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Monday, January 31, 2011

Day 154 - Rant of the Wall (72 Calendar Days Left)

When I first was registering for the massage program, the admissions person I talked to said that everybody, at some time in the program, hits a wall.
I believe I've not only hit the wall, I've crashed into it and am trying to break through it.
To say that I'm frustrated with the whole experience right now would be pretty accurate, if not an understatement. I believe most of it stems from the winter weather our region has been experiencing the last couple of weeks.
Don't get me wrong, I like a good snow storm - as long as I don't have to be out in it. However, because TPTB* at the J-O-B don't seem to care about their staff and apparently believe that being there seems to be a matter of life and death it takes an act of Congress to close due to inclement weather and then TPTB at the school reschedule cancelled snow classes on Friday nights, I cringe whenever I hear reports of a winter storm coming to town.
I have visions of my May Graduation Orlando Vacation Celebration (say that five times fast) going down the tubes because I have used all of my PTO (Paid Time Off) at the J-O-B due to the stinkin' weather.
Last week, we missed two classes due to snow and we made up one on Friday night and are scheduled to make up the other this coming Friday, with a final exam. However, last Friday, one of the student liaisons brought a "revised" schedule for this week into class and basically, the thought was that because a good number of students may not be able to make class on Friday, we would take the final exam on Wednesday, unless we can all agree to be there on Friday.
This caused a cascade of discussion on our facebook group over the weekend, and it seemed the classmates were divided on which way to go with it. By the time we got to class tonight, we still really hadn't agreed on the best thing for everybody.
THEN - in comes TPTB. They tell us that the exam is on Friday AND we have to be there the whole evening. Well, at least it was a definitive answer, frustrating as it was.
Why did they introduce the revised schedule in the first place? Was that the local school doing that, or TPTB? Does one hand know what the other is doing? It sure caused a lot of confusion and frustration among our classmates unnecessarily. Why do these things always boil down to a lack of communication?
Frankly, I have the time built up that I can sign myself out of class after the exam and I'm still good to go, but that still means driving 41 miles to the school to be there for an hour - at the most, probably.
So, what happens?
More anxiety. While sitting in class.
I can't pay attention to what's going on in the lecture because all I can think of is this junk. By the time we hit our next break, I told the teacher that I was signing out for the night and explained that I just wanted to be there for barebones on Friday, if possible. She was awesome and has worked it out with me so I can take the final at another time, Thursday before my other final, and I don't have to come at all on Friday.
That's a HUGE relief to me.
AND! I can celebrate WGH's birthday with him on his actual birthday on Friday! (He says he'll be 23, but I think I need to check his birth certificate.)
After getting all that straightened out, I still signed out for the night and came home, as there is a winter storm (ice and snow and all kinds of fun stuff) on its way and I didn't want to be a part of it tonight.
And we wonder why I keep saying I want to move to Florida.
I try not to let this stuff stress me out, but it doesn't seem to be working right now. I think if it were one or the other, J-O-B or school, it wouldn't be so bad, but between the two right now, I'm pretty much hitting the wall.
*The Powers That Be (generally meaning "Corporate")

Saturday, January 29, 2011

A First or Two

For the first time, WGH came to clinic and not just dropped me off to pick me up later, but came later and I gave him a massage in "my" environment - student clinic, which is supposed to simulate a spa with "real" clients and such. He was last client of my shift and I have to say that I liked that. I didn't feel rushed like my client has to get out and go home or I have to get going because of time constraints or whatever.
Also, when giving out clients, our TA asked if of the therapists (student therapists) had cubicles side by side. I mentioned that the cubicle next to me was empty, so another student and I were assigned a mother and daughter, whom we could open up the curtain so they could be together. The other student and I agreed that it was a pretty cool experience doing that - tandem massages.

After my clinic shift, I was starving, so WGH and I decided to go check out the Sonic that we've just heard about recently. After a crispy chicken sammich, tator tots, and a vanilla malt, I was in a full food coma. Ahhhh.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Day 153 - Soul Glow

Remember the movie Coming to America with Eddie Murphy and the product "Soul Glow" specifically manufactured for jerry curls?
Classic movie.
Tonight in our make-up class from Wednesday's snow night, we learned about spa treatments using Salt Glow exfoliation. My partner said that I did glow after he finished with the treatment.
Exfoliation treatments are good for dry skin, fatigue, circulation, and washing the car.
Well, maybe not washing the car. It may scratch the paint.
For a Friday night, it seemed that after we got to doing the bodywork, we almost forgot that it was a Friday and actually seemed to enjoy the class.
Maybe it was just me.
I came home smelling like patchouli and eucalyptus. Interesting combination.
Because of the inclement weather, we didn't have class on Wednesday or Thursday, but we still need to make them up. Like I said, we made up Wednesday's class tonight and we'll make up Thursday's class next Friday. I don't think I'm looking forward to that one as much.
On the side note. On Tuesday, we put the commuter car in the shop. Yesterday as we were trying to dig out of the snow, one of the other cars decided it didn't feel like starting, so we called AAA and had it towed to another shop. It ended up being a loose starter wire and we picked it up this afternoon.
Once again. I'm tired of the car situation and I think we should just buy a couple horses. I wonder what the home owner's association (the gestapo) would think of that.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Day 152 - Squirrely Situation

Rather than share about tonight's class - it's anatomy, that's all you need to know - I want to share about what happened at the Stately Smith Manor and Zoo today.
This morning I was going through my routine of getting ready, which generally consists of putting on make-up, clothes, drinking cawfie, reading the newspaper on-line, reading an on-line devotional, and just mentally preparing myself for the day. I noticed some tree branch movement outside and then heard some activity on the roof, around the chimney. This went on for a minute or two. Since we have had critters on our roof before that have decided to infiltrate our house via the chimney, I started banging on the fireplace to scare them away.
Just for safe measure, I put a make-shift barricade in front of the fireplace door: a TV tray.
When I got home, I tossed my dinner in the microwave and went about my business until the dinner beep signalled. After settling down to eat my dinner, WGH and I began discussing the day and we ended up on the topic of the noises I heard this morning by the chimney and he mentioned that Gringo the cat had been looking at the fireplace funny.
This is usually NOT a good sign.
I asked for a flashlight and as we peered in the fireplace, we saw a stunned squirrel hiding in the back of the fireplace.
I told WGH that I wanted to finish dinner and think about what our next move should be. Hey, I have priorities.
Dinner. Then squirrel removal.
As I enjoyed my beef stew, I began formulating the plan: ok, I need work gloves. Check, WGH is very helpful in getting those.
Ok...finished dinner.
First, we made sure we had the video camera, because you must document these events.
From here, I will just share the video, because if a picture is worth a thousand words, video is two thousand.
And yes, I have been bitten by a squirrel before this event, but that's a story for another day.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Day 151 - Loofah Vandross

There are many words in the English language that just sound funny. Squash. Thesaurus. Catharsis. Loofah.
Tonight, we had the joy of working with dry loofahs to exfoliate our partner for the evening. (Exfoliate - another funny sounding word) Exfoliation is the removal of dead skin. It helps to relieve dryness, improve circulation, and give the skin a more youthful appearance.
Oh sorry, I was starting to sound like a commercial.
My partner this evening like the patchouli oil I used the other night, so when we got to the massage part after the exfoliation, we both used it. Patchouli reminds me of hippies for some reason. But hey - maybe sometimes I like to think of myself as bohemian. Even though I'm totally not. Usually. Most of the time.
Where was going with this anyway?
Oh yeah...should I start working in a spa someday, I may be doing body treatments, such as body exfoliation - and maybe I'll be using a Loofah with patchouli while listening to some Luther Vandross. Or space music. Or a tuning fork.
On the "outside of class" part of life, which isn't much, WGH was cruisin' home from work this afternoon when the commuter car decided that it didn't want to work anymore. After a AAA tow to the shop, I picked him up and was able to get home in enough time to scarf down some chow and run back out the door. Unfortunately, I forgot my uniform shirt for class. Fortunately, I was already wearing a black shirt - not to dress code for class, but at least it was black. Also fortunately, it's winter and it's pretty stinkin' cold out so when I didn't take off my fleece sweater/sweatshirt thingy-ma-jig, it wasn't as obvious that in dress code. And if they had sent me home...oh well.
It would have been more time at home.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Day 150 - No Life on a Friday Night

Because we had off this past Monday from school, we had to make it up tonight. Our class had Anatomy, and because it was a Friday and students and teachers seem to not come on Friday's, we were combined with another class. We took a quiz (9/10 for me, thanks) and turned in homework, then proceeded to watch an entertaining video on Anatomy. Imagine "The Wiggles" teaching anatomy. That's kinda like what the video was like. It's called Standard Deviants School and it actually seemed to help it make some more sense. If you get bored and want to learn and be entertained, check it out.
While watching the video, I multi-tasked and tried to get a little ahead with my studying ahead.
Basically, it's a Friday night and I'm pretty much just ready to go right to sleep. I have no life. I see the people at work and in class more than I see my WGH.
Less than three months to go now.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Day 149 - Waxing Poetic

We got to do something other than Anatomy tonight, which is always more fun. We learned some spa treatment stuff. Like how to use heat and a combination of heat and cold to help relieve pain and/or relax muscles and that sort of stuff.
During the bodywork portion, we got to experience working with paraffin treatments on the hands. Way cool. I put some patouli oil on my hands prior to dipping into the paraffin, so when the paraffin came off, my hands had the patouli smell soaked into them pretty well.
My hands are still pretty soft. Neat-O.
Also of interest, WGH and I have recently gotten new cell phones - Droids, actually. The cool thing is that we can download all sorts of apps and stuff. I have downloaded a couple games, a snowglobe, tickle me Elmo, piano, drum machine, and a police/fire scanner radio. Newest apps I've downloaded: anatomy quiz and Pandora radio. I can basically work on studying my anatomy stuff with my phone and I can use the Pandora radio app and plug the phone into the commuter car's radio and listen to commercial free music.
Since we did not have class on Monday due to the federal holiday of MLK Day, we have class tomorrow night. Anatomy. On a Friday. At least I don't have clinic on Saturday.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Day 148 - Class of Family

When I was growing up, my sister and I would fight. I was significantly younger than her, so in her eyes, I was a "spoiled rotten brat," as she would tell Mom time and time again.
Now, this same sister is one of my best friends and one of my biggest supporters/cheerleaders. If I need somebody (besides WGH) to talk to, or just need somebody to chill with, I know where I can go.
Several of my classmates have referred to our class as the E3 Family. E3 has been our class designation since we started, and we will continue to call ourselves that even though the school has changed the designation format and THEY call us EM-C.
At any rate, we are family and we stick together, and sometimes, we may disagree similarly to families. But if there's one thing I've learned in my 42 years on this earth, it's best to just talk it out so that misunderstandings can be resolved.
With all that being said, tonight was one of those kinda nights. After that resolution, we learned some anatomy - about the scapula muscles, the rotator cuff muscles, and the intertublicular muscles.
I dare you to try to pronounce that last one.
Go ahead.
Try.
On a whole other subject, sort of, one thing I've learned (or re-learned) about myself is that I strive to learn new stuff and challenging myself. I also try to learn it the best that I can with my limited human brain. I also try to encourage others to do the same. I wonder sometimes if there's a motivational speaker lurking around in my body and wanting to come out and motivate people.
Livin' in a Van down by the River!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Day 147 - Clinic and Class

This past Saturday, during football playoffs, I worked in student clinic. I ended up having three clients and since there were no clients left because I'm sure they were all watching the Ravens/Steelers game, one of the skin care students gave me a mini-facial. That was great - I needed some exfoliation and relaxation.
Tonight's Anatomy class went as expected - well...uh...anatomy-like. We learned stuff about the superior apendicular skeleton. I'm pretty sure that means we learned about the collar bone, the shoulders, and the arm bones.
In the beginning of class, we took a quiz. I got 10 out of 10. Yay!
I haven't gotten down to counted the days left until graduation/last day of class, but I'm getting mighty close to starting.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Day 146 - Randomness

While I'm in Anatomy and I may find some of the subject matter interesting, my boring you with the information we go over in class ad nauseum may get old. Long and short of class: we studied and reviewed the body wall organization and muscles and started on the superior limb. That's the subject matter.
Now, on to more interesting things. During part of the lecture tonight, around 9:30 or so, from the back of the class, we heard one of our classmates in his most soulful voice sing, "I'm hungrrryyyy..."
After the laughter died down, our teacher replied that she was too.
While coloring in the Anatomy book all the muscles and stuff on the skeleton, I decided that the skeleton in my book needed an eye patch and blacked out teeth like a pirate so I drew them on the skeleton.
Since I have a 40 mile drive to get home, let me list some of the random thoughts I had while driving home tonight.
  • I wonder why they used a circle for a steering wheel. No stick. No bow-tie contraption. Was it always a wheel? It must work, it's been around for a really long time.
  • I'm hungry.
  • Why are steering wheels in bigger vehicles really big? I mean - is the size of the steering wheel in direct proportion to the size of the vehicle?
  • What should I write for my blog tonight?
  • Can midgets drive tractor trailers? Would their arms be long enough to reach the entire huge steering wheel?
  • I hate myself for loving you...can't break free from the things that you do....(I was listening to 80's on 8 on XM Sirius radio)
  • Wouldn't it be cool to replace my steering wheel with a pirate ship's steering wheel?
  • Seriously. What am I going to write in my blog tonight?
  • Not the Grand Prix. Maybe the Commuter Car would look cool with a pirate ship's wheel.
  • Oh look, there's one of those Kia Soul cars. I wonder if gerbils are driving it...
Should we replace this with a pirate ship's steering wheel?

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Day 145 - Wall of Body

After last night's fiasco with weather and school and all that, I was kinda glad to get to school tonight in one piece.
In Anatomy class, we ended up studying about the muscles of the cervical and thoracic regions of the body wall. Oddly enough, I'm finding myself becoming more of an Anatomy geek and thinking in anatomical terms. Weird.
A classmate asked the question about the cervix at the opening of the uterus and why it has the same name as the bones and area around the neck, above the shoulders. Well, we found out that "cervix" actually means "neck," and that it would be correctly classified as the neck of the uterus.
I found that rather interesting.
Also, I find the inside of my eyelids interesting and I will go explore them now.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Day 144 - Defeated by the Weather

I left for school about 6:00pm. It had been snowing/sleeting for the last hour and a half - just long enough to make the roads horrible. Especially during rush hour.
Once I got on I-70 and realized that there was no way I'd be comfortable driving to school in that mess, I drove to the next exit, turned around and came home. What would normally take about 15 minutes took about 35 minutes.
Once I got home, I read some of the homework readings for Spa Treatment and Hydrotherapy and also started reading some Anatomy stuff on the muscles of the body wall.
Now I'm thinking I will do something very unusual for my present situation: I will go to bed early - like maybe 9:00!
Until tomorrow's update, good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Day 143 - Getting to Chill - Literally

Many of the students who graduate from this program will go on to work in spas, and in doing so, will have clients who want to have extra treatments. So we are taking a "Spa Treatments" class to teach us some of these extra things.

I do have a couple issues with this, though. Some of the things we will be learning in this "Spa Treatments" class, such as Hydrotherapy, are not within the "scope of practice" for Licensed Massage Therapists and Certified Massage Practitioners within the state of Maryland. However, we are still required to learn this information, as it will be on the National Certification Exams. It's a real shame, too, because they can be so beneficial to the clients.
Regardless, we have to learn it. Tonight, we learned about hot and cold Hydrotherapy, mostly cold.
What's that, you say? What is it?
Hydrotherapy has been practiced for a millennia or more. It's the use of water to affect change in the body to bring it back to homeostasis.
Huh?
It makes your body work better - by using water. Sometimes at extreme temperatures.
Have you ever taken a cold bath or shower and felt energized afterward?
Bingo - hydrotherapy.
Tonight we worked with ice cubes, tubs of cold water, and a topical product called Biofreeze, which is like Ben Gay or Icy Hot, but more - uh - specific for therapy.
I found it all rather interesting, but once again, because I won't be able to practice it in the state of Maryland, I'll learn it and maybe tuck it away for later, when I move to Florida and take care of Octogenarians.
Well, I'm off to go soak my knee in some ice water.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Day 142 - Rockin a 95 off 295

In case I hadn't mentioned it before, BSOM is located off I-295 in Linthicum, just an exit or two away from BWI Aeroport. WGH has gotten to know the area better than I since he drops me off at class sometimes and goes and does - uh - something. I'm not really sure what that is, but I know he has visited the aeroport and Guitar Center.
Anyway, this evening, we took our Core final exams, which was hands-on. When all was said and done, I ended up getting a 95%! Yay!
The 4.0 GPA continues.

Day 141 - Oxymoron: Body Mechanics

Giving massages is very physically demanding. For those who know me, you know that I am not very physical. Matter of fact, in my basic state, I am a slug. An even better description would be a lazy slug. So me being the person to give massages almost seems like a live version of an oxymoron.
I think I have mentioned before in my blog a time or two the importance of good body mechanics to the Massage Therapist. Tonight's class really focused on what that could mean and how bad body mechanics can impact our bodies.
We learned some tips for good posture, good movement, and all-around, good body mechanics. And not just for giving massages. We touched on good body mechanics for every day life, too. Such as driving and where to place our hands on the steering wheel for the least stress on the body while being the safest.
With so much good discussion, we didn't get a whole lot of time for bodywork, but there's always tomorrow - which just happens to be the final exam for this Core class.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Day 140 - Sympathetic Redneck

As I was growing up, I learned some important "improvisational engineering" skills from my dad*. When we would be out on the river on his boat, and it may do something like - well - stop, he would figure out the problem and be able to fix it with a beer can (of which there were ample supply) and rope or duct tape.
I have fixed our toilet in much the same way a couple years ago. When the little floaty thing didn't want to float that well making it keep running water, I affixed a small empty plastic bottle with twisty ties for added buoyancy. Viola! It floats and turns off the water when it's supposed to!
Last night, I took CC (the Commuter Car) through the car wash. Afterward, I noticed the radio didn't work so well on the way home from school and discovered that the antenna had been damaged in the car wash. WGH noticed it as well this morning so when he got home from work, he took a page out of my dad's book by breaking off the antenna and then "replacing it" with a wire hanger, duct taping it in there for good measure, of course.
We're rollin' real redneck now, boy, I tell ya.
So much for life OOS (Outside Of School). Back to class.
Tonight, we had more Core class and more bodywork! One of the things that we have learned in our studies is that there are basically two states of the Nervous System: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. Sympathetic is the "fight or flight" state while the parasympathetic is the "rest and digest" state.
As Massage Therapists, we generally want our clients to be in a parasympathetic state so they can get the most benefit out of what we're doing.
Over the years when I've gotten professional massages, I noticed that I wouldn't fall asleep, but go into "the zone" - my best word to describe what happened to me. I now realize that I went into a parasympathetic state.
While getting bodywork during these Core classes, there have been times when I've gone into "the zone." Between last night and tonight, I was there.
So, much like last night...ahhhh.
Good night.
*More stories about my dad can be found by clicking here to read my eBook about him.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Day 139 - To The Core

On our first day back to school, we began another Core class - back to the basics, shall we say.
For the beginning of the class, our instructor, a self-proclaimed Anatomy Geek, had scrounged up an anatomy video that showed the bones and muscles of the upper back and chest. It even showed real cadavers in the video, that basically had the skin and adipose tissue peeled off to see all the muscles and how they relate to the bones.
Quite elightening.
After that, we got to give and receive bodywork! It's always good practice to work on classmates who can offer suggestions for improvement.
All I have to say is..."ahhhhh..."
Good night.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Where Have You Been?

I'm so sorry for not keeping up with this blog for the last two weeks. I have been out of school since December 18th (clinic), which in my mind, means that there are no blog entries to make.
For a week, I got to go to work and come home and not have to worry about going to school. That's not to say that I sat at home during that time. I don't recollect exactly what I did, but it was not sit at home and watch TV, which was what I was doing right before starting school last April.
Maybe I was preparing stuff for Christmas.
I don't know what I had to prepare, since we were going to my sister's that day and all. At any rate, we had a lovely Christmas day.
The day after, my sister, WGH, and I set out for a week vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We didn't make it there that day due to bad weather conditions, but ended up staying at a Hampton Inn for the night.
We made it to our destination the following day and pretty well enjoyed the week of doing - well - next to nothing.
I have a few observations about winter vacations I'd like to make.
1) No matter how comfortable the bed, it's not your own so you don't sleep as well.
2) There isn't much you can do outside so you either just drive up and down the barrier island or you sit in the condo. If you get really ambitious, you go to the fitness center where they have an indoor pool. You have to drive because it's too cold to walk the mile it takes to get there.

3) You go out to eat any chance you get just to get out, including driving 25 or so miles just to get a French Toast Bagel.
4) You eat way too much and need to food detox the moment you arrive home.
5) You can get really addicted to watching things like 48 Hours: Hard Evidence, Regis & Kelly, or anything on the Food Network.
6) When you make a full pot of coffee, you have to drink it fast before all the coffee burns on the burner, unlike the thermal pot you have at home.
7) You can't get out of things like shoveling because the resort staff has so many units to take care of. Unfortunately, you have no snow shovel with you, so you have to use a broom. If you're on the bottom unit, you have to also sweep the unoccupied top unit's deck because otherwise, if you stand on your own deck, you get a shower from the melting snow.


8) It's 20 degrees when you arrive, but 68 degrees when you leave to come home.
When all is said and done, it was a nice trip, but I'm glad to be home. I'm also glad that I only have three and a half more months of school left. Then I can begin preparing for the certification exams and getting on with my new career.

Here are some pictures from the OBX Christmas Vacation Extravaganza!

Sonic!!! There are none around Frederick, so we tried to take advantage as much as possible  
Another trip to Sonic
Lighthouse in Manteo - Check out the snow!
Close-up of the Lighthouse
Perspective of sweeping the upper deck
Sun and Snow - What a vacation!
New Years Eve
We had a buffet dinner at Port O'Call
Guess Where!
The food was really good! We ate and got out!
Nothing like being closed for the SEAON THANK
(Note to self to find out what a SEAON THANK is)
Didn't get to see the wild horses of Corolla, but did see a wild pony of Wanchese.