I'm Sick of Snow

So, it's been a while.

Sorry.

In my defense I've been getting used to a new city and job. It's a poor excuse, I know, but it's all I've got. And I've written blog posts, I just never had internet access to publish them.

But now I feel as though I'm finally getting the hang of work, and all that jazz. There are some recent developments in my life ... I have a chair and ottoman in my apartment!! And I've made friends.

So the chair I bought at ikea. I will slowly be accumulating furniture from ikea over the next year. The friends I've made through work, mutual friends, meeting people around town, and other such things. The person I hang out with the most is Chris. I met him through the National Stutterers Association. He is also a 26 year old male speech pathologist who recently located to Seattle. Oh, and he stutters too. So - he has fulfilled my need to be nerdy. I get to talk about all sorts of nerdy stuff with him. It's great. He lives in another neighborhood of Seattle (West Seattle) about 8 miles from my house. And he works in a school a bit south of the city. There are Phillip, Will and Hannah I've met through our mutual friend (Phillip's brother) Jacob (aka: Cup). We played Settlers of Catan once, and there was the promise for another round, but so far that hasn't happened yet. Then there are the work friends (I use the word friend loosely, because virtually all of them are middle-aged parents, so we don't hang out a lot). We haven't hung out , but there was a Christmas party, and there will be another Christmas party after Christmas (it was supposed to be on Sunday, but due to the ridiculous amount of snow Seattle has received, it was cancelled). Then there are people around the neighborhood I occasionally hang out with, there's Brian, and Susan, and Susan's roommate (can't remember her name, whoops!). So, that's basically my small friend circle. It will expand. Chris has another speech pathologist friend who he hangs out with a lot. So, Chris and Katy will attempt to replace the camaraderie I had with my grad school friends.

So anyway - speaking about the snow. I had intended to go see a movie tonight up in the University District. And well, let's just say that because of the snow what is normally a 10 minute drive is taking over an hour. I thought I was leaving in plenty of time (5:30 for a 7:00 movie). Well, let's just say when the 5:50 bus finally arrived at the bus stop it was 6:20. I decided against spending the $1.50 for a bus fair that wasn't going to get me there in time, and instead walked to get a coffee and banana bread from Tully's. (Which, by the way, are both delicious).

More about the snow ... every winter my back starts to ache because of all the tension I have while driving in snow. Well - my back and neck are KILLING ME! (I'm going to take a VERY hot shower tonight). I've slid backwards down a hill twice. Once, almost hitting several cars. I was really really stuck on one of them and would have had to leave my car in the middle of the street. But some random people, seeing my plight decided to lend a helping hand and push my car. I've had to abandon my car in different parts of my neighborhood because I can't get it to my apartment. Twice. Right now my car is about 10 blocks uphill from my house. Last night it was 6 blocks downhill.

My land lady said that she has lived in Seattle for 30 years and she doesn't remember ever having this much snow. Seattle (a city of more than 500,000 people) has 27 (yep, twenty-seven) plows. I have yet to see one of those ellusive snow plows. I don't think they exist. And Seattle doesn't use salt on the roads (partially because it rarely snows here and partially because of the damage to the environment it causes). Needless to say: I miss that lovely thing called rock salt.

Some notable things I've seen as a result of the snow include: people sledding down the street. Incidently, the same street those buses were attempting to go down when they collided and almost fell onto the freeway. Speaking of which, as a result of the snow I'm taking another route to the freeway than normal, and so I drive under that spot everyday. It's a little weird seeing a 10 foot section of retaining wall missing. I've seen someone skiing down the street, a woman walking down the street with ski poles (admittedly, I had earlier wished for some), people shoveling a parking lot with a dust pan, a tree brach collapsed (either from wind or snow, don't know) that smashed in a car. Cars that are still covered in snow becaue they can't get out from underneath all the snow. I've seen city buses being pushed up hills by heavy duty tow trucks. And I have seen more people fall on ice then I have in a very long time. I have fallen three times, almost falling like 2789409823745637238765234 times. It's crazy. People who shovel their sidewalks are my BEST friends right now. Imagine walking home from the grocery store with eggs in your bag and seeing the three people before you slip on a particular patch of ice. Thankfully, I made it down with 12 unbroken eggs. Some of the roads are like sheets of ice (half of the roads in my neighborhood, hence, my car 10 blocks away from my house). Some are like pools of slush with some sand mixed in (like the ones by work). And some are like roads with mounds of snow. Imagine driving on a road covered with speed bumps of varying size and shape, and that's what 10th street is like. There are still many many closed roads. Literally, half the roads in my neighborhood are closed due to the ice, there are three ways to get to my apartment, two of them are closed. (well technically just one is closed, but the other is so steep that I'm not willing to try it - it's just not busy enough of a street to bother closing).

Anyway, (just saw a guy with snow shoes on). That's enough blabbering for now. I'll write more often, I promise.

I'm not Dead, I promise!!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while ... over a month!  eek!

Anyway, I thought I would post another life update (side note: I just saw a guy walk past with a Siamese cat perched on his shoulder.  So funny.  I love the odd things you see in big cities).

Ok, so I'm in Seattle.  Currently I'm at a coffee shop looking up how to become an official resident of Washington.  It's great.

So, I'll tell you a little bit about my apartment.  It is just a hop skip and a jump away from downtown Seattle.  I walked from my apartment to Broadway, which has a lot of little shops and coffee houses on it.  Right now I'm at a Tully's at Broadway and Pike (if you wanted to google map it).  From my front window I have a spectacular view of Lake Union, the Aurora Bridge, and the Queen Anne, Fremont and Wallingford neighborhoods.  I'll post pictures soon. 

So, yesterday I hung out with my friend Jacob (also known as "cup").  We went to lunch with a missionary friend of his parents.  Bandou is from Sri Lanka and is traveling the US and Canada telling churches of his work in Sri Lanka and India.  After lunch we went to Cup's house, which is on Anderson Island (the southernmost island in the Puget sound), we went kayaking in a little bay on the island, and I got to meet the majority of his family (to Justin, Natalie and Theresa ... I've met all the Kobernicks except 1 now hahahaha).  Then Cup's mom sent me home with a bag full of fresh veggies from the garden.  It was great!!

Anyway - my coffee is gone and I'm getting hungry, so I think I'll start the walk home to make some lunch. 

Should have brought a coat!!!

That's what I'm thinking right now: I should have brought a coat. Not because it's rainy, but because I'M COLD!!!! Of course, I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm sitting directly beneath an air conditioning vent in the coffee shop I'm in. Which begs the question - why is the air conditioning on anyway - it's only 65 degrees outside!!

Anyway. The skies are still gray and I still don't hate my life from lack of sunlight! (Course, I've never really disliked cloudy days anyway). Today I'm in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. I walked around Seattle Pacific University for a bit, and right now I'm looking out the window at the Aurora Bridge and as soon as my coffee is gone (approximately 20 minutes) I'll be going to see the Seattle Troll. For those of you who have seen the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, there is a scene where Cameron and Bianca have a conversation while sitting on the troll.

So - enough of this blabbing blitheringly (do you like my atrocious alliteration?) What about the facilities I toured yesterday? Ok, so I toured two facilities yesterday. If I am offered this job I will be half time in each facility. Not altogether a bad deal - they are just about 5 minutes apart. So the first place: Richmond Beach Rehab. Really nice cottage style building, yellow siding, nice big windows. Looks like a fairly new building. There were decorations on the wall, nice carpeting, good wall treatments etc etc etc. Basically - they take care of the building and it shows. The patients were smiling, joking with the support and therapy staff. I met with the rehab director (a physical therapist) any my CFY supervisor. We had a great conversation. They gave me lunch, it was great. (And it's like two blocks from the Puget Sound - so it's really close to the water!) So, there was at least one flaw I can think of: there was a general lack of parking. The second place, Crista (I forget their whole name - it's just referred to as Crista). Anyway. Once again - very nice building. This one looks like a castle. It's crazy. However, the building where I'd be working is not the building that looks like a castle. It's one of the outbuildings. The staff was congenial and fun to interact with. There was a bit of confusion because I was told I was supposed to talk with Deb. Well, there were two Debs, and so the front desk attendant called the wrong Deb and there was a little mix up because she didn't know she was interviewing someone and mass pandemonium. But 5 minutes later we figured everything out and we shared a laugh over it. But fun staff, it's a busy place, which is kinda nice. It's organized in a functional way, the patients were smiling and joking with the staff - so once again, it seems like it would be a good place to work.

So, after the tours I called my recruiter and told her that I would rather work in the Seattle locations. She is 'doing her thing' and should have an offer for me on Friday. We'll see what happens (if the stars align just right so I can work in the Seattle facilities - I guess it may take some finagling because there are two facilities so we'll see what happens). Anyway, I should have an update tomorrow.

Yay!!

SEATTLE!!!!! (and tacoma too)

So, I'm back in Seattle.  Just for the remainder of the week.  It's a little after 6pm local time, and I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood.  Today is a stereotypical Seattle day: overcast and cool.  It's only about 65 degrees.  I am perfectly fine with that (although don't think I'll be wearing the shorts I packed, it's supposed to be in the high 60's/low 70's all week).  

So, I made some noteworthy observations today ... 

1) northwest MI and Northeast WI really look like they do on the map.  We flew over Lake Michigan and I was able to see the Grand Traverse Bay, the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and both Beaver Islands, and then opposite that - Green Bay as well.  So - that's that.

2) *Warning - nerd moment* Then on the plane over I was able to sit behind and kitty-corner to another stutterer.  I would have liked to have talked with him, but the flight was entirely too full to manage switching seats and all that.  Anyway, I enjoyed eaves dropping on the conversation he was having with his seat buddy and more importantly the stewardess.  So, the stutterer, we'll call him Henry, was talking with his single serving friend (thank you Fight Club)  and they were having a nice little chat.  I would call Henry a moderate stutterer (to add context I'm a mild stutterer).  And Henry was doing a great job stuttering - I was impressed with the manner in which he stuttered openly and easily - not the point.  Henry's single serving friend was congenial and unobtrusive - the perfect conversation partner.  The stewardess, however, was not.  SHE NEVER LOOKED AT HIM WHEN HE TALKED TO HER!!  By contrast, she and Henry's single serving friend made eye contact and all that jazz.  I was a little annoyed by her.  Anyway.   *nerd moment over*

3) My first impression of Tacoma - holy hills!  The city is one big hill.  Literally.  

4) The facility I toured (in Tacoma) this afternoon was just about what I was expecting but less than I was hoping for (I was hoping for the impossible, just so we're all aware).  It is a mix of short term stay and long-term care.  Fairly typical, my caseload would probably not be that exciting, strokes, general debility, etc. The facility itself was not amazing, but it was acceptable.  I was disappointed with their selection of therapy materials and testing supplies.  That is something we would need to rectify.  It would also be nice to have a MBS suite in house (but I was spoiled with that at Southwest, so I shouldn't expect every rehab facility to have one).  I think I could work there.  I would like a bigger facility (more therapists) but it could work. 

5) I like Seattle - even on the stereotypical cloudy days.

That's about it for now .... I'll have more later, I'm sure.

Happy Birthday to Bryan

Hey! I'm 26! Virtually as old as the Dead Sea Scrolls, I know I know - shut it!

Anyway, I got an absolutely fabulous birthday present today ... I've been working with a staffing company in the Northwest Region (Infinity Rehab), anyway. For a while there were not any speech openings in Seattle (where I would love to be living); however, they do have positions in Tacoma. So - we had been exploring the possibility of working/living in Tacoma. Anyway. I had a phone interview with the therapy director (a COTA - for those of you who care), and had a great interview - later I was told that I had "aced" the interview. Anyway - not the point. The point is that while following up with the Washington recruiter, she told me that a position in Seattle had just opened up! So, she began telling me about it. And it sounds like it could be pretty cool. The only thing is - that after thinking about living in Tacoma I had kinda become attached to the idea of living in Tacoma. (such is life, eh). So, the recruiter said it would be perfect if I could come visit each place and choose the better of the two for me.

So, there will probably be another trip out to the great Northwest in the near future (but not 'till the end of August / beginning of September). I might get to live in Seattle after all!! I LOVE Seattle - it says to me: "Bryan, I am your home."

So, other than that the only other news to report is - that I had a great time eating sushi with grad school friends. We all got different rolls and shared it was delicious. I got the spider roll (soft shell crab, asparagus, avocado and egg cake - delicious). Then we went out for ice cream afterwards (at Plum Crazzy). I got the peanut butter fudge ice cream (surprise, he got something with peanut butter in it!?!?).

Anyway, I'm at fourth coast (another coffee shop in town, but this one's not smoke free) and my eyes are burning. I'm here because it has internet (my house has no internet for the time being) and it was close to where I was (my car was at the library). But in an effort to save my eyes, lungs, larynx and clothes I'm going to shut up and leave this place. Ok ... bye.

Kwame

So - this whole deal is getting to the point of being beyond ridiculous. For those of you who might not know (obviously you either don't live in Michigan or you've had your head in the ground for the past 6 months) but, the illustrious city of Detroit has a mayor (Kwame Kilpatrick) who has been indicted with many felony charges which include (but are not limited to) perjury, and most recently assault. All of this over some text messages which indicate that he lied about having an affair with his top aide during a whistle-blower trial.

Granted, the real issue *may* not be about the affair, but instead about the fact that several police officers lost their jobs because they uncovered the affair. But honestly - this has gone far enough. It has been blown COMPLETELY out of proportion. Previous to this incident, Detroit's image was already marred due to the sagging economy, failing automotive industry, the stereotype of rampant crime throughout the city and it's pattern of urban sprawl. Does it really need another blemish on it's already scar-encrusted face? And if the simple fact that the mayor and the city officials are in a heated hissy-fit wasn't enough, we now have the attorney general heaping on more felony charges. THIS IS NOT SOLVING ANYTHING!

Kwame needs to step down, and the city and state officials need to stop making such a big fuss! This brouhaha is not helpful for either the city of Detroit nor the state of Michigan. We are fighting enough battles that are out of our control - the failing state economy, the tanking federal economy, the failure of the auto industry, the abysmal performance of some public schools. We need not fight amongst ourselves, but instead work together to promote and rebuild Michigan and Detroit. Michigan has a lot to offer, Detroit could be a shining beacon of Michigan and the country - let us stop stabbing each other in the back and work together.

Ok - I'm done with my political rant for the month.

In other news ...

I had a phone interview with a VA Hospital in Long Beach, CA (did I mention that, I don't remember). And I'm going to be talking with a long-term care facility in Tacoma, WA. I also had a phone interview with a private practice in Arizona ... I'm not sure this is exactly what I'm looking for (but the salary is really nice). So - there are options available to me. I just have to decide which one. The best job is the VA hospital in Long Beach, CA. I am hopeful for that job.

Time will tell.

Jobs Jobs Jobs

So - I've got some leads.

I've requested more information about a job in Tacoma, Washington (about 45 mins south of Seattle). Tacoma is not as big as Seattle, but there's still about 200,000 people there, so it's not a minuscule city. I've heard it's got a smell to it, but I've never been there, so I can't vouch.

I also had a phone interview with the Long Beach, CA Veteran's Affairs Hospital. This would be a really good job. It's not exactly where I would want to be in the VA system, but it's a foot in the door. Long Beach is bigger than I expected - 400,000 people. So - that's a nice surprise. And it's much more affordable than the SF bay area, and it's in Los Angeles County and not the insanely over priced Orange County. We'll see what happens.

I'm still waiting to hear from some places I submitted applications (i.e., Seattle Children's Hospital, Indiana Rehabilitation Hospital, etc) ... so hopefully I'll get more leads soon!!

I Hate Murphy and his Law

So, I'm still waiting on the job situation.  No real updates.  I did hear back from the private practice in Seattle.  They said that now they will not know until the end of August (because the lady who is leaving pushed her leave date back to the end of September).  Now this says a couple things to me: 1 - I'm not exactly what they're looking for (if I was then there wouldn't be a need to wait until the end of August), 2 - I'm not what they are not looking for (if that were true then they would just tell me that they decided to go with someone else).  

So, I have essentially begun my job search again.  I've contacted a couple contract companies, but if they do not have what I'm looking for I'm not going to mess with them.  And I've also begun expanding my job search outside of the pacific northwest region; however, my own personal rule for applying for jobs outside of Seattle is that they must be really good jobs where I would see a lot of interesting cases.  So, I'm applying to a lot of hospitals.  There was on in Indianapolis, two in Washington DC, a bunch in southern California (smog, yuck!), and one in Seattle (this is a great job in a great place - too good to be true, so Murphy's Law will take effect and I wont get this one, I'm not be pessimistic, just realistic).

So, time will tell.  I'll keep you posted.

The Awaited, Long Over-due Update of Bryan's Life

Ok ... so I've made a decision.

I still have not heard from all of the places I interviewed at (the one remaining is the private practice in Seattle).  Anyway.  Nevertheless, I have made a decision.  But before I get to that you all need some context.

First, it looks like California is going to be a bust.  Although I got an offer at the autism clinic I am not going to accept it because I have fundamental problems with their ideational philosophy of therapy.  Basically - they believe that by shaping simple behavior with small reinforcers (candy, verbal praise) they can shape complex behavior and ultimately cognition.  I think that the human brain is much more complex and what is really going on is they are shaping the students to be ... well, well-trained.  So, I do not think that I should go there.  Then, the hospital in San Mateo went with another candidate.  And finally, I withdrew my application at the third place (long story - basically they didn't want to hire me because of my stutter [illegal, I know, but if this is how they're going to be I don't want to work for them anyway, so there's no point in pursuing legal action].  There's a lot more to the story, maybe I'll recount it in a later entry).  So - that sums up California.  California = bust.  Which - that's sad because I really liked the weather.

So, in Seattle.  I have an offer at the public school system and I'm waiting to hear from the private practice.  The school system might work - but I'm not excited about that either.  Besides there are lots of hoops to jump through - finger prints, sending transcripts, etc.  And it's not what I really want to be doing anyway. So ... this is the decision I've come to:

I'm moving to Seattle regardless of whether I get the private practice job or not.  If I do not get the job then I will work at a nursing home for a while until something better comes along.  It's not an ideal job, but I'll make more money that I would in the schools and I'll feel better about leaving in the middle of the year if something better comes along.

So I'm sure there are a number of questions.  For instance, why Seattle?  Well - because I absolutely LOVED it out there.  It was amazing.  There was enough to do, the people were friendly, there is city, mountains, water, wilderness all within an hour drive.  Plus - it's just a super cool city.  And if I'm not going to get my ideal job I'd rather be in an ideal place with a less than ideal job than a less than ideal place with a less than ideal job.  

Next - why nursing home over school?  It's not ideal, but it gets me medical speech pathology experience and higher pay.  The road to unhappiness is paved with gold, this I realize.  But if something better comes along mid year I want to feel okay with leaving.  And nursing homes can better afford to contract out.  Plus, I'll be working with a contract company, so they will provide a housing stipend for me.  Along with more continuing education money, a sign-on bonus and moving expenses.

Anyway - I don't have a job yet ... and I will not be moving until I have a job.  So, I need to get cracking.

So, that sums up my life so far.  YAY for Seattle! 

Update ...

So, it is about time I gave an update on the good ol' job search.  

Sadly, it doesn't look like California is working out for me.  I was rejected from one place, terminated my application at another (that is a whole other blog post ... to be relayed later), and got one job offer that I'm not too terribly excited about (they ascribe to a therapy paradigm that I think it absolute crack science).  Then, up in Washington, I have virtually gotten an offer (contingent on references and letters of recommendation ... these should all be fine).  And then I'm waiting to hear from the final place (which coincidentally is the job I like the most ... grrrr ... if patience is a virtue you can keep it).  They will get back to me the end of July. 

Meanwhile, I am sending out more applications.  This time, I think I'm going into a more medical focus ... I'm sending applications to various Veteran's Affairs hospitals (Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, So. Cal., DC).  I do have the opportunity for a phone interview with Cincinnati Children's Hospital - but it's for a satellite campus for psychologically impaired kids - not sure that's exactly what I'm looking for, we'll see.

Anyway, that's my job search life in a infinitesimal nutshell.  Hopefully it suffices for now.

Dilemma

So, I've got this dilemma.  I've been over hearing this group of English teachers discuss their coursework for the coming year ... this is not the interesting or dilemmatic aspect.  The dilemma resides here: one of the teachers stutters (very mildly, his colleagues might not even notice, but it's there ... short blocks, repetitions, prolongations, interjections and avoidance of words).  So, I'm wondering, do I go introduce myself and ask about his experiences stuttering?  Or would that freak a guy out?

We'll see.

Ugg

So, I'm back.  I'm at my usual haunt - Waterstreet.  However, today I am not enjoying my typical dark roast coffee, instead I am enjoying "Iced Coffee with a BANG!"  Basically, a really cold and really strong Americano.  Anyway.  So, I've been back for a little over 8 hours and I miss the west coast already.  While leaving Midway airport in Chicago walking outside was like walking into a brick wall - you don't realize how much you don't miss humidity until you don't have it for a while and then are suddenly pushed into an atmosphere that's more water vapor than air - gross.  It's before noon and my clothes are already sticking to me.  So I'm left wondering ... why don't we all live on the west coast?

Anyway.  My Out West Extravaganza has officially come to a close.  Now is the time I enjoy my last summer vacation and read lots of books and wait for the job offers to roll in.  (here's to hoping). 

On the whole it's hard to say whether I liked the bay area or Seattle better.  Both have their advantages and disadvantages.  The bay area has beautiful summer weather ... my friend just walked in, I'm going to hang out ... I'll finish this later

Truths

Of all the truths in the world that exist, this is most evident - my feet hurt.  I have literally walked miles all over Seattle, and I didn't bring good walking shoes to boot!  So, I'm back in one of my fun little parks I've "discovered" - this one is right downtown two blocks down Pike St from the Pike Place Market.  The one with the wifi.  This is truly a multi-sensory experience, there is the constant drone of traffic rumbling down Pike St and 3rd Ave, a bagpipe playing in the distance, the shhhing of the fountain behind me, the voices of people passing by.  Then there is the actual sport of people watching - very interesting ... one of my favorite past times.  I'm just going to list the things I see - just for fun.

Two guys attempting to discretely drink beer from styrofoam cups (one of which had a repaired cleft lip) ... I must admit that I aided and abbedded the beer drinkers, I let them borrow my bottle opener ... after which they offered me swigs of their beers - two good beers, Harp Lager and Smithwicks ... good quality beers ... although warm.  They are actually from Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH - imagine that.  

An elderly man feeding bread crumbs to the pigeons

Several homeless people napping on the benches

Tourists taking pictures

Children running through the fountain (and screaming too)

A pigeon mating ritual, or something ike taht - a big puffed up pigeon chasing a smaller one

A girl walking her boxer who just spat, very un-lady-like, on the groud

Ok - I'm done with that now.

Let me tell you another truth - this truth is about my night last night.  I went out an walked around the Capital Hill neighborhood last night.  Walked around, looked at some apartments I had found online, played a couple games of pool, hung out with some random people I met - I had a great time.  So - I begin to make my way home, only to realize that the bus route I had intended on taking made it's last run about a half hour before.  Not a particularly ideal situation.  So, I found another bus that was headed in the same direction and decided that I would hop on that one and get off once it stopped going in the direction(s) I wanted to go in.  So - that's what I did, and thankfully my plan worked - the bus stopped going the direction I wanted to go (North and/or East) about 16 blocks from my friends house.  16 blocks - that's nothing.  So, I walked back to his house, past some raucous parties (Philip lives right near the University of Washington, Seattle).  So anyway.  I get to Philip's house and all the doors are locked.  I call him ... many many times, send him text messages, pound on the front door, back door, his bedroom window ... it is as this point I make a realization : Philip is very much like his older brother: they both sleep like the dead.  So, I knew there was no way I was going to get into the house.  So, I thought about going to a 24 hr coffee shop or some other establishment ... couple flaws with that plan.  My computer was locked inside the house, so I couldn't locate the nearest one, and seeing as though we were in a neighborhood that was quite a distance from downtown, and university was out for summer I assumed that finding a 24 hr establishment was going to be difficult.  So, I went back to the Safeway I had passed on my way there and searched for a blanket or towel ... no dice.  So, I bought some paper towels instead.  Then using a broken coffee table, chair and door mats laying on the front porch I made a lean-to against the house in and effort to break the wind, then wrapped my head and feet and stuffed my shirt with paper towels ... at this point I should mention that I was wearing a very light t-shirt, a tank top underneath that, pants and sandals (no socks).  That night was by far the coldest night I have had in a long time.  Finally, several (like 4) hours later about 4:30 Philip woke up and opened the door for me.  Needless to say - I was not happy. So, I slept until about 10 and then got up and began my day much later than I wanted to.  

Anyway, the wind has picked up a bit and now my arms are getting a bit chilled ... think I'll go inside.

SPL

Ok, the Seattle Public Library is BY FAR the COOLEST library I have ever been in.  You need to look it up online and read about it - because my limited linguistic skills cannot do it justice here.  That's all I really have to say.  

My last interview is in about an hour.  I've got my bus route all planned out.  It is going to be great.  Anyway.  I went to the Space Needle after I left Cafe Bella.  That was fun.  I just saw a sign that said roof access ... I have to go check that out.

Cafe Bella

From the Italian, meaning beautiful coffee.  To which I agree.  If you haven't guessed, I am in, yet another, coffee shop.  Frequent purveyors of my blog will realize that I do most of my blogging in coffee shops.  So this coffee shop is right outside the Space Needle.  I found the downtown terminus of the Monorail and decided I should go see the Space Needle, but I didn't want to ride the there, so I decided to follow it and found myself at this little park next to this coffee shop, another Thai restaurant and a laundromat.  Thus I am enjoying my broccoli and cheese croissant and cafe americano.  Both are delicious.

Anyway.  About my interview yesterday.  For those of you who were not aware, this interview yesterday was at the place that, prior to leaving on my Out West Extravaganza,  I thought I really wanted to work at.  And, it seems like a good place to work.  There is one glitch (with all of my job possibilities) I fear that my desire to live without a car is quickly vanishing.  At this job my time would be split at the offices in Seattle and Bellevue (a suburb approximately 15 minutes away).  However, the interview itself went quite well.  Carol (my interviewer) took me to a private coffee shop just down the street from the office for our interview.  (That coffee was my fourth of the day 1- on the way to the airport, 2- in downtown Seattle, 3- waiting for my interview and 4- at the interview).  

On my Out West Extravaganza I find myself drinking a lot more coffee and eating less often - probably not the healthiest thing to be doing - but I having a great time doing it.  Yesterday I had Cheese Nips on the plane, and then some chips and salsa and 1/2 of minestrone soup.  I'm starting today off better with a broccoli and cheese croissant (I think I already mentioned that).  

Anyway, keeping with Seattle tradition, I saw yet another elderly man using a wheelchair today; however, I think he was a repeat from yesterday.  They are everywhere out here - I love it.  I love that they feel comfortable to come out and interact with society in day-to-day activities.  That's how it should be!  Due to the fact that I have seen so many of them (relatively) I assume that they do not encounter too much adverse reactions.  It would be interesting to talk to them about the reactions they get during their day to day interactions.

Anyway.  In Seattle the weather is beautiful.  Blue skies, clear view of Mt. Rainier.  The Sound is a picturesque shade of blue, David Gray has just come on over the speakers of Cafe Bella.  To all you people that said it rains so much in Seattle - it hasn't rained yet!  

Anyway.  I'm just about done with my (late) breakfast.  OH, I didn't tell you about my sleeping arrangements.  They are ... interesting.  I'm staying with my friend's brother in a house filled with several examples of the archetypical college undergrad male.  To be fair, two of them just graduated.  There are three of them (I think - there might be four, two of which are brothers).  I'm staying in was, at one time, a hookah lounge.  There are bean bags everywhere, red sponge paint radiating out from the window in lines whose width increases as they move away from the window (I assume in an attempt to simulate the sun), multi-colored veneer cloths hanging from the ceiling underneath which is a singular strand of multi-colored Christmas lights.  Furthermore, it has a slight twinge of cat pee to it (probably from the bean bags).  I'm sleeping on what my friend's brother called a futon.  This is not a futon, this is more like a long, overused pillow.  My friend didn't have a a blanket to give me, so we had to go buy one, as well as a pillow.  And he gave me a sheet to cover the 'futon'.  The sheet is an intricately designed  duvet cover.  Now, I'm not knocking my sleeping arrangements - they are free and these guys don't have the lifestyle to welcome a guest in comfort and leisure.  (however, a towel would have been nice - I might buy one today).  

Funny - I just saw a me walking around outside.  White guy with a backpack and camera walking around looking for pictures.  Alright, I think I'm going to sign off and go out an explore some more.

Before My Interview

Ok – so Seattle must be a haven for adults with disabilities who use wheelchairs – in my 10 minute walk downtown I saw no less than 3 adults (2 men 1 woman) wheeling around downtown.  Oddly enough, all of them with some spasticity.   That is more people I have observed at any one time!  And all in the same couple blocks!  Right now I’m a couple blocks from my interview, in a Tully’s Coffee House, listening to Beautiful by James Blunt.  My interview begins in 30 minutes.  I like this neighborhood.  To my right an Irish pub, directly across a party store sporting rainbow flags, next to this a Thai restaurant with some language scrawl I cannot recognize (what language do they speak in Thailand?), next to this a pizza house, followed by a little two screen movie theatre that reminds me so much of the old Main Theatre in downtown Coldwater.  Kitty-corner to me is a Washington Mutual bank with a banner for the “Wallingford Seafair Kiddies Parade and Festival” (Wallingford is the name of this neighborhood).  Finally, a Starbucks just a couple doors down on the left.   If my seat were 15 feet over I would have a fantastic view of downtown Seattle, but then I would also be sitting in the street – so I’m opting for the safer, yet less picturesque seat.  The bus system is much easier to manage than in San Francisco. 

The clouds have mostly disappeared and there is a playful blue sky overhead.  While riding the bus here I was able to see the mountains, I passed by the Space Needle.  I was told that I need to go do that, even though it’s a bit tourist-y.  The lady I’m interviewing with and I have been communicating via email and she has given me lots of ideas on what to do / see while in Seattle.  I’m excited.  I also got to see Pike Place Market … didn’t go in, because I was over laden with my stuff.  Tomorrow.  Anyway, my interview is in 20 minutes I think I’ll post this and then begin walking down the street to my interview.

Never mind, the internet has decided to stop working – I’ll post it later.  TTFN! 

The Emerald City

So I’m in a park in Downtown Seattle (in fact I’m in drinking some of “Seattle’s Best Coffee."  So - let me recap so that this minute detail is not missed - I'm online in a city park in downtown Seattle - online for free!  

My initial thought is that Seattle is a better fit for me that San Francisco (city wide free wifi - well - it's a pilot program).  The temperature is amazing – hovering right below 60.  Warm enough to be outside, but no where near the sweltering heat that Sacramento was.  The sky is gray, but the sun is trying to poke through.  Seattle makes up for the lack of color with lots and lots of plants, and colorful sidewalks (I’m looking out at some red, charcoal and gray patterns in the sidewalks.  

Meanwhile, the way the people are dressed does not make me feel like I stand out as much as I did in San Francisco.  They are all dressed preppy – like I want to dress.  I passed a Banana Republic Men store on my way here – mental note.  And really – with some notable exceptions, Seattle looks like a Banana Republic catalogue.  Ooh, wait, I just saw a mullet.  HOLY COW, I JUST SAW A MAN WITH SOME TYPE OF SPASTICITY IN HIS FACE AND (AT LEAST) LEFT ARM WHEEL PAST, WITH A BLUE DYNAVOX SERIES 5 STRAPPED TO HIS WHEEL CHAIR (for those of you who don’t know what a Dynavox is, these are the machines that can produce speech for people – I worked a lot with these machines at my school internship).  Too cool! I love Seattle, and I’ve been here less than 2 hours!  I’ve met an Australian family who is traveling to Vancouver to watch their son compete in the world Lacrosse Series. 

I must admit that the reason I find myself already liking Seattle is that I am actually in Seattle, whereas I wasn’t able to spend that much time in San Francisco itself.  So, I’m not sure that’s neither here nor there, but just a fact. 

Anyway, time to begin making my way to my interview.

Too Bad I Don't Know Any Fun Phrases Mentioning Sacramento

So, I'm at the airport leaving Sacramento.  Ben and Crystal (by brother and sister-in-law) just dropped me off.  While driving to the airport I was struck by the haze that was filling the central valley from the numerous wild fires in the surrounding area.  Crystal said she even smelled smoke while walking Jo Dee (their miniature schnauzer).

The topography of the central valley is not as exciting as that of the San Francisco Bay, with one notable exception.  While driving west on US-50 there is a hill that upon cresting one can view the entire California Central Valley.  It's pretty cool.  

Not far from that hill is a park with a peculiar name: Negro Bar.  That's right, I typed it correctly.  One must be careful not to place the definite article in front of the name because then it become completely, totally politically insensitive ('the' negro bar).  Ben and Crystal mentioned that there is a battle to rename the park.  However, some people want to maintain the historical name, while others want a more politically correct name.  Ben mentioned that they may have come to a compromise on "The Historic Negro Bar."  I say either way it's six of one half dozen of another.  

Anyway.  I had a great time in Folsom.  We walked around downtown historic Folsom, ate at the Squeeze Inn (incredibly small cheese burger joint - has seating for 11), went bowling, and a host of other stuff.  I watched Shawn of the Dean with them (first time seeing that movie - hilarious).  Anyway.  I think I should get ready to go to Seattle.  I'm excited, but a little sad, because going to Seattle means that my Out West Extravaganza is more than half over.  I still have four days - it's going to be great!

i just saw a jet take off. Kinda fun.  It was small, black and very angular looking.  Don't know that it's really that cool, but I thought I'd mention it.

Lost and Found Again

So, I have decided that I don't like the public transportation system of San Francisco. For various reasons - the most frustrating of which - is that even when getting directions from their website you find yourself in a not so nice part of San Francisco. However - thanks to a call to my good friend Justin and finding some wireless internet all was well again ... until it was time to find bus stop that takes me to the Amtrak station. When in the not-so-nice part of town I saw this HUGE bus stop that said AMTRAK all over it. So, when at Union Square in down town I was looking for something along those lines. Nope. A regular bus stop with a startlingly small sigh that said amtrak. So, phone calls to Justin helped a lot, but still didn't get me there, so after walking around for a bit I found a "San Francisco Visitor's Center" and I thought to myself [angelic chorus and heavenly beam of light streaming down from the heavens "ahhhhhhhhhhhhh." I went in, asked the funny old man with a Eastern European accent where I was supposed to go. Not only did he show me where to go, but gave me alternate routes just in case I missed my bus. I could have hugged him.

So, I found my train, and the morale of the story is: rent a car.

Anyway, I have just boarded the train, so I lost my internet connection, so I will actually be sending this from Ben and Crystals - because theirs will be the next internet connection I have.

So, while I'm typing here I'll go ahead and give my review of San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay area.

My first observation is the topography. All I have to say is WOW! It is beautiful out here. The mountains covered in grass that has been scorched brown by the sun while dotted with green trees. Up further on the peninsula the brown grass is replaced with the glint of houses. The hills of San Francisco proper remind me of what I think the hills of the Mediterranean might look. Down further on the mainland the rocky coasts of Monterrey look , quite simply, picturesque. The train is taking us along the East Bay right now (right along the coast) and it is beautiful. Typical of the rest of southern California there are wild fires here. I have learned to distinguish between clouds and the smoke from fires. Initially I thought the smoke was clouds, but they were "too brown" (they looked white to me, but after a second glance I did notice how they were more brown than the clouds high in the sky. Right now there are fires across the East Bay.

My second observation is the vegetation. It's all totally different from Michigan. (Well, I guess not totally different, but vastly so). The palm trees and palmetto trees, the redwoods (not giant redwoods, just small ones - although I heard that the biggest redwood is in Palo Alto), and then there were a bunch of trees I don't know the name of. The occasional cacti (prickly pear, not giant cactus). Kinda fun seeing things other than Maple, Oak, White and Red Pine and Evergreen greens.

My third observation is the infrastructure. It is a mix of what I would consider Spanish Hacienda with Mediterranean Villa. This is true of the smaller buildings only. The larger buildings can only be described as "Urban Jungle-esque" But, this urban jungle has a lot more class than other urban jungles (i.e., Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, even Boston and New York). the buildings are not just giant box-like obelisks. There is color, glass, interesting shapes.
The golden gate bridge is fabulous. I wasn't able to see it up close, sadly, but I was able to see it while driving over the Bay Bridge.

Of these I have one regret: I did not take enough pictures. And, you know it is difficult to take pictures while lugging around all your luggage. Just makes life difficult. Anyway.

My fourth observation: the Urban Sprawl. It is necessary just because San Francisco is so expensive. Accordingly, the traffic during rush hour is gross, but bearable in a Toyota Scion with a sun roof open, windows down, and iPod blaring whatever I felt like playing.

I'm done observing things - I feel like a nerd

Anyway, I just realized that I had not blogged about the third (and final) interview I had in the bay area. The friend I was staying with (Joel) also happens to be a speech pathologist. And it just so happens that Joel's boss is looking to hire another speech pathologist. So, as soon as Joel's boss (Jen) heard that I was in town she wanted to talk to me. So - she called me to set up an interview (coincidently, Thursday morning). So I went into the interview and I really like the place they've got there. So much so, that I stayed all day. I don't remember if I mentioned this before, but I have a small world story. So we all know about Ben and Crystal's friend Sergio who moved back to California a while ago. Sergio is dating a speech pathologist, Alex. And it just so happens that Alex is also employed at Bay Area Speech. So I was able to meet her and go out for lunch with Sergio and Joel and his girlfriend, Cindy. It was great fun. So, the interview went very well. It was so informal - Jen and I sat out on the clinic's patio drinking coffee and looking out at the mountainous hills surrounding Morgan Hill. It was simply beautiful. We talked about theories of intervention strategies and research experience, my personal experience with stuttering, hers with ADD. Honestly, I think I liked this place the most.

Anyway. That is a chronicle. and I'm done now.

Ahhhh

Ok, so I'm walking around downtown San Francisco and having a blast. Right now I'm in a starbucks having just sucked down my double shot espresso on ice (I was desperate for something cold). Anyway, my train leaves in about an hour and a half so I should begin making my way there. Just keeping you updated.

Slight Change of Plans

Ok - so I began making my way towards the Golden Gate Bridge and then decided that I would rather spend my time in downtown.  So, I made my way to the San Francisco Public Library, and now I am resting / cooling off while providing another blog update (it dawns on me that for this type of shenanigans I should really be using Twitter, but who cares).  Anyway - I'm in the SFPL, and it's nice and cool, with wireless internet.  Smells like a library.  In a minute I'm going to walk around city hall.  It is going to be great.  I only wish I wasn't lugging around all my luggage with me - good thing I packed light.

Alright, until next time.

Fun Stuff

Guess who has two thumbs and is kind of lost in San Francisco?  This Guy!!!

But - don't worry, thankfully, SF has lots of internet cafes so I can check bus schedules and stuff like that.  Soon enough I'll be at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Out West Extravaganza - Recap

Ok, so it's about 7:20 on Thursday morning.  I figured I would recap what I have been doing thus far.

Firstly - the multiple train systems are interesting - confusing, but interesting.  

Secondly - the weather - amazing.  I love it.  It may have reached a high of 85 (with no humidity - ahh, beautiful)

Thirdly - I have had two interviews (have a third scheduled in a little bit), make that three interviews and one job offer. Yes!  A private practice, Peninsula Associates, offered me a position working at the Morgan Autism Center in San Jose, CA.  (this is of course, with the condition that my references provide strong recommendations of me, but barring awful reviews, I have at least one job offer).

Fourthly - I don't really like being on Michigan time while staying in California.  I get tired early and then I wake up early.  The waking up early part doesn't bother me so much, but I feel bad when I start yawning and the people I'm hanging out with feel obligated to go home.  Oh well.

Fifthly - the traffic is awful.  But it's kinda fun.  I'm a more aggressive driver than most Californians.  (Granted I'm more aggressive than most Michigan drivers as well).  But they don't speed like we do in Michigan.  Interesting.  They allow U-turns all over the place - kinda fun.  

Sixthly - I have discovered the other side of of the uber liberal San Francisco Politics - uber conservative politics down on the peninsula.  Interesting.

Finally - I'm finally going to head up to the city today.  I get to walk around San Francisco and do that whole thing.  So excited.

Anyway - that's a basic summary of my Out West Extravaganza.  Now, I'm going to go get ready for my interview.

Out West Extravaganza Day 2

So I'm in Panera (I know, I know - I flew all the way out here only to get something I can get at home ... but Panera was the first place I saw that was certain to have one think I desperately needed: wifi.  Had I not needed to access the internet I would have been much more adventurous and gone somewhere in downtown San Jose.  Anyway, I just got done visiting the Morgan Autism Center.  This place was the one place in all of my travels in the San Francisco Bay area that wasn't easily accessible by public transportation.  So my friend Joel allowed me to borrow his car - I really like his car.  It makes me hate my car that much more.  Anyway.  I didn't even mind the stereotypic California traffic.  I was cruising up "the 101" to a mix of Sheryl Crow and Hootie and the Blowfish ... very 1990s I know, it's just what I felt like listening too.  There is just somehting picturesque about driving up a California expressway while listening to "Soak up the Sun".  

Anyway, I liked the Morgan Autism Center; however, I wonder if I should start at a job that is this specialized.  I'll bring that up in my actual interview - in about 90 minutes.  So, I'm going to finish my sandwich and then to to Target to purchase the one thing I forgot to bring: deodorant.

Out West Extravaganza Day 1 ... continued

So ... my interview went really well.  It lasted two and a half hours.  An hour with their rehab director and 90 minutes with 4 of their 15 (yes, fifteen) speech-pathologists.  It was a LONG day.  I'm glad it's over.  After making my way to San Jose, my friend Joel, his friend Drew and I went out for cajun food.  I had oysters.  I wouldn't have these kind again.  

Anyway - who has two thumbs and is exhausted - this guy. 

Out West Extravaganza Day 1

This is a chronicle of June 17, 2008

 

So I’m in Chicago’s Midway Airport – at 6:42 central standard time.  My flight leaves at 8:50 … so I’m here with time to spare.  However, I am a little annoyed because the airport has decided to taunt me with the promise of internet access – so excitedly I open up my computer only to find that they have chosen to go with a pay-for-use WIFI, which I respect and can appreciate.  However, you get a WHOLE 24 HOURS OF SERVICE for the reasonable price of $6.95.  Now, if I were spending all day in the airport I might think about purchasing that AMAZINGLY GOOD DEAL (especially considering how a month of home internet access costs approximately $30).  Needless to say, I am actually not writing this online right now.  Instead I have decided to write the prologue to my Out West Extravaganza in a word document to be transferred to my blog later tonight.

 

So, here I am sitting in the nice seats at gate A18, even though my gate is actually A9.  Why should I sit in those hard plastic seats that are going to make my back ache and my butt sore when there is an excellent collection leather covered arm chairs down the concourse that will cradle my toush in comfort (and it happens to have an electrical outlet so I can charge my laptop to boot!  So, I’m mooching off the pleasant patrons of AirTran.

 

Anyway, my adventure here was uneventful.  I could have easily slept for another 30 minutes, but I suppose it was better to be safe than sorry.  Had I slept that extra half hour, invariably, there would have been an accident on the freeway, or I would have gotten a flat tire or some unfortunate event would occur to delay my arrival to Michigan City, which would have resulted in me missing my train to Chicago, and then I would have been late for my flight and my whole trip would have been initiated in a rocky and unpleasant fashion.  So, instead I’m slightly sleep deprived and have read up a bit in the book I am reading (Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert).  Oh, and I have decided that I love not checking baggage.  I got off the ‘el’ (‘L’)? and walked right to security.  It was beautiful.  No waiting in line, just sitting on the train, walking to the concourse, maneuvering through security and now sitting again (at the wrong gate).  I am going to be sick of sitting by the end of the day.  I should go for a walk around the airport.

 

I am viewing this trip as the end of the massively extended period of time between adolescence and adulthood commonly dubbed ‘college’.  My experience was longer than most due to the requirement that I have a Masters degree to practice.  Nevertheless, it comes to a close.  Today, I officially enter the “real world.”  I have my first “real” interview, for a “real” job – versus to fake interviews I did at ASHA or interviews for internships.  Those don’t count because, in the end, they didn’t really matter.  I wasn’t going to accept any jobs offered me at ASHA, and I was guaranteed an internship so, it really didn’t matter where I was placed – the point was to gain experience.  Here and now I will be examined by professionals with experience, sized up, figuratively poked and prodded in their attempt to see if I make the cut.  To see if, when push comes to shove, they think I will be able to use this knowledge I have spend a great deal of time, effort and money obtaining.  So – I’m at the cusp.  I’m standing at the edge of the diving board staring down at the water, seemingly a mile below me.  And I’ve got to jump.  This moment (approaching in 6.5 hours) is what the past couple weeks have been about.  I’m beginning to get excited.  The irony of it all – is that this will, most likely, be posted after the fact. Anyway … I think I need a breakfast sandwich.

 

 … later that morning …

 

The breakfast sandwich was good, expensive, but good.  What are you to expect when purchasing food inside of an airport, similar to buying food in an amusement park.  They have a monopoly on food (for those of us who didn’t bring food).  Anyway, now I’m sitting nearer to my gate (gate 11).  The seating at my gate is quite full, so I opted for the comfy chairs that are spaced further apart rather than the hard ones with little “wiggle room.”  I’m going to be cramped for a while as it is, there’s no need to start now.

 

Anyway, I have had a fascination with flying since I was young.  In high school (maybe even middle school) I anxiously awaited my first flying experience (which occurred my sophomore year of college).  From that first take of from Dallas, TX I was addicted.  My favorite part is take-off.  Feeling the brute force of the airplane forcing your chair to grip you tightly as the collective makes its assent to cruising altitude.  My plane has just arrived, I should probably stop typing, visit the restroom once more and then finally make my way to the appropriate gate. So, until next time (probably on the 4.5 hour flight to the San Francisco International Airport).

 

… again, later that morning …

 

So I’m currently flying over the Midwest proper (Illinois, Iowa etc … in my opinion, Michigan really isn’t part of the Midwest – it’s a Great Lakes State).  And I think we just flew over the Mississippi River (placing us somewhere over Iowa).  Anyway, I was able to see the flooding of the region first hand.  Watching the gray lines that are roads disappear underneath brown expanses of unencumbered rivers is truly astonishing.  Right now I’m looking out my window and the river we’re following winds and bends along and then suddenly, out of nowhere the river quadruples in width.  Trees roads, expressways and occasionally cities drowned by a river overflowing its banks.  Up at cruising altitude you loose all perspective pertaining to distance along the earth, but the river has had a too wide a girth for a long time.

 

So, for those of you who don’t know about one of the best things about my stutter let me explain.  It is an instant “friend-o-meter.”  Based on someone’s reaction to my stutter I can tell if they are a cool person or not.  My flight attendant: not cool.  She doesn’t overtly show distain or dislike (her job is to make me feel comfortable so I will fly again – she can’t make a face at my stutter) but over time a stutterer can become quite attune to picking up very slight adjustments in facial expression and body language that gives the biases of my conversation partner away.  This is neither here nor there, just a fact of life saying that of flight attendant and I met somewhere else other than her place of employment I would not go out of my way to interact with her. 

 

… later …

 

we’re somewhere over the plains – lots of farm land striped green and brown.  And there is a ridge lined with, what I can only imagine being, wind turbines.  Interesting.  The patchwork land sprawls beneath me.  Even this high up these fields look larger that those in Illinois.  It reminds me of the plaid patchwork shorts that have recently become popular.  Alternating horizontal and vertical stripes of two-toned plaid; kind of fun to examine.  There are more wind turbines – I can actually see some of the blades turning they appear to be moving slowly.  However, this is deceptive based on their relative miniscule size.  If the blades are as large as I imagine they are the outer edge of each blade is moving very fast.  The wind farm is absolutely huge, spanning many miles across a ridge.  There are at least three rows of turbines, sometimes four.  I wonder how much power is generated by that wind farm.  There is free energy everywhere in the world – it is up to us to envision new ways to harness and store that energy and then we can be mostly independent of foreign oil and simultaneously saving the environment.

 

We’ve been in fight for a little over 2 hours now.  The land has a lot more vertical contour that it did even 15 minutes ago.  I find myself wondering what state we are currently flying over.  But these are undoubtedly the Rocky Mountains.  Snow caped peaks with valleys intermingling.  It is a beautiful sight.  My guess is that we are over Colorado.  There is a river cutting a gorge through the earth, it’s cool to see.  There are cirrus clouds between the mountain peaks and our plan they look like a painter’s brush stroke on an enormous canvas.  I am now past what I assume to be the front range of the Rockies: I am now further west than I have ever been.

Anyway - now, here I am in a lovely little coffee shop (called the Rendez Vous Cafe) around the corner from the hospital I'm about to interview in, enjoying a delicious iced latte.  I'll take a picture later, but right now I'm just settling down to get ready for my interview.

We'll blog on the rest of this day later.

For lack of a witty title

So, I was going to blog about my week later, but I just had an experience and I had to blog about it right now.  So, here I go.

I'm at Waterstreet (who's surprised? No one? Good.) Anyway, I was sitting outside enjoying the sunshine while studying for the praxis (that really awful test I have to take in 8 days), and this woman leans over and asks me what the current colloquial term for 'cool' was.  (she didn't use those terms, but that's what she meant).  She and I brainstormed and didn't come up with anything more appropriate than 'cool'.  So cool could still be cool - who knows.  Anyway, not the point.  The point is, that we had a wonderful conversation following that. I asked her if she was an author - she said yes, she's currently writing a book about her life after she found and adopted a chicken - that's right the mostly flightless bird that most people eat for dinner on Sunday - she has one as a pet.  Her (the chicken) name is Liberty, her name (the lady) is Lisa.  So, Lisa and I got on this euphorically tangential conversation.  Tangent after tangent.  Eventually we found ourselves talking about my life and what I'm doing with it - speech pathology, moving away yadda yadda yadda. 

Anyway, she also has had some experience with speech therapy as well (incidentally at the Unified Clinics).  (she speaks with a harsh, breathy tone and I was going to ask her - but she beat me to the punch).  She was recounting the time after her vocal folds were burnt in a fire.  From what she said it was very traumatic, she almost died, thought her face was going to be riddled with scars etc.  Anyway, once again not the point.  She then recounted the time when walking into the clinic and overhearing a gentleman saying some nonsense phrase over and over again (recurrent utterance).  

So here I am with this ethical dilemma - it is quite possible that I know / have interacted with this individual during my experiences in the aphasia group, and she brought him up and I can't say - "Oh yeah, that's Harry Potter (or whomever)"  So instead I talked about what I "thought" he had (knowing full well, based on her repetition of the recurrent utterance, who she was referring to).  This was, obviously, aphasia.  She had thought he was presenting with symptoms characteristic of a right sided stroke (again she didn't say that but she did say inappropriate social skills, difficulty regulating appropriate emotions etc). 

So, I got to explain to her that this gentleman is not displaying a difficulty with social aspects of communication or emotions, he is experiencing difficulty with language in and of itself.  So, he is still there, but now he is trapped inside his head without a reliable way to express himself.   

The tangents continued and we began talking about stuttering, and my experiences and what I hope to do with my professional life.  And that was great fun.  We had this deep philosophical discussion about the way we view the world and our perceptions of society and society's perceptions of people who are different.  

Anyway, I'm not sure this blog turned out the way I was imagining it would.  I can't already tell it's not mind blowing.  I think I used a lot of speech path jargon - sorry.  If you don't know what a word / phrase / whole paragraph means just leave a comment and I'll explain it in real-person language.  In fact after looking back on it - I think the post it a lot like our conversation - sporadic.  

Anyway the conversation ended when she looked at her watch and realized that we had been talking for an hour and she had to go help her aunt out.    Fun times in the life of Bryan.

In other news, my housing for Seattle just fell through, so I have to find a new place to stay or else stay in a hostel.  The hostel would be fun - I'm looking at one that is right across the street from Pike's Market - SO EXCITED about that.  I wonder if the hostel has a kitchen - I'd love to get some fresh crab legs and fresh vegetables and gorge myself on deliciousness, we'll see.  Other than that - there is not much exciting happening in my life.  Two guys in scrubs just walked in - kind of odd - there's not a hospital near here, I don't think anyway.  hmmm.  I guess that's about as exciting as it gets around here - displaced medical personnel.  Simply astounding.  Ok - i'm going to stop typing now.  I think the "Iced Coffee With a Bang" I just had (four or five shots of espresso in 6oz of coffee  ... mmmm caffeine) has just caught up with me.   I'm feeling ... jittery.  Do I drink too much coffee?  Blasphemy.  No such thing as too much coffee.  Ok, I'm really done now.

Interviewing: Commence

So I bought my tickets for my "Out West Extravaganza" today - just now in fact.  The cost of the ticket from Chicago to San Francisco jumped $50 from yesterday to today, but the ticket from Seattle to Chicago dropped $70 - imagine that.  And I was able to save about $100 by flying out of Chicago rather than Detroit (even with the cost of gas to Michigan City, IN and the commuter rail into the city).  Anyway - I have dates!  I fly to San Francisco on June 17, then on the 20th (or so) I'll take the train to Sacramento, spend with weekend with my brother and sister-in-law, then on the 23rd fly to Seattle, and then fly back to Chicago on the 26th.  It should be a grand adventure.  A mad dash across the west coast.  Can't wait.

In other blog worthy news, I was at O'Duffy's last night with Scott, and a couple interesting things happened.  (1) I saw my old band director from high school (Mr. Jordan).  That was odd.  He's doing well, teaching in Portage (I think) and will finish his masters in organ performance this summer.  and then (2) when Scott and I were bidding adieu, we saw this guy ride by on a bicycle that was literally 6 feet tall.  The bike was taller than I am.  And he was riding down the street - looking just a little bit ridiculous, if I say so myself.  But what was absolutely hilarious was watching a guy on a regular sized bike ride past him.  The mere mortal was dwarfed by the monstrosity riding along side him.  That made my night.  What made it even more queer was that the bicycle entered the street from my friend Theresa's driveway (or at least I think it was her drive) T - do you know anyone with a 6 feet tall bike?

Anyway, I should get back to studying for the praxis.  4736 'Cool Points' for anyone who can guess where I am!

ME: A look at my life subsequent to the completion of grad school

All I have to say is: ahh.  Life is good, no great, now that grad school is done.  And what's more I have made great use of my time since being done with school.  I was able to hang out with another guy who stutters.  That was lots of fun.  We were able to swap stories, frustrating moments, pet peeves, and we got to eat sushi.  delicious.  I LOVE sushi.  Anyway, a lot more happened and I don't feel like blogging about right now, so on to the next thing.  I was able to hang out with Justin this weekend.  A fun time was had by all.   Finally, I spent the day at Cedar Point yesterday.  SO MUCH FUN!  I loved Cedar Point.  I got to go with a couple speech path friends (Meghan and Colleen) and then Colleen's friend Vunner.  Lots of going fast, and twisting and turning, and up and down, and dodging vomit plastering the walkways, and waiting in line.  lots and lots of fun.  However, somethings have not changed - here I sit at waterstreet (SURPRISE!) and I'm simply elated because I'm done with my thesis. 

Anyway, sorry for the lack of paragraph structure in this blog ... i'm feeling unorganized.  

Speaking of unorganized I almost forgot the life-update that was the purpose for this blog.  I've moved from working on my thesis to working on a couple things: (1) a giant, miserable, grotesque test I've got to take on June 14, (2) job hunting, and (3) figuring if/when I'm moving out of Kalamazoo.  Lots of stuff to figure out. Lots of thinking to do.

And there was MUCH rejoicing

Guess what ... you guessed it ... I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  All I've got to do is print the first page again - the computer lab doesn't have the font that I need.  Then I have to hand it in and then I'm done.  So, life is good.

In more good news, my thesis advisor and I were talking and he encouraged me to continue on in academia and pursue a PhD.  He also said that it is rare to find a student with the skill / talent and temperament necessary to do well in a PhD program, and he and the rest of my committee think that I would thrive in a doctorate program.  Crazy.  So, I'm certainly glad that I am taking a break from school to work, but I will continue my thoughts of pursuing a PhD.  wow. that's weird.

One thing I need to consider before pursuing this advanced degree is the manner in which I will manage my speech during lectures.  I need to talk with other professors that stutter to see what they do / what has helped them etc.

Anyway.  Other than that nothing much is new around here.  I"M DONE!!!!

Cappuccino and Labradoodles

So I'm dog sitting / house sitting this weekend.  Hamish - my professors' labradoodle.  He's a good dog.  Likes to lick feet.  He is, as my professors' daughter calls him, a 'special needs' dog.  He has seizures.  They aren't sure why, but he gets phenobarbital twice a day.  I think he had just come out of a seizure when I got here today (around 10:45 am).  His rug was wet (sometimes he looses bladder control), he was restless (pacing back and forth - he does that afterwards), and he was leery of going down the stairs (also, he does that afterwards too).  So, we sat on the floor, I petted him and read a book and he chewed on a chew toy.  30 minutes later he was just fine.

My professor's husband (ok, for clarification, she is my professor, he is a professor in the department, but has never been my professor), anyway back to my story.  He likes to have espresso in the morning.  I can completely understand that.  I would have espresso to if I (a) had the proper equipment to make it (b) got up in the morning in time to make it.  So, seems how it was here, and I was feeling like an afternoon pick-me-up, I made myself a cappuccino.  (for those of you who don't know, cappuccino is espresso with steamed milk) except I just realized that I didn't steam the milk, I only whipped it.  Eh, so I had mild temperature espresso, versus steaming hot espresso - next time.  

ANYWAY, sorry about the tangential conversation.  The cappuccino, it was (is) delicious.  It could be a little warmer (refer back to the fact that I didn't steam the milk).  On a second note, I have officially drank milk (well, not just plain milk) but nevertheless, cow's milk in something.  That is the first time I've had milk in ... I don't remember how long.  (for those of you who don't know, I don't particularly care for milk; thus, I never buy it and rarely ever drink it ... but I do by soy / rice milk - it's actually quite good you should try it.  I've got rice milk now, especially good with Cheerios).

In other news, I have submitted my thesis, in it's entirety, to my thesis committee.  Effectively, I am DONE writing.  DONE?!?  Yes, after my defense next Wednesday and then made the forthcoming edits from my committee, and then get all the paperwork and other "requirements" done, I will have finished all the requirements for my masters degree. It is an exciting time to  be Bryan.

Without further adieu, I think I'm going to go reward myself with reading a chapter in my book.  I will talk to you later. 

This, That and the Other

So ... I have some news.  I have turned in a rough draft of my thesis to my advisor.  39 pages of text, 11 figures, 1 table, for a grand total of 51 pages.  This is not including all the paperwork that must go in with it, so I'm nearly done!  SO close.

In employment news, I have decided that I hate contract companies.  They lure you in with the promise of lots of support, competitive pay, a great track record ... and then you still have to jump through all sorts of hoops in order to get them to begin looking for a job.  They apply pressure (what about early intervention, have you ever thought about early intervention ...NO, I said I wanted a pediatric medical placement.  If you can't find me that job then just tell me so and don't string me along, yes I realize that it will be difficult for a first year grad to find that type of job, but I am willing to wait for a great job than just taking the first okay job that comes along.  I don't want to do what everyone else is doing just because it's easy.  I know the 'best' place to work as a first year is in the schools ... but what they don't seem to understand is that I don't want to work in schools).  Also, they have poor communication within themselves - on multiple occasions I have been contacted by two people from the same staffing company.  I mean seriously.  Get your act together.  GAAAAAAAA.  I want a job simply so I can say to these people - sorry I already found a job.  rant rant rant grumble grumble grumble.  I suppose I should not complain about having to turn down jobs.  I am lucky to have the opportunity to do so (especially in this economy).  So, considering all of this, I am excited for a job I found by myself - a private practice in Seattle ... some barriers exist, though.  1) the job is part time, and will increase to full time if warranted (I asked when she would know and she has not replied yet) 2) whether the job and I are a match.  I think it will be, but we'll see. 3) whether they pay enough to support living in Seattle.  

Working through life ... my, how much fun it is.

Something's Brewing

Incidentally Something's Brewing is the name of a coffeeshop here in Kalamazoo ... I'm not there. right now I'm at Waterstreet (OOH! something new and different for me).  Anyway, so in my week of hard-core job searching I now have a private practice in Seattle and a hospital in San Francisco that want to interview me.  So I'm hoping to get one more interview in each city and then make a mad dash of the northwest coast sometime in early June.  Here is the plan: fly out to San Fran (stay with my friend Joel ... hopefully), interview, take a train to Sacremento see Ben and Crystal, then fly to Seattle (stay with friends of friends ... hopefully), interview, fly back home, and then get job offers in both places and pick the one that pays the most.  I don't know that it will work that smoothly.  I agreed to play at a wedding on June 14 - and that is really cramping my style, because ideally I'd like to push my 'mad-dash-of-the-west-coast' back a week, but then I'd be gone over that wedding weekend.  grrrrr.

Anyway, enough break ... "Back to the thesis grindstone, slave," the evil task master screams, his face purple from the surge of angry blood into his capillaries.  

My Union Debut

So I'm at Waterstreet (surprise!) working on my thesis (surprise!).  Well, I guess I'm literally taking a break from working on my thesis.  While on my thesis break I figured I would blog about my night last night.  It was a good night.  Some friends from church and I went out to the Union (for those of you are not from Kalamazoo, the Union is a semi-fancy restaurant that occasionally has live music from WMU students and other area musicians).  Anyway, last night Cliff was performing.  Cliff lives over on the east side of the state and regularly performs in restaurants and bars.  One of his trademarks is to get people up onstage singing.  So, fun fact - approximately 6 people got up on stage with him - and 3 of them were from my table (perhaps that's because 84.3% of were are on the worship band team).  

Anyway, Cliff asks for a guy (no, a 'stud') to go on stage.  My friends Jessica and Rachel point to me and tell Cliff to make me do it.  Instead he calls Jessica on stage to sing a song (I should tell you that Jessica and Rachel both know Cliff).  Jessica sings beautifully.  Cliff does some other stuff and then again asks for a 'stud'.  Again, Jessica and Rachel point to me.  This time I cave in and go up onstage.  I sing Blackbird by the Beatles.  It was great.  But weird - the monitor system was so bizarre that at first I didn't recognize my voice as my voice.  It was weird.  I thought that person is singing the same thing I am but that's not me ... oh, wait, it is.  So yeah.  Then to be fair Rachel got up and sang a song.  

After the set Cliff came over to our table and thanked us for participating, and told me that he was surprised and impressed by my voice ... it looks like, even though I'm not singing as much, I still haven't lost it.  It was fun ... my Union Debut.

That's about it.  Nothing else much.  Oh, I have an unofficial thesis defense date: May 28th.  As long as the 3rd member of my committee is available then it will be on the 28th.  Scary.  But that means that once the thesis is done we can go back through and fix the mistakes and then get it ready to submit to publication.  I'm going to be a published author (assuming it gets accepted).

Anyway ... back to the grind

Canada Goose Aggression

So, while walking into the building today and yesterday mornings I have seen spectacular displays of goose aggression. On both days I have seen two large geese chase away a smaller goose. Trumpeting their cries, craning their necks in anger, spreading their wings and beating at the air to display their power. Geese are weird creatures. Of course, when I was watching this large goose run towards me (before realizing he was attacking his rival) one thought ran through my head: he could break my legs with those wings ... where is the best place to run to and what can I throw at it. So, I guess that is really three thoughts. This morning was less eventful - there were no air-beating-wing-displays, just honking, chasing and pecking each other, with the victor returning to the gaggle triumphantly. It must be mating season. I thought it would be a bit late for mating, and they aren't near any water. hmm. I may never know.

In other, non-zoological news, I don't think the job in San Francisco is going to pan out. I've been emailing the director this week, and if I understood correctly, they have offered the position to another person, and she is just figuring out if she can accept. Honestly, I'm not that disappointed. It would have been a great job, but I'm not certain it was the perfect job for me. Also, I have two new prospects. A fairly large private practice in Seattle, and St. Lukes Hospital in San Mateo, CA (San Francisco Bay area). I have not heard back from either yet (it's only been three days) ... well, I have not finished the application for St. Lukes yet. It's an incredibly monotonous application process - very similar to the application process for grad school. There is also a hospital outside Boston that I am interested in ... but they do not want a fresh grad. grrr. And seeing as though it is 30 minutes outside of Boston and not IN Boston, I am less inclined to take it.

Other than a purposefully slow going job search, not much is happening here. I'm working on my thesis full time ... well, when I'm not blogging about my life. I bought some new shoes yesterday ... $7. I was pleased. They are a blue/green/tan plaid slip on shoe. I think my feet are shrinking. These are a 9 1/2 and they are big. Maybe these shoes just run big, but I want to cause a fuss and say that the sky is falling and that my feet are shrinking. What else is going on in life ... I'll be watching my professor's dog over Memorial Day. That makes three professors I have animal sat for. Interesting facts (or not-so-interesting facts).

Ok, back to the grind ..............

and the job search begins

Just to keep everyone informed, I have a phone interview with a private practice out in San Francisco in about 9 minutes, so this is going to be brief.

Anyway, I 'graduated' last Saturday.  I'm not officially finished, but I working on it.  I just sent off the rough draft of my results section to my advisor today, so I'll get his edits back in the late morning and then keep on trucking through.

In other news, there's not that much happening here in Kalamazoo.  Most of my friends have gone home, or to their new lives as speech-language pathologists.  I'm still doing the school thing.  Well, the thesis thing - it's a little different.

So, I will let you all know how my interview goes (t minus 6 minutes and counting). I've already outlined answers to questions I think she'll ask (one of the beauties of phone interviews - the interviewer cannot see you - I could interview in my underwear - I'm not going to, don't worry).  So, you know.  Anyway, I'm going to go get a glass of water and prepare to sell myself.

Another Day

I wrote this at Waterstreet when the internet was down - so it's copied and pasted in from word.

so, I’m at waterstreet, on this rainy Saturday.  I’m listening to a conversation by a literal knitting circle (5 women sitting around in a near circle form, knitting and talking – oh, I suppose one of them is crocheting).  Anyway, they were discussing a movie called, Idiocracy.  From their conversation I gathered that the basic premise of the film is that due to the phenomena that more intelligent people have fewer children than “less” intelligent people eventually the world will be filled with morons …  essentially the evolution of intelligence to a less intelligent average than today.  Interesting.  And I don’t demean them for having the conversation, and the film (I’m guessing) is satirical, however, it ignores the fact that there are multiple intelligences.  There is a book smart, street smart, outdoors-y smart, political smart, horticultural-y smart, animal smart – this list could go on and on.  I consider myself book smart – I’ve got a college degree, I’m fairly well read, I’ve traveled a little bit.  So, for the purposes of this argument let’s say that I’m one of the intelligent ones that doesn’t have enough kids and so mankind becomes dumb because I didn’t have lots of kids.  Well, I hate to burst their bubble, but I cannot survive today without the “unintelligent masses” right now.  They have an intelligence that goes behind the scenes.  They would be more equipped to survive without me than I without them – I could not work a press to make the car that I drive everyday, I could not operate the assembly line that gets my food to me.  Heck, I couldn’t even drive the truck to get the gas to the gas station so I could put gas in my car.  I can read books and help people become better communicators and swallow better.  Not incredibly amazing, or useful without the under pinnings of culture that we often take for granted.

anyway, enough philosophy.  

 

I’ve been thinking more about jobs.  At first, I really liked the idea of being a traveling speech pathologist.  However, I would be starting a new job every three months.  And that would be difficult.  I would be in a constant state of catch-up and readjust.  And the recruiters for the traveling speech pathologist positions have not been real forthcoming with information.  So, it’s not looking good.  On top of that there are not a lot of medical positions available for a CF (clinical fellow – I need supervision for 9 months before I am a certified speech-language pathologist).  It is directly because of that supervision that medical positions are hard to come by for a CF. Medical sites do not have the man power to supervise a CF.  (with that in mind, the schools really don’t have it either, but we have to begin working somewhere).  Anyway, back to the point: there is a private school in Hillsborough, California specifically for children with severe physical and communication impairments.  Most of these kids use high-tech communication devices (basically a computer that talks for them).  I think I might begin looking into gaining employment there.  It’s in the San Francisco area, so the cost of living is astronomical, and my pending employment there would be dependent upon substantial financial compensation.  We’ll see what happens.

 

Other than that there is not much exciting happening here. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

That basically sums up how I feel: AHHHHHHHHHHH!  My graduation is in 26 days (wow), and I'M NOT READY FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have an online class where ump-teen posting are required each week, I have a giant test to take, I have to go to my internship everyday, and on top of all of that I have a thesis to finish.  To make a long story short I'm emotionally ready to start crossing things off of my to-do list, yet I am not ready to do any of it.  Granted, I should not be worrying about the job or the giant test.  I'm taking the test in June, and the job search can hold off until after graduation (I was calling April 1 my day to begin my job search ... I have a feeling that April 1 [which will begin in 11 minutes] will come and go without me looking for jobs.)  I was talking to my friend Meghan to day, and she gave me permission to freak out a little bit and then not worry about the test or the job search.  Yet - I'm still thinking about them (obviously, or I would not be blogging about them).

Anyway, in other news I just submitted a proposal to present my thesis at the national speech pathology convention in November.  My proposal was not great, so I don't have high hopes, but you never know.  But, if it does get accepted I'll be in Chicago in the middle of November ... I think the weekend before Thanksgiving.  So, that could be quite fortuitous timing.  Anyway, that's all I really wanted to say.  I was going to call someone, but then realized that everyone who would care (or pretend to care) was already asleep, like I should be.  

So, that's what I'm going to do: go  to sleep.

Goal: Accomplished

So, I have reached a new level in my seasoned career of negative 30 days, a thesis, a giant test and a 9 month internship from being a certified speech-language pathologist: for the first time a patient has requested not to receive therapy from me because of my stutter.  One might say that this is an odd thing to call a goal to be accomplished.  Yet, I a logical and rational human being, realized there was a ticking bomb related to this. Ultimately, I knew, one day I would have a patient request not to work with me because I have a more difficult time speaking in a fluid stream of words than the rest of you "neuro-typicals" (I got that phrase from my friend Peter - awesome).  Honestly, I was quite pleased with the manner in which the situation was handled.  I was never offended and was not made to feel incompetent.  My supervisor reassured me that I am doing good work and none of our other patients had taken issue with it.  I assume the family spoke with my supervisor after hours.  My supervisor then came and spoke to me (this was last week, mind you) and she said that I have three options: 1) the other slp could treat the patient, 2) my supervisor could treat the patient and I could observe or 3) I could treat the patient if I were certain that I could use the therapy techniques and "control" my stuttering.

Anyway, all of this made the come to this realization: while I have dealt with my stuttering - the emotions (anxiety, fear) that accompany the social pressure to "talk good" that easily overwhelms even fluent speakers (let alone stutterers).  And while I have dealt with the physical aspects (not to say that I don't stutter, but that I have eliminated (most of) the secondary behaviors that accompany it, and for for the most part, my stutter does not interrupt or dictate my life).  I have given stuttering therapy, provided counseling (advice) for other stutterers.  Even through all of that there is still a little bit of me that considers my stuttering to be synonymous with an unsightly mole or character flaw that my friends/family must over look.  That somehow they (you) are doing me a favor by liking me.  Now, intellectually, I know this to be erroneous.  But "knowing" something and "believing" something are entirely different animals.  I think that I will carry the scar of "my unsightly stutter" forever.  I think that I will always beat back the feelings of insecurity that can accompany an awkward situation or a failed attempt at speaking fluently.  Nevertheless, life goes on, and I "know" that I will be a better speech-language pathologist because of my own struggle with communicating myself.  Eh, such is life - right?!?!?!?!?!?!

one midnight gone (well, a little more than one)

props to anyone who caught the Into the Woods reference.

Anyway, I got out of my internship a little early today (4:30), so I decided to pop into a coffee shop in downtown Battle Creek to do some homework, and what not.  So, here I am at Brownstone Coffee at 18.5 Michigan Ave in battle creek.  I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the shop.  Initially, I did not expect to be impressed.  It's in Battle Creek, which doesn't bode well (Battle Creek, in general, just doesn't appeal to me).  Anyway.  I walked into the dimly lit, narrow, but exceedingly long shop, heard the soft blues/jazz music playing overhead and ordered my Americano from the barista, who was quite warm and friendly.  I found my way to one of the tables lining the left side of the shop, each individually lit by a light, alternating between mini torch lamps and "lawyer-style" desk lamps.  Across from me there are three circular glass tables with chairs that match the table support.  the chair backs all have steaming cups of coffee etched out of them.  - it adds a nice little bit.  Anyway, on the right wall there is a series of three murals, one of a Hindu god (with 8 arms - can't remember the name), another of a guy with a yellow trench coat (reminding me of Dick Tracey) hanging out of a train to grab a cappuccino from a cappuccino machine, and the third of a finely painted coffee cup with a barista floating out of the steam rising from the cup.  and then there are pictures and paintings for sale hung all throughout the the shop.  my favorite part, however, is the ceiling.  it consists of finely detailed tin ceiling tiles, painted a creme color, the duct work is exposed, track lighting at 45 degree angles to the walls, and then, above the coffee bar is an A-frame skylight.  So, in a word the coffee shop has character.  and the coffee wasn't bad either.

anyway, the internship is going well.   I'm learning lots.  there is quite a steep learning curve - I'm doing virtually all cognitive therapy (stuff I haven't done).  my patients are, for the most part, good to work with.  We did an evaluation of one guy yesterday - he was motivated and congenial.  Today, that was not the same story.  He was agitated and uncooperative.  and refused services.  we returned later in the day, no change.  we found out that he was upset about the status of his pills (crushed in applesauce) and was attributing that change to us.  but we never saw him for swallowing eval, so we didn't order that.  Anyway - that's the life of an SLP when you work with brain injury - ups and downs, and - WOW, where did that come from.

Anyway, the coffee shop is about to close (that's a downer - they close early, then again it's in BC, and they probably don't have the customer base to stay open past 6).  Anyway, I will write later.