On being dotted...

As I promised myself, I am writing a new post after being in school for a month. As sure as I was about why I trotted off in this direction (not just grad school, but Oriental Medicine), I had to give myself a bit to walk the path and see how it felt.

Well, I'm glad to say, it's still awesome! I'm loving almost every second of it. The history of Oriental Medicine (approx. 5,000 years old), the philosophy, the language, the theory and the practice...is all just amazing. But, I digress...

The part I don't love so much, is being dotted. One of the classes is called Point Location. As you might have garnered from the class title and the degree name (see "Dem Bones..."), we learn where the actual acupuncture points are located. Included in that learning process is placing quarter inch paper sticky dots on each other where the points are supposed to be. And that means partial disrobing.

Though I certainly didn't mind dotting other people, BEING dotted is not top on my list of favorite things in the world. This past Tuesday I had to take my shirt off so I could be dotted on my arms along my Lung Channel. I just LOVE that my enormous arms are now indelibly imprinted on all the young minds of my fellow classmates. I hope they don't have nightmares. Can't wait to get to the trunk and thighs. I think this class is going to be the bane of my existence. Though, and this might BE a positive even though it doesn't FEEL like it, another student (who is farther along in the program) mentioned to me how popular she became in her class, as everyone quickly realized not all patients are 130 lb's (pronounced "el beez" in my world) and perfectly shaped.

Hence, this was further motivation to continue full force on my path to becoming healthy again. As if the stitch I got hiking up from Hamilton Pool yesterday wasn't confirmation enough.

I don't think I want to stay popular.

Off to the gym...

Oh, sidebar: When I went to take my shower that evening, I found two sticky dots hiding in my right pit. Now I really AM off to the gym!!!

Yin and Yang - mostly Yin!

In the lofty endeavor to study AND understand Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, one has to go back to the origins, the root, of the Chinese world view. The fundamental aspect of this view is best described as Yin and Yang. "Yin and Yang are emblems of the fundamental duality in the universe, a duality which is ultimately unified. The symbol of Taiji, or the Great Polarity (above) demonstrates the Yin/Yang concept in a graphic form. Herein, black signifies Yin and white signifies Yang. The two colors coil around, fade into, and penetrate each other. Both are necessary for the whole to exist..."*

Yin is dark/Yang, light: Rest/Activity, Contraction/Expansion, Cold/Hot, Slowness/Rapidity - respectively. Complementary opposites. One cannot exist without the other. Neither is all good, or all bad, just relative parts of one another.

So it is with the cycles of our lives. With the examination (the proverbial 20/20 hindsight) of my adult life so far, I believe I have been in the Yin cycle. The Yin properties have expanded as far as possible, and are now receding to give way to more Yang properties - thankfully! Having already stated that neither "side" is all good, or all bad, and accepting that truth (as we are a sum of our life experiences and cannot be "here" if we were not "there"), I welcome this new phase with wide open eyes and arms.

I only hope the Yang expansion lasts as long as the Yin did.

That's my current take. I could be wrong, and often have been. But it makes me feel better to look at it this way...for now. :-)


* From the text: Acupuncture - A comprehensive Text by the Shanghai College of Traditional Medicine. Translated and edited by John O'Connor and Dan Bensky. (Not one of our required textbook purchases).

Dem Bones, dem bones...

The leg bone's connected to the....knee bone. The knee bone's connected to the...thigh bone.

That little ancient diddy twirled through my head when I was thinking about writing my newest blog entry. It's been several months since I've posted. Been a tad busy lining up all the details of my new life.

I'm moving to Austin - finally! I've always wanted to live there, and now I get to. Well, "get to"...I planned it that way. I decided that it was time I changed the status quo and did something that I wanted to do and not because I should do it or was obligated to do it.

I'm finally going back to get a master's degree. I always sort of thought I would, but didn't want to continue in the business field and go for the almighty MBA.

I've found what I do want to study - Oriental medicine. I'm starting school in January to get a MAcOM. That's a Master's of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Color me crazy. It's a long 4 year program and not really going to be a walk in the park, never mind I'm old and I only have like 3 brain cells left to rub together. Regardless, I'm all over it and can't wait to start!

We'll talk again in January...and see just how great I think it is by then.

Miscreants in the house

There seems to be a collective effort among the animals that live in this house. They feed off each others' misdeeds.

Yesterday, one of the cats emancipated an unused tampon from the box in the bathroom closet. After taking turns batting it around with some of the other cats, the dogs stole it. They then took turns eviscerating it...removing the cotton from the cardboard tube, and spreading the puff about the floor.

It lays in the dining room...waiting to absorb something.

Dain Bramage

You could be playin' fooball, on a fooball fiel', wid a fooball.

Bob Nelson was one of the funniest stand-up comics in the mid '80's. Below is a clip of one of my all time favorite sets. Enjoy!

Awesome adventures in pet sitting

As does much of my material, this post was inspired by my past roommate, Sandra, and the fun that ensues from a household of domesticated animals.

I recently was animal sitting for the most needy of her pets. Two of the four invaders were cats; one with diabetes who needs insulin shots and blood sugar counts twice per day, and the other an old guy with arthritis and heart issues who needs pills twice per day. Along with those two cats came the dog I am still hopelessly attached to, Truffle (she's far too sensitive to be boarded - hehe), and Sarah's Chihuahua, Bailey, whom I demanded to keep Truffle company...as well as to entertain me.

Whilst administering pills to cats, which is never an easy undertaking, let alone twice per day, one must constantly adjust to their desires and wishes on just how they would like to partake of said pills. After all, we are their indentured servants and if we would like them to do something for us, it must be on their terms.

So, the pills must be properly wrapped in one of the following: Real cheese or canned squirt cheese. (And if those don't work, dissolve pill in water and shoot down gullet with syringe. I find that works the first couple of times).

Dogs also like a cheese treat now and again. Twice a day? They're in heaven. Cats first, dogs second.

And all you have to do is squirt the canned cheese into the air where they pick it off the nozzle...except when the can is almost empty...and it loudly, abruptly and violently spews random splashes of pasteurized genuine imitation cheese food into their faces...and they run and hide...

...from the cheese scented air.

You no longer match...

In my endless, daily job searching, I often receive emails saying, "We're sorry. You no longer match this job."

Um, how can I no longer match? How does that happen? What did I do to no longer match? Does anyone else no longer match or is it just me?

No other explanations. Just, you no longer match.

Well...maybe I don't want to match anymore. Did you ever think of that?

What if I decided not to match a real long time before you "decided" I no longer matched?

And now you're just getting around to telling me I no longer match?

What if my matching capacity far exceeds your match making?

What if I just don't feel like matching today?

Seems like it's more your problem than mine.

So, take that you job matching website!

I'll match myself.