February 9, 2010
February 7, 2010
5 Down, 5 To Go
Posted by kkilometers under chicago, grad school, weather | Tags: grad school, half, homework |[6] Comments
I’ve done it. I’ve reached the halfway mark of the winter 2010 quarter. This time next year my weekends will be filled with normal things like laundry and housework and dinner with friends instead of papers about multiple concussions leading to dementia. The thing is, I’m kind of fascinated by the emerging research that shows that NFL players (and other players of contact sports) are at risk for developing symptoms of dementia at an earlier than normal age due to the impact of their repeated head injuries. Weird, right? Alas, here it is, Super Bowl Sunday, and instead of watching the game and eating guacamole with friends, I am taking a quick break before I move on to client prep for the week. Five more weeks and I get to relax. Aaaah, good times!
In other news, the weather people are teasing me with the threat of 10 inches of snow Monday night and into Tuesday. It’s just my luck that when I move to the Midwest, they end up having winters with minimal snow. I’ve got my fingers crossed for a chance to make a real snowman yet. It could happen! For now, I’ll just enjoy the frigid temperatures and the pretty evening sky over the lake. No complaints.
December 29, 2009
I am halfway through my second week of vacation and am happy to report that relaxation has taken root. Between the good meals, the visits with dear friends, and making my way through library books, I’ve been able to just sit back and enjoy. It’s a good kind of daze that fills my days.
My time in the Bay Area was, as always, a welcome homecoming. I saw my people, spent a little time in the hills, walked to my favorite places and made the most of the fresh veggies (winter in the Midwest really makes you appreciate the freshness!). Now that I’m back in San Diego and the holiday madness has passed, I’m spending my days hiking the canyon, visiting old gems and discovering new ones. It is a time to relax with my parents and be reminded of all that is good.
In a few days, I head back to Chicago. I’m looking forward to the snow, the blistering cold, and the new clients and course material that is sure to challenge me. For now, though, I’ll just sit back and enjoy the rest of my holiday.
November 28, 2009
This Thanksgiving was a bit different in terms of the people, but the sentiment was the same. I am so thankful for the new family of friends I’ve built here in Chicago. I spent Thursday morning baking rolls to take to Brittney’s house out in the western suburbs. My house smelled amazing as I took turns between buttering the rolls and typing up client reports for my final two weeks of school. The afternoon with Brittney’s family was full of laughter and good stories.
Yesterday I headed north to spend the evening with Tanya’s family. A calm night in with the dogs and a movie was just the break I needed to get charged up for these next couple of weeks. It won’t be easy to get through finals this quarter, but I am meeting the challenge head on, knowing full well that I’ve got an army of loved ones (near and far) supporting me. For that, I say “thanks” once again.
November 23, 2009
Tonight was all about taking a break. Last week, when Tanya called to see what my plans were for the weekend, all I could think about was actually making it through a mountain of homework in order to get to the weekend. And then she told me that she had an extra ticket to the Bears game on Sunday. Now, I was happy to go to the Cubs game with her in the spring and I had a great time. But football???? That’s my sport. I was jumping up and down, shouting into my phone, and saying “yes” in as many ways as I could muster.
The game tonight was at Soldier Field. Yet another rite of passage for this transplanted Chicago resident. And I have to admit, I was glad it was in the high 40s instead of in the teens. I can handle the high 40s for a few hours.
We shouted, we cheered, we learned the Bears fight song. It was an awesome night. No, da Bearssssss did not win against the Eagles tonight, but they played a decent game. Who cares, anyway. I got to get away from my homework for several hours and enjoy being transported to a world that is the very essence of Chicago. Go Bears!
November 14, 2009
This past week, I got to go to The Latin School in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood to participate in a hearing screening. I spent about four hours pretending I was an audiologist, testing tiny ears to determine whether they could hear 25dB at various frequencies. It’s not a difficult test to administer and it doesn’t really take much time. The trick is to keep the kids engaged and to produce the “beep” at an irregular rate.
After about 10 kids, I realized I’d get a better response if I demonstrated the tones they’d hear before they put the headphones on their head. I think it had something to do with breaking the tension so I was no longer the scary lady behind the door. So I said something like,
“I’m going to have you put these headphones on. Have you ever worn headphones?”
Lots of nodding and eye rolling; of course they’ve worn headphones. They are at least 4 years old and they have a ton of life experience!
“OK, so when you have the headphones on, you’re going to hear different sounds. Some might be a high tone ‘beeeeeep’ and others might be low, like “b e e p.”
Giggling, smiling and more head nodding.
“Do you know what to do when you hear the beeps?”
With much enthusiasm, “I raise my hand!” If they were one of the older kids (6 or 7 years old), I generally got “I raise my hand on the side that I hear the beep.”
“OK, let’s get started.”
Most of the kids heard all of the beeps. I had one little girl who just sort of sat there while I presented the tones. She’d look at me and smile very sweetly. This was her second hearing screening of the day. It was my job was to rescreen any child who had a suspected loss. This little girl was definitely hearing the tones; she reacted in some way each time I presented something, but she wasn’t raising her hand.
“Do you hear anything?”
Vigorous head nodding.
“What are you supposed to do when you hear the beep?”
“Raise my hand.”
“That’s right! Let’s try it again.”
This time when I presented the first tone, she gasped and yelled, “I hear it!” We continued through 1000 and 2000 Hz. When I made the switch to 4000 Hz, I waited a bit before presenting the tone. This sweet little girl looked at me and whispered, “I don’t hear anything….” I whispered back, “That’s good! I didn’t do anything yet.” She nodded her head in agreement.
November 1, 2009
Before I headed out for my morning walk, I checked the weather so I’d know how many layers to wear. The Chicago Tribune reported 38 degrees at 9am so I grabbed my fleece, my gloves, a scarf, and my ear muffs. I wasn’t even half way across the beach before I had to start peeling off the warm stuff. I suppose it’s good that 40 degrees can feel so warm… winter approaches.
More signs of the approaching cold season –
- the leaves on North Shore are all on the ground instead of on the trees
- the posts for the snow fence have been set on the beach
- the beach tractor was out making mini dunes so the snow doesn’t blow up off the beach into the streets
October 31, 2009
When I was an over-achieving student in junior high and high school, I was used to getting A’s in my classes. On the rare occasion that I didn’t do well on an exam (Biology), my parents had to talk me down from the ledge because I’d gotten a C. I would wail, “But I failed!!! I can’t believe I failed my test! Now I won’t get into college which means I won’t get a job which means I’ll be homeless and end up sleeping in a cardboard box!”
Well, it turns out that in grad school, a C on an exam really is failing. It makes sense — we’re all people who have done our best to get into a great program and we’re expected to learn the material. Usually, I do. But the past few weeks have been rough and tumble and I seem to have met my match.
On Wednesday night, I got my exam back from my Neuromotor Disorders in Adults class — 78.5%. On Thursday afternoon, I got my exam back from my Nuroanatomy class — 79%. In both cases, the returned exam came with the dreaded comment, “Please make an appointment to see the TA.” Ugh! This is it. This is the moment that I knew would always come… I’m going to end up homeless in the winter in Chicago because I got two C’s.
Of course, I know that won’t really happen. I also know what I don’t know in both classes — I was getting confused about upper motor neurons and lower motor neurons. You get it, right? In spite of applying my logic and the things I know (about what I don’t know), I had a break down at school yesterday. I didn’t want to be there, I didn’t want to work with my client, and I didn’t want to feel like a failure anymore.
After having a chance to cry out my frustration and have my good friends hold my hand, I marched into the clinic room and had a great session with my Friday client. It was a reminder that even if I get the direct and indirect activation pathways confused, I do know how to relate to people and help them gain the skills they need to communicate. It gave me the oomph I needed to keep going. And keep going I did….
I went out to celebrate a friend’s 28th birthday. We went to a BBQ joint called Smoque and ate amazing meat, the best mac & cheese I’ve had in a while, and washed it down with sweet tea. Then we drove across town to get gelato. Luckily, we had to park far away, which gave us a chance to walk off some of our dinner before we filled in the nooks and crannies with smooth gelato. It was a great way to top off one of the hardest weeks of school yet. Good friends, good food, and reminders that I’m not a failure. Not even close.
October 18, 2009
Spectacular
Posted by kkilometers under architecture, chicago, lists, memories, tourist | Tags: visitor |[3] Comments
Gram and I had a great weekend together. Things didn’t always go according to our plan, but we made sure it was full of adventure, laughter, and high spirits. The highlights included:
- a drive up Sheridan Road, past all the well manicured mansions on the north shore. The trees were stunning, even on a rainy day (no pics, though)
- a view of downtown Chicago at night from the top of the Hancock building after waiting at least 30 minutes for a spot on the elevator. It was awesome.
- a bus ride through the Twilight Zone… there are some weirdos on public transportation (present company included, of course)
- the best cinnamon rolls and lasagna ever. Not in the same sitting.
- a lake and river boat trip on the first sunny day we’ve seen in a while. Perfection.
Tomorrow it is back to the land of homework and deadlines and client preparation. Until then, I will dream of happy memories of adventures with my amazing Grandma.
