I had this idea earlier in the year about having a group of recent MGH IHP alum come to the institute and talk to our class about their experiences. In undergrad I felt they were always having different speakers or various networking/ career building opportunities, and I thought it a shame that MGH didn't do something similar. So, what did I do? I asked for help from other students to help plan an alumni panel dinner here at the IHP. 5 students agreed that my idea was worth putting into action, and we were able to get 2 very enthusiastic alumni to agree to come.
There was a ton of planning for food, and other logistics and the typical last minute freaking out. I almost cancelled the event a week ago because I feared 2 alumni would not be enough. Boy was I wrong! They were very engaging and had great answers to our questions and suggestions on what we could do for career development.
I am now feeling very relieved and excited about it. Apparently the first year students want to keep this as something we do every semester. Perhaps in a couple of years I will be an alum at this semi-annual event!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Clinical Placement at Spaulding
I've been at Spaulding Rehab Hospital for 2 weeks now doing my neuro rotation on the brain injury floor. The first week was difficult as all my patients were younger than me: all in their late teens, early twenties. I talked to my advisor about it and apparently that is the demographic: males between the ages of 18 and 24. It's sad to see someone who was headed off to college one minute and then a freak accident caused them to loose it all. We have one patient now who has a poor prognosis and it is hard to look at all the pictures of him and his friends that he mom brought in, because he is no longer that guy in those pictures.
This is an area of PT that I applied to schools hoping to end up doing when I graduate. So far, I am really enjoying the work that I am doing, but I may have to develop a thicker skin if I'm going to go this route.
This is an area of PT that I applied to schools hoping to end up doing when I graduate. So far, I am really enjoying the work that I am doing, but I may have to develop a thicker skin if I'm going to go this route.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Sad News from VT
I got an email yesterday from my clinical instructor this summer telling me that a patient of ours passed away. He was a war veteran who saw us 3 times a week for treatment of chronic low back pain. At first he was difficult to work with, but by the time I left he was telling us how much he appreciated his time in therapy. He would thank me repeatedly for caring about him, something he felt not many people did these days.
According to Alison (my CI), he didn't show up for a couple of appointments and so she contacted his MD to find out what was going on with him(he didn't have a phone). The doctor's office informed her that there was a note in his file from the VT Committee on Temporary Shelter stating that he was found dead in his apartment 3 days earlier. I don't think she knows the cause of death.
The email was very matter of fact and kind of lighthearted to the end, when she wished me a happy halloween, and I didn't know how to take the information. I guess she has had 8 years to adjust to patients not getting better or even dying. Well, this is my first patient to pass away, and I'm still a bit shaken up about it. I guess that makes me human, right?
Well, I'm glad I was able to make him feel better about himself and about life (which he told me often towards the end of the summer) in his last months.
According to Alison (my CI), he didn't show up for a couple of appointments and so she contacted his MD to find out what was going on with him(he didn't have a phone). The doctor's office informed her that there was a note in his file from the VT Committee on Temporary Shelter stating that he was found dead in his apartment 3 days earlier. I don't think she knows the cause of death.
The email was very matter of fact and kind of lighthearted to the end, when she wished me a happy halloween, and I didn't know how to take the information. I guess she has had 8 years to adjust to patients not getting better or even dying. Well, this is my first patient to pass away, and I'm still a bit shaken up about it. I guess that makes me human, right?
Well, I'm glad I was able to make him feel better about himself and about life (which he told me often towards the end of the summer) in his last months.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Happy Halloween
So, my friends Vanessa and Lisa dressed up as Killer Bees for Halloween. Here they are in Nelly's kitchen showing off their weapons. I had a ton of with these gals, who were the first to arrive and last to leave! Anna and I got beer for the event earlier and Matt & I were in charge of the music. I think a fun time was had by all :)
Earlier in the day, I ran a Halloween Hustle 5K in the rain. Anna was supposed to run it with me, but injured her knee so she watched me under her umbrella. Despite the weather, I had a great race and placed 10th in my age category! (81 out of 377 overall)
10 81 23:15 Jessica Riggs 27 F Somerville MA
Not bad! My pace was 7:29, which was my goal. Crazy that I am running close to my highschool times these days!
Earlier in the day, I ran a Halloween Hustle 5K in the rain. Anna was supposed to run it with me, but injured her knee so she watched me under her umbrella. Despite the weather, I had a great race and placed 10th in my age category! (81 out of 377 overall)
10 81 23:15 Jessica Riggs 27 F Somerville MA
Not bad! My pace was 7:29, which was my goal. Crazy that I am running close to my highschool times these days!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Ultimate Wingman
Poor Dave ended up talking to this girl for an hour because Steve thought her friend was cute. This woman was quite pissy and not a fun conversationalist, and of course Steve didn't even end up talking to the other girl.
Dave eventually had to whip out the wedding ring to get out of talking with her. You can tell how thrilled he is in this picture.
Dave eventually had to whip out the wedding ring to get out of talking with her. You can tell how thrilled he is in this picture.
Would you like some cheese?
Ok, so Matt and his friends have this game that they like to play when they head out to local bars. Someone remembers (or buys on the way to the bar) a single die. Initally, someone challenges another person in the group to a dare (in this instance, serve cheese to people in the bar) and picks a number before rolling. If they get their number, then you have to do the dare.
Dave dared me to serve cheese to the patrons of Mahar's. I am quite the server with years of catering behind me, and was able to get rid of most of the leftover cheese. Too funny! I never got my roll, so no one did any of my dares :(
We'll have to see how well this game works in Boston...
Dave dared me to serve cheese to the patrons of Mahar's. I am quite the server with years of catering behind me, and was able to get rid of most of the leftover cheese. Too funny! I never got my roll, so no one did any of my dares :(
We'll have to see how well this game works in Boston...
Starting Bar
I headed out to Albany last weekend to celebrate Matt's last weekend before the big move to Boston. A bunch of us met up at Mahar's, a bar that prides itself on its international beer selections, so I tried some Belgian, English and good old American ales before we headed to the Lionheart.
Notice the dice Matt is holding... more on that later
Notice the dice Matt is holding... more on that later
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Partners Running Club
So, we have a health promotion project that we develop this semester at school. The project is supposed to serve a need in the community to promote health and wellness. There are 7 projects this year and we were all divided up based on interest earlier in the semester.
My group is working with the Partners Running Club. to develop an interactive program designed to improve performance, increase core stability, and prevent injury. We are going to start doing literature reviews to see what the experts say. Hopefully I'll learn a little bit myself and perhaps ward off any injuries :) I'll post anything interesting that we learn for those of you out there that run.
Of course without thinking about it, I was totally dressed the part yesterday. I was wearing my long sleeve shirt from the Tufts 10K and had on my track vest from highschool. Word to the wise: when you wear something from highschool, make sure it doesn't have a date on it! Mine read: Taft Track 1996. Yup, that was 10 years ago... way to date myself, huh?
Speaking of running, I did my first tempo run last night: 10 min warmup, 3 minutes fast followed by 2 minutes easy X 4, and then a 5 minute cool down. The fourth pick up was definitely painful as it ended up being half uphill. Oops, that's what I get for not planning my routes :)
My group is working with the Partners Running Club. to develop an interactive program designed to improve performance, increase core stability, and prevent injury. We are going to start doing literature reviews to see what the experts say. Hopefully I'll learn a little bit myself and perhaps ward off any injuries :) I'll post anything interesting that we learn for those of you out there that run.
Of course without thinking about it, I was totally dressed the part yesterday. I was wearing my long sleeve shirt from the Tufts 10K and had on my track vest from highschool. Word to the wise: when you wear something from highschool, make sure it doesn't have a date on it! Mine read: Taft Track 1996. Yup, that was 10 years ago... way to date myself, huh?
Speaking of running, I did my first tempo run last night: 10 min warmup, 3 minutes fast followed by 2 minutes easy X 4, and then a 5 minute cool down. The fourth pick up was definitely painful as it ended up being half uphill. Oops, that's what I get for not planning my routes :)
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Post AGM run
OK, so this was how excited Anna looked after the run. In her defense, it was quite cold outside. Actually, her lips even turned purple at one point.
No worries, she was AOK at the end of the night and we both had a blast crashing a Freedom Trail Pub Crawl later on in the evening: they went to 19 bars along the freedom trail starting at noon. We only did the last 5... perhaps that is why I was ok enough to run 8 miles the following AM with Anna.
She has me running way too much these days... but if I can handle, it's good, right?
No worries, she was AOK at the end of the night and we both had a blast crashing a Freedom Trail Pub Crawl later on in the evening: they went to 19 bars along the freedom trail starting at noon. We only did the last 5... perhaps that is why I was ok enough to run 8 miles the following AM with Anna.
She has me running way too much these days... but if I can handle, it's good, right?
Before the Run
This weekend was the Boston Hash AGM run. We all started at Sissy K's in Fanueil Hall before going out for a decent 4-5 mile trail. This is definitely a picture from the start of the run because Anna & I are still smiling :) Actually the run was beautiful, and I was right up in front with the guys, which is a nice change.
I got the best compliment from Puffy before we headed out. He told me that the short hair suited me, that he didn't know what it was (the hair or something else), but that he had never seen me so happy. He was one of the guys who helped me move out of Brian's place back in March, so he has definitely seen me at lower points. I know that I generally feel healthier and happier these days, so I guess it shows!
I got the best compliment from Puffy before we headed out. He told me that the short hair suited me, that he didn't know what it was (the hair or something else), but that he had never seen me so happy. He was one of the guys who helped me move out of Brian's place back in March, so he has definitely seen me at lower points. I know that I generally feel healthier and happier these days, so I guess it shows!
Friday, October 13, 2006
The Grape UB
UB was by far our most proficient grape harvester due to his amazing reach. He also made a godo target from far away distances to throw rotten grapes at :)
Farmer Dan & his Migrant Workers
Moriah and I headed up to VT this past weekend to help Dan's parents harvest their grapes this year. They have a small vineyard that has been in operation for a few years now and every year they offer a bottle of wine to anyone who will help with the harvest.
A free bottle of wine & time with friends in VT was enough to get Moriah and I up there. I even dressed the part in overalls. Of course while the rest of us were doing the back breaking work of picking all the grapes, Dan just rode the tractor around and picked up full buckets to be weighed.
It was a beautiful day, and I loved spending time with UB & CJ, but I had NO idea I'd be doing such hard labor for 5 hours!
At least the bottle of white wine was quite tasty!
A free bottle of wine & time with friends in VT was enough to get Moriah and I up there. I even dressed the part in overalls. Of course while the rest of us were doing the back breaking work of picking all the grapes, Dan just rode the tractor around and picked up full buckets to be weighed.
It was a beautiful day, and I loved spending time with UB & CJ, but I had NO idea I'd be doing such hard labor for 5 hours!
At least the bottle of white wine was quite tasty!
Pictures from the Tufts 10K
Check it out! Apparently they took a few pics of me during my run on Monday. At this point I am headed over the Mass Ave bridge back into Boston, and have about a mile and a half to go.
I think from this picture that you can tell why my IT band was so tight. I don't think my left leg could come in anymore! Yikes! Hopefully my form was a little better earlier in the race.
I just ran yesterday for the first time since, and it went well. 8 miles at a 9:30 pace (just chillin') :-)
I think from this picture that you can tell why my IT band was so tight. I don't think my left leg could come in anymore! Yikes! Hopefully my form was a little better earlier in the race.
I just ran yesterday for the first time since, and it went well. 8 miles at a 9:30 pace (just chillin') :-)
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Tufts 10K
So, Anna and I decided to celebrate Columbus Day by running in the Tufts 10K for Women. This is a huge race that starts and ends on the Boston Common, runs along Memorial Drive, and has over 7,000 participants. I ran this 5 years ago with Kate, and we were very excited to find out that we ran it in just under 9 minute miles. Now, I am in better shape this year and decided to try and beat that time.
It was an amazing day, although a tad warm, and I went out feeling pretty good. Anna encouraged me to go ahead of her as she is still recovering from an injury and felt our initial pace was a bit much (8:15 for the first mile). Well, apparently I got even faster as I finished it at a little over an 8 mile pace. Check out my results!
453 174/1530 F2029 51:39 50:29 8:08 Jessica Riggs 27 F 5636 Somerville MA
Crazy! I think I am a lot faster than I thought, since I didn't feel too bad when I finished and could probably have picked my pace up at some point. Hmmmm.... Anna is trying to convince me to really train for a 5K in a few weeks. Maybe I will do some speed workouts and see if I can run at a 7:30 pace. I would LOVE it if I could pull that off!
It was an amazing day, although a tad warm, and I went out feeling pretty good. Anna encouraged me to go ahead of her as she is still recovering from an injury and felt our initial pace was a bit much (8:15 for the first mile). Well, apparently I got even faster as I finished it at a little over an 8 mile pace. Check out my results!
453 174/1530 F2029 51:39 50:29 8:08 Jessica Riggs 27 F 5636 Somerville MA
Crazy! I think I am a lot faster than I thought, since I didn't feel too bad when I finished and could probably have picked my pace up at some point. Hmmmm.... Anna is trying to convince me to really train for a 5K in a few weeks. Maybe I will do some speed workouts and see if I can run at a 7:30 pace. I would LOVE it if I could pull that off!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Team Janine's 1st Loss
So, my friend Sarah B set up a tennis tournament at school. She even came up with an acronym and everything: ACE (Amateur Tennis Players Competing & Exercising). Basically people of all (or in my case none) abilities could sign up to play tennis and you were randomly paired with someone for doubles to compete in a round robin tournament. We started with 8 teams total, played 3 matches of 6 games each where the object was to win as many matches as possible. The top 4 teams after these matches, determined by total number of games won, advanced to the semi finals.
Well, I got randomly paired with Janine who competed at UVM on the varsity team. Needless to say, our abilities were a bit uneven, and my strategy was to returm the ball and pray they hit it back to Janine. I also began referring to us as "Team Janine." Oddly enough, my strategy worked as we were the top team going into the semi-finals.
Unfortunately we lost today, as we had to play a real match with best 2 out of 3 sets of 6 games. We lost 7-6 and 6-3. Luckly we didn't make it into a 3rd set with Nicole and Matty G because we played for the entire hour and twenty minute lunch break.
It's been great to be outside getting exercise during lunch, and I think my tennis may actually be improving. Of course I finally saw Janine play to her ability (she's been down playing her skills) for the 1st time today, and I have a long way to go!
Well, I got randomly paired with Janine who competed at UVM on the varsity team. Needless to say, our abilities were a bit uneven, and my strategy was to returm the ball and pray they hit it back to Janine. I also began referring to us as "Team Janine." Oddly enough, my strategy worked as we were the top team going into the semi-finals.
Unfortunately we lost today, as we had to play a real match with best 2 out of 3 sets of 6 games. We lost 7-6 and 6-3. Luckly we didn't make it into a 3rd set with Nicole and Matty G because we played for the entire hour and twenty minute lunch break.
It's been great to be outside getting exercise during lunch, and I think my tennis may actually be improving. Of course I finally saw Janine play to her ability (she's been down playing her skills) for the 1st time today, and I have a long way to go!
Matt's visit to Boston
Matt was in Boston this weekend to spend time with his new roommate/ friend from college and to see a show downtown. My friend Lisa and I joined them at Avalon to see CSS & Ladytron. Very fun show, although I was surprised that more people weren't dancing. We then headed to a bar on Bolyston, and then to a club at the Park Plaza hotel. Somehow we managed to dance all night and stay out till after 3am!
This picture was from earlier in the day, when I was trying to convince him to get a new MacBook. He needs a new computer once he quits his job (they will most likely take back the laptop they gave him), and I think he should get a Mac. I was showing him the PhotoBooth program that takes a picture of you from the camera embedded above the screen. I can't remember if we were trying to look impressed or pensive. And why does he look better than me? Grrr...
I had a blast hanging out with Matt and Rob this weekend, and spent the better part of Sunday/Monday recovering from it! I can't wait until Matt is here full time. 4 weeks and counting...
This picture was from earlier in the day, when I was trying to convince him to get a new MacBook. He needs a new computer once he quits his job (they will most likely take back the laptop they gave him), and I think he should get a Mac. I was showing him the PhotoBooth program that takes a picture of you from the camera embedded above the screen. I can't remember if we were trying to look impressed or pensive. And why does he look better than me? Grrr...
I had a blast hanging out with Matt and Rob this weekend, and spent the better part of Sunday/Monday recovering from it! I can't wait until Matt is here full time. 4 weeks and counting...
Thursday, September 28, 2006
A Little Dating Ego Boost
So, I told a friend of mine recently that he needed to establish more of a dating ego. What I maen to say is that he is highly confident in his athletic abilities, but seems to be lacking in confidence when in dating situations. I think we can all relate to this one, and I have definitely doubted my ability to attact a worthwhile mate.
I decided to post a blurb from an email I recently received that definitely helped to boast my dating ego. A little back story: while waiting for my fellow RTB team members at a local dive bar, I fended off some advances from the older patrons while a younger gentleman looked on. I tried to get this guys attention and sigmal that he should come save me, but he did not approach me until my friends showed up a bit later. We chatted a with him about our big race up in NH, and before leaving he gave me his business card and asked me to keep him posted on how we did. So, I wrote him last week to brag about how team One More Beer did, but also informed him that I was seeing someone (true at the time, although recent events have changed that). Here is part of his reply:
Well, I guess I could take a reprieve and say that I was not hitting on
you- though, it wouldn't be completely accurate. I was mostly saying
hello, as I was curious as to your reasoning for being at that place
alone at 5:30pm. So, my curiosity was going, and the catch of your smile
was lovely, so I took a chance at saying hello. No real intent on
anything other than making an acquiantance, though if you were absent a
boyfriend, then I certainly would be asking you out now. :) That's as
straightforward as I can make it. :)
That email is getting filed away for those days when I need a pick me up... kind of like my voicemail collection which includes 2 drunken calls from Wick & Grey telling me how much they miss me, and the recent addition of Matt telling me how F-ing cute I look with my new haircut :)
I decided to post a blurb from an email I recently received that definitely helped to boast my dating ego. A little back story: while waiting for my fellow RTB team members at a local dive bar, I fended off some advances from the older patrons while a younger gentleman looked on. I tried to get this guys attention and sigmal that he should come save me, but he did not approach me until my friends showed up a bit later. We chatted a with him about our big race up in NH, and before leaving he gave me his business card and asked me to keep him posted on how we did. So, I wrote him last week to brag about how team One More Beer did, but also informed him that I was seeing someone (true at the time, although recent events have changed that). Here is part of his reply:
Well, I guess I could take a reprieve and say that I was not hitting on
you- though, it wouldn't be completely accurate. I was mostly saying
hello, as I was curious as to your reasoning for being at that place
alone at 5:30pm. So, my curiosity was going, and the catch of your smile
was lovely, so I took a chance at saying hello. No real intent on
anything other than making an acquiantance, though if you were absent a
boyfriend, then I certainly would be asking you out now. :) That's as
straightforward as I can make it. :)
That email is getting filed away for those days when I need a pick me up... kind of like my voicemail collection which includes 2 drunken calls from Wick & Grey telling me how much they miss me, and the recent addition of Matt telling me how F-ing cute I look with my new haircut :)
Scott & I at the finish
Here's a picture of Scott and I at the end of the race. Scott ran our last leg and definitely deserved the gatorade I brought him :)
Scott was one of the faster more competitive members of our team. JMo and he started a competition to see who could pass the most runners on their legs. Since JMo ran right before Scott, he would always tell him a number when he passed of the wrist band at the transition point and this would give Scott a goal to achieve. They referred to people passed on the road as "roadkill," and we kept an accurate tally for al team members in the van. Final score: Scott 88, JMo 69!
I was not really involved in the competition, but I was definitely proud of my 20 :)
My friend Matt was competing with them on another team... I don't remember his final tally though. I'm sure it was close. The 3 of them are crazy fast runners! Scott was never passed, and JMo was passed only once. I would love to have all 3 of them on my team next year!
Scott was one of the faster more competitive members of our team. JMo and he started a competition to see who could pass the most runners on their legs. Since JMo ran right before Scott, he would always tell him a number when he passed of the wrist band at the transition point and this would give Scott a goal to achieve. They referred to people passed on the road as "roadkill," and we kept an accurate tally for al team members in the van. Final score: Scott 88, JMo 69!
I was not really involved in the competition, but I was definitely proud of my 20 :)
My friend Matt was competing with them on another team... I don't remember his final tally though. I'm sure it was close. The 3 of them are crazy fast runners! Scott was never passed, and JMo was passed only once. I would love to have all 3 of them on my team next year!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
RTB team: One More Beer
The weekend before last I participated in one of the best athletic competitions: Reach the Beach. This is an event where 12 member teams run a 200 mile relay across New Hampshire (from Bretton Woods to Hampton Beach) in 24 hours time! There are 300 teams that register every year and each one starts on Friday according to their projected finish time. They try and plan it so most teams finish around the same time. We started at 10:40am.
Each runner is supposted to complete 3 legs total with varying start times. Because we were down a runner (my friend was injured last minute) and Anna was already injured, 4 of us ended up running 4 legs total. My total milage was 18.7 miles, with my longest leg being 6.9 miles @ 5 am Saturday morning. Oddly enough, despite a constant battle with my stomach, I felt great during my legs and even managed to pass 20 people total: 13 of those at 5am! My last leg was a bit painful and took a lot of willpower to finish.
Here is a picture of my team, although a few of us are hidden. We all wore the Boston HHH One More Beer T-shirt, which was our team name. We ended up finishing 78th out of 296 teams. My team was amazing, and I think we all had a great time. Enough to even consider doing it again next year...
Each runner is supposted to complete 3 legs total with varying start times. Because we were down a runner (my friend was injured last minute) and Anna was already injured, 4 of us ended up running 4 legs total. My total milage was 18.7 miles, with my longest leg being 6.9 miles @ 5 am Saturday morning. Oddly enough, despite a constant battle with my stomach, I felt great during my legs and even managed to pass 20 people total: 13 of those at 5am! My last leg was a bit painful and took a lot of willpower to finish.
Here is a picture of my team, although a few of us are hidden. We all wore the Boston HHH One More Beer T-shirt, which was our team name. We ended up finishing 78th out of 296 teams. My team was amazing, and I think we all had a great time. Enough to even consider doing it again next year...
Friday, September 22, 2006
Back to School
Yuck. So, I am now full fledged into the fall semester and I think I am keeping my head above water. I can't tell if this semester is easier, or if I care less at this point in the game. I definitely find the subject matter interesting as we are now doing spine and neuro. My clinical placement for this semester is Beth Israel Outpatient for 6 weeks than the Brain Injury Unit @ Spaulding for the 2nd 6 weeks. Much more involved patients, but I'm excited about it.
I guess the hardest thing right now is that I have been out of town every weekend since I came back from VT: the wedding in Upstate NY, Reach the Beach (which I plan to write more about when I have pictures), and now a random event in NH... next weekend I'm staying in Beantown, going to my favorite coffeeshop, and taking some time for me! Woo hoo, I like that plan!
I guess the hardest thing right now is that I have been out of town every weekend since I came back from VT: the wedding in Upstate NY, Reach the Beach (which I plan to write more about when I have pictures), and now a random event in NH... next weekend I'm staying in Beantown, going to my favorite coffeeshop, and taking some time for me! Woo hoo, I like that plan!
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