English Please?

Today was the first day that we were taught to “palpate” in our practical class. Basically, we are given a part of the skeleton-or other bodily structures-and asked to find it. There are a lot of purposes for palpation. Although, I admit my knowledge about this subject is quite limited as I just started the massage therapy course. In the future we will be asked to “palpate” to make decisions about a client’s condition, but today we were using certain “landmarks” to determine where our “draping lines” are located. For example, when one massages the back, the draping (also known as a sheet) is brought down to expose the back. We are supposed to use body “landmarks” in order to know how far down the sheet is to go. Sounds simple enough? Not exactly.
You see. We’re expected to know both the laymen’s terms for the body part, for example the lower back, and the proper nomenclature. Your hip is not just called a hip you know. In fact, the bone that your massage therapist uses to determine the draping line on your back is called the “posterior superior iliac spine,” and the back of your lower leg is called the “inferior aspect of the iliac crest.” I mean, seriously, who comes up with these things? To all of those people who are sceptical about massage therapists out there, we are not just crazy quacks waiting to make your “happy ending” come true. We are highly, specialised trained people. Well, at least in Ontario and British Columbia we are. In Ontario you have to put in 2200 hours before you can become a Registered Massage therapist (RMT), and in B.C. it’s about 3000 hours respectively. That isn’t even taking into consideration the crazy insane provincial board exams we have to pass. If even just a centametre of our massage table is showing during this provincially sanctioned exam, we fail. We could be wearing the wrong coloured pants and they will fail us.
How crazy strict you think? Yes and rightfully so. We’re touching people’s bodies. How many people can say that their profession allows them to touch naked bodies? We have to respect this prvelege and treat it just as that, a privelege. And, as I have alredy mentioned, we’re paid to ensure people get treated for their injuries and if we don’t have the proper training, those people will end up with further complications. I just have to keep telling myself when I’m sitting through fifteen hours of anatomy class a week or when my instructor asks me to palpate my own xyophoid process so that I know where to draw the sheets down to when undraping to massage someone’s head, neck and shoulders.

PS: please excuse the typing errors-my computer is not allowing me to edit. : that thisll worth it and that even though I may not have a xyphoid rocess, I canit!

Change Is Good

2009 is definitely full of changes for me-some of which started at the end of last yearbut now the magnitude of all of these changes has really taken hold. I have a new dog, which everyone knows, started a new program, and I'm now in an apartment on my own with Glacier for company.
I think that is the biggest change I have to get used to. I am so used to always having either Tenie or Carmen around to go and talk to if I need to, but now it's just me. Both girls are now in Scotland completing a Master's in European Archaeology. I wish them all the best, but damn, doI ever miss them. The nice thing about living on my own though is that I have the freedom to kind of do my own thing whenever I feel like it. I can crank the music whenever I want; when I come home from class the place is quiet so I can wind down; I can get up as early as I want and don't have to worry about bothering anyone; and the best part, the mess left is my own! :) I can be as messy or as neat as I want. It's nice to be able to do the dishes one day and still have an empty sink the next.
I also think living on my own is giving Glacier and I the opportunity to bond really well. It's just the two of us and so he knows that I'm in charge. He seems more affectionate than when we were at my parents house and his work is improving at a very high rate. He's a lot of dog to handle since he's so big, so I think this situation is extremely beneficial for us both. Besides, I've only had him for three months, I really don't want to share him just yet. :)

Jess Ni the Science Guy

I’ve been studying anatomy tonight and totally rocking it! I think I’m the next best thing to Hypocrates!
Who am I kidding? I am terrible at science and I'm pretty sure Glacier isn't about to give me any help. I tried to get him to quiz me on my regional anatomy material and he just curled up into a little ball and went to sleep! I am really excited about the practical aspect of the massage college, but this science will be the death of me. That said, my classmates are all really supportive of each other and I am setting up a tutorial to be held once a week after my anatomy class, so maybe just maybe I'll be able to rhyme off the 26 bones of the spine…erm, wait. Well never mind!

Goofy Boy

Have you ever just had one of those days? It’s like this heavy gloom hangs over you and you just can’t shake it. Today sort of started out that way.
There are many times in the day when Glacier makes me laugh. Even when I’m grumpy he can usually make me smile. Today was our second day of massage college and I was a bit frustrated by people’s attitudes. One administrative woman decided that when I took Glacier out an administration member should come out with me so they could “clean up after him.” She assumed that I couldn’t pick up after my dog. If she only knew that Leader Dogs does not let you graduate unless you are completely capable of cleaning up. I informed her of this and she backed off, but was quite insistent that I should bring the full bag into the school and someone would take it out back where the garbage can resides. I informed her that if someone showed me where the can was I would be able to complete this task on my own, but she was adamant that I should not be on “those stairs.” What fucking planet does she think I live on that there are no stairs?!
I was quite perturbed by that and a few other ignorant comments that people made, so by the time I got home I was feeling kind of cranky. But sure enough, as soon as Glacier’s harness came off he had me cracking up. As soon as he was released, he galloped up and down the main hall of my apartment carrying around this giant, purple, rubber squirrel he has. It’s one of the only toys he hasn’t managed to destroy. He kept flipping it out of his mouth into the air and catching it. After he had tired of this game, he thought it was a fantastic idea to give me his nyla bone to hold while he chewed it. After rough housing a bit with him, I started making my supper and got his ready for him as well. Half way through this process, he loudly demanded I take him out and then instead of peeing he grabbed a stick that was taller than me and proceeded to try to carry it back up stairs. I finally managed to stop laughing long enough to remove the humongous branch from his jaws. When I returned him to his relieving area, he found another branch-not as big as the first one-and plunked himself down with every intention to chew it into a million pieces. Whoever told dogs that chewing wood was a good idea? Needless to say, my big goofy dog-who is now curled up on a bright pink Disney Princess blanket he confiscated from the couch-definitely turns a bad day into a good one.

Happy 2009!

As some of you may have noticed, my blog has a new name. My new leader dog, Glacier, is the reason for this change. Gone are the days of “Jess and Jetta’s adventures” as she is now retired and living happily at my parents. Since the new year is upon us, I thought it was fitting to start anew blog, that has been named after a new dog. But don’t be fooled by my blog’s ironic title-there is nothing slow moving about the giant yellow lab that guides me helter-skelter through the twists and turns of every day life. He’s big and goofy and although I’ve only had him for a little less than three months, he’s left his mark on my heart already-as I am sure you will soon understand why. So sit back and enjoy 2009 and stop by once in a while to see how Glacier and I are doing.

A random revelation

I have returned from Germany and although it was a very interesting trip, that will not be the topic of this post. (Just know that it was along trip with hard training and tough competition. I won a few medals and broke the national record for the fifty fly record by three seconds. We did do some touring, but Berlin has so much history that it is truly a city that a tourist should take at least five days to investigate in order to appreciate it properly). Anyway, on to today's post.
I have been home at my parents' for the past week. It's been great to be home as I have thoroughly enjoyed someone else cooking for me. Not to mention, your parents' cooking always tastes better regardless of your cooking abilities. My Mom's two sisters-Auntie Marie and Auntie Claudette-are also up visiting. It's been a lot of fun having them around as well. Sunday night my Mom cooked a huge turkey and invited them over for supper. I made the mashed potatoes and Dad bought a pie for dessert. After supper was finished we headed outside and started up a bonfire. I can't explain how much I love fires. As a kid it was one of my favourite parts of camping. I would spend the whole night scooted up as close to its heat as possible listening to the adults talking and my Dad's friend playing the guitar. Sometimes he'd play kids' songs to appease us younger ones and we'd roast marsh mellows. I loved the warmth of the fire and how it smelled, especially how your hair and clothes smelled after leaving the fire. Back then I had super long hair. Actually up until about a year ago my hair reached the middle of my back. Feeling like I needed a change I headed into my hair dresser's last May and asked him to cut it off. At first I was worried that I wouldn't like it, but I love it. It's much easier to handle and makes me actually look closer to my age-I haven't been carded since I cut it! Anyway, I digress. The point of my story was that, although I love the short hair, I mourned it on Sunday night when I climbed into bed because it is not long enough anymore for me to pull close to my face and breathe in the campfire smell. Up until this year, I would crawl under the covers and lay my hair close to my face so I could smell the campfire smoke, but I can't do that anymore. Although this is not earth shattering and does not impact important issues such as global warming or the illegal trade of tiger parts, I felt that I needed to share my loss with everyone. I'm not planning on growing my hair back out any time soon, so I will just have to suck it up. It's funny how little things in life hold such great meaning and something as simple as cutting your hair short can change them. That said, my enjoyment of campfires has not diminished in the least.

Swimming Thoughts: Going to Germany

Today I leave for Germany for a competition. My tapper-and part time coach-Dave is coming with me as Christena is getting her wisdom teeth taken out this afternoon. We'll get in tomorrow morning and racing will start next Friday. The meet is actually in Berlin, but we'll be staying in a different city until next Thursday when they will transport the entire swim team to Berlin. We have a 21 member swim team-fifteen women and six men. There are a lot of new athletes on the team this year, and it's good to see that there are up and coming swimmers. Most of the swimmers that have been around since 2000, which was when I made my first national team, will be retiring after the paralympic Games in Beijing. I have pretty much decided I'm retiring. My passion for the sport is slipping and you can't be an elite athlete when you "sort of" want to be doing it. It takes a lot of dedication and sacrifice and that requires a 100 percent commitment. I know I can put in that effort until September when the Games will be held, but after that, I don't think I want to do it anymore. It's kind of an interesting thought. Swimming is such a huge part of my identity and it has been for so long. I'll miss it, but it will be good to move on to other things. It also seems kind of appropriate to be retiring. I am graduating in June and moving in September to attend massage therapy college so it seems like a new chapter of my life will be starting and one closing. The head coach of team Canada asked me to consider continuing swimming because he thinks that I am only reaching the peak of my athletic career now, and although I agree with him to a certain extent, if my heart and mind arent' in it, then I can't force myself to do it. I used to get so excited about leaving for competitions. I'd pack early and it would be the only thing I could think of. I'm leaving at 1 this afternoon and I haven't even packed yet! (I'll get on that when I am done writing this). All I can think of right now is how many hard workouts and how much pain I'm going to end up being in from all of the training we'll be doing leading up to the competition next weekend. This tells me that my head isn't in the right place. I should be thinking of all of the exciting experiences I'll have in Germany. I should just be excited that I'm going to Germany at all, but instead I'm worried about the racing and how I'll place and whether or not I'll make it through the training camp. No matter how many national records you hold, no matter how many medals you have got in the past, or how fast you are, you have to get faster to stay competitive with the rest of the world and that is a lot of pressure. Either way, I have to pull myself out of this funk and go and represent my country to the best of my ability-my parents always said I was my worst critic and I think they're right.
So wish me luck and I'll tell you all about it when I return in two weeks or so.

Missing My Girl

So Jetta has been gone for almost 24 hours exactly and it is definitely not the same without her. This morning Dyan asked me if I wanted to go for breakfast and since she had to leave for work right after, I had to make sure Christena or Carmen were coming so that I had some way to get home. I also have an appointment with a doctor this afternoon to get my Guide Dog application physical Health form filled ot and I had to co-ordinate my appointment with one of my roommates to make sure I could get there. I really do rely on Jetta because I don't trust my cane travel. I'm sure if worse came to worse I could use a cane to get somewhere, but I just can't bring myself to endure that much stress. Fortunately for me, my roommates are pretty understanding and don't mind helping me in situations like this-since it doesn't happen very often. Tomorrow my coach is picking me up for swim practice in the morning since I can't get there without Jetta. It's interesting how large their role really is in your life. Last night before I went to bed, I went to grab her leash to take her out, but neither Jetta nor her leash are here. Oh well, only thirteen more days and I'll get her back.
It's kind of strange as well because I just opened the door to get a package Swimming Canada sent me and she wasn't here rushing to see who was here. I reached down out of habit to grab a collar, but there was no dog to stop. I better go open this package and figure out what time we're leaving Wednesday for Germany-they finally sent us our airplane tickets.
PS: For those of you I haven't talked to in a while, the above reference to the Guide dog application means that I am retiring Jetta at the end of the summer. Recently she's been slowing down when working and I think she's telling me she's done. I will explain that more in another post.

A Very Busy Weekend

This has been a very busy weekend for both Jetta and I. Friday we were in Guelph and spent the day picking up my new hearing aid and letting Jetta run at a conservation area. But let's start with the hearing aid.
I have had 90 percent hearing loss in my right ear since I was about four or so. I had radiation therapy when I was younger to try to save my eyes and unfortunately a side effect of that treatment was hearing loss. The doctors tried to fit me with a hearing aid as a kid, but I wouldn't wear it. Not because I was worried about what it looked like, but because it made everything sound tinny. I had been so used to hearing a certain way, they couldn't convince me to wear it. Finally, around Christmas time, a friend of mine-Brooke-went and got one and told me about how much it helped her. I figured it might be a good idea since sometimes I fail tohear cars when crossing streets-so I guess it's a safety thing with me. So, Friday I picked mine up. I have been slowly introducing myself to it. It sounds strange and the thing that I have to get used to is my own voice. It's so weird!
After that appointment, Brooke, her husband Huib, my parents and all of the dogs-five in total-went out to a conservation area. It is basically a big long trail that has a fence on the outer edge to keep people and their dogs away from the highway. There were so many dogs running loose it was amazing. At first, I didn't want to take Jetta off of her leash. Regardless of how much work I have done with her and her recall, she still refuses to come back. I know she knows what it is because sometimes she chooses to return, but then others, she just walks-or runs-the other direction. My dad told me that if i let her go, he would chase her if necessary, so I let her go. She was so excited! She ran in crazy circles and went crashing through the under brush. The most amazing part of it all was that she went swimming. Not just a little splash up to her belly, full out swimming. And what's even more amazing is that she went willingly and more than once. I was completely shocked. The best part was that she actually came back when I called her. So, Brooke and I have decided that this seems to be a good place for Jetta to be "free" and that it will have to be something we do often.
Yesterday Christena, Carmen and I went to a friend's wedding. It was one of the most non-traditional traditional weddings I have ever been to. (Jetta stayed at home with my parents because I decided she would enjoy a day with them rather than sitting at a church and a reception hall. They took her for a run at the dog park and a walk later that night to the park behind my house). The couple were married in a church, but instead of the wedding march the bride came down the aisle to Darth Vader's theme music. The whole ceremony had references to Star Wars, Star Trek and BattleStar Galactica. The women carried books instead of bouquets of flowers and the men's handkerchiefs had characters from Super Mario Brothers One. Instead of dancing the guests were encouraged to play video games. We left around 10:30, but decided that since we were all dressed up and the night was still young, we had to go dancing.
We ended up at a night club called The Revolution in our wedding attire and danced the rest of the night away. By the time we got home our feet were killing us and thought mine would never go back to their normal shape. That is what you get for wearing three inch heels for over twelve hours.
My parents left this morning and took Jett with them. I am leaving on Wednesday for a swim competition and decided not to take her with me. I think she'll have a good two week vacation, but I miss her already. Oh well. I think she'll enjoy running around with Flash at home rather than sitting on an airplane or a stuffy pool deck.
So that was my weekend in a nut shell-today will be a day of leisure and getting caught up on laundry and such things.

I'm Still Alive

This will just be a quick post, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still alive and plan to start writing again. I know I've said that before, but now that my under grad has been completed, I have the time and may actually get the urge to sit down at the computer and write. So, for now this it as I am out the door to get supplies such as razors and toothpaste.