Gift Guide For Others (Not for Me)

Note that these are not gifts I am looking for, but rather what I hope to be inspiration in choosing gifts for others.

I tend to not want more stuff, yet still appreciate finding gifts for people. I tend to think that experience gifts are best. and don't clutter-up the homes of people I love. So, here are my five recommendations:

1) For the news lovers: Premium membership to salon.com. I have had my membership for, hmm, maybe 4 years, and at least read Broadsheet everyday. Premium membership means you don't get forced to watch ads, and don't forget that salon broke the Abu Ghraib photos. Membership available at: https://sub.salon.com/gift/

2) For the donation gift: I have my favorite donation site: Heifer International. I have a personal connection with this organization. My grandfather brought plow horses to Italy after WWII with the founder of this group. I have also attended their Lambing Weekend with my mother, and felt even better about the organization after seeing the work in person. The best part about giving a donation to someone as a gift is that you get the cutest cards with pictures of whatever animal you gifted.

3) For A Touchable Gift: Etsy.com. "Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers". It is sometimes hard to search for items, but it is a thrill to find the perfect leather cuff, print of Bill Murray, or hand-made stuffed animal, AND know that the money goes to the craft artist. Their gift guide is also useful.

4) Event Gifts: Signature Days is a website to find event oriented gifts. A hot air balloon ride in Chicago will set you back $229, but may be just what you step-mother needs to put you in her good graces for the next year. A water cruise from Washington DC to Mount Vernon will only set you back $44, and in Dallas you can get a private handgun lesson for $60. Search around in any major urban area and you might find the perfect gift for someone who hates stuff, but loves getting good story material.

5) I am also a fan of finding a local restaurant and getting loved ones gift certs, especially if they have regularly frequented spot. Zagat.com is my standard restaurant search site.

Neon Orange Belts

At our new dojang (not dojo which is Japanese, but dojang because we are now learning an entirely different martial arts language: Korean) we have earned our orange belts. A belt ceremony was a surprise as at our last dojo the ceremony was Sensei remembering to give us our new belts. I am thrilled to have taken my first test at the new school. The first is always the hardest, but I also miss my white belt. With the white belt you can learn everything, but there are no expectations, no one expects you to break boards with your hands, no one expects you to actually block the punches they are throwing at your face, no once expects you to gracefully break-fall after they throw you over their shoulder. Yep, I will start missing my white belt more and more. (but I am thrilled to actually get to start sparring again, nowhere will allow a white belt to spar, no matter how much protective gear you wear).

The only bummer is that I will not be able to take class next semester as I will have biology class both nights class is offered. This will mean Rick will be at least one belt ahead of me ... argh!

T-Day Success

Thanksgiving was a success. My first turkey was delicious. I credit the butter/herb rub inside and outside the skin for the moist, savory meat. The dogs did not eat each other or any of the children. Even though two coffee grinders were somehow destroyed we still managed to grind coffee beans in my food processor and provided enough caffeine to keep 5 house guests on speaking terms. I even think I could volunteer as Thanksgiving host next year.

Photo gallery is on its way, Rick even setup a formal portrait studio and took fabulous shots of Todd family groupings.

My only minor mistake was to forget that Uncle Bob was a life long military man and republican and over dinner conversation I managed to talk about all the various forms of birth control I have used and preferred (speaking to Rick's college-age sisters), and also about how surprised and pleased I was to know that several lesbian couples live in our neighborhood. Ooops. I think he got over it because he and his wife let up keep the leftovers from their fabulous sweet potato dish.

Rick's Photos By Request

So, last night when our good friend, CJ from NYC, was over for dinner Rick was showing him photos, and I realized he has been hoarding photos from as long ago as 2001 that no one has had a chance to see. So, I have started creating photo galleries and I hope to get a few up each week. Today I added 2001 Ice Climbing, and 2002 Red Cliff Photos. Unfortunately I am featured more than Rick because he takes the photos, but there is a very cute one of Rick with puppy Osa in his coat in the ice climbing gallery.
2001 Ice Climbing
2002 Red Cliff

JUST ADDED: 2007 Nantucket and Begnal Wedding

Links are also over on the right-hand navigation.

Anxiety Anxiety Anxiety

Things That Wake Me Up At 4 AM
1. Hosting 18 people for Thanksgiving dinner.
2. EMT State Test in 3 weeks.
3. Somehow I am taking a full courseload (4 classes) next semester, and working full-time. How did this happen? And how did I end up never having taken a biology class in college, thus being forced to take BIO 101 at 31 years old?
4. Even with full course load this semester and in the summer I still may be short classes to be one of the selected 10 students for the nursing program I am interested in.
5. What if my BIO 101 class is actually difficult?
6. Out of state tuition until next April (there went 2K I hadn't planned on spending).

I promise less whining next post.

And the cute picture of R is from her visit with parents a few weeks ago. Yes, her shirt says "My Hoopty".

Shout Out to Podcasts

Working at home all by myself is not for me. I put up with my current money making job because I know it is temporary, and I am making enough money to be in school full-time come 2009. Now, I am a social person, and I at least need to listen to smart people talking, even if only from my laptop's speakers. So here are the audio podcasts I recommend for anyone who must distract part of their brain in order to deal with their daily drudgery.

1) Real Time With Bill Maher: Audio only of the HBO show. This is posted a few days after the actual show, but each week a "podcast only" 2 minute extra is also available.
URL: http://www.hbo.com/apps/podcasts/podcast.xml?a=2

2) The Body Odd: Described as "MSNBC.com's biweekly podcast about the weird, and sometimes embarrassing, human body." A doctor and a writer answer listener's questions.
URL: http://podcast.msnbc.com/audio/podcast/pdm_bodyodd.xml

3) KCRW's Le Show: Harry Shearer, need I say more. This is a podcast of his 1 hour radio program. My favorite segment is "Apologies of the Week".
URL: http://media.kcrw.com/podcast/show_itms/ls

4) KCRW's Left, Right & Center: Love this. Smart political discussion with intelligent people with different political takes. Will hopefully keep me sane during the 2008 election season.
URL: http://media.kcrw.com/podcast/show/lr

5) MedicCast: EMS News & Training: This is a new one for me. I have listened to two of these and recommend if you are interested in EMS. Uses medical terminology so beware.
URL: http://www.mediccast.com/podcasts/MedicCast_AAC.xml

6) NPR's It's All Politics: Another fabulous political podcast. This is podcast only, and NPR's Ken Rudin and Ron Elving are in rare form. They joke about their single "listener". Sometimes they sing or do impressions.
URL: http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510068

7) NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me: NPR's weekly news quiz. My Monday morning regular listen.
URL: http://www.npr.org/templates/rss/podcast.php?id=35

8) The Savage Lovecast: Dan Savage's sex advice podcast. Hey, call in and record your own question at 206-201-2720.
URL: http://feeds.thestranger.com/stranger/savage

9) This American Life: The entire weekly radio show as a podcast. Remember to donate to WBEZ to help pay for the show.
URL: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast.xml

10) NPR's Bryant Park Project: Another NPR show, this is NPR's attempt to get at the younger, 20's and 30's, audience. And because I am in that age bracket, yep, I like it.
URL: http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=47

Anyone have any others I should be listening to?

ER Clinical Number Two

Tuesdays are a little different in the ER. We have all heard that insurance-less people are forced to use the ER as their doctors office, and I experienced this first hand. I shadowed the triage nurse for the first few hours, and got to see people come to the ER for medical help, but stop off at the vending machine in the waiting room to get a flippin candy bar before getting care. Hmm...nope not jaded yet.

I also got to witness a patient asking for a "note" from the doctor to show their boss. This note was requesting the patient no longer be required to clean-up the floor of the fast food restaurant, but rather be allowed to man the cash register so that the patient would not need to walk so much. Nope, not even jaded yet.

The coolest thing I saw was the dreaded avulsion. The doctor let me watch the cleaning and the stitching. And I now have a healthy fear of table saws. Which leads me to the coolest invention for contractors EVER: the SawStop.

ER Clinical Number One

I was worried I would be nervous, shy, nauseous, or completely panicked - but I think I was helpful. I shadowed two nurses during my 8 hours. The first handed me off to the second and called me "great".

It's hard feeling helpless in the ER. As an EMT-Basic I am allowed to use the following skills: CPR, AED, administer O2, administer a few medications that aren't very exciting, and none by any large needles. So it is hard to feel useful in an ER where you want to administer meds, or help with the EKG, or learn how to read cardiac rhythms. I mostly helped my nurse take blood, took temperatures, breath sounds, and blood pressures, used the wicked-cool pneumatic tube system, and learned how to read a patient's chart.

I am still amazed that I was able to bag* an intubated patient with COPD**. It felt completely different from bagging a dummy: there was actual pressure in the patient's lungs against which I needed to push the O2. Breathing for someone else, getting the chance to help someone with the most basic of needs, well, that experience has stuck in my chest: my heart feels physically larger, my own breathing feels fuller. I was such a newbie because I thanked all the nurses and doctors over and over again who offered me the opportunity to assist.

It is harder to write about my real-world health care experiences than about the very contrived classroom learning. Real life humans who are experiencing pain - well, so far I have a harder time putting it in words.

I promise I won't turn this blog into an medical terminology essay. I just need to learn how to tell you the entertaining parts.

* To Bag: To squish the plastic bag of O2 (just like you have seen on ER), effectively breathing for the person.

** COPD is a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Typically caused by a life-time of smoking. These are the people you see carrying personal O2 tanks with nasal candulas. This is as good a reason as any to quit or not smoke. The poor patient was still a bit conscious when they were nasally intubated, and I felt sad as it looked incredibly uncomfortable. The patient had 8 children who all showed-up in ER within an hour, and were very distressed.

Teaching Yoga Again

Wow, two posts in a morning.

I have an opportunity to teach yoga a Williamsburg yoga studio. Been a few years since I have taught, thank goodness my own practice has been steady, but I am going to go check out a class at the studio tomorrow morning. Stay tuned. The yoga studio is: Anahata Yoga

My dream plan would be to get a relationship with this studio and then start offering discounted yoga classes for EMS professionals.

When I Grow Up ... Again ...

I am trying to get my second life career off the ground, and the major obstacle is, of course, ME. I find the entire college application process, and hoops to jump through irritating. And I continue to remind myself that everyone does this, I am not special, and just need to suck it up and pay the $3 to get my transcripts from all the schools I have attended transfered, AND I may even need to take a "Skills Level Test" at a community college, which feels insulting. Don't these people know I was a 4.0 college student. Don't they know my Dif Eq professor LOVED me. Don't they know about my DOE internship. The answer is nope, and they don't particularly care.

On the bright side I should be able to take Anatomy and Physiology I, and Intro to Microbiology this spring semester, and hopefully A&P II this summer. That would go a long way towards my pre-nursing certificate which will allow me to go into an 18 month LPN program at the community college, and then I can do an accelerated BSN program at Virginia Commonwealth University (in Richmond), and hopefully be finished with my BSN in 3.5 years.

Nervous...

I have my first clinical this Saturday, and I am very nervous. Will be at Williamsburg Sentara ER (unfortunately I am familiar with the locale),. I will be there from 3 PM til 11 PM. I know an ER Tech who works there and my suspicion was confirmed that Saturday night should be full of interesting patients.

My nervousness stems from last night's class. I was lucky enough to get a class taught by the man who runs the school, Nick Klimenko, who has been in EMS since the early 1970's (it wasn't called EMS back then). He told us many great stories (send me an email if you actually want details). But also told us some embarrassing stories of trainees making fools of themselves in the ambulance or the ER. Now I just keep thinking, please please let me not give him a new story to regale the next EMT class with. So, here are the things I would like to avoid:
1) Passing out.
2) Vomiting.
3) Creating a BSI (body substance isolation) incident, i.e. getting a patient's fluid mixed with my fluid.

Ways to avoid any of these situations:
1) Remember to breath.
2) Remember to breath.
3) Keep gloves ON, and mouth closed.

Best line from last night (that is suitable for everyone to read):
Nick on determining the severity of a trauma injury, "Blunt trauma is all about velocity. How fast was the person traveling before they stopped? Now, penetrating trauma, that's just like real estate.... It's all about location location location."

There is a small part of me that really just wants to go to paramedic school and not nursing school. However, the hours are worse, the pay is worse, and your co-workers are even crazier than ER nurses.

Snap-On Vaginas, Toddler Crushes, and End of an Entertainment Era

Saturday was another 8 hour practical. 4 hours of medical emergencies, and since I have shown proficiency at managing diabetic, cardiac, respiratory, and allergic emergencies I get to spend the time practicing my dramatic acting as a patient. Such fun to collapse in the arms of one of my fellow students, gasp a few times, go limp, then roll my eyes back in my head. Once I died because a very nervous EMT gave me nitroglycerin when my systolic bp was only 98 (big no no as nitro lowers the blood pressure dramatically), and once I died because after administering nitro an EMT was confused about my chest pain (not caused by my fine acting), thought I was having an asthma attack, and tried to give me albuterol which caused me to have increased chest pain and keel over.

Saturday afternoon I haven't completely processed... I got to deliver a very ugly plastic baby from a plastic vagina connected by metal snaps to the torso and cut-off legs of a plastic ob-gyn training dummy. The plastic baby was connected by a plastic umbilical cord connected to a plastic placenta that looked like a portabello mushroom, except for its cherry-red color. Plastic baby was covered in ky-jelly, and the valuable training tip I was given, "If you drop the baby, the first thing you do is pick the baby up."

The Simon,s from cafesimon.com, were here visting from CO on Sunday, they came with R (2 yr), and H (6 mo), and two adult friends from VA Beach with their kids: S (7 yr), and N (5 yr). I got to observe R having an extreme toddler crush on S. Not so very different from my crushes: chasing, tackling, hugging, laying on top-of, yelling object's name over and over even while the object of your desire rolls their eyes and screams for his mother.

We are one episode away from the end of Deadwood, and I want to cry. I need that dialog in my life. Where else will I hear gems like: "My counter offer is for you to go fck yourself".

Oh sweet sweet Deadwood.

Halloween and Osa's B-Day

Yesterday was Halloween and Osa's 6th birthday. Small slideshow at: http://www.s9s.net/SlideShowHalloween07/