Finally!

Today was my first day of classes for the fall semester. We finally get to do some hands-on work - with real people! We are only doing about 25 hours of clinical time this fall, and it will all be at a nursing facility, but we'll spend a lot of time in the skills lab learning assessment skills and procedural techniques on the dummies (and often on each other). Today we started with bedmaking. I thought that sounded silly, since I make my bed every day. But it turns out we were learning how to make the bed with someone still in it. I'd never thought about it, but it makes sense to know how - some clients won't be able to get up, but the bedding has to be changed to maintain a clean environment. After making the beds we learned range of motion exercises to help maintain flexibility for immobile clients, how to reposition people in beds, and how to prevent decubitus (pressure) ulcers from forming. I'm glad they broke us in with easy stuff, but I can't wait to learn dressing changes and catheter placement. Yay!

You call yourself a Liberal?

Why yes, I do. The dictionary defines liberal as:

"Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.

Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded."

Sounds good to me. Tolerance is a good thing. Bigotry is not.

I'll be the first one to admit that when it comes to politics, I'm pretty ignorant. I like it that way. The more attention I pay to the current dysfunction in our country, the angrier I get.

I've got my eyes scrunched shut for now - perhaps I'll peek out again in two and a half years.

Montana Mandi

It's been a very Montana weekend for me so far...

Luis and I are now the proud owners of a pair of 25° mummy sleeping bags and a three person tent. On Friday evening we stopped at a sporting goods store so Luis could pick up some ping-pong balls to use for fingernail repair. (Classical guitarists have to have longer nails on their right hand for picking individual strings, and when they break one a synthetic has to be used. Apparently a sliver of ping-pong ball works better than artificial fingernails...) Anyhow, we wandered around through the camping stuff and found some great deals on gear. I'll get the chance to break them in at the Dave Matthews concert in a couple of weeks!

On Saturday I met Layne for a morning hike at Kootenai creek. About half an hour in we started talking about floating, and on a whim we decided to turn back and head to the river instead. We gathered tubes and beer and our friend Misty, and had a ladies' float on the Blackfoot. After getting off the river we went back to Layne's for a little soak in her hot tub. A perfect ending to a lazy summer day.

Happy together.

Today marks five years for Luis and me.

So it hasn't actually been forever, it just feels like it... ;)
Hm. Perhaps I should rephrase that - many of my happiest times have been with Luis, and I can't imagine life without him.

Big contented sigh

My family was in town last week. We went to Glacier National Park. Had Big Dipper ice cream. Saw bears. Hiked the M (or at least Luis and Ricky and I did). Slept in cabins. Went to Rockin' Rudy's. Had a great time.
Maybe it sounds silly, but having people out to visit helps to bridge the distance gap. After they've been a part of my world here, it feels like they're not so far away. It makes the 1400 miles seem insignificant.

It smells like autumn outside. The temperatures are back into the 80's and 90's again, but we had a bit of cooler weather a couple of weeks ago, and since then it feels different. Fall is on the way. I love autumn - new schoolbooks, crisp breezes, football games, sweaters and crunchy leaves.

Luis and I went to the Symphony in the Park concert on Sunday. (Another reason I love Missoula? Several thousand people showing up for a free classical concert in the park.) We stayed through the first half, chatted with some friends at intermission, then decided to head home. As we climbed the stairs on the Higgins street bridge, they began the Lord of the Rings symphonic suite, so we stopped to listen. It was one of those perfect moments - standing on the bridge as sunset bathed everything in a warm orange glow, a cool breeze dancing in my hair, with a heroic fanfare ringing from below. Perfect.