Monday, September 24, 2007
Update!
Well! It's been a while! Over the last two weeks, my friend Rebekah has come all the way from Atlanta, GA to visit, I have gotten to fly in an airplane that Burr was piloting, I have gotten onto Facebook, Gabe's bloodwork came back (he does NOT have rabies), one friend has already moved to Okinawa, I have led a music therapy session, and the University of Alabama has had it's first loss of the season. Whew!
It was wonderful having Rebekah out here for a few days. She actually got to go flying with us and it was FANTASTIC! Burr did such a good job preparing for the flight and really took responsibility for everything that was going on. I can also credit Rebekah with putting me on Facebook. She decided that it would be the best way for me to keep up connections with my college friends and others. And I must say, it's fantastic! I'm a little bit addicted to it - checking in throughout the day to see if anyone has left a message or made a friend request. It's also fun to read people's profiles to see what they have been up to since we last saw one another. So a HUGE thanks to Rebekah for getting me caught up with the times!
Last Saturday, after the Alabama/Arkansas game (which 'Bama won), Burr, Rebekah, and I decided that Fish and Chips by the beach would be the perfect way to celebrate. We headed out, all jazzed about the fried food and beer we were about to inhale, drove down to Carlsbad, and... the restaurant was closed. No Kidding! It was only 8:30 at night - and a Saturday at that! We settled for Thai food (which was awesome, just not what we'd wanted) and sheepishly put Rebekah on the plane the next day having never treated her to a local culinary indulgence. Burr and I still had grease on the brain, however, and set out on a quest Sunday night to find another fish and chips restaurant. We found one. Not ten minutes from our house in Oceanside Harbor. And it had been open the night before when we were searching. Ah the irony... Rebekah probably got the better deal because although she wanted the treat, she never got to indulge. But we did! And eighty pounds later, we felt bad for enjoying it without her, but strangely satisfied in a grease coma way...
Let's see... what else? I felt so honored to be asked to fill in for one of the local music therapists in a session last week. I got to work with geriatric patients in a skilled nursing facility for an hour on Friday afternoon and it was great to be interacting with clients again. The facility staff was great too - really taking an active role in the session by interacting with me, playing the instruments, and assisting the residents in their participation. I get to sub for the group again this Friday and am already working on my session plan. It's easy to go into groups like that and just play the same familiar songs over and over, but the challenge is to present the music in a new way. Perhaps in the context of a game, or memory activity - but of course keeping it accessible to the levels of functioning of the group. I think that if an MT can go into a session without developing a session plan and wracking his/her brain with new ideas for purposeful interaction that he/she might not be working hard enough. But that's just me...
My birthday is Wednesday. But don't feel like you have to rush out buy me something... no, no, cash gifts are always acceptable! Just kidding...
That's all I know for now. We are still waiting for Penny Lane's bloodwork to come back, then we can contact Japan about importing our pets. I'll keep you updated on how that goes... And keep checking back for pictures. I have some more of seals at La Jolla to put up (courtesy of Rebekah), as well as flying pictures, and last Sunday at Oceanside Harbor.
All the best,
rmf
It was wonderful having Rebekah out here for a few days. She actually got to go flying with us and it was FANTASTIC! Burr did such a good job preparing for the flight and really took responsibility for everything that was going on. I can also credit Rebekah with putting me on Facebook. She decided that it would be the best way for me to keep up connections with my college friends and others. And I must say, it's fantastic! I'm a little bit addicted to it - checking in throughout the day to see if anyone has left a message or made a friend request. It's also fun to read people's profiles to see what they have been up to since we last saw one another. So a HUGE thanks to Rebekah for getting me caught up with the times!
Last Saturday, after the Alabama/Arkansas game (which 'Bama won), Burr, Rebekah, and I decided that Fish and Chips by the beach would be the perfect way to celebrate. We headed out, all jazzed about the fried food and beer we were about to inhale, drove down to Carlsbad, and... the restaurant was closed. No Kidding! It was only 8:30 at night - and a Saturday at that! We settled for Thai food (which was awesome, just not what we'd wanted) and sheepishly put Rebekah on the plane the next day having never treated her to a local culinary indulgence. Burr and I still had grease on the brain, however, and set out on a quest Sunday night to find another fish and chips restaurant. We found one. Not ten minutes from our house in Oceanside Harbor. And it had been open the night before when we were searching. Ah the irony... Rebekah probably got the better deal because although she wanted the treat, she never got to indulge. But we did! And eighty pounds later, we felt bad for enjoying it without her, but strangely satisfied in a grease coma way...
Let's see... what else? I felt so honored to be asked to fill in for one of the local music therapists in a session last week. I got to work with geriatric patients in a skilled nursing facility for an hour on Friday afternoon and it was great to be interacting with clients again. The facility staff was great too - really taking an active role in the session by interacting with me, playing the instruments, and assisting the residents in their participation. I get to sub for the group again this Friday and am already working on my session plan. It's easy to go into groups like that and just play the same familiar songs over and over, but the challenge is to present the music in a new way. Perhaps in the context of a game, or memory activity - but of course keeping it accessible to the levels of functioning of the group. I think that if an MT can go into a session without developing a session plan and wracking his/her brain with new ideas for purposeful interaction that he/she might not be working hard enough. But that's just me...
My birthday is Wednesday. But don't feel like you have to rush out buy me something... no, no, cash gifts are always acceptable! Just kidding...
That's all I know for now. We are still waiting for Penny Lane's bloodwork to come back, then we can contact Japan about importing our pets. I'll keep you updated on how that goes... And keep checking back for pictures. I have some more of seals at La Jolla to put up (courtesy of Rebekah), as well as flying pictures, and last Sunday at Oceanside Harbor.
All the best,
rmf
Sunday, September 16, 2007
If I Left the Zoo...
Three weeks ago, Burr and I headed down to the famous San Diego Zoo. Here is some of what we saw.
Mac vs. PC
We are moving to Japan. You all know this. I feel that in addition to new (full-size) sheets, a lamp or two, and maybe a rug, I would like a new laptop (with built in wi-fi, webcam, etc). I know a lot of you are now using Mac computers and others are using PC's. Care to weigh in on the pros and cons of each? All I know is that I will never buy another Dell!
Keep checking in... I have pictures coming of the adventures of the last few weeks!
rmf
Keep checking in... I have pictures coming of the adventures of the last few weeks!
rmf
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