Awake

Happy Friday

This has been a varied and interesting week. Some details are not fit for public consumption, but, you know, I have Vox invites, and if you accept, I will add you to my family/friends neighborhood and you (and only you), I will provide with varied and interesting stories that are not fit for public consumption. =) That's all I will say for now. (Wink wink nod nod.) Otherwise you'll just have to call me or e-mail me for the varied and interesting details. Use the keywords "Operation Catch and Release" in your inquiry and I will set you up straightaway.

One of the highlights of my week that I am more than happy tell you about was attending a small group bible study. It has been eons since I have been to a small group bible study and I went away thoroughly encouraged by the fellowship that took place there. I am very glad that I arranged my class schedule next term so that I can continue to attend on Tuesday evenings. What a delightful surprise that was.

This group is particularly interesting because of the range of ages, gender, and cultures represented. I have always been a little sore about the church sub-cultural mores that dictate that when I am out of college I cannot fellowship with people that I have ministered with since childhood and adolescence simply because they are now married and I am not. So I have found it quite refreshing to find a group of married couples with and without kids, single men and women, young people, older people, of various social, economic and cultural backgrounds gathered together to study the bible, pray for each other, and build relationships with each other. What a concept. I absolutely love it. There's one root of bitterness now uprooted.

Also, I have recommenced volunteering as a mediator apprentice at the Beaverton Dispute Resolution Center. Last night was my first night back after a hiatus of nearly 3 months. I am very happy to be back and to be working with people in my city to help them live at peace with each other. We are increasingly dealing with conflicts of a intercultural nature, which is particularly fascinating to me because of my studies at Biola in intercultural studies. Beaverton is a much more culturally diverse city than most people realize. Values based on "rights" (i.e. I have a "right" to park here) often conflict with a deeply held expectation of respect based on age or perceived (or imposed) social roles. The nuances of these conflicts are complicated by the mixing and changing of values that comes with a change of geography and community. (For example, what was important in his community in Korea is understood at a certain level now that he lives in Beaverton, but it is overrided by what values he now deems important in this "Western" culture. So he's been "Westernized" (his words) and he carries knowledge of former cultural values, but refuses to use that understanding in his current conflict with a neighbor that shares that previous value. Confused? You should be!)

This weekend I head north to see cute babies and other family members. Brace yourself for an abudance of pictures next week.

Well that's all the news that fit to print or type. Or whatever. Happy Friday to you. And friends and family, don't forget to ask me for a Vox invite. Blogging isn't as scary or hard as you think. Plus you'll be privvy to the more varied and interesting details of my life thus far. Exciting, I know. (Try and contain yourself.)

Again I say, "Happy Friday."

Last Day, Term 2 (out of a possible 6)

Well I'm 10 hours away from being one-third of the way through massage school. Finals have been going well so far. I have my Anatomy & Physiology exam tonight and then two whole weeks off (of school).

This "vacation" I plan to organize my finances using Google Spreadsheet, clean my windows, and read...a lot. I also want to color s'more in both my Anatomy and Physiology Coloring Books. (I feel like I didn't get as much quality time with them as I wanted.)

As for road trips, I have one trip to Seattle planned next weekend. My cousin Erin, who lives in Japan with her husband Bernie and new baby Jayden, will be in Bothell, WA with Bernie's parents and Jayden will be getting baptized on October 1st. So I (and most of my family) will be heading up to Seattle to Brant and Jackie's place for the occasion and to gather to celebrate my mom's birthday, which is one the 27th of September. So that should be fun.

Not sure if I'll make it anywhere else, but I have a few ideas in mind. We'll see.

Anyhoo, happy Friday!

What does tobacco, asbestos, and fluoride have in common?

Here's one for the conspiracy category (which has been sitting dormant for quite some time). It turns out that in the tradition of tobacco, asbestos, and other things that were once publicly hailed as "healthy," Fluoride (you know, the thing that will "reduce cavities in children"), is not so healthy after all, to the point of being alarmingly unhealthy.

Since there have been so many attempts to deceive, obfuscate, and inveigle the public into accepting Fluoride as beneficial to children's oral health, it is hard to know the truth from a lie. Will our children or grandchildren's generation scoff at our acceptance of Fluoride as a necessity to oral healthcare as we now scoff at the generation before our's use of tobacco as acceptable and even healthy? It seems probable.

I have no ready answers, but I have put the book, The Fluoride Deception on hold at the library. It's really not too hard to tell what the premise of the book is, but I'm always up for a juicy mystery—more so if it's nonfiction. I'll be posting any interesting tidbits from the book as I come across them.

In the meantime, I've switched to Doctor Burt's Cinna Mint Toothpaste. Yeah, it's not as harsh as my regular toothpaste and there's no poison control warning on the label, but it's got a pretty red tube and it's made with all natural ingredients. So it can't hurt to try something healthy, right?

For those of you with little ones, I would recommend discouraging your school from offering "fluoride rinses" to kids or from popping fluoride tablets in apple juice with the good intention of contributing to your kids' oral health. Instead, offer them no-sugar snacks and help them brush at least twice a day. (And don't get them started on soda pop! Hindsight is 20/20, right?) Also, try and find some kids' toothpaste that doesn't contain fluoride and that is labeled as OK to swallow. Doctor Burt's Children's Toothpaste might be a good option.

Oh and if you live within Beaverton, Oregon city limits, I would NOT drink the water. [link]

Take a deep breath and smile!

Finals Week is Here!

It's Tuesday and I'm already halfway done with my exams and assignments this week. Last night I did the Intake Form Exam. (We had to fill in all the questions on East West's Intake Form, including all the systems, common conditions, and symptoms.) Special thanks to everyone who has come over for a homework massage over the last 6 months and let me practice doing an intake on them. Without you, I would have failed miserably. =)

I also got the practical portion of my Massage 2 final out of the way. That means on Wednesday, all I have to do is take the written section and I'm outta there...to continue studying for my A&P final on Friday!

Tonight is Anatomy & Physiology's review night. I'm bringing chocolate-peanut and snickerdoodle cookies. Yum. Review night should be fun. I can't believe this is the last week of term 2.

I'm leaving many of my school buddies behind this next term, though I'll still see a handful of them in Massage 3. But, I've got a new website up my sleeve that involves a core group of friends from school--so that'll be a fun way to keep in touch. I'm hoping to launch it officially the first week of October. Stay tuned!

Next term is Pathology (diseases and special considerations concerning whether or not it's ok to give someone a massage who has a particular pathology or condition) and Massage 3 (which ties together Massage 1 and 2).

Good times.

Howdy folks

Well there are only days between me and the end of my second term at massage therapy school. Some days I think it's going by slowly and then I realize that what I perceive as one year ago was only six months. In six more months from now I can start the process of getting my license and then six months after that, I will be set free into the world as a licensed massage therapist. Where will I go from there? I have a few ideas already, but I don't have to know now, so I'm holding off on saying for sure where I'd like to be.

I've been posting a bit over at my vox blog, so check that out when you get a chance. There are some super cute little videos starring my nieces at Sunriver. Clean family fun for everyone.

Enjoy. And happy Thursday.

Pictures posted of Sunriver trip and Adalie's birthday

Went to Sunriver over Labor Day weekend with most of the family (sans Brant and Jackie). Swimming, hiking, biking, and relaxing was in plentiful supply. Adalie's birthday fell on Labor Day this year (September 4), so we celebrated her birthday as well. She got some cute cowgirl stuff (a pink cowgirl hat and a hobby horse that played caroselesque music). Very fun.

Link to album