Acronyms and George Foreman
Well...it has definitely begun! School is in session and I can already feel the squeeze of the quarter system. My first year at the U I had the quarters, which I remember really loving, and I know I'll love them again, too. After Albania the U had switched to semesters, and I got used to it, but by week 12 or 13 of a semester I would always start losing some steam. With the quarters, I won't have time to lose steam...it will be Christmas before I get a chance to even breathe!
The first two days of this week were spent in a nice dream-like state sitting through two lovely days of orientation. Nothing was brain busting, we went over lots of procedural and house keeping stuff, we engaged in a lot of nice get-to-know you activities, had a lovely dinner on the waterfront of Lake Washington, chatted with the professors, had long lunch breaks, etc. Monday and Tuesday were great.
Today, was baptism by fire. Wow! My day started with classes and instruction at 9:30 AM, and I honestly didn't stop going with reading, lesson preparation, meetings, etc. until 7:30 PM. I was smart to bring a pear and plum along with me that I somehow managed to wolf down in three bites somewhere around 3. Last week I was sleeping in till 10, going for a morning run till 11, cooking lunch till 1, taking a walk till 4, napping, lounging, calling friends, etc. Those days, as far as I can see it, are pretty much gone till next September. Sayonara!
The biggest observation I have to make about today is the amount of acronyms and abbreviations that go with ANY job or ANY study. Speech-Language Pathology is certainly not the only field or career out there that enjoys shortening long phrases (medicine, law, science, business, etc.), but it is also one that I think does it almost to a fault. I wouldn't be surprised if there were acronyms for acronyms somewhere along the line in my graduate career. I've been inundated with a deluge of HIPAA, IPA, PIP, POEC, ASHA, PLS, PLSE, MWIT, PICA, WAB, MLU, SPHSC, CCC, AAC, AAA, PVT, PPVT, EVT, and about a million more. Even typing them all makes my brain scream from pain. And, I'm sure that I'm only a the TIP of the iceberg.
I get to start seeing a client next week who is seeking some articulation instruction from the clinic. Luckily that will be the ONLY client that I'll have this quarter...some of my friends who are starting new grad programs have three or four already, so I do consider myself very lucky. One is a nice number to work with and ease into the clinical aspect of school.
So, after a long day of being given binders full of papers and workbooks, and running around the Speech and Hearing Clinic like a chicken with its head chopped off, I retired to my humble abode, and grilled up a nice breast of chicken with carrots and peas on the side. I would like to be known as having said publicly in my life that I just LOVE LOVE LOVE devices that do about 90% of the cooking for you. Mom and Dad have equipped me with two such contraptions that have kept my mind sane and my stomach satisfied. One, the George Foreman grill, two being the Yan Can Cook steamer (more on that in a later post!). My dinner preparation consisted of plugging in the George Foreman, taking a frozen chicken breast and placing it on the grill, and closing the lid. 15 minutes later I was eating a surprisingly juicy and quite tasty dinner. I wish I could say that I picked the peas from a vine peeled the carrots myself, but I actually just bought them from the freezer section and boiled them to death. Yay for simple cooking!
The first two days of this week were spent in a nice dream-like state sitting through two lovely days of orientation. Nothing was brain busting, we went over lots of procedural and house keeping stuff, we engaged in a lot of nice get-to-know you activities, had a lovely dinner on the waterfront of Lake Washington, chatted with the professors, had long lunch breaks, etc. Monday and Tuesday were great.
Today, was baptism by fire. Wow! My day started with classes and instruction at 9:30 AM, and I honestly didn't stop going with reading, lesson preparation, meetings, etc. until 7:30 PM. I was smart to bring a pear and plum along with me that I somehow managed to wolf down in three bites somewhere around 3. Last week I was sleeping in till 10, going for a morning run till 11, cooking lunch till 1, taking a walk till 4, napping, lounging, calling friends, etc. Those days, as far as I can see it, are pretty much gone till next September. Sayonara!
The biggest observation I have to make about today is the amount of acronyms and abbreviations that go with ANY job or ANY study. Speech-Language Pathology is certainly not the only field or career out there that enjoys shortening long phrases (medicine, law, science, business, etc.), but it is also one that I think does it almost to a fault. I wouldn't be surprised if there were acronyms for acronyms somewhere along the line in my graduate career. I've been inundated with a deluge of HIPAA, IPA, PIP, POEC, ASHA, PLS, PLSE, MWIT, PICA, WAB, MLU, SPHSC, CCC, AAC, AAA, PVT, PPVT, EVT, and about a million more. Even typing them all makes my brain scream from pain. And, I'm sure that I'm only a the TIP of the iceberg.
I get to start seeing a client next week who is seeking some articulation instruction from the clinic. Luckily that will be the ONLY client that I'll have this quarter...some of my friends who are starting new grad programs have three or four already, so I do consider myself very lucky. One is a nice number to work with and ease into the clinical aspect of school.
So, after a long day of being given binders full of papers and workbooks, and running around the Speech and Hearing Clinic like a chicken with its head chopped off, I retired to my humble abode, and grilled up a nice breast of chicken with carrots and peas on the side. I would like to be known as having said publicly in my life that I just LOVE LOVE LOVE devices that do about 90% of the cooking for you. Mom and Dad have equipped me with two such contraptions that have kept my mind sane and my stomach satisfied. One, the George Foreman grill, two being the Yan Can Cook steamer (more on that in a later post!). My dinner preparation consisted of plugging in the George Foreman, taking a frozen chicken breast and placing it on the grill, and closing the lid. 15 minutes later I was eating a surprisingly juicy and quite tasty dinner. I wish I could say that I picked the peas from a vine peeled the carrots myself, but I actually just bought them from the freezer section and boiled them to death. Yay for simple cooking!
posted by D-Rock at Wednesday, September 27, 2006
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