Well if there's a week that ever flew by, it would be the one that just passed. Oddly enough it also seems like it lasted forever. Possibly because I did so much and kept so busy. Yesterday I found myself completely exhausted after clinic. I even went to bed before 9 and missed the second half of the hockey game :(
On saturday, I had a mid term in spinal treatment which I felt went quite well. The night before, I set up the most awesome study environment and I am not too sure if that had something to do with how I did on my midterm. Being no one was home, I studied in the living room with all the candels lit, a fire in the fireplace, a pot of tea and popcorn/dinner by my side. I also put on some very pretty music. It was like I was romancing myself :) well minus the spinal treatment notes and books that were strewn about. Perhaps the calmness of studying followed me into my exam. Anyways it was awesome and I acutally enjoyed studying (eventhough I discovered that there were "changes" to most of the speical tests that we learnt).
Outreach at Insite was during the afternoon. This is a detox center downtown and it's the first stage of detox, unlike Aurora. We walked there from school and to get to it, we had to walk though some pretty interesting areas... let me just say I wouldn't walk it alone. This place happens to be less then a block away from Main and Hastings. I wondered why they would have a detox center that is right in the middle of it all. I can kinda see how it makes sense... yet I can't. You'd think you'd want them somewhere where they can't see the back alley where people shooting up from their balcony. Anyways I didn't have much time to think because I soon entered this building and was met by smells, sights and a feeling that I hadn't really felt before. It didn't smell bad, it smelt rather sterile yet there was a smell of cigarette smoke in there too. Many people there looked like street people yet some of them had a brightness in their eyes... actually that might not be the best way to describe it cuz they still kinda looked out of it but you could feel this sense of hope and strength.
I set up my chair half spaced out because so much was going through my mind. The treatments went verry well, everyone was so greatful. Being we treated in the common room, we were able to observe other people. At one point I was so overwhelmed by emotions that I almost felt like I had to stop. Fortunately I was able to regain my strength and continue. The people I worked on were very open and talked about what they'd gone through. Because of what I've gone though with my past, I have an idea of what they talk about. Also some of the people that I've cared about in the past may have gone down this road.
There were three things that really struck me. This one guy looked strangely familiar, his tattoo was an original one and I don't know of too many people who have the same. Could it be a guy I knew from highschool? I don't know. Nor did I ask. I don't believe it was apropriate. I am just so greatful to see these people in an environment where they are getting help and taking care of themselves. An other thing that struck me was when I was looking over this client's chart and I saw 1985 as her birth year. A lump formed in my throat and I lost my breath for a while. This girl was my age. There was also a time where a young man used the phone to call and speak to his children.
After clinic, Annette asked me what I thought of that outreach. I was still internalizing it. I still am. I enjoyed it, I think. It definitely wasn't a negative experience however so much was different and emotional that it's hard to shape what I feel about the whole experience. Would I do it again? Of course I would. Like the women in Aurora, these people have amazing strength and are very admirable.

Ha ha ha

I want to blog but don't have time! Gotta study for spinal treatment mid term oral practical tomorrow.

Schoolies

During orthopedic treatment, we were talking about the femur (thigh bone) and I asked Ben, our teacher, what the calcar line was and what it was for. I couldn't remember. And he said:

"Calcar. It's one of these weird words like loofah and cul-de-sac. Why cul-de-sac? Why not round about or dead end with a circle?"

Ha ha dead end with a circle. Still it didn't answer my question so I will have to look it up after clinic today.

In systemic treatment, we've started covering the digestive system and how to treat pathologies of the digestive system. For review, Annette asked us to draw on each other the location of certain organs. I was paired up with Robbie and the result is what you see above. Welcome to my insides. See the spleen, pancreas, stomach, urinary bladder, liver with gall bladder, kidneys (can't be seen in photo, on my back), small intestine and large intestine with ascending, transverse and descending colon, cecum and sigmoid colon.

I am going to quit school and become a landscaper.

Well I won't but it sure did cross my mind yesterday while I was helping Franky with his landscaping. I didn't have to go to school yesterday so I had a client in the morning and then I got a text from Franky saying that his brother didn't show up for work today and was a bit frustrated because he wanted to finish this project he was working on. I was planning on going for a walk around Stanley Park with Sir Teako but then I figured I could help Franky out instead. It was a beautiful day so why not.
So I worked on finishing the paver by sweeping sand in between the bricks that formed the paver. It was great. It was sunny, I was active, there was music and I was happy. Really, it doesn't take much to make me happy.
At one point and time, Franky was pouring sand and I was talking to Joy over the phone. He told me not to breathe it in the sand dust. It didn't make much sense to me so I asked him why I couldn't and he told me that it was because of the silica. Makes sense I remember something about silica in our pathology class. Then I thought... We're using sandbox sand... the same sand that children play in... with silica... which causes pathologies. Does that not seem fucked up! So my kids won't be playing in a sand box! I had a sandbox when I was a kid and it kinda sucked. It was like a slug,snail and other little crawlies utopia. It was also the neighbourhood kitty litter. Maybe that's why Mum and Dad gave us a sand sifter.
Anyways I had a great time landscaping... or rather, being a sand pusher :P Maybe I can do this every wednesday. Could be fun.

Change in schedule

Well reading break is over with and school started with a bang. Two mid terms and clinic... hoof. Good thing I was rested! Strangely enough I find myself sitting here at 10:30pm having just gotten home from clinic with quite a bit of energy. Maybe it's because I am very excited about going to bed. No, I am not going to bed with anyone, that's not why I am excited. But rather last night I had the most amazing night of sleep. It was rockin'. So hopefully tonight will be a repeat.
This second half of level 4oo is going to be an interesting one. I have clinic on tuesdays and thursdays at Aurora which is terribly exciting! I had asked Randy if it would be possible to only do Aurora and no Friends for Life. I think he wanted me to shut up so he put me on ALL of the Aurora shifts so now I have clinic twice a week as opposed to once. I enjoy it and it gives me good experience so I am happy. I also want to show Randy that he no longer phases me. Annette has also asked me to attend a clinic shift this saturday afternoon. We'll see if I pick up more saturday shifts as well. Anyways tuesday/thursdays are going to be long days because I leave home at 7:30am and don't get home until 10:30pm with no down time in between. Fortunately it's worked out so that on wednesdays I don't have class :) Youpii! This will give me some time to do homework (or make great plans for homework and then not do any) and maybe even some working out.
Yesterday I went for a walk with Teako, Tigger and Franky. We'd talked about trail running and I've done a bit here and there with Teako. I've enjoyed it every time. Yesterday I decided to run off with Teaks (and Tigger but he was a bit slower) to see if he could run through this tunnel we'd found... anyways didn't work but it had me running on the trails again and I loved it! I ran some more afterwards but had to stop because I remembered Franky who was behind (he didn't run... guess he didn't want to make it seem like he was running after me). I'd like to take up trail running again. I'd mentioned this to Franky but he's in better shape then I am and I am sure he'd run circles around me. Either that or I'd try really hard to keep up and end up killing myself (this would probably be the most likely scenario... except replace killing with throwing up).
Anyways time for sleep. YAY sleep :)

Dirty used panties

So I got an e-mail from Gillian, one of my fellow Thunder Panties, saying that she got an e-mail from this guy who saw a picture of our team on her Flickr site and he wanted to buy the used panties from our team. Ummmm ok? People are strange. Gillian blogged about it... click here to check it out :)

Ok sleep time... exam tomorrow AM and I'm going to do the usual rise and shine before the birds to study. Today was fantastic. Had a great walk along the Baden Powel trail with Teako, Tigger and Franky (two dogs and a dude).

Kitty SSSSHHHHH

Well it's 7:20am on a saturday morning. I would still be sleeping except my lovely little kitty cat thought I should be awake. Apparently she harassed someone before me because she has fresh water and has been fed so that's not the problem. This started at 6:30am. I got up, cuddled her for a while and then tried to go to sleep again. She just walked around on my bed mewing REALLY loudly (the type of mew she does when she thinks no one is home and she looks for us), walking over me and sometimes walking on my head. Yep it's kinda hard to sleep when you're your kitty cat's jungle gym. The funniest is when she sits next to my head and mews right into my ear. Ah well I have to keep thinking that at least she is still alive :) And dispite the early morning wake up calls and the pooping in my room I still love her.
I am very impressed though. She's a fighter. The vet gave her about 3 months to live. It's been more then that. The phase of her pooping and vomiting all over the house has seemed to pass. Mind you she still leaves the occasional present in my room but it's really not as bad as it was.