ME...Not You (original) (raw)
ME...Not You

11:09 pm February 2nd, 2020

11:58 pm December 31st, 2019

02:45 pm May 22nd, 2009

10:17 pm February 12th, 2009
sierra Flag I'm Making Progress! I started Physical Therapy a week and a half ago. I go twice a week and do the exercises three times a day. Todd, my PT, said I made significant progress with the range of motion in my ankle, and that I'm doing well with my knee and with him being able to stretch the muscle. That definitely made my day.I plan on THANKING Dr. Hicks on Monday. He saw me for like two minutes during my first pre-op/pre-hospital release visit and said he wanted me to start therapy the next week (which was last Monday). FWO (Fort Wayne Orthopedics) had me see a PA, and Dr. Ass, I mean, Dr. Laursen (he was still called Dr. though he's a PA), got mad, but let us see him. He was an arrogant jerk and made Dr. House look friendly. He said to move my ankle up and down and eventually, side-to-side and start Physical Therapy four weeks later. He wouldn't listen when I told him I know what Dr. Hicks said. He pushed my foot up really hard, and that was the first time it moved in 15 days. It hurt so bad and I started to cry. I'm NOT shy about crying in public if I'm in a lot of pain.I have a removable cast and he said to take it off three times a day to move the ankle up and down. I did that about five times a day, and KNEW that wasn't going to be enough. One good thing about getting rear-ended in July meant I had to go to Physical Therapy and KNEW how much that benefits a person. After we left, I told my parents, "I KNOW what Dr. Hicks said, and I'm going to talk to the nurse and tell her." She said, "Well, I'll talk to the doctor. Call me if you don't hear from me by 4." I got a call back just before then and she said, "I talked to both and they said, 'If it REALLY makes you feel better, they'll write the referral and that you can always stop if ALL they do is have you do what Dr. Laursen said to do." (Of course I KNEW I'd get more help.) I gave them the phone number of Indiana Physical Therapy, where I went in the summer, and she said she'd call. The next day, I made the appointment and I started four days later (the exact day that the Dr. said I may begin).I'm glad some doctors moved away from the mentality of casting a broken bone for 6 to 8 weeks, THEN working on regaining range of motion. That means there's significant loss of that and muscle tone. Now, many put you in a cast for two to three weeks and get the bone on the way towards healing, then put you in a removable cast and have you exercise the muscles three times a day, but wear the cast except for then or when you shower and keep weight off it for a few more weeks.The fibula also doesn't get much blood supply to it, and doing exercises and having the PT massage and pull, twist and turn the area; allows blood to get to the injury, and that helps healing. That's another good reason. I've done everything Dr. Hicks and Todd have said to do (it turns out I did slightly MORE than what Todd said to do at home), plus other things like eat healthier, moving around (on crutches instead of the wheelchair), increase my (already large amount of) calcium intake and cut back on (though I WILL NOT give up) my caffeine intake. I want to be able to tell myself that even if I walk with a limp, or the fibula doesn't come together, I did every single thing I possibly could to avoid that and won't have to think, "What if I did this instead?"I really CANNOT wait to talk to Dr. Hicks and thank him for letting me start two weeks earlier than Dr. Ass said to (it turns out I have to come in a week early because of the medical study I'm in). I also plan on telling him to make sure Dr. Ass tells patients with a similar treatment to start PT as soon as they are allowed to work on moving/working on range of motion and to follow whatever plan the physical therapist says (as therapy won't help if you don't do what they say to do at home) because it really makes a difference. Todd said he'll fax over the differences in measurement over the past 10 days (which shows the significant decrease in swelling) to the doctor.

07:21 pm February 10th, 2009
sierra Flag Life's Too Short I want to apologize anyone I've wronged. After the accident, and almost dying, well, it really made me realize life's too short (as well as letting people know that you NEED to wear your seat belt at ALL times). I don't need to hold onto anything that's petty and unnecessary.This is what happened to me: http://public.fotki.com/envirominded1/accident/As a result, I broke both bones a few inches above my right leg and have a titanium rod in my lower right tibia. Of course, it could have been much worse, and I know how lucky I am.

10:37 pm January 14th, 2009

12:01 am January 1st, 2009

08:58 pm December 25th, 2008

05:13 pm November 10th, 2008

05:57 am November 4th, 2008

03:42 pm August 14th, 2008

02:13 am July 9th, 2008
sierra Flag State Survey... Stolen from Joanna What state do you live in? How long have you lived there?Indiana, 25 yearsList five interesting tourist spots:1. Fort Wayne Children's Zoo2. Children's Museum3. Turkey Run State Park (there are TONS of geological formations and trees and it's one of the most OR the most popular state parks)4. Lucas Oil Stadium (when there are Colts' games)5. The Indy 500 and Race TrackList five interesting facts about your state:1. John Mellencamp is from here2. The inventor of TV lived here3. James Dean was raised in the next county (about 15 minutes from my dad's hometown; a lady in Nevada gave him a look that said, "Yeah right!" when he told her)4. Johnny Appleseed was buried here (in my hometown)5. Tecumseh and the Prophet had a plan for having a "capital" of an indian confederacy in what is now a small town near West Lafayette. Who knows what could have happened had the Prophet listened to Tecumseh about NOT attacking until he got back?List five TV shows or movies set in your state:1. Hoosiers2. Breaking Away3. A Christmas Story4. The Music Man5. RudyList five famous residents (past or present):1. John Mellencamp2. David Letterman3. Shelley Long4. Dan Quayle 5. Jim Davis

11:55 pm July 8th, 2008

11:29 pm July 1st, 2008
sierra Flag Interviews... So far, I've had three interviews. Well, one school had two open positions, so I guess that might count as four. I applied for about eight jobs that I've seen open, so that's not bad. This also doesn't count the job fair interviews I had in April, or the phone interview I had in May (though I knew I didn't want to work for the district even BEFORE the interview, but figured practice doesn't hurt).The first one was at a Catholic School in Muncie, which is just over an hour away. It looked like a decent school, but I didn't know too much about it. The principal didn't ask if I was Catholic, which is a good thing. I didn't hear back from them, so I assume they wanted someone else, which isn't exactly disappointing since the job market isn't the best. Plus, I would also have to move down to Muncie during the winter, as there's NO WAY I'm driving that distance in bad weather. Heck, even driving that way in GOOD weather would cost me about $150 a week. I would have to worry about paying for housing, and of course, have to make sure I'd make enough to be able to do that. I don't know WHAT the salary is, and I didn't ask that during the interview.Of course, my Aunt Ann said, "Oh, you could stay with me if needed." I know she's trying to be nice, but let's just say, no one ever knows how she's going to act. EVEN when she's really nice, I can't be around her more than a very short time. She's NOT a bad person by any means, but let's just say she's lonely, sickly, has A LOT of time on her hands, and can be VERY cranky to put it mildly. I've ranted about her before, so let's just say if I stayed with her, well...that wouldn't be good.The SECOND interview was at Indian Springs. I subbed there at least half a dozen times, and really like that school. They seem to take care of problems well, or at least I noticed that when I subbed there. It's a good school, and if I got offered the position, I would take it, though it's only for a year. Like I said, I subbed there before, so I got to check it out a little bit more than normal.I had a third interview today. It was at a private school in town, and let's just say if by ANY MINUTE chance I'm offered a job (and if they couldn't tell I was bullshitting them; I'm 99.99% sure they can tell!) I won't take it. If I taught there, well I wouldn't have to teach "Religion" class, but I would have to teach something I'm TOTALLY against. (Let's just say I'm talking about a certain debate when it comes to Science education, and I'll leave it at that. Let's just say the pastor made it VERY clear that they teach ONLY ONE viewpoint and that it is radically different than mine, and I'm not even allowed to mention that the others exist). Plus, my mom says, "How would you know they won't say something about your car's bumper stickers if they happened to find out which car was your car and use that to find ANY excuse to get rid of you? They might have a union, but I'm 90% sure it's NOT going to be as strong as a public school's union." That's true. Let's just say my car's environmental plates and bumper stickers basically scream, "LIBERAL!!!" I DON'T see that it would fly at a small, VERY conservative private school. I realize my area is very conservative, but it seems very different in the public schools. First of all, they can't promote any one religion, and they are bigger. Plus, I'll have the union on my side as long as I don't do anything that would make me end up on www.badbadteacher.com. I REALLY do not want to just settle for something without checking it out and without ignoring red flags. I'm glad I at least have subbing to fall back on in the fall. I might see about trying to get a job at the new Target that's supposed to open in October and work the Christmas season. Of course, that would also involve standing, and I have a hard time standing for very long.

12:31 am May 26th, 2008

11:24 pm May 3rd, 2008

08:44 pm April 19th, 2008
sierra Flag Ted Danson!!! I got to meet him today!!! Seriously... He came to Fort Wayne to campaign. He went to the bar that's owned by the mayor's wife, and it was across the street from where I student taught. My dad read about it in today's paper, and we figured we might as try to see him, but figured it would be PACKED and it would be basically just TRY. I'm glad we tried. Of course, you can probably tell what the result was, and I'm happy. I was hoping to get his autograph and a picture of him, but I didn't get his autograph. I got something EVEN BETTER:We got there and were surprised we could get in, and figured he only stayed for about half an hour or so (as it was 5:15 and he was supposed to get there at 4:45). We walked in, and saw him! I didn't recognize him until my mom said, "That's him!"He was VERY nice, friendly and down-to-earth and talked to everyone like they were his peers, not someone beneath him. He chatted with everyone, and let people take his picture. We wanted to ask first, even though he IS famous. He joked with people who said, "In this bar, it's the Cubs, not the Red Sox!" He and I talked a little. He liked my Ocracoke Island hoodie (which has dolophins) and says he does a lot for the environment and for sea critters. I told him I care about the enviroment a lot too, and am licensed to teach science and am glad to see others care. :) He talked to my parents a bit, and told us his wife is filming a movie in Boston. My parents told him my brother lives in Boston, and he chatted with him on the phone and said hi.Later, we told my brother we had an exciting past two days: an earthquake and meeting a celebrity. Another person asked how he likes Fort Wayne, and he said he's only been to the bar. I told him to enjoy his stay in Indiana. :) He's one his way to Indianapolis, and somewhere else.Too bad Shelley Long wasn't back in her hometown today. It would be cool if both of them were together. *grins* I'd like to meet her someday, but I'm glad I at least got to meet Ted Danson.

11:43 pm February 21st, 2008

04:37 pm January 7th, 2008

11:28 pm December 17th, 2007
sierra Flag It's Official!!! The grades have come in, and:Fall 2007College:School of EducationMajor:Secondary EducationStudent Type:ContinuingAcademic Standing: SubjectCourseLevelTitleGradeCredit HoursQuality PointsStart and End DatesRRRRRRRRRRRRREDUCM480UGStud Teach Sec/SchS12.0000.00 EDUCM501GRLab/Field ExperienceS0.0000.00 I PASSED STUDENT TEACHING!!!!!!!!!!!NOT that I thought I wouldn't; hell, I knew I would since the 30th, when both teachers went over the rubric with me. Of course, I knew that even earlier in the day. I walked to my desk and it was covered with congratulations, and a bunch of gifts; it was like a teacher shower, instead of a wedding or baby shower. Basically, it was just a matter of everyone saying, "We know you passed, but we have to wait before we can have it on record that you did it, so you can prove it to others."_The Best of_Now, if Owens wasn't dinking around, I would be able to apply for my teaching license for middle school Science and Social Studies. Damn them. I took two Social Studies classes there, and I need the transcript so Mr. Beard can mark down that I completed Social Studies, as well as Science. I had a hold on my account for library fines, and paid it . My account balance shows it's been paid, but it's STILL showing a hold! Grr... I called today, but of course, they weren't following their normal hours; maybe they got a lot of snow there too (all the schools within about 60 miles were closed for the day, so I stayed home). I sent an email and plan on leaving a voice mail, but I want it straightened out, so I can get my teaching license. *grins*I know it's not THAT big of a deal. So what if I end up getting licensed in February, instead of January? It's not really going to make me find a full-time teaching job any sooner, since a couple of districts let you apply if your license is pending. Current Music: Three Dog Night -- "Celebrate" 9 Have Blurted Out or Blurt it out!

11:52 pm January 15th, 2007
sierra Flag Methods... Tomorrow, I'll start methods. That's basically preparation for student teaching, as I'll have to teach three lessons (and develop lesson plans for it and show students' work) for both of the classes, and have to be there everyday. I can only do it back-to-back, which means it will take at least five weeks, instead of being able to get it overwith. I also have to do 30 hours of field experience for another class, and was told I could add a third class, and get those hours overwith. The teacher I met on Friday (Mrs. Drew who teaches sixth grade), said I could add her last class, and was understanding about having to switch a period around, since I didn't realize periods stagger a bit, due to each grade eating lunch at a different time. Hopefully, Dr. Moss won't be a bitch about it, and let me stick with it. Also, since lunch will be in that time slot, I'll be able to add an extra half an hour to my day and be able to get everything out of the way in the 25 day period.Don't get me wrong: I love kids and am looking forward to getting to know students and be more involved in the classroom, but unfortunately, it doesn't pay bills like substitute teaching will. One good thing is that I won't have to get up super-early, as I don't have to be there until 11:15 (and it's about a 20-30 minute drive.)I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a little nervous. Well, any new experience makes me at least a tiny bit nervous, even though I try to think of new experiences as adventures. I'll be with Mrs. Drew for the last two periods, and she said she'll have me wean into it by having me start to take over the first five minutes "bell work" as she calls it. (They have five sentences in which they have to correct a sentence, find the part of speech, or do something related to grammar.) I haven't met the other teacher yet, but she requested me, so that makes me feel good. Of course, I'm the only middle school methods student who will be licensed to teach Language Arts, but still, it makes me feel good.Tomorrow I'll post about my first day at Northwood Middle School.Tags: eighth grade, field experience, methods, northwood middle school, sixth grade

11:22 am May 10th, 2006
sierra Flag Holy Crap, I Kept My GPA Up!!! Let's just say looking up my grades made my birthday even sweeter:Grade ReportSchuhmacher, Karen E. (293195)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------The University of FindlayProgram Advisor Class First Major Second Major Academic Standing Graduate Raker, Elizabeth J. Graduate Student Good Standing Spring - 2006 Course Section Title Hours Mid-Term Grade Final Grade EDUC500 52 Being an Educational Leader 3.00 NR A EDUC509 51 Intro to the Educ of Exceptional Children in the Regular Classrm 3.00 NR A EDUC524 51 Content Area Reading:Reading to Learn 3.00 NR A Statistics Attempted Earned Passed Quality Points GPA Session 9.00 9.00 0.00 9.00 36.00 4.00 Cumulative 21.00 21.00 0.00 21.00 84.00 4.00 Statistics last updated: 05/10/2006

05:13 pm November 24th, 2005
sierra Flag Ireland!! I made it to London. So far, I've been to the British Museum, but only spent an hyour and a half there (I saw mummies, the marbles and the Rosetta stone.) I'm in Ireland now!! That's the number one place I wanted to visit more than anyplace and I made it. England was number two, so I'm very happy. I'm in County Cork, where most of my ancestors came from and left during the Potato Famine.I gotta run but have a happy day or Happy Thanksgiving!!¬KarenPS The keyboard here at the hostel is different

07:30 pm July 31st, 2005