I Long for The Falls

Until recently, I never could have even imagined this thought running through my head, but it's there and it's not going anywhere, so I guess it's time to share it...I miss Spokane. There are definitely parts of it that I miss less than others, but there is one thing that I especially miss this time of year. On a snowy night my senior year, wearing my red chacos, and unable to feel my feet anymore, I first gazed upon "The Falls." Even in the middle of winter they were beautiful. I had absolutely no idea how I had managed to avoid them for the 3+ academic years I had already spent in Spokane. The visit that night was short, as frostbite was becoming more and more likely, but I'd go back.

A few months later, I returned. This time at high water and with someone who loves water as much as I do. We spent hours and hours that week just staring into the spray, amazed at the power and beauty of the water. We tried to scout lines, looking for even just one route that a raft might be able to run, but we found none. We used our knowledge of river features and attempted to decipher the features hidden deep under the surface that pushed and pulled the water, creating the white piles of water before us. It was really amazing.

Now, 2 years later, I find myself 1,500 miles from The Falls, watching the gauge rise, wishing I was there. I'm there in my mind though, standing below the Monroe Street Bridge in the dark, soaked by the cold spray, and completely content.

I recently got back in touch with a college friend I hadn't spoken to in 5 years. After weeks of me insisting that he take a walk downtown to see The Falls, he finally went one afternoon. My suspicion that he would love it there was confirmed. And along with a text saying something about him naming The Falls a new awesome hangout spot, I received some photos! I posted them as well as some from 2 years ago. They'll help ease my pain until I can see them again. While the photos don't begin to do justice to the awe that they inspire, I hope that you at least think they're neat. :)

Home Health Nurse Wanted

Home Health Nurse Wanted!

We are looking for an RN or an LPN to make home visits to housebound patient(s). Schedule is flexible. Tiered pay-rate system based upon the complexity of each visit. Mileage is reimbursed.

Requirements: Valid NM Nursing License. Candidate must pass criminal background check, drug testing, and employment physical, have a clean driving record, be insurable, and have current driver’s license.


Now, allow me to explain:


Mi madre has been down here for the past several weeks, taking care of my helpless post-op self. She has been a godsend, doing all the cooking and cleaning and corralling the mutts! You know, fun things like that. Anyway, one morning, the mutts work up particularly early, at about 5:30 am. (I was just told to add that it was barely starting to get light out.) Mom, being in superior physical condition at this particular point, got up and began the journey downstairs to let the dogs out. As perhaps shown in previous blog posts, the stairwell has the potential to be fairly dark, even during the day. Being unfamiliar with the locations of the light switches in my house and in a sleepy fog, she did not turn on the light, but bravely ventured down the dark stairwell. The mutts reached the door at the bottom of the stairs first and started pawing at it to get out, but mom had latched it the night before. In an attempt to keep the dogs from waking my roommate, my mom quickly unlatched the door and, when the dogs flung it open, reached forward to try to stop the door from banging into the wall. At this point she thought that she was on the bottom step, but as she reached forward for the door and tried to step down, quickly realized that she was not. She was actually on the second step.

Now, I'd like to explain exactly what happened at this point, but I wasn't there, so I'll just let the photos do all the talking!
There was also a scraped knee involved, but it wasn't nearly as visually disturbing! At any rate, we're now looking for a caregiver for the both of us since my caregiver suddenly needs medical care as well!
In actuality, besides some soreness and the obvious swelling and brusing, she's just fine. Luckly duck! Lucky me too, since she's been doing absolutely everything for me!

The Anatomy of Frogs

I was cruising Neatorama and found a few photos worth posting.

First off, this anatomically correct product, called the Hypochondriac, certainly gives new meaning to all of those anatomy pick-up lines you hear being thrown around!










Second, these creepy eyeshades make you appear to look away when you’re looking forward! They were inspired by a gorilla attack at the Rotterdam Zoo last May. The gorilla named Bokito attacked a woman, presumably because she had made eye contact with him. Health insurance company FBTO took advantage of the situation and issued “Bokito Viewers” to zoo visitors to protect them from gorilla attack. As far as I can tell, a crowd of people wearing the glasses might just make the all of the other gorillas uncomfortable enough to attack!





And last but not least, this frog may have gotten in over his head. What do you think?

Appearnace isn't Everything

This is pretty cool. You should definitely watch! It's quite inspiring! Really.

Spinal Surgery

I'm so happy to announce that I survived spinal surgery and I'm even cutting back on the percocet a bit now!

Surgery was first thing in the morning on April 4th. It's such a relief to have it over with. There was not doubt in my mind that I was in enough pain to justify the surgery, but in the back of my mind, I was so afraid that he was going to cut me open and find that there was nothing wrong or that the disc was healing on its own. Thank God that didn't happen! The surgeon said that, once he got in there, it was much worse than he had anticipated. There was hardly any disc matter left to scrape out. Apparently my body had been reabsorbing the disc, which was causing a wider array of symptoms and pain than were noted when the problem presented itself in June of last year. The surgeon took a bone graft from the front of my pelvis on the left side and attached it to the C5 and C6 vertebrae in my neck using a metal plate and 4 screws. I'm now in a neck brace for 6 weeks to make sure that the bone graft heals and grows into the vertebrae and properly fuses them. I have xrays in another week and then again at 6 weeks post-op to make sure everything is on track. If everything looks good at 6 weeks, I can lose the neck brace and I'm good to go!

Thanks to my family and friends for being so supportive through all of this! What am I gonna blog about once my health is better?!? ;)