Awake

Happy Birthday, Leah!

Well, it's officially February 27 India time, so happy birthday to my dear friend, Leah!!

(You could go and wish her happy birthday on her blog, leahkadwell.blogspot.com.)

Brant's First Sermon: A Lenten Reflection

Brant gave his first sermon today (Sunday) at the 5pm service at All Saint's Church. The audio recording is available right now on the church's website. Go to http://believedoubtseek.org/ and click on "5pm A Lenten Reflection" in the Featured Audio box in the lower right-hand corner of the home page.

I'm so proud of you, my brother!

Commuter Reading List: The Rainy Season Edition

Hello friends. I know what you've been thinking. Why hasn't Amber posted a Commuter Reading List in so long? Is it because she doesn't read anymore? On the contrary, my conscientious friend. It's only because my reading has been mostly textbooks. Interesting textbooks, but textbooks nonetheless. That, and I have been driving a lot, much to my self-directed disappointment. So without further ado or confessional, I give you, Commuter Reading List: The Rainy Season Edition.

• The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama.

Yep, that's it! Aren't you glad you waited?!

I guess there is a bit of a postscript. I just finished The Educated Heart on the train, which is an excellent practical guide to the ethical labyrinth that is bodywork and massage therapy. Incidentally, I think I lost the book on the train as well. So if you picked it up and by some miraculous chance you are now reading this post, I know it's really good book, but would you please return it to the Multnomah County Library ASAP! My thanks to you sir/madam.

Yes, I think I'm going through an absent-minded professor season. I've been losing a lot of things lately. It's time for some serious Spring Cleaning!!!

Happy Thursday Afternoon!

Movie about Gujarat riots raises questions of censorship, peace, and the truth

Here is an interesting article from the International Herald Tribune that discusses the film "Parzania" and it's reception—or rather non-reception—in the film's geographical setting, the Indian state of Gujarat. Having spent a little time in Gujarat on two separate occasions, my co-worker and friend VJ sent this article to me in an e-mail, thinking it would be of interest. If you are at all interested in Gujarat and the impact of the 2002 riots, you may find this article interesting, as I did. And so I pass it onto you as well.

Response to the film "Parzania" raises the question: Can Gujarat confront its brutal past? - International Herald Tribune

No idea if the film will be showing in the U.S. anytime soon. Perhaps a DVD release?

Happy Thursday.

Happy Birthday Seth!

Happy Birthday, Tall Brother!

(Do you think anyone will notice that I pre-dated this post?)

(Just a little thing I'd like to call) An Update

Hello my patient audience. (Yes, I see that hand.) What have I been up to lately? Well here's a little update for you, just because you asked so nicely.

First, school. I'm taking Business & Clinical Practices as well as Survey of Modalities. Both have been very enjoyable, especially since I can see more clearly how I would apply what I'm learning in my practice. On the business side of things, I've been learning about the pros and cons of being an employee vs. an independent contractor, the advantages and disadvantages to accepting insurance as payment, the necessary financial records and client records I need to maintain, as well as a host of other pertinent information. The book we're using is The Business of Massage: The Complete Guide to Establishing Your Massage Career by American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). What's nice about this book is that is has a bunch of sample letters, forms, and other documents. It also has career and practice planning worksheet that we are using to develop a business plan, which is our major project due early next month. I am attempting to have most of it done before this weekend when I go to Ashland to visit Drew and Kelly and "talk some shop." (They are both small business owners and my cousins and...well I'll have to wait to tell you about that.)

Clinical Practices has been swell. It's fun to play professional massage therapist and get a chance to work with the general public. I have been getting great feedback and have learned so much from my time in the Student Clinic thus far. Plus, the experience has boosted my confidence through the roof (hopefully not in an obnoxious way)! I remember back in Massage I (which was only 10 or 11 months ago!) that I thought it would be at least two years before I'd feel comfortable fully transitioning into a full-time practice. Now I can hardly wait to get out there! What an amazing year of growth and new opportunities this past year has been.

Survey of Modalities is super fun. It's just a survey course, so nothing too in-depth, but we have learned a fair amount about Traditional Asian Medicine including the Five Elements and meridians according to Chinese medicine, as well as some useful acupressure points. It's been interesting to learn these concepts not only in terms of cross-cultural learning but also to see how I have intuitively worked on these lines and points before I even knew what they were. So far, we've learned short routines in Zen Shiatsu (Japanese massage), Tui Na (Chinese massage), Thai massage, and Polarity (very gentle). We just had our midterm last week and will shortly be learning myofascial release, seated/chair massage, prenatal/pregnancy/sidelying massage, reflexology and one of the intructor's choice.

Outside of school, but still very much in an educational vein, I will be heading down to Ashland (again) in March for a 4-day training to become a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM). In order to complete the certification, I will attend this training, complete a take-home exam, and turn in evaluations from five parents that I instructed. So stay tuned for that.

Registration is this week, and I signed up for two classes: Spa Massage and Trigger Point. I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. :) We are going to learn so many fun things in Spa Massage. Ladies, you are definitely going to want to sign up for the homework massage list for that class, I can tell you that right now. And Trigger Point should be very challenging and fun. And a little painful (up to a "7" on the pain scale ;-). But hopefully with pain-free results!

In the world of cute nieces and other family members (who are cute in their own way), the Washington-based family (Seth, April, Adalie, Kylia, Zoie & Brant and Jackie) were down this weekend and we celebrated Seth's birthday (which is Wednesday) on Sunday. All except Brant and Jackie stayed around on Monday and we did some shopping and browsing at the new-ish mall at Tanasbourne. Adalie, at 4 years of age, is already a skilled shopper and posesses such discriminating taste, her parents would be wise to teach her the concept of "the clearance rack" at an early age, in order to save their checking account. Kylia, on the other hand, is a master of havok, but in the cutest way possible. At Chico's, as a two-year-old, she managed to go behind the cashier desk, pick up the phone ("Hi" she sweetly says) and started "typing" on the computer terminal. Zoie, at 8 months old, is Princess of Glee. She loves to be heard and to smile broadly and to grab anything in her reach and put it in her mouth.

"Where are the pictures of these cute nieces?" you rightly inquire. Well, at my last visit, I absent-mindedly left my camera at Seth and April's and have been without it for several weeks. I did get it back on Sunday, but it's not holding its charge like it used to. Combine that with my camera-envy of my mom's new camera, and you get hardly any pictures. But, fear not, I took many pictures with my mom's camera and just have to get them from her camera to my computer so that I can post them online.

In other news, and yes there is other news, but I can only say that there is other news and it's a developing story, but unlike CNN, I cannot broadcast pre-emptively a headline that may change and plus I'm superstitious and don't want to jinx anything. How's that for a teaser. There are two items that fit under this intentionally broad and vague description. So stay tuned, if you can bear the suspense.

That's all the news that's fit to post. That and an open message to the bugger(s) who broke into my brother's car last night or this morning and stole things. You are a very bad man or woman or boy or girl. You should not steal things from your neighbors, especially when they have their kids and grandkids over. That was very mean and disrespectful. You should bring them back. Just leave the goods on the porch. That is all.

Happy Tuesday.

Shane Daniel Spotts Enters The World

Congrats to Ben and Libby on the birth of their firstborn son, Shane Daniel. Word on the street is that baby Shane weighed in at 7lbs. 3oz. and is 20.5 inches long.

Happy Birthday, Shane!

Dale O. Himes Consulting, LLC Open For Business

Just this past Fall, my dad has started his own consulting firm, Dale O. Himes Consulting, LLC. Currently, he is "directing and coordinating feasibility and pre-construction development activities" for Phase 1 of Village's campus expansion project.

He is also putting together an inititative called, "Global Professionals in Action" that aims to match and coordinate professionals with opportunities in the area of diaster-relief and recovery. This idea has been largely driven by his recent trips to the Gulf Coast with Northwest Medical Teams to do construction on houses affected by massive flooding in Moss Point.

So I hope you will check out his new web site and drop him a note of encouragement. We've just updated the content and we'll be posting more in the near future. Enjoy!