Well, what can I say, it's been a while. A little after my last post, we decided that we wanted to tackle some exterior projects on the house before winter sets in. Nothing major, just rip off the two layers of siding, old drafty windows and front door, then blow in insulation, wrap the house in more insulation, install new wood windows and cedar siding. We're going Craftsman on our house, with period details and materials. Also means a LOT of work. All the siding had to be primed front and back, and we pre-painted it before I hang it. Not quite done with the siding, hopefully this week... Was hoping to get it done over our 13 day break between tris. I literally put in 12 to 15 hour days every day of the break. Kristi and Dartagnan helped a lot, and my neighbor across the street and a friend have lent a hand when they could.
Our neighborhood is an awesome little enclave right by the river in downtown Bettendorf. The houses were all built between the turn of the century and 1950 for the most part. The lots are mostly 50 feet wide and the houses sit just 25 feet off the sidewalk. Its a walking, biking, running neighborhood. There's a great city park just a block from our house, and a little grade school and another park just 3 blocks in the other direction. We know all our neighbors, most of them well. It's the closest thing to a perfect little neighborhood you're likely to find. So anyway, every day I'm out there in the front yard, cutting and hanging siding, and attracting a lot of attention from the neighborhood. The friendly outside sales rep for K&K True Value, Dave, stops by about every day to check my progress. He gives me pointers and makes me feel like a pro at the same time. The mailman, also Dave, always stops and chats for a couple minutes. He even disclosed the home address of the hooligan who threw a rock through one of the old windows stacked up behind our garage in the alley. When he rolled by later on his little scooter I told him I knew where he lived, and by everything holy his mother would cry when she saw what I did to him... OK I didn't say that last part. But we did threaten police intervention. Probably scared the begeesus out of him. hehehe. Haven't seen him roll by on his little scooter since. We really love our neighborhood, and I'm sure we'll miss it sorely when e move after graduation. We talk about keeping the house, but honestly I don't think we'll be able to afford two household right out of school. It will be very hard to walk away from this house after all the hard work and love we've put into it.
Maybe that's why there's so many chiropractors in the Quad Cities. They all came to here to go to school, then met their spouse here, got involved with the community, or a church, whatever, and well, just never left. I don't think they all lived here already. Whatever the reason there are a ton of chiropractors here, and our business coach assures us that it would be a huge challenge opening a practice here. I tend to agree. Anyway I don't think either of us really want to stay here. We're always looking for the perfect place to move to after we're done here. It's always changing. When it's cold outside we start thinking South. When it's hot we think North... we talk about practicing with our friend in Australia, or going to New Zealand. We still have some time to figure it out I guess, but we both like having a plan, so it can be as stressful as it is exciting to think of all the possibilities...
So it's a new tri, seems like maybe that's how I started my last post... At the beginning of the tri it's easy to think you have all the time in the world. No tests looming, no grade yet. Starting fresh. But the tri hits you quick. Around thanksgiving, right before and right after, I have several tests. So there's not a whole lot of time to goof off, There's reading assignments to keep up with. For example in NMS II we have weekly quizzes, and this week's quiz is over 180 pages in the most dry neurological exam book you'll ever see. I've yet to pick it up without falling asleep. And it's fascinating stuff! We'll be performing these tests, analyzing the function of these nerves for the rest of our lives. But this darn book could make the most interesting subject boring. It's in it's millionth edition, and is THE text for the neurological exam, so there's no way Palmer wouldn't use it for reference. I just wish they'd mix it up a bit, maybe use, I don't know, pictures, perhaps. Seriously the thing looks like The Bible. OK so there are photos in it, all black and white though. They should use color. And people from this century. There's other books I just love though. Evans Orthopedic Exam is a great one. Mosby's Physical Exam. As an artist I love the Netter Atlas for Human Anatomy. Rather than photos of dissected cadavers there's wonderful painted illustrations of dissections. Nerves are yellow. Arteries are red, veins are blue, and lymphatics are green. Muscle bodies are bright red, and the tendons are bright white. Everything's neat. With photos of cadaver, it's like a pile of muck, all the same dingy gray tan color.
Studying with cadavers in person, on the other hand, is fascinating, and nothing, not the greatest text, could ever replace it. We're fortunate at Palmer to have an awesome cadaver lab. There are five classes in the curriculum that utilize cadaver studies: CNS, Gross Anatomy One and Two, and Spinal Anatomy One and Two. All of these classes are in the first year at Palmer. But as long as we're students we can use the open lab hours in the cadaver lab, and have access to most of the specimens to study on our own. It's truly a privilege to be able to study the human body in this way, and I marvel at the thoughtfulness of the individuals who donate their remains for the advancement of knowledge. Kristi and I want to do this... just not any time soon.
Well it's time for bed. I think if I post at night after I can't work on the house or tend to our children, maybe I'll get to it a little more often. Oh wait, that's when I study...
Until next time.
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