Hooray!
I had my final meeting with my supervisor today, and it looks like I'm passing and am going to be able to be done within a day and a half. I am *thrilled*. There are still a couple of things left to do, but no more evaluations, no more huge reports, no more craziness (I don't think). I seriously cannot describe the ebullience I felt tonight when I came home and realized that I didn't have to do work straight through the night.

It's been an extremely tough road for me at this placement (and it's renowned as one of the hardest placements out there), but I am proud to have gotten through it, and am grateful for how much I've learned, which has been a lot. I can work with extremely involved infants and I can work with emotionally labile and agitated traumatic brain injury patients and all sorts of people in between.

But now it's time for bed. I'm going to sleep on time and waking up so I can get into work when I'm scheduled to, rather than an hour and a half earlier. People, life is good.

Charles sent me this tonight. He scanned it from a postcard I had given him many years back, which is actually one that I got from an art showing in Beijing. I still like it very much, so was inspired to post it.

Also, Happy Belated 30th, Bill!
Anne was the good one to remind me because I've had my head up my ass so thoroughly. Hope that you celebrated like a crazy man, Bill!

I'm still here!
I spent all weekend plowing away on my student project for the hospital. I have lost perspective on how good it is, but I've put in the work now. Saturday morning I settled in at the Bucktown branch of the Chicago Public Library. It's brand new and VERY nice. Plus, free wireless. Go Chicago Public Library! I then headed back to Todd's and worked till like 11pm. Which made it about 12 hours of work. Awesome. Today, more work. Nothing new there.

But, five more days. I can hardly believe it. I know it'll stretch, but I console myself with the fact that a week from now I'll be hanging out at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Eight more days! (that's not including the weekend, but still...)
Dudes, it's still non-stop. I think it will be this way till the very end. I'm starting to get to the point where I'm divorcing myself from my life and making peace with the idea of one hour of downtime an evening. I've realized that the deal with this placement is like a crash course in all of the grad school courses, since with every new patient (and there are lots), I need to learn exactly what's going on, how to evaluate them, and then how to treat them. And then write new goals every week. The paperwork alone is tough, but I think that the hard part about that is that everything that I write needs to go through my supervisor, so when I'm certified and working on my own, that will no longer be the case.

I can't wait to have my life back! I was walking home from the bus and passed people out in the cool evening, enjoying margaritas and I felt very cranky towards their good luck.

Gorgeous
The weather is turning gorgeous again! It's cool outside and feels like September nights in Chicago, which makes sense since September is about 10 days away. Woowoo!

I worked on Saturday. That was pretty brutal since I woke up at 5a.m. that morning to get in at 6. Friday night I turned in early, but had dinner with Todd at T's in Andersonville. The home and asleep before 10:30. It was very surreal walking to the building downtown and passing people who were still up from being out. Yes indeedy.

Saturday afternoon we went to Katja and Tom's wedding which was held at Chief O'Neill's Pub. They have this vast beer garden that is verdant and has this enormous pear tree in the center. Katja wore this amazing mandarin colored silk gown with green trim. A first that I've ever seen at a wedding, and she pulled it off beautifully. The ceremony was lovely, the food was spectacular, and the wine flowed freely. We left at 6pm and then conked out on Todd's couch. I think that I slept about 12 hours last night.

Today we went to Wilmington to a bbq at Todd's parents place since they were celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. Steaks: yum. Now I'm home and getting ready to tackle yet another week. Two weeks left now. Ten days. I may just need to do a daily countdown on the blog. But, two weeks from today I will be at the Lake of the Ozarks with Todd and his family. Three weeks from today I'll be back in DC.

Studyin'
I have to study for tomorrow at the hospital. See, I have to prove that I learned all of this information to help me pass. I've been studying all night, and it's a very surreal experience. I can't explain why. I have to work on Saturday too, although only till 12 since my friend, Katja is getting married that afternoon and my supervisor took pity on me and gave me the afternoon off. But it means that it extends my hospital countdown by a day still (11.5 days and counting now!)

But this week I managed to find some time for fun, which was nice. Tuesday night, I went and saw All Limbs Intact (one of Todd's bands) play at the Double Door. They were very awesome. I even got to use one of their VIP stickers (ooh la la) and go and see what their dressing rooms were like. Dank and closed in, but cool nonetheless. Plus, it was cool to see them play at such a renowned place. Actually, Todd's other band, Wind or Ghost, is playing tonight at Subterranean, which is another cool Wicker Park club. But because of the aforementioned studying, yours truly needs to miss out.

Last night, I joined Jenny, Amie, Pam, and Joe for a picnic at Millennium Park. They had the symphony playing for free. What an awesome thing. Besides the great company and the amazing spread, I am wowed by this other thing that Chicago offers for free. You sit under the Gehry dome, listen to music on the vast lawn, and the Chicago skyline is your background. There were even fireworks that went off later that evening. It was a lovely, cool evening and it was just what the doctor ordered for me to decompress.

Okay, back to the grind.

Happy Sunday Night
Another nice weekend, with amazing weather. I'm gearing up for another week at the hospital. THREE MORE WEEKS! 15 more days. I can do it, but it's a lot of work. It's funny, because every week that passes, the end still seems very far away. It is a one-day-at-a-time type thing. I talked tonight to my parents who gave me a big pep talk (eat bitter before tasting the sweet!). Bear with me here.

It was a nice weekend. Friday night Todd and I made dinner and watched "Shopgirl" (I liked it). Saturday evening we went to Cathy's house where she had a "Salad-Off." Todd and I joined forces and made this chicken and pasta salad and we won second place (wooo!). Kiley was the winner with this amazing strawberry pretzel jello salad: sweet and salty is where it's at.

Today was about getting lunch at Calvin's and then coming home and doing work.

Okay, I need to hit the hay soon. I'm going to read up a little on spinal cord injury and swallowing disorders associated with it first, but then bedtime, because girlfriend needs her sleep.

The goings-on
Ah, the bittersweet Sunday night experience. This weekend was nice. Friday night I went with Todd and Rich to their friend Jen's post-wedding celebration with her new husband Frank. They have a lovely garden condo in Logan Square, two large dogs, two tabbies, and it was quite cozy and nice. They also whipped up some burgers, gazpacho, and some mean guacamole. They even had a pinata (a lion-mule hybrid) which yours truly cast the final blow to (it was on its last legs). An excellent activity for a Friday night.

Saturday I declared No Work day, and Todd and I headed to Skokie to go looking for some jeans for him. Beforehand we had lunch at Wholly Frijoles, which is definitely some of the best Mexican food out there. Last time we tried to go it was Saturday at 5pm and we were told that the wait was 2 hours. On Saturday at 11 a.m. for lunch, we had the tables of our own choosing. That night we took it easy, made a nice dinner, and went to bed early. I think I slept for like 10 hours or something.

Today I headed back here and did some work and studying in preparation for next week. I hate doing it because it always feels like it's never enough, but some is better than nothing I suppose. It's Market Days in my neighborhood this weekend, which means that Halsted is closed off for a very packed street festival. I went last year and it was quite an experience trying to maneuver from block to block. I decided to avoid it this year, but I can still hear the bands playing through the windows and I pass the merry-makers as they walk the streets.

So....four more weeks left at the hospital! This means that I have 20 days left. I think I will begin the number count down in the meantime. A month from today I'll be coming back from the Lake of the Ozarks with Todd, getting ready to fly back to DC the next day. Hooray!

People! How the Hell Are You?
I figured that I would drop a hello line to the blog tonight since I didn't have a whole lot of work to do (for once!). Tomorrow will be rough, but that's tomorrow, so I'm going to hit the hay early tonight and buck up in preparation. The hospital continues to kick the ass. I had an up-and-down beginning of the week, but the last couple of days have sort of shifted into some kind of routine, which I like. My favorite patient has been extended (her discharge date was originally Friday) due to being sick and she would have to go on a long airplane flight home. I feel for her father, who looks more defeated every day. I'll tell you this much: even though I complain and feel sorry for my trials and tribulations sometimes, nothing adds perspective like seeing these families at the hospital every day. You begin to develop relationships with them as well, which is what I appreciate about the job.

So, there's the dad who lost his wife and mother in law, whose daughter is now on a ventilator and has quadriplegia. There's the mom whose son received a gun shot wound to the head, and listens to her son wailing day in and day out. There's the family whose 16 year old was in a car crash and now have to understand and deal with his traumatic brain injury, help the change his diapers, and to make sure that he doesn't claw at his tracheotomy stoma. There's the mom whose son was in the hospital after suffering an acute motor disorder who has two other sons at home: one with severe autism and one with a brain tumor.

But despite it all, people maintain their senses of humors. I see them joking happily with their family members and participating with enthusiasm in therapy. I totally admire and respect that level of groundedness and strength, and hope that if I were in a similar situation that I could react the same way. Although, I'm sure that there's relief in that their family members are *alive* and in rehab. I'm beginning to adore many of the patients and really look forward to being with them during therapy, which I see as a good sign.

My difficulties in this placement come with the high-stress pace of the hospital. I get there around 7 and don't stop till after 5 most days. I work through lunch and barely find time to go to the bathroom. This is not such an awesome thing.

But four more weeks and one day!

By the way
It's crazy hot in Chicago right now. Today the heat index was 105. God bless my little window unit of AC!

Weekend rundown
Wow, what an awesome weekend. Anne swung into town on Friday, which was perfect since I ended up getting to take a half day that day. I promptly met Anne and we had an awesome celebratory lunch complete with strawberry margaritas at Las Mananitas. From there we went downtown to have another celebratory drink at the Signature Lounge on top of the John Hancock Center. The stars were aligned and we got a table right by the window. From there we went back to Boystown where we met Todd for dinner at Joy's, and then finally headed to Bucktown for some beers at the Map Room. Eating and drinking in Chicago!

The rest of the weekend was spent mostly at the Pitchfork Festival, which is still like the most organized, polite festival there is. It was super hot both days as well, so everyone lolled a little more. The bands were good. My favorites was seeing The National and discovering The Mountain Goats. Sunday we were at Pitchfork from 1 to 7:30. I was so wiped out that I urged us to leave during Yo La Tengo, which was actually the band that I had originally been most excited to see. But being in the sun, lying around, and fighting the humidity takes it out of a girl. Still: Pitchfork is one of the best deals there is around (two days for $30!), with good crowds and cheap food and drink.

Also, I should note that Anne and I talked to Christie on Sunday where she shared some very awesome news with us. Congratulations to Christie and Stefan!

Thanks to Anne for coming and making the trip too. I miss her already.

I'm starting week six at the hospital, so now I officially have four weeks and four days left! Today was the first day in a while that didn't kill me, so maybe (maybe?) things are on the upswing? I pray that it is so.

Happy Belated Birthday, Annie!
Annie celebrated her birthday yesterday in the midst of much upheaval before her big move. Hope that bowling was as awesome as it sounded like it would be!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

He's in Arizona as we speak. Woowoo!

Six more weeks...
...left to this quarter. I'm totally doing the count down right now. Is that bad? If it is, eff it.

Also, Anne arrives in five days, which is awesome. She'll be here for the Pitchfork Festival, and it will be great.

This weekend went by too quickly, as usual, but that's the way it is. Friday night, Hillary had people over in her expansive and green backyard for a grill-out. I was completely wiped out by the week, and it was just what the doctor ordered. Yesterday, I took the day off from doing any work, and Todd and I puttered and walked over to the Wicker Park street festival. I love street festivals. It was nice weather, fun bands were playing, and there was much people watching to be done. We stuck around for a couple of hours and then wandered back to his place to cook up a big dinner and fall asleep before 11. Clazy!

Tonight Todd's band, Wind or Ghost, is playing at the Fireside Bowl. I had to ditch out since I have to wake up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to go to the hospital early to read files. I'm sending good vibes.

There's something to say...
...for being really, really busy. Time sure does move quickly. I spend an average of 9-10 hours at the hospital every day and then come home and do work in preparation for the next day. There are some grinding moments, but overall it's fulfilling. I completed my first evaluation of a patient (or "pt" as they refer to it in med speak, and what I caught myself typing just now) which was something I felt some nervousness about. Glad to be over that hurtle.

One of my primary patients was dismissed today, but I still get to see the 6 month old baby who's still there. I love my therapy time with the baby where I do feeding and language stimulation. It's so calming and relaxing; my favorite time of the day.

I stayed later tonight to attend a presentation on pediatric traumatic brain injury which was informative and good. It occurred to me that that is definitely one of the perks to being placed at this very excellent hospital. The doctor who was speaking knows his stuff and was giving practical information on how to answer families' questions.

So, yes, the hospital continues to be grueling but it's definitely a learning experience. I won't lie and say that I'm not looking forward to the weekend though.

Weekend roundup
Man, how do these weekends pass so quickly? It's unbelievable.

On Friday I went with Megan, Laura and Hillary to go and see the Indigo Girls play at Ravinia. Despite the godawful weather forecast, it was clear and cool that night and a perfect night to sit around and drink wine and eat brie to the sweet soulful sounds of folk music. It was great.

The next night was the antithesis of that experience since Todd's band All Limbs Intact played at the Note in Wicker Park. They were the last band to play and followed four (!) other bands, a few of which were very loud metal-ish sorts of bands. A good show still though.

The sad news is that I think that the ringworm has shown up on Todd. It's on his back which in a way is good since he won't be able to scratch it as well, but it's sad since we thought that he was out of the woods for sure. Sorry, Todd. :( My own ringworm is actually fading away and is now a dullish red spot on my chin.

Happy Birthday, Erik!

He's 17 today. Living it up in Spain at the moment. Life is tough.

Back in the ring...still with the worm
Well, the ringworm circle is still there, but not as raised and disgusting as before. I know that some asked for photographic evidence, but be glad that you weren't exposed. I will describe it instead: it was this red, puffy plateau on my chin that was white in the center. Grody stuff. But that medication that I took did the trick so now it's just a red circle on my face. I can deal with that. I need to cover it up while I'm at the hospital so I wear a huge band-aid on my chin during the day. Like Nelly, except with the ringworm (although maybe Nelly has ringworm, who knows).

The hospital is still busy and a roller coaster. Yesterday I had a wholly sapping day. I'm learning lots about the recovery process of kids with traumatic brain injury--basically, it's fast. The kid who I was treating I hadn't seen in a couple of weeks. When I left he was totally non-verbal and not very responsive. When I returned, he was walking and speaking again (not a lot of intelligible stuff, but still). Anyway, my session plan was totally outdated and the session went pretty woefully. I came home last night and worked from 5pm to 11:30pm. It sucked a lot, but it paid off since my session with the same kid today went a lot more smoothly since I was well-prepared. Evidence that I'm learning (which is the point) but, damn, learning can be a pain in the ass! Is it bad that I'm counting down the days till it's over? I know that I'll be happy for the experience then, but right now it's tough as hell! And you guys know how I like things easy.

Anyway, in other news, it was a good weekend. On Saturday my parents rolled through town on their way to the west coast and then Alaska. They got here around 7pm and we promptly went over to Southport to have a drink and then a lavish dinner at Tango Sur for Argentinian steaks. My parents then hit the hay since they were wiped from the drive (which they did in one day), and then Todd and I went over to the Hideout to see Gil Mantera's Party Dream perform. Awesome stuff. Two dudes on stage, one dressed in a red mask and some kind of loin cloth thing and they were playing some dancey, energetic stuff. It sounds like it was some kind of gross strip show, but I assure you that it was far more joyous.

The next morning before my parents took off, we all met at the Bongo Room in Wicker Park since my parents had heard me rave about it. We got there at 9a.m. and I despaired when I saw a long line outside (already?!), but it was actually just people waiting for it to open. We ended up getting a big booth. sweeeeet!

That's all that I've got.

Quarantined
Well, I went to the hospital employee health doctor this morning to find out whether I can work or not, and the answer was a resounding 'no' for the remainder of this week. Since there's a ringworm epidemic in my floor now, three patients have it and five staff members have come down with it. So I need to stay away while I'm getting it cured (with my "aggressive" meds) for infection precaution purposes. I think I'll be back in business on Monday when I get it checked out again. It messes with my schedule, but my hands are tied.

So I took advantage of the awesome weather and went for a jog down by the lake and then lay there and read for awhile. I feel like I'm playing hooky, for real. The weather continues to be damned awesome in Chicago.