the same time. :)

I'm trying to keep to the orthopedic floor, though I dislike spending a lot of time there, but she saw a lot of joint replacements in outpatient, and it's good to give her the earlier stage view. And hopefully I can arrange for her to observe a surgery this week, that would REALLY give her an appreciation for all the therapy needed. It's the one thing I regret not being able to do as a PT student. I wasn't allowed to observe surgeries. The hospitals I was at didn't allow it. Oh well.

I just hope, as I did with my last student, and will with all of them probably is that I give her a good experience. Even though it's just for a week, I don't want it to be the week from hell for her. That would totally be stinky. But it seems that she's having an ok time so that's good!

And that's that! :)

Murderball

Featuring fierce rivalry, stopwatch suspense, and larger-than-life personalities, MURDERBALL, Winner of the Documentary Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Editing at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, is a film about tough, highly competitive rugby players. Quadriplegic rugby players. Whether by car wreck, fist fight, gun shot, or rogue bacteria, these men were forced to live life sitting down. In their own version of the full-contact sport, they smash the hell out of each other in custom-made gladiator-like wheelchairs. And no, they don't wear helmets.

From the gyms of middle America to the Olympic arena in Athens, Greece, MURDERBALL tells the story of a group of world-class athletes unlike any ever shown on screen. In addition to smashing chairs, it will smash every stereotype you ever had about the disabled. It is a film about family, revenge, honor, sex (yes, they can) and the triumph of love over loss. But most of all, it is a film about standing up, even after your spirit - and your spine - has been crushed.


That was the synopsis I read when looking for a good movie to see. I found out about the movie aboot a week ago, and last night Rob and I went to see it. Quadriplegics playing rugby! That's my kind of film. It's the PT in me I guess, I was so riveted. I REALLY wanted to see this movie.

I had heard about wheelchair rugby when I was a PT student doing a rotation At Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, on the Spinal Cord Unit. There was this one kid there, young, quadriplegic, and VERY athletic, and he had been interested in playing. It sounded REALLY cool. I wasn't exactly sure about how the game was played, but I was familiar with the Paralympics and knew that some pretty cool adapted sports were out there for those disabled by spinal cord injuries, amputations, blindness, deafness, and other disabilities. The adaptations were great, there are some amputee runners I've met who say they're faster now with the technology in their prostheses than they were before they lost their leg(s). And there are some really interesting adapted sports. Like Floor Volleyball, like Wheelchair Fencing, and like Wheelchair Rugby. AKA Murderball.

The movie was great. It gave a great perspective of these guys lives, from the beginning of their therapy after their accidents to playing rugby on the US National Team. Rob was amazed at all some of these guys can do, I was and wasn't. Life definitely does NOT stop in a wheelchair, and all the adaptations around to help people are pretty cool. As one of the players put it, "I've done more in a chair than I've done able-bodied." The movie pretty much let you see things from their point of view, literally... which ended up being my only complaint. If you have a tendency for motion sickness, the camera shaking etc. during much of the filming might make you a bit queasy. But I think they did that on purpose. So you can see the game, and life through the eyes of the players.

I HIGHLY reccommend the movie, it was really well done, and very interesting. More info at the movies website, and you can check out the trailer too. ENJOY!

I don't remember if I ever potsted this joke... So I'll do it again.. :)

BE WARNED! DIRTY JOKE TO FOLLOW! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR/READ SUCH A JOKE, DO NOT CONTINUE!!!
It often surprises people, but I DO know dirty jokes. ;)

Cinderalla And The Magic Tampon

Cinderella had to go to the ball, but she had her period. And she was bloated and crampy and cranky, and she really didn't want to go. Of course, her Fairy Godmother came to her rescue, and gave her a magic tampon. "Put this in," she said, "and you'll feel so much better, you're cramps will go away, you'll feel happier and less bloated, and you can go to the ball. BUT.." she cautioned, "Be sure to be back home by midnight, otherwise the tampon will turn back into a pumpkin, and that will hurt!!"
Cinderella agreed, put in the tampon and went happily off to the ball. The Fairy Godmother waited at home.

Midnight comes and goes, and Cinderella isn't homr. 1Am, 2AM, 2:30AM, 3AM... the Fairy Godmother is starting to get worried! Finally at about 4:30 AM, Cinderella gets home.

The Fairy Godmother was frantic! "WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YOU OK, WHAT ABOUT THE PUMPKIN!?!?!?!?!"

Cinderella smiled, and said "Oh, don't worry about that. I met a REALLY great guy named Peter Peter!"



BA DUMP DUM!!!! TEEE HEEE! ;)

Ok Ok Ok

I know, I know, I know, my third post this afternoon.... but I'm relaxing and doing little except laundry on my day off, and since I'm relaxing and not running around, I'm enjoying the ability to be computering and well, I just keep having things to say.

I was just spending some time on my BLOG's web counter. Some 3,000 and change people have visited my BLOG in the past year or so. Not a HUGE # but not horrible either. I kinda like it.

One of the things I noticed, was that most of the people who have come to my rambling place on the web, have done so from an "unknown" source. To me, that assumes that these people know the blog address and go to it directly and don't necessarily stumble upon it from another site, or a search. Those who do come from another site, 90% are looking for swollen tonsils, and the other 10% is a mix of the next BLOG button, Rob's site, and various other peoples who have linked me to their sites at one time or another.

So as I looked at these unknowns, I noticed a lot of repeat IP addresses/internet companies. AOL, Optonline, etc. I realize AOL and optonline and others are companies with multiple users, however, I can also look up the location of the user, city and state. And when I did that I noticed patterns and repeats.

There were a lot of repeat cities, and I am assuming that many are from the same persons in those cities. Which means I get regular visitors to my BLOG from places where I don't know, or don't think I know anyone. Places like Oakland, CA, Toledo, OH, South Burlington, VT, Atlanta, GA, Edinburgh, UK, New Rochelle, NY, Hinesville, GA, Ontario, Canada and many others.

And because one of my reasons for BLOGGING is to meet people and make long distance acquaintences etc, I'd like to hear from y'all. Who are you? How did you come to my site? Why do you keep coming back? Do you have a website or BLOG I could read? Anything you want to tell me. Y'all know a lot aboot me, I'd like to know aboot you too. Plus I get curious to know the identities of all my anonymous commenters. 99% of my comments are anonymous. I'd love to know who y'all are!!!!!!

So here's the hand of friendship and communication. (Imagine me sticking my hand through your computer screen) Grab a hold and lets chat! :)

Let's get together, yeah yeah yeah.... why don't you and I combine.... Let's get together what do ya say? We could have a swingin' time..... And though we haven't got a lot, we could be sharing all we've got...... Let's get together!!!!!!! YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!

(Bonus points for anyone who can tell me where that's from!) :)

Junior High School Dirty, And Junior High School Silly :)

Wanna hear something dirty????

2 pigs in the mud.


Wanna hear something really dirty?

There were 2 pigs in the mud, and then 3 came out.

************************************************

One man walked into a bar.

OUCH!!!

Two men walked into a bar.

Ya think one of them would have seen it!!!!

What I made with my Squash and Zucchinis

Well, I didn’t receive any suggestions for my large amounts of veggies, so I did some research and found these recipes.

Yellow Squash Casserole
(Recipe courtesy of Cheryl Alters-Jamison & Bill Jamison, American Home Cooking, Broadway Books)

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

1 3/4 pounds crookneck yellow squash or other yellow summer squash
1/4 pound zucchini or additional yellow summer squash
1/2 cup coarse-chopped carrots
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large onion, preferably yellow, chopped
1 plump garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cups saltine or Ritz cracker crumbs
1/2 cup grated mild to medium Cheddar cheese
Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a medium baking dish.

Slice the yellow squash and zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Place the yellow squash, zucchini and carrots in a saucepan, barely cover with water and salt well. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.

Meanwhile, warm 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat.
Stir in the onion and cook slowly until very soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl.
Wipe out the skillet, return it to medium-low heat, and add to it the remaining tablespoon of butter.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs and cook briefly until the crumbs are golden.
Scrape them onto a small plate and reserve them.

Drain the squash mixture, mashing the vegetables just a bit.
Spoon it into the mixing bowl.
Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of cracker crumbs, cheese and a good splash or two of the pepper sauce. Salt and pepper generously to taste.
Stir in the eggs and spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Scatter the toasted cracker crumbs over the top.
Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and lightly firm in the center. Serve hot
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved


This one was pretty good. It made a nice casserole, though I think it would have been better, more solid with more crackers. It would actually be great I think for a Passover veggie dish with matzah farfel substituted for the crackers.


Rice with Squash and Cumin
c.1997, M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger, all rights reserved

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings


5 to 6 assorted small squashes, zucchini, yellow summer squashes, patty pans
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 to 2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked rice, (aromatic is nice)
1 bunch parsley leaves, washed and chopped roughly

Trim squashes and cut into small 1/4-inch dice.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan and add 1/3 of the diced squashes and some salt and pepper. Saute small batches briefly over high heat stirring often until lightly browned and slightly soft. Transfer to a bowl.
Cook diced onion in remaining olive oil in frying pan over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in garlic and cook briefly. Add cumin, reduce heat to low, cook stirring about 2 minutes, and then add to squashes in bowl.
Add rice and chopped parsley and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

This one was ehhh. I thought it would be a nice combo of flavors, but it was kinda ordinary. Tip, use less rather than more parsley, or leave it out all together, and salt the zucchini and squash well or it won’t have much taste. It was also kinda oily, frying the squash, I don’t love frying. I felt I could have used a lot less oil, but that would be easy to fix. I also think that the recipe needed more flavor than just cumin. Maybe I’ll play around with it some time. It was good enough if you had a ton of zucchini and squash to make, but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to make it again.

Apple Zucchini Bread
Recipe courtesy Tama Hiles

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Medium
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 2 to 3 loaves, 12 to 15 servings

4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
5 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded apples
1 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine first 6 ingredients and set aside.
Combine eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until well blended.
Stir in zucchini, apples, and nuts. Add to dry ingredients; stir until moistened.
Put into greased and floured loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes.
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

This one was GREAT! I had never had zucchini bread before. I made it at the request of the friend who had given me endless amounts of zucchini in the first place. It came out really good, it was easy to make, and everyone at work loved it. It made 2 pretty decent sized loaves. One was devoured at work and the other my friend happily took home with her. As expected, I didn’t truly taste the zucchini in it, but I didn’t expect to. I LOVE “Rena’s” pumpkin bread, but I don’t particularly love pumpkin. I would definitely make this recipe again. YUMMY!!

Spaghetti with Zucchini and Garlic
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

2 small to medium zucchini
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano

Pile up 2 or 3 layers of paper towels on a work surface. Working on the paper towels, shred zucchinis using a box grater holding the zucchini at an angle.
Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan.
Add chopped garlic to the oil.
When garlic speaks by sizzling in oil, add shredded zucchini. Season zucchini with salt and pepper.
Sauté shredded zucchini 7 to 10 minutes.
Add hot, drained pasta to the pan. Toss spaghetti with zucchini and garlic oil.
Add a couple of handfuls of grated cheese to the pan. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

I haven’t made this one yet, (supper tonight) but it seems right up mu alley, something I have done with countless other veggies, and well I have loved every single one of Rachael Ray’s recipes, so I’m assuming that this one will be no different.

And that’s that! Just a few things to do with pounds of Zucchini and Summer Squash. I’m sure there are more out there, but these were pretty good too. :) :) :)

My Favorite Kitchen Appliance

My Salad Spinner

I LOVE my salad spinner. It's so much FUN!

Now I get to clean my lettuce without eating wet salads. YAY!!!!!! PLUS, it's fun to push the pusher thing and make it spin. :) I like to make it spin. And it's oddly pleasurable to see how much water it really truly gets off my lettuce. It's very exciting. :) :) :)

It's the simple things that make life fun! :)