Outstanding in the Field

I have been trying to get to an Outstanding in the Field dinner for YEARS now and tonight was the night I was actually make that happen.   The whole thing got started a few years ago as a way to "re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it."

Before things got started we wandered around the farm and drank some bubbly wine.  

 

We got up close and personal with some of the cows too minding all the presents in the field.

One of the things they are know for are their table scapes - a long row of tables and chairs which are planned based on where the dinner is being held.  Sometimes they are out in fields, like our was, where others may be in barns or on the beach or in the woods.  What you can't see over on the right hand side beyond the table are all the cows hanging out in the field. 

A long standing tradition is for people to bring their own plates.  Glasses and flatware are provided, and the different colors and shapes of the plates add a homey feel to the evening.  Todd and I were rocking some blue IKEA plates which were washed and returned before we left. 

The menu tonight was put together by the chef of Vermilion a restaurant in Alexandria, VA.  Because Grassential raises cows, rabbits and pigs (the first two off an entirely grass diet) the chef decided to make that the focal point of dinner.  Fine by us!

It was pretty cool to be sitting in the middle of the table and only being able to see people, plates and wine glasses to your left and right. 

I started taking pictures of everything that we were eating, but as time went on and the conversation really got going I got a bit side tracked.  Here are a few of those pictures.  Todd and I are going to try and recreate some things during my next trip to DC.

As the evening wore on and the sun set behind the hills, mason jar lights were brought out to illuminate dessert.  Sadly ours kept going out, but thanks to our table mate and some handy work we were able to get some light for the remaining part of dinner. 

While the food was really good, not fantastic, what made the night was the setting and the company.  Todd and I were a bit nervous about having to carry on a conversation with the people around us.  It turned out that we could not have picked a better location and once the night (and wine) got going we were definitely one of the more lively sections of the table. 

Feel Good Friday Video

Last week our Patho Prof was playing this as we walked in and by the end all of us were popping along!

Clinical: Day #2

Well the semester has DEFINITELY PICKED UP!!  This week our section had our second clinical, a P&A exam, P&A practical exam and patho exam. 

On Tuesday my small PCC clinical group and I met up at 7am for our second day on the floor at Hopkins.  I will say that most of us were feeling WAY more at ease when we walked through the elevator doors. 

The day was a fairly, normal one ... we learned that you NEVER call it a quiet day because that is when the whole floor gets turned upside down.  Because it was a quiet day we were able to get a better understanding of how the electronic medical system works and how the different levels of staff work together to make sure everything is moving as smoothly as possible.  We also got to take vital signs on some of the patients.  In class over the last few weeks we have been working the old fashioned way, but today we stepped into the 21st Century and hooked everyone up to the machines

After talking with some of the nurses on the floor, including several who have their MSN, I have started to consider deferring for a year before I start the Masters portion.  This would allow me to get some clinical experience and hone the skills I have practiced in lab before I start taking higher level courses.  Time will tell and I have some time before I have to make a definitive decision.  It wouldn't be a true Emily education experience if I did not change a concentration or plan or something :)

You want me to put MAGGOTS WHERE?!?!?!

Now I will admit that this post is probably not for the faint of heart and I am purposely leaving out some of the more gruesome pictures/video we were shown in lecture the other day, but because medical maggots have been brought up in several classes I thought I would quickly mention them here.

Weeks one and two at school focused on wound care ... the importance of preventing them and how to help reverse their debilitating effects.  When you thing of large, decubitus ulcers (bed sores or pressure ulcers) and trying to reverse them, putting maggots on the wound might not be your first thought.  All of us were quite shocked horrified when one of our professors, a lover of large and gory wounds, shared a video with us about medical maggots.  A diabetic arrived at a clinic and who was about to lose her foot due to a large amount of tissue breakdown on her heel.  In a last ditch effort, the doctor decided to put maggots on the wound. 

Now these critters, while disgusting, can work miracles on wounds because they only eat away at the dead tissue.  When they have done their job, they are removed from the wound (sometimes a second round is needed) and the skin is able to repair itself and return to a normal state.  Who knew?!?!

First Adventure in Cylocross

This summer broke the door down to the world of cycling (I got to see my first crit race) and was introduced to Cylocross, which according to Wikipedia "consists of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5  km or 1.5–2  mile) course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount."

Well wouldn't you know that this weekend the Charm City Cycloross Race took place in Druid Hill Park so I figured I had to go and check it out. The riding was CRAZY.  I of course forgot my phone so I was not able to snap any pictures, but check out this video to get an idea of what really goes on at these things.  As a side note this race was not nearly as muddy as the one in the video. 

I also will not be attempting any such riding in the near future.  I would probably crash and burn (and cause quite a pile up) trying to dismount from my bike and then running up a flight of stairs/hill with said bike in tow.   

Chalking Everywhere!!

On the way to the farmers market I came across a street that was COVERED in sidewalk chalk. If only I had my camelback and mostly disintegrated chalk I could have added a B&B logo to the mix.

I think that Hannah could totally give them a run for their money!!

Happy Car Free Day!!

Car Free Day is an international event celebrated every September 22nd in which people are encouraged to get around without cars and instead ride a train, bus, bicycle, carpool, subway,or walk.  Today, Car Free Day includes celebrations in 1,500 cities in 40 countries.

Feel Good Friday Video

"Caine Monroy is a 9-year old boy who spent his summer vacation building an elaborate DIY cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store."  Check out the short video about how Caine turned some ordinary cardboard boxes into a cardboard arcade and an internet sensation! 

Here is the follow up video.  People have come from all over the world to check out this arcade after the short video went viral.  It is awesome how one kid has started a cardbaord revolution among kids his age. 

Help Build Up That Herd Immunity!

It is that time of year again when you should look into getting your flu shot.  If you get it now, you will have time to build up an adequate immunity before flu season really gets going; peak season is November - February.  All nursing students and medical staff are required to get one every year and after a stern talking to by one of our professors in lecture this morning, about half of our class trooped across the street to get one. 

Those that are at high risk and are considered priority:

• Children, infants and the elderly
• Those with chronic disease like diabetes and asthma
• Pregnant women

Quick flu stats according to the CDC:

• Up to 20% of Americans get the flu each year
• More than 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized each year
• About 3,000 to 49,000 deaths are flu-related.

*Click here to learn more about herd immunity*

Feel Good Friday Video

My fellow SUS bikers will attest that Marcus and I were after the team about coughing/sneezing into their elbow as a way of cutting down the spread of germs. 

Check out this great video by the Public Health Agency of Canada

Yup that is what comes out of your mouth when you sneeze. 

Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Ears

Before I left my AmeriCorps position, my mentor, who had been a nurse for over twenty years, gave me the sage advice to actually listen to my patients because they are an underutilized resource in the field of medicine.  While they might not be formally trained about disease and disease prevention, they are an important resource when gathering a history and creating a treatment plan which will actually be successful.

Today we had our first real clinical day which meant we all reported to the hospital at 7 am and headed up to our assigned floor.  There was a bit of confusion at first, and after being bounced around a bit, my partner and I were paired up with one of the nurses who assigned us to a room. While I can't get into specifics as to why they were there/their medical history I can say they were great patient to help ease us into our first clinical rotation.

All in all we survived our first day and thankfully no one died; one of the clinical instructors shared a story about how on her first day of clinical she was talking with a patient when one of the floor nurses walked in and informed her that her patient had died while she had been talking to her.  She had literally talked her patient to death.

Happy 80th Memere and Granddad!!

This morning I was out the door bright and early to catch a flight down to West Palm Beach, FL to met up with the family for a birthday celebration.  This year both my maternal grandparents turned 80 and to celebrate Memere, who never wants a party, requested that the entire family joined them for a celebratory dinner.  As it is the first weekend of school/college for the grandkids, most of us were able to steal away for a quick trip (mine will be 18 hours).  For some their travel time was longer than their time in Florida. 

Of course when you get the family together it means hours and hours of ping-ping.  This is not your average game of ping-pong, but hardcore, super sweaty, dirty playing ping-pong.  It brings back fond memories of when I would travel with Memere during the summer.  We would always bring ping-ping balls and paddles in hopes that our hotel would have a table; Lexington, KY was always a favorite stop because for three weeks we had access to a table and would spend hours after dinner playing.

After burning up too many calories to count, we headed over to the Wanders Club for dinner.  Before we sat down, a good family friend came over to take some family shots.  While I am not one for super matchy matchy photos, I will say these turned out really well!!

The whole fam minus Matt and Jack who will be Photoshopped in later

Long Lost Sisters - seriously they only found each other a few years ago

 "You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself." - Galileo

Before dinner several members of the family, including all of their children and my father, gave some really touching words about how the two of them have impacted not only the lives of their family, but also those with whom they have come into contact over the years.  Both have an extreme sense of paying it forward and is something I have always admired in both of them. 

The above quote I had put on a picture collage I had given Memere and Granddad as a thank you for paying for my education; these words were reflected in much of what been said about these two extremely accomplished and giving people.  While they might not have always understood some of the choices I have made or thought I was crazy for undertaking them (becoming an AmeriCorps member, biking across the country), they have always continued to support me.  Without their counsel and presence, I can truly say that my life would have been VERY different and definitely not as well rounded.

Dinner, thanks to the amazing culinary skills of Tam, was fantastic; my rib eye was the size of my head!  The conversation and wine flowed all night long and I was great to hear stories from different times in my grandparent's lives, reminisce about family gatherings and get caught up with everyone!

 

Later it was of course time for cake and presents.  Memere had gotten a ping-pong table (something she has been wanting for years) and we were somehow able to track down a bottle of cognac made in 1932 (the year he was born).  

Trick candle?  Take two.

Feel Good Friday Video

I am sure that everyone, maybe with Memere as the exception, have heard Carly Rae Jepsen's song, Call Me Maybe over the last few months.  For the inaugural Feel Good Friday Video I would like to share this Chatroulette version of the song Arden, a fellow SUS rider, shared with me last week!

First Day of Class

It was an early morning, but I left the house dressed to kill to save some lives in my polo and scrubs. 

The school was a buzz with new and returning students.  In matching kits uniforms, the 2013 Accelerated Class headed up to the third floor for our inaugural class, Patient Centered Care.  Tuesday is technically a clinical day for us which means we have to report to our site by 6:45 am.  Because it was the first day and we needed to be oriented to the class and our clinical placement, we did not have to show up until 8am; after a few weeks of sleeping in and lounging around, it was a very early morning. 

During te first portion of lecture we went over the basic housekeeping items and then jumped into patient care plans.  One of the things that drew me to a RN/NP program as opposed to a PA program was the fact that nursing really focuses on holistic care; nursing is getting to understand not only what brought the patient to the hospital/clinic, but understanding what kinds of family/community/environmental factors influence their decision. 

My clinical placement this semester will be in the hospital and while the commute is much shorter than some of the placements (one friend has a 45 minute drive), it does mean I have late labs on Mondays and Wednesdays.  C'est la vie.  

Are You in an Honest Profession?

During orientation, one of the professors referenced a Gallup Poll which asked people to "rate the honesty and ethical standards" of several different professions.

Nurses have been at the top of the list since 1999 when they were added to the list of professions.