December 2009

                This week our class has two practical exams:  one in Neuro-management I and another in Musculoskeletal Management II.  They basically consist of 15-30 minutes of high stress, fear, sweat, near black-outs, cold sweat anticipation, and performing Physical Therapy “services” to a faculty member who acts like a patient while another faculty member is breathing behind your back grading you on your performance and asking you questions when they want clarification/rationale for doing something or when they think you’re full of it.  Trust me, they’re pretty good at calling out BS when it’s there.

                With that in mind, this entry is going to be short.  The last two weeks have been crazy with group assignments, quizzes, and skills checks, so the Thanksgiving break was needed.  While many classmates flew/drove home to visit family, we stayed here and had Thanksgiving dinner with classmates.  Since Spencer was the only child, he was the spotlight and therefore performed one thing after another.  The food was good and the company even better.

                Over the break, amidst studying and preparing for these practicals, we put up our Christmas decorations and tree and it dawned on me that this is our second Christmas here in Denver.  It really has become our home and I’m pretty sure this city is growing on us. 

                The next time I write an entry, these practicals will be long over with and finals we be a thing of the past.  Just one day at a time.

A quick photo as we begin to dive into our Thanksgiving dinner food.

Here we are playing some card games while Spencer wrecks havoc on those in striking distance.

Surprisingly, with all the decorations and ornaments getting unwrapped and put up, Spencer only broke 2 things. He just wanted to be a part of it all.

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October 2009

Well, we’re back into the classroom, and that includes long hours of lectures, labs, article reading, and all the planning involved with when this assignment is due or when that quiz will be held. I’ll spare you the details, but for those interested, year 2 (which we’ve just started) involves A LOT more article reading than year 1. And I’m not referring to articles from mainstream magazines; these are all from academic sources, which mean some are more interesting than others. The positive thing is that I’m starting to actually understand these articles. But that’s a whole different topic there.

In the midst of the above battles, our program is unique in that we have EVERY (all caps for emphasis) Wednesday morning off. Other programs may have a different schedule, but I love having that morning to catch up on homework, study, and if I’m being truly honest, put homework aside for a bit and do other stuff.

The following pictures, which were taken last Wednesday and this Wednesday, show a few things that I find myself doing on those mornings off. The pictures also demonstrate the crazy weather patterns of Denver that I’m becoming familiar to.

A great Wednesday morning for a hike in the mountains to see the leaves change colors.

A week later from photo 1, really foggy outside, Spencer all bundled up to go in his jogging stroller for a morning run.

First snow fall of the season.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, Service Learning is a big component of our program. Each semester, we’re given different opportunities to go into the community and provide at least 10 hours of service, usually health-related. Here are some pictures of our project. About 12 of us went to a local high school and created a health fair for students to participate in during “report card night.” Students would go around to the stations and learn about different aspects of their health. Our booth, for example, focused on “Health Literacy,” specifically blood pressure, vision, and heart rate. Go Service Learning.

My group's platform poster about "Health Literacy."

The members of my class who were at the fair, posing for a photo at the end of the night.

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