Journal #16 Sept 7th

Journal # 16 September 7, 2009
Hard to believe that September is already rolling around again, this summer went by so fast and now I’m heading into the first September of my life (that I can remember) where I’m not in school.
This weekend was one of those really good weekends, a weekend where at the end of it I feel relaxed, ready to take on the week, happy that I got to spend some time with friends, live a bit, visit a new city, learn about what identity means and how I’m going to approach this year, among many other things.
Friday was pretty low key, I went to my placement like any other week day… of course on this day they bring more fatty and tasty foods for me to munch on. I feel like sometimes they are trying to fatten me up, for what…. I don’t know. I’m constantly exposed to food at this place, whether it be doughnuts, blueberry muffins (home made of course), and most of all: quadruple layered fudge brownie whipped cream nutty heaven (of which I really do need to get the recipe from Susan, our NP). As I think about it, it’s a bit difficult for me to recall all that happens at a day at work, and to separate one day from the next. A few patients of mine stick out (names changed of course). A few notable ones include a former NFL player who is now HIV+, back at home to take care of his father who is ill. He reminds me of a gentle giant, a person who if you saw him on the street, you would most likely find an excuse to move to the other side. However, when you meet this man, and he smiles, you just want to give him a hug. I’d say he was one of the nicest patients I’ve ever met. He was the first patient I got to use the eye-tester machine on (the name of which escapes me). His story also reminds me how you won’t know someone’s story until you ask them to tell it. While he had been in the clinic many times before, no one had ever asked him the questions I had, which had led me to the realization that this guy had worked so hard and gotten to the highest point one can if they play football. At the same time, I feel that I only got a small piece of his story, and I want to know the rest. Hopefully he will come back sometime and I will get that opportunity.
Saturday was a blast, I woke up, lounged around for a bit, worked on some applications, went for a run, ate lunch, and mentally prepared myself for the party that would come that night. We made the necessary preparations. If you’re wondering about why I’m repeating myself a little bit from my last post, it is because I wrote the tail end of that post on Saturday, my apologies for not making that apparent. The party was a great time, we ended up arriving quite early, walking around B-more a bit (the tag line of the party was why B-Less when you can B-more, soooo witty). It was great to get to see everyone again after orientation, to solidify certain relationships and discover others which had not existed before. I met another Washingtonian who I think will be quite fun to get to know, she’s from Gonzaga and we just kind of hit it off. We left later in the evening, as 50 people were already sleeping in a 6 person house, and arrived back home exhausted and happy.
Today I woke up, did a run around the neighborhood, did some stairs and sprints, actually, before that, I went to Alexandria with my friend Carl to explore an area we both had yet to see. It is a quaint town with a old style main street, with a lot of places to shop, eat, and explore. I didn’t get to do as much as I wanted (ie explore the historical sites) but it was a great introduction to a place I hope to visit soon.
In other news, my friend Kristina showed me the first episode of Gossip Girl, and I think I’m addicted. I’m going to watch the second episode with her now…Ungh.